So I’ve been away a while. I’ve been working hard on my dissertation and I can see the end. Which is AMAZING! I’ll be taking some time off the blog to focus on completing my PhD, and will be back with a vengeance! Stay tuned for delicious plant-based recipes!
I usually eat a piece of toast with vegan butter in the morning–I don’t usually have much of an appetite in the morning. But today, I felt like having something heartier. I knew that I would be conducting participant interviews for my dissertation study today, so something filling was needed.
Hot Cereal with Blueberries and Peanut Butter
Combine the cereal, water, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn heat off, cover, and let sit for a few minutes. Serve cereal in a bowl, add blueberries, peanut butter, and drizzle with maple syrup. Can you say yum?
Continuing on with the workout plan, Day 3 consisted of the same exercises as Day 1, except that I increased the weights for the squats.
Squats: 2 sets, 15 reps, 35lbs
Pushups (knees down): 2 sets, 15 reps
Bent over rows: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lbs
Step ups (2 steps high): 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lbs
Prone Jackknife: 2 sets, 8 reps
60 sec breaks between each sets.
Day 4 consisted of the same exercises as Day 2, with no changes in weights. However, I’ll need to increase the weight for the dumbbell shoulder press next time, as I feel I can push more.
Deadlifts: 2 sets, 15 reps, 35lb
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lb
Pullovers on Swiss Ball: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lb
Lunges: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lb
Swiss Ball Crunches: 2 sets, 8 reps, 10lb
60 sec breaks between each sets.
On another note, I’m currently reading “The China Study“–I’ve been meaning to read it for quite a while now and I finally got to it. I am LOVING it. I doubt that I will finish the book without making permanent changes to my eating habits…
Saturday was a busy day preparing food for a family lunch I was having on Sunday; made some sangria, fresh veggie rolls, and blueberry pie.
I love making the veggie rolls–you can basically put anything you want in the rice paper rolls (I put green peppers, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, noodles, basil, and mint), then dip it in a delicious sauce of tamari, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, hot pepper, rice vinegar, and chopped cashews.
But I had to find some time for Workout B, and I did…
Deadlifts ( I LOVE these): 2 sets, 15 reps, 35lb
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lb
Pullovers on Swiss Ball: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lb
Lunges: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lb
Swiss Ball Crunches: 2 sets, 8 reps, 10lb
60 sec breaks between each sets.
I increased the weight for my lower body and my legs felt like Jell-o after the workout. I definitely felt it the next day! I ended my workout with a protein shake made with vegan protein powder, almond milk, banana, and blueberries.
Workout A is back on Day 3 on Tuesday…
I ordered a few books I had on my wishlist last week and I received them a few days ago. Love getting a box from Amazon on my doorsteps…
Once of those books was The New Rules of Lifting for Women, recommended by Mama Pea on her blog. I started reading it right away and I’m absolutely loving the way the author writes. So I’m excited to start his 6-month weight training plan and decided to record it here on the blog, which will help me stay accountable and motivated to continue and keep up with it.
So…Day 1:
Squats: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lbs
Pushups (knees down): 2 sets, 15 reps
Bent over rows: 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lbs
Step ups (2 steps high): 2 sets, 15 reps, 20lbs
Prone Jackknife: 2 sets, 8 reps
60 sec breaks between each sets.
So I was definitely breathing harder after this workout and was shweaty. Next day, had sore lats and front of shoulder. Nothing in the lower body, which tells me to increase the weight. On to workout B tomorrow!
OMG this is a delicious meal! The sauce in this salad makes it addictive and the texture of the brown rice pasta is heaven.
Brown Rice Pasta Salad (Adapted from a turkey recipe booklet!)
Combine the first 6 ingredients and set aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions (do not overcook!). Drain pasta and toss it with 1/2 the sauce. Set aside.
In a medium-sized pan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for a minute and add the red pepper and green beans (if using) and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the snow peas (if using) and cook for another minute. Add the pasta and the remaining sauce and warm through for another 2 minutes. Add basil and cashews and remove from heat. Toss on salad greens. Y-U-M. I forgot to take a picture because I ate it way too fast…
I’ve been on a fish-eating kick lately, and it’s growing on me. This is a perfect BBQ recipe.
