Monday, December 27, 2010

Moving Forward

This baby, almost-but-not-quite-total vegan needs to move forward to totally vegan. I realize that I have to learn how to say, "No, thank you." when I'm with friends who have tried, but not quite hit the vegan mark. For me, that's difficult. It's also difficult for me to say no when the deed has already been done. If there's a casserole that has dairy or eggs in it, I usually eat some of it. I'd like to think that it's out of being polite, but that's not the whole truth. It also tastes good.

Which brings me to something that really bugs me about people. Upon hearing that I am a vegan, a lot of people ... a lot ... say, "Oh, I love my meat. I couldn't give up turkey at Thanksgiving, or my cheeseburgers, or my bacon and eggs, or my milk, or how in the world could I live without my cheese?" I tell them that I started slowly, with red meat first, then poultry, then dairy and eggs, and then seafood. I also confess that I still think about how good a cheeseburger would taste, but that when I actually think about biting into it, all desire drops away, but that it wasn't that way in the beginning. They don't hear it. They just don't hear it. All they are thinking at that point is that they will never give up their burger or turkey or bacon or cheese. You can't make them. Nobody can make them. Don't come any closer!!! Wow! 

First of all, do they think I hated the taste of fried chicken? Steak? Cheeseburgers? Ice Cream? Well, I DIDN'T DAMN IT!!! I loved fried chicken. It was probably my favorite food on the planet. Why do they think it didn't take stamina and resolve?? (As I said above, I still fight some things a full year later.) I hate that they judge my compassionate, healthful decision as having been easy for me because I didn't have as much 'like' to give up. ARGHHH!!!

So, no matter whether they see the videos (I'm convinced they close their eyes at the gory parts) or they read the books or articles about factory farming, they still casually march to the grocery store and buy their torture in a package, take it home, cook it up, and gorge. How can anyone do that? Once you know, how do you divest yourself of responsibility? Just curious.

Back to how I move forward. Clearly I'm not moving in circles that have the same ideals. So, for my New Year's resolution I'm going to step out of my comfort zone and actually go to the Vegetarian and Vegan Meetups in my area. I need to add some vegan and vegetarian friends to my social circle. I need friends who understand my choices and who can share vegan experiences. I'm not giving up the friends I love, just adding to the cirlce!

So, that's it! I followed through on last year's resolution. Made a mid-year resolution to work out and get healthy and followed through on that, so I am confident that I can follow through on this one too.

Happy New Year!!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

bacon

A friend updated their facebook status with a single word, "bacon," following it up with, "I almost worked myself into a frenzy this morning....lying in bed and thinking of bacon and eggs, with some hot sauce...big cold glass of orange juice, and a slice of potato bread toast. MAN."


I wanted to add the following comment: "I was lying in bed thinking of the videotape of pigs in gestation crates banging their heads against the bars so hard they bleed just before they go insane from the boredom that humans, whose appetites for bacon versus the humane treatment of innocent creatures, foist on them. Pigs are intelligent, social creatures that humans have no business torturing so that they can eat their flesh." I didn't. I just put a single word: sad.


It's also sad that I don't push harder. That I don't stick my neck out there willing to take whatever abuse people want to heap on me for making the humane choice. Instead, I will send her the link to my blog, rather than face public scrutiny. I need to grow a pair!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Gift of Time (And Some Great Tea!)

It's been awhile. This year has been a year of change. My company took medical insurance off of the benefit list, and I have a long string of pre-existing conditions which exist in the medical world, but not very much in my physical world. In the past I have been diagnosed with, and suffered from fibromyalgia, asthma, back trouble, a cancerous polyp, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), and I had a total hip replacement in 2008. All of this adds up to being uninsurable by today's standards. 

Unfortunately for me, insurance companies don't ask what lifestyle changes a person has made. I work out, eat a vegan diet, and lead a less stressful life. My blood pressure is fine now, and my cholesterol (apparently more genetic than diet related) is getting closer. I haven't had an asthma attack since I quit ingesting dairy products, and the fibromyalgia is gone or so mild that I don't even notice it. Both of my hips, new and old, are doing fantastic, and my back doesn't bother me if I don't do anything stupid like lift a 50-pound sack improperly. My colon ... well, really, do we want to go there? 

