Surely I have mentioned before that since I work too far from home to be able to just go home and cook me something, I am forced to eat out, because really, I do need to eat my lunch and cannot wait till 4 or 5 pm for my meal.
So we eat in restaurants and canteens. Canteen food, mostly, which I always take vegetarian, but they lack on the vegan dishes. And so I happen to eat dairy again, eventhough it used to cause me trouble.
And well, perhaps there's been to much dairy lately, because today's dish got me stomach cramps right after eating it. My belly hurts, I don't feel too well and I have taken the decision, to change the diet again (I have also noticed lately that I don't digest tuna fish too well anymore, so I might cut that out as well).
I'll try vegan lunch box. I'll buy me some heat-conserving containers for soups and similar and I need to plan a bit and write down menu ideas. Unfortunately I'm in a period of no time whatsoever, so I hope to implement this change next week... or eat purely vegan menus or nothing.
Gosh, how quickly the food I eat affects me and it happens more and more, not just the negative, but say I'm eating grapes and I immediatelly feel good.
I remember times when I was eating steak and potatoes and thought the food was good. What, salad? Now if I don't get fruit or veggies (say I eat tofu sandwich or eggs or similar) I get itchy. I don't feel the energy coming from the food I eat. And nothing saddens me more than seeing the canteen's overcooked mush of veggies that literally repells me from eating it.
I've been also cutting on the sugar lately, and white flour. It just came to me naturally. I just don't feel the need for it so much anymore and it feels good.
So, with a new goal in my mind, time to implement changes!
Will report!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Update
We're all a bit out of our minds these days. What with the wedding of the year coming up this weekend and still a million things to do, and work, and well, you know, some free time maybe, I find myself wishing this week would be over with already and we could all just go back to normal and rest a bit.
The past weekend I drove about 400 km, first visiting my parents, cousins, grandmother and brother (in this order), just because I haven't seen them in the longest time, then driving back home to pick up my bf, and together we drove to his hometown where he was to have a birthday party in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. No need to say, just as we were walking to the cabin the largest rainfall in the whole summer so we got pretty soaked. And then party and loud music and little food for me as I was the only vegetarian there. I got two shots of port wine and half a beer and was drunk already. So, no sleep either. The next day visiting my "in-laws" where his mom made me the best lunch ever! So much fresh garden produce! Bean salad, tomato salad, corn salad (no relation to actual corn), porcini mushrooms, baked potatoes, grilled red bell pepper & garlic and some really yummi walnuts burgers (which I will absolutely need to try making myself)! We had a lovely picnic in the garden, just enjoying the milder temperatures again.
When we returned home we were beaten and went to bed early to regenerate. It's work again, but at least we settled a holiday term now so I'm actually gonna have a break, though not so soon (a month to go!). What with the upcoming wedding, birthdays we need to attend and so on I hope I manage to wait until then and not burn out. Still need to pick a destination, though.
One more exciting event this upcoming weekend, and I'm really looking forward to it. There's a vegetarian festival held in Italy on Sunday, and even though is right after the wedding and all, I'm planning to attend and have even reserved me a veg bag! But, after seeing Chef Amber's bag from the Vida Vegan Blogger Conference, I cannot help but being jealous! But let's be surprised, shall we.
Day 189.
The past weekend I drove about 400 km, first visiting my parents, cousins, grandmother and brother (in this order), just because I haven't seen them in the longest time, then driving back home to pick up my bf, and together we drove to his hometown where he was to have a birthday party in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. No need to say, just as we were walking to the cabin the largest rainfall in the whole summer so we got pretty soaked. And then party and loud music and little food for me as I was the only vegetarian there. I got two shots of port wine and half a beer and was drunk already. So, no sleep either. The next day visiting my "in-laws" where his mom made me the best lunch ever! So much fresh garden produce! Bean salad, tomato salad, corn salad (no relation to actual corn), porcini mushrooms, baked potatoes, grilled red bell pepper & garlic and some really yummi walnuts burgers (which I will absolutely need to try making myself)! We had a lovely picnic in the garden, just enjoying the milder temperatures again.
When we returned home we were beaten and went to bed early to regenerate. It's work again, but at least we settled a holiday term now so I'm actually gonna have a break, though not so soon (a month to go!). What with the upcoming wedding, birthdays we need to attend and so on I hope I manage to wait until then and not burn out. Still need to pick a destination, though.
