Hello,
Like I said, everyday blogging... that would be a dream for me :)
Anyway, I am on day 16 of my changing my mindset to a healthier one, not all about food, but about what food means to me. One thing I had pop into my mind today, and it surprised me to find that Kevin Gianni of Renegade health had thought of the same thing, is my relationship with food and how it affects my relationships. I was thinking today about how we have invited many people over for dinner, in the last while. I have enjoyed that very much as I love entertaining and spending time with others and building friendships. One thing that has kind of hit me is that I'm not seeing very many invites to others houses... It could be that people are just busy, but part of me thinks that it may have to do slightly with the way my family eats (and my restricted diet.). I admit that my diet is hard for most people to comprehend... when people ask me what I can't eat, I prefer to just tell them what I CAN eat, lol. I feel that maybe most people just wouldn't know what to make, which I totally understand. When I first went vegan I didn't even know where to start, and for the first few days especially I felt very hungry as I really didn't know what to do without meat. But back to my subject on relationships and food. I have noticed myself being SO excited about the changes that this diet has been making in my life that I have an almost compulsion to share it with others, thinking that they surely would be interested. But the truth is, if someone were to come to my house 4 years ago and tell me that store bought dairy and cheese were bad for you, meat should really be eaten a lot less and only organic free range, and that you should have a green smoothie for breakfast (consisting of spinach, mixed greens, kale, fruit), I would have been like WHOA, who are you? And why are you telling me all these things that could not possibly be true. Because if you are anything like I was you would be thinking about all the "health" benefits of dairy, the protein (that we so "desperately" need) in meat... and why in the heck would I consider ruining a delicious fruit smoothie with vegetables.
So today marks a new day for me. Hard is it may be, and as much as I want to spread my veggie loving nutritarian/candida diet with others, I need to be more reserved about it. I figure that if people ask about it, then sure, I'll spread the veggie love. But if people don't ask, then I need to just enjoy my time with friends talking about other enjoyable things.... like... Elizabeth, their interests, hopes, dreams, etc... So, if you are a friend or family member reading this, please help me with my new goal, I get nervous when there isn't conversation, but I am a great talker... so if you supply me with one, I will happily carry on a conversation about almost anything. Also, this is a big apology to the people who may have been bored to death, or offended (hopefully not) by any of my information that I have shared. I love my friends and family so much. I think for so long I have been hiding the fact that I have been struggling with disordered eating, and now that I have decided to confront it head on, me talking about it helps me through the process of healing. I have the support of a great husband who I can talk to and who understands, and I do have family who do seem genuinely interested in what I have to say (although, because they love me it could be just to humor me, and that's alright.).
Now, onto my next section of this entry! dun dun da da!!! MEATLESS VEGAN MONDAYS!!!
When I do a post on mondays I will be sharing a favorite meatless vegan dish. If everyone in America did meatless monday the impact it would have on the environment and our food system would be substantial, and it is just 1 day out of the week. So for those of you enjoying your carnivorous diet I would love it if you would give meatless mondays a try. (For the record, I am not currently vegan or vegetarian as doing this candida diet has urged my body to consume small amounts of organic animal protein to sustain me while I cut out all carbohydrates to kill this candida yeast. I do however plan to return to a mostly vegetarian diet as soon as possible as I feel best eating that way.)
Recipe: Vegan Enchiladas! (warning: these are delicious, and habit forming, but should also not be eaten on the first phase of the candida diet as the beans are too much starch)
1 Tbsp evoo or coconut oil
1 can diced tomato's w/ green chilies
1 can of favorite beans rinsed and drained (I use a can of combo, black, pinto, kidney.)
3 green onions chopped (save 1 tablespoon for garnish)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves washed and chopped (save some extra for garnish)
1/2 large onion diced
1 bell pepper (any color works, I prefer red, orange or yellow)
2 tsp ground cumin
3-4 tsp chili powder (to taste, depending on how much spice you want)
1-3 cloves of garlic minced (If you love garlic, add away... If not a big fan just try 1 clove)
1 regular size can enchilada sauce (not the huge ones, and make sure it doesn't have any of those weird ingredients you cant understand)
1 package of natural (as few ingredients as possible, I have good luck in the refrigerated section) corn or whole wheat tortillas
1 package of guacamole or whole avocado
Preheat oven to 350 f.
In large skillet warm oil over med/high heat add onion, garlic and bell pepper, spices, and saute until onion is translucent (be careful not to burn garlic). Add the can of diced tomato's, beans, cilantro, green onion. simmer until juices from tomatoes thicken slightly and flavors mingle (about 10 mins, then remove from heat). While that is simmering pour some of the enchilada sauce into a 9 x 11 baking pan, move the sauce around to coat the bottom of dish, adding more if necessary. Warm tortillas until soft in microwave or over griddle. Lay tortilla in enchilada sauce filled baking dish, scoop out some of the bean/vegetable/tomato mixture into the tortilla and fold like burrito and moving to the edge of dish. Repeat until dish is full of enchiladas. Cover the enchiladas with the extra enchilada sauce and pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes. Before serving add a dollop of guacamole or a few slices of avocado, and garnish with some fresh green onion and cilantro.
*I have made this recipe many times and I have made little changes here and there.
Options: -add some cooked quinoa to the bean mixture
-I had some sweet potato left over from a day before so I diced it up and added it to the bean mixture just before scooping into the tortillas (I didn't want it to turn to mush), It added an almost cheesy consistency to them that Eric and I both loved.
-Sometimes I just feel like extra beans, so I have even thrown an extra can of rinsed and drained beans to the mixture as well
Hope you enjoy as much as we do... you wont even miss the meat... or the cheese (well... you might miss the cheese a little, but your abs wont :)
Love,
Renee
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