In an effort to even the score, so to speak, I decided to semi-retire by taking Social Security Survivor Benefits. (For those of you that don't know me personally, my husband passed away in 2003. I qualified for benefits when I turned 60.) I would make the same amount of money, and with medical insurance off the table, I couldn't come up with a good reason to continue to work full time. I cut back to what Social Security allows me to make per month without losing any benefits. In my case it works out to three, six-hour days a week. 

So, the biggest change has been the gift of time. I manage to get everything done around the house, joined a community center and workout several times a week, take my dogs for a daily one-mile walk and still have time to read, take classes, volunteer, play flute in the New Horizons Band and enjoy life.

I recently decided to schedule my daily tasks such as working out, walking the dogs, and actually writing my blog! So, I got out my Blackberry and put recurring appointments in for each day of the week. I'm hoping that by adding this level of organization I will be able to get more out of this gift. So far, so good, I'm writing an entry today!

The weather was awful a couple of weeks ago and so I decided to stay in the entire weekend, during which I got my recipes organized ... YAY! I had them in a binder, but with the switch to eating vegan came a love of recipe collection and they quickly outgrew the binder. I had some room in a file drawer, so I made a hanging file for each category and now I just drop them in. Sweet!

Speaking of recipes, Kansas City has a magazine, Enhance, that is a wellness-focused publication. In the Nov/Dec issue they had a recipe for Ginger-Lemon Tea. It is my new favorite winter beverage! Here's the recipe: 1tsp of freshly grated ginger, 2 lemon wedges, honey & cayenne pepper to taste. Grate the ginger over the cup, fill with hot water, squeeze in the lemon juice and add honey and pepper to taste. It's awesome and provides a powerful immune system boost!

That's it for today. I have Blogging scheduled for Monday and Wednesday morning ... Y'all will know how well my new schedule works! ;)


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

"Awareness is bad for the meat business. Conscience is bad for the meat business. Sensitivity to life is bad for the meat business. DENIAL, however, the meat business finds indispensable." ~John Robbins, Diet for a New America

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Comfort Food

I have found a less-than-healthy, but not unhealthy, delightfully-decadent comfort meal: Campbell's Tomato Soup made with almond milk and served with Farm to Market sourdough bread and Earth Balance vegan buttery spread. There isn't time to miss the Kraft processed American cheese food because you are dazzled by the deliciousness of the soup. Vegan Heaven!

This defines my problem, though: I am a wing-it eater. I eat what's convenient. I love spaghetti because I can make a ton of it, freeze it, and pull it out on a whim. The same goes for macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately I haven't found a vegan macaroni and cheese alternative. This tomato soup comes close to filling the void though. It's simple and can definitely be served up on a whim. Even without the sourdough, it's great with whatever bread is in the house.

My children and grandchildren thought I was a really good cook, and I was a good cook when it came to the standards. What I am not, is a creative cook. I don't really have that knack of knowing that if I add a touch of mustard to the dip, it will be perfection. And I certainly never got into the science of cooking. I didn't even know there was a science to cooking! That leaves me with coming up with an idea, checking it out online to see if it's been done, and if not then just giving it try. 

Through accident and serendipity I have found out that almond milk is a lot better than rice milk. I made a lovely, easy batch of scalloped potatoes using unsweetened almond milk. I was able to cut the fat in half by using half the butter (Earth Balance to the rescue!). It tasted great! (Another comfort food!)

So, two alternatives to my traditional comfort foods, and I have a plan for a third: Whole Foods has a house brand, ready-to-use, whole-wheat pizza crust that's delicious, but all of the vegan cheeses I've tried have been found lacking the correct texture and taste. So my question was, how can I add the taste/feel of cheese without adding bad taste or texture? I am going to create a thick roux using almond milk and Earth Balance, along with a couple of spices, and try spooning/drizzling it on top of the pizza sauce, and then top it with all my vegan pizza favorite toppings. I like diced onions, black olives, and Field Roast Italian Sausage. I know it won't have the texture of cheese, but I'd rather have a great taste and non-offensive texture than spend life without pizza.

It's pretty rare that what I try is inedible ... Maybe not great, or even something I'd make again, but at least edible. I'll let you know what category the pizza falls into!

