Day 21 and Thoughts on Tofu

DAY 21 and back to the grind. I got up early and did my weigh-in for the week. Thankfully I had maintained my weight loss over my vacation. It feels good to be back and on the meal plan again. It was almost a relief in a way. With the meal plan, I don't have to count calories or worry about what to order or agonize about planning my next meal. It's pretty simple, I eat what's on the plan, and while I can play around with lots of veggies and spices, it's fairly simple. No cheese or bacon showing up on salads unannounced.

I had a great workout today at the gym. I always feel so great after working out, I see what people mean when they talk about how exercise is addictive. That feeling is great. It's like elation and exhaustion mixed, with a real sense of accomplishment. I know that it will only get better too, as my body grows stronger. I can't keep up a very quick pace on the treadmill, but I do a fast walk on an incline to get my heart rate up. It'll be cool when can continuously jog or run. 

After the workout I went and stocked up on groceries. I pretty much stick to the peripheries of the store: veggies and fruits, egg whites, fish and tofu, and some bulk grains like quinoa and chia. I'm a huge fan of this delicious marinated slow-roasted tofu from the salad bar at Whole Foods so I thought I would try to make some at home. I generally like tofu, having been vegetarian for the past several years. To me it almost tastes like chicken, but that could just be because I forget what real chicken tastes like. 

My recipe for slow-roasted tofu:

- extra firm tofu, drained and chopped into cubes

- balsamic vinegar

- dijon mustard

- garlic, diced

- black pepper, thyme and oregano

Basically I just marinated the tofu cubes in the other ingredients. I slow-roasted the cubes on a non-stick tray for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Our oven runs a bit hot, so next time I'm going to try a little lower heat for a little less time. They should have a nice even light brown exterior and a chewy texture inside. With a nice salad and balsamic vinaigrette, they were perfect. I think I may try a more Asian-fusion style next time with some Chinese five-spice and some Bragg's seasoning (tastes so much like soya sauce, it's uncanny), and maybe a splash of sesame oil.

I also roasted some almonds. Normally I keep them in the freezer and just eat them raw, but I thought I try roasting some. Super easy, just roast on a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. They smelled sooo good, oh my goodness. This afternoon I made myself a pot of Lady Grey tea and cut up an apple and counted out my 10 almonds. I settled on the couch with my boyfriend to watch the MasterChef episode that we missed this week. Perfection. My boyfriend smelled my little snack and asked if he could try a roasted almond. I must have looked so hurt as I responded with 'You want one of my ten almonds?' that he laughed and got a couple from the tray in the kitchen instead. Very wise. It really was a lovely afternoon.