I have fallen off the healthy food wagon, big time! I know being busy is no excuse, but every weekend has been filled with family get-togethers or guest at our house. Work has been busy (which has been amazing, but tiring). Do you ever go to bed at night and think, “tomorrow, I am going to do better.” Tomorrow comes and nothing changes. I know how to change, but I can’t bring myself to give a shit. What the hell is that all about?

I love carbs, fried food and chardonnay (who doesn’t). Those foods are comforts to me. Having a glass (or 4) of wine on a stressful day seems like a much needed reward. It is hard to turn on that inner voice that says “these are not rewards, they make you feel terrible about yourself.” I had started out the year going to a goals setting workshop at my gym, Fitness Evolution. Melanie (my trainer) had us pick two goals we want to accomplish this year and break these goal into four achievable mini goals. My two goals are to lose 20 pounds and regrow my business to half of what it was last year. My weight has crept up rather than down. The business is growing (yeah!).

What do you do to keep yourself accountable to reach your goals?

Being an adult is not easy. Challenges will always get in the way of the ideal version of what our life should be like. When I imagine my perfect life I would live on ten acres of land, have several goats and chickens, be a size ten (so I can fit into Bridge and Burn Clothes) and have a thriving food photography/ retouching business. My husband Greg and I would travel to Newfoundland Canada in the summer to work on the photography project I have dreamed about since my trip there last fall. How do we make these dreams come true? My dreams are not unattainable. When I write them down I think, “I could make that happen.” Is it fear that keeps us from wholeheartedly committing to reaching our goals? And once you get what you think you want, do the goalposts change?

When you lay in bed at night and think about your ideal life, what does that look like? Let’s share our goals. Please comment below.

In keeping with trying to make better choices, I have created a healthier vegetarian reuben sandwich. A traditional reuben can cost you upwards of 24 WW points or 900 calories (and that doesn’t include the beer, fries and ketchup). My reuben has all the same flavors, but has tempeh instead of beef and low fat pimento cheese. Serve this sandwich with 1 cup of Trader Joe's Popcorn and a pickle for 2 WW points.

JodiLoves_Pimento-Cheese-Vegetarian-Reuben-pumpernickel-bread.jpg

Tempeh sliced thin and marinating in beet juice, Worcestershire sauce with shallots on a grey background.

Tempeh being cooked in a large skillet on a stove.

Cooked tempeh in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on a rustic wooden background.

Thousand island dressing in a glass jar with a decorative spoon. In the background there is sweet pickle relish and shallots. In the foreground there are pimentos and sprinkles of pepper.

Pumpernickel bread, spices, sauerkraut, cooked tempeh, pimento and thousand island dressing on a marble background.

A stack of vegetarian Rueben stacked on a wooded board with parchment paper. Thousand island dressing in the background with cheese in the foreground.

Three halves of reuben sandwiches with pickles and popcorn on a grey plate.

Women holding vegetarian reuben sandwiches with a stripped shirt and green pants.

Pimento Cheese Vegetarian Reuben

Print Recipe

Author: Jodi Boatman Prep Time: 2 Hours 45 Minutes Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 3 Hours 5 Minutes Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

8 slices of pumpernickel bread
I can’t believe it’s not butter spray
1 C Sauerkraut

Pimento Cheese:

2 cups shredded 2% extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces lite cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup lite mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon cayenne red pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Table Seasoning
1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento, drained

Thousand Island Dressing:

2/3 C Lite mayo
1/8 cup ketchup
1/2 TSP apple cider vinegar
1/2 TBSP shallots
1 TBSP sweet pickle relish
pinch of salt
pinch of chili powder
1/4 TSP pimentos
chives to garnish
1/2 TSP Worcestershire sauce

Tempeh:

1 8oz package of tempeh, sliced thin
1/2 small shallot, chopped small
1/3 C pickled beet juice
1 C worcestershire sauce, save 1/3 for cooking
1/2 C water

Instructions:

To make the Pimento Cheese, mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until completely combined. Set aside.
To make the Thousand Island Dressing, mix all ingredients in a small bowl until completely combined. Set aside.
To make the Tempeh, slice into thin strips and place in a medium shallow dish. Combine pickled beet juice, worcestershire sauce, shallot and water and add to tempeh. Allow to marinate for 2 hours. Drain the marinade from the tempeh. Heat large pan over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick spray and add tempeh. Cook tempeh for 4-5 minutes, flip and add 1/3 of worcestershire sauce. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.
To assemble the sandwiches, place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface, spray one side of each piece of bread with butter spray, flip the buttered sides so they face down on the parchment paper. On one side of the bread, spread 1/8 cup of Pimento Cheese Spread, top with 1/4 of the cooked Tempeh and 1/4 cup of sauerkraut. On the other slice of bread, spread 2 TBSP of the Thousand Island Dressing.
Heat large pan with non-stick spray over medium heat. Place assembled sandwiches in pan and cook for 4-5 minutes per side. Slice each sandwich in half and serve with chips or popcorn and a dill pickle.

*You will have left-over Pimento Cheese Spread which would be great for snack with carrots, cucumbers and celery. Use left-over Thousand Island Dressing for salads or sandwiches.