This was a conversation that we had earlier.
(TV was on-- people were eating spaghetti and meatballs)
DAVID: Mom, what are they eating?
ME: Spaghetti, David.
DAVID: Yeah, what's on the spaghetti?
ME: Meatballs.
DAVID: When will we eat meatballs?
ME: We don't eat meat, remember hun?
DAVID: Oh, yeah. But grandma and grandpa don't have any pets, so they eat meat still.
Okay, back-story-- when we first cut meat out at the first of the year, David was indifferent, but asked why. We explained to him that (most) meat comes from animals that were treated very, very badly during their lives, and that they weren't put on Earth for us to eat. David, looking quizzical, said "Warrior is an animal." And I said "Yes, that's right, hun. We love Warrior. Would we ever hurt him?" David said "No, of course not." So I asked him (yes, yes, it's a weird question, but it put it in perspective for a four year-old) "We wouldn't eat Warrior or any other pets, would we? Just because they're animals, they're not meant to be hurt or eaten." And he agreed wholeheartedly.
So, today, when he said that grandma and grandpa don't have pets, and that must be why they still eat meat, I laughed really hard. I love how little kids think of things! (For the record, I explained to him that eating it is a personal choice, and that he can make that choice when he's out of our house/paying for his own food/etc.)
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Vegan baked spaghetti and very sick younglings
This was my first time using the Daiya mozz-style cheese, and it tastes pretty awesome. It doesn't brown up like dairy cheese, but we traded that for NO grease pools on top, which is fantastic. Who says vegans don't eat comfort food? (In case anyone is wondering, spaghetti got pushed to tonight since last night all my kids wanted to eat was a sleeve of saltines and I had to stay glued to Gwen with a bowl. More on that soon.)
This particular pasta has a ton of vegetables in them, and the dish itself has fresh mushrooms and spinach all throughout. I typically grate a carrot in this as well, but I just didn't have the time (or energy) tonight.
Now... I'm hoping that my kids liking it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt here in a little bit. Gwen is coughing so hard that she didn't keep ANYTHING down yesterday, and David almost did the same thing today. They both sound so terrible... And there isn't much that can be done about it.
At least there is good news on the weight-front. I wasn't sure if the "125 lbs" thing was just a fluke low for me or if I had actually met that weight and could maintain it. I'm glad to report that without changing my eating habits at all, I have maintained 125. This is huge for me since my biggest issue has always been maintenance.
That's it for today. Gwen is currently carrying a bowl around because she has gotten so used to throwing up into it, haha... this is my new reality for the next few days!
P.S. Slathering the soles of your feet with Vicks and then covering them with socks at night WORKS-- Gwen "rested" much better last night, almost entirely cough-free. Sooooo doing it again tonight.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Reaching goals and planning meals
So... I stepped on the scale this morning, and it read 125. I stepped on it three different times on three different tiles in the bathroom to make sure it wasn't off due to the floor or anything... nope. 125. I've been trying to reach this goal for a year now. I weighed 124 last March, but I wasn't eating healthy and it showed in my face/skin/etc. Since then, my weight fluctuated a great deal. I even saw it get back up to about 140 after July 4th... um, no thanks. So hitting 125 is FANTASTIC. From here, I'll be happy if I maintain or lose a little bit more. Either works. Losing more might be ideal, considering that once I start taking exercise seriously again, I will likely gain some muscle. Either way, I'm happy!
Now... I weighed 131 on average when I started to omit animal proteins. I have lost six lbs in one month in a HEALTHY way. Yay :D
Now for the "planning meals" part: I told Phil last night that we're going to start having the same meal plan every week until I A) learn a good routine with grad school/David's sports/etc. or B) have more time. Basically, forever, lol. This is what our meal plan looks like:
Monday: Spaghetti (loaded up with spinach, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, etc.)
Tuesday: Enchilada night with dressed-up brown rice on the side
Wednesday: Pizza night (Daiya mozz, eggless/milkless crusts)
Thursday: Veggie burgers and a side-- tonight it's vegetarian baked beans
Friday: Soup night
Saturday: Leftover soup and sandwiches
Sunday: Stir-fry (sometimes with tofu) night
Breakfasts are always multigrain oatmeal with coconut milk, vegan granola bars, oat bran, dry cereal with soy/coconut milk, etc... Lunches typically consist of sandwiches/wraps, baked sweet potatoes, peas or broccoli, veggie dogs, etc...
We have a TON of variety with that meal plan, so that we won't get tired. Plus, it makes for a cheap grocery bill-- $61 today, and that's with buying a ton of produce and another tub of Earth Balance ($5+)! Losing weight and saving money-- ethical reasons aside, why WOULDN'T people want to eat this way!?
Now... I weighed 131 on average when I started to omit animal proteins. I have lost six lbs in one month in a HEALTHY way. Yay :D
Now for the "planning meals" part: I told Phil last night that we're going to start having the same meal plan every week until I A) learn a good routine with grad school/David's sports/etc. or B) have more time. Basically, forever, lol. This is what our meal plan looks like:
Monday: Spaghetti (loaded up with spinach, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, etc.)
Tuesday: Enchilada night with dressed-up brown rice on the side
Wednesday: Pizza night (Daiya mozz, eggless/milkless crusts)
Thursday: Veggie burgers and a side-- tonight it's vegetarian baked beans
Friday: Soup night
Saturday: Leftover soup and sandwiches
Sunday: Stir-fry (sometimes with tofu) night
Breakfasts are always multigrain oatmeal with coconut milk, vegan granola bars, oat bran, dry cereal with soy/coconut milk, etc... Lunches typically consist of sandwiches/wraps, baked sweet potatoes, peas or broccoli, veggie dogs, etc...
We have a TON of variety with that meal plan, so that we won't get tired. Plus, it makes for a cheap grocery bill-- $61 today, and that's with buying a ton of produce and another tub of Earth Balance ($5+)! Losing weight and saving money-- ethical reasons aside, why WOULDN'T people want to eat this way!?
Saturday, January 26, 2013
You're telling me that I still have to get up and feed the kids while I'm this sick?
Eh, I guess it's my parental responsibility to feed them, right? Even when I don't want to get up and do ANYTHING?
Heh. I'm joking.
Kind of.
Last night, I put together baked coconut and peach oatmeal and stuck it in the fridge, that way I could just pop it in the oven this morning. It wasn't vegan, as I still have yet to buy egg replacer and we are out of applesauce (the horror!), and I was too drugged out from this flu to remember that I could use chia seeds + water or flax meal + water as an egg replacer, so I just used the very last lonely (and not yet expired) egg that was in the fridge. Had I used one of the egg replacers, it would have been vegan.
I found the recipe here: http://fooddoodles.com/2012/09/18/coconut-peach-baked-oatmeal/
Instead of milk, I used vanilla soy milk (organic/non-GMO, of course). I cheated and use frozen, unsweetened peaches. I also used brown sugar instead of maple syrup (though I'm sure that syrup would've been great in this) and added a full tablespoon of cinnamon. I mixed everything together last night and refrigerated it, and before putting it in the oven this morning, topped it with sliced almonds for a little texture.
It tastes awesome. Both of the kids gobbled it up, which is good, considering that with the two of them still feel bad and I just started them out with a pretty high-protein breakfast.
