Starting Over

Alright, I admit it. I'm having to start over again.

Sheesh!

I need to re-think this change. Just going every day and substituting vegan food and meals while still cooking for my omnivorous family is not working. I think I'm going to have to plan every day what I'm going to eat.

Thankfully, I have quite a few resources to consider, including my favorite cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (except her cookie book which I'm now going to have to buy). Hmmmm....could be fun.

I do know what I'm making for dinner tonight...a stuffed squash with wild rice and mushrooms.

Delicious Baked Mac -n- Vegan Cheese!!

As you may remember, yesterday I gave into my desire for cheese, much to my personal chagrin.

So today I thought I'd try to come up with something vegan which was at least close to a familiar comfort food..Baked Mac-n-Cheese. I have a great recipe from the Food Network and Ina Garten which my family is always requesting, so after I finished making their favorite weekend dish I thought I'd see if I could adapt a vegan version for myself (and hopefully avoid temptation).

I'm thrilled to announce my endeavor was more than successful! Creamy, delicious, and oh so satisfying. Honestly, I think I could serve this to a bunch of omnivores and they wouldn't know it wasn't real cheese.

So here is the recipe (veganized!) Since I was making this recipe for myself I cut everything in half but the full recipe makes a nice casserole for a family.



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Vegan Baked Mac-n-Cheeze

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
Canola oil
1 pound rigatoni
1 quart Silk Original soy milk
8 tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the soy milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of vegan buttery sticks in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot soy milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds, 1 tablespoon salt, white pepper, red pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of buttery sticks, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Allow to cool for ten minutes before serving.

Not A Good Day

Well, actually it was a great day as far as life is concerned.

I started a Christmas booklet project so that was very good.

However, I have struggled with eating vegan today. I have no problem staying away from meat, eggs, or milk...cheese...that's my achilles heel.

So I'm confessing to eating some cheese pizza.



I don't even feel good physically after it so there ya go.

DEFINITELY back on track tomorrow! :P

Pop Tarts are VEGAN!!

Okay, it may seem like a silly thing to be excited about but I'm just sayin!



Not the one's with frosting, but hey, I can live with that.

It's all about the B's

It seems that if you want to control your cholesterol naturally (specifically raise your good HDL) and you don't want to take medication (which I don't), the important thing to remember is:

It's all about the B's.

B3 or Niacin, to be exact.

I got a phone call from my doctor saying that we could try to tackle my cholesterol level by taking a Niacin supplement.

HOORAY!

Of course, there is the possibility of side effects.

Bummer :(

So I decided to find out if there is a way I can boost my Niacin levels through food and a lower dose of B3. As it turns out there are quite a few foods which give you the cholesterol friendly extra B3 vitamin.



Mushrooms
Peas
Corn
Kidney Beans
Soy Beans
Peanuts
Sea Vegetables
Fortified soy milk

So I think I shall make sure I have these foods in my cupboard or fridge and go pick up a bottle of B3 (Niacin). Time will tell (four months until my next blood work) if going the natural route will straighten my cholesterol levels but I am confident it will.

Flax and Granola Pancake!

I love pancakes!



Ever since I was a little girl and my mother started making me buttermilk pancakes (Bisquick!)I have thought they were the perfect breakfast treat. Better than waffles, more scrumptious than French toast (well...maybe not) pancakes have always meant comfort.

The great thing is I can now VEGANIZE THEM! I can even make my pancakes more healthy and tasty. For instance, today I made enough pancake batter (you don't even have to make it from scratch anymore!)for one fairly large pancake, but to boost the nutrition factor I added three tbsps of Flaxseed Meal, mixing it until fully incorporated. After pouring the batter in the pan and letting it cook a bit (until the edges rounded up a little) I sprinkled a quarter cup of Pumpkin Flax Granola onto it and finished cooking it.

SO YUM!! The pancake was more filling than when I've eaten simple Buttermilk pancakes in the past. Honestly, I could only eat half of the pancake and I wasn't hungry again until lunch-time. A very good choice for a healthier breakfast which I shall definitely do again.

Hmmmm...maybe next time I'll add blueberres.

Cholesterol Medication...Seriously?

So as you know, I started this personal blog to detail my new healthy vegan life-style because the doctor informed me yesterday that my risk for heart disease is now very high because of my cholesterol numbers. What I didn't tell you is that she also wants to put me on cholesterol medication.

Seriously?? I'm only 45!

Talk about a kick in the pants! Not to mention that stuff isn't cheap by a long shot. I went to the pharmacy to pick it up today and nearly dropped my jaw (or maybe I actually did!) We're talking $84 a month out of pocket! Honestly, it might as well be $840 because that is an extra financial burden we don't need right now.

I don't know if eating a vegan diet (rich in leafy greens, flaxseed, fruits, and nuts) will get my cholesterol numbers where they need to be but it's worth a try and will certainly be less expensive than paying for extra medication every month.

My first day eating vegan wasn't bad...although I did (do) find myself craving cheese. :/



However, I have been drinking more water and eating more fruits and veggies so that's gotta be a good thing. I don't know. The last two days has been a kind of "wake up" call I guess (although you would think the "Syndrome X" chest pain from three years ago would have been stronger but oh well). Cholesterol is what got me on the road to change. I heard recently that sometimes it's better to make this kind of a lifestyle change suddenly rather than gradually. A kind of "just do it" mentality where you go cold-turkey and hopefully never look back.

We shall see.

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Here is a little something fun for this Harvest season. I received it in my email newsletter from VegNews. Yes, I know it's cookies but it looks delicious!

Pumpkin Cookies

Makes 36 cookies

What You Need:

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin purée
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup chocolate-covered raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup toasted coconut
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, place flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg and stir well to combine.

2. In a large bowl, cream margarine and sugar. Add pumpkin purée, vanilla, and almond extract, and stir well to combine. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and combine thoroughly. Fold in the remaining ingredients.

3. Working in batches, drop the cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Using the back of a spoon, flatten each tablespoonful to form a 2-inch circle. Bake for 8 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet's placement on the rack in the oven, and bake an additional 7 to 8 minutes or until they are lightly browned around the edges.

4. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat procedure for remaining dough. Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container. For an extra festive punch, frost cookies with your favorite colorful icing.

The Journey Begins

"Your risk for heart disease has gone up significantly".

Those were the words I heard from my doctor this morning as she read my cholesterol numbers and risk factor for heart disease. Considering my HDL (good cholesterol) is 26 and my LDL (bad cholesterol) is 226...well, lets just say it's time for some changes.

For me that starts with eating healthy and losing weight....a lot of weight.

I was a vegetarian for years but in the last three or four have gone back to eating chicken, eggs, and dairy. However, I know the best diet (especially for a healthy heart) is one which abstains from all animal products. I know what Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. MacDougall have reported about the vegan diet and heart disease prevention (or reversal).

It's time to make a serious change if I want to live a healthy life and do everything I believe God has called me to do, enjoy my family, and appreciate this gift called life. I know myself, though. It's not going to be easy. So I've decided to create a place to track my journey.

Thoughts.

Triumphs.

Setbacks.

In the end, it's about learning to be healthy again and that's a good thing.



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If you want to learn more about what your cholesterol levels mean check out the American Heart Association.