I Wish

I wish I had this whole post-weight loss thing down, but I don't.

The truth is, it's confusing. It's scary. I lost weight, hit a wall and basically had a breakdown, gained some weight and threw wellness out the window, and now I'm trying to do everything the right way.

The truth is, weight loss isn't a magic cure-all. I was no more happy thin than I was obese. In fact, some days I think I'm more unhappy now. In order to be happy, you have to be kind to your mind and your emotions and find happiness within yourself; your body will not make you wholly happy, it's merely one corner of the table.

Now, I'm taking things a day at a time. I'm not going to wake up tomorrow morning and be perfectly happy and fit. It takes time.

It's a journey for a reason, is it not?


I wish I hadn't crushed my toe with a shower door, but I did.

It's throbbing. Send ice.

I wish I could have kept running for miles and miles today, but I couldn't.

I went on my first outdoor run of the year today. I was nervous (what with a crushed toe and all) and partially thought that I'd want to pass out after 5 minutes. Twenty five minutes later, I found myself stretching after a glorious 2 mile run. I wasn't particularly fast or coordinated and my headphone wire may or may not have wrapped around my neck multiple times, but I did it. I ran. I ran and didn't collapse. I almost felt on top of the world.

Then I got a text from my mom. She was watching me from her car as she drove away from my college campus. She said: "You looked good. Like a runner". Folks, that's the push I needed.

I felt on top of the world.

I won't say I'm going to be a runner. I don't know if I'll ever sign up for races or if I'll do it daily. But I'm realizing that, although bringing myself to start running is a pain in the bum, the feeling I have afterward is immeasurable.


I wish the bok choy looked good at the market today, but it looked sad and lifeless.

But I managed to make a quick, inexpensive, and healthy dinner without it.



I'm not usually a stir fry kinda gal, but I had a craving. So I browned a block of tofu and tossed it with carrots, broccoli, snow peas, zucchini, yellow pepper and garlic. I made a sauce with soy, sesame oil, cornstarch and a tiny pinch of sugar.



Wonderful.

I'd post a recipe, but honestly, it's stir fry. Toss whatever you have on hand together in a skillet/wok, make a quick sauce, cook some rice and dinner is served.

For now, I'm tired of wishing; it's time to ice my toe.

More Pesto

Wednesday's are the day when I have my night film class, so I always plan ahead and make something that I can easily bring to class. I've found that it's really easy to bring things like pasta dishes, huge salads, or leftovers that would be tasty at room temperature. This week featured more of that almond pesto that I made the other week. I don't make pesto often, but it's always great when I do because I have so much leftover.

Here's a useful tip for saving pesto: scoop the leftovers in an ice cube tray, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. You can pop out the pesto cubes, put them in a baggie, and store in the freezer to use as needed. Whenever I want some, I just pull out a cube and let it defrost in the fridge. Perfectly portioned pesto!

Anyway, here's what was featured in this week's class dinner:


Pesto pasta salad with herb grilled tofu
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked pasta of choice
- 1 serving herb tofu (recipe to follow)
- 1-2 tbsp pesto
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Toss everything together and chill until serving. Dinner in minutes.

Serves 1


Herb tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano, parsley and thyme
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Slice tofu into desired shape. I just made 1/2" thick tofu "steaks" because I find those easier to marinate.
- Combine marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl or tupperware container. Add tofu and turn once, allowing both sides to get a quick coat. Allow to marinate at least one hour, turning tofu every 15 minutes or so.
- Grill for 3-5 minutes on both sides. Alternatively, you could bake the tofu or pan sear it until brown. Cut into bite-sized cubes before adding to the pasta salad.




While I do enjoy preparing dishes that take a while to cook because I love being in the kitchen, I look forward to making something quick and easy on Wednesdays. This came together in minutes, was extremely flavorful, and utilized simple ingredients that I already had on hand. The most labor intensive part was the herb tofu, which was entirely worth it because it made the dish (good thing I have a bunch leftover because I have this sneaking suspicion it'd make a great sandwich stuffer).

