Memorial Day BBQ

Well, we actually celebrated a day early. But still, we had a delicious BBQ!


Matt loves to grill! Here he's tending to veggie kabobs and corn.


Of course, Patton and I had to help. So we took refuge under our blooming apple tree as I sipped a Guinness and Pup looked adorable.


The end result - yummy vegan burgers, veggie kabobs and corn. Yum! Who says vegans can't have an outstanding cookout? Delicious, healthy, and cruelty free!

But Memorial Day isn't all about food, though often times we confuse it for a weekend to party. The day is about all American soldiers who have served, and sometimes lost their lives, fighting for what makes our country so spectacular.

This Memorial Day I'm thinking of my grandfathers who were in the Navy and Air Force, as well as my husband who is one of the Army's best. And, thank you, to all of our friends and family who have served.

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Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers

 

Sorry it's been so long since my last post!  My mom has been in town and we've been traveling and staying busy.

But tonight I finally was able to make a home cooked meal.  Stuffed bell peppers is one of my favorite meals, but since our diet switch we've used quinoa instead of the traditional ground beef or turkey.  Tonight, I tried something different.

To start cut the tops off of bell peppers (this recipe will fill four or five), place in a baking dish with 1/4 cup of water, cover with foil, and place them in a 350 degree oven for fifteen minutes.

Then, saute the diced tops of two red bell peppers, two spring onions, and a package of vegan imitation ground meat.

When cooked, mix with 1/2 - 1 cup cooked quinoa and 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa. Homemade is the best, but I used a close second, Muir Glen.

Fill tender peppers with quinoa and faux meat mix, and place in the oven for another fifteen minutes.

While in the oven, concoct a pico de gallo, or chop tomato and avocado sprinkled with lemon if you're like me and used all the onions in the stuffing mixture.

Top the cooked peppers with the pico, and you have a delicious - and healthy - meal!!

If you have leftover stuffing, just munch on it with homemade (or store bought organic) tortilla chips!  Oh my goodness :)

Lazy Vegan's Dinner

Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in a day. It's easy to rationalize picking up dinner on the way home. But you don't have to!


Meet my dinner. Just half a sweet potato (the skins are Patton's snack) and fresh spinach sauteed with my favorite white beans.

It's a healthy spin on a baked potato and creamed spinach, a couple of my favorite sides!

And if you think it's not enough food, add a spinach salad before. After all, you can't eat too much spinach!

Dig in!
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Stir Fry Greatness

We do stir fry about once a week around these parts.  It's an easy way to get your veggies, and I'll find any excuse to use chopsticks!

Really all you do is chop up whatever veggies you wish and saute them in 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil at medium-high heat.  Add and a dash of low sodium soy sauce, if you like it.  We use broccoli, cabbage, and red peppers.

In another pot, we start to steam bok choy.  I adore bok choy because it is a green leafy veggie full of magical things, and it is always more readily available to us than collard greens.  Though I almost always use it as a base for stir fry, it is often substituted for steamed collards.

Usually I just give Patton the leftover scraps from the veggies, but it is ill-advised to give animals cabbage and broccoli.  It causes tummy problems and results in lengthy gas.  But red bell peppers are OK, so he gets those (plus they are full of vitamin C!).  We then compost the rest of our refuse.

We usually cook everything for about ten minutes.  It's super easy! 

And because we're udon fiends, a lot of time that rice noodle goodness finds its way into one of our bowls (last night it was Matt's) :)

Enjoy!

Mini Pizzas & Compassion

I blogged about savvy snacks the other day, and I just couldn't help myself from making mini pizzas for dinner last night!

Here's a pic:

Formerly a cheese addict, I didn't miss that stuff one bit!  I was full after just two.  All you do is cover  a whole wheat English muffin with homemade marinara, and your favorite toppings.  Then put in a hot oven (something similar to broil) until the edges get a little brown.  DELISH!

Now, compassion.  As I've stated earlier, I became a vegan for selfish reasons - my health.  Just over half of those who decide to follow this lifestyle choose to do so because of animals.  I think that's just excellent, but nonetheless, that wasn't me.

