What I Ate Wednesday #7

   

Thanks for joining me for another …

I love sharing a day in meals with all of you.  Today varied a little because we did not eat all the same meals, but I photographed them all.  For breakfast, Mya had French Toast, while I had a tofu scramble and at lunch, Andy and I both had a bowl of homemade soup with a side of harvest chicken salad, which Andy had on bread and I had it in lettuce cups.  So here is my day in food.

Breakfast:

Mya requested French Toast.  I had some left over coconut milk from a banana cream pie I made,  I blended it with some cinnamon and vanilla protein powder then drenched whole grain bread in the mixture. It made a thick, creamy consistency that was perfect for French Toast.  It was fabulous!

I was in the mood for some veggies, so a savory tofu scramble was my choice.  I combined, fresh asparagus, shitake mushrooms, onions and some tofu for a super tasty breakfast.  I had a slice of whole grain toast on the side.

It was quite chilly outside today, I thought vegetable soup and chik’n salad would be a perfect warm lunch. 

For the soup I cooked fresh carrots, onions, celery, frozen corn and peas, leftover black beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes, and water with veggie cubes and spices to make broth. When everything was about cooked, I added a handful of pasta for the last 15 minutes of cooking time. 

For the chik’n salad, I used Gardein Chicken, added celery, onion, green apple, toasted hazelnuts, dried cranberries, some Veganaise, and Tofutti Sour Cream.  It was a perfect harvest flavor.

 

Dinner was a Wheat & Zucchini Fettuccine in a spicy Bolognese Sauce. 

Let’s start with the Fettuccini.  I wanted to cut down on the pasta calories, so I used my Spiroli to make zucchini noodles.  I added them into my pasta water during the last minute of cooking time.  The two combine so well in the sauce, you never would notice it is not all pasta!  That can save HUNDREDS of calories!

For the Bolognese sauce, I had two left over Field Roast Sausages from the lasagna I made, so I ran them through the food processor to become nice crumbles.  I sautéed the crumbles with garlic, onion,  and mushrooms until they were nicely browned.  I then added my pasta sauce.  I topped the pasta and zucchini with this wonderful sauce and enjoyed a half calorie dinner.

Have a great Wednesday!

Black Bean Burgers Two Ways

 

Either way…these are delicious!  We just got home from a busy morning, and we were hungry for lunch.  Breakfast was at 7:00am, after cardio and circuit training, then out the door at 8:30am and by now, it was 11:30am, and I needed to eat.

I took a peek in the freezer and found I still had a few black bean burgers. I made raw tacos for lunch yesterday and I still had lots of the ingredients left, so I thought I would dress these burgers up Tex-Mex style.  I had a bagel thin with my tofu scramble at breakfast, and I did not want another “bread” so I made my burger on a plate.  For Andy, I found some Flat outs in the fridge and turned his into a big fat wrap.

Both were dressed with spring mix, Boston lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado, vegan cheddar, a tsp. of vegan sour cream and some leftover taco sauce.  All I can say is YUM. 

For dessert, we had a couple of bites of the leftover banana cream pie in a raw coconut macadamia crust that I made, and forgot to photograph, yesterday. Don’t worry, I will just have to make it again, so I can post pictures, and the recipe. It was so decadent.  After making that crust, I will never buy another dessert crust again.  It was sinful enough to be a dessert on its own. 

STATS on a plate: 353 calories, 16g fat, 20g protein, 10g fiber

STATS in a wrap: 443 calories, 18g fat, 29g protein, 19g fiber

 

Enjoy this windy Monday!

What I Ate Wednesday #6

 

Can you believe another week has passed so quickly? I swear ever since I joined the “What I Ate Wednesday” party the weeks have flown by even faster. 

 

Breakfast was a McMaria for Mya and what I call a grown up breakfast sandwich for me and Andy.  It is a whole wheat English muffin with a tofu egg, melted vegan mozzarella, thin layer of Field Roast Apple Sage Sausage, lots of spinach, caramelized onions and shitake mushrooms sautéed with a little Braggs. It is a fabulous, filling breakfast sandwich that will get you up and going and sustain you for a while. After my 6:00am elliptical session, I was hungry!

Stats: 386 calories, 14g fat, 28g protein, 8g fiber, 50% of daily calcium and iron.

After enjoying this fabulous breakfast, I got Mya to school and then got my real workout in.  It was upper body strength training today. I tried a few new moves today, I am sure I will be sore tomorrow. 

My next meal was my post workout shake. It tastes kind of like an Orange Julius.  It was 1 scoop of vanilla protein, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 4 pieces ice, 1/2 orange, 1/2 banana, 1 tbs. chia seeds.

Stats: 250 calories, 8g fat, 20g protein, 9 g fiber, 50% calcium, 38% iron. 

Lunch was a healthy quinoa salad with with beans, tofu, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh parsley, fresh basil,and red onion tossed with a blush vinaigrette and served over a bed of shredded baby greens.

This bowl of nutrition was absolutely bursting with flavor, texture and color.  I could eat this every day. 

Stats: 280 calories, 4g fat, 13g protein, and 11g fiber!