American Classics: Sloppy Joe's

There is absolutely nothing visually appealing about this recipe. It didn't look nice in the crockpot, it didn't look nice on the bun, and it definitely didn't look nice on my gym pants. Or my chin. Or the floor. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about by now. If not, well, here you go.


(Crockpot) Sloppy Joe's
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu, frozen and thawed
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup organic ketchup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- S&P, to taste
- Bib

Instructions
- Squeeze thawed tofu until most of the water is removed. Crumble into a bowl an set aside.
- In a large pan, saute aromatics until soft. Add to crockpot.
- Add tofu to the pan and cook until golden brown. Add to crockpot.
- Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and turn on low for 4-6 hours or until ready to serve. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors will infuse the tofu and the mixture will break down and become extra tasty.

Serves 4-6


I had mine on a huge, crusty 7 grain bun that probably wasn't the best option. It was great bread, but made it even messier. Even though the point is to be messy, being covered in tomato products isn't something I enjoy.


I don't remember ever having sloppy Joe's with meat, so I can't say how authentic the flavor is, but it tasted great. It was a nice combination of sweet, tangy and smoky. The tofu had the perfect texture too; the key to recipes like this is definitely freezing it ahead of time because it's much firmer and toothsome.

I'm a believer that sometimes "ugly" food is the most delicious food (re: the entirety of Indian cuisine). So, don't let the pile of red crumbled tofu deter you from getting a little sloppy.

Sweet 'n Savory

Apple season is probably my favorite time of year. I get incredibly excited when I see local pecks of apples in grocery stores and I can taste their seasonal freshness. Today I picked up a bag of galas and wanted to dive into it right away, but instead I waited and came up with a recipe to use them with for dinner. Since I was in a "comfort food" mood, I decided to combine apples with one of my favorite comfort dishes: mashed potatoes.


Apple mashed potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 medium Idaho or white potato, cubed
- 1 gala apple, cubed
- 1 tsp Earth Balance
- 2 tbsp unsweetened soy milk
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- S&P, to taste.

Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the cubed apple. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes or until potatoes and apples are soft. Drain and return back to the pot.
- Mash with a fork or potato masher until chunky. Add Earth Balance, soy milk, vinegar and nutritional yeast and continue mashing until you reach your desired consistency. Season to taste.
- You can serve here, or place mash in a greased casserole dish and broil until top is lightly brown and crusty.

Serves 1-2

I know this sounds like a weird combination, but it was incredible. The mellow, creamy potato and the tart brightness of the apple worked really well together. If you like a sweet and savoy combo, you'll love this side dish. While I bet it'd taste great with a sweet potato, I think I'd prefer it with white because the sweet potato + apple combination may be almost too sweet. I'd totally still try it, though.

To go along with my mash, I made a simple dijon crusted tofu.



I cut a servings worth of tofu into slabs and coated the pieces in a mixture consisting of:
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Pinch of dried tarragon
- S&P, to taste




and baked it in a 375 oven for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. The tofu was super creamy, both inside and out. The edges of the tofu were chewy and browned, but the dijon crust almost melted in my mouth. It was simple, filling, and delicious.

Now I'm off to do some lunar flow yoga. Night!

Get Baked

I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while. It was just as amazing in my mouth as it was in my mind.


Lemon (blueberry) baked tofu

Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed
Marinade
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tbsp blueberry balsamic vinegar (optional, it'd just be a lemon marinade without)
- 2 small garlic cloves or 1 large, minced
- 1/2 tbsp parsley
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- In bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients.
- Slice tofu in 1/2" slices. Place in a container (I used a shallow tupperware container) and pour marinade on top of tofu. Turn tofu pieces a few times until marinade is coated on both sides.
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it gets.
- In a 350 oven, bake for 30-45 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes. Tofu is done when it's golden brown and a nice crust forms on both sides. Top with crunchy pieces of lemon zest and enjoy!