Don't get me wrong, I've always loved little creatures.

However, for years I justified my obsession with Chick-Fil-A.  And it was an obsession.  I still yearn for their waffles fries...sometimes I give in :)

I can't even stomach the thought of eating a grilled chicken sandwich.  Now I know the health implications of meat and such, but the thought of eating one of those precious creatures - it's too much.

We now know that when we ingest meat, we are also absorbing the hormones and antibiotics that the animal was treated with, along with the adrenaline that rushed through it's body the second before execution.  That's heavy stuff.

Along with getting bulkier for no apparent reason (hormones), and getting sick more often (antibiotics and contamination), we are also now a society of high anxiety.  This is for many reasons, but many scientists believe that meat is a major factor in this (adrenaline).

I can't speak for everyone, but I will speak for myself.  Since this diet has entered my life, I've found myself so much more at peace.  My meals aren't provided because of a creature's misfortune.  Along with being free of the hormones, antibiotics and anxieties, I am at peace.

Before I wouldn't think twice about killing a spider.  I won't do it anymore.  Not even a fly, and flies run rampant in our neck of the woods!  It's funny because I expected my husband to make fun of me when I ushered a spider out of the house.  But he does the same thing!  And when we watch, say, the Discovery Channel, Matt turns his head away when there is animal carnage on TV just like me.

We also have a tradition of "sending love" to animals in need.  Those poor chickens on the way to the processing plant get love from us.  They've never been loved in their entire lives, and here they are in cramped quarters on their way to become someone's dinner.  Doesn't every creature deserve to be loved?  After all, we would never send our dog to become a meal.  What makes a chicken/pig/cow/turkey so different?

The longer you abstain from meat and animal products, the more you recognize your love for animals and nature.  You can't help it!  And this compassion creates a peace within yourself, your home and your world.

Now, spread the love!

Savvy Snacks

I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I'm studying to become a Nutritional Consultant with a program through Old Dominion University.  This will allow me to give nutritional advice to clients and help them become healthy (and maybe even vegan)!

I've been studying today, and came across a page dedicated to nutritional snacks.  It upsets me a bit that milk, cheese and eggs are listed as healthy items.  One would know from researching or reading "The Veganist", "The China Study", "The Kind Diet", and other literature, that dairy is actually addictive and not at all healthy.

And in my nutrition book it says yogurt, milk, cheese, and eggs are OK?  Some people prefer moderation, but I can tell you from my own experience that dropping dairy has helped me lose weight effortlessly, AND I never get sick :)

It was after coming across the "health conscious" snack of, yes, cheese and crackers, that I thought about making my own list.  I don't know about you, but I'm not aware of any super foods in a snack of cheese and crackers.  Sodium?  Check.  Refined white flour and sugars?  Check.  Artery clogging, habit forming, casein-laden cheese?  Check, check, check!

So next time you start craving cheddar or ranch dip (oh, how I miss you), remember these snacks.  Keep them on hand, and you'll never be left unsatisfied.

Adult PB&J

This is one of my favorite snacks, and I also eat it for breakfast when I don't have the time to juice.  Just spread organic raw almond butter on a whole wheat English muffin, and top with some strawberry preserves.  OH.  MY.  GOODNESS.  It tastes sinful.  A lot of times I'll reserve it for dessert, as well.

Hummus and Veggies or Pita

Hummus is my downfall;  I will eat it until I'm physically ill.  Just buy your favorite hummus at the store, or learn how to make it here, and indulge with red peppers, carrots, or even warm pita bread.  It's so comforting!

Mini Veggie Pizzas

Also a great lunch or dinner!  Just take marinara (homemade is always best!) and slather it on a whole wheat English muffin.  Top with fresh spinach, tomatoes, and peppers (ummm, banana peppers would be delish) and you have a mini pizza!


These are just a few snacks that I enjoy, but fresh fruit, spinach salad, fresh juice, a baked sweet potato, raw nuts, and homemade trail mix are also great alternatives.

Happy snacking!