Hi there =)
We had a really tiring and physical day, but we also had a fun time today. We spent a couple hours in the basement sanding (no pics yet, too much dust) and then almost 4 hours doing yard work. Weeding, mowing the lawn, pruning, removing dead shrubs/vines, etc! Eric said I did a great job today. I beamed with pride (usually I have no confidence with renos and yard work type endeavors!)
A weed-free garden is a peaceful garden!
The weeds were out of control as we haven’t had any time to weed in over a month!
I think these beds need some flowers! All the perennials have come and gone this season. It is sad when their bloom is complete!
Blue Jay feather…we have lots of Blue jays around here.
I also discovered a love for pruning…
I went a bit crazy, as you would expect.
I sculpted, I designed, I made art. I love pruning because it appeals to my artistic side. I also love symmetrical objects. Very feng shui. Eric kept walking by and chuckling to himself because he said he’s never seen someone have so much fun while pruning before. What can I say, I whistle while I work!
While I was busy weeding and pruning, he was pulling out half dead shrubs and vines covering the house.
Even though the work was hot and sweaty and not ideal for a day off, we made it fun by enjoying each other’s company. We actually had a great time out there. Many hands make the work light, or however that saying goes! ;)
After admiring our work, we came in and were starving, so I got started on dinner right away.
I made a vegan version of my favourite 7 layer tortilla pie (aka Mexican Lasagna!). It is delish both ways and I highly recommend it!
Mexican Tortilla Pie
Adapted from 7 layer tortilla pie.
Ingredients:
- 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup salsa, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 7 (8 inch) flour tortillas
- 1/2-3/4 cup Mae’s humnut cheese sauce
- Dried parsley, to garnish
- Enchilada sauce (I used for top layer)
Mae’s Humnut Cheese* (adapted)
- 2-3 tbsp hummus
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- A pinch of turmeric if you like your cheese yellow
- water to thin
[*Note: I tripled her humnut cheese recipe.]
Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, mash pinto beans. Stir in 3/4 cup salsa and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup salsa, cilantro, refried beans and tomatoes. Place 1 tortilla in a greased pie plate or tart dish. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over tortilla to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top with 1/4 cup humnut cheese, and cover with another tortilla. Spread with 2/3 cup refried beans, and top with 1/4 cup humnut cheese. Repeat layering twice. Cover with remaining tortilla, and spread with remaining pinto bean mixture, humnut cheese, and enchilada sauce. Cook for about 35 minutes. Serves 6.
I didn’t have 7 tortillas or refried beans, so I made an adapted version, but it still worked out!
I had two slices and Eric had THREE! We were hungry monstaaaaas. In our case, it did not serve 6 as the recipe suggests! lol. It depends on how hungry you are I guess.
Eric said ‘If you keep cooking like this I won’t ever need to eat meat again!’ , as he shoveled in the pie.
I’m not so sure that will ever happen, but he has cut down meat about 75-80% and he says he doesn’t really miss it. I get a TON of questions about Eric’s diet- in fact, it is probably one of the most frequently asked questions as of late. I think he needs to start a blog! ;)
Eric does love a good beef burger, so I don’t think he would ever give up meat entirely (or maybe I am wrong here)… and that is fine by me. I will support him, just like he supports my choices. I don’t think that everyone needs to be 100% meat-free to make a difference. The fact that he is now making healthier choices than he once did, is a positive step and makes a huge impact on the system and his health. Small changes add up to something big! I truly believe this. I don’t think that everyone’s ‘end goal’ should be a vegan diet, but I do support awareness and consciousness about our food choices and the opportunity to feel our best with what we put into our bodies. I guess you could say I am pro-educated choice!
Do you live with someone and if so, do you share the same ‘diet’ or do you have different eating habits, opinions on what you eat, and different taste preferences? Is it difficult, easy, fun, creative, annoying?
Yay!!! I feel the same was as Eric- I eat 80-75% less meat and I love it! Pulling weeds out of the ground makes me feel POWERFUL!!!!!
Ha…my husband always makes fun of how happy I look as I do dishes. I can’t help it– it’s kind of fun for me!
