Tag Archives: vegan

Taco Tuesday

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It’s Tuesday, and everyone loves tacos; especially my husband James. I mentioned on my last post I’m trying to find balance with food, and eat non processed at least five days a week, and relaxing within portions on my days off. It’s all about healthy eating, balance and mostly portion control. I’m an easy vegan, but pleasing someone else for dinner is not always as easy. He likes meat substitutes on the regular, so I made Vegan Tacos. Super easy and easy to count on my WW app. I’m probably the only person in the universe who doesn’t get excited for tacos, but these were extra tasty. Happy Taco Tuesday. These can be made healthier by omitting the vegan grounds and just having the black beans with more veggies. Cauliflower would be a delicious addition, I will try that on our next Taco Tuesday. 

Ok, all you need is corn tortillas, pre-diced onions and peppers, chopped garlic, olive oil, vegan grounds, black beans, taco spice packet, microwave single serving brown rice and quinoa, two cans no salt diced tomatoes, vegan cheddar cheese, vegan sour cream, red enchilada sauce.

Really easy, sauté onions and peppers for five minutes in olive oil, add garlic, add vegan grounds and a can of diced tomatoes and continue to brown and stir. Add packet of taco spice and mix in no salt black beans and remove from heat.

Microwave two pre-packaged brown rice and quinoa servings, add to bowl with 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce and a can of diced tomatoes.

Super easy, layer tacos as you like them on corn tortillas. Rice, vegan grounds, avocado, Vegan cheese and vegan sour cream.

Maybe tacos are something wonderful. These are delicious and super easy. Make sure to portion and count them.

Happy Taco Tuesday 

Rose 

 

 

Focus on Fitness

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I’m always starting over, but that’s ok. I will continue to start over until I get it right. There is no failure, everything is a learning lesson. For me losing weight is not linear, it’s a zig zag line of ups and downs. Part of the problem is I’ve been focusing on the numbers and not so much on fitness. The scale isn’t the problem, it’s me. So how do I correct my past mistakes and get on the road to weight loss and fitness success like I was when I started this blog in 2013?  Let’s start with health and wellness, and less emphasis on numbers.

I weighed in today at 175 lbs. That is 5 lbs up from what I was a few weeks ago, but here’s the deal. I did crazy things the day before weigh in to help me weigh less. I do not recommend doing anything that’s unhealthy to get a better number on weigh in day. You are not a number, repeat that firmly and loudly. You are not a number. 170 lbs probably was not my true weight anyway, since I fasted and cut water on Sundays. I have a hard time admitting I did such unhealthy steps just to get a better number on Monday when I stepped on the scale. Repeat this too, health is your number one priority. I weighed 170 lbs and I ended up with a kidney infection probably due to dehydration. It’s just not worth hurting yourself over. I had eating disorders when I was younger, and it’s quite obvious those old ghosts still haunt me. It’s ok, I’m haunting them back. Here’s a big boo to my ghosts of eating disorders past, and how I’m going to get it right finally. 

I will weigh in once a week, it’s important to know where you are but not obsess with the number on the scale. It’s sounds contradictory, but for me I need to know where I stand. No more doing unhealthy steps the day before weigh in, Sunday’s with be healthy vegan food. No fasting, no water cutting, it’s business as usual. I will post in the following weeks my food plan, always vegan but always needing to portion control and stay accountable. What I put in my temple should be fuel not trash, of course within balance. I’ve discovered when my balance is off I tend to binge eat. 

I asked Melissa from Melissa Bender Fitness to help me with personal workouts to get me started, and my workouts will be Monday-Friday and cardio daily. I’m going to focus on moving more and obsessing less. I’m going to find the joy I once had in exercising and quit procrastinating. It’s not that hard. My thanks to Melissa Bender Fitness for helping me on my new journey.

That’s it for now. Today I begin again in gratitude because I’m healthy enough to be able to begin again. Remember this, it’s really all you need to get started. My new emphasis will be wellness, fitness, strength, agility, flexibility and my mind and body connection. Weight loss will be the bonus. A quick mention for the volunteering I promised for Henry’s Home and Horse Sanctuary, I’m still planning to go. My husband James is doing a lot of traveling and as soon as that settles we will be volunteering together. He asked me to wait for him, so I’m giving him time to follow through with his appointments first. 

