Monday, September 19, 2011

Time to Prove Myself....

Happy Monday everyone!  I finally watched Forks Over Knives Saturday night.  I really wanted Tony to watch it with me, but wasn't sure if he would or not.  Just so happens a man that I work with watched it last week, and it really made him think and realize some things.  I was able to share his thoughts with Tony, which in turn got him interested in the movie.  He said "WOW" a lot thru the movie.  It was so eye opening.  I think everyone could benefit from seeing it.  The man I work with started questioning me as to what all I ate and how I ate.  I talked to him some about it and let him and his wife borrow a few of my cookbooks.  He said they were changing the way they ate, but that he wasn't 100% sure if they would leave meat out all together or not, but for now they were....YAY.  The best news is that the movie really got Tony's attention, so he has agreed to try the vegan diet for a week.  I'm not sure if that's long enough to really be able to tell a difference, but I'll take what I can get.   With that being said, I have to prove myself to him this week and show him how good and healthy vegan food is.  Wish me luck everyone!  This is going to be pretty tough, because he doesn't like a lot of vegetables.  He's willing to try them though.  :o) 
 

Tony said his diet would start today (Monday), so I wasn't prepared to really cook last night, but he decided he wouldn't eat any meat last night for dinner.  I cooked some crowder peas, roasted veggies, wild rice, and fresh corn out of the freezer.  This was not one of my best meals, so I begged him to not judge the vegan diet on my meal that I cooked last night.  This was actually the first time I roasted veggies, and they didn't turn out so hot.  The corn was chewy for some reason, and the crowder peas just didn't taste right either.  I've got to really step it up tonight.   If any of you have any really good recipes that you think might when him over, please share them with me.  :o)  I need all the help I can get here.  Now that I'm trying to impress him, I can't think of a thing to cook....how crazy is that? 


For dessert last night I fixed us a bowl of fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries and kiwi).  Thank goodness Tony loves fruit.  


This morning I fixed myself a green smoothie.  It had a frozen banana, a cup of frozen mixed fruit (peaches, strawberries, mango, and cherries), a date, hemp seeds, one large leaf of kale and a cup of water in it.  I made Tony the same thing minus the kale.  I talked to him before lunch, and he said the smoothie made him sick....WHAT?  How is that even possible?  He normally doesn't eat breakfast, so I'm hoping that it just threw his stomach for a loop.   Anyway, I know he won't be wanting a smoothie for a while, so looks like I'll be cooking some muffins for him tonight.  :(


Last night I chopped us up some veggies for a salad (broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, yummy bell peppers, and cucumbers).  This morning I finished throwing our salads together, and sliced an apple up for both of us for our morning or afternoon snack.   I threw some nutritional and dulse flakes on mine. My salad hit the spot, I just hope Tony's did as well. 


In Forks Over Knives they talk about the Engine 2 Diet.  I thought about getting that for Tony.  He's also wanting to loose weight and of course get healthier.  Does anyone have that book and would you recommend it?  I'm going to try my best to not cook any processed foods this week.  I want Tony to get the full affect of a plant based and whole food diet.   So, if any of you have any suggestions that could help me make this transition for Tony easier, please share.  :o)  I'm hoping to win him over.  He may not totally rule out meat, but maybe he will want to eat less of it at least.

~Peace~

17 comments:

  1. I really wanted to see that film! I guess if it is already on DVD, ill have to check it out! :)

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  2. Good for Tony! FYI for anyone who streams Netflix, the movie is available streaming.

    I think you have been cooking up some awesome food lately... I think you'll find some good stuff to feed Tony. Plus this means you two can eat the same dinner from time to time.

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  3. That is wonderful that Tony is willing to try a vegan diet for a week! I have total faith that you'll come up with amazing vegan meals that will blow him away! It may make the transition a little easier if you veganize a few familiar meals that'll help him ease into it a little easier? I made a vegan baked ziti that was AMAZING (at least I thought so lol)...check it out here: http://vavavegan.tumblr.com/post/4532618543/i-had-a-request-for-my-baked-ziti-recipe-i

    You don't have to do gluten free obviously, but it was really tasty. Try making some stir fries, pizza with tons of veggies and no cheese, etc. Once he eases into it you can introduce him to new ingredients :)

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  4. Good luck! Don't over think it- go for easy flavour packed recipes. My husband (occasional omnivore) eats tofu burritos like there's no tomorrow. Multi-grain wraps grilled or dry fried filled with salad/veggies (usually lettuce/spinach/capsicum- he's fussy) and thin strips of fried firm tofu cooked in a little stock, lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic, oil, served with tabasco sauce.
    He also likes these muffins
    http://skinny-vegan-food.blogspot.com/2011/02/muffins-soup-salad.html
    Everyone loves these choc coconut almond truffles http://skinny-vegan-food.blogspot.com/2011/07/cacao-coconut-nut-balls.html
    and these carrot & lentil salads http://skinny-vegan-food.blogspot.com/2010/12/4-yummy-salads.html
    oh and soba noodle salad http://skinny-vegan-food.blogspot.com/2011/06/soba-noodle-salad.html
    And these two soups- carrot and chickpea and pumpkin rosemary chickpea http://skinny-vegan-food.blogspot.com/2011/04/seven-recipes.html
    Sorry for the huge comment- just wanted to help, I'm in a very similar position to you.
    All the best xxxxxx

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  5. Wow, how awesome that Tony's decided to give veganism a try, even for just a week! Forks Over Knives was a GREAT movie, probably my fave veg documentary yet.

