Success!

Today I had a wonderful lunch with my Dad at a local Mexican restaurant. I ALWAYS get the beef chimi! But today, before we even got together, I remembered my mess up from yesterday and decided to try my hand at ordering something without meat. And I am so glad I did. Not only did I stay true to what I'm trying to do, I also got to try some amazing new dishes that I would otherwise have missed out on just because, "I just have to have a beef chimi". It felt good to be aware, go into a restaurant, make a decision that kept me true to what I really want to do, enjoy every bite, and feel that much stronger. Oh, and for what it's worth, chili rellenos at Jalapeno's in Sandpoint, ID are amazing!

I guess tonight the emphasis was on Flexi....

Took Garrett to dinner after his baseball game tonight. I ordered broccoli soup and salad while he ordered a bacon burger and fries. I did great until I just couldn't take it anymore and had to have some of his burger. It was deelish! Got me to thinking about what my motivations are for wanting to go veg. I figure there are only just a few main motivations that people have. Moral/religious, health, and environmental were the three main reasons I could think of. Personally, about 90% of my motivation comes from health reasons and the other 10% from moral/religious reasons. Having some burger tonight tasted great and I'm glad I had it. However, I also feel like I dropped the ball a little bit because of our new resolve to go veg for this 28 day challenge. I guess I blew it! Oh well, cest la vie! I believe in failing fast and getting back in the saddle. So, I had some burger, it tasted great, but I'm still into the veg thing because I honestly feel healthier and happier when I eat that way. I won't be able to claim 100% compliance, but I'm okay with it because I'm only human. Ain't it great?

Quick and Tasty Lunch

You know how some days you just need something quick and easy for lunch? Well, that was today. Right after taking Garrett to school I went on a 3 mile run. When I got back, Jeff said he was just getting ready to go on a bike ride. At first I wasn't going to go (I have plenty of other stuff that needs doing!). But after eating a banana and piece of wheat toast (I hadn't eaten before my run), and resting for about 10 minutes, I decided to join Jeff. It was a great ride across the Long Bridge and back, about 11 miles. Into a stiff wind there, and wind at our back coming home (thank goodness, because that is the up hill way!).

So, HUNGAR! Something that is great to have on hand are whole grain or multi-grain sandwich thins. We toasted them slightly, then topped them with left over tomato sauce or Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (great to have in hand, adds great flavor). Then top with whatever veggies you want and a little cheese (yes, it is like a mini pizza). Broil for a couple of minutes, and then eat. VERY YUMMY! So much so, that we didn't stop to take a picture.

One Week Down!

Well, it was one week yesterday since our family started on this little adventure, and it is going quite well! Speaking only for myself, I have not had any meat since we started, and I am not missing it AT ALL! I am excited about the change, and look forward to many of the benefits that eating this way can bring about. I know I haven't written about any of them yet, but I will get to it eventually. We tried so many new recipes last week that time just didn't permit much else. But this is a long term endeavor, so no worries!

The kids have been great, and very supportive. Though they are drastically cutting back on their meat consumption, they are not removing it completely from their diet. They are all old enough that they can (and should) make their own decisions in this type of matter (like you could force this on any teenager!). They have all enjoyed trying the new dishes, and been very willing - there have been no complaints or threats of mutiny. I think they are amused that we photograph all new dishes, and take it as a personal challenge to come up with an original quote when expressing their opinions on a meal.

I look forward to the upcoming week, it will be fun to see what we try. Though like any normal household, tonight we ate leftovers!

Homemade Pizza!

Friday night we decided to have pizza, and with so many veggies in the fridge, what better than to make our own? Though I have made pizza crust out of my wheat bread recipe, I decided to go with a traditional white crust.

Pizza Dough

• 2-3/4  -  3-1/4 C flour
• 1 package (1 T.) dry yeast
• 1 C. warm water
• 2 T. cooking oil
• 1/4 t. salt

Combine 1-1/4 C. flour with yeast and salt, add water and salt. Beat with electric beater on low for 30 seconds, constantly scraping the bowl. Then continue  beating on high speed for 3 minutes. Slowly stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in as much remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 - 8 minutes total). Divide in half and let rest 10 minutes.

From here you can roll the dough out for a thin crust, or just stretch it out to bake on a stone (follow the directions for your baking stone), or you can spread in a greased pan for a thicker crust pan pizza.

Pizza Sauce

• 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• Tomato, diced (optional, or small can petite diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 C. diced onion
• 1 T. basil
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 t. oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 t. pepper

Combine all in a sauce pan over medium high heat, bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Now it is ready to use!

