This week we're definitely pushing things to the limit in regards to dairy. I've chosen recipes that just don't seem like they'd work without my favorite food group--cheese.

We made a yummy veggie pizza using a spread made out of cashews, lemon, garlic, and herbs. It's very good! Is it cheese? No, but I don't miss the cheese. Jon said a little handful of cheese might be nice, just to hold it all together.

Spreading the cashew mixture on...mmmm...

I made whole wheat pancakes again, and those are so good! (Well, this time I did something wrong, and the pancakes stuck to the pan, so I had to modify it a bit.) Maple syrup is allowed (hey, it's from a plant!), but of course butter isn't. Pancakes without butter...no. So I went ahead and slathered it on and didn't worry about it. Maybe it's like the cheese: maybe if I tried it without, I wouldn't miss it, but...nah....

The sauce goes on top.

Then there were the quesadillas. Jon reminded me that "quesadillas" means "little cheeses." This time, the cheese "replacement" was a hummus. It had lots of ingredients, including things I don't have or can't buy except at a health store (miso and some sesame seed paste). The hummus ended up tasting more Asian, which seemed like an odd addition to a Mexican dish. All in all, the quesadillas were very good, but they were not quesadillas! The recipe should have been called something else, and I would have been completely happy, but instead I was disappointed.

It's always nice to have a helper!

Tonight I made a "creamy noodle casserole." The cream part was actually more of a gravy, made out of whole wheat flour and vegetable broth. Then there were whole wheat noodles, and a whole mess of veggies. It was a very good and filling dish, but I think I didn't make the gravy right, because it certainly wasn't creamy. I was in a hurry, and didn't give it any time to thicken. I noticed that the leftovers were a lot creamier, so that will be a good lunch for tomorrow!

The veggies all chopped up.

So those are my dishes so far this week. I have to admit, we went and ate Mexican food for Mother's Day. I didn't eat any meat, but I certainly had my cheese enchilada! But instead of cleaning my plate and feeling miserable at the end, I only ate one enchilada, and very little of the rest on the plate (having two kids who shared off my plate helped, too). And...we also had grilled burgers at a friend's house yesterday. Mmm...that was a good burger. My first meat in two weeks! But then I ate chips and queso after that, and a piece of cake, and I was miserable at the end. Moderation, lady!

Everyone gets their own favorite toppings!

So it's been an eye-opening week of how we can continue to make a plant-based diet fit our lifestyle, and vice versa. I am really enjoying this little experiment. I like the new recipes, I am eating less and feeling more satisfied, and I feel more in control of on top of things when I am making the right decisions regarding my food.

I still have trouble seeing how this will work long-term, but as I add new recipes and start collecting some stand-bys, I think it will seem more probable.

Last week I was concerned that I had not planned my meals out for a full week, so we would run out of food before the end of the week. I did add a trip to the produce market for a few things, but for the most part we made it to the end of the week, with some fruits and veggies to spare!

As I was planning this week's meals, I was pleasantly surprised that we loved every meal we tried last week! Stuffed tomatoes, MexiCali burritos, pasta, veggie pizza,.... It was all good! So I brought some of those recipes over, and am trying some new ones, including a cheeseless lasagna! I'll let you know how it goes!

This is beans and rice, but all the veggies added in made it so much more than I expected!

I love meals that look pretty! This stuffed tomato dish was beautiful and delicious

At the store, I had an easier time finding the things I needed. What took a long time last time (finding the right nuts and almond milk) were quick this time. My cart was a lot fuller than last week's, and I was nervous checking out, but it ended up costing $120. My goal each week is $100, but the reality lately (healthy food or not) has been more like $120, so I'm okay with it. I'll keep trying to find ways to lower the bill, though!

I also bought tofu--a first for me!

As a matter of logistics, I've had to reorganize my refrigerator. When most of what I buy is produce, the two little produce bins in the bottom don't hold nearly everything I have! So I went to the dollar store and bought four colorful bins for holding produce. It's been a good way to keep everything organized, and my fridge is absolutely stuffed!

