21 Day Vegan Challenge

So, I decided that I would just test the waters and see if I could do the vegan thing without becoming completely overwhelmed and stressed out. I found the challenge as a link on the website that sends me news and information about my adopted turkey, Payton, and how his friends at the Farm Sanctuary are doing. (One link was to a video message from some gal named Lisa, I think -- I was kind of disinterested in her and what she had to say after seeing all the ADORABLE animals running around in the snow.)*insert moment of silence to reflect on the cuteness of chubby little pigs and hefty cattle running amok -- awwwhhhh!!!* OK!!! Back on topic -- I clicked on the website for the PCRM, which is the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. They showed a 21 day plan for establishing better eating habits and it just happened to be a vegan diet. They even give you a 21 day menu, making it super simple, and allows for leftovers, which is a dream come true for me and my "I hate getting up at five am so I can get my lunch ready for school." (Even though, I have been known to do that on several occasions.)

I have discussed my issues with food in prior posts, and this will maybe alleviate some of that stress, or it could make it a million times worse. Today was a pretty good day. I ate three completely vegan meals and I feel really good right now compared to what I felt like this morning. I ate a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't have over the holidays and my system is kinda paying for it now. But it will all be okay!! :)

So, here is what I ate today. Honestly, it wasn't that far off of what I normally eat, so I feel confident in saying that it might be a lot easier than I thought. And, this wasn't even the proposed menu. It's just stuff I had at the house, and it will just have to make do for a while, because I am poor & don't get pd til January 26th (sad face!!!)

Breakfast: small bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with dried cranberries, 4 oz. orange juice & 1 cutie clementine

Lunch: 1 can of Amy's Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup (which costs like 4 dollars at Brookshire's -- I won't be eating that a lot, but oh my goodness, it is worth it because not only is it completely vegan, it tastes flippin' amazing!!!)

I had NO chocolate on my break at work -- YAY for me!! In fact, I had a very nice chat with the sweet custodian lady and that totally kept my mind off my snacking and I really wasn't even hungry anyways.

Dinner: Thin spaghetti with asparagus, purple onion, minced garlic, black olives and sun-dried tomatoes. I sauteed the veggies in a little bit of olive oil. I was super proud of myself because I didn't add any salt to it at all!! I just put in a little black pepper. It was good, a little bland, but good.

I just drank water and tea -- in fact I did the green tea and some dandelion root tea, which is "supposed" to be a detoxifier. I didn't add stevia or anything else. I didn't even miss my morning coffee.

Now, I want to make clear that this is not a resolution by any means. I would have done this regardless of what time of year it was. So, with that in mind, maybe I won't be like the 80% of people who fail to be successful in their resolutions. I think I have even talked my mama and daddy into doing it as well. They take a lot of medications, I really believe if they cut out a lot of the foods they eat, they would feel better and be able to get off those meds.

So, I will let you know how it goes in the next few days!! :)

The Messy Chef

I found this recipe on Pinterest last night and decided to make it. It is a pumpkin bonanza at my house these days!! It just looked so easy and I had all of the ingredients on hand, except for the cake mix. So, after church this morning, I picked one up at Brookshire's.  It cost me a whole 2.63 plus tax. This is about the cheapest recipe I have made all year!

I was going to take a picture first before I started, but I forgot, as I was trying to start laundry and defrost the salmon for lunch. I did get a pic of the afterwards. I will just admit that I have always been a messy cooker. :) For the longest time, my mom and I made a deal that if I would cook supper then she would clean up. It worked out for both of us because I love to cook & hate to clean and she was working and too tired to cook ususally. See -- getting along is all about compromise, lol!!!


Well, here is the recipe and the cake before it cooked and after. I made some adjustments in that I used chocolate fudge cake instead of yellow. We aren't big cake eaters here and dislike yellow cake at that. But, we can eat the heck out of some chocolate. Also, I put some ginger snap cookies in the food processor and used that instead of graham crackers. And, we don't like toffee, so I left that off as well. I honestly don't think it would be as good if we had used the yellow cake mix anyway, And, it really needed some vanilla ice cream to top it off. But regardless, it was great!

PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
1 10oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup coarsly chopped graham crackers or pecans
1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine. Pour into your prepared pan. Sprinkle your entire box of cake mix on top, followed by your graham crackers and toffee chips. Pour your melted butter evenly on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes until center is set and edges are lightly browned.

Precooking

Postcooking

The Mess!

(some of that stuff I didn't even use for the dump cake -- I bought the frosting and the bread pans for something else)

Granny's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This is a recipe handed down from my great grandmother to my mom to me. It has been a while since we made it, but it is very, very tasty!

1/2 cups margarine or butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can pineapple, drained
walnut halves
maraschino cherries
1 package (18.5 oz) yellow cake mix with pudding

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat margarine in a 13X9X2 pan in oven until melted. Sprinkle brown sugar over margarine . Arrange pineapple on top. Decorate with walnut halves and cherries. Prepare cake mix as directed and pour batter over pineapple in pan. Bake until cake springs back when touched lightly in center, about 45 to 55 minutes. Immediately invert pan on heat proof serving platter. Remove pan; cool cake completely. Top each serving with sweetened whipped cream if desired.