My head, my heart, my belly

My weight loss tip

2010-08-23T21:28:00.002-04:00

Easy breakfast: perfect for weight loss!

2010-08-22T17:12:00.000-04:00

More cabbage a.k.a I wanna test my new HD cam!

2010-08-18T20:14:00.000-04:00

Vegan Quesadillas, Tofuguru Style

2010-08-09T22:37:00.002-04:00

Today is Animal Freedom Day.

2010-07-24T12:06:00.001-04:00

Use your voice to speak for those who don't have one. Be veggie for one day.

Links to life changing websites:

Animal Freedom Day
Earthlings, the movie (Warning: graphic)
Meat.org, the Web Site the Meat Industry Doesn't Want You to See
VeggieBoards
Vegan.com
The Vegan Society
Caring Consumer, a Guide to Kind Living
Compassionate Cooks
Veg for life
FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Sometimes, you just need something decadent.

2010-07-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

And this week, I sure feel the need for it.

Without getting into details, I felt the need to relax and treat myself to something very decadent. I got out my newest vegan cookbook, The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, by Joanne Stepaniak and whipped up something good. Give this book a try, it is absolutely amazing. Meanwhile, enjoy this Peanut Butter Fudge Pie on a Raw Nut Crust.

Raw Nut Crust (modified a bit from the book)

1 cup walnuts
1 cup cashews
1/2 teaspoon group cinnamon
3/4 chopped pitted dates

Grind nuts and spices in a food processor. Add dates and process several minutes until well combined. Stop to scrape down the sides of the work bowl as needed. Mixture is ready when it holds together when pressed between your fingers. Press firmly into the bottom and sides of a lightly oiled 9- or 10-inch pie plate (using water-moistened hands will help keep the crust from sticking to your fingers).

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie

1 1/3 cups water
2 teaspoons agar powder
3/4 cup mashed firm silken tofu
1 1/4 cups maple syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine water and agar powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until completely dissolved (it took about 5 minutes), stirring often. Pour into a blender or a food processor along with remaining ingredients. Process several minutes until completely smooth. Pour into prepared pie crust. Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving (best served thoroughly chilled).

Start with Miso and end with Awesome

2010-06-13T13:57:00.000-04:00

I had bought Miso to make my Mac'n'Cheese and I was trying to find a fun way to use whatever was left in a recipe. I also had some dried wakame in my pantry, so I thought "Waiiiiiit a minute here... I think this might be miso soup time!!!" And it was.

Kris loves mac'n'cheese.

2010-06-13T13:50:00.000-04:00

When I asked Kris what some of his pre-vegan favorite foods were, he said something about how he would eat whole boxes of Kraft Dinner. I was not gonna make a regular mac'n'cheese for dinner though, for obvious reasons, so I got my beloved The Vegan Table cookbook out, and got cooking!

Now, I'm not gonna tell you Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's secrets for making this deliciously creamy mac'n'cheese, but I'm just gonna say that you would need cashews and nutritional yeast. Get The Vegan Table, it's totally worth it.

More sandwiches and more fries!

2010-06-13T13:42:00.001-04:00

Who would wanna eat a tuna salad sandwich after tasting this?

2010-06-06T17:45:00.001-04:00

Seriously, Colleen Patrick Goudreau is like... a Jedi Master of Vegan cooking. (Wow Vero, you're so cool...!)

Follow the Better Than Tuna Salad recipe, put it in a tasty bun with sprouts and fake blue cheese, and serve it with sweet potato fries, and you'll get this:

Même ma très omnivore de soeur Isabelle approuve!

Aux Vivres inspired me

2010-05-31T18:06:00.000-04:00

So Friday night was the Aux Vivres night. And Saturday, I wanted to cook. Fully inspired by Aux Vivres, I got cooking!

The Vegelox we had the previous evening was just so crazy good that I had to figure out a way to make my version of it. I did some research online and although I was missing a really important ingredient (seaweed), I tried to make this vegan-version of smoked salmon. I mixed carrot pulp with capers, olive oil, green onions, salt and pepper. It wasn't as crazy as the one we had on Friday but it was more than just edible :P. I didn't stop there: I wanted to try making a cheese-like dip, something with herbs. I took out the tiny little food processor I have and mixed tofu with chives, olive oil, salt and pepper. It turned into what you can see on the right in the picture. It was really tasty! I could totally imagine this spread in a sandwich or something.

And for my main course, with the peanut sauce that was in my meal at Aux Vivres, I wanted to do something that used peanut butter.