Before going into the oven:


Half baked:

Don't mind the caramelized marinade on the side. It was around this time that the house became filled with the aromas of lemon and garlic.


Come here, my pretty.

I served this on a bed of Lundberg Jubilee rice blend and steamed asparagus.

My dad asked me how it tasted and I responded (full-mouthed) with "IT'S SO GOOD" and then continued shoveling. The lemon flavor was perfectly pronounced with a slight note of blueberries that wasn't overwhelming. It was tangy, sweet and the tofu had a great texture - chewy outside and slightly creamy inside. The crunchy lemon zest was a great burst of flavor and was an awesome element to the dish. I want to make this again!

Today I also had an awesome work out. I ran a quick mile and then biked 11.2 miles in 30 minutes. I need to start working on my endurance, though. I was literally dripping sweat while pedaling and it felt so great.

I'm hoping to save up for this beauty so I can get into road biking and possibly racing. I really, really want to get involved in the racing world.

Burning My Hands Was So Worth It.

I'm not sure if words can accurately describe how amazing this dinner was, so the pictures will have to speak for themselves.


Polenta lasagna

Ingredients
- 1/2 tube prepared polenta
- 1 15-oz can tomatoes of choice (I used Muir Glen fire roasted garlic diced tomatoes)
- 1/4-1/3 cup tofu ricotta*
- 1/2 large portobello mushroom, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red kale, pressed & chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- S&P (I just added a bit to the polenta while in the pan)

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Cut polenta into 1/4 in. wide discs. I cut my discs in half to fit into my dish better, but feel free to leave them as is.
- Spray a medium sized pan with olive oil spray (or just use some actual oil) and pan fry the discs until golden. Set aside.
- Remove kale from stems and boil until softened. Run under cool water, drain, and press with hands to remove excess moisture. Chop and set aside.
- Dump tomatoes in pan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until desired thickness is achieved. This kind had a lot of liquid, so I ended up draining some so it wouldn't be a soupy mess.
- Put a tiny bit of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Layer polenta, then tofu ricotta, mushrooms, kale, sauce, repeat. Continue until you can't anymore, then pour on a bit more sauce. Sprinkle with basil and pepper flakes if desired.
- Bake (preferably covered) for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

I used a fairly small, round Corningware dish, so I'm sure these measurements will be much different if you use a standard baking dish. I apologize that I can't convert them, but I'm an English major and lack math skills of any kind. I'm sure you can get the gist, though.


Just out of the oven.

Wait for it...

Oh, yes.

I'm dumb and lifted the glass lid with my bare hands directly from the oven. Twice. I have nice burn marks on my palm and fingers. Do I care? No. This dish is just that delicious.

* The star of the show is easily the tofu ricotta. It's also easily one of my new favorite things ever. I used this recipe, but only made enough for one serving.


So much better than actual ricotta! I swear!

The crushed tomatoes were also out of this world. Muir Glen is hands down the best canned tomato brand I've ever had. It's a shame it's also one of the most expensive.

But really, I implore you to make this dish. I had to stop myself from eating the whole dish so that I could have leftovers for lunch.

In other news, I tried something new at the gym today: the bike!
I had about a 40 minute window before a final exam, so I decided to do 30 minutes cross trainer > 15 minutes bike. I ended up doing 2.65 miles on the cross trainer and 5.5 miles on the bike; I definitely feel like I got a good work out. If only I could say the same about my exam.

Down in the Dumps

I woke up today, quite frankly, feeling like crap. I was up late teaching my friend how to dance and woke up far too early, leaving me with a headache that hasn't gone away all day. So, what do I do to try to help?


Make Moroccan mint tea, sort of. My version is just a green tea bag + torn mint leaves.


I look so happy.

Then attempted to raise my spirits by having a summery dinner of bbq tofu, baked potato with Earth Balance and cracked pepper, and baked corn on the cob.




