Vegan Momma

I finally got around to making hummus yesterday. Remember those beans, well I used the leftover ones in this dish. I’ll write more about the topic when I post the recipe on The Raw and The Cooked.

Trust me, it’s almost complete. I just need to snap a photo and upload it to accompany the delightfully tasty recipe. Actually, there are two versions a fat free version and a version that I’ve added healthy fats (sunflower seed cheese, it’s actually quite tasty.) Sunflower seeds is an excellent source of vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium.

I didn’t use bread for the dip as shown in the picture, veggies were used for the dip along with raw vegetable chips (My diet is at least 80% raw foods) a healthier alternative and a delightful change. The recipe is simple and definitely ebook worthy so it’s going into both additions of my ebook the free version along with the paid version. I haven’t decided on when I’ll be releasing it, but it’s coming. I’ll also be releasing an ebook that focuses on natural remedies that you can make at home.

Changes are here, and more to come…
The past few months have been extremely busy for myself. I’m behind the scenes working to complete the goals I’ve set out for myself on my personal websites. Some of the changes I imagine are starting to be noticed here on Vegan Momma. It’s evident in the new readers I’m picking up and the websites that have been linking here.

I’ve always wanted to come back to writing about health, nutrition, and exercise on this website and I do a lot of that already. There is still a lot of misinformation out there about health, nutrition, fitness, it’s too much a part of my life not to. Food politics (that don’t necessarily have to do with veganism) is a topic I’m passionate about and you’ll see me write about it here a lot more. Yes, I’ll be writing about veganism.

My stats show me that I still have a lot of readers that land here searching for information about the subject so I’ll try to do my part to educate those who land on my website. I’m definitely not ashamed of being Vegan although I haven’t talked about it as much as I used to in the early days of Vegan Momma. I definitely don’t want to be “preaching to the choir” and have a vegan only website. There that focus solely on veganism and do it very well.

Although I do my best not to make feel uncomfortable (it’s definitely not what I’m about) The website is headed in a different direction, so it might not appeal to everyone and I’m fine with that. I cannot please everyone all the time. However I’ll be writing more about topics I love. It will be interesting to see what goes on here over the next few months. I’ve enjoyed the interaction that I’ve had with the many I’ve met on this website, through email, and many other websites.

A lot of people have been instrumental in making me get off my butt and move into the direction I’ve been fighting for over a year and I’ll be mentioning them in another post. I’ll be writing that later this week.

[tags]vegan, food politics, ebook, The Raw and The Cooked, raw food, food politics[/tags]

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Although I like series posting I only do it on a few of my websites. I haven’t done them too much here on Vegan Momma, as I’ve mentioned a few times before I receive a lot of email from my readers as I was checking the email that came in for my various websites I found one for Vegan Momma. The reader asked whether I would consider doing a series on something health related.

Actually, I have done some health related series but I tend to hold off because of the time that usually goes into the series I do on other websites; however, I have been thinking of doing a few series focused on Where do Vegans get their protein?

The past few months I’ve been thinking of a fitness series focused on people who don’t want to go to the gym, and another one focused on Eating for Beauty (guess what you don’t have to be female to benefit from the series) the beauty I’m talking about is related to the foods you eat and the effect they have on your body.

I’m going to kick off the series this week and write about Eating for Beauty. I’m not sure how long the series will last. It’s a subject I truly enjoy talking and writing about. In the real world I’m involved in various events where I’m asked to speak on the topic, and I’m always willing to talk with people who want to know more about nutrition. Currently I’m thinking of ways I can tie in Healing Yourself Naturally and The Raw and The Cooked into the discussion so my readers there will benefit also. Ok, I know how I can accomplish it; however, it means a lot more work for myself. Time, is a definite factor.

I’m always amazed at the huge disconnect that many people have with food and how it affects their bodies. You would think I would get used to it after all these years, but it still surprises me. We’re not helpless we have control of a lot of the conditions that happen within our bodies. If we continue to feed our bodies junk why in the world do we expect to receive peak performance, sorry (in most cases) it’s not going to happen. Remember GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) yeah that applies to our eating habits also.

Change can be hard, and I know that some people don’t want to admit that what they are eating directly affects their health because in doing so they will admit they should be making changes. I talk with these people often. In working with people who are trying to change their eating habits I give them a challenge stick with a certain way of eating for x amount of time and tell me whether you feel different. All of them have noticed a change for the better. More on that in a later post, or perhaps a series? ;-)

[tags]eating for beauty, series, protein, vegan, vegan momma, healing yourself naturally, the raw and the cooked[/tags]

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“You mean they weren’t doing this already?” My aunt asked me this question when I mentioned that the USDA is finally going to mention stores that sell recalled meats and poultry products.