Heh. I'm joking.
Kind of.
Last night, I put together baked coconut and peach oatmeal and stuck it in the fridge, that way I could just pop it in the oven this morning. It wasn't vegan, as I still have yet to buy egg replacer and we are out of applesauce (the horror!), and I was too drugged out from this flu to remember that I could use chia seeds + water or flax meal + water as an egg replacer, so I just used the very last lonely (and not yet expired) egg that was in the fridge. Had I used one of the egg replacers, it would have been vegan.
Instead of milk, I used vanilla soy milk (organic/non-GMO, of course). I cheated and use frozen, unsweetened peaches. I also used brown sugar instead of maple syrup (though I'm sure that syrup would've been great in this) and added a full tablespoon of cinnamon. I mixed everything together last night and refrigerated it, and before putting it in the oven this morning, topped it with sliced almonds for a little texture.
It tastes awesome. Both of the kids gobbled it up, which is good, considering that with the two of them still feel bad and I just started them out with a pretty high-protein breakfast.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
I hit a huge milestone today!
And seriously, I mean HUGE.
I....
*drumroll*
.... have officially gone one ENTIRE month without eating fast food!
Okay, that might have seemed a little anti-climactic, but when is the last time YOU had fast food? I am not at all trying to be condescending with that. It is so hard not to give in to the temptation of quick and highly satisfying (to our taste buds and pleasure-centers) meal, especially on nights where David has sports (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday). I have tried to go a month without it before, but it just doesn't work. Two weeks in I say "oh, well... I really don't have time to cook tonight..." or "If I don't get something terrible, like a salad, it doesn't count, right?"
Well, considering that tomorrow makes one month since I last ate animal flesh, it has been really easy to stay away from fast food. It kind of grosses me out to think that the majority of meat that I even ingested before going this route was from fast food, since I only cooked it maybe a couple of times a week here in the house, yet I had fast food a couple of times a week.... ew.
**Side note** I keep missing the "s" on my laptop and typing "fat food." Freudian slip, perhaps?
Anyway, I feel very accomplished. It is amazing how much money that can be saved once fast food is no longer an option. I feel awesome that we have done this (Phil hasn't eaten it, either) and that we're being healthier examples for our kids! Now I just need to think of fun meals/snacks to pack in a cooler for on our way down to Hilton Head when the tennis teams are stopped at fast food joints :)
I dare you to go one week without it, guys! The longer you can go, the less you crave it. I don't even get a thrill from looking at the restaurant signs anymore. It's so great for my body and my mind, and it can improve your body and mind, as well.
Also... my blood pressure is already lower from cutting out (95% of) the animal proteins and replacing it with tons of greens/veggies, grains, and fruits. I still use a little half and half in my coffee... I have yet to find a suitable vegan replacement for it. Any tips? We've tried coconut creamer, soy creamer, almond milk... Nothing takes away the natural bitterness of coffee like half and half.
Okay, that's it for today. This flu is still lingering and I get tired from just typing. Isn't that sad??
I....
*drumroll*
.... have officially gone one ENTIRE month without eating fast food!
Okay, that might have seemed a little anti-climactic, but when is the last time YOU had fast food? I am not at all trying to be condescending with that. It is so hard not to give in to the temptation of quick and highly satisfying (to our taste buds and pleasure-centers) meal, especially on nights where David has sports (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday). I have tried to go a month without it before, but it just doesn't work. Two weeks in I say "oh, well... I really don't have time to cook tonight..." or "If I don't get something terrible, like a salad, it doesn't count, right?"
Well, considering that tomorrow makes one month since I last ate animal flesh, it has been really easy to stay away from fast food. It kind of grosses me out to think that the majority of meat that I even ingested before going this route was from fast food, since I only cooked it maybe a couple of times a week here in the house, yet I had fast food a couple of times a week.... ew.
**Side note** I keep missing the "s" on my laptop and typing "fat food." Freudian slip, perhaps?
Anyway, I feel very accomplished. It is amazing how much money that can be saved once fast food is no longer an option. I feel awesome that we have done this (Phil hasn't eaten it, either) and that we're being healthier examples for our kids! Now I just need to think of fun meals/snacks to pack in a cooler for on our way down to Hilton Head when the tennis teams are stopped at fast food joints :)
I dare you to go one week without it, guys! The longer you can go, the less you crave it. I don't even get a thrill from looking at the restaurant signs anymore. It's so great for my body and my mind, and it can improve your body and mind, as well.
Also... my blood pressure is already lower from cutting out (95% of) the animal proteins and replacing it with tons of greens/veggies, grains, and fruits. I still use a little half and half in my coffee... I have yet to find a suitable vegan replacement for it. Any tips? We've tried coconut creamer, soy creamer, almond milk... Nothing takes away the natural bitterness of coffee like half and half.
Okay, that's it for today. This flu is still lingering and I get tired from just typing. Isn't that sad??
Monday, January 21, 2013
Invasion of the body snatchers...
...would be nicer than this damn influenza that the kids and I are dealing with.
Yes, the evil flu has invaded our house, which resulted in David getting croup again. Of course, Gwen is a few days behind on the actual illness, as usual. I woke up next to a furnace last night at around 3 AM (we co-sleep), so I got up, gave her medicine (which I hate doing-- we aren't much of a medicationy [it's a word] family), let her drink as much water as she wanted, stripped her out of her fleece jammies and put her in a cotton outfit without socks. I made sure she was only covered with the sheet once we got back to bed, and when I felt her an hour later, she felt pleasantly "normal" for a sleeping baby. She was a little warm again this morning, and here and there she has a little bit of a bark in her cough, but I think that is because she's forcing out some coughs and not because she's developing croup.
I'm a little sad that David has had two illnesses in a row result in croup, since it means he has a pretty reactive airway. It makes it much harder for him to fight off illnesses that a typical kid could get through in a few days. I have had asthma my whole life and I know how much it interferes with immunity and the regular progression of the flu and colds, and it sucks. I will be asking his ped if she can refer us to an asthma specialist to get him checked out. Best to be proactive!
Anyway, we've been sick since Thursday. I'm getting a little grumpy that it is still hanging around, though I am not sure if mine is still kicking my butt because of my asthma or because this is the normal progression for this particular flu. I have been drinking copious amounts of this tea:
Oh. My. Word. Phil bought a couple boxes of this at Whole Foods (heaven on Earth) and I was really weary about trying it, since I'm not a fan of chamomile, but the "apple notes" that are described on the box really stand out in this tea. It tastes ridiculously good. We are going to have to go back and buy quite a few boxes. Yeah, I could just order them, but then I would be cheating myself out of a Whole Foods trip (and a very un-vegan Jeni's visit...). Heck no!
As far as dietary discussion goes, I finally finished my last bottle of hazelnut creamer, so that's a personal goal met. I have powdered hazelnut creamer (that is not vegan) that I am going to use less and less of each day until I am only using my sweetzfree and vanilla soy milk in my coffee. Baby steps, I suppose. I know I'm not the only one to have troubles with some of the more loved non-vegan parts of my diet. I'm open to any delicious ways to prepare a nice vegan cup of dressed-up coffee :)
That's it for today-- hopefully I will get back in to regularly blogging soon, if this flu ever leaves our house! Sheesh! I'm going to go drink more tea while dinner cooks.
