How Do Vegans Eat Mexican?

The challenge for me, when it comes to overhauling my diet in favor of plants, is replacing staples from my previous diet without sacrificing flavor.  Vegan and Vegetarian cookbooks are exciting because they explore the types of international cuisine that we don't eat much of in the United States like Indian and Asian dishes.  But I was already good at cooking Mexican and Italian dishes so it's only natural for me to start there. 

Thankfully, there's a lot to work with.  Guacamole is vegan without even trying.  Mix it with mashed edamame beans and you get a lower-fat version.  Vegetarian refried beans can be made with butter (or vegan butter substitute) and a little liquid smoke.  Fajitas become meaty deliciousness when you replace the meat with sauteed portobello mushroom strips.

Tonight's burritos were a hit with my manly family.  I simply sauteed onions, peppers, garlic, pinto beans, chipotle peppers, corn, and cubed potatoes in olive oil with a little apple cider vinegar and spooned it into flour tortillas.  The kids topped their burritos with fresh salsa, tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream.  I left off the sour cream for a vegan dish. 

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  What changes would you make?

Ode to Broccoli Slaw

I've just discovered the holy grail of bagged salad mixes.  Why did I never try this before?  And how could matchstick sized pieces of broccoli stalk change my life? 

It began with a lunch out to my favorite restaurant for vegetarian fare.  I was digging into my delicious roasted red pepper and artichoke heart sandwich on multi-grain bread and eyeing the side dish suspiciously.  It looked like cole slaw but it wasn't.  It was broccoli slaw with carrots and red cabbage drizzled in olive oil and fresh pepper.  Crunchy, tasty and cool. 

The next week I bought a bag at the grocery store and started experimenting.  Unlike the cabbage version, broccoli slaw doesn't have a strong taste so it can be used to add crunch to practically any dish.  My favorite salad was transformed.  Leafy greens topped with broccoli slaw, tiny chow mien noodles and almonds with Asian sesame dressing.  Now I had a salad so crisp and crunchy that I couldn't hear what my children were saying--bliss!

Since then I've used it on practically everything.  I topped my pinto bean, potato and chipotle pepper burrito with a handful to give it a crunch that lettuce just can't add.  I've roasted it along with tomatoes and tossed it on top of pasta.  It's a dream.  And to think that I've been throwing away the bottom of the broccoli all these years.  Thanks to my food processor, those days of waste are over.

I'll Do It Tomorrow

It's been difficult coming up with a topic today.  Probably because I've been drowning in a sea of to-do lists and I can't get my footing.  My desk looks like a paper recycling plant run amok and my brain is short circuiting.  Today I was actually surprised when my workout ended because I couldn't remember starting it.  I was going through the motions on auto-pilot.  A stack of cookies mysteriously disappeared off the kitchen counter and I'm pretty sure I was the culpret.  Last night I realized at 9:30 that I never actually fed anyone dinner.  I was making the kids tuna sandwiches at 10:00.

Some days it's just difficult to focus on your goals.  Some days you have to celebrate the meare fact that you made it to the end of the day relatively unscathed.  Some days you have to forgive yourself for a "Cheez-it" weakness.  Tomorrow I'm going to do better--and that's all anyone can ask.

Keep Going

Sometimes you just need to keep going.  You have to get tired of the internal dialog.  "Do I have any clean workout clothes?  I know I swore I was only going to have soda on the weekend, but I really need one today.  I'm tired of busting my butt everyday and not seeing any difference--I should just give it up."  It's like I'm talking to that obnoxious self-centered distant cousin that I always get stuck standing next to in the family reunion buffet line.  I'd rather dunk my head in mashed potatoes than listen, so why listen to whiny self? 

Just keep going.  You know when you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and when you're not.  You know when you're spending more time inventing excuses than walking on the treadmill.  Shut her up and start moving.  You're worth it.

Tracy Anderson Method What to Expect

Word has gotten out that I'm doing the Tracy Anderson Method right now and everyone is curious about the results and the type of workout she offers.  I started Tracy at the beginning of the year.  I work her method 3-4 days per week and then I do a P90X workout the other 2.  Her workouts helped me stave off some boredom I was feeling after a year of only P90X.  And I don't believe that any one workout is necessarily better than another.  The trick is to find something you don't mind doing and to mix it up when you start getting too bored or when you hit a plateau. 

Tracy Anderson has some lofty claims.  She says that if you follow her method and eating plan that you will not get the best body you've ever had, but you'll get the best body you've never had.  She claims that she has the secret to fixing your trouble spots once and for all, and requires that you order the DVD set that targets your problem area.  I ordered hipcentric although I'm technically both hipcentric (meaning I have bigger hips) and abcentric (meaning I have a poochy tummy).

