Day Seventeen: Snow Day Cravings

I am certainly not done eating for the day, but I'm going to post anyway. I will also probably go over my calorie limit since I have a snow day tomorrow and it took me 3 hours to make the 16-mile commute home. The roads were treacherous and terrifying and I need to stress eat and stress drink wine. I don't have anything good to drink, so I probably won't have much, anyway. It's basically just an emergency stash and I think this counts as an emergency. On the other hand, maybe I'll save the wine for tomorrow, when I'll need motivation to dig out my car (thanks again to my awesome co-worker, Andrew, for lending me a shovel! If I had to go buy one on my way home, I never would have made it!). We already have over 6 inches of snow on the ground and we are supposed to get 6 more overnight. Then it's going to get up to a whopping 15 degrees tomorrow. Yes, I'm really going to want to go outside.

For some reason, I couldn't get my act together this morning and I forgot breakfast. I did have - you guessed it - my standard coffee with almond milk.

For lunch, I packed last night's Israeli couscous, seared cauliflower, and a side of white bean hummus with a serving of Wheat Thins (16 crackers - I ended up snacking on this hummus and cracker combo last night, too). Although I picked all of the red peppers out of the couscous, I still could not stomach the cinnamon and vinegar combo. The pearl couscous seemed to get chewier overnight. To be blunt, this recipe sucks. Do not make it. I ate about a quarter of the serving of couscous, if I'm being generous (it was probably more like a tenth) and half of the cauliflower (it still tastes weirdly fishy to me). I did kill all of the white bean hummus and crackers. I really cannot rave enough about that hummus. 

When I got home about 6 hours after lunch, I was obviously still hungry. I had been craving Chinese food on my way home - egg drop soup and noodles and dumplings. Snow days just make me crave junk and comfort foods (grilled cheese and tomato soup!!!). When I went shopping over the weekend, I decided to give Dr. McDougall another try, even though I did not like the vegan tortilla soup I had earlier. This time I bought vegan pad thai noodles, and the preparation was basically the same - add the seasoning packet, fill with water to fill line, microwave for 2 minutes, cover and let sit for 4. When that was all done, I spritzed a little lime juice on top and then crushed 10 peanuts in a plastic bag with a rolling pin and sprinkled the peanut crumbs on top. In retrospect, I should have added green onion but hollllleeeeeeee shhhhhhh this was good. The portion was on the smaller size, but it tasted like legit pad thai - and no sneaky eggs this time! I'm now a full-fledged fan of Dr. McDougall. I'm debating buying his stuff by the case from his website.

After this second late lunch, I decided it was time to veg out and read in bed for a bit. At 6:00, I got up to make my smoothie. This one was no bueno.

This is the height of luxury!

Dinner: Strawberry Kale Green Smoothie

I prepared this smoothie according to the directions, with 3 tablespoons of vegan protein powder, 1 tablespoon of organic super greens, a cup of almond milk (I use original unsweetened), and 3/4 cup of ice. I didn't want to use up any more bananas, so I added a cup of kale (from the freezer) and a cup of sliced strawberries. 

Side note: The green sludge from yesterday's smoothie did not wash off the inside of the Ninja lid in the dishwasher, which completely grossed me out.

Additional side note: This came out an even darker, slimy green mud color. 

Oh, also, this was pretty gross. It definitely missed the sweetness of the banana and the vanilla. It actually tasted a bit sour, which the strawberries may have added to (they were not completely ripe yet). It's also chalky. It took me about a half hour to get through it (this seemed to make around a pint), but I got used to it as I went on. 

Without going into too much detail about my bowels, let's just say that this smoothie did what it was supposed to do and it did it rather quickly.

I followed up with the aloe, probiotic, fiber, and my multivitamin. I've noticed that I've been feeling colder since I started my vegan diet, but I am taking 100% daily value of iron every day. This could be my Raynaud's, but it's not just my fingers, toes, and nose that feel cold (although those are the worst). I thought about doing an hour of yoga (my Roku has a fitness channel with streaming exercises) but since I can't log it into Gympact and I'm so cold and achy, I think I'll settle for a long, hot shower. At least I've resisted wine so far.

Post-Shower Snack: Vegan Oatmeal Cookie and Vegan Hot Cocoa

Remember how I said I loooooove junk/comfort food when the weather is crappy? Well, hallelujah, I have found the remedy! (I'm just hoping my craving for grilled cheese and tomato soup subsides tomorrow; otherwise, I'm walking to Quick Check for bread and soup and slicing up that almond cheese, casein and all). 