How about a spicy peanut butter marinade? Sounded promising! I mixed peanut butter with soy sauce, garlic, chili pepper flakes, a bit of olive oil and water. I marinated thick slices of tofu in it for a couple hours. Before cooking, I breaded my tofu in unsweetened coconut and sesame seeds. In the pan for a couple minutes on each side and BAM! Really flavorful tofu, with Thai aromas. I served it with whole wheat spaghetti with carrots, spinach and edamame, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Mmmmm!

Aux Vivres: Montreal's first vegan restaurant

2010-05-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

I love HappyCow.net and its recommendations for vegetarians and vegans. That's where I read about Aux Vivres. Located on the Plateau, it's a really cute plate with a fully vegan menu. Kris and I gave it a try last Friday.

What we had:

Drinks: a cocoa-based smoothie, and the other one was made with berries.

Starters: We went for the selection of cold starters. Cream cheese-like dip, vegelox (absolutely amazing), hummus, vegepate, tapenade, pickles and really good bread.

My main dish: the Thai bowl, with tempeh. It came with peanut sauce, vegetables and rice. Mmmmm peanut sauce...

Kris' main dish: the Indian dinner; rice, a chick pea curry, chutney and a salad.

For dessert, we shared a fake-cheesecake that was surprisingly creamy and moist.

We asked for a table outside; they have a cute patio in the back of the restaurant. Aux Vivres seems like a good place to have a casual meal with friends, or on a double-date. I would definitely love to go back.

Best. Burger. Ever.

2010-05-30T13:28:00.001-04:00

The title says it all.

Kris and I went to the Jean-Talon market last Thursday to get inspired for our dinner. I was buying my usual tempeh and nuts and goodies. I also bought Blue Style Sheese, a 100% dairy free alternative to blue cheese. We ran into BBQ Tempeh Burgers and we had to give them a try, and Oh, My, God. Those turned out to be the best burgers we had ever had.

Imagine a really good quality bun with nigella in it (mmmm), the BBQ tempeh patty, the blue sheese, tofu-bacon (tofu marinated in soy sauce, liquid smoke and maple syrup), nayonnaise, tomato, spinach, and sprouts. It was... I don't know how else to describe it but to say that it was out of this world. We had it with a store-bought canned mixed bean salad that was really good.

If our dinner at Crudessence was described as a foodgasm, this had to be another one.

Vegan Dinner for Two

2010-05-30T13:20:00.001-04:00

Before I talk about the food, I gotta tell you guys about Colleen Patrick Goudreau. Founder of CompassionateCooks.com, I think it is pretty safe to say that she is the reason why I am vegan. She opened up my eyes (and my heart) to the reality of the animal industry. She is very articulate, very smart and never uses a condescending tone when she talks. I beg you to check out her Podcasts, Vegetarian Food for Thought. After listening to all of her podcasts in a matter of days, I knew I was ready to follow my heart and make the switch. She also used to be a cooking instructor, and one of her videos on YouTube demonstrated her Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe. I knew I had to give it a try; it looked so simple and delicious!

Anyway, so... A lot has happened to me in the past week. Without really getting into details, I have a new guy in my life, and I'm glad to say that he's vegan too, so it was with a lot of pleasure that I prepared us a really, really gorgeous vegan dinner!

The stuffed squash came out beautifully. I changed the recipe from the video a tiny little bit, using a butternut squash instead of an acorn squash, and changing the spices and herbs as well. But believe me guys when I tell you that it was simply incredible, and so so so easy to make. Plus, it makes a very elegant meal. I served mine with a mixed green salad topped with soy nuts and squash seeds.

And now, the dessert. Isn't this sexy? It's a raw vegan brownies, topped with coconut, served in a mango-peach soy dessert you get from grocery stores and blueberries. The raw vegan brownies are crazy simple to make:

In a food process, mix 1 cup of dates, 1 cup of walnuts, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and a table spoon of coconut oil. Mix really well and press into a pan. Let it cool in the fridge before serving. Top it (or not!) with coconut. DONE!

J'avais amené des brownies crus végétaliens chez mes parents le weekend dernier, et ma mère les a particulièrement aimé. Je pense l'avoir rarement vu aimé autant un petit plaisir sucré. Et ils sont tellement simples à faire!

A newly vegan girl back in her hometown

2010-05-30T12:56:00.002-04:00

I spent last weekend over at my parents' house in Loretteville, a beautiful suburb of Quebec City. As a newly vegan though, I was a bit nervous about going back home and having to deal with questions and concerns about my new way of life.