Spread sauce on dough, either store bought or homemade.

Now comes the fun part! Like any home pizza making endeavor, pull out of your fridge anything that sounds good and use it as topping on your pizza. We used sweet peppers (green, red, yellow and orange), red onions, green onions, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, and some artichoke hearts. Later we realized we had forgotten the pineapple. Oh, well, there will be a next time! We did not have any mozzarella cheese, so we used cheddar, queso fresco and a little feta.

Place pizza in an oven preheated to 400℉, and bake for 10 - 20 minutes. Just check regularly for doneness, especially the dough in the center of the pizza. The thickness of the dough and the amount of toppings can affect the cooking time.

We baked two pizzas, the first one had better flavor, but was baked a bit too long. The crust on the 2nd pizza was cooked to perfection, but had fewer ingredients. Overall it was a huge success, the kids enjoyed the vegetarian pizza as much as the adults, plus we all had a lot of fun making them as a family. The toppings the kids were unsure of, they simply omitted from the second pizza.

Potential as a family favorite for ANY family because you can make it any way you like it!

BBQ Veggies & Greek Lentil Salad

So many colors means a wide variety of nutrients!

There was a variety of new things on this plate for us. The corn, potatoes, bell peppers and onions were all done the on the BBQ. I will mention how down below, as well as the basics for the spinach salad. The bread is home made whole wheat bread (some day soon I will give the recipe), and the funny looking brown stuff between the corn and the bell peppers is a lentil salad. Since that was the real new NEW thing in the meal, I will start with it.

Greek Lentil Salad

Try this salad as a take-along lunch or a light dinner. Unlike most dried beans, lentils don’t need to be soaked before cooking, but they still offer all the same protein and fiber benefits.

Serves 4 (or more like 8 smaller servings ;-)

• 1 cup French green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 small onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 small cucumber, diced (1 cup)
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (1 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Place lentils, onion, bay leaves, and 6 cups water in large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain, remove onion and bay leaves, and cool.
2. Stir together shallot and lemon juice in large bowl. Add lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and oil; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Chill 1 hour, or overnight. Serve topped with feta.

Per Serving (1 Cup): 228 calories, 12g protein, 7g total fat (2g sat. fat), 33g carbs, 8mg cholesterol, 116 mg sodium, 8g fiber, 4g sugars

Recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine, June 2011, pg. 61.

Notes: I don't know how you would possibly eat a whole cup of this! But maybe that is because I have only had lentils a few times before, and that was in soup!

Our Opinions

Erika - Before even tasting it: "The thing about this salad is the way it looks - weird!"
After tasting it: "The texture is mushy and grainy. It is like baby food that is not quite processed all the way. I don't really care for it." (a nice way of saying - I don't like it!)

1-1/2 stars out of 5 (I think she was trying to be kind)

William - "Didn't like it at all"

1 out of 5 stars

Jeff - I really liked the fresh mint (fresh mint & rosemary compliments of Jeff's mom's garden - so it was REALLY fresh!) and the tomatoes. "I think I overcooked the lentils, because they were a bit mushy". Mainly Jeff said he was glad to try something totally new. Especially since he had never had lentils in a salad before, and considering that he does not like cucumbers.

2 out of 5 stars

Michelle - The flavor was rather fresh, especially compared to everything else on the plate. The texture is a bit of a problem. I will eat more of this salad, probably for lunch tomorrow. Maybe sitting overnight will improve the salad over all.

2 out of 5 stars

Garrett was gone for this meal. Maybe I will save some for him to try when he gets home tomorrow!

Overall Opinion -  Jeff and I will eat a bit more, but I doubt we will eat it all. This is one dish we will not make again!

Average Rating: 1.6 out of 5 stars

Now THAT is out of the way, the rest of the meal was great! Plus, it was easy to make.

Corn on the Cob with Basil-Parmesan Butter

• 1/4 C. softened butter
• 1/4 C. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 T. finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. granulated garlic
• 4 ears corn, husked

1. Mix everything together (except corn ;-).
2. Rub about 1 T. of seasoned butter mixture into corn.
3. Grill over Direct Medium heat until tender and browned in spots, about 10 - 15 minutes, turning occasionally. 
4. Serve warm with the remaining butter spread on the corn.

Notes - I did 5 ears of corn, and used a bit less butter, plus I had plenty of butter left over that I tossed. BUT, we have raised our kids using hardly any butter (they don't put it on toast, pancakes, rolls, potatoes - just because that is how they have grown up). We normally only salt and pepper our corn, so BBQ-ing the corn with seasoned butter was novel - and none of us added any more butter when it was served.

