Challenge Results: One Day as a Vegan - Menu Plan [#CTWW]

This week's Change the World Wednesday challenge consisted of eating vegan for one day.  I had a great menu plan for Sunday.  Here are the results:

Breakfast: Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal
My thoughts: Delicious recipe!  I substituted Trader Joe's Crunchy Almond Butter with Flax Seed.  The mashed banana gave the plain oatmeal a great flavor.
His thoughts: Husband approved!  Sweet enough that he would not need to add sugar.

Lunch: Chipotle Veggie Bowl
My thoughts: Chipotle makes awesome grilled veggies.  I did not miss the chicken that I usually get.  I passed on the sour cream and cheese and got guacamole.
His thoughts: Husband did not join me on this challenge for lunch.  Although, he loves Chipotle!

Snacks: I usually eat dried fruit, nuts, and fruit for snacks.  However, once in a while, I will sneak in chocolate, candy, and other sweats.  I came back from the grocery store ready for a snack and went straight for chocolate and a cookie.  And then I remember the challenge!  Fail!

Dinner: Black Bean and Avocado Quesadilla
My thoughts: The recipe was great! I love the guacamole inside.  I sauteed onions and green peppers in olive oil and also added it inside the quesadilla.  Chili powder and cumin were mixed in with the beans.  I did not add cheese to my quesadillas.
His thoughts: Husband had cheese and sour cream on his quesadillas, but did not even notice that he was eating vegetarian.  Success!

Summary:  Although I did not stick to the vegan menu plan 100% and my husband did not join me 100% on this challenge, we still made a small impact on the environment by avoiding meat at every meal.  I like the challenge of making vegetarian and vegan recipes, so I will try to incorporate on vegan meal per week.

Whether you eat vegan for one day or for one meal, you should be proud of yourself. Most times, it is difficult to get our spouses and families to make the change, but sometimes, you can sneak in a little here and there, and they will not know at all.

* "His thoughts" are brought to you by my (sometimes) unsuspecting and unwilling husband. 

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One Day as a Vegan - Menu Plan [#CTWW]

This week's challenge comes from EcoGrrl. 

This week, eat Vegan for one entire day. That means, for one entire day eat only plant-based foods ... no meat, poultry, fish, dairy, etc.

Eating a vegetarian meals once per week is realistic for my husband and I.  We usually do a pasta with red sauce and lots of vegetables.  He is a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy, so it is challenging sometimes to have a meal without meat.  We have began eating more fish, but either way, we're still impacting the environment.  I accept this week's challenge to go one steps further and eat vegan for one day.  Here is my menu plan for tomorrow (Sunday).

Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal

(I will substitute Almond Butter)

Chipotle Veggie Bowl

(My parents are coming in town and we usually eat out for lunch)

 
Black Bean and Avocado Quesadilla
(Remove the cheese, add mushrooms)

Do you want to join me on this one-day challenge?  If one day of eating Vegan is too much for you, then start with one meal.  If you want to know more about the challenge, Reduce Footprints blog can tell you all about it.
 

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Mighty Flavors with Mighty Leaf Teas [Review]

Mighty Leaf Teas have been part of my home tea collection for quite some time.  I am always impressed with the whole leaf pouches that produce the most delicious tasting teas. When I started buying more organic products, I was glad to find that Mighty Leaf Teas carries organic teas. Mighty Leaf Teas also expanded their tea collection by offering Iced Tea pouches.

What are Mighty Leaf Teas? (from Mighty Leaf website)

Mighty Leaf Teas are specially handcrafted Tea Pouches that are designed to release the essence of the tea.  Mighty Leaf Tea has a passion for creating unique handcrafted tea blends from around the world, using the best ingredients available. 

Each Tea Pouch has a unique blend of teas and flavors.  Take a look at the quality of the whole leaf teas:

Chamomile Citrus herbal tea

What Mighty Leaf Teas Did I Receive?

Mighty Leaf Teas was gracious enough to send me a variety pack of their Iced Teas and a few samples of their hot teas.

PRICES: Half Gallon Iced Teas sell for $6.35-$33.95, depending on what size you purchase. PROMOTIONS: Receive two free samples with every order. Sign up for email and receive 15% off your order. Mighty Leaf Tea Rewards Program - earn rewards by referring friends and family.

