Pantry Must-haves

To be honest, grocery shopping has gotten easier and harder. Easier because I used to stand in the meat section for 30+ minutes trying to find the best deal on meat for the price that wasn't going to kill us and that I could figure out how to cook. Veggies are just so much easier to me because they are versatile and I hardly have to worry about food borne illnesses.  Harder because I'm constantly reading labels and forcing myself to expand in my cooking skills of foods to add variety and new tastes. I've used a lot of "new" ingredients to me such as lentils, flax seeds, and beets.

Someone at church the other day asked if we eat grass. Soooooo, with that, I wanted to share with you a list of food items that are always in our home. The things we actually eat. And no...grass, leaves, and acorns are not on there. As soon as we get low or out of these items they go on my list to buy next time at the store. These items help us to make lots of kinds of foods and are the bases to all of our recipes.  We do also have lots of 'sometimes' or 'splurge' items. Cereals, chocolate chips, cinnamon almonds, avocados, and chocolate soy milk are just some examples. Splurge and sometimes because as you can see most of them aren't the best for us :).

Grains:
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Pasta
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat Flour
Quinoa
Yellow Corn Meal
Oats
Tortillas
Flax Seeds

Oils:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Canola Oil

Liquids:
Soy Milk
Vegetable Stock
Orange Juice
Non-dairy coffee creamer

Protein:
Tofu
Dried Beans
Canned Beans
Lentils

Fruits/Vegetables:
Bananas
Raisins
Tomatoes
Spaghetti sauce
Canned diced tomatoes
Garlic
Seasonal Produce (varies)- currently, we tend to eat a lot of winter squashes, sweet potatoes, onions, leafy greens, broccoli, radishes, peppers, beets, carrots, and many other fall/winter produce.

Other:
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Margarine
Hummus
Nuts
Sugar
Granola Bars
Chips and Salsa
Soy sauce
Local honey (technically not vegan, but we're not trying to save the animals or anything :) )
Coffee and tea
Nutella (definitely not vegan, but we just can't let it go!)
Lots of spices

I'm sure most vegans have more elaborate pantry items and really expensive cool ingredients, but well, we just aren't that classy. We like to keep it simple with a rice, bean, and veggie bowl for dinner.

Our grocery bill is the same as before the lifestyle change because the extra cost we use to spend on meat, cheese, and yogurt now goes to pay for non-dairy milks, higher quality grains, and if we buy organic produce.  Probably the biggest change in our budget is our eating out bill.  We are lucky if we eat out once a week whether it be lunch or dinner. It's just too difficult. So I like to think we are saving money.

Next time I'll share with you what I do with these items and some of our favorite recipes. :)

Meats vs. Veggies

via Katie

   Meat vs. Veggies

Chili

Pizza

Ice cream

Eggs

Burgers

Chick-fil-a

Macaroni

Cheese

Milk

Why am I listing all of these things?

Andrew and I have recently adopted an eating lifestyle that no longer includes the items. Crazy! I know! Those are some All-American foods right there that make the heart and tummy happy.  We made the decision over a month ago to start eating a plant-based diet. Why? Because we hate to eat good food.

No, just kidding :).  There is exponential amount of studies showing that plant-based foods (meaning no animal or animal byproduct but instead what is grown from the ground) are anti-inflammatory and, when the foundation of one's diet,  they have the ability to decrease one's chances of developing diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Do we think eating animal or animal products is harmful to us? NO. ONLY IF OVER CONSUMED
Will we never touch meat, cheese, or dairy again? SURE, WE WILL EAT THEM AGAIN

All we are trying to do is wrap our minds around more plant items such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plant proteins such as soy and nuts. So we agreed to go full force to, I guess, "rid" our bodies and start fresh. I imagine us over time incorporating animal foods back into our diet, but not for a while. And when we do, it will be in aN 80/20 ratio. 80 plant and 20 animal. Or maybe even less. Like 90/10?  Or maybe a couple times a week? I don't know yet.

Do we crave meat, cheese, or dairy? NO, NOT REALLY. (I try to create meals that have "meatiness" like bean or lentil stews.)
Aren't we lacking in vitamins and minerals animal foods provide? WE COULD BE, BUT WE WORK TO MAKE SURE WE AREN'T

We take multivitamins daily to help with B12 (which is only in animals), I make sure a protein source such as lentils, beans, soy, and whole grains are apart of each meal, I cook from a cast iron pot several times a week to help increase iron, flaxseed in our oatmeal and baked goods for omega-3, leafy greens for calcium, and then of course most things packaged are enriched and fortified with calcium.


Do we starve? ABSOLUTELY NOT
Is it hard? ONLY WHEN YOU TRY TO EAT OUT

We eat to our hearts content on great, seasonal, and farm fresh foods. I go the farmers market every weekend to pick up our produce for the week. I always leave my meals feeling full yet never bloated or stuffed. Our bodies feel great and we've both lost weight. :)




Do you think you could make the change? What would be hard for you to give up?

Tofu Redo

Some of you may remember our first attempt at tofu a couple months back with the oh so fabulous tofu tacos. The idea was on point, but the execution failed miserably. It was our very first attempt at tofu and it was evident. One of my good friends whose a veg made some for me  awhile back so I know they can be good. Maybe one day I'll get it right.

Well, despite the epic fail, we weren't too afraid to give it a try again. We didn't do mexican food this time. (If anything we avoided it.) We took the asian route instead. And might I say, we did good! Not to boast or anything.

