As some of you may have noticed, I haven’t been blogging here at The Journey From Here for the last few weeks, and that’s because I started a new blog! I’ve been working on getting the site up and running and along with my school responsibilities this has left little time for posting. 

My new blog is called A Girl and Her Kitchn. I’ll be doing the same type of format although I will be including more recipes! 

I moved the blog to Wordpress because the Tumblr format is more suited for shorter posts. I hope you’ll still check it out! 

I’ll be moving some of the posts from here to the new blog, but that is still in progress. 

Thanks so much following me here on Tumblr. I’ve really enjoyed having this little blog and sharing my life with you guys! 

I’ve posted the link to the new blog below.

agirlandherkitchn.com

Ashley

TGIF!! 

Although I’m excited for the weekend to be here, I have 2 tests coming up next week that will require some studying. But I will not let that ruin my weekend!

This morning, I started the day with a bowl of cereal.

Raisin bran with sliced bananas, almond milk, flax seed, and coconut butter (!!!). 

This morning, I realized we were out of coffee beans. The horror!

So I walked up to Starbucks to get my fix. It’s only a five minute walk from our house so it wasn’t a big deal. That’s the thing about Portland. Everywhere you look, there is a coffee shop. I’m not complaining. :)

At 10am, I walked to the gym for my usual Friday bootcamp class. We did another Tabata style workout with 20 seconds of an exercise, 10 seconds rest, and 20 seconds of another exercise (then repeat). It was a tough workout!

After I got back home, I fixed myself lunch. 

A wrap with leftover tofu cutlets, ‘honey’ mustard dressing, and lettuce in a brown rice tortilla. 

With an apple on the side. 

This afternoon I did some cleaning. You’d be surprised how dirty a one bedroom apartment can get with four pets (and one Danny) running around. :)

I also got in a couple hours of studying. It never ends. 

We had plans for the night so for dinner we heated up some leftovers. 

Baked beans and roasted green beans for me. 

I didn’t realize I was eating beans with more beans until Danny mentioned it. Oops! I was just looking for a vegetable to have on the side and I didn’t really think about it. :)

For our first stop of the night, we met up with some of Danny’s coworkers for happy hour.

Next, we met some friends for bowling. 

I have no bowling skills, but I managed to score a 120 on one game!

Look at that excellent form! ;)

What’s happening here, I can’t really say. 

Danny managed to get quite a few strikes, coming close to a turkey about 3 times. But, alas, it was not to be. Maybe next time, big guy. 

And for our last stop of the night, we went to Alibi, a eclectic tiki bar. Check out this sign! It was like we were going to Las Vegas. 

It’s been a late night and a few too many beers.  I’m officially exhausted. Off to bed! 

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Healthy Living

Today, I celebrate 28 years of life. Even though, I’m getting older, I don’t mind it. Every year, I feel I grow as a person and learn so much more. Here’s to many more happy years!

Danny made my birthday breakfast this morning!

His famous waffles. It’s his specialty.

These were the best yet. He used the banana nut recipe from Veganomicon. 

They tasted just like banana bread. Delicious! Thanks Danny!

Along with breakfast, Danny gave me a card. With Hobbes on the front! Well, not really, but the resemblance is uncanny! You see, Hobbes is what I like to call ‘one of a kind’. We have never seen a dog that looks like him so to find this card was quite special. 

I had to spend the next 6 hours of my birthday doing chemistry. No, I’m not bitter. Why do you ask?

I heated up some leftover soup to take with me for lunch. 

I love my new thermos. Spoon included!

Once chemistry was over (thank God!), I scarfed down a snack before heading out for a run. 

My usual - cashews and raisins. 

For today’s run, I drove up to Forest Park. 

I just had to take advantage of this rainless day. 

The main trail is marked along the way. I ran 4 miles in and then 4 miles back for 8 miles total. 

I got a little muddy, but overall it was a great run. I left my Garmin at home so I could just enjoy the run without worrying about my pace. 

For dinner, Danny took me to one of my favorite restaurants, Dick’s Kitchen. 

Birthday beer!

