Exercise, Vegetable Coulis, Creamers, and other stuff

So I logged 7 3/4 miles walking today.  I've been trying to get in at least 5 miles a day.  It's spread apart of course, in 2,3, or even 4 parts. Although this morning I got a good 4 mile walk in just going to and from Borders Books, after I dropped off my husband at his recording session.  Felt good.

I've seen various reports saying that if you do the same exercise everyday, it won't do much, or it'll "stop" working.  I'm not sure what that means.  They tell you to vary your exercise routine.  I decided to take two days off per week of walking.  And on those two days I do weights (arms, shoulders, etc).  I think that's a pretty good routine so far.  But really, if I just keep walking everyday for 5-7 miles a day, will I not lose weight anymore?  Do I need to do a different form of cardio?? What are your thoughts?

By the way, I didn't gain any weight on our 3+ week trip.  Although I didn't lose any either.  Tried to keep walking a lot.  We did try a bunch of great vegan restaurants, including vegan cupcakes and other baked goods. Guess that's why I assumed I would've gained weight.

I made spaghetti squash the other day, and topped it with a vegetable coulis I made in my Vita-Mix.  Is it possible to eat too much fiber? I think I should call this sauce, FIBER COULIS :)

Veggie Coulis (very concentrated):

1 tomato
1 red pepper
1 cup broccoli pieces
1 pint shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup nooch
2 cups strained/pureed tomatoes (I use Pomi or Bionaturae)
1/2 onion
1 cup kale
1/2 cup red wine
oregano, garlic, black pepper, salt


Blend in VitaMix: everything but wine
Pour into a pot and turn heat on medium.  Add wine to thin.  You may at this point add more water/wine to thin it out even more.  It's VERY thick!  For leftovers, I've been adding even more strained tomatoes to it, because it's just too thick and fiber dense.  So perhaps this is more of a concentrated coulis :) Sever over pasta, potatoes, grains, or spaghetti squash.

I think when we got back home, we went back to our fiber rich foods too fast.  Whole grains, lots of vegetables, etc....but we feel better now that we're back on our routine.

Nori rolls I made with the Sunflower Seed Falafel:

Tonight's version of my Eggplant Parmesanless:

Creamers. Why do I always have a problem with creamers?  For a long time I used Silk's Original Soy creamer.  I loved it in my coffee.  But recently, more often than not, they go bad really quickly, or they're bad right out of the container. Why is that? Has anyone else had this problem? I had tried my almond milk in my coffee, but didn't like it.  I did however try the Almond Breeze unsweetened in my coffee and it's not bad. I can deal with that.  Soy milk is another story.  Sometimes it curdles, sometimes it doesn't. I don't get it.  I think if you pour your coffee fast into the soymilk, while stirring, you're ok.  If it's done very slowly, or if you add the soymilk to your coffee after the coffee's already in your mug, you're out of luck.  But of course it's not always the same effect.  Grrrrrr. Does this aggravate anyone else? Or is it just me?  I found MimicCreme.  I've tested it out and it's pretty good!  I realize now (after this morning's coffee) that you really should stir it into your coffee. Just because it's at the bottom of your cup when your coffee goes in, doesn't mean it will mix itself in. But I like it.  Can't find it anywhere locally unfortunately. (you can order it online) I also like it because it's NOT soy, it's made with almonds and cashews.

Here's what I don't like....errr....I mean what else I don't like. SoyGo.  I ordered a bag of it online.  It's powder.  I was hoping....just hoping....it would be better than that awful old non-dairy crappy powder that all the hotels and truck stops have. It's not.  It doesn't mix in.  It's all grainy and powdery in your coffee. Bleh.  And since I'm not going to use anymore, I should give it away, don't you think?  I'll have to come up with a giveaway to include it in soon.

Update: I've been in contact with the people from SoyGo recently and they sent me a new bag of creamers.  I've been testing it out and will continue to test it in different places and ways.  I will let you know the outcome! The folks there have been very nice and very patient with me :)

If you have any other suggestions for creamers, at home, and on the road, please PLEASE let me know!!

For a list of other great vegan blogs, click here.

Eat smart,
T.

I got a VITAMIX!!!!

So here I was......wandering into Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a 50% off Aerogarden (yes, it's my third one) and what do I see out of the corner of my eye????  A VITAMIX! Sitting on the clearance rack.  I thought it couldn't be.....no way....just when I had decided to go for a smaller blender and buy a big fancy food processor.....yup, there it was.  Sideways.....piled on top of other items.  I thought to myself, "Oh no! The 20% off coupons I have with me say NO VITAMIX!!!" So I snatched it up and brought it immediately to the customer service counter to see if they could hold it.  Sure enough, they said they could, for 24 hours.  I went and picked up my Aerogarden, and asked at the cashier if you can use a 20% off coupon even if it says you can't use it on that brand. You know what her answer was??  You can use it on anything. ANYTHING!  So I   pushed my cart all the way over to the customer service desk and asked to check out there, with my Vitamix. It was on clearance for $319.99! AND I used the 20% off coupon, so I got it for around $256!!!  OMG! Yes, it's the 4500, but that's ok.  It's still a Vitamix :)

Then of course, I brought it home thinking "I'm sure it won't work.  That's probably why someone brought it back."  I tested it.....3 times. It works!

Test one: cleaned it out with warm water and soap, as per instructions.




Test two: green smoothie

1 cup cold filtered water
1/2 apple, cored
~3/4 cup broccoli florets
~2 oz spinach
1/2 carrot, sliced
BLEND. Much better after you put it in the fridge and drink it cold.

