Supper tonight was a Veggie Stir-Fry. No recipe, just threw together what I had on hand.
I used onion, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, red pepper, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. I stir-fried everything in some vegetable broth. I also made my own sauce; simmered low-salt tamari sauce (could use soy sauce), water, ginger, garlic, and honey together. Served it all on brown rice. Wasn't too bad. I will admit, stir-fry is not a favorite meal of mine but Hubby enjoys them and it's great when trying to eat more veggies :)

It is such a beautiful day, especially since it's only the last day of March, we decided to grill for supper. Had pork chops and grilled sweet potatoes. Even Meeka enjoyed the grill, she had steak and green peas after her regular dog-food :)

I am still loving this dish (with some tweaks of course)!
Starting making this dish a few years ago (One Skillet Paleo Mediterranean Chicken) and I am always changing it up a bit. Had it a couple of weeks ago and again tonight. It's delicious. Recently I have been making it vegan by leaving out the chicken and I add it to pasta for a wonderful and filling dish. I always use extra tomato and often add extra olives. So yummy!

Trying to do a girls' night out once a month :) We did a trivia night at Wing'n it in January which was great. For February we went to Vio's Bistro; another great evening :)

Service was wonderful as always and food was excellent. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered. For apps some people shared a Bruschetta Chippers and the Spinach N' Artichoke Dip. Mains were a couple of Fish & Chips, a couple of Eggs Benedict, Pork Schnitzel, Salmon with Mango, and a Fisherman's Fettucchine. Yummy!

Been trying more plant-based recipes again this past week as well as oil free as much as possible. Still not following any specific eating plan; no set rules. Just trying some new recipes, trying to eat less meat and dairy and oil when possible.
Some recipes have been great, some have been good, but others have been pretty gross.
Tonight I made Chickpea Ratatouille with Rice. This was good but not great. I decided to serve it with rice and I'm very glad I did as I don't think I could have eaten much of it on its own. It needs more seasoning and maybe a little something else as I found it bland. Perhaps olives may be a nice addition, may try it in my leftovers tomorrow. I didn't use the oil, used vegetable broth to cook veggies instead. I also didn't have any eggplant so simply left it out. I like eggplant so it would have been a nice touch but Hubby was happy as he is not an eggplant lover :)

Last night I tweaked the One Skillet Paleo Mediterranean Chicken Dish. I left out the chicken to make it plant based. I did use jarred artichokes that were packed in oil, although I drained them, it wasn't an oil free recipe this time around. I served it on pasta. This is still a great and tasty dish!

Over the weekend I made another new recipe: Vegan Mushroom Bourguignon. This was pretty good but Hubby really loved it. I used veggie broth in place of oil and it was fine. It also makes pretty big servings. 

Finally, I tried a simple Ramen Noodle Soup recipe that was pretty gross for both of us. We ate it for supper but I couldn't stomach it the next day for lunch.

I'm still trying to eat healthy and always willing to try new recipes. Tried a few new vegan/plant-based recipes last week :)
First, I made Creamy Wild Rice Soup and this one was fantastic! I questioned it as I made it: I wondered and worried if it would be any good. I thought it might be gritty using almond flour for thickening but it wasn't (I used only almond  flour and simply left out the chickpea flour). I also thought the rice vinegar would be an odd taste but it worked. I hate making new recipes and have them taste pretty horrible and then end up throwing most of it out. Not this one! This is a definite keeper! So creamy and tasty, even Hubby said it was like restaurant soup :)

I also made Vegan Orange Chicken, the chicken being cauliflower. This was pretty good as well, much better than I had expected. Note though, it isn't as good leftover, the cauliflower gets soggy. The battered and baked cauliflower from this recipe would be good as "wings" with a dipping sauce as well.

Finally, I made 30-Minute Stir-Fry (I used regular rice instead of cauliflower rice). This was my least favorite and probably won't bother to make it again. I wasn't a fan of the sauce flavor even though Hubby thought it was fine.

Tried a new plant-based, oil-free recipe tonight and it was really good. Made: Portobello Fajita Stir-Fry and used whole grain wraps. 

I am not really following any sort of eating plan right now and that is fine with me for the time being. I was trying AIEP before Christmas but started to make a few missteps and then pretty much completely gave up trying at all over the Christmas holidays. It is a lot of work trying to cut out a multitude of foods and food groups but I was feeling better. I am still trying to limit my dairy and gluten overall. Some days are better than others. My main focus right now is better food choices (for me and my health, not weight loss), eating more at home, and less unhealthy snack foods.
​We had a pretty good food week this week. I did eat a few chocolates and other things but didn't go bonkers and not feeling too badly.

After walking the dog on this chilly day, in the snow, it was nice to have a huge pot of Beef Stew simmering away for supper tonight. Used the recipe from my Chef Michael Smith cookbook; very yummy!

I have been doing a little better lately with my eating habits but haven't really gotten back to my AIEP full-time. I am still trying to note what I eat and how I feel as well as trying to avoid foods I suspect of being problematic.
​It has been a busy week getting ready for the last week of Pre-K classes and parties for the holidays, getting ready for Christmas myself, as well as having a new addition to the family :) I admit I have been a little more stressed with dog training but on the bright side we have a lovely new family member and I am getting out and walking most days now :)

Not sure why but I keep doing this. I find a plan to follow, do pretty good with it, feel better, and then self-sabotage. By self-sabotage I mean I start slowly sneaking things back in until it starts to get out of control. I was doing very well following AIEP. Yes, it was difficult giving up some loved foods at times but I was feeling so much better. Than I had a few slips, eating things I shouldn't eat yet, a little on the weekend. Than a little more the following weekend. Now I'm back to eating something practically everyday, foods that I haven't reintroduced properly yet. Even foods I suspect are problematic for me. Don't know why I do this but I always do. I've had coffee drinks out, bread/toast, chocolate, cheezies, party mix, battered chicken, Piatto pizza, corn chips, breakfast sandwiches out. That's what I can think of off the top; and I am feeling it :( My feet and knees are paining and stiff a lot lately, pretty much every morning again now. My stomach is still having really bad episodes. I am getting tired again throughout the day. My skin is getting irritated, very itchy, and sore  :(

I feel like the old, negative dieting mentality creeps back in and takes over. I start having thoughts like:
-Just one is fine.
-A little won't hurt me.
-Maybe this won't bother me now.
-I deserve a treat, I've been doing so well.
-I just want it so I'm going to eat it.
-Screw it.
And the most popular thought for me:
-I've already eaten something I shouldn't have, so just as well to eat everything now before I have to get back on track.
Sigh.
Why is eating well/better so difficult for me? I know I can't be the only one dealing with this, so hoping my problems can help others see it's not easy and we are all trying. No one is perfect.
Oh well, new day tomorrow I guess. I still have a meal plan done for this week and did the grocery shopping already.