Day 12 - Garden Greens Galore

With everyone's gardens in full bloom, including our own tiny plot, we've been overloaded with fresh veggies. We've made a couple of noteworthy meals this week.If the photos dont look appetizing, just go with it, we swear to you it was!


Brendan made a delicious curry creation using home grown potatoes, carrots, zucchini, store bought red peppers and asparagus, spiced up with a little curry paste and light coconut milk. He let this simmer for a bit and then spooned it over basmati rice. It was quick, full of great veggies, and had that satisfying creamy texture that is hard to achieve when you cut out dairy. Many flat breads or vegan, so we enjoyed this meal with pita alongside.

Fajitas is our old fall back meal, and we love it! We've made a few modifications to our typical fajita night (no cheese, chicken), and added garden picked zucchini, green beans, and the store bought filler was red peppers and onions. This was spooned onto a bed of black beans on a flax seed tortilla (we'd do whole wheat tortillas next time), and a little guacamole on top.

I have to admit that looking at this photo makes me wonder where the shrimp are? Are they hiding under that big spoonful of guacamole? Dear bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer, you might be waiting there for quite sometime.

-Katie

Day 11 - A few new ingredients..

When I started thinking about becoming Vegan I was imagining all of things I would be cutting out of my diet - not so much the new additions. So far I've found quite a few new tastes and substitutes that I would eat if I were vegan or not.

Here is a rundown of the new finds;

Nutritional Yeast - Its a source of protein and B12 vitamins, and also tastes quite delicious. I made veggie sausages and added in about half a cup of nutritional yeast. I purchased mine at Food Fight, but I bet you can find it at other stores as well

Sheese - This was one was recommended by Kiley and I must say its an awesome find. It a Vegan cheese that actually tastes like cheese. I'm told it doesn't melt too well, but I crumbled it on a salad with almonds, beans, and sun dried tomatoes - so good!

Tofutti's Better than Cream Cheese - I haven't eaten cream cheese in years because it made me feel so yucky, wish I would have discovered this earlier. Tastes just like cream cheese, but dare I say better?! Add this one to your cart, I found it at Safeway.

Garden Burger Breakfast Sausage - Really good cut up with beans, rice, vegan cheese. The sausage fills that greasy/salty meat craving I sometimes get, but its a thousand times better for you than the real thing.



Items to stay away from;

Vegan Rella - Does not equal good. The cheese melts well, but thats about all it has going for it

Gimee Lean Ground Beef, Tofurkey, etc. etc. Any meat substitute in a tube, box, etc. It's not meat, it's not even close. Use sparingly and do not focus youre whole meal around it.

-Katie

Day 10 - Try Vegan Week

Did you know... Next week is Try Vegan Week in Portland. I had no idea! Could there be better timing?

There will be a ton of Vegan educational events going on in Portland. Brendan and I will be sure to hit up a few, why don't you do the same? Or better yet - join us!

August 15-22: Try Vegan Week 2009

• Saturday, August 15th
  

11 am- Bike rally (Vegan Mini Mall- Se 12th and Stark)

1pm- Mentor meet up (People’s Co-Op: 3029 SE 21st Ave)

2pm- Why Veganism? Veganize your habits. (People’s Co-Op: 3029 SE 21st Ave.)

5pm- Vegan BBQinq 101- you= sides, we’ll provide the rest (Powell Park: SE 26th Ave & Powell Blvd)

7pm- Peaceable Kingdom (People’s Co-Op: 3029 SE 21st)

• Sunday, August 16th

10am- Brunch from 10-noon (Vita Cafe: 3024 NE Alberta St)

1pm- Veganize your kitchen (IDA house:1732 NE Alberta St)

2pm- Vegan Fitness (IDA house: 1732 NE Alberta St)

5pm- Disease Prevention (Whole Foods Fremont- 3535 NE 15th Ave)

7pm- Fish and Seafood talk (Whole Foods Fremont: 3535 NE 15th Ave)

• Monday, August 17th

6pm- Cookbook Tour (Herbivore: 1211 SE Stark St)

7pm- Waste of Dairy (Hungry Tiger Too: 207 SE 12th Ave)

8pm- Cooking without dairy (Hungry Tiger Too: 207 SE 12th Ave)

• Tuesday, August 18th

7pm- Raw Foods (People’s Co-Op: 3029 SE 21st)

8pm- Greens Class (People’s: 3029 SE 21st)

• Wednesday, August 19th

6pm-6:45- Factory Farms and humane meat (Central Library, US Bank room: 801 S.W. 10th Avenue)

7pm-7:45- The Environment (Central Library, US Bank room: 801 S.W. 10th Avenue)

• Thursday, August 20th

8pm- Potluck and Trivia Night (Laurelhurst Park: SE 39th Ave & Stark St)

• Friday, August 21st

7pm- The truth about eggs (Buckman Park: NE 12th Ave & Everett St)

9pm- Bar crawl and late night food cart visit (Start at Ron Tom’s: 600 East Burnside)

• Saturday, August 22nd

1pm- Vegan Ice Cream Potluck (Colonel Sumners Park: SE 17th and SE Taylor)

9pm- End of week celebration (Report Lounge: 1101 E Burnside St)

Day 9 - Vegan Junkfood

There are MANY Vegan Junk food options out there. There is actually an entire store devoted to it in Portland which we've mentioned before Food Fight. I've had the vegan gummy bears, ice cream, chocolate cookies, skittles and beer - what am I doing?! I dont even like skittles! I decided to become vegan not for the junkfood, but for the healthy benefits.

