Recipe -- Homemade Veggie Burger Mix

Homemade Veggie Burger Mix (vegan)

Yummy homemade veggie burger mix that is hyper-packed with vitamins, can also be used as "ground" or rolled into sausage, etc. A great meat substitute. Very low calorie, low fat, no cholesterol, and high in potassium and protein.

Minutes to Prepare: 30

Minutes to Cook: 90

Number of Servings: 40, this makes a huge batch. Nutritional information based on an 8 oz. serving. Recipe can easily be cut in half or less for smaller batches.

Ingredients

Split Peas, 2.5 cup

Lentils, 2.5 cup

Barley, Quaker Quick, 1 cup

Brown Rice, long grain, 1 cup

Steel Cut Oats, dry, 3 cup

Oat Bran, .5 cup (remove)

Pumpkin Seeds, 2 cup

Beans, black, 1.5 cup

Black Olives, 10 jumbo

Mushrooms, fresh, 2 cup, pieces or slices

Scallions, raw, 1 cup, chopped

Garlic, 3 cloves

Baby Spinach (raw), 2 cup

Carrots, raw, .5 cup, chopped

Hot Pepper Sauce, 10 tsp

Curry powder, 5 tbsp

Chili powder, 1 tbsp

Basil, 2 tbsp

Paprika, 10 tbsp

Salt, 2 tbsp

Sweet peppers (bell), 1 cup, chopped

Directions

Quick-cook the split peas and lentils, and any other beans that are dry, in advance of adding other ingredients, with 5 tsp hot sauce, the salt, chili powder and curry powder. Allow beans to cook for 45-60 minutes, then add barley, rice, oat bran, and 2 cups of the oats. Cook an additional 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. Mixture will be thick and sticky, be careful not to burn the bottom. It should have enough water to still bubble up water to the top and sides. While the beans are cooking, chop and roast the peppers and pumpkin seeds together, turning occasionally, no more than 90 minutes, approx. 300 degrees. When the bean mixture is cooked to just beyond al dente consistency, remove from heat and allow to cool. Combine the remaining ingredients in food processor and pulse down to a grainy paste, this will take multiple batches. Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Stir in the last 1 cup of dry oats at the end to help the mixture stiffen enough to form patties. Allow to stand until cool all the way through, then refrigerate overnight. Form patties, balls, crumble or any other way, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then package and freeze. 

Also find this recipe here at SparkRecipes.com : Homemade Veggie Burger Mix (vegan)

Lean meat protein returns

Interesting.

Well, I ate a beef burger yesterday at work. Here's why:

On Day 8, the first day of being off my vegan fast, I was really excited to be able to eat some cheese. So, I had a veggie burger with cheddar. And a side of mayo to dip my fries in. I know, I know, we'll talk about that later.

I was so disappointed, I almost tossed the whole thing in the trash can.

I don't know what I thought a slice of cheese was gonna do for me. I guess I thought it was going to transform my veggie burger into a Big Mac or something. No such luck, it was still a veggie burger. And I mistakenly told myself, It's because I wanted it to be a beef burger.

So, yesterday, 3 days later, I finally said, Screw it, I'm having a burger. It's a big flex, but whatever.

Again, I was so disappointed I almost dumped it in the bus tub. And, the taste of the meat actually repelled me a little. Not to mention also that in an 8oz. lean ground beef patty (like ours at work, which are 85/15 Angus beef -- good, lean beef) there are still 700 calories. Yes, 700. But, really I don't care about that as much as how disappointed I still was, just as disappointed as I was by the veggie burger.

So it forced me to think about it. Why? Why so despondent after my favorite splurge meal: a burger and fries?

I've realized now, today what it was. The vegan fast followed by remaining primarily vegetarian has caused me to eat so differently, and to enjoy such different foods, that chomping down a burger was just that, slurping down some high carb, high fat, work-crash food. There isn't much taste variety, not a lot texture, and the "flavor" really comes from the salt I shook all over it.

I think if I am going to "flex" again, it will be for fish or chicken. I do feel that I need some lean meat protein in my diet. The one positive I have experienced from eating that burger yesterday is that I did feel a lot more satisfied with my overall food yesterday, fuller, more satisfied, and I was able to control my night eating better. And I know it is from the added fat and protein I got from the beef. I just didn't like the taste, and ground beef of course is not exactly the best nutritional choice.

I am going to make a rule I think, that lean meat protein -- fish, chicken or turkey, is allowed in my diet no more than one serving a day. For the last two weeks I have struggled to get my protein values fulfilled, and it has caused me to go over on my carbs and calories a few times trying. Whereas... yesterday with 8 oz. of beef, I hit my protein goals for the day easily, over in fact, but not too bad. I am not only trying to lose weight. Muscle mass is part of my plan -- nice chest = nice pecs, which really means strength training, and protein is critical for that.

