Things I'm Loving (May Edition)

I don't know where the time has gone! It's June already and I feel like I'm playing catch up. However, I couldn't let another day pass without sharing my May Favorites.

These funny looking things are called "altramuces" or more colloquially "chochos." In English they're called Lupin beans but I've never seen them in a supermarket in the States or heard anyone talking about them. With good reason too because it's a real chore to cook Lupin beans.

If you don't cook them correctly you can get poisoned! It takes at least a week of rinsing and soaking and boiling to make them edible. Here in Spain they're eaten as a snack like potato chips or nuts. You put them in the fridge and in the summer you have a nice, cool, satisfyingly salty treat!

"Tinto de verano" is another summer time treat. It's a typical drink made from red wine and lemon soda. Whenever I go to a restaurant I order it and sometimes I even buy it bottled from the supermarket.

This vegetable I recently introduced myself to and since then have become obsessed! Leeks are so delicious and I like them best sauteed with just a touch of oil and some salt and pepper. I'm also digging soba noodles. Be sure to check out these vegan recipes if you want to know some quick and easy ways to cook both leeks and soba noodles.

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In a quest to save money my husband and I have started making our own bread and our own hummus. We eat hummus almost everyday and a small container at the supermarket is almost 2€. While a bottle of garbanzos is only 0.30€ and makes a large container that lasts more than 3 days!

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Not sure why, but once the warm weather hits the cravings for sweets intensifies. Since my husband and I are now vegan it gets harder and harder to buy pre-packaged goods anywhere really. I don't mind making our own things but there isn't always time to do so. Plus, at the end of a long day I like to grab something already cooked in the cupboard. These soy ice creams and dried fruit pieces really help to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Flavors: mango, papaya and ginger

Okay, so now onto a couple of non-food related items. 

I'm loving my hair accessories right now for the summer. It's such a cute way to easily spice up any hair style.

These are just a few. Please Look at Week 37 Hair, Week 46 Hair, and Week 50 Hair Part 2 for more pics.

I also can't live without my all-natural sunscreen I purchased from Smart Girls Who Surf, my African black soap, my coconut oil or my nail polish. 

I sweat a lot and I love washing my face with my black soap at the end of the day. It contains no chemicals and quickly washes away all dirt, oils, and makeup from my face effortlessly.

During the day I apply and re-apply my sunscreen because we all know we have to protect the delicate skin of the face from those harsh rays! I also use it when I go running because it's waterproof.

The coconut oil I like because it is a denser oil that helps my hair to better retain moisture with the hot, dry, summer climate here in Córdoba. I find it works better than olive oil and isn't as thick as castor oil.

Finally, nail polish is something I've always loved. But I usually only rock it in the summer because that's when those vibrant colors I like are in season.

What are some of your favorites from May?

Weekly Recipe: Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

This is another "borrowed" recipe. I just made a few swaps for taste and to make it completely vegan.

My next goal is to make a vegan pumpkin pie. I think I will use silken tofu to substitute the dairy. The challenge will be the crust. Any suggestions?

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

2 small or 1 large very ripe banana

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 cup raisins

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. water

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups oatmeal

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine baking powder and water (to substitute eggs) and mix until dissolved. Add bananas, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. In large bowl, mix together oatmeal, flours, baking soda, spices and raisins. Add combined fruit mixture to dry ingredients until just blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 25 minutes or until light golden brown.

The recipe is pretty accurate with the cookie count (it makes 40). My bananas weren't "very ripe" so I added some sugar. The original recipe doesn't have any. Even with the sugar these are not sweet cookies. 

I like them though. They are perfect for breakfast with a little almond or cashew butter. They are very dense so they are great as a snack because you will definitely stay full. Enjoy!

Weekly Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

This is an adapted recipe. I actually got it from my gym. They were handing out recipe cards at the front desk this week. Or rather, they were in piles on the desk and I picked one up while I was waiting for my spinning class to start.

It was pretty much vegan anyway. But I also made it healthier by not adding any oils or butters and adding some whole wheat flour.

Vegan Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder (plus 2 tsp. as the egg substitute)

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

2 Tbsp. water

1/3 cup soy milk

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbsp. molasses

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

15 oz can pumpkin

1/2 cup raisins

Muffin cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place muffin cups in a muffin pan. (This eliminates the need to add oil). Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger into a bowl. In another large bowl, mix the extra 2 tsp baking powder with the 2 Tbsp water until dissolved. Then add the soy milk, applesauce, molasses, vanilla, sugar, and pumpkin to the same bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients, all at once, just until moistened. Fold in raisins. Spoon into muffin pan cups, filling almost to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove and cool muffins. Then gobble them up!

The recipe also suggested adding pecans or walnuts to it but I don't like nuts in baked goods much. It also stated that it makes about 24 muffins but I only managed to get 16 out of my mix. With the whole wheat flour these muffins are pretty dense. So if you feel like you want to thin out the batter, just add more applesauce.

