Sentiments by Denise

More Gnocchi, Please

About a year ago, I posted about sweet potato gnocchi with a recipe for a cheesy sauce. It was very good and I've made it several times since.

However, now that I am totally plant-strong (no dairy, especially cheese!) I needed to find a new sauce recipe to go with the sweet potato gnocchi that I enjoy so much!
I read several blogs that are plant-strong based and I often try out some of the recipes I find, so after perusing a few blogs I found a sauce recipe on Angela's blog. 

Nutritional yeast is condiment-like powder (or flake) that is a great source of protein and vitamins - a favorite among those who follow a plant-based diet. The recipe that I found on Angela's blog is called Low-Fat Vegan Cheeze Sauce and it was quick & easy to prepare for lunch today with my gnocchi!

First, I gathered all the essential ingredients:

Next, I measured and mixed, heated and whisked...

And the result:



LUNCH!
(Oh, and I added some edamame to the gnocchi and sauce for added protein, plus it adds a pretty green color to the dish!).
The gnocchi was a pre-made brand that I purchased from Whole Foods Market. Drop into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain, and serve with sauce plus edamame or another green veggie. I also had a small salad with romaine, radishes, red pepper, and grape tomatoes.

Just a little side note: I started eating a vegetarian diet over 2 years ago and gradually gave up dairy over the past year, but was still holding onto cheese. It had an addicting force over me and I knew it was holding me back from achieving my health and weight-loss goals. So, at the start of 2012, I decided to stop eating cheese in any form, becoming totally plant-strong! (Since Jan 1st, I've already lost another 15+ pounds!).

It's working for me!

Juicing - on a Regular Basis

Most people enjoy a glass of juice. Fresh-squeezed is usually preferred. How about juice made through a juice machine?

         (the above juice contains carrots, apple, celery, orange & ginger root)

Last year we bought a Waring Pro juicer. It's not the top-of-the-line juicer, but it works for our needs. We try to juice at least twice a week.

I've been trying some new combinations lately, with more vegetables, to get a better balance of nutrients in my diet. For example, this is the juice combination I made this morning:

I combined one Fuji apple, broccoli stems (save those - they are great for juicing and have a slight sweet taste!), 4 carrots, 1 grapefruit, 1/2 cucumber, and some swiss chard.

This is a great little machine - easy to use and easy to clean up (though it is a bit messy, I won't lie!).

Ed helped while I took photos.

Here's my "green juice" with a little tinge of orange! I like the overload of the vegetables, yet it's a taste you have to get use to. I don't particularly care for a sweet juice, as Ed does. His looked like this:

He combined a Golden Delicious apple, Barlett pear, navel orange, and carrots. He prefers his juice to be heavier on the fruit side.

My juicer cleans up easily and goes back to its home above the refrigerator.

If you're thinking that it's just as easy to grab a bottle of juice at your local grocery store, take a few minutes to read this article on what you actually get in those commercial juices.
And if you really want to learn how juicing can benefit your health, there are many resources out there to help - starting with the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (which can be viewed on Netflix).
Knowledge is power. Consider these things when giving attention to your health.

Love my juice!

Indianapolis Race for the Cure

This morning, right before dawn, Emilee and I headed downtown to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The weather was a bit dismal - cloudy, cold, and drizzly, but we persevered and made it a fun time!
 
This is my 7th year as a breast cancer survivor - and my 25th year of surviving cancer the first time around (diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease when I was in my 9th month of pregnancy for Emilee!). I have so much to be thankful for and feel so blessed for each day that the Lord gives me. I try not to take LIFE for granted and know that I'm here on this earth for a purpose.

There were over 40,000 participants at the Race today - lots of pink! We saw many humorous t-shirts, lots of families walking, many young men out supporting the women they love, and even some pets...
(a little donkey all decked out in a pink blanket and hat!)

The Race for the Cure has brought a lot of attention to breast cancer awareness over the years and continues to promote self exams, early mammos, etc. I would love to see more attention brought to prevention - there are many things that we can do to prevent breast cancer or lessen it's attack on the lives of women across our country. Prevention in the areas of better nutrition, healthier habits (non smoking and drinking), regular exercise, low stress, good sleep management, and giving of ourselves to help others. I have discovered many of these things over the last few years and they've made a significant impact on my health and well being. Some are just common sense; some take discipline.

