From black beans to squealing

In my last entry, I mentioned WHFoods.com and how every week, I pick a food item from their list and try to add it to my diet. Last week, I let Sean pick an ingredient for me. He looked at the list and picked black beans because he likes them. Ok, black beans... How can I use black beans without going for the obvious Mexican food? And then it struck me: hummus. Black bean hummus. Oh I could just taste it already; the beans, the soft sweetest of the tahini, the potency of the garlic. Yes, black bean hummus sounded like such a good idea! I quickly Googled it and realized that I was not the first one to think of this brilliant combination. I stumbled upon this recipe and it was love at first sight: the recipe called for cumin. SOLD!

Now, whenever I would buy hummus at the grocery store, I'd also get tzatziki and nacho chips and just have a "dip" kind of a meal. So since I was going to make my own hummus, I might as well make my own tzatziki. I found this nice little video on YouTube by DedeMed. Simple enough!

Now, the chips... I was not going to make nacho chips, especially since I was trying to get away from the Mexican-food idea in the first place. What else could I use to dip into those two delicious mixtures? Toasted pita bread! Could I be adventurous enough to make my own whole-wheat pita bread? According to this recipe, they're simple to make. I guess I can give it a try! I'm not used to baking though, I'll have to be careful with these.

Being a real foodie, I thought about my pita bread, hummus and tzatziki for days. I figured I'd spend my usual food-minded weekend around it. Saturday, I went to the Jean Talon market, the Maisonneuve market and two different grocery stores to pick up the very best ingredients. I went to bed that night with only one thing on my mind... am I being too adventurous? What if I forgot something? What if the pita breads don't puff up?!

Sunday, full of confidence after a life changing weigh in, I put my apron on and got ready to cook.

I started out with the pita since they would take the longest to make, and while the yeast was doing its thing, I worked on the hummus and the tzatziki. I pretty much followed the recipes, with my own Vero-twist of course, like a lot more tahini and lemon juice in my hummus and a ton of fresh mint in my tzatziki. So far, so good. And then it was time to put the pita dough in the oven. I swear, I squealed when I saw the round piece of dough puff up in the oven. I had made pita bread. 

J'étais tellement fière de moi quand j'ai vu mon beau panier, rempli de pain pita au blé entier, de hummus aux fèves noires et de tzatziki. Je suis vraiment une perfectionniste; je réfléchis longtemps avant de faire quelque chose, j'essaies d'anticiper tout ce qui pourrait arriver de "croche", de prévoir toutes les possibilités. Je n'ai pas l'habitude de faire de la patisserie ou de la boulangerie, donc évidemment, j'appréhendais le résultat de mes pitas. Et j'ai réussi mon beau projet. Parfois, il ne suffit que de se faire un petit peu plus confiance qu'à l'habitude et on arrive à faire à peu près tout ce qu'on essaie!

The thrill of eating real food

Changing my eating habits has been much easier than people think it was. I didn’t go “cold-turkey”. I started out by not buying chips and ice cream anymore and making a conscience effort to eat things that just seemed to be “healthier”.  I opted for “diet” food, “low fat” and “reduced sugar” options. And it was working: I was losing weight.

One day, over lunch with my dear friend Denise, I was sipping on my Diet Pepsi, which had been a favourite of mine for years. When I got done with my can, I turned it sideways to read the nutrition facts. Nice, very low in calories! That’s perfect for my diet! And then I looked at the ingredients. Caramel color... aspartame... phosphoric acid... potassium benzoate... What? Why would I want to have that stuff in my body? I put the empty can down, looked at Denise and told her that I was done with Pepsi; I had decided that all those chemicals were not worth the thrill of a sparkling sugary drink.

From that day on, I started paying better attention to the ingredients in the food I was buying. I quickly realized that it was tougher than I thought to eat “clean food”. I ended up loading on fresh produce, because pre-packaged food always seemed to have some sort of ingredient which name I couldn’t even pronounce.

To quote Michael Pollan: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” It might sound like these words only mean that our diet should be mostly vegetarian, but it goes beyond that. We should eat “food”. Over the years, we seem to have forgotten what real food actually is. We go for fast, convenient, pre-packaged food. We do not control what we put in our bodies anymore. We let the food industry decide that we should ingest chemicals, preservatives, thickening agents, colorants. Doesn’t that seem wrong to you guys?

To me, it just doesn’t make sense. Why would I want to eat all that when I can pick my ingredients and make most of my food from scratch? Of course, I still buy some pre-packaged stuff, but I try to have it in very small amounts. Plus, the thrill of researching ingredients online, picking up recipe ideas from books and TV and the web, going to the market and taking the time to walk around to pick the very best fruits and vegetables to prepare outweighs the convenience of pre-packaged.

And you know what? It’s worth it. I feel better, my hair is shinier than before, my skin is glowing and my boyfriend even says that my eyes are brighter! And I’m still losing the weight. But that’s not it; I’ve rediscovered the passion I used to have for cooking. I thought that cooking was not worth the effort when it’s just for you, but I wholly disagree now. I get to make the food just the way I like it and I make it as visually appealing as if I were serving it to guests. After all, am I not worth the effort?

