My very twisty turny vegan path

I have been away from this blog for far longer than I even realized. Last November to be exact. I have struggled with maintaining everything in my life. I admit I'm not very good at handling the daily stresses of life and sometimes just have to let certain things go to maintain sanity. It's not that there was any major crisis, just daily life. Taking care of 2 grandchildren on a daily basis whoops my butt, that's the biggest issue. I admit to at times feeling resentful and often exhausted, I get through it by reminding myself that it's for these kids not their parents, and of course I love them beyond measure. Other than that, I constantly struggle with getting everyone on board with a healthier lifestyle. My significant other is the biggest impediment. He used to be willing to try new foods and often raved about them, now I'm lucky to get him to try things and usually he can't be bothered to even comment. It seriously pisses me off. If someone went to the trouble of cooking for me, I sure would show appreciation, or at least say thank you. The worst part is that how do you force someone to care about their life and health? I've all but given up on that because I don't know how to do it. I've instead refocused on my own health and the differences I CAN make. On the good news side, my garden this summer was plentiful, and actually continues to be. I have enjoyed fresh green beans, squash, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc all summer long. As I write, I still have eggplant, peppers and lima beans growing, as well as the sweet potatoes that are just starting to come in. So here's to a new outlook and fresh thinking. I'll raise my glass of green smoothie to that!!!

The ups and the downs, the twists and the turns

Hi friends. Let me explain why I have been intermittent with my posting. Although I knew it would be difficult to commit to  fully plant based eating, it's been harder than even I thought it would be. Intellectually, I knew that I would have starts and stops, but when I did, I would feel so bad. Guilty. I would feel that it wasn't right to be blogging on a vegan blog if I wasn't walking the walk. Last night, I realized, if I was having the difficulties, maybe others were also. Maybe there was someone else laying in their bed, beating themself up over cheese, or eating the wrong butter, or whatever. I decided last night that I would start writing about it ALL, the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of people just like me, who understand the benefits of eating vegan, not only for our health, but for the environment, and for the love of animals, but who are traveling this path and hitting obstacles. If you are like me, and live in a very small, rural, southern city, maybe you find it difficult to go out to eat and find things that are vegan, (sometimes even vegetarian), so you give in and eat the cheese laden food, or whatever it is. Last week, I found myself at my favorite Mexican restaurant, and I ordered my usual dinner off the veg options, a bean burrito and a chalupa. I received my dinner and it had a cheese enchilada instead of the chalupa, since my dining companion also had their dinner, rather than send it back, I decided to go ahead and eat it. I knew full well that it was going to cause my terrible tummy discomfort later, but I chose that over inconveniencing every one else. WHAT? Ridiculous right? I need to worry about me. Later when I suffered terrible issues, my dining partner said rather simply, "you should have just sent it back, I would have". Maybe that's the right answer after all. I also struggle with the fact that I live with a carnivore, and even though he will eat the veg meals I prepare, I feel bad about "making" him do that. When I stated this he looked at me like I was crazy and said, "If I wanted something else I would make it myself, I do know how to cook", well ok. So, I'm here, letting it all hang out, and trying to be more about ME and less about everyone else. How do you deal with all these issues?

My New Favorite Thing...

One of the things I've missed most since beginning my vegan venture is yogurt. I love yogurt. I have loved yogurt since I was a little kid and my mom would buy the kind that had the fruit on the bottom, my sister and I would make great productions of turning it over into our bowl so the fruit would come out on top. We even racked up a few yogurt food fights under our belts. She may have won, but I'm not confirming that. Anyway, I had tried many of the dairy free yogurts available to me. As I've said previously, I live in a small area so my options aren't always large. I had tried the soy yogurts, and although I could tolerate the Silk brand, it still had that taste that's hard to identify other than knowing I don't like it. A few months ago my local natural food co-op in Tallahassee had the SoDelicious brand coconut milk yogurt, but I found that very sweet. Yesterday while shopping there, (btw the name of the co-op is New Leaf Market and is located in Tallahassee Florida, if you live in the area, be sure to visit them, you won't be disappointed), I found SoDelicious Almond Milk Yogurt. I was pretty thrilled since I love almond milk and was looking forward to sampling the yogurt. Wow, it's so fantastic. It's greek style, so very thick and creamy. I tried the blueberry and vanilla flavors, and neither let me down. If you've been missing yogurt you should definitely try this. I'm not being compensated in any way for this endorsement, just trying to bring the things I love to others. You can see how much I loved it by the scraped clean container in the picture below:

It's a little pricey at $1.89 a container, but I'm willing to scrimp on something else to have a couple of these a week. I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can make another trip to New Leaf Market to add a few more. For now, I'm one happy yogurt lover.

