What's Up?

My husband has always been a meat and potatoes kind of guy. That's how he was raised, and that's how he functions. Yes, I could "sneak" in plant based/vegetarian dinners, but I couldn't say, "hey, this is a vegetarian meal!" I guess it is all in the presentation?



Anyhow, that's how it has been for almost 20 years, so you can imagine my surprise this week when he said "I want to go vegetarian for 28 days. I want all of us to do it together."

Which is funny, because The Girl had actually come to me earlier in the week, and said she wanted to try being a vegetarian for a few weeks, and all I did was say "Okay, I can help you with that." And, I had just (re) watched Forks Over Knives, and was in the midst of reading VB6 myself. So I was already in a good mindset. Still, M going along with this, of his own free will and desire, threw me for a loop. Regardless...

So, as of today, I am following the VB6 plan (pretty much... I still can't stand plant based creamers for my coffee), and we are all eating vegetarian. Thankfully I have a plethora of vegetarian cookbooks from my own vegetarian days (6 years vegetarian, 2 vegan... before kids), and there are tons of websites out there with good recipes. For example, Oh She Glows is a fabulous site! Tonight I'm making her 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta, which I know everyone in the house loves already. I already made her 5-Minute Oatmeal Power Bowl this morning, topped with diced Turkish dried apricots and a spoonful of peanut butter, a splash of almond milk...So good! And very satisfying.

I'm kind of cheating on lunch today. Usually I make my own foods, but I know today is super busy, so I'm taking a shortcut and trying this...

This company has been pretty darn trustworthy for years, and the food is above average, by a long shot, for frozen. Their drive-thru is really good too!

And so it is launched, the great plant-based household food experiment of 2015! We're hoping to improve some health issues, satisfy everyone's taste buds, save a little money (beans and grains are much cheaper than meat!!!), and generally enjoy the journey! My mission is to prove to the family that eating this way can be very satisfying and delicious, and while we may not stick with it entirely after the 28 days, it is at least a step in what I think is a good direction for us.

Why?

Why am I undertaking this journey?

Because...

I want to be able to enjoy my life to the fullest, for as long as possible.

I like feeling strong and healthy.

I want to be there for grandchildren, and maybe even great grandchildren.

I am watching my father's health deteriorate. He's 82, and has never taken good care of himself. He's got high cholesterol, high blood pressure, gout, macular degeneration, kidney issues off and on, etc.

I don't want high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, the risk of stroke... I know these things could happen anyway, but I can at least try to prevent them!

I want to be a good example for my children, especially The Girl, as like me she tends to eat more, and sit around more.

I've found I really like a lot of physical activities, and there are more I'd like to try! I love walking, hiking, swimming, and bodyboarding. I'd like to try stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, more backpacking, maybe even some rock climbing. I want life to be an adventure!

You'll notice, it is not about looks. Sure, I would like to look better, to be able to maybe rock board shorts and a bikini top next summer (see, I'm not so delusional that I'm aiming for a bikini bottom too, not with these stretch marks!), but that's not at the heart of it. The heart of the matter is feeling good in and about my own body. To be friends with myself. To nurture and nourish myself.

Along those lines, I did something yesterday I have not really accomplished before... a 24 hour fast. I did drink a lot of Ultrabroth, and two Kombucha drinks (the chai is really tasty! Guava is okay), throughout the day, but I even skipped my coffee!

I did this as I felt bloated, tired, heavy, and somehow foggy. I can't lie and say it was easy, but today I feel better, and though the scale didn't budge, my stomach is noticeably flatter! And I can say I really enjoyed my morning breakfast burrito (whole wheat tortilla, 2 homegrown eggs, fresh salsa). I also slept like a dead thing, which I am sure helped.

I don't know that I will fast again anytime soon. I don't see it as a necessity, but it was overall a good experience.

Today I am back to eating my healthy foods, logging them on MyFitnessPal, and trying to get in 10,000 steps! Tonight's dinner is a family favorite—Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage Casserole—it's easy to make, healthy, and an all-in-one-bowl type of dinner, great after an afternoon at the park!

Doing This Together

Hey, I'm back! And I have some updates...first, I am putting a link to this blog on my main blog, which makes me feel very vulnerable. But then, accountability is supposed to help.

I also posted a recipe below for my quinoa salad, which even the kids love.

I've been tracking most days on MyFitnessPal, to which I have linked MapMyRun and Pacer. I love apps sometimes! My calorie goal is 1520 a day, to lose a pound and a half each week. Plus I get extra calories for exercising, though I am trying to use less of those. I've been walking regularly, and (my new addiction), bodyboarding when I can. I am eating a heavily plant based diet these days... sort of a loose Flexitarian approach (a wee bit more flexible for the kids and husband than for me) mixed with Intuitive Eating. And it seems to be working!

The best part is that I have help and partnership in this journey. The Girl decided she wants to get more fit too, and she's lost 3.5 pounds in two weeks just by eating more plant foods and moving almost every day. She swims with a friend, goes on walks with me, bodyboards, does roller derby practice, etc. According to CDC guidelines, she is currently 25-30 pounds overweight, which freaks me out, and which I feel horrible even needing to face, but she is totally making progress in the right direction. And The Boy has joined in too, because he wants to build muscle and endurance!

We started a new challenge this past weekend. Near our home, there is a regional park with a parcourse  (i.e. fitness) trail. We tackled it Saturday, in 90+ degree weather, and it took us literally two hours to do the whole 3.07 mile course. And truthfully, I struggled with some of the exercises -- apparently I am not good at jumping anymore! We're hoping it'll take less time next time, which will be the Saturday after the upcoming one (other plans that day). And we set a big goal... we hope to go on a [mild] backpacking trip late next spring, so we need to be in top shape for that. While the kids have gone backpacking before, the hike in to camp that time was only a mile and a half. I'd like to do the five mile hike in to another campground this time! Eventually we hope to do some backcountry backpacking.

Another way I get some workout time in is to take the kids to the local school after hours. They bring scooters and skateboards, while I tackle a flight of stairs over and over. And I take a walking break at work every morning. I found I can just get in a mile on my break!

Some recent inspiration...


and   

The first book helped me figure out some of my issues along with a general approach to tackling the weight loss. The second book helped me figure out how to help The Girl. I also look at the websites associated with the authors/subjects on a pretty regular basis: Can You Stay for Dinner and Breanna Bond.

I realized that this has to be a family approach... the healthy eating and exercising regularly. I don't want to cook two complete dinners each night, nor do I want to feed my kids unhealthy stuff. Together we've been looking at (rough) portion sizes, making sure we get plenty of fruits and veggies in, finding healthy snacks. And I find I really like doing this together!

Yummy Salad

I made a huge bowl of this to serve all week... I put about 2 cups of this over baby mixed salad greens, and it is SO good! High in fiber, with a good amount of protein, plus it's gluten free, vegan, oil free/very low fat, etc.

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bag frozen corn (roasted version if available)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium red onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup salsa/pico de gallo
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup (more or less) chopped cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp. ground pepper, or to taste

After you rinse the quinoa, cook it to the package directions. Meanwhile, chop your veggies. When the quinoa is done cooking, mix everything together in a big bowl. Chill, then taste for seasoning, adjust as needed.

You can also add chopped avocado if you like. And you can add chopped chicken too, which naturally makes it not vegan, but still very good.