Newlywed, Newly Veg!

Back in January, when I’d first started the vegan challenge, I had to abstain from my beloved Earthereal veggie burger due to the cottage cheese in it.  Remember?

Next month, veggie burger, I’m coming for you! I said.

Well, every (tofu) dog has its day!

After our workout, my mom and I showered and headed over to pick up my sister, and then the three of us headed over to Earthereal for a warm, veggie lunch!

Katie and John, the owners of Earthereal, make veggie burgers as a daily special only every other Thursday, so I was thrilled that my trip fell on that lucky day!

Behold the Earthereal Veggie Burger with Cheese:

Mmmmm…served atop a homemade whole wheat bun with pickles, tomatoes, sprouts, and a side salad.  Perfection!  I seriously crave these burgers when I’m away in Pennsylvania.

You can understand why, right?  Just look at it:

My pickles were making an upside down monster face. 

I was not going to get dessert…but then John dropped off a complimentary piece of carrot cake at our table.  How can you resist that?

We split it between the three of us, so it wasn’t, errr, that much sugar.  Right? 

After lunch, we got manicures and pedicures (but my mani wasn’t very good, so I’m about to take it off ) and visited my grandmother, who is back at home after her fall over Christmas. 

The weather here is GROSS!!! I want some Southern sunshine!

As we finished running errands, I snacked on a cookie…a sugar-free carob cookie, that is!  Obviously a piece of fruit would have been a better choice, but as far as cookies go, this one wasn’t a bad option.  I’m trying here…but it’s always harder to eat right when I go home!  There are just so many goodies to be had!

We’re going out to eat tonight at one of my favorite Shreveport restaurants, but I haven’t been there since going veg back in November, so I need to call to make sure that they have some veggie-friendly options.  See you tonight!

Well, okay…not really. 

But kind of!

My parents are friends with a couple named Tom and Cindy who are VERY health-conscious.  They exercise (and do pushups at dinner parties to demonstrate their strength, apparently), eat very healthfully, and always have something to say about the latest supplement, vitamin, or miracle cure.  They look amazing for their age…Cindy could pass for 40, and she’s going on 60!

Anyway, every time I come home, my mom has some new supplement that Tom and Cindy have told her that she just HAS to take—last time I came home, my parents were taking CoQ10 thanks to Tom and Cindy, and this morning, my mom opened the fridge and said, “Have you ever heard of Resveratrol?  Tom and Cindy told us about it last week!”

Coincidentally, last week, I read this article in my Fitness magazine about the potential health and weight-loss benefits of Resveratrol, so I had it on my list of things I wanted to try!  The Fitness article explored the possibility that Resveratrol has for improving endurance and energy.  Very interesting.  This article by the Mayo Clinic focuses on the potential of Resveratrol for reducing bad cholesterol and reducing inflammation. 

Essentially, Resveratrol is supposed to be very “heart healthy.”  It contains polyphenols that are thought to explain the “French Paradox”—the finding that the frequent consumption of red wine in France has contributed to better cardiovascular health. 

Here’s the bottle mom my has.  I think you can buy it in pill form as well.

So, this morning, I made myself a little health cocktail:

Spirulina, Acai juice, Resveratrol, and Amazing Grass Superfood berry blend. 

Delicious! I don’t know if Resveratrol is a “miracle cure,” but it can’t hurt, right?

I like going home because my mom always has different foods to try out!  I’ve been hooked on millet bread lately, so I was excited to see this millet cereal in the cuboard:

She also had two new types of granola.  One, from Bear Naked, had only 4 grams of sugar per serving:

Its bearly (haha) processed ingredients list: whole train oats, brown rice syrup, almonds, evaporated cane juice, whole grain crisp rice, oat bran, ground flax seeds.

Considering that two out of the first four ingredients are essentially sugar, 4 grams ain’t too bad!

On the other hand, the Cascadian Farms organic granola had 14 grams!  Sugar was listed as the second ingredient, followed by molasses and honey, so I guess it’s not that surprising.  Still, a little disappointing all the same. 

The millet rice cereal  had 4 grams per serving, but was only sweetened with organic grape and/or pear juice.

All in all, it was an interesting mix!

I finally went with a serving of the Bear Naked Granola (which I thought was good, but not great.  It was a little “fake” tasting, which is strange because the ingredient list is so basic), and a serving of the Nature’s Path millet rice cereal.  I liked this cereal! Nice and crunchy!

I topped my bowl with soy milk and lots of fresh fruit:

And called it a delicious morning!

I love drinking coffee at my parents’ house because their espresso machine has a fun foam maker that they use to get the milk nice and frothy:

Just like being at Starbuck’s!

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for today.  It’s raining, so we’ll have to stay indoors! I think we’re going to go to the YMCA in a bit…I should have EXTRA endurance thanks to the Resveratrol, right?

Hope you have a great day! See you later, alligator! 

Hey y’all!  (It always sounds more natural to write “y’all” on the blog when I’m writing from Louisiana.)

Well, after a long day of travel, I arrived home in Louisiana around 7:45 this evening.  My mom was waiting for me at the airport, and quickly whisked me home!

My eats at the airport today were kind of (unsurprisingly) random.  Lunch ended up being the snacks I packed (a BIG apple, a package of almonds, and a Think maple oats bar), plus a latte.  When we landed in Detroit, I got another latte (hello, caffeine overload!) and a banana.  I also couldn’t help myself from indulging in some Biscoff cookies on the flight (so good! They always make me think of Kath).

When we finally made it home, my stomach was growling.  Luckily, my mom had a home-cooked meal waiting!

There was homemade wheat bread:

…and crackers and hummus (spinach and artichoke Sabra hummus…SO good!):

and wine!!!

We munched and chatted while we waited for dinner to reheat, and before too long, the main event was ready:

Mushroom and Okra Purloo, from the Simple, Fresh, Southern cookbook by the Lee brothers.  My mom just bought this cookbook, and it looks great!  I was flipping through it before dinner, and the recipes look really…well, simple, fresh, and Southern!  The Lee brothers are from Charleston, South Carolina, home of my alma mater (College of Charleston), so I was automatically  excited about it!

This purloo (which apparently also goes by the name perlu, pilau, and pilaf), contained shitake mushrooms, okra, poblano peppers, onions, tomatoes, and basmati rice…it was SO good!!! It really hit the spot after my long day of travel.

Today also marked the re-introduction into my life of…(sound the trumpets)…CHEESE!!!

Our salad had spinach, almonds, raspberries, and goat cheese, and I enjoyed every creamy, dreamy bite:

Hello, friend.  I’ve missed you so:

Mmmm…this bread was great too (topped with Earth Balance):

My dad is in Argentina right now, so it’s just me, my mom and the dogs in the house!  Just the girls!

Sorry guys—I’m exhausted, so no sugar count for tonight.  I can’t imagine that it was too high, but I did have two lattes and those biscoff cookies!  I’m guessing maybe in the 30-40 range again?

Hope you’ve had a great day!  Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow…there has been talk about going to a little nearby town called Natchitoches to stroll around (know how to pronounce that one?  I know one blogger who does!). 

Goodnight, guys y’all!