Throughout the summer, I found myself more active than ever before: I was running, practicing yoga, and dancing nonstop. I was also sticking to a fairly healthy (albeit not vegan) diet and subsequently lost quite a bit of weight. It had never been my intention to lose weight, but - at first - I liked the attention. "Justin, you look great! Did you lose weight?" The attention boosted my self-esteem and made me feel great. "Justin, you totally lost your belly!" I hadn't realized that I had a belly! Suddenly, the constant attention had an adverse affect: I became worried about gaining weight. Everyone likes me thin! I'm getting so much attention for being in shape.
The ironic thing was that I didn't really have hang-ups about my pre-weight loss appearance. I felt fine...I thought I looked fine. But hearing how great I looked 20 pounds thinner started to warp my self-image. It became something that consumed far too much of my energy and stressed me out.
I finally decided that everyone else's opinion is irrelevant. With an extra 20 pounds, someone was bound to think of me as fat. With 20 pounds less, someone was bound to think of me as skinny. But should it matter what anyone else thinks? Is it their body? Do they have to live in it everyday? Of course not! So it's silly to attach self-worth or self-esteem with someone else's opinion. Honestly, I do feel better about myself when slim, but that goal is not going to overwhelm my life. There are far too many other great things in life (family, friends, fun, food) that need my attention as well!
Despite this rant, I'm not going to gain 50 pounds and become a jolly fat man. I still plan on eating healthy and exercising regularly...because it really is fun and it's so important to health and well being.
Speaking of exercise and food, I have two important things to share with you today: 1) Darrelyn Valdez's Bollywood class on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. at Panache Dance Studio is AMAZING! I took it this week before my own yoga class and I loved it. You'll have so much fun that you won't even realize that you're dripping sweat and burning calories. Check it out. 2) I have a delicious slow-cooker recipe to share with you!
Slow-Cooked Seitan and Mushroom Goulash
Seitan is probably my favorite "meat" substitute...it's made from wheat gluten and water, so it's minimally processed (as opposed to some mock "meats") and it has a delicious, chewy texture without the sometimes strange aftertaste of tofu or tempeh. This recipe is adapted from Robin Robertson's great Vegan on the Cheap.
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 ounces seitan (usually found near refrigerated tofu and mock meats...or you can make it from scratch...consult the web)
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups sauerkraut (drained and rinsed if you want the goulash less salty)
- 14 oz tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup vegan sour cream (found near other vegan dairy substitutes in the refrigerated section)
- Cooked pasta
Mix the tomato paste and vegetable broth together in a bowl until no lumps remain. Toss all ingredients except the sour cream into a slow cooker and stir until everything is mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, stirring once or twice if you're at home. Just before serving, add the sour cream and stir to combine. Pour straightaway over cooked pasta. serves 4
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