catch-up

Hi! Sorry I've been mia for the past few days! Things have been a little busy over here! Vegan diet is still going good, except for last night. For some strange reason, my stomach was REALLY off, and my head was spinning. Nothing sounded good to me - the thought of food made me sick. Except, for soft serve vanilla ice cream. I know - it sounds crazy, but it was the ONLY thing that didn't make me want to lose my lunch. So, I caved in and had some, and it totally settled my stomach. SOOOO weird! Anyhow, so now I'm back on track today.
I made the kids some muffins with pureed sweet potato and pumpkin hidden inside, and they love them! (Hubby loved them too!) Even used whole wheat flour!
I have to get groceries this afternoon, so I'm off to do some meal planning. AND, then I have to clean this house! Gotta love it when the husband noncholantly mentions that his mother MAY be coming to visit tomorrow, but he's not sure yet. WHAT!?!? I love her and all, but the woman cleans houses for a living! Talk about stressed!! lol ;) Hope you're all having a great day!

Day #4

It's Day #4 and things are going well. I made an appointment weeks ago to donate blood today. Before you donate, they do a finger prick for an iron count. I failed. TWICE. I'm not anemic, but too low for their standards, so I was unable to donate today.
I have been anemic before, but only when I was pregnant (and I am NOT pregnant! lol), so I have to think it's possibly from my diet. I'll be adding more iron rich foods over the next few days, and also taking a multi vitamin to make sure I'm not missing any other important nutrients my body needs.
I'm tired tonight....getting ready to chill on the couch and watch a movie with the hubby! Hope everyone out there is having a great day as well!

Day #3

Day #3 is going well! I had a Cliff bar for breakfast (well, MOST of a cliff bar - my son ate a couple bites!), and I demolished a bag of baby carrots for breakfast. I'm cooking a roast in the crock pot for the family tonight, so I think I'll have some steamed veggies and a baked potato for dinner (seasoned with salt and pepper). I've literally been cooking 3 meals a day since we got back from vacation! I'm using mostly whole foods, as opposed to premade items. Last night after our date, I did bring home a pizza to feed the hubby, kids and sitter - but I was still full from the cashews I ate at the movies so I wasn't even tempted....although it DID smell AMAZING!
My weight today is the same as yesterday, so that's good. I thought maybe I'd gain a little from eating all those high calorie cashews, but I didn't! I'm going to add cardio back in today. I'm not sure if I'll start running again, or find something different. I like running, but I don't LOVE it. I LOVE hiking - but it's not always easy to find someone to go with me.
So, I guess that's my update for today - nothing earth shattering! It's still going well! I feel better too!

Day #2

We had a luncheon after Church this morning to honor our graduates! Sad to say goodbye, but so excited for what's to come for our 5 teens off to college! Thankfully, there were lots of salads to choose from - and even roasted potatoes! I had a nice lunch!
Then, the hubby and I got a babysitter for the kiddos and headed to the movies for the afternoon. I smuggled in some cashews to snack on. Not even tempted at all by the popcorn - it smelled nasty. I'm happy to report that the weight I gained on vacation (2lbs.) has disappeared! WOOT!  I feel good! Slight headache this afternoon, but I'm blaming that on the intense movie and cold air conditioning at the theater. I need to remember to bring a sweatshirt next time! I guess that's all for today! I need to get the kiddos to bed - when hubby gets back from dropping off the sitter, we're playing a rousing game of Bananagrams! My favorite!! See you tomorrow :)

Day #1

I love Saturdays! Especially productive ones! Our kids let us sleep in until 9am, then we went to a few yard sales and got some great stuff. One of the items we got is a cookbook for kids where I can hide veggies in the food by pureeing it. My girls aren't picky at all - they'll eat anything! My 21 month old son is a little picky when it comes to textures, so I thought I'd give it a try!
Then, I hit my local Farmers Market in Saratoga. I love buying fresh, organic produce from local farms! It is more expensive, but all in all - I think it's worth it. For $35 I got 2 bags of mixed salad greens (arugula, romaine, spinach, etc.), a quart of fingerling potatoes, a pound of asparagus, 4 apples, scallions, parsley, a bunch of radishes, and some cider donuts and apple cider for the kids.
I also picked up a ton of organic produce from Hannafords - Kiwi, sweet potatoes, bananas, onions, green peppers, yellow and green squash, cauliflower, spinach and avocado. My fridge is bursting at the hinges! lol :)
After I ran a few more errands, I brought the kids home and started prepping my purees for this weeks meals. In less than 2 hours, I was able to puree the spinach, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and avocado.
I made a nice salad for dinner (with leftover roasted turkey on top for the hubby and kids). To my DELIGHT - my Son gobbled his down!
All in all - the eating today has been easy! A few days ago I discovered that my favorite Cliff Bars are vegan! They are so good and very filling. I had one for breakfast and I didn't get hungry for a few hours after.
I feel good today - energetic and excited to begin this journey!

What is Vegan?

Vegan and Vegetarian are similar, but also very different. Vegetarians do not eat meat. Vegans do neet eat Meat or Dairy products, and also honey. Basically Vegans refrain from eating anything from an animal, or animal products. Very strict vegans also refrain from wearing any animal product clothing, such as leather. Most Vegan's I've met are also very conscious about protecting the earth and being "Green."
On this journey, I am going to refrain from eating any and all meat products (including fish), and will abstain from Dairy. I will also limit my sugar and flour intake drastically - only allowing myself the occasional "treat."
Just thought I'd clarify!

Going Vegan....for the summer season!

Hello! Let me start by introducing myself! My name is Jennifer, and I am a 32 year old mother of 3 beautiful kids. The older I get, the more health conscious I'm becoming. In my 20's, I ate whatever I wanted with little thought to it's nutritional value. As a result, I was overweight and very out of shape. The past couple of years, I've made better decisions about what I ate, and how much exercise I am getting. Because of my conscious decision to better myself, I lost 60lbs. I even ran a 10k! (my time was terrible, but I finished and I wasn't last! lol). This past February I developed pneumonia and stopped exercising (per dr.s orders), but then never really started again once I was healthy again. This brings me to now.
I've gone "Vegan" before, but only for 21 days. That was a strict vegan diet - I didn't even allow myself sugar (or sugar substitutes) or flour. The first couple of days was hard, but then when my body adjusted, I felt fantastic! So, after a lot of thought and consideration, I've decided for the next 75 days of summer, I will follow (to the best of my abilities) a relatively strict Vegan diet.
I have been following a vegetarian diet since returning from Disney world on Sunday, but now it's time to start my Vegan journey!
I'm interested to see how I'll feel, and how much weight (if any) I'll lose from it.
I realize that no one will read this, but I want to chronicle this journey. If you're reading - Thanks!