Sauteed Garlic Asparagus

I had a request to share recipes so I guess this is my first one. I am pretty obsessed with food and cooking lately so this is probably a good match for this blog, esp since I need to pay attention to it more. Anyway, that being said, this won't help you gain weight, but this is nice and healthy and vegan! if you are into that sort of thing.. like me. =)

Original recipe is here:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sauteed-Garlic-Asparagus/Detail.aspx

I joined allrecipes.com and I really like it even though I wish it was more vegetarian/vegan based, but there's still good stuff on there and of course ways to alter the recipes to work for me. For example, this recipe calls for butter, but olive oil can easily be substituted to make it vegan (and healthier) and that was actually suggested by many non-vegans on the site anyway so yay. =)

There were tons of comments on how to make this recipe better and lots of good ideas on how to personalize it so I kinda took the ideas I liked best and made my own vegan versian. I tried it last night and yum! It was really good! I've never made asparagus until yesterday so I feel good about that. I think I can really say that I can cook, finally. I feel confident these days and feel like I know what I'm doing, and I cook often now cuz it's really enjoyable and satisfying. =)

So here is my vegan versian of ~*~SAUTEED GARLIC ASPARAGUS~*~



THE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 bunch fresh asparagus (bend to find where they break naturally, use only the ends with the spears)
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 shallot, chopped
* 1/2 cup baby portabella mushrooms
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* 1/2 tsp black pepper
* 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
* 2 tsp balsamic vinegar


DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the garlic, shallot, mushrooms and asparagus spears; cover and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until asparagus is tender and bright green. (if it starts to brown you risk overcooking)

3. Add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar and serve!

Week 19, Day 6

Well, I'm getting pretty good at drinking olive oil.. ha I can't think of a better way to get monounsaturated fat. I just pour a little in a spoon.. sip it in my mouth.. swallow... repeat. At first I was grossed out and almost gagged and now I'm kinda liking how it tastes. I'm going to keep doing more. I'm tempted to do like 1,000 calories at once of just olive oil! I don't know if that would be healthy, probably.. but I'm just so curious if anything would happen I guess?



I haven't been focusing on gaining too much lately, but I have been focusing on this shift in my diet to lower carbs and higher monounsaturated fats.. and the carbs I am eating are better carbs too... like I'm cutting down candy and pop big time, but still eating some whole grain pasta, whole grain rice, and wheat bread. Drinking more soymilk too and drinking olive oil daily.. ha

I started this switch a week ago tomorrow. I'm hoping that after a couple months there might be some change in my fat distribution. I know other factors are way stronger but it should be interesting to see if it really has an effect. =)

Have a good night!

Week 19, Day 3: 168! thank you olive oil

Well, I've been doing really good with upping my monounsaturated fats and lowering my carbs. Some people have requested to know what I eat in a day so I'll do yesterday for ya. =)

Morning:
1 glazed donut
1 choc chip cookie
1 glass of soymilk

Lunch:
1 Salad w/mediterranean dressing (lots of olive oil)
1 peanut butter sandwich
1 tall glass of soymilk
2 servings of Italian bread dipped in olive oil (w/spices)
1 hot green tea (no sugar or cream)

Dinner:
1 spicy black bean burger w/cheese, mustard and jalepenos
1 glass of soymilk
2 servings of Italian bread dipped in olive oil (w/spices)
1/2 serving of skittles

**I also drank some straight peanut oil.. about 240 calories worth

I know, it doesn't seem like I ate that much. That's what I thought too. And I took a big nap in the middle of the day so I really only ate 2 meals. But I was a pound heavier this morning! My heaviest yet! I think its because the oil is sooo heavy in calories I actually ate more calories than usual, but it just doesn't seem like it.

So here's an update on my weight gain...

My Weight Gain
Day 1: 137 lbs *start*
Day 2: 138 lbs
Day 6: 139 lbs (1 week)
Day 9: 140 lbs
Day 10: 142 lbs

Day 15: 144 lbs (2 weeks)
Day 22: 145 lbs (3 weeks)
Day 29: 148 lbs (4 weeks)
Day 36: 151 lbs (5 weeks)
Day 45: 152 lbs (6 weeks)

Day 48: 155 lbs
Day 63: 156 lbs (9 weeks)
Day 68: 157 lbs *1st goal reached!
Day 69: 158 lbs (10 weeks)
Day 77: 159 lbs (11 weeks)

Day 87: 160 lbs (12 weeks)
Day 90: 161 lbs
Day 91: 163 lbs (13 weeks)
Day 101: 164 lbs (14 weeks)
Day 107: 166 lbs (15 weeks)

Day 125: 167 lbs (17 weeks)
Day 129: 168 lbs (18 weeks)

I also did my measurements yesterday so I'll share those soon and do some more pics probably to see what new changes there are. I think I'm also going to do an update on all the changes I've noticed from my gain so far cuz there's a lot by now! Oh, and maybe an entry on how different people have reacted to my gain.

