Farewell to Cheese

Last night Jeff and I had dinner at a small cafe, Wildflour. I had eaten at the original restaurant years ago and thought this cafe was like that one. True, it was originally started by the same owners, but was sold a few years ago to new buyers.  It was not as good as the original I have to admit.  I think in the future I will go to the original Wildflour.  It was not a bad meal by any means. They do have vegetarian options on their menu.

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I ordered the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. Well, other than, "oh yum, my favorite comfort food".  Or atleast it used to be. The grilled cheese sandwich was a cheese-fest! And as if that wasn't enough cheese, they loaded cheese into the tomato soup.  Now a few months ago I would have said YES! BRING IT ON!  But my food choices have dramatically changed, especially in the last two months. 

What possessed Jeff to order the same thing is beyond me. He has certainly had more than his fair share of issues with dairy in the past. We'll just say this was quite a learning lesson for the both of us.

I began to feel sick before I got out of the restaurant. :(  I went next door to JoAnn Fabrics to look around, and my stomach rebelled at the gobs of cheese. Thank goodness JoAnn's has a bathroom!  Ugh. Not going into details, let's just say I'm finished with cheese.  But I got off rather easy compared to poor Jeff.

He woke me up an hour after we had went to bed with the most incredible pain of his life. I got him to the ER and told the Dr's that I thought it was from the cheese-fest we had for dinner. After all, he has been eating rather "clean" for the last month on his new vegetarian diet.  I hate it when people "poo-poo" me like I'm an idiot, especially those in the medical profession. Sometimes I just feel like screaming.  I dispise the attitude that people give me--they act like since the number on the scale is obviously so high, my IQ must be so low!

But I digress...after several tests, they concluded that it was a gall bladder attack and he had eaten too much fatty cheese. (oh shock!) After giving him: a GI cocktail, nexium in his IV, and a shot of morphine, he was finally able to get some relief.

The conclusion is:  Adios Cheese. You have not been a good amigo. We have tolerated your issues for too long and this was the final straw. No longer will we worry about the animal protein that is clogging our arteries & jacking up our cholesterol levels. No more will I have to keep extra toilet paper in stock for your visits. You have hereby been banished from our house and from our dinner plates. Have a nice life someplace else.

Happy One Month Anniversary!

Today is the day! Jeff has lasted one month as a vegetarian! I have to admit, I find it hard to believe that a man who could have once been the president of the cattlemens' association because of his high intake of beef, could last 30 days as a vegetarian without a breakdown. ;) He has pretty much consistently eaten the same thing that I have, except for the seitan and tofu.  Although he did eat scrambled tofu for the first time yesterday at breakfast and actually liked it. shhh, honey. I won't tell anyone I promise!

Amazingly I had nothing to do with his convert to vegetarianism. We watched a film on Netflix called Sick, Tired, and Almost Dead...that was the beginning. After realizing it would cost us about $400 a month to go on a juice fast (that's for one of us, NOT both! and that's not even organic produce), we gave that idea up quickly. However, if we happen to win the Mega Million, it would be a great plan. :) He then moved on to Forks Over Knives & Food Matters.  Next thing I knew, he was declaring his meat eating days were over. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. After all, he had been eating meat for over 50 years with no slowing down in sight. But he seems to have breezed right through the last 30 days and I am really quite proud of his accomplishment!

Meal Plans Feb 5 - Feb 12

Sunday Feb 5:
B: spinach quiche, 12 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, lemon, spinach, cucumber), tea
L: veggie chili
D: veggie chili, grapes, pistachios

Monday Feb 6:
B: egg whites w/spinach, 12 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, lemon, spinach, cucumber)
L: Athenos wrap (tofu, artichokes, spinach, feta, black olives)
D: cherrios, soymilk, pistachios, apple

Tuesday Feb 7:
B: cheerios, soymilk, 12 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, lime, kale, cucumber)
L: Pistachios, hummus in pita w/onion & mixed greens, sweet potato and white bean soup, green tea
D: Kashi GoLean honey flax cereal w/almond milk

