Six Month Lifestyle Overhaul

I wanted to write about this lifestyle change not because I'll have amazing recipes...I won't. Well I might, I don't know yet. I wanted to write about my six month journey to hold myself accountable in adhering to a few habit changes to get me back on the straight and narrow. At 43 I'm fairly sure I'm at the start of perimenopause, besides some very minor observations I've not only had trouble losing weight (which is nothing new) but I've also been gaining it at a much faster rate. Quite a frightening concept at the best of times. Obviously my metabolism is starting to slow down at my age anyway and I'm no where near as active as I used to be, due to lifestyle changes and injury. I could make a million excuses as to why I'm 20 lbs overweight but I'd rather experiment with different things that seem to work for other people long term. I'm not looking for a quick fix but something in my lifestyle has to change if I want to remain healthy and active into my golden years. I want something that I can do long term, not a cleanse or a diet, but a lifestyle change.

Here are the principles I'm going to try to stick to from June 1st to December 1st this year;

1. Commit to 10,000 steps per day. 

I never understood the "10,000 steps a day" craze until recently when I was reading about one particular girls' weight loss journey and she said that walking 10,000 steps a day keeps you from gaining weight, so the most part, what you put into your body is obviously the biggest thing to keep that simple math equation to losing weight and sustaining that weight loss: Weight loss/gain = calories in - calories out.

I was so concerned with needing to do cardio and I would get home and get on the treadmill for 60-90 mins on the nights I felt motivated, which is great don't get me wrong, but I started feeling like I was spending all my free time doing that and not spending much time with my husband, which in a house where both us work full time and we have three children time alone is precious and seldom. Other days I would feel unmotivated and do nothing at all so I assume I barely made 3,000 steps. Basically it was inconsistent and hard on my body since I'm not that person who can run 5 miles anymore. And I think consistency is the key for long term change or "atomic habits" as James Clear would put it.

I started wearing a pedometer for a week (I hate wearing a watch but I committed to a week just to see the pattern) and to my shock (especially since I have a desk job) I was doing around 5,000 steps a day not including any extra activity. So really I only need to get on the treadmill 30 minutes a day to make up the deficit and the important thing is that I hit 10,000 everyday for six months. 

I will add that I'm walking around 4 miles/hour on the treadmill, I don't run anymore. I recognize the need, especially with age, for strength straining so I try to do an arm weight session once a week and, if I am motivated, a weekly yoga or Pilates class...on a phone app, I'm not leaving my house or anything ;)

2. Stick to an 80% whole food diet (plant based is implied since I've been vegan for 12 years).

Now I say 80%  because I think we all have days where we want comfort food or just want something convenient and easy. So if I limit myself to only whole foods for six months I'm not going to stick to it and I really want to stick to this to give it a fighting chance. Every cleanse I do is healthy and sensible, I just don't stick to it after that 4-8 week period because it's not sustainable - for me anyhow. I have 100% respect for fully raw vegans, it's just not me. I do however love vegetables and generally love whole food recipes.  I figure six months is enough time to implement a new lifestyle change :) 

I would add drink your body weight in ounces or whatever the rule is but I already drink a lot of water so why complicate everything. Besides a black coffee in the morning I drink only water during the day and then in the evening I drink soda/seltzer water which is just fizzy water, I'm not a soda drinker.

I think limiting alcohol is a given but I don't drink much anyway so I'm not concerned about occasional liquid calories. For me the worst apart about alcohol (except the hideous hangover I get these days even after one glass - what's that about?!?) is that I tend to not only want to snack and eat comfort foods while consuming the alcohol (warm GF bread with good quality olive oil and salt is my own particular vice) but the next day when I'm feeling rotten (yes, even after one glass because apparently life hates the aging) I tend want more comfort food, usually un the form of fried potato. 

Now having said all that - the main way I'm sticking to a whole food lifestyle is through the application of the Starch Solution. A WFPB way of living which excludes fat (all fat, while trying to lose weight anyway, adding it back in moderation once at goal weight) and sticking to the 50/50 plate. 50% of your plate is starchy grains/veg and 50% is non-starchy veg. The principle is that you don't need to count calories and you stop when you're full but you're supposed to always fill up on the non-starchy veg first. I've had success and then not success with it so really it's how well you stick to it and as I'm now realizing, how long you can sustain it. Doing as a cleanse or diet just drove me back to bad habits.