Everything went really well! My mother showed some sincere interest into what I had to say about veganism. My dad took me to the grocery store so that I could buy food I would want to eat, and I had brought a huge bag full of vegan basics like nutritional yeast and dates and nuts.

I was lucky enough to be there for a really warm and sunny weekend; I got to use the pool and go on bike rides. It felt good to be alive! I also made this little video to show you guys what it's like to live with my new body.

And nooowwww, the noms!

I made this delicious iced chocolate and coffee drink. I simply blended cold coffee, vanilla soy milk and cocoa powder into this smooth, sweet and decadent treat!

The best meal I had over the weekend was definitely my tofu skewers. I marinated the tofu in orange juice, tahini, soy sauce, chili pepper flakes and garlic. I had the tofu with cumin vegan sausages, bell peppers, eggplant, butternut squash and onions.

Mes soeurs se sont bien amusés à mettre leur grain de sel dans mes vidéos ;) Mais à voir leur réaction devant mon hummus de fèves noires, je pense qu'elles ne peuvent pas juger mon végétalisme :P

Letting go of the scale

2010-05-23T21:17:00.002-04:00

Over the past year, my scale has been my biggest "friennemy". I was obsessed with the numbers that would show up whenever I would step on it. Often times, I would weigh two times a day to see how my body would react to my daily routines. I know how my weight changes through the week, how the lowest numbers would always show up on Sunday mornings, and the highest on Thursday nights... Don't know exactly why, but it was always like that! I know how my weight goes up right before my period too. (Oh the joy of being a woman!)

I have stopped counting calories a while ago, and I actually completely stopped looking at calories last week when I became vegan. I am ready to look past the numbers in food and just see food as food and not as a bunch of numbers. And I'm also ready to let go of the scale...

I am not going to judge how I am feeling and how my body is feeling by numbers on a scale anymore. I have learned what I had to learn about food. and I have learned what I had to learn about staying active. I feel good in my body. My appearence matches who I've always been on the inside; I am a strong, confident woman who knows what she wants for her life.

It is time to move on! I am no longer a loser; I am a maintainer. As long as my current clothes fit and I feel comfortable with the way I live my life, I'll still have reached my "goal weight". The only difference now is that that goal weight is not a number; it's a state of mind, and I've reached it.

Tonight, I had a foodgasm, at Crudessence

2010-05-19T22:43:00.005-04:00

Yes, a foodgasm. The food was that delicious.

Kris and I went to Crudessence. In their own words:

An expression of respect for all living things: a healthy body in a clean environment and a strong, sustainable ecosystem. With the knowledge that every food choice carries an impact, Crudessence hopes to instill in others the happiness of conscious eating, support for local agriculture and, most importantly, a sense of abundance in the heart of the city.

Live Sushi: Coloured vegetable mouthfuls, sprouts and pâtés rolled in nori sheets.

Om Burger: A burger made of mushrooms, sundried tomato, flax and various vegetables served on a chapati. Garnished with fresh tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, home-made ketchup and mustard and our famous caper based aïoli sauce. Served with greens.

Pizzuchi: Cheese Pizza : A duo of our famous macadamia nut and cashew cheese, topped with capers and olives, sprinkled with Crumesan.

Add a really gooey, dense and thick brownie to all that. Oh, and I didn't take pictures of Kris' Protein Elixir (banana, chia seed, maca, hemp protein, hemp milk) and my Vert Doux Smoothie (kale, banana, mint, cayenne, pepper, almond milk).

Heaven. On. Earth. Seriously!

Running and Veganism

2010-05-16T15:16:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday, new life!

2010-05-14T07:20:00.000-04:00

May 14th, 2009. My sisters and I had booked a Walt Disney World vacations for early June. On that day after work, excited about my upcoming trip, I went shopping for summer clothes to wear over there: t-shirts, cute sleeveless tops, shorts and skirts. I headed over to Place Alexis-Nihon, a mall right next to where I work, and went to Zellers and Reitmans, the only two stores there where you can find plus-sizes clothes. Limited choice, but it’s affordable.

I went to Zellers first and bought a couple pieces without trying them on; I knew for a fact that I was a size 24 and that I could just grab a XXXL top and it would fit me. Then, I went to Reitmans and walked to the back of the store where they have their plus-size stuff. I picked a few items: a pair of Bermuda shorts, a sleeveless top, some tank-tops, and I went to a fitting room.