Wednesday Feb 8:
B: oatmeal w/almond milk/raisins/pecans, 10 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, lemon, spinach)
L: blueberries, pistachios, tea
D:  indian eggplant and parsley soup, garbanzo bread

Thursday Feb 9 (at home sick with respiratory problems):
B: creamed brown rice w/soymilk/pecans/raisins/honey, 10 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, spinach, lemon), tea
L:  mashed cauliflower, veggie chili
D: Kashi GoLean honey almond flax cereal w/almond milk

Friday Feb 10:
B: kashi GoLean honey almond flax cereal w/almond milk, 10 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, spinach, lemon)
L: blueberries, pistachios, tea
D: tofu and mushroom miso soup, hummus/lettuce/onion pita

Saturday Feb 11:
B: 10 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, kale, lemon)
L: chick'n and wild rice soup, tea
D: salad (mixed greens, carrot, cucumber, italian dressing), black bean burger in 1/2 flatout bread w/pesto sauce

Sunday Feb 12:
B: scrambled tofu, 10 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, kale, lemon)
L: pinto beans, tea
D: LC pasta w/broccoli/mushroom/garlic/italian dressing/nutritional yeast

Tomorrow is my rabbit's birthday :)

No, not really. I wish I had a cute little bunny or two but we don't. That's actually what Jeff said to the cashier as we bought a 25 lb. bag of carrots last night.   She smiled and looked at him like he was nuts. ;) I had seen these gigantic bag of carrots before but I couldn't imagine who would buy such a thing. Welcome to the world of juicing. :)

I have fell in love with carrot juice. I totally expect to have an "orange" tan from eating so many.  Atleast after we polish off this bag of carrots we should! I'm tired of buying several of the little 2 lb bags every time we go to the store.  Think of how much we're saving!  Well, I laughed and said atleast we knocked it off our bucket list: buying the 25 lb bag of carrots no one can lift. And, oh yes, it DOES takes up the entire bottom shelf in the fridge.

Meal Plans Jan 29-Feb 4

Sunday Jan 29:
B: egg whites w/spinach, 12 oz fresh juice (apple, carrot, lemon, lime, kale), tea
L: beans & greens (white beans & kale) soup, green tea
D: salad (mixed greens, carrot, cucumber, italian dressing), gardenburger w/guacamole in LC tortilla w/sprinkle of cheese, apple, pistachios

Monday Jan 30:
B: egg whites, vegetarian ham, 12 oz fresh juice (apple, carrot, lemon, lime, kale), tea
L:  tea
D: foccacia (individual serving size) "pizza" w/spinach/feta/mushroom, green tea

Tuesday Jan 31:
B: egg whites, 12 oz fresh juice (apple, carrot, lemon, lime, kale), tea
L: blueberries, pistachios, tea, soy latte
D: bbq seitan & veggie stirfry w/organic brown rice, green tea, 2 banana/walnut/choc chip cookies*
      *UGH...have not eaten "flour" or "sugar" products in a while and I was sick after eating 2 small cookies!

Wednesday Feb 1:
B: egg whites, 10 oz fresh juice (apple, carrot, lime), tea
L: blueberries, pistachios, tea
D: tomato & red lentil soup, salad (mixed greens, apples, bleu cheese, balsamic dressing), green tea

Thursday Feb 2:
B: egg whites w/diced veg. 'ham', 10 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, mint, lime)
L: blueberries, pistachios, tea
D: 1/2 c. potato habanero cheddar soup, paco taco (very few tortilla chips, beans, salsa, lettuce, jalapenos, sour cream, guacamole)

Friday Feb 3:
B: egg whites w/diced veg. 'ham' & mushrooms, 12 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, mint, lemon, ginger, kale)
L: blueberries, pistachios, water
D: tofu gado-gado

Saturday Feb 4:
B/L: spinach quiche, 12 oz fresh juice (carrot, apple, lemon, spinach, cucumber), tea
D: salad (greens, cucumber, carrots, italian dressing), black bean burger on ezekial wrap

