Can Heather Jean Engine 2?: Day 5: E2ing out at a restaurant!

Wow! It's already Day 5 and I haven't given in! Go me! :) It's getting easier now and I'm starting to look at food differently. Being a cashier at Whole Foods Market, I see all sorts of food groups come through my line. And I'm starting to notice orders real high in dairy and thinking it'd be beneficial for them to swap some of that cheese and milk for kale and beans. My intent is not to be super judgmental though, just observant. I'm only 5 days in on the E2 Challenge and in no position to tell someone to eat healthier!

For breakfast today I had (surprise, surprise), another helping of my homemade granola with almond milk. It was the last of the batch I made, so tomorrow's breakfast will be different!

For a snack, I had half a Pecan Pie Lara Bar, which was just pecans, dates and cashews I think. Three ingredients, just nuts and fruit. That certainly has to be E2 friendly.

For lunch, I dined on a fabulous meal prepared by my friend, Lisa! It was the vinegar based cabbage slaw I mentioned the other day and her bean & veggie chili! I got a photo of the slaw but somehow failed to snap a pic of the chili!

I don't exactly know what's in this, but it did have red cabbage, red peppers, raw sunflower seeds, vinegar and possibly garlic. I'll try to get the recipe to share, if she's ok with that!

The chili was E2 friendly packed with beans, squash (acorn I think), veggies and spices! Mmmm!

I was tempted by the smell of meat today.... They were cooking steak and lobster at Whole Foods to sample because Valentine's (Schmalentine's) Day is near. It smelled so good and I really wanted to try some, but I resisted. I'm betting, over time, that kind of stuff will smell less appealing. I'll just have to remember why I'm avoiding it.

Speaking of avoiding animal products, I'll fill you in on what Rip said about the next two diseases most likely to kill Americans: Prostate Cancer and Breast Cancer.

Prostate Cancer & Breast Cancer

• Cancer will someday overtake heart disease as the #1 killer of Americans

• 80% of cancer cases are due to the lifestyle of the patient

• Bad food habits trigger bad genes to flourish

• You can slow down and reverse prostate cancer with a plant based diet

• You can change your genes by the way you eat

• You can actually increase the ends of chromosomes in your body that are responsible for longevity of life by the way you eat

And my favorite quote from Rip: "Your genes are not your destiny."

That's great advice for folks who may think they have no control over a history of cancer in their family. You still have control and can reverse cancer by eating plant strong. That's so so cool.

Know what else is cool? Being taken out for a friend date by the wonderful Lisa you keep hearing about! We went to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Frist Museum in downtown Nashville, then dined at the very trendy and delicious vegetarian/vegan East Nashville restaurant, the Wild Cow!

After 4 days of preparing most of my meals, it was SUCH a treat to look at a menu containing several options that are still basically E2 friendly! For being at an already vegan and gluten free friendly restaurant, I'm sure our server found us still slightly high maintenance with all of our questions about oil, salt and sugar.

He was great, and adorable, though, anddidn't hesitate to find the ingredients of different dishes. I decided to go with the black bean veggie burger, on a whole wheat bun, served with avocado, sprouts, raw onion and a homemade ranch sauce. I can't guarantee the sauce was oil or salt free, but it didn't contain any ADDED salt or oil.

I enjoyed a side of cous cous salad and washed it down with my favorite kombucha! Man! I gotta eat more veggie burgers! I have a box of Engine 2 black bean poblano burgers in the freezer calling my name now!

Lisa enjoyed a tofu and kale bowl served over brown rice with peanut sauce. Said it was really good, although she forgot her leftovers at the restaurant! Oh no! :(