Love and Light to you. Take care of your temple, nurture your body and soul. If something does not serve you do not do it. You are beautiful, but beauty on the inside is so much more sustainable. Let’s get healthy and well so we can tackle our goals and take on the world. That’s a beautiful thing.

Rose

 

 

WEIGH IN AND WELLNESS

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Happy first day of October. I hope everyone is getting some apple cider and enjoying the brand new season. I love Autumn, even though here it’s still very hot and humid. There’s lots of positivity and change coming my way, I feel it deep in my soul. I always say Change comes on slow and then runs you over. We will see in the following weeks and months where change will take us. For now I’m healing from my kidney infection and focusing back on my goals. Remember to always drink enough water even the day before weigh in. I thought it was a good idea to cut water and fast the  day before my weigh in days. I dehydrated myself and it’s probably one of the reasons I got a kidney infection. Lesson learned, there are no short cuts to true weight loss, wellness, health and fitness. 

I mentioned last time I posted I am staying on WW ( formally weight watchers). My diet has not been clean and even though I’m losing weight I do not feel well. I decided to clean up my act for 30 days. I’m always going to be vegan, but I don’t always eat whole food and plant based. I’m going to eat clean vegan for 30 days. Perfect, on Halloween I can enjoy my favorite vegan fun foods. I’m also cutting out my vegan mayo and vegan butters, replacing with Whole Foods like avocado, nut and seed butters. The goal is to feel better, so I can focus on fitness and wellness. I’m so happy and proud that vegan alternatives are so readily available, and I’m a fan; but for me I need to try to eat those items in moderation. I will be experimenting with cooking and recipes. A few of my vegan cookies from the bake sale are wfpb. 

Late breakfast today. I had to help my hubby James get ready for his flight to D.C. I’m having toasted Ezekiel bread with pure nut butter and bananas.

If you are vegan I would love you to join me on this 30 day challenge. My weight is still 173 lbs. I didn’t make my goal to make it in the 160’s by the end of September, so my goal is now for the end of October. I can do this. 

Love and Light for today I’m out! 

Rose

 

I REJOINED WW ONLINE( after two week break)

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Before I get into my post I wanted to address Tropical Storm Imelda. We are in Houston and we are safe. I pray for all of those around me affected by another devastating storm. I’m so grateful to the rescuers, the businesses and churches opening their doors for shelter.  Thinking about my friends at Henry’s Home and Horse Sanctuary. A big shout out to Mattress Mack. I would love to meet him someday. He always ways opens his door to those in need. 

I was doing so well with my food, I was down 13 lbs since joining WW online. Two weeks ago I believed I could go it without WW so I let go of my membership. In that two weeks life happened, it always does. One comfort food meal turned into another and all of a sudden I was out of control. I could feel my fear of food and my eating disorder issues creep back into my psyche. It took a pasta and vegan key lime pie binge, and the sickness I felt after to send me back to WW online. I rejoined at 2 am. 

I woke up with peace with food. I felt my support was there. I started tracking my day and I made healthy choices. I feel back in control despite the fact I went up 6 lbs in two weeks. Better to catch it now and begin the process of losing and getting fit before I gain even more weight. Healing in mind, body, and spirit and giving back. Those are my goals on this blog. I made a delicious tofu scramble with spinach and veggies, no oil. I split my whole grain Dave’s bagel with my husband. I ate, I’m satisfied and I have zero guilt. That’s worth every penny of my monthly WW fee if $19.99. Love and Light to all and  stay safe if you are in Houston. Rose

 

44 Day Challenge

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Did you know it’s 44 days until Halloween arrives? This really begins the Autumn/Holiday season for many. My hubby James and I always have our little tradition. We eat burgers ( now vegan)  and carve pumpkins and drink cider, all watching scary movies. It’s a tradition we honored since our Pittsburgh days. This year we will not let that tradition slide by.