Our Opinion

To keep it quick, let me just say, everyone thought the corn was delicious! It drew the movie quote - and joke around the dinner table of: "This corn is an angel".

Grill Roasted New Potatoes

The short of it is, cut up however many small red potatoes you need (based upon how many people you are feeding) into quarters. For about 6 potatoes, combine 2 T. olive oil, 2 t. fresh rosemary, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/2 t. pepper. Toss the potatoes in the oil mixture. Grill over direct medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes, turning about every 5 minutes.

Our Opinion

Everyone really liked the potatoes, they were a big hit!

Spinach Salad

I love fixing spinach salads, because they are so quick! Almost no prep time involved. For this salad I used fresh spinach with mandarin oranges, feta cheese, walnuts, and dried cranberries. I drizzled a little fat free poppyseed dressing over the top and tossed it all together.

Our Opinion

Everyone liked the salad a lot. Erika is my non-salad eater (though she is getting better - she always has a little!), but she does prefer salads with fruit. She said she liked this salad, but would prefer it without the dressing.


Overall opinion of the meal (not including the lentil salad since that was a flop): 4 out of 5 stars


Whew! Time for bed!

Vegetable Quesadillas

Professional plating by Jeff! Nice touch with the celery leaves for extra color!

Serves 8

• 1 c. Sliced mushrooms
• 1 T. light olive oil
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions
• 1 medium clove galic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 2-1/2 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend

1. In a non-stick skillet, brown mushrooms in olive oil. Add zucchini, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook until vegetables are tender, stir occasionally. Stir in tomato, cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and keep warm.
2. Over medium heat, warm tortilla till lightly browned, turn over and sprinkle one half of tortilla with 1/3 c. cheese and 1/4 c. of the vegetable mixture. Fold tortilla in half. Cook until browned on both sides and cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling

Per Serving (1 tortilla with filling): 325 calories, 31g carbs, 13g protein, 17g fat, 2g fiber, 31mg cholesterol, 488mg sodium.


Notes: Most of the fat from this recipe comes from the cheese, and we could tell by just looking at the recipe that it was more cheese than we wanted. We used about half the cheese, and that worked great.


We did not have any jalapeños, so we put in chopped green chilis. They were a great option, but cut back on the spiciness of the dish.

Our Opinion

Jeff and I were the only ones home for lunch (benefit of working at home), and we both really liked these quesadillas. We were really glad that we cut the cheese in half! We served the quesadillas with sliced apples and banana chunks. We will definitely have these again - next time with the kids so we can get their thoughts on this healthier version of a family favorite!  

3 New Recipes Today! Fresh Blueberry Syrup on Whole Wheat Pancakes

What a wonderful day! We tried three new recipes, all to varying degrees of success. Let's talk about breakfast, then I will put lunch and dinner's recipes in separate posts.

The wheat pancake recipe is the only type of pancakes that our family has eaten for years, so here is the recipe.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. white flour
1 T.  baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1-1/4 c.  fat free milk (coconut milk also makes great tasting pancakes!)
1 egg
(most recipes call for about 1 T. oil, so you could add that in, but I never do and they taste great!)

Whisk all together and pour on a hot skillet, flip them over when they start to form small bubbles on top. This size recipe makes about 8 pancakes, with our family, I normally double this amount. After all, who doesn't like left over pancakes as an after school snack?

Fresh Blue Berry Syrup

3/4 c. blueberries (preferably fresh, but all I had were frozen and they worked fine - I did thaw them first)
1 T. maple syrup

Place both ingredients in a blender, and blend!

Pour the syrup over your pancake, and top with some chopped nuts. The original recipe I saw called for almonds, but pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts would work great too!

Our Opinions

Only Jeff and I were home for a late breakfast, and we I really enjoyed the new syrup. Jeff liked it too but thought it was a bit bland, so he added a bit more maple syrup on his plate. However, Jeff will confess that for him, pancakes are sometimes more like a dessert than a breakfast! But he says, "the blueberry syrup was really good."

Fruit syrup has always been my preference on pancakes, so I am eager to try the same blender syrup with raspberries, and mixed berries! Great syrup with a whole lot less syrup!

Creativity in the Kitchen

Another day of eating healthy vegetarian foods! No fancy new recipes were followed, just simple things like whole wheat toast and a grapefruit for breakfast. Dinner was leftovers because it was one of those evenings where everyone had to go in different directions.

