Friday, January 28, 2011

Buffalo Tempeh with Mac & Trees, 30 Day Challenge

Last night I tried out two recipes from Appetite for Reduction -- the Buffalo Tempeh, and Mac & Trees (the trees being broccoli).  Both are total winners. This cookbook is awesome.  Don't worry if you are not trying to lose weight -- none of this stuff looks or tastes like diet food.

The tempeh is really spicy. I would say it does definitely need to be paired with something creamy or cool. I'm going to eat the leftovers for lunch with some cole slaw.


The mac and trees went over so well with both kids. I used ditalini pasta which is a good size for Olivia to grab and devour.


Jackson ate three bowls. Mac and trees, you are going to be invited back to dinner again very soon.


A word about the Easy Breezy Cheezy Sauce...last time I made it, for the Tempeh Helper, I was unable to find the chicken-flavored powder that it calls for. The other day I found some at the health food store, so I added it this time around. Personally, I like it better without the powder, so don't sweat it if you can't find it. It's a good sauce either way.

So...I feel like I don't have a lot to write about these days other than food. In the summer and fall, I was talking about our various travels, but it's going to be cold and snowy for a couple more months yet, which means we won't be leaving the house all that much. So, to spice things up a little, I think I will give this 30-Day Challenge a try. I found it on Averie's blog, and it originally came from Eliza.


Some of these topics are verrrry personal, so I believe I will skip around and do the ones I'm comfortable with. Today, I'll start with #29 - my goals for the next 30 days.

One of my goals is to practice yoga at least 3x a week at home. You might recall earlier this month I was so excited about a yoga studio opening nearby.  Well, between multiple classes being cancelled due to snow, and Tony's crazy work schedule, class attendance has not been working out so well for me.

I tried in the past to practice at home using a DVD, but the kids climbed all over me. I finally came up with a solution a couple weeks ago. I went old-school and got a book. Now I go in the bedroom, close the door, flip through the book and get an idea of what I want to do. I usually start with one of the brief sequences in the back of the book, and branch off from there, depending on what it feels like my body needs.

I haven't given up on classes completely. It's a new studio so they are still figuring out their schedule, and Tony is only on his 60-hour work schedule for another month. So I will check back after that and see if there is a class I can go to. In the meantime, it feels really good to be doing yoga again and I'm enjoying my less-structured home practice because I can focus on whatever I want.

Another goal is to eat less processed foods. I don't think I eat a huge amount, but I mean, I've been buying Jif peanut butter for years. It's delicious. But it also has sugar and oil in it that don't need to be there. So this week I bought natural peanut butter that is just peanuts and salt. I wouldn't sit there and eat it off the spoon (not that I do that with Jif...oh wait, yes I do), but when it's mixed into my morning oats, I can't tell the difference.

One more goal that is a little harder to attain is to be more patient with my little ones, especially Jackson. At almost 2 1/2, he's in that phase where he is testing me every second. (I know some of you with older kids might be laughing at my use of the word 'phase.' Please don't tell me if you are. Just let me go on telling myself this is a brief stage and not the next 16 years.) I'm struggling to always remember that even though he is trying to show his independence, he is also watching me every second, so my reaction is going to shape his future actions. If I yell, he will think yelling is what you do when you're frustrated. I wish I was one of those earth goddess moms and I could be like, "When Jackson steals Olivia's paci and throws it across the room for the tenth time, he's just showing his spirited nature and childish energy, isn't his expressiveness wonderful, la la la la la!" But I really doubt any moms are like that 24/7 without large doses of xanax. So I'm just trying to take it day by day and be easy with him and with myself.

There we go...I guess I'll report back in 30 days and see how I did.

Are you working on any goals this month?

Have a wonderful weekend!



4 comments:

  1. Man alive I think we might be kindred spirits. We share many of the same goals. I wish we could get together and let our little ones run wild while we shared vegan eats and maybe some yoga!

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  2. I bet my little girl would love that Mac & Cheese!

    I wish you luck with your challenge!

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  3. Maria Rose, that would be great. Jackson and Cordelia would have a ball playing together I'm sure :)

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  4. The 30 Day Challenge looks fun. Sounds like you're working on great things. I'm trying to eat less processed food, too. I think being grossed out by the animal bone char sugar thing helps me a lot. If not, there would be lots more I'd have to cut out.

    I have to apologize to the kids for raising my voice (uh, I mean shouting) occasionally. I naively thought (before I had kids) that I was going to be the best mom ever because I was going to give them huge amounts of love and hugs daily - they would know that I was there for them 100%, I would feed them healthy, provide lots of learning opportunities for them, blah, blah, blah...I thought that if they felt loved and weren't bored, they'd have no reason NOT to listen and follow my every direction. ha! It's not easy, is it? :)

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