It's Friday Night Movie Night, and I'm bringing back veggie pizza from last week. I'll try to remember to take pictures, because I was pretty skeptical about a pizza with no cheese. But I gotta tell ya, I didn't miss it!

Has anyone else tried to go plant-based for a day? Why not try it!

So the weekend happened, and I was confronted with how to make a plant-based diet work long-term. I went to a special lunch on Sunday, and a buffet was offered. I was motivated to stick to my fruits and veggies, but this was a Down South comfort food kind of place.

So, what did I find?

• Green beans...cooked with bacon
• Red beans...cooked with a hambone
• Corn...swimming in butter
• Mashed potatoes...I'm not even going to guess how much butter was in them!
• Salad...iceberg lettuce, sparse tomatoes, and italian dressing
• Cranberry sauce from a can. I have no idea if this is "approved" food, but it was the only fruit I found!

So yes, there IS a way to eat fruits and veggies and still be unhealthy! I passed on the fried okra, by the way. The green beans weren't very good, so I didn't eat many of those, and I ended up hungry at a buffet. So I went back for more mashed potatoes, and added some dressing, too. I skipped out on the fried chicken and hot-water cornbread (a favorite around here: made with hot water and then fried), so I still came out better than if I were not worried about what I ate at all.

In the evening, our church had an ice cream float social. At first I resisted, then I thought about it a bit. I realized that while I would like to lose some weight, this is not a "weight-loss diet." This is a long-term commitment to a healthier way of eating. It can't be a strict, "you can never eat this," lifestyle, because I will never stick to a plan like that. So, I had a Dr Pepper float and didn't worry about it. I actually didn't finish it, and I think that is a step in and of itself. I definitely should NOT have eaten the float. Nor should anyone who's trying to be healthier, no matter their particular brand of diet.

So, Sunday was definitely a bust! I never ate any meat (unless is was hidden in the dressing, which wouldn't surprise me), but I don't think I had much that would qualify as whole food, plant-based. And that's that. In the real world, I can't eat a perfect plant-based diet at every meal. I did my best, ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full, and left it at that.

On Saturday, I made some delicious stuffed tomatoes. There was all kinds of good stuff stuffed inside, but the avacado made it! Mmm...mmm....good! And the boys loved it, too! I also made hummus, which was really yummy--and cheap, too!

Today I'm making roasted potatoes for lunch, and beans and rice for dinner. Spinach salad...and maybe I'll roast some peppers, too, to give us some good veggies.

What do you do when you're faced with food options that don't match your diet?

Today my husband and I were both on the road. Jon was leaving at 5:45am, so I stayed up extra late last night to make homemade blueberry muffins. I knew his lunch would be catered, so I wanted to give him one good meal. Sure enough, his lunch was barbecue! Ha!

I got to choose my lunch today, and I opted for a salad. I added all the goodies on top, but when I was done with it, I was still hungry. Sometimes salads do that, you know? It just makes me feel like I'm eating water. Having the freedom to eat whole grains can really help with the full feeling, but where I was, I couldn't find any whole-grain breads, so I left it off.

On the road trip back home, I was getting REALLY sleepy. Usually that's a good time for me to stop and get a Dr Pepper, or munch on pretzels all the way home. Instead, I stopped at the ONE produce stand that is around (30 minutes from home). I bought some local honey, homegrown red potatoes and sweet potatoes, and some bananas (adding $13 to this week's grocery bill). I also bought a pound bag of raw peanuts. I really like salted peanuts, so I thought I would be disappointed by these, but they were great! And they kept me awake the rest of the way home! I might save what I have left (which is a lot) for the next time I'm in the car for awhile.

Right when I got home, I had to start getting dinner ready. We love to make homemade pizza, so today I went for a whole-grain, no dairy option. The whole grain pizza dough was good, though it didn't seem to rise much. I tried out the "cashews as cheese" idea, using a recipe that processes cashews, lemon juice, garlic and herbs to make a pesto of sorts for the pizza. Believe it or not, it really did taste a bit like cheese! I spread it on after the pizza sauce, then added a whole lot of veggies. It really did taste good, and I didn't miss the cheese. So tonight's recipe was a win.