I decided to stray from my usual order, the Portobello Burger and instead went with the Field Roast Italian Sausage. It was served in a hoagie with sauteed onions and peppers and whole grain mustard. Danny and I also shared an order of fries. 

It was good, but I think the Portobello Burger still wins in my book. 

When we arrived back home, it was time for presents and cake! We decided my birthday present from Danny this year would be my entry fee into the Portland Marathon. It’s expensive, and we’re on a budget. :)

But I had other gifts to open. 

Check this out!!!

Danny’s parents, Jack and Kathi, sent me a whole box of vegan goodies. Cookies, pancake mix, french toast mix, coconut, vanilla wafers, coconut butter (!!!!), and chocolate syrup. 

As well as, 3 new cookbooks - Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, and The Voluptuous Vegan. 

I also received a gift card to H&M from my parents! 

Shopping and food, my family knows me very well. :) 

And last, but certainly not least, it was cake time. Danny picked up two pieces of cake from a vegan bakery here in Portland called Sweetpea. He somehow managed to bring them home unscathed after a ride on his bicycle. He bought one chocolate and one coconut cream. The coconut cream was my favorite. So good! We saved two more slices for tomorrow. :)

It was such a wonderful birthday.

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Running

There is a pesky little rumor circulating around that vegans don’t get enough iron. This is assumed because the iron found in plant foods (non-heme iron) is not absorbed as well as the iron found in animal products (heme iron). But in actuality, low iron levels are just as common in omnivores as in vegans. Source

I, myself, wondered what my iron levels were. I had no reason to assume they were low, but I was curious. 

Today, in my Anatomy and Physiology lab, we had the opportunity to check the hemoglobin levels in our blood. Hemoglobin is an iron containing protein found in red blood cells. Low levels can indicate iron deficiency anemia. 

Healthy levels of hemoglobin for women fall in the range of 12 to 16 gm/dl. Want to know what mine was??

A healthy 14.9! 

I guess all the beans, tofu, and leafy greens are really doing my body good! 

When I was in the thick of my Crohn’s disease flare up, my doctor repeatedly told me my iron levels were low, and he prescribed supplements (which I haven’t taken in over 2 years). 

I’m very excited to learn that all the changes I’ve made in my diet are working! 

Enough talk about iron…

On to today’s eats. 

Wednesday mornings, I have an 8am lab so I left the apartment early to get to campus. 

I scarfed down some toast with almond butter and banana slices.

With some coffee (x2). 

When I arrived home, I heated up some leftovers for lunch. 

Leftover fried rice, kale, TJ’s vegetable mix, and TJ’s broccoli slaw all sauteed together in a pan. 

Mmm…tofu. You know you love it. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my head in the books. 

I have a chemistry exam tomorrow (on my birthday, umph!). 

This evening, I went to the gym for a kickboxing class. I needed it. Take that chemistry!

Before I left, I got everything in the pot ready for our dinner and had Danny get it cooking before I got home. 

On the menu - Boston Baked Beans

This is another of David’s recipes. Wouldn’t you know that the day I have my iron tested is the day I have this recipe on the menu.

It’s made with a half cup of blackstrap molasses, one of the best vegetarian sources of iron. I thought it was quite the coincidence. :)

I used pinto beans that I soaked last night and cooked this afternoon. On the side, we had a salad with ‘Honey’ Mustard Dressing made with agave nectar. 

Big day tomorrow! Till we meet again.

• Tags
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Healthy Living
• Portland
• David's Vegan Kitchen

Over the past month, I’ve fallen into a routine with my workout schedule. It always involves a 6am Body Pump class on Tuesdays. It’s tough to wake up this early, but it helps that I’ve turned it into a habit. I’ve been almost every Tuesday for the past 6 weeks! 

Before Body Pump this morning, I ran a couple miles on the treadmill to warm up. The class usually fills up so you have to ask the front desk for a pass to save your spot. I like to be there about 20 minutes early to get a pass, and I spend my extra time doing cardio. 

By 8am, I had worked out, showered, walked the dogs, made coffee and breakfast! That may not be much to some of you, but in the Rohr household, it’s quite an accomplishment. :)

Breakfast was just a simple bowl of cereal.

Raisin Bran topped with soy milk, bananas, extra raisins, and almond butter.

