Happy Friday!
My new schedule means that my weekend doesn’t start til Sunday (school tonight and working tomorrow night)…so I’m just forging on! Last night at school we didn’t get out til 12:15! I was so tired that I wasn’t even tired anymore…like on my 50th wind. And….my three loaves of bread I made completely FLOPPED because the salt hit the yeast too soon in the mixing bowl. Yeah..sucky, right? I had to throw all my bread away because it didn’t proof at all and looked like a flat stone in the oven. I guess it happens to everyone 🙁 My pizza and whole wheat pitas turned out though!! I made more of a vegetable flatbread with my pizza dough, piling on tomatoes, onions, sun dried tomatoes, olives and red bell pepper. Drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with oregono and hot pepper flakes! It’s totally going to be my lunch today! And the pitas we made are HUGE, as you can see!!! We baked both the pizzas and the pitas directly on the hearth of the oven and the pitas puffed up like balloons. I was excited to see that we were using a recipe that called for whole wheat flour although I haven’t tried them yet.
This morning for breakfast I ate the rest of the box of Nature’s Path granola (about 1 cup) that had been sitting in my pantry for awhile. I had it with a banana and a cup of hempmilk.
I’m pretty much enjoying just lounging about in my bed and drinking my tea right now….tonight is my first practical (we have three) of the class. I am making baguettes and white pan bread (the soft, sweet milky bread I made earlier in the week). I’m a little anxious after my failure last night!
Anna
February 22, 2008 at 1:25 pmYUM!!! Those pitas look SO GOOD 🙂
Annie
February 22, 2008 at 1:28 pmHey Jenna, Those pitas looks so good. Im sure youll do fine on your practical toinght, but good luck!
Meghan
February 22, 2008 at 1:29 pmWow, those pitas look wonderful! I love the look of whole wheat (they were whole wheat, right?!) Have a good day!
VeggieGirl
February 22, 2008 at 1:32 pm12:15am?!??! No DOUBT you’re exhausted, girl!! Thank goodness it’s the weekend though – good opportunity to catch up on some much-needed rest.
No worries about the three loaves of bread – look at how perfectly the pitas and pizza turned out!! Great work!!
Best of luck with your first practical – happy Friday!! :0)
SawSaw
February 22, 2008 at 1:33 pmThose pitas look mighty professional, girl! I’m impressed!
Romina
February 22, 2008 at 1:46 pmOh boy, you don’t get your weekend till Sunday? You poor thing! You need some rest!
Sorry to hear the bread didn’t turn out, but your pizza is gorgeous! And those pitas look delicious. Isn’t it so much fun to make pita? I love watching them poof up. It’s just one of those little exciting things in the kitchen that no one will understand unless they give it a try. =)
I really like Nature’s Path Granola, I just wish it wasn’t so sweet! Otherwise I’d eat it all the time.
Sarah
February 22, 2008 at 1:51 pmThose all look so good!! I don’t know how you don’t just gobble up all the delicious stuff you make all the time! Will power!
Heather S
February 22, 2008 at 1:55 pmGirls how do you feel about “fasting”? I thought about trying it but im curious on whether or not its healthy for you. I want to lose about 10 pounds and i heard this is a great way to jump start your weight loss. Any comments on this? Thanks!
Jenna that pizza looks to die for!! Hmmmm.
BethT
February 22, 2008 at 2:00 pmHeather – most of what I hear about fasting is that you gain a lot of weight back when you stop 🙁 I would focus more on eating well and exercise.
Sara F
February 22, 2008 at 2:01 pmJenna-
I had a quick question about being a vegetarian. I’ve recently quit eating meat (pork, beef, chicken, etc) but I still eat fish, eggs, and dairy. I’ve always had a very sensitive stomach with a lot of intestinal problems so I’m hopeful this will help. Anyway, what do you find is the best way to “tell” people you’re a vegetarian. For example, it’s really no big deal when i’m out to eat with friends and can just order my own food. But what about when my boyfriend’s mom makes a huge dinner of a roast brisket cooked with vegetables? Sort of a touchy situation….just curious what ways you’ve found of dealing with it. Hope your weekend comes quickly!
arimcg
February 22, 2008 at 2:06 pmYeah, I don’t know how you waited to taste that pizza! It looks so good.
Nicole
February 22, 2008 at 2:08 pmHi Heather–
Fasting is not a good way to jump start anything. I won’t go into all the mechanics of it, but in short: fasting will pretty much shut down your metabolism. In order for your body to run efficiently, it needs something to work off of—I’m sure you’ve heard this, but breakfast is one of the most integral parts of losing weight. This is because you’re revving your body up–getting your organs ready to go. Continual deprivation just slows everything down. You will definitely lose weight, but it will be mostly water (and that could be dropped more healthfully by sufficient exercise). Additionally–when you come out of your fast, I imagine you’ll want to snack on something other than carrots…
Instead, since it’s just a small amount you want to lose, try replacing some unhealthy foods you eat now with smaller portions of more filling, healthier foods. These should be lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains–all the fiber in these food groups fills you up and keeps you full for a pretty long time. This works much better than a fast because it’s not a radical change that is honestly unrealistic for most people to implement, it’s just some smaller replacements. Also, exercise is definitely going to be a really important part of losing weight and being healthy in general.
Sorry that was kind of long, but i hope that helped a little–good luck!
