Eating for Two and Sometimes Three

After reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Dr. Neal Bernard's books in 2011 on how to eat for maximum nutrient, I changed forever my ideas on what healthy eating was. Green smoothies; vegetable-packed soups and casseroles, mega salads, and vegetable stir-fries became the main part of the Lewis' meals everyday. Beans, lentils, tofu, fruits, whole grains, nut, and seeds were also mainstays. Eating this way gave us increased energy because of all the micronutrients we consumed daily. I still baked cookies and muffins, but they were without dairy and eggs and made using wheat, spelt, oat, and/or nut flours increasing their nutritional profile.

When I found I was pregnant in May 2012 I was very excited because I was physically fit and eating a nutrient dense diet. I felt that my new found way of eating would result in a pregnancy that I did not gain an absurd amount of weight. That changed in June when I begun craving cheese and eggs. These cravings were VERY intense and as much as I tried to remind myself of the unethical treatment of dairy cows and unborn chickens that I would consumed I could not shake these cravings and begun including both eggs and cheese in my diet. That may have been what my body wanted but my waistline hated it because by August (my first OB appointment) I found out I had already gained 25lbs. Boo! Because I had allowed eggs and cheese back into my diet all those unhealthy candy bars, pastries, store bought cookies that had been absent from my diet for nearly a year flooded back as well.

My physical activity also took a nose dive as my energy levels decreased. My body had been used to hour long, hard-core workouts 5-6 times a week. Those intense workouts slowly were traded for napping, light playing with Rocket, and walking two or three times a week. I gained a total of 82lbs. This is about what I gained with Rocket. My starting weight in May was about 140lbs and my end weight was 221.5lbs. Wow, right? Yes that is how I felt.

Now that my hormones are returning to their former state of equilibrium and I am nursing, dairy has been cut out of my diet again. The result- a happy GI tract for Lex and I. The milk protein found in cow's milk is not compatible with the milk protein in human's milk.

Lex is 17 days old and a wonderful little guy. He has already gained 1lb 3oz in just two weeks. My breast milk must me yummy to this little one ;-)

Below are pictures of what the Lewis family had for dinner. A before and after picture. The picture is a little dark but there is a quinoa/brown rice pilaf, sweet potato, Lee's red, black, white beans, a veggie stir fry consisting of kale, asparagus, yellow pepper, and onion. Notice in the after that Rocket's little sectional plate is nearly finished as well. My big guy loves himself some healthy food!

During Lex's pregnancy I still ate like this just added a ton of junk food on top. Now the urge to eat junk food has greatly diminished and I am glad. So is my waistline as I now weigh 193lbs. Two days after Lex was born I weighed myself and discovered I had already lost 22lbs.

Next time I will further discuss what my plans are to lose the excess weight that I gained during Lex's pregnancy.

What HEALTHY eating looks like to me (pictures only)

These are not meals that I ate ALL in one day but instead a snap shot of the types of meals I enjoy on a regular basis.

I am regularly inspired by:
Choosingraw.com
Ohsheglows.com
Healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com
Blog.fatfteevegan.com
Kblog.lunchboxbrunch.com
Vegetarian.about.com

Enjoy making your own healthy and delicious vegan meals for your family!

My Absence and Eating for Nutrition

Since my semester ended nearly two months ago it has been fairly difficult to keep posting on my blog. I have had plenty of ideas to post but getting to my laptop or using the app to post has been the most difficult thing to do. My full time mommy duties are just that- full time. I love spending all day with Rocket and we are finally settling into a daily routine and I have found some time to blog again!


I proud to say that my decision to become vegan 5 months ago is still a decision that I am very happy I made.
The main reasons that I began eating an animal-free diet was (1) health and (2) not wanting to be a part of killing animals (I even have a problem with killing Mosquitos!); (2) helps me make food decisions that DO NOT involve hurting animals and (1) helps me make food decisions that will enhance my health.