I will always love cereal. Growing up, we ate cereal for breakfast every single morning before school. When the grocery store would have a sale, my Dad (bless his heart!) would purchase a bunch of boxes, and we’d have enough cereal to last us till high school graduation. We always had a supply of about 5 to 7 boxes. It was AWESOME. :)

The rest of the morning, I got a few assignments done before starting on lunch. 

This is another one of David’s recipes called Beans and Greens Soup.

It was one of my favorites. 

It’s full of vegetables and beans with a very tasty broth.

The recipe makes about 6 servings so I packed the rest away for lunch later this week. 

The afternoon was filled with chemistry lecture and studying for my exam on Thursday. Once Danny arrived home from work, I started on dinner. 

This recipe is called Tofu ‘Egg Fried’ Rice. It’s similar to fried rice, but uses tofu instead of eggs. 

I’ve made this dish twice before, and I’m sure I’ll be making it again. The recipe comes together in under 20 minutes, is made with simple ingredients, and it tastes delicious. What more can you ask for?

On the side, we had a salad with Miso Tahini Dressing. Miso is another ingredient that David uses in his recipes frequently. I have a container that’s been sitting in my fridge for a few months. I’ve been enjoying learning to incorporate it into different recipes. 

I’m off to bed. Quiz in the morning!

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Healthy Living

Over the past four weeks, I attended about 8 vegan cooking classes put on by a local chef named David Gabbe. 

He has been teaching classes for a very long time and has written four cookbooks, the most recent being David’s Vegan Homecooking.

There are many different types of classes you can take which are held at various locations around Portland and the surrounding areas. Here is a list of a few I attended.

• Adventures with Tofu
• Cheeses and Milks Vegan Style
• Gluten-Free Baking
• Beans and Whole Grains
• Sweet Sensations

The classes are taught demo style where you watch David prepare the foods as he explains the different ingredients and cooking methods.

We also were able to try tons of delicious samples which was great! David emphasizes all whole organic ingredients with lots of tofu, tempeh, beans (cooked from scratch), vegetables, fruits, and nuts and nut butters. His cookbook is filled with easy home cooking recipes that don’t have a huge list of ingredients or a ton of steps. 

Over the next few days, I’m going to cook some of the meals we learned in class so if you are a Portland local you can see if you’d be interested. His cookbook is also available for purchase online if you outside of the area. I really enjoyed the classes and learned a ton of new information. 

On to today…

This morning, I woke up craving some fruit, so I went with a smoothie for breakfast.

I’ll call this concoction Vanilla Orange Peach Smoothie. It was a good one. 

In the blender - soy milk, OJ, frozen banana, frozen peaches, vanilla and flax seed oil.

Later in the morning, I headed out for a run. 

A little over 5 miles. Not too shabby. 

For lunch, I pulled out one of David’s recipes. 

Tofu Cutlets

It’s essentially just tofu baked in a flavorful marinade. They get nice and crispy in the oven. 

I put the tofu cutlets in a wrap with mustard, lettuce and this veggie mix I picked up from TJs.

I saw this mix and couldn’t resist. Lots of different nutrients in there. :)

I spent the remainder of the afternoon studying per the usual, and then I headed to my evening class.

By the time I got home, I was starving so I quickly got dinner started. 

Roasted sweet potatoes (with olive oil, salt, and smoked paprika), kale chips (nooch, salt, and smoked paprika), and buckwheat.

In our Beans and Grains class, David introduced us to buckwheat. It’s quickly becoming my new favorite grain. I cook it in my rice cooker, and it gets light and fluffy.

I poured a little mix of tamari and toasted sesame oil on the buckwheat for flava. 

This Thursday is my birthday! 28 years old! I also have a chemistry test that day, go figure. 

See ya!

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• David's Vegan Kitchen
• Running
• Healthy Living

As the weekend is coming to an end, I’m enjoying my last few moments of free time before the madness of the week ensues.

Today was relatively productive (for a Sunday). 

I started the day with a late breakfast of oatmeal. 

Rolled oats, soy milk, raisins, bananas, cinnamon, vanilla, buckwheat groats, and maple syrup. 

