Category Archives: Veggies

Aug 5

July’s Veggie Meals

July was a delicious month, we had a few fresh veggies from the garden, and a few fresh veggies from a friend’s garden too. I’m still sticking with vegetarianism, and making one or two of my meals vegan daily. I’ve been really happy with the change, and I have lots of yummy photos to share.

For the Fourth of July, James was in charge of the grill. He grilled veggies and corn for me. I also made a pouch of cheese stuffed sweet peppers, they were amazingly delicious.

I made a big batch of Veggie Calzones. I topped mine with Flax seed.

They were stuffed with Mozzrella, Kale, Sweet Peppers, and Black Olives.

My family isn’t a fan of this dish, so I make a little version for me, Cheesy Rice with Broccoli. It is great for lunch or dinner.

We picked a few tiny Roma Tomatoes, and a few Okra too. My gardening buddy brought me over some Cucumbers, so I made him a cherry pie in exchange. I made a Veggie Gumbo with the okra and tomatoes. I also made a cool Corn and Cucumber salad to go along with it.

Growing up as a teen in SW Mo, my very favorite place to go was Gringo’s. It was an awesome (regional) Mexican restaurant. Now that I’m a grown-up living in SE Ks, I try my best to recreate their delicious recipes. This is my version of their Refried Bean Toastadas, with fresh tortilla chips on the side, and don’t forget the Cherry Pepsi, that is a must. It is pretty close, their tostadas are still the best.

I must have had take-out on my mind. I made a big batch of Veggie Hot & Sour Soup,

and a big batch of Veggie Lo Mien

The soup freezes well, and I added a bit of rice to it when I had it for another day’s lunch.

Hello Grilled Cheese.

Grilled Mozzarella Cheese with Roma Tomatoes and fresh Basil. This was one insanely delicious sandwich. If my tomato plants decide to give me a few more tomatoes, I’m going to make this one again.

Jul 14

Six Month Veggie Check-In: Time for a check-up

At the beginning of the year, I decided to return to a lacto-ovo vegetarian lifestyle. I thought I would give it a try for a month, and then three. I’m now on month six, and I’m feeling pretty darn good about my decision.

The meals have been delicious. I’ve been happy about cooking, and learning new recipes too. The savings have also been great, and very helpful with two growing boys who are eating everything in the house right now.

There are lots of other little things that are pretty cool too. My skin, hair, and teeth look healthier. I have lost a little more weight. My energy levels are improving. My stomach/gut feels a million times better, and I haven’t had any heartburn for six months!

So month four and five were a breeze. I tried new veggies, froze lots of soups, and I have fully accepted almond milk and I put Flax and Chia seeds on everything that I can.

It was that time of the year again, and I was long overdue for a check-up with my Doctor. I scheduled an appointment, and went in to share the good news with her. I was happy to report that my migraines had lessened immensely. I still get the occasional compound headache, and a’hem, hormonal one, but the every week stress ones were gone. My blood pressure was perfect, oh yeah, that’s a first.

She asked what I had been doing, and I told her that I had gone back to being a vegetarian. She had a few questions, and was really surprised that the plant based diet was helping my migraines. She was also proud of me for ditching fried foods, but was a little concerned that I was still so tired. She called for a cbc, and thyroid test just to be sure.

Everything came back normal!!! In fact my calcium levels, and protein levels were great. My cholesterol levels were great too, and thyroid levels were completely normal. The tiredness is probably just due to stress, so she wasn’t worried at all. She said, keep doing what you are doing, and I’ll see you in a year.

I was really happy with the results. It was nice to see some proof that my change in diet is really benefiting my health.

So now, where do we go from here?

I’m interested in becoming a vegan. I’ve been doing lots of research, and experimenting with vegan meals. I try to make one or two of my meals vegan daily, and I think that is a pretty good start.

I’m sticking with my veggies 🙂 and I hope to continue improving my health.

 

 

Jul 7

June’s Veggie Meals

I stuck with my veggies through the month of June. I made a few new dishes, and I’m still working on becoming a vegan. I have lots of photos to share with you.

We’ve harvested a few berries and snowpea pods from our front porch garden. I’ll have to remember to plant extra snowpeas next year, Agnes loved them.

I’ve been trying out many different mixes of roasted veggies. This time I used cauliflower, broccoli, corn, onions, green beans, and chickpeas. This batch was absolutely delicious.

Snack time!

I’ve also been making homemade Rice-a-Roni for the family, I decided to make a veggie version for myself. It is Rice & lentils, corn, peas, and sauteed onion. It was really delicious, and there were plenty of leftovers.

I gave Whole Wheat Pasta a try. I added in a bunch of grape tomatoes, and I really liked this dish too.

These are going into the oven,

and then on top of Whole Wheat pasta.

More leftover veggie rice-a-roni. This time I added in some Edamame, yum.

I also had Lentil Pasta on hand that my mom had purchased. I roasted some Tomatoes and Broccoli, used the last little bit of whole wheat pasta, and made a yummy dish. The red lentil pasta was really good.

Lastly I made a giant batch of homemade veggie soup. This particular batch contains Kale, Sauerkraut, Barley, and just about every single veggies that was hanging out in the kitchen. It was amazingly delicious, and I still have some frozen in the freezer. This was also my first time trying Kale, and I really liked it. I’ve been sneaking it into other dishes too.

So it is July, and yep, I’m still sticking with my veggies. I think I’m going to try to stick with it for the year. I’ve made it six months so far, and I’ll have a six month check-in up soon. Happy Tuesday!

 

 

Jun 17

Sneak Peek of June’s Veggie Meals

I’m half-way through my sixth month of vegetarianism, and I’m slowly trying to become a vegan. I’ve been cooking lots of tasty meals with plenty of fresh veggies. Here is a little sneak peek of what’s been going on in the kitchen veggie style.

Wheat Pasta with Grape Tomatoes. It was a quick and tasty lunch.