Let's say I have had a "Change of Heart".....literally. 20lbs lighter with a reduction of red meat and daily regimen of fish oil and lecithin, I was feeling very confident at my latest doctor appointment. Little did I know, that I was a ticking time bomb. The call from the nurse was alarming, my cholesterol was over 450 points. WHAT? How could this be??? Wasn't I doing everything right? I then remembered that my dad just had a pace maker installed. I know some people say it could be "genes", but I wasn't willing to take that for an answer.
I Googled everything I could on lowering cholesterol naturally. Friends pointed me to the movie, Knifes Over Forks. I highly recommend it!! I then remembered how thin I was in school. What was I doing then? VEGGIES! I was a huge vegetable eater. Time to go back to what worked.
But, wait! I live in Texas. We don't even recognize the word Vegan or Vegetarian. What would my husband think? I was getting nervous again. I then found a website the Happy Herbivore and received a lot of encouragement from friends. If I could just cut out meat 3 days a week and stop my dairy/alcohol consumption....what would that do for my heart?
So hear we are....Day 1 with encouragement from my husband to participate. In 3 weeks, I am meeting with my doctor again for a new round of blood work. I have 21 days to see if I can make enough lifestyle changes to prove myself right or wrong.
Tips I learned making Veggie, Bean and Quinoa Croquettes:
- Prep all you can on Sunday or Saturday for the week. This will save you time and keep you on track with your new diet.
- Eating healthier is CHEAPER! Fresh/raw foods are less expensive that pre-packaged, processed foods.
- Start little and work your way up. If you can't cut meat out 3 days a week, start with 1 day a week. Anything is better than nothing!
- Journal, journal, journal! How do you feel when you wake up, do you have energy after work, have the headaches and body aches gone away, are you more regular. Journaling helps you remember the changes!
- I found quinoa and wheat gluten at my local Target. (You want to use the gluten, it basically glues the meatballs together.)
- I use minced garlic in a jar. It saves me time and my hands no longer smell like garlic for days.
- I added a pinch of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to turn the volume up!
- Cook your quinoa before starting the recipe. Save left overs for later in the week. 1 cup of quinoa goes a LONG way!
Recipe for Veggie, Bean, and Quinoa Croquette (All credit to the Healthy Herbivore)
15oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, minced
1 medium zucchini, minced
1 large carrot, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of quinoa, cooked
2 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce
1tbsp of yellow mustard
1 tbsp of Italian seasoning
1/2 cup of whole wheat gluten
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mash kidney beans. Combine rest of ingredients. Using your hands, mold mixture into balls. Place balls on cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until brown. Set aside to cool and firm for 10-15 minutes. Freeze any extras for later in the week. (I am using mine tomorrow for whole wheat pasta and marinara!)
