Whew, happy relaxing Sunday! I’m enjoying some quiet coffee time after a busy week that included a long day of overtime yesterday moving and setting up computer equipment in a hot warehouse. My legs might be just a little too sore after lugging huge printers around to run today, boo. Miko was being a sweet cuddly lap buddy when I got home tired.
And had his toy ready in case I wanted to play too.
Thankfully this work project is almost done.
Awhile back I ended up arranging a larger going away work gathering for a co-worker that happened to work out well despite the co-worker inviting half the company. Apparently that worked out too well because I was asked to arrange a last minute going away lunch last week for a co-worker in a different department. Eek, wait, since when am I the IT party planner?! And I had less than 24 hours notice to find a restaurant that could accommodate 25 or so people for an office lunch.
The first place that came to mind was Il Fornaio because we’ve been there a few times and I’ve seen a lot of group parties there. And they have great vegan options. Luckily they were able to set up a group weekday lunch for us with short notice and it worked out well, the co-worker had never been there and enjoyed it and they had a range of options that weren’t expensive. Whew! Guess I need to keep ideas ready for the next time!
My eats have been pretty simple during this busy week like this balsamic salad with chopped apple and hemp seeds.
Tofu curry oil-free stir fry with corn and tomatoes.
Tofu oil free turmeric stir fry with broccoli and cauliflower.
A simple veggie stew with chopped carrots, potatoes, and corn seasoned with miso paste and and Italian seasonings.
Hubby and I went out for Thai food Friday where I got a spicy tofu coconut curry soup and it was delicious!
And he got crazy spicy tofu drunken noodles.
Finally I went out to lunch with co-workers yesterday during our long overtime day in the warehouse and thankfully there was a Chipotle near by where I got a hearty Sofritas tofu bowl.
I was thinking about a light black bean salad bowl, but was starved after hours of moving and setting up equipment, so this bowl was loaded with rice, black beans, corn, hot sauce, and Sofritas spicy tofu mixture which I love that Chipotle offers that tasty vegan option that’s cheaper than the non-vegan offerings. It hit the spot without being too filling or bloating for getting back to work!
Yeah, there was a lot of tofu and eating out this week which is not awesome. But still healthier options considering how busy it’s been and I’m looking forward to grocery shopping today to load up with healthier options for this week. But it was easy finding great vegan options while eating out with co-workers multiple times, that just keeps getting easier and better which I’m thankful for. And I’m thankful for this week’s long list of health and vegan news!
WiseBread has 12 reasons to stop eating sugar which are scary and awful wake up calls. Seriously, this article makes sugar look like the cause of all health issues!
This is a longish, but cute and inspiring video about a 53-year-old ripped vegan that does not look his age. I like his views on being physically active and would love to see this guy on Ninja Warrior, he makes a healthy lifestyle look like fun play!
Here are 10 more inspiring vegan athletes.
Time has an article about what meat-eaters get wrong about vegans and vegetarians which I can relate to regularly taking and brushing off out-of-touch comments from fast-food addicted co-workers. Everyone is self righteous about something.
Did you know that James and Suzy Cameron are vegans? Probably, but OneGreenPlanet has more on their plant-based journey.
ForksOverKnives has a quick read on keeping it simple when kicking a bad habit.
I feel bad for Ariana Grande when her simple comment at a donut shop went viral, but I think she handled it well and made some great points about American culture and how easy it is to make bad food choices without considering the health, compassion, and environmental impact.
ScienceLine has a great article about the environmental impact of eating beef. Compassion and health issues aside, it goes into details about cows being extremely inefficient animals needing 6 times more food than pigs because of their digestive system. And it takes a lot of resources for us to produce that feed.
Being a compassionate animal lover can be exhausting and tough when exposed to so much cruelty. This article addresses the challenges animal lovers face and how they deal with it.
Lilly McDermott has an inspiring healthy living radio show in Central Florida that is gaining popularity as she looks to encourage people to make healthier lifestyle choices. I love her quote, “You can take a pill or you can take responsibility”, that’s tough loving!
An encouraging squib about the health benefits of a plant based diet from Philadelphia.
Gene Baur makes a great case for plant-based eating on KQED radio.
Whew, finally fast food is evolving into something better and I might need to take a road trip to Rohnert Park, CA soon!
Everything looks amazing! I especially love the salads AND that sauce in the one dish! YUM!
I left the weekend contests open and will draw winners for those in the morning if you still want to comment on them – so far I think there maybe 4 people in the running for the grand prize by commenting on all or almost all of them :P Miko is so precious! I took Cricket to the Fair Grounds for about an hour and walked around a lot – she loved it – hubby is on the fair board and a bunch of people are working long hours ion preparation!
Thanks! Looking forward to the contests! Cricket is so cute and so glad she found you!
My last lengthy comment went to spam EEEEK
did you see it or did it trash it completely?
I bet the sauce of that one dish was stellar! Miko is so precious!
Sorry about that, spam filter freaked out!
Those carrots looking amazing too! Now I am hungry for carrots!
Everything you had this week looks great! I especially like the looks of the spicy tofu coconut curry soup. I’d like to make a home version of that soon.
I was really interested in article on how animal lovers deal with the hardships they say everyday. I sometimes get overwhelmed when I see animal cruelty or hear about the horrors of the meat industry so I’m sure people that are really involved have a very hard time with it. They’re so courageous in what they do.
Thanks on the food. And agreed on animal activism, I feel overwhelmed just reading about cruelty a lot, it takes a lot of courage.
I love Chipotle’s sofritos bowls. And they’re non GMO!
I too felt like the media went way too far in attacking Ariana Grande, she’s only 22. She made a mistake (although licking donuts, really?), and she apologized. I understood where she was coming from, because I get frustrated when I see unhealthy people gorging on unhealthy food too.
Thanks for the links. I enjoyed the one about not getting depressed about the torture and abuse of farm animals. It’s hard not to.
Agreed on Chipotle, such a great go to fast food option for vegans and I like that I can order through the app before arriving. :-)
Thanks on the links, seems like there was so much plant based and health news last week which is great.
Now you’ve got me craving spicy Thai coconut soup and Chipotle’s sofritas all at once! Hmm, I wonder how it would taste if I made my own tom kha and added sofritas to it…? ;)
That sounds good, I’d try it!