Keeping it Interesting WIAW

I am being really consistent with doing this whole What I Ate Wednesday thing. I am finding that it is keeping me motivated to try to new recipes and be a little more creative with my meals. Sometimes I make a meal and like it so much that I eat it over and over(like oatmeal for breakfast). It is nice to change the pace and incorporate a few new recipes during the week.

Breakfast: Steel cut oats, strawberries, blueberries, dollop of Greek yogurt.

Lunch: Avocado egg salad in whole wheat pita, berries and iced green tea.

Dinner: Spaghetti squash spaghetti with baby bella mushrooms and spinach.

I bought a spaghetti squash at the store last week and did not want to eat it plain like I normally would. I decided to finally try it as a pasta substitute and it was soooo good. I added garlic to the squash and I think I like it better than pasta.

This avocado egg salad recipe was adapted from Gina's recipe over at Skinny Taste. If you have not checked out her blog, do so now. I have tried a lot of her recipes and they turn out great, plus she provides nutrition information!

I changed up my recipe because I like a somewhat different egg salad taste. In mine, I left out the mayonnaise(yuck) and added two kinds of mustard, lemon juice and spices. I also only used four hard boiled eggs, and used the yolk and whites. It made a huge amount, so I will be eating egg salad for the next couple days.

It turned out delicious! I am so glad I saw Gina's post, because I never would have thought to put avocado in my egg salad.

I am going to be doing some travelling over the next couple weeks, maybe I can do an "On the Road WIAW" since eating on the road can be a huge challenge.

Vegetarian Groceries What I Ate Wednesday

It's Wednesday!!!! Which means I'm joining the cool kids and linking up with Jenn at Peas and Crayons. 

Since I'm pretty new to eating vegetarian I thought it would be fun to write about my grocery trips. Any resource that helps build a great panty is helpful. 

1. Breakfast: Steel cut oats with strawberries and homemade apple butter, green tea, 2. Lunch: A low-carb salsa wrap with hummus, black beans, onions and avocado, 3. Snack: Greek yogurt, Bear Naked granola, strawberries and raspberries. 4. Pita pizza with pepperjack and mushrooms and roasted cauliflower with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Oh, and dessert! A black bean brownie with soy milk on the side. From the Happy Herbivore. Mine are a little flat because my pan was too big, but they are so delicious.

I grocery shop every two weeks and my new vegetarian lifestyle doesn't change my grocery bill much, I just skip the meat section and linger longer in the produce section. Which is better all around.

Veggies: My veggies vary every trip, but I usually always buy beets, mushrooms, spinach and avocados. This trip I added tomatoes, cauliflower and a spaghetti squash. (Not pictured are my stash of sweet potatoes)

Dry goods: I try to stay out of the middle section of the grocery store since that is where most of the heavily processed junk is. I head into the baking, breakfast, and bean aisle a lot. I buy bags of black beans to use as a regular protein source. I had some new purchases today like the all natural pizza sauce(for my pita pizzas). The agave nectar(for my brownies). The Bear Naked granola and the pineapple flavored O.N.E. Coconut water, they just started carrying it at my store.

Dairy: My diary/cold items are always small. I always buy one or two plain Greek yogurts, I love it plain, with fruit, as a dip, I use it to cook, everything. Cheese for salads and for pita pizzas. My Silk vanilla...yum! I obviously don't eat vegan, but I've always wanted to try soy milk and when I switched to vegetarian I bought Silk and haven't gone back. It's so good. I don't eat cereal, so I can't tell you if it's good on Cheerios.

Fruits: Pretty standard. I buy what smells good and is on sale.

With any sort of change in diet, it's important to make sure you're fueling your body properly. I track what I'm eating and make sure I'm getting enough protein, fiber and enough of those other important nutrients that help me function.

When making the switch in grocery shopping it helps to do a little at a time. The day I stopped eating meat I didn't run to the store and buy everything I thought that would make my life easier. I stocked up on pantry items like whole wheat pasta and dried beans and slowly went from there.  

Most of the things I buy are things that I've been buying forever, like Greek yogurt, oatmeal and those delicious avocados. I've always liked beans but never really bought them, now I eat them almost every day. Every grocery trip I try and by a few new products to try and expand what I'm eating.

I'm always looking for new recipes online and am constantly making new meals, it keeps life exciting and ensures that I don't get bored with what I'm eating. As my menu grows, so does the variety in my cooking.

Overally, I'm really liking the change. I can't say that not eating meat has been monitarily beneficial, but it's been a wonderful challenge I can see me continuing for a long time.

Pressed Lilacs, a Super Easy Craft

Several weeks ago my small lilac bush started to bloom. I decided to be a little crafty and make a pressed lilac. I love all pressed plants; leaves, flowers, any other plant you can flatten.

Pressing flowers is really easy. Pick your plant. Place it between two pieces of wax paper (generic brand works just fine). Then place in a book. Shut. Then place a large amount of other books on top to create a heavy tower of flower-pressing power. -(see what I did there?)

 I believe my flowers stayed in the book for about four weeks and that was good enough. I emptied my frame filled with pressed leaved from last fall and used that for my lilac.

Ta-Dah! Super easy, and pretty. I'm really glad I decided to do it when I did because a few days later it got cold enough to destroy all my lilac blossoms. My flattened lilac is the only one I'll have this season.