One more exciting event this upcoming weekend, and I'm really looking forward to it. There's a vegetarian festival held in Italy on Sunday, and even though is right after the wedding and all, I'm planning to attend and have even reserved me a veg bag! But, after seeing Chef Amber's bag from the Vida Vegan Blogger Conference, I cannot help but being jealous! But let's be surprised, shall we.
Day 189.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Best speech you will ever hear
Today I came across a video that explains why being vegan is good for you, the animals and the planet. The speaker is fantastic and arguments why he is and everyone should be vegan. Not a brainwasher, just a video that will open your eyes or at least assure you you're taking the right way, if you're already vegan.
Some points in the speech:
Some points in the speech:
- animal abuse
- deseases caused directly by animal products
- the truth behind what you're eating
- are humans carnivore, omnivore or herbivore? Myth busted.
- the truth about calcium and the dairy industry
- and plenty more.
If you care about your health and the animal wellfare, take some time to watch it. See who you're eating at lunchtime and what that does to you.
Sometimes I need to be reminded about the whys of my choice ... I know it's no excuse but eating out is sometimes just a pain and it's easier to give in. Don't get me wrong, I'm still staying vegetarian, I only happen to be eating more dairy lately - and I shouldn't, for my health. I blame it on the menu choice when it's really only me. I will try to be better. I will. Good news is, I've been eating a lot less eggs! It must have been about 2 weeks since my last egg and I don't miss it at all these days.
I'm maybe 70% - 80% RAW, consuming fruit and salads lately in abundance and it feels wonderful. And it's great for heat also! :)
Please, please do take a look at the video and tell me your thoughts about it.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
1-2-3 Tiramisu' - vegan!
Since I cannot consume dairy anymore I had real trouble with certain foods.
Like cheesecake.
Birthday cakes.
Tiramisu.
I tried eating the tofu-version that Loving Hut is serving and I just don't like it. It looks like the real deal but the flavor is simply off and the tofu crumbles in the cream. And I especially don't like the cream.
So once, when I was really really pissed off, I just threw in some ingredients and in absolutely no time I had me my version of vegan tiramisu, that I absolutely adore. It's not like the real deal, it cannot be, but it's yummi nevertheless.
QUICK VEGAN TIRAMISU
black espresso coffee
sugar to taste
nondairy milk (latest try: coconut-flavored rice milk)
some vegan cookies ( I use Savoiardi with eggs, but anything will do, I think)
vegan vanilla dessert (like Provamel's Organic Soya Dessert Vanilla, tastes like pudding)
powdered cocoa
Make some strong black coffee, sugar to taste and dillute with nondairy milk. Dip cookies into the coffee and place in a container. When you fill the bottom with cookies, pour some vanilla dessert over it, enough to cover the cookies, then place another set of coffee-dipped cookies on top, and again pour dessert over it.
Top with powdered cocoa abundantly and refrigerate.
Serve chilled and watch it vanish!
Like cheesecake.
Birthday cakes.
Tiramisu.
I tried eating the tofu-version that Loving Hut is serving and I just don't like it. It looks like the real deal but the flavor is simply off and the tofu crumbles in the cream. And I especially don't like the cream.
So once, when I was really really pissed off, I just threw in some ingredients and in absolutely no time I had me my version of vegan tiramisu, that I absolutely adore. It's not like the real deal, it cannot be, but it's yummi nevertheless.
QUICK VEGAN TIRAMISU
black espresso coffee
sugar to taste
nondairy milk (latest try: coconut-flavored rice milk)
some vegan cookies ( I use Savoiardi with eggs, but anything will do, I think)
vegan vanilla dessert (like Provamel's Organic Soya Dessert Vanilla, tastes like pudding)
powdered cocoa
Make some strong black coffee, sugar to taste and dillute with nondairy milk. Dip cookies into the coffee and place in a container. When you fill the bottom with cookies, pour some vanilla dessert over it, enough to cover the cookies, then place another set of coffee-dipped cookies on top, and again pour dessert over it.
Top with powdered cocoa abundantly and refrigerate.
Serve chilled and watch it vanish!
Fighting the heat with vegan food
You know how everyone says you should eat light when temperatures are high?
Well, vegans follow that rule almost always :)
Yesterday was another strange day, when my boss asked me to make a delivery... at 2 pm! I spent about 1,5 hours hopping in a heated car, hopping out, hopping back in, city-driving, and always parking as the AC barely started working... and with the outside temperature of 37°C!
Needless to say, I did not care for lunch at all, I just had some raw fresh grapes and plenty of water, so when I returned home, I turned on the AC to the full, shut the blinds down and went horizontal on the couch for a few hours.
