Month Long Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Challenge

We're back at it again! My doctor (who is actually a nurse practitioner) recommended for the third time that I try going gluten-free and sugar-free for at least a month and asked that I document how I feel. I picked the month of June because, leading up to this point, I haven't been feeling so great. I've been sluggish, been getting more headaches, stomach pain in the evening, and my acne has been out of control. So I started on Tuesday with a well-crafted meal plan and a lot of conviction.

Week one has gone pretty smoothly, though not without some ups and downs. On Tuesday, I had a mild headache which I attributed to sugar withdrawal. On Wednesday, the headache morphed into a tension headache - sugar detoxing coupled with high stress from work, a pending storm, and not enough calories in my system? It was the set up for a bad scene. I ended up leaving work early and, after eating a handful of almonds and drinking two big glasses of water, I actually felt a lot better. I'm sure stepping away from work and my computer screen was a big help too. Thursday through today I have been feeling great! I'm not craving sweets and gluten was really easy for me to cut out.

Here's a sampling of our meal plan last week - I started by using other people's recipes so that I can get the hang of it and then begin writing my own!

Tuesday
Breakfast: Wild Blueberry Shake from lunchboxbunch.com
Lunch: Green Goddess Bowl from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Vegan Macro Meal from lunchboxbunch.com

Wednesday
Breakfast: Wild Blueberry Shake from lunchboxbunch.com
Lunch: Green Goddess Bowl from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Bake Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from lunchboxbunch.com - modified, we just topped them with diced tomato, broccoli, and tahini

Thursday
Breakfast: Homemade Shake - 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 2 cups almond milk - Serves 2
Lunch: Green Goddess Bowl from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Celebratory dinner at Green Elephant (it was J's last day of work at his old job!) - I had the spicy green leaves salad with gluten free dressing and brussels sprouts

Friday
Breakfast: Homemade Shake (see above)
Lunch: Lunched at Local Sprouts - I had the fiddlehead salad special with balsamic dressing
Dinner: Sesame Miso Zucchini Noodles & Tofu from Snixy Kitchen

Saturday
Breakfast: Almonds, peanuts, and blueberries (we bused down to Boston and need something easily portable!)
Lunch: Tofu Pad Thai at My Thai Vegan Cafe in Boston's China Town
Dinner: Sesame Miso Zucchini Noodles & Tofu from Snixy Kitchen

Sunday
Breakfast: Sweet Citrus Avocado Dreamboat from lunchboxbunch.com
Lunch: Green Power Tower Salad from lunchboxbunch.com
Dinner: Raw Macro Bowl with Knock-Off Dragon Sauce from Raw Food Recipes

Our snacks throughout the week consist of homemade oil-free hummus with veggies, frozen grapes, apples, and baby carrots.

So far, I've lost 6 pounds. I'm hoping to add at least 20 minutes of walking to my days to continue on this track and I'll keep monitoring the effects of GF/SF eating - maybe you'll want to test it out too? Check out other recipes we're considering on our Pinterest board!

Latest Vegan Cake (Gayke) Creation

Yesterday, I spent the day baking another "Gayke" for a friend's birthday party. It's been a year since I've baked a gayke and I've learned SO much in that time. The cake didn't come out perfectly - it was a tad lumpy, but I know how to fix it for next time and I'm pretty happy with the results! The cake was 6 layers, each dyed a color of the rainbow, and I used my ever popular vanilla batter with the addition of lemon zest. Between the layers, I brushed a raspberry-basil sauce and piped in some light lemony no-buttercream frosting. The outside is iced with the same frosting and topped with a fondant rainbow made by my guy. Below are pics of last year's Gayke compared to this year's...I think I've improved quite a bit!!

2011 Gayke - Vanilla Cake with Orange No-Buttercream

2012 Gayke - Vanilla-Lemon Cake with Raspberry-Basil Sauce & Lemon No-Buttercream

2011 Gayke Insides

2012 Gayke Insides

Serious excitement!

Better Late Then Never?

It's been a while - I know. I'm doing a terrible job of keeping up with this blog, but I promise to try try try again to post more regularly, dear friends.