That tortilla lasagna looks to die for. So good!
I’m a vegetarian, and my husband probably eats vegetarian 90% of the time, because of what’s in the house and because I do most of the cooking. He isn’t ready to give up meat entirely, so he’ll occasionally eat it when we go out, but he’s gotten his meat consumption down really low, which I’m proud of!
I wish had a backyard or garden so I can take out the weeds too. I know I will like gardening, I just need my own garden :)
I think having different food choices with my fiance, we have become more creative in the kitchen. I usually prefer more veggie based dishes and he likes fish a lot and sometimes meat. He will cook the meat/fish that he wants to eat. I’ll cook veggies as my main dish and he eats it as his side dish. Win-win situation! He has recently switched from white rice to brown rice (all on his own), so I was proud of that.
I live with my boyfriend. I eat a lot more veggies than he does, but I am not a vegetarian at all. My breafasts and lunches usually are, but dinner usualy includes meat. Sometimes I will make a different or extra side for me, but really, it is easy to cook something that we both like. Since living with me, he has learned what a lot of foods really taste like and now loves foods like asparagus and brocolli (without being doused in ranch dressing).
I love how you said that your end goal doesn’t have to be a vegan diet. I love the balance that I have with food. I love veggie and vegan alternatives and love experimenting with everything. But since I love to cook and eat, that everything includes all types of foods. I eat to make my body feel good, and sometimes to satisfy a craving. There is something about making food that makes me love whatever it is.
That bluejay feather is absolutely gorgeous.
holy yum! what an awesome idea! my husband and i like a lot of the same foods, but at times he doesn’t believe in the same healthful diet i do. actually, he really eats whatever i feed him, but when it comes to being active he really only works out if it’s for a sport or something. not bad, but it would be fun to workout with him more often!
I though it would be difficult when Hunni and I got married because he was a super meat and potatoes guy and I hardly ate meat. But he doesn’t like to cook so he eats what I do. He doesn’t eat meat at home because I am vegetarian. When we eat out that is his time to enjoy stuff I won’t cook.
Its a win win for both of us. He eats more healthy 90% of the time and feels better about himself and I don’t have to cook two meals or buy double food.
My husband grew up hunting, eating meat and potatoes and drinking whole milk.
Now that he’s married to a vegetarian-locavore-health nut, he’s been amazingly understanding, and really great about trying everything I put in front of him…in fact, he’s started to ask for tofu and even seitan!
He still eats some meats and animal products at lunch or at restaurants, but I think he’s really secretly happy to have adopted a healthier and more sustainable eating plan. :)
Hmm my boyfriend and I have very different food choices. I’m tryin’ to cut back on meat (and dairy, eventually… I’m used to these foods but they just don’t make me feel that good anymore), and he’s a big meat lover. We both support each other though. :) Definitely easy + creative for me!
I enjoyed some veggie success myself this evening! I finally tried your recipe for in-a-jiffy burgers and my beef-lovin bf exclaimed “okay, I’ll admit it, I love ’em”. I’m eating veggie about 90% of the time and he’s right up there as well. The more I experiment and get comfortable with new food ideas, the more options we have for meals and the easier it is for both of us to eat meat-free.
Great question!
I’m raw vegan (except for the occasional roasted veggie dish or pasteurized nuts), and hubby and the kids aren’t.
It’s a big challenge, because I have to prepare 2 separate meals almost every day. We do “free for all” a few days per week which helps.
The upside is that I’m exposing them all to healthier options with no pressure. My 14 yo son just started drinking wheatgrass juice daily to help his acne. I never thought I’d see that!
I live with my boyfriend – we’re going out as long as you and Eric but aren’t married – and am in pretty much the exact same situation! I went veg last year, after transitioning for a year or so. I wanted to go veg so bad! We stopped cooking meat at home 18 mths ago and nearly a year ago I stopped eating meat (well, chicken, as I only ate red meat once/twice a year and didn’t fish/seafood anyway) when out in restaurants etc. Now I’m pretty much vegan.
