Normally when my Mom comes to visit, she eats what we eat in the house, but when we go out all bets are off. And as soon as she goes home from her trip, she's right back in to her normal eating routine.
We discussed some of her obstacles to eating a more Veg diet:
- Organic is too expensive
- Recipes can be too difficult or time consuming
- Gets tired of eating just salads
- Hungry all the time
But remember from my earlier post that she arrived feeling pretty awful and was up for my challenge of helping her feel better. The good news is that she loves her veggies. So the challenge would be easier than I thought.
In my head, I knew what I had to do...
- Create foods that were nutritious, delicious and easy
- Keep her eating as Veg as possible to show her the power of healing foods
- Teach how to order at restaurants
- Show her recipes that were not too expensive and actually cost saving compared to meat products
- Educate about why I was using the ingredients that I was in a way that explained why she was feeling the way she was.
- Show her that eating Veg food is not just about salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Sneak in the Forks Over Knives movie... teehee
- Provide grocery lists, meal ideas, and a care package of pantry items to help her get started once home.
And all that in a WEEK. I had ONE week to make or break the idea that she could eat a more Plant based diet, feel great, and continue to do so at home.
To start off with, I explained my "New tries of the week". One of her questions was:
"Don't you get bored eating the same things all the time?"
My answer... HECK NO!! Because I don't eat the same things all the time. *smile*. I try at least one new recipe every week, and by doing so my recipe stash continues to grow, keeping my taste buds very happy.
We did a new try together. These Italian Meatless Meatloaf Muffins from Peas and Thank You.
They were a HUGE hit. Even the Husband and Kiddo liked them. But My Mom was Wow'ed.
"Didn't know you could do that with a can of beans"
The Meatless Muffins kicked off my examples of budget friendly meals. She could easily make those at home and have them last several meals for the cost of a can of beans. This was also my opportunity to introduce hemp seeds (I used those instead of flax in the recipe) and discuss Omegas.
Next up, that pot of my creamy sweet potato, tomato soup.
The great thing about soups, is you can get so much goodness in to every spoonful and make enough that will last a couple days. You can also change them up every time so they seem a little different and avoid the boredom factor.
This batch was extra spicy but perfect to clear her sinuses and ears after the plane ride.
Vegkid was hungry one day after school. So I whipped up these nut butter no bake cookies in about 3 minutes. Showing my mom how easy it can be to have a filling power packed snack in seconds.
To add some whimsy we rolled a few in coconut.
This is one dish I could eat every day, but try to limit myself.
Knowing my Mom loves her some pasta, and even more so, she loves her creamy pasta sauces, I knew this would be a perfect recipe to share with her.
Using Brown rice noodles, and my Vegan Creamy tomato sauce, she was immediately hooked.
(sweet potatoes and macadamia nuts are the secret creamy ingredient)
We made one batch simple, and another batch had spinach, peppers, onions, etc.
What I liked most about showing her this recipe was the thought that you can get creative. As long as you have a Fat, Sweet, Salt, Acid, & Bitter, you will have the perfect combination almost every time.
In this case the Fat is the Macadamia nuts, Salt was garlic salt, Acid was the tomatoes, and Bitter was the herbs.
We made a couple batches of avocado creamed massaged kale salad.
This is another great power punch filling recipe that really only takes a few minutes to make and can last a couple meals for one person. (unless your me and can eat it all in one setting)
Since it was Veg's birthday I was able to show his NeeNee that Vegan cupcakes can be all natural and Amazing in flavor!!! Especially when you throw on top some raw whipped frosting and berries.
Frosting was:
Macadamia nuts, bananas, coconut nectar and vanilla.
I filled her up with several different smoothies through out her visit. Trying to quickly get the greens in her body to help those arthritic joints. By day 3, she noticed significant improvement.
Her first Collard Greens Try took a couple bites to grab the taste. But then she ate more and more and more. Turns out she likes collard greens.
The Cauliflower Experiment:
Cauliflower is the perfect example of a single food that you can make in to several different meals. It is also quite nutritious for a whilte veggie and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which was perfect for my task at hand.