Yes, the evil flu has invaded our house, which resulted in David getting croup again. Of course, Gwen is a few days behind on the actual illness, as usual. I woke up next to a furnace last night at around 3 AM (we co-sleep), so I got up, gave her medicine (which I hate doing-- we aren't much of a medicationy [it's a word] family), let her drink as much water as she wanted, stripped her out of her fleece jammies and put her in a cotton outfit without socks. I made sure she was only covered with the sheet once we got back to bed, and when I felt her an hour later, she felt pleasantly "normal" for a sleeping baby. She was a little warm again this morning, and here and there she has a little bit of a bark in her cough, but I think that is because she's forcing out some coughs and not because she's developing croup.
I'm a little sad that David has had two illnesses in a row result in croup, since it means he has a pretty reactive airway. It makes it much harder for him to fight off illnesses that a typical kid could get through in a few days. I have had asthma my whole life and I know how much it interferes with immunity and the regular progression of the flu and colds, and it sucks. I will be asking his ped if she can refer us to an asthma specialist to get him checked out. Best to be proactive!
Anyway, we've been sick since Thursday. I'm getting a little grumpy that it is still hanging around, though I am not sure if mine is still kicking my butt because of my asthma or because this is the normal progression for this particular flu. I have been drinking copious amounts of this tea:
As far as dietary discussion goes, I finally finished my last bottle of hazelnut creamer, so that's a personal goal met. I have powdered hazelnut creamer (that is not vegan) that I am going to use less and less of each day until I am only using my sweetzfree and vanilla soy milk in my coffee. Baby steps, I suppose. I know I'm not the only one to have troubles with some of the more loved non-vegan parts of my diet. I'm open to any delicious ways to prepare a nice vegan cup of dressed-up coffee :)
That's it for today-- hopefully I will get back in to regularly blogging soon, if this flu ever leaves our house! Sheesh! I'm going to go drink more tea while dinner cooks.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Chia seed crackers
So, I finally got around to making the chia seed crackers (sugar-free, soy-free, gluten-free), and they are pretty good. If you like chia seeds, though, you already know that they can leave an "odd" sensation in your mouth, so I think next time I make these, I'm going to scale back on the amount OR try to spread them thinner. Since I haven't bought any silpat sheets yet (definitely need to do that) I just lightly sprayed a sheet pan and spread the mixture as much as I thought I could, though I'm sure I could have stretched it a little further.
Anyway, here is the recipe for them:
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup ___________ (I used almond slivers, actually!)
**scant 1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup agave
cinnamon, to taste
vanilla extract, to taste
2-4 T water, IF NEEDED
Grind the seeds/nuts/dried fruit up in a food processor to your textural liking. Add the agave, cinnamon, and vanilla, and pulse until mixed. The mixture should be thinner than cookie dough but thicker than pancake batter. If it's too thin, add a little water.
Spread it thin on a silpat or a lightly sprayed cookie sheet-- make it as thin as you can!
Bake at 300 for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let it set for a couple of minutes, and then slowly start to peel it off the tray with a cookie (or an equally thin) spatula. Flip it over. (Note: I had to cut it into fourths in order to flip it all over without it breaking!) Once it is flipped over, bake for another 20ish minutes, or until golden brown on the other side.
Once out of the oven, cut it with a pizza cutter into whatever size/shape pieces you want. They will set up really fast, so cut them ASAP!
** Okay, the cranberries were just an experiment, because I love the pecan cranberry crackers at the store, which aren't vegan, I don't think. They tasted really good, but I recommend hand-cutting them into tiny pieces before adding them to the mixture. My awesome Ninja blender couldn't even shred them!
They have more taste and texture than most gluten-free crackers, and they would be AWESOME dipped in peanut butter, though if you spread them thinner than I did, they might be a little more brittle. They passed the David test, which is the best part! But, like I said, anyone who likes chia seeds know that they sort of coat your mouth a little, so I recommend drinking some water afterward, though you should, anyway! These are deemed "energy" crackers because of the protein, vitamins, etc. and lack of processed sugars/glutens/etc. While reading about chia crackers, I saw someone comment "Yes, they look like bird food-- but have you ever seen a tired bird? Me neither!" Ha, clever :)
Tomorrow, I will try the savory version of these. The savory version has fresh grated onion and garlic in them, so they HAVE to be good! :)
Oh, I also made another batch of the bread earlier, and completely veganized it by using Earth Balance and agave. SO. GOOD.
Anyway, here is the recipe for them:
1/3 cup chia seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup ___________ (I used almond slivers, actually!)
**scant 1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup agave
cinnamon, to taste
vanilla extract, to taste
2-4 T water, IF NEEDED
Grind the seeds/nuts/dried fruit up in a food processor to your textural liking. Add the agave, cinnamon, and vanilla, and pulse until mixed. The mixture should be thinner than cookie dough but thicker than pancake batter. If it's too thin, add a little water.
Spread it thin on a silpat or a lightly sprayed cookie sheet-- make it as thin as you can!
Bake at 300 for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let it set for a couple of minutes, and then slowly start to peel it off the tray with a cookie (or an equally thin) spatula. Flip it over. (Note: I had to cut it into fourths in order to flip it all over without it breaking!) Once it is flipped over, bake for another 20ish minutes, or until golden brown on the other side.
Once out of the oven, cut it with a pizza cutter into whatever size/shape pieces you want. They will set up really fast, so cut them ASAP!
** Okay, the cranberries were just an experiment, because I love the pecan cranberry crackers at the store, which aren't vegan, I don't think. They tasted really good, but I recommend hand-cutting them into tiny pieces before adding them to the mixture. My awesome Ninja blender couldn't even shred them!
They have more taste and texture than most gluten-free crackers, and they would be AWESOME dipped in peanut butter, though if you spread them thinner than I did, they might be a little more brittle. They passed the David test, which is the best part! But, like I said, anyone who likes chia seeds know that they sort of coat your mouth a little, so I recommend drinking some water afterward, though you should, anyway! These are deemed "energy" crackers because of the protein, vitamins, etc. and lack of processed sugars/glutens/etc. While reading about chia crackers, I saw someone comment "Yes, they look like bird food-- but have you ever seen a tired bird? Me neither!" Ha, clever :)
Tomorrow, I will try the savory version of these. The savory version has fresh grated onion and garlic in them, so they HAVE to be good! :)
Oh, I also made another batch of the bread earlier, and completely veganized it by using Earth Balance and agave. SO. GOOD.
Daiya vegan cheese and the "scary" vegan grocery bill
I used Daiya shredded "cheddar" for the first time last night, and it is pretty awesome! It melts much the same way that cheese with a very low fat content would (still resembles cheese shreds, even after melting). The taste is a bit stronger/sweeter than typical, so less is more with this stuff, but that's okay, since it's $4.99 for 8 oz. We are hoping to find coupons for it, but if we can't, it's no big deal. I won't use it for much, anyway.
