A Fresh Start and a New Beginning. My Year Review.

    

     Now that this chapter of 2023 is coming to a close, and I have been successfully maintaining a mostly vegan lifestyle, I am looking forward to the new year and my 2nd year veganniversary next May. I conquered the issues I was having with candida by going on the fast in my last blog update and it hasn't returned. In the meantime, I have been focusing on my activity level and improving my diet. 

     I got a boogie board and had fun testing it out at the coast. I also got a pair of roller skates and tested them out, but I am still relearning how to skate. I have been using a smart hoop and practicing yoga, water aerobics and even a little TRX at my new gym. I've lost a bit of weight but mostly burned fat and built muscle. 

     Some changes to my diet this year have been cutting back on artificial sweeteners and reducing the amount of oil I am adding to my foods. So, I started incorporating more hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds in my diet. I've also been juicing regularly, and I started supplementing with more medicinal mushrooms, and elderberries. And I am learning to supplement with different adaptogenic herbs that help the body recover from stress.

    Sunday, I made a delicious vegan KFC fried mushroom bowl inspired by a video I saw on X. The original was not vegan, but I thought it would be super tasty made with mushrooms and mushroom gravy.

 

    The casserole is pretty simple, just a layer of mashed potatoes, then gravy, then cheese, then corn, and then fried mushrooms. It just as easily made with instant mashed potatoes, a jar of vegan gravy and vegan chicken tenders.

 

    I made my mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and fried mushrooms from scratch, but I wish I would have been more patient with getting the gravy thicker because it did turn out a bit soupy when I cooked the casserole.

    Vegan KFC Bowl Casserole

Ingredients:

    mashed potatoes

    vegan gravy

    vegan Mexican shredded cheese

    Can of corn drained.

    Fried mushrooms or vegan fried chicken tenders 

Instructions: 

    layer in a casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yield: 

    6 servings about 450 calories per serving

   I also served the KFC bowl with a vegan chickpea Cesar salad which has quickly become one of my new favorite salads. It is very tasty and super easy to make. You can make it with virtually any leafy greens you like, kale, spinach, arugula, romaine and even endive.

Chickpea Cesar Salad

Ingredients:

    Salad Greens

    1 can chickpeas drained.

    1 tsp creole seasoning

    1 tbsp olive oil 

    1/2 cup vegan parmesan

Dressing:

    3 cloves garlic

    1/4 cup lemon juice

    1 tbsp Dijon mustard

    1 tsp maple syrup

    1/4 cup tahini

    3 tbsp nutritional yeast

    1 tsp sea salt 

    1 tsp black pepper

    1/2 cup water

Instructions:

    Toss drained chickpeas in seasoning and oil and spread on baking sheet to roast for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Mix the peas halfway through with a spoon to make sure they roast evenly.

    Prepare the dressing in a blender until smooth.

    In a large bowl add salad greens of your choice and toss with roasted chickpeas, vegan parmesan, and dressing.

Yield:

    6 servings about 230 calories per serving

    For dessert I made my new favorite tasty and easy dessert that feels indulgent but is only 110 calories per serving, a 15-minute 4 ingredient aquafaba chocolate mousse which can be either served fresh whipped or frozen.

     Chocolate Aquafaba Mousse

Ingredients:

    Aquafaba from 1 can of drained chickpeas

    2 tbsp cocoa powder

    2 tbsp date syrup

    2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions: 

    Whip aquafaba, cocoa powder, date syrup, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form in the aquafaba like whip cream. It should take about 15 minutes.

    It freezes very well and makes an indulgent ice cream like frozen dessert. 

Yield:

    4 servings about 110 calories per serving

I officially started my vlog Monday where I show you how I make my breakfast of banana bacon, hemp buttered toast and a smoothie. The whole breakfast was about 560 calories and kept my body fueled until lunch time. 

    I recently purchased 2 new smoothie supplements and I love them both. they are made of very natural and wholesome ingredients. And unknowingly they were both by the same brand, Amazing Grass, and I am now very interested in what other products they create.

 

    This is the first smoothie blend I purchased from Martie Grocery, because I am very interested in supplementing with elderberry for the immunity and longevity benefits.

    This smoothie powder I picked up from my local Grocery Outlet and I picked it because adaptogens are the new health buzz word I am extremely interested in. They are plants and herbs that aid the body in recovering from damage from stress. Sign me up because I could definitely use it.

    For lunch I enjoyed one of my vegan KFC bowl meal prep boxes with one of my favorite energy drinks, a Celsius Guava Kiwi that I got for free at my local Albertsons.

    For dinner I had another KFC meal prep box which I was definitely not getting sick of because it is very delicious. I also enjoyed my meal with a soda stream sparkling water enhanced with agave nectar, lime juice and triphala. Triphala is an ayuravedic herbal supplement that aids with digestion and weight loss, and the flavor of the tincture pairs well with lime and agave.

    The tortilla chips I enjoyed in my snacks, I got in my food box delivery last week and it is my favorite flavor by the brand, Jaunita's, the Sweet Chili flavor.