Test three: fruit smoothie

1 banana, in chunks
1 cup blueberries
1/2 apple, cored
4 large ice cubes
BLEND. Really good!


Was so excited to share this great news with you guys! I've wanted one of these forever and didn't think I'd ever be able to afford one.

Our first farmer's market back home: baby okra(I knew the season would come), blueberries, nectarines, peaches, cucumber, plums, speckled butter beans, yellow squash, bell peppers, baby pink eggplant, & baby shiitakes.

Stuff I made recently:

"Tuna" salad sandwich out of the raw falafel recipe.  I just added celery, onions, and dill! So tasty:

Same thing, but without the celery and onions, stuffed in a pepper:

My Indian curry dish, with lots of veggies (no potatoes or chickpeas this time):

Cold barley salad (cabbage, broccoli slaw, red pepper, celery, cucumber, & balsamic vinegar, salt, garlic):

Isn't she pretty??? (see below)

Giveaway:
Check out LeslieLovesVeggies for a Pomi tomato giveaway!! I love that stuff :)
MamaPea is giving away a chance to win a cookbook! (can't turn THAT down)

Ok, I believe that's it for today's post.

Eat smart,
T.

Road Trip Pics, Part 4

Ok, the final road trip post is finally here!  I know you're all excited, haha.  You know what this means....after this, I actually have to start cooking again, so I've got something to post about :)

This post is mostly about one amazing town: Northampton, Mass. With a detour to Amherst (thanks to our friend, Amelia). I LOVE this town.  It's got everything: great places for coffee, vegetarian (& vegan) food, a college, lots of cool shops, and great walking trails! Ahhhh.....if only there were a job there......

So here we go:

Back to Cafe Evolution we went, because it's so good!

S got the Love Supreme with brown rice (great stuff!!):

I got the Chili Burrito (it was so big, I had to take half to go):

And of course, I had to get a vegan cupcake (chocolate with mint frosting) YUM:

(see my previous post about Cafe Evolution here.)

We headed over to Amherst, Mass to FreshSide Amherst (thanks, Amelia!!). This place is freakin' delcious! We must go back.....one day when we're up there again.  I highly recommend it.

We sat outside..it was so nice:

A pot of green tea (brown rice flavor):

Thai Tea Roll & Ginger Tofu Tea Roll (oh so good!):

S got the Chili Rice w/tofu:

I got the Pad Thai (great, but had to take half to go....and that was the SMALL size!):

Some pages from their menu (you can see the whole thing online), notice it specifies when you can get it vegan, etc...and they have a whole section that's gluten free, soy free, etc...for pretty much any diet!

Had a delicious lunch!

Back to Northampton.  Northampton Brewery! (I always have to taste test the local beer):

Pretty good (& vegan).  Most were very smooth, never overpowering. Watch out, the Imperial Stout is VERY high alcohol!

We ate dinner at Paul & Elizabeth's.  Nice place and they've got some vegan options too.

I think we both got specials, and I don't remember what they were, but here are pictures. They were both very good:

On a different day, I found another vegetarian restaurant: Bela Vegetarian.  Small place and it didn't open until noon. We were the first ones there :)

They have great daily specials on their chalkboard:

S got one of the daily specials...was very good (they specify if they're vegan or not):

I got the Harvest Burger with the rosemary potatoes (excellent burger, and I loved the pea sprouts on top!):

We got the corn chowder too, because I overheard someone in the restaurant raving about it :)

Wow, ok.....tons of pictures. I think I'm almost done.  What's left?  The farmer's market!
On our way out, we made a quick stop at the local market and picked up some carrots for the road and I found local hulled barley:

On our way back down, we stopped at Veg-O-Rama again:

(see my previous post about Veg-O-Rama here.)

Ok, that was a lot of pictures.  If I forgot anything, I guess it'll go into the next post.  It does feel good to be back home and cooking again :)  We were away just a bit too long. Tomorrow: our local farmer's market.

Eat smart,
T.

Road Trip Pics, Part 3

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted.  Oops. Well, I promise I'll be back to a normal posting regimen soon!

So here are more tales from the road.

Let's see....I believe the far north is next: Vermont.

Vermont beer:

Magic Hat: Blind Faith (IPA...a bit too hoppy for me) and Wacko(summer beer colored with beet juice)

Rock Art Brewery: The Vermonster (WAY too hoppy for me)

Food in Weston, VT:

Was able to get this without the bread and without the cheese (although they brought it out with melted cheese first time around...) Pretty good.

Otter Creek ale brewed for The Bryant House, very good, refreshing (where we ate):

Londonderry, VT:

Cute health food store, if you're in the area! They actually had a vegan muffin (although not that tasty) and soy, coconut milk, etc...for coffee :) The Garden Market/Natural Foods.  I think it's right on route 100 in Londonderry.  If you're in the need for soymilk, etc...and you're in the area...this place is for you!

Something else I found at the  Brattleboro co-op:

The taste takes getting used to, but I think it might be even better hot on something, like potatoes or steamed veggies!  And they've got great stuff in bulk too. I picked up some sweet brown rice while I was there. They've got pretty much any grain you're looking for!

Hartford, CT:

A real find!  I used my GPS  on my phone to find this place. Wasn't too out of the way and TOTALLY worth it: Alchemy Juice Bar

S got the Alchemist Wrap:

I got the Live Veggie Wrap (WOW, delicious!):

I also ordered the Live Chai, yum:

If you're ever near Hartford, CT, you MUST go.  The folks in there were so nice too :)

Ok, well I've got one more set of pics for you, which I'll post in the next few days.....

Eat smart,
T.