So easy a kid could make them....Chewy Granola Bars

Hi all, we've been a bit hectic here with Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac preparations. Early in the weekend it was looking like we here in Florida would take a direct hit from Isaac so appropriate prep needed to be taken. We've learned around here to always take these things seriously, although there are still people who brush it off, we are not among them. In 2004 Hurricane Frances spawned tornadoes in my town that completely leveled my workplace, and many homes. Scary stuff. So Sunday we made sure we had plenty of water, restocked our dwindling flashlight supply (my grandson loves a flashlight and often squirrels them away) and picked up our yard chairs and various things. By Monday we knew that the hurricane would go more towards New Orleans, but that of course with these storms you still have to be on alert for all the other things, like the tornadoes. School was cancelled for Tuesday. Come Tuesday we really only had a few showers and no other effects. So that brings me to the post, my grandson spent the day here with me since he was out of school. He wanted to bake, so we decided on his favorite granola bars. I think I've mentioned in the past that I am always trying to substitute healthier options in his diet. He used to love those overly processed, overly sugared snack bars, but he now loves this version. Especially since he can almost make them by himself. He's not allowed to touch a stove (he's still only 7, even if in his mind he's an adult). These things are delicious, simple to make, require no baking, the only cooking involved is to heat the agave and peanut butter to mix it well and warm it. They are also easily adaptable to other tastes but these are the ones that appeal to my darling grandson and he eats them for snacks. I grind the almonds because he doesn't like nut pieces in his food, but I want him to have the health benefit of them, you of course can chop them. 

Kid Easy Granola Bars

1 3/4 cups Brown Rice Crisp Cereal

1 cup Rolled Oats (not the quick or instant stuff)

3/4 cups almonds ground up 

3 tbs flax seed ground

1/3 -1/2 cup agave (it kind of depends on how liquidy your peanut butter is)

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, of course you can use a chunky also

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

And here's how to do it as demonstrated by the 7 year old.

Step 1. In a med/ large bowl, add first 4 ingredients, and mix them together.

 Step 2. In a small pan stir together the agave and peanut butter and heat until just warm and combined well. Add vanilla. Pour onto dry ingredients. This is the adults part of the job.

 Step 3. Mix slightly with a spoon and then using your hands mix all ingredients until well combined and all dry ingredients are well coated.

Step 4. Taste the product. I always tell my grandson to taste what is being cooked so you know if you have to make changes. My instruction to him is that his hands and his mouth are two of his best tools.

Step 5. Pour into an 8x8 pan that you've lined with wax paper (for easy removal). Using your hands, pat mixture down firmly and evenly. 

Step 6. Refrigerate well, at least 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator and pull out of pan.

Step 7. Also the adult's part. Slice into 6 strips, and then slice the strips in half, to make 12 bars. I wrap each in wax paper and then refrigerate until he's ready to grab one for a lunchbox or snack. 

And that's it. You've got kid friendly, kid easy, healthier, delicious, non processed granola bars. You've also just created kid memories by spending time with the child in your life in the kitchen. You've also created an opportunity to talk to that child about the food they put in their body without making it a lecture. A win all the way around. Brian and I hope you enjoy his favorite granola bar. 

Soup for Everyone....