Also, if you tend to like sweeter muffins than I would add a full cup of sugar. In my opinion they have just the right amount of sweetness to them with the canned pumpkin. They are delicious. I eat them for breakfast! These muffins are definitely a guilt-less treat.

To eat sweets, or not to eat sweets...?

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I decided a few days after my birthday that I would  

cut out all sweets for the entire month of August.  

I did it because I felt I had been eating too many lately, and to give myself a challenge. 

I say "too many" but I guess everything is relative. No one I know thinks I eat "too many." 

However, I felt I was indulging too much so I wanted to make myself more aware of what I was eating.

Today marks 2 weeks and 4 days. 

Last night I had a small ice cream bar. So yea, I cheated. I'm not beating myself up about it because I know it's not the end of the world. It just got me thinking.

These two weeks have been long! I haven't craved sweets exactly, but I feel like I've been doing this for at least a month already! 

The good thing is that I have super strong willpower. 

It's also good that I don't like candy, cake, pie, cupcakes, donuts, cheesecake, cream-filled things...I'm picky. I stick mostly to ice cream and cookies. (Spain doesn't produce any quality cookies, in my opinion.)

However, there are a million and one opportunities to binge on sweets at the in laws. They love sugar!

My husband and I went out with two of our friends last week. We went to my favorite ice cream shop (Piamonte) in Córdoba. A few days later we went with my mother-in-law, brother-in-law and his girlfriend. 

Tons of ice cream in my face and I wasn't tempted once. 

Last night I just felt like treating myself. So I said, what the heck, and enjoyed my ice cream.

Last year, when I was training, it was a lot easier. I would only eat sweets once a week: either Friday or Saturday. I scheduled them in! When I did eat something I would respect portion sizes. 

I was a no-sweet nazi! (That's what my husband liked to call me).

I mention it because I'm not even sure why I did it. It didn't help me run faster, or better, or longer. I have maintained my weight for two years now and have no problem doing it. I'm not on any kind of diet whatsoever.

Sweets are "bad", we should only eat them in moderation, some sweets are worse than others... 

We hear this all the time...maybe that's why I did it?

What would happen if I ate sweets everyday? 

I, personally, prefer to leave room in my daily caloric intake for something sweet. (Although I don't even pay attention to calories). Not to binge but to have an ice cream, or a baked good or some pudding or whatever I want.

I read a lot of blogs about people who make their own sweets or are really conscious about what sweets they eat. I definitely want to start making my own if just to know what I'm putting in my body. I also enjoy stores like Trader Jo's that have all-natural goodies.

In summary: I'm not sure whether to continue on my no sweet quest, schedule in sweets (meaning once or twice a week allotments), or have something small everyday. 

What is the magic answer?

On a side note I got this wine as a going away gift:

Pedro Ximénez: vino dulce de pasas

It's a sweet, after dinner wine, made from raisins.

We already have a lot of luggage so there's no way I can bring it with me. It's my favorite Spanish wine, period. So I have about (counting today) 6 days to drink it. 

Does that count as a sweet?

Fitness Tip: Obsessing about food

Taken from googleimages

 Clearly, this is not a how-to post. When I started losing weight the only thing I didn't do was count calories or go on fad diets. However, I did obsess about food.

We shouldn't be glutons when it comes to eating. But I think counting calories is tiresome and unhelpful. I think it can be useful for people with thyroid problems, diabetes and serious medical problems where diet regulation has to be strict. For the rest of us it's really just about making smarter choices.

I have a sweet tooth. I like to eat sweets. I do endulge myself sometimes. Other times, I make smarter choices. Maybe I'll have 

• Some sauted apples
• Baked peaches 
• Fresh fruit and yogurt. 

I like fried foods. Sometimes I do endulge myself. Other times

• I'll roast some potatoes (or sweet potatoes) with rosemary, garlic and olive oil. 
• Maybe I'll bake some fish with toasted sesame seeds for that crunch you'd get with fried food.

The options are endless. I do try to get my daily requirements of fruits and vegetables any way that I can. I make smarter choices where I can. 

• I drink skim milk
• Eat non fat yogurt
• Drink water or iced green/white/black tea instead of soft drinks
• Eat salads with my meals
• Eat whole grains
• Nuts
• Dark chocolate

Counting calories makes me obsess about food. I don't do it. 

Instead,  

• I eat on smaller plates
• I'll drink two cups of water before eating my main meal
• I'll accompany my meal with broth-based soup and/or a salad.
• I think of ways to make sure I am truly hungry before I endulge. 
• I also eat more often (every 3-4 hours) so that when I am hungry, I'm not starving and eat more than I need to.

Incorporating exercise into my lifestyle has also helped. I am careful not to use it as an excuse to binge. But if I do feel like eating some ice cream I don't obsess because I know I'll burn off those calories.

In short, we are always thinking about food. It is everywhere we look. We have to deal with it. However, I try to curb my obessesion by making smart choices where I can. When I do slip up, I get right back on track the following day.

Yes, we need food to live. We can enjoy it but we don't have to obsess about it.