Then, when sanity returned to my mind and hunger to my belly, I went into the fridge and extracted some tomato sauce, that can be anything really - a pasta sauce, a dip or... in this case... I made it a soup of some kind and ate it luke-warm.
With the hunger barely at bay, I decided to finish off some tortillas I had waiting in the fridge, and made me a tortilla / taco / something. I tried first time ever a vegan frankfurter, that resembles the real deal quite a lot.
So I sliced a frankfurter, put on the grill briefly, just to heat it up and assembled a tortilla wrap with plenty of various veggies - lettuce, bell pepper, red cabbage and cucumbers. The filling was so abundant there was no way I'd ever roll this, so I just left it like a taco and ate it with fork & knife.
My oh my. I'd like to order, please!
I also had some leftover coffee from my afternoon shot and well, can't waiste coffee, can we? I made tiramisu. And I can't believe I haven't posted on the blog about it yet.
Well, vegans follow that rule almost always :)
Yesterday was another strange day, when my boss asked me to make a delivery... at 2 pm! I spent about 1,5 hours hopping in a heated car, hopping out, hopping back in, city-driving, and always parking as the AC barely started working... and with the outside temperature of 37°C!
Needless to say, I did not care for lunch at all, I just had some raw fresh grapes and plenty of water, so when I returned home, I turned on the AC to the full, shut the blinds down and went horizontal on the couch for a few hours.
Then, when sanity returned to my mind and hunger to my belly, I went into the fridge and extracted some tomato sauce, that can be anything really - a pasta sauce, a dip or... in this case... I made it a soup of some kind and ate it luke-warm.
With the hunger barely at bay, I decided to finish off some tortillas I had waiting in the fridge, and made me a tortilla / taco / something. I tried first time ever a vegan frankfurter, that resembles the real deal quite a lot.
So I sliced a frankfurter, put on the grill briefly, just to heat it up and assembled a tortilla wrap with plenty of various veggies - lettuce, bell pepper, red cabbage and cucumbers. The filling was so abundant there was no way I'd ever roll this, so I just left it like a taco and ate it with fork & knife.
My oh my. I'd like to order, please!
I also had some leftover coffee from my afternoon shot and well, can't waiste coffee, can we? I made tiramisu. And I can't believe I haven't posted on the blog about it yet.
Monday, August 22, 2011
It's summertime alright
Well, all my complaining about the low temperatures and rain has hit me in the face. It's been really really hot lately. So much so, that anything beyond laying around half-dead and under AC seems too much of an effort. God bless the AC, really.
I should have gone to my almost-sister-in-law bachelorette party this weekend but was not feeling too well, so I decided to skip it, just because I didn't feel weel enough to get in the car in the middle of summer traffic rush (our highways get really jammed) and take a 2-hour trip one-way (out of season it usually takes only an hour) in the middle of day (35°C in a black car where not even AC helps). Then I'd need to stay up till morning hours (I don't mind that), but get absolutely no sleep, because at 8 AM you cannot sleep anylonger due to heat and then back in the car and the 2-hour trip back. Well, my body did not agree to the plan and crashed down for a while. I do regret it, but my health and life is more important than any party, right?
I've been having a hectic working week and with temperatures this high it only worsened my general state.
So I've been laying around, doing nothing, mostly and just trying to stay immobile as much as I could.
What with the weather screaming SUMMER!! my diet went almost raw. I tend not to cook, if I can help it. Cooking only adds to air moisture and heat. So, raw fruit - peaches, grapes, some watermelon, almonds and plenty of salads.
I did have a tuna or two with that, just because I'm not a saint, as much as I try. And I L-O-V-E tuna fish. I do feel bad eating it, though. So that is why I was plenty happy when I discovered the Redwood's Vegan Tuna Style Paté.
I enjoy having spreads on crackers, but what with going ovo-vegetarian (and pescio, but rarely) creamy spreads have become a tricky thing (well I'm just a bit lazy to be making them myself). I did indulge in a lactose-free cheese spread once or twice, but I'm not sure it does me any good, so I save it as my exit plan - only when I really really want it. But this paté is a whole other story. It's not really spreadable, because tuna fish by itself is not, also. So it's this a bit chunky mass of vegan almost-spread that, surprisingly, tastes almost like the real deal! If you're craving the taste it might just do the trick! Plus, it is - to me - delicious, and I'll be sure buying it again!