The exercise plan involves 30 minutes of muscle toning followed by 30 minutes of dancing everyday.  She mixes up the muscle toning every 10 days but the dance routine stays the same.  The muscle toning involves quick staccato movements that incorporate lots of muscle groups, especially as you reach levels 6-9.  For example, she will combine a push up with a leg lift, or a balancing maneuver with abdominal crunches. The result is lots of sweat and quick toning--especially of the arms.  The dance routine involves lots of jumping around.  This is not something I can do with my bad knees, but instead of doing nothing I modified by purchasing a rebounder (mini-trampoline) and I do the workout on that.  With good music, the workouts fly by.

The eating plan is incredibly strict with very small portions and tiny, but frequent meals.  I have no doubt that the calorie restriction alone would result in weight loss.  I opted not to follow her diet but instead focused on vegetarian meals three times a day.  Other bloggers who have followed the diet report big weight loss.  I have experienced a steady weight loss of about 1/2 pound per week.  The big news is that the workout shrinks you.  I've noticed that my arms and thighs are much smaller.  I also think that my habit of drinking lots of water during the day has helped cinch everything in.  I'm still the same body type I was before, but I'm still happy with the results.

Tracy Anderson is really just another example of a good workout that can net you results if you do it consistently.  It fits the requirements already discussed; it's an hour long, it makes you sweat and it combines cardio with weight training.

Let me know if you have any specific questions about the workout or diet plan.

3 Weeks Being a Vegetarian

I've officially hit the three-week mark for being a vegetarian (unless you count the piece of bacon I ate in a moment of weakness), and I'm happy to report that I have not become iron deficient, or lost any of my hair.  I also have not succumbed to unexplained fatigue causing me to fall asleep randomly. I purposely fell asleep during "Snow White and the Huntsman" because it was so freaking boring, but it had nothing to do with my new divorce from meat.  They just announced "Snow White and the Huntsman Part 2".  I wonder if they're just going to hit us over the head with mallets as we enter the theater--it's certainly more humane than making us sit through that goop twice! But, my real point is that none of my fears were justified.

In truth, they were really everyone else's fears.  The minute I announced my intentions, I was flooded with unsolicited advice about how handle my unnatural choice to give up meat.  I was warned about a whole slew of crazy problems that were sure to result: fatigue, iron deficiency, memory loss, muscle atrophy, unexplained cravings to shoot wild elk with a compound bow.  And if I had a dime for every person who asked me where I was going to get my protein, I'd have enough money for a Big Mac Supersized Combo! 

What was really surprising was how easy it was.  I really thought I'd have to transition my way to meatless.  I was going to begin with red meat, then drop pork the next month and so forth, but I just kind of stopped.  The key to success was making the same things I'd always eaten, but meatless.  This meant shish-ka-bobs filled with vegetables, huge salads with every possible goody dumped on top, portobello mushroom fajitas, and pizza with fresh tomatoes and tons of red onions. I even made delectable refried beans in my crock pot.  Yep, you heard it first--I reconstituted a bean!  I know, you're getting hungry just reading about it.  So dive on in!  Embrace Meatless Monday.  My family licked their plates clean when I made a meatless paella, and the veggie pizza went faster than the greasy pepperoni.  Even they were surprised at how painless it's been to be a mostly vegetarian family. 

I could use some new recipes.  Please share your yummy meatless dishes.

Your Body is Giving You Little Gifts

If you started your exercise routine along with my first post on exercising then you have more than a week of working out under your belt.  Congratulations!  Most people don't make it that far.  Now that you're in the minority, don't quit.  Not quitting makes you special.  Keep getting up, keep putting on your tennis shoes, and keep going.  You're probably experiencing some unexpected benefits.

Do you remember when you used to have to watch TV, or read a book to fall asleep?  I'm betting you're sleeping better than before you had kids.  Exercise resets your body's clock.  By the end of the month, you're going to be waking up just as easily as you fell asleep--no alarm required.

You're probably feeling pretty perky too.  Although you'd think that sweating through an hour of intense exercise would wear you out, it actually has the exact opposite effect.  You feel more focused and alert.  You're probably not needing that mid-afternoon soda either.  And since you don't really need it, I think you should stop drinking it.

Here I am, blindsiding you with yet another goal.  But you wanted a change, didn't you?  This is how change works.  Now that exercising everyday is routine, it's time to make another healthy change.  That soda pop really needs to be kicked to the curb.  I know it's hard.  I had a 32oz twice a day habit a little more than a year ago, so I know that it can be done.  Here's the thing, when you're drinking all that soda you're not drinking something else--water.  And your new body really needs to be hydrated with the pure stuff.  Once you start really drinking water, your body will thank you.  You'll get little gifts like less cellulite and headaches.  You won't need chapstick constantly.  Best of all, you're going to drop more than a few pounds. 

What do you think?  Are you going to give it a try?  Let me know.  I'd love to hear from you.