Being prepared for the week!

Hey guys! Check out this video of how I get a couple of food items prepared for the week. :-)




What food do you like to prepare for the week?

Asian Cuisine Night!

I've been craving seaweed salad all week! I know that's a random thing to crave but my taste buds are just strange sometimes. I found an easy recipe for seaweed salad online and decided to make some on Saturday. I figured that if I was going to make seaweed salad I might as well make some sushi, and hey, "why not throw in some spring rolls as well?"...mmm spring rolls. I never made spring rolls before so that was another recipe I went digging around online to find. With recipes in hand, I gathered some ingredients, and attempted to make some delicious vegan goodness. I started with the seaweed salad (which took no time at all), and then I moved on to making the spring rolls, my husband worked on the sushi while I finished up with some vegan pot stickers. OMG! Everything was so good!lol I know I'm tooting my own horn, but it was seriously one scrumptious dinner. I made enough spring rolls to last me, my husband, and roommate for a week and they were practically demolished. I think there might be a few scraps left.lol Here are some pics:

Here is the filling for the spring rolls.

Some sea weed salad.

Getting ready to wrap the spring roll.

Yummy finished product.

Okay, so this was supposed to be pot-stickers, but I had a mishap, which resulted in pot-sticker mash.  

Sushi w/Gardein "chick'n"

Spring roll w/sweet & sour sauce. 

Hope these pics make you as hungry as I am right now.lol Try a new recipe tonight! :-)

Tone It Up 7 Day Slim Down Days 5-7

Hey guys, sorry I never got around to posting a video for my last days on the slim down. I got so busy with work that I didn't remember to post. But, to be honest I don't think days 5-7 were post worthy because I slacked on them big time. Things would get crazy with work and instead of keeping myself busy with other things I would find myself snacking on things that weren't so healthy. I know it didn't help that I was pms-ing and having mad cravings but I have to learn to be stronger with my cravings when that time comes around. I will definitely attempt the 7 day slim down (and complete it fully) again but I'll probably wait until I have an event or shoot coming up so I have something to look forward to when I'm finished. I am happy that I at least tried it, so I can better prepare myself for next time. :-)

Tone It Up 7 Day Slim Down Day 4

Hey everyone! It's day 4 of the Tone It Up 7 day slim down and I'm not gonna lie but I am definitely having some cravings. I think it's mainly because my monthly friend decided to come early, which cause my chocolate craving to go into over drive. I did cave in today and have some maple quinoa cereal during lunch. I know that doesn't seem like such a big slip up...but it's still a slip up. I made it to Meal 4 and my workout without any hiccups. For today's workout I did Bodyrock's "Do you like it workout." After my workout I had some delicious dinner.

Black bean patty, peas, kale, spinach, red onions, and diced tomatoes with brussels sprouts. 

I've started following this "Fit Photo Challenge" and it's so much fun!

Basically, you just post pics of what each day tells you. So far I'm on Day 3. Check out my twitter page to see my pics! @veganwhat



Well, that's it for now. Have a good night everyone!

Tone It Up 7 Day Slim Down Day 2 & 3

Yesterday, I was far too tired to upload my Day 2 of the the 7 day slim down so I'm combining day 2 and 3 together for today's post. For day 2 I woke up early to get my workout in before meeting my mom. I did 2 sets of Tone It Up Valentine's Day workout and then I had some breakfast. I met up with my mom to run some errands for the day and I picked up some cute new workout clothes. I'll post pics of new stuff later. When we finally got back to her place it was late afternoon and I completely missed lunch, so I ate when I got home. Being Valentine's Day and all I decided to make the hubby something sweet, so I made some dark chocolate covered strawberries. They looked so good that I caved in and ended up having two. I know! No good!lol But, I was glad that I stopped at two. I finished the night off with some ab exercises.



Day 3!

Today went a lot smoother. I got in a 3+mile run this morning at the gym. I usually run outside but it was raining today. After my workout I raced home to make a delicious protein pancake. Used unsweetened apple sauce instead of silken tofu this time and it came out even better. :-) For my afternoon workout I did another Bodyrock rep challenge and as usual I felt like dying half way through the workout but I powered through and finished strong. For dinner I sauteed some spinach and kale with a chickpea patty. I was feeling a bit off so I added some veggie soup on the side.

Four more days to go!

Tone It Up 7 Day Slim Down

Hey Guys! Today I finished my first day of the Tone It Up 7 day slim down. If you're not familiar with the 7 day slim down it's a part of Tone It Up's nutrition plan where you can get slim and trim for your big event in 7 days. So, if you have a reunion or another big event you want to look great for, the Tone It Up ladies get you ready by setting up 7 days of strict eating and exercising. After the 7 days are over you can go back to the normal nutrition plan. I've been avoiding starting the plan for a while now for the mere fact that I hate strict eating. I want to be able to eat what I want when I want, but I've also learned over the past few months that if you want a hot body, you can't always eat what you want when you want it. The nutrition plan has been working great for me so far. So, I decided it was time to go ahead and give the 7 day slim down a try. I'll try and post videos everyday as I count down to the final day. Hopefully this will keep me honest and focused as I go on this week long journey. Here is day 1:

Dinner for day 1: Black bean patty over salad with corn, peas, and steamed zucchini  & cauliflower.