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  6. How awesome! I'm sure you'll be able to come up with some delicious food. I hope he'll want to continue. Awesome job spreading the compassionate word.

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  7. What great news!!! That's wonderful. I think you're over-worrying a little...I mean your food always looks awesome. I think if you just keep doing what you're doing it'll be a success. Maybe just focus on the basic ingredients he does like and work from there.

    I want to watch that film, but does it have painful images of farm animals? I just don't feel like I can handle that right now.

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  8. MICHELLE!!! I am so excited for you. I mean, truly. I told you not to give up. It was not a given when I got married that my husband was going to turn veg, but slowly within about 4 years, it was done!

    I definitely know what you mean about wanting to keep his diet low-processed. However...with a manly man like Tony who doesn't want to give up meat, etc., I wonder if he'd do better if you added in a little meat analog (maybe the kinds that aren't "as" processed - like the Tofurky brand and Daiya, but I know you don't have access to some of those things near your house - maybe you could order something from veganessentials, etc.) to help him with the transition. Like chopped up soy sausage in the salad instead of plain salad. I know all of that stuff has so much sodium that's not going to solve the health issue, but maybe it would help him slowly lose the necessity of meat. I also agree with the suggestion of refried bean and salsa burrito. Does he like those?

    I agree with the above that your food always looks wonderful. I know what you mean, though. I'm always raving about my food, then when I have to cook for omnivores, I'm in a panic, thinking it won't taste good.

    Does he usually like your desserts? That might soften the transition a little. :)

    Can't wait to hear how it goes.

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  9. Wow, sorry my comment was so long.

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  10. Glad you liked the movie! Looking forward to seeing it...xo

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  11. Wooo Hooooo!! I am so happy for you! Way to go, Tony! See, that shows that he's really listening. Okay, I've been in the same boat as you, where I want to impress somebody and then my mind goes completely blank. I agree with Jenny on some points, though. If you think he will struggle with a completely "planty" meal this week, then maybe sausage crumbles or "lunchmeats" for a sandwich, or something like that would work. BUT, I think it's a great idea to introduce the completely healthy version, as well. Maybe a bit of a mix of the two. Good luck! :-)

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  12. Thank you everyone for the awesome suggestions! I will be trying out your baked ziti VaVa, and Claire...oh my, I can't wait to try out some of your recipes! Thank you guys so much...you have been a very big help! Hugs to all! :o)

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  13. oh I forgot there's ground cumin and coriander in those tofu burritos! Sorry, I must have got too excited for you :)
    Don't sweat it about the pizza, even if he eats mainly vegan with some treats when he's eating out/stuck in meetings, it's better than nothing. I found it was a much easier way to convince my hubs to give it a go- something to do with less commitment/stress seems to work.
    Good Luck with all the meals to come! xxx

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  14. Oh Rose, there's not really any painful images of animals in this film...actually I don't think there are any. It's mostly geared to our health, and how a plant and whole food diet is very beneficial to us. It's nothing like Food Inc.

    Thanks Claire, I can't wait to try out some of your recipes! :o)

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  15. I have a book recommendation! I just finished reading 21 Day Weight Loss Kickstart by Neal Barnard and highly recommend it. It sounds like it's just the thing that Tony might be looking for. :)

    Forks Over Knives seems to be influencing a lot of people, which is so wonderful. We loved the movie and are that much more motivated to make our diet healthier than ever.

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  16. So glad you got to see the movie and it made an impression on Tony. It certainly made an impression on my husband as well.

    I actually just got the Engine 2 diet book from the Border's going out of business sale for only $5. Flipping through it, it looks great and can't wait to try some of the recipes they have in there. Will keep you posted!

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  17. Oh wow that's brilliant news!! Wow the pressure's really on this week then - yikes! You can do it! And even if he isn't a total convert by the end of the week, he's certainly well on his way and that's amazing!

    I have no recipes to offer, I'm very much a novice at this vegan cooking lark, but completely agree with what you said on the post above about keeping it simple and familiar, I found it comforting when going vegan to still be able to eat meals with the same sauces and condiments I was used to, and to eat things that I was
    already eating but had never even realised that they were vegan. Good luck!

    X

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