Sweet and Sour Fish BBQ Sauce (From Food & Drink) Makes 1 cup.
Place all ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This sauce freezes really well so you can divide it up into separate serving sizes for later use.
Brush some BBQ sauce over salmon, tilapia, cod, or haddock. I chose organic salmon. Place on the BBQ over medium heat and grill about 6 minutes on each side.
Garlic Swiss Chard & Green Beans
Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add garlci and stir fry for about a minute. Add grean beans and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and cook for antoher 2-3 minutes, until they wilt. Serve alsongside fish.
Yum.
What to do with a bunch of green onions, fresh from a local organic farm? Pesto! There’s a reason I make so much pesto. It’s super easy to freeze for those days where you need a fast dinner. And I love the ingredients that go in a homemade pesto.
Green Onion Pesto
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until relatively smooth–no big chunks! Enjoy right away on cooked pasta or freeze for later use.
On another note, have you purchased Mama Pea’s new cookbook? It’s a great buy and I’m slowly (and happily!) making my way though it. Made the Teriyaki Tofu on brown rice, with a side of steamed vegetables (snow peas and burgundy beans from a local organic farm). Yum! The sauce is delicious enough to drink!
Wow. I cannot describe the heat wave we’re having in Toronto today. With humidity, feels like 46C. Seriously?
Definitely called for a light dinner.
I tried a Sobey’s fish recipe tonight, served on brown rice, with a side of sauteed Swiss chard and garlic. Delicious!
Sobey’s Roasted Cod with Capers, Olives, & Tomatoes (serves 4)
Preheat oven to 425F. Combine the olives, capers and 1/2 tsp of lemon zest in a small bowl and set it aside.
Dry the fish with paper towels. Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet and place fish on top. Season the fish with salt and pepper and sprinkle 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Top the fish with the olive mixture and grape tomatoes. Sprinkle oregano and drizzle olive oil. Roast the fish for about 12 minutes and serve with brown rice and my sauteed Swiss chard!
Sauteed Swiss Chard and Garlic (serves 2)
Heat your pan on medium heat and add vegetable oil. Add garlic and sautefor a minute. Add Swiss chard and saute until wilted. Turn heat off and drizzle with olive oil.
Followed by an ice-cold watermelon juice. Heaven.
Watermelon Juice (inspired by the watermelon juice served to us in San Pedro, Chile) Serves 4.
Blend. Yeah, that’s it. And it’s delicious.
Is it weird to have a rice bowl for breakfast? I had such a strong craving for it, had to have one!
Chickpeas and Veggies Rice Bowl (makes 1 bowl)
Put the rice in a small bowl, add the chickpeas, cucumber, carrots and snap peas on top. Drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle top with avocado pieces and cilantro. YUM!
What did I end my meal with, you ask? Oh, just some chocolate chip cookies with sea salt from Mama Pea’s new book. DEE-LISH! I have tried many ‘recipeas’ from her book and blog and they have all made it in my ‘keeper’ binder. Trust me, it’s tough to get a spot in there.
I’m also snacking on some of Averie’s Cheezy Kale Chips. The sauce is incredible! Keeps me happy while I work on my dissertation (sigh).
Cheezy kale chips before mixing in the sauce. Then into the oven they went.
Ok, I’m full now.
It’s finally summer. Hot, humid, sunny weather. Love it. My meals tend to change though during this time of year to light, crispy, and refreshing foods.
A day before I receive my next food share box, I needed to use up some of the remaining vegetables in the fridge. A veggie wrap is a great way to do this because it’s so versatile–you can put anything in there!
Crunchy Veggie Wrap (makes 1 wrap)
Heat your tortilla in the microwave for 10 seconds so it becomes softer and pliable. Spread the baba ghanoush on the tortilla and place a lettuce leaf on top. Add all your veggies and sprinkle some pepper on top. Roll. I clearly overloaded my wrap which became a soft taco. No worries though!
You can swap the baba ghanoush for hummus, cream cheese, a mixture of light mayo with lime juice and lime zest, etc. The veggies can be swapped for any other veggies! The sky is the limit here! Enjoy!