Over my research for better food, I’ve stumbled upon a great website, WHFoods.com. The World’s Healthiest Foods. Pretty obvious name, but it delivers exactly what it’s advertising. You click on a food item and the website gives you a tremendous amount of information on why you should include it to your diet, the nutrition facts, the health benefits and recipe ideas. I make a point to try out one new food from that list every week. It has turned into a little game for me! What kind of delicious meal can I come up with!

Anyway! What I’m trying to say is that real food is simply better for you then fake food is, and it can be fun too. Do yourself a favour; treat yourself like you would treat a guest, and cook yourself a real meal. You will only be thankful you did.

Indian food is my comfort food

When you Wikipedia "comfort food", you get this:

The term "comfort food" refers to simple, familiar food that is usually home-cooked or eaten at informal restaurants. More generally, comfort food can be defined as food that brings some form or measure of comfort, sense of well-being, or easy satisfaction, usually from being warm and filling such as a dish made with a staple food, or basically pleasing such as sweets or desserts. Comfort foods may also involve foods that have a nostalgic element either to an individual or a specific culture.

Of course, my mother's spaghetti sauce  and her "boeuf bourguignon" are also some of my comfort foods, but Indian cuisine really strikes me as simple cuisine that "brings some form or measure of comfort, sense of well-being, or easy satisfaction, usually from being warm and filling".  Sean and I have this little routine when he comes over; we simply have to get Indian food or else his stay here is not complete. Maybe that's why it feels like comfort food! :P

Anyway, as much as I love Butter Chicken (and Sean knows how much I love it), there are other things in Indian cuisine that I love and one of them is Saag Paneer. I made my Saag with kale, a super green vegetable, with a earthy flavor, topped with homemade Paneer, an Indian cheese. I served it with some Quinoa and there it was: a perfect meal with quality carbs,  protein and fat, and quality taste, of course!

To make the Paneer,  feel free to follow the instructions on WikiHow. It's pretty much the way I did it and it was really easy. As for the Saag itself, I simply cooked some onion in a pan, added the kale with salt, pepper and cumin and put the lid on for a few minutes. I like my vegetables al dente so my kale Saag still had a bit of a crunch. Top it with pan-fried Paneer and you're done! Quick and easy comfort food!

La bouffe Indienne est vraiment irrésistible. Elle est savoureuse, simple et nutritive. Le Saag Panir, il fallait y penser. Faire cuire un légume vert en feuilles, généralement des épinards, avec des oignons, du sel, du poivre et du cumin, et le parsemer de cubes de fromage indien, le Panir, ça paraît presque enfantin comme idée mais bon Dieu que c'est bon!

Now that's what I call a good morning!

I've always liked fruits. They are juicy, tasty and sweet; I could have them all the time. But when I was bigger, I pretty much stopped eating them and replaced them with ice cream, chips and chocolate bars. Sad, isn't it? Anyway, when I decided to change the way I eat, fruits were pretty much the first thing that came back into my diet. And my absolute favorite way to have them is for breakfast. On the weekends,  when I have them with some yogurt, cereal and flax seeds.

You can pretty much use any fruit you want in this parfait, and it will always be the most delicious thing you've ever had. Also, I personally use Fiber One cereal to top my parfait because they're tasty and they are packed with fiber. You can have a small portion of this parfait as a side to something like an omelet or you can do what I normally do and just have a really big serving of it.

C'est vraiment une tradition du weekend pour moi; je ne mange pratiquement que ça le matin les samedis et dimanches. Ce matin, j'ai mélangé une banane, une pomme Granny Smith, des fraises, des mûres, des raisins verts, , du yogourt à la framboise, des céréales Fibre 1 et des graines de lin moulues.

The biggest victory ever: I am no longer overweight.

I was 280lbs last May, and I am down to 157.6 as of this morning. That means that my BMI is at 24.7. I'm no longer overweight.

I think I have to say it to myself one more time: Vero, you are no longer overweight.

Wow, what a feeling! All the efforts I've made feel like they are more than worth it today. I wanted to thank you guys for all the support you have given me over these last 11 months and also for not telling me to shut up everytime I would talk about my weight loss :P

Un gros, gros, gros merci particulièrement à ma famille. Papa, maman, Nath et Bé, je vous aime tellement. Merci pour tout!

Also a big thank you to my boyfriend Sean: he liked me when we first met back when I weighed 230lbs and his words of support and motivation made me want to keep going so I could feel even more confident about my body and look sexier for him. I love you :)

As for the video, please check out my YouTube channel if you haven't yet: MyHeadMyHeartMyBelly. And don't forget to comment, rate and subscribe if you liked it :)

I'm a magician: I can make fried rice without using any rice. Woooooo, spoooooky!

Ok, I confess: I'm not really a magician. I'm just a girl who found a great recipe idea on Fatsecret. Tammyme, a Fatsecret user, posted a great Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe. But here's the catch: it's rice-free. The fun part of this meal is that the cauliflower serves as rice, so you get the taste and great texture of fried rice plus the benefits from the cauliflower without all the empty calories from the traditional white rice we would normally use.