BBQ tofu
This is basically a "no-recipe recipe". I used a little under 1/2 a block of extra firm tofu, and rubbed it with:
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Pinch of garlic and onion powder
- Pinch of sea salt

Then I grilled it for 3-4 minutes on each side, coated with bbq sauce (I just used Annie's brand because I don't have the ingredients to make my own) and grilled for another 3-4 minutes.

It was delicious, but it just didn't hit the spot, yanno? I should have made something more comforting. Maybe a nice soup is in store for tomorrow. I've also been craving pizza. Decisions, decisions. Hopefully yoga makes me feel a bit better. Goodnight!

Food rut

Hey everyone! I haven't posted in a few days, mostly because I don't think I've eaten anything blog-worthy. Which leads me to this question: What do you do when you're in a food rut? I don't know what to make anymore and whatever I do make just doesn't amaze me. Nothing I've made has been bad, but it hasn't been anything spectacular, either. When I eat a meal, I want to be wowed. Here are a couple recent eats, anyway:


A whole wheat/flax wrap filled with chickpea salad, salsa, spinach, and avocado. For the chickpea salad I used a cayenne mayonnaise and added cilantro, lime juice and diced red pepper. On the side I had kale chips sprinkled with nooch and fresh pineapple. Note: there are few things in life better than fresh, juicy pineapple.

Tonight I was randomly craving breakfast, so that's what I had:


Tofu scramble (I OD'd a little on the tumeric) with crimini mushrooms and spinach with a savory pancake recipe adapted from Heather Eats Almond Butter.

Instead of making the pancakes pizza inspired, I made mine Indian spiced. I used:
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin, cardomom and ginger

and added it to the oat flour/flax/S&P and water mixture. I topped them with baba ghanoush.

The pancakes were good, but didn't pack as much of a punch as I would have preferred. I guess I wanted something more, but I'm not sure what. The scramble was pretty awesome, though, especially for it being my first one.

This post definitely proved to me that I eat my greens.

On another note, I think I'm slowly losing interest in yoga and gaining interest in running. I've been using the same videos for months and while I enjoy yoga, I want to spice things up. I don't have the funds to pay for classes or videos online, so I'm pretty limited. I tried something new today and it ended horribly, so I guess I'm in a yoga rut, too.

I need to get out of these ruts!

Light fare

One of my class discussions was canceled this afternoon, so I rushed home hoping to make a green smoothie. However, I realized the hard way that you can't really make a smoothies in a food processor. After I finished cleaning up spilled almond milk and pieces of spinach and blueberries off the floor, I went back to my standby lunch and relaxed for approximately five minutes before heading out again.


Baby carrots, Newman's Own spelt pretzels, blackberries and almond butter. I probably eat my weight in baby carrots every year.

Tonight's dinner was a bit of an experiment for me. When I was an omnivore, I HATED mayonnaise. Absolutely positively hated it. On the rare occasions I consumed it, it had to be the most minimal amount possible. But, for some reason I can't explain, I've been craving some sort of mock mayonnaise-based salad. So, my brain concocted this:


Curry chickpea salad

For the mayonnaise, I used this recipe, but added the cornstarch to 1 tbsp water and added the mixture while the mayonnaise was on the stove. I think it created a smoother texture.

Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chickpeas
- 1-2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- Celery, as much as you desire
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- S & P, to taste
- 1/2 green onion, garnish

Instructions
- Mash all of the ingredients to desired consistency, put on your favorite bread with your favorite toppings and enjoy!


I put mine on an Ezekiel sprouted English muffin with baby spinach. Also with a side of baked sweet potato fries and steamed asparagus.

The verdict? Delicious! The star here is, in my opinion, the cinnamon. It added a hint of sweetness which wasn't overwhelming at all and contrasted nicely with the other spices. I'm also shocked that I actually liked the vegan mayonnaise. I loved this dish. Simple, easy, and healthy. :)