Sugar Addiction

November 16, 2012Leave a comment

I’ve been in complete denial over my addiction to sugar. I thought my addiction to dairy products was bad (luckily I have overcome that) but me + sugar = bad news bears. In the past I always wondered what exactly was causing me to put on weight in the winter time. Seriously, I am not a bear I have no reason to put on weight, I have no intentions of hibernating. My appointment with my gyn and physician really opened my eyes to my weight. I was 135 pounds in February and though I felt fine, I wasn’t completely paying attention to myself.

I have made some drastic changes to my lifestyle as of late. It’s nearly 2 months since I have made the transition to a vegan lifestyle and I can honestly say I have never felt better. But then the fall inspired flavors at Starbucks came out, my aunt came to visit and wanted to do a “sweet tour” and then Halloween candy magically appeared at home. All three of these things came at the same time and hit me like a hurricane (no pun intended- even though Sandy showed up at the same time too).

I allowed myself a few treats here and there but then started to feel edgy, moody, frumpy and reactive. I immediately felt the desire to blame it on PMS. Come on, as women we have those moments when we want to blame our behaviors on mother nature. But this was no ordinary PMS, and I was no where near my beloved time of the month (please note the sarcasm). I pretty much had two weeks of intense sugar consumption. I felt lethargic, grumpy and overly emotional. I refused to admit it to myself at first but then it really struck me. I was obsessed with sugar. I looked back to the past years during the fall/winter seasons and realized I was drowning myself in comfort foods (cheese, cheese, more cheese, pumpkin spice lattes and pies).

This epiphany really allowed me to come to terms even more with my health and needs. I realized I can deal with one soy pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (ONE!) a week and nibble a little bit of dark chocolate goji berries and I will be okay.

Even though I feel I am healthy, I have my moments of overindulging. I am, after all, human (and a woman…we have a thing for chocolate). I am currently 120 pounds and loving every second of this feeling. I refuse to over do it to the point that I compromise the progress I have made. But of course, I am not going to deny myself the pleasure of indulging in a decadent sweet every once in a while. After all, where’s the fun in that?

Peace, love and no beef!

Guramrit

Nourish Your Soul With Minestrone

November 3, 2012Leave a comment

This week has been incredibly intense. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. I feel immensely blessed that my family and friends are safe from harm and that we have our home, food and water.

On top of the craziness of this week, it has been COLD. Winter has come early and I am NOT ready. One of the only things I get excited about for the winter is the cooking. Winter time means feeding yourself with comforting foods. BUT! This year I am turning those overly fattening, hibernation-causing, overly-cheesy, super decadent winter foods into healthy, nutritious and DELICIOUS meals. One of the recipes I played with was a minestrone recipe from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust by Ina Garten. Of course, I always turn a recipe into my own to suit my vegan needs. Well, here it is. Enjoy!

What You Need:

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots (3 carrots)

2 cups (1/2 inch) diced celery (3 stalks)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 cup of purple kale, chopped (remove the spine and wash thoroughly)

1 large zucchini, sliced into half moons

26 ounces canned tomatoes (1 small can of whole peeled tomatoes, 1 large can roasted diced tomatoes)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked small pasta (you can cook it in the soup!)

8 to 10 ounces of fresh baby spinach (2 big handfuls)

6 cups of vegetable stock

1/2 cup dry white wine (or cooking wine)

2 tablespoons store-bought pesto (I got pesto paste- no cheese!- has more concentrated pesto flavor)

1 bay leaf

Salt, Pepper to taste

How To Make It:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme and cook until vegetables soften. Add zucchini and stir.

2. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaf, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and low the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender. 15 minutes into the simmering process add the kale, let it wilt slightly. Toss in pasta and allow to cook.

3. Disgard the bay leaf. Add the beans and heat through. Toss in spinach and stir in until leaves are wilted. Stir in white wine and pesto. Add another teaspoon or two of salt to taste.

4. Serve with your favorite crostini/bruschetta/croutons and ENJOY!

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

October 23, 2012Leave a comment

T’is the season for pumpkin (and pumpkin flavored everything). I love the comforting aspect of pumpkin. It makes me feel all warm and bubbly as I enjoy the fall and winter months. I combined two recipes and ended up with one amazing batch of pumpkin spice pancakes.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

What You Need:

1 & 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 c. coconut milk (or another nondairy milk)
1/2 cup organic 100% pure pumpkin purée (make sure it’s not pumpkin pie mix)
3 Tbs. maple syrup,(grade A, NO AUNT JEMIMA OR MRS. BUTTERSWORTH) plus extra for serving
Coconut oil

How You Make It:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add the milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and mix well. Add more milk for thinner pancakes, or more flour for thicker ones.

2. In a frying pan, drizzle a little coconut oil. Over medium heat, add batter (I like to use measuring cups- 1/2 cup) and flip when slightly bubbled on one side (about 1-2 minutes depending on your stove) and golden brown underneath. Cook other side until golden brown as well.

3. Serve with maple syrup, a little bit of cinnamon and vegan butter. Enjoy!