Sometimes, like in Jon's case today, you get stuck in situations where there is not a plant-based choice, and that's okay. And sometimes, like in my case, you DO get good options. You just have to make the decision to choose the right options!

Do you travel? How do you make healthy eating decisions on the road?

Today's meals:
Breakfast: Raisin Bran and skim milk--Not exactly approved, what with the sugar in the cereal, and the milk (I'm happy to say I have almond milk in my fridge now, and will try it out in the morning)
Lunch: Vegetable soup--Yeah, this was a funny one. A friend made it for us, and it definitely has meat in it. Ground beef, sliced beef, I think I found a piece of bacon in there....yeah...not vegetable soup.
Dinner: After the first two meals, the day might as well be a wash, right? I almost headed to the hamburger dinner at church, but at the last minute decided to stay at home and wing it.

I claim no will-power kudos for this. The real reason is that there were new items in my kitchen, and I have no will-power over new items. (I've been known to open a brand new makeup case in the Ulta parking lot before. Note to self: NEVER try a new color eye shadow when you still have errands to run.)

Anyway, I had things like almond milk and flax seed. I wanted to use them! I love allrecipes.com, and it turns out it will probably be a good source of recipes for this. I simply typed in "vegan pancakes" and voila! Several popped up, and I had my choice. I made some modifications to the original recipe, so I will include both versions below. Let me just tell you, these pancakes were good! They had a great texture, and I didn't feel over-full and yucky afterwards. And...5 hours later...I'm still not hungry!

I did put margarine on them (after the day I'd had, I figured what the heck. See? No will-power!), and pure maple syrup, which is 100% approved for a plant-based diet. Hello...maple!! Not sure why that's okay and cane sugar isn't...I'll have to look into that. I used it sparingly, but it was like candy! Yummy!

Let me know if you've tried pancakes like these, and if not, give them a try!

Vegan Pancakes (Original Version)

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon oil

1. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk the water and oil together in a small bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. Stir just until blended; mixture will be lumpy.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

 Vegan Pancakes (My Version)

• 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons milled flax seed (I read on the box that 3T flax = 1T oil, so I tried it, and it worked!)

1. Stir dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients. Stir just until blended; mixture will be lumpy.
2. Heat a dry griddle over medium heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, spread out with back of spoon, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

I lucked out a little today. My schedule changed this morning, so I had a chance to run to the store. Of course, I wasn't expecting to go today, so I spent half the morning trying to get my recipes and ingredients all lined out for next week (does it take anyone else as long to make a grocery list??).

Finally, I and my two boys were down the aisles of Walmart. Some of you reading this may have better places to shop. Sprouts, Whole Foods, ...sigh...Whole Foods.... I don't have those places. I've got a Walmart and a Brookshires. I've been trying to start shopping at Brookshires for months now, but let's face it, it's not easy switching stores! I usually go under a time crunch, and no time to learn a whole new layout.

Today was no exception. My son James (my compadre in the video, who apparently LOVES to see himself onscreen) had a therapy appointment back home, so I had one hour to get my groceries done.

Yeah, insane on a normal grocery day! I apologize now for the people I cut off or whizzed around with my giant two-seater grocery cart.

This video gives you a few thoughts I had about the grocery day in general:

Let's talk about nutritional yeast for a second. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition says this:

Although the name might be less than enticing, nutritional yeast is a magnificent staple that will "cheese" up your dishes while providing your daily recommended dose of B vitamins. An excellent source of vitamin B12 and protein, nutritional yeast is a primary cultured yeast grown on sugarcane and beet molasses. Unlike other yeasts, it doesn't have leavening power.

The versatility of nutritional yeast is boundless. On its own, it tastes nutty and cheesy and is delicious sprinkles on popcorn. When combined into recipes like hummus, un-cheese spreads, pasta sauce, casseroles, stews , and pizza, nutritional yeast lends a lovely flavor and huge nutrient boost.

