Vegan Livin’ is Easy January 12, 2009

Aside from getting egg at a local breakfast place when I ordered tofu and going to my husband’s company party where I had pre-ordered a vegetarian lasagna (not vegan) months ago, and then a resulting awful stomachache… my transition to veganism has been really great.  Those are the only non-vegan things I’ve eaten and the restaurant that brought me eggs instead of tofu paid for my meal and also gave me a coupon for another free meal!  Anyhow, I’m really loving the peace of mind it’s brought me, just knowing that my decisions in this area are all finally lining up with my values completely, is so so nice.  And the food? Delicious, oh yes, even when eating out.  Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t live without meat, eggs and dairy.  You will get all of the nutrients you need (ok, assuming you don’t live on vegan cupcakes and cereal or something) and most likely you will find yourself eating a healthier, wider, more delicious array of vegetables, grains, fruits and more!  If you’re looking into the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, here are my favorite links to get you started:

Food:

• Happy Herbivore - Lindsay at Happy Herbivore creates wonderful fat-free, whole foods vegan recipes that are always sure to please. She rarely uses meat analogues, so I think her recipes are great for beginners who may be a little scared of seitan, tempeh and tofu.  Try her nacho “cheeze” and spinach and artichoke dip and you’ll find yourself all the more assured that it is easy peasy to give up dairy.  I’m drooling right now just thinking about those nachos.  They are Brian’s favorite, too.
• Post Punk Kitchen – If i’ve got a question about something, whether food related or not, I will often go onto the PPK website, click “forums” and then search whatever it is I’m thinking of and it never fails me.  Plus, the recipes are amazing.  Scrambled tofu will have you living egg-free in no time.  It’s the perfect recipe for the tofu virgin – especially wrapped up in a tortilla with some breakfast potatoes.  It’s my all-time favorite brunch.
• Happy Foody – Sara was the first person to introduce me, via her blog of course, to vegetarian living.  It’s not that I hadn’t heard of vegetarianism before, obviously, but she was the first to inspire me to learn more.  And the recipes from her food blog are some of the first I made and still some of my favorites.  Her favorite salad dressing is now the favorite for Brian and I too. 
• Dreena Burton’s Blog and Recipes – Dreena Burton has published several cookbooks.  Her recipes are healthy and delicious!
• I’ve posted some of my favorite recipes in the past here and here.

Books:

• Diet for a New America by John Robbins – a book I’ve mentioned again and again.  Well worth the read.
• Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman – In this book, the author advocates a (at least 95%) vegan diet. It is well-researched and documented and will give you all the reasons you need to go vegan from a health perspective.

Cookbooks:

• Veganomicon – It’s like the vegan version of the Joy of Cooking, meaning it’s a comprehensive type of book that will set you up for success if all you’ve ever cooked is something from a box.  Try some sample recipes and you’ll be hooked and buy the book the next time you have a spare twenty bucks.  Isa Chandra Moskowitz also wrote Vegan with a Vengeance, another favorite vegan cookbook.  Here’s a bunch of her recipes for you to try until you can come up with that twenty bucks.  I love her coffeecake and waffles.  That woman knows how to do brunch.  I can’t wait for her latest book to come out!
• The Joy of Vegan Baking – a comprehensive baking book.  If you are a afraid of losing your ability to bake familiar favorites without milk, eggs and butter, this book will put your fears to rest for sure.  This book also has a few unconventional and healthy recipes as well, like the raw strawberry pie that I love.

Wishlist…

• Get it Ripe by Jae Steele,
• Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
• The Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfeld
• Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton

More web stuff:

• Vegan&Vintage
• Vegan Beauty Review
• Vegan Etsy – go here and here for fabulous vegan handmade things

Resources for Research and Making the Transition:

• Vegan Outreach is my fave

Now, go give it a try why don’t you!

Resolute. January 5, 2009

I believe the credit for the above photo goes to Herbivore Clothing Company, but I can’t seem to find where I got it from now…

 

As New Years was approaching, I began to think about the past year, as we all do, and of course, the year to come.  It seems a convenient time to me to make a resolution in my life to make a permanent change.  Something has been weighing on my heart and my mind a lot lately.  

