Plant Strong Challenge: The Recap

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My 28 Day Plant Strong Challenge has been over for a week.  I wanted to wait a week before writing a recap so I could see what my key takeaway points were after going back to more “normal” (i.e. not entirely vegan) eating.  If you’re new to my blog, you can read about my foray into veganism for Whole Foods Market here, here, here, here, here and here.

I really see a lot of value in being purposeful with what I put in my body.  Throughout this challenge, I planned my meals, ate a TON of vegetables and learned a lot of new cooking techniques.  I did a lot less mindless eating because in order to eschew eating anything that has a mother, you’ve got to plan ahead.  I felt very…fresh.  And clean.  The food I was eating wasn’t weighing down my body, I didn’t feel fatigued after eating the way I usually do after eating something processed or after eating meat.

That being said, I don’t think I will continue to subscribe to a vegan diet 100% of the time.  I see a lot of value in eating that way 3-4 days a week, I think there could be some awesome long-term health benefits (lower cholesterol, blood pressure, weight loss, proper nutrients, etc).  My biggest challenge in staying on the challenge was when eating out- Ryan and I love eating out and I’ve never realized how many sauces are cream based or how everything is cooked with some sort of oil.  I only fell off the wagon once, at The Girl and The Goat.  Okay, twice- we were at brunch and I needed chicken wings.  Life is all about balance and while I will go forward with a primarily plant-based diet, I love me some cheese and the occasional turkey sandwich and I am going to enjoy them.

Here are my big ah-ha! moments:

-Almond Milk is AMAZING!  I haven’t had cow’s milk in years and have been a soy milk devotee but no more- almond milk is where it’s at.

–Cooking Without Oil is so, so easy.  Now that I know I can saute onions and garlic without EVOO, there’s really no need for the added calories that have no nutritional value.  I’d rather get my fat from good things.  Like cake.  And wine.

-The more veggies, the better.  I ate a ridiculous amount of veggies in every form available- raw, juiced, smoothied, steamed, you name it and always felt full, in the freshest, not weighed down way.

-Chicken is done-zo.  I don’t eat pork or beef but have made some allowances for chicken, even though it makes me feel nauseous afterward.  Why am I eating something that makes me feel nauseous?!  Duh.

-Protein is key.  Running the Soldier Field 10 Miler, all I could think was that if I hadn’t “cheated” the night before at dinner, there was no way I would have had enough energy to make it through that race.  I was not eating enough protein during the challenge- I’m sure good vegans take care of that just fine but that was an area of opportunity for me.

A huge thanks to Whole Foods Market for this opportunity.  I learned so much and being able to write about it…well, it’s just a match made in foodie heaven.

Plant Strong: Day 23

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This salad topped off my 23rd day in my journey as a veganista.  Spinach, mixed greens, raspberries, peaches, artichokes, onion, sprouts, topped with a little blood orange balsamic vinaigrette.

I must admit, the 28 Day Plant Strong challenge has gotten more, well, challenging recently.  For the first few weeks, I was psyched- I love veggies and veggies love me!  My fridge was stocked and I pre-made my meals so making vegan choices was super easy.  But as I’ve gotten busier, my fridge has gotten emptier and making food seems so…time consuming.

But tonight’s stop at the grocery was my fruit and veggie revamp.  Lunch for tomorrow is already made, my (above pictured) salad was delish and I’m ready to rock.

Click here, here, here, or here to read more about my time with the Whole Foods Market Plant Strong Challenge.

Plant Strong Challenge: Cooking Without Oil

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On Tuesday, I was invited to attend a “Cooking Without Oil” class at Whole Foods Lincoln Park as a part of the Plant Strong Challenge I’m participating in.  Weeks 1 and 2 were all about eliminating meat and dairy from my diet and Week 3’s challenge was eliminating oil.

News flash: you don’t have to use oil to cook onions!  If a pan is hot enough to make drops of water “dance”, onions can be added and if stirred frequently, the onion’s own “sweat” creates enough lubrication to not stick to the plan.  This was mind boggling for me- it has never occurred to me to not heat EVOO in a pan and then throw in onion and garlic.

Next step: steam saute sweet potatoes.

