Try new things

Since I flirted with veganism, I have been more willing to step out of my comfort zone and try foods that looks or sounds kinda freaky. When I was at blue nile they had steamed vegan collard greens. Collard greens are one of the healthiest greens for you and I have been curious about them. So I dove in and ordered them. The verdict: delicious! I would definitely order them again. Maybe one day I will even be brave enough to try making some myself. Also at blue nile they have a small raw menu and they have a sandwich on it that consists of raw onion bread, tomatoes, avacodo and sprouts. When I saw it I was thinking man that sounds like one healthy meal so I ordered it. It was pretty good, however, the onion did get to me about halfway into the sandwich. I was glad that I ventered out and tried something new. Veganism opens up the mind and I like that. I am thinking I will try to be strict vegan after thanksgiving for a few weeks. We shall see!

Seeing double...chin

Since it is Halloween I thought I would post this scary picture. Do you ever have a picture that you see and you can't believe that you look like the image in the picture? Well this picture made me want to hide in my house and never come out. I have a double chin...Yikes, how did this happen? On a positive note my mom and sis do look rather cute. This picture made me decide it is time to kick up my workout and try to get rid of this double chin before the holidays. I am going back to bootcamp starting tomorrow and I hope it will do the trick. I have also gone back to the daily green smoothie for breakfast. Happy Halloween!

Going Bananas

Sorry that I have been MIA for a while. Here is the thing, the last few weeks I haven't been eating as well as I should have. I wasn't doing anything too crazy, but I wasn't getting in my fruits and veggies like I needed. Then this week came and I had a new rush of motivation to get back to healthy regiment. I went out and bought some greens so I could make my green smoothies for breakfast and I bought some other veggies and fruit to snack on. It feels good to be back. Next step was to find some new yummy recipes to try so I browsed over fat free vegan ( my new favorite site) and I stumbled upon a few recipes I am going to try this week. This morning I made the banana french toast recipe from the site and it was so yummy! It tasted like banana bread, yummers! Bananas make everything so good. And to my surprise Josh was willing to give the vegan french toast a try and he really liked it too. He topped his off with maple syrup and I went for a less sugary route and put a little almond butter and strawberries on mine. The next recipe I am going to try from fat free vegan is the pesto pasta salad. I am in total L-O-V-E with pesto but it is so high in fat because of the oil content. Well the recipe on fat free vegan uses silken tofu instead of oil, which means a lot less fat and more protein. That's what you call a win, win situation. I will let you know how it goes. So here is my thought for the day: if you are lacking motivation, find a new yuumy recipe that inspires you to eat some good veggies. I know its such a deep thought...ok well I need to make my grocery list and hit up whole foods with my mom and sis. I will try to do better at updates and not wait a month to blog.

Sandwich

When Reins and I started eating vegan I had this dreaded thought that I would never be able to eat a sandwich ever again ( besides PB and J). I mean the whole basis of the sandwich is meat and cheese, so I figured vegans had no hope for partaking in a delicious sandwich...but I was proved wrong. It was hot and sunny Friday afternoon when Reins, mom and I went to Pomegranate cafe and what we discovered that day would change our lives forever. First off, they had a mini bagel sandwich that was vegan and so scrumptious; it had hummus. basil pesto ( anything with pest is divine!) avocado, cucumber and lettuce. Not only was this probably the healthiest sandwich I had ever eaten, but it was one of the yummiest too. Thank you Pomegranate cafe for making me realize that yummy vegan sandwiches can be done. But there was something at Pomegranate cafe that was even better than the sandwich...they had raw vegan chocolate cheesecake. OMG its true! It was so creamy and delightful. Pomegranate cafe has now made the list of our favorite dining joints and I recommend checking it out. It is far, but worth the trip.

Easy Homeade Vegan Ice Cream

As you probably guessed from the post title, my sugar strike is over. It only lasted 2 weeks. What can I say, when the weekend rolls around I start thinking about sweets. Everyone deserves a litttle something sweet on the weekend, right? Maybe I could have stuck with it longer if more people would have joined in the strike ( Olivia)! So Sunday Josh and I made some homeade vegan icecream that was totally delicious, you wouldnt even know it was dairy free ( Josh loved it too) My mom is the one that told us about the recipe so I have to say Thanks to her. Give the recipe a try:

Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream

64 oz of Mocha Mix ( you can find this in the milk section next to the coffee creamer)
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs vanilla

Its simple and delicious, but definitely not healthy. Speaking of healthy I tried that diet my nutritionist told me to do and didn't get any results. I am so fed up with trying to eat well and exercising and still not getting any results. It is the worst! But I am proud of myself for being healthy and so I am going to stick with veganism/vegetarianism.