Today I’m starting a 44 day challenge. I’m going to try to show up here daily and share what I’m doing. I’m going to take it Day by day because I may change things up, but my plan is to focus on nutrition, fitness and goals. To show up daily despite my work schedule. I’ve lost 23 lbs but in my opinion I’ve been not working as hard as I can. I watched a video with Tao-Porchon Lynch and she really inspired me. So today begins my challenge. It’s 44 days until Halloween. Let’s do this!! 

No cheat days until Halloween. No pasta. Only whole grain foods in moderation. A little dark chocolate is ok. I’m really going to try to not eat my goodies at our bake sale, just the vegan healthy cookies but in moderation. No refined junk of any kind. I’m going to eat clean vegan. 

Daily Yoga Sun Salutations, and some other workouts. I’m using Melissa Bender Fitness, and my cardio will be walking, running etc. I plan to move 60 minutes a day plus ten sun salutations daily. Legs up a wall before bed. I don’t care if my workout before or after work, if I have time to sit and watch tv I have time to without. 1 hour plus ten sun salutations. Like that Pizza Guy on YouTube says, that’s the rules. Everybody knows the rules, everybody being me. 

The other things I will be adding will be addressed in future posts. What I’m reading, writing, who I’m watching for inspiration. Fun classes I may take, plus tools for self development. Products I use to help me heal and make me feel well again. I’m not sick but my body can be my temple again. Lots of personal goals I’m going to tackle. No procrastination. Today is the day. As I type this we found out an old friend in Pittsburgh PA lost his battle with Lung Cancer. He was only 38. Life is short. Do what you dream of doing today. RIP Chris Pierce. Thank you for your kindness.

RIP Chris

 

WHAT I EAT ( weight loss and vegan)

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Happy Tuesday to all. Here I am, day three of posting each and every day. This week I stayed the same, but I think I’m killing it in the weight loss game. I use the WW app to track what I eat, and as a vegan I try to be careful how much starchy foods I eat. I don’t limit them all together, I just keep all of my portions in check. It’s all about good nutrition and portion control for me. 

Food, it’s something we have to learn to have a healthy relationship with, and I’m definitely starting to achieve balance. Monday’s are my vegan cheat day, on that day I eat vegan comfort foods like pasta or a veggie burger. Tuesday’s through Sunday I eat Whole Foods/plant based; basically cleaner vegan. I do limit my oils, salt and sugar but I do not eliminate them completely. I have really cut down though, my olive oil bottle lasts a very long time now. I always drink 16 oz of water when I wake up, and about 6 oz of coconut water. I immediately eat a banana as I wait for my coffee to brew. Breakfast is usually something quick, overnight oats or a vegan protein bar and coffee with silk soy creamer and a bit of raw sugar or blackstrap molasses. I’m a zombie until after a drink my java. My eating plan is pretty much 80/20. Mostly clean with a little wiggle room. It keeps me from over obsessing about food. I try to get around 60 grams of protein daily through plant based options. 

Here are some photos of what I eat for breakfast and dinner. Vegan pancakes are a day off treat. I usually only eat twice a day on work days with my schedule. Lots of fresh fruits, greens, veggies, and some frozen as well. Pasta only on occasional Mondays. I make a lot of high protein bean soups, like split pea and lentil soups. I admit I eating vegan protein bars for breakfast when I feel rushed is not the healthiest but it works for me.  Ezekiel bread, hummus, baked tofu with veggies, legumes, so many delicious and healthy vegan options. Here’s pics of some of my go to get healthy meals. I will post recipes soon. What are your staples? Happy Eating and losing weight!

Vegan Split Pea Soup

Vegan Bean Chili

Vegan faux meat balls with homemade marinara and veggies

Pancakes with bananas, oat flour and soy milk. Dark Chocolate Chip version.

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

Soda alternative

Natures Candy

Staple main dish salad

Vegan tomato basil cream sauce fettuccine

Cheat day treat, I add vegan mayo

Vegan tomato bolognese with red wine

Baked tofu and kale or spinach with veggies. Italian seasoning with a bit of olive oil

Vegan tomato bolognese penne pasta.

