Waffles Anyone!

As you can tell by now I pretty much make all my meals out of the 4 Happy Herbivore cookbooks.  I love that her recipes are simple to follow, don't have any weird ingredients and take very little time to prepare.  I also love my Forks Over Knives cookbook but that is reserved for when I need my inner chef to come out.  Those recipes tend to be time consuming and require a little more experience (luckily my dad used to be a chef)!

Before the New Year I tried out Happy Herbivore's waffles.  My 6 year loves to have anything that helps get maple syrup into his mouth and I didn't want to keep serving him Bisquick pancakes.  So I found the recipe called Courtney's Waffles in Happy Herbivore Abroad.  My son gave them two thumbs up.  I love them too.  The recipe makes enough for 4 waffles which is great because you are never left with a ton of leftovers.

I had them for breakfast the other day and topped them with blueberries and syrup.  What a great way to start the day!!

Vegan Friendly

When I first thought about becoming a vegan the word scared me.  The thought of not being able to find anything to eat and having to eat alfalfa sprout sandwiches just made me sad.  I love food.  I love to eat it.  So how in the world was I going to limit myself...

Turns out I am not missing out on anything.  I have reached my first week of being plant-based.  I feel great (even though I caught the stomach flu from my darling son).  I have lost almost 5 pounds but the sickness skewed that a little too!

I was out doing my grocery shopping and realized that I hadn't eaten anything for breakfast.  Sometimes just getting the kids fed and dressed and to school on time is all I can do.  Today I forgot my breakfast.  But while out at Sprouts today I found a vegan superfruit muffin.  While it wan't oil free it sure was delicious and a better option then ditching my new diet (as in the food I eat, not some fad).

I was full and happy and back to shopping in no time!!

Where to start!

I know one of the hardest things about becoming plant based for me was where do I start.  I am sure many people feel overwhelmed just like I did.  I wanted to make the transition after watching Forks Over Knives almost 2 years ago but I was just scared.  I thought, ugh I am going to have to eat only salads... you know, rabbit food!

But some how about 8 months ago I found the Happy Herbivore.  I first purchased Everyday Happy Herbivore, Happy Herbivore Abroad along with the Forks Over Knives cookbook.  But they both sat unused on my shelf until November 2013.  I decided to make the change.  I had some great recipes in front of me and was going to start using them.  I got Happy Herbivore Abroad for Christmas and purchased The Happy Herbivore Cookbook for my birthday present.

Lindsay Nixon, the creator of Happy Herbivore, has a great website for meal plans.  She gives you a complete menu, shopping list and recipes for an entire week of meals for an individual or family.  I started buying those and ate from them for a few weeks.  And being vegan was awesome.  I wasn't hungry.  I ate a ton of food and I was satisfied.  Plus I lost a few pounds.

So I started digging into her cookbooks.  I noticed that I was cooking from scratch for my family, using real ingredients and not using packaged, anything!  I prefer her books over the Forks Over Knives cookbook because you don't have to be a chef.  My father used to be a chef, so when my chefty side needs to come out I go to that cookbook.  Her ingredients are easy to find and most meals are on the table within 30 minutes.

I urge you to get her books.  If you need a place to start this is the best one.  My husband and kids love her food and I am so happy to serve them something that is healthy, fresh and homemade!

Another great breakfast!

I just bought some tofu from Costco and wanted to make a different version of the Mexican Scramble from earlier this week.  I tried the Happy Herbivore's Basic Tofu Scramble.  It had the same flavors as the Mexican but minus the cilantro and enchilada sauce.  I guess I wanted to see if I liked it plain... and it was delicious.  I served it with a side of black beans (I had some leftover from the Mexican Scramble) and some sliced tomatoes.

I think I am going to love this new change!

Pumpkin Chili + Classic Cornbread

Last night for dinner I made the most amazing and spicy pumpkin chili and classic cornbread thanks to my favorite vegan chef, the Happy Herbivore.  In her new cookbook, Happy Herbivore Light and Lean she has some super quick and delicious recipes.  Within 20 minutes I was able to have this dinner cooked and on the table... can't say that too often about chili can you?

My husband is not a fan of this chili so I guess I will be having the second portion for lunch today.  No worries... it was so good I don't mind.

My new breakfast!

I like tofu.  I am not a huge fan but I have been known to buy it, fry it and serve it with veggies.  I have tried, on my own, to make them into scrambled eggs.  It has never turned out.  Until I met the Happy Herbivore and her Mexican Scramble.

It was a delicious blend of flavors that combine to make a great substitute.  Even my husband who vowed he would never eat tofu tried it.  He didn't mind it.  I added the black beans and served mine with corn tortillas, sauteed onion and sliced tomatoes.

This is a dish that I would mind having again... which I did for dinner and then lunch the next day!!

New Year, New You

This is the year that I become plant based.  I have struggled over the years just to become a vegetarian and now I feel that I can conquer the most "extreme" and go completely plant based.  I know that it will seem very extreme to those who aren't interested but as was said in Forks Over Knives, a heart bypass is extreme!!

I hope to post pictures of the foods that I eat.  Mostly to show you that being plant based is more than just salads and rabbit food.  Plant based dishes are delicious and loved by omnivores and herbivores alike.

New Years Eve we were invited to my aunt's house and she was serving Posole.  Which is one of my favorite Mexican soups and is made with pork.  So I opted just to pack my dinner and eat it with them.  I planned on making an Indian dish called Aloo Gobi from Happy Herbivore Abroad.  It is a dish of potatoes and cauliflower in an Indian spiced tomato sauce.  I served mine with brown rice and whole wheat naan bread.  I plan to try every single item in all her cookbooks this year.

The posole smelled amazing but my dinner was delicious and satisfying.  I loved it so much and even had leftovers with my omnivore husband the next day for lunch.  He really enjoyed the flavors and said he wouldn't mind having it again.

This is a picture of my husbands plate (he doesn't like brown rice so he got white).  It was so yummy.  I can't wait to make it again!