tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27700372076892297862024-03-05T19:03:56.049-05:00GO MAD FRESHmaking the switch to a veg lifeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435483527069569764noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2770037207689229786.post-71578909700362438122014-06-11T17:36:00.002-04:002014-06-11T17:48:08.270-04:00Living a Simpler Mantra - Limiting Choices<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtz96DJ_0mB-sMYFN9WgHn35M-wBRXR2_ve0h7QmTiejkzjvKevSHtPcMzqUzeUQ8OlU9It2atz4SMV3xjEB1xwiu6lLse3kmjfvPIJhuPNu3llkF6-HaJLSIW0u8OzvxraqXAFAz2VY/s1600/photofam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_787929="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtz96DJ_0mB-sMYFN9WgHn35M-wBRXR2_ve0h7QmTiejkzjvKevSHtPcMzqUzeUQ8OlU9It2atz4SMV3xjEB1xwiu6lLse3kmjfvPIJhuPNu3llkF6-HaJLSIW0u8OzvxraqXAFAz2VY/s1600/photofam.jpg" height="212" tta="true" width="320" /></a>I'm out to dinner with my Aunt and cousins in Arizona. Lately, I have been trying to live a simplicity based lifestyle and for the most part, I fall short of the goal, but I'm trying. The restaurant we go to is one I normally avoid. A glittering, monolith of post Y2K consumerism; a Cheesecake Factory. If you've ever been to a Cheesecake Factory you know the menu is extensive. Most of the stuff is filled with meat, cheese and generally things I am trying not to consume. As I peruse the menu, item after item of sumptuous, delectable artery cloggers call out to my former self to get me a gulping. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In April of this year though I made a decision that would limit the rest of my choices as long as I followed through. I went Vegan; or at least Vanessa went vegan and I am along for the ride. In all honesty, what started as a health based decision has turned into a quest to eliminate all animal products from our lives and it has a liberating effect on what we decide to eat and not eat. As well as what we wear and buy in a range of areas.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Becoming a vegan was not easy for me at first. We tried it a year ago, launched this blog and spent 3 months living vegan and suddenly crashed. Some dramatic life changes happened, including moving back to Alaska and now after settling back into our lives we are back to being vegan but with an important change. This time it's not just for us, it's for the animals. It started with health again but after doing some research and <a href="http://youtu.be/oDdlDYWG7no">watching some pretty gnarly movies </a>we are in it whole hog and Vanessa even ditched her makeup to get the cruelty free kind. And all of this has been intensely liberating. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">No cheese for me please!</td></tr>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Why liberating? Well one of the best hings about eating a plant centered diet is that it naturally limits your choices at restaurants and allows you to simplify your life on the quick. At the Cheesecake Factory there was exactly 1 item on the menu I could eat, and believe me I was glad to have it (though I did have to alter it and ask for it without cheese) a bean and farro based veggie burger was just what the doctor ordered. It took me 2 minutes to order dinner! It took the rest of our party far longer I can assure you. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So get a mantra going, a life simplifying mantra. I won't eat animals...does this decision make me a better person to be around? etc. Limiting choices is the first step to a simpler and better life. This blog is going to take on a new dimension too; I am trying to think of ways to incorporate outdoor activities, fitness, veganism and my overall goal to change my life for the better a part of this blog. So I guess it becomes part diary, part blog. I don't even know if anybody is reading but if you are and you are taking a similar journey, i'd love to connect and learn from your experience. Write me in the comments, hit me up on twitter (@tonyversandi or @GoMadFresh) and shoot me a link to your blog, i love learning more and meeting new like minded folks! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7K9SuB6lAA0cejkcQYd3LxnGaZKD8tQYly0qGT6t7Kry6lF2L7fOS73FfHAWCASzz7vgRPpBvABlWv0-Bk470hyphenhyphenDOHdzmt6n-3xoh8BnPKIrPvSbvkm1VWxp5-o66zIJv3xCP9Qu_Ms/s1600/Be-Kind-To-Animals-Bumper-Sticker-%25285834%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_24835="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7K9SuB6lAA0cejkcQYd3LxnGaZKD8tQYly0qGT6t7Kry6lF2L7fOS73FfHAWCASzz7vgRPpBvABlWv0-Bk470hyphenhyphenDOHdzmt6n-3xoh8BnPKIrPvSbvkm1VWxp5-o66zIJv3xCP9Qu_Ms/s1600/Be-Kind-To-Animals-Bumper-Sticker-%25285834%2529.jpg" height="200" tta="true" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Peace</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435483527069569764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2770037207689229786.post-47073736113284648552013-07-02T07:00:00.000-04:002013-07-02T07:00:07.903-04:00A Week of Pigging Out: Pizza, Pasta and Pancakes<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So this past week was a vacation week for Vanessa and
