Lesson 4: Staying Motivated
You don't have to give up steaks and hot fudge sundaes completely to reap substantial benefits. If you have a chocolate donut day, don't waste emotions on discouragement; just enjoy it for the day, and then review your reasons for wanting to make changes and get back to them the next day.
Simplistic Meal Preparation
Incorporating more plant source foods into your diet does not have to mean time-consuming, complicated cooking. Actually meal preparation and clean-up can be quite simple.
Cooking veggie can be a timesaver. As you rely less and less on meat as your main dish, you do not have the worry of planning days ahead or trying to remember to thaw a big chunk of meat. Boiled beans or rice can be prepared in double quantity to reduce cooking another day. Beans actually gain flavor overnight in the refrigerator, and taste great when added to chili or stew. Extra rice can be sealed and saved to eat with vanilla soymilk, sugar and cinnamon for breakfast, or added to gumbos, casseroles, or salads another day. Pancake batters can be made up on the weekend for use during the week and casseroles can be made ahead and frozen for future use.
Cleanup can be simple. Pasta dishes are usually boiled or baked. Most veggie dishes are boiled, stir-fried, or simply chopped or heated, leaving no grease splatter. Ready to eat, packaged salad mixes are convenient. All you add is your favorite dressing. Cleanup is easy when you have only a couple of salad bowls or, if you use paper plates, only silverware. And veggie eating still affords the benefit of quick hot dogs, burgers, or sandwiches using soy products.
Mealtimes will never be stressful if you keep on hand a variety of fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables, fruits and grains. Apples, plums, and grapes store well in the refrigerator, as do carrots, lettuce, radishes, celery, and cauliflower. Buy bananas while they are still a little green and store them in a cool, dark place, or slice and freeze. Keep frozen chopped pecans in the freezer for adding to pancake batter, cereals, sweet potatoes, or other dishes.
In my freezer, I always keep soy sausage, purple hull peas, turnip greens, breaded okra, chopped pecans, sliced peaches, bananas, cranberries,and blueberries. In the refrigerator, I always have vanilla soymilk, soy sandwich slices, juices, peanut butter, shredded coconut, apples, plums, grapes, carrots, broccoli, squash, cauliflower, cucumbers, radishes, celery, lettuce and prepackaged cabbage slaw. In the pantry, I always have whole grain cold cereals, whole wheat bread, instant oatmeal, bananas, honey, green tea, and cans of spinach, green beans, sweet potatoes, pineapple chunks, peach slices, prunes, diced tomatoes, and bags of brown rice, pinto beans, split peas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, potatoes, and boxes of spaghetti and macaroni. A variety like this will last up to two weeks and actually turns meal preparation into a simple and creative “mix and match”.
When I’ve worked hard all day, spent an hour at the gym, and come home to yet another two hours of computer work and a load of laundry, I love to energize with this quick and refreshing smoothie.
Peach Dream
½ cup of frozen peach slices
½ cup vanilla soymilk
1/4 cup orange juice
½ cup peach/mango yogurt
3 or 4 frozen banana slices
1 tsp instant oatmeal
1 tsp wheat germ
Blend until smooth.