(from Food Matters)...Used to Get High for A Living....John Butler Trio

I used to get high for a living

Believing everything that i saw on my tv

I used to get high for a living

Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me

I used to get high for a living

Thinking that my destiny was out of my control

I used to get high for a living

There's lots of different reasons and i'll tell you so

Super size, large fries, big mac, coca cola

Go on man, pick your poison

Speed, weed, ecstacy, LSD

Man, it don't bother me cos we're all on something

Caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol

You know i'm clawing at the walls trying to get my fix

Prozac, ADD tablets, coke, smack

Now you know i am turning tricks cos

I used to get high for a living

Believing everything that i saw on my tv

I used to get high for a living

Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me

Yeah, that they sold me

Escape, can't wait all trying to get away

From this place man that we're feeling

Can't deal, can't feel what's real

All trying to conceal all this time we're stealing

No doubt, the route you're on

Can't find the clout that you've been needing

'Til then my friend you must contend

With the monster that you're feeding

I used to get high for a living

Believing everything that i saw on my tv

I used to get high for a living

Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me

I used to get high for a living

Thinking that my destiny was out of my control

I used to get high for a living

There's lots of different reasons and i'll tell you so

Got links of the cheney

Getting crazy, getting lazy with their foreign relations

Starting wars, closing doors

Trying to bring about one quicker, man, revelations

Economic rational calling fouls with the workers

Just trying to make it pay

Cost cutting, head butting

Big business do what they like and you do what they say

What's wrong get along, just prolong all the thoughts

You got going on, on the inside

Appease, stand at ease, just try to please

All the apathy that you're trying to hide

How now brown cow

Did we get from this standing place......

And now we're kneeling

'Til then my friend you must contend with the monster that you're feeding

I used to get high for a living

Believing everything that i saw on my tv

I used to get high for a living

Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me

I used to get high for a living

Thinking that my destiny was out of my control

I used to get high for a living

There's lots of different reasons and i'll tell you so

Meal Plans Jan 22-28

Sunday Jan 22:
B: egg whites w/spinach, fresh juice (apple, carrot, kale, lemon, lime), tea
L: celery + hummus + baked LC pita ("chips"), 1 c. veggie chili, water
D: grapes, pistachios, water

Monday Jan 23:
B: egg whites w/spinach & pesto, orange juice, tea
L: brussels sprouts, teriyaki seitan stir-fry, pistachios, green tea
D: thai black bean soup, bbq seitan stir-fry, tea

Tuesday Jan 24:
B: egg whites w/spinach & pesto, tea
L: salad (romaine, salmon, pepper jack cheese, cucumber, italian dr), fresh mixed fruit (blackberries, blueberries), pistachios, green tea
D: 10 oz fresh juice (apple, lemon, carrot, kale), alfredo* pasta (dreamfields), black bean patty
  *I have been eating so "clean" the past 3 weeks...I became terribly ill after eating the alfredo and I think it was the fat content.  I also had a slight allergic reaction which makes me wonder about dairy.

Wednesday Jan 25:
B: egg whites, 10 oz fresh juice (apple, lemon, carrot, kale), tea
L: salad (greens, walnuts, bleu cheese*, apple, balsamic dressing), asian mushroom ginger soup, small piece chickpea bread, tea
  *once again, sick after eating dairy...I think my body is trying to tell me something!
D: grapes, pistachios, water

Thursday Jan 26:
B: egg whites w/spinach & pesto, 10 oz fresh juice (apple, carrot, spinach, cucumber, lemon, lime), tea
L: salad (mixed greens, cucumber, lite honey mustard dressing), fresh fruit (strawberries, blred beanueberries), pistachios, green tea
D: bbq seitan & veggie stir-fry, red lentil & veggie soup, tea

Friday Jan 27:
B: egg whites w/spinach & pesto, 12 oz fresh juice (apple, carrot, cucumber, celery, spinach, lemon, lime), tea
L: carrots w/hummus, fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries), pistachios, water
D: salad (mixed greens, walnuts, apple, bleu cheese, balsamic dressing), red bean soup

Saturday Jan 28:
B: egg whites w/spinach & pesto, 12 oz fresh juice (apple, carrot, cucumber, spinach, lemon, lime), tea
L: moosewood bean soup w/avocado
D: moosewood bean soup w/avocado, apple, pistachios