After trying their Wot No Dairy? pea-based yogurt, the Meat Free Falafel (well, falafel is supposed to be meat free, it's made of chickpeas!) and now the Tuna Paté, all of which I really enjoyed, I'm looking forward to trying new products. I have some Breaded Fish-style Fingers awaiting that might just transport me on the seashore with one vegan bite (I did test the product before buying and the whole experience was amazing, so I'm really looking forward to trying it for lunch).
The beauty of these products is that are packed with plant-based protein and though not everything is organic it does offer a variety of food choice, apart from the daily salad and poor canteen food.
What about you, what do you enjoy eating in these hot summer days?
Day 181.
I should have gone to my almost-sister-in-law bachelorette party this weekend but was not feeling too well, so I decided to skip it, just because I didn't feel weel enough to get in the car in the middle of summer traffic rush (our highways get really jammed) and take a 2-hour trip one-way (out of season it usually takes only an hour) in the middle of day (35°C in a black car where not even AC helps). Then I'd need to stay up till morning hours (I don't mind that), but get absolutely no sleep, because at 8 AM you cannot sleep anylonger due to heat and then back in the car and the 2-hour trip back. Well, my body did not agree to the plan and crashed down for a while. I do regret it, but my health and life is more important than any party, right?
I've been having a hectic working week and with temperatures this high it only worsened my general state.
So I've been laying around, doing nothing, mostly and just trying to stay immobile as much as I could.
What with the weather screaming SUMMER!! my diet went almost raw. I tend not to cook, if I can help it. Cooking only adds to air moisture and heat. So, raw fruit - peaches, grapes, some watermelon, almonds and plenty of salads.
I did have a tuna or two with that, just because I'm not a saint, as much as I try. And I L-O-V-E tuna fish. I do feel bad eating it, though. So that is why I was plenty happy when I discovered the Redwood's Vegan Tuna Style Paté.
I enjoy having spreads on crackers, but what with going ovo-vegetarian (and pescio, but rarely) creamy spreads have become a tricky thing (well I'm just a bit lazy to be making them myself). I did indulge in a lactose-free cheese spread once or twice, but I'm not sure it does me any good, so I save it as my exit plan - only when I really really want it. But this paté is a whole other story. It's not really spreadable, because tuna fish by itself is not, also. So it's this a bit chunky mass of vegan almost-spread that, surprisingly, tastes almost like the real deal! If you're craving the taste it might just do the trick! Plus, it is - to me - delicious, and I'll be sure buying it again!
After trying their Wot No Dairy? pea-based yogurt, the Meat Free Falafel (well, falafel is supposed to be meat free, it's made of chickpeas!) and now the Tuna Paté, all of which I really enjoyed, I'm looking forward to trying new products. I have some Breaded Fish-style Fingers awaiting that might just transport me on the seashore with one vegan bite (I did test the product before buying and the whole experience was amazing, so I'm really looking forward to trying it for lunch).
The beauty of these products is that are packed with plant-based protein and though not everything is organic it does offer a variety of food choice, apart from the daily salad and poor canteen food.
What about you, what do you enjoy eating in these hot summer days?
Day 181.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Holidays or something like that
Can you believe this, it's almost end of summer months and there's still no holiday in sight for yours truly. Sure, I had a few days off just sitting at home and I'm just back from a quick weekend retreat from higher grounds (with my parents, at my age!), but still, no real holiday and what with 3 weeks from wedding of the year I'm not any closer to taking a vacation anytime soon. Me feels miserable. Then summer will past and so will my will to go anywhere. Shame shame shame.
It's day 175 (!!!), that's about 6 months into my (almost) quest now. I gained back all the weight that I lost during this weekend because my mom and aunt kept stuffing me like a turkey. "I'm not hungry" and "No, thanks" are simply chinese to them and you HAVE to eat something. So today I'm super tired and fat and I just wanna go home and sleep some more and just not, you know, eat.
A few words on my weekend getaway. My parents go to a mountain village every year where they just hike the woods and pick up whatever they can manage to find - blueberries, mushroom, cranberries,...
I went for the blueberries. There is no such a blueberry as those we pick up in those woods. And with my blueberry smoothie addiction and I just needed to stash my freezer.
So off I went on Saturday morning and almost immediately got stucked in a 4 km traffic jam. The traffic was insane all the way, and although the place is not that far away, it took me 1,5 hours to arrive.
Upon arrival I was immediately fed barley minestrone with savoy cabbage that I absolutely hate, but since I was rather hungry I ate it all with no complaint. Didn't enjoy it, though. After the initial lunch the menu got more and more bizzare what with my aunt being chef of the kitchen, not my mom, who is used to my dietary needs and preferences. At some point, though, even my mom tried to sneak on my plate a mixture with summer veggies in tomato sauce with the addition of a secret ingredient she hoped I would not notice - ground beef.