Vegan banana pancakes with berries

Avocado chocolate mousse from Melissa Bender Fitness adapted by Chocolate Covered Katie

Meal prep berries with lemon juice

Trader Joe’s steamed lentil and veggie salad

WEIGH IN MONDAY

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Happy Monday to all. Today is my weigh in day, and I stayed the exact same at 173 lbs. Actually last week I weighed 173.4, so technically it’s a loss. I don’t know what happened, but last week I went over my points and my extra weeklies. That doesn’t mean higher calorie, some foods have higher points because of fats and carbs. On the new WW program there are a lot of free foods, lean proteins, fruits, veggies, and vegan proteins like beans and tofu.  This week I will try to eat a little fewer points by focusing more on beans, tofu and fruits and veggies. Tonight I’m making whole wheat angel hair and a low point Eggplant  Parmigiana with tofu. If it turns out I will post my recipe. I make a killer vegan Bolognese and marinara.

My hubby James has to work the next few Mondays, but in August we plan to go to Henry’s Home and Horse Sanctuary as soon as he has a free Monday again.  We are both so excited. The next few weeks will be busy because we have a lot of work. After the first week of August we will be caught up on things, and we can then take the time to go volunteer. It’s something I plan to do on the regular, working with the animals.  We are really working on positive mindset and believing we can accomplish any goal we set our hearts to. 

Going forward on my blog I’m working on time management. I work a lot, and I’m having a little difficulty working on the things I love to do, with my job which is time-consuming and exhausting. I’m grateful for my job and the lovely people I get to work with, but if I’m going to make my goals a reality I need to wake up earlier and have a full day before work. My job is my reality now, so if I want to make things happen I must adjust my morning routine, and wake up a lot earlier. Discipline in the a.m. is something I’m really lacking. 

Here are some things I need to work on. I got the food down, I’m losing weight. I admit though, my fitness routine has been very spotty. I need to incorporate my routine daily. I also have to work on my study time for my American Council of Exercise group exercise certification. I also plan to start blogging more often. Since I’ve started blogging again my weekly posts are consistent, and I’m losing, but I can do so much more. My plan is to share what is working on this second journey of mine, and also get some technical help to make my blog more user-friendly. Down the line I plan to start a YouTube channel. I have one but it’s really not something I’ve ever worked on, and it kind of really sucks. I will relaunch it when I’m ready. To round out my goals, more writing, more submitting writing and maybe looking into some marketing for my first book Camellia in Snow. I also think maybe posting about some things I do to say youthful inside and out may be fun. I will work on my goals, but that means going to bed earlier, sleep is non negotiable for me. I like to shoot for 7-9 hours of sleep nightly. 

I am off for now, drinking my water mixed with coconut water. It really wakes my system up. What goals are you working on? Do you let obstacles get in your way? Do you have a morning routine?

Today I’m writing in my pretty Paris Notebook, all the things small and grand I dream of. Life is beautiful, and dreams are worth dreaming big. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how much you weigh, or how much money you have. Dreams start in the form of your thoughts. Thoughts become ideas, ideas begin action, and your active involvement in making your thoughts into reality turns into you working on your dream life. It’s like magic. Magic thoughts, make it happen. I plan to. Let’s do this. Love and Light, Rose.

 

WEIGH IN MONDAY

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Happy Monday to all. It’s rainy here, but rainy days and Mondays do not get me down. I’ve chosen happiness and I’m going forth with joy and kindness for myself and others.  I lost another pound. Cue my happy, coffee drinking  post weigh in dance. I’m currently 173 lbs. I’m down 11 lbs since I began WW. It’s slow and steady and I feel in control, so it’s perfect to me. I already feel lighter. I’m tweaking my fitness and I’m working with my number one fitness guru Melissa from Melissa Bender Fitness. I’m going back to what has worked in the past. Working on cardio, flexibility and strength.