My boyfriend is an omni, like Eric he doesn’t mind what we eat at home so he basically eats vegan food as I do most of the cooking (by choice, I write a food column so have to cook a lot!). He eats cheese and meat when we eat out.
I don’t think he would ever ‘go veg’ but it means SO much to me that he supports my choice 100% and did not kick up one ounce of a fuss when I said I wouldn’t be cooking meat at home. He just supported me through it as he always does. I feel really lucky and thankful, and I know that it benefits his health as well as mine.
Your garden is sooo pretty – we live in an apartment, I’d love a garden :)
I just wrote an email to Angela about this very issue! I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to be strong and stick to a more healthful diet while your partner can indulge? I’m not sure what to do…
(This part is from my email to Angela).
Basically my partner loves eating pretty healthfully but nowhere near my nutritional lifestyle goal. Here’s the kicker – he’s the better cook than I am, and he loves cooking! I’m trying to eat separate types of meals but I feel like I’m hurting his feelings. He’s the most considerate adorable person and I can’t stand it when he’s bummed out when we don’t share the same meal. He loves cooking his mom’s old recipes (which I absolutely savor but they tend to be very rich), fruits and salads (yay), and treating me to desserts (I don’t need more encouragement!).
Another thing – he tends to cook Chinese/ Taiwanese family style – which means shared meals! =/
I’m hoping for any type of advice? I’m lost!
I just read through everyone’s responses to Angela’s query, and I think she has the most amazing audience. Just wanted to comment that and to say I’m grateful for finding this website~! :)
Hi Suz,
I would take those recipes and see if you can both find ways to make some healthier modifications to them without sacrificing taste. That way you aren’t saying ‘no you shouldnt eat this’, but you are finding a middle ground. I have taken hundreds of old recipes and re-worked them to make them healthier and often I like them just as much as the original. Do you think he would be up for something like that?
I will try it!! I’m willing to try anything – funny that your suggestion sounds so straightforward but I never thought of it. Thanks for your patience & insight.
Angela –
Maybe you could do a post about the best/easiest/healhiest substitutes that you find yourself commonly using. I bet everyone has some recipes from Mom or Grandma they would love to health-ify! I know I do!
Hi,
Obviously I don’t know you and your husband but here are my thoughts/how I approach going veggie with my bf. You clearly love him and I am sure he loves you to. Because of that, I think the first most important thing is to ensure he understands why you are wanting to eat a healthier diet. And that you want to eat together but you don’t want to force change upon him so some compromises would be awesome. Secondly that whilst you want to eat healthier that is 100% not about things tasty bland or any less nice than ‘normal’ food. This was super important with Mark because to him healthy food = bland, unenjoyable food.
Then I think I would try 2 things, possibly just try one approach.
a) pick a meal he enjoys cooking and eating, do a little research and see how you might be able to tweak it slightly to make it a bit healthier, more veggies, slightly different way of cooking, strong cheese so you don’t need so much, sauces on the side etc. Then cook it the tweaked way with him. Depending how he is wired maybe even challenge him to cook the dish with a now generational edge where it tastes just as good but isn’t quite so unhealthy.
b) pick a day once a week that you will cook. Spend some time finding a recipe that you can tweak or that is healthy (I’m sure Angela has a few you could pinch, you could make them non-vegan so they look more familiar to hubbie) and do it. Be open to constructive feedback from hubbie about how you could make it even better next time etc.
I hope some of that helped.
Amy x
I do! I love him dearly and he’s such a sensitive sweetie. <3 I should say that a problem of my own is that I like practically everything and have no sense of proportion when I'm cooking… a challenge for me! And I'm thinking that Wil think you nailed it when you said that there is the conception that healthy food = bland. I probably cook very blandly compared to the rich flavors of Taiwanese dishes that his mother makes. I need to look into that and communicate more with him.
But I will try and try again (both your suggestions)! After all, there are so many meals to be eaten, right? hehe
Thanks for the encouragement, ladies!
*I’m thinking that you nailed it when you said that there is the conception that healthy = bland.
hehe – oops… (I had several thoughts running in my mind!)
