Day 16 - 221

Breakfast:  Oatmeal

Lunch:  Gardein bbq shreds on bread

Dinner:  We snacked all afternoon - had some Trader Joe's baked Barbecue chips, hummus and crackers, so we weren't very hungry at dinner time and just had some leftovers from the fridge.

Day 15 - 234

Two weeks under our belts! So far, so good.

Breakfast:  Oatmeal

Lunch:  Boka Chik'n sandwiches with lettuce and tomato.  We have these a lot.  They're good and I could eat them every day!

Dinner:  Trader Joe's Thai Vegetables Gyoza, steamed, served with soy sauce.  These are tasty! Trader Joe's has a few really good frozen foods that are convenient and good quality.  Plus, on their website you can view a list of the vegan foods they carry, here, as well as vegetarian, gluten free, etc.  So nice!

Day 14 - 241

Breakfast:  Oatmeal

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Pizza

With all the leftover ingredients from yesterday, I wanted to try a pizza.  I used a Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough in the can.

Talk about convenient AND I thought it tasted pretty good, too.  Topped it with the peppers, onions, vegan pepperoni, and soy mozzarella left over from yesterday, plus I added fresh mushrooms.  Next time I think I will pre-cook the mushrooms, because although they were delicious, I didn't like all the water they added.

This a picture taken before baking - I forgot to get an "after".  I figured if I piled enough vegetables on top, I wouldn't notice the soy cheese so much... I was right!

Day 13 - 233

Breakfast: Vegan Pancakes

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Pizza Pockets (yes, Pizza Pockets!)

Googling around on the internet I found a recipe for Pizza Pockets made with Pillsbury Low fat Crescent Rolls.  I improvised and made some with vegan Pepperoni, pizza sauce (look at the ingredients and make sure it has no cheese), finely chopped onions, red peppers, and soy mozzarella.

One package of crescent rolls makes four pizza pockets and were good, but they would be better for lunch, than a dinner.

Day 12 - 217

I've had a few busy days and have gotten so behind on my blogging!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Veggie Patch Garlic Portabella Burgers and Corn & Blueberry Salad

My neighbor told me about this salad.  It has unusual ingredients and interesting flavors.  I loved it, but my husband, who doesn't care for cucumbers, didn't like it.  (more for me!)  You can find the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens here.  I substituted frozen corn and blueberries because I had them on hand, so it looks a little different than their photo.   

I'm trying to make all the parts of the meal as interesting and flavorful as possible, so we won't miss the meat as much.  These mushroom "burgers" are improved by toasting the bun, adding lettuce, tomato, and mild onion.

Day 11- 243

Breakfast:  Oatmeal

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Trader Joe's Shiitake Mushrooms and Tofu in Black Pepper Sauce with Rice.

See the "V" on the bottom left of the box? That means it's vegan... I'm learning.  It was good, but pretty peppery.  It's nice to not have to cook or even think about dinner every day.

While at Trader Joe's I also picked up some snacks. Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats (vegan!) and some Spicy Hummus Dip (contains no animal fats, but is "manufactured on shared equipment with peanuts, eggs, milk, wheat, tree nuts, soy, fish, and shellfish"... well, I guess we're taking our chances that not too much milk or eggs tainted the equipment!

Day 10 - 208

208! Moving in the right direction - but still a way to go.

Breakfast:  Oatmeal

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  A stir fry made with mixed vegetables, brown rice, bottled stir fry sauce, and Westsoy Seitan.  Seitan is a meat substitute made from wheat.  As you can see in the picture, it really looks like meat.  It doesn't really taste like meat, but it's not objectionable... I'd say it almost tasted like a noodle.  And it does add some protein.

Day 9 - 330

Wow... 330.  That's very high for first thing in the morning.  I normally list what we've eaten at meals, but don't say too much about snacks, which we've tried to limit and have been mostly fruit or frozen soy goodies.  Well, all last night after dinner, was a carb-fest of fat free pretzels, popcorn, and even a couple of pieces of bread.

Breakfast:  Oatmeal and cantaloupe

Lunch:  Leftover pasta from last night

Dinner:  I had more of the pasta, and he had what he said was the single best thing he's eaten since starting the Vegan Voyage... Gardein bbq pulled shreds.  Good appearance, taste, and texture.  I tried a bite - it was tasty!  It's also high in protein.

This company makes a lot of other products and I'm looking forward to trying some more.

So, we're into our 2nd week... I have to say it's been fairly easy to adjust so far.

Day 8 - 224

It's been a busy weekend and I've gotten a little behind on blogging.

Breakfast: Vegan pancakes ( recipe ) with sugar-free syrup.
Hubby also tried these 'sausage links'.  He said they were "okay" - he'd eat them again.  I don't care much for breakfast sausage anyway, so I didn't try them.

