Days Thirteen- Fifteen

Still going strong with the vegan diet. My tape measure and clothes are in agreement, but the scale is not. According to my measurements, I have lost about another 1/2 inch off my waist and hips, and my clothes are getting looser (choice of outfits from my closet are getting slim, too). Oddly the scale has me in the same place, but I am finding that I do not care about that number as much. I am just around ten pounds over my comfortable weight, so I really cannot complain about that. 

Although I do enjoy losing the weight I put on and carried around for five or so years, I have to say that my overall well being is so vastly improved that I am not freaking out about that three digit number. My head feels clearer and my heart feels lighter. I have also noticed the painful stiffness in my knees is magically gone. Well, not magically--it is pretty logical, actually. My body is not having to process all of the junk I used to eat and it is receiving more nutrient-wise. And as I have said before, not starving myself is a huge upside to healthy eating as well.

A delicious green smoothie that is actually green. Mine are usually purple from mixed berries.

On Day Thirteen, I was a bit rushed for time and realized I did not have the luxury of making a healthy lunch and dinner both from scratch. This dawned on me as I was grabbing a few items at the grocery store, and so I snatched a package of hickory smoked Tofurky deli slices and made a sandwich when I got home. Technically, the Tofurky is a processed food, I know, but I am a busy woman, and frankly, sometimes I need some "fast food." 

I spread a very thin layer of Vegenaise (vegan mayonnaise) on two slices of Ezekiel bread--Yes! I even added a little fat!--sliced a tomato and some cucumber, and placed them on the bread slices with some lettuce and Tofurky deli slices. Presto! Lunch in a snap. It held me over until dinner, and I felt comfortably full without that drowsy feeling people talk about after eating turkey or a heavy meal. 

For dinner the same day, I prepared my currently comfortable and somewhat quick food combination: Rice, beans, vegetables and spices. 

I also grabbed a couple of peeled carrots to chew on in case I did not bring enough of the dish I made--which I did eat as the above meal is so low in fat and calories. After work, I enjoyed a lovely, whole apple while I played with the cats (multitasking cat mama).

The next day I did something a little risky: I combined the small amount of Breakfast Scramble leftovers from Day Ten and the leftovers from the night before in a tortilla with a little hummus. I was not sure the flavors would combine well, but sure enough, it was a marriage made in heaven. Honestly, I was a little sad there would not be any leftovers of this bizarre concoction, but it could happen again someday.

For dinner that night, I changed things up a bit and threw together some rice fusilli pasta and added vegetables and red marinara sauce. I cheated with the marinara sauce and used Classico's Tomato and Basil Sauce. It was wonderful, and I got to enjoy the leftovers yesterday (Day Fifteen).

Day 15 was more of the same, except that for breakfast I kept it light as Gerald and I were going to do some yoga before he left for work. I just had a banana, a meatless breakfast patty, and a slice of Ezekiel toast with apple butter. After yoga, a delicious smoothie held me over until lunch, which was a rice, veggie, and lemony hummus combo. 

Now on with Day Sixteen...