Sugar Strike!!!

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you totally binge out on junk food? Yes that was me this weekend. And after its all said and done you just feel crappy. I do believe sugar is evil. A while back Reins and I went a month without sweets and it felt good. So I am inviting anyone who wants to join me on a sugar strike! I am going to start tomorrow and the goal is to see how long I can say no to sweets. I am hoping to make it a month at least....maybe longer. Its time to say hello to fruit for dessert and goodbye to chocolate. SO come on and join in on the strike. If you do decide to join I would love to hear your comments on your progress. Good luck!

New Status

Yes I have been on hiatus, its summer and I rarley take time to hang on the computer. But I decided it was time to tell the world that I am transitioning from being vegan to becoming vegetarian. Its true. I went to a nutritionist because I have had issues loosing weight ( regardless of hours at the gym and healthy eating) and she looked at my food log and said I needed to add more protein to my meals. So I am adding nuts into my daily regime and I plan on eating some occasional organic string cheese and organic plain greek yogurt to my menu. She also recommend adding free range eggs to my diet when I do become pregnant. So I plan on eating vegan most of the time still, I am still using dairy alternatives instead of milk and I have been adding tofu to my diet. I feel so grown up when I eat it. I was nervous at first, but the truth is, it can be really good. Reins and I have transitioned out of eating fake meat ( we indulge ourselves maybe once a week) and I plan on making some tempah dishes this week and some seitan dishes as well. Reins is keeping up with being full fledge vegan. I am so proud of her! I still believe it is such a healthy way to eat and I am sad that I will no longer be able to say I'm vegan, however,I did have some string cheese today and it was delightful. I will let you know if this new plan helps me loose some pounds.

summer vegan, had me a blast!

So what's new:

1. I am in complete total love with my vitamix ( I better be for how expansive those things are). I seriously use it 2 times a day at least. In addition to my green protein smoothie that I make for breakfast, I usually make a real fruit sorbet everyday for dessert. You just throw in some frozen fruit, soy milk, ice and a little juice and you get a yummy refreshing summertime treat! Loves it! If you want to get a little naughty you can throw in some unsweetened cocoa powder, stevia extract, soy milk and ice and it taste like a milk shake ( and the best part is there is no guilt). I have also made some 100 % fresh fruit syrup which was yummy. Just a little advice, don't use the vitamix to make your mashed potatoes. I tried that yesterday and it made the potatoes so starchy because of how much it got mixed. Hey I am learning as I go.

2. I was able to check out a vegan restaurant called Beets when I was in Austin and it was Amazing! It was not only vegan but Raw. I got pizza and a caesar salad and it was totally scrumptious, seriously I think it is the best vegan meal I have so far. I went there with my sister in laws and 2 of my nephews. My nephews ordered some raw chocolate almond milk and when they took a sip they totally winced. I think its safe to say they weren't big fans. They did like their food though and I was able to steal their choc milk so I scored on that deal.

3. I am curious if I will be able to do the vegan diet when I get pregnant. I have done lots of research that is for it and other research that is against it. So when I do get preggo I am hoping to hit up a nutritionist and see what they say.

Enjoy all the yummy summer fruit and goodbye for now!

-Elisha

Watch Out...

because eating chips and salsa for dinner every night can make you fat ( who knew). Yes my friends I have managed to gain 4 pounds in 2 weeks. So why can't I ever manage to even loose 2 pounds in 2 weeks, not fair.

This could be the beginning of a wonderful friendship

I have been making myself green smoothies for breakfast lately. My blender has done a pretty good job, but I use it almost everyday and sometimes twice a day and I think my blender is wanting a break. I have been dreaming of buying a vitamix. Unfortunately they are seriously expensive. I did manage to earn a few extra bucks coaching youth football so I think I am going to indulge and buy myself this wonderful machine. I am reading a book about green smoothies and they flat out say they reccommend a vitamix. I mean my life will be so much more fulfilled so I guess I just have to do. Right now its at costco for 50 bucks off and I plan on strolling up there on Saturday to buy my new best friend. I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Smoothies and summer time go hand in hand.

