Plant Strong: Day 28

Almost four weeks ago, I embarked on a challenge. After seeing the Forks over Knives movie for the second time and stepping on the scale at my yearly checkup, I decided to make a change.

Now I'm 28 days plant-strong and loving it. I felt that was a long time to commit, but it's flown by and I don't regret a minute of it. Of course it wasn't easy and there were bumps along the way, but I've enjoyed the changes I've seen in my body, health and through personal growth.

I've never cooked so much in my life and I'm always looking forward to my next workout. Much to my surprise, I'm actually enjoying all of it. People still have questions for me and and I try to answer them the best I can, but I'm really doing all of this for my health.

It's not about losing weight. It's all about what you eat and staying with it. Keeping a positive attitude and knowing you're human helps, too!

For all of you out there who want to try out what I've done, check out the Engine 2 site.

Check out my six month results here!

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!
Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul
5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet
Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
Protein in a Vegan Diet
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism
Foods That Kill

"Rolled" Lasagna

I had seen a really great idea for lasagna on Pinterest. Unfortunately, the recipe included cheese, something that I'm steering clear of as part of my lifestyle change. So naturally, I modified it!

Rolled Lasagna
yields 9 servings

9 lasagna noodles
1 jar pasta sauce
6 mushrooms, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 container hard tofu, crumbled
1 tbsp. minced garlic
Italian seasoning
Herb paste
1 Roma tomato (cut into rounds for the top of each stuffed noodle)
Ground cashews

1. While boiling the noodles, cook the spinach in a separate pot of boiling water for five minutes.
2. When noodles are finished boiling, drain and lay flat on parchment paper to cool.
3. Combine chopped ingredients with Italian seasonings, tofu, herb paste and garlic in medium mixing bowl.
4. Spread a layer of pasta sauce on the noodle and carefully add a layer of the mixture on top.
5. Gently roll the noodle into a square and place in a glass 9x13 baking dish.
6. After all nine noodles have been stuffed and rolled, top with the rest of the sauce and add a tomato round and cashews.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Tasty Carrot Soup

I will start off by saying I had never really cooked before 19 days ago. That's when I decided to make a lifestyle change.

However, in an attempt to regain my health, I've now started. One of the first things I did was sign up for the Vegetarian Times newsletter. In one of the first emails, I found a carrot soup recipe... So here's my modified version!

Tasty Carrot Soup
yields 6 bowls

1/2 white onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cups water
1/2 cup instant oats
3 small white mushrooms
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a saucepan on high heat, bring the carrots, white onions, green onions, oats and water to a boil. Stir frequently until the oats are cooked and the carrots are fork-tender (about 8 minutes).
2. Transfer all contents into a blender with the milk and mushrooms or use an immersion blender.
3. Once blended, add the ginger, allspice, salt and pepper. Garnish with green onions on top when serving.