So, yes, some lean meat protein is going to come back into my diet.

Huge, Ugly Backslide

I've had a pretty serious backslide. Since my Vegan Fast challenge was over, I've pretty much gone off the wagon. I've remained vegetarian, but my eating patterns have gone back to how they were, and I've stopped exercising again.

I didn't really "lose" any weight, either, although I am below my top weigh-in weight. My weight has fluctuated by about 7 lbs. since June 1st. I dropped down as low as 226 and back up as high as 233. My weigh-in this morning was 230.8, so did I "lose" 2 lbs. since June 1st? Sure. But tomorrow I could be just as likely to get on the scale and see I'm at 235.

Since I've become conscious of the fact that "Night Eating Syndrome (NES)" is an actual, real thing, I've also been seeing my own behavior more critically. Reading the symptoms, it was just such a wake-up, it was a description of my exact eating pattern. (Note: it was the same exact Oh My God Moment I had when I read the "Top 10 Signs You Are Experiencing Domestic Violence" pamphlet the sheriffs left me after they arrested my ex, and I was like, "Oh my god, really? Every one?) Like, knowing that it actually is something means I can begin working out how to deal with it.

Last night I had a major NES experience. It was after 11pm, I hadn't eaten much all day. I was starting to feel hungry. And I said to myself, I'm not gonna pig out. But I knew I was going to eat something, so I told myself, it's ok to eat something. So I had a medium sized bowl of my homemade vegan chili, which is also very low calorie and fat and high fiber, etc. It's only about 250 calories. Then, that uncontrollable urge to eat started to come over me, and I could feel it and I tried to tell myself, It's happening, you know it's happening, just make it stop, ignore it, whatever. I totally failed. Within the space of 90 minutes -- right before I went to bed, too -- I ate not only that bowl of chili, but three, yes 3, cheese sandwiches (12 grain bread, extra sharp cheddar, mayo.) I wasn't even hungry any more after the chili, I could feel that my belly was full, and I still ate all three of those sandwiches. Oh yeah and about a cup of fat-free cottage cheese. (Added later. Just remembered that.)

I didn't realize it at the time of course, but thinking about it this morning I realized that a major portion of these extreme overeating nights happen on days I don't eat enough during the day. Duh, right? But what I mean is these episodes have a metabolic element to them that I never made the two-plus-two with before. Even though my stomach is full from the first meal, for example a bowl of chili, my body is still suffering a major caloric / nutritional deficit for the day so my eating impulse is still turned on full. So not only am I struggling with a lifelong pattern of "comfort snacking" at night, but I am also experiencing a legitimate biological imperative -- your body knows it is starving so it wants to eat.

Note, I also drank yesterday. I had one cocktail (vodka, soda water, and lime) at Pat's Pizza with Kim, then two more at Lysa's, and then I drank 3 glasses of wine at home. I know the alcohol is a major contributor, both to my empty calories and to lowered willpower when it comes to controlling my eating / making the right dietary choices.

Without the alcohol, I was only at about 1700 calories yesterday, which isn't a dramatic caloric deficit, but it is for my body which is still accustomed to taking in upwards of 3000 a day. Including the alcohol and the late night binge eating, I took in 4364 calories, more than double my caloric goal range, I also more than doubled my carb goal and nearly doubled my fat. The only thing that was in line was my protein, which is probably negated by the alcohol -- alcohol consumption in particular hampers your body's ability to process protein, and converts it to fat instead. The food alone that I ate after 11pm was a 1900 calorie binge, which is near the top of my caloric goal for the entire day. No surprise I woke up this morning and had gained about 1 lb. (0.7 lbs.) My caloric intake yesterday was somewhere around 2500 calories over my break-even which is just about 3/4 of a pound of body fat.

A few things are clear to me.

• I need to roll back my drinking again
• I am going to just be honest about it, that I am not interested in not drinking. I like to have a cocktail or a beer after work a couple days a week and I enjoy my "happy hour" visits with Lysa, and once in a while you just need to tie one on.
• However, I think I can revive my old rule, no drinking at home.
• I need to eat more, earlier in the day, and eat more frequently throughout the day
• I need to get more of my calories and nutrition throughout the day so my body does not go into starvation mode and start sabotaging me from the inside by making my eating impulse go into overdrive.
• This can be a problem at work because often it is too busy to order a meal, or I only have the opportunity to eat one meal either at the very beginning or the very end of my shift. I may have to start bringing food that is ready to eat.
• I need to exercise every day
• I can't take a day off. A day off for me is really just me saying, "OK, that was enough of that." It's my subconscious sabotage. I know I can't do strength training every day, but I've got to include some kind of cardio or strength training or both into every day.
• I think to accomplish this, I need to start viewing exercise the same way I view my caloric intake -- there has to be a certain baseline I achieve every day.
• Because I am not going to exclude alcohol from my diet, exercise becomes even more important for compensating for the empty caloric intake and the dampening effect on your metabolism.
• More on this later

