Holiday Cooking

Ah, the holidays are over. If you don't count New Year's. I get to stay home with the kiddos tonight and drink sparkling apple cider and eat popcorn from the movie theater and watch movies. There is freezing rain tonight, so not really a good night to go out anyway. Not that it's important to me. I have been home with the kids all week, and we have barely left the house. Monday I went to the new Trader Joe's that's only an hour away and that was super fun. I have done some cleaning, taken care of sick kids, read, watched several movies, and all around really enjoyed it. Today I need to work on cleaning the kids' rooms.

Christmas was the usual. I made my green bean casserole (again) and I ate the whole thing myself over three or four days. I also made the "turkey" roast (again) and gravy and it was splendid. It does get old bringing my own food to family get-togethers though. There are always people looking at my plate with curious looks, wondering what the heck I am eating. My MIL did make me my own baked potato and sweet potato on the side, though, which was thoughtful of her. I ate way too much food, especially the sweets. I think I gained three pounds. I feel gross and fat. This must change.

Tonight I am making barbecued pork ribs for the family, and the BBQ tofu from Veganomicon for me. The recipe makes so much barbecue sauce that I froze some last time. Unfortunately, I don't believe in such things as labeling all those frozen containers, so I had to open them and smell them. I hope I am thawing out the right one! I am also making mashed potatoes because Grace loooooooves them. And broccoli. We will celebrate the new year together eating a good meal.

But no more cookies. Seriously. I just ate two chocolate chip cookies and I feel sick. I need to stop this lazy eating. I need a freaking salad. I need a few days to detox. I need to try some new recipes. I will let you know how that goes.

Have a glorious and healthy 2011, everyone. Eat well. Be happy. :)

Protein Power!

It has been too long, I know. The truth is, I have not made anything blog-worthy since the last post. This time of year is always a struggle. I come home from work every day, curl up in my recliner with some cinnamon toast and coffee, and write. Lazy. Depressed. Tired. Craving carbs. As a result of this sugar-filled apathy diet, I actually got a cold. Not a bad one, but still. One day in English class I had a sneeze attack so bad I had to go in the hallway until it passed. I could feel the unhealthiness, and my body was craving something nutritious, a way to fire up my immune system so I could feel better.

I must break the cycle!

We are snowed in today. Even as I type, there is a blizzard going on outside. A real one. Tons of snow falling, lots and lots of wind to blow it around, and ice underneath the snow. Roads and major interstate highways are shutting down and they are pulling plows off the road. Tomorrow we will be lucky if the temperature reaches zero degrees Fahrenheit. We were planning on doing some Christmas shopping tomorrow, but it's going to have to wait.

I am okay with that. I have nowhere to go. I have food in the house, and coffee. I have writing I want to do.

And it seems I have my mojo back.

I found this recipe for a Protein Power Goddess Bowl on Oh She Glows , which is a great vegan website for recipes and inspiring stories of health and happiness. And unbelievably delicious food. She is also a great photographer, making her food look so appetizing it makes me drool as I read about it. This recipe looked kind of strange, but it had a few things going for it right away. First, I had all the ingredients. Second, the tahini dressing. I am completely GAGA over any dressing made with tahini. It is delicious, creamy, nutritious, and filling, and has enough fat to make you feel satisfied. Also, this one had nooch in it. Nutritional yeast and tahini all at the same time? I am all over that. Third, all of the garlic. Enough said, really.

I made a few changes. I used green peppers because that's what I have. Red would have been delicious, and of course, prettier. Also, instead of brown rice, I used a packet of Kashi grains. It was good, but next time I will use rice, or maybe quinoa. I also used sun-dried tomatoes, but ended up picking them out.

The tahini dressing was so creamy and lemony and garlicky. :)

I don't know how I ever survived without my cast iron pan. It was a Christmas gift from my in-laws last year. Makes me so happy!

The final result was sooooo delicious! My husband came in the kitchen and asked what the horrible smell was. The lentils were cooking. He wasn't impressed. I made all sorts of moaning noises while I ate, but it didn't do anything to change his mind. He had frozen pizza for supper.

And I had vital energy and health. It felt so good to be eating this creamy goodness, the spinach, the lentils, everything. It filled me up and left me satisfied. I can't wait to eat the leftovers. I will definitely make it again next time, but maybe change it up a bit with different veggies. Who knows?

Oh my god, that tahini dressing...

And a kiwi for dessert! I forgot just how amazing this food makes me feel compared to the sugary crap I have been eating that makes me feel gross afterward. I must remember this!