Simply use grated cauliflower instead of rice, and then do everything you would normally do to make fried rice! I make mine with an egg, chives and reduced-sodium Kikkoman soy sauce. You can add whatever else you want, like other vegetables or even chicken. But to be completely honest, the best part about this meal is that since the amount of calories in cauliflower is ridiculous compared to what's in white rice, I can indulge in a really big bowl! Don't be scared and give it a try!

Ma mère saurait vous dire à quel point j'aime le riz, probablement autant que ma soeur Nathalie aime les "patates pilées"! Donc évidemment, trouver une idée de recette qui me donnerait l'impression de manger un énorme bol de riz, sans les remords, c'était bien sûr un très grand moment de joie. On n'a qu'à remplacer le riz par du chou-fleur rapé et on prépare comme si on faisait un riz frit traditionnel. On frit le chou-fleur râpé avec un oeuf qu'on brouille et de la sauce soya, et c'est tout! Je viens d'en manger un gros, gros bol et j'ai déjà hâte d'en remanger.

Turning cravings into yumminess!

Yes, I still have cravings. Almost 12 months after starting my weight loss journey and completely changing my lifestyle, I still have almost uncontrollable cravings for some food. But cravings are actually fun now: when I get a craving for something I shouldn't even think about, I try to come up with a super healthy alternative for it. That's what I did tonight. I had a craving for pizza and I'm sure you can understand why! The crispy crust, the melty cheese, the bold flavors. I just had to have it!

My alternative healthy-tasty pizza! The best part about this pizza is that it is completely guilt-free! Whole wheat tortilla instead of that big gooey dough, sun-dried tomatoes that bring a lot of flavor, the garlic, the basil, the cheese... Mmmmmm!

1 whole wheat tortilla

5 sun-dried tomatoes, in pieces

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

140 grams of mozzarella cheese, grated

A couple leaves of basil

1 teaspoon of parmesan

Preheat your oven to 350. Grab your tortilla, rub your minced garlic all over it and spread it all around. Add your pieces of sun-dried tomatoes and cover with the mozzarella cheese. Top your pizza with the basil leaves and the parmesan. Pop in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, keeping an eye on it. Be careful; the pizza being pretty thin, the crust will burn quickly if you leave it in there for too long. When the cheese is melted and golden, take it out and enjoy a tasty, healthy pizza! I personally eat mine with a salad or some roasted veggies.

Belle pizza, hein? Et elle n'est pas que belle. Elle est bonne! J'adore transformer mes envies de malbouffe en repas nutritifs avec de vrais ingrédients. C'est toujours un véritable défi. Comme j'avais vraiment envie de pizza aujourd'hui, je me suis amusé à faire une pizza pour laquelle je n'aurais aucun remord. Le problème avec les pizzas, c'est souvent la grosse croute bien moelleuse. Le problème est vite éliminé quand on la remplace par une tortilla de blé entier, qui en plus d'être nutritive, devient rapidement craquante au four. On garnit la tortilla de vrais ingrédients, comme des tomates séchées, de la mozarrella, du parmesan et des feuilles de basilic, et le tour est joué!

My very-berry smoothie

A couple weeks ago, I was looking for a way to have some protein for breakfast without having cheese or meat. I quickly thought about making a smoothie with vanilla soy milk, add a couple berries and some flax seeds. And come on... isn't this pretty?

Here it is, my Very-Berry Smoothie!

1 cup of vanilla soy milk
75 grams of strawberries
50 grams of blackberries
1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal

Mix everything with a hand blender and tadaaa! You've got yourself a delicious treat for breakfast or for a snack.

If you want to sweeten your smoothie, you can use sugar, but I prefer using Stevia, a natural sweetener.

J'adore le p'tit déj. Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais c'est toujours un vrai délice, peut-être parce que c'est le matin que les fruits m'attirent le plus et avec toutes les jolies couleurs, ça ne peut qu'être appétissant. J'adore mettre des baies dans mes smoothies. On mélange les fruits avec du lait de soya à la vanille pour ses protéines, on ajoute des graines de lin moulues pour les fibres et hop, un vrai délice!

Here it is!

Welcome to my blog, where you will be able to read more about my weight loss journey, the food that got me where I am today and the exercises I do.

I will describe my evolution. To make it quick, back in May 2009, I was a 280lbs World of Warcraft addict and I am now a 161.6lbs fitter nutrition-passioned girl. Almost a year went by and I don't want to go back to the way I was before.

I also plan on posting pictures of the food that I prepare for myself and my loved ones along with the recipe for what I make. Nutritious food doesn't have to be boring; in fact, it's colorful, tasty and fun to eat. You certainly don't have to give up on taste to eat better. Stay tuned if you are interested in nutrition and what to eat to feel good about yourself!

Mon blogue sera principalement en anglais, mais je compte traduire certaines des informations que j'y posterai en français.