    Tuesday was an excellent day for me on my diet and very productive as well. I Started working on making spiritual magic candles.

    I also hosted a pick a pile tarot reading for romance in the upcoming new year.

    I started my Tuesday morning with one of my favorite but messy morning activities. Wheezing the Juice!

    I find it can be rewarding juicing a large batch of juice all at once to keep in the fridge for the rest of the week. And all the birdies and squirrels love to snack on the pulp from the juice. 

    To make 1.5 gallons of Ultra Beet juice I used 2 huge beets, 3 bags of carrots, 1 head of celery, about 1 dozen apples, and a bunch of parsley,

 

     Tuesday I also got a very special birthday package from my boyfriend, Khalid with lots of awesome gifts. One of the most useful gifts I got in the package so far is a little purple skull cup that I keep on the counter by the stove and use as a water cup to help reduce the amount of oil I use in my cooking.

  

        Khalid also bought me some delicious vegan chocolate covered pistachios.

    Tuesday was a very successful day for me hitting my caloric goals because I skipped lunch in favor of an afternoon nap.

    For breakfast Wednesday I enjoyed a tall glass of Ultra Beet juice, 2 slices of hemp buttered toast with black raspberry jam, and some banana bacon.

 

    I was still a little hungry, so I had a serving of some tasty hazelnuts my neighbor gave me.

 

 

    Then I got ready to go to the gym and picked out a workout outfit for the day that I also needed to wear when I went out with my cousin after the gym. The necklace was a crucifix choker that I got from the Humane Society thrift store. The green gemstone arm warmers are actually a pair of LuLaRoe leggings that were too short for me, so I turned them into a long sleeve crop top, it was purchased from ThredUp. The Weed California shirt was my sister's, and the giraffe joggers I just recently scored from the Humane Society Thrift Store. 

    Since I was up super early, I decided to head to the gym early and get a cup of coffee and have a piece of pumpkin bread in the lobby. I was the first person to arrive at the yoga class. I had a blast and was able to hold all the yoga poses pretty well except 3 were extremely challenging. Plank, downward dog, and knees to chest. Obviously, I need to be targeting my core more with my work outs.

 

    I met up with my cousin and we had so much fun shopping. We went to Walmart, and I was hungry from my workout and needed a quick snack. There weren't really any vegan options, so I grabbed a box of croissants from the bakery and ate them in the car on our way to Rogue River. 

     My cousin needed to apply for her passport for her upcoming trip to the United Kingdom and I needed to mail a gift package to my boyfriend in Alabama, so we went to the post office. I also picked up a book of stamps with a portrait of Chief Standing Bear before we headed to an Italian restaurant that my cousin wanted to try, called Perino, in the same shopping center.

  

    Unfortunately, there were no vegan options, but they did have an extensive vegetarian menu, so I decided to go with the pesto penne pasta bowl, and it was incredibly fresh. With the fresh basil sauce the dish reminded me of summer. The pasta was so freshly made by a local pasta store.

 

 

    Since we were their first customers, and the order took a while to prepare they gave us a slice of cake on the house. It was a chocolate espresso cake and I brought it home to have for breakfast since I didn't get cake on my birthday a week ago. 

    After dinner we came back to Grants Pass and went shopping at Winco. Then I came home  and filmed a haul where I taste tested the wine and vegan chocolates my cousin gave me for Christmas.

    Wednesday was my most active day of the week and I got lots of exercise and ate lots of yummy food but still managed to stay in a caloric deficit.

I also finished making my candles Wednesday, but they still need to be embellished with ribbons, gemstones and charms.

Thursday morning, I made a quick re-fried bean and jalapeño burrito for breakfast before bed. 

Jalapeño Bean Burrito

Ingredients:

    1 burrito tortilla

    1/2 a can re-fried beans

    1 pickled jalapeno sliced.

    2 tbsp diced onion

    2 tbsp shredded vegan cheddar

    2 tbsp salsa

    1/4 tsp adobo seasoning

    nonstick spray

Instructions: 

    toast both sides of tortilla with nonstick spray in a hot skillet than transfer tortilla to a baking sheet.

    spread beans, cheese, jalapeño, onion and salsa on tortilla and season with adobo seasoning. 

    wrap tortilla and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Yield: 

    1 serving about 450 calories.

    Then I relaxed with my burrito and a nonalcoholic mango hop wtr.

    Thursday, I got a food box delivered from a local food bank with lots of yummy foods and fresh produce.

        Then I cleaned the kitchen and made some vegan hemp ranch dressing and put away all the groceries.

 

 

The ranch needed to stay in the refrigerator overnight before it could be eaten.

 

    Even though I had a bit of a workout Thursday, I did slightly go over calories. I would still lose weight with the calories I did eat especially since I did a yoga work out from my yoga book.

    Friday I was eager to try the hemp ranch dressing I made so I tested it on some cut carrots, celery and broccoli. It was very tasty indeed, but I realized I had forgot to add dill weed.

Vegan Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

    1/2 cup hemp hearts

    3 cloves garlic

    3 green onions chopped.

