Top of the mornin’ to ya!
Despite my horrible sleep on Tuesday night, I slept like a log last night.
Don’t you find that sleep after a bad night’s sleep is always so restorative and deep?
It’s the same with workouts the day after a rest day…they are always strong!
And don’t cravings for salads and fruit suddenly appear after a weekend of unhealthy fare?
Our bodies always find a way of balancing it all out! It is amazing when you think about it.
One of the best lessons I ever learned was to TRUST my body. My body is smart and so is yours. It knows how to function. The reason we get into trouble is that we start to second guess what our body is trying to tell us. We ignore that little voice that says, ‘Your leg just doesn’t feel right, you shouldn’t go for that run’ or ‘You are hungry and should eat more today.’
We are taught to ignore our bodies signals.
I talked briefly the other day about how my hunger that was off the wall. I felt like I had a hole in my stomach! In the past I would have ignored it and not allowed myself to eat more. This would often lead to a binge.
Now, if I am hungry I allow myself to eat more. I don’t binge anymore and I haven’t in probably 3 years. Sure, on occasion I still may overeat (I’m only human and I love food!!!), but I would take this any day over bingeing and the extreme guilt that comes with it.
Trusting my body seems so obvious to me now, but it was such a hard concept for me to learn after years of depriving myself.
Onward to my morning!
This morning I was up around 5:45am after a solid 7 hours sleep. After doing about 1.5 hours work on the computer with a warm cuppa, my body told me it needed food.
Vegan French Toast
One food I thought I would never have again after going vegan is French toast. I came across a vegan French toast recipe and decided to give it a shot. This recipe is adapted from Vegan Coach. I was absolutely blown away by how similar this recipe tastes to the non-vegan version.
Ingredients:
- 6 slices bread
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 2 Tablespoons silken tofu (I used 1 tablespoon coconut butter instead)
- 1 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon sucanat or brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- dash of nutmeg
- EDITED to add: 1 banana!!!
Directions: Put all ingredients except bread into a blender and blend until smooth. Preheat a skillet with some oil (make sure to also use a non-stick pan!). Dip the slices of bread into the liquid mixture and then place onto the skillet. Cook on both sides until browned. Serve with fruit and pure maple syrup if desired. Serves 2-3.
The taste of the batter was fantastic! It reminded me a lot of regular French toast.
Make sure you use a non-stick pan and oil it really well.
Or this will happen…doh!!
I’m not sure if this was due to my pan or to the batter, but my French toast never got crispy on the outside. I haven’t had French toast in a long time, so I can’t remember if it is supposed to be crisp or not! Anyone? :)
It also may have been due to my substitution- I used coconut butter instead of silken tofu.
Regardless though, it tasted fabulous.
I thought it was going to need maple syrup or some nut butter to go with it, but it was just perfect plain! Eric really enjoyed it too.
Tea was had…
We shared a big bowl of juicy cantaloupe:
Just a quick note about Glo Bars:
- Sold out glo bars have been replenished in the cart!
- Heaven, Refresh, and variety packs are also on sale
- Please note: The last day to place an order and have it shipped out before I leave for vacation is Monday March 15th!! If you need to stock up, now is the time as I won’t be back to the bakery until early April.
Hope the sun is shining where you are!! :)
Not being able to sleep is terrible. You have the misery of having partied all night… without the satisfaction.
~Lynn Johnston
When I have to wake up at 3:30 am for work on Wednesday’s I always sleep horribly anticipating the alarm clock. However, Wednesday night I sleep like a baby!!! I love sleep…it is like a massage for my brain.
Courtney
adventures in tri-ing
massage for the brain…i love that!
That french toast look amazing – does the nutritional yeast give it a bit of a salty flavor??
Mmm those look really good!! I haven’t had french toast in forrrever – so I think I want to try this out! Yum! I slept the same way last night – Tuesday was rough but …I woke up at around 8:30 this morning feeling completely refreshed.
Oh yay on the French Toast! YUM. I haven’t had French Toast in eons. It used to be my absolute favorite thing to eat as a kid. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
There’s a recipe in ED&BV for french toast using chickpea flour that is amazing – my friends couldn’t tell the difference!
Yours look good too, though!
What you said about binging is so important. I honestly think that binging is not defined by how much you eat but by how you handle it. It’s all mental-if over-eating leads to guilt, desires to restrict, etc., it’s more of a binge situation. But if you recognize it as an indulgence and can go on with your life, it’s not!
ohhh i didnt even know there was one in there. Will have to check it out. I think I even have chickpea flour!
SO true about sleep after a bad nights rest and the workout after a rest day! Love the french toast. What a great way to start the day!
Oh yummy! I never really loved french toast made at home because it always seemed to have this “eggy” taste that bothered me (even though I do like eggs, go figure) so this sounds absolutely fantastic! I bet it would be yummy drizzled with a little earth balance and agave… mmmm
Very true about how we train ourselves to “ignore” our body’s signals. I’m quite guilty of doing that, like when I think I shouldn’t eat anymore but my stomach has turned into a cement mixer! However, I also find that sometimes I am lazy, and it’s my BRAIN telling me not to work out, not my body. :)
I also didn’t sleep well Tuesday night. Never went into rem or deep sleep. But last night I was gone to the world for 10 hours like usual. You’re so right on that.