First up, Mashed Cauliflower. My Mom asked why not just use a Potato... Which is a very valid question.
That is when I got to explain the goodness that is cauliflower. Not to mention, mashed potatoes generally have dairy and take on a whole new problem. Where these are just raw vegan mashed up cauliflower chunks with some great natural flavors added in.
Verdict: She really really really liked this stuff but said she would use it more of a cold vegetable dip than a warm mashed potato side dish.
Next was Cauliflower Rice, she was shocked at the flavor and within minutes had ideas of how she could make this in to different flavorful dishes. Mexican, italian and asian themed rice dishes all came to mind.
Last was Cauliflower Popcorn.
Verdict: She said It smells like buttered popcorn but doesn't taste like popcorn. After a few more bites, she liked this recipe, but had to let the Nutritional yeast flavor grow on her. And admitted she may not make this one at home. But would do something similar using a different type of sauce.
At the end of the Cauliflower Cooking lesson, my Mom learned tons! Everything from nutrition to preparation. And it showed that from ONE big cauliflower and a few fridge/pantry items, you can make 3 totally different dishes with totally different tastes and textures.
From there, the possibilities are endless. Not to mention budget friendly and easy!
Time for dessert:
This was an amazing raw vegan dessert that I first tried a couple weeks ago. It is so filling and so good that you can't eat a lot in one setting. So the sauce keeps for a few days and you can have a quick go to snack. Or delicious breakfast.
I'm now calling it "Apple Stack Surprise" *smile* this surprise has a raw chocolate sauce, maple almond butter, bananas, green apples, and Cinnamon on top for good measure.
Husband wanted a baby bella sandwich one night... NeeNee went straight for the baby bellas and ignored the sandwich part.
She found these to be delicious. And I was excited that she nixed the bread.
Salads, oh my word... the salads we did eat. My mom has her "secret dressing" that she has made my whole life. So her contribution to the kitchen this week was her famous salad. HUGE bowls of salads were consumed by all.
BUT, I took this opportunity to show her that the same salad doesn't have to happen when she gets home as an every day thing. There are 1000's of different types of salads you can incorporate in to your meals. From cucumber salads, to avocado creamy salads, to kale, to mixed greens with apples, to a vegan waldorf.. the list is endless.
Adding seeds, nuts, veggies and fruits, can all take any salad from ordinary to extraordinary.
This green smoothie was extra special because it was packed with anti-inflammatory foods. Everything from greens to pineapples to celery and coconut.
The best part was the taste. NeeNee said this was her favorite smoothie ever.
Those are just a few examples of our week in food. When all was said and done.. My Mom felt GREAT and learned tons.
In one week, Her skin was clear and soft, she said she felt lighter, no bloating, no stomach discomfort, her fingers were bending without pain, head was clear, flexibility was coming back in to her joints, the rest of her bones and body parts were moving with ease, she slept well, her cold/allergies/sinus stuff went away and so much more.
She got a new book to fill with recipes, grocery lists, notes and to do items which she loves:
(Actually this one is mine, hers was white with black decorations. We had so much fun at Staples picking them out)
Since getting home she has already gone shopping and stacked her fridge with fresh fruits and veggies. Made a stir fry and sprinkled hemp seeds on top. *smile*
Her husband had a meaty dish, while she opted for the lighter vegetarian fare.
She has declared to him that she will not be eating any more red meat. If Only I could have seen his face!
When discussing grocery cost, my Mom realized that if she didn't purchase any animal products for her self that she could use that money to grab tasty vegetable alternatives. And since those foods will be for just her to consume, they can last quite a while without much effort.
So all in all, I'd say I completed my mission successfully. She is off to a great start to healing herself from the inside out.
Speaking of the outside... The Vegmom Spa experience wouldn't be complete without home made body care products. Oh, and we made some good ones!!! That post coming soon!
Happy Monday Everyone!!!
sauce
Cookbook Kind of a week...
book to find "Island Portobello Burgers" on page 88.
because it is big enough to hold my Lunch + any snacks I need for the day!
, AND I'm going for the theme of simple this month. So I decided to try something new and simple: