November Goals

 November is 9 days away!  It's crazy how fast the year has seemed to fly by.  I've decided to make some goals for November. Most of them are very simple.  I don't like hard to accomplish goals.  Why set a goal that you think you're going to fail?

• Go for atleast 2 30+ minute bike rides a week
• Make atleast 1 new ice cream flavor a week
• Do a kettlebell workout 3+ times a week
• Thanksgiving dinner is under 500 calories
• 50 burpees a day (50 for 50 challenge, I'll explain in a minute)
• Finish 90% of my Christmas shopping by the end of the month
• Clean the house top to bottom once a week
• Get my blood work done and "fix" any "problems"  

So what is the 50 For 50 Challenge?  50 Burpees a day for 50 days.  I started a couple days ago and so far so good.  I don't do 50 at once, I do them throughout the day.  10 here, 15 there, until I get to 50.  My arms, legs and abs are honestly burning but, it's a good burn.

Okay, onto the food for tonite.  It was vegan sausage etouffe.  I love Light Life Ground Sausage.  It tastes like real sausage.  It's the fake meat that I've found that comes closest to the real thing.  


Vegan Sausage Etoufee
adapted from Fat Free Vegan

• 1/3 cup white flour
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, stemmed and halved
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 14-16 ounces vegan sausage (I used Light Life ground sausage), ripped into chunks
• 4 green onions (scallions), sliced

Instructions

1. Put flour into a pan and heat it on medium high.  Stir the flour constantly until it turns a golden brown color.  (I think it took me about 10 - 15 minutes)
2. Whisk it in with the broth in a separate bowl and set aside 
3. In a separate pan cook the onions, when they start to wilt add the celery and peppers and cook until all the vegetables are brown.  Add the mushrooms, garlic and a tiny bit of water and put a lid on your pan.  Cook for about 3 minutes until the mushrooms give off water.
4. Add the broth mixed with flour to the vegetables.  
5. Add soy sauce and spices then cook until the sauce has thickened.  
6. Put the sausage in, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
7. Mix in green onions when done  

Mr. Amazing loved it over rice.  I put mine over a sweet potato.  I think next time I'm going to use shrimp in it and use the seafood stock I made instead of vegetable.  Do you have any goals for next month?