I don't know about you, but the thought of sprinkling yeast on my popcorn is grossie. But that doesn't mean I won't try it! If I ever decide to go crazy and spend the money on it, I'll let you know what happens! Speaking of cost, our local health food offers a 22oz tub of "flakes" for $16.99. The package says that it is 31 servings (3tsps per serving). It's about $.77 per ounce, which is more than real cheese, but real cheese isn't cheap, either.

Another cheese alternative I mention is chopped up cashews. A recipe I have (from Forks Over Knives) that adds a little lemon juice, some salt, herbs, and a little water to make a pesto of sorts to add to pizza. I stared at cashews a long time today, and found none that were raw and salt-free. I had to settle for roasted, low salt. By the way, nuts can be found in three different places in Walmart: the snack aisle (by the chips), the baking aisle (by the chocolate chips), and the produce section. There are different options and brands in different places, so check the price of each one. Frustrating, I know!

A note on milks: I chose unsweetened almond milk, vanilla-flavored. I just tried it, and it tastes like...almonds! I think it might be good as a chocolate milk, or plain in cereal...but not by itself. Which is fine. I don't often drink a glass of milk by itself anyway.

I'm glad we have a full fridge again, and I'll update you later on what we're eating!

Are trips to the grocery store as frustrating for you as it for me?

Well I must say I'm quite impressed with myself. One day of living as a vegetarian. Whew!

I have been using a couple of books as resources: Forks Over Knives (the book), and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition. Forks Over Knives seems to be a summary of the documentary by the same name, but the best part is that there are lots of recipes in the back. The Guide has fewer recipes, but lots of information regarding the different ingredients that might be unfamiliar, how to eat when pregnant or how to feed your kids, what are some staples for your pantry, etc. Lots of good stuff, but it can get a little overwhelming!

Grocery day is Thursday in the Norvell household, so needless to say, things are pretty sparse around here, and I had not decided to jump into this plant-based diet on May 1st until about...oh...April 29th. So, all that to say, we were a bit of a mish-mash today, and we weren't strictly following the diet as explained in Forks Over Knives. Which I think is okay. It's better than nothing!

Here were my meals today:
Breakfast: Grape Nuts with raisins and skim milk
Lunch: Whole wheat pita pocket with lots of different things (spinach, bell pepper,cilantro, red beans, peanuts, apples) and raspberry vinaigrette. We weren't too sure how it was going to turn out, but all the different textures was very good!
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Whole wheat penne pasta with a homemade veggie tomato sauce. Sourdough baguette with butter and garlic. Yeah...the baguette and butter wouldn't really fall under the "whole foods, plant-based" diet, but it was good, and we needed to get it out of the fridge, right? Right.
Miscellaneous: One peppermint and Crystal Light pink lemonade. I don't think either of those are in a strict plant-based diet.

I also weighed this morning--after breakfast, which I completely blame for the surprise extra pound I wasn't expecting to see on the scale. Dang Grape Nuts.

I'll be tracking my weight throughout the month, and we'll see what happens.

I was pleasantly surprised how my "we have nothing to eat" dilemma at lunch turned into a pretty tasty pita pocket. I also liked not worrying about thawing out meat...or cooking meat. I like meat, but cooking it can gross anyone out. I wasn't hungry during the day, either. I think I need to be more conscious about drinking water--something I've always struggled with!

Tomorrow is our weekly Wednesday night church dinner. It's the last one of the school year, so we won't have to worry about it for the rest of May, but guess what's on the menu? If you guessed salad and veggie lasagna, you're wrong. It's hamburgers and hot dogs. So...dilemma, dilemma. My husband says that eating meat at church functions (once or twice a week, generally) wouldn't be enough to really make a difference. I disagree, especially on fried night. Seriously, everything but the cole slaw is fried on those nights. Even as a meat-eater, all that fried food can turn my stomach! Anyway, for tomorrow night, we'll just have to see. Like I said, grocery day is Thursday, so pickin's are pretty slim 'til then!

Thanks for hanging with us! Do you have any questions about a plant-based diet? Any suggestions for us?