Tone It Up's Valentine's Day Cupcakes!

Hey everyone! Are you ready for Valentine's Day sweets??? I know I am! I know for me, it doesn't matter what I do for Valentine's Day as long as I get something sweet (usually chocolate) to munch on. This year I have a special recipe for you from my favorite ladies at Tone It Up. It's their Valentine's Day Cupcakes. I had to veganize them of course, and thankfully some of the vegan ladies on the Tone It Up nutrition plan were able to help. These cupcakes cut down on carbs but not on taste, so give them a try and let me know what you think. :-)




Tone It Up's Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Combine dry ingredients...
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder 
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup organic sugar
3 tbs natural stevia powder... or 6 packets of stevia natural sweetener

Add one at a time to dry mix with a whisk...
1 Tbs of ground flax plus 3 tbs of water
3 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup soy yogurt
3 tsp vanilla extract



Frosting
   With a hand mixer 
1 cup vegan cream cheese
2 tbs soy yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
1/4 cup stevia powder

Vegan Power Cakes & New Shoes!

Hey guys! Last night's workout was brutal for my arms! I did the Bodyrock "Set It Off" Resistance Training Routine with the hubby last night and we were both dying by the time we finished. I love workouts that really push you and it's always nice to have someone there motivating you to push harder (even though I think I did most of the motivating...but I don't mind :-P). Here's the link: http://www.bodyrock.tv/2012/01/11/day-3-week-2-of-the-30-day-challenge-wild-ones-workout/. If you don't have a gym membership or have one but can't find the time, check out Bodyrock.tv and Toneitup.com. I can not stress enough how amazing these workout hosts are. They train you right in your home for FREE! And they really kick your butt too!lol

This morning I had Zumba class! So much fun every time I go. This class is always packed because we all love sweating and having a good time while dancing and losing weight. I try to go every week but sometimes I can't make it. I had a bowl of my favorite quinoa cereal before class because I knew I would be getting out too late for breakfast.

After the gym and errands I headed home to try my hand at making a Power Cake. This awesome chick named Kasey makes these power cakes which remind me of protein pancakes but a little more edgy.lol...I don't know if healthy pancakes can be considered edgy, but you have to check out her site to see what I'm talking about. Anyway, I've been wanting to make some for a while but she uses egg whites to make them and that's a no no in the world of veganism, so I asked her if she was planning on making a vegan version anytime soon and she said she was working on it. Me, being the impatient person that I am couldn't wait to taste one of these amazing looking powercakes, so I tried to veganize it myself. My first attempt was pretty bad. I'd show you but I threw them out.lol I used egg replacer from the box and for some reason it just did not come out right. So, last night I remembered that Tone It Up uses silken tofu in their protein pancakes. I also checked out one of my vegan cook books for ways to replace eggs. After the gym I stopped by Whole Foods (or as some say "Whole Paycheck") and picked up some silken tofu. I brought up the recipe for her Carrot Cake Power Cake and got to work. Here is the recipe:

WHIP 4 Egg Whites (I used ½ a tub of Organic Silken Tofu & 1 Whole Banana mashed)

Then fold in:

2 TB Ground Flax
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1 TB Coconut Flour
(sub protein powder or other flour)
1 Grated Carrot
2 TSP Baking Powder
Cinnamon/Ginger/Cloves
Vanilla
Stevia
(or other sweetener)

Spoon the mix onto a pan & SPRAY the pan. (I used parchment paper)

Bake @ 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes!

Vegan Carrot Cake Power Cakes. 

Topped with Protein Frosting (Vanilla Protein Powder w/water)

And last but not least, some yummy chia jam. Check the Power Cake link for the recipe. 

Nom nom nom

This came out so much better than the last batch. I think it definitely helped adding in the mashed banana. It gave it a more creamy texture. The Protein Powder Frosting was good but a little too sweet for me, so maybe I'll just stick with the chia jam as my topping. As a whole this was definitely a yummy treat for an after workout meal. I paired it with half a grapefruit.

Oh, before I forget...I got some new trainers to show you!

Nike Free TR Fit Winter Shoes

I've been in desperate need for some new workout shoes...and when I saw these I fell in love! Once I saw one of the Bodyrock host wearing the exact ones I wanted (same color too!), it was like a sign. These pretty blue babies were delivered to me on Friday and they're even more amazing than I thought they would be. They're so light and comfortable. My feet thank me after every workout. :-)

For lunch I had a Tone It Up black bean patty with brown rice, tomatoes, and avocado. I had half a whole wheat pita bread with a small dollop of hummus.