The What and Why of Different Diets

This post on diets and relationships sparked some great discussion today! Make sure to check it out and add your own thoughts in case you missed it. I also added my response toward the end.

The discussion has me thinking about how we all have such different diets and reasons behind them. For some added perspective I’ll be showcasing small pieces written by different people with different diets and their own personal reasons for the way they eat and the way they live. It should be really interesting!!

I rushed around like a mad woman today. A full day of work, a late dinner with Ryan and a ton of little to-do’s and I somehow forget to photograph all my food. Oh well, at least I got the good stuff :)

Ryan and I now work together at lululemon. And Whole Foods is still just a few miles down the road. Yes, it is a dangerous equation in every way! Tonight we decided to grab dinner at Whole Foods after a day or working together. I got a fantastic plate that included my beloved yucca fries and a massaged avocado kale salad. I loved the salad so much that I’m recreating it in my kitchen tonight!

This morning began with a banana and an English muffin with homemade almond butter.

Lunch was at work- the last of my Sweet Shepherd’s Pie. I froze two servings when I made the recipe to enjoy later. This dish was amazing and I will definitely make it again soon!

Are you interested in reading about other’s diets and their personal reasons behind them?

Vegetarian Lamb and Garden Cafe

My friends Feiran and Tina and I met for lunch at the Garden Cafe- a vegetarian Chinese restaurant here in Orlando where I apparently found something very amusing.

To be perfectly blunt, the menu creeped me out. I’m used to vegetarian places with hummus, fresh veggies and tempeh… but the Garden Cafe had lamb and chicken and ribs. They insisted the dishes were all vegetarian (and mostly vegan), but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat something so similar to meat. Apparently nine years as a vegetarian has formed some sort of mental block against meat?!

The decor and name of Garden Cafe doesn’t reflect a traditional Chinese restaurant, but the menu sure did.

I ordered the Bean Curd with Vegetables. Actually, I was asking for a different (and cheaper) tofu dish, but the waitress/owner somehow ordered me this- one of the more expensive items on the menu. She actually tried to convince my friends to change their orders to more expensive dishes, too. I’ve never had a waitress argue with a guest on what they choose to order.

Regardless, the dish was amazing. The brown rice was perfectly chewy. The vegetables were big and perfectly cooked. The sauce was addicting. And the tofu- oh, the tofu! The tofu was so lightly friend and full of flavor. I ate everything. Yum.

The photo above is Tina’s entree. She had a curry dish with fake chicken. Brave girl.

My friends got a kick out of me photographing my food. Feiran even tried to be a food blogger!

I wasn’t in love with the service at Garden Cafe, but the food was amazing enough to win me over. It’s definitely as fresh and light as I get at places like Infusion Tea, but it is an amazing vegetarian/vegan treat that everyone must try! Their food wins a 20 on a scale of 1-10. I can’t wait to go back!!!

Afterwards I got some Jeremiah’s- mango and coconut. Ryan was told once that the coconut had milk in it, but every time Lindsey and I ask they insist it’s vegan. I went with the last decision :) Yum!

My New Job!

Today was my second day at my new job! I’m doing marketing, personal training and reception for a doctor’s office/physical therapy pain clinic. The people are friendly and really relaxed. I’m enjoying learning so much about physical therapy! I’m going to love it. But the best part is definitely working four 10-hour days and having a three day weekend every weekend! Wait a second! Is that a kitty hiding in the closet!?

What’s the craziest fake meat or food you’ve ever tried?

VegFest 2009!!!

  Happy weekend! How do you like our family photo? If you look closely you’ll see Kitty (who David is holding) hates her brother and sister and is growling at them! David and I were laughing so hard it was hard to take a normal-looking photo :-)

Today was VegFest!!!!!!!!

“Central Florida Veg Fest takes place in October (in honor of World Farm Animals Day) in Orlando, Florida. The themes of Veg Fest include health and wellness, vegetarian cuisine, the environment, animal welfare and rights, and community-building activism.”

VegFest wasn’t as big as we imagined, but it was still awesome! There were different sections of booths for Mind + Body, Veggie Food, Raw Food, Home and Pets. The whole event was free, pet-friendly and smoke-free. All the food served was actually vegan!

I had plenty of samples, two mini Larabars- and this vegan peanut butter brownie from Food Not Bombs. Food Not Bombs donates all their profits to feed Orlando’s homeless vegetarian and vegan meals. Now that is yummy! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

15 Hungry Miles

Hello! I just got back from a spontaneous lunch date with David! He begged to go to Chili’s since he’s sort of obsessed with their baked potato soup.

We sit down, order chips and order without even looking at the menu. There’s pretty much only one way to eat vegan there and I have it etched in memory: Southwestern Vegetable soup without cheese and a side salad without cheese. Well, Chili’s changed their whole menu and don’t carry that soup any longer.

