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.