pyrex finds from the past few months... & food!

we've had some awesome finds at our local antique/thrift shops the past few months... most of these we've been lucky to find locally, but i do admit to order some from ebay & etsy!







i bought a few individual gratin dishes off etsy and had glorious fantasies about making individual pot pies & the like but i've also seen a few recipes for baked pumpkin pasta floating around, so i decided to take a stab at it. i saw paula dean make hers with butter (of course), sausage, heavy cream, & lots of cheese... and i have been eying the veganomicon pumpkin baked ziti recipe for a while, but wanted something a bit quicker & easier. i also only had rotini, but it ended up working out fine :)



ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat pasta (your choice... i used rotini, but would recommend ziti or penne)
1 recipe tofu ricotta. i use this one as a base, but usually add some soy milk to make it creamy and smooth. here i omitted the basil
1 T extra virgin olive oil
half a large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 can pureed pumpkin
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 t rubbed sage
1/2 t dried thyme
generous pinch of nutmeg

for herbed bread crumbs:
1-1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
2 t earth balance
generous pinch of sage
salt + pepper

(preheat oven to 375 degrees)

01. cook the pasta! strain it and rinse with cool water BEFORE it's al dente.
02. make tofu ricotta & set it aside.
03. saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized. add garlic & cook some more.
04. add canned pumpkin and cook briefly. add soy milk to make a creamy sauce & season with herbs, nutmeg, salt & pepper. let cook a few minutes longer.

(meanwhile, melt the earth balance in a pan. add breadcrumbs and seasoning and toast until browned.)

05. when pasta is done, toss with the pumpkin sauce off the heat. immediately transfer to a casserole, stir in tofu ricotta, & top with bread crumbs. throw it in the oven and cook until sauce is bubbly & bread crumbs are nice and toasty brown. enjoy!

(also, gratuitous weight loss update: 20.2 lbs down, 10% of the starting body weight. still got some ways to go, but feeling really good.)

reconciling my feminism with weight loss.

i love my body but recognize that i have not been good to it in the past.
for me losing weight is about being healthy above all - respecting, nurturing and doing the things i know are beneficial for my body. while its nice to slip into a pair of jeans that have been sitting in the closet for a bit too long, it's a feeling that pales in comparison to the way your body & mind work when you're taking care of it.

down 4.2 lbs this week, 13.2 lbs total since september 19th. i'm happy.

introducing... dutchess!

yeah we're nerds and name everything... so what?!



the first thing i made with her is a simple red sauce - onion, lots of garlic, some whole peeled tomatoes, & fresh basil. i had a mixed green salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette on the side.



& i'm down another 3.4 lbs! 9.4 total since September 19th!

lots going on!!

ryan and i have both been working lots, and i've also been very busy with school stuffs. weight watchers is still going well... i lost another pound at my last weigh in, which is right on track with recommended healthy weight loss. i survived this weekend partly because ryan was working, and i've made some yummy food!

last night we had the leek & bean cassoulet from veganomicon, but i decided to skip the biscuits to keep it core plan-compatible.

tonight i made a super delicious stuffed squash! i adapted it from a weight watchers recipe, and it was surprisingly good.



recipe!

ingredients:

1 acorn squash
8 oz of white mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 shallot, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp ground savory
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt + pepper to taste
2 T dry sherry

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. slice acorn squash in half, or get someone strong to do it for you!
3. spray with extra virgin olive oil. i use this nifty thing, but rub with olive oil before using store-bought cooking spray! salt + pepper.
4. roast face down on a baking sheet for about 40-50 minutes, or until soft.
5. while squash is roasting, heat 2 tsp of olive oil in skillet. add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid.
6. add shallots and garlic and cook until shallots soften.
7. sprinkle herbs and nutmeg on top of mushrooms and let sit to reconstitute for a minute or so. stir to incorporate.
8. add cooked brown rice and stir to combine. add soy sauce and sherry and allow to cook out for a couple minutes or so.
9. when acorn squash is softened, take out of oven and stuff with stuffing! stick it back in the oven for 10 minutes or so to heat through.

ryan finished his side, but i was unable to finish mine so i'd say each "side" is a very generous serving!

finally, a gratuitous kitty shot!

first weigh in!

five pounds! woo!

some (non-core) things i ate this week on the core plan: pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider & cider donuts, chips & salsa, garlic tofu & jasmine rice at the thai restaurant.

right now i'm avoiding drinking myself into oblivion while i watch the debates!

busy, busy bears!

we've been busy bears, but ryan & i both had today off this week, which has been awesome!

we've been pretty busy today running some errands and doing a bit of shopping. we went to the antique mall, where i found a full set of pyrex primary colors nesting bowls and some other small pieces.



i also discovered that martha stewart now has a HUGE line of products at macy's... many in a beautiful turquoise color, aptly titled "martha stewart blue." i do love martha, and i'm glad that she makes a potato ricer! i've been trying to find one forever, but haven't been able to...

i have my first weight watchers weigh in tonight, which i hope goes well! i've been earning a good amount of activity points during the week and staying on plan... so... fingers crossed! i feel really good, which matters most to me right now.

weight watchers

so i've decided to start weight watchers again. i had lost my 10%+ last time before falling off the wagon and i've had one or two week "spurts" of healthy eating/exercise since then, but haven't followed through. i think i'm in a much different place this time around - i've learned to cook wonderful, healthful meals in the past year or so and am in an entirely different mindset.

does that mean there's not going to be any more wonderful food pics?!?! no, of course NOT! half of the stuff i eat is inherently core (the plan that i'm on), and some things may just need some tweaks.

no photos, but this week has been my first on core and i have eaten: whole wheat rotini with broccoli rabe and white beans. roasted sweet potatoes with french lentils and couscous. sushi (used points). curried split pea soup. aloo palak.

i'm so excited, because these are things that we've been eating anyway since i've taken an interest in vegan cooking! i just need to be conscious of my portions & not make cupcakes and cookies every weekend ;)

i'm excited and i'm sure this time is for real!