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of being good little newbie
vegans and living a plant based extravaganza, we went nuts the white way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The white flour way that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the last week was spent with pizza, pasta
and mad fresh pancakes…lots and lots of <a href="http://go-mad-fresh.blogspot.com/2013/06/vegan-pancakes-with-blueberry-compote.html">pancakes with drippy and sweet blueberry compote</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I don’t know what it
is but sometimes I can’t help myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Three days it seemed like we ate nothing but pasta…pasta with tomato
sauce with some bread crumbs and olive oil mixed in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With breaded fried eggplant; holy sweet lord
that was delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNUccg5LLjLPuCssaAY7-qiQGjDDkoV44BmalIQxHsTTTPY1rwDkeixdmSSM1-xPSZqvYIBZQhqCMxav1kGchduka8I2n0lOHd8qkijsEkpoNAtS1CN43Qt_xhdDKLdlignjgp4UAEds/s640/spaghetti+and+eggplant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNUccg5LLjLPuCssaAY7-qiQGjDDkoV44BmalIQxHsTTTPY1rwDkeixdmSSM1-xPSZqvYIBZQhqCMxav1kGchduka8I2n0lOHd8qkijsEkpoNAtS1CN43Qt_xhdDKLdlignjgp4UAEds/s200/spaghetti+and+eggplant.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything was
delicious and awesome but the one area that wasn’t kind to me was that damned
bathroom scale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started the week off
at 214 but ended the week at 215.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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All in all it wasn’t the end of the world but I have
definitely halted the excellent progress I made the previous month by eating
plant based and healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think
we did too much dessert but definitely went bananas with carbs…also with my
favorite peanut butter, banana and almond milk smoothies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what can you do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been good for a month but this past
vacation week we spent too much time at the beach and the boardwalk, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of our choices were clearly not vegan,
like TGI Fridays and pizza margherita with fresh mozzarella on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> We also took part in the classic boardwalk - deep fried oreos (not sure if they're vegan but clearly not healthy)</div>
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Obviously, I am still struggling with the designation
between Vegan, vegetarian and plant based.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I want to be vegan but have been having some major struggles, going so
far as to have some cheese this past week. Originally the only goal for me
personally was to switch to a plant based life but I felt guilty about it and
resolved not to try and be vegan. When we started we didn’t want to necessarily
make a political statement but to get healthier and more balanced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister is an ex-vegan (current lacto-ovo
vegetarian) that has encouraged us to look at the vegan lifestyle and it has
been good if not our original intention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The kindness to animals was supposed to be the happy byproduct of being
better to myself and my body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this
week wasn’t good on the food front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was still a fun week with good times and some good food…most of our food was
still vegan even if we had a few moments of weakness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next week should be more focused and more
vegan…I am ready for a mad-fresh week!<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435483527069569764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2770037207689229786.post-48720915347185835382013-06-30T10:40:00.001-04:002013-06-30T10:40:45.842-04:00Chipotle Again?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5yHy0dft3Lt_bkz6ZPsDP8kHZ7AmQP37D1Zx3U6v83gfGo13Tiy2QmAUq6w3TRHQp1ArZSA0Cib-7ubCCFDzkJIU9rDDoo-5tZu9VLYN_9MWyfzJZa9iOYqNXrwAN42A3Gyeu-_jZ3s/s390/chipotlelogopromo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5yHy0dft3Lt_bkz6ZPsDP8kHZ7AmQP37D1Zx3U6v83gfGo13Tiy2QmAUq6w3TRHQp1ArZSA0Cib-7ubCCFDzkJIU9rDDoo-5tZu9VLYN_9MWyfzJZa9iOYqNXrwAN42A3Gyeu-_jZ3s/s320/chipotlelogopromo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Vanessa and I have been going through a repeat performance lately revolving around where to dine out. Now it's hard because we have been trying to save money and have not wanted to spend a lot of dough at restaurants but we do love restaurants and since going vegan it has become harder and harder to find good places to go. So we usually end up at <a href="http://www.chipotle.com/">Chipotle</a>. The vegetarian burrito bowl with all the goodies (no cheese or sour cream of course) is by far the easiest and tastiest vegetarian option so of course we end up there constantly. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With corn salsa and guacamole - yum!</td></tr>
