The Best Laid Plans

Thanksgiving was a great day of food and family!  I started off with a light breakfast;  I wasn’t super hungry and I knew there would be lots later!  A Pumpkin Smoothie hit the spot…

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
• 5 ice cubes
• 1/2 packet of NuNaturals Stevia
• sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice

I reluctantly headed to the basement for a treadmill run.  I was feeling awfully lazy, but knew if I didn’t get in some exercise, I would regret it.  After a quick 2 miles, I felt better.  No regrets!

I decided on a small lunch to tide me over until the REAL eating started!  I used some leftover Baked Seitan (remember when I said it tasted a little like bacon?) to make an SLT on a Pepperidge Farms Deli Flat…

With a honeycrisp apple, it was just the right amount.

Then, it was off to my parents’ house where the good stuff was being prepared!

For starters, an antipasto platter…

My plate x2…

Then I got myself a BIG glass of water x2 to avoid any more picking.  I wanted to save up for the other yummy food coming up!

When it was time to sit for dinner, we found these papers at our places…

Dad always writes a Thanksgiving prayer and big daughter reads it aloud…

Our first course, as always, was pasta!  This one was fettuccine with bolognese sauce…

my plate was about a half cup worth…

Believe me, I wanted more!!  But, I kept reminding myself of the plan - “controlled indulgence”.

After that settled a bit, the big guns donned the table…

Tom…

stuffing with whole wheat bread and sausage..and butter…and parmesan cheese… I DIE…

roasted sweets and parsnips…

broccoli rabe…

roasted asparagus…

mashed potatoes (a must for big daughter)…

biscuits…

homemade cranberry sauce…

I had a taste of it all…

but, I went a little crazy with this…

Best stuffing EVER!!!

We had a great time at the table reminiscing about our old houses and neighborhoods and the husband asked us to each share all the things that we were thankful for.  We ended up practically giving speeches!  We are very blessed and able to be grateful for even the smallest things, but family was at the top of all our lists!

No Thanksgiving is complete without dessert!  We were also celebrating my Dad’s birthday, so we had his favorites…

My Mom’s homemade cheesecake…again, I DIE…

and pecan pie…

and my only contribution to this fabulous day of food – Sugar Free Pumpkin Roll (for Gram who is diabetic).  I used NuNaturals Baking Blend (stevia) in the recipe and it came out surprisingly well…

I had to have the cheesecake.  One word…AMAZING!!

I had a nibble or two more of it, but called it a night.  I definitely ate a lot today, but didn’t let myself get stuffed or uncomfortable.  I enjoyed every bite!

***

Happy Birthday, DAD!!!

ONE GOOD THING:  I was happy with my plan of “controlled indulgence”.  I ate, I enjoyed and didn’t feel guilty or nervous.  I was full but not uncomfortable.  And that’s it – day over.  Back to the normal plan as I remind myself that the holiday was just one day, not the next four!  Back to the plan, stan :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful T-Day!

Vegan For A Day

I am a Vegan!  Just for today.  Michelle and Katy set up this challenge for the week and I was so excited to be a part of it…

I am always up for trying new things, especially when it comes to food!  Being a vegan is a tough assignment.  It means ditching some of my loves:  cheese, milk, yogurt and… did I say cheese?  Yeah, that’s a hard one.  But, I can try anything for one day, so I signed on for Vegan For A Day where on Thursday everyone could be a vegan!

First, I started the day off with a yummy breakfast of Fat-Free Pumpkin and Raisin Biscuits …

and a steaming pot of French press coffee…

Then, I was off to meet my MIL.  She was taking me to an open house at a quaint tea room called The Painted Tea Cup…

The tea room is set in an old Victorian-style home built in the 1900’s …

The interior has been transformed into a charming gift shop and tea room.  For the open house, the tea room’s seating was removed to make space for the holiday decor and gifts that were available for purchase.  It was a sight to see!  There were so many interesting items to explore including  jewelry, home decor, crafts, beautiful teapots and cups, Victorian- inspired decor, handmade gifts and of course food items!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My focus always goes toward the food items!  I spied a display of dip mixes that were so delicious sounding, I knew a few would be coming home with me…

This one was especially interesting…

How good does that sound?!

