Big Steps In My Fitness

    

     I made some very important big steps in my fitness journey this week, even though I didn't actually make it to the gym this week I was far more active than I have been since 2021.

     Friday was a very busy day for me not only did I go grocery shopping around town and get stuck in a car accident on my way home. But I also went downtown to a local vegan restaurant called True Juice for their anniversary party on first Friday art night and I got a huge package delivered from Martie!

     I didn't realize how big the party at the vegan restaurant would be until I actually got there. At first, I thought I was just going to a small drum circle, but I kept being more and more surprised at just how awesome this event was.

 

    There was a delicious huge free vegan feast with lots of fresh fruits and veggies. and some tasty home cooked vegan dishes like chili macaroni and an incredible vegan chili. If I would have known, I would have brought some food for everyone too.

    Soon lots of belly dancers showed up and everyone was really enjoying themselves. If I would have known, I would have dressed as a belly dancer too. Of course, I had to love on all the adorable doggos at the party. My favorite was a very affectionate golden doodle named Daisy.

    Besides Dinner I also ordered a delicious juice called the Heart Beet which was loaded with lots of heart healthy vegetables. And then I made my way back to the party table and finished off the last bits of the Toby's tofu pate that I love so much.

 

 

    There was lots of incredible art, jewelry, and clothing for sale they even had a cotton candy machine.

    I ended up buying a really cute holographic alien resin pendant from one of the vendors.

 

    So many exciting things happening this week I didn't have a chance to record everything, but I can tell you Monday started off excellent.

I started my day out right Monday morning with a baked sweet potato with homemade vegan butter.

     I still felt pretty hungry so I went to Starbucks and ordered their vegan beyond sausage breakfast sandwich and a vente pink drink with oat milk and then I did a bit of grocery shopping at Albertsons.

    Later that day I made some Detox Juice and a Jasmine Tea Cake. The plan was to detox this week and drink the juice and the ballerina tea, but I ended up being way to busy this week for the ballerina tea, maybe next week.

 

 

    The first thing I worked on was the detox juice that was full of excellent vitamins and minerals to help the body cleanse itself of impurities.

 

 Green Veggie Detox Juice

 

Ingredients:

 

    1 head of celery

    2 apples

    1/2 lb. of salad greens

    2 bottles of Bolthouse Farms Immunity boost

    1 bottle of Bolthouse Farms green goodness

Instructions:

Juice apples, Celery and veggie greens diluting with water as needed.

Mix in Bolthouse juice.

 

Yields: 1.5 gallons

 

Jasmine Tea Cake

 

Ingredients:

    3 cups Celery and Apple pulp

    2 jasmine tea bags

    1 tsp ginger powder

    (optional) 1 tsp fermented or fresh grated ginger

    1 can coconut cream

    1/4 cup flax seed meal

    1/2 tsp baking powder

    1 tsp dried orange peel

    1 cup vegan sugar

    3-4 cups flour

    (optional) green sugar crystals

Instructions:

mix veggie pulp with ginger, coconut cream, flaxseed meal, orange peel, and sugar.

brew 8 oz of tea with both tea bags in 1 cup.

gradually add tea and flour to bowl mixture until you get a texture similar to muffin batter.

Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until pierced with a knife it comes out clean.

Yield: 1 dozen pieces

 

    For lunch Tuesday afternoon me and my friend were both towards the end of our cycles, so we didn't want to work out, so we decided to go to the Okie Poke restaurant we.ve been meaning to go to and we both loved it! 

    On Tuesday I made a Spaghetti Squash Casserole that was very delicious. 

 

     For the sauce I used in the casserole I mixed some Annie's Shitake mushroom dressing with extra banana bacon marinade from the last time I made banana bacon. So, the recipe is probably something like this...

Bacon Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

    1/2 bottle Annie's Shitake Mushroom Dressing

    2 tbsp brown sugar

    2 tbsp mushroom seasoning

    2 tsp liquid smoke

    1/4 cup soy sauce

    1 tbsp chili powder

    1 tsp maple syrup

    1 tsp garlic powder

    2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

    1/2 cup water

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together.

use to add yummy mushroom bacon flavors to your favorite dishes.

Yield: about 2 cups

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

    1/2 roasted spaghetti squash about 4-5 cups

    2 cans of green beans drained

    1 lb. vegan turkey or chicken substitute

    1 cup mushroom bacon sauce

    1 bunch red globe radishes sliced

    1 cup sliced button mushrooms

    1/4 cup olive oil

    2 tsp pepper

    1/4 cup vegan parmesan

    1/4 cup vegan bacon bits

 

Instructions: 

Layer All ingredients in descending order in a greased casserole dish. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes.

Uncover foil and move to broil and broil for 5 minutes and rotate pan and broil for another 5 minutes.