Speaking of comfort foods, please read Jonathan Safran Foer's book, Eating Animals. It is his journey to discover the diet he wanted to feed his children. It's amazing. You can purchase it through Amazon by following my Amazon link.

Monday, January 11, 2010

And So Begins Week Two

It's a bit overwhelming, this vegan thing. There is so much information online. There must be three million recipes. I have trouble remembering just where it was that I saw that fantastic-sounding eggplant casserole that I forgot to bookmark. There's just so much to read. (And here I am, adding more to someone’s already cluttered mind.)

Every website I go to has a list of sites that offer more ... more, more, more. Aside from the information overload, it's a huge relief to know that there are so many recipes that I'm fairly certain I'll never get bored.

In the past week, I've found many actors, musicians, and athletes are now eating a vegan diet. PeTA has a beautiful series of Ink Not Mink ads with beautifully tatooed bodies showing off their ink, and another series; I'd Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur which features a lot of different celebrities sans clothing. The ads, along with a ton of information can be found on PeTA's website.

Natalie Portman appeared on Top Chef and challenged the contestants to make a delicious vegan meal, and Alicia Silverstone has written a book titled The Kind Diet and offers a website, The Kind Life, as well. I put a library hold on the book only to find out that I’m 42nd in line. That’s a lot of people who will be reading about reasons to quit eating meat. Hooray for celebrities doing somethin of substance!

Rory Freedman wrote the book Skinny Bitch about why she eats a vegan diet. That book got a lot of attention and in turn got a lot of people talking.

It's by no means a new book, but I love the book Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman, a former cattle rancher turned vegan who lives his life spreading the word about the horrors of cattle production. He puts out a newsletter full of information through Yahoo Groups. You can learn more about his story at Mad Cowboy.

If you’d like to try limiting your meat consumption, or going vegetarian or vegan, there are a lot of places that offer information on how to start. Here are a handful of the many sites available. I’ve found valuable information, recipes, and a sense of connection on all of them:

• There’s a 21-day KickStart Program sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

• I’ve already mentioned some of the fantastic recipes and information available from Dr. McDougall.

• The Fatfree Vegan Kitchen where Susan V has created and/or tested just about anything you can think of in the way of vegan cooking.

• One of my favorite sites, GoVeg is where you can find tons of recipes, statistics, videos, support … GoVeg has it all!

• I can’t fail to mention my favorite magazine, VegNews which also has a website.

• If you’re looking to meet other vegans for some face-to-face contact, check out Meetup, put in your zip code, and vegetarian in the interest area.

• All of the above are national, but there are also local sites such as VegKC in Kansas City. They are great places for local options.

If I had decided to go vegan in 1990, a mere 20 years ago, I would have had to go to the library and research it. If I was lucky, in my small town, I might have found a small amount of information in the reference stacks. I doubt there would have been a cookbook available.

I wouldn't have known a single other person that ate the same way and would have had no one to guide me. There wouldn't have been any pioneers readily available sharing their lessons.

Most physicians, even today, are pretty ignorant about everyday nutrition, much less veganism. In 1990, in small-town America, the physicians probably would have told me I would die if I were to do something so drastic.

So, while the amount of information is a bit overwhelming, I am so grateful for it all.




Friday, January 8, 2010

Understanding the Real Cost of Your Choices

I wasn't going to write tonight, but an article in the news caught my attention and I am compelled to share it.

I turned 18 on October 20, 1967. Talk about a good time! Peace, love, sex, drugs, rock & roll, black light posters, weed, speed, and Boone's Farm Apple Wine, Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Ten Years After, and Woodstock. Demonstrations, revolution, we believed we could change the world!

I had friends that fought the Vietnam War and that fought in the Vietnam War. My generation expanded the use of drugs like no other. At what cost?

Fast forward to today. I get that it's cool to smoke dope and talk smart, but as in my generation, many of the young people that do so profess to be peaceful, socially conscious, and motivated to improve the world ... make a difference. They look down on the stodgy, less aware people and show a marked disdain for the rich.

Many of these people look upon American corporations like McDonald's and Wal-Mart as the devil for the shameful way they treat the environment, employees, and suppliers. They wouldn't be caught dead carrying their garbage in a Wal-Mart bag.