 
We need to educate ourselves, our daughters and granddaughters to eradicate cancer in our future.

 
I pray my daughter never has to deal with this disease in a personal way (it's enough to go through it with someone you love). I believe PREVENTION is the key!

It was a good day, spent with my sweet daughter who I love dearly, for a cause that is very near to my heart.

 
I am blessed and grateful for those who stood by me seven years ago as I went through my journey with breast cancer - for my husband Ed, who never waivered from the vows of "in sickness and in health" and loves me so strongly; for my son, Stephen, whose silent strength and support gave me a will to fight; for my daughter, Emilee, whose tenacious spirit drove me to work hard to get healthy and stay that way; and for all my other family and friends who prayed, loved, and gave of themselves so generously. Cancer is a dreadful disease, but I must say that I am a stronger, wiser, more caring person because others showed me their strength, their wisdom, and their giving attitude throughout my journey and continue to bless my life today - I did not allow cancer to steal my joy. God has been faithful in my life and I give Him the glory for all that He has done to lift me up and make me stronger. {Phil 4:13}

One thing cancer has made me realize:  learn what is important, prioritize, and
don't sweat the small stuff!

Fresh is Best

Most days I try to eat a salad full of fresh veggies and leafy greens. To do this I have to keep a variety of fresh ingredients on hand.

Tonight I was craving a salad, but also something warm. So I sliced up a large sweet potato, tossed it in a bit of olive oil and roasted it in the oven while I prepared my salad.

 

Into my salad spinner went a couple handfuls of baby spinach and spring mix - both organic. After a good rinse and a spin...

 

...I loaded up 2/3rds of my dinner plate with the greens and topped them with sliced cucumber, green pepper, broccoli slaw, cherry tomatoes, a sprinkling of sunflower seeds, a tablespoon of feta cheese and added a drizzle of Annie's Natural organic salad dressing: Papaya Poppy Seed.

The other 1/3 of my plate held the perfectly roasted sweet potato chunks (25 minutes in a 375deg oven).

 
Yum! Tasty and fresh!

Time for Tea

Yes, I've been on a blogging break - though somewhat unintentional.

My days are so full, with work (I'm away from home at least 11 hours a day) and exercise (I try to hit the gym several evenings a week for either special classes offered or track time) and family (date nights with my husband, helping our kids with different things or just spending time with them, or out of town to visit extended family). Sometimes I have to figure out what is the important parts and leave the not-so-important parts behind for the time being. Like blogging.

Life is going to get a lot more chaotic in our house over the next couple months as Ed & I embark on a much needed remodel project. I just need to take a deep breath and go for it! More on that later.

A little thing that keeps me balanced each day is my tea time. Every morning I prepare a travel mug of tea (like some people prepare coffee) to drink on the way to work and it is a comfort beverage for me.
I really like different flavored teas, especially green tea and chai tea. I've found some wonderful leaves to blend:

 
Remember my Teavana infuser cup? This makes a perfect cup of tea every time with loose leaf tea. I found this Masala Chai to be very strong (chai flavor), so I "tone it down" a bit by putting 1/2 of the chai leaves and 1/2 of the Kyoto Garden green tea (1 tsp of each) into my infuser cup. Add hot water (not boiling) and steep for 3 minutes.

 
(Here's the leaves added to the cup before adding water).

Since I love the taste of Chai/Green tea latte, but need to be careful of the extra calories (I never add sweetener to my tea), I usually heat a small portion (about 1/3 cup) of vanilla flavored almond milk and stir it into my tea when it is finished steeping.

 
A full cup (8oz) of almond milk is 90 calories, so I only add 30 calories to my morning tea latte by adding this. So much better (and healthier) than those options from Starb*cks. And cheaper, too! Give it a try - I'm sure you'll enjoy it even more, knowing you're saving money and choosing something healthier!

Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers

Food is never boring since I started eating a mostly plant based diet more than a year ago. I can honestly say that I've discovered some wonderfully interesting foods that have definitely enlightened my taste buds!

Recent recipe discovery: Ancient Grain Stuffed Red Bell Peppers.

