A Little Update

And a hello to my new followers and other visitors who've found their way here from twitter and Fittest Friends! I'm so honored by all support I'm getting, and even the hate (just means people are paying attention!). I've been so busy lately and haven't had much time to update my blog. A few things of note: I'm continueing to focus more on strength training than cardio, my ironman ambitions are on hold for now until my kids are older and I have more time to invest in the long hours of training necessary. I posted a recent photo there at the top of my page. As you can see, my body composition continues to improve. I am the same weight I've been for the last two years, but I continue to drop body fat and gain lean mass. I did a hydrostatic body fat test last week and the results: 12.5% body fat. I'm pretty happy with that! I'm at a pretty high weight for my height (I weigh 155 at 5'9), which means I've got a crap ton of lean mass, and it's almost completely made from plants, lol. As for the invisible changes, they continue as well. At last check my total cholesterol was 119, my LDL was 52, my HDL was 68, and my triglycerides were 33. All my blood levels were optimal except my Vitamin D, which was low normal, but it was the tail end of a very long, very gloomy winter. I've increased the depth of my squat from barely parallel to almost to my ankles! Next time you hear someone say people with arthritis shouldn't run or squat, send 'em my way and they can try to tell me how I'm screwing myself up. Plant based nutrition, FTW! My deadlift is 240, squat 160, C & J 120, bench something like 120.

Once again, thanks for all the support, you guys are great!

Seitan and Spring Vegetable Stew

This one was a winner on all fronts: me, the health and calorie conscious cook, my husband the 'meat' and potatoes vegetarian, and my daughter, the junk food lover. Rarely does something I make please everyone, so I knew I needed to share this one. It was inspired by last week's veggie box which was heavy on spring veggies: carrots, leeks, green garlic, black radish (very cool new veg for us, but could easily be replaced by turnips, parsnips or even plain old potatoes in the recipe) and fennel. I had made a big batch of seitan the day before, and this stew was the perfect use for it. Seitan is ridiculously expensive to buy premade, but fairly simple and economical to make yourself at home. Chicken would be a fine stand in.

Seitan and Spring Vegetable Stew

olive oil
2 small fennel bulbs, fronds trimmed and halved lengthwise
4-6 leeks, cut into 1-2 inch rounds
4-6 stalks green garlic, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1-2 pounds carrots, cut into 1 inch rounds
1-2 black radishes cut into bite size pieces
seitan in whatever amount you want, cut into bite size pieces (I think I used about 12 ounces)
6-8 cups vegetable stock (I use better than bullion and am always happy with the flavor, but of course homemade is ALWAYS superior)
1/4 cup chickpea flour (all purpose flour would be fine, but I prefer the nutty flavor and macronutrient profile of chickpea flour for savory dishes)

Chop veggies and wash (I chop first then wash, seems to make it easier to wash everything together). Heat a bit of olive oil in a soup pot, and add veggies when it's hot. Saute over med-high heat until veggies start to soften. Add the seitan and continue cooking until everything starts to brown nicely. Add the stock. This is what it should look like at this point:
Bring to a simmer and let cook until everything is cooked through. Move the stew to a large bowl, straining off the liquid into a separate container. Now put the soup pot back on the stove over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and the chickpea flour. Whisk until the flour starts to brown and form a thick paste with the oil, then whisk in the reserved cooking liquid. Continue whisking until the lumps dissolve and the sauce thickens into a rich gravy. Return stew to pan and stir. It's ready to eat! Just like that! We served it over quinoa with freshly ground sea salt and pepper and it was delicious.

What can't Amber do with Kale?

Today I made homemade larabars with the addition of fresh greens. I shall call them amberbars.

Ingredients:

1 pound roasted peanuts
1/2 pound pitted dates
4 oz fresh greens

Pulse each ingredient seperately in a food processor until crumbly. Mix together and form into squares, balls or bars. Eat.

I've been hitting the weights.

And I've gained weight. About 8 pounds from my lowest. But since I've been working hard in the weight room, I haven't gained it in fat (well, maybe a little fat). My hips, historically my widest point due to body fat storage, have actually slimmed down a hair, and overall I have a more balanced silhouette. My message here to women reading: please do not be afraid of lifting weights. I lift like a man, forsaking the barbie weights. You'll find me hogging the squat rack most of the time, lifting barbells loaded with the big plates. As of today, I'm deadlifting 220, squatting 135, and overhead pressing 95. Certainly a far cry from elite lifting standards, but more than most women do (and heck, more than a lot of men do). Yet I do not look like Arnold Schwartzenegger. And while I do really like the aesthetic results, I like the physiological results even better. I am stronger, my flexibility has improved, I can eat more, and in the long term I am building strong bones and joints that will resist age related deterioration. Get thee to the weight room, ladies.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This is simply my basic whole wheat bread with some cinnamon and raisins thrown in for good measure. It's good. Especially with homemade sunflower butter. Yumyumyum.

In bread machine pan combine:

2 cups tepid water
1 TBSP active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
4 TBSP vital wheat gluten
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 TBSP cinnamon
1 cup raisins

Set machine for 2 lb. loaf. Enjoy!

Multigrain Vegan Waffles

I do a lot of experimenting with waffles and pancakes. I change my recipe a little bit each week, but these came out so good I'm sticking with the recipe! I always make big batches to stock my freezer with, hence the large volume of ingredients.

Multigrain Vegan Waffles

4.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP + 1 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer (or 3 eggs)
3 cups unsweetened plain soy or almond milk
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
3 cups water
1/3 cup olive oil


In a medium bowl, whisk the egg replacer with 1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP water. When blended, whisk in milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to thicken.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.

Stir water and oil into the milk mixture, then add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until blended. Pour roughly 1/2 cup of batter onto hot waffle iron that's been treated with pan spray. Let cook 4-6 minutes until steaming stops. Makes 16-20 waffles.

Clean-out-the-fridge Night.

I had two bunches of chard and 3 roasted beets I needed to use up, so here's what I did. Five ingredients (three of them being pantry staples), one pan, and simple prep: it doesn't get easier. And bonus, this is really delicious. Forgive my bad photography skills, they'll get better. :)

Chard and Beets with Walnuts and Carmelized Onions

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 medium beets, roasted and diced
2 bunches of green chard, chopped
raw walnuts

Heat oil in pan over medium heat, then add onion and sautee until soft and browned. Add chard and a splash of water, cover and let steam until the chard softens. Uncover and add beets, stir and continue cooking until everything is warmed through and any remaining water evaporates. Stir in walnuts and serve with freshly ground salt and pepper.