Long time, no meat!

I can't say exactly how long I've been meat-free. (It's been around 5 or 6 months.) I can say that the day before I went meat free, there is no way that you could have convinced me that I would be making that decision-ever. That's why when people tell me that they could never be a vegetarian or vegan because they love meat too much ("I'm a meat and potatoes type person"), I say "So was I." I didn't know what on earth I would eat if I didn't eat meat and dairy. I grew up a very very picky eater. Anyone who knows me knows that! The only vegetables I ate were peas, corn, and raw carrots. The only fruit I ate came from a can. I thought I was a fairly healthy eater. HA!!! The point I'm trying to make is that becoming a vegetarian who wants to be a vegan has been one of the most rewarding life decisions that I have ever made. After 5-6 months, I now know that I will never turn back to eating meat. I can't. I don't care what anyone tells me about nutrition. I am receiving more nutrients now than I ever did before in my previous life. (I like to call it my previous life) I have stopped losing weight and am healthy. I do not miss the taste or texture of meat. I remember that there were things that I used to enjoy. My favorite was a a bbq pulled pork sandwich. I also loved chicken nuggets, spaghetti with a pound of hamburger in the sauce, sweet and sour chicken, steak, beef stew....I loved meat. I don't miss it. I honestly don't miss it, at all. I feel good about the food choices that I make. Not just my body feels good, but my heart feels good. I know that I am helping the environment with every meal that I eat that doesn't contain meat. I know that animals do not suffer in order for me to gnaw on flesh. The knowledge that I have gained is so huge that nothing can ever convince me to change my ways.
I can honestly say that I believe that this is something that God has called me to do. Just a week or two before I became a vegetarian who wants to be a vegan, I remember sitting in Lilly's room, waiting for her to fall asleep for her nap, praying. I knew that I wasn't being as healthy as I should be and that my kids weren't eating as healthy as they should be. I had no idea what was to come. I asked God to help me become healthier, to make wise choices with food. Soon after that, my friend Kelli introduced me to the book that changed my life. (see previous blog entry) I want all to know that I do not follow that book for my menu, although I'm sure it's very healthy. That book, however, is the tool that opened my eyes to a new world and a new way of thinking, eating, and living. I praise God for this amazing transformation in my life and in my family's life.
I wanted to mention budget. People think that being a vegetarian or vegan is too expensive. That's bull crap. I spend so much less money on trashy foods now. I don't go out to eat as much because there aren't a lot of place that have food that I can eat. Please note-this does not bother me. I do not miss eating out all the time. Also, meat is expensive!!!! Fresh produce is not expensive. Just like with a meat-eaters diet, it is your choice how elaborate you get with your meals and how much you want to spend. I know of a meat eating family who spends $40/night on homemade dinners. My food lasts longer is so cheap. Some things do cost a little more, like soy or organic milk and non-dairy buttery spreads. This has not affected our budget because of the money we save on not buying flesh and crap. We only buy soy nuggets or other imitation meat products on occasion. They are really good and the kids and I love them, but they are expensive and not necessary for every day.
The kids' daycare has been great. They feed our kids a vegetarian diet at no extra cost to us. They always provide a substitute for any meat product. We provide a carton of organic milk every week. I am so thankful for having such a supportive childcare.

I could go on and on. Being a Veg has changed my life and I feel so blessed and thankful.
More to come, I'm sure.

stock up on stock

Hooray Hooray for vegetable stock!! I knew it existed, but couldn't find it...until I went to Trader Joe's! It is inexpensive and woooonderful! I chopped up some veggies and put them in the frying pan with some veg stock and simmered up some tastiness for supper last night. I added just a touch of salt and the flavor was (as David and I kept saying, Dora style, en espanol) muy delicioso! Simmering in the pan were thinly sliced red potatoes, carrots, red, green, and yellow peppers, onion, and garlic. We had sliced apple and pear on the side and water to drink. Chris enjoyed it, too. :) My house is probably the stinkiest on the block with all of my garlic and onion that I've been using. I got some new refills for my febreze plug-ins. They came out with the new fall scents: pumpkin and pomegranate. I love fall scents, and they smell sooo good. But, I wonder if they cover up the garlic and onion or clash with it? Oh well.