3. Intermittent fasting at 5 days a week.

This fasting/timed eating lets your body rest and heal for 16 hours (most of which you're asleep for). I started at 7pm and finished at 11am. This I'd already been doing, not to lose weight but to reap the benefits of fasting. It definitely aids in the weight loss though.

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OK! That's it, three rules for the next six months and I'll see you on the flip side! Of course I'll tracking monthly my progress (or counter-progress LOL, um let's hope not!). Ended up finishing a month early since we ended up having a house guest for a few weeks and I was happy to be on the right track and finding something that was working for me! 

The Stats;

	1st June	1st July	1st August	1st September	1st October	1st November
Weight	158lb	147lb	145lbs	140lbs	139lbs	139lbs
Waist	38"	35.5"	33"	33"	33”	33"
Hips	42"	40.5"	40"	39"	39”	39"
Thighs	23"	22.5"	22.5"	21"	21”	21"

	June 1st (Start)	November 1st (Finish)
Weight	158lbs	139lbs
Waist	38”	33”
Hips	42”	39”
Thighs	23”	21”

Definitely felt the weight balance out around 140lbs and found it hard to get lower than that. There were some hurdles as well of course, illness, life stresses, holidays etc but I found it easy to get back to the rules once those moments had passed and I think that perseverance was the key.

I still had the occasional wine/beer, I still had the occasional chocolate or sweets, I still had the occasional fried/comfort food. It was my lifestyle outside of those times that made the difference. If I missed a day of walking I tried to make sure I didn't miss two days in a row. If I over ate one day I tried to fast the next day. 

So far this has been one of the easiest lifestyle changes I've ever tried because it's sustainable and easy to fit in with my lifestyle. I work full time and have kids so I don't have a lot of spare time. Making sure I put the extra steps in at night or early in the morning or making sure I meal prepped my lunches for work on Sunday before the week got crazy made a big difference. Timed eating (16/8) five days a week became very normal very quickly and didn't feel like a chore at all.

Meal prep was the best way to keep me on it. Still trying to maintain that.

Protein, grain, 3-5 veggies (fresh, cooked or both) and a sauce. Cashew Cream Sauce is my go to!

Vegan Meal Delivery Services

So in a bid to try and make healthy eating easier I thought I'd try a few meal delivery services. Unfortunately there are not many that offer both gluten free AND vegan, but many offered one or the other. There are quite a few on the market that offer vegan/gluten free prepared meals but I specifically just wanted ingredients and recipes to prep the meals myself. I like to know what's going in there :)

It sounds ridiculous but after my research of all the places out there, Purple Carrot and Hungry Root were the only two that really had GF/Vegan options. Fresh and Lean seemed like a great option if you want pre-made meals (everything is vegan and gluten free)-around $10/meal, as are Territory, Splendid Spoon and Veestro. I also loved the idea of Sakara bowls but they were so expensive that I bought thri cookbook "Eat Clean, Play Dirty" instead!

Purple Carrot

I had SUCH high hopes for this one since it's ALL vegan and had lots of gluten free options so it was such a disappointment with the service didn't stack up.

 I ordered online and it gave me a delivery date. When the delivery didn't show up I messaged their online chat which is pretty quick. They told me because of the national holiday it was running a little late and they mentioned that it was communicated on the website, I hadn't noticed it and there was no communication to me directly but ok that's fair I thought. 

I ended up paying three times for only one box. First and third box never showed, second box came, was missing an ingredient but other then that pretty decent food. They finally refunded me for two of the payments but only the discounted ones. So I ended up paying full price for my only box, even though the first one was supposed to be discounted. I liked how the food was grouped together per recipe, the instructions were fairly easy but there was some prep involved. The recipe book was lovely and glossy and could be repeated by buying my own ingredients (which I have for one recipe many times now).

So the bad taste in my mouth wasn't left by the food but because of my bad customer service and delivery experience. The food was actually really good. A little calorie heavy considering the serving size but delicious and easy to follow instructions with a lovely glossy recipe book that can be used again. 

Cost: $14.50 per meal

PROS: Great Food, 100% Vegan

CONS: Expensive, Unreliable, Terrible Customer Service

Hungry Root

I was actually impressed with the amount of options for vegan/gluten free. The menu lets you hone in on every ingredient used for the dish to see what's in it which I like.