Back at the end of February, J took me to Camden, Maine for a weekend, birthday getaway and it was truly lovely. It also proved to us that we can be vegan AND go on vacation! Huzzah! Below is a little review of the many places we went for those of you looking to travel! Overall, I can tell you that Camden is an INCREDIBLY accommodating place - at the time, it seemed more so than even Portland, which is a much larger city. We can't wait to go back again next year!

J and me chilly in Camden, Maine

Harbor

Windward House Bed & Breakfast
Vegan Accommodations: 5/5 Stars
Environmental Awareness: 5/5 Stars 
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars


At the recommendation of friends, J booked two night stay at the Windward House in the Chart Room Suite right in Camden. The Inn is owned and run by Kristi and her husband Jesse who are incredibly nice and accommodating. The room was large and cozy and included a little sitting room with propane fireplace  and a jacuzzi tub! On top of it all, how excited were we to come out to breakfast on Saturday morning and find that their menu has vegan items on it - yes! They had tempeh bacon, sticky rice with coconut milk, delicious pancakes with a rum/banana sauce, orange-soy yogurt pancakes, cereals, toast, french toast, beautiful fruit cups, teas, coffees - we certainly did not go hungry! We enjoyed speaking with our hosts who were extremely personable and we greatly appreciated their attention to detail, including their interest in sustainability! J and I want to start a birthday trip tradition and we will absolutely visit again next February!!

Cappy's Chowder House

Vegan Accommodations: 2/5 Stars

Setting: 2/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

So Cappy's is a great place to visit if you want to feel like you're a local...especially in the winter when hardly any tourists are around. We sat at one of their back booths in the darkened restaurant decorated with photos and cabin-themed chachkis. J ordered a locally made cider and I had a hot spiced rum drink. As we pondered the menu we realized there really weren't any vegan options available. The waitress came over and asked if we needed help and we explained that we were vegan and checking to see if there was anything we could eat. She was incredibly accommodating and said they could absolutely figure something out using pasta and veggies. We asked about the fries and onion rings, but they fry them in the same fryer they use for the clams and the onion rings are made using eggs. But she was so nice and really really wanted to help us out! Normally, in Portland, when we say we're vegan and can't find anything, the waitress sort of shrugs and says oh, well; so it was very refreshing to have someone actually try to find us an option! We ended up only having our drinks at Cappy's but they get high marks for trying! It's a fun local atmosphere, and we definitely recommend getting a drink there. 

Super yummy drinks at Cappy's

Robot bar!!

Cafe Mediterranean

Vegan Accommodations: 5/5 Stars

Setting: 4/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

After our drinks at Cappy's we went up the street to Cafe Mediterranean for dinner. The restaurant is very small and has maybe 6 or 7 tables. There was only one waitress and one guy in the kitchen, which was quite impressive. We sat in a window seat that was fairly private, and watched the snow/rain coming down hard outside. J ordered the falafel and I ordered a Mediterranean sampler plate that included tabouli, hummus, salad, warmed pita, and eggplant. The food was so, so good! There are several vegan options on the menu that don't even need to be modified and I'm sure some of the other dishes could be modified too! It's nice to go somewhere and not have to make a special request though. 

J's falafel

Sampler platter

NOM!

40 Paper

Vegan Accommodations: Unknown

Setting: 5/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

After dinner at Cafe Mediterranean, we walked/half ran in the rain over to 40 Paper for cocktails. J was ecstatic that they had Maine Root and I had a a lemony-ginger drink. 40 Paper has a super fun/high-end atmosphere; very modern decor. I can't really comment on their ability to serve a vegan couple since we didn't eat there, but based on the rest of the town's accommodating behavior, I'd say it isn't out of the question. We will likely try to eat there the next time we visit!

Fresh

Vegan Accommodations: 4/5 Stars

Setting: 5/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

On Saturday, J and I had a late lunch/early dinner at Fresh. The restaurant uses mainly local goods and their kitchen is open so you can watch the chef prepare your meal. As we peered at the menu, we didn't really see anything inherently vegan, but they had a nice selection of salads that we asked to modify. We asked if they could combine the Rocket Salad and Fresh Bistro Salad together but leave off the dairy and meat products, and they said, "No problem!" The chef prepared a beautiful salad with chickpeas and tons of veggies that was very fulfilling and quite yummy. We also ordered an order of their fresh hand-cut french fries which were DELICIOUS. We had planned to return to the restaurant later that night for drinks but ended up watching a movie and enjoying the warmth of our room at the Inn. 