-Elisha

MIA because...

I haven't posted for a while and if you read my regular blog than you know why. I have currently been plagued with total junk food cravings. The good news is I am still managing to get in my daily greens and fruits with my morning smoothie. The bad news, I have chips and salsa daily. It has become my vice. Being vegan I feel that I should be eating healthy and responsibly all of the time, but lately I have failed. Its time to post the hard facts, even though I am vegan I still have a fat personality. I think about and want junk sometimes. However, I have experienced some relief by becoming vegan. At least I know if I am eating chips and salsa for dinner that I already had some veggies and fruit. Nobody is perfect. I hope on day to become a total health freak, but for now I am going to settle and sit on the couch watching my favorite shows while dining on a some Tostidos chips and salsa.
-Elisha

BLOG

Yes, I am still vegan and loving it! The reality of the situation is that it is hard to come up with good blog topics, especially in this economy. Thanks for your understanding. Stay tuned... REINS

Black beans Suprise

Some weeks you find yourself having a major sweet tooth. To my dismay I had one of those weeks last week. I couldn't get chocolate off my mind, so I settled on a more natural sweets...

I was searching for a more wholesome treat when i stumbled upon black bean brownies. You heard me right. I went for it and I actually like them :) I wouldn't recommend bringing them to a party, but I would definitely make them again ( don't knock it till you try it). I added some vegan choc chips to my recipe to give it even more chocolate and I think that helped them taste better. You can find the recipe at

http://www.greenereating.com/. I have fallen head over heels for this site because it has tons and tons of vegan recipes. Being vegan has really brought out my adventurous side!

-Elisha

FYI for Az Vegans

If you are a novice vegan living in az, there is a helpful site that I recommend checking out: http://azvegan.com/. This site has a list of local restaurants and it tells what vegan food they offer. This weekend I went to Chipolte after discovering that there vegetarian burrito is vegan as long as you omit the cheese. Oh my, it was delightful. Maybe not the healthiest thing I have had lately, but my taste buds were pretty happy about it. Speaking of un healthy foods, Reins and I have discovered the yumminess of Cherry Brook sweets http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/ not only are they vegan but they are also gluten free. We made their chocolate cake this weekend on our girls day and it the cake left us totally satisfied. Thanks Cherry Brook!
-Elisha

"Ice Cream"

If you are in the mood for something cold and sweet, nothing beats "ice cream". I have to say that I do miss the dairy version of ice cream. But if you are going to indulge this is my advice

Rice Dream is lame! Seriously just skip it. I was so bummed out by it.

Do go ahead and buy yourself some Purley Decadent Mocha Ice cream. This one was totally yummy. And just a little tip, ice cream always taste better when you dish it up in a pretty glass and drizzle some coco sauce on top.

-Elisha

First timer

How do you celebrate your first official weekend back to eating sweets.... You try the red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles. It was our fist taste and it was delightful. How great that they decorate the cupcake with V for Vegan!

I just couldn't help myself...yum cream cheese frosting

I made my first vegan recipe this last week! Yes I have to say I am quite proud of myself, I really need to step it up and cook some recipes more often. I tried 2 recipes this week...

The first recipe was the Ceaser Salad from teh Kind Diet. It had quite a zing to it, I might lessen the garlic. However, I did enjoy the salad and felt so proud that I managed to eat 12 ounces of greens in one sitting. Unfortunealty it left me with worse garlic breath than the pitta jungle hummus. Its was serious business. So lock yourself up for day after you eat the salad, otherwise you may loose all your friends. Don't say I didn't warn you
Recipe 2 came from Ruthann. It was simple and quite good and it was my first time using tofu. On a happy note one serving packed in over 15 grams of protein. But the bad side is each serving was about 500 calories, which is a little over kill for me.

Here is a picture of the finished product: Cold Sesame pasta salad.

My goal for this week: introduce myself to the green smoothie. Not really sure how it will taste, but I do know I still need to amp up my greens intake. One green smoothie can pack in 2-4 cups of greens. I'll let you know how it turns out!

