It was a surprise, but a good surprise

Another week has gone by and I'm still on track. Here's something that totally took me by surprise. I lost 3.5 pounds in a week! I totally attribute this to not having any meat as my workouts have been the same as they were before this started. Talk about great motivation! I still have great energy and have noticed my skin looks fantastic!

So on to this week's recipe. I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new. Kale. I was a little skeptical at first, but have been hearing and reading how great kale is for you, so I decided to give it a try. So here's what I did.

Sauteed Kale

1 C kale (washed, removed from center stem, and torn into small pieces)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add kale, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook until just wilted.

As you can see, I cooked this as simply as I possibly could. Feel free to change up the spices as you want or add a squeeze of lemon. I ate mine with probably my favorite food on the planet: blackeyed peas and brown rice (Southern food at it's finest) Of course, I cooked the blackeyed peas with no meat and did them in the slow cooker (see below for the recipe).

So I'm proud of myself for trying something new. And I have to admit, it was pretty darn good if I say so myself.

Blackeyed Peas (slow cooker version)

1 bag black eyed peas
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
All purpose seasoning ( I use Tony Cachere's (it's the best I swear!)
water

Soak your beans overnight and drain in the morning. In a pan over medium heat, saute your onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. (I usually do this the night before so I don't have to worry about it in the morning. Put beans, onion, and garlic in a 6 qt crock pot & add just enough water to cover beans by about 1/2 inch. Add enough seasoning for your taste. If you don't have all purpose seasoning, salt and pepper work just fine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours

In the beginning...

It's 7 AM, I'm trying to get myself ready for the day so I can get out of the door by 7:25. Did I wake up a little later than usual??? Maybe. Did my dog decide to take her sweet time this morning to do what she needed to do??? Of course. Am I hungry??? You know it. Maybe you've been in one of these situations, or maybe you have a different, yet equally as crazy one of your own. We all have them, and we all have to deal with them.

I don't know about you but I have to have breakfast in the morning. If I don't, just go ahead and rename me Oscar the Grouch. I used to be the type who thought that breakfast had to be eggs and toast or something that I had to spend time (that I'd rather use sleeping an extra 10 minutes) cooking. Now however, on days like this and pretty much every weekday, I know there is one thing I can count on. My handy dandy blender. How easy can it get?? Throw stuff in and hit a button. The only complicated decision is what to throw in there. There are no more excuses why you can't have breakfast in the morning.

So what do you want to put in there?? Berries, bananas, even green stuff (don't say ewwww...you can put spinach or kale in a smoothie and not even taste it) the choice is completely yours. I personally wanted some amazing chocolatey goodness (It brings me back to the days of Count Chocula, Cocoa Puffs, and Cocoa Krispies) so here's what I came up with:

Chocolate, Banana, and PB smoothie

1 C Almond Milk (feel free to use regular or soy milk)
1 banana
2 TBSP of whatever Peanut Butter you like (I use Jif Natural)
2 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Throw it all in the blender and hit the button. It doesn't get any easier than that.

I don't have a picture at the moment, but as soon as I do, I'll update this post so you can see what I like to call "amazing fantastical awesomeness in a glass". Yes, it's that good.

But wait...that's not all....did I mention it's only 350 calories for the whole thing??? Yes folks, you heard that right, only 350 calories. It keeps me full until my first scheduled "APPLE TIME!!!!" at 10AM (I'll get into more detail of this in another post)

And so ends my first week of this new venture. I can honestly say that I've never had more energy nor have I ever felt this good. As I mentioned in the first post on this blog, Saturday is cheat day. So, I did get a burger on Saturday, but I took 3 bites and put it down. I just couldn't eat it, it didn't appeal to me at all.

And so it continues...

So here goes nothing....

So here it is...my first blog post. Let me start by saying a few things about myself that will help you understand why I decided to create this blog.

1. I was born and raised in South Louisiana. A place that many would consider to be a food mecca. I've grown up on, eaten and learned to cook all those amazing cajun foods people love over the course of my 30 years on this planet. In case you don't understand how seriously we take our food, let me just tell you that I'm from "The Jambalaya Capital of the World". For those who don't believe that it's a real place, Google it. I promise I won't say I told you so.

2. I now live in San Antonio, TX. In case you didn't know, there are only 3 recognized food groups here: BEEF, MEXICAN, and BBQ.

3. I'm sort of a picky eater. New cuisines, GREAT. New recipes, AWESOME. Crunchy onion, OH HELL TO THE NO!

4. Let's be honest. I, like many of you, love food. Not just because of the tastes, colors, or textures; but because I was raised in a culture that celebrates food. I mean I don't know of any other places that have festivals that revolve around food. In case you are still doubting me, we have The Jambalaya Festival, The Strawberry Festival, The Crawfish Festival, and many more that I can't think of at the moment. If you want to know more, once again, Google it. Or Bing it, or Yahoo it, whatever search engine your little fingers bring you to.

Because of these reasons, I knew that my decision to cut meat out of my diet would not be an easy one. So, before I go any further, let me post this DISCLAIMER: I DO ALLOW MYSELF TO HAVE ONE CHEAT DAY A WEEK (USUALLY SATURDAYS) TO EAT WHATEVER MY HEART DESIRES. IF I WANT MEAT I WILL EAT IT. I'M NOT PERFECT AND HAVE NO DESIRE TO BE. I DID NOT MAKE THIS DECISION FOR IDEOLOGICAL REASONS, I MADE IT TO GET HEALTHIER. SO THERE YOU GO, JUDGE IF YOU WANT, THAT'S ON YOU.

So now to the point of this blog. I wanted to have a place to share my experiences for anyone who may be thinking of cutting meat out of their diet or want to just eat healthier. Maybe this blog will inspire you to try new things. I know a few blogs have inspired me in this new venture. Thanks Bake and Destroy, Lunch Box Bunch, and Vegetarian Slow Cooker for not only great recipes, but the insight I needed to make this decision.

So in closing, here is the plan for this blog. I'm gonna try a new recipe once a week and post it on here. It may be one that I create myself, or it may be a recipe that I found somewhere (don't worry, credit will be given). I'll be honest and tell you if it was good, great, beyond fantastic, or something that you wouldn't even feed to the dog you hate that seems to love to poop in your front yard.

So now it begins......