soy pudding (vegan friendly)

last night i was craving pudding like crazy. after looking up a few recipes, i put together a few of them and came up with the following at only 3 WW points for a serving. not bad for a yummy, guilt-free dessert!

vanilla soy pudding
3 cups light vanilla soy milk
1/3 cups sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vegan cocoa mix
1 large banana

1. Mix sugar and corn starch in pan. Turn heat to medium and slowly add 1 cup of soy milk at a time (to avoid lumps).
2. Stir constantly until thicken (about 5 minutes)
3. Mix vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cocoa mix until blended.
4. Cut banana and place in four bowls.
5. Ladle pudding mixture over bananas (roughly 3/4 cup per bowl). Cover with plastic (if you don't like pudding skin).
6. Chill in freezer (20 minutes).

Verdict: Rockin' vegan dessert that tastes like a chocolaty horchata but better. I like the banana, but might try it next time without.

Counting calories on fast food menus

Finally. I hope more states follow New York's lead! As Sue points out in the comments -- hopefully this will lead fast-food chains to pursue more healthy options for their patrons.

CNN.com - Paging Dr. Gupta Blog

jamie at home

i'm so excited for the new series jamie at home which shows how to take "real" food from a garden and prepare it to make delicious meals! at first i thought i was a vegetarian show, but looks like he will be incorporating meats.

either way, i hope it inspires some people to start a garden of their own or buy locally grown produce.

experimenting with food

i've experimented with two new recipes and they are delicious!

the first is tzatziki sauce which is a greek sauce that is served inside of pitas and gyros. after reading a few recipes, i came up with the following:

• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream


• 1/2 cup of fat free/plain yogurt


• juice of two lemons and zest


• rough chopped cilantro


• 1 cucumber (seeded)


• tsp of dill weed


• handful of cooked spinached


• diced onion and garlic

i mixed this up and served it with a pita stuffed with soy sausage and soy chicken patty (cut up and heated in a frying pan) and lettuce. Eric said this what he ate most of the time Eastern Europe, but with real meat of course! It was pretty darn tasty and the left overs have been great for snacks.

the second is i made taco "meat" last night with yves ground round (fake beef) and taco seasoning. it was darn delicious and is going to become a new staple in our home.

happy healthy new year!

in the spirit of all things new years, i'm going to resurrect this blog as my personal journal to continue improving on my passion to live a healthier life style. thanks brian martin (aka bm) for the inspiration.

2008 is full of personal goals:

• complete master's degree (project, written component, and defend)


• continue to develop training skills with mentors at work


• move to washington, dc by the end of the year with eric


• raise money to cycle in the 2008 AIDS life cycle ride


• keep writing in my blog/journal/reflection space for more than two weeks

and of course...

• continue defining what a"healthy" lifestyle means to me.
  

*virtual clink* here's to 2008.

cycle number 2304

i'm going to be riding in the aids life cycle ride again *yea* check out my site: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/2304

random thoughts

been busy with work, life, love but here are some random thoughts that have been on my mind lately.

the lens i see the world through might not be as clear as i originally thought. the fact is: it's blocking my vision and influences interactions with other people.

why does the song hate me by blue october make me cry every time i hear it?

there are many children who will go to bed tonight hungry and cold.

living in the moment is much more rewarding than planning for a future that might not be obtained.

there is more to life than being right.