Football Weekend

I started out the day  with a repeat of yesterdays Ginger Banana Smoothie.  For lunch I toasted some corn chips to go with a Mango Salsa. That was paired with a salad made from what is leftover in the fridge.  It had romaine, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, cucumber, almonds, blueberries, chickpeas and carrot.

Our afternoon plan was to watch the Baltimore - Denver game at the Lighthouse Tavern.  However, the crowd was just too much for us.  We spoke with the bartender the next day and she stated it was the biggest day in the history of the bar.  So we ended up watching the game at home. Of course, that also meant that we ended up drinking more, 2 bottles of wine to be exact. At half time I microwaved some of the leftover Chickpea Ratatouille.  After the game, I had a peanut butter and cherry preserves sandwich on whole wheat bread. Later that night I snacked on a Oatmeal Banana Bite.  Oh, and the Ravens won 38-35.

Sunday started out lite with a Oatmeal Banana Bite and some peanut butter.  For lunch we thought it was just warm enough to eat outside the dogs.  We ventured to Mama's on the Half Shell which has outdoor seating most of the year.  The menu was not the least bit vegan friendly.  The only option besides combing sides was on the kids' menu.  I had pasta with marinara sauce and a side salad. It was good, but I now know it is the only thing I can eat there.  That is a shame since it was one of our go to places for eating out with the dogs that was also in walking distance from home.

Dinner was more emptying out the fridge. I roasted a batch of Kale Chips and mixed the last of the Chickpea Ratatouille with the Couscous with Peas and Carrots. 

Today was the second time this week I have had a migraine.  I usually have one a month.  I hope the change in diet is not a cause.

Do all smoothies look the same?

Today was a tough day because I have been battling a migraine all day.  That just made we want to eat all day which I did.  I tried to make the snacks healthy.  It also made me crave food like cheese and bacon which I have not been doing since starting the vegan regime.

Breakfast was a Ginger Banana Smoothie made with blueberries and strawberries.  It looks pretty much like the green smoothie.  I used the blender this time, so the texture was more uniform and pleasing.  Although it was large, it did not fill me up.  I can't imagine being on an all juice diet.

Lunch consisted of leftover Wild Rice Soup and a White Bean Hummus with Chives and Basil served on whole wheat toast. Since it is Friday, we had a Rose Cremant to accompany the meal.

Dinner was the leftover Israeli Couscous with Carrots, Peas and Red Wine Vinegar and the Seared Cauliflower with Garlic and Tamari.  My various snacks during the day were an apple, a oatmeal banana bite, half a slice of bread with minced sun dried tomato, and a wasa cracker with peanut butter.  I was pretty much munching all day and night and I still have the headache.

Leftovers

For the next few days I will mainly be eating the leftovers from the last week.  I started the day with the last of the Apple Oatmeal.  For lunch I had the Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich which was the last of the zucchini, bean and pepper spread, and corn rolls. Also I had a bowl of the Wild Rice Soup that I made before the Kickstart Program.

Dinner was leftover Moroccan Bean Stew with Sweet  Potatoes and Couscous.  That was finished up as well.  I snacked on an Oatmeal Banana Bite and some Facon Bacon.  I think I was a little hungry because of the low calorie count yesterday.

On of things I do for my dogs is make dog food. I buy meat that is on sale at Safeway and mix it with eggshells, and veggie pieces and vitamins.  It feels strange buying 3 family packs of chicken breasts (this week's special at $2.69 a pound.) when I am not eating meat. The eggshells were from the veggie omelet I made Tommy last night since he did not like my meal. I know there is vegan food for dogs, but I can't imagine given that to dogs.  They love their fresh meat, (I cook it because Jack will not eat raw.) and vegan dog food is heavy on brown rice.  Jack has always had an adverse reaction to rice.  So I will continue to chop up meat, throw it in the food processor  and bake it.

Cute Dog Day

Nothing exciting today, just some good basic meals. But who doesn't like a picture of two adorable dogs?  I started with a Tofu Breakfast Scramble and some fresh berries.  Turmeric makes the tofu look like eggs and some potato was added to the dish.

Lunch was an Artichoke and Tomato Salad over greens with chickpeas and almonds and a the last of my ginger vinaigrette.

Dinner was an Oven baked cauliflower with garlic and tamari and Couscous with peas, carrots, peppers and onions and some red wine vinegar.

For an evening snack I tossed some fresh strawberries with balsamic vinegar.

I only had 985 calories today, but it didn't seem that low.  I had more fat than usual because of the almonds in my lunch salad.   My other stats -

Fat -       37 g      31%
Carbs -  133.2 g  49%    Fiber 39.1 g
Protein -  53.2 g   20%

Vegan Kickstart

Today's breakfast was creating a vegan version of the traditional pancakes and bacon. I have to say that it really did not work.  The Chai Spiced Pancakes had a horrible texture.  I had to completely douse them in maple syrup to make them edible.  The Facon Bacon was tempeh cooked in a garlic soy sauce then broiled.  It was a tasty dish, but it was not bacon and would never pass for bacon.  I prefer to just make good dishes and not impersonate other.

Lunch was made of items that stood on there own.  I had a Orange Fennel Salad and Shiitake Mushroom Fajitas in whole wheat tortillas with my homemade salsa.  Very tasty.

Dinner was an Oven baked Chickpea Ratatouille over brown rice.  We had some red wine to accompany the meal. 

My percentages for the day were

Protein   53.2 g     15%
Carbs    261.4       72 %     39 g. fiber
Fat          22.1g      14%

The Infamous Green Smoothie

Well, I knew sooner or later that a green smoothie would make its way into my menu.  That was breakfast this morning, but it was not really green.  A mix of almond milk, banana, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and kale left a purple color to the drink.  I was an immersion blender to mix it up and it left small bits of kale and blueberries in the drink. I think using a regular blender will lead to a more smooth texture.  On the taste front, it was good.  The fruit was the strongest taste and the kale would not have been noticeable if it had been blended smoothly.

Lunch was a Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and a salad of red leaf lettuce, pickled onions, marinated chickpeas (leftover from dinner several nights ago) and my  ginger vinaigrette.  The soup picture is blurry.  I am having problems with food in bowls.

Dinner was a date night. We went to Willow in Fells Point. www.willowbaltimore.com  .  It is a very nice lounge with couches and  coffee tables for a comfortable feel. We started the night with cocktails and fried plantains. For my main course, I had the vegan tofu tacos which were excellent. They are served over rice and black beans with salsa and guacamole on the side.  A definite thumbs up.

Dining out

Today was a tough one on the vegan journey.  On the days that the Baltimore Ravens play, we watch at the Lighthouse Tavern with our Raven's Roost. It is a convenient place to watch because it is on the same street  we live on and they have a lot TVs.  The menu is not vegetarian friendly, much less a good place for a vegan.I had a green salad for lunch which was greens with a little bit of carrot, tomato and onion with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was not entree sized.  Tommy had a chicken sandwich with tater tots and I had a lot of those.  Not exactly a well rounded meal to go with my ciders while watching the game.  The good news is that the ravens won their wild card round of the playoffs against Indianapolis.

Breakfast was cereal, almond milk, raspberries and blackberries.  For some reason, cereal pictures seem to come out blurry.

For dinner we had some of the leftover Moroccan Bean Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Couscous.  I made a batch to Kale Chips to compliment it.  It is amazing how 2 people can eat an entire batch of kale after it has been dehydrated, but if it was raw or sauteed we would only make a dent into the batch.

Back to football.  Today was Ray Lewis' last home game as a Raven.  He spent his entire career in Baltimore and was a member of the first draft class.  He has been great to watch over the years.