Day 2 Observations.

It's only the second day of my plant-based diet, and I'm already noticing differences. Last night we had veggie enchiladas. The veggie mixture was delicious, and actually reminded me a little bit of my absolute favorite fajita burritos from Chipotle. The only problem we ran across was the enchilada sauce. While the cookbook I'm using has an enchilada sauce, I chose to make it easy and use a can. (Which was an option given in the book, not cheating!) The sauce was SPICY!!! So so so spicy! Next time I'll use the brand I know and trust and I think it'll actually be a really good dish.

Yesterday we went grocery shopping. Ross was getting food he wanted for his lunches, and down the snack aisle, I found a few snacks that I could eat, and they're super tasty as well!

Today I decided to try a vegan chocolate chip cookie. It was FAB and tasted like a normal sugar cookie. The difference is, this one is sugar free, non processed, healthy(er), and super filling so I don't feel the need to binge.



Chocolate chip Cookies:

2 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour (I got from Winco)
1/2 T baking soda (oops, just realized i only used 1/2 t)
1 t fine sea salt (got from Winco as well.)
1 1/2 C evaporated cane sugar (used a sweetener instead)
1 1/4 C refined coconut oil (Used canola, though I'm sure olive would work fine, too)
1/4 C ice water
1 T molasses (I used mild flavor molasses. I haven't ever cooked with molasses before and wanted to make sure it wouldn't be nasty.)
1/2 T pure vanilla extract
10-12 oz vegan chocolate chips (Used Baker's chocolate for baking and chopped up 6 of the packets, so you'll only need 1 box)
1 C chopped walnuts (optional) (didin't use them, but I'll bet it'd be super tasty.

Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheet with parchment. (I used foil)

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In mixer, combine sugar and oil until creamy. (About 3 min)
Add the water, molasses, and vanila until well combined. With the mixre, add the flour mixture in 3 to 4 additions, mixung until each addition is almost fully incorporated. (I didn't do the flour mixture, I just dumped those 3 things in and mixed it.)
Add the chocolate chips and walnuts, mixing until just combined.

Arrange 2-T sixed balls on prepared backing sheets. (I just grabbed some dough and rolled it into a ball)

Bake for 13-15 minutes until the edges are slightly browned, and the centers are set. Thoroughly cool on a cooling rack. (Cooling is IMPORTANT!! I don't think the cookies stay together really well until they're cooled.)


There's the recipe if you want to try. Anyway, I've noticed a difference already, just on day 2. During my meals, I eat a lot. The meals are low calorie and contain absolutely no processed foods, so I can eat to my heart's content guilt-free. And i actually stay full for longer. I don't feel the need or want to snack all day. I eat until I'm satisfied, and am pretty much full until the next meal rolls around. (Though I do have a couple snacks a day. One between breakfast and lunch, and the other between lunch and dinner.)

Last night I had a kick butt workout. And I killed it. I felt great. I'm not sure if it was the veggie enchiladas, or me wanting to push myself harder after a terrible workout the night before. Either way, it was awesome. I did my run and lifted weights alongside the boy's club and felt great. My shirt was a few shades darker when I left the gym.

I even fell asleep quicker than I do most nights. Since putting Aoife on REAL gripe water, she's sleeping better at night, and I'm getting more good sleep in, though I still use a prescribed sleep aid to help with the sleeplessness. Around 6:30, Claire was awake, and he said he'd take the baby, too, so I could sleep a while longer if I let him run tonight. DUH! Yes I'll allow you to run!

After breakfast this morning, I wasn't dragging or hating the fact that the sun was up. I was energized and ready to be productive. I feel like I'm enjoying my two sweet babes more, getting more done, and just all around I'm feeling good. Right now I think I could adopt a mostly vegan life style. It's so much easier than I thought it would be and I'm loving all of the fresh foods, as well as the desserts I can stuff my face with without feeling guilty.