Mediterranean Grill

Vegan Accommodations: 4/5 Stars

Setting: 3/5 Stars

Staff: 5/5 Stars

On our way home on Sunday, we stopped off in Freeport for a little outlet shopping and had a wonderful dinner at the Mediterranean Grill. We ordered the hummus as an appetizer and then shared the falafel entree. The food was excellent and J said he hadn't had falafel and hummus that good in a really long time. There wasn't a ton on the menu that would accommodate vegans but there is a lot for vegetarians and they're so nice there that I'm sure they'd be happy to modify things if you asked. The setting is a little open and less intimate - it's a very large open room which feels strange at lunch when the rest of the room is empty. Delicious food though! 

Azure Cafe

Vegan Accommodations: 0/5 Stars

Setting: 3/5 Stars

Staff: 1/5 Stars

Before heading to the Mediterranean Grill, we tried to have lunch at Azure Cafe in Freeport. We were seated at a nice window table in a room very crowded with close tables. As we peered at the menu it was clear that something would need to be modified or created to accommodate us. When the waitress came over I asked what they could do for vegans. She looked puzzled and asked what exactly vegan meant - "you mean like vegetarian?" I explained that vegans do not eat any animal products or by-products. She said, "Oh. The only thing you can eat, I think, is the Tomato Vodka Soup. I think that's safe." And then she walked away and stood by the waitstaff station, rather than heading to the kitchen to ask the chef. Annoyed and hungry, we bailed. 

Green Elephant Birthday Dinner

On Saturday night, J took me out for my birthday to Green Elephant on Congress Street in Portland, Maine. The Green Elephant is, without a doubt, my favorite restaurant in Maine. Everything is vegan or vegetarian and Asian inspired. Food is made with fresh, local ingredients and the restaurant's decor is simple, but elegant.

We showed up and were told it would be a 20 minute wait, so we popped in next door to Downtown Lounge for a glass of wine. No sooner did we sit down and get our glasses when the buzzer went off - shortest 20 minute wait ever! We downed our wine, apologized to the waitress explaining that we don't normally chug nice glasses of wine, and were seated at the Green Elephant within minutes. Our waitress, one we'd never had before, was so kind and attentive. We started by sharing two appetizers - soy nuggets with chili sauce and green leaves wrap with mango and herbs. The soy nuggets - oh man - we want to figure out how to make them so badly! They are crispy on the outside and have so much flavor. The green leaves wraps were a refreshing raw appetizer made with very fresh ingredients.

Soy Nuggets

Green Leaves with Mango & Herbs

Although we were celebrating, we wanted to keep with our plan of eating healthy and curbing portions sizes so we shared the Siamese Dream Curry Noodle dish. So delicious and just the right amount by sharing. We didn't feel stuffed when we left, just satisfied. I'd suggest sharing dishes if you're trying to lose weight or just maintain if you're the kind of person who has trouble not cleaning your plate. I was always taught to finish everything and when I try to go out to eat and tell myself I'll only eat half and will take the rest home, it normally doesn't pan out so well. So sharing a dish ensures that you'll only eat half and believe me, at most restaurants, half is enough! 

Siamese Dream Curry Noodle

If you're ever in Portland, Maine, the Green Elephant is the place to go. The prices are comparable to the service and quality, the atmosphere is charming and modern, and the food is the best vegan food you'll find around! 

27 is here

Today I turn 27 and the day is always bittersweet. I'm happy to be another year older and don't fear the approaching 3 - 0 as many do. What's makes it bittersweet is that someone isn't here to celebrate with me. In 2007, my mom died from an extremely aggressive version of cervical cancer. She was my idol, my hero, my best friend. And so on this day, I'm spending the day at home by myself with the kitties, baking for an event on Sunday, remembering her life, and feeling thankful she brought me into this world.