Again, it has never occurred to me to do anything with a sweet potato other than bake it because it’s a raw potato and takes forever to cook, right?  Wrong.  Once the sliced garlic and onions were soft, diced sweet potatoes were added and with a few splashes of vegetable broth, the sweet potatoes were perfectly steamed and, well, sweet!

I recreated this meal at home the next night just to make sure it would be as delicious with me steering the boat pan.  Totally was!  At home, I made some wild rice and topped it with the sweet potato saute.  Ryan’s reaction?  “This tastes so…clean.”  What a concept, right?  That our food tastes clean?  This cooking without oil business is on to something!

(photos via Homemade Mothering, one of the fantastic bloggers taking on this challenge with me!)

Plant Strong: Day 10

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I’ve been on Whole Foods Market’s Plant Strong Challenge for 10 days now.

Which means that for 10 days, I’ve jumped head first (mouth first?) into a plant based diet, eschewing meat, dairy, sugary desserts, and processed and packaged food.

And ya know, it’s going well.

I was a vegetarian for 3 years so I wasn’t at a loss for what I would eat on a plant-based diet.  Being Plant Strong has been more about pausing and actually thinking about what I put in my body as opposed to the mindless eating that I had fallen into- you know, stumbling into my kitchen after work and grabbing the first thing I see to throw in the microwave.  Or ordering a banana muffin with my morning coffee just because they look so yummy all lined up in a row in the display case at King Cafe.  Like little banana muffin soldiers.

In attempts to fuel my body with as much fresh goodness as possible, I’ve been drinking a lot of smoothies and juices.

The ol’ Cuisinart has been getting it’s blender workout at home and it turns out that Jamba Juice has legit fruit and veggie smoothies that are actually really good and not super high in calories.  Forty Carrots at Bloomingdale’s also juiced 2 carrots, 2 beets and 2 apples for me and it was so lovely to not have to actually eat 2 carrots, 2 beets and 2 apples in order to get those nutrients.  Thanks, guys.

And spinach. I cannot get enough spinach.  I craaave it.

So for now, all systems are a go- I am feeling fantastic, lots of energy and it’s really nice to be reconnected to the concept that food really IS fuel…and pumping my body full of premium.

Plant Strong Day 6

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For Day 6 of my Plant Strong challenge, I put my trip to the Green City Market to use.  I thought it was ambitious for a Monday night meal but it ended up being super easy and super delicious.

On the menu?  Roasted blue potatoes and asparagus with a grilled portobello on whole grain sourdough bread.

I layered the blue potatoes and asparagus in a pan with whole cloves of garlic and drizzled just a little bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt- bake for 13 minutes.

Then I grilled the portobello mushroom cap in a pan with sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic for about 7 minutes.  One piece of whole wheat sourdough bread and some organic butter lettuce later and I had a nice little open-faced sammie.

The thing I am learning in this challenge is that the smallest bit of planning goes a long way.  Instead of just coming home and popping the first thing I see in the microwave, I’m pausing and really thinking about if what I’m putting in my body is aligned with my Plant Strong goals.  And since my fridge is stocked with tons of fresh veggies and whole foods, it’s pretty easy!

As always, please send any recipes you love my way!  justachitowngirl@gmail.com

Plant Strong for 28 Days

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Whole Foods Market has reached out to some local bloggers to take part in a 28 Day Plant Strong Challenge and yours truly is now officially on board.  Starting tomorrow, I will aiding in Whole Food’s goal of encouraging a healthier lifestyle through healthy eating education and support by blogging about what I’m eating, new recipes I’ve found and loved (or hated) as well as any results of changes in my health I am seeing.

In simple terms?  I am going to be loving on a ton of veggies.

The challenge is based on Rip Esselstyn‘s Engine2 diet and focused on 4 main pillars: whole foods, healthy fats, plant strong eating and nutrient density.  I was actually a vegetarian for a number of years so I know the drill but I am really looking forward to going through this challenge with the support of meetups, recipe exchanges and a legit tool to use.  Healthy eating amped up a bit, I figure.

Despite teaming with Whole Foods, all opinions expressed will be 100% mine.

Stay tuned!