However, even though a new recipe wasn't followed, that didn't stop creativity from flowing in the kitchen. Jeff is great for putting together things out of the fridge to make wonderful new meals. Tonight he took the leftover tomato-corn relish from the rosti that we had yesterday and added black beans and chopped green chilis. He then heated that up with some left over brown rice and wrapped it in a tortilla (with a little cheese) to make a burrito. Jeff topped the burrito with guacamole (a home made first!), salsa and sour cream (I didn't have sour cream). All I can say is, IT WAS REALLY GOOD!!!

So, the lesson here, don't be stifled when you look in the fridge. With a little creativity you can concoct your own wonderful dishes. Sure, you may not always be successful, but I bet most of the time that you will be pleasantly surprised!

Vegetable Rosti with Tomato-Corn Relish

We served the Rosti with fresh watermelon and orange slices, along with artisan bread (not shown). As Jeff said, "the watermelon is the perfect thing to serve with this, it really compliments the dish"

A little flour and egg bind together grated vegetables to make satisfying patties. We’ve topped them with a summery relish, but you could easily substitute salsa or sautéed mushrooms.

Serves 4

Tomato-Corn Relish

• 3 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped (11/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. chopped onion
• 3 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

Rosti

• 2 medium white potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 2 small zucchini
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. To make Tomato-Corn Relish: Combine all ingredients in bowl. Set aside.
2. To make Rosti: Grate potatoes, carrots, and zucchini onto clean kitchen towel. Wrap towel around vegetables, and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Transfer vegetables to bowl, and stir in onion, flour, and garlic. Fold in eggs, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Coat large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Spoon 2 Tbs. Rosti mixture for 
each patty, shaping with spoon to make patties. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until bottoms are crisp. Carefully flip with spatula, and cook 2 minutes more, or until browned on both sides. Serve with Tomato-Corn Relish. 

Per Serving (6 rosti and 3/4 cup relish): 328 calories, 12g protein, 8g total fat (2g sat. fat), 57g carbs, 93mg cholesterol, 105mg sodium, 8g fiber, 15g sugar

Recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine, June 2011, pg. 63.

Our Opinions

This dish was very favorably received! It was a very hands on dish to prepare, but we do a lot of cooking as a family, so everyone pitched in to help.

William: "It's not something you are eating because you are a slave to the culture" (we had been discussing hot dogs!). William helped form and cook the rosti.

4 out of 5 stars

Erika: "I thought it was pretty good. The combination of fresh, full flavors, exploded in my mouth."

4 out of 5 stars

Garrett: We used basil in the relish, but G. thought the amount called for was a bit too much. He would cut the basil in half and leave the rest alone.

4 out of 5 stars

Jeff: I really liked the rosti's. I thought the relish was also a little heavy on the basil. They were refreshing and delicious, and I would want them again. I really enjoyed the meal overall, the rosti, oranges, watermelon and bread.

4 out of 5 stars

Me: I also really liked the dish. The rosti were warm, but the relish cold, but together they were a nice combination. I definitely encourage adding salt and pepper (preferably while they are cooking).

4 out of 5 stars

Overall opinion:  This is a dish we will have again! Everybody liked it, and with a few tweaks with the basil, this meal an all round winner!

Average rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

Oatmeal Deluxe

Top 1 cup cooked oatmeal with:

• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 2 Tbs. raw almond slivers
• 2 Tbs. toasted unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 tsp. maple syrup.

A simple breakfast that Jeff and I enjoyed this morning, and quite tasty! I do not have the exact nutritional info, but cooked as is it has about 400 calories. We did not have raspberries, but frozen mixed berries. They worked great (though a little freezer burned, how long have they been in there anyhow?), but would prefer fresh. Jeff says that raisins would be another great option instead of berries. I used chopped pecans, and Jeff had almonds. Also, I only had shredded, sweetened coconut.

Jeff and I shared this portion, and it was enough for me (and, honestly, I am not yet up to eating a full cup of oatmeal!). But we both agree that this is definitely something we would eat again! Jeff really liked the maple syrup, because it had just a touch and didn't make the dish too sweet, but every now and again you would get a bite of the sweetness and it was a nice treat!

Source: Vegetarian Times, June 2011, pg. 60

We'll See About This...

