It turns out this is "grad student appreciation week" on campus. So, lots of free food. I ended up cheating today, but I actually don't feel too bad, because I also did an hour of cardio. I stayed within my calorie limit even with the non-clean splurges. I just can't turn down free food!

So, about those weird roasted beet and tofu burgers I mentioned yesterday. I did end up making them, and they are....well, not the most amazing thing I've ever made, but they were pretty good. It's nice to have a different kind of veggie burger in my arsenal anyway. I think the only beef (har har) I have with them is that they basically looked like pink cow patties.


Plop! The uncooked patties.

Appetizing! I'm really making you want to try these, aren't I? :) I mean, I was expecting the odd dark pink color, but the texture just needed to be a bit firmer and less...ploppy.


Cooked burger

These were vegan, but I think the addition of an egg would have helped to firm up the mixture and make a more appetizing texture. Anyway, totally healthy and actually pretty tasty. I made a sriracha/sour cream sauce that was very tasty too (basically just some low-fat sour cream with a little squirt of sriracha). I had this as an open-faced sandwich on a slice of Ezekiel toast.


A little better?


Roasted Beet and Tofu Burgers

4 small (or 2 large) beets
1 red onion
1 block extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash and trim the beets. Wrap each one in foil. Trim and peel the onion, then wrap it in foil. Place beets and onion on a baking sheet and roast for 50-60 minutes, or until a fork pierces the skin of the beets easily. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until vegetables are easy to handle.
2. While the vegetables are roasting and cooling, prepare the tofu. Slice it into large chunks and add to a food processor. Add all the other ingredients (except the vegetables), and pulse until smooth.
3. When the onions and garlic are cool enough to handle, peel the onion. Peel the skins from the beets under cold running water. Roughly chop the onion and beets into pieces your food processor can handle, then pulse until smooth. Add this to the tofu mixture and stir to combine.
4. Shape into patties about 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before removing with a spatula and serving.



Meal 1:
Coffee with 1/2&1/2
Steel cut oats with apple, 1 tablespoon wheat germ, 1 tablespoon flax, cinnamon

Meal 2:
Pumpernickel bagel with light vegetable cream cheese (I figured the pumpernickel was my safest bet of the bagel options? I am sure it wasn't a traditional German style, which would have been healthier than the American kind made with molasses...but still, I didn't take the cinnamon raisin!)

Meal 3:
Roasted beet and tofu burger on Ezekiel bread with lettuce

Meal 4:
Chia seed pudding with 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla soymilk, 1/2 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Meal 5:
3 slices cheese pizza (Arg free food! These were totally flimsy pieces with thin crust at least....at least?)

Exercise:
10 minutes running
50 minutes elliptical

Meal 6:
Chocolate chip cookie (Foiled again! My roommate made cookies.)

I may as well be done with this challenge. I ended up cheating on days 80, 81, and 82. I had social activities on each of those days, and did not eat clean. Well, I suppose I should cut myself some slack by saying I usually eat clean for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, but come evening, I have been having unclean dinners and alcohol. It's not terrible. However, the QUANTITY of food I have been eating lately is a little ridiculous. For example, on day 80, there was an Italian food night at the dining halls of the university where I work. I got a free meal and just went insane sampling pretty much one of every single thing they offered. It really was enough to feed three people.

Last night I went to a dinner party. I cooked the main dish - the same vegetarian shepherd's pie I've been eating frequently since St. Patrick's Day. I knew I wanted something fairly easy and cheap to make, since I was cooking for a bunch of people. My Irish ancestors had a knack for that. :) I keep meaning to document how to make this dish and post the recipe on here, but honestly I got so carried away cooking that I forgot to take pictures or really keep track of what I was throwing in. One of these days I will post it, I promise!

I really am not quite sure why I am still keeping track of days on this TBT challenge. I think yesterday should have been day 90 and the end of the challenge, but I had decided to push it back for a week because of my vacation. Well, now I've basically cheated every day for the two weeks since then, so I don't think any of it should really count. I'm not sure what to do, other than I know I need to try to reel things in with the overeating and drinking too much. I suppose I will probably go to day 90 and take some photos, although these last two weeks have seen a definite step backwards in the progress I'd made previously. :( Ug.

I didn't eat much today. That was on purpose.

Meal 1:
Coffee with 1/2&1/2

Meal 2:
Chickpeas with roasted potatoes, turnips, carrots, and Indian seasoning

Meal 3:
Blood orange and a couple strawberries

Meal 4:
Chia seed pudding made with skim milk, 1 tablespoon agave nectar, pumpkin pie spices

Meal 5:
Roasted potato skins with olive oil, some parmesan cheese (I saved the peels from all the potatoes I peeled yesterday for the shepherd's pie. I just tossed them with olive oil and baked them for about half an hour until they got nice and crispy.)