I got my first box when they said I would so already I felt like they were a step ahead. Recipe page wasn't as fancy as the Purple Carrot one but that's not really where I need my money to go anyway. 
The packaging was easy to understand and I could group the items for each recipe easily in the fridge. Each deliver comes with free almond chickpea cookie dough which was so good, my son stole it. 

It was missing an ingredient but it was an easy one to replace (rice) and they kindly put a small credit on my account. Customer service was easy because they have a number you can text 7 days a week.

The recipes were simpler to put together but there was a small amount of cooking/prep. I like the 2 person meals because I can take the second one for lunch the next day. They give you a printout of the meals, ingredients and each recipe prep instructions.

First order was discounted and was $75.01 for 6x 2 person meals. Second box was $115.02, so $9.50 per meal)

I ended up editing my meal plan to 4x lunch & 4x dinner which was $86.95 (anything of $70 is free shipping) so $10.87 per meal).

I was able to go in and change the meals I was receiving, plus how many I was getting so I ended up getting 3 2x person meals (so 6 meals altogether) which cost around $12 per meal.

I like that you can choose between two different shipping days (for one weekend it was handy since we were going out of town I had it changed to mid week).

The quality of the food is ok, I wasn't a huge fan of their premixed items like sauces. I just didn't think they tasted good and I kept having to change them up a bit. Having said that they have given me some great ideas and certainly saved me a ton of time since almost everything is less than 4 ingredients and less than 30 mins cooking time.

All in all it was a decent experience. I did it for a few weeks and the ease and convenience of the dinners was my favourite part but I didn't love it enough to keep up with it. I'm a frugal DIY girl at heart after all and taste matters!

Cost: $11-12 per meal

PROS: 

• Super Easy and Time-Saving
• Good Amount of Vegan/GF Recipes
• Reliable and Great Customer Service
• Good first time discounts

CONS: 

• Food was honestly not that great, I wasn't really impressed with any of the recipes or their brand name items (except the cookie dough)
• Although it was cheaper than the others it's still a lot to spend per meal when you're getting 3-4 ingredients you could pick up from the supermarket for 1/3 of the cost

Plagoong (Spicy Thai "Shrimp" Salad)

I remember having this as a hot dish at a Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney before I went vegan. I loved the combination of the spicy, sweet and sour. This recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen. I ended up having to remove the chills because it was so spicy!

Pla Goong (Spicy Thai "Shrimp" Salad)

Ingredients

1 head green leaf lettuce, cut
1 lb faux shrimp (substitute for fried tofu, soy curls or chickpeas, drained)
1⁄2 inch gingerroot, cut into thin julienne pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 fresh red chilies, thinly sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar/palm sugar
2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce
1⁄3 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped green onions
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
15 fresh mint leaves

Method

Put lettuce in salad bowls, and arrange faux shrimp/chickpeas/tofu on top.
Place ginger, onion and chilies over shrimp.
In a small bowl, mix lemongrass, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and black pepper.
Pour over salads and garnish with green onion, cilantro, and mint leaves.
Serve.

Vegan Lox (Smoked Salmon)

 I had smoked salmon bagels at a vegan brunch place and was so impressed that I enquired about it. Totally shocked to find out it was just peeled carrots but how did it taste so much like salmon?!? That was when I discovered this was actually a thing people of the internet already knew! I tried a couple of recipe but I liked Love and Lemons the one the best although I added some items to it because I didn't feel like it was "fishy" enough. Another recipe mentioned using caper juice which I love the idea of...I just didn't have any at the time I was experimenting ;)

Vegan Lox (Smoked Salmon)

Ingredients

4 large carrots
Sea salt, for coating
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

2 Tsp Ume plum vinegar 

1/2 tsp dulse seaweed flakes
Big squeeze fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

You can choose one of two methods to cook the carrot;

1. OVEN: Preheat the oven to 475°F and line a medium baking dish with parchment paper. 

Coat the bottom with about a good layer of salt, then place the whole carrots in the dish and sprinkle with a good amount of salt.

Roast the carrots until easily pierced with a fork, but not mushy.

Check them, starting around 40 minutes, I turned after 20 minutes. It may take you longer.

Remove the carrots from the oven and let cool. 