So right about listening to our bodies. They really do crave balance, and if we just *listen* to them, it’s easy to see!
The french toast looks absolutely amazing!
Molly – thanks for posting about the EDBV recipe, I haven’t tried it yet, but keep wanting to!
Where do you buy nutritional yeast? I live in Ontario too. Thanks!
First, that french toast sounds like the bomb!!! I’m not vegan but I want to try it! Which, by the way, when you are in the states, check out Earth Fare. I had the most AMAZING slice of vegan carrot cake from their bakery yesterday. It seriously beat even normal carrot cakes that I’ve had. I don’t know if you like carrot cake but if you do… check it out!
Yay for listening to your body!! I’ve learned that lesson the hard way too. Your body WILL tell you what to do, you just have to listen. It’s way smarter than we give it credit for ;)
Listening to our body…something I had not truly done in many many years either. I was caught in that world of restrict to binge to exercise to restrict to binge to exercise. Gosh it was a tough place to be!
I said this the other day. Now that I have stepped out of that world and allowed my mind to hear what my body is saying, the sun has never been brighter! It is such a fabulous place to be. :)
We’re on the same sleep schedule this week! I also had horrible sleep Tuesday night (hmmmm – maybe that 9pm almond/coconut hot chocolate was not a good idea :)) but amazing sleep last night. I definitely agree with you about listening to your body, but I did want to bring up one thing as I am kind of going through it now. While it’s important and natural to listen to your body, I’m currently training again after a winter hiatus of 2 months (and an ankle injury) and as a result I am fearful of every little twinge that happens. My alert senses are suddenly on overtime and I suspect that I’m conscious of many twinges that were probably always there before and I didn’t worry about. Yesterday I had an ache around the top of my foot for part of my run – then realised afterwards it was b/c my new shoes were laced too tightly! But I spent most of my run worrying instead of enjoying it. Much of it is my own insanity :) but it’s definitely not helping my confidence. I guess there’s a balance somewhere and it’s a matter of finding it!
That is a great point and I totally agree that it can work the opposite way! The hard part is figuring it out!
Agreed – why is everything about figuring out stuff as you go along?? :)
I have to admit I’ve been ignoring my body signs, hunger, dizziness, headaches, muscles sores…
I try to stop it, and learn what my body is saying.
I have real problem with listening to hunger signs, I think that often now I don’t think I’m hungry, but actually, my body is. I need to work on that :)
Thank you for an inspiring post!
I agree that your body always balances things out! If you push yourself too hard or too much with anything your body will go into shut down mode! I also find that the weather really changes what I crave — out with the sun, in with the veggies!
The body totally balances things and makes up for the day/week/month before. In the long run everything balances out so it is a good idea to listen to what it is telling you!
Lucky you going on vacation!
hey ange! really cool website (vegan coach)…thanks for posting the recipe and the link!
on my way in to work this morning, listening to 680, i heard that environment canada has declared that winter is over…amazing news!!! spring is sprung! haha!
have a beautiful day…
Hi Angela,
(I’m a longtime lurker). I had been thinking of trying to contruct vegan French toast, but I think I’ll just try yours some time instead. Is there any substitute for the nooch??
Also, I find that if you bake the French toast on the rack of a 375(o)F (not sure about the Celsius conversion) oven for five minutes after pan frying, it’s a little crispier. It sounds odd, but it makes a good French toast. More grease on the pan might help too.
Hope this helps,
Caroline B.
I continually work on trying to listen to my body. I tell myself that I can trust my body, it knows what it NEEDS. Each day its needs will be a little different – and that’s natural. I just have to listen to it and respond well!
p.s. I LOVE your new mug!!! :)
Yum, that french toast looks amazing!
I just won your Glo bars in a giveaway. I’m so excited to try them :)
Cantaloupe is my favorite, that picture is making me drool!!
I think it’s so cool how you’ve learned to listen to your body! I’m still working on that, but I feel like I’m making progress! I took two weeks off from marathon training to let my back heal, and I think it’s the best decision I’ve ever made!
That french toast looks awesome. And subbing the coconut butter for tofu is genius! ;)
I didn’t sleep well on tuesday night and slept great last night.
I am trying to learn to trust my body! It is definitely something that I am working on re-learning.
i am so thankful for my body’s ability to crave balance…i am in the process of learning to listen to it, which can be hard sometimes, but it’s totally worth it when you realize you knew what you needed to do all along! great post girl :)
I prefer when french toast isn’t crispy so i think your version is perfect
MMM, I haven’t had the time to make homemade bread in ages, but using homemade wheat bread for french toast is fantastic. That could be your next experiment!
Great breakfast. I think french toast is always soft, but you don’t want soft and mushy.
hmhhhmmm french toast. yum. I’ve been thinking about french toast recently. I think I saw it on some other blogs? :p
I think it depends on bread used, batter, cooking whether it gets crispy or not. I don’t think it ever gets super crispy though.