I just realized I forgot to put nut butter on my oats. How does that even happen?

With coffee in a giant mug. Cause Sundays should always involve giant mugs of coffee. 

I spent most of the afternoon huddled over the desk writing a paper for my nutrition class. I’m writing a paper on ways to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among children.

As I begin to take more nutrition courses, I’m honing in on what type of career in dietetics I would like when I graduate. One particular area of the field that has always interested me is school nutrition. I would love to design healthy balanced meals for schools and be involved with teaching children about the benefits of eating a healthy diet.

I spent hours researching databases and reading studies regarding children and the factors that affect their intake of fruit and vegetables. It’s mighty interesting. Once my paper gets graded and revised, I may share some of the information I learned. 

Once I was finished with my rough draft, Danny and I decided we were hungry. We walked the dogs down the street to Chipotle to grab some dinner. 

Whenever we go somewhere within walking distance, we like to take the dogs with us.

It was a cloudy day here in Portland, but no rain. 

Back home, we dug in…

Veggie tacos with rice, black beans, mild and medium salsa, guac, and lettuce. 

I spent the remainder of the evening meal planning, grocery shopping, and straightening up. 

And now I’m wasting away the rest of the evening on Pinterest! Here is this week’s fitness recap. 

Fitness Recap

Monday: 4 Mile Treadmill Run

Tuesday: Body Pump

Wednesday: 5 Mile Run

Thursday: 4 Mile Treadmill Speed Work

Friday: Boot Camp

Saturday: Kickboxing

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Healthy Living
• Running

Sleeping in is fun. 

I got a good 8 hours of sleep last night which is usually a few more than I get during the week, stupid chemistry. 

This morning, I went to the gym for a kickboxing class which is quickly becoming my new favorite. Such a constructive way to take out aggression (on chemistry). 

Kickboxing Fuel.

For lunch, I made a sandwich with baked tofu, spinach, tomato, and hummus. 

With some strawberries on the side. 

Eaten while watching the KSU Wildcats victory! EMAW! 

Later on, we took the dogs to the park. 

It was quite muddy which made a wonderful playground for Hobbes. He likes to get dirty. :)

Frank just likes to drool all over the place. I think it’s supposed to be intimidating, but I’m not sure the other dogs think so.  

T

Check out this pug! Drama!

Frank’s face in this photo made my day (far right). I think he’s smiling. :)

Hobbes and Frank said bye to their new friends and we headed home. 

This evening, we met up with our friends John and Anna for dinner at Smallwares.

John and Anna were so wonderful when Danny and I were moving up to Portland. They took Danny in for a few weeks while Danny looked for a job, and I stayed back home in Kansas to work. We owe them big time. 

Smallwares is a new restaurant at 46th and Fremont that was opened by a friend of John’s. They have asian inspired cuisine served tapas style. 

They didn’t have too many vegan options, but if you like asian fusion, you should definitely check it out.

For my dinner, I ordered the Kale Salad which came with apples and onions tossed in a sesame vinaigrette. 

The rest of the table shared some small plates. Danny’s favorites were the oysters and the somen noodles with chili paste, sesame, fried egg and hijiki.

I have a full day of school work tomorrow which I’m dreading, but I’ll grit my teeth and get through it. 

Have a good one!

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian

Happy Friday! I spent most of the day taking it easy.

Started with a bowl of oatmeal.

Rolled oats with dried cranberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and chopped banana stirred in and topped with almond butter and maple syrup.

I picked up a jar of almond butter last week, and I forgot how good it is. 

Side note - Tommy says Hi!

He’s the best cat to snuggle with, just a big ball of fur. 

For my workout today, I went to the gym for my usual boot camp class at 10am. We did Tabata based training - 20 seconds of an exercise, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds of another exercise. Repeat for 8 minutes. That was one station and there were four stations in total. We did the first round at 8 minutes per station and the second round at 4 minutes per station.  Whew! 

After my workout, I got started on lunch. I made the Peanut and Lime Hummus from Eat Drink and Be Vegan. I thinned it down with water to use it as a sauce on top of my bowl. 

In today’s bowl - buckwheat, steamed kale, sauteed tofu, Peanut and Lime Hummus, and a sprinkle of peanuts. 

