The One Week Vegetarian: Day Three: BRICK oven veggie pizza

June 15, 2011

Breakfast - nada... I was running super late....I know I know - you can scold me.

Lunch - Mixed Green Salad with water

No Afternoon Snack

Dinner - Brick Oven Veggie Pizza.

Dinner tonight is a recipe from Jason at Cook Train Eat Race.  He is vegetarian and houses a ton of awesome recipes on his site CTER.  Not only is there recipes there are a ton of posts on nutrition in general, race reports, exercise facts, Q&A, etc. It is a repository of useful information - stop by and check it out.

He features a weekly spot called The Athlete's Plate.  Where he picks a different blogger each week to be featured.  The recipe I swiped from him was the week he featured Summer Brooks of The Blue Line Runner blog.  I knew I wanted to make pizza one night and this one fit the bill.

Pics are limited...

Step One - Take the mashed sweet potatoes, flour, and other dry ingredients to make dough...

Step 2 - roll out (or attempt to) and place in oven to bake for 10 min at 400*

Step 3: Spread ricotta cheese thinly on the bottom and then place tomatoes, garlic and I added basil along with Asiago Cheese

Step 4: Bake in oven until cheese is melted... sorry no final pic.

True test:  Again this recipe was a WINNER!! Bill loved it; I loved it and it was filling and delicious.  We loved the sweet potato in the crust along with the thickness of the crust without being too filling.  The light cheese and veggies was just enough to make our tummy's full without having that too greasy icky feeling from an order-in pizza (even the veggie ones)

We were both pleased with how this turned out.  Want to make your own BRICK oven veggie pizza?  Just CLICK HERE!

I have now gone 3 days with no diet coke.  I've had a bit of a headache today but nothing unbearable.  I know I have not drank enough water today which frustrates me because it something I NEED to be doing.  Other than the coffee yesterday I have had no caffeine.  I've limited my sugar intake and am feeling great (minus the headache today) I was down two pounds when I weighed my self this morning.  I will not weigh again until Friday.

Workouts - I was supposed to run but it didn't happen.  I could give you a million excuses as to why I didn't but the plain and simple fact is I was tired and drained this morning and wanted to sleep in.  I could have gone after work and ran on the treadmill but the though of running on a treadmill makes me want to puke and it's 100* outside until like midnight.  So my run got skipped.  I was scheduled for two off days this week any - so I plan on just shifting around and making it work.

So that's that :)  Happy Hump Day!

Day Two: The One Week Vegetarian: Ratatouillie

Day Two - June 14, 2011

Breakfast - Overnight Oats in A Jar: - If you aren't familiar with this delicious little delicatessen you should familiarize yourself with them QUICKLY!  They are just about the most awesomest things ever.  If you follow me on twitter you see me use #OOA (I've always referred to it as overnight oats addict but apparently it's really anonymous) and #OOIAJ (overnight oats in a jar) - If you follow the recipe below and you tweet - be sure to use the hashtags and @ mention me so I know you tried them!  They will seriously change your breakfast life.

I did have a cup of coffee with breakfast.

I found out about this morning treat from Jason and I'm so thankful - Here you go

Ingredients: 1/3c rolled oats, 5oz greek yogurt, 2/3c HoneyMilk (Vanilla or Honey Flavor), 1/2  banana sliced thin, 2 strawberries sliced thin, 1/4c dried pineapple, 2tbs chia seeds, 1/3c shredded unsweetened coconut, 1/4c almonds, 1tbs agave nectar, 1tbs nut butter (optional chocolate chips, M&Ms, dried fruit)

Directions: Do this the night before

1. In a bowl combine all the ingredients except for the agave nectar and nut butter.
2. Once well combined pour into an empty jar (old nut butter jar….I use a plastic jar by Bell)
3. Place in refrigerator and let sit overnight (now you understand the overnight oats part?)
4. Next morning after your workout take out from fridge and add agave nectar and mix.
5. Take the tbs of nut butter on your spoon and begin to eat.  With every bite you will get a taste of nut butter and the overnight oats.

Lunch: 

I had lunch with my friend Karen and opted for tomato soup and a spinach salad.  No recipes or pictures to report.  Lunch was filling and I was satisfied.

