Hello! How has your Sunday been?
Mine has been pretty lame relaxing. We took the dogs on a long walk around the neighborhood, and then around 5, Ryan built a fire in our fireplace and we did some reading and writing for about an hour. It was so nice and cozy!
At 6:30, we got started on a quick and easy dinner: stir fry! Sorry guys—I know we eat a lot of stir fries for dinner…but it’s just so simple and good!
For tonight’s stir fry, we combined some frozen veggies:
and Light Life ginger teriyaki tempeh cubes:
with fresh onions, broccoli, and carrots, along with Asian 5-spice powder and a few good shakes of tamari:
We had a variety of sauces to choose from:
But upon closer examination, I saw that the hoisin sauce had nearly 20 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoons! Holy sugar, batman! The stir-fry sauce had a bunch of sugar as well.
We opted instead for the regular tamari, which had no sugar at all!
Dinner was served:
Delicious! This was my first experience with the Light Life tempeh cubes, and I really liked them! I usually just buy plain tempeh and season it myself, but these pre-seasoned ones were a nice change!
Sugar Challenge, Day One (yes, I realize it’s not February until tomorrow, but what can I say—call me an overachiever…):
- oats: 1 gram
- soy milk: 4 grams
- edamame: 1 gram
- crackers: 1 gram
- tempeh: 9 grams
- vegetables: 2 grams
- cashew crunch: 3 grams
- Total added sugars intake: 21 grams (ha! like the movie!)
As I said in this post, I was really taken aback by the high amount of sugar in that hoisin sauce…plus, that was just for 2 tablespoons! Think about how much you would get in a restaurant—not 2 tablespoons, that’s for sure. I was also surprised by the added sugars in our frozen vegetables (2 grams), and I still don’t really know where they came from, as there was no sauce with the veggies, etc. The tempeh was high, but I didn’t find that surprising, as they were marinated in a teriyaki sauce.
All in all, this was a good start to the challenge! I’m sipping on some tea right now, hoping that it will be enough to quell the sugar cravings that usually start to rise up at this time, night after night.
I’m glad to hear that many of you will be joining me in this challenge—be sure to keep me updated on your progress!
We’re watching Say Anything, which I’ve never seen! I’m excited to finally watch it, especially the infamous boom box scene.
Have a great night!
***Edited to add:
EEK! How did this chocolate Kashi bar make it into my hot, sweaty hands?
As Scooby Doo would say: “Ruh Roh.” This sugar challenge is going to be harder than I thought.
Total Sugar Intake: 34 grams.
We got work to do, kids.
Kristen @ Change of Pace said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:38 am
Dinner looks yummy! So pretty and colorful!
Gelareh said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:47 am
I haven’t found Tempeh here yet… I am hoping Whole Foods would have it. Did you buy it at a regular grocer?
Anna said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:08 pm
Yep, they have it just at our regular grocery store here in Altoona. They also have it at our natural foods store. Whole foods should definitely have it. Let me know what you think once you find some! I really like the texture and taste of it, but I know some people aren’t crazy about it.
Emily said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:56 am
I can’t believe you’ve never seen Say Anything! I had such a crush on Lloyd Dobbler. I also recommend Better Off Dead and The Sure Thing.
ginamastrog said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:59 am
Mmm, look at the steam! I love tempeh, this meal looks delicious as usual. I think that I will be joining you in the sugar challenge – the hot cocoa bender I just went on could be my body crying out for a little Lohan style rehab
Evan Thomas said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:07 am
Are you sure the sugars listed on the label weren’t just the natural sugars in vegetables? If it didn’t say sugar, evaporated cane juice, honey, brown rice syrup, special sauce, etc. on the label, they probably were just naturally occuring fructose.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the tempeh cubes. Surprisingly, I’ve found cooking them and seasoning them in the pan with oil and soy sauce to come out as good.
Anna said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
I think they must have been…but it seems strange to me still? I wouldn’t think that they would list the natural sugars…hmmm…
I like regular old tempeh better than the flavored ones too…I feel like they get crisper when you cook them up in a pan on your own, as opposed to when they’re been marinating.
daintyvegan said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:07 am
Haha.. I was tempted to start looking at my sugar intake today too but I’m lazy so I’ll just be waiting until tomorrow. You did REALLY good in only having 21 grams!
I’ve never seen Say Anything either but I want to, I love John Cusack.
Karla said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:18 am
I’m not surprised about the sugar in the hoisin sauce. From what I recall a lot of Asian food has sugar in it.
Wow you did very well of your first day! Congrats!
Sophie said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:22 am
I love your sugar challenge! Its insane how sugar is found in things you never would think of! You are definitely motivational in trying to help clean up my own diet =) Maybe I’ll join you for whatever you do in March.
inmytummy said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:23 am
You’ve never seen Say Anything? It’s cute!
theprocessofhealing said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:35 am
That is very interesting about the sugar in the frozen veggies! I expected it in the sauce but the veggies…? Who would have thought?