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However, we also have a daily debate about trying to go somewhere else so last night we went to <a href="http://www.smashburger.com/">Smashburger</a>. Of course being brand new vegans we had a very limited selection but since we go through the consistent debate of "chipotle again?!?" and Smashburger is literally right next door to Chipotle in our neighborhood. So we tried it...<br />
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...and were disappointed. The only thing we could really have were "Spicy Black-Bean Burgers," which I have made homemade plenty of times and have been enjoying thoroughly. We faced a barrage of questions relating to our desire to leave off the pepper jack. The cashier responded with: "you don't want cheese on any of your burgers?!?" As if we had ordered 20 instead of 2. But I have been getting used to the quizzical looks of people who don't understand my new found rejection of dairy, but what I can't get used to yet is how some restaurants just don't care about this customer segment. The product which I tried to enjoy was here:<br />
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The burger patty was dry and not flavorful...there was a very petite dollop of guacamole and some vegetables that looked sad indeed. In addition the smash fries were very oily and not good. Vanessa didn't even finish hers and I had a stomach ache afterwards. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGW1bpYk_0PPctXC7YqCBCJmGFscaU4F0A1l4vk4lEZF2QUD76RP2Q96Ozf_8DJABVvyvEFVuk8n228255EOYC2_H_b25EBkN3P5vj9U-7kFvFohyphenhyphenzbk8lo6EdMAQ8gEY4m1xg3g3IH4/s1600/2013-06-30T10-30-28_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGW1bpYk_0PPctXC7YqCBCJmGFscaU4F0A1l4vk4lEZF2QUD76RP2Q96Ozf_8DJABVvyvEFVuk8n228255EOYC2_H_b25EBkN3P5vj9U-7kFvFohyphenhyphenzbk8lo6EdMAQ8gEY4m1xg3g3IH4/s320/2013-06-30T10-30-28_9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A couple days later I made this masterpiece veggie burger at home and enjoyed it thoroughly:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V-xvAUxCQlYmBWzggFHzu6T79wl9WlDxKys8_y-7RVDJUBnQpBaM2B1fJKSh_RGC4VqgBvzlSQHbz0Qb51y7u5vQn4DxQITcMT776aNgFvpPKeyWep2f_nTWvhzP7fZcS4in3PfYHQw/s1600/2013-06-30T10-30-28_19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4V-xvAUxCQlYmBWzggFHzu6T79wl9WlDxKys8_y-7RVDJUBnQpBaM2B1fJKSh_RGC4VqgBvzlSQHbz0Qb51y7u5vQn4DxQITcMT776aNgFvpPKeyWep2f_nTWvhzP7fZcS4in3PfYHQw/s320/2013-06-30T10-30-28_19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So to recap I would not recommend Smashburger for you Vegans out there, and for the time being whenever we want to go out it will be a resounding...Chipotle again!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435483527069569764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2770037207689229786.post-34967942760039177932013-06-25T09:52:00.000-04:002013-07-02T06:49:37.393-04:00What’s up with brown food?<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 1pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr><w:sdt docpart="26D3D06953B84F7B977E9BB02BAE4CE6" id="89512082" storeitemid="X_5F329CAD-B019-4FA6-9FEF-74898909AD20" text="t" title="Post Title" xpath="/ns0:BlogPostInfo/ns0:PostTitle"></w:sdt></span>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week on Father's Day, Vanessa and I went to my
grandparents’ house for a BBQ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
Mother’s Day last month, we have learned to bring our own “gear” to family dinners: black
bean salad, homemade hummus, corn chips, carrots, celery, black bean burgers
and whole wheat pitas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interesting
enough, we noticed that the family was eating brown food. Nothing consisted of
any color. The hotdogs, chicken and hamburgers. Everything was brown besides
the American cheese and ketchup, which as we know is only artificially
colored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuseoeixRP0pVQrc4djnO-IQ7DQjPzwJzuguBlrvHOcA-vpLP-WjJSdmAQStO14bYOctF-0iuOEUU1nBz5qvNrzm1LWsQSq_6MeVEoD7EvpGjDRQOb8xsL4LFf61xWaCmO89272z5CMUI/s1600/BBQ-collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuseoeixRP0pVQrc4djnO-IQ7DQjPzwJzuguBlrvHOcA-vpLP-WjJSdmAQStO14bYOctF-0iuOEUU1nBz5qvNrzm1LWsQSq_6MeVEoD7EvpGjDRQOb8xsL4LFf61xWaCmO89272z5CMUI/s400/BBQ-collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not much color here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>How is that good? It certainly
doesn’t look appealing compared to what Vanessa and I brought with us. Besides
the beans and pitas, all of the food we brought with us is naturally
colorful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess color doesn’t matter
in regards to taste. Who really cares if our black bean salad with tomatoes,
cilantro and corn is prettier than a piece of grilled chicken?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, after eating veg for a month, my
eyes are still drawn to my veggies, black bean salad and roasted pepper hummus.