Afternoon snack (pre workout) - Power Crunch Bar


Dinner:

When I posted on here I was going veggie for a week Mrs. Adventure (the super awesome host of all the giveaways that end FRIDAY JUNE 17) suggested Ratatouillie.  I had never heard of it before but the name alone intrigued me.

Here's the breakdown

Bloggers being a pain in the a** and won't post the picture correctly... GRR!!

 Step 1 - Saute eggplant with parsley...

Step 2 - Layer veggies (recipe link below)

Step 3 - Bake - I added mushrooms on Bill's half and sans mushrooms on mine....

Step 4 - enjoy!!

Want to make your OWN at home Ratatouillie?  CLICK HERE

Bill loved this recipe and loved dinner!  It was another hit!

Day two was another great day food wise... it was terrible in all other aspect.  I am now 3 days (including today) without Diet Coke.  More on that in the next post.

We did break down and have a frozen yogurt cone.  Shakes had a seizure - we were on our way to the emergency vet and he stopped.  It was a stressful day for me with work and with Shakes. Bill (being the best ever) pulled through and got us yogurt as we were driving home from attempting to take Shakes.  (I think Shakes just wanted a car ride). 

All in all it was great day - I had an awesome spin class and when I weighed my self this morning (6/15) I was down 2 lbs.

Day One: Black Bean Burgers

I was nervous waking up Monday morning.... I stepped on the scale...weighed myself and was prepared for an increase in "that" department.  I was right... but that was OK - I had a plan.  A plan to see what one week of being a vegetarian would do to me....

Would it kill me?

Would it help me loose a few lb's?

Would it increase my energy?

And so many more questions.... I had so many because I have never been a vegetarian.  I have lived on red meat my entire life and it has always been a part of my diet.  I didn't understand why people wouldn't eat meat (unless for religious/cultural reasons) - why would you CHOOSE to not eat the bloody red goodness of a cow's rump?  Anyway, I embarked on this journey for one week to see what would happen; will that one week turn into one month, one year, one lifetime? Who knows but here is my experience with Day One of the The One Week Vegetarian.


Breakfast - typical breakfast - Quaker Oats in the a.m. and some water.  I skipped the morning coffee and diet coke just to see if I would get a splitting headache.  I supplemented with lots and lots of water.  I peed a lot from 8am to 11am.   No workout today so all was well with one breakfast.

Lunch - no headache yet - SCORE!  Getting nervous about what to eat considering I didn't pack a lunch.  Decision time came and the team opted for Thai food.  Veggie spring rolls and brown rice it was for my first meat-less lunch.  It was delicious - topped off with an icy cold Pellegrino.  Yummy....

Afternoon is when I get my sweet craving.  I continually drank water to keep my tummy full and curb that sweet tooth.  It worked.  I traded my afternoon sweet tooth for about 19 trips to the bathroom - but by this time **Too much info to follow** I was peeing clear and that means adequate hydration (or that I'm drunk but I definitely was NOT drunk)


Dinner: Thanks to Matt over at The Athlete's Plate for posting his favorite recipes.  I swiped his recipe for black bean burgers and headed to the kitchen.

I tried to document in pics... except the finishing pic of me actually eating the creation...

Step One - get ingredients - CHECK!

Step Two - Saute veggies in a skillet...Easy enough...

Step Three: Rinse and Drain black beans while veggies are cooking...

Step 4: Take sauteed veggies and pulse in food processor ( I forgot to take a pic)
Step 5: Add in cilantro - no pic
Step 6: Add in and pulse beans ... again no pic.

Step 7 - take bean/veggie mix and combine in bowl with bread crumbs, egg and spices.

Step 8 - form three patties and put in cast iron skillet

Step 9 - Cook 8 minutes..

Steo 10 - place on your favorite whole wheat bun, top with your fav veggies and VOILA!

I am clearly not a food photographer (or any real photographer for that matter) so sorry for the images.... I tried :)

This was one darn good black bean burger.  The cilantro in the pattie along with the spices make it taste a little Mexican/Southwestern which is totally fine with me.  I would put cilantro on anything.  I topped mine with fresh spinach, tomato, avocado and a little feta cheese. 

But the real test is ... what did Bill think?