Now every soup has animal products. There’s only one vegetarian soup and that’s the Sweet Corn. I considered ordering several side dishes, but their black beans even have meat in them!

Our waitress was actually super helpful and apologetic about how the change affected my diet. She suggested I look at the salads and order one without chicken since that’s pretty much my only option. (They do have a delicious vegetarian black bean burger, but that has eggs.)

I ordered the small Asian Noodle Salad without the chicken, plus corn and with the dressing on the side. They forgot the avocado (my favorite part!!), but the salad was actually wonderful.

There were so many flavors in this salad. And check out the cold Soba noodles! The corn made it but I bet it would be even better with avocado! This was definitely not an average restaurant salad.

I was so upset about Chili’s change since I have talked so much about how it’s easy to eat vegan there in the past. I think it’d be great if they could keep vegetarians in mind when seasoning/cooking their foods. Their black beans for example: if they could flavor the beans without using bacon, they’d have an easy, vegan-friendly protein. I hope restaurants make little changes like that more in the future.

Anyway, it was a very yummy and enjoyable lunch… especially after my 15 mile run this morning!

I hit the pavement at Baldwin Park around 6:30 a.m. ready for a strong run. Instead, I was weak and dragging the whole time. My run was 5 times around a big lake (2.5 miles around) and a few miles through the  neighborhoods. Two separate times I stopped at my car to refuel with Clif Shot Bloks and H20 and give myself a much-needed pep talk.

It was terrible because I wasn’t in pain anywhere; I just had no energy. I couldn’t figure out why- I had my Zensah sleeves, shot bloks, all my gear, water… it was still early enough that the sun was getting to me… then I remembered last night.

Last night I didn’t eat enough calories to fuel me for a 15 mile run. I brought some fruits, veggies and a granola bar at work since I was still full from the day’s eats… turns out my gas tank needs a lot more than that.

I had no energy or stamina and it really ruined my run. I’m smart enough to know I have to fuel properly if I want to run long and strong. Next time I will eat plenty the night before!!

What I ate: Pre-run I had 3/4 c. oats with some brown rice protein powder and a packet of Stevia in the Raw. Throughout my run I had a packet of Clif Shot Blocks (love these). On the drive home from Baldwin Park I had a granola bar and to get myself through a shower and getting ready I had a Flat-Out with jam. After putting my body through so much, I am not about to pause, find my photo and take a photo. Instead, you get this crappy after photo :-)

Yesterday:

I couldn’t leave without showing you yesterday’s morning bowl of carbs: naner oats! For lunch I had roasted veggies (brussel sprouts, asparagus and carrots with a bit of teryaki sauce, garlic salt and pepper baked at 375* for 30 minutes) and a baked Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger. I actually had twice the veggies shown here ;)  Yummmm. I also had tons of snacks, but I’m pretty sure you can guess what those were.

Now I will work on life plans and enjoy my fruit bar and puppy. (Don’t worry- I don’t eat Dixie.)

Enjoy your weekend!

What changes would you like to see on restaurant menus?

Vegan in Review

In place of my regular post about today’s eats, I’d like to talk about what veganism has been like for me so far.

Almost three weeks ago I decided to go vegan (after being a vegetarian for 9 years) after a good talk with Ryan. The week after my decision I saw Food, Inc. which really made going vegan so much more important to me.

I don’t have any doctor’s results to share, and it has only been three weeks, so here is my casual review of what veganism has done to me so far.

Stomach- One of the main reasons I changed my diet was the horrible stomach pains I had been experiencing. All stomach pains went away within a few days of eliminating animal products.

 

Food- My food has been so much more fresh, healthy and whole. I’ve tried amazing  vegan dishes in my own home and out that I would have never tried otherwise.

Cooking- Before I had a few dishes I would rotate. Now, I am using cookbooks and my own creativity to come up with yummy meals and snacks. I don’t think I’ve had the same meal twice!

Freedom- This  might seem contrary to what veganism is, but by removing all animal products from my diet, I actually feel more free. I feel empowered when I cook and eat food and I’m getting more excited about it now than ever before.

Energy- Before I was so tired all the time. Now, I have much more energy and have no problem staying awake in the evening. I sleep better, too.

 Skin- My skin seems brighter and more even-toned.

Complexity- Eating vegan has been unbelievably simple. The transition was definitely easier for me since I was already a vegetarian

Cost- Vegans win :) A can  or bag of beans will always be cheaper than yogurt, cheese or meat! Although I have been spending more on quality produce, so I think it evens out.

David- David has been eating so many vegan and vegetarian dinners. The food is whole and filling and he seems to like it.

 

Weight- My weight has not changed.

Cravings- I have no cravings for animal products. A while ago I did eat some cheese (and my stomach hated me for it) and it was out of habit, not craving.

Overall- Veganism has been great. I feel better, I am eating better and my actions are good to animals and the environment. I am most surprised at how easy it has been. I plan on continuing eating a vegan diet.