So
many folks have asked about what we eat and how to ‘fix’ (that’s a southern
word for prepare) it that I’ve decided to chronicle our cookin’ and eatin’ activity
for a few days just to give you an idea. So.. here we go. We’ll start with the
Thursday after our Wednesday post. Just pretend you’re reading my most intimate
diary….
Thursday
June 5
Breakfast
Lunch
Big Solid and I met a couple of
old friends/colleagues for lunch at a local restaurant called Char. I tucked a
half cup of cooked Boca Crumbles (seasoned with vegan Worcestershire and Liquid
Smoke) in my pocketbook JUST IN CASE. Sure enough, while there was a vegetable
plate offered, all of the vegetables were prepared with meat fat or butter. The
server said she could steam me some broccoli; that was not exactly what I had
in mind. So, the old standby salad without cheese was pretty much my only
option. Red Wine vinaigrette on the side and a glass of unsweet tea. Big Solid had a fried chicken tenders salad
with flour tostada shells (and I ate one of those). We had such good times
talking with our buddies that I didn’t mope about having <sigh> yet
another salad. Thank goodness for the crumbles that added some protein and
substance.
Side
note: after we left the restaurant, we
swung by Whole Foods to pick up some of their jalapeno/cilantro hummus. I tell
you, that stuff is like CRACK!! You cannot get enough of it—so we bought two
boxes. I suspect that when I get my Vitamix (if I’m not too old to remember how
to turn it on), I’ll learn how to make it and save some $$ (or not).
Supper
Thursday night at the ‘Swanagans’ is
always HAMBURGER night and Happy Hour begins after the dogs have been walked
and fed. My happy hour consists of bourbon, diet coke (I know, it’s the only
time I drink a soda) and lime.
Late
Night Snack
Since we over-indulged in the cobbler,
we did not continue the eating frenzy by having a late night snack. I did hear
Big Solid in the kitchen later in the night with the tell-tale sounds of the
peanut butter top being unscrewed and the cracker paper rattling.
Exercise
BS
went to the gym for a 50 minute stint on the treadmill. I was a slug and stayed
in, did 5 loads of laundry, changed sheets, mopped the kitchen floor twice, weeded
the garden (it’s a really little bitty garden), moved the hammock so the mowing
person could get through, went to pick up yet another medication for the
animals….let’s see…nope that about does it.
Friday
June 6
Breakfast
Breakfast
was a repeat of Thursday…we are consistent if nothing else and it’s easy. Big
Solid is not a pancake eater, so those are out (even though I LOVE them). So,
we just KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) it. I did change up my avocado sandwich and had it on pumpernickel
bread instead of whole wheat…wow!
Lunch
For
lunch, Big Solid had the Kiki’s Kick-Ass soup, oven roasted potatoes and a
slice of pumpernickel. I had a marinated tempeh sandwich on whole wheat. All left-overs. Waste not..want not.
Supper
Well,
Friday night is Date Night for us and we usually go to one of our favorite
haunts…Kathryn’s Steak House. Yes, you’re readin’ that right. We’ve been going
there for Date Night for years and when I became plant based, they were kind
enough to let me bring my own food (seitan steaks, Boca Crumbles, tempeh, seitan
short-ribs, a salad dressing I make—you get the picture). This is Big Solid’s
night to break out and have either chicken or tuna. Tonight he had chicken and
fries. I had a big salad with mushrooms and tomatoes with a topping of spicy
crumbles. And, of course, we had a toddy.
Exercise
Gym
time for Big Solid and me. Treadmill time. Big Solid does intervals on the
treadmill for 50 minutes and I do a 50 minute routine of increased speed and
incline. At the 45 minute mark, I hit a 15 min mile at an incline of 13. Cool down the last 5 minutes...
Saturday
June 7
Breakfast
was the same as usual. No surprises here.
Lunch
I
had made some mock chicken salad using chickpeas (cooked from dried and not
canned), chopped celery and reduced fat vegan mayo. Very very tasty. So between the soup and the
sandwiches, we had a right yummy and light lunch KNOWING that we would have a
heavier supper.
