bunsofaluminum's journal

[LauraA]

Your journal is great - I love your enthusiasm! I'm glad that you are with us. Everyone's journal helps to motivate me and keep me on track. Thanks, LauraA

[sksamboots]

Your doing great, keep on keepin on

[rebecca]

Hi! Here is the recipe for sweet potato lasagna. It is from the Engine 2 book. It makes a lot. When I made it I had left over veggie filling that now I'm eating as stuffed potatoes. I all so made my own tomato sauce for it and I used brown rice noddles. Enjoy


1 onion, chopped

1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 can corn, rinsed and drained

1 package Silken Lite Firm tofu

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 jars pasta sauce (see E2-Approved Foods)

2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles

16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1 cup raw cashews, ground



1. Preheat oven to400º.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon
4. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan.
5. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl.
6. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.
7. Drain the tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl.
8. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.

To Assemble:
9. Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce.
10. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce.
11. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy.
12. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles.
13. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce.
14. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes.
15. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce.
16. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.
17. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
18. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

[bunsofaluminum]

does that ever sound good! thanks for posting that. Lasagna is my all time favorite, so it'll be good to have a nice "feasty" dish to cook for my bday

the herbs especially sound like a terrific taste combination.

thanks again...I'll be trying this out for my next feast day!

blessings Heidi

[bunsofaluminum]

since I woke up in the middle of the night, and only lightly drifted from 3 am until my alarm at 5 am, I decided to pass on the core challenge workout for day 3. I'll still walk this evening FOR SURE. Taking long vigorous walks is totally energizing me!

I ate so much yesterday, of that yummy curried lentil soup/stew, this morning I'm not much hungry. Just an apple for brekkie (I may stop at Smith's for a banana on the way to work)

Lunch: LO lentil stew

Dinner: baked potato (w/lentil stew topper?) and a big green salad.

walk: at least 30 minutes and USING THE HILLS AROUND HERE for cardio.

that's the plan. Now to get up the kids! ack!

[sksamboots]

Here's to a good day--Keep on keepin on !!!

[bunsofaluminum]

thanks, sksamsboots

It was a good day, but I'm totally wiped out. hitting the hay

[bunsofaluminum]

Plan was: for food, McDougall. For exercise, I was going to do the Core Challenge every morning, and then walk for a half hour every evening.

The change is: I will drop the core challenge for now. I took on way too much...I may still do the exercises in the core challenge, and maybe even do them every day, but I'm not going to make that a goal.

I should know by now that gradual is best. After all, I've been imagining myself thin for months now, and only started eating salads every day at the beginning of summer, and am finally feeling like I have the energy to exercise...why did I think I had the gumption to get up and do intense core training at the beginning of every single day? LOL

No, I don't feel bad about this. I even like the core exercises...I'm just not making it a "gotta do it every day or you're a LOSER" kind of thing. I'll do them when I feel it, sort of like pushing hard on my walks to get my heart rate up because I feel like I gotta do it or burst I know this about myself:if my exercise regimen is not enjoyable, I won't do it from sheer willpower. At this point, walking every day is a step in the right direction, even "strolling along merrily" is more than I have been doing.

and I wonder if I'm going through a cleanse of some sort, because I'm hungry so much of the time, even though I eat a LOT more than I have been and I felt kind of wobbly yesterday almost like a blood sugar thing. So it feels un-energetic...I didn't want the muscle ache of pushing it with the core exercises on top of the kind of "cleansey" feel my body is having right now. I just hope this cleanse, if that's what it is, won't be too brutal.


and I weighed this morning and haven't lost anything. Which would have surprised me if I had, as today is only day four. LOL

The plan today:

B: baked potato with lentil stew topper; a piece of toast or something here in a minute (still hungry)
L: vegan burrito from Annie's
D: baked potato w/lentil stew topping; huge green salad w/oil-free dressing
S: veggie stix and maybe some raw almonds or trail mix

a long walk this afternoon. Think I'll walk up to the discount store and see what their 10 for $1.00 bananas look like. Right after work! yah

it's good to have a plan.

[sksamboots]

Gradual is always best--you got that right. It's hard to wrap our brains around sometimes though...I think are society has brained washed us to want to do everything and expect everything very fast and then if we don't we kind of give up. Hang in there--your doing great !

[bunsofaluminum]

ha!

yesterday I walked through a very nice courtyard that had several varieties of leafy greens planted as ornamentals: cabbages in head, and some chard, both red and white. You know what? I wanted to ROB that ornamental garden.

I saw that swiss chard and thought "oooh! steamed, w/some vinegar and salt (and butter I admit it)" and really REALLY wanted some swiss chard. I wish it was payday...and next year I'm growing chard in my yard. ha!

chard in my yard. I slay myself hee hee

[sksamboots]

You make me laugh and you make the chard sound so wonderful. I've never had a thing for it. Tried it but it just didn't settle well. You make it sound great. I can't wait to hear about your garden. Keep on keepin on

[bunsofaluminum]

well last night's dinner, I finally ate enough to feel full! hahaha!

I had two baked potatoes smothered in curried lentil stew, and a huge green salad with some 3-2-1 salad dressing (yum!) and before I had finished all of it, I felt satisfied. In fact, I still have almost a whole potato left, which will be lunch, maybe.

I also ate some trail mix before bedtime, because I did feel hungry but also had the munchies. Reached right past the tortilla chips for the trail mix yay me!

Lovely long walk along Ogden River. I love this town! there are so many options for people who want to get out in the fresh air, and Ogden River Walkway is one of them. It was about an hour walk, shared with many other people in the late afternoon, with the western sun making the mountains golden. If only I'd had my camera (oh...can someone explain how to put pics in threads? thx)

This, after cleaning my kitchen and driving up to my sister's house for a science experiment with my nieces and playing fetch with their dog. So, it seems energy levels are increasing, which I LOVE!

The Plan for Today:

B: hot cereal with berries and agave nectar
L: LO baked potato w/lentil stew and a big salad (my son is coming for lunch, so I may make samwiches, his with meat and mine w/veggies)
D: ??? I can't think what I want at this point. Maybe some soup. yeah. that sounds good.

and of course, a nice evening walk.

[bunsofaluminum]

payday is next tuesday, and I'm going grocery shopping.

besides lots of produce, I want to hit the whole foods grocery store and buy lentils, barley, couscous, and bulgur wheat.

and start planning my menus for a week at a time. That is helpful for non-vegan lifestyle (keeps costs down for sure) and I think it is a must for following a new vegan plan.

Hmmm I gonna meditate on my shopping list. LOL

[Ege Bamyasi]

Two big, enthusiastic thumbs up on those food choices. I love making chili using bulghur to bulk it out rather than icky ground beef. Close your eyes and you can't even tell the difference!

When Jeanette does our major shopping this weekend, she'll be picking me up more coconut oil for my skin, as well as honey so that I can start making homemade dressings for my salads.

I had to take yesterday off from exercise because "pumping up the volume" to 25 minutes ended up effecting my back and shoulders, which is something I didn't even stop to consider. I'm back in fighting shape again today, though, so upward and onward I'll go and my protesting muscles will just have to tone, strengthen, and like it.

[bunsofaluminum]

Hey kirk

that whole "muscles are all connected" thing gets me once in awhile, too. but you're doing great. thanks for stopping by

blessings, HeidiW