Day 25 of Pending-Vegetarian Diary

I am so sorry! Eek! I have been so behind on my P-V Diary and recipes. I have a lot of pictures already prepared with “Basically A Baker” written on them so that makes posting easier. I hope you can forgive me.

I am trying to cut high fructose corn syrup from my diet but it is so frustratingly hard. The stuff is in practically everything in America! No wonder we are struggling with obesity.

I told my Mom two times two weeks apart that I was a vegetarian (not correct, I am trying to be one) and she didn’t believe me at all. When she makes stir-fry (from a bag) it usually has a meat product in it. I had to say “no thank you” yesterday and she looked at me funny. She had said the stereotype words I dreaded. “Jessica, honey, vegetarians don’t get enough protein.” I cringe as I type this. I know she is just not educated enough about vegetarians and vegans, so when I am officially a vegetarian I will educate her. Yup. I am postponing it.

Since I love to talk about health related things in this Diary, I am going to tell you about my favorite Wii games. My family has a collection of about 40 games. We got addicted. I never bought one personally, but I am really grateful for 3 of those 40. They are:

Gold’s Gym: Cardio Workout

The Biggest Loser

Wii Fit Plus

Clearing something up: I am thin but I am not toned so these help so much. I recommend them to anyone trying to tone up, has a Wii system, and has some extra cash.

Thanks for reading! It means a lot to me.

Mother’s Day 2012 – Lemon Sugar Sticky Rolls

As I was letting the dough rise (the recipe uses yeast) my mother came over and said, “Oh, I hate lemons you know.” She failed to mention that when I was buying 6 lemons Friday. I was really nervous because if anything, the rolls would taste lemony. It turned out fine because she ate four, proclaiming that these are “soooo delicious” while grabbing for another. They do taste really good. They are tart with all the lemon, but not overpoweringly sweet. The lemon cream cheese glaze was something I could live without because for me it seemed to take away from the dough. Here is my slightly adapted recipe:

Banana Overnight Oats

I suggest 2 bananas since, as you see above, the ratio of overnight oats to blended banana is not even. It still tasted good though!

Adapted Slightly from: Oh She Glows

You will need:

• 1/3 cup regular oats
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1-2 peeled frozen bananas

In a small bowl, put all of the ingredients except the banana(s). 

Whisk and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge OVERNIGHT. 

Take out of the fridge and give a quick stir to combine.

Blend the banana(s) in a food processor. Take out a small cup. Layer the overnight oats and the banana. Eat!

Chocolate-Banana Baked Oatmeal

It is so thick and chewy. It tastes like banana bread! The replacement of flour with oats make it a wonderful breakfast meal.

Slightly Adapted From: Chocolate-Covered Katie

Servings: One

• 1/2 cup oats
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons mashed, very-ripe banana
• 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk or water
• 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon (or more) chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Combine dry, than mix in wet. Pour into a small loaf pan or as I did, a bake-able circular container. Cook for 15-20 minutes (until firm) and than high broil for 5 minutes extra.

 Pour into a small loaf pan or as I did, a bake-able circular container.

Cook for 15-20 minutes (until firm) and than high broil for 5 minutes extra.

One Blueberry Muffin

It is a moist, slightly coconut tasting blueberry muffin. It is vegan too! But don’t let that discourage you, it is easy to make and tastes delicious.

Adapted Slightly From: Chocolate-Covered Katie

Active Time: Less than 8 minutes

Servings: One

You’ll Need:

• 3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• dash of salt
• 2 tablespoons blueberries
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and a 1/2 teaspoon unrefined coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon soy milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven 340 degrees F. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine but DO NOT OVER MIX. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes.

Day 4 of Pending-Vegetarian Diary

Well I ran out of Silk Almond Vanilla Milk so this sucks. And I was craving it too! I poured myself a regular glass of milk and it tasted really…. weird. I am used to be one of those people that can down a glass of milk at every meal. I try to avoid it now and drink Almond Milk instead. I am going grocery shopping later.

I am cutting coffee temporarily from my diet. And when I say diet, I mean what I eat. I had been drinking bottled light Starbucks coffee for the past two weeks because testing at school has been crazy. It gave me a boost. But yesterday I drank more than I usually do, and my body was acting up. I had to pee constantly and I wanted to go to sleep but my brain wouldn’t shut off. This made me act like a zombie all day. People were asking me “Jessica. What is wrong with you? You aren’t acting normal…. Maybe you should see the nurse.” And I told them I was fine. Obviously I was freaking out and knew it was the caffeine. So temporarily, I am cutting coffee from my diet.