I love soup!!! There, I said it. I would happily eat soup every single day of the week and twice on Sundays, or other days also. . It's a great meal with some bread on the side, or salad, it's a great snack. I'll even eat most soups barely heated. I just love soup. My favorite soups are the ones where I start with one idea and start adding other things as I find them in the refrigerator. I try to make a pot of soup once a week and will usually eat it all week. My favorite cooking pot for soup is my slow cooker. Whatever genius invented the slow cooker is one of my favorite people, whoever that is. This past Sunday I took out my trusty ancient slow cooker for a soup session. When I say ancient, I'm not kidding. I'm pretty sure it's from the 70's, and yet it still works wonderfully, and it's huge so I can make alot of soup. Anyway, I digress. I wanted a soup with some substance, so I knew I wanted it to have beans, of course lots of veg, and I was in the mood for some spiciness. Hence I put together this soup that we will call Spicy Black Bean Veggie Soup. It simmered all day and we've been eating it this week. On Monday it was dinner with a cornbread muffin and salad. The rest of the week it's been lunch and/or snack. It was such a big hit that it's actually gone. So sad. This made about 10 large servings but of course you can freeze some of it for later use. The good thing about this is that  around here it will likely always be a bit different because I tend to throw in things I have fresh from the garden, or as in this instance I had some fresh corn from the farmers that I had forgotten about and decided to put in. Soup is forgiving and hard to ruin. So while I was perusing the crisper, cupboard and such this is what I came up with. Blackbeans, potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes (from my garden), 3 ears corn on the cob, carrots, onion, garlic, okra from my garden, a quart of tomatoes I had canned from my garden. Yes this had the makings of a beautiful soup. Here's the recipe, but seriously use it as a guideline and throw in what you have, I promise it will be delicious.

Spicy Black Bean Veggie Soup

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3-4 carrots diced
2 med. potatoes, chopped, I leave the skin on you can do what you want
2 med sweet potatoes, chopped, again, I leave the skin on
3 ears fresh corn, kernels taken off the cob, if you don't have fresh and want corn, use frozen about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup sliced okra (I like okra in soups, and that's it, cooking it for a long time in a soup or stew takes away the sliminess)
1 cup butterbeans or lima beans (also from my garden)
1 can blackbeans drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cups cooked
1 quart fresh canned tomatoes, or of course you can use regular canned, go for a 28oz can of crushed or diced
3-4 cups veggie broth
2 1/2 tsp roasted cumin
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 or 2 chipotle pepper, chopped *
*here's a chipotle pepper hint, I open a can and throw the whole thing in a blender and process until a paste, then I put it in an ice cube tray, abt 2 tsp per cube and freeze and then  place in a ziploc bag and return to the freezer, so whenever I need chipotle pepper I just pull out a cube, if I only need a little I can slice some off a cube, in this recipe I used one cube.

Instructions

1. Set slow cooker to high. Chop and prepare all your veggies.

2. Add all veggies into crockpot, top with beans, tomatoes, broth and all spices. Give it a stir.

3. Cook on high for about 4-5 hours or low for 8.

4. When ready to serve just dish it up in a bowl, squirt a slice of lime all over it and enjoy. If you want to freeze some just allow it to cool and then put in freezer containers and you'll have delicious soup whenever you want it. Of course, like most soups, it tastes even better reheated. Enjoy

Simplicity.....

Part of the title of this blog includes the words "and the road to a simple, happy life".  I have been shown by the universe (or whoever is out there), that a simple life is the one that brings me the most peace, and so my greatest happiness. I have more than once in my life, lost everything and yet those times directly afterward were the most serene, and also were the times I felt the most gratitude towards life. How can this be you ask? Those times taught me to be grateful for everything I did have and received, and so I was. Naturally what follows with such gratitude is that the universe gives you more and more to be grateful for. Not everyone remembers in times of such abundance to be as wholeheartedly grateful, I certainly am guilty of that. When I stop and take stock in my life, I know without a doubt how much I have, but at times those insecurities step in and I am afraid to lose it all again. I start to question, "what will happen if A occurs?" "what will I do if B occurs?" and of course, I, like most people, start wanting more, I think mostly it's a coping mechanism that tries to make me believe if I have more and more and more I will be safe. The truth is, I know no one is ever "safe", things happen, LIFE happens, and anyone can lose at anytime. So what to do about it? I can toss it around and around and around in my mind, worrying about what might happen down the road, and likely I'll bring that very thing to myself. Orrrrrr....I can just let it be, enjoy all that life brings me, and try to get back to that more simplistic life where I was grateful for everything. This of course is my challenge. When I first moved to this home, there were no gardens, no flowers, no outside plants except for a few trees, so we started from scratch. The first thing I did was make a small butterfly garden. Something I have wanted for years and years and years. I never had the space or money to do it, now I was faced with the space, although still not much money. I went to Lowe's, found 2 butterfly bushes that were near dead and marked down to 1.00 each. I bought them and put them in the little space I had created. then I got a couple more plants that had been marked down. Another time I splurged and paid full price for a hummingbird feeder. All in, by the time I was done, the little butterfly garden cost me a total of about $40. It has brought me immense joy for 2 years and probably will for alot more. The butterflies flock to it and in late afternoons it is covered in butterflies, and the two hummingbirds that frequent it every morning bring a smile to my face with their antics. I have since put many plants, flowers etc throughout the yard and have spent and respent alot of money doing so. None of it brings me as much joy as that little butterfly garden. I need to remember the lesson that has taught me, simple things done with so much joy mean the most. I don't need the most cooking utensils or the latest gadgets. I don't need to buy more and more books, I have a wonderful library 10 minutes away that provides very current books on many subjects. Do I love books? absolutely. Do I need to own them in my home? No, I just love to read, that's what brings me joy. I was reading a blog recently about paring down your wardrobe how much you actually wear of what you own and I started looking in my closet to see what I wear. The author was correct, I wear about 20% of what I own and some of the things in my closet I haven't worn in 2 years and let's not even start with the shoes. Crazy right? yet I was considering going to buy some new clothes just a few days ago. I've now decided to not buy anything new until I have cleared my closet of those things I do not and likely will not wear, including the shoes. Then maybe I'll pick up a couple things to supplement what I already own, we'll see. To tie this all up let me just bring up one other thing. When my children were young and we were out in stores, they would beg for this or that, and my question was always "do you NEED it, or do you WANT it?" and if it was something they really needed then we would discuss it, if it was something they wanted we would wait a week and see whether they still wanted it, most often they never brought the item up again, if they did then we would work out a plan on how they could save to get it. I need to remember that lesson.