Hemp, organic food, backpacking through Europe, and diversity ... these kids could be described as 21st century hippies.

Back to the news article. The heading read, "Mexico cartel stitches rival's face on soccer ball." How's that for a graphic read? I had no problem with an instant visual. You? You feeling peaceful?

The article goes on to inform that more than 15000 people have been killed in the past three years, following a crackdown on cartels. Reporters are murdered (typically in gruesome ways) with alarming frequency just for reporting on drug trafficking. I don't see how this is making the world a better place.

You get a vote. Everytime you buy or use drugs, you're choosing to support torture and murder. You get a vote. From the moment you are informed, you are choosing to support drug lords who have no respect for life. None. Their idea of a day's work is to rape, mutilate, and murder anyone who gets in their way. Be an informed consumer.

Please, understand the real cost of your choices.

On the surface this doesn't look to be a post about my vegan journey, but it is. The reason that I choose to eat a vegan diet is because of the horrific way we treat our animals in life and in death. I understand the cost of eating meat in today's world. I get a vote.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Potato Sandwiches?

Who would have thought a Gold Yukon potato, microwaved, sliced and served up on whole wheat bread with barbeque sauce would be such a wonderful lunch? Certainly not me, but it is delicious! Thank you, Dr. McDougall. Brilliant!! Today I added a thin slice of sweet onion ... marvelous!

When I told a friend that I had decided to go totally vegan, she remarked that it was great if I could afford it. The comment took me by surprise because while it can be expensive, it certainly doesn't have to be. Beans, brown rice, tomatoes, onions, corn tortillas, celery, carrots, oatmeal, raisins, and a multitude of other choices are quite affordable. After all, how much can a potato sandwich cost?

One can of black beans, one large can of tomatoes, a small can of chilies, a cup of corn kernels, onions and spices make four servings of a terrific soup served over baked corn tortilla chips and fresh avocado chunks. (For the recipe go to: Dr.McDougall's Website.) The cost to make this, without shopping around for great prices, was $8.44 or $2.11/serving using organic tomatoes and beans. It was tasty, filling, and seriously healthy!

Typically I would use dried beans for an added cost savings. A one-pound bag of beans costs around $1.50 and makes 3-4 cans worth of cooked beans. They're also really easy to prepare, so when I have the time I just cook up a bag and freeze them for use later.

I enjoy figuring out how to save money and time. It's a game to me. I was widowed in 2003 and so I only cook for myself. I've learned a few time & money-saving tricks:
  • Cook an entire box of whole wheat pasta, then divide into single servings and freeze. You can run under hot water to thaw in a minute.
  • Cook 2+ cups of dried, brown rice and divide into single servings to freeze. Thaw in the microwave.
  • Before your bananas go bad, slice and lay them out on a cookie sheet. Pop it into the freezer and after they're frozen, remove them from the cookie sheet and put in a freezer bag. They're great for tossing into smoothies. You can also mash them and put them in freezer containers. Just thaw and add to your morning oatmeal.
  • You know those few pieces of celery that you're just not going to eat? Chop them up and do the same thing you did with the bananas above. When you're cooking soup, toss in a handful of frozen celery to liven it up! It's easier for me to spend the money to buy fresh, organic produce when I know I've got a use for it if I don't get it eaten quickly.
  • Rescue soon-to-be-wasted bread by drying the slices in the oven. Lay them out on the oven racks. Set the oven temp as low as possible. (I think mine goes to about 175 degrees.) You can leave them in there for a couple of hours. If they're not all the way dried out, just turn off the heat and let them sit in the oven until they are. Once they're totally dried out, use the blender to turn them into breadcrumbs. Store in the fridge.
  • Here's an inexpensive, quick and tasty side dish: Use a small amount of vegan butter, heat in skillet, toss in breadcrumbs and brown. Throw in a cooked whole wheat pasta, salt to taste, and heat through ... YUM! (You can also add onions and/or garlic to the butter prior to the breadcrumbs. Saute until tender, then add the breadcrumbs and continue as above.) I eat either whole wheat or eight grain bread, so my breadcrumbs are healthy!
  • Ice cube trays are my best friends! I have one that makes mini-cubes and I use it to freeze lime juice when limes are cheap. After squeezing room-temperature limes in to a bowl, pour in the the tray and freeze. Transfer to double plastic bags or containers when frozen. The same can be done for lime juice or even orange juice that you just don't finish before it's freshness date.
  • I use standard size ice cube trays to freeze cream sauce in small portions. At the end of the day, thaw a serving of brown rice, thaw a couple of cream sauce cubes, toss together with some frozen peas, salt, and cracked pepper ... delicious!

