Spaghetti Spinach & Mushrooms with Creamy Garlic Sauce – vegan

 

 

So I gave Miriam’s spaghetti spinach & mushrooms with creamy garlic sauce a go for a quick weekday dinner meal. I added sauteed onions and red pepper and used shittake mushrooms instead. It was creamy and tasty indeed, a quick healthy and filling meal. I set aside a portion for myself for next day leftovers. With the remainder for my kids…well…you know how kids are. I ended up dousing it in tomato sauce and letting them sprinkle parmesan cheese on top (they’re vegetarian not vegan). Yikes! Sorry for the kiddie-friendly twist on your dish Miriam! However, the flavors fused lovely with the creamy tomato sauce for the kids and they LOVED it. As for me, I preferred it just the way it was.

 

Oh how I love thee, quinoa

I should be ashamed to admit this. Actually, to hell with it. I am NOT ashamed. I had no idea what quinoa was until I went vegan.

In my quest to find new scrumptious vegan dishes I kept coming across pictures and recipes that included an odd-looking, not to mention totally unappealing grain-like substance. It looked like a cross between couscous and overgrown granules of sand. I would look at it curiously and then move on. Why would anyone eat that? Ew.

Alas, while picking at a buffet the other day there it was again. I wouldn’t have taken notice in the past since it looks like something I would feed my parrot but it was presented with green beans and red kidney beans in a beautiful rustic dish.

I went for it.

Where the heck has quinoa been all my life? I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this stuff. And as a former steak & potato gal I prob would have never tried it, but it has a nice bite and packed with flavor. I want it on everything. Errrrything. More on this later.

Results in

I’ve officially tested negative for celiac disease. I know I’m not out of the woods yet but that is one thing I can rule out for now anyway. I’ll do more testing but more than likely my issues are stress-related. My gluten free stint was an interesting experience…challenging and frustrating.

Howeverrrr it did inspire me to get healthier! I am almost 5’10” tall and weighing in at 150lbs. That’s about normal for my height I suppose but I want to feel fit and neat in my clothes. I’m also tired of feeling sluggish and hiding the dreaded ‘bulge’ we all struggle with!

So I’m thinking – and I’m still only thinking about it – that I’m going to get going on Insanity! Complete with the food guide and all (yikes!) I am the most non-athletic person on earth and am also a foodie. I tried Insanity just before Christmas which was really dumb. I wasn’t self-disciplined enough yet to politely turn down turkey and stuffing in favor of boiled egg whites and cantaloupe. However, I’m on a new mission and I’m gonna try my best to stick to it. We shall see.