At Home With The Brownies: weight-loss

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Savory Sunday: Chick-Pea Salad and Lunch Spread

I love chick-peas and so does my family. I am always thinking of new ways to incorporate this healthy ingredient in my recipes. This recipe is a marriage of two things I love. Chick-peas and egg salad. Since I can no longer eat egg salad due to Catherine's egg allergy, I took everything great about creamy egg salad and transferred it to a light and versatile chick-pea salad. This salad can be served over greens or in a pita pocket. I have even used it as dip with wide corn tortillas. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do.

Chick-Pea Salad

2 cans of chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2 stalks of celery, diced
3 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons of Soy-Free Vegenaise
2 teaspoons of dill weed
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl combine vegenaise,dill weed, salt and ground pepper. Stir and combine well. Add chick-peas, celery, and green onions until the salad is combined. Chill before serving.

* You can make many variations of this dish. Sometimes I like to add a little lemon juice or curry powder.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Monthly Measures: My weight loss story

Since college, I have battled my weight. I believe it all began with the freshman 15lbs. It's no secret that I enjoy good food. However with a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, I knew I had to take control.

January 2011, my husband and I adopted a vegan diet. We cut out all animal products from our diet in attempt to see if it would help my asthma. It worked. Not only did my respiratory problems clear up, but I promptly lost 15 pounds. I was feeling great until I discovered I was pregnant. Just three months after we changed our lifestyle, I was forced to add dairy and some meats back to my diet because I wasn't getting enough protein.

During pregnancy I was very careful about my weight gain. Since I was already over weight, I was committed to only gaining 25lbs. I did give in to some of my cravings, but it was not a free for all. Exercising and eating well, I am proud to say that is exactly how much weight I gained during pregnancy.

After having Catherine, I was committed to loosing my pregnancy weight. Within two weeks of giving birth I had lost all of the weight I gained during pregnancy. I credit this rapid weight loss to exclusively breastfeeding. It works ladies. I truly believe breastfeeding is God's natural way to help us loose the baby weight.

In December of 2012, my family and I changed our diets once again. In response to Catherine's allergies, we have adapted a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free diet. Fourteen months later, and I am still breastfeeding, watching what I eat, and chasing after a toddler, I am now 50 lbs lighter.

Although I have lost a significant amount of weight, I still have about 20 more pounds to loose before I am at an optimal weight. I share my story, hoping to encourage others struggling with weight issues.