Day 1 Check In

Alright! Well, I guess today was the official first day of me trying to live a healthier life style. Even though I am doing all those things I said I wanted to do, I can't help but feel lazy because I am unemployed and even though I did go to the gym and work out for an hour, and ate healthy all day and drank tonnes of water...the rest of the time I was lying around. I lay in the sunshine for a while, I watched a couple episodes of friends... and then I just sit around and wait for my boyfriend to come home haha. Also, even if I want to work out for a few hours a day, to try and take up more time and get more fit, I'm not at a place where I am even physically fit enough to really do that. 



I need to start coming up with some hobbies haha. I love to read so I should start doing more of that and I have always wanted to get better at art so I should also try that as well. I've been browsing pinterest to try and find new recipes, exercises and fun things which has been good to. For today, I've decided to post a few pictures of me right now, as well as my measurements.

These shots are from today, after the gym. Probably not the most flattering time to take selfies, but hey you can see this is the real me. As you can see from the collage below my skin is not having the greatest time right now. I attribute this to stress as well as drinking too much alcohol and pop...and the fact that I am totally a picker, I can't help it!. I am really hoping with drinking 3-5 litres of water per day that this improves. I met my goal today water wise. I have drank almost 2 1/2 litres of water and 1 litre of green tea so far and I still have 1 litre of peppermint tea to go before bed! I was surprised that I didn't even feel like I had to force myself to drink that much. Between the gym and lying in the sun I wanted to drink lots of water!

I also took my measurements today which was depressing. I've never actually taken measurements of myself so I don't really have anything to base it on, I just hope to see these numbers shrink. I also don't have a scale to weigh myself and there isn't one in our apartment buildings gym so I really only have these numbers to base my progress on.

Measurements

Wrists: 7.25 inBicep: 14 inBust: 44.25 inUnder Bust: 40 inStomach and Hips: 43.25 inButt: 50 inThighs: 29.5 inCalf: 18 inAnkle: 10 in

I also went to the gym today and worked out for half an hour on the elliptical, and then did leg day! I'm thinking of getting a fit bit so I can more accurately check how many calories I'm burning because these machines don't even have a heart rate monitor on them so I think they aren't very accurate. Savannah, you're unemployed and broke, remember? Oh right, never mind.

Exercise

• 33 minutes on the elliptical, 4452 "strides"
• 3/15 side leg lifts, each leg
• 3/15 front leg lifts, each leg
• 3/15 lying butt lifts
• 3/15 lying toe taps, each leg
• 10 minutes of stretching

This totaled a bit over an hour of exercise and my legs were burning at the end, but I was very happy that I got through it. I am thinking of adding some yoga to my mornings as well to take up some more time in my day but also as a form of exercise that is highly beneficial but also won't tire me out too much for my gym session.

I did well on the eating thing today I think. I am going to re-download the myfitness pal application on my phone so that I can better keep track of my calories and exercise. The most frustrating part about those apps though is trying to calculate for your own dishes, like soup or dal. How can I accurately guess exactly how much of each thing was in one serving? Oh well, at least this will help be a guideline for how much I should be eating every day.

Meals

Breakfast - Left over dal makhani with rice, weird brekky, I know.

Lunch - A large spinach salad with cucumber, pepper, tomato, carrot and avocado with a balsamic vinaigrette. And a quarter of a small water melon.

Post Gym Snack - 1 cup of cashew milk with turmeric, a cup of blue berries and a handful of raw almonds

Dinner - Simple Summer Corn Soup from Minimalist Baker's website slightly modified, and half of a whole wheat bagel.

Snack - The boyfriend wants popcorn later which will have a bit of margarine and nutritional yeast.

Simple Summer Corn Soup

Cashew milk with turmeric and black pepper

Not so bad right? You know, I don't even know if anyone is reading these, but that's ok. If it keeps me on track, if it makes me feel better to share then I am going to keep on posting.

Cinnamon

xx

insta: @cinnamonheartvegan

twitter: @cinnamonheartv

Healthier Vegan Dal Makhani

Hello!

Today I am going to share a recipe of a dish I love, but isn't normally very good for you. Dal Makhani. My boyfriend is Indian and that means he has taught me so many good Indian dishes, but a lot of them are heavy on the butter, oil or cream, Dal Makhani being one of those dishes. If you have never had Dal Makhani you are missing out. It is a rich, and hearty, very satisfying dish. But this dish is traditionally definitely not vegan. Makhan literally means butter in Hindi so it's pretty obvious there is supposed to be a lot of that.

