Vegans? Vegetarians?

[Medusa]

OOOOOOOHHHKAYYY - I am slowly moving back toward my mostly-vegetarian diet and am stocked up on the things that make me feel full.

I ate the last of my chicken sausage tonight for dinner and I felt kinda grossly full even though it was a small portion. I remember now how good I used to feel after my vegetarian meals a couple of years ago and am looking forward to not feeling so gross after I eat.

[Chained Daisy]

Originally Posted by Medusa

OOOOOOOHHHKAYYY - I am slowly moving back toward my mostly-vegetarian diet and am stocked up on the things that make me feel full.

I ate the last of my chicken sausage tonight for dinner and I felt kinda grossly full even though it was a small portion. I remember now how good I used to feel after my vegetarian meals a couple of years ago and am looking forward to not feeling so gross after I eat.

I can`t claim to be either Vegan or Vegetarian but I do try to make sure at least 3 main meals a week are meat free. I know what you mean, after a meat free meal I do feel full in a much healthier way and after meat its a less pleasant fullness no matter how much I have just enjoyed what I`ve eaten. Even when I am cooking meat, in stews, casseroles, chillies, curries and the like I have been using much less meat and chicken and adding more veggies and so far I have no complaints from my little crew.

[tantalizingfemme]

So, one thing I sometimes miss as a vegan is biting into something chewy. Like a burger. I stopped eating any vegan meat substitutes quite a while ago, so 98% of what I consume I make myself from whole foods. And I absolutely gag at the idea of eating a portabello mushroom, so mushroom burgers are out. So I found a recipe for making seitan and let me tell you, it's a game changer. I made vegan cheesesteak sandwiches with it tonight, with a sweet potato nacho cheese sauce and I was in heaven. The best!

The recipe for the seitan is:

https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/how-to-make-seitan/

To make the broth in the recipe, I did use low sodium vegetable broth and added the following:

1 tsp Better than Boullion Roasted Garlic Base
1 tsp Better than Boullion No Chicken Base
2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
pinch onion powder
pinch garlic powder
pinch pepper
pinch salt

The flavor was so good. So nice to have something to add to a recipe to give it more texture.

[candy_coated_bitch]

Originally Posted by tantalizingfemme

So, one thing I sometimes miss as a vegan is biting into something chewy. Like a burger. I stopped eating any vegan meat substitutes quite a while ago, so 98% of what I consume I make myself from whole foods. And I absolutely gag at the idea of eating a portabello mushroom, so mushroom burgers are out. So I found a recipe for making seitan and let me tell you, it's a game changer. I made vegan cheesesteak sandwiches with it tonight, with a sweet potato nacho cheese sauce and I was in heaven. The best!

The recipe for the seitan is:

https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/how-to-make-seitan/

To make the broth in the recipe, I did use low sodium vegetable broth and added the following:

1 tsp Better than Boullion Roasted Garlic Base
1 tsp Better than Boullion No Chicken Base
2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
pinch onion powder
pinch garlic powder
pinch pepper
pinch salt

The flavor was so good. So nice to have something to add to a recipe to give it more texture.

Thank you! I've always wanted to try and make seitan. Looks really easy.

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by candy_coated_bitch

Thank you! I've always wanted to try and make seitan. Looks really easy.

Super easy. Just a word of advice. If you do make it, let it rest after kneading in a glass or metal bowl and then cut it on a ceramic plate. DO NOT do what I did and put it on a wooden cutting board to rest and cut up. It stuck like glue. It will still stick to the plate but not nearly as bad as the wooden cutting board. Enjoy!

[tantalizingfemme]

https://simpleveganblog.com/green-goddess-bowl/
https://simpleveganblog.com/oil-free-chimichurri-sauce/

I made this yesterday and had another bowl tonight. (My last portion is tomorrow and I am already planning on making this again) So good! I do not like quinoa so I made cauliflower rice and sauteed it in a tablespoon of evoo and added a pinch of sea salt and ground pepper. I sauteed the cauliflower until it had a bit of color. And the chimichurri sauce is amazing. (I added extra cayenne since I like spicy.) I also only added a half cup of water because I like it thicker. I will say, as a thicker sauce, this can definitely be used as a dip for tortillas if you want something different. Or even a topping for vegan chili.

[tantalizingfemme]

So, within the past 3 weeks, I have been monitoring my caloric intake and keeping it to between 1100 and 1200 calories per day. What an eye opener to really pay attention to a true serving size, even with a plant-based diet. I also upped my daily work outs to be more strenuous. Many positive outcomes, however I started to get a lot of bruises, especially on the back of my calves. Big ugly ones. It almost looked like someone was hitting me. I did some research and realized it is an iron deficiency. I went to the local Vitamin Shoppe for a vegan iron supplement recommendation. I told the guy I definitely did not want one that would jack up my system. A woman at another store told me to take Megafood Blood Builder Mini's, and they are amazing. My bruises faded quickly and I haven't gotten any weird ones that can't be accounted for. And no constipation. Not only does it have iron, but it also is made with beets, oranges, and broccoli. One other added plus is it also contains B12, which vegans lack in their diet.

So, an FYI for anyone looking for a vegan iron supplement.

https://www.amazon.com/MegaFood-Buil...+builder+minis

[nycfem]

I got the bruising thing in high school when I dieted too much, but not since then.

I take 500 B12 and D2000, and it normalized my levels. They had come up low in a physical as an adult but as soon as I started the vitamins, it all worked out.

[kittygrrl]

Originally Posted by tantalizingfemme

So, within the past 3 weeks, I have been monitoring my caloric intake and keeping it to between 1100 and 1200 calories per day. What an eye opener to really pay attention to a true serving size, even with a plant-based diet. I also upped my daily work outs to be more strenuous. Many positive outcomes, however I started to get a lot of bruises, especially on the back of my calves. Big ugly ones. It almost looked like someone was hitting me. I did some research and realized it is an iron deficiency. I went to the local Vitamin Shoppe for a vegan iron supplement recommendation. I told the guy I definitely did not want one that would jack up my system. A woman at another store told me to take Megafood Blood Builder Mini's, and they are amazing. My bruises faded quickly and I haven't gotten any weird ones that can't be accounted for. And no constipation. Not only does it have iron, but it also is made with beets, oranges, and broccoli. One other added plus is it also contains B12, which vegans lack in their diet.

So, an FYI for anyone looking for a vegan iron supplement.

https://www.amazon.com/MegaFood-Buil...+builder+minis

Thank you for the tip Tantalizing! It is really appreciated.