I'm glad today is quiet. I'm going to test out two new types of cupcakes: Cookies n' Creme and Peaches n' Cream. It's another test of my willpower over sweets! I've lost another pound this week and am down by 17 since starting, so I'll just keep reminding myself that fitting into those jeans and that skirt and that blazer are WAY more worth it than scarfing down a cupcake.

Yesterday, I took off work and treated myself to a haircut in the morning and then walked around the city with J. We went into LeRoux Kitchen, an amazing kitchen supply store in the Old Port. While there, we did buy a little Taza Chocolate that was salted almond and I stowed it away in my purse. Taza Chocolate is incredible and if you haven't tried it, you need to. It comes as a small circle and although it looks and feels like a dense chunk of chocolate, it tastes incredibly airy and light. Then we walked around a bit more and started feeling hungry by 1:30, so we went over to the Portland Public Market and visited our friends at Granny's Burrito, Kamasouptra, and Market House Coffee. Whenever I visit the Public Market, I try to spread my wealth around by purchasing something small from several vendors. So for lunch we shared a burrito filled with peanut tofu, rice, lettuce, and hot sauce from Granny's, a small cup of vegan chili from Kamasouptra, and a pineapple coconut water from Market House Coffee. It was certainly a larger lunch than we're accustomed to and I was glad we'd skipped both our morning and afternoon snacks. We also spent the good part of the day walking at a good pace - I'm guessing we walked 5-6 miles by the time we were done.

It's all about balance! My coworker says it's simple, "Calories in must be equal to or less than calories out." I think it's important to celebrate things once in a while and to not deprive ourselves of things forever because that is exactly what causes me to fall off the weight loss wagon.

So for dinner last night we had a very very light dinner of 1/2 cup of brown rice over arugula with 1/2 cup of shiitakes and a wedge of lime squirted on top. We followed dinner by a few bites of the Taza chocolate and then ran some errands for my day of baking today. After returning home, we were both hungry. Stomach grumbling hungry. So I suggested we make some Ginger-Lime Hummus and have a little with some carrot and bell pepper sticks. It totally did the trick and I'm pretty sure Ginger-Lime Hummus is our new favorite flavor!

Tonight, J's taking me out for a birthday dinner at the Green Elephant - my favorite restaurant. We've already talked about the idea of getting an appetizer to split and then sharing one entree so that portion sizes are smaller. Green Elephant makes vegetarian and vegan food and it's wonderfully fresh and elegant. I'm excited :) J's birthday present to me is a two night stay in Camden, Maine next weekend and I'm super excited about that!

Since 2006, I've thought my birthday was "cursed." In 2006 and 2007, my mom was re-diagnosed with cancer once on my birthday, once the day before. In 2008, we were told my grandmother (my mom's mother) going to die from cancer just days before my birthday. So I've had trouble celebrating these last few years, no wonder. But I'm going to move past the past and look to the future. A future filled with healthy happiness and a celebration of the strong and beautiful women who helped shape me into the woman I am today.

Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes for Valentine's Day

This month's Salt and Pine Bakery cupcake flavor was Raspberry Truffle. I must tell you, as the weekend neared, I was nervous. I had just completed 4 weeks of detox and had lost 15 pounds (I've lost a total of 16 now!). It had been a month since I'd had any refined sugar, let alone baked. So it was a test of my will-power; time to muster up some fortitude.

I started with my fail-safe chocolate cupcake recipe. This batter turns out a light, moist, very chocolatey cupcake that melts in your mouth. I did not take one taste of batter because I've made this recipe so many times that I trust myself and know I make it perfectly each time. I finished all 53 of them was still feeling fine. After they cooled, I started coring them, and that's when things became a little more difficult. As I removed the core from each cupcake, that rich chocolatey smell drifted up at me and my taste buds tingled. Dang - it's incredible how much food can affect us! I did well though. And through filling them with chocolate ganache, icing them with raspberry icing, I'm proud to say that I only took one taste of icing to ensure that the raspberry taste was there and tasted one cupcake core just to be sure they came out correctly/baked long enough. 