The kids and I had a great dinner tonight! I cut up some potatoes, carrots, and yellow pepper and mixed them up with a little olive oil and dry onion soup mix. YUM!! We also had Morning Star Grillers Chik'n. They are deliciously seasoned patties. They are 80 calories per serving, a good source of protein (9g), and cholesterol free! I got a box of 4 for around $2.99. In the picture, you see David devouring his last bite of chik'n. Both of the kids (and I) absolutely loved it. I put mine on whole wheat bread and I cut the kids up to dip in ketchup, just like they used to do with real chicken. We also shared a fresh plum. Lilly was scared to try the plum, but once she did, she couldn't get enough of it. :)

Here's a shout out to my cousin, Kristin, who is joining the journey of healthy eating. She recommends the book The Eat Clean Diet. I plan to check it out as soon as I can.

Stay tuned, more to come!

on the go...

What a fun labor day weekend!! We spent half of Sunday and most of Monday at my brother and sister-in-law's house in Athens, along with my mom and dad. We had a great time. I did, however, forget to mention to Nathan and Kasey that I had started eating a mostly vegan diet. They were quite surprised when I told them, but I assured them that I would make do. Lilly and David ate the food that everyone else ate and did just fine (except that now Lilly is a bit stopped up now that we are home). I had a banana, peanut butter, walnut and honey wrap while everyone else ate hamburgers and hot dogs. I felt perfectly ok with that. The one thing I wished I could have had was the home made ice cream. I had a teeny taste, and that was enough for me. Ice cream has given my stomach fits for as long as I can remember, so I knew it would be a really bad idea for me to eat it.
On the way home, I started to worry. What was I going to eat when we stopped for dinner??? We wanted to eat quickly, so we wanted fast food. I am not big on salads (go figure), so I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Thankfully, my mom shared a little secret with me! Burger King has veggie burgers!!! So, we passed Logan (which had no BK off the hi-way), and headed for Lancaster. We got to BK and I saw no veggie burgers on the menu. I started to worry. Thankfully, when it was our turn, I asked the nice girl behind the counter and she said "Yes, we have veggie burgers!" So, friends, don't always rely on the menu for what you need. ;)
Surprisingly enough, the BK veggie burger is quite delicious!!! I liked it even more than the Boca Burger (of course, I don't know exactly what was in it). It had decent sized chunks of veggies in it and was very flavorful. It was big and I ate it all. :D
So, I'm happy to report, that if you must eat and run, that BK has a decent option. You could even get apple wedges on the side and ice water to drink. Perfection!

Boca Burgers

I had a Boca Burger for dinner tonight. I've had them before, just for the fun of it, but this time it was because my other option was a hot dog. :o/ So, guess who sells Boca Burgers (besides every major grocery store)? Aldi's!!! You can get 4 for $2.50. I'm pretty sure that the original Boca Burger has dairy products in it, so for vegans, go for the original vegan version. It is delicious!!! I cut a piece of wheat bread in half, flopped on the burger, squirted on some ketchup and chomped away. Chris prepared dinner tonight, and I was very tempted by his baked beans that had been prepared with bacon, as well as the two types of cheesy chips. But, I steered clear!!! When I saw that the baked beans he bought weren't vegan, I cooked up some of aunt Teresa's home grown green beans. I wasn't sure how long to cook fresh green beans, but I got it right! They were so good! I probably ate at least a cup and a half of them.
We had a guest over for dinner and he couldn't believe that after Chris put their hot dogs and chips on their plate that they asked for some of my green beans. I am one proud Mama!!! Yay! I told him that they are used to eating veggies regularly and that they like them. :o) :o) :o)

Chris wasn't a huge fan of the organic peanut butter I bought. (He puts pb on his hot dogs) I'm not sure if he's going to choose to get used to it, or start buying his own. I told him that the difference is that this peanut butter tastes like peanuts. (I got Smucker's organic) I think that it's really good and the kids like it, too. (no pesticides or fertilizers on those peanuts!!:)

So, another yummy dinner. I have not been dissapointed by my food choices, AT ALL since becoming a vegetarian whose trying to be vegan. :)

Has anyone else had the Boca Burger? What do you think?