Use your hands to rub off any excess salt. 

2. BOIL: Boil carrots in salted water until tender but not mushy and then place in an ice bath to prevent further cooking. This was my preferred method, it turned out much better and was easier to peel.

For the marinade combine ingredients in a bowl/container and whisk.

Use a peeler or sharp knife to peel the carrot into ribbons. I used a knife but felt like I didn't get thin

Place the strips in the marinade and toss to coat. 

Baked

Boiled

Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for 15-30 minutes. Overnight is best.

Serve with bagels, cream cheese, cucumber slices, capers, chives, thinly sliced red onion and/or dill.

Carrot Lox and Cream cheese bagel

Vegan Eggs Benedict with Carrot Lox

Vegan Meal Prep

 So I know it’s been a hot minute. With all the things going on, (new house, new full time job, youngest starting school) I haven’t had much time for the blogging I’d like to. Plus I have been cooking a lot of the recipes that are already on here because let’s face it, a lot of them are staples in our family! In fact I started writing this post nearly a year ago and clearly got sidetracked.

Red Cabbage and Kale Coleslaw, Millet, Wholly Veggie Cauliflower Wings, Cashew Cream

Now that time is crazy tight during the week I have been trying to get better at meal prepping on a Sunday for the week so I’m not left wondering at 5/6pm what I’m going to cook for five people who all have different tastes! I also am trying to get away from the amount of process foods we’ve been eating. A few places that have been giving me a lot of motivation are Plantiful Kiki (starch based diet, she shows you how she preps her starches for the week), Pick Up Limes and one of my new favorites Rainbow Plant Life (seriously all her recipes are winners). She’s almost sold me on getting an Instapot!

Here are some great places to start for inspiration!

The Kichn - Easy Plant Based Meal Prep Plan

Rainbow Plant Life - Vegan Meal Prep

Pick Up Limes - Meal Prep Like a Boss

The inspiration was great but I ended up just cooking from other people's recipes because I was scared to experiment and make my own combinations. What if the combinations tasted bad and I was stuck with them for a whole week? Well I haven't had a bad combination yet! I treat each meal prep like bowls (1/2 container is serve of salad/veggies, a protein, a grain, a sauce and maybe added sprinkle of nuts or beans etc). So far everything has been really good. One thing I've been trying to do is to get through all the dried grains taking up room in the pantry. If you're not into beans, tofu or tempeh I've been really impressed with some of the newer fake meats on the market which are far less process such as CHKN Not Chicken, Like Chick'n and Daring.  If you can't have soy Wholly Veggie does a lot of chickpea and cauliflower based items. They make the protein side very easy because some of them already have their own flavor/seasoning. I've only been using variations of the cashew cream as a sauce because it's so good I honestly don't get sick of it..

I love those frozen rice servings that you can microwave in 3 minutes. Obviously more packaging and cost involved but invaluable when you're on top of it and need something healthy fast. Don't be afraid of frozen veggies or pre-cut items in the supermarket. They might cost more but if that's what it takes to get you to eat it then start with that!

It's Summer now and I'm trying a few weeks of Purple Carrot, a vegan meal delivery company, to see if they can give me some inspiration for getting back into wholefood cooking and not relying so much on the convenience of processed foods. I'll definitely be reviewing that :)

Some ideas of meal preps I've done. A lot of the time it will be themed around some leftovers or what I have in the fridge that needs to be eaten...

Daring chicken pieces, brown rice, steamed summer squash, roast asparagus, Cashew Cream, cucumber and red peppers.

Like meat wings, wild rice, steamed kale, roast paprika cauliflower, hollandaise sauce, fresh cucumber and red peppers with 15 year aged Balsamic

Daring chick pieces, Quinoa/kale mix, mashed sweet potatoes, steamed spinach, roast cherry tomatoes, onion gravy, fresh cucumber, romaine, cucumber and orange peppers with peach balsamic

Steamed Broccoli and Kale, Quinoa/Rice mix, marinated baked tofu, GF Asian crunchy noodle topping. GF Hoisin sauce. 

Baby tomatoes and smoked paprika cauliflower (both roasted), mixed rice, Daring faux chicken pieces (Cajun), steamed baby spinach and homemade vegan ranch.

Asian style bowl, marinated baked tofu, steamed kale, brown rice, spicy Asian cucumber salad, Asian style eggplant.