Dal Makhani with Rice

I wanted to have the creamy delicious dish, but with less calories. I based this recipe off of Veg Recipes of India's recipe here. Their website is absolutely amazing for vegetarian Indian dishes, but they are not vegan for the most part. There are different kinds of Dal Makhani, Dharba Style, Restaurant Style, and Home Cooked Style. This I would say is a mix between dharba and restaurant style. I replace the butter with margarine, though in the future I think I would like to try it with coconut oil instead, and I replace the cream with Silk's creamy cashew milk which is really delicious and very low in calories. The kind of lentils you need are called Urad Dal or Black Lentils see here, I find them at my local Save On or Fruiticana. You should be able to find them at an "ethnic" food store, or if you have a well stocked grocery. You want to buy the whole black lentil, not the split ones. Enjoy!

Dal Makhani

• 1 cup Urad Dal (can take out 1/4 cup and replace with 1/4 cup of red kidney beans)

• 3 cups water for pressure cooking (+extra if needs more cooking)

• ½ cup finely chopped onions

• 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped

• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste or 6 to 7 garlic + 1 inch ginger

• 2 large tomatoes or 1 cup tomato puree (I usually use salt free canned diced tomatoes and blend them)

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• 2 to 3 cloves

• 2 green cardamoms

• 1 small cinnamon stick

• 1 small to medium bay leaf

• ½ tsp red chili powder

• 1 cup of water or add as required

• ½ cup Silk Cashew Milk (You can use any plant based milk you prefer,  I find this the creamiest)

• 2 Tablespoons of Margarine

• salt as required

1. Soak lentils and kidney beans if using over night or all day in water, then drain and rinse.
2. Place the lentils and kidney beans if using in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water, place on high heat and cook for 20+ whistles. Pressure cooking is more of an art than a science and you really will just need to check a few times to see if they are done. They should be very soft, squishable between your fingers. If when you check they aren't done, add more water and pressure cook for an additional 5 whistles at a time. Once done keep the lentils, and their water aside.
3. In a heavy bottomed pot heat margarine over medium heat and then add whole spices: cumin seeds, cardamom pods, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Saute until they are aromatic.
4. Lower heat to medium and add the onions, cook until soft and golden.
5. Add ginger/garlic paste and green onions and cook until the raw smell of the ginger/garlic paste goes away.
6. Add tomatoes and chili powder, simmer until you see the margarine releasing from the sides.
7. Add cooked lentils and kidney beans if using, and their water to the pot, with 1 cup of water (or more if necessary) and stir. 
8. Simmer on low, with no lid for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently and adding water as necessary. It should not be too thick or thin.
9. When the gravy has thickened enough add the cashew milk, stir, and turn off the heat. It is ready!

Dal Makhani with Chapatti

You can eat dal with rice, chapatis, or naans. Feel free to throw some fresh chopped cilantro on top, I just hate cilantro with a firey burning passion.

Now that you are eating Dal Makhani, you can listen to the song Dal Makhani! It's from the movie Dr. Cabbie which is really good, about a young Indian doctor who moves to Canada for a better life. It's got comedy, drama, and romance, what more can you ask for?

Waffle Sunday

Every Sunday, is "Waffle Sunday" at our house. I wanted to share my favourite recipe that I use. Which is Vegan Waffles for Two by The Viet Vegan (Who adapted it from The Art of Dessert). It is so good really crispy on the outside and quite fluffy on the inside. Her recipe doesn't quite make enough for two waffles in my large waffle maker so I increase it by half, which is a little too much but better too much waffles than too little is what I always say! 

My Dad was always the person who made waffles when I lived at home, and when we were lucky he would make them for dinner. So of course to make them like my dad I need to have whipped cream and fruit. My Dad always had strawberries but I like to mix it up. Every time I make waffles, I also make a batch of coconut whipped cream and simmer some frozen fruit to put on top. And I mean really, waffles, coconut whipped cream, and fruit? How could that not be delicious. Below is the recipe for Vegan waffles for two, increased by half.

• 

  Blueberry

  
  
  
  

Blackberry

Strawberry

1.5 Tbsp flax meal

4.5 Tbsp warm water

1.5 Tbsp coconut oil in liquid state (vegetable oil or grapeseed would work here too)

1.5 cup all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

3 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1.5 cup almond milk (or other milk, I use cashew)

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

To Serve:

Coconut Whipped Cream

Fruit (frozen and cooked, or fresh)

Maple Syrup

1. Preheat waffle iron
2. Mix flax meal and warm water and let sit for about 2 minutes until it's thickened. Add in coconut oil and mix.
3. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, almond milk, vanilla extract and whisk together until no lumps remain.
4. Pour into waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's instructions. 
5. Serve topped with whipped coconut cream, and fresh or cooked fruit of your choice. Plus you could add some maple syrup if you're feeling crazy.

Fresh Fruit

Oh She Glows has a great step by step Coconut Whipped Cream recipe, that is clear and easy to follow. Here.

Cinnamon
xx

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