Week 18, Day 5: new high weight- 167 lbs

Well, I'm officially 30 lbs heavier. Dang that took a long time! My body's been fighting me lately I swear. It's been really hard to gain or even eat a lot, but I'm not the type to give up so I'm still chuggin. =)

Reached a new high of 167 lbs. Just 3 lbs away from 170. whoa

That's also another month of gaining. I started August 1st. I guess that's 4 months so far, 30 lbs. That's a pretty good rate right? I don't want to go super fast or anything.

My Weight Gain
Day 1: 137 lbs *start*
Day 2: 138 lbs
Day 6: 139 lbs (1 week)
Day 9: 140 lbs
Day 10: 142 lbs

Day 15: 144 lbs (2 weeks)
Day 22: 145 lbs (3 weeks)
Day 29: 148 lbs (4 weeks)
Day 36: 151 lbs (5 weeks)
Day 45: 152 lbs (6 weeks)

Day 48: 155 lbs
Day 63: 156 lbs (9 weeks)
Day 68: 157 lbs *1st goal reached!
Day 69: 158 lbs (10 weeks)
Day 77: 159 lbs (11 weeks)

Day 87: 160 lbs (12 weeks)
Day 90: 161 lbs
Day 91: 163 lbs (13 weeks)
Day 101: 164 lbs (14 weeks)
Day 107: 166 lbs (15 weeks)

Day 125: 167 lbs (17 weeks)

And yummm.. totally ate at an Indian buffet for lunch. My boss bought cuz I've been doing good lately. =)



Oh, and I did my measurements by the way, but then was back down to 165 the next day so I'm going to wait until I'm 167 or higher 3 days in a row like normal, and redo them. I could tell too. They weren't as significant as usual sooo stay tuned. Those will be coming out soon.

Week 13: Hit 160 today.. thank you cheesecake =)

I hit 160 this morning! Which I think is an accomplishment since I started at 137. 5 more lbs and I'll be officially overweight and past my girlfriends BMI! Wow.

I know its the cheesecake I bought that put me over the edge. I found this guy who makes cheesecakes out of his house in Slavic Village, Cleveland.. my fav neighborhood! So I went to his house and bought a half for $15. OMG SO GOOD... and my gf ate a lot of it too!



So I ate a piece before bed the last few nights and I'm up to 160 now. Hope it sticks.

My Weight
Day 1: 137 lbs *start*
Day 2: 138 lbs
Day 6: 139 lbs (1 week)
Day 9: 140 lbs
Day 10: 142 lbs

Day 15: 144 lbs (2 weeks)
Day 22: 145 lbs (3 weeks)
Day 29: 148 lbs (4 weeks)
Day 36: 151 lbs (5 weeks)
Day 45: 152 lbs (6 weeks)

Day 48: 155 lbs
Day 63: 156 lbs (9 weeks)
Day 68: 157 lbs *1st goal reached!
Day 69: 158 lbs (10 weeks)
Day 77: 159 lbs (11 weeks)

Day 87: 160 lbs (12 weeks)

Week 6, Day 2: 14 lbs up!

Wow, I ate a lot yesterday. I started off with girlscout cookies and coffee. Then I got a pizza and ate 4 pieces and 2 breadsticks with sauce. Then I had a couple resee peanut butter cups, then a bunch of candy and about 3 pops before dinner! Then at dinner I had a smoothie, a pita pocket filled with seitan and peppers, and some fries with vinegar. I was still hungry when I got home so I had oreos with soymilk and more candy. Then right before bed I had 3 more pieces of pizza, pop and more candy.

And the result?

Well, I was 147 yesterday morning and 151 this morning! I'm sure not all of that will stay, but that's a pretty nice spike yeah? =)

My Gaining
Day 1: 137 lbs *start*
Day 2: 138 lbs
Day 6: 139 lbs (1 week)
Day 9: 140 lbs
Day 10: 142 lbs
Day 15: 144 lbs (2 weeks)
Day 22: 145 lbs (3 weeks)
Day 29: 148 lbs (4 weeks)
Day 36: 151 lbs (5 weeks)

Another cool thing was that my girlfriend ate just the same as me. I was trying hard to eat as much as I could and she kept up right up with me..heh She had to have gained too. I mean, that was CRAZY A LOT for both of us. I wouldn't have even had the resee cups, but she suggested them. One or two she asked me. =) How awesome is that?