I used it on enchiladas last night. I just wrapped refried black beans in tortillas, covered them in medium salsa, and sprinkled the cheese on top. Baked for an hour at 350 just to give them ample time to get crisp on the bottom, but soft everywhere else. For the side, I just sauteed onion, garlic, mushrooms, and about 1/4 cup of corn and mixed it with rice, and seasoned it all with some chili powder. That is definitely a keeper here! I thought I would miss sour cream with this recipe, but I really didn't. I'm going to look for raw cashews so that I can try to make some vegan sour cream, but until then, last night's meal was good enough to stand on its own. Whole family loved it!
Okay, about the shopping bill! I know we're new to this, and our grocery bill will invariably change from week to week, but our goal is to keep it under $75 a week, with only a $10 "extra" allowance. Feeding a family of four for $75 a week!? Can that be done!?
Yep! Yesterday, the shopping bill came to $74, and that got us EVERYTHING for the week: LOTS of produce, vegan pastas, healthy treats for the kids, baking items (for more homemade bread), dried fruit/nuts for granola bars, vegan cereal, frozen veggies, $10 worth of vegan "cheese," etc. etc. etc... One of the stigmas associated with vegetarianism/veganism is that the cost of food will be out of control, but it's not, at all. It was nice to completely bypass the meat/dairy sections yesterday, for sure!
I think tonight I am going to make orecchiette with mushrooms, carrots, and spinach. That sounds entirely satisfying :)
I used it on enchiladas last night. I just wrapped refried black beans in tortillas, covered them in medium salsa, and sprinkled the cheese on top. Baked for an hour at 350 just to give them ample time to get crisp on the bottom, but soft everywhere else. For the side, I just sauteed onion, garlic, mushrooms, and about 1/4 cup of corn and mixed it with rice, and seasoned it all with some chili powder. That is definitely a keeper here! I thought I would miss sour cream with this recipe, but I really didn't. I'm going to look for raw cashews so that I can try to make some vegan sour cream, but until then, last night's meal was good enough to stand on its own. Whole family loved it!
Okay, about the shopping bill! I know we're new to this, and our grocery bill will invariably change from week to week, but our goal is to keep it under $75 a week, with only a $10 "extra" allowance. Feeding a family of four for $75 a week!? Can that be done!?
Yep! Yesterday, the shopping bill came to $74, and that got us EVERYTHING for the week: LOTS of produce, vegan pastas, healthy treats for the kids, baking items (for more homemade bread), dried fruit/nuts for granola bars, vegan cereal, frozen veggies, $10 worth of vegan "cheese," etc. etc. etc... One of the stigmas associated with vegetarianism/veganism is that the cost of food will be out of control, but it's not, at all. It was nice to completely bypass the meat/dairy sections yesterday, for sure!
I think tonight I am going to make orecchiette with mushrooms, carrots, and spinach. That sounds entirely satisfying :)
Monday, January 14, 2013
Our children under five...
... have broader palates than a lot of adults. After having my lunch earlier (raw broccoli and cauliflower, roasted red pepper hummus, and grapefruit), I was still a little hungry, so I had a banana, a tablespoon of organic peanut butter, and a bowl of chia seeds. I would dip the tines of my fork in the peanut butter, take a slice of banana, and stick it in the bowl of chia seeds until it was coated. SO good.
David saw me doing this and wanted to do it himself. He finished off one serving of chia seeds with one banana and he said he wanted to do that everyday. Hooray!
Last night's dinner was a cross between minestrone and chili-- three types of beans, fire roasted tomatoes, carrots, spinach, shallot, LOTS of fresh garlic, and mushrooms. I flavored it with oregano, cumin, a little salt... and that's all it needed. VERY filling, tasted great, and meat is not even missed! :) Both kids loved it. I am SO glad that we have veggie-loving kids. Makes our lives a lot easier!
I didn't get around to the chia crackers yesterday because I need one more seed to make them, and I am not grocery shopping until tomorrow. So, tomorrow, I will add pictures of both the sweet and savory chia seed energy crackers :) Baking bread tomorrow, too!
One last thing-- going to make tofu sloppy joes sometime this week. Whoever says that vegans are boring are sadly misinformed. :)
David saw me doing this and wanted to do it himself. He finished off one serving of chia seeds with one banana and he said he wanted to do that everyday. Hooray!
Last night's dinner was a cross between minestrone and chili-- three types of beans, fire roasted tomatoes, carrots, spinach, shallot, LOTS of fresh garlic, and mushrooms. I flavored it with oregano, cumin, a little salt... and that's all it needed. VERY filling, tasted great, and meat is not even missed! :) Both kids loved it. I am SO glad that we have veggie-loving kids. Makes our lives a lot easier!
I didn't get around to the chia crackers yesterday because I need one more seed to make them, and I am not grocery shopping until tomorrow. So, tomorrow, I will add pictures of both the sweet and savory chia seed energy crackers :) Baking bread tomorrow, too!
One last thing-- going to make tofu sloppy joes sometime this week. Whoever says that vegans are boring are sadly misinformed. :)
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Ch-ch-ch-chia!
Phil came home from the grocery store last night with two big containers of chia seeds. The nutrition in them is ridiculous. Each little seed is a powerhouse! (Just Google it.)
This morning, I had whole wheat organic toast (not vegan, though... I would have made another loaf of my bread last night, but I was actually out of AP flour. All I have is mounds and mounds of whole wheat, haha!) with Earth Balance, peanut butter, and chia seeds. The seeds themselves are pretty tasteless so it added a fun crunch to the toast, while adding tons of protein/vitamins/omega 3's/etc. New favorite breakfast, for sure! Easy, fast, delicious, and filling.
Later, I am going to make chia crackers. They are a mixture of chia seeds, sunflower seeds, garlic, onion, water, salt... Though I'm sure I could make them into a sweet cracker, too, with some sweetzfree and cinnamon! Yum! :)
Links to check out:
http://wellnessmama.com/4981/10-uses-for-chia-seeds/
http://sweetzfree.com/
This morning, I had whole wheat organic toast (not vegan, though... I would have made another loaf of my bread last night, but I was actually out of AP flour. All I have is mounds and mounds of whole wheat, haha!) with Earth Balance, peanut butter, and chia seeds. The seeds themselves are pretty tasteless so it added a fun crunch to the toast, while adding tons of protein/vitamins/omega 3's/etc. New favorite breakfast, for sure! Easy, fast, delicious, and filling.
Later, I am going to make chia crackers. They are a mixture of chia seeds, sunflower seeds, garlic, onion, water, salt... Though I'm sure I could make them into a sweet cracker, too, with some sweetzfree and cinnamon! Yum! :)
Links to check out:
http://wellnessmama.com/4981/10-uses-for-chia-seeds/
http://sweetzfree.com/
Friday, January 11, 2013
Ding-ding-ding! We have a winnahhhh.
The first time I made tofu earlier this week, I pressed it, cut it into tiny cubes to marinate in ginger dressing and apricot preserves, then dredged them in cornstarch and pan-fried them until they were light brown and crispy on all sides. The kids thought it was awesome and we thought it was an incredible contrast to our rice noodles and vegetables.
Tonight, I wanted to try to make it a bit healthier, so I baked it. I kept it in slices after pressing it and marinated it in the same ginger dressing, but no apricot preserves. Right before putting it in the oven (on a foiled-lined pan, lightly sprayed, in case anyone wants to try!) I brush a drop of oil on each piece and topped it with sesame seeds. Baked them at 375 for 30 minutes. DELICIOUS!