Justin Lumiere Photography

Justin Lumiere Photography

I had one extra at the end and J and I split it because, as a baker and a business-woman, I feel that I cannot turn out any of my product without ensuring that it is perfect. So we did a little quality control test. And boy, was it good! 

Here's the funny thing, all throughout the detox, I didn't crave sweets at all. I saw things around me at work - cookies, cake, candy - and didn't even care. But since tasting that 1/2 of a cupcake, my taste buds have re-awakened and they want more. I made mini cupcake bites using the cores and left over frosting and had 2 cupcakes left over and brought them in to work. They were gone by the day's end which was fabulous because I was NOT taking those home! I was tempted all day to take a little bite, but here's what stopped me: that morning, I tried on a pair of jeans that hadn't fit in two years, and they fit! I reminded myself that there will always be cupcakes in my life - seriously I'm a baker! - but I will never get another body and I need to take care of it NOW! 

I made 12 deliveries and have received some incredible feedback. J took an extra to work for his boss and she's placed and order and one of my club members has ordered an additional 4 of the same flavor. Business is "booming!" 

So I am motivated. J and I are excited to celebrate our accomplishments and I am excited to learn to be a baker who is not addicted to food. 

Detox Time

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of our holiday eating. Yes, we're vegan, but we still eat things like....Salt and Pine's Chocolate-Peanut butter Decadence Cake. (Yes, I made that this past weekend!)

Although I don't plan to stop baking (it's my "job" on the side and my passion) I do plan to start a detox plan on Monday with J. If I bake, I'll take it to work or give it away so that it's not lingering around the house. 

I got the idea when someone I know on Facebook posted a link to the 2012 Whole Living Action Plan. I'm at a place where I'm not losing the weight, I'm constantly tired and just want to re-start my body. This detox goes on for 4 weeks and we'll have to create some vegan alternatives for the later weeks since the menus include fish. 

Our first week will include:

Breakfasts:

Antioxidant Smoothie

Carrot, Mango & Herb Smoothie

Green Smoothie

Mango-Coconut Water Smoothie

Orange-Berry Smoothie

Cucumber, Honeydew, and Mint Smoothie

Lunches:

Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Kale Slaw with Red Cabbage and Carrots

Sweet Potato, Celery, and Apple Salad

Avocado with Bell Pepper and Tomatoes

Dinners:

Steamed Broccoli and Squash with Tahini Sauce

Roasted Peppers, Cauliflower and Almonds

Snacks:

Dried Fruit and Nut Bites

Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

Cinnamon Poached Apples with Toasted Walnuts

In addition, the site gives you a mediation of the week, suggests starting a food journal, and has several detox yoga poses.

I'm excited to get started new week and hope to not only shed some weight but to feel rejuvenated!  

Sushi Night and a Really Pink Cake

I've had a great week in the world of cooking and baking! On Wednesday, I took the day off from my real job and baked a very large, very pink cake for a Salt and Pine Bakery client's birthday. It came out great and I received a text from her the other night that said:

"That cake is the best, richest, vegan vanilla cake I've ever tasted IN MY LIFE! Thank you sooo much! My mom says you should go to NYC!"

Very flattering :) My client was actually vegan, which is doesn't actually happen all that often. The cake was 5 layers of vanilla cake dyed various shades of pink and purple, and in between each layer, raspberry and a light almond no-buttercream. The outside was decorated with no-buttercream roses in varying shades of pink. Here's a few photos - please excuse the ones from my cell phone; J will have nicer ones from his camera once he has time to edit them:

Cake layers

Last night my back was aching from a day of baking and a little fender bender on Thursday (my friend's car not mine, and we're both okay!) and I started getting really scared that it was going back to the bad place it was in a year ago. It's still aching today, but a little better I think. Positive thoughts! Positive thoughts! 

At dinner time, to brighten my mood, J and I thought it would be fun to make sushi. We had picked up some sushi rice at Whole Foods and I followed the instructions on Cooking Cute for preparation and seasoning. Meanwhile, J prepared some long cut pieces of sweet potato by frying them briefly in a skillet, some long strips of tofu by try frying, sautéed cremini mushrooms, and raw carrot, sprouts, and zucchini. 