Oh, one hint: when you cook the boca in a skillet, flip it often. They stick.

Veggie Bake

Here is what the kids and I had for dinner tonight. I knew I wanted some potatoes, and this worked out perfectly!

I chopped up the red potatoes, some brocolli, green beans (from Aunt Teresa's garden:), carrots, celery, and onion and mixed them all in a bowl with some olive oil and seasoning salt (the s. salt prob was not too healthy, but it's what I had). I baked it at 425 till the potatoes were cooked (30 min?). It was really, really good and it smelled really good. We had applesauce on the side and water to drink. The kids gobbled it down. This was a great experience for me because I realized how easy it is to quickly throw together a yummy vegan meal. You could use any kind of seasoning that you have in the house, or no seasoning at all. Next time I will add a ton more carrots, because they were sooo good and there weren't enough of them. Too many potatoes. (I never thought I'd say that)

Lilly enjoyed dipping her brocolli and carrots in her applesauce. David followed her example. I kept my veggies separate from my applesauce, but I do appreciate the creativity. Maybe I should have tried it...??

The beginning

I suppose I'll start at the beginning, well, at least at the beginning of this recent adventure. It all started with a book. It was a book by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. The title, Skinny Bitch, is what caught the attention of my friend, Kelli. I would have never opened the cover of the book if it wasn't for Kelli. First of all, I am not trying to be skinnier. Second, that title is offensive! I do not think that people should strive to be skinny and I definitely don't think that it is okay for women to call eachother by that word.

It was the change I saw in Kelli that made me want to read it. She started talking about what kinds of things are in pop and and how taking OTC medicines isn't always the best idea. I was intrigued. (FYI, I will refer to the Skinny Bitch as the book from now on in my blog posts) I read the book in 2 days. It's not a lengthy read, but I still felt like that was an accomplishment since I have 2 kids who prefer that I read Freddy Rides a Bike over and over again. To give you an idea of how much of an effect this book had on my life, from the start, let me tell you that I was feeding my family meat twice a day every day and since the day I began reading the book, we have been vegetarian. I am trying to be a vegan, but that will take some time. I avoid dairy as much as I possibly can.

Why in the world would I want to become a vegan, you ask? Yes, I am from Ohio and yes, I was raised on meat and potatoes. My favorite meal was a sweet bbq pulled pork sandwich with a loaded baked potato (w/bacon, butter, cheese, and sour cream). Oh, don't forget about the pop that I was drinking and refilled at least twice. I thought that people who were vegetarians were people who loved vegetables and were addicted to crack. Just kidding about the crack. Turns out I was the one with the addiction-to junk!!

The book is not going to turn everyone into a vegan. It will inform you of what you are putting into you body when you eat. Everyone who I know who has read it can't help but change their way of eating, for the better.

I quit eating meat and drinking pop immediately. I have decreased my junk (chips, candy, desserts, dairy) by at least 90%. I feel really, really good. Not only am I doing the right thing for my body to function well, but I am making an amazing impact on the environment!!

I used to consider myself somewhat "green," but I had abandoned many of my green practices when we moved across the state around 4 months ago. I was so into adjusting to our new life, that many of my green convictions temporarily got lost in the shuffle. The thing that is amazing to me is that in my 28 years, I never even thought about vegetarianism or veganism as being something that would help the environment. Now, I can't believe how uninformed I was!

I'm not going to ramble on today, but I am looking forward to blogging about what kinds of food my family now eats and also about environmental effects, shopping on a budget, being a vegan parent, and the serious health problems that can arise from eating junk.

Stay tuned.