David LOVED them. Had two pieces!
When they are baked, they honestly resemble chicken, both texture- and taste-wise. Well, let me rephrase that: it tastes like the chicken that America is used to in their pureed chicken nuggets and processed meats. The only difference is that it doesn't have that funky... eh... processed feel when chewing it. I don't know how else to describe it. It just tastes awesome.
Tofu is definitely going to become a weekly thing at our house. Of course, we will eat soy with moderation, and as my Aunt Lisa pointed out, I should probably make sure I don't have the thyroid issue that she and my mom have before I start eating too much soy, since soy reacts poorly with thyroid issues, but I think I'm good in that department. Nice to have that heads up, though, Aunt Lisa :)
Next on the menu for tofu..ism.... shhh, that's a word, too.... peanut butter pudding! It is literally just tofu, peanut butter, vanilla, and agave. No stabilizers, no mounds of sugar, no weird fillers... a HEALTHY dessert! :) If I could find vegan vanilla wafers, I'd add some bananas and trick my friends ;)
Tonight, I wanted to try to make it a bit healthier, so I baked it. I kept it in slices after pressing it and marinated it in the same ginger dressing, but no apricot preserves. Right before putting it in the oven (on a foiled-lined pan, lightly sprayed, in case anyone wants to try!) I brush a drop of oil on each piece and topped it with sesame seeds. Baked them at 375 for 30 minutes. DELICIOUS!
David LOVED them. Had two pieces!
When they are baked, they honestly resemble chicken, both texture- and taste-wise. Well, let me rephrase that: it tastes like the chicken that America is used to in their pureed chicken nuggets and processed meats. The only difference is that it doesn't have that funky... eh... processed feel when chewing it. I don't know how else to describe it. It just tastes awesome.
Tofu is definitely going to become a weekly thing at our house. Of course, we will eat soy with moderation, and as my Aunt Lisa pointed out, I should probably make sure I don't have the thyroid issue that she and my mom have before I start eating too much soy, since soy reacts poorly with thyroid issues, but I think I'm good in that department. Nice to have that heads up, though, Aunt Lisa :)
Next on the menu for tofu..ism.... shhh, that's a word, too.... peanut butter pudding! It is literally just tofu, peanut butter, vanilla, and agave. No stabilizers, no mounds of sugar, no weird fillers... a HEALTHY dessert! :) If I could find vegan vanilla wafers, I'd add some bananas and trick my friends ;)
A bit of dark humor and my thoughts for the day!
This is horrifying:
Yet this is awesome:
Hahaha, so conflicting!
I've been thinking a lot for the past few days, and I know that most vegans would cringe at the idea of being an a la carte vegan like I am planning. I know that there will still be some dairy and eggs in my diet here and there, though I most certainly will not be consuming meat again, even if it comes from a humane "butcher." The dairy thing is where I am the most conflicted, though. I know that I can get milk and eggs from a farm market or the Amish and know that their animals aren't being tortured and deprived of their basic animal rights to give such things when I absolutely need some, no big deal. If I know the animal isn't in pain to give me their by-product, I am okay with having it in small amounts. Honey, for example. We will still have honey in the house sometimes, I'm assuming. I haven't really done research about what goes into harvesting honey, though. Are bees harmed for this? If any of you can shed some light here, I'd appreciate it.
I just have a huge issue with getting mass-produced milk in the store anymore after knowing that the poor mother cows, who typically have a lifespan of a couple decades (if not more) are "wasted" after only 4-5 years because they're too tired to keep up with the production, or standing on concrete for so long has eroded their hooves, or they get mastitis from the constant pumping and do not get medicine. Mothers reading this, have you had mastitis? I've had it a total of nine times. NINE TIMES. I needed a stronger antibiotic every time, and was still in excruciating pain. Those poor cows just have to deal with the pain, and if the infection doesn't magically go away on its own, they are slaughtered. Ugh.
And the chickens-- sometimes from the filth, they will get abscesses where they lay their eggs, sometimes eggs get "stuck" (and they die a slow, painful death), sometimes they get stuck to their cages and can't get to the food and water and they starve. I'm of course talking about the major factory farming operations, since that is all I've read about so far. I am sure that at smaller, family-owned operations that they treat their animals with more respect than that. At least I hope so. I just can't stand the idea that a chicken has to constantly pop out eggs in a room where they aren't even given space to really stand or spread their wings, and they have a high chance of infection and death after only a fraction of their typical lifespan, just so that I can put an egg in my stir-fry.
I'm still experiencing some shock over this information, so of course I seem biased, but I am in no way "buying into scare tactics" and being fooled by animal rights groups, as someone (I think) seemed to think yesterday after me posting the PDF file. This stuff happens and most people turn a blind eye to it. What if breastmilk was the hot commodity? Would we keep impregnating women, let them nurse until their milk comes in, then take their baby away for them to never see again and keep them hooked up to breast-pumps for hours a day, ignoring the fact that she gets infections, or bedsores, or an abscessed milk-duct, ignoring their cries of pain? Of course not! That'd be inhumane! Yet we do it to animals, because they can't say no. Just like infant circumcision... disgusting... but I won't go there.
Sure, I'm passionate. Just like a lot of you are passionate about guns, hunting, cars, etc... gun owners are horrified over the talk of stricter gun laws, yeah? And you're willing to speak out about it, because you're passionate about owning guns? Well, I'm passionate about animals being treated with the respect they deserve as beings of this planet.
Woo! Now that I got that off my chest, dinner plans for tonight are baked tofu "nuggets" and vegetable sushi rolls. Yum yum yum! :)
Comments are welcome, but please be respectful!
Yet this is awesome:
Hahaha, so conflicting!
I've been thinking a lot for the past few days, and I know that most vegans would cringe at the idea of being an a la carte vegan like I am planning. I know that there will still be some dairy and eggs in my diet here and there, though I most certainly will not be consuming meat again, even if it comes from a humane "butcher." The dairy thing is where I am the most conflicted, though. I know that I can get milk and eggs from a farm market or the Amish and know that their animals aren't being tortured and deprived of their basic animal rights to give such things when I absolutely need some, no big deal. If I know the animal isn't in pain to give me their by-product, I am okay with having it in small amounts. Honey, for example. We will still have honey in the house sometimes, I'm assuming. I haven't really done research about what goes into harvesting honey, though. Are bees harmed for this? If any of you can shed some light here, I'd appreciate it.
I just have a huge issue with getting mass-produced milk in the store anymore after knowing that the poor mother cows, who typically have a lifespan of a couple decades (if not more) are "wasted" after only 4-5 years because they're too tired to keep up with the production, or standing on concrete for so long has eroded their hooves, or they get mastitis from the constant pumping and do not get medicine. Mothers reading this, have you had mastitis? I've had it a total of nine times. NINE TIMES. I needed a stronger antibiotic every time, and was still in excruciating pain. Those poor cows just have to deal with the pain, and if the infection doesn't magically go away on its own, they are slaughtered. Ugh.