I was concerned that our dinner did not have enough protein, so I prepared a salad with spinach, yellow & red bell pepper, radish, carrot, and chickpeas, dressed with a wasabi vinaigrette (1 Tbsp wasabi powder, 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp water, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar). 

Dinner was delicious and so much fun to prepare! I had never rolled my own sushi before, so J taught me how and I have to say, it's not super easy, but it is super fun! The hardest part was how much the rice stuck to our hands! We had a little sticky rice left over so we made two little rice balls and served them with the salad. 

I've got to get baking - I'm planning to make a French Apple Tart for a little New Years Eve gathering we're having this evening. And guess what, everyone? Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of going vegan! Post to follow! 

Have a happy, fun, and safe New Years Eve, everyone!

Thanksgiving Day Vegan Fest Recap

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day yesterday! J and I were supposed to go to his mom's for a family dinner, but I've been sick and so we decided it best to have our own little fest at home. J, the sweetheart that he is, insisted I relax while he prepared our T-day dinner. About a week ago we had discussed what we were going to make and created a delicious menu:

• Vegan YumYum's Seitan Roulade with Chestnut Stuffing (with pecans substituting chestnuts because we couldn't find prepared chestnuts at Whole Foods)
• Vegan YumYum's Mushroom Gravy
• Garlic mashed potatoes
• NYT Well Blog's Stir-Fried Balsamic Ginger Carrots

So I sat on the couch watching TV as J worked away in the kitchen, running back and forth to the computer and to me with questions and exciting taste tests. The dinner he put together was spectacular. I had been a meat eater for many years, and this was MUCH better than any "normal" Thanksgiving dinner I'd ever had. He even changed up the menu a bit; we'd run out of mushrooms for the gravy, so he made Vegan YumYum's Tangerine Cranberry Sauce (made with orange juice instead of tangerine). Everything was delicious and definitely worth making again! Here's some photos he took while he was putting everything together:

Pecan Stuffing

Finished Pecan Stuffing with Homemade Croutons added

Cranberries, Sugar, & Orange Juice boiling down

Finished Orange Cranberry Sauce

Roulades just out of the oven. We realized we forgot to get cotton cooking string, so J was innovative and used tin foil "twist-ties" instead

Our beautiful dinner!

I had originally planned to bake a vegan French Apple Tart to take to J's mom's house, but as I was sick, I wasn't feeling up to baking. The tart would have looked like this though: 

This was the first year I did not feel overly stuffed from Thanksgiving. I didn't feel lethargic; I felt satisfied and lively. In retrospect, we didn't even need the tart - it probably would have been overdoing it. And what's the point in that?!

I'm glad we had an animal-free meal this Thanksgiving. As I perused Facebook, so many people had the status "Happy Turkey Day!" and it made me feel so sad that people don't realize the meaning behind what they're saying. Thanksgiving should not be a day about killing thousands of turkeys, most of which lived horrible lives in cages too small for them to move. Thanksgiving should be about being thankful for what we have and, if you're going to partake in the act of eating animals, at least have the decency to be thankful for the life you took rather than making light of it and wishing everyone a happy turkey day. 

For me, I'm thankful to have such a loving, caring, devoted fiancé. I'm thankful for our companion animals, kitties Ellie and Bob, who show us unconditional love and have lifted our spirits daily. I'm thankful for the family we've made for ourselves and for the happy home that shelters us. I'm thankful for the life I have and the happiness I can bring to others. 

Vegan Laptop Lunchbox Time AND Happy World Vegan Day!

Snap peas and yellow bell pepper with plain hummus and an awesome Israeli couscous salad made with seitan, carrots, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and veggie stock.

AND

Happy World Vegan Day, everyone!

What is this World Vegan Day, you ask? It celebrates the founding of The Vegan Society in 1944 and kicks off Vegan Awareness Month. Lots of events are planned all over the world to celebrate plant-based diets and increase positive awareness of the benefits of being vegan/vegetarian.

I encourage you, even if you're not vegan/vegetarian, to celebrate with us and to try it for a day or a week.