Tofu stirfry is what we decided on and it was 100 times better than the taco attempt. We both scarfed down our plates and agreed to have it again tonight. Yes, we are dinner repeaters. And I will admit...sometimes I'm an outfit repeater. Maybe tonight I'll wear the same outfit I wore yesterday so it will be a double repeat offense. If only I could remember what I wore yesterday...

The reason we are eating so much tofu right now is because Andrew and I are on a fast. A 40 day fast that started before Thanksgiving and lasts until the 28th of December. WHEN WE LEAVE FOR AFRICA! Everyone going on the trip was encouraged to spend the 40 days leading up to the trip (replica of Jesus fasting for 40 days...except I don't think he ate anything!) fasting and praying for God to work miracles, work through us for His will, and prepare our hearts for serving and leading. 

We chose to do the Daniel Fast. Daniel was a servant and prophet of God in the old testament. Whenever he fasted and prayed to God he always refrained from the wealthy/rich/king's food and ate only plant based foods. Nothing pleasing to the mouth or body and 3 times a day got on his knees and prayed. Not eating meat was not a big deal for me....it was the coffee, chocolate, sweets, bread, and cheese that have gotten me. I live and breathe off of those 5 food groups. (Yes, they are food groups to me.) For the first week I had headaches and never felt like I was full no matter how much I ate. 

Have you ever done the Daniel Fast? I'd love ideas for creative food recipes.


Stuff we already do a lot of...


Stirfry
Oatmeal made with unsweetened soy milk, fruit, cinnamon, and raisins
Rice cakes with all natural peanut butter and raisins
Mixed nuts
Whole wheat pasta and tomato veggie sauces
Veggies and hummus
Natural popcorn
Pure fruit smoothies


Just a few of the recipes I have booked marked to try....

Chunky Balsamic Apples
Vegan Tortilla Soup

The Burger 


Call me crazy but we've been eating this way for so long now it's kind of growing one me. Except I'd add coffee to it. :)

First Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful week giving thanks and spending time with loved ones. Andrew and I did quite a bit of traveling to celebrate our Thanksgiving.

First stop.....

Atlanta, GA

We had such a wonderful evening with some close friends of ours. Most there were friends that once lived in Athens but have moved to Atlanta after graduation. Not only did we feast, the person who invited us stood up and shared why they were grateful for us. So encouraging! Thanks to by BFF Lauren for inviting me and the husband! The 2 hr. 30 min drive there was totally worth it.

Next stop....

Macon, GA

Took Lydia ice skating. It was her first time ever and she had a blast! "Two more times!" "One more time!"

Her and I also have a common bond of playing the violin. She was so excited for me to hear her play and play for her. I couldn't really do much on her tiny person violin but she was so cute. I think Andrew had the most fun out of us all playing the violin. He was the one who didn't want to share. Now I know whenever he complains of being bored I'll just pull mine out and he'll be content for hours. Who knew!?

We had such a wonderful time there. Always feel so loved and taken care of by his family. 

On Thanksgiving day, we made homemade chocolate chip waffles and watched the beginnings of the parade. We were able to watch just long enough to be graced with Daniel Radcliffe's singing and dancing. HA!

Then we left that morning to drive to Florida for...

Stop #3...

Cocoa Beach, FL

I forgot to take pictures of the feast but my mom did a top notch job! It was so nice to see my grandparents and aunt and uncle there. The wedding was so rushed that I barely (or not at all) got to spend time with them. 

While down there, Andrew golfed for the first time and I helped my mom with this ridiculously hard puzzle. It's still no where near done after hours of time put in.

And we set up the Christmas tree. The fam will back down to the beach shortly for Christmas as well.

Then final stop...

HOME!

After the 10 hour drive home, we put up our first Christmas tree. It's pretty puny but who cares. We were excited! Got to go get more ornaments this week. It's a bit bare.   

So now it's on to tests, project, and programs to finish out the semester. We are and will continue to be bogged down with books for a couple more weeks. So close! But based on the weather today...I feel Christmas coming up soon. Thank goodness for warm coats, socks, slippers, and heated homes.

Greatest Idea Ever

So since we've been married we've had pretty good luck with meals. We haven't had the super fail meal yet that everyone talks about or burned anything to badly. So I'd say we've been pretty lucky in that area. (We'll be sure to post about our first epic failure meal.) Tonight we will share our epic success.

TADA!

Smore Cupcakes in a Jar

They are AMAZING! Mr. Hubby actually helped me to make them. Who knew he could whip up a mean graham cracker crust. The inspiration came from one of my favorite food blogs that I had seen several months ago. We switched it up a bit but it was still fabulous. 

Recipe for Two:

Preheat oven to 355

Melt 1/2 stick of butter and mix with 3/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs.

Fill bottom of mason jars about 1 in with graham crumbs and press down firmly.

Follow directions on the box for a devils food cake to make the cake batter.

Pour batter over graham crust and fill no more than halfway up the jar.

Place jars in a cake pan that has higher sides with about 1/2 in of standing water. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Once done baking, pull out and stuff jars with as many marshmallows that will fit and broil for 1-2 minutes.

Just until marshmallows brown and are melted.

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Now we had a lot batter left over since we only made two so we decided to make extra cupcakes. We improvised because we didn't have any icing lying around so we made more smore cupcakes. Baked them in muffin tins. Moved them to a cookie sheet covered in foil and topped them with marshmallows. Broiled them and then topped them with left over graham crust. Delicious!

Have a big glass of milk ready! We couldn't even finish our one jar it was so rich. Don't worry....we briskly walked 3 miles yesterday.