Welcome to our Blog!

I went vegetarian over a year ago because I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. My sister-in-love, Dianne gave me a DVD from the RAVE diet and it changed my mind about food and health. As a result, I went "all in" and completely revolutionized my lifestyle. This blog will be in part about my journey and the results I achieved. It will be about encouraging you to achieve similar or better results. It will be a forum for ideas and recipes. It will be a resource for folks that want to embrace the vegetarian lifestyle, but also want to eliminate refined foods from their diet. I am a very practical girl. I will apply common sense to what I'm doing and will not be fanatical. I did not go vegetarian because of my love for animals although I am an animal lover. I'm not strictly vegetarians as I will eat fish once every two or three months. I just want to be the healthiest that I can be. Period. I invite you to join me on our continuing journey.

AOL Health Article that ran on 1/12/09

Eating less meat is a proven way to lighten up on the scale. Research shows that vegetarians weigh an average 20% less than nonvegetarians. George Washington School of Medicine researchers found that women who followed a vegan diet for 14 weeks lost 2 1/2 times as much weight as those who limited fat intake. There's no need to go cold turkey--just eating less meat can make a difference. In a Brigham Young University study of 284 women, 53% of those who typically averaged about 10 ounces of meat a day were overweight, compared with 16% of those who ate less than 6 ounces. Plant-based foods are naturally low in calories and high in nutrients and satiating fiber, so you feel full without overdoing it, says Gabrielle M. Turner-McGrievy, RD. A cup of lentil soup, a small handful of nuts, or 1/4 cup of chickpeas tossed with whole-wheat pasta and veggies are all good protein-rich swaps. Not ready to nix meat altogether? Start by trying three vegetarian dinners a week for a month to allow your tastebuds to adjust. (Trust us, they will--in another weight loss study of new vegetarians versus low-fat dieters, a third more of the vegetarians had stuck with the diet a year later.) Courtesy of AOL Health

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

This week's menu of recipes...

MONDAY
Scott’s favorite chili
One can of beer
One package of Chili-O seasoning mix
One can of Rotell tomatoes and green chilies
Three cans of Bush’s chili beans in whichever sauce you like (I use the regular or mild)
Chop one medium onion
One 14oz can of tomato sauce
Mix and cook over medium to medium low heat for an hour or longer if you like – lower the heat!

TUESDAY
Easy Veggie Meal
Prepare one package of organic Parmesan couscous
Steam broccoli
Add one recipe of :
Vegetable Medley
Mix one can of diced tomatoes (use fresh if you can) with one large sweet onion chopped, and two summer squash chopped. Heat them through on the stove adding one teaspoon of minced garlic and a dash of Italian herbs. Just before serving toss in one or two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. This tasty side dish is a lovely way to add color to your meal.

WEDNESDAY
EASY PASTA
Use leftover Vegetable Medley to place over whole grain pasta and top with your favorite pasta sauce for an easy pasta night.

THURSDAY
Nacho's
Layer a bed of Flax Seed tortilla chips on a cookie sheet
top with Scott's favorite chili - heated - (use a slotted spoon) and sprinkle one tablespoon of 2% sharp cheddar cheese and broil until toasty. Serve with salsa

FRIDAY
Amazing Veggie Pizza
Top a ready-made spelt (or other whole grain dough) pizza crust with your favorite pizza sauce. Drain a can of marinated artichoke hearts – pat them dry and add to pizza. Chop a medium onion and add to the top. Cover with fresh leaves of spinach. Top the whole pie with 1 ½ cups of 2% milk mozzarella. Bake according to directions.
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The Rave Diet

The Rave diet book and DVD was our starting point. The RAVE stands for no Refined, no Animal, no Vegetable oil, and Exercise. The book takes a look at how the cancer rates and heart disease rates increase in societies as the consumption of meat increases. In agrarian societies where meat is expensive and therefore an occasional treat, the instances of heart disease and cancers are low. In societies where meat is the staple at every meal, you see problems of epidemic proportion.
The RAVE diet contends that if you follow it you can reverse heart disease and cancer. Scott and I appreciate the information in the RAVE and recommend it highly. We don't follow the RAVE strictly. We eat eggs about once a week. We include small amounts of cheese and yogurt and we even use tiny amounts of Smart Balance butter substitute spread and expellier pressed olive oil. We haven't been able to cut out everything because we feel that by eliminating meat, refined foods, most oils and really limit dairy that we are eons beyond where we were. We have dropped a combined 64 pounds. Scott is off of his cholesterol medicine and the doctor expects that he will be off of his blood pressure medicine when he looses his last 15 pounds. I have energy again and have noticed that my skin looks amazing for a 48 year old. I have noticed a decrease in wrinkles and have not had a breakout in six months!
We will be offering the RAVE Diet book soon and suggest that you read it and watch the DVD that is enclosed. Let us know what you think about it by your comments. It's a great place to start!
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