This morning I woke up to a foggy wintry-looking morning – one of those mornings where you just want to stay in your jammies all day. I may not stay in my jammies the entire day, but I’m thinking till noon sounds good! J I have a double batch of granola in the oven and the smells are seeping throughout the kitchen. Love it! Because I’m trying to stay away from animal products, that meant I had to change a couple ingredients in my homemade granola if I plan on eating any (and I do plan on eating it!). For the butter I substituted vegetable based oil and for the honey I used pure maple syrup. I’m anxious to see if there will be any noticeable difference. I sure hope very little, if any, because I really like this granola. I’ll know in an hour!
Yesterday’s meal plan went like this:
Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins – again! J
Lunch : Chicken and rice soup – which I think I should really call vegetable and rice soup given there is no chicken in it. It was tasty though!
Supper: apple slices and air popped popcorn. Ok, I know – this is not a ‘meal’ by any means but it’s what I ended up eating. After Jess picked up the boys, I jumped in the shower and headed into town to watch a bball game. So I sliced up an apple and popped some popcorn which I had intended on eating at the ball game. But… I was hungry so ate it on the way into town!
And yes, that’s all I ate yesterday. No snacks. When I see it on paper I know it’s not the ideal day’s food plan, but that’s what it ended up. Today I’ll do better.
After the bball game last night, we headed to Walmart to get some groceries. You all know how much I dread my trips to Walmart! But going at 9 at night is a much better time to go. Far fewer people to deal with! It was so nice to just wake up this morning and have all the things I needed to start the day – making the granola, planning lunch etc. Well worth it!
Today’s meal plan is this:
Breakfast – oatmeal and raisins – what can I say? I like this! J
Lunch – We’re having stir fry and brown rice. Our stir fry includes cabbage, fresh mushrooms, fresh squash, fresh bell peppers, fresh broccoli, fresh cauliflower, onions, garlic, carrots, and anything else we might find in the fridge. This is one of our favorite meals. (Dwight will be adding shrimp to his.)
Supper – More than likely, we’ll have leftovers from lunch. We’re going to another bball this evening so leftovers will be easy!
Enjoy this beautiful Nebraska day!
*Thought for the day*
The early bird gets the worm… but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Renae, I came over from your guest post (where I left a long comment the other day). I wish you well on your journey--it's the only way to live! I make homemade everything, and it's so much better than the store-bought versions. I make a lot of vegetarian or vegan meals, though I do eat meat occasionally. And I bake a lot of gluten-free and whole wheat things, though I do eat organic unbleached white flour in moderation.
ReplyDeleteHope your granola turned out well! I've found organic canola oil works very well in granola. I use it wherever vegetable oil is called for and extra-virgin olive oil would be too strong a flavor. It's important to get the organic version, though. The way commercial vegetable oils is produced is shocking!
Jean~ thanks for the comments! I agree 100%. Some of the ingredient lists on foods are staggering! I'm just stepping into the world of vegan eating and I know I have a lot to learn but I'm anxious to do so. There is some compelling studies and information out there about the benefits of vegan eating. When you think about it... of course it makes sense! It's the same way our ancestors ate before all the chemicals and preservatives began showing up in the food source of today's society! People make such a 'big deal' out of it, but it's really a simple concept. Eat food that hasn't been tainted with unnecessary toxins. I was born and raised in the middle of cattle country, grew up on a farm where my father raised cattle etc. So giving up meat will be an adjustment to say the least. To be truly vegan expands into so many other areas that are some of my every day foods - milk, eggs, cheese etc and it will be a real change for me. The most diffult part is that we have been raised on the processed food of today and to go back to the REAL food we should be eating, takes some adjustment. I'm hoping to see and FEEL some real difference in the way I feel and think.
ReplyDeleteI had thought about using canola oil in my granola but once I did a little research I didn't go that route! Scary!
Again, thanks for the comments!