 
Some foods that I eat these days I had never even heard of, or at least wasn't familiar with a year ago. I found this recipe in the sale flyer from Whole Foods (Jan/Feb 2011) and it sounded so impressive, yet very simple. It also gave me the opportunity to try something I've never eaten before: a sea plant.
Arame is a mild sea vegetable, very similar to kelp. Arame is high in calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, and Vitamin A. It does take some getting use to, but if you're a fan of sushi or other seafood, you'll probably like it.

Stuffed Peppers

1/2 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/4 c. uncooked amaranth
1 c. frozen edamame, thawed
1 c. arame seaweed, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, drain well
6 green onions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, grated
1/2 c. roughly chopped fresh cilantro, dill, or parsley
2 T. brown rice vinegar
4 red bell peppers, tops removed and reserved, cored and seeded

Preheat oven to 350deg. Put grains and 1-1/2 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low; cover and simmer until liquid is gone and grains are tender, about 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.
Toss edamame, arame, onions, carrots, cilantro, and vinegar.
 
 Stuff peppers with mixture and arrange in a baking dish, pour 1/4 cup water into dish. Place tops on peppers, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until tender, 20-30 minutes more.  Serves 4.

**I only used 2 bell peppers cut in half, so I had extra "stuffing" leftover. This might be good in a wrap or pita for a portable lunch. I also left out the cilantro because I didn't have any, but added black pepper and a couple dashes of curry powder for some extra flavor.

I shared this meal the first time with Emilee. Tonight I had a leftover pepper and topped it with some crumbled goat cheese - even better!

This meal was loaded with protein (about 20g per serving) and so colorful!
 
It's great to try new foods - new flavors!

Motivated to Exercise

I think I've mentioned that last year I really focused more on changing the way I ate - incorporating a more nutritionally balanced diet that, for me, means eating mainly plant-based foods.
This year, along with continuing my healthy eating, I wanted to be more intentional about exercising. I know that regular exercise is what I need to continue my weight loss journey as well as gain strength. It's taken me awhile to really grasp the importance of this in my life. After my diagnosis with breast cancer and the surgeries that followed more than six years ago, it took me a long time to regain a mind-set that exercise was good for me and important in maintaining good health. I struggled with a weak body and mostly used that as an excuse to not bother too much with exercise. I lost so much upper body strength after my surgeries and kinda "milked" that to my advantage of not trying very hard to gain it back.

Well, this year is going to be different!

Last August, Ed & I joined the fitness center that's affiliated with our church and I've enjoyed the benefits of that so much over the last several months. 2011 rolled around and this past month (January) I started exploring different exercise options and what fit best in my schedule. Also, I looked at stretching myself beyond what I thought I was capable of and have looked into trying some new things. But, I'm still taking it at a moderate level, knowing that I can continue to add or change things up as I get stronger.

One of the things that has helped me stay motivated to exercise is creating a schedule - a plan - that is reasonable for me; that fits our daily lives. After experimenting with some classes at the fitness center and setting some goals (short term and long term) throughout January, I sat down with a calendar and wrote out a tentative exercise plan for the month of February:

 
This is probably hard to read, but it's really just for my benefit - if you're wanting to try something like this, you should create your own plan with your strengths and goals in mind.
I hope to add some new things in March - possibly Zumba (or latin dance) class and even a cycling class (our fitness center offers both!).

Since I started working on some strength training in January, I've already noticed that I've graduated to heavier weights when I do my upper body workouts. This is progress, my friends! My chest muscles were unbelievably weak after the surgeries I had and I really want to improve especially in that area!

Another thing to make exercise and gym time fun:

 
A fabulous new gym bag, which holds a lot inside (including a special pocket for my shoes that's separate from everything else!) and a carrier at the bottom for my yoga mat, which I take to my Strength train/Cardio class on Monday nights. I used some of my Christmas money to purchase this. Thinking that it was going to be pricey (I had my eye on a Gaiam bag at Target), I was surprised when I found this on sale at Target for $13.27 (marked down from $25) and it's PINK! - matches my mat! I also bought a resistance band and a pedometer (which, sadly, I'll have to return as it doesn't not work at all!). I'm anxious to work with the resistance band at home, along with my stability ball. There are lots of great exercises to do with just these two simple pieces of equipment.