I've been mulling over this recipe for a while and I decided that today was the day:

I followed the recipe to a T, except my bananas were not that ripe and therefore a little more difficult to mash. I used Shoprite organic unsweetened applesauce and mashed some more.

I then added the rest of the ingredients:

...and used a teaspoon and my hand to form 16 irregular cookies (my specialty shape) on two cookie sheets sprayed with Smart Balance cooking spray.

Then I baked them on 350 for 20 minutes. The smell was heavenly. However, I remember the same enchanting aroma when I baked oatmeal banana bites on Day One and those came out dry...so I was worried. 

While those baked, I prepared the hot chocolate: 2 tablespoons of unsweetened baking cocoa, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a cup of almond milk (I ended up adding more because it looked like the powder would never dissolve). I put this in the microwave for a minute and when I took it out, it was almost cakey on top - but once I stirred it, everything mixed together nicely. I put it in for another 30 seconds and sprinkled some nutmeg on top.

The final result:

Holy Bejesus. The cookie is awesome and a mere 76 calories if you make 16 irregular shapes, too. The hot cocoa is rich and spicy and not sickeningly sweet. That's 158 calories and 25 grams of sugar - a little high. Still, at 234 calories total, this is a decent snack that satisfies my cravings - better than the apple I ate in my marathon commute home. 

I can do a little better, but I can confidently say that I'm done for the day. 

Totals	1,140	192	26	46	1,882	65
Your Daily Goal	1,200	150	40	60	2,300	45
Remaining	60	-42	14	14	418	-20
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

Definitely went overboard in carbs and sugar, but it's a snow day! And I don't even want any wine. You know why? I have been so. much. less. stressed. since I stopped eating animal products. Even though (many) parts of my drive home were scary and aggravating, my heart wasn't racing or in my throat and I wasn't screaming obscenities like I typically do if I'm stuck in 45 minutes of summer Shore traffic...or doing a routine drive down any of Monmouth County's super-annoying highways. 

This feels good.

Bonus: Look at this treasure trove of vegan slow cooker recipes I found! 

Days Thirteen and Fourteen: This Isn't Getting Easier

Sigh. Avoiding animal products is really, really hard to do when you're dining out. And since much of my weekend has consisted of going out to eat, I've had a hard time keeping up this diet. And since much of my week was filled with social activities, I've had a hard time avoiding adult beverages. Maybe there is a silver lining in my recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia - the medicine I started taking only allows me to tolerate a few drinks, so I can't throw them back and drink my day's calories away. Honestly, the way I feel makes it easier for me to learn towards total teetotalism. 

Anyway, my eating and drinking habits have put me slightly over my daily goals, proving that if I could just get my butt into the gym, I'd be right on the mark. Unfortunately, the pain I've been in doesn't exactly make me want to be very active. I know I'd feel better if I did something, but it's hard to get into that mindset when I'd rather throw myself a Netflix pity party and lay in bed. I have off tomorrow, so maybe I can start the week off right. Here's how I did on Friday:

Friday, January 17

Totals	1,387	208	32	37	1,095	62
Your Daily Goal	1,200	150	40	60	2,300	45
Remaining	-187	-58	8	23	1,205	-17
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

Breakfast: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I'm beginning to think that all oatmeal is a waste of calories. It never keeps me full like people claim it should, even when I fancy it up like this. I got this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie because I couldn't find the Hungry Girl recipe I used to use. This cooks 1 serving, and it's pretty easy. The following goes into the pot: 1 cup of almond milk, some salt (does anyone even measure salt?), 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used imitation and it was fine, although now that I'm an adult, I should probably buy the real stuff).

This looks vomitty

While that was cooking on the stovetop, I tried the blog's "melted banana trick" to sweeten up my oatmeal and add some more volume. I just sliced up a banana with another 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and let it get melty and gooey and then added it to the oatmeal while it finished cooking.

You know what would make this better? BUTTER.

I forget how long this took to cook altogether, but just let it boil and then watch it until it gets to the desired consistency. When it finished, I threw in about a tablespoon of golden raisins and sprinkled some cinnamon on top.

This is actually better than it looks...but not that good

Like I said, this was decent, but not worth the 381 calories. Next time (Tuesday, probably) I make this, I will probably omit the banana. It didn't add any flavor or volume that was worth its weight in calories. 

Lunch: Whole Foods Quinoa Salad

Remember how I was excited to find this because I thought it was the same quinoa salad that I had at Pita Grill? (man, I'm also plugging them so much, they should sponsor me, too).

Well, I was WRONG.