He liked it so much he ate the third one!  I sauteed mushrooms for his - he loves them; I hate them.  He said he loved it and would like to add it into our dinner rotation.

All in all it was a deliciously filling dinner that is a recipe for the keeping.  Thanks Matt for recipe!  If you are interested in creating this black bean burger for yourself... click here!

What's your favorite burger and toppings??

The One Week Vegetarian

I'm going vegetarian this week. 

I planned my menus last week and will be posting as I cook and eat them and will be sure to let you know any and all feedback from me and Bill.  It should be interesting.

I'm planning on total vegetarianism for 7 days starting today as well as a low sugar diet.  I have a problem with cookies.  I have a problem with brownies.  I have a problem with cake.  I have a problem. 

I made my last batch of cookies last night.  They were delicious... I savored every bite of them.  And then said goodbye.  It was traumatic but totally worth shoving my mouth full of them as I watched Dirk win his first championship.  Go Mavs!

And then this morning.... we had a meeting with everyone in the office...the breakfast of choice...donut holes.  Luckily I had eaten my Quaker Oats and was pretty full but the donut hole box and I had a discussion; it wasn't pretty but my angel side won out against that devilish box of sugary goodness.  NO donut holes for me.

In preparation for my week of vegetarianism my friend Courtney and I went to the farmer's market in downtown Dallas on Saturday.  If you are not familiar with Dallas - the farmer's market is a staple in south downtown.

The farmer's market was established in the 1800s as farmers came to town to sell from their wagons.  In 1939 the market was officially established and formalized with the first shed being built to house the farmers.  Today there are 4 sheds as well as various street vendors, and an entire street dedicated to floral.  It is an amazing place on Saturday morning.  The sights, sounds, colors and samples of the locally grown produce are overwhelming and delicious.

I went to the farmers market as a little girl with my family but hadn't been back in years.  It is totally worth the 25 minute drive and I plan on making it frequently.

So here was my produce shopping list for the week:

2 avocados - They were a little pricey
6 white onions - They were also a little pricey - I can get a bag at the store for less than a basket
1 red onion - Wasn't able to purchase a single red onion
4 tomatoes - came home with 6
4 sweet potatoes
2 bell peppers
2 bunches of fresh spinach
2 Portabello Mushrooms
10 White mushrooms
2 chipolte peppers - only available at the grocery
2 egg plants
1 bunch cilantro
4 jalapenos - came home with 22!
3 zucchinis - came home with 4
18 garlic cloves
3 shallots - came home with 8
pears - FORGOT!
dried cranberries - Didn't find any dried fruit

*Plus I came home with a pineapple (they were 2 for $5)

It was a great day with a great friend!  Tonight after work it's off to the grocery to pick up the remaining needed items and then it's my first attempt at a vegetarian dinner. 

Happy Monday!

P.S. Don't forget about the 10 giveaways going on at Mrs. Adventure... you can click the links right over there -------->

Pappy!

The birthday boy!



Monday was my grandfather's 89th birthday!  What an amazing age - to live 89 years and have the stories to tell!  Can you imagine??

Anyway - we went over for an impromptu dinner to celebrate with my sister, Anna, her two kids my grandfather and our family friend Marion.

 

Me and my
Pappy


In other news... I've been pretty busy this week.  I've missed a few workouts but I'm ok with that.... I need to jump back on the bandwagon but right now I feel good about where I'm at and what I'm doing.  I need to get through a test next week and then I will feel much better. 

Pappy and 2 of his 6 great grand kids


 I mentioned on twitter that I'm going vegetarian starting Monday June 13, for one week - I've tried this is something that I've wanted to do and it's on my 30 before 30 list.  I need to put together recipes for 7 days of a meat free diet... I plan on blogging along the way as well.  Any ideas or recipes you want to share you can email me at allie0662 {at} yahoo {dot} com.

Thank you for the sweet notes on Monday's post... June 4 is never an easy day and I'm thankful I have a forum that I can openly express my feelings... you guys are truly TRULY the best.

Don't forget tomorrow JUNE 10 is MRS. ADVENTURE'S DAY OF GIVEAWAYS.... Go visit her for a new giveaway at different intervals throughout the day. 

AND - I lost a follower....booooooo.