When I woke up this morning, I felt very discouraged and disappointed with myself. Since I've been processing what happened, and applying some critical thinking, as well as some brutal honesty to it, I am feeling more like I can get back on track. It's a setback, not the end of the project. It's not a "project" it's my life. Wasn't it Rocky Balboa who said something like, "It's not how hard you can hit that matters, it's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." (Thanks Lysa for the quote.)

Day 6 and 7

Day 6. All of that, all good.

Day 7........

I want a f***ing omelette SO bad it's almost funny. Last day of the vegan fast....

UG. Being vegan is hard.

Like..... I had no problem staying on the diet, but I did feel deprived. Like, poor vegans. They're missing out. On cheese. And eggs. And Yogurt. Those are my 3.

Weighed in this AM at 228.8, so... what? I "gained" less than half a pound. Overall it means I dropped 5 lbs. in 7 days. No surprise, as I've been shitting like 8 times a day. Thank you fiber. However -- EXACTLY the point of the 7-day vegan fast.

Um, and being vegan is HARD. I'd think of or see some food that is "vegetarian" (ova-lacto) and be like, "Um, I want that. Mmmmm." And then, "Oh, f**k. It's not vegan." And then it was instantly off-limits, but I still was all, Damn. Thank God I'm not actually vegan.

OK, so the real, true, vegan report:

2 actual non-vegan slips: I ate some sherbet. Probably a cup. Ish. And at work I have put a splash of milk in my coffee a couple times a day, like a tablespoon or less. Not too bad.

Hm.

So. The real challenge is coming up. Re-incorporating dairy into my diet without going over on my fat intake........

Day 5 (yesterday)

Yesterday was Day 5.

No smoking, check.
Vegan diet, check.

I did not do any exercise yesterday. My whole body was sore, I figured I needed a day off.

I am starting to have a hard time with the vegan fast. No staying on the diet, I just really, really want some dairy. I'm having a hard time getting enough protein, which you get quite a bit of from cheese and yogurt. LOL -- I have one of those mixed veggie & cheddar "steamers" in the freezer and every time I open the door, I think, God, I want that.

Saturday. Saturday, I will go back to ova-lacto. And I'm gonna eat an egg. Mmmm.

Recipe -- Vegan Chili with "Veggie Ground Round" (TVP)

VEGAN CHILI WITH VEGGIE GROUND ROUND (TVP)

Vegan Chili With Veggie Ground Round (TVP)
A healthy, vegan chili made with TVP (textured vegetable protein)

Minutes to Prepare: 60
Minutes to Cook: 120
Number of Servings: 10

Ingredients

TVP Yves Veggie Ground Round, 1.5 cup
Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped
Green Peppers (bell peppers), .5 cup, strips
Garlic, 1 clove
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 2 cup, chopped or sliced
Sweet Corn, Fresh, 1 cup
Mushrooms, fresh, .5 cup, pieces or slices
Carrots, raw, 1 cup, chopped
Spinach, fresh, 2 cup
Salt, 1 tbsp
Basil, 2 tbsp
Oregano, ground, 1 tbsp
Chili powder, 2 tbsp
Curry powder, 1 tbsp
Allspice, 1 tbsp
Paprika, 1 tbsp
Pepper, black, 1 tbsp
*Hot Sauce, Tapatio Salsa Picante, 10 tsp
Lentils, 1 cup
Barley, pearled, cooked, 1 cup
*Brown Rice, long grain, 1 cup
Beans, red kidney, 2 cup
Tomato Sauce, 3 cup
Water, tap, 5 cup (8 fl oz)
Brown Sugar, 2 tsp packed
Black Olives, 170 grams
Bouillon, Knorr Vegetable, 1/2 cube, 1 serving

This recipe can be adapted to use any vegetables you like, it is also a great way to use up leftovers. It is a little high in sodium, but chock full of nutrition and has almost no fat, and is cholesterol-free, a great source of dietary fiber and protein. It is a soup that can easily be served as a main course, or cut the serving size in half and use it as a side dish. Also can be added to tacos, burritos or wraps.