This was gross. A serving size was like two tablespoons, so I think this was meant to go on top of something rather than be eaten by itself. Granted I did eat it a day after its "use by" date, but I don't think that explains the funky chemical taste in this salad. I think I managed to eat 8 tablespoons for lunch, at 80 calories.

Snacks: Random crackers at my parents' house

I had plans with the girls on Friday night, and since we were staying at Jen's house and Jen lives around the corner from my parents, I decided that fate was telling me to bring my laundry to good old mom and dad's before dinner. When I got there after work, no one was home, but I could smell szekely goulash in the slow cooker, which is my favorite Hungarian dish and one of my favorite, period. Not fair! This smell, combined with my measly 8 tablespoons of quinoa for lunch, had me digging through the pantry for a vegan-friendly snack in a carnivorous household. I settled on some crackers and some dill Triscuits, which I realize are crackers, too. I was famished. 7:00 couldn't come soon enough. Especially when my parents started eating the delicious pork and sauerkraut in front of me and offering me some.

Dinner: Vegetable Pad Thai and Champs

It was finally dinner time!!! We headed to Yummy Sushi to celebrate Jen's and Kayln's belated birthdays and eat our faces off. We ordered edamame for the table, which is obviously safe, and I went with the vegetable pad thai because I didn't think sushi vegetable rolls would fill me up, especially if I was drinking the champagne we brought with us. 

When the vegetable pad thai came, I couldn't shovel it into my mouth fast enough. It was so good. And then I realized: Holy shiitake mushrooms, pad thai has eggs in it. Nonononononono!!!!! I attempted to pick the eggs out, but because they were cooked with the noodles, the pieces were so small it was nearly impossible. I did the best I could, but after my realization, I didn't eat much more. :( 

I'm very proud to say that when we got back to Jen's, I was able to resist the chocolate Junior's cheesecake she surprised us with. I did not resist a glass of white white. Small victories! (?)

Saturday, January 18

Another day that wouldn't have been so bad with exercise: 

Totals	1,657	239	18	56	1,455	38
Your Daily Goal	1,200	150	40	60	2,300	45
Remaining	-457	-89	22	4	845	7
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

Breakfast: Randoms

I had to take my car in for service at the dealership, so I had to wake up pretty early at Jen's and make the trek pretty much all the way across the state (seriously). Luckily, the dealership is down the street from Steve and Eric's house, so when they told me it was going to take two hours, Steve so kindly agreed to pick me up. We were roasting Eric that night, so we had decided to work on our material during the day so I could avoid driving all the way home and coming all the way back. Of course, as soon as Steve pulled up the car was ready 90 minutes ahead of schedule (not complaining!). Steve, Briele, and I decided to go to Shore Good Pancake House for breakfast and I immediately started thinking about what I'd be able to eat there. In the meantime, I ate a banana that was in my car.

I settled for a random mix of vegan-friendly options: black coffee with Splenda (which I will no longer be using, by the way), grits (which I requested be made with water and not milk), home fries (which were hopefully safe, but for all I know were cooked in butter or bacon grease), and wheat toast (which I requested without butter).

Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs! Carbs!

I had some strawberry jam on the one slice of toast I ate, which made my teeth hurt because I'm not used to sugar. I finished the grits and maybe a third of the home fries. I was full and happy, but I felt deprived because Shore Good's omelettes and pancakes come in so many delicious and wonderful varieties. 

After a late breakfast, we sat around for a while and then I went to go run some errands, so we skipped lunch. By 5:00, I was totally ready for all-you-can-eat Mongolian grill. 

Dinner: Mongolian grill

The nondescript Mongolian grill (PJ Lee's) we went to had "vegan friendly" painted on their window, so I knew I was safe! Our dinner started with soup and rice (I chose vegetable and brown) and then I packed my bowl with sprouts, vegetables, tofu, and noodles and added Mongolian and barbecue sauces. After it was cooked, I topped it with peanut sauce and sesame seeds.

I could barely finish all of my food and then could only guess at my caloric intake. I chose a "Mongolian Bbq Bowl" on My Fitness Pal at 512 calories. In retrospect, I could have ditched the rice and used less noodles and avoided the peanut sauce altogether. This was very good and filling though, and I was pretty much set for the night.

The Roast: You need drinks at a roast, so I had two Pacifico and then AJ had to show up with Natty Boh, and how was I to resist the PBR of Baltimore? Luckily I resisted any late night snacks, although Eric did (accidentally) trick me into another slip up when he told me try this awesome guacamole, and then told me it was Greek yogurt guac. :/ I barely had a bite, so I'll get over it.

More about today and tomorrow...probably on Monday.