Vegan Baking

I've been dabbling in vegan baking. Last week I made a vegan cinnamon cake and Guinness brownies. They were both sooo good, so I got a little adventurous today and made chocolate avocado cupcakes with vegan buttercream (1 cup of vegan margarine, 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons of almond milk, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla). They were the most delicious thing I have ever baked. Ever. We are not vegan, but do want to watch our cholesterol and fat intake. Nathan's dad died when he was young due to a heart attack, and I have heart disease in my family. I also want to reach my ideal weight by the end of the year, so we are introducing more vegan meals and keeping up the exercise. Stay healthy, friends.

Gun control, stress eating, and other rants.

So I'm feeling some stress tonight. First off, I have seen several posts on Facebook and elsewhere talking about how Sandy Hook was a hoax or conspiracy by the Obama administration to get people riled up about gun control... Are you fucking kidding me? Seriously? Lots of people died, most of them small children and you are going off on crazy rants? I guess there is a 30 minute video to go along with this, but I have a life and no time to watch a 30 minute gun crazy circle jerk. No one is coming to take away all of the guns.  We just want the rules that we have to be enforced and some new ones to be made to make these massacres less frequent. Someone posted a comment to the video in question saying that if Vicki Soto would have had a gun, the whole thing could have been stopped. This makes me rage on a whole new level. My little sister is a first year teacher, and the picture that really made Sandy Hook hit home to me was the picture of Vicki's sister waiting to hear of her fate. I feel like Vicki could have been my sister, as I know Angela would do the same thing in that situation. And the thought of her carrying a gun to school makes me so angry. A hand gun would have done nothing. The guy was wearing a bullet proof vest and had an automatic weapon. He would have gotten off 10 shots before she drew the gun anyway. Enough about guns...

I have been under some stress for the past few days, and I find it fascinating how my reaction to stress has changed. I used to curl up into a ball, smoke 10 cigarettes, and eat $20 worth of Taco Bell by myself. Now, I did just send Nathan for some volcano nachos, but I also went for a run tonight. I crave exercise now instead of cigarettes or tons of food. I'm still letting myself eat what I want, just lesser quantities. My goal is to maintain my weight and keep working out while I'm so stressed.

Am I a Crunchy Geek, Too?

So I married a geek. Like one that loves Star Trek, Doctor Who, and is a programmer/IT guy. I've always loved Star Wars and horror, but for many years, avoided anything that would make me seem like a dork. Finally when I hit my early 20's (after being married for several years!), I started to give new sci-fi a chance. I started with Firefly and really enjoyed it. 

Nathan finally had me watch Battlestar Galactica. I highly recommend this series for any sci-fi fan, especially those into apocalyptic fiction. I became obsessed with the characters. I even got people at work into the show. After I watched the entire series in an embarassingly short period of time, Nathan got me to watch Doctor Who. I've managed to avoid some of the Star Trek movies and have only watched a handful of Star Trek episodes. 

I prefer post apocalyptic sci-fi to the hopeful universe Star Trek embodies. Probably because I'm more of a horror fan anyway. I love zombies. I love fast (Danny Boyle) zombies. I love 28 Days Later. I do appreciate the shamblers, but they don't terrify the way the sprinters do. I think part of the reason I started running was so I would be in shape for the zombie apocalypse, but as of my Zombie Buffet 5k in October, I failed miserably. I was "dead" by the quarter mile mark. (Note to file: I don't really believe the zombie apocalypse is coming)

I know being a geek isn't about the shows we watch. I also love science. I'm a vet tech because I love medicine. I love cooking because I love chemistry. 

I spent many years denying myself of things that I would enjoy because I thought I would be labeled in a certain way. How silly is that? I guess I will spend my time being a crunchy geek then.

Noms

One of my favorite parts of the week is meal planning. I lay in bed with my dogs and turn on one of my shows (usually Grey's Anatomy!), and start my weekly recipe search. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am mostly vegetarian. I do it for health reasons and the ethical and environmental implications are a bonus. My body simply feels better when I don't eat meat. 

My weekly staple is nachos. On Monday nights, Nathan and I take our break from the gym and have a date night to start the week. I make my nachos with black and pinto beans, cantina chips, whatever cheese I have on hand, red onions, jalapenos, and guacamole. We always look forward to nacho nights!

I like to try at least two new recipes per week and the rest are old recipes. I also make at least 3 meals during a marathon cooking session on Sundays to avoid eating out during the week. It saves so many calories and so much cash! 

My goal for 2013 is to eat more real foods. I would like to hit my "goal weight" by the end of the year, so maintaining my fitness and diet will be important. Anyone have any good vegetarian recipes?

Note: My sister, Angela, told me that I should explain what "crunchy" means. I use crunchy as granola aka "hippie." I don't consider myself a hippie, but crunchy has been used to describe me by several people, and I kind of like it! 

Have a happy Friday!

Introduction

In October of 2010, I was miserable. I stepped on the scale and weighed 273 lbs. This was only a symptom of deeper problems. My husband had been laid off of work for two years, I hated who I was, I was depressed and not sleeping well, and food was the only comfort.  I ridiculed myself daily and I was at war with my body.  

I couldn’t believe I had “let myself” get to that weight. I saw a doctor and was originally prescribed Adipex. I quickly dropped 25 lbs and taught myself about portion control by tracking my calories. I started to speak to myself as I would speak to a friend. I stopped seeing the doctor after she suggested a radical diet. Over the next year, I steadily dropped another 15 lbs by calorie counting alone. But I wasn’t watching the types of foods I was putting into my body.

In September 2011, I became a (mostly) vegetarian after many years of consideration. I feel so much better when I don’t eat meat, and my rosacea cleared up. I still have so much fun searching for recipes and creating my own dishes.

In April 2012, I took some time off from focusing on my weight loss to quit smoking. In the summer of 2012, I joined a gym and started training for a 5k. I never thought of myself as a runner, but here I am, running at least once a week now that the 5k is over and done.  I go to the gym three to five times weekly, and I recently added in strength training.

The difference you can see is that I’ve lost 55 lbs. I still have about 45 lbs to my personal “goal.” What you may be able to see is that I am more confident and I smile more. What you can’t see is that my whole outlook on life is different. My marriage is better. I’m a better vet tech. I’m a better pet-mom. Everything in my life, I do a little (or a lot) better. The difference that you can’t see is that I speak kindly to myself every day. I thank my body. I poke my muscles that I never knew I could have. I accidently took a picture of my thighs at the gym, and while I was browsing through my phone later, I had no idea they were mine until I saw the shoes. I am continually amazed by what my body can do and will do.