Before trying on the Reitmans picks, I dug into my Zellers bag to try on my first purchases. Top number 1: a beautiful magenta shirt. I put it on: it fit, but I could totally see my fat roll underneath the fabric. “Ok, not too terrible, I’ll just hold my stomach in.” Next, I tried on some beige Capri pants. As I thought, the 24’s fit me just fine, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from my calves. They looked so big… Anyway. I then proceeded to try on the Reitmans items. Jeans bermuda shorts, a sleeveless top, those XXXL cotton tank tops… Everything “fit”, but I couldn’t stop staring at all those “little things” that you hope nobody else sees… My arms looked so big… Those fat rolls that even the biggest size of clothing couldn’t hide anymore… My neck, or should I say lack-there-of; I just had a really big double-chin instead… And I looked at my face. Boy, did I look tired and unhappy.

I was wondering: is this the woman people see when they look at me? Do they see me as an obese, tired, unhappy woman? I didn’t even look my age; I looked at least 10 years older… And why did I look this way? Yes, I knew I ate a lot but could it really be that bad?

As I stared at myself in the mirror in the store, with tears rolling down my cheeks, I thought: “That’s it… I’ve had enough of this.”. I didn’t want to be this miserable anymore. I bought the clothes and headed home.

When I got home, I sat in front of my computer and Nathalie, my sister, was online. I opened up a chat session with her to tell her that I had just gotten back from the mall and that I had bought new things to wear in Florida for our trip. It sounded exciting, but really, it wasn’t. And I told her that I couldn’t live like this anymore, that I was unhappy, and that I had to change this situation. She was a good listener; she read my messages with interest and compassion, and she asked me what I was going to do. I didn’t know yet.

The following day was a Friday, and it was my usual grocery day. So I went to my grocery store and browsed through the aisles. I didn’t get my usual Haagen Dazs, I didn’t get my usual salt and vinegar chips, I didn’t get my usual Oreos. I got fruits and vegetables and whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta and nuts. I read the nutrition facts for everything I was putting my cart. When I wasn’t sure about an item, I would just not get it. I went back to the basic: I just had to eat better.

I thought that I would be doing this until my trip to Walt Disney World so I could at least feel a little better about myself while I was over there. When I got there with my sisters, I didn’t stop: I didn’t have all the “bad” food I thought I was going to have. When I was not hungry anymore, I would stop eating instead of emptying my plates. We did have one big dinner at Planet Hollywood; I felt so full afterwards that I told my sisters that I would never do that again. When I got back home, I kept going… I went back to the grocery store, got more fruits and vegetables and so on and so on…

July came. By that time, I had started to notice that my clothes seemed to fit a little better. Now, I didn’t have a scale so I couldn’t know for sure that I had lost weight, but I sure felt like I had. I decided to get a scale to see how the way I felt in my clothes reflected in numbers… And I was right. I had lost 20 pounds in two months.

I called my mom. I was ecstatic. I had lost 20 pounds, on my own, with no miracle diet or pill or weird hormone injection. I was doing it the “right” way and it was working! So I kept going. I kept watching my calorie intake. I would get low-fat, low-sugar, low-calorie options. The pounds were just melting away.

I was moving a little more too. I would take the steps whenever I could and I would walk to the subway station to get to work instead of taking the bus there. It wasn’t much but it was a big improvement.

On a hot August evening, I was bored at home. I looked outside the window and thought: “It’s such a gorgeous evening… I should go for a walk.” And I did! That was the very first time I had decided to get up and move just because “I felt like it”. From that day on, walking has been a very important part of my life. Whenever I need to get somewhere within a reasonable distance, I walk instead of getting on the bus or taking the subway.

Over time, I’ve added more exercise to my life. I bought a Pilates DVD in November, along with a mat and some free-weights. My parents spoiled me for Christmas and got me a Wii Fit Plus that I’ve quickly added to my routine. I even started jogging back in March, and although I do not run as often as I would like to, all because of Montreal’s super amazing weather, I really love it and I have an immense feeling of satisfaction whenever I think of how better my cardio has gotten.

My diet has changed too. Instead of purely focusing on calories and the amount of fat, carbohydrates and protein in my food, I simply go for whole foods, as unprocessed as possible. Of course, I do treat myself every now and then for special occasion, like for the Holidays (where I bought a bag of chips and actually made a promise to my boyfriend that it would be the last time in my life that I would have chips) or for my birthday, when Sean and I had a glorious feast of Indian cuisine and Deep ‘N Delicious cake. High class stuff, I know…! Except for those special occasions, for the most part, my diet is now mostly plant-based.