 

Season with Cajun seasoning if needed

 

Yield: 8 servings

 

 

 

    Wednesday, I tried to use some of the leftovers from new years in making a burrito and I bought a delicious Italian wine.

 

     Then Thursday I went grocery shopping and bought all the wine I'll need for the rest of the month; they were all super delicious and I ended up feeling very buzzed after the taste test.

 

    I bought 3 press on nail kits from Walmart that I can style with future gothic love core outfits.

    After experimenting with a vegan chickpea egg mixture inspired by Cheap Lazy Vegan, I got Inspired to make a vegan quiche.

 Vegan Chickpea Quiche

Ingredients:

    1 vegan pie crust

    1 can chickpeas with aqua Faba

    1 tsp Indian Black Salt

    2 tsp garlic powder

    1 cup nondairy milk

    1 tsp baking powder

    1 tsp baking soda

    1 tsp xanthum gum

    1 small potato diced

    1 small zucchini diced

    1/4 large red onion diced

    3 pepperoncinis sliced

    6 sundried tomatoes sliced

    1/4 cup vegan bacon bits

    1 package chao cayenne pepper and tomato cheese cut into squares

    1 tsp Italian seasoning

    1 tbsp basil

    Season to taste with Cajun seasoning and black pepper

Instructions:

Add can of chickpeas to food processor and add black salt, garlic powder, milk, baking powder, baking soda and zanthum gum. blend for at least 2 minutes until creamy consistency,

in a large bowl mix ingredients for filling and set aside.

line pie pan with pie crust and bake it at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

then turn oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and add filling inside pie crust.

return to oven and bake for 35-45 minutes until set.

(Optional) decorate pie with 3 medium sliced avocados, mustard and relish.

Notes: I found the quiche most enjoyable reheated in the microwave the next day.

Yield: 8 pieces

    Someone (probably my brother) renamed the seasoning because my mother didn't like the name. I do think the new name is cute.

 

    Later on that morning I made some avocado toast to help replenish lost nutrients from my cycle.

    I buttered the toast with vegan butter and then added an avocado, molasses, lemon juice, and hemp seeds for lots of iron, vitamin c, omega 3s, and B12.

    I got 2 deliveries on Thursday. The first was my amazon order.

        I love the oregano case I bought, I also love the eyeliner which is vegan and cruelty free. I tested out the derma roller and not only have I heard great things about its ability to heal loose skin, but also it can help with hair growth.

    The next order that came right after the amazon order was my thrive order.

 

 

    I later did discover I indeed ordered only 1 bag of vegan chocolate chips.

        Later that Thursday evening I experimented in making vegan andouille sausages with rice paper.

        I found the easiest way to prepare the sausage was baking them in a baking dish with nonstick spray because they were too sticky with every other method I tried.

 

Vegan Andouille sausage

 

 Ingredients:

    Vietnamese rice paper wraps

    1 cup soy curls

    1 cup water

    1 tbsp liquid smoke

    1 tbsp paprika

    1 tbsp McCormick Brown Sugar Bourbon seasoning

    1 can of black beans drained

    1/4 a large red onion 

    Vegan Andouille Seasoning (see below)

    1 tbsp coconut oil

    2 tbsp flax seeds

    1 cup gluten flour

    Hug Ya Mama seasoning

Instructions:

Soak soy curls in hot water and mix in liquid smoke, paprika, 2 tsp andouille seasoning, and brown sugar Burbon seasoning. set aside to absorb flavors.

In a food processor add black beans, onion, 1/4 cup andouille seasoning, coconut oil, flax seeds, gluten flour, and Hug Ya Mama seasoning to taste. pulse to blend until well combined but still kinda chunky. 

Add soy curls and marinade and pulse until combined.

Soak Rice paper one by one spooning in sausage filling and roll like a burrito.

Spray a baking pan with none stick spray and add sausage. Spray sausage with nonstick spray and bake sausages at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Yield: 2 dozen sausages

Vegan Andouille Seasoning

 

Ingredients:

 

    roasted peels of 4 avocados

    dehydrated skins of 4 onions

    2 tsp Hug Ya Mama seasoning

    1 tbsp garlic

    4 tbsp thyme

    2 tbsp mushroom seasoning

    2 tbsp paprika

    1 tbsp black pepper

    1 bay leaf

    1 tbsp sage

Instructions:

process avocado peels and onion peels in the food processor on medium for 2 minutes.

add remaining ingredients and process on high for 2 minutes

Yield: About 1 cup seasoning

    I ended up making some andouille fried rice with the 5 sausages that fell apart while I was trying to fry them, 1/4 a diced red onion, 4 kale leaves, and about a cup of left-over curry rice from new year's. I also added a generous amount of andouille seasoning. 

    Friday morning, I got all dressed up and did my makeup to go shopping with my mother. 

    I got to test out my new vegan and cruelty free Essence eyeliner and I love it.

