Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Well I'm back, I haven't quit! Just a bit overwhelmed with all my new chores and responsabilities.
I'm not complaining, just saying that having an elderly person in your care is alot of extra work but it's so worth it just seeing how much he's changed in the last 7 1/2 weeks. He went from a completely frail, gray in the face, never speaking, lost soul to a much more vibrant person. He has a rosy glow in his cheeks, eats his 3 meals a day without much fussing, walks around without his walker , only using it when he's really tired. He talks so much more now and even cracks little jokes once in a while. When he arrived we could barely get a yes/no answer out of him. Now he speaks in full sentences!! Amazing what proper nutrition and care will do!

Me on the other hand....I sort of slipped back a bit... but I'm trying really hard to grab hold of the reigns and gain control of my life again. I was at the point where I would skip breakfast or if I did eat it was a peice of toast with peanut butter. Lunch was the same, a bagel with tofutti cream cheese or something similar. Nothing healthy, I was at the point where I was throwing away veggies that had sat there too long which is sad but I just didn't have the time to care. If I would have lost a pound a week like I was hoping I would have been 143 this morning but no... :( back to 150, I GAINED 1 pound instead. I can't let this get me down, I just have to get back on the horse so......................
This weekend I turned a new leaf, I've decided I have to make the time I need to cook and eat properly and my husband decided he was joining the club. Why? Because my copy of "Forks over Knives" finally arrived and I made him watch. He was amazed with it and he wants to go vegan also!! YAY!!!
I'm sure he's going to have a problem with a few things but I'm going to do my best to make it stick with him.

Saturday I made Quinoa stuffed peppers and they were fantastic! Everyone loved them!
Anyway, I'm back, I'm not saying I'll be posting everyday so you'll just have to check in once in a while.......

Also, I'm going to try to start listing the nutritional values for my recipes whenever I can... enjoy!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
3+1/2 large bell peppers (the 1/2 is for chopping)
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
5 green onion
1 small onion
1/2 tsp oregano, ground
1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
1/4 tsp savory, ground
1/2 tsp thyme, ground
1-340 gm package Yves Veggie Ground Round, Original
1 cup  frozen corn
1 lg + 1 sm. can Gattuso Pizza sauce (about 600ml. total)
6 oz. vegan cheese (I use Daiya) optional

Method:
Rince quinoa in a strainer to remove the bitter saponin residue (depending on where you buy it, most quinoa has been pre-rinsed so just a quick rinse is ok) and cook in water for about 20 minutes or until water has all been absorbed.
Cut the 3 peppers in half from top to bottom, rub with 1 tsp. oil and place on a baking sheet with 1/4" water. Bake at 400f for about 20 minutes.
Chop onions, green onions, garlic and the 1/2 pepper. Saute in remaining tsp. of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the Yves Veggie Ground Round with spices and continue cooking for another minute or two. Add the corn and mix well. Divide into 6 and stuff the peppers, bake for about 20 minutes in a 350f oven. Meanwhile heat sauce. When ready add about a 1/2 cup sauce and top with "cheese"
Microwave individually for about 20 seconds to melt the cheese.

Yield: 6 Servings

Without cheese:
Per serving: Calories: 247; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 548 mg; Carbohydrate: 41 g; Fiber: 8 g; Sugars: 12 g; Protein: 15 g; Calcium: 99 mg; Iron: 6 mg; Vitamin C: 142 mg; Vitamin A: 957 IU.
This recipe is 15% fat.

With cheese:
Per serving: Calories: 337; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 828 mg; Carbohydrate: 48 g; Fiber: 9 g; Sugars: 12 g; Protein: 16 g; Calcium: 119 mg; Iron: 7 mg; Vitamin C: 142 mg; Vitamin A: 957 IU.
This recipe is 27% fat.

Roasted Pepper and White Bean Salad

I'm a bit depressed, didn't lose any weight this week :( but I shouldn't let that bother me because in my mind I'm still motivated and I have yet to quit going to the gym.

Taking care of another person is really messing with my inner clock so I'm going to have to start putting aside some me time and get back to taking care of what I'm eating. I've been sort of eating on the run mostly and what I'm sticking in my pie hole is not really conductive to losing weigh or healthy for that matter.
I'm going to the gym tonight so that's a good thing. I've been going at least 3 times a week and squeezing in a walk here and there. Weird to say but I look forward to the gym! I never thought I'd ever say that! Ha!
I did try a new recipe this week that is actually really tasty. It came out of a Canadian Living magazine but I doctored it to fit the vegan bill! It was supposed to have crumbled goat cheese in it but instead I replaced it with a very good tofu feta.

Roasted Pepper and White Bean Salad

4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tbs. olive oil
1 small jar *roasted red peppers, chopped
4 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried or 2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/2 block tofu feta, crumbled
19 oz. can white navy or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Lightly saute the garlic in the olive oil, add thyme and set aside until cooled.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and olive oil, garlic, thyme mix. Add the beans and peppers and mix well, sprinkle in the tofu feta and toss lightly.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Been really busy lately but it's Monday morning, time for the weigh in! I guess not being bored really makes a difference because I haven't had time to even think about snacking and have actually lost 2 pounds this past week. YAY! Down to 149, I'm finally out of the 50's!!

Anyway, I have to establish a new routine now, my father in law has come to live with us, (he doesn't know this yet) so lots of extra work ahead. He's 91 and is at a point where he really can't take care of himself anymore and needs constant supervision. Just making sure he eats, drinks and takes his pills is a job in itself, but I'm more than happy to do it especially knowing that he's comfortable and relatively happy.

So today's recipe is Roasted Acorn Squash. I like making that for lunch, it's easy, quick and tasty.

Preheat oven to 375f.

1 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded *
2 tsp. vegan margarine, melted
4 tsp. agave syrup**
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the margarine and agave syrup. Brush the halves with the mix and pour the remainder  into the squashes evenly. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Fill a baking pan with 1 inch of water, add the squash halves and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
You can eat these right out of the shells with a spoon.

* If your squash halves are a bit wobbly you can cut a small slice from the bottom to make a flat spot but be sure not to cut too much or you'll end up with a hole in the bottom and the syrup will just leak out.

** You can also use maple syrup or any other syrup you may have laying around.