Hi Suz,
My fiance loves to cook but he doesn’t always make healthy dishes. Over time, I’ve slowly replaced his kitchen staples and refrigerator contents. For example, I’ve replaced table salt with sea salt, white rice with brown rice, white sugar with brown sugar and anything white was replaced with whole wheat i.e bread/pasta.
It’s a slow transition but I think it’s worth it in the long run. In my situation, I set the example and brought new things into kitchen to he can familiarize himself with it. Now when he goes food shopping, I’m proud that he comes home with items that I would have picked out myself. Baby steps!!!
Yours is a VERY good point. I forget that I’ve made some significant strides… Wil decided on his own a couple weeks ago to try non-white bread! :o) Seriously, I was so amazed at the time… 2 weeks later, I’m thinking gosh, why can’t I get him to eat healthy. Gosh, I’m never satisfied… I have to realize it’s a process and a nurturing one. I need to remind myself that eating healthfully is a happy experience and not to ruin it. :) Thanks for the encouragement!! <3
I’m definitely going to try the 7-Layer Tortilla Pie this week. My wife and I are both trying to eat healthier nowadays because of medical issues that have come up over the last few years. I prepare our meals a majority of the time and she (almost) always enjoys what I make. My kids, on the other hand, are a different story. Sometimes they’ll eat “my food” with no complaint, but other times it’s a struggle. I’m not giving up on them, though.
This is such a great question!
I am vegan and my hubby eats meat & animal products. He is super supportive of my lifestyle and this past weekend when we were traveling, he said, “I think I’m going to eat vegan with you all weekend, just because.” He eats vegan meals with me every so often, but never all his meals for two days straight! It was really fun and I felt like he gained a new respect for vegan foods!
-Hallie
Wow that is really awesome he did that!
*heart melting* :) awwww!
My husband and I used to have very different diet preferences… but the longer we are together, the more similar they become. This also includes being gluten-free now that we realize he has an intolerance to gluten. I can’t imagine being married to someone who eats in a completely different way than you do- feels out of harmony!
i live with my bf…he usually eats a lot healthier than i do, and he can eat the same thing everyday and not get bored. i on the otherhand need variety.
i now have that whistle while you work song stuck in my head.
just picture me whistling that song (and im a HORRIBLE whistler!)
If my husband lived alone or was in charge of all our meals, he would be living off of frozen taquitos, Hot Pockets, Hamburger Helper, brats and hamburgers, and Doritos. Basically anything frozen and/or in a box that’s easy to prepare, but not necessarily healthy. His idea of a “vegetable side dish” is french fries! However, he will eat whatever I make for him and I’ve never heard him complain about anything being “too healthy” or if I branch out with a new recipe or ingredient. I’d like to think he would pick my healthier cooking over Hamburger Helper any day!
hahaha sounds just like mine!!! exactly!
Someone just asked me this exact question last week! (Well, actually, they didn’t ask me about Eric–they asked me about my own hubby–har har). ;) My honey is a meat eater and probably won’t ever give it up either, but he is very happy to eat whatever I cook (vegan) and will try anything. It’s very rare that he won’t eat what I make. We share dinners and if he “needs” meat, he eats it at lunch or else he cooks his hunk o’ meat and uses my dinner as a side dish. We live and eat harmoniously!
That is us in a nutshell!
My husband and I eat mostly the same — I cook most of our meals, so he eats what I eat! But, when we eat at a restaurant you can tell we do not eat the same things! J will get a burger and I’ll get fish/veggies or chicken/veggies or a salad. J almost always gets a burger and fries. :)
It is fine with me, neither of us push our food habits on the other — although I”m working on getting him to eat more veggies!
hi! i’ve been reading your blog for a while but i’ve never commented. anyway, i am glad you posted something about this, i was wondering about your husband’s eating style. i am planning on moving in with my boyfriend in about a year (we both recently graduated, trying to save up money by living with our parents) and i’ve been wondering what i will do to cook for us when that happens. i’ve been a vegan for 3 years, but he loves his meat. it usually works out well at restaurants because we trade meat for vegetables and we both get more of what we want. anyway, reading your post and all these comments is really encouraging!