The Low Carb Blues

So you've heard me mention a few times about having to eat "low carb" for a bit. I'm incredibly lucky in that my place of work has a wellness center, fully staffed with physicians, nutritionists, massage therapist, etc. I know- it's ridiculous! And it makes it so easy to get an annual physical, complete with a round of blood work. So that's exactly what I did a few weeks ago. The good news is that (other than having gained about 10 pounds), I'm really healthy! With one exception, of course. My blood sugar tested at an elevated level, so the dr. recommended another (more thorough) test. For the second time, it showed elevated levels. It's possible that it could be associated with my weight gain, though I'm still within normal parameters for my height. There could be other explanations, and I'm working on getting those checked out as well. But the bottom line is I can do immediate things to help get it back to normal, and that means reducing my carb intake and losing weight. Shoot me now.

If you know me at all, you know that bread and cheese are just about my two favorite foods. While I don't eat a lot of white bread/pasta/rice, I do probably consume more carbs than I should. So I decided to meet with the nutritionist on staff to get some guidance. She had great things to say about some of the things that I was eating, but said that if I could lower my daily carb intake to 40-45% of my diet, and consistently exercise 5 days a week, then my weight would be back to "normal" in no time at all.

I've been working really hard these past 2 weeks to meal plan, exercise, and stay consistent with a well rounded diet- and it's starting to pay off. I've already lost 3 pounds!! For someone who tries to eat vegan about 80% of the time, I've had to add in low fat dairy to replace some of the more "carby" things that I was eating. I've also been more conscious about fruits and starchy vegetables, and have tried to add as much green leafy things as I can stomach. It's not easy, but the key to being successful is to plan, plan, plan!

Below are just a few of the meals that I have in rotation, so I'm not having to reinvent the wheel on a regular basis.

Breakfast:

0% fat greek yogurt with berries and ground flax seeds

Egg whites and spinach on Ezekiel toast, with a little hot sauce on top

Green smoothie

Lunch:

Veggies, tofu and hummus, oh my!

Chopped spinach salad with a cauliflower pizza bite

Egg whites with spinach, tomatoes, kale and a babybel
(trying to clean out the fridge at the end of the week)

Dinner:

Tofu and kale tacos with avocado

Okra and spaghetti squash with avocado cream

Black bean and kale tacos. Maybe not the most "low carb",
but they still kept me within 40-45% for the day

I know several people who are either getting ready for a wedding, or just trying to reshape their overall health. What are your tips/tricks for staying on track?

Lunch in a Box: Curried Salad with Egg and Cashew, and Cauliflower Pizza Bites

This weekend I researched the heck out of vegetarian, low-carb recipes. And while the title of this particular lunch sounds really odd, it's packed with lots of good (and good for you) food that just happens to be low carb. I spent a reasonable amount of time menu planning, but didn't want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen prepping food for the week. So I found a few interesting salad ideas, and some easy to put together dinners, and headed off to HEB with my list. What I thought would only be about a $70 grocery bill turned into $128 by the time I checked out. It just kills me how expensive it is to eat healthy, fresh food. About 3/4 of my cart was filled with produce, and the rest was things like tofu, fish, coffee, cat litter, and a few bathroom items. I can't imagine how expensive it must be to buy groceries for more than 2 people. But we do prepare breakfast/lunch/dinner at least 4 days out of the week, so in reality that comes out to about $5 per person, per meal. I guess it's not so bad when you look at it that way.

But..back to my lunch. I found the recipes for the Curried Salad with Egg & Cashew on the Eating Well website (a current selection for our cookbook club), and the recipe for the gluten free Cauliflower Pizza Bites on the Damy Health website. I'm interested in trying a few of the other cauliflower recipes on her site, as it's a great way to sneak in some serious fiber in your diet. Plus, it masks the taste that I'm not a huge fan of.