With this new life, I’ve found myself a new passion for food, nutrition and well-being. I’ve always loved food, but I have a new perspective on it. I’m always on the lookout for new healthful options I could integrate into my diet. I read books by authors like Michael Pollan. I listen to Podcasts by people like Compasionate Cooks creator Colleen Patrick-Boudreau. I visit websites like VeggieBoards.com and FatFreeVegan.com on a daily basis. I give myself little cooking challenges, like how can I take this recipe I used to love and turn it into something I could love and crave now.

It’s been a year now. My life has completely changed. I feel like my appearance finally reflects who I am on the inside. I have gained confidence, knowledge and faith. I believe in myself. I even feel sexy for the very first time in my life! (Swimsuit season, here I come!).

I keep saying that it wasn’t tough, that I did it on my own. Yes, I did do it on my own, but it wouldn’t have been possible without all the support I’ve gotten. I’d especially like to give my most sincere thanks to the following people:

- À mon père, Fabien. Mon père est un homme fort et aimant, dévoué au bien-être de sa famille. Il est le premier à dire que ce n’est pas facile de perdre du poids et qu’il a perdu 800 livres dans sa vie! Je pense qu’il est très fier de ce que j’ai accompli et je le remercie pour sa générosité et ses mots d’encouragement. Je t’aime papa! xxx

- À ma mère, Marjo. Ma mère a souvent pris le temps de me parler pour me dire que je devrais me prendre en main. Elle le faisait avec beaucoup de délicatesse, car elle savait que c’était un sujet tabou pour moi et que je ne voulais pas en entendre parler. Même si je ne voulais pas l’avouer à l’époque, ses mots m’affectaient beaucoup et aujourd’hui, je suis fière de lui dire que je l’ai fait. Ta fille a regagné sa santé, maman! J Je t’aime!

- À mes sœurs, Nathalie et Isabelle. Les filles, vous êtes les amours de ma vie. Vous le savez en plus; j’ai juste à regarder un de vos vidéos pour me redonner le sourire. Maintenant que j’aime mon apparence et que je n’ai pas honte d’être prise en photo, à quand notre prochain trip à Walt Disney World? J

- To my boyfriend, Sean. We started dating when I was already down 50lbs and a changed woman, but your love and attraction to me boosted my self-confidence like nothing else. I’m glad you’re in my life. You are such a big motivator. Thank you for your kindness, your support, but mostly, for putting up with my self-questioning and mood swings :P Ilu.

- To my buddy Kris. K-guy, you are such a good friend. Thank you for the help throughout this journey. Our friendship is a precious gift.

- À mes collègues de travail. Vous avez vu ma transformation au quotidien plus que quiconque. Anne-Marie, je suis vraiment contente de pouvoir te compter parmi mes amis. Tu m’en fais voir de toutes les couleurs et dans le fond, j’aime ça! Un merci tout spécial à Katherine, qui partage si gentiment ses fruits avec moi le matin et qui prend le temps d’inscrire les informations nutritionnelles sur les biscuits qu’elle amène. :P

- To everybody on FatSecret.com. You cannot imagine how many messages I’ve gotten from people who want to lose weight, telling me that I’m an inspiration for them and congratulating me. Honestly, if I can help one person realize how “easy” this is, my work is done. By getting those messages almost on a daily basis, you guys are MY inspiration and you keep me going.

- To all my Facebook friends. I’m kinda sorry for all the spam about weight loss and nutrition and food you have gotten this past year! :P But most of all, thank you for all the sweet comments I’ve gotten on all the progression pictures I’ve posted. <3 Franchement, un gros merci pour les commentaires! Particulièrement à mes vieux amis et à ma famille; vous me faites chaud au cœur.

There you have it. I thought I was going to last for a couple of weeks only, and here I am, one year later. I am 125 pounds lighter. I am healthier. I am happier.

Happy birthday, new life! It’s good to have you!

The 5 things that make my mornings

2010-05-10T21:22:00.004-04:00

The five things that can really boost my mornings:

A warm, cuddly kitty to hug when you wake up;
A phone call from my boyfriend, or even better, having him in my bed to cuddle with;
The thought of wearing "those cute little pink shoes" or that "elegant black and white dress";
A cup of almond-chocolate coffee;
A deliciously healthy breakfast.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my quinoa porridge, and it perfectly fits the description of a deliciously healthy breakfast. It has to be the most comforting breakfast I've ever had. It's warm, just gooey enough and sweet, sweet, sweet! I'm warning you though: you might get addicted to this.