Walking is another form of exercise that I do purposefully. I want to do a 5k walk this Spring, and possibly a 10k. Setting goals helps me to stay focused and move forward toward getting stronger.

What are some of your fitness goals this year?

Spicy Salad!

Today would be a perfect day for a bowl of piping hot soup since I'm hunkered down at home admist an ice storm in central Indiana!

But, I decided a salad was a good choice - for one reason only...

Emilee's homemade Smokey Chipotle Zucchini Hummus! You must go to her blog, follow the link and create this wonderful condiment yourself!

I started with an assortment of mixed greens:
 
Baby spinach, red kale, romaine, and leafy lettuce - rinsing and spinning to make them clean and crisp!

Then I rooted around in my fridge, digging out a menagerie of vegetables: mini sweet peppers, broccoli, broccoli slaw, mini plum tomatoes, cauliflower, sugar peas, and 1/2 of a small avocado. I also tossed on some raw sunflower seeds. And then the crowning glory that made this decision a really good one:

 
The hummus, thinned with a bit of water so I could drizzle it over the top. The chipotles in this hummus give it such a great kick! I think this might be a regular salad addition!

There's leftovers (I always over-prep my veggies when making a salad so it doesn't take as long the next day...):

 
The spicy Hummus/Salad dressing sure warmed me up on this icy cold day!

 

I think the homemade veggie soup will still be perfect for dinner tonight!

Stay warm!

Trying New Foods

Emilee and I walked into Whole Foods Market last Saturday morning and saw something "new" (to us) on their citrus display!

We saw pummelos advertised on sale, and since we've never tried this fruit before, decided that we needed to take one home for a taste test.

 
Pummelos have a green outer skin and a very thick rind. Here it is in comparison to a normal sized navel orange. It's huge!

The guy at Whole Foods who helped bag my groceries was commenting on it, telling me what I might expect when I cut into it.

 
As you can see, because of the thickness of the rind, the fruit inside is nearly the same as a regular sized grapefruit. The pummelo is considered an exotic citrus fruit and, as with most citrus, it is high in vitamin C. Our bodies crave citrus during winter months and if we eat lots of it we can keep colds and infections to a minimum. Citrus = Superfoods!

 
The taste is very much like a grapefruit, but just a bit sweeter, in my opinion. I really liked it! Even though the fruit seemed slight after cutting away all the outer skin, I feel like this big ol' pummelo yielded about 2-3 servings of fruit.

What new or different foods have you tried lately? 

Restful Sunday

We slept in this morning (I got 10 hours of restful, glorious sleep!) and relaxed the morning away. We went to church last night again and I really enjoyed Pastor Chris' message conclusion on Philippians - which he has preached from the past four weeks. The 4th chapter of Philippians is my favorite chapter in the Bible, as it contains my life verse (Phil 4:8). God used the sermon last night to speak to me on several things I'm struggling with in my life right now and I know God is really coaching me on my faith-walk these days. Lots of opportunities coming my way to stretch my faith and trust fully on Him!

 
Breakfast this morning was an amazing green smoothie made with frozen banana, 2 handfuls of raw baby spinach, frozen mango, kefir, chia seeds, and almond milk. Served with an oatmeal breakfast cookie topped with almond butter. Good flavors loaded with protein, healthy fats, veggies & fruits, and even whole grains! See - this breakfast has it all!

Emilee came over this afternoon to have lunch with us and, as she usually does, made something delicious! Homemade vegetable soup - with a lot of the great veggies we picked up at Whole Foods Market yesterday during our grocery shopping outing!

 
She came bearing edible gifts, too! Homemade corn muffins - the recipe from her vegan cookbook that we gave her for Christmas. Em loves to bake and has been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen lately. So much so that she has resurrected her blog and has begun posting about all her great creations! Check her out here. (She's actually putting me to shame with all of her posts lately...I need to get busy and start blogging more!).

 
The homemade vegetable soup is loaded with some great vegetables like carrots, onions, cabbage, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, red pepper, broccoli slaw, and some fabulous aduki beans! This was tasty today - it will be even better tomorrow when I have it for leftovers! I enjoyed the corn muffin with a couple squirts of honey. The muffins were dense and flavorful, just the way I like them! Perfect with a bowl of soup!