And the verdict is.... Vegan!!

Hello party people,

Since the last time I blogged I have been a very busy chica. I had an awesome vacation in Philly and New York, tried not so great cheesesteak(which I shall discuss shortly), became an aunt, went vegetarian and then vegan.. gasp! I don't do anything half way ;)

Ultimately, I decided to go vegetarian after vacation because I of course wanted to get meat eating out of the way. As much as I am pleased at my decision at a meatless lifestyle; it doesn't make for the easiest eating out adventures. Taking a food tour of Philly wouldn't be enjoyable if I was sans meat. Visiting NY isn't the same unless you have a dirty water hot dog. So there you go.

Ok so visiting Philly, Kim and I naturally head over to do the Pat and Gino's cheesesteak sandwich debate thing. Which I of course was very excited to do, I am a fan of meat and cheese. First, let me explain how it started to POUR while we were walking around. As we were huddled under our umbrellas, slipping around in our flip flops(cause they are so great in the rain) and walking through a questionable part of town and a few "should we turn around"s; I was very excited for cheesesteaks. We get there looking like something the cat dragged in, I first noticed that it is $9 for one cheesesteak(gasp!!). I was reassured that they are worth it and went for it. Before I continue I will say that this little burb is my opinion and my opinion only. If there are disagreements, thats great. I repeat my opinion. Now I continue...I cannot put it into words the disappointment that I was feeling when saw and tasted this "awesome" cheesesteak. It was the saddest excuse for a sandwich I had ever seen. I'm convinced they forgot to put the steak in my cheeseSTEAK. So I bitched about it for a bit. Poor Kim never saw what hit her. Everyone who knows me or has eaten with me understands my rather large appetite. After washing down a bad cheesesteak with even worse cheese fries, I decided we should go across the street to Gino's and get one from there. Still bitching my disappointments. At this point I had to compare the two and how much worse could it really get. So across the street we go, drop another $9 on a cheesesteaks and back to our b&b we go. We get settled and I decided it was time for the second round of eating. Gino's was okay. Def had more flavor but still left me wanting more. Now at this point I am thinking maybe I am making the right decision to go Vegetarian. In a nutshell, my Philly cheesesteak excursion sucked but it was an experience and I leave it at that.

Vacation ended and vegetarianism started. My meat eating days went out with a "f*cking meat fest" and a bang. I did the vegetarian thing for about 2 weeks and I did very well. Considering my trust issues with dairy, I sort of cut it out of my diet and when I did have some it was in very small amounts. When I did the vegetarian thing, I did it right. I didn't overdo it on the mac and cheese, mash potatoes, fries and pizza. I ate veggies, fruits, grains and tofu. I substituted chip and dip for pretzels and hummus. After doing a lot of reading, I decided to go vegan. It wasn't too far off from what I was doing anyway. I wasn't eating dairy or meat, so why not cut out egg. I also took it a step further and cut out refined sugars and white flour. Well, not quite so easy but go big or home is how I feel. .

The switch to vegan proved to be a little difficult. I didn't quite realize how many things have milk products and egg products in them. Eating out is def a very hard thing to do. Most restaurants do not have vegan menus and the vegetarian selections are loaded with cheese and carbs. Fortunately, I do not eat out that often. I prefer to cook all of my meals. I cooked it, I know what is in it. It is simple really. It still is a challenge to try and figure what to make for dinner sometimes. But I am up to the challenge. Bring it on vegan gods!

Fast forward 6 weeks into the no animal products thing and I am happy to say I am doing awesome. I have lost 11lbs and finally found the shock my body needed. I met a bit of resistance from my stomach but all is squared away now. I can't really say I miss meat and the such. I feel good knowing I am getting myself healthier and healthier. Of course, a way of living like this is a bit on the strict side and is def not for everyone. Once I get vegan eating down, vegan baking here I come. My coworkers with my guinea pigs.. no pun intended. As soon as I figure out yummy dinner recipes, I shall post them here for anyone who is interested. Until next time!!