When it comes to going vegetarian, I am willing to try, but not sure what the end result will be, and really like the "flexitarian" part for now. I love a good piece of meat now and then, but I am intrigued by the health (and other) benefits of eating meals without the pig and cow butt. Being obese and in my mid 40's, I am feeling pretty motivated to do what I can to live a healthier lifestyle. Over the past year or so, when we've deliberately left the meat out of dishes, I do like the way it makes me feel. I am also starting to feel other spiritual and moral motivations for eating vegatarian. I am excited to give it a real honest attempt, and to really think about the reasons for doing so. Thanks to my wife for spear-heading this effort!

Potato and Cauliflower Burritos

To complete the meal, and add a bit of color to the plate, we served watermelon along with the burritos. But a green salad would have gone a long ways for a more appetising presentation!

Makes 4 burritos

Flavorful potatoes and cauliflower keep calories down but satisfaction levels high

1  15-oz. can fire-roasted crushed (or diced) tomatoes
1  chipotle chili in adobe sauce, drained (I couldn't find this in our store, so I used a can of chopped green chilis)
2  cloves garlic, peeled
2  tsp. canola oil
1  small onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
1/2  tsp. dried oregano
3  c. small cauliflower florets
1  medium Yukon gold or russet potato (6 oz.), cut into small (1/4") cubes
3  Tbs. chopped cilantro
4  8-inch flour or whole wheat tortillas, warmed
1  c. cooked brown rice, warmed
1  c. grated monterey jack cheese

1. Pulse tomatoes, chipotle chile, and garlic in food processor until coarse purée forms.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil (I just used olive oil spray) in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and oregano; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, potato, and tomato mixture, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover, and simmer 5 minutes more, or until cauliflower and potato are tender (I cooked about 30 minutes total, but I like my potatoes totally cooked!). Stir in cilantro.
3. Divide cauliflower mixture among tortillas, top with rice, and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tortillas, leaving one end open.
4. Optional: We served with salsa and sour cream!

Per Burrito: 366 calories, 10 g. protein, 12 g. total fat (<1 g. sat. fat), 55 g. carbs, 491 mg. sodium, 7 g. fiber, 7 g. sugar.

Recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine, June 2011, pg. 36.

Our Opinions!

Jeff:  "I thought the cauliflower was going to be a gag, but I couldn't have been more wrong! This recipe is a keeper!"

4.5 out of 5 stars

William (18): "Fully satisfying" (went back for 2nds!)

4 our of 5 stars

Erika (14): "I'm a pretty picky vegetable eater, and I liked it!" (Erika was concerned about tasting individual vegetable flavors, but couldn't, only the overall combined flavor of the dish)

4.5 our of 5 stars

Garrett (12):  "Pretty darn good!"

4 out of 5 stars

My thoughts: I thought the dish sounded weird at first. After all, I have heard of bean burritos, but cauliflower and potato? But I was also very happy with the combination of flavors. We added extra cauliflower and potato, since there were 5 of us and the recipe says it only serves 4, and have enough leftovers for about 3 more! Also, some people have to adjust to brown rice, but that is all we have eaten for years, so that was not a problem for any of us.

4 out of 5 stars

Overall opinion: This is dish is a keeper! We will add this to our repertoire of recipes!

Average rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars

Two Days Down!

The first two days really were not that hard for me. There was some left over meat lingering in the fridge, but the kids were willing to take care of that for Jeff and I. I discovered that I mainly have to be a bit more diligent in my eating, but that is good. These first two days were simple foods: salads, cereal, yogurt with fruit and granola, baked potato, quesadilla, etc, and one new recipe that we tried tonight! The recipe follows (which, in the blogosphere, means it is above this post!).

The Decision

My husband and I have discussed the idea of going vegetarian for a long time, but we weren't sure we wanted to give up meat entirely. What if we wanted to have meat occasionally? I guess we shouldn't have been surprised that there was already a definition for a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat, she is called a flexitarian.

I am not sure where I will end up, only time will tell. Many people who become vegetarian's lose all desire to eat meat, maybe that is where I will be. Or maybe, for whatever reason, I will have fish, meat or chicken on the rare occasion. My husband and kids may end up in the same place or someplace different than I, and that is o.k.

We have made small efforts at going vegetarian in the past, but today we start the Vegetarian Times 28-Day Veg Boot Camp. So join on us on our journey. I will post about our feelings, why we made the decision to become vegetarians, our kids thoughts, and perhaps best of all, I will post the different recipes we try and what we think of them. After all, isn't what you are going to eat often one of the greatest concerns when becoming a vegetarian? And I will not only give you recipes that our family tries, but also up to five different opinions!

So join our journey, either as an observer or an active participant to becoming a vegetarian!