And the chickens-- sometimes from the filth, they will get abscesses where they lay their eggs, sometimes eggs get "stuck" (and they die a slow, painful death), sometimes they get stuck to their cages and can't get to the food and water and they starve. I'm of course talking about the major factory farming operations, since that is all I've read about so far. I am sure that at smaller, family-owned operations that they treat their animals with more respect than that. At least I hope so. I just can't stand the idea that a chicken has to constantly pop out eggs in a room where they aren't even given space to really stand or spread their wings, and they have a high chance of infection and death after only a fraction of their typical lifespan, just so that I can put an egg in my stir-fry.
I'm still experiencing some shock over this information, so of course I seem biased, but I am in no way "buying into scare tactics" and being fooled by animal rights groups, as someone (I think) seemed to think yesterday after me posting the PDF file. This stuff happens and most people turn a blind eye to it. What if breastmilk was the hot commodity? Would we keep impregnating women, let them nurse until their milk comes in, then take their baby away for them to never see again and keep them hooked up to breast-pumps for hours a day, ignoring the fact that she gets infections, or bedsores, or an abscessed milk-duct, ignoring their cries of pain? Of course not! That'd be inhumane! Yet we do it to animals, because they can't say no. Just like infant circumcision... disgusting... but I won't go there.
Sure, I'm passionate. Just like a lot of you are passionate about guns, hunting, cars, etc... gun owners are horrified over the talk of stricter gun laws, yeah? And you're willing to speak out about it, because you're passionate about owning guns? Well, I'm passionate about animals being treated with the respect they deserve as beings of this planet.
Woo! Now that I got that off my chest, dinner plans for tonight are baked tofu "nuggets" and vegetable sushi rolls. Yum yum yum! :)
Comments are welcome, but please be respectful!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Homemade granola bars that won't break your teeth!
I made these tonight.
http://www.alexandracooks.com/2012/07/15/acrobatic-granola-bars/
I tweaked them a bit, but they are ridiculous. Yes, blah blah blah, corn syrup, blah blah, bad for you... I told you I wasn't a food snob! I totally corn-syruped (shh, it's a word) the S out of these. Sorry to use harsh letters, but it's true. Once I buy agave I will make them with that. But, even with the corn syrup (you know, the scant 1/4 of it), these are still a lot healthier than most bars we could get the kids at the store.
I didn't do the big bag of granola mixture-- just the "small batch." This is what I used in ours: one cup old-fashioned oats, 3 T ground/milled flax, 1/2 shredded coconut, 1/2 cup finely ground pecans, 1/4 pecan halves, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I would've put raisins in, but the kids beasted those earlier. Nope, they weren't vegan chocolate chips. Totally using up what I have in the house already, as was indicated in the last post. The liquid part of the bars is 1/3 cup nut butter (I used peanut butter, but good grief, MaraNatha Maple Almond Butter would BE FRIGGIN AWESOME IN THESE), 1/4 cup corn syrup, tsp vanilla, a little less than a quarter cup of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup unsalted butter.
Baking them is a little tricky. I tried making them once last week and they just fell apart. Reasoning: I made them too thick (pan was too small) and didn't cook them long enough, even though I cooked them longer than they were supposed to be cooked. Eh, everyone's ovens are different. So, tonight I pressed them firmly into a lightly sprayed 13 x 9 (though I just would've lined it with parchment paper had I had some in the cupboard) and baked them at 350 for probably what ended up being about 35 minutes (I put them back in and just kept an eye on them after I realized they weren't done after 25 minutes). They were dark brown around the edges and golden brown everywhere else.
David goes nuts over them, and so does Gwen. I will, of course, feel better once I am using agave, dried fruit, and vegan butter in them. Next time I make them, those are the changes that will be made. However, I am quite pleased. The last time I made granola bars (about a year ago), they were soft at first, crunchy after cooling, and diamonds the next day. Not these! They are actual chewy, and it's awesome. My favorite. :)
http://www.alexandracooks.com/2012/07/15/acrobatic-granola-bars/
I tweaked them a bit, but they are ridiculous. Yes, blah blah blah, corn syrup, blah blah, bad for you... I told you I wasn't a food snob! I totally corn-syruped (shh, it's a word) the S out of these. Sorry to use harsh letters, but it's true. Once I buy agave I will make them with that. But, even with the corn syrup (you know, the scant 1/4 of it), these are still a lot healthier than most bars we could get the kids at the store.
I didn't do the big bag of granola mixture-- just the "small batch." This is what I used in ours: one cup old-fashioned oats, 3 T ground/milled flax, 1/2 shredded coconut, 1/2 cup finely ground pecans, 1/4 pecan halves, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, and 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I would've put raisins in, but the kids beasted those earlier. Nope, they weren't vegan chocolate chips. Totally using up what I have in the house already, as was indicated in the last post. The liquid part of the bars is 1/3 cup nut butter (I used peanut butter, but good grief, MaraNatha Maple Almond Butter would BE FRIGGIN AWESOME IN THESE), 1/4 cup corn syrup, tsp vanilla, a little less than a quarter cup of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup unsalted butter.
Baking them is a little tricky. I tried making them once last week and they just fell apart. Reasoning: I made them too thick (pan was too small) and didn't cook them long enough, even though I cooked them longer than they were supposed to be cooked. Eh, everyone's ovens are different. So, tonight I pressed them firmly into a lightly sprayed 13 x 9 (though I just would've lined it with parchment paper had I had some in the cupboard) and baked them at 350 for probably what ended up being about 35 minutes (I put them back in and just kept an eye on them after I realized they weren't done after 25 minutes). They were dark brown around the edges and golden brown everywhere else.
David goes nuts over them, and so does Gwen. I will, of course, feel better once I am using agave, dried fruit, and vegan butter in them. Next time I make them, those are the changes that will be made. However, I am quite pleased. The last time I made granola bars (about a year ago), they were soft at first, crunchy after cooling, and diamonds the next day. Not these! They are actual chewy, and it's awesome. My favorite. :)
I'm not a food-snob, I promise!
*Knock knock*
Opens door.
"Hi, I'm a vegetarian/vegan. Do you have a few moments to discuss what it is to be vegetarian/vegan and the joy it can bring to your life?"
Shuts door, walks away, eats cheeseburger.
Haha, sounds plausible, doesn't it? Okay, so I'm not a true vegan-- yet. I don't want to sound preachy, but that's the attitude I used to have about vegans a few years back, even though I never ate animal protein in any huge quantity. I just thought that they were insane because "if they don't eat things with meat/animal by-products, what do they eat??" and "that has got to be an expensive lifestyle!" In this case, ignorance is NOT bliss. It's cancerous, high-blood-pressure-filled, cholesterol-laden naivete.
Actually, when I first started thinking about veganism last week, I panicked a little bit, because for some reason, vegan was analogous with "raw foodies" in my mind at that moment. I tried doing the raw diet for one week (it was a bet I made with Phil) and I lasted ONE DAY. It was delicious, but it was tough. Sorry raw foodies, I'm just not the kind of person to press and dehydrate my ground buckwheat and nut paste until I have a dry waffle that I top with ground dates and cashew "whipped cream." (Though when I type it out, it sounds AWESOME... ) Once I quickly dismissed that notion, I realized it wasn't really all that different from what we're already doing in our house. So we switch to casein-free soy cheese for the one pizza a month I might make, no big deal. I can easily use dairy-free coffee creamer, even if it'll take some getting used to. While I will be eating a lot more foods that raw foodies eat (nuts, raw veggies, etc.), it's drastically different from a raw diet and actually much cheaper than a carnivorous grocery list!