Lunch:  We were out and about, and stopped at Burger King for a BK Veggie Burger, which is a MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie Patty with lettuce and tomato on a bun.  We skipped the mayo and added onion.  It's nice to know you can be out on the road and find a fast food lunch. 320 calories.  I only wish it had lettuce leaves instead of shreds... it's a bit messy to eat.

Dinner:  Dreamfields penne pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and onions, and MorningStar Meat Starters Crumbles, in a spaghetti sauce.

These things sure look like you're adding browned hamburger to the pot.  I find that these soy meat replacements are better if they are not over-cooked and if you have enough other interesting foods in the mix, you never notice it's not really beef.

Day 7 - 248

Breakfast:  Oatmeal, again

Lunch:  Last night's leftovers

Dinner:  Boca Spicy chik'n patties, sourdough rolls, tomato, lettuce.  These are good.  I warm the rolls in the oven the last 5 minutes the patties are cooking which makes all the difference.

Which brings me to dessert... these are soooo good! 

Day 6 - 244

Breakfast:  Oatmeal, as usual

Lunch:  Leftovers, as usual

Dinner:  Something un-usual!  Portabello mushroom steaks! Mashed red potatoes, steamed pea pods, and some reduced fat crescent rolls.

I googled looking for recipes and most of them called for grilling the mushrooms on the barbecue, which I didn't want to do, so I had to wing it a bit.  All of the recipes had the mushrooms sit in various marinades consisting mostly of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a few hours before cooking... isn't that what balsamic vinaigrette basically is? which was already in my fridge?... so I place the mushrooms upside down in a 9 x 13 pan and poured the vinaigrette over the tops and let them sit in the refrigerator for  about 4 hours.  Then I flipped them over and transferred them to a cookie sheet, poured the dressing left in the pan over the tops, and baked them at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes and they just didn't seem to be doing anything (I'd read online that they would resemble steaks and these still looked a whole lot like mushrooms!), so I transferred them to the broiler pan and put them under the broiler... in a few minutes they were just starting to darken on top, so I pulled them out.  I have to admit they still looked like mushrooms to me... and let's face it... they were not steaks!  But they were delicious!  I forgot to get a picture, but it was definitely a "special occasion" meal.

Day 5 - ???

Forgot to test first thing this morning.

Breakfast:  Oatmeal, as usual

Lunch:  He ate leftover lentil soup, I had leftover Drunken Noodles

Dinner:  Boca Bruschetta patty on a sourdough roll, with sliced tomatoes and lettuce, and a few carrot sticks.  First time we tried these - they're okay, but I still prefer the 'chicken' ones.

Tonight I discovered Almond Dream Chocolate Frozen Non-dairy dessert.  190 calories per 1/2 cup and de-lish!

Day 4 - 225

Well, even though it's really too soon to expect to see a difference, 225 is the lowest so far!

Breakfast: Oatmeal and fresh strawberries

Lunch: Leftover stir fry from last night

Dinner:  Roasted butternut squash and a recipe found on the back of the box of A Taste of Thai Wide Rice Noodles

Drunken Noodles:
1/2 lb wide rice noodles
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 small onions, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cleaned and cut green beans
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup A Taste of Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp salt

Soak noodles in very hot tap water for 30-35 minutes.  Do not over soak.  Drain noodles and set aside.
In a large skillet or wok heat oil.  Add garlic and brown lightly.  Add onion, tomatoes, red bell pepper and green beans; stir fry lightly 1-2 minutes.  Add drained rice noodles, stir to combine.  Add lime juice, garlic chili pepper sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and salt stirring continuously until noodles are firm but tender.
Serves 4.

Verdict:  Delicious!  Just a tad hot for us, though.  I doubled the recipe, by accident really, because I soaked the whole 16 ounce package of noodles.  I doubled everything except the brown sugar.  Maybe I should have left the chili sauce at 1/4 cup.  It really was delicious and I would definitely make it again, but not for a while... we have plenty left over tonight!

Day 3 - 266

Well... bg is up, but I have lost 1 pound.

Breakfast:  Oatmeal (this is going to be the usual breakfast, I think)

Lunch:  Hubby... leftover Bami from Saturday and an apple - Me... I grazed all day.  I had a banana, plum, and grapes, and fat-free pretzels.

Dinner:  Stir fry of mixed vegetables, the other 6 oz of Tofu Steak, from Saturday, that I dry fried first, and some stir fry sauce from Fresh n Easy over brown rice.

Verdict:  Loved it!

Day 2 - 246

Breakfast:
Vegan pancakes, strawberries, and Lightlife Smart Bacon

Vegan Pancakes

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons baking powder (I actually used a bit less, as the measuring spoon wasn't full each time)

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups almond milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together the dry ingredients until everything is well mixed.  Add the milk, oil, and vanilla, and stir until the batter is fairly smooth.  Pour out onto hot pan or griddle.  I make them one at a time and I usually make a 4-5" pancake, but you can see in the picture that one is bigger.  These really puff up nicely.  I don't know what the yield is of this recipe.  He ate 3 pancakes, I ate 2, and dumped the left over batter.  

