Hey hey! Today was full of all sorts of different “times”. Like snack time! Tazo Green Ginger Tea, a serving of baby carrots and a blood orange. And water!
Is it weird that I think green tea gives me heartburn? I’ve realized that the only times I’ve gotten heartburn lately is when I drink green tea, no matter the kind. So sad! I love green tea!
After snack time and work-time, there was playtime, Lindsey-style. 
I went to my favorite local grocery store, Ward’s, to look for vital wheat gluten. It’s listed as an ingredient in the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, and I can’t find it anywhere! Ward’s usually is great for “weird” foods that crazy health-food junkies like myself love, but no vital wheat gluten to be found. 
Don’t worry, I still had fun.
They had a loaf of our favorite rosemary bread so I had to pick it up! I think I’m going to try to start avoiding simple carbohydrates that are in sugar (like agave) and breads, particularly white breads. I can dine and snack on more nutrient-dense foods, and I’m thinking it may be some of these simple carbohydrates that tend to suck my energy away. I realized this today AFTER eating some of the bread and I crashed…hard. Interestingly enough, Michelle had a similar post today!
Anyway, the rest of the Ward’s trip was full of fun things like these cute little organic patty pan squash – never tried them, so I’m excited for a new squash!
Along with my fifty-cent finds: a huge ponderosa lemon! (Yes, that softball sized citrus is a LEMON!)
Organic avocados! I think my fellow Floridians know how much of a steal it is for an organic avocado for fifty cents!
I came home to use some of my “playtime” goodies during lunchtime, my first attempt at a raw soup in the VitaMix!
Unfortunately the soup was rather “ick”. I followed a recipe for a raw zucchini soup (I won’t link since I don’t recommend it) and it did not impress. It basically had avocado, zucchini, spinach, lemon juice and water. I don’t know if it was the lemon or what, but it was off. After a few spoonfuls I realized I just couldn’t do it. So I had the bread with hummus!
Insert the next time our time machine takes us…naptime. Thank you carb coma!
After naptime came dinnertime! Our super simple dinner featured a special find at the grocery store. We only needed a few produce goods, so we allowed this splurge. Tofurkey Vegan Italian Sausage.
In a skillet I cooked up two links of the tofurkey sausage, sliced, with tomato sauce, an onion, garlic and lots of spinach. With all the vegetables in there the sauce’s volume increased greatly! We only used about half the sauce tonight, there was so much!
We had our sauce on top of a combination of vegetable-based pasta and whole wheat pasta. And look at that – I wonder if my dinner was trying to to tell us it was heart healthy?
It’s crazy, but that’s actually exactly the sauce came out when I dumped it on the noodles. Ridiculous, right?!
I actually enjoyed the tofurkey sausage more than I thought I would – the texture was so much better than those nasty “tofu pups” hot dogs I tried a bit ago.
After dinner time it was dessert time (banana soft serve!) and now it’s bedtime!
Good night, friends!
Sorry your soup didn’t turn out as nicely as you would have hoped.
Do you shop at a store that carries Hodgson Mill baking products? If so, check to see if they have vital wheat gluten. That’s the brand I have. At my store it was in the specialty section, like where the gluten free items are, but I shop at a military commissary and their aisle organization is a bit askew, in my opinion. Hopefully you’ll be able to find the vital wheat gluten somewhere.
Enjoy your evening.
I have seen those mock sausages at the store but have been scared to try them! Glad you liked them! How cute with the heart!
I promise thatnot just floridians can appreciate 50 cent avos. holy moly. ive been known to eat 2+ with a meal at a time… butat a min. of 175 a pop,i cant indulge like i used to. VT aint exactly the proper climate for glorious non-root veggies come hibernation seasons. jeaaalllouus.
also: im not convinced that it was the refined white flour/sugars in your lunch that made you crash, but rather the lack of balancing it with more proteins and fats. hummus is great, but considering it is a veg protein you probably needed more in relation to bread. DONT BLAME THE BEAUTIFUL ARTISAN CARB LOVE, haha. Just a thought.
MA
lilpauladean.wordpress.com
haha thanks! I promise, I do love me some beautiful artisan bread! It’s actually been a long time coming, this realization for me. I do agree that I needed a more balanced meal in this particular instance, but I am still planning on going for more nutrient-rich foods. As much as I love the taste of artisanal bread, if it’s not whole grain there’s next to no nutrients in it.
i love those sausages..altho they can get rubbery? or maybe too real on the “casing” part? IDK. Love love love the symbolism in the pasta…i think it means love is in the air for you
xoxo
lolo
I haven’t had any refined carbs today and oh my heavens..I feel SO much beter.
Lindsey I get heartburn after drinking green tea too! It actually has a very high acidity level. It sucks, I know! Just wanted to confirm your suspicions are probably correct!
Thanks so much for getting back to me! I had a feeling it was the high acidity that was doing it, because I get that with coffee too. I’m so sad, I seriously LOVE green tea!!!
I have the Bob’s Red Mill vital wheat gluten- my publix had it in the greenwise section. Yours should be able to order it for you- just ask at customer service.
awwww a lil heart!!! sooo cute!!
Oddly enough I found vital wheat gluten at Wal-Mart. It was right next to the yeast & I’m pretty sure it was Hodgson Mills brand.
King Arthur’s Flour has vital wheat gluten you can order online if you can’t find it in stores!
I don’t know about heartburn, but hot green tea always gives me an upset stomach if I don’t eat something with it.
I love Wards! And I love avocados too!
I have been trying to (slowly) cut out refined flours/sugars and while I have made a lot of progress in the past few months, I still crave it sometimes and give in.
So would you recommend the Tofurky Italian Sausage?? I don’t usually eat the meat replacements but my husband still has meat once in a while and maybe the Tofurky sausage would be a good compromise. It looks pretty tasty in your pictures!
I do recommend it! I very rarely eat meat substitutes/ replacements, but in the rare occasions where we do, this was a good replacement. A bit high in calories and sodium, but that’s why 1. I don’t have these products often and 2. I only had about half of one.
Bummer about the soup maybe carrot juice would have sweetened it up a little. Raw soups definitely take some getting used to. Love the heart!
ahhhhhhhh i love love love love love TOFURKY DOGS! beer brats are the best though IMO.
i could KILL for that pasta!! it is so stinking beautiful!!!
LOVE YOU LC!
Tonight I went to a store for a “quick trip” that’s probably similar to Wards, and I realized that I can’t just make a “quick trip”. It’s like my playground!