I bought a sweater a few months ago and saw that the tag said “angora” and I bought it anyway because I loved the fit and styling so much, but the decision has weighed on me.  My dad took me shopping after Christmas and wanted to buy me warm socks at REI.  He loves the SmartWool brand and really wanted to get some for me.  I didn’t have the heart to have the “please no animal product” conversation with him.  He bought me four pair, two of which I’ll be taking back and two of which I’ve been wearing.  And it’s been weighing on me.  I’ve somewhat been in the market for a new pair of boots and can’t bring myself to buy leather ones, even though I love these, because it’s been weighing on me.  Every time I crack the eggs for some cornbread or put the cheese on top of my pizza, something just doesn’t feel right in my spirit.  

So, I’m making the change… toward the vegan way of life.  When I went vegetarian a year and a half ago, I cut out most dairy and eggs as well.  The only reason I’ve not gone vegan yet is because I haven’t wanted to deal with what others will say and I don’t want to inconvenience anyone (admittedly myself on occasion), but this is hardly a good reason to continue to make choices that don’t line up with my values.  Factory farming practices are shockingly horrifying.  Really.  I don’t want to be a part of it in any way, shape or form.  It is not good for anyone involved – not the animals, not the environment, surely, not the people perpetuating the violence and not for the health of those who consume those products.  It would be wrong for me to continue to support these practices, particularly against my own conscience.  At this point I plan to keep the things I already own that are not vegan, because I don’t think it would benefit anyone for me to just throw them out, but from here on out all purchases shall be cruelty free.  

While it may seem like an extreme choice to some, for me I think for the most part it will just be woven into the fabric of my life, as so many other changes have been.  I’ve learned that nothing is so difficult as it seems it will be, especially when motivated by something more important than any minor inconvenience.  This is not meant as a judgment upon anyone else, though sadly, I know some will perceive it that way.  It’s just another step toward becoming who I am.  Wish me luck!  I think it’s going to feel really good.  Happy New Year!

Favorite March 30, 2008

I just wanted to post this link. This particular post is an older post that I bookmarked a long time ago because I just totally resonated with everything she said, so I thought I would post it here in case you might enjoy it too.

Perfection March 21, 2008

I’ve been thinking about perfection, grace and holiness.  Sometimes the more I read, the more I feel burdened about the things I do and think that need to change.  This is a good thing, to a certain extent, but perfection of action has never been the point.  Aiming for perfection brings guilt, discouragement and crankiness.  So you see, we need Grace.  We have unending grace in Jesus.  Grace that empowers us to change, enables us to change and makes us want to.  Without it, there is no point.  I would turn into one of those bitter people who preaches your ear off and makes you feel like dirt if you disagree with them or don’t practice what they preach. That’s not who i want to be. That isn’t who i am. That isn’t grace or holiness.
The point of the things I’ve written about on this blog is grace and compassion.  Grace with others, grace with yourself, grace because of and in Jesus.  I want to me motivated by love and proceed in it.  Therefore, I hope you will never hear that kind of condescension or preaching from me. more importantly, i pray you won’t find it in my heart. It’s not there now, since I’m more consumed by thoughts of my inadequacy than anything, but these issues are two sides of the same coin.   Neither one is love, grace or holiness. I’m learning how important it is to just take the next step and not take my eyes off of Christ. That’s what I’m aiming for: to become more like Him, not to attain my own sense of perfection. so, I suppose can stop feeling inadequate now Grace.

Another Plastic Evil February 21, 2008


I just watched this video and read this great post about how plastic is recycled.  I really found it shocking, but after a moment’s thought, I wasn’t really shocked at all.  Of course our recycling is getting shipped off to China and creating toxic fumes.  Ugh.  Of course it is.  Every convenience we have here in the western world is at someone’s expense it seems. (This video is about the UK, but i have read elsewhere that this certainly is happening in the US.) 

Cutting back the plastic completely seems nearly impossible for me, but here are some ideas:  

- Buy things in bulk or just simply the option with less packaging. (bring your own container to the bulk bin!)
- Choose salad dressing, sauces, spices, juice and anything else in glass.
- Choose concentrated detergents, powdered detergent or you could try making your own!
- Bring reusable bags to the store of course!
- Bring your own mug for coffee. disposable coffee cups have a plastic lining and usually a plastic lid.
- Let your fruit roll around in the cart rather than in a plastic bag.
- Bring used or reusable bags for produce and bulk items.
- Stop drinking bottled water and bottled soda (bottled water apparently isn’t any better for you than tap!)
- Bring your own plates and cutlery when you are going somewhere that will have disposables: potluck, picnic, etc. (most paper plates are lined with plastic)  

- Choose bar soap instead of liquid.
- Choose reusable whenever possible!

