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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

Monday, October 26, 2009

Thanksgiving Dishes

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, I thought readers might like some holiday recipes:

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes
One large can of sweet potatoes drained and mashed
Add ¼ cup of egg beaters
Add ¼ cup of maple syrup
Add one tablespoon of orange juice
Mix all together and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Thanksgiving Stuffing – Lite!
Toast 6 slices of Ezekiel bread at 300 for 20 minutes
Crumble the toast into a bowl
Sauté one small onion and four stalks of celery together without oil
Heat one cup of vegetable stock with one tablespoon of rubbed sage
Mix all of the above and bake at 350 for 25 minutes

Thanksgiving Cranberry Salad – caution this one has sugar
One large package of dark cherry jello
Boil one cup of water and mix in the jello
Add one cup of demenara or raw sugar to the jello
Chop one cup of cranberries - chopped in the food processor
One cup of minced celery

One cup of chopped walnuts
One whole orange – pureed in the food processor – rind and all
One tablespoon of lemon
One small can of crushed pineapple
Mix all of the above together and chill for one hour or until set.
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Friday, October 9, 2009

Eating out...

My son't favorite restaurant is Chili's. He wanted to go there last night to have an early birthday celebration - he has work and school next week - fall break this week. It is very discouraging to go to big chain restaurants like Chili's, O'Charley's, or Friday's. Every salad comes with meat and most of them won't reduce the price even if you omit the meat! What to do? Well, Chili's offers a black bean burger that is very good. It comes with ranch dressing which I leave off and order instead, salsa and guacamole. At O'Charley's and Friday's, I ask for side salads and baked potatoes and I always request the veggie of the day. Usually the waitstaff has had these requests before and are willing to help you out.

Fast food is trickier. I won't even stop at McDonalds (even with their salad offerings), Burger King or BoJangles. I have gotten creative at Chik Fil A ordering a roasted chicken salad, hold the chicken, and I always score a baked potato at Wendy's. I try to keep some snacks in the car for when such unappealing options are being voted on by others. Small baggies of almonds, pecans or sunflowers are helpful. If you can plan ahead, bring some fresh raw veggies to top a baked potatoe or added extra nutrients to a salad.

At Mexican restaurants, you can almost always find a veggie fajita. Ask if the refried beans are vegetarian, if yes then you will enjoy the veggies with the beans and you won't even need the tortilla. Italian restaurants are a little bit harder. A salad and some minestrone are always a good choice.

It's work. I won't lie. But, it IS doable. What I will tell you, is from time to time, you need to just enjoy a meatless meal but ease up on the refined part. Have some manicotti or enjoy a tortilla with your bean burrito, after all we are in this for the long haul and we want to make it all the way. It is shown that when folks feel deprived, they fall off the program. Treat yourself from time to time and celebrate how far you've come!
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