And normally after a spike I get scared off and take it easy the next day, but just let me say, I have no intention of slowing down today. =) I love how my belly is looking.

Day 24: Gotta Keep Going

I was 145 lbs this morning.

The calorie counting went well the first 2 days but I had a tough time yesterday and failed miserably. I ate about what I would normally eat.

My goal is 3,000 per day.

Stacy's Calorie Counting (and weight that morning)
Aug 19th Tue = 3,320 calories (143 lbs)
Aug 20th Wed = 3,115 calories (145 lbs)
Aug 21st Thu = 1,850 calories (146 lbs)
Aug 22nd Fri = 3,840 calories (145 lbs)
Aug 23rd Sat = 3,130 calories (145 lbs)
Aug 24th Sun = 2,380 calories (145 lbs)
Aug 25th Mon = 2,840 calories (145 lbs)

I'm going to continue my calorie counting here daily and then just add to the list for a few days instead of reposting.

August 22nd Friday, Calorie Counting
(Note: decided to eat just vegetarian today)
Morning
Coffee = 50 calories
Kit Kat Bar = 220 calories

Lunch
Coke = 140 calories
3 slices of cheese pizza = 600 calories
3 crazy breads w/sauce = 300 calories

After Lunch
Coke(x2) = 280 calories
Sour Patch Kids (37 pieces) = 340 calories

Dinner at Carrabbas
Pasta & Marinara (1 cup) = 220 calories
Salad w/Italian Dressing = 250 calories
Bread = 360 calories
Olive Oil = 480 calories
Sm espresso Dessert thing = 100 calories

Before bed
Pop = 140 calories
Nerds = 50 calories
Oreos (x3) and soymilk = 260 calories

Total = 3,840 calories
Goal = 3,000 calories

August 23rd Saturday, Calorie Counting
(Note: decided to eat just vegetarian today)
Morning
Pizza (2 pieces) = 400 calories
1 glass of soymilk = 100 calories

Lunchtime
Coke = 140 calories
Nerds = 100 calories
Pasta = 250 calories
Bread = 150 calories

At the Festival
2 potato pancakes w/sour cream = 400 calories
7 pierogies = 420 calories
1 Italian ice = 60 calories
1 iced vanilla latte = 100 calories

Before Bed
2 cups of soymilk = 150 calories
2 pieces of bread = 260 calories
2 tb of olive oil = 240 calories
3 packs of nerds = 150 calories
raspberries w/sugar = 310 calories

Total = 3,130 calories

August 22nd Friday, Calorie Counting
Lunch
Vegan Meatball Sub = 300 calories
Coke (x2)= 280 calories
Garden Salad = 150 calories
Airheads (x4) = 180 calories

Dinner
Vegan Meatball Sub other half = 300 calories
soymilk = 100 calories
4 oreos = 340 calories

Before Bed
Soymilk = 30 calories
Coke = 140 calories
Salad w/dressing = 200 calories
3 Oreos = 260 calories

Total So far: 2,380 calories

August 25th, Monday Calorie Counting
Morning
Soy Vanilla Latte = 200 calories
Kit Kats = 265 calories

Lunch
Coke = 140 calories
3 pitas w/hot sauce = 450 calories
falafel wrap w/tahini = 300 calories

Snack
Sweet Tarts = 150 calories
Potato Chips = 375 calories
Coke = 140 calories

Dinner
Spinach Wrap = 250 calories
Chips and Salsa = 330 calories
1/2 Smoothie = 100 calories
3 Airheads = 140 calories

So far today: 2,840 calories

Peanut Sauce aka Calorie Sauce =)

So I made some thai peanut sauce tonight for my sweetie's birthday (she LOVES peanut butter) and I served it with veggies, tofu and rice. This sauce is about 80 calories per tablespoon. Yikes!

No wonder we got full so quickly.

mmmm


Yummy?


Who said vegan food couldn't be spectacular?

I've eaten over 3,000 calories both yesterday and today and I'm going to again tomorrow. We should see some gaining here shortly I imagine. =) It can't take long at this pace.

Calorie Counting

Thought I'd try counting my calories a little and see if that gives me an idea of how much I need to eat. I should be eating 1,900 calories per day to maintain my weight, and 500 calories more per day is supposed to result in about a pound gain per week. So to gain 2 lbs a week theoretically I should eat about 2,900 calories per day.