Check out these great blogs by people who are trying to reduce their plastic consumption:

• Fake Plastic Fish
• Life Less Plastic
• Living Plastic Free

Simple August 5, 2007

Simplicity – It often denotes beauty, purity or clarity. Simple things are usually easier to explain and understand than complicated ones. Simplicity can mean freedom from hardship, effort or confusion. It’s something i’ve been thinking about. it makes me think of contentedness, joy, holiness. it makes me think of great figures in history – gandhi, mother theresa, jesus. it makes me think of people who are/were mocked or misunderstood and labeled as hippies and radicals. and it makes me think of those who consume less and give more, who reject the myth of the american dream that says if you get more, you’ll be happy and successful and accepted. but, isn’t it better to give than to receive? i don’t think most people actually believe that. it’s just something they tell their kids when they don’t get what they want. but, there’s profound truth in that old adage that should shape out lives. it IS better to give than to receive. that’s why those who chase after what they may receive (material possessions), die still pursuing more and are never satisfied. in the end, isn’t it “the simple things” in life that last and satisfy? For me it’s reading, praying, making my daughter laugh, having a cup of coffee on a saturday morning with my husband, a cloudy day or a conversation with my sister. our culture tells us to go in debt in order to have a nice car, a nice house and a nice family with nice things and to spend the rest of our lives in pursuit of more, but i want to live simply.
Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is defined as a lifestyle in which individuals consciously choose to minimize the pursuit of wealth and consumption. some consider this (or environmentalism for that matter) to be a religion unto itself. therefore, people who already follow a religion (namely christianity) tend to shy away from it. to me this seems sad. if you read through the gospels, doesn’t it seem like Jesus was completely counter-culture? he was the one who told us to follow him and take nothing with us, that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom. i think the kingdom of God is the ultimate in simple living. that doesn’t make it easy. it’s difficult to reconcile His words with my reality. i feel the urge to “have nice things” (like that tv we got a few months ago that i think we are now kind of regretting) in order to prove something, even if it’s just to myself. i feel like having nice things proves that we’re capable adults or something, which is rediculous. as i look around our house and think about packing it up in the next month, i realize that we have extra. maybe not a lot of extra compared to some people, but extra nonetheless and i want to get rid of it, give it away, live with less, take only my slice of the pie. live simply.

Some Statistics to inspire simple living:

• Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.
• The wealthiest nation on Earth has the widest gap between rich and poor of any industrialized nation.
• 20% of the population in the developed nations, consume 86% of the world’s goods.
  Approximately 790 million people in the developing world are still chronically undernourished.
• According to UNICEF, 30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.” That is about 210,000 children each week, or just under 11 million children under five years of age, each year.
• Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.
• Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.
• Millions of women spending several hours a day just collecting water.
  About 0.13% of the world’s population controlled 25% of the world’s assets in 2004.

  photo courtesy of blogrodent on flickr

Generica August 1, 2007

Generica – that’s what my friend matt sai once called corporate america. it’s true. sometimes when i visit a new city, i feel like i might as well have stayed at home. i feel hard pressed to find stores i haven’t seen before or don’t have in my own town. last weekend, we were in southern california for my cousin’s wedding. brian and i asked my mom and grandpa (who both live there) if there were any restaurants in town that we don’t have here in modesto that they would recommend. they started listing off restaurants – every single one of them a chain, every single one a place we have here at home. sad. I feel like this just reinforces what i already knew. i need to be more conscious of the companies i buy from – what they stand for, how they treat their workers, if they’re taking over the free world, etc. Sometimes my attitude has been something like – well, what am i supposed to do? yeah, all corporations are evil entities, but how can i avoid them? – but i think that’s just a lie that keeps me from having to pay attention and make sacrifices. anyway, in the vein of this thinking, brian saw this disturbing article on msn yesterday. i think i’ve been to wal-mart once in the last three years, as i don’t like it and already knew they were evil, but anyway, i thought people should see this article. 51 percent of the world’s 100 hundred wealthiest bodies are corporations. if the western world can’t afford to shop at places that don’t exploit people, who can?

photo courtesy of justinyc on flickr

Trendy July 24, 2007

I heard someone say recently that caring about social justice issues is trendy. Someone else said recently that people talk about “being green” just to be cool. I had two reactions to said statements:

1. WHAT?! how can caring about people be trendy? hollister is trendy. skinny pants are trendy. urban outfitters is trendy. or maybe i don’t know what’s trendy, but i can tell you one thing: caring about the world and the people in it is not allowed to be labeled as trendy. What is wrong with the world? does that mean mother theresa was just ahead of the times, trying to be cool?