I'm going through all of the vegetarian versions of the foods we already have here (including my bags and bags of frozen spaghetti sauce that have cream cheese in them). **We do have a bag of unopened chicken tenderloins in the freezer that we'll probably pack in a cooler and take down to Hilton Head in March for the tennis teams to eat, since meat is so expensive on the island, so that won't get eaten here.** I will make my own pasta once we run out of all of the pasta we have in the pantry right now, too, using egg replacer or tofu instead of eggs.
Speaking of tofu, it is amazing just how much like eggs it resembles when cooked. I foresee vegan breakfast sandwiches in our immediate future.
By the way, I told my older sister Whitney that she should watch Vegucated. She just did, and now I will be sending her our meal-plans to give her and her boyfriend ideas on how to eat this way, or at least implement as much vegan/vegetarian meals as possible. I'm excited for them!
Today for lunch, we had tri-bean salad (kidney, pinto, and black beans with carrot strips, cherry tomatoes, and yellow pepper in a little Italian dressing) and half a sweet potato with vegan butter and cinnamon. TONS of protein and good vitamins, lots of fiber, and filling. Not to mention, extremely colorful, which is important! I love how our kids freakin' love veggies. I don't have to worry about them being deficient in anything.
Lastly, I wanted to post this information packet PDF for anyone that wants to read it or know where I get some of my statistics when I post them-- this is a basic overview of the factory farming and animal torture in this country (which is biased, sure, when it comes to animal rights and compassion, which every person should be biased in that direction, anyway, yet truthful with it's factual reporting) and it also includes delicious recipes and informational and supportive websites for the new vegetarian/vegan.
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/vsk.pdf
"Choosing to go vegetarian is simply a matter of living according to the values so many of us hold dear, such as being fair and kind to others. Most people would never dream of cramming up to 8 egg-laying hens into a file drawer-sized cage, ripping the testicles out of a screaming baby piglet, or cutting the throat of a cow as she stares back at you with her big brown eyes. How then, as compassionate individuals, can we justify paying others to carry out these atrocities on our behalf?"
Thanks for reading! Don't feel bad about commenting your take on things-- I welcome discussion! :)
Opens door.
"Hi, I'm a vegetarian/vegan. Do you have a few moments to discuss what it is to be vegetarian/vegan and the joy it can bring to your life?"
Shuts door, walks away, eats cheeseburger.
Haha, sounds plausible, doesn't it? Okay, so I'm not a true vegan-- yet. I don't want to sound preachy, but that's the attitude I used to have about vegans a few years back, even though I never ate animal protein in any huge quantity. I just thought that they were insane because "if they don't eat things with meat/animal by-products, what do they eat??" and "that has got to be an expensive lifestyle!" In this case, ignorance is NOT bliss. It's cancerous, high-blood-pressure-filled, cholesterol-laden naivete.
Actually, when I first started thinking about veganism last week, I panicked a little bit, because for some reason, vegan was analogous with "raw foodies" in my mind at that moment. I tried doing the raw diet for one week (it was a bet I made with Phil) and I lasted ONE DAY. It was delicious, but it was tough. Sorry raw foodies, I'm just not the kind of person to press and dehydrate my ground buckwheat and nut paste until I have a dry waffle that I top with ground dates and cashew "whipped cream." (Though when I type it out, it sounds AWESOME... ) Once I quickly dismissed that notion, I realized it wasn't really all that different from what we're already doing in our house. So we switch to casein-free soy cheese for the one pizza a month I might make, no big deal. I can easily use dairy-free coffee creamer, even if it'll take some getting used to. While I will be eating a lot more foods that raw foodies eat (nuts, raw veggies, etc.), it's drastically different from a raw diet and actually much cheaper than a carnivorous grocery list!
I'm going through all of the vegetarian versions of the foods we already have here (including my bags and bags of frozen spaghetti sauce that have cream cheese in them). **We do have a bag of unopened chicken tenderloins in the freezer that we'll probably pack in a cooler and take down to Hilton Head in March for the tennis teams to eat, since meat is so expensive on the island, so that won't get eaten here.** I will make my own pasta once we run out of all of the pasta we have in the pantry right now, too, using egg replacer or tofu instead of eggs.
Speaking of tofu, it is amazing just how much like eggs it resembles when cooked. I foresee vegan breakfast sandwiches in our immediate future.
By the way, I told my older sister Whitney that she should watch Vegucated. She just did, and now I will be sending her our meal-plans to give her and her boyfriend ideas on how to eat this way, or at least implement as much vegan/vegetarian meals as possible. I'm excited for them!
Today for lunch, we had tri-bean salad (kidney, pinto, and black beans with carrot strips, cherry tomatoes, and yellow pepper in a little Italian dressing) and half a sweet potato with vegan butter and cinnamon. TONS of protein and good vitamins, lots of fiber, and filling. Not to mention, extremely colorful, which is important! I love how our kids freakin' love veggies. I don't have to worry about them being deficient in anything.
Lastly, I wanted to post this information packet PDF for anyone that wants to read it or know where I get some of my statistics when I post them-- this is a basic overview of the factory farming and animal torture in this country (which is biased, sure, when it comes to animal rights and compassion, which every person should be biased in that direction, anyway, yet truthful with it's factual reporting) and it also includes delicious recipes and informational and supportive websites for the new vegetarian/vegan.
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/vsk.pdf
"Choosing to go vegetarian is simply a matter of living according to the values so many of us hold dear, such as being fair and kind to others. Most people would never dream of cramming up to 8 egg-laying hens into a file drawer-sized cage, ripping the testicles out of a screaming baby piglet, or cutting the throat of a cow as she stares back at you with her big brown eyes. How then, as compassionate individuals, can we justify paying others to carry out these atrocities on our behalf?"
Thanks for reading! Don't feel bad about commenting your take on things-- I welcome discussion! :)
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Crispy tofu and honey bread!
HOORAY! The kids loved the pan-fried crispy tofu :) After pressing the water out of it, I cut it into chunks and marinated it for a few hours in ginger dressing, apricot preserves, a dash of salt, and garlic. Before frying them I dredged them in a tiiiiiiiny bit of cornstarch (though the next time we're at Whole Foods, I will be picking up potato starch). David was poppin' it like candy.
Also, I made this bread today:
http://www.bakingdom.com/2011/09/homemade-honey-oat-bread.html
But I used 2 cups AP and one whole wheat. Next time, I will do it half and half, because the texture was beautiful and I know it can take the extra "texture." I will also use agave next time so that it is completely vegan (I baked it with soy milk). Put a little bit of vegan butter (Earth Balance... yum!!!) on it, and holy cow, bread heaven! It'll mainly be for the kids, but Phil and I have had our fair share of it tonight. I plan on making a loaf every three days. It's SO simple.