For the salad, I used the following ingredients:

1 cup spinach
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1-inch piece of cucumber, chopped (with skin on)
1-inch piece of celery, chopped
2 T cashews, lightly toasted on the stove
1 hard boiled egg
2 T dressing (I used 1 T. of real mayo in place of the 1/2 cup of low fat)
**I omitted the cranberries because of carb count


For the cauliflower pizza bites, I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. But the only hot sauce I had was Valentina's Mexican hot sauce, which apparently is loaded with calories. So for the next batch I'll use something else like Cholula or Tabasco. Other than being a little messy (I had grated cauliflower everywhere), these were really easy to make. And now that I know they are worth the effort, I'll make a double batch to freeze the next time. I paired it with some spicy red pepper pasta sauce that I had in the pantry, and it made for a satisfying side dish to the salad.

I've been using the LoseIt app to track calories and carb percentages for each day, and my goal each day is for my overall carb percentage to be under 45%. Right now I'm at 34% (that's including all the meals I plan on eating today), so I'm doing really well. But it's really hard to feel full when all you're eating is salad, which is why I like these Cauliflower Bites so much. It feels like I'm eating something starchy when I'm really not!

Is there anyone else who is watching their carb intake, and have found any go-to recipes that you really love?! It has been a bit of a struggle for me, considering how much I love all things bread, but I'm slowly making progress.

Tone It Up!

So the wedding countdown is in full swing, with barely a month to go until we say "I Do". Thankfully, my dress makes me feel awesome. But really, I haven't been feeling so awesome about my body lately. I've put on weight, and lost a lot of my tone. It's not totally out of control, but definitely to the point that I need to do something about it. There's no better time than now to kick my butt into high gear and do my best to shape up a little.

My sister-in-law has raved about the Tone It Up plan, and I have to admit that the social community aspect of it is definitely a draw for me. There are Instagrams, Pinterest pins, and Twitter posts galore around work-outs and healthy meals. It's not so much about dieting as it is about a healthy lifestyle. So I decided to bite the bullet and give it a (modified) try. I still try to eat a hybrid vegan/vegetarian diet, so knew I would need to make a few adjustments. More than anything, I was hoping to find more motivation to fit in regular work-outs and more protein, fruits and vegetables into my daily meals.

I downloaded the meal plans and recipes, and did my best to wrap my head around how to make it work. Careful planning and preparation are key! I definitely have to map out what I'm eating, and when, so that I have everything I need. So far, it's helped add a better variety to my daily breakfast, and cut down on some of the carbs that we eat at night. I've lost a few pounds, and think that if I can ramp up my work-outs (that's where I've been slacking the most), I might be able to make some really good improvements.

The plan consists of a morning "booty call" (no, not THAT kind of booty call!) It's a 30 minute work out to get your heart rate going for the day. You can do cardio, a HIIT routine....really anything that gets you moving. You also eat  5 meals a day (2 of those are snack sized), and then try to add additional weight training and cardio throughout. Katrina and Karena (the Tone It Up girls) are always sending out motivational emails, links to new work outs, and healthy recipe ideas. They are so personable that they really make you feel like you're BFFs. I've really enjoyed making some adjustments, and slowly seeing results. Below are some of the meals that I've had over the past two weeks.

M1 (meal 1) usually consists of greek yogurt with fruit and ground flax seed, egg whites cooked with spinach and served over a piece of toast (with hot sauce, or course) or a protein pancake or waffle made with Perfect Fit Protein Powder. My favorite combo was yogurt, fresh pineapple and mint. Yum!!

Meal 1

M2 and M4 are the "snack" meals, usually consisting of fresh fruit, coconut water, and sometimes a protein smoothie (made with almond milk) in the afternoon. That definitely helps me get from lunch to dinner without feeling hunger pains. I also drink a ton of water throughout the day, so it's nice to have a little flavor from something like coconut water or hot tea.

