Day One

Well, it's the end of day one. I ate everything I planned, which was 48 calories over my daily budget and a TON of carbs. Like, 274 g. Is that even possible? All of the recipes I used are from 21 Day Vegan Kickstart and I'm using their nutrition facts. Ummm...well, here's how it added up: 

Breakfast: Green Apple Oatmeal

This was easy, and I made enough for another day, too. I just made oatmeal with a cup of oats and threw in a diced green apple while they cooked. Sprinkled some cinnamon on top and done. It was, you know, oatmeal.

Per serving:

Calories: 202
Fat: 2.8 g
Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Protein: 5.6 g
Carbohydrates: 40.2 g
Sugar: 9.9 g
Fiber: 6.4 g
Sodium: 13 mg


Lunch: Balsamic Zucchini Sandwich and Shorba Addis

Go Ninja, go Ninja, go!

I was iffy about this one because it involves a lot of things I don't like, namely, zucchini and roasted red peppers. However, I was excited to use my new Ninja (and to see if it actually worked) so I made the roasted red pepper spread first. All I did was puree half of a roasted red pepper and a half cup of rinsed cannellini beans. I spread this on a Trader Joe's Middle Eastern flat bread and topped that with 4 basil leaves. On top of that, I put strips of zucchini that I sauteed in two sliced garlic cloves and 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I'm happy to say that it turned out pretty awesome. 

Per Serving:

Calories: 274
Fat: 2.5 g
Sat Fat: .5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Protein: 16 g
Carbs: 50.1 g
Sugar: 15.8 g
Fiber: 11.3 g

I actually made the shorba addis (curried lentil tomato soup) ahead of time and reheated it to have with the open face sandwich. This is a really thick and hearty soup that's more like a stew, and the recipe makes 3 servings. 

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 small carrot, diced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder (berbere is preferable)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup brown or green lentils
1 Yukon Gold potato, diced
1/4 cup whole wheat orzo pasta

Over medium-high heat, sauté the onion until it is brown. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrot, ginger, garlic, curry powder, and fenugreek, sautéing them for about 1 minute. Add the veggie broth and tomato paste, stirring until the tomato paste is thoroughly combined with the broth. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the lentils and stir. Once the soup comes back to a simmer, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook the soup for 20 minutes. Add the potato and orzo; cook the soup, covered, for 5 more minutes.

Note: I could not find fenugreek seeds anywhere. Instead, I used a drizzle of pure maple syrup. 

This was amazing and flavorful. The entire meal was super filling, and afterwards I happily laid down for a food coma and episode of Portlandia aptly named "Cat Nap," because I soon fell asleep. 

Per Serving:

Calories: 202
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Calories from Fat: 4   
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Protein: 8.5 g
Carbohydrates: 42.3 g
Sugar: 7.7 g
Fiber: 7.1 g
Sodium: 157 mg

Snack Time: Oatmeal Banana Bites

This is something that I will definitely make again, with improvements. I mixed a cup of rolled oats, a cup of brown rice flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, a grind of sea salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Then, I pureed two bananas and added that, along with 2 tablespoons of low sugar craisins. The batter looked pretty dry so I added a splash of almond milk. It turns out I forgot to add the teaspoon of vanilla extract...I think a little more banana would have helped, too. 

I rolled 8 balls out of the batter and baked them on 350 for 15 minutes. 

They're a pretty good size; big enough for a decent breakfast, I think. I'm glad I added the craisins and hopefully next time these don't come out as dry. 

114 calories
2 g fat
0.3 g saturated fat
12% calories from fat
0 mg cholesterol
3 g protein
22 g carbohydrate
4 g sugar
3 g fiber
136 mg sodium

                                                                              Dinner was actually a colossal disappointment, and unfortunately, I'm stuck with leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The Sunday doldrums are kicking in and I'm probably going to go to bed soon before I get hungry again. I'll share my sad fettuccine story tomorrow.