As I settle into my fitness routine I will post more. I’m losing weight and baking vegan healthy cookies, for myself and others around me. I’m sharing kindness and joy, no longer wallowing in my weight. I ate pasta and tator tots last week, but the difference is I watched my portion control, I tracked everything, and most of my meals are clean and healthy. Saturday night after work my hubby made me veggie burgers and tator tots, such a treat. I skipped the bun! It’s little tweaks here and there that make a difference in your weight loss journey. I never binge anymore, everything is counted. WW sent me my ten pound charm, how cool is that? 

This weekend we have to buy work boots for our visit to Henry’s Home and Horse Sanctuary. I plan to be a regular there if they will have me. My life has its troubles and giving back helps me through the struggles. We all have them, it’s how we get through them that defines us. I started this blog in 2013 with intentions to lose weight and help a charity with each ten pounds I lost. I never dreamed I would gain half my weight back, but I’m so happy to be here doing what I’m doing today. The weight gain and restarting my weight loss is part of my life journey, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m learning so much about myself and growing. That’s a beautiful thing. I realized my success didn’t define me, my kindness defines me. Now I do what I do for my health and my goals, and if I end up looking better great. I’m in it to make a difference and that’s my motivation. 

Thunderstorms today and I love it. As much as I have missed the California sun, I really have grown to appreciate Texas weather. My motto going forward is to Bloom where I am planted. Make a difference in my own backyard. I’ve been baking vegan cookies and they are such a hit, I’m using the money for carrots and apples for the horses. Happy Brand new week. Namaste. Rose 

 

 

 

 

Weight Watchers Online

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Sometimes you need help and guidance. I recently started working out with my personal trainer Bethany, my best friend Melissa Benderfitness has amazing fitness and yoga videos I follow, but I was struggling with food. I finally caved in after realizing I can’t do it alone and I joined Weight Watchers Online and downloaded the app. They now call themselves WW and their latest program is called freestyle. It focuses on good nutrition but no food is outlawed.

I’m vegan but occasionally I like vegan fun foods, I can lose weight, have my vegan cake and eat it too. Portion control will help me feel in control, and I will learn to focus again on clean nutrition but not freak out if I have a little vegan treat once in a while. For me WW gives me power over food, anyone who suffers eating disorders understands the power food can have over you. I can’t live like that any longer. Today is my day two and I feel great. This program is livable and sustainable.

My  journey includes fitness. I am doing cardio five to six days a week. I’m working out with my trainer once a week, but soon as I learn what she’s teaching me I will do the workouts 2-3 times a week plus Melissa Benderfitness videos and yoga. I’m on this. I try to do my cardio outdoors when I can, there’s nothing like mobile meditation with nature as your backdrop. Below is me in May 2017 right before my Mom passed away and our move from LA to Houston.  I was in great shape, I did it once, I’m going to do it again. 

Well I’m off for now. I picked a charity for my next ten pound weight loss. I will post soon, I want to use the laptop for that so I can include all of their links. Monday I weighed in at 184.4. It’s ok, I got this. Love and Light to all. We are on this journey together, we can lift each other up as we each go about trying to reach our destinations. The journey is the reward. 

 

 

 

CHEAT DAYS

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Happy Wednesday to all. I had two cheat days this week, Easter’s vegan meal and leftovers the day after. I did not overeat at all, but the high fat vegan food just made me feel awful. It was high sodium and it caused me high anxiety. This made me realize it’s too soon in my new weight loss journey for cheat days. 

Do cheat days help or harm? Do they throw off your mindset of wellness and health? For me, at this moment they do. I feel cheat days in the beginning of my weight loss journey just put me back where I started. I have not yet earned my wellness, fitness and health. Down the line when I’ve mastered my plans I can have the occasional splurge , but for now it’s a big no. I don’t get cravings when I’m consistent. Health is just too important to me. 

Are cheat days a yay or nay for you? How far along are you in your weight loss/fitness/ wellness journey? For now I staying the course with my whole foods plant based lifestyle. Vegan junk food will always be there for when I need it. 

Current weight week of 4/22/2019 is 180lbs, after a 9 lbs loss since January 2019

Love and Light

Rose