P.S: Being an auntie is awesome. My niece is so beautiful, we are all blessed!

P.P.S: My new go-to book is the Happy Herbivore. There is also a blog. Check it out!!

P.P.P.S: Well Kim just told me that I got the names wrong on the cheesesetak places. I was that unimpressed that I couldn't keep them straight. It was Pat's that I liked and Gino's that I didnt. I was also spelling it wrong, it is Geno's. Oopsy

Dear Blog, We meet again..

As I was laying in bed the other night; I felt the need, the need to blog. Then I realized it had been a very long time since I had posted anything. I did not realize that a long time was specifically over a year. Apparently, I haven't had anything worth mentioning in over a year.. le sigh. For the two people that read this I apologize :)

So what caused the sudden urge to write something you ask? I feel the need to share my crazy and hopefully attainable choice. Everyone who knows me knows that I have been exercising and dieting like a woman on a mission. Which essentially I am. After losing 70 lbs and feeling pretty healthy; I began wondering if there was more I could do to become healthier. I have also hit a plateau so something to "shock" my body is in need. After a lot of thinking and reading; I have decided to go vegetarian. Yes, me a vegetarian shocking I know. With my love for bacon and it being my favorite food group, it definitly a hard decision to make.

With all the "stuff" that is being added to food lately; I am thinking and hoping I made the right decision. Now just to alter my entire way of eating..again. Vegetarian recipes here I come.

On a totally unrelated side note, my new favorite thing is working out outside! I love it! It doesn't suck as much as I thought it would. It is a new type of challenge. Running here I come!!!

If anyone has any words of advice please let me know!

Just an update..

For dinner last night I had decided to make my beloved meatloaf recipe! After gathering all the ingredients I realized that I did not have a meatloaf pan, what to do I though. It was then recommended to me that I use cupcake tins. How perfect was the the idea! Cupcake shaped meatloaf= fun! Not only did it cook faster but I also had individual portion sizes. I topped the meatloaf cupcakes with the ketchup topping and it was so yum. I def recommend cooking the meatloaf in cupcake tins. Be rebellious and try it. I am glad I did! Oh and here is a picture of one of the "cupcakes". Enjoy

Things that make you go hmmm.. turkey meatloaf?

Ok so anyone that knows me knows I did not grow up in a "traditional American" household. So foods like chicken pot pie, meatloaf, pot roast..etc were something I really did not eat. Now as an "adult" who has attended culinary school and has a love for food; I must conquer foods that are new to me.

Now a problem arises, can I sample these classic American dishes and still stay on my healthy eating wave? Upon searching many recipes, I was starting to feel doubtful. That until I came across a recipe in Cooking Light. For a while I didn't always give the magazine the credit it deserved. However, while reading the recipe it was love at first sight. What recipe is it you ask? Wait and I shall tell. So, while reading this recipe I am wondering if it can be true. Have I just come across a "healthy" American classic? Yes, ladies and gentle peoples I did. I found turkey meatloaf with a spicy ketchup topping.

Could this recipe be any better? It used panko instead of breadcrumbs.. amazing. Anyone who has had the joys of breading food with my knows I looove panko. I substituted the mushrooms for spinach which is uber yummy. Not only was this meatloaf moist and tasty; it is healthy. Mind boogling. So let us discuss this "ketchup topping". Calling this ketchup topping does not do it justice. It is much more than that, it is the glue that holds this whole masterpiece together. Never would I have ever mixed Sriracha and ketchup together so it is safe to assume I had my doubts about this "topping". Boy were my doubts wrong. Just in case people don't know Sriracha is a hot chile sauce which in my opinion is heaven sent. The combo of the sweet and tangy of the ketchup mixed with the spicy of the Sriracha made my taste buds dance.

To keep with the classics theme I used mashed turnips instead of potatoes. To round it all out and keep it "American" I quickly sauteed some brussel sprouts. There you have it folks a classic dish and healthy dish who would have thunk? Definitely not I. Things that make you go hmmm.

Cupcakes for sale... am I crazy?

