Whaaaa???

    My #1 motivation for being vegan is health.  However, through all of my research I have come across some astounding statistics that I just have to share.   For instance, if we continue to consume seafood at the rate we are now, there will be zero sea life by 2048.  Seriously??  None, nada??  Well, they say jellyfish will survive. We aren't talking about our grandchildren's lifetime, it's OURS!  I was floored by that.  The second most amazing tidbit for me was if every American cut out meat for two dinners a week there would be enough grain, corn, and soy to feed the entire world!  (As so very much is poured into feeding massive quantities of chicken, cattle, and pig in order to keep up with demand)  Some 800 million people are hungry or malnourished on this planet.  

Here is a cool site that is working on recruiting people and businesses to go without meat on Mondays.

Meatless Mondays
 

SMOOOOTHIE!!!

Breakfast smoothies are a favorite in this household.  I usually double the recipe and it makes enough for my family of four.  I love them because they are easy and so filling. 

1 cup almond milk
1/2 orange
1-2 frozen bananas
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 tbsp almond butter
1tbsp chia seed
1tbsp gound flax seed
2tbsp hemp protein powder

It's easiest on the blender to let the frozen fruit sit out for about 10 minutes.  We have been making so many purees, smoothies and other blended goodies that I invested in a Vitamix.. I love, love, love it.  What was taking me half an hour to make now takes 5 minutes.  I can also make my own almond butter!

Vegan Clam Chowder (Gluten Free)

When deciding what we should and should not eat, our family looks at three main components;  Health, Environment, and Ethics. When it comes to oysters, clams, and mussels, we found too many benefits and little to no drawbacks, so we are happy to include them in our diet.  Plus our kids have always loved clam chowder.  Here is my, mostly, healthy version:

Vegan - Gluten Free Clam Chowder

3 cans minced clams (6.5oz)                      1 quart almond milk

1 cup chopped carrots                               2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 cup chopped onions                                1 stick vegan "butter"

1 cup chopped celery                                 2 bags of frozen cauliflower (steam

2.5 cups diced potatoes                             and blend to make a puree)

Salt & Pepper to taste 

Separate juice from clams.  Set clams aside and pour juice into large into a large skillet over the carrots, celery, potatoes and onions. Add enough water to cover, and cook on medium heat until tender.

Add cauliflower puree, almond milk, and "butter".  Heat on medium until hot throughout.  Add clams and vinegar.  Salt and pepper to taste, then serve. 

Cheese, Please? Vegan Pizza

    For as long as I can remember, cheese pizza has always been a favorite food.  Fools Gold, 5-Cheese, Cheese Lovers... the more cheese the better.  So after deciding to go vegan making pizza just seemed pointless to me.  Then one day my husband gave it a try and loved it.  He liked it so much he offered to make it for everyone.  For the kids we made crust with sauce, tomatoes and spinach.  For us, he used mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, onions and spinach.  It was delicious!  The kids even loved theirs, although, my daughter still prefers some cheese on hers.  A little rice cheese does the trick.  Honestly, I didn't miss the cheese at all and when I had finished eating, I felt great.  I didn't have that heavy, sluggish feeling I usually got after eating a greasy cheesy pizza. 
    * For those gluten-free individuals, I have found that the pre-cooked crusts in the freezer section are quite scrumptious.  I prefer them to the ones I have tried at local restaurants. 

Oh yeah.. the KIDS!!

    So my main purpose in starting this blog is to give a real perspective on healthy eating as a parent.  The journey of healthy living takes on a whole new look once you take into account my (at least one) picky eater.  My son, the oldest, once threw up after trying cooked zucchini in a soup.  Fun times!  So getting him to try something once, without prejudice, is extremely difficult.  I can see him gagging and making a face before the food has even entered his mouth. 
   
   I have gone from "Eat what's on your plate or go hungry" to "**SIGH** Whatever, fix yourself a sandwich."  I won't lie, it was a roller coaster for a while.  Now, when I think we are just slowly chugging along we hit a 90 drop and have to start a climb all over.  What's the RIGHT thing to do??  I will not force my children to give up all meats and dairy, but I wanted them to be healthy eaters at the same time.  Since my children are 7 and 9 years old I could explain to them the reasons we were making the changes in our diet.  It was not about how you look, losing weight, gaining weight, or anything along those lines.  It was simply about being healthy.  Not putting things in our bodies that help contribute to heart disease,  diabetes, cancer and other ugly diseases.  We want to feel better physically.  They had seen what a difference cutting gluten from my diet had made.  Mommy no longer had to curl up in a ball after meals, and they liked that. 

     Little by little, it has got easier to introduce new foods.  My son now loves grilled potatoes, steamed broccoli, and salads.  In fact, salads for school lunch are his favorite!  There are still many nights I have to make a 2nd meal because I know neither of my kiddos are going to eat the spaghetti squash with avocado. 

Baby Steps

    For the first few weeks, all I could think about was what I could not eat.  I LOVE cheese, eggs, and occasionally a nice, juicy steak.  My husband is smart though, and he'd done his research.  He had us take baby steps, not cutting everything at once.  And, to this day, if I really want a little something I have just a little.  At first, I "had a little something" on a regular basis.  Now that we are in our third month, I really don't want or need anything dairy all that often.  Meat was much easier for me to give up.  Who knows... maybe someday I will think about my favorite custard place and think "no thanks"

Health & Happiness

    Okay, I will be the first to admit that I am NOT  a healthy person.  While, I am in my early 30's, I seem to have the body of someone twice my age.  I have, on more than one occasion, had doctors say that they had only see whatever ailment they were seeing me for in persons 65 years or older. Yaaayyy, right???
     Well, this this past spring I started to run a fever pretty much every day, my joints started aching and I felt so tired all the time.  After 3 months I broke down and called my doctor.  She ordered a ton of blood work, then referred me to a Rheumatologist.  He started me on an anti-malarial drug they use to treat Lupus.  That on top of medicine I already have to take daily for the rest of my life made me re-evaluate my husband's plea to lead a vegan lifestyle.  From what I have read Lupus and other auto-immune diseases can be controlled with a healthy plant-based diet.  What to do I have to lose by trying it?
   My doctor explained that the medication could take up to 3 months to make any difference, and that diet would also take time to notice any effect.  It has not been 5 weeks and I am still running a fever daily, but have noticed a bit of spark has returned.  Others have noticed too, which is nice.  

Veggie Tales

      This spring after numerous tests my doctor concluded that I have a gluten intolerance.  So, taking his advice, I cut all gluten from my diet for 5 weeks and the pain I had been experiencing vanished.  Just to test it out I ate 3 Girl Scout cookies and, sure enough, I was almost immediately doubled over in pain.  Cutting out gluten takes some serious creativity and patience.  My husband started doing a lot of research on nutrition and we watched a lot of documentaries.

      Fast forward a few months and our family has adopted a mostly vegan lifestyle.  I say mostly because if our kids really want something every now and then I will not deprive them of it.  After all, moderation is key with anything.  Oh.. and I really love to eat Andy's frozen custard whenever we visit home. 

     The idea behind this blog is simply to share what I have found that works and what doesn't.  I am still learning and have a very long way to go.  

My Goal:  To provide my family with healthy, nutritious food and NOT have to listen to whining and nitpicking throughout and entire meal.