After lunch, I had to work and do some running for our bread business.  It was gorgeous out.  I came home in time to work a little and be done in time to walk Mya home from school.  I love this weather, it allows me to trade my second half hour daily elliptical session for 1/2 hour of walking in the sun.  What a great trade off! 

I ate a 1/2 grapefruit while I walked. (37 calories)

I worked in the office a few hours until it was time for dinner.  Andy alerted me to the enormous Focaccia bread we had left from deliveries today.  I decided to use a few pieces with dinner and freeze the rest. Mya wanted pizza.  So, I made hers a slice with sauce and Follow Your Heart Vegan Mozzarella.

For Andy and me, I reheated the last pieces of lasagna, made a nice salad, and a dressed up slice of focaccia for each of us.  Ours had caramelized onions, sautéed mushroom and asparagus with a tiny bit of the vegan mozzarella.

Have a great Wednesday!

McMaria Vegan Breakfast Sandwich

 

No, that is not an egg, and yes, I am sure it is vegan. It is hard to believe a breakfast sandwich that looks and tastes this good could possibly be anything but the real deal. 

Breakfast sandwiches are popular in my home. I make this version for my daughter, and once and awhile, for me and Andy too.  We prefer the “grown up” version with spinach, caramelized onions and shitake mushrooms on a whole grain English muffin. I will be featuring the grown up version tomorrow in my WIAW post. 

The perfect tofu egg is all in the method.  I Poach my tofu to make the perfect egg texture. It is amazing how some salted boiling water can turn a plain piece of tofu into a perfect “egg”.  I used this same method for my scrambled tofu and my tofu egg salad.

One McMaria on a whole wheat English muffin is 320 calories, no cholesterol, 25 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber!

McMARIA

• 1 piece of tofu cut to just thicker than 1/4”, use a cookie cutter for a round shape if you like.
• 2 slices of Smart Deli Baked Ham
• 1 Slice Vegan Cheddar
• 1 English Muffin
• 1 tsp. Earth Balance buttery spread
• Sea Salt and Pepper

In a small pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil.  Add about a tsp. sea salt to boiling water. Place sliced tofu into water, reduce heat to low. Let boil about five minutes, then turn off heat and proceed to next step.

Pre-heat a skillet, spray with cooking spray.   Add earth balance to skillet where the tofu egg will be placed.  Using a strainer or slotted spoon, remove tofu from boiling water and place it in the earth balance coated spot in the pan.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Let cook one minute, then flip.

Top with vegan cheddar.  Place English muffins in the toaster. Now, add ham slices to the pan. Turn over ham after about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Let cook an additional 30 seconds and then place the ham on top of the cheese.  Reduce heat to low, and wait for English Muffins to finish toasting.  Once they are ready, place the English muffin on a plate and top with tofu egg.

 

Okay, now I am off to make lunch. Have a wonderful day!

Vegan Lasagna Sunday Dinner

 

What a relaxing way to spend a Sunday…home cooking one of my favorite meals for my family to enjoy.  I know I say it all the time, but Sunday sit down dinners are really important to me.

Growing up, we ate together as a family every night.  Sunday was not different, only it was always a real comfort meal that had everyone running to the table to eat and then lingering at the table even longer than usual because of the great conversations that were struck up during the fabulous meal. 

Sunday meals are meant to be savored.  For me savoring the meal begins with cooking the meal.  I love Sunday’s because I have no time constraints.  No phone calls, no homework, no deadlines, just me and my ideas in the kitchen.  I can take my time and plan the meal and cook it like it is a spa session.  Every minute is thoroughly enjoyed.  From cutting the veggies, to boiling water, to pulsing in the food processor,  it is like a musical symphony that stimulates all your senses at once.   Nothing makes me happier than cooking the Sunday meal that brings the whole family to the table.  The mess however, I could do without!  I leave the kitchen with a perfect looking meal, but, behind the scenes is a total disaster.  Cooking with LOVE can be very messy.

This lasagna was no different.  I first made a creamy cheesy tofu and cashew ricotta that was full of fresh garlic, herbs and spices.  It is the core of the lasagna and must be perfect!  I blend in nutritional yeast, caramelized onions, some shredded vegan mozzarella, sea salt, miso and fresh cracked pepper.  The food processor takes the ingredients and whips them into a better ricotta than cow’s milk can produce! 

I began the lasagna by ladling an organic red pepper sauce that was slightly sweet and spicy into my casserole dish. Then I used whole wheat noodles that did not need to be pre-cooked, thank goodness!  I really prefer not to par boil noodles.  The layers included, my tofu cashew ricotta, two Field Roast Italian Sausages that were crumbled in the food processor, eight ounces of mushrooms slightly cooked in a skillet, fresh thin slices of zucchini, 1 bag of drained frozen spinach, and diced frozen hot and sweet peppers sprinkled throughout.  I made two filled layers, topped with noodles and sauce and then a sprinkling of vegan mozzarella during the final half hour of cooking.  I baked my lasagna at 350 for 1 hour. Then I turned off the oven and allowed it to rest for fifteen minutes in the oven before serving.

A labor of love that was worth every second!  It was one of my best lasagnas and even though I was stuffed after eating, I could not help but already be thinking about leftovers!

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday as much as I did mine.