Eating a vegan and nutrient-dense diet is not very difficult but does take a little creativity and preparation. Here are a few tips that I have found useful:

1) Find vegan food blogs to find recipes

2) grocery shop once a week

3) don't buy all your food in one place- buy produce on sale, shop at local farmer markets, if you are military shop at your commissary

4) if it has a label it is probably not worth your money (exceptions: salad greens, other fresh produce, non dairy milk, tofu/tempeh, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts/nut butters)

5) salads can be eaten whenever and however. Today I had a salad at breakfast with roasted beets, pear, cara citrus, and homemade raspberry vinegarette

In the spirit of posting this blog now rather than later (I have been working on this in bits and pieces for the past three days) I am posting this without the links to my favorite blogs and recipes that I repeat because they are nutrient dense. Look for both of those and pictures of what eating for nutrients can look like!

I have included pictures of Rocket, and Rocket and I from a visit we took to Maryland :-)

Why did I become a Vegan?

When I was a little girl I was acutely aware that killing animals and eating them was "mean". I use mean instead of cruel because my younger self did not understand how factory farming worked. I remember watching Babe and thinking most if not all farms were similar to that. The reality is just the opposite because hundreds of thousands of animals are treated with unbelievable amounts of cruelty so that people can eat them. No living being deserves what is happening everyday to the cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys. But that mind frame came later for me after i became aware.

I tried unsuccessfully throughout my childhood to become a vegetarian. I still more often than not was the typical American meat and potatoes consumer; although I also ate what I thought was a lot of vegetables at the time. My longest stint as a vegetarian was while I was taking Anatomy and Physiology in college. Dissecting my cat (the cat I had selected had been run over so I would not feel guilty for having a euthanized cat) I became overwhelmed with the realization that the muscles of the cat looked eerily like chicken muscle. I stopped eating most animal products except for eggs which I thought I truly needed to eat for the vitamin B12. When I got back home for breaks, especially the holiday ones I reverted back to my typical meat eater diet. I was introduced to tofu at the time and I enjoyed eating only marinated firm tofu.

Fast forward three years to me becoming a brand new mom. This is when my desire for eating a vegetarian diet and than a vegan diet became backed up with knowledge and conviction. After watching movies like Food Inc.; Food Matters; Fat, Sick,and Nearly Dead; and later Fork Over Knives, and reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's books Eat to Live/Eat for Health and Dr. Neal Bernard's Breaking the Food Seduction I realized that if I wanted my actions to be in-align with my thoughts on how animals should not be slaughtered (no matter how humane). On January 2, 2012 I sighed up for The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart which is sponsored by The Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine. Dr. Neal Bernard is a part of this organization. Since then I have been eating a animal and cruelty free diet. I am happy that I have made this decision for myself.

On April 2, 2012, PCRM is starting another 21 day vegan Kickstart cycle, if you are interested please take a look at their website. Http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=21day_vegan_kickstart

End of November

I am going to credit the overall success of accomplishing (in various degrees) all of my November goals by blogging about them. I was able to recall my goals and make an effort to actually accomplishing them, which is much better than before when the goals would be forgotten and never thought of again.

Today was a day for getting things done and Rocket was a sport about getting in and out if his car seat which is always a relief.

I tried my hand at a vegan pound cake tonight and despite my initial taste which I thought was a little weird, I know love it. Funny how that happens.

Perhaps I will post that recipe and more recipes on here. Still not sure what kind of blog I want this to be. My favorites to read are vegan food blogs.

Green Smoothie and Granola

Here is a recipe for a smoothie sip or you can eat in a bowl with some yummy granola mixed in :-).

2 handfuls of spinach
1/2 cup of So Delicious coconut yogurt plain
3/4 cup of non dairy milk
3 frozen whole organic strawberries
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 frozen banana

Blend until smooth

This can be served in a glass and sipped through a straw or served in a bowl with granola stirred in. I use Cascadian Farms Fruit and Nut Granola :-)

I wish I could say this wonderfully yummy concoction was from my own brilliant mind but I will sight inspiration from the following vegan blog Oh She Glows

As the weather is turning from cool to cold I know that my smoothie days will come far and few as my soup and stews days will dominate until Spring.

Last night Lee made a delicious and hearty vegan Potato and Leek soup that I am looking forward to eating the next couple of days.

Until next time...

I added a picture of Rocket enjoying the smoothie :-)