Day 1: Eat to Live

Today was my first day at the new job - I absolutely love where I'm working, but man am I exhausted! Months of sleeping in and taking my regular 2:00 pm nap with my puppy have not really prepared me for a long day at work...and with only one cup of coffee!

I managed to stick to my food plan though, so that will hopefully give me more energy over the next few days (I tend to feel more energized when I'm eating healthy!). Nature's way of getting me through the day, ya know? Here's what I had today (pictures will come later this week - I was so exhausted and hungry when I got home tonight that I didn't care about grabbing my camera!):

Meals for Today:

Breakfast:
- 1/4 cup dry Steel Cut Oats, cooked
- 1 tbsp frozen berries
- 1 tbsp flax seed
- coffee, black

Lunch:
- Salad with lettuce (romaine), radishes, cucumber, carrots, broccoli sprouts, tomato, celery
- Balsamic vinegar
- Whole Grain bread sandwich with homemade hummus, broccoli sprouts, tomato, cucumber

Dinner:
- 15 bean soup (recipe below)
- Salad with lettuce, radishes, cucumber, carrots, broccoli sprouts, tomato, celery
- Balsamic vinegar

15 Bean Soup
- package 15 bean soup mix (in the dried bean aisle)
- Celery, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- As much water as desired (depending on how broth-y you want the soup)
- 1 can Rotel (with green peppers), drained
- paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight in cool water, as directed. Drain the beans, rinse. In a separate pot saute onion garlic and celery with a bit of water on medium heat, for about 2-3 minutes. Add in water, beans, and Rotel. Let simmer for about 2 hours, then add in spices. Serve warm. Will keep in refrigerator for up to a week (if you can keep your hands off it that long!).

Happy 2010!

I have written a post or two on this blog, but never stuck to it. But, I start a new job tomorrow, at the start of a new year, and with a new determination to not only stick 100% to a vegan diet, but also to make it a healthy one. I have three resolutions this year, which are:
(1) To be as healthy and in shape as I can be
(2) To do the best job I can in my new career, and
(3) To get finances in order and get a house by the end of the year

In order to do (1), I am going to start following Eat to Live, a diet developed by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, which is basically comprised of healthy vegan eating. Lots of fruits and vegetables, some whole grains, no animal products, and limit fats and starches (although have a tablespoon of flax seed a day). I am going to use this blog not only to highlight how appetizing and easy this "diet" can be (its really supposed to be viewed more as a way of life - no calorie counting, just healthy eating principles), but also as a personal food diary of sorts. It will also hopefully keep me on target and help me to change up my food so that I don't get bored and revert back to pasta, bread and wine for dinner every night!

I will do my best to post daily, and include pictures, in order to keep this going. Happy New Year, and lets do this!