    It is the lash princess eyeliner, and it is very affordable on amazon so I think it will be a new staple.

        I did a stunning purple smokey eye and an ombre lip using cruelty free Rimmel lipstick in the shade midnight, cruelty free Milani lipstick in the shade name leather. (It is one of my favorite black lipsticks, but I wish it had a nicer name.) I topped the ombre and sealed it in with the vegan and cruelty free Lipsense lipstick in Kiss Me Katie. The gloss I used sadly is not vegan. Perhaps I need to purge my collection soon of non-vegan brands, what do you all think?

        For my top outfit I wore an Invader Zim shirt from amazon with a purple cami underneath from Maurices and a black cardigan my apartment manager gave me.

        For the bottom outfit I wore a black flowy lacey knee length skirt and a garter belt with some black and purple striped stockings. 

        I chose to try out my newest pair of black equestrian boots with a 3-inch heel. I need to train myself to walk in heels again because it can help correct fallen arches. And it does seem to be working. 

        On my way home my mother's car was rearended by a man driving a BMW. Fortunately, none of us were injured and my mother's Honda was barely scratched. The guy's BMW's grill was busted, fortunately, my mother was not at fault.

        Once I got home my Martie box was waiting on the porch and I was all ready to film my big grocery and thrift haul.

I think I will have plenty of beverages to last me the rest of the month now.

        After the haul I was off to the drum circle and boy did I have so much fun. I also made a new friend named Moon Dragon who is into medicinal mushrooms and painted this amazing painting of the eye.

        Later that evening before bed I was super hungry, so I made some kimchi carrot dogs with mustard and Korean BBQ nori seaweed.

        Saturday morning, I met up with my friend Soar and he brought me a delicious Starbucks caramel pecan late vente with oat milk. Then we drove over to Medford to watch Avatar Way of Water in IMAX 3D. It was absolutely incredible, but I did have some non-vegan snacks. I ate 1 small bag of popcorn and 1 small bag of Cheetos hot fries during the movie. But after the movie we stopped by ColdStone to see if they had vegan options, and they do! I got excited and had to try both, so I mixed the Silk chocolate almond milk ice cream with coconut pineapple sherbert and added strawberries, pineapple and peanuts. It was pretty good, but I didn't eat it all cuz we were in a hurry, and it was too messy to take in the car. On second thought next time I think I will just get chocolate with Oreos.

        As soon as I got back home to Grants Pass my Hot Topic package I ordered was waiting for me.

        I got a pair of bikini bottoms, a bikini set, and a pajama set shopping for their clarence items, and I love them all!

        On the order the original prices are listed, and the total is how much I actually paid after the discount.

        The Hot Topic XL bikini bottoms barely fit so I will have to lose some more inches before summer.

        The 2X Hot Topic bikini bottoms fit pretty much perfectly but the size XL top was a bit too small for my bust.

        The Thorn and Fable XL pajama set fits pretty perfect, and it is super comfortable, if anything the bottom is a bit large. I can't help but wonder what the ravens and crows thought when they saw me wear this to go feed them this morning.

        This Sunday has been a very busy day trying to get caught up on my blog, but I did manage to cook a very wholesome breakfast for dinner.

Vegan chocolate chip hemp protein pancakes with scrambled tofu and andouille sausage.

        Monday was such a great start to the new year; in fact, every day has been pretty great for the most part. I did go over calories today, but I do plan to clean the kitchen before bed, and I am trying to finish off that quiche.

        Tuesday was another great day and I have been doing a pretty great job finishing leftovers throughout the week. I do think I will put the last of the quiche and tea cake in meal prep boxes in the freezer tonight just so they don't go to waste.

        Wednesday was a far more relaxed day because I slept in and went for an evening walk to get some groceries.

        Thursday was a pretty busy day, but I still managed to stay under my calories.

        Friday was an absolute blast, so much good food and so much exercise. I can't believe I walked around in heels almost all day long, that is a huge step in my fitness progress!

        Saturday was a messy but very fun day filled with adventure and junk food, but it was totally worth it I think I like The Way of Water better than the original Avatar.

        And then Sunday I went a bit overboard, but I hope to do a yoga work out before bed if that helps.

        My Resting heart rate has improved dramatically since becoming vegan.

        And I'm averaging about 5,000 steps a day. Hopefully we'll see that number increase over the next few months.

        Well, I sure had one incredible week this week. I look forward to next first Friday art night and other cool new cinema releases. Until then I am very happy with the big progress, I have made in my fitness this week, not only by lowering my resting heart rate but also learning to comfortably walk in heals again and get out in the community and be active.

        I look forward to the rest of the adventures this year will hold and spending 2023 with y'all.

Happy Veganuary everyone!

        P.S. If you care about the welfare of cephalopods and the health and happiness of beautiful intelligent creatures, please take the time to sign a petition to put a stop to future octopus factory farming!