What Did I Think of Mighty Leaf Teas?

My standard iced tea routine is to measure the amount of water in the pitcher and count out tea bags. The tea bags float in the water and I have to take them out one by one. This process gets a little time consuming, especially if I do not have enough tea bags left. 

Might Leaf Iced Teas pouches change the game! Each whole leaf pouch brews up to 1/2 Gallon or 64 oz of Iced Teas. I love that I did not have to measure the cups or the tea bags. I placed the bag into the pitcher and poured hot water over it. How easy is that?!?

Let me tell you about the tea bag. The whole leaf tea bag is bigger to accommodate 64 oz. The string is longer so that you can place the tea bag in the pitcher and not drown the tag once you start pouring the water. The tag at the end of the string has instructions so that you can quickly gage how long you need to brew the tea. Easy, breezy!

The first iced tea I brewed was the Ginger Peach Iced Tea. This flavor is the current best seller. This tea is delicious both hot and cold. The Ginger and Peach flavor combination was perfect.   

My husband brewed the Chamomile Citrus herbal tea, another best seller. Although my husband is not usually a fan of herbal teas, he really enjoyed the Chamomile Citrus flavor. 

Did you know that Mighty Leaf also offers teaware? I would love to try the Chantal Tea Kettle, as my current tea kettle is ancient.  

Summary

You can still enjoy iced tea during the cold months. Mighty Leaf Iced Teas quench your thirst after raking leaves in the yard or playing in the snow with your kids. Choose Mighty Leaf Teas and you taste buds will thank you.

My Thoughts: I would highly recommend Mighty Leaf Teas to anyone. The variety of flavor combination will satisfy any tea lover’s taste buds. The best aspect of Mighty Leaf Tea is that I can reuse the bag several times because of the amount of high quality, whole leaves.  I also love that the tag on each tea pouch tells you the brew time.   

Opportunities for Improvement – Mighty Leaf has a lot of opportunities to continue expanding their organic teas to meet market demand. I look forward to seeing what new organic flavor combinations Mighty Leaf can create. 

What is the Man’s Opinion?  My husband, who usually turns his nose to “girly” tea flavors, enjoyed both the Ginger Peach and the Chamomile Citrus. I think I could convince him to buy more Mighty Leaf Teas! J

Rating:

Total green check marks out of 5.

Mighty Leaf Iced Teas 

Mighty Leaf Tea Pouches 

Disclosure: I received the samples from Mighty Leaf Teas in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my personal experiences. This review is objective and completely honest.

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To GMO or Not To GMO?

Have you heard about GMO? While the acronym itself might not sound bad, the fact that the organisms (in this case, crops like fruits and vegetables) are genetically modified is a scary practice that is quickly becoming the standard, if not already. The most startling piece of information below is that USA is the highest producer of GMO crops and does not mandate that they are labeled.

Corn, soybeans, canola, and cotton have been identified as the crops that are usually genetically modified. Read below to understand the negative impacts of GMO.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/87-percent-americans-want-genetically-modified-foods-labeled-infographic.html

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Pencils Skirts and Stairs

This summer, I got into a habit of wearing skirts to work.  I find skirts to be more comfortable than pants.  I hope to wear skirts for a little bit longer into the colder season by pairing with boots and leggings.  My office job prompts for Business Professional and/or Business Casual depending on the location and the meetings we have.  Therefore, I have several pencil skirts.  I love the look of pencils skirts and they truly fit my body the best.

Frequently throughout the week, I need to go to 2-3 floors above me.  I feel like taking the elevator is a waste when I have two perfectly good feet.  I usually opt for the stairs if I need to go up or down 5 or less flights.  I guess this is my way to "green" and get a little bit of exercise during the day.

I came to the realization this week that pencil skirts do not work with stairs!  Add boots to the equation and you might as well not go anywhere!  I actually had to hike my skirt up to even be able to go up the stairs.  Luckily, no one else was in the stairwell, or I would have been really embarrassed.

>> What fashion mishaps have you experience at work or in a social setting?
 

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