I told her off, spit the food out and went make me some egg & tofu ham with nondairy cheese omlette, served with boiled potatoes. Everyone wished to try it, but - given the treatment they gave me - I did not share. Yeah, I can be a bitch, but from then on I was preparing my own food.
Then, we went into the woods. Pictured above is a carpet of blueberry bushes, which are usualy really plentiful, but this year they were ripe early in season so we did not manage to gather a lot of them, but will do for moderate usage.
That's actually my mom in the blueberry bushes, picking them up by hand. There were too few to use a blueberry comb.
Yes, my fingers are still stained and will need some more cleaning to get rid of it all. I learnt washing cloths by hand helps, so that's what I'm doing today after work.
Wild blueberries. Tiny little things that get squeezed and juiced on your fingers if you're not careful. Anyway, I did manage to get me quite a stash of it, but not more that legally allowed. Yes, we have a law that states how much wild produce you're allowed to take from the woods! And if you take more and you're caught you can actually pay quite a fine.
Everyone is crazy about the mushroom pictured above (had to google it and is called penny bun or porcino), but I'm not since I'm not a mushroom person and I took none of those back home. Ha! Not that I can actually spot them in the woods, my father is an expert in that.
I did once try one cream porcino soup that was actually delicious, but since it contained plenty of cream and, well, mushrooms, I didn't experiment further.
So now I'm back from my little blueberry advanture, with a huge craving for a super smoothie right now, but being in the office I'll just have to wait a few hours more, sadly.
What about you, have you been on holidays yet, or just waiting to go?
It's day 175 (!!!), that's about 6 months into my (almost) quest now. I gained back all the weight that I lost during this weekend because my mom and aunt kept stuffing me like a turkey. "I'm not hungry" and "No, thanks" are simply chinese to them and you HAVE to eat something. So today I'm super tired and fat and I just wanna go home and sleep some more and just not, you know, eat.
A few words on my weekend getaway. My parents go to a mountain village every year where they just hike the woods and pick up whatever they can manage to find - blueberries, mushroom, cranberries,...
I went for the blueberries. There is no such a blueberry as those we pick up in those woods. And with my blueberry smoothie addiction and I just needed to stash my freezer.
So off I went on Saturday morning and almost immediately got stucked in a 4 km traffic jam. The traffic was insane all the way, and although the place is not that far away, it took me 1,5 hours to arrive.
Upon arrival I was immediately fed barley minestrone with savoy cabbage that I absolutely hate, but since I was rather hungry I ate it all with no complaint. Didn't enjoy it, though. After the initial lunch the menu got more and more bizzare what with my aunt being chef of the kitchen, not my mom, who is used to my dietary needs and preferences. At some point, though, even my mom tried to sneak on my plate a mixture with summer veggies in tomato sauce with the addition of a secret ingredient she hoped I would not notice - ground beef.
I told her off, spit the food out and went make me some egg & tofu ham with nondairy cheese omlette, served with boiled potatoes. Everyone wished to try it, but - given the treatment they gave me - I did not share. Yeah, I can be a bitch, but from then on I was preparing my own food.
Then, we went into the woods. Pictured above is a carpet of blueberry bushes, which are usualy really plentiful, but this year they were ripe early in season so we did not manage to gather a lot of them, but will do for moderate usage.
That's actually my mom in the blueberry bushes, picking them up by hand. There were too few to use a blueberry comb.
Yes, my fingers are still stained and will need some more cleaning to get rid of it all. I learnt washing cloths by hand helps, so that's what I'm doing today after work.
Wild blueberries. Tiny little things that get squeezed and juiced on your fingers if you're not careful. Anyway, I did manage to get me quite a stash of it, but not more that legally allowed. Yes, we have a law that states how much wild produce you're allowed to take from the woods! And if you take more and you're caught you can actually pay quite a fine.
Everyone is crazy about the mushroom pictured above (had to google it and is called penny bun or porcino), but I'm not since I'm not a mushroom person and I took none of those back home. Ha! Not that I can actually spot them in the woods, my father is an expert in that.
I did once try one cream porcino soup that was actually delicious, but since it contained plenty of cream and, well, mushrooms, I didn't experiment further.
So now I'm back from my little blueberry advanture, with a huge craving for a super smoothie right now, but being in the office I'll just have to wait a few hours more, sadly.
What about you, have you been on holidays yet, or just waiting to go?
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