First off I should start by saying Hello, it has been a while. I ran out of creative juices for a while but I feel them slowly starting to refill. I also haven't eaten anything recently that made my taste buds jump for joy. I shall explain later on why. A lot has happened since I began this testimonial about my love for food.

Okay, so why cupcakes you ask. I say why not. Cupcakes are very yummy and personal form of expression. Who seriously doesn't love a mini version of cake. I mean cupcakes can be sweet, savory(hello bacon!), different colors and different shapes. No one is ever grumpy when a cupcake is near. With that in mind I thought to myself "Hey Jenn, why not sell them". Well, that's definitely easier said than done. There are several reason why I say this. First reason being who do I actually know that would want to buy them from me. That means I would have to meet people...eeeepp! The second reason being that everyone is being so health conscientious that trying to sell chocolate fudge cupcakes would be a little hard. The third and final reason being that even I have jumped on the getting healthy bandwagon. After having a seriously bad illness and breathing became an issue; I decided to do something about it.

Is it possible to have a cupcake business when everyone include the baker(me!) is riding the get healthy wave? Or am I just being crazy?

Me oh my, pie!

Let's just get this out in the open; I am not a baker. Baking is not something I do regularly. I have committed cookie homicide more times than I care to admit. The dis-justice I have done to baked goods is just wrong. I am now trying to fix that. So, I decided to take on pie. Yes, I said pie. Cherry pie to be exact (cue Def Leppard music).

I will admit I did not make my own dough. I cheated and got some help from Philsbury. I more than made up for it by pitting 2.5 lbs of cherries by hand. The only thing I used was a pairing knife and my newly manicured nails.

While I was pitting the cherries, it looked liked I had killed someone. There was cherry juice everywhere and the pits in the bowl looked like bullets. It looked like a scene from CSI; a yummy cherry splattered scene! About 45 minutes and one ruined manicure later, my filling was done. All I had to do now was just wait for everything to do its macerating magic then it would be baking time.

I learned that I can do lattice work on a pie while playing Cranium, that I can make someone a human puppet without getting flour all over them. I also learned that I can make a pretty decent baked goods when I actually try and when I follow the recipe word for word.

I also had attempted to bake a cardamom peach pie. According to others it came out good as well. But to me, the cherry pie was more exciting to bake and eat!

Tea, Burgers and Cheese.. oh my!

I love burgers. All kinds of burgers. Big ones, little ones, stuffed ones, turkey ones: I love burgers. In my quest to try and eat healthier, I have been eating more turkey burgers than beef burgers. My only issue is the slight lack of flavor that ground turkey has. I have made it a personal and crazy goal of mine to try and come up with a good tasting burger. I have tried mixing ingredients together and making what I called my Greek burger. They came out good but I knew I could do better. I experimented with different kinds of ingredients to mix into the turkey but I was not satisfied yet. So after much thinking and much cooking show watching; I decided on a spice rub. If you can put a spice rub on ribs or steak why can't you put it on a burger. I became determined at that moment! After looking at different recipes for different rubs, I decided to make a spicy coffee one. While trying to make one that tastes good I have come to the conclusion that some spices do not taste good when eaten directly out of the container. Sorry, I digress, so spicy coffee rub it is.

I am a type of person who loves big, bold, in-your-face flavors. So there is no surprise that I chose the flavors I chose.

Of course with every burger there must be cheese so I now had to find a cheese to stand up to the spice rub and homemade BBQ sauce. I decided to use smokey gouda based on recommendations I had read in a magazine. My burger was nearly done. Being a bacon lover (as I mentioned before) I decided to add an apple wood smoked bacon to the mix and everything was complete! All the smoky and spicy flavors mixed and just went POW! To add a little extra crunch I added some arugula and the peppery flavor was perfect.

If all those flavors sound a lot, trust me its not. To me, it was the perfect compliment to a bland turkey burger. To wash it all down I made an iced tea lemonade cocktail. It was perfect meal and drink to end the day.

My burger experimention definitely is not over. Stuffed burgers here I come!