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Recently after hiking the Welch-Dickie trail, we went to the Common Man in Ashland, NH. To my delight, the head chef is vegan.
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| Welch-Dickie Hike |
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| Quinoa pasta with vegetable saute |
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| Lemonade with mint and muddled strawberries |
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| Thai Crunch Salad (minus the cruelty) |
Hoping to up my sanity points before diving headlong into my new Master's while working, I decided to go West.
The trip was supposed to involve camping in Tolland State Forest, while hiking nearby trails. And in the beginning it did.
My mother and I arrived later than expected (read: after dark) to the campground. Here we quickly set up camp and crashed out. In the AM, she struggled to start a fire with damp wood while I cut cantaloupe. Success on both parts though. We had tea and cooked lunch to pack.
Seeing reports of t-storms in the evening we set off on our hike. We had intended to take Gilmore trail and then an access road to another trail that led to the top of a nearby mountain. But, nature had other plans. Instead we got to the beginning of the second trail and the skies became gloomy. Back we went, arriving to camp with a minute to spare before the downpour.
We quickly reserved a night at the local B&B, Brook Farm Inn in Lenox. A vegetarian inn with afternoon tea and homey accommodations. Good thing too because there was a funnel cloud seen two hours later in Pittsfield, maybe 15 minutes from where our tent was. Eek!
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| Veggie Burger at Firefly with Sweet Potato Fries |
Then we were off to our evening's entertainment: "Ludwig Live". A cabaret show about Beethoven. It was cute and well performed. However, kitchy musical theater is not my favorite genre and I've seen the Jewish mother joke enough to be only slightly amused. My mother highly enjoyed the show and I just wanted to gear him keep playing the pieces. I think I need to get to see more live classical. 
Put all ingredients in blender and blend. If you'd like, you could add soy vanilla yogurt for creaminess.
Nutrition
Per serving (about 10oz): 320 calories (106 from fat), 12g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 69mg sodium, 36g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 26g sugar), 19g protein
The Weekly Macrobiotic Meal Plan
Breakfast: Brown Rice Porridge with mushrooms and miso
Snack: Mini Banana
Lunch: Polenta & Garbanzo beans in gravy
Snack: Trail Mix or Mini Lara Bar
Dinner: Tempeh sausage, sauteed bok choy, brussel sprouts
Snack: Apple
Beverages: seltzer water with pomegranate juice, twig tea, green tea, mint tea
Overall, this week went fairly well. My cravings for sugar have diminished somewhat. On Wednesday night, I wanted to give myself a 'treat' so I have vegan chicken fingers, maki roll and soy ice cream... and I felt awful after. So, this week no treats quite like that. Maybe I'll try making something out of the Macro book.
Also, good news! I found my copy of Zen macrobiotic cooking.
Using the "Everything Guide to Macrobiotics" I put together this meal plan for the winter season. I'm branching out in terms of diet to try and kick this funk I have been in.
I have heard many good things about Macrobiotic eating and thought I'd give it a go. The other plus is that the foods are seasonal, so I can go local organic fairly cheap.
Breakfast
Apple-scented Oat and Buckwheat Porridge with Butternut Squash
Snack
Mini-banana
Lunch
Rice and Edamame with Orange Zest
Kale with Carrots and Tahini Sauce
Apple
Snack
Sweet Potato Sticks
Dinner
Tempeh with Gravy and Sauteed Jerusalem Artichokes