2. i guess that’s true, to an extent. lots of us want to care about these issues because it seems good or feels good, but we just end up talking about it, wearing our ONE bracelets or something and buying a bunch of environmentally friendly products we never use and we never go out of our way to make actual sacrifices to support what we claim to believe.

So, I guess it’s just like anything else – there are people who will just talk about things and never do anything and in so doing, leave a funky taste in people’s mouths when it comes to environmentalists or activists or whatever it is that we claim to be but aren’t. i’m working on making sure i don’t live like that.

images courtesy of joshuawallis, apologists, on flickr and the blood:water mission website

HOMELESS July 23, 2007

Homeless. Resource-less, food-less, family-less. I can’t imagine what it would be like. my family has had issues over the years – times when one of my parents didn’t know if or how the bills would get paid – but i know nothing of what it would be like to truly be homeless. nowhere to go. unimaginable.
i’ve been reading this book called the irresistible revolution by shane claiborne and thinking about homelessness (it’s an absolutely incredible, life-altering book that addresses a lot more issues than just homelessness). i agree with him that our tithe belongs to the poor, that we are detached as a culture and as a church from the poor and that we ignore the endless passages in the bible that insist that following Jesus entails caring for and living among the poor. we are desensitized as a culture. i have found that it has been ingrained into me to look at the homeless population as dangerous, irresponsible alcoholics who cannot be trusted with charity. that’s tragic. while i certainly cannot claim that no one is homeless due to their own irresponsibility, there is a part of me that keeps asking, “who cares?” since when is charity and grace and love dependent upon worthiness? I need to let he who is without sin cast the first stone, not me.
last night brian and i rented the the pursuit of happyness. you know, that movie with will smith and his son that chronicles the true story of the struggles of a single dad. i watched it and bawled right in the middle of it (and i really don’t usually cry at movies) watching that movie was the last straw in realizing how ugly my attitude and lack of action has been.
i don’t want to just sit in my comfortable house with my comfortable family, watching Extreme Makeover:Home Edition, tearing up and feeling good that someone else is taking care of the struggling and homeless while i do nothing. Jesus is changing my heart and now the way i live my life is certainly in need of reform.
any ideas as to what a broke, 23 year old stay at home mom can do to give her time and love away to the homeless and underprivileged while taking care of an eight month old?

photo courtesy of steven mcdonald on flickr

Fair Trade July 19, 2007

What is this fair trade business about, you ask?

Well, it’s Trade that is fair. Decent wages. Safe working conditions. A global marketplace that works for all. Natural resources that will be around for our children’s children. Helping everyone—even people we may never meet. Fair trade is a commitment to social justice in which employees and farmers are treated and paid fairly, sustainable environmental practices are followed and long-term trade relationships are fostered.

(From the TransFair USA website)…
Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
Fair Trade is much more than a fair price! Fair Trade principles include:
Fair price: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
Direct trade: With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.
Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

Products widely available Fair Trade Certified:
Coffee – liguid planet is my favorite so far, available at our local Save Mart grocery
Tea – i’m not a big tea drinker, i tend to buy whatever looks good at Trader Joe’s
Chocolate – I love love love Endangered Species chocolate (available at Target) it’s a little expensive, so i try to just buy less, so that i can still support the company.

Things that i have yet to buy fair trade, but seem to be available in some places:
Bananas
Crafts and Jewelry

Chashews, Olive Oil

Sugar

Rice

Vanilla

Beauty Products (Shea Butter, Coconut Oil)

Beer & Wine
Mangoes

flowers

For more information on fair trade, check out these organizations:

Fair Trade Federation

Fair Trade Certified

Fair Trade Foundation

New American Dream (my favorite)

image courtesy of New American Dream