Things to remember (doesn’t apply to you necessarily):

Candy/Chocolate(as in Reeses) will make me lose energy (it may be just me)

Cow Milk makes me want to throw up

Coffee messes up how my body works

(recipe tomorrow)

Day 3 of Pending-Vegetarian Diary

I am a bit overwhelmed by ingredients. I look at something, lets say umm a bag of chips, and if I turn it over and look at the ingredients, I have no idea was most of the stuff is. That scares me now. How do I know what ingredient is a animal product? I guess I will have to learn…. slowly. And half of me doesn’t want to know because what if it is something so disgusting I want to throw up?

The good thing is I love learning about nutrition. I soak up the information like a sponge. It intrigues me. Except when I find out something that is pure revolting to me.

Sooooo….. about meat….. and seafood… I don’t crave meat yet. Which is good, of course. I am thinking about cutting seafood. I want to have a lil seafood binge before though. Yes I know that will make it harder to give it up, but I haven’t had any fish in two or three weeks so just letting go of any chance of eating it again without saying goodbye saddens me. I need to say my goodbyes people! My day could be:
Breakfast: salmon & cream cheese on a whole wheat bagel
Lunch: assorted fish sushi
Dinner: fancy tilapila & scallops & shrimp (woohoo)

I am going to fast. I understand that. God, I am not even a official vegetarian yet! So this lil seafood binge is going to be in May, July, or even farther away. I am going too fast because my research makes me want to jump right into being a freaking vegan. But I can’t. Right now, I have to learn about ingredients.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumpets

Today’s recipe is also a challenge. If you name this dish, you could win $500 if they choose it. You can do that here. It ends May 1st. This is a amazing breakfast since I used crumpets instead of pound cake. WARNING: It doesn’t keep very well depending on how much strawberry preserves you put on. It also tastes pretty sweet.

You will need:

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed if frozen
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese or clotted cream, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 8 slices pound cake or 8 crumpets
• Strawberry preserves, for spreading

Bring (2 tablespoons) confectioners’ sugar, honey, salt, a teaspoon granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons water to a gentle shimmer in a small saucepan over medium-heat. Stir repeatedly until the sugar dissolves. Transfer 1 1/2 tablespoons of the syrup to a small bowl; set aside. Add the rhubarb to the remaining syrup; cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb breaks down and the mixture thickens, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

Beat the heavy cream, mascarpone and (2 tablespoons) confectioners’ sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the cream mixture into the rhubarb mixture until just combined, and then fold in the rest. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Use a cookie cutter to cut circles from the pound cake slices or crumpets. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately brush the cake rounds with the reserved honey syrup; let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Spread a layer of strawberry preserves on the cake rounds/crumpets. Transfer the rhubarb cream to a piping bag fitted with a large shaped tip. Pipe the cream onto the cakes/crumpets.

Day 2 of Pending-Vegetarian Diary

I am doing research. I have to find a good meal plan. I haven’t told my parents yet because I don’t believe I am official yet.

Why am I waiting 3 months? I give up on things easily. I admit it. I didn’t give up on baking though and I am proud of that. In one month or one and a half, I think that would be a great time to tell them.

When is the next time I will eat meat? When I think that, I always draw up a a blank. It is hard to imagine living life without animal products like a vegan does. My answer is always something along the lines of never or at a event. I like the never choice better.

My friend got food poisoning from Taco Bell. She was out of school for a few days because she was sick to her stomach. Apparently the meat from her taco was contaminated with bacteria.

I can live without fired chicken. I can live without microwaveable meals that have meat in them. I can live without that weird really fatty orange chicken that you have to bake in the oven. That will be easy to cut from my diet. One of the main reasons I am doing this is the health threat of red meats. I don’t usually eat good high quality meat so I can easily get rid of the awful meat in my diet. I am thinking about becoming a vegan but I really need to slow down to make sure I am not getting a head of myself.

It is also going to be a problem when Dad takes out the grill. It is going to be summer soon! Thank goodness it is rainy right now. I rather not tell them I am trying to become a vegetarian until I know I can stick with it.

Spring Break 2012 [3 of 3]

Here it is. Day 3 of 3. The leftover pictures. This is going to be really short because you must be sick of these by now. (recipe tomorrow)

I went to a hat shop in Venice Beach.

I think they were all used.

I went to a Whole Foods.

First time because we don’t have a Whole Foods where I live. Ugh. It was sooo amazing though. The only way to describe it is “Wegmans on steroids.”

I had oatmeal at my hotel.

It looked pretty.

I went to Jamba Juice at the airport (both ways).

Guess what? We don’t have a Jamba Juice either! Now you must be thinking I live in the West…. not true…. Anyways, Jamba Juice was ah-maze-ing.