In a microwave safe bowl, mix 1/2 a cup of cooked quinoa, 1/3 of a cup of your favorite dairy drink, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a couple of dried fruits and something to sweeten it up. Put in the microwave for 2 minutes and you're done! I recommend using something like vanilla soy or almond milk; it gives it even more flavor and sweetness. And when it comes to fruits, be adventurous! Raisins, cranberries, figs, apricots, dates!

J'aime vraiment le gruau traditionnel, mais faire un "porridge" avec du quinoa plutôt que de l'avoine, c'est carrément meilleur. En plus, je prépare le mien avec du lait de soya ou d'amande aromatisé à la vanille et des fruits secs. C'est sucré, chaud et réconfortant. À essayer!

Seeing is believing

2010-05-06T20:49:00.002-04:00

This post is purely for me.

Vero, whenever you look at yourself in the mirror and are not pleased with what you see, or whenever you "feel fat", take a look at this picture.

Look at you. Look at that small waist, those well defined leg muscles, the thin neck! Look at what you have accomplished this past year. You look fantastic and it's all because of the changes you have made to your life.

You won the most important battle of your life. Be proud!

Huge salad is... well... huge!

2010-05-05T20:10:00.004-04:00

Pretty simple meal tonight: a huge salad. I just threw all the random vegetables and fruits I felt like eating into a big bowl (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, yellow bell peppers, blackberries) and drizzled a little olive oil and lemon juice on top. Yes, it's simple, and that's why I love it! The picture doesn't do justice to how big the salad is!

I prepared the salad and left it in the fridge while I went for a jog. I ran 2.5km, thinking about my salad the entire way! Ahhh well... what can I say... I just LOVE food, especially when it's tasty, colorful and healthy!

Le Commensal

2010-05-03T22:43:00.003-04:00

I love the Commensal. Affordable vegetarian food in convenient locations? Yes please!

I had dinner there tonight with my buddy Jim. I kept it simple with some raw vegetables, a quinoa salad, a chickpea salad and some mushrooms. He, on the other hand, opted for heavier options with long noodles, lasagna and quesadillas. It looked delicious!

For the love of good bread

2010-05-02T15:52:00.003-04:00

I've been craving the bread Sean and I had gotten at the Première Moisson bakery at the Marché Maisonneuve; it's an olive oil bread with herbs. It's not exactly a focaccia, not exactly a ciabatta either. Although I can't really figure out what it is, I decided that I should still make something similar to it to satisfy my craving. So, armed with a lot of research on the fabulous Internet, I decided that today would be the day I'd make my very own focaccia.

Like I said in my last video, I got myself a Larousse Gastronomique, often referred to as THE book any aspiring cook should have in his kitchen. Here is what the Larousse Gastronomique says about "focaccia":

An Italian olive-oil flat bread, of very ancient origin, since it dates to bakestone days. It is a hearth bread, traditionally flung into the oven just after the fire has been raked out, when the temperature is still too high to bake a larger loaf without burning the crust.

I made my focaccia with part whole wheat, part white flour and I added some dried herbs on top. Other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe on HubPages. Making bread is a labor of love; it takes time and a bit more effort than if you were just grabbing a slice of bread from the fridge. The kneading, how you wait for the dough to rise, the baking, and mostly, the anticipation...

When I took the first bite from my homemade herb focaccia, I understood how worth the efforts all this was. I enjoyed mine with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and some leftover smoked salmon from dinner last night. What a perfect way to spend this warm Sunday afternoon!

Je n'aurais pas pu trouvé meilleur compagnon pour le saumon fumé qu'il me restait du repas d'hier soir avec mes parents. Mon focaccia est bien croûté avec un centre moelleux, les herbes et le sel relèvent son goût de farine de blé parfaitement. En plus, il faut avouer qu'il est vraiment beau, non? :)

Rewarding myself with a couple additions to my kitchen!

2010-05-02T12:54:00.004-04:00

From black beans to squealing

2010-04-27T22:04:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-26T20:11:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-25T23:08:00.001-04:00

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!

2010-04-25T17:13:00.001-04:00

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.

2010-04-25T11:43:00.001-04:00

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!

2010-04-23T20:37:00.001-04:00

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!

2010-04-22T20:22:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-22T07:47:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-04-22T07:35:00.000-04:00

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.