According to what I’ve been reading restaurants, distributions centers, and institutions are exempt. Why? here is what the FSIS has to say…

FSIS will not identify distribution centers, institutions or restaurants, since they prepare food for immediate consumption without packaging that is identifiable or available to consumers.

This past February over 143 million pounds of beef was recalled by the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Shino, California; however, you wouldn’t know what stores carried this recalled meat? Why? It’s classified as a “Class II” which means it doesn’t have to be reported.

A Class I recall is one that involves a reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death for those with weakened immune systems.

Of course, the Agriculture department has been opposed to this. The Food Safety and Inspection Service have been trying to get this past for two years. What truly is interesting is that both Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer and Food Safety Undersecretary Richard Raymond say they will try to limit the disclosure to only Class I meats.

What that means is people who want to see whether the stores they shop at purchase the “Class II” recalled meats won’t be able to see that information since officials claim that Class II meats damage is minimal. It sort of makes you wonder why it was recalled in the first place if the risk was “minimal,” right?

The interesting thing is I had been telling my aunt this for years. She knows I’m vegan and keep up-to-date about all sorts of nutrition info. Not only does she asks I questions abut veganism she asks questions about animal processing. I was raised with farm animals, been to a few slaughter houses, and I do read a lot of information (pro and con) on the subject.

My aunt (mothers sister) is no stranger to farm animals. They grew up on a farm so she is familiar with raising them, caring for them, and killing them for food. However, they didn’t eat animals that were sick. When they died they were buried. Not so in the farming industry many downed animals are passed on to unsuspecting consumers.

The sad thing is this news isn’t new this type of madness has been going on in years.

You can read more about recalled meats at the USDA website…

Is the U.S. the only country where this sort of things goes on? This type of stuff really annoys me; it always has, because consumers should have the right to know whether stores are selling tainted meat. In fact, I think it should be labeled. However since we know that isn’t going to happen it’s best to stay informed (as much as possible) about what you are consuming. The Food Safety and Inspection Service will be listing the retail stores that sell the tainted meat (I’m not sure when) so if you do consume animal products it would be a good idea to bookmark it.

[tags]tainted meat, USDA, recalled meat, The Food Safety and Inspection Service[/tags]

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Remember those beans I soaked overnight? Well my daughter and I just got finished eating this meal. It was delicious the pink beans (also known as Habichuelas Rosadas or chili beans) have a meaty texture and are a truly delightful companion for this dish of produce that came from the garden. What’s included yellow onion, tomato, and yellow squash. The vegetables were picked from the garden this morning.

This was a simple recipe and eventually I’ll add to The Raw & The Cooked. Once the dry beans had been cooked this meal was ready in less than ten minutes. When I don’t have time to prepare dry beans I make a huge pot of them and freeze the cooked beans to use in a variety of dishes at a later date.

Where do vegans get their protein? Beans are one way that we receive protein. It gives you about 15g per 8 oz. serving I usually add qunioa (considered a grain, and a relative to spinach it’s a amino acid rich potein) to this dish but I decided not to.

Two new categories
I’ve created two new categories What’s for lunch? and Where do vegans get their protein? Although TTLOVE218 doesn’t know it, she inspired me to create the latter. TTLOVE218, is vegan, and commented on the subject of protein in my post Who needs the gym when you…

Here is a list of beans and their source of proteins taken from the USDA nutrition database. Beans aren’t the only source of protein for vegans and to be honest I don’t always eat them on a weekly basis. There are so many other options. More to follow on the subject of protein in later posts.

Protein is a topic I really don’t write about. I know my needs are being met as a vegan and a bodybuilder (upcoming figure competitor.) No, I don’t need an excessive amount to receive muscle gains. My protein needs are being met as a whole food vegan; however, there is still a lot of misinformation out there. I’ll make an effort to post more about this topic and others related to veganism.

Thanks for the inspiration, TTLOVE218.

[tags]vegans, protein, recipe, Habichuelas Rosadas, pink beans [/tags]

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When it comes to eating I’ll try any fruit or vegetable at least once no matter how strange and different it might look following this practice I’ve sampled numerous vegetables, and fruits, and I can easily go weeks without eating the same types of foods.

Comfort Foods
There are other times when I wrap those familiar taste around me like a comfortable afghan and cling onto them for weeks, savoring the flavors of my favorite vegetables and fruits that I love can be inspirational and I’ll spend weeks creating various recipes. Aiyana, my daughter,is the official taste tester and usually is happy with any new creation I serve.