Believe it or not, I think I've eaten more empty calories in the past week than I have in months. My meals have been very well balanced with veggies, protein, fiber, and healthy fats, but it is those sweet treats and microbrews that win me over. I started Weight Watchers 3 months ago and I have been continually tracking my food with the point system all weight watchers love and hate. The program is not a diet, but a way of living. This has been a great experience and essentially has led me to going beyond watching portions and calories, to the point where I want to become a Vegan. This was a big step that I was so proud of and suddenly I feel like I'm going backwards. Ive gotten wrapped up in the novelty of these items that one would never think are Vegan. Ive quickly learned that Vegan does not equal healthy. It's as simple as that.

I can live a vegan lifestyle and take awesome care of my body, but only if I keep measuring my portions, minimizing the sweets, avoiding carb overloads, and knowing that a healthy entree is always better than tasty beer. This week Im starting with a fresh outlook.

-Katie

Day 8 - A tearful day

Weddings are beautiful events full of emotion and most likely a few tears. Most tears are joyful expressions of the powerful love between two people. For us, we were choking up over cheese and meat covered entrees.

What do you do when there is only ONE vegan choice offered in the meal? You plan ahead. We knew this would be the situation, we knew we would be stuck watching everyone enjoy there buttery salmon and cheesy pasta salad. We knew it would happen, but it still seemed unfair. This wedding was in Corvallis, another Vegan friendly city in Oregon. Before the event we went to Nearly Normal's for a late lunch. We chowed down on veggie burritos and burgers - yum yum. At the wedding we were able to eat spinach salad with coconut and strawberries, it was tasty but not quite filling. By the time the wedding was over I was ravished! Before heading over to the "afterparty" we picked up hummus, pita, pretzels, and other snacks to quickly fill the void in our bellies before alcohol accidentally took its place. Maybe it wasn't the most balanced meal, but it did fill the need before we made bad decisions.

We thought we would be safe bringing our own food/drinks to the party, but I messed up. While chatting to friends a I grabbed a couple of honey roasted peanuts and popped them in my mouth. Did you hear that?! HONEY Roasted Peanuts - it says it right there in its name! It was a mistake, a tasty-tasty mistake. This is my first slip up in 8 days - I will forgive myself.

-Katie

Day 7 - Soy Delicious

I have been an advocate of Soy Ice cream for quite some time. Like many people out there (and for good reason!) dairy has never settled well with me. Not to say I would pass up chocolate espresso gelato if placed in front of me, but for the past few years Ive done what I can to avoid the dairy scene.

Friday night we went to a campfire gathering and brought along some ice cream. We brought two versions of soy cream one being So Delicious Mint Marble Fudge which I highly recommend. We also brought along some god old fashioned cookie dough icecream. I avoided eye contact with the carton the entire night, a vegan can never be too safe around such a thing!

This afternoon I was sitting in the backseat of the car mindlessly snacking on triscuits when I remember the fat content of the soy cream. Was I really eating anything any better for me? Realizing my mistake I threw down the triscuits and grabbed my bag of cherries and grapes. Ive learned to NEVER leave the house without sweet fruit for snacking.

Roasted Tomato & Olive Oil Triscuits
120 Calories
4 g Fat
1 g Saturated Fat
3 g Dietary Fiber
0 Sugar

Soy Delicious Mint Marble Fudge
140 Calories
3 g Fat
.5 g Saturated Fat
2 g Dietary Fiber
17 Sugar

The triscuits were delicious, but of course they were! It's that salt and saturated fat that tastes so wonderful. Just something to think about next time you pick up a snack. If you're eating out of boredom, as I often do, go for veggies or fruit and you can eat to your hearts desire.

-Katie

Day 6 - Playing Catchup

Comcast stole my internet Thursday night. I called up to cancel my cable, but they disconnected my lifeline as well! After four days of no blogging I rode my bike to starbucks in desperation to borrow their connection for a bit. I'm promised that I will be reconnected next saturday morning... this will be a rough week.

Let's start with last thursday nights events. We went a first thrusday event held by Fit Right Northwest. It's a running scavanger hunt where you pick up raffle tickets at different locations, the more tickets the better chance to win an awesome prize! Brendan volunteered at the event, I ran the run and worked up a nice sweat, but no prizes this time. The run was finished with a free IPA from our hometowns own Captured by Porches. I have to say the stuff wasnt half bad, possibly because I had just ran four miles and was dying for liquids.

We knew we'd be eating dinner late so we had to do a little research for find a place open until 10pm. We went to Laughing Planet which serves lots of yummy Vegan food. I went for the Thai-Me-Up burrito, followed with a big fat double chocolate cookie. Let's just say I deserved it after that run. Much of our success so far has been contributed to planning ahead! We eat a filling breakfast every morning, bring our lunches to work everyday, and if we wont be in the safety of our kitchen for dinner we make a plan!



-Katie