Yikes. That might not be easy for me.

I used this Calories Per Day Calculator to figure some of that out.

August 18th Tuesday, Calorie Counting
Morning
Coffee w/soy creamer & sugar (1 cup) - 50 calories

Snack
Cashews - (1 serving) - 150 calories

Lunch
6" Subway veggie sub no cheese - 230 calories
1 Coke - 140 calories
1 serving of chips - 150 calories
6 oreos & soymilk - 420 calories

Snack
1 Pepsi- 150 calories

Dinner
Chana Masala 2 servings = 500 calories
Jasmine Rice 1.5 cups = 300 calories
Garlic Naan 3/4 a piece = 150 calories
Coke = 140 calories

Snack
Pez (6 rolls) = 210 calories
Coke = 140 calories

Late Snacks
Soymilk (1 cup) = 100 calories
4 more oreos = 210 calories
1 roll = 140 calories
2 tb olive oil = 240 calories

Total: 3,320
Goal: 3,000

Day 21: No progress, but making a new plan

I was 143 lbs this morning. I haven't made any real progress lately.

And like I said in my last entry, I've felt the need to reconnect with my values, mainly veganism, and I think if I stick to that, I'll be way better off.

So in that mindset last night, I picked up my book BECOMING VEGAN which I'm about 80% through and the next chapter just happened to be called "underweight". And strangely enough, it turned out to be an entire chapter on how to gain weight with a vegan diet!



So I learned some things from that chapter and I have some new ideas.

1.) They said 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil is a good idea. I think i'll pour some in a dish, and eat it with bread before bed every night.
2.) They said avocado is another good idea. I think I'm going to buy them more often and call my friend Kris because she served avocado with lemon juice or something once, and it was amazing.
3.) Protein shakes. This is the main way I plan to increase my intake. Apparently I can get a soy protein mix. Whey protein is derived from dairy so that's a no no... but soy protein is just as good if not better. I can drink it with soy milk daily and that should make a nice difference. =)

According to the book, 500 extra calories a day results in a pound a week... and my goal is 5 lbs in 2 weeks. Sooo I should aim for about 1200 extra calories a day. I'll keep eating big meals, snacking on nuts at work, and do those other things above and I should be able to successfully gain and eat vegan and healthy at the same time. =)

Yah, cuz I'm done sneaking double cheeseburgers. I STILL felt sick last night. Screw that...

Day 20: A confession

I'm actually embarrassed to admit this honestly, but I've been saying I'm vegan since about mid-April when I changed my diet and started avoiding almost all dairy products as well as meat. I had already been vegetarian for almost a year and was a decision I did not take lightly.

I'm going to get into why I decided to go vegan(ish) right now, but I will say when I decided to start gaining weight, I also decided I would secretly indulge in fast food, which I've worked so hard to get away from over the past year and a half. So I found myself secretly pulling into drive-thrus and getting cheap double cheeseburgers between meals cuz I figured, it would help me gain. Well, I think that's true! But there's been 2 problems with it.

#1 is that I do feel guilty and horrible about it now. I pride myself on my dietary choices and I have compromised them many times over the last 2 weeks. I feel like a hypocrite, and while I've never been one for strict labels (I've always eaten meat once or twice a month anyway, I'll talk about that decision later though), I feel like I really have abandoned some of my core beliefs and values and I'm not sure it's worth it. I even sent in this Post Secret card about it.



#2 is that it has made my physically ill. One day I ate 2 double cheeseburgers and I felt sick the rest of the night. All I could do was lay down. And yesterday I snuck one again and almost got to the point of nausea. Then this morning, I thought I might throw up so my point is.. that this isn't working anyway. My body is not happy with me. A lot of the vibrancy I felt from eating a healthy vegan diet is disappearing and is being replaced with that too familiar sluggishness I used to feel in years past. Is this really what I want?

So I guess the secret's out.

At this point I want to get back to eating vegan, or at least vegetarian. I've always said I would be content to eat 90% vegan and the rest vegetarian. I think its time for me to reinforce that goal of mine. I know I'll definately feel a lot better.. and yes, I know its more challenging to gain weight on a vegan diet, but it's totally doable. I'll find a way if I want to make it happen.

And by the way, I weighed 144 this morning. I haven't weighed above that since I've started so maybe tomorrow. I haven't eaten a whole lot today though on account that I've felt sick from eating crap fast food! ugh Enough is enough.