Aiyana is five years old and has eaten a large variety of vegetables and fruits. Her snacks consist of some type of fruit or veggie. She’s at the point now where that is what she reaches for when she is hungry. It’s what she knows, and she views it as normal. In fact, that was normal before people started reaching for processed foods. I wanted to instill healthy eating habits in her from birth.

Beans and things
We haven’t had beans in weeks, and I’ve decided to make them today so last night I soaked one cup of pink beans (also known as Habichuelas Rosadas or chili beans.) Although you cannot tell this from the photo I shot this morning I was rewarded with three cups of soaked beans. Preparing dried beans take more time than purchasing canned beans, but it’s worth it. The flavor is miles ahead of the canned variety. At the moment, I’m not sure what I’ll be creating, but it will be something simple, nutritious, and delicious. Hopefully I’ll snap a photo before it is gobbled up and I’ll be sure to post the recipe on The Raw & The Cooked later this week.

There are three ways I prepare my beans: soak, stovetop cooking, and pressure cooking. I’ll be doing a writeup about it later on The Raw and The Cooked.

The Raw and the Cooked
While I was away on vacation one of my relatives asked me about my cooking website. “Opal, he said, I’ve checked out your recipe website none of your recipes contain meat. Why don’t you just call it a vegan website? I said, At times, people avoid what they don’t know. Most of my readers for that site aren’t vegan, let alone vegetarian, the majority of the trackbacks I receive come from “regular websites.”

I’ve encountered many people that see “vegan ” and automatically assume that the food cannot be good. A lot of people find their way to the website because they want to clean up their eating habits because they have made unhealthy choices. I’ve encountered many vegetarians and vegans that fall into that category also. You can be unhealthy as a vegetarian or vegan it all comes down to the choices you choose to make.

Can you be unhealthy as a vegetarian/vegan?
As I alreasdy mentioned above you can be unhealthy as a vegetarian or vegan (an you’ll hear me mentioning that often on a variety of my websites.) I do that mainly because some people automatically assume that they will be healthy if they are vegetarian or vegan. That’s inaccurate, it comes down to the choices you make. Animal free diets high processed foods, meat analogues, sugar, excessive consumption of eggs, dairy products, breads, etc., and low in vegetables can be harmful also. I’ve met a few people that said they were sick as a vegetarian or vegan however in all the cases I’ve personally seen it had a lot to do with the type of foods they were consuming.

I can’t do it aka self-fulfilling prophecy
I’ve met many people that tell me they can’t make a change, or they’ll say I could never become (vegetarian, vegan, raw foodist, etc.) I reply (with a smile) that with that outlook you won’t be able to make the change because you have told your mind that it cannot be done. You have to change your attitude. You can accomplish your health goals, but you might need some assistance. Our minds are powerful they can work for us or against us.

An excellent website…
Gary of Animal Writings has an excellent series focused on people who want to reduce their consumption of meat it’s called To Meat-Eaters: Easy Ways to Reduce Meat Consumption While Retaining Your Comfort Foods, My only regret is that they aren’t linked to the proceeding post however you can easily navigate to find all the articles in that series. Come on Gary, make it into an Ebook! Gary has recently started a series titled Getting Used to New Foods. One of my favorite statements on this subject was…

Does this scenario sound familiar?

I once saw someone refuse a raffle prize of “vegan dark chocolates.” Her reason? “I’m not vegan.”

Okay…Why the irrational, and sometimes over the top reactions?

A full exploration would require many posts and lots of discussion. So here are the first two explanations that come to mind:

One of the many things I like about Gary is his compassionate approach when writing about Veganism. I’ve encountered vegans that made me not want to associate with them because their attitudes about those who weren’t were appalling. Way to send a negative message about vegans, because we know some people will automatically assume that we are all like that, pfft! Trust me we aren’t.

Future projects
The Raw and the Cooked is one of the websites I’m putting back into circulation. I have a lot of plans for it. I recently wrote about dusting off a few projects on my freelance writing website.

Something I think about
I find it amazing that people devote so much energy into researching various products and services they purchase for themselves or others, but they don’t put that energy into learning more about the foods they choose to consume and the effect it can have on their bodies both now and in the future. I know that is one of the reasons I started actively following up on my food consumption. I’m constantly looking for ways I can improve my overall lifestyle.

[tags]vegan, cooking, The Raw and the Cooked, freelance writing[/tags]

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