Lazy, Munchy Crafty Sunday



 You know you've lucked out when you like your co-workers enough to spend time with them outside of work!

The tradition of Crafty Sunday started a few years ago when my boss, Geeta, (an amazing potter) offered to teach us all how to make mosaics. She had a bunch of pottery she considered flawed (although the rest of us couldn't see flaws) and she let us smash it up and use it to make our mosaics.

I decorated a flower pot (see pic below) and loved every minute of it. I was hooked and decided I would make mosaics for everyone I knew for Christmas that year.

Family Brunch: Mochi and Mimosas

I got to hang out with my family yesterday at my sister's house. We didn't really have plans except to spend some quality time together ... and make waffles. My sister just got a waffle maker so we were excited to try it out.

The instructions were a little vague, but we managed to figure it out with a little trial and error.

My mom and sis went for the regular buttermilk variety and I had found a recipe for mochi waffles in The Kind Diet book. We also made crispy hashbrowns with garlic and baked asparagus (with more garlic - we LOVE garlic!) And, of course, we enjoyed some mimosas... :)

Costa Rica House Hunters and Kale Chips!

Last night Pat's sister Corinne came over to visit. She's leaving next week for a trip to Costa Rica. And strangely enough, last night was Costa Rica night on one of Pat's favorite shows, House Hunters International.

She'd told me a couple times about kale chips. She's a Weight Watcher too, and she heard about it from other members at a meeting. We were looking at recipes for something else online and we accidentally came across a video showing how to make them. So we decided to give it a try.

I had two different bunches from the CSA and we used them both. It took less time for us to make our kale chips than it did for the couple from Oklahoma to find their dream house in Jaco, Costa Rica.

Crazy Weight Loss "Tea"

Does this look like tea to you? Not me!

I've been working a little harder at losing weight lately. (Darn holiday treat weight won't come off!) For a while I was just focusing on figuring out what to eat on my new vegan diet. Now, I'm paying more attention to how much to eat.

Alicia Silverstone's Kind Diet was one of the things that inspired me to try and go vegan. She says that just by eating vegan, you'll automatically lose weight - not true.

But she also has different levels to her diet. I'm beyond the "Flirt" phase - just trying more vegan foods. I'm not quite to the "Super Hero" level - all whole grains, veggies and legumes and very little fun stuff like vegan sour cream and french fries. So, I guess I am well into the "Vegan" phase, taking baby steps toward Super Hero.

Spaghetti Squash - The New Noodles

Ok, so I know people have been using spaghetti squash in place of pasta for years, but I always thought it sounded kind of, um, gross. Or at least really bland...But I tried it and it wasn't!

I was inspired to try it when this adorable older couple at my last Weight Watchers meeting were going on and on about how great it was. That's one of my favorite things about WW - getting food ideas from other people.

Crunchy, Yummy Homemade Granola Bars

I've been reading lots of labels lately - looking for snacks without dairy (and tons of sugar) and they're hard to find. I even discovered that my favorite Kashi bars have whey protein powder - boooo!

I've wanted to make granola bars ever since I saw Alton Brown make them on "Good Eats." He made it look pretty easy - and it was! I used his recipe with a few substitutions and they came out crunchy, yummy and delicious.

It's Cold - Make Soup!

Making this soup will warm up your house, your belly and your soul (believe it or not). And all the nutritious veggies and hearty beans will fill you up and make you feel great. Make a big pot and eat it all week!

Use my recipe as a starting point and customize with whatever you have in the fridge. That's what I did with this one: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/soup-kidney-bean-avacado.html

I like my soup spicy, but you can make it much milder if that's what makes you happy. You can chop all your veggies fresh or you can used canned or frozen ones to make it easier. I chopped up all the veggies, and even the beans, and then cooked the crap out of it to give it a stewier consistency.

Flowers and Recycling Make Me Happy

Today I took the day off and Pat and I went to the Carlsbad Flower Fields. It was my first time and I thought it was pretty cool!

If you want to go this year, go soon - it's only open for eight more weeks. And I think next weekend or the following will be the best because there were tons of buds just about to bloom.

Check out some pics:

Great Weekend: Basketball, Chili and 500 Page Views!



I love it when Pat has a Saturday off - even if we don't do anything. It's just so nice to have him around. This last Saturday was one of those days!

So after we ran some errands, Pat settled in to watch the Aztecs game and I decided to make some chili. Luckily our living room and kitchen are open to each other so we can still spend time together while I cook. This is even more important since I've been spending so much time in there!

I had soaked my dried beans overnight and they were ready to go - so I looked up a few vegan chili recipes for guidance and made up my own based on what CSA veggies I needed to use and what other fun stuff I had on hand.

On the Road Again...Chicken and Waffles, Anyone?

My view of Atlanta from the hotel.

I did some more traveling this week.

Destination: Atlanta. Known more for southern fried chicken than vegan cuisine. So this was another opportunity to put my new lifestyle to the test.

The verdict: I didn't starve, but it wasn't the healthiest couple days.

I attended a conference and was in a hotel for most of the time. Getting in late Tuesday, I opted for room service: a big salad, a plate of steamed veggies (and french fries).

Getting Back on Track



I'll be eating more of this...

A lot of vegan books and blogs say that once you cut out meat and dairy, you instantly lose weight, without counting calories...

Not the case for me.

I feel great - more energy, better moods, improved um... digestion :) All-around better.

But I haven't lost any weight. In fact, over the last few weeks, I've gained a few pounds. Maybe it had something to do with that batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies I polished off or the vegan butter I've been slathering all over my toast or the generous amount of olive oil in everything I cook or the extra carbs I've been shoveling in... hmmm... maybe...