In which we embrace the plant-base

(Oh hi, it’s been a while, we’re changing things on the blog, etc.)

We’ve been cooking a lot of plant-based dishes lately. This summer, we had a big scare when Justin’s dad had a heart attack. He’s doing great now (walking a lot, eating better, and losing weight!), but at the time, we just didn’t know what the next day would bring. We spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms, talking with family, and praying.

We are so grateful that things turned out okay (even if it took 6 stents to get there). Afterward, Justin (finally) got a physical and had bloodwork done, and his cholesterol was high. Um, huh? We eat so healthy! I cook veggies! He exercises for 1 – 2 hours every day!

But then there are genetics, and then there are the many dinners out, and then there are the weekly brunches with eggs cooked with lots of butter, and bacon, and cheese omg the cheese. So yeah, we probably eat better than a lot of Americans, but I haven’t been cooking as much lately, and we don’t make the best decisions when we eat out.

So! We’re making better decisions about our food. We’re still omnivores – I’m not turning down the excellent steak we had at Jeffrey’s for our anniversary (18 years wtf), or the parade of sushi at Otoko last night. We still eat eggs and cheese and charcuterie. We’re just eating much less of it, we’re cooking at home more, and we’re choosing more veggie-based options as much as we can.

Because I’m a dietitian and a food geek, it’s actually fun to have a new spin on things. New challenges, new ingredients, new recipes. It’s not as hard as you’d think – and I’m really proud of how well Justin is doing in the decisions he makes on his own. (My cholesterol and such were great, by the way, but exercise is my enemy, so we’ll start with food.) 😉

I had already been obsessed with vegan YouTube for quite some time. I have tons of ideas and resources, and I’m having a lot of fun with it. As the weeks go by, I want to make note of the things I miss cooking, so we’re sure to include those as much as we can. So far it’s just ground beef. I grew up on that stuff. I love that stuff.

We’re totally up for trying different ground beef substitutes. The Beyond Meat Feisty Crumbles were just NOT our cup of tea, but I remember liking Boca crumbles at one point in our vegetarian years. I’ll let you know how that foray goes!

Anyway (wow, that was long-winded), one of my favorite things is spaghetti with meat sauce. So instead of ground beef, I blitzed some mushrooms in the food processor, sautéed them for a bit, then stirred them into our favorite marinara. And since we like to top our spaghetti with cheese, I tried making some vegan “parmesan,” which I really liked! (Though I’d use a bit less garlic powder and salt next time.) And I was completely happy with my spaghetti, and Justin’s arteries were completely happy with it as well.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll show you the double cheeseburger we ate to balance it all out. 😀

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *