Cleaning House

Nope, not literally - my bag is still packed from our trip to San Jose last weekend and I don't really see a light at the end of the tunnel there - but figuratively. I measured my waistline yesterday and truly wanted to cry. I was thinner 2 weeks after having Patrick than I am right now. I know that part of it has to do with my birth control method (TMI, sorry), but given that said birth control is a way of life, I need to figure out how to slim down and feel healthier. My skin has been looking tired lately, and I'm sluggish and not terribly energetic... I think it's time for a cleanse!

Now, with all the madness in my life right now, I don't really think I'm capable of The Master Cleanse again - feeding a husband and baby would just be too hard. I think that's a single girls' cleanse... So I'm just going to follow my instincts and eat vegan for the next couple of weeks and see if that helps. Adding lots of water (with lemon to cleanse my insides), fresh fruit and veggies, milk thistle (cleans the liver) and limiting caffeine and alcohol as much as possible, I think I'll feel better in couple of weeks. We'll see!

So I went through my vegan cookbook today and found some awesome ideas for dinner the next few nights. Given that I'm the primary cook for the house, I need to make stuff that Sheridan will eat too... I think he'll be a good sport, because he takes what he puts in his body pretty seriously (and with great results, honey, MEOW!) and has always been open to my veggie dishes.

I think I'm going to start with this one tonight. I think some of the strong flavors (barbecue sauce, soy sauce, mustard, etc.) will make up for the blandness of the tofu and I'm guessing it's going to be pretty tasty! Perhaps I'll get Sheridan to write a review tomorrow... but don't hold your breath. ;0

"Neat Loaf"

1 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 pound firm tofu
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
3 T reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
barbecue sauce for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine brown rice, bread crumbs, walnuts, onion, celery, and carrot.

Puree the tofu in a food processor or mash by hand until very smooth. Add to the rice mixture along with the BBQ sauce, soy sauce, mustard and black pepper.

Stir with a large spoon or knead mixture by hand until it's well mixed and holds together, about 1 minute.

Transfer to an oil-sprayed loaf pan and distribute evenly using a spoon or spatula. Top with BBQ sauce and bake 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Let's see how it turns out!

Love, Mer