That looks like food. Everyone tried our black bean salad, hummus and veggies,
and loved it, but also loved the brown food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dessert was also interesting. A couple of my aunts brought dessert. Blueberry pie, éclairs,
cookies, and an Oreo cream cake. Oh boy! In the past, I certainly would have tried
a little of each. It was quite a spread like it normally is at family
gatherings. This time was obviously different since I’m trying to lose 40 lbs.
and trying eliminate the possibility of ever having to prick myself in the
finger every day for the rest of my life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother who is looking to surgically remove
85% of her stomach to shed her lb’s brought a huge bowl of fruit salad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is supporting my choice to go veg, since I
have dropped a bowling ball’s worth of fat and couldn’t be happier. No whipped
cream in this fruit salad, just chopped up watermelon, grapes, blueberries and
strawberries. I pigged out. At least two or three helpings. Completely
satisfied. Didn’t even miss the other stuff. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom also enjoyed the fruit salad, as did
mostly everyone, but also enjoyed a little each of the brown desserts on the
table. Insane!!! What is up with people and brown food? Let’s move on from the
brown food, and on to the prettier, mad fresher food!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Mom’s Favorite Mad Fresh Bean Salad Recipe:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">(Recipe inspired by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forks Over Knives</i>
cookbook with some variations)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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2 - 16oz. cans black beans (thoroughly rinsed and drained)<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 - Red Onion chopped<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 – bunch Cilantro chopped<o:p></o:p></div>
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16 0z Frozen Corn (about 2 cups or so)<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 chopped pepper (red or orange)<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 Roma Tomatoes chopped<o:p></o:p></div>
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Zest and juice of ½ lime<o:p></o:p></div>
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3 TBSP of balsamic vinegar<o:p></o:p></div>
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Combine all of the vegetables and then zest and juice the
lime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the vinegar and a little more
to taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The corn will quickly defrost
and give you a lovely spring salad!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435483527069569764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2770037207689229786.post-39894552382834123382013-06-22T20:30:00.001-04:002013-06-26T10:07:06.875-04:00Vegan Pancakes with Blueberry Compote<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQtBDfpMwxWRJtAWSVcvZabvnEGYqCIT3CxXpoqOyUifk0OQ80mfGU3MbtHbvzByvdQIm1efy9CgCwDp0J53SL-Xu0THRkHAvLnbBpDa0gcDcLb0d4zYM27UtfinTl3-nTFCTE689iME/s640/blogger-image-2033460591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQtBDfpMwxWRJtAWSVcvZabvnEGYqCIT3CxXpoqOyUifk0OQ80mfGU3MbtHbvzByvdQIm1efy9CgCwDp0J53SL-Xu0THRkHAvLnbBpDa0gcDcLb0d4zYM27UtfinTl3-nTFCTE689iME/s640/blogger-image-2033460591.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sunday mornings for Vanessa and I were always a treasure trove of pancakes, eggs and bacon; lots and lots of bacon! But since going veg last month we have been searching for new options for our Sunday morning breakfasts and this past week was no different. So we made these beautiful vegan pancakes with blueberry compote...delicious! No eggs, no butter. Instead of butter we used some organic smart balance(100% vegan) and in place of an egg we used half a banana. To tell you the truth I think I might like these pancakes better than the old ones with egg and butter. To make it even healthier use whole wheat flour and leave out the vegetable oil, but these are pretty sweet as is! </div>
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These pancakes were delicious and healthy, a real treat!</div>
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1 & 1/4 cup flour</div>
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1/2 banana (as egg replacer)</div>
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1 cup almond milk</div>
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2 TBSP vegetable oil (optional)</div>
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2 TBSP baking powder</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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Combine wet ingredients and the add dry with whisk being careful not to over mix. If you leave out oil add some water if the batter is too thick.</div>
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Blueberry Compote</div>
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1 small tray of blueberries rinsed</div>
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1 TBSP sugar</div>
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Water</div>