Also, I made this bread today:
http://www.bakingdom.com/2011/09/homemade-honey-oat-bread.html
But I used 2 cups AP and one whole wheat. Next time, I will do it half and half, because the texture was beautiful and I know it can take the extra "texture." I will also use agave next time so that it is completely vegan (I baked it with soy milk). Put a little bit of vegan butter (Earth Balance... yum!!!) on it, and holy cow, bread heaven! It'll mainly be for the kids, but Phil and I have had our fair share of it tonight. I plan on making a loaf every three days. It's SO simple.
Holy hiatus, Batman! That was a long pause!
Badum-ching!
Sorry about the lull in posting (for, uh... months) for anyone who reads this! I think I just got too busy to keep up with the blogging because of a little thing called graduate school. That may or may not have been the culprit. (It was.)
Well, with a new year came enlightenment on how we want to live our lives in the most healthy way possible, even more so than what this blog was supposed to be about in the first place. Now, not only am I still experimenting with fun, healthy recipes for the kids, but we're on our way to being as vegan as possible.
Yes, vegan. Cue up the "dirty hippie!" and "friggin' weirdos!" comments now. I'm sure they are being said. I don't care. :)
We've been eating completely vegetarian since 1/1/13. You could say it was our New Years resolution to cut out most animal protein (courtesy of "Forks Over Knives," an awesome documentary that we recommend to everyone). By "most," I mean that we weren't omitting dairy and eggs. Phil said that he would still eat meat occasionally, like when it is offered to us by a host or something like that.
But, thanks to Netflix and it's endless supply of informational documentaries, we have changed our tune even more after watching "Vegucated."
I don't remember the last time I cried so hard that I got a headache. The animals in this country are so mistreated. I saw a quote on Facebook, and I don't remember EXACTLY how it went or who even said it (though I'm sure a quick google search could find that out for me) but it went something like this:
"Animals don't live to die for me to live."
It's true. I don't believe in God, but I'm fairly certain that if there is one, he didn't put these animals on Earth for us to mistreat, torture (branding, castration without anesthesia, cram into tiny cages and sear their beaks off, etc.), genetically alter, and so on and so forth.
I don't claim to be any authority on this stuff. As I'm typing this, I have Yves veggie corn dogs in the oven, and they certainly aren't vegan (they have eggs and whey in them). I say "mostly" vegan because I don't think I will cut out products that animals didn't have to be killed for, but I'm going to make damn sure that they didn't suffer in order for me to have it. There are farms that treat their animals with respect and only milk them when they have milk, instead of medically inducing them to ALWAYS be producing milk. There are farms where chickens can lay their eggs and then go about their business-- not have to be crammed into a coop and spend their lives, miserable, poppin' out eggs until they die. I am going to try to make sure that our dairy products come from farms like THAT, even if it costs a lot more.
Here is one big thing we have noticed with this change in diet-- it's a LOT cheaper than before. Not only have we cut out (I'd say) 95% of the pre-packaged crap and overly processed foods, but we buy FRESH produce a few times a week, and still save money with groceries. It has been a little pricey stocking up on meat-replacers (for when we have that craving... it's not a daily thing), but we have probably a couple month's worth of that stuff in the freezer now, if not more, and we won't have to worry about that for a long time.
David and Gwen don't even know that their diet has changed. They still get the occasional chick'n strips with their sweet potato fries (a la Gardein), that taste AWESOME. They already love beans and veggies, and I'm going to trick them with crispy tofu tonight in their stir fry.
Note: I know that too much soy is bad. David has a small cup of chocolate soy milk every day, and Gwen doesn't even drink it. Never has drank milk in her life so far, and I don't see the necessity of adding soy milk to her diet at this point, either.
My mom gave us a mandoline at Christmas, so I will be slicing/dehydrating zucchini and eggplant (which I need to acquire a taste for) for lasagna noodles, and I have the recipe for vegan pasta that looks excellent. We also like rice and rice noodles-- no issues there.
Lunch is ready, so I'll post more later. We're already healthier, though-- feeling great, losing weight, and saving animals! :)
Sorry about the lull in posting (for, uh... months) for anyone who reads this! I think I just got too busy to keep up with the blogging because of a little thing called graduate school. That may or may not have been the culprit. (It was.)
Well, with a new year came enlightenment on how we want to live our lives in the most healthy way possible, even more so than what this blog was supposed to be about in the first place. Now, not only am I still experimenting with fun, healthy recipes for the kids, but we're on our way to being as vegan as possible.
Yes, vegan. Cue up the "dirty hippie!" and "friggin' weirdos!" comments now. I'm sure they are being said. I don't care. :)
We've been eating completely vegetarian since 1/1/13. You could say it was our New Years resolution to cut out most animal protein (courtesy of "Forks Over Knives," an awesome documentary that we recommend to everyone). By "most," I mean that we weren't omitting dairy and eggs. Phil said that he would still eat meat occasionally, like when it is offered to us by a host or something like that.
But, thanks to Netflix and it's endless supply of informational documentaries, we have changed our tune even more after watching "Vegucated."
I don't remember the last time I cried so hard that I got a headache. The animals in this country are so mistreated. I saw a quote on Facebook, and I don't remember EXACTLY how it went or who even said it (though I'm sure a quick google search could find that out for me) but it went something like this:
"Animals don't live to die for me to live."
It's true. I don't believe in God, but I'm fairly certain that if there is one, he didn't put these animals on Earth for us to mistreat, torture (branding, castration without anesthesia, cram into tiny cages and sear their beaks off, etc.), genetically alter, and so on and so forth.
I don't claim to be any authority on this stuff. As I'm typing this, I have Yves veggie corn dogs in the oven, and they certainly aren't vegan (they have eggs and whey in them). I say "mostly" vegan because I don't think I will cut out products that animals didn't have to be killed for, but I'm going to make damn sure that they didn't suffer in order for me to have it. There are farms that treat their animals with respect and only milk them when they have milk, instead of medically inducing them to ALWAYS be producing milk. There are farms where chickens can lay their eggs and then go about their business-- not have to be crammed into a coop and spend their lives, miserable, poppin' out eggs until they die. I am going to try to make sure that our dairy products come from farms like THAT, even if it costs a lot more.
Here is one big thing we have noticed with this change in diet-- it's a LOT cheaper than before. Not only have we cut out (I'd say) 95% of the pre-packaged crap and overly processed foods, but we buy FRESH produce a few times a week, and still save money with groceries. It has been a little pricey stocking up on meat-replacers (for when we have that craving... it's not a daily thing), but we have probably a couple month's worth of that stuff in the freezer now, if not more, and we won't have to worry about that for a long time.
David and Gwen don't even know that their diet has changed. They still get the occasional chick'n strips with their sweet potato fries (a la Gardein), that taste AWESOME. They already love beans and veggies, and I'm going to trick them with crispy tofu tonight in their stir fry.
Note: I know that too much soy is bad. David has a small cup of chocolate soy milk every day, and Gwen doesn't even drink it. Never has drank milk in her life so far, and I don't see the necessity of adding soy milk to her diet at this point, either.
My mom gave us a mandoline at Christmas, so I will be slicing/dehydrating zucchini and eggplant (which I need to acquire a taste for) for lasagna noodles, and I have the recipe for vegan pasta that looks excellent. We also like rice and rice noodles-- no issues there.
Lunch is ready, so I'll post more later. We're already healthier, though-- feeling great, losing weight, and saving animals! :)
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