Exercise:
30 minutes of random bodyweight exercises

How convenient that I packed away all my winter clothes this past week....and then then the weather turns cold again! Lots of layers for me until we get this sorted out.

I'm posting this in the morning since I miraculously have time while getting ready for the day. Let's see if I can stick to it (hint: probably not. I don't technically have enough calories in here if I am going to work out.)


Meal 1:
Coffee with 1/2&1/2
Steel cut oats with 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and cinnamon

Meal 2:
1/2 cup greek yogurt with 1/2 cup frozen berries

Meal 3:
Vegetarian shepherd's pie

Meal 4:
Apple

Meal 5:
Indian-inspired lentil soup

Exercise:
I plan to do at least 30 minutes of cardio. I haven't quite decided what yet.
(Update after the fact - I did 40 minutes of biking!)

Meal 6:
Chia pudding made with 1/2 cup 2% milk, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 mashed up banana

Wow, I was super hard on myself yesterday! I don't think I feel that bad about how I ate, actually. Just disappointed that I am not sticking to this diet "perfectly" (aka without any unplanned cheats and sticking to my calorie limit) now like I was earlier in the challenge. I am still finding a good balance between maintaining this diet and managing...well, life!

I tried on my favorite pants today. The ones that I couldn't fit into on January 1...the ones that I have avoided even trying because I was afraid they still wouldn't fit. The good news is that I can actually fit into them and zip them up! The bad news is that they are still not comfortable. I opted not to try to wear them today, because I knew it would be too uncomfortable. That's some progress at least though! I think I need to lose another five pounds before they are comfortable. I kind of wonder though, if my legs have changed so much with all this exercise that I won't be able to fit into the same size anymore. I have muscles!

I also, finally, ate well today. I polished off those dang cupcakes yesterday, so I don't have them sitting there tempting me anymore. I cooked a bunch of clean, healthy food for this week, so I should be prepared. I don't have a photo for you (I ate it before I could snap any), but I made a delicious pot of stew. I received collard greens and a humongous turnip in my produce box this last week and based this recipe on not quite knowing what to do with them. This turned out unbelievably well: hearty and filling, with tons of flavor. And it's packed with nutrients!


Hearty Indian-inspired Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
2 carrots, cut into rounds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup barley
8 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 cup red lentils
1 turnip, peeled and cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 bunch collard greens

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and saute about 5 minutes, or until onions become translucent. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add barley and saute until it starts to turn a golden brown and smell toasty.

Add vegetable stock, ground cumin, and garam masala. Increase heat, and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, add red lentils, turnip, and sweet potato. Bring to a boil again, and then decrease heat to a simmer.

Once other ingredients are in the pot, thoroughly clean the collard greens. Trim out the tough stem. Layer all the leaves on top of each other in a stack and cut into quarter-inch thick strips. Then cut again so that each strip is about two inches long. Add the collard greens to the pot.

Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the bulgar and vegetables are soft.

Makes approximately 5 large servings.


And now for the daily report!

Meal 1:
Coffee with 1/2&1/2
"Egg in the hole" - 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with 2 eggs and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Meal 2:
Cabbage and carrot salad with spicy Thai peanut dressing

Meal 3:
Apple

Meal 4:
Hearty Indian-inspired Lentil Stew from above!

Meal 5:
1 grapefruit

Exercise:
I'm planning to do 30 minutes of bodyweight exercises.

I keep cheating...at least today it was only another cupcake and not a full day of cheats. I honestly can't say I feel too badly.It's for sanity's sake though. I have so many other stressors right now, I don't want to let this diet stress me out too much. I also think I am kind of transitioning into maintenance mode, just a little too early. This feels like more like the type of diet I would be able to stick with long-term. I do want to stick through the 90 days and lose a little more weight though!

Meal 1:
Coffee with 1/2&1/2
Steel cut oats made with 1/2 vanilla soymilk, 1 tablespoon wheat germ, 1 tablespoon flax, and a banana

Meal 2:
Coffee with 1/2&1/2
1/2 cup yogurt with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon molasses

Meal 3:
Vegetarian shepherd's pie

Meal 4:
Hummus with broccoli and celery
Clementine

Meal 5:
2 slices Ezekiel bread with 2 tablespoons cashew butter

Meal 6:
Chia seed pudding with 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk, 1/2 tablespoon honey, and pumpkin pie spices

Exercise:
Foam rolling
10 minutes running
10 minutes biking
10 minutes rowing
50 situps
1 minute plank x 2

Meal 7:
Guinness, whisky, and Bailey's cupcake (hey, I was doing student loan exit interviews and taxes - I think I deserved it!)