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Put blueberries and sugar in small saucepan and cover with water. Boil stirring occasionally and then lower heat until thick.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435483527069569764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2770037207689229786.post-55488672005504817802013-06-18T19:12:00.000-04:002013-06-26T10:06:47.079-04:00Flipping the Switch: Meatballs and Sausage to Blackbean Burgers<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beginnings are hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At first it seems like every decision is impossibly difficult,
especially when it comes to being a vegan or vegetarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vanessa and I had arguments over whether to
buy crackers that had a label which stated “produced on machinery which make
contain traces of dairy products.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Agony. This is never going to last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But let me back up…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the first 30 ½ years of my life I was the poster boy of
spaghetti and meatballs Italian-American. Typical Sunday dinners consisted of
veal scaloppini, at least three or four meatballs and of course rigatoni with
tomato sauce covered in my favorite Romano cheese.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmSSlpOxwF0aTUmQcSfQRSd12T31GxvZgsHK7CER1UxAKHUw7qotS4RDF7I-STD3BoiThtwfJ36lAfGbNWBlxFBIgF8ZRvXk6DIoI0a9sBDDMy6eUYQzxWPGxfsBGKv6g1Kp5wJWhq4w/s1600/spaghetti-meatballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmSSlpOxwF0aTUmQcSfQRSd12T31GxvZgsHK7CER1UxAKHUw7qotS4RDF7I-STD3BoiThtwfJ36lAfGbNWBlxFBIgF8ZRvXk6DIoI0a9sBDDMy6eUYQzxWPGxfsBGKv6g1Kp5wJWhq4w/s200/spaghetti-meatballs.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Halfway through, I’d throw
on more cheese. I couldn’t enjoy every bite unless I could taste the
cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to my usual Sunday
dinners, I loved (and still love) sausage and pepper sandwiches, baked ziti,
pepperoni, provolone and of course pizza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lunches normally consisted of leftovers, a bagel with cream cheese, a double
cheeseburger off the dollar menu, or a grilled stuffed burrito from Taco Bell. The
results were clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in firm
possession of a body like Tony from the Sopranos where fitness seemed like a
long ago childhood memory. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The funny
thing is I wanted to lose weight, so I’d cut down for a couple of weeks after I
lost a couple of pounds, but then go back to McDonalds when I didn’t know what
to have for lunch. Ahhh it’s only 400 calories for my favorite double
cheeseburger, and it’s only a dollar. I’ll go on a walk later, and it’ll be all
good according to my fitness pal app.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Usually the walks would be once, but twice a week, and maybe I could
have just maintain my weight from getting past 230 lbs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A change was in order.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Vanessa needs were not quite as dramatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was in the healthy BMI range without
exercising and had no obvious food issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, just below the surface was a raging sugar and caffeine addict
that best not be messed with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
morning was met with coffee and bizarre combinations of artificial sweeteners
and cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A night without dessert was
met with sighs of disappointment and a late night run for a pre-sliced piece of
carrot cake that would only be half eaten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe we could both benefit from a switch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not sure exactly what did it but on Mother’s Day Vanessa
and I watched the movie <em>Forks Over
Knives,</em>
and decided to try a plant based diet for two weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I felt embarrassed to think about how simple
it might be to improve my life and how blind I had been in the previous years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it be that dairy was causing some of
weight issues?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well somehow I had
managed to ignore the fact that every time I spent an evening pigging out on
pizza I would spend the next day within walking distance of the toilet as my
gut did not agree with that much cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So for 14 days we went along and ate vegetables, grains, legumes and all
natural whole foods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt like
eternity, but for the entire time; no bloating, no diarrhea and no hunger
cravings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as a nice bonus I lost 8
pounds without counting a single calorie<em>.<o:p></o:p></em></span> </div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The journey had just begun…to go mad fresh!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
</div>
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