-Elisha

Hello Dessert!

About this time tomorrow Reins, mom and I will be feasting at Green. whats even better than that news? The fact that this time we will be able to indulge in a tsoynamis. Yes my friends, its been one month with out our delicious treat and this renion is going to be so sweet. Unfortunatly Reins and I only survived 3 weeks without giving in to sweets, but hey we figured thats close enough! Tomorrow is going be a fablulous day!
-Elisha

A Time to Give Thanks

I would like to dedicate this post to my friend Lo! The reason being is that I will be referencing one of her beloved singer/songwriters Alanis Morrisette!! Lo be loving some Alanis! This post is basically a little opportunity to give thanks to all my homies who have supported me being vegan! I would NOT like this post to be in any way similar to Alanis morrisette's song "Thank U" circa 1998! Nice as it was for Alanis to say thanks,that song was the worst! It made my ears bleed so... Ok thank you's bring it! I am lucky in my life to have such great friends! Honestly to all my pals, thanks for your positivity and encouragement! I really enjoy being vegan! My sister and I are having a nice time and feel great! I even really appreciated my green salad two days in a row! It is a rare thing that I did not have to force feed myself those leafy greens! A life change is happening! No, not menapause. Come on, I am only twenty eight. - Reina

Simple yet Delicious

I have yet to mature and start making some recipes. The good news is there have been some vegan meals that are totally simple yet quite delicious....

Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Hot cereal has a cream of wheat texture and it also packs in lots of nutrition ( unlike cream of wheat)....

Add some SO Delicious Coconut Milk ( this milk is sweet and creamy and definitely the best dairy alternative I have found. It doesn't have the funky after taste that soy milk does)....
Then sprinkle it with some berries and you've got yourself a yummy and feeling breakfast. This has been one of my staples since being vegan

Josh was kind enough to make us dinner this week ( this is only the second time we have eating dinner together since I turned wholesome) he sauteed some asparagus and some onions with olive oil and seasoning and they were some of the yummiest veggies I have experienced. I even ate up all of the rings of onions he made ( that is new for me, i used to run the other directions whenever onions were present). We topped of the veggies with a brown rice blend. Just some advice for veggie lovers check out the superstition market on Higley and Main, it may change your life forever! They have herbs for 25 cents and bell peppers for 15 cents sometimes and much much more.

Here is me with my veggie vegan pizza from whole foods. My face looks hungry like a wolf...Speaking of wolves reins and I concluded that finding fellow vegans is just darn amazing! When you find out someone is vegan you have this automatic bond and connection, friend at first sight kind of thing. I know what you are thinking, " what does that have to do with wolves?" Let me tell you. Reins and I are team Jacob ( twilight reference), we have been ever since we read New Moon years ago. When we go to twilight events/movies and see other Team Jacobs it is like we have stumbled across gold! When you see a Team Jacob you just know that they are a good time and have to have some personality because well, Jacob is lots of fun. Now we have the same feelings toward fellow vegans. If you are vegan than you have an understanding of why the heck we eat they way we eat and no explanation is needed. So to you all you fellow vegans and team Jacob's, Hollah!

I HEART Whole Foods!

Since the beginning of our vegan journey Whole Foods has had a special place in our hearts. They have every product you could ever need as a vegan. However, last Friday I made a discovery that made me fall completely head over heels for Whole Foods! Josh was kind enough to go shopping with me as part of our date night. We hit the whole foods in Chandler. They have a smoke house in one section where they smoke meatloaf and hot dogs and other goodies which Josh was checking out. And so I decided to check out their deli/pizza food area and what I discovered was beautiful! Whole foods makes fresh vegan meals to order which include pizza, burritos, salads and sandwiches. I could actually order food from somewhere besides Green and Pita Jungle! SO I ordered myself a few slices of vegan cheese/veggie pizza and we picked up Hungry Howies for Josh on our way home. We sat eating our pizzas and watching a movie and it was fabulous. Now Josh and I can hit up whole foods for date night and he can order from the smokehouse and I can order from the deli. Thank you whole foods for making delicious vegan fare, I truly love you for it!

xoxo,

Elisha

P.S. to our dissapointment we found out that the whole foods in Tempe does not have the smokehouse or the vegan pizza's and burritoes