A simple blog

Posted on November 8, 2011 by vegwife

It’s no secret that I don’t blog here as often as I used to. It’s due mostly to time and changing interests since creating my first veg blog in 2007. Also, when I originally conceived the new direction of this blog after marrying hubby, I imagined more banter between us in the kitchen, and therefore, more blog fodder. But, to be honest, hubby happily eats any vegetarian or vegan meal I make even though he’s a die-hard meat lover. I’ve struggled with presenting interesting content here when, often, our meals are pretty basic and repetitive. All of this has left me feeling rather uninspired and searching for relevance in the great big sea of food blogs.

I created a Facebook fan page for I Married an Omnivore! as a way to keep in touch with you between blogs. Lately, I’ve been using the page to share content with you in lieu of writing a blog. I feel like I’m still connecting and sharing, but in a way that’s more manageable with my schedule. It’s made me much happier on a personal level. Yet, not updating this blog on a regular basis is a weight on my shoulders… a burden I’d like to address.

I’m not ready to give up blogging… yet. Although I love the ease of posting on the I Married an Omnivore! Facebook page, I want a home base for my original content… but I’d like to simplify. ~~I’ve been mulling a switch to Tumblr. I love WordPress and advocate its use all the time, but the more I see of Tumblr, the more it looks like it could be a good fit for me at this time.~~

I wanted to give you a “heads up” on the switch. Don’t panic if you come back here and things look totally different! I have some time off coming up soon, so the changes may come within the next week or so. I haven’t decided if I will try to convert the entire blog into Tumblr in one swoop or start fresh while sprinkling in older content among the new. Decisions, decisions!

UPDATE: 2/26/12… I don’t have any plans at this time to convert this site to a Tumblr site as suggested above. Everything is staying as is, for now. Thanks everyone for your kind words! I appreciate the support!

Recipe: Sweet and Savory Vegetarian Meatloaf

Posted on October 5, 2011 by vegwife

Those who visit my blog’s fan page on Facebook got a glimpse of this Sunday night and convinced me to blog about it so, here it is! Originally from Family Circle magazine, this sweet and savory meatloaf recipe converted into a vegetarian meatloaf recipe with ease. The major substitution was using two 12 oz. packages of Boca crumbles in place of 1 1/4 pounds of ground beef. I also kept the egg in the recipe because I’m not familiar enough with alternative binding foods. If anyone could recommend something that might hold this together, I’m all ears!

I made these in mini loaf pans, which unmolded perfectly but, as you can see, were very tender when sliced. Still, they were quite delicious. And, the serving is very generous… could definitely get by eating only half the mini loaf. (For those following the Weight Watchers program, one mini loaf is 9 points according to my calculations.)

Oh, and, as some of you may know, hubby isn’t a squash fan… he hates the stuff, but enjoyed his mini loaf. He said he could taste the squash. Yet, we also debated whether or not he would have “tasted” it if he didn’t know (prior to eating it) that it was made with squash. Next time, I ain’t sharing my secret ingredients with him. :-p

Sweet and Savory Vegetarian Meatloaf – Serves 4
2 – 12oz. packages Boca crumbles
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened applesauce
1 large-ish zucchini, peeled and shredded
2 large-ish carrots, peeled and shredded
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 egg
1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic pwder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mist four mini loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Combine Boca crumbles, oats applesauce, squash, carrots, ketchup, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Scoop mixture evenly into the four mini loaf pans, packing it down into the molds. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before turning the loaves out onto a plate.

He eats, she eats: Jordan Pond House in Acadia Nat’l Park

Posted on October 3, 2011 by vegwife

Our recent trip to Maine was awesome. We spent five days tent camping in Acadia National Park while hiking its lovely (and rocky!) trails. The weather was a bit rainy… just enough to make us don rain jackets, but nothing that ruined our spirit or slowed us down.

On our second to last day in Acadia, we hiked the Jordan Pond Trail, which is a moderate 3-mile trail around, well, Jordan Pond! The trail is fairly easy and flat but gets its rating from a stretch of rocky path that some folks might find challenging. I was really excited to hike this trail because it put us in the vicinity of the Jordan Pond House—the only restaurant inside Acadia National Park.

After the morning trek around the pond, we took a break from our trail food and stopped inside the House for lunch. The Jordan Pond House lunch menu had a few vegetarian options, including Cranberry Island or Kitchen Garden salads; Hummus or Vegetarian Panini sandwiches; and Vegetable Quiche. I ordered the panini with a cup of tomato bisque soup, and hubby got the roast beef sandwich with a cup of lobster stew. We enjoyed the food, but felt it was a bit over-priced. We definitely seemed to be paying for the privilege of dining inside the Park rather than exceptional food. Still, it was a nice to eat from a plate rather than a plastic bag in camp!