Day two on my Vegan Journey went great. I had the energy to shovel my driveway not once, but twice, spent time on the phone catching up with a couple of friends while I watched the snow continue to fall, and did some research online.

Despite the perilous temperatures and blowing snow,

I love the journey!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

January 5th, 2010 ... A Good Day to Become a Vegan

Let me introduce myself: My name is Nancy and I'm 60 years old. I have two rescued Standard Schnauzers (Lena & Mike) and was recently adopted by a stray cat (Gypsy Sue).

I've toyed with a vegan diet for some time. It started innocently enough when I decided to give up red meat for health reasons. Instead of beef and pork, I began to rely on fried chicken. (Now that's healthy!) So after a few weeks, I decided no meat or poultry but I'd still have dairy, eggs, and seafood.

I was in dire need of some good recipes so I went searching the Internet for ideas and found myself on websites that educated me about the horrific practice of factory farming. I couldn't imagine seeing the fear and confusion in the eyes of my critters that I saw in the eyes of the farm animals in the undercover videos I came across. Videos are available at http://www.peta.org/ or http://www.farmsanctuary.org/.

After viewing many videos and reading many books I had no trouble giving up meat. I still allowed myself occasional seafood, eggs, and dairy, though I tried to police the origin of them all. My concern was primarily their lives. Talk about a ridiculously time-consuming task! It's too much! How can I guarantee that Bessie is treated well? If a farmer responds to an email asking about conditions, how do I know it's true? And, for heaven's sake, dairy cows must be pregnant ... yes? If I believe in a woman's right to choose, how can I not believe in a cow's right to choose? Okay. That's crazy. What happens to the baby? I wish I didn't know. I can't stand it! I'm a mother. Do Not Touch My Children!!!

And seafood. Criminy. Mercury. Disease. Messing up the natural population with farming populations. Quotas, line caught, nets, trolling. STOP!!!

So, here I am, educated about the horrors inflicted on innocent creatures by humans. I don't want to inflict pain and suffering on any creatures, much less brown-eyed, sweet-faced cows or intelligent, adorable pigs, nor do I want to pretend I have no impact when I choose to visit McDonald's or buy a pound of ground beef at the local market. I can only see the burned beaks of chickens when friends tell me they stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner.

I have a friend who can't (won't) watch the videos because they're too painful, but will blithely go through the drive-thru at Popeye's to bring home dinner. I don't even know where to go with that. At least look at what you're doing before you drive-thru.

Back to today, January 5th, being a good day. Today I went totally vegan. I am done justifying and playing around and feeling guilty. I'm tired of feeling like crap because I eat a crap diet. I'm done. I am a Vegan. Today. January 5th, 2010.

I like the feel of it. It feels fresh and clean and freeing. I don't care to be involved in the abuse of wonderful, amazing creatures. It's like stepping up and living my values, and that feels good. I'm sure there will be times when it's more difficult than others, but I think I can get by those times. I can just look in Lena's big brown eyes or Gypsy Sue's brilliant green ones.

My son recommended I blog about the journey I'm on and I decided to take him up on it. I will honestly share my thoughts, successes, and struggles in this blog. I'll be sharing some websites and information I come across, along with recipes that I love. I'll try to remember where I got the recipes I share.

So, there you have it. Day One is in the bag with nary a craving for cheese or yogurt! I had a fantastic breakfast of oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, and banana. Lunch was a Gold Yukon Potato sliced onto eight-grain bread and topped with my amazing-anything-goes barbeque sauce. Between lunch and dinner I had some carrots and celery, and a banana for a snack. Dinner was Corn Chip & Salsa Soup from Dr. McDougall's website (http://www.drmcdougall.com/), a tasty blend off salsa, black beans, corn kernels, homemade, nonfat corn chips, and freshly cubed avocado ... Wonderful!