40oz to Freedom

I just want to open this post by saying that I feel great (excepting yesterday as I was rather hung over). I've lost ten pounds this month, and I have more energy than any time in recent memory. I still have some work to do (cutting out soda and cutting down on carbohydrates), but this is a process. I feel that my eventual product (a new, healthier me) will certainly be worth the effort.

I hoped to post sooner, but this was a rather eventful and exciting week. On Tuesday, we picked up our first share of organic produce (pictured above) from Three Rivers Community Farm in Elsah. We received broccoli, kale (two varieties), salad greens, spinach, romaine (two varieties), turnips, radishes, garlic scapes, and strawberries. The strawberries didn't even last through the evening (they were amazing!), but we've been making delicious meals with the rest throughout the week.

On Wednesday, we went to the Schlafly Farmers' Market at the Bottleworks in Maplewood. Beforehand, we had some tasty vegan treats and Goshen Coffee from Foundation Grounds. If you've never been, you're missing out. At the market, Tara got a couple of certified organic tomato plants (potted today), and we picked up some organic raspberries and asparagus (all from Biver Farms in Edwardsville). We followed all of this up with a vegan pizza at Bottleworks, and our visit was timely enough for me to bring home a growler of their impressive American IPA. Thankfully, the brewers at Schlafly stuck to the recipe used in last year's July 5 batch, and they can now boast one of the best IPAs in the country. It's very well balanced with a kind of sweet, buscuity malt and a nose full of citrus and pine resin. Needless to say, the growler didn't last long in my fridge.

While I don't want to inundate this blog with recipes, I do want to share some of my meals just to demonstrate how healthy, delicious, and easy vegan meals can be. You can saute or grill vegetables or toss a salad in the time it takes to run and get some take-out; however, you just have to have fresh produce in the house and be willing to do some dishes. If you want more details about any of these meals, get at me. But here's just a few highlights from the meals we made this week using our CSA share and market purchases with some ancillary items from local grocers:

• Quinoa topped with cooked spinach, asparagus, and garlic scapes. We had kale chips on the side, and even the kids were asking for seconds on both.
• Marinated tofu and sauteed turnips. The turnips stole the show here as I realized that I'm really not that into tofu (at least how we prepared it). It's a texture thing. I'll stick with tempeh for soy-based protein in the future, methinks.
• Steel cut oatmeal with fresh raspberries. I've also eaten quite a bit (perhaps too much) toasted oat cereal with soy milk and fresh fruit.
• Soy-rizo and bean tacos with fresh avacado, tomato, spinach, and roasted corn salsa. Thankfully I can get my chorizo fix without all of the cholesterol and shame built in.
• Way too many pretzels with hummus. Seriously, it's a problem.
• The Zach sandwich. While my namesake sandwich used to be only meat and cheese (and lots of both), it now consists of a baguette with hummus on one side and olive tapenade on the other. In the middle are sliced cucumbers, roasted bell peppers, and greens. Make one on your next visit to 222 Artisan Bakery.
• Multiple salads topped with balsamic vinaigrette that look like the one pictured below.

Tara has been immensely supportive throughout this change, and I don't think I could have done it without her. She has prepared vegan dinners for the whole family every night that I've been home, and she has even cooked them for only me and left them in the fridge when I've been working late. She is extremely conscious of what she eats around me, even though I have told her numerous times that she need not worry. In the words of Bradley Nowell, "I know that ohhh, I'm not going back. God knows I'm not going back."