Meals 2 and 4

M3 (lunch) is usually the same thing- some variation of a salad with tofu. I need to work a little harder on putting together some better things. There are a few wraps from the TIU meal plan that I could easily make- I just need to find a better tasting substitute for a collard green (what they use as the "wrap"). My first attempt was not too appetizing. I will say that I found the most amazing salad dressing, and it totally made my lunch for a whole week! I used it on a very small serving of whole wheat noodles, topped with spinach, chopped veggies, and teriyaki marinated tofu. Click on this link for the Grapefruit Sriracha Vinaigrette.

Spinach and noodle salad with Grapefruit-Sriracha Vinaigrette

Last but not least- M5 is something moderately easy to put together. I'm so tired of getting home from work and spending an hour (or more) making dinner. My recent go-to has been these Quinoa Cakes topped with spinach pesto, or cilantro chutney sauce (so spicy, and so good!) I can make these on Sunday and eat them throughout the week. I just add some steamed veggies, and Hank cooks a piece of fish for himself.

Quinoa Cake with pesto, and a kale/strawberry salad on the side.

Has anyone else given the Tone It Up plan a try? Would love to hear any success stories, motivation tips, etc.

Weekly Meal Plan: 1/13

It's been awhile since I've put together a weekly meal plan. I saw some interesting recipes on the Zite app this morning, and it prompted me to put something together. We're leaving for vacation on Friday, so I wanted to eat "clean" for the week before heading to paradise- otherwise known as Nevis.
One of my goals this year is to work on developing my own recipes that can be used to make easy, healthy lunches. I love using fresh ingredients, and know that I can probably put a few good things together. But for now, I'm fine with piggy-backing off the hard work of others.

You'll notice that all of our meals are vegetarian (and vegan if I can make it happen). We rarely eat meat in our household. I am conscience about making sure that we have enough protein in our meals, and find that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables ensures that you get all the nutrients and good stuff that your body needs. You'll also see a few "free" meals- planning 5 full lunches and dinners is a lot of work, and I think it's important to allow yourself a break here and there.

When making my plan, I usually pick 2-3 items that I can make ahead of time and then use throughout the week. I also like recipes that make for good leftovers. When you're only cooking for two, it's easy to make sure there's enough left for lunch the next day.

A sampling of some of the items I made today to last us for the week.

A picture of our pizza ready to go into the oven- until we
realized the igniter needed to be replaced. Bummer.

Sunday dinner: Sweet Potato & Kale Pesto Pizza

Monday lunch: Quinoa Sweet Cakes and Creamy Tahini Kale salad on the side (with fresh fruit)

Monday dinner: Leftover 3 Bean Chili (from the freezer) with balsamic roasted brussels sprouts

Tuesday lunch: free lunch

Tuesday dinner: Butternut Squash Soup (my own recipe- see below) with Farro and Kale Salad

Wednesday lunch: Leftover soup and salad, with fresh fruit on the side

Wednesday dinner: Tofu with Peanut Ginger Sauce and broccoli, served over whole wheat noodles

Thursday lunch: Quinoa sweet cakes and kale (same as Monday)

Thursday dinner: free night (we'll likely get take-out as we'll be busy packing for the trip)


I spent about 4 hours in the kitchen on Sunday, making as much as I could so that I would only have to heat up dinner. The only thing I'll need to cook is the tofu dish on Thursday. We had the football games on, and Hank cleaned the house while I cooked in the kitchen. That arrangement works just fine for me! I really enjoy days when I have the time to do this.

Does anyone else plan out your meals for the week? I'd love to hear any tips and tricks you use for making it easier.


Butternut Squash Soup
(makes about 6 servings)

1/2 white onion, chopped
1 carton organic butternut squash (already peeled and chopped from Costco, $4)
1 T chopped thyme
1 tsp red curry paste (use more or less depending on how much heat you like)
1 container low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup low-fat coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions in a tiny bit of oil until soft. Add squash and thyme, and continue to cook and stir occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup. I like to make this at least one day ahead, as it gives the flavors a chance to come together.