Supper
The
first Saturday of each month is designated as “Supper Club” month and we meet
our BFFs, Jesse and M.E. Dees. We always
go through the same process the week prior to our supper…’where are we going
this month?’ We’d decided on Provisions 1908 but when I went to make
reservations, they were booked until 8:30. NOT.
So, we agreed on another
favorite of mine (it’s all about me) -- Anjou. Chef Darrell always manages to
create something special for me when I call ahead, even though they do have a
vegan option on their menu. This time was no exception—I had an absolutely
stunning vegetable lasagna (with no noodles, YAY!). Big Solid had
the salmon which he loves. Jesse and M.E. had non-plant based meals. We had a
great time together, as we always do. They have been our closest friends for
many, many years.
Exercise
Saturday
morning is Yoga Flow for me. It’s a very rigorous and demanding 75 minute
class.
Sunday
June 8
Slight but significant
interlude in our eating regimen!
For
a while now, Big Solid has been unhappy with his weight. I think he looks
great, but I completely understand the self-image issue. He’s lost some but he
would like to lose a bit more. He’s been toying with the idea of the 5:2
plan—fasting two days a week (not consecutively). The Dees have been doing that
for a pretty good while now and it seems to work well for them to maintain
their weight after losing. So, we did some research and found the Day On/Day
Off regimen to be one we wanted to try. Basically, you fast three days a week
(not a total fast but limited to one meal at around 500 calories, preferably
mid-day to early evening). So that’s what we said we’d try—starting Sunday.
Morning
was not a big deal…we did have coffee. We also had liquids (green tea, water)
during the day. Went to the gym for a slow 45 minute treadmill. But, I can
assure you that by the time late afternoon rolled around, we both could, as Big
Solid puts it, ‘eat the ass-end out of a ragdoll’. We had black lentils, boca
burgers (no bread), and brown rice. It was ABSOLUTELY delicious! We were so
full that the thought of an evening snack was just that—a thought. So, our
first fast day went just fine; we survived.
Monday
June 9
Breakfast
Back
to normal eating with Big Solid’s biscuits, egg white and fauxsages. I had
cereal for a change…Fiber 1, Bran Flakes, almond milk and Louisiana
strawberries.
Lunch
Big
Solid polished off the soup and had a Boca burger; I ate most of the leftover
vegan lasagna that I’d had at Anjou and was surprisingly full.
Supper
I
fixed sautéed cabbage, two seitan Andouille fauxsages and two seitan Brats, sautéed zucchini and yellow squash with baby leeks from our CSA this past week, oven roasted new potatoes (also from
the CSA) and toasted pumpernickel. We had a drop-in guest who is vegan, so we
enjoyed her company and happy to have food to share.
Exercise
Both
of us went to the gym and hit the treadmill for about an hour. I did intervals
of 5 minutes at a 3.5 MPH pace with little incline followed by 5 minutes of 4
MPH pace at an include of 8 or 9. Last 5 minutes are always a cool down time.
Tuesday
June 10
This
will be a fasting day…so nothing to report.
I
am not sure how long this fasting regimen will last but we are going to give
our systems some time to acclimate.
Exercise
It’s
a yoga day for me. The class is a flow class and we are working toward a Yoga
Mala, which is the completion of 108 Sun Salutations done in sets of 27. Right
now, we are at 27 only and then finish the class with inversions and
relaxation. Big Solid hit the gym and the treadmill.
This little glimpse into our eating lives is certainly NOT glamorous or epicurean perfection; but it IS how we put things together to eat without excess preparation (well, sometimes) or labor intensive recipes. I do enjoy those times but on a daily basis, it's really quite easy to adjust to a plant-based regimen and NOT spend a fortune or all of your time in the kitchen.
SWEARENGEN ‘SALUTATIONS
AND ATTABOYS/GIRLS’
This
week’s nod goes to Vegan Richa (http://www.veganricha.com/). They have some absolutely
incredible recipes that I am very eager to try.
It’s a relatively new find for me but the pictures, narrative and design
of the website as well as their FaceBook page certainly lends itself to further
notice. Just the recipe for the salted
caramel pie was enough to lure me in.
Just GOTTA try that one.
See you next week! Have a spectacular time 'til then.
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