Romina
February 22, 2008 at 2:09 pmSara F – It’s not easy telling people you are a vegetarian, but it’s something that you only have to deal with once (unless people are insistent and tell you you MUST eat their meat). When I became a vegetarian (and later vegan), I simply told my hosts ahead of time that I do not eat meat or any animal products and it was as simple as that. People can be very accommodating if you explain that you choose not to eat meat. More often than not, your host (in your case, mother in law) will be more than happy to prepare a few extra dishes for you. If not, I’m sure there’s a wide array of food you can eat anyway, I’m sure there won’t just be a roast! If that doesn’t work, you can also offer to bring a dish you prepared yourself, or a dessert.
hk
February 22, 2008 at 2:20 pmwow, those pitas are huge! I’ve always been curious about how those are baked….looks yummy, enjoy the day and rest up from your late night, woah!!!
jenna
February 22, 2008 at 2:25 pmSara,
I agree, it can be hard and a touchy subject when you are dealing with all meat-eaters! Your boyfriend SHOULD inform his mother of your eating habits and that should relatively solve that. I usually just tell people that ask “I don’t eat meat” and they of course they go “why?” and I’m like “oh, for a variety of reasons including the way the animals are treated and other health reasons”. They can’t fight with you on that one because the animals ARE treated inhumanely and many studies have shown that the vegetarian diet (when properly balanced) is the healthiest way of life. Not to mention vegetarians live the longest and have the lowest disease rate. Usually when explaining your new lifestyle to someone the awkwardness only lasts about 5 seconds…you have a right to do what you want to do and other people have NO right to attempt to change you. They probably will think its cool you are doing your own thing and are standing up for what you believe in!
living2thetruth4god
February 22, 2008 at 2:30 pmHi Jenna!
I hope your Sunday is well is worth the wait! I was wondering, are you still avoiding counting calories/do you count food groups or anything? How do you know what to eat?
jenna
February 22, 2008 at 2:37 pmHi!
I don’t count calories or food groups at all. I just focus on eating right and I’ve been eating like this for such a long time I guess i just “know” whats good…and I don’t have a taste for crap since I like to fill my body up with healthy, good-for-you food! I just like to eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and natural protein sources.
Beckysue27
February 22, 2008 at 2:51 pmHi Jenna-
Those pitas remind me of a place I used to eat at in college at the University of Michigan called Pizza House. They would make these huge pitas, and then cut one side open and fill it with salad. They were awesome- the pita would be hot and the cheese would be all melty on the salad. Makes me want to move back there to have one now!
Cara
February 22, 2008 at 2:59 pmThe vegetable flatbread looks like heaven. How was it?
Anna
February 22, 2008 at 3:05 pmHi Jenna, I think you may have already answered this question (but maybe not). I know you’re anti-splenda, but I was thinking about making the olive oil cake tonight and substituting the splenda baking granuled sugar for regular old sugar. I think the ratio is 1/2 splenda to whatever the regular recipe calls for, so 1/2 a cup of baking splenda instead of 1 cup of regular sugar. Do you think this would work? Thanks!
Anne P
February 22, 2008 at 3:06 pmThis is random, but I’ve always wondered how the heck pitas are made so that they have air in the middle. How do you shape the dough so that it does that and doesn’t just turn into a normal piece of bread all molded together? Just wondering 🙂
kristin point
February 22, 2008 at 3:09 pmi recently became vegetarian and i had to break the news to my hugely carnivore boyfriend and his family on a recent trip home…it was awkward for a few minutes because his family kind of rolled their eyes. But his mom actually asked why etc and i kept it vague about how i gained new knowledge on the treatment of animals and i was trying out being a vegetarian and they respected it. No one even mentioned it by the time dinner rolled around and I skipped the pork loin and went for the veggies. good luck!
kay
February 22, 2008 at 3:16 pmJenna, VeggiGirl:
WOW 12:15am! I am sorry that the bread did not turn out but you always learn from mistakes!
I finally bought Veganomicon…….. I HAD to!! I can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I also bought Yogi in the Kitchen for under $6.00 new! Jenna, what recipes do you like the most from Yogi??
Stacy
February 22, 2008 at 4:36 pmIt is a transition to let your friends and family know you’re vegetarian. I would recommend just telling them that you’ve decided to stop eating (meat or eggs, milk, etc.) and let them know why if you ask. Often if we’re vacationing to visit family they worry about where we can eat “to feed me” and I try to explain that virtually everywhere I can find something that I will eat. To make it easier at family dinners I try to bring something vegetarian that I like so that I ensure there is at least one dish I like, but most of the time there is plenty for me to eat.
Also, remember that it will still take time. Over Christmas when visiting my husband’s grandparents they were surprised that I wouldn’t eat a cheese ball that contained dried beef. They assumed that because it was dry I would still eat it (not sure why). I think being flexible and not trying to veggie-fy your friends and family is the easy way for them to accept it quickly.
SDF
February 22, 2008 at 4:37 pmMorning ladies!
I am so confused right now! I was on SELF this morning, and saw somebody commenting about “selfdietclub.com” so I signed myself up (just to see what was on it) and I filled out my stats (5’10, 138 pounds), and said I want to lose a pound a week (I’d like to get back down to 133 which is where I was a couple of months ago). The caloric needs it told me I need to achieve this goal is inbetween 2094-2344 calories per day! And I said I was only moderately active!! Where are they getting this number from? It seemed abnormally high to me. What do you all think?
JennS
February 22, 2008 at 4:43 pmhey SDF, the self diet club calculates that using a formula for “happy weight”… go to eatlikeme blog and kristin tells you the formula in one of her posts from this week. it does seem high, the number of cals they gave you.