Verdict:  The pancakes are good - I've seen comments on the internet that these are too salty, or they can taste the baking powder... I think they're okay.  That "bacon" though... yuck.  I broke off a piece to try it and gave the rest to DH.  He didn't think it was so bad.

Lunch:  Well, we ate that big breakfast, then snacked on a million fat-free pretzels while playing Trivial Pursuit... 

Dinner:

Lentil soup and sourdough bread

I love lentil soup and it's one of the easiest things in the world to make.  It was cold today and this soup really hit the spot.  I had one bunch of carrots that I peeled, then cut each in half, saved the smaller, bottom half for snacks and chopped up the rest.  

In a large dutch oven, heat a small amount (maybe a tablespoon or so) of vegetable oil and add chopped carrots, about 6 stalks of chopped celery, and one large chopped onion.  Cook until the onions are clear, then add one pound of  rinsed lentils and about 6 cups of water.  Add some salt, pepper, and cumin.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, adding water as needed.  The lentils absorb the water and you don't want it to stick to the bottom of the pan.  Cook for at least an hour.  The broth will thicken and the lentils will be tender.  Normally I make this soup with chicken broth instead of water and sliced Polish sausage or Kielbasa.  It's delicious.  Today, I sliced some Tofurky Kielbasa sausages and added just before serving.  Again, I have to say, yuck!  I picked all mine out and gave them to my husband.  I would rather have no meat than imitation meat... he doesn't seem to mind the substitution. 

I did find something I like, though. Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk.  yummy

So, even though this morning's bg# was less than yesterday's, after eating those pretzels this afternoon it was up to a whopping 403.  Wow, that's the highest ever. 

Day 1 - 253

Finally! Today we began our three week low fat vegan diet.  Yesterday's scare of near 400 blood glucose level was just the incentive we needed to get started.  Every day I will post what we're eating and the blood glucose number first thing in the morning.

Breakfast:
Old fashioned oatmeal, cooked with water and a sprinkle of cinnamon for 5 minutes.  I added almond milk and some sweet n low to mine, he added some sugar-free maple syrup. Also we split a large cara cara orange.  It was yummy and very satisfying.

Lunch:
A WildWood SprouTofu Veggie Burger - Original patty on heated sourdough bread, with lettuce and tomato; he added a slice of soy cheese.  I was less than thrilled.  We both prefer a Boca Chicken patty.

Dinner:  I made a recipe from the book.

 Indonesian-Style Stir-fried Pasta (Bami)
1 pound soy vermicelli pasta  (couldn't find - I used 2 packages of Shirataki soy spaghetti)
1 medium onion chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2  cups shredded napa cabbage
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1/4 cup water
6 ounces low-fat beef substitute (used Tofu Steak - garlic pepper flavor) sliced
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetarian broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 tablespoon maple syrup
3/4 tablespoon dark molasses
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
4 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal (didn't have on hand)

Prepare noodles as specified on package. Drain in colander and set aside.

In a large, heavy nonstick wok or a skillet lightly coated with oil or cooking spray, steam-fry the onion, garlic, and red pepper for 1 minute, adding very small amounts of water as needed to prevent sticking and burning.

Add the cabbage, celery, and 1/4 cup water.  Cover and cook over high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the beef substitute strips and stir-fry for about 1 minute.

Combine the broth, soy sauce, maple syrup, molasses, cornstarch, and cold water in a small bowl.  Stir into the pan and cook, stirring, over high heat until it thickens and boils.

Add the drained pasta and toss well with the sauce.  Top with the scallions and serve.

This is supposed to make 6 servings.  We set aside enough for him to take for lunch on Monday, and split the rest.  It tasted good, but I couldn't eat all of mine.   I would definitely make it again, but I think I would tweak it a bit more.  I'd have liked more vegetables and maybe sometime I'll substitute a whole wheat pasta.

 We're off to a good start.

Dry frying tofu for the first time

Up to this point, the only way I have ever cooked tofu was to fry it in oil.  Today, for the first time, I dry fried it.  I bought extra-firm tofu, cut it into slices and laid it on a griddle on med-low heat, until it seemed "dry" and a little browned.

I made a marinade of:

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 splash of rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sambal (Indonesian chili paste)

1 shallot minced

I let the tofu soak in the marinade, in the refrigerator, for about four hours.

In the wok, I used a tablespoon or two of canola oil and cooked some minced garlic and an 8 ounce package of white mushrooms, halved or quartered, depending on size, until the mushrooms were cooked nearly through, added the tofu, (which I decided was too large, so I cut it into smaller pieces), two bags of frozen stir-fry vegetables, and a couple of spoonfuls of the marinade.

We ate it over brown rice.  I thought is was pretty good... my husband thought it was a little bland. It could have used a little "something"... maybe more sambal or garlic.  I was very pleased with the way the tofu turned out, though - nice and firm.  I will definitely be using the dry-frying method again.