There were shelves filled with homemade jams and jellies…

and candies…

As we browsed around the store, the owner offered us a cup of Apple Cider Spiced Tea which was amazing…

There was a nice offering of dips to sample…

I had to sample 2 teeny bites (don’t look vegan friends!):  Pineapple Pecan dip and Raspberry Zinfandel  which the owner told us won top honors at the Fancy Food Show…

There was also another appetizer tray of water crackers piped with a mix of  homemade Red Pepper Jelly and cream cheese, all dusted with powdered sugar.  I didn’t sample these, but they looked fabulous…

Such a festive morning!  Of course, I came home with 3 different dip mixes which I can’t wait to try!  I’m looking forward to going back for High Tea soon.  And maybe, more dip mixes :)

After my minor detour from the vegan way, I got back in the game at lunch.  I made it quick and easy with a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty …

served on an Ezekiel Hamburger Bun.  This seeded variety is my favorite…

I put it all together with some baby spinach, a drizzle of Cranberry Honey Mustard and a juicy orange on the side…

Then, it was time for some vegan fun-in-the-kitchen!  I had an idea for a fun dinner involving “pepperoni”!  A couple of years ago, I dabbled in vegetarianism and had a blast researching and making all kinds of cool recipes.  One of those recipes included a fake-out “pepperoni” made from seitan.  Seitan (pronounced SAY-tan)is a vegetarian/vegan source of protein made from wheat gluten and has a chewy texture similar to meat.  It can be seasoned and cooked in a variety of ways, but my favorite way is with this “pepperoni-type” seasoning and then baking it.  During my vegetarian stint, I played with a few different recipes (here is one) but, one I would use the most was found on a veggie web board (unfortunately, I don’t know whom to give credit to – I had this written on a scrap piece of paper!)…

Baked Seitan

• 1.5 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 3/4 c. cold water
• 4 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. ketchup
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. worcestershire or soy sauce
• 1-3 cloves garlic, crushed well ( I used garlic powder)

Mix dry ingredients.  Whisk together wet ingredients, then add to dry.  Knead for a few minutes.  Form into a log, tightly wrap in foil, twisting ends.  Bake for 90 minutes at 325 degrees.  Unwrap and cool completely before storing in refrigerator.

The main ingredient…

Ready to bake…

The end result…

This version actually tastes a lot more like bacon than pepperoni, but I think I was light on the spice (red pepper flakes would have spiced it up more) this time.  Bacon is okay, too!

I decided to use this as my topping for Pepperoni Pizza Potato Skins…

Do you see the melty cheese on there?  It’s legal!  I used Road’s End Organics Chreese (sorry for the blur)…

I’ve used this product quite a bit.  Little daughter was on a vegan diet for the first 5 years of her life due to a milk-protein allergy.  I had to school myself on this allergy (honestly, the docs weren’t much help) and found that milk-protein is in a HUGE number of products.  But, I was able to find some great products to add to her diet and this was one of them.  Their Mac ‘n Chreese is also terrific and the daughters still ask for it sometimes!

I mixed it up (just the packet and boiling water) and added it to my baked potato skins with homemade marinara sauce and the diced Baked Seitan.  I served the skins with some green beans – delish!

I couldn’t let this adventure end without delving into a vegan dessert!  I decided to try out this recipe for Lucky Chocolate Cake.  The black-eyed peas sounded interesting!  I was able to find some yummy vegan chocolate chips in my grocery store, too…

The result was a gooey, chocolaty cake…

A little too gooey – I could’ve baked it a bit longer.  But I snagged a taste from the corner and it was like a fudgy brownie!  This could be dangerous…  :)

***

What a marathon post, right?!    Sorry to blog your eyes off! 

I have to say that I really enjoyed this adventurous eating day.  It was fun trying out new foods!   I give vegans tons of credit for sticking with this lifestyle.  It does require a conscious decision and a certain diligence in finding foods that fit the diet and avoiding foods that don’t.  Overall, it was a great experience and thanks to Michelle and Katy for launching such a cool challenge!

I leave you with this long post for the weekend.  I’m going to spend the weekend playing catch-up ( my Google Reader is out. of. control ) and finishing up some projects.  Oh, and celebrating my birthday on Sunday!  Age – let’s not even go there.  OLD sums it up :) 

Have a great weekend everyone!!!