And I’ve been wanting to try tempeh.. maybe i’ll give it a try in something like that.
kbwood said,
February 1, 2010 @ 3:27 am
oh gah i have no idea how much suga i eat!
ahh i saw those tempeh cubes today! so u reccomend them?! they sound great!
Madeline - Greens and Jeans said,
February 1, 2010 @ 4:31 am
Say Anything is one of my very favorite movies. I have always said that I will marry anyone who ever pulls the boombox trick on me (of course, now a days it would be an ipod plugged into a bose system)…
One Healthy Apple said,
February 1, 2010 @ 6:37 am
Sugar challenge? I’m behind on your posts, but I know I scarf it down since I’m not a savory cravings girl. I’m excited to give it a whirl! Oh- and I love stirfrys!
Karin said,
February 1, 2010 @ 10:07 am
Stir-fries are amazing! Hehe love the fact that the frozen veggies package says that edamame is “the wonder veggie”.
Anna said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:11 pm
lol, and it looks like it even has a copyright symbol by it!?!
Joanna Sutter (Fitness & Spice) said,
February 1, 2010 @ 12:07 pm
I am on a major stir fry kick, too! Like every day for the last 3 weeks…no lie!
I’m going to look for that veggie blend in the store today….I’ve been buying fresh veggies but it would be even easier to just open the bag and go!
The Voracious Vegan said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:19 pm
That stir-fry looks SO good! I wish I could try tempeh, I’ve heard so much about it but never even gotten to taste it.
I was trying to decide what to have for dinner tonight and you’ve got me definitely thinking stir-fry! Quick, easy, and always delicious.
Gabriela said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:37 pm
Tempeh is definitely my favorite soy product…I love the texture! Don’t be too hard on yourself regarding the sugars, either!
Say Anything is by far one of the best teen movies of all time
Ellen said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:38 pm
34g doesn’t sound so bad—eek, now I’m scared to take a closer look at my sugar count! I’ve been more careful about choosing my cereals lately. A lot of the “healthy” cereals (Kashi, etc) have quite a lot of sugar—a lot of times over 10g. I usually just get Cheerios to be safe, but I know I need more fiber. And yes, sweet cravings are hard. Sometimes it feels like I’m going to jump out of my skin if I don’t have a treat the second I want it. I’ve learned though that if I can just tough it out for 15 minutes, I usually don’t want it that much anymore. With that being said, I usually have a Weight Watchers ice cream bar once a day. One bar is 15g of sugar, which is not ideal, but I used to have two sweets a day (after lunch and dinner), so at least I’m making progress!
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
Anna said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:12 pm
yeah, cereal is definitely a sugar trap, even the healthy ones! So disappointing!
The Candid RD said,
February 1, 2010 @ 1:38 pm
I have only tried tempeh once, and I wasn’t a fan. I think I didn’t know how to prepare it (actually I KNOW I didn’t know). I may want to try this “pre-cooked” tempeh, as I think it would be much easier and tastier!
Good luck with the sugar challenge. I think I get about 30-35 grams of extra sugar in my diet, but it’s from good sources, like EXTRA dark chocolate! And ice cream….hehe
Ginger said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:06 pm
That stir fry looks wonderful!! Good job on your first day of your sugar challenge. 32g is great!!
Michal said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
Delicious looking dinner!
Heather (Where's the Beach) said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:21 pm
Dinner looked fantastic. I love stir fry dishes. Fast and easy! Good luck on the sugar challenge!!! At least you picked a short month LOL
Kristie said,
February 1, 2010 @ 2:43 pm
Oh you are making me so frightened to take a look at how much sugar I eat in a normal day… I’ve already kicked off the day with a spoonful of white chocolate wonderful peanut butter
Heather (Heather's Dish) said,
February 1, 2010 @ 3:49 pm
hahaha…you’re so cute…i loved the “ruh-roh” at the end
good luck with the sugar challenge…that’s quite the undertaking!
actorsdiet said,
February 1, 2010 @ 5:08 pm
YOU’VE NEVER SEEN SAY ANYTHING?!?!
when my high school boyfriend broke up with me that movie had just came out on dvd. i think i may have o.d.’d on it.
eaternotarunner said,
February 1, 2010 @ 5:11 pm
I am also looking on cutting back sugar, I have an addiction! Can’t wait to read more
Kelly said,
February 1, 2010 @ 6:02 pm
I love Bragg’s liquid aminos…isn’t that stuff awesome?!?
Stef @ moretolifethanlettuce said,
February 1, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
those kashi bars are like crack, no wonder they found their way into your hands! i love bragg’s, adds the perfect somethin somethin to savory dishes!
MelissaNibbles said,
February 1, 2010 @ 6:29 pm
Heehee! My manperson loves those kashi bars too.
I’m very interested in your findings during the sugar challenge. Are you tracking naturally occuring sugars vs. processed?
Jaime said,
February 2, 2010 @ 1:36 am
I don’t normally think about the sugar in frozen vegetables. Interesting! Also, that stir-fry dish looks a-mazing.