    3 tsps. Dijon mustard

    2 tbsp parsley

    1 tbsp dill weed.

    1/2 tsp mushroom powder

    2 tsp sea salt

    1 tsp paprika

    2 tsp black pepper

    2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

    1 tbsp olive oil

    juice of 1 lemon

    1/2 tsp xanthum gum

    1 1/3 cup water

Instructions:

    Combine ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.                    

    Refrigerate overnight before use.

Yield:

    32 servings serving size 1 tbsp about 25 calories per serving.

    I started my day out right by getting in an hour-long smart hoop work out. Hula Hooping is the most efficient exercise I have found so far for burning stubborn belly fat and I set it on fire in my work out.

    Friday brought a successful end to my weekday and overall, I felt very accomplished with my return to blogging and vlogging and getting my booty back in shape. If there is one thing, I wish I would have known at the beginning of my week it was how delicious these Tuscan herb chips are dipped into mashed potatoes and gravy!

 

 

    Saturday was a very relaxing day, and I went to the Humane Society Thrift Store like I usually like to do every Saturday and get a bag full of thrift scores for only $3. I have been testing out a new app on my phone with a loadable debit card for the Future app where you can earn cash back on environmentally sustainable purchases. I've been loving it so far, but I want to keep testing it out for a few more months before I give my official review.

 

 

 

    For the past 2 weeks I have been studying and veganizing recipes in this Better Homes and Gardens soup cookbook from 1978. I have loved both recipes I have made so far. Last week I made a hemp cream potato soup and this week I made a delicious vegetable soup.

 

    The vegetable soup was very easy and convenient to make using only pantry staples and super delicious, I served it with a grilled peanut butter, onion and red pepper sandwich which went amazing with the soup and had a similar mouth feel to a grilled cheese.

Vegan Vegetable Soup 

Ingredients:

    59 oz of vegetable broth

    3 tsp adobo seasoning

    2 tsp olive oil

    1/4 tsp dry rosemary

    1/4 tsp dry thyme

    1 can drained chickpeas.

    1 can drained green beans.

    1 can diced tomatoes.

    1/2 cup macaroni noodles

    1 medium yellow onion diced.

    1 medium carrot cubed. 

Instructions:

    Add all ingredients to a soup pot and bring to a simmer. cover and reduce to a low simmer for 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Yield:

    6 servings about 160 calories per serving.

Grilled Peanut Butter Red Pepper and Onion Sandwich

Ingredients:

    2 slices white bread (I used low calorie vegan keto bread)

    At least 2 tsp peanut butter

    1/4 an onion sliced.

    1 half a red pepper sliced or a piece of jarred roasted red pepper.

    nonstick spray

Instructions:

    spray a foreman grill with nonstick spray then assemble your sandwich by spreading peanut butter on both slices of bread and sandwiching onion and red pepper slices in between. then grill until peanut butter begins to melt and you achieve desired grill marks. could likely be made on a skillet as well.

Yield: 

    1 sandwich at least 200 calories.

Saturday evening before bed I was having massive cravings for greasy, savory carbs. my guess is it was the onset of ovulation. I tried making some French fries with ketchup but that only satisfied me for a couple hours. Since I was still battling the midnight munchies, I made a quick and easy instant vegan pumpkin mac n cheez with the left-over macaroni from the soup and half a can of pumpkin puree.

Instant Vegan Pumpkin Mac N Cheez

Ingredients:

    3 cups water

    2 tbsp vegetable oil

    2 tsp creole seasoning

    2 cups macaroni

    1/2 can pumpkin puree

    1 tsp black pepper

    1 tsp sage

    1 tsp mushroom powder

    1 tbsp onion powder

    4 tbsp vegan parmesan

    1/2 cup tahini

Instructions:

    In a saucepan boil pasta in water with oil and creole seasoning for at least 3 mins, then stir in pumpkin puree and seasonings and simmer until sauce thickens and pasta begins softening. Next stir in vegan parmesan and tahini and stir until well mixed. Serve topped with more vegan parmesan and black pepper or hot sauce.

Yield: 

    3 servings about 670 calories per serving

    My Sunday has been a very chill day working on my blog and chatting with my boyfriend and my friend Soar. I went for a quick walk to Albertsons to grab a free Rockstar and said Merry Christmas to a couple neighbors. I am running late on baking Christmas treats now and may want a quick power nap before I get started but look forward to another exciting blog and vlog next week with Christmas and Kwanzaa recipes, and next week I will be celebrating my mother's birthday plus a check in with my psychiatrist. I hope to either go to yoga or water tai chi next week or both so lots of fun adventures await.

     Here is this week's nutrition wrap up minus Sunday's full log.

 

 

 

 

     I am very happy with the roller-coaster metamorphosis of transformation my body has undergone as it has been shapeshifting into its ultimate form. 

    I have always believed in the miraculous healing power of the human body and a positive spirit and if I can do it so can you, nothing is stopping you now. Live with joy! Happy Holidays and tell 2024, " we've got this!"