It was a good one.

I tried to be productive this afternoon, but it didn’t last long. I think I already used all of it up for this week. :) 

This evening, Danny texted me and said he was heading to happy hour which means dinner for one!

Enchiladas! For the filling I used vegetarian refried beans mixed with some enchilada sauce, a mix of Mexican spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, and salt) and a chopped jalapeno. 

I made another batch of Mama Pea’s homemade tortillas. Store bought just won’t do anymore! 

Topped with the rest of the enchilada sauce (store bought), Daiya Cheese, and black olives. 

I enjoyed my dinner for one with one of my favorite TV shows - Everybody Loves Raymond! I’m a sucker for family sitcoms. :)

I have no plans this weekend except for a little homework. Have a good one!

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian

I have a confession. 

Although my journey to a plant-based diet began at the beginning of 2011, it took me about a year to complete the transition. 

I spent 2011 being vegan, then not vegan, then veganish. Although I enjoyed learning how to cook vegan foods, and my tastes have most certainly changed for the better since then, it was difficult to give up my favorite comfort foods. 

I grew up loving cheeseburgers, ice cream, beef tacos, steak, and Caesar salad. At moments in 2011, when I was having a particularly rough day, my emotions would get the best of me. I found myself craving these foods and occasionally giving in. 

This year, I decided that I’m going to stick to my vegan diet for good, and so far I’ve been very successful. 

I’ve since learned through this process that everybody is different with regards to their eating habits. Some people may be able to give up meat and dairy cold turkey (no pun intended), but for others, like myself, it can take awhile. And that’s okay.

The idea of ‘progress not perfection’ is an important reminder of how I try to live my life. For some people, it may mean giving up meat and dairy, for others it may mean just eating more fruits and vegetables and less animal products. As a future dietitian, this is an idea that I would like to emphasize with my patients. 

On that note, I have a few tips and tricks that helped me make the transition to a plant-based diet. 

1. Buy a vegan cookbook and go crazy. 

I can’t emphasize enough how much this helped me in the beginning. I had no idea what eating a plant-based diet looked like! A cookbook can introduce you to new beans, grains and vegetables and show you how to prepare those foods. I would have been lost without a cookbook. If I had to pick two, I would say Eat Drink and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton and The 30 Day Vegan Challenge by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. 

2. Try out a vegan restaurant in your area. 

I know I’m lucky cause I live in Portland, the vegan mecca of the universe, but most medium and large-sized cities have at least one veggie friendly restaurant. You will see how good vegan food can taste. 

3. Read a book.

Not just any book, silly. Find one that explains the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Whether your reasons for making the transition are for health, animal welfare, or environmental reasons, doing some research on your own can reinforce these beliefs and provide some basic information. When I was struggling, I would pick up a book from the library and soon after I would find myself motivated again. I found The China Study by Dr. T Colin Campbell and The Food Revolution by John Robbins to be particularly inspiring. 

4. Make a Weekly Meal Plan

Transitioning to a plant-based diet can be kind of intimidating. What? You mean I have to soak the beans overnight before I cook them?? It does involve a little bit of planning to get a meal on the table. Grains and beans (if you buy them dry) can take awhile to cook. In addition, since you’ll probably be eating more fruits and vegetables (yay for phytochemicals!), extra washing and chopping may be required. Don’t worry, after a few months, this becomes much easier. 

5. Make Over Your Favorite Meals

I did not go vegan and then immediately start eating bowls and bowls of kale (even though I do that now, hehe). To make the transition easier, I suggest modifying your favorite meals to make them vegan. For instance:

• Spagetti with meat sauce = spagetti with marinara sauce and Field Roast Sausages
• Burgers with fries = black bean burgers with sweet potato fries
• Beef tacos = roasted chickpea tacos with all the fixins
• Chicken stir fry = tofu stir fry 

These are just a few of my favorites, but I’m sure you can think of some more. 

Transitioning to a plant-based diet is a process. It doesn’t have to happen overnight! Soon you’ll see that you gain so much more than you give up. 

• Tags
• Portland
• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Health
• Plant-Based Diet