Our bodies are pretty awesome. I’ve been working to listen to mine in the recent weeks. Especially since I want to train well and fuel my body properly…
I love making vegan French toast! I’ve never made it the way you have, though. I’ve made it with bananas! You just mash up a banana and then use nondairy milk, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla whatever! Yum!!
OMG I TOTALLY forgot I added in a banana into the blender!!! lol. It was a last minute decision. I edited the recipe. Tks for reminding me!
I completely agree that trusting our bodies is key, and yet it is one of the most DIFFICULT things to do, especially for those of us who have struggled with disordered eating or even just the “dieting mentality.” That mentality teaches us NOT to trust our bodies, and instead to trust a calorie calculator or a pre-formulated meal plan.
I have worked hard to learn to trust and listen to my body, but it has been an uphill battle because of the many years I spent doing the exact opposite in the name of losing weight.
I love that in yoga you are taught to really pay attention to your body and to push yourself only as far as your body will allow.
I’m slowly learning how to listen to my body … of course, we all overeat sometimes, but I’m trying hard to NOT full-out binge on something. The hardest for me is when I feel super hungry during the day. I’ve found that having snacky fruit, like berries and grapes, helps with this AND drinking water. Most of the time I’m just super thirsty.
I love french toast! I haven’t had it in such a long time. :-)
K
Mmmmmmm, the french toast looks ah-mazing! I cannot wait to whip this up! What type of bread did you use?
I love your thought on trusting your body. This is so important to being healthy! I cannot wait to get to that point myself!!
P.S.
Would you consider doing another “week of blogging what you eat”? Or even a few day?
So important to trust your body! Love that you spread awareness about this!
Why is it that whenever I crave something, you post it on your blog the next day???! I’ve tried out various vegan french toast recipes and I’ve never been satisfied…must give this one a shot! It looks AMAZING!
And I love that mug – you really made me want to go to Urban Outfitters and stock up on some kitschy kitchen stuff!
love your thought on not binge eating..honestly you have helped me stop the cycle..with your tips!
proud of you!
What a great recipe! I love the addition of tofu!
A bad night’s sleep just kills me. My body naturally wants to sleep 10 hours so during the week I’m always feeling a bit slighted. Thank goodness for weekends that can balance it out.
Looks delicious–and protein-packed :)
Love your intro on listening to and trusting your body. It’s so evident how far you’ve come in your relationship with food–and it’s always inspiring to see you living the lessons you’ve learned. Mucho amor, chica
I always have problems with my creations sticking to the pan- I guess I never use quite enough fat :)
This post about listening to your body came at a good time for me. I am having a day where I need a work out rest (it was supposed to be tomorrow but I’m taking it a day early because I am exhausted). But I ALSO have been starving all day. Double whammy. No workout and starving? I guess I just need a break :)
that happened to me the other day…no energy AND starving. It can be hard to accept but sometimes it just happens. I think it is hormonal!
Mmm…. ANGELA! That vegan french toast looks amazing!!
And thanks for all your musings about listening to our bodies. I definitely have those days when I’m trying to weigh how tired I am, with how hungry I am, and if I’ll even get a good workout in and/or just end up hurting myself, etc. Some days our body just needs some rest, and other times it’s good to push through. Our bodies will definitely let us know.
Thanks for being such an inspiration!
Mmmmm…I LURVE french toast…but I always forget about it, for some reason! Thanks for the reminder ;-)
Have to agree on the french toast – looks great!
So true about listening to your body, something I’ve been working on and benefiting from a lot since going raw and re-vamping the reasons I eat healthy to total health and not just weight management.
The French toast looks just like “regular” french toast. Every recipe I’ve seen has tofu, and I can’t do soy…may have to try with just bananas.
My hunger has been INSANE for the last few days. And, i am the same way with not wanting to eat more than I normally do, or at irregular times (I’m kind of type a over here). But a couple days ago, I just ate what my body was craving when I was hungry and I slept like a baby that night!
I could not agree more that we need to listen to our bodies. They really do know what we need best. And I too didn’t overcome bingeing until I began to listen and feed it.
Ho weird. I slept horrible on Tuesday night as well. But last night I was a log! Today my allergies are killing me but I was able to get through a good workout which cleared them up. haha! I love this post on listening to your body. So true and much needed! I have to admite though, its easier said than done.
That breakfast looks amazing! I love love love vegan French toast! I haven’t had cantaloupe for AGES & could really go for some right now…
Hi Angela, I was just wondering where you purchase your chia seeds from. I can’t fin them where I live and some online sources seem do not seem reputable. Thanks
I have been trying for the last 3 years to make a good vegan french toast. It usually turns out soggy and I toss it in the garbage. I’ve pretty much given up on trying to make one that resembles the “real thing”. This last time I made sure my skillet was super hot before putting the pieces of bread on it. It worked better but the middle is still soggy. My husband thinks instead of dipping the bread I should use the pastry brush and brush the mixture on it.
I tooo was thinking of brushing on the batter next time!