Veggie Bee

I’m starting a new exercise challenge this month, courtesy of Roni’s Weigh. Yes, in addition to the vegan challenge with Vegan Hope! It must just feel like a good time to restart and recommit after the crazy schedule of summer.

So the challenge includes push ups, sit-ups (crunches) and squats. Click on the links below to find out more about how to do your initial test and definitely check out the “What is a…” section for proper form. I had David watch me doing the pushups and my form was way off! I completed the initial tests for the push ups and sit-ups but I’m going to wait until next week to start the squats since I’m running the Disneyland Half Marathon on Sunday. My legs need all the extra strength they can get!

My initial results:

100 push ups

Rank: 3 - 15 push ups (adjusted for proper form)

200 Sit-ups

Rank: Average - 40

200 Squats

Rank: TBD

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Wow, I have some work to do on push ups and sit-ups… Wish me luck for the half marathon, it’s going to be a fun weekend! Have a lovely & wonderful weekend!

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I had intended to chop up the romaine I had in the fridge and have a huge, yummy salad for lunch before I went into the office. But I lollygagged too long and had to grab something fast on the run. Good thing I had an Amy’s Black Bean Vegetable Burrito! Next time I’ll plan ahead, but this got me through in a pinch.

Spinach+fruit vegan smoothie is on the menu for a snack when I get home and then I’ll get to have my big salad. Still plenty of time to get lots of veggies in for the day!

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I’m back from my hiatus kids! I’ve got lots of healthy, informative posts coming your way, but I’m apparently taking lots of time to put in all in writing, so while it percolates in my brain, I’ll start giving you some updates on what I’m eating… and now what I’m not eating. I’ve decided to take on a month-long vegan challenge, courtesy of Vegan Hope, as a way of putting some new, healthy plant-based options in my diet. I’ve been a vegetarian for many years, and I’ve also allowed some fish in there at times as well. I always seem to gravitate to eating mostly vegan when I can though… lots of veggies, tempeh & tofu, some fruits, a little bit of nuts & nut butters, a bit of Ezekial bread here and there and I’m good to go. So I thought it would be a good challenge to see if I can convert fully to vegan over the course of a month, especially to eliminate the dairy that’s in my diet.

Understand though, Veggie Bee is not meant to be a platform for vegetarianism or veganism, but it is meant to be a platform for incorporating more veggies and fruits into your diet, no matter what else you eat. I hope through my vegan efforts you can find some new recipes & ideas to add to your diet as well. If you are a meat-eater looking for a new challenge, and looking to incorporate more plant-based foods too, check out Mark’s Daily Apple for his take on primal eating.

Goodbye Dairy!

Two things that I am going to miss on my way to vegan are these goodies:

Half & Half and Buttermilk Dressing!

I do think that we can all benefit from decreasing or eliminating dairy from our diets regardless of whether we are vegan or not. Annie’s Naturals has a great line of natural and organic salad dressings, some of which are vegan, but be careful because a lot of them are really high in calories. This dressing has only 60 calories per 2 tablespoons but it is thick & creamy so you don’t have to use a whole lot. I’m going to work on a vegan recipe to duplicate this!

I’ve tried vegan creamer before and it has some additives in it that I don’t want to drink, like carageenan. So I’m going to have to do some research on a good substitute while I use up my Horizon supply. I’ve learned to limit my coffee these days but when I have it, I must have it with some type of creamer I’ve decided, now I just have to find a good vegan substitute. As you probably know, dairy is not the only danger in this creamer.  The calories from creamer can add up fast if you’re pouring more creamer than coffee into your cup!

Hello Salsa!

Here’s my new favorite find at Henry’s… if you like garlic, you will love this salsa! I’ve been adding it my salads and it is so yummy!

HotCha Cucumber Jalapeno Salsa

Please bear with my cell phone photos as I search for a brand new camera!