First of all, I want to wish everyone a happy new year. I realize that I’ve been slipping updating my blog and I will do my best to post 2-3 times a week for everyone. Last January, boyfriend and I gave up eating meat. This included: chicken, beef, pork, lamb, etc. We still eat seafood occasionally. I am so proud that we have kept up with it and cannot wait to conquer another year. It is not longer a struggle but part of our lifestyle. This year, as I was thinking of resolutions to set for the New Years, I decided that I’m going to conquer ‘monthly’ resolutions instead. Having a long list of resolution for the new year can be extremely overwhelming. And to be honest, who keeps up with the resolutions for the entire year? Resolutions tend to fail within the first month. I decided that I’m going to have a new goal for every month and commit to it for the 30-31 days, which is still a LONG time! These resolutions can be anything that would be make me become a better person. If I enjoy the outcomes within that month, than I will continue with it. If I don’t enjoy it, I can always stop or adjust it to my liking. “Diets”, food, exercise, hobbies, and service is all an experiment to me. Try it, commit to it, and if you like it, stick with it. If not, change it. No need to beat yourself over something that doesn’t work for you. Acknowledge the uncomfortable and move on.
JANUARY 2013: Give up dairy and chips.
I’ve always wonder how it would feel to not eat dairy so I’m going to experiment with it. I’ve done some research and there are many benefits to not consume it. I’m going to have to do even more research to ensure that I’m getting enough calcium and nutrients in order to get the essentials that my body needs. Chips has always been my weakness and I KNOW it is not very healthy. I want to challenge myself to find healthier alternative. This is going to hard for me because I’m always craving salty crunchiness. I’m going to do weekly updates so that I can hold myself accountable.
Week 1 – Jan 01 – Jan 06
Giving up chips has been easy. I’ve been able to find healthier, baked crackers to satisfy my salty craving. Eating them with hummus or homemade guacamole gives me a satisfying snack. Giving up dairy has been HARD, HARD, HARD. I LOVE CHEESE. I make bomb bean and cheese burritos that my family LOVES and they constantly eat it in front of me! I’ve learned to substitute cheese with avocados and also discovered an awesome vegan cheese – daiya. Boyfriend and I actually made vegan pizza yesterday! Will post the recipe for that soon; it was delicious. I also have a fat sweet tooth and can’t have any of the store bought stuff. I usually have a piece of chocolate everyday and giving that up has been hard. So far I’ve made healthy oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodle to help with my cravings. Both with vegan butter of course. Also, went to Whole Foods yesterday! Boyfriend and I got two vegan donuts: blueberry & crumb, and a german chocolate walnut cookie. All 3 were delicious! Thank you whole foods!
Oopsie Moment
I accidentally ate dairy ONCE. Boyfriend made toasted up some waffles with peanut butter for breakfast today and I forgot to look at the labels. Dove right into it and then realized that it was made with milk. =( But it’s okay. I’m going to keep going with it. Slipping up once doesn’t mean that your whole day is ruined. Many people tend to just give up and say that “they’ll start again tomorrow”. Haha. It’s okay, I’ve been guilty of that too. Continue RIGHT NOW. Slip ups happen. Don’t let them discourage you! =)
Finally, a new recipe from me: Roasted Vegetables.
This recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS. I can just eat them as a snack and be happy. Here is what you need…
Ingredients:
– 1 butternut squash
– 5 shallots
– 1 fennel bulb
– 4 garlic cloves
– 1 asparagus bunch
– 4 tbsp olive oil
– 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
– salt & pepper to taste
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Chop your butternut squash into bite size pieces. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook.
3. Quarter your shallots.
4. Slice the fennel bulb into small slices.
5. Chop and rinse asparagus into 2-inch pieces.
6. Toss your butternut squash, shallots, fennel, and garlic with the olive oil & balsamic vinegar.
7. Place it in the oven for 20 minutes.
8. Toss the asparagus into the oven and roast for another 20-25 minutes; until butternut squash is soft. (toss the other vegetables as well so the other sides can touch the pan!)
Tip: use a large baking pan. don’t crowd the vegetables on top of one of another. You want the sides to touch the pan because that’s where it is hottest. You’ll get a nice golden carmelization on the sides. Do it in two batches if you have to.
Please, please try out this recipe and let me know how you like it. It is seriously DELICIOUS!
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