Sushi Bowl - Sushi Rice, Teriyaki Tofu, Fried Shitake Mushrooms in a Chili Mayo, Steamed Boy Choy, fresh cucumber,

Garlic Tahini sauce, steamed veg (sweet potato, yellow squash and broccoli), brown rice and Daring "chicken" - plain.

Red Cabbage & Kale Coleslaw

Red Cabbage & Kale Coleslaw

Ingredients

Slaw

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded

1 head kale, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

Dressing

zest of half a lime

juice of one lime

4 tablespoons vegan sour cream/greek yogurt

¾ cup vegan mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 Tbls agave

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Mix shredded vegetables well in a large bowl.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Combine dressing into the shredded vegetables well and serve.

Creamy Corn Chowder

This awesome simple recipe from Minimalist Baker is great for weeknight dinners. I love to put all the ingredients in my Ninja blender and it has a soup option - literally does the soup for you in 30 minutes with around 5-10 minutes prep work on my part!

Creamy Corn chowder 

Ingredients

2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large white onion (chopped // 1/2 onion yields ~1 cup)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
4 small red potatoes* (quartered // peeling, optional)
Sea salt and ground black pepper
3 ears corn* (kernels sliced off)
2 cups low sodium veggie broth* (DIY or store-bought)
2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk* (or regular milk if not vegan)
2-3 stalks green onions (for garnish // chopped)

1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor (optional)

Method

To a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Add potato, season with a little salt and pepper, and cover to steam for 4-5 minutes.

Add most of the corn, reserving a little for garnish, and stir.

NOTE: If you plan to blend the soup, I recommend (as suggested above) adding half broth, half milk for a creamier texture. But if you intend to leave it unblended, forgo the milk and do all vegetable broth (4 cups | 960 ml) for best texture/flavor.

Add broth and almond milk (if using), cover, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook until the potatoes are soft and slide off of a knife when pierced – about 5-10 minutes.

If blending, add 3/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. If using nutritional yeast, add now.

Transfer soup back to the saucepan and bring back to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Cook for at least 10 minutes to let thicken. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will be.

To serve, top with chopped green onion, remaining fresh (or lightly sauteed) corn, and black pepper. Add a sprinkle of paprika for color.

Cashew Cream Sauce

 From Rainbow Plant Life. This is my new favourite sauce, it literally goes with everything! If you want some variations here is a link to the original recipe. I recommend Rainbow Plant Life YouTube channel as well - so many great recipes!

Cashew Cream Sauce 

Ingredients

1 cup (135g) raw cashews, soaked in cool water overnight (or boil with water in a saucepan for 15 minutes)

½ – ¾ cup (120 – 180 mL) water (see the cashew : liquid ratios in the blog post)

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Method

Drain the cashews and rinse with fresh water.

Add the cashews to a high-powered blender or food processor along with the water, garlic, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and onion powder. 

Blend on high speed until smooth, thick and creamy, scraping down the sides with a silicone spatula as you go. 

This will take about 2 minutes in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix (works great in my Ninja), or about 4 minutes in a food processor.

Taste and adjust for seasonings, adding more salt for saltiness, more nutritional yeast for cheesy/umami flavors, or more lemon juice for acidity.

Simple Vegan Cornbread

This cornbread recipe from Nora Cooks was probably one of the best I've ever had - it went amazingly with the chilli we made!

Simple Vegan Cornbread 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/3 cup canola oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a 8 x 8 pan, or a 9 inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder and stir.

Now pour in the almond milk and canola oil. 

Stir until well combined. 

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

The Best Vegan Chili

This is probably one of the best chili recipes I've ever tried - we did not use the jalapenos because the kids don't do well with spice. Original recipe is from Kelli Foster on The Kitchn. Goes really well with this cornbread recipe!

The Best Vegan Chili

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon light or dark molasses
1 cup dried red lentils
1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
For serving (optional):
2 medium avocados, diced
4 medium scallions, thinly sliced

1 medium jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced

Method

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. 

Add the onion, celery, jalapeño, and garlic, and cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. 

Add the cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. 

Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the spices don’t burn. 

Stir in the molasses and lentils and cook for a minute more.

Add the tomatoes, broth, and beans, and stir to combine. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serve topped with avocado, scallions, and jalapeño, if desired.