Thai Food Rocks My World

mmm another one of my fav foods is Thai food. I usually save half my dish for home, but I made sure to eat the whole thing last night. I was only 142 this morning. I'm really gonna have to try harder to get my next 5 lbs, but don't worry, I'm working on it! And I'm persistant! ha

Anyway, I also like to take photos of interesting city neighborhoods and places as a hobbie so I thought I would share a couple photos from last night. =)

And yum, I had the vegetarian basil with tofu and it was ~*~AMAZING~*~.







I'm so glad I live near this place. We actually have 3 thai restaurants all within a mile of where we live. Yummy yumsters!

Day 13: Guacamole

I guess Friday was a weird fluctuation but I'm definitely gaining. I was back up to 141 this morning. Soo that's 4 lbs in 13 days. That's a healthier rate anyway really.

7/30 Wed - 137 lbs *starting weight*
7/31 Thu - 138 lbs
8/01 Fri - 137 lbs
8/02 Sat - 138 lbs
8/03 Sun - 137 lbs
8/04 Mon - 139 lbs
8/05 Tue - 139 lbs
8/06 Wed - 139 lbs
8/07 Thu - 140 lbs
8/08 Fri - 142 lbs
8/09 Sat - 139 lbs
8/10 Sun - 140 lbs
8/11 Mon - 141 lbs *today*

As part of trying to gain and eat fatty (but healthy and vegan!) stuff I stopped at a local farmers market on Friday and made guacamole with my sweetie. It's sooo simple to make. All you really need is 2 avacodos, 1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 jalepeno (optional), lime juice, cilantro (optional) and a little salt. Mix it all together and yum! You have a nice healthy but fatty snack. Guacamole has the GOOD kind of fat, which makes it very appealing to me. =)



The other fatty snack I ate like crazy this weekend was fresh ciabatta bread with a mixture of olive oil, oregano, black pepper and garlic powder. mmmmmmmm so good! I practically at the whole loaf. And olive oil is very fatty, and again, vegan and pretty healthy.



Notice a trend? =)

Day 7: Lots of Eating and Waiting... =)

Well, tomorrow will be a week since I started actually trying to gain some weight. My original weight a week ago was 137 and yesterday and this morning I was 139. I weigh myself first thing in the morning to eliminate any pound or two variance you get throughout the day. So I think I gained 2 pounds and I'm hoping for 3 tomorrow morning. =)

So what have I done to gain weight?
Well, I subscribe to the idea that if you want to gain weight, eat more calories. I really believe it's just that simple. I had been eating a little more than usual here and there but yesterday I really kicked it in gear, as well as today.

I swear yesterday I probably ate about 3,000 to 3,500 calories. I normally eat something like 1,500 to 1,800 I imagine so that was quite a bit more. So I'll give a list of some examples of things I'm doing to hopefully gain some serious poundage. =)

1.) Eating something first thing. I normally skip breakfast, or just have coffee. Yesterday I ate tofurkey jerky first thing. Today, I drank a tall glass of soymilk.
2.) Eating a bigger lunch. I ate a double portion lunch yesterday and about the same today.
3.) Drinking pop and soymilk instead of water. I actually do drink water with my meals sometimes, as well as koolaid, but not lately! Pop and soymilk are both about 150 calories every time I drink them soooo I'm drinking them. =)
4.) Eating snacks. I had an hour drive to meet a friend for dinner last night. I stopped at a store on the way and ate a medium bag of chips, a handful of cashews, peanut butter cups, and had another pop. Then I still ate my full dinner! I'm also eating more candy because well, I love it. yum
5.) Drinking more lattes. I love lattes and I've traditionally tried not to have too many because they can be 450 calories. Well, bring it on now. =)
6.) Eating before bed. I'll be honest say this is pretty normal for me, but I'm not holding back whatsoever now. I'm stuffing myself before bed.
7.) Adding high calorie condiments. I have 3 very fatty high calorie condiments I'm putting on my meals every chance I get now. Soy butter is 100% fat..lol I'm loading up on that. Olive oil is very fatty. I poured about 2 tablespoons is some soup I just had. And Vegannaise is also really fatty. I'm loading that up on my veggie burgers.

And yes, I'm sorta vegan. Actually, I'm not vegan by the strict definition, and I want to write about that and explain what I'm doing with that and why, but that can be saved for another entry.

I really hope I have another pound on me tomorrow morning. Keep your fingers crossed. =) I can't wait to get to the first gain of 5 lbs. I'll take some more pictures and my measurements and see if there are any changes and probably continue to do that every 5 lbs. =)

Thanks so much if you are reading this and thanks even more if you comment! =)