Thanks for reading and let me know any of your strategies to keep your life simple and joyful.

Score one for the grandmother....

For many years I have struggled with getting my darling grandson, who recently turned 7, to eat a bit healthier and to try new foods. Mostly to little avail. I'm proud to report that yesterday afternoon I felt like I had won the lottery with him. Yesterday was the first day of school, he started 2nd grade, which is pretty exciting. He spends most afternoons at my house once school is out, so he was here. Now, here's the thing, I love my daughter-in-law (well, ex daughter-in-law actually), and I think she does a great job, except when it comes to food. Due to the fact that she has the worst eating habits of anyone I've ever met in my entire life, my grandson has inherited those habits. I am constantly at war with trying to change his eating patterns, and we have made headway. So back to yesterday. I was getting his snack for school today ready, (I try to do that so I can get him to eat a healthier snack), and yesterday when I asked him what he'd like for snack, he said "I don't care grammy, just pick a healthy snack. Woo hoo. So I did, we made a bowl of fresh green and red grapes and filled his bottle with water (his choice). Then he said he would like to take lunch to school instead of getting it in the cafeteria. So together we made a peanut butter and strawberry jam (homemade, no sugar) on whole grain bread, cut some pears and he picked a LaraBar for his treat. I was incredibly proud of his choices and reminded him of what all those choices would do for his body. He went home and all was great. This morning his mom had to go to work early, so I got him off to school. As soon as his mom left, he said, "grammy, momma  added another snack to my bag and I told her that you already made my snack, but she didn't listen, so can you just take it out", so I looked in his bag and she had added a bottle of Hawaiian Punch and a snack cake. Sugar and more sugar. Not wanting to go against his mom I asked him if he was sure he didn't want that, he said no just take it out, I don't feel good at school when I eat that. So I took it out. Tell me why, anyone would rather a child eat sugar laden snacks and drinks than the healthier things that he clearly wanted? Can anyone explain this? I don't want to get into power struggles with her, but I want my grandson to have the healthiest chance he can at life. His mom is severely overweight and I don't want that for him. It's not that I'm completely against treats for my grandson, because I'm definitely not. I just think they need to be treats and not habit, and I think they need to be thought out and not just processed sugar filled junk. I'm so proud of him that he today he made great choices and I try to reinforce those behaviors. Whenever I try to discuss his eating with his mom she says "well it's better than eating nothing at all, and it's all he will eat"....I've tried to tell her that he will eat other things, especially if there is no option, but for some reason she will not listen. Does anyone else out there have these struggles, and if so, how do you deal with it? For now I will just continue to talk to my grandson about what different foods do for the body and the benefits of healthier foods vs. the problems with processed, sugary foods. For one day at least, we succeeded, now on to the next.