Directions

Quick boil the red beans, rinse and reserve.
Begin with slow cooker on high setting.
Cook onions, green peppers, and garlic until slightly browned and soft. Add half the hot sauce and the TVP and cook for 10 min., stirring occasionally.
Lower heat to medium, add all other ingredients, stir to combine, cover and allow to simmer 90-120 min.
Add water as needed to develop the thickness you prefer; I like a really chunky chili, so I keep the water to as absolute minimum -- enough that you can stir it, but only a minimum amount of standing water when it boils. Be careful not to burn the bottom.

Serving Size: Makes 10 2-cup servings

You can also find this recipe here, at my SparkPeople.com profile: Vegan Chili with Veggie Ground Round (TVP)

Recipe: yummy vegan burger

Boca Burger with spinach and tomato
2 Boca burger
2 English muffins*, toasted
2 thick slices of fresh tomato
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
1 tsp. salt
1 tbl. vegetable oil
1 tbl. hot sauce

Sautee onions, bell pepper and mushrooms with salt, oil and hot sauce. Grill Boca burgers in same pan. Pile on toasted English muffins and top with tomato and spinach.
*English muffins are not entirely vegan, as they may contain up to 2% buttermilk

614 cal / 83 g carbs / 18 g fat / 39 g protein

Day 1

Me at 230 lbs. - June 1st, 2013

Well, here it is. Me shirtless.

Today is June 1st, 2013, I weighed myself this morning at 230.8 lbs.

Here's a little scoop: 

I said I was going to quit smoking by the time I was 40, which was last August. I'll be 41 on my birthday this summer.  I quit smoking for 4 months in the winter of '09-'10, and as soon as I picked it up again I said I would quit again, that was 3 years ago. Then this January, I saw this news story, from CBS about a medical study claiming if you quit smoking by age 40, you can reverse all of the health effects of smoking. And I thought, That's it, I'm doing it. If I quit while I'm still 40, I'm counting it. 

So, about 5 days ago I bought an eCigarette and started aggressively weening myself off tobacco. I smoked one final pack of cigarettes, 2-5 a day until they were gone. I knew I couldn't keep them and not smoke them, so yesterday I smoked the last 9 in the pack. I also went out for a beer after work and I smoked 3 of my friend's cigarettes too. So today, June 1st, is my first day entirely tobacco free. So far I've had no problems at all, a few mild cravings, but the eCig really does the trick. When I quit before I used the patch (transdermal) and it worked for me just fine, but I think I like the eCig even better because I still get the ritual of smoking, as well as the social aspect. And the eCig itself is a nice conversation piece. At any rate, yay me! As of today I am tobacco free.

I have also decided that I am going to be vegetarian again.

I was a vegetarian from late 1993 - sometime in 1999, I don't remember the exact time frame that I started eating meat again, it just kind of crept back in. Being vegetarian really agreed with me, and I took to the diet easily. I also lost a lot of weight on a vegetarian diet, which was the only thing that changed in my lifestyle at the time. Honestly, every time I have ever given consideration to losing weight, I have remembered that and said, "Gee, I should try that again." Well, duh. So, let's actually try it. Therefore, I decided that beginning today, June 1st, I am going to be vegetarian again. 

Technically I am a Flexitarian, which is a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat. Even when I was a "vegetarian" before, this is actually what I was. Then, I still ate shellfish and tuna, and once in a while bacon would be too much of a temptation to resist. This time, I have simply given myself permission to eat meat if I want to. I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

I have challenged myself to start off my vegetarian diet with a twist though. I've decided to try being vegan for the first 7 days. Overall, I am not willing to exclude dairy from my diet, but I like the idea of an all-vegetable fast to start out my new diet. Eating vegan for a week will give my GI tract a nice scrubbing.

Today was also Day 1 of what I am calling my "vegan fast." So far, I have eaten: coffee, 1 large Granny Smith apple, 1 cup of green seedless grapes, and 1 Amy's Indian Samosa Wrap. I felt very full after the meal, but now about 2 hours later, I feel hungry again. I am going to make myself a Boca burger wrap I think with lots of veggies and some rice.... or maybe barley, or a mix of both.

I skipped breakfast today, big no-no, and one I often commit. I vow to eat breakfast.

Still haven't done any cardio today, but as soon as I post this, I am going to do 15 minutes of Zumba on TV.

About coffee. I might have to start drinking it black again. I use low-fat non-dairy creamer and Splenda, but that creamer is still loaded with empty carbs, plus it has aluminum in it -- did you know, if you throw the stuff on a flame it will spark bright green? The Splenda I can probably still use. 

I try not to eat any white sugar. Many members of my family are diabetic, and I have seen some of the warning signs in myself. That is one of the big motivators that has made me finally take my health seriously. My grandfather was very sick with diabetes and it definitely was the main cause of his death, and my mother is diabetic as well. I don't want to be diabetic, and I realized that the only person who is capable of changing my lifestyle is me. So, here we are, blogging about it.