Finally I'm Fresh

If you're a vegan and you're into naturalish products, you're constantly tempted to slip up and try something more, how shall we say it, mainstream?

It could be a soap, a shaving cream, a tampon with a plastic applicator instead of a paper one. There is a diffent temptation for each of us.

For me it's deodorant.

I've been searching a long time for a deodorant that A) works. And b) won't give me leukemia. With those two parameters, it's hard to find the perfect choice.

After almost giving up on the natural deodorant search and settling with some strongly scented commercial stuff like Axe, I sniffed around the co-op (literally) - pulling off cap after cap in hopes of finding something non-feminine and effective.

And then I did.

It was love at first sniff. I found Zion Health's Adama Minerals citrus blossom ClayDry deodorant.

My new particular flavor showcases what a sucker I am for citrus - orange blossom. It is an all gender acceptable, light orange aroma grounded in the earthy smells of clay. A touch of hippy, a touch of high class. Just like I it.

Stop by the Clintonville Community Market and try some out. Well, not right in the store. But buy some and try it out.

PBJ

Not the Easton store

At 27 I can feel my metabolism slowing to a crawl.

I decided I could either watch my weight slowly creep up, or I could find a way to eat less calories and feel good about it.

So I tried in my extravagant lunches at Northstar Cafe and Chipotle for something lighter that turned out to be even better. An old vegan classic:

The PBJ.

Isa's Chickpea Picatta

My version

One of my favorite "fancy" things to make is a picatta - whether it be seitan cutlets or gardein. So, when I saw in Isa's new cookbook "Appetite for Reduction" that she had revamped her recipe to be around 400 calories, I was pretty amped. The white wine sauce and all the mashed potatoes with tons of earth balance of the standard picatta is quite indulgent, albeit delicious, but maybe more indulgent than I would like.

The Pottery Show w/ Better Pic, the Arnolds, & Pattycake Bakery

I've disappeared a little bit. And when I do reappear, it's usually to talk about The Conscious Cook, I know. I've been kind of on a recipe making/cooking hiatus for a couple reasons: 1) Andrew is competing in the Arnold Classic, or the Arnold Sports Festival, on Saturday, thus he is cutting weight. Which means he's not eating. Which means I'm out a job. And 2) I've embarked on yet another hobby, pottery. Which takes away a few of my nights each week, and has really helped business at Tip Top [[not that they need it, but it's near the studio- kinda - and take out is easier than cooking at 9 at night]]. So for that, I apologize.

Last Friday my pottery studio, Clayspace, had a gallery showing for all the classes [[including little ole beginners potter's wheel - my class]]. It was fun. A lot of people came out, and I brought a vegan cheesecake to share [[since it was a pot luck, too]]. I don't really have any pictures of the night. I brought my camera and everything, but so many people wound up coming and sometimes you're just having too much fun to take pictures. Here are some pictures of my pottery that I took:























































































Like I said, it was beginners potter's wheel, so a lot of this stuff is pretty conventional. I experimented with the colors a little bit, so that's why some of them are the color of poop. This time around I'm taking a slab class. Ideally I'll be making more interesting pieces. We'll see!

Anyway, the classes are super fun, and the instructors are really helpful. If anyone is interested in taking one, go look at their website and contact Tami Knight. [[PS she's vegetarian!]]

As far as The Arnold Sports Festival goes, Andrew in competing in Sanshou on Saturday. No head contact, but kicking, punching below the neck, and some throws are involved. I'm pretty excited for him. Since he's been cutting weight his food has consisted of Amy's lunches [[which are conveniently under 300 calories]] and clif bar dinners. He's pretty manorexic lately [[read: man anorexic]]. I'm trying not to gorge myself too much in front of him. Although I did make some awesome "Oysters Rockafeller" from [[duh]] The Conscious Cook last night. I forced him to try one. I ate the rest pretty much. I'll post about those later. The night before that I had a big ass bowl of brussels sprouts covered in earth balance and cayenne pepper. Which should explain to you my lack of posting. Generally lack luster dinners or things from a cookbook.

An adorable little Amy's pizza! Cheeseless and so freaking tasty.

Something I do want to share, however, is this hilarious entry into Cupcake Wars. Columbus' very own Pattycake Bakery was asked to submit a video to be a part of Cupcake Wars on food network. What I discovered from watching their video is that they have an evil twin next door. Check it out:

Vegan MoFo Day 17: Morning Smoothies

I try to have a smoothie every morning. That, or tea and a granola bar. But I feel better when I have a smoothie for breakfast. I've heard ever since I was little that you should never eat fruit after a meal because it will make you sick. I've never really had that confirmed by a doctor before, but I received a chain email recently restating that fact. The email also said that to get all the detoxifying health benefits of fruit, you should eat it on an empty stomach. I don't know how much of this I believe. Even an extensive google search didn't really give me more insight. Either way, I'll usually eat fruit as a smoothie in the morning, when my stomach is empty. My favorite smoothie I make is 2/3 cups of frozen raspberries, 1/2 of a banana, 3-4 ice cubes, and 1/4 cup of pure pineapple juice-- all organic. I really like tart fruits, and this ends up being a pretty tart smoothie. If I'm making some for Andrew, who doesn't really like the tartness, I'll use strawberries in place of raspberries and add more banana. Anyway, if you want to eat more fruit, do it in the morning. The potassium boost from the bananas gets you going first thing!

The SlimCado: Lite!

There's a reason why avocados taste so good. Well, Haas avocados.

SlimCados are a naturally occurring, naturally "lite-r" variety of your standard Haas avocado, which also happen to be naturally less delicious. I don't know why Brooks Tropicals writes "light" like that, either. Stupid marketing ploys. [[more info here]]

I like the idea of these, especially since they're not GMO. But if I wanted 50% less fat and 35% less calories, I'd probably just pass on avocados all together. At about 30 grams per medium avocado, 15 grams doesn't seem all that better. Tofutti sour cream on my burrito and vegenaise on my sandwich would do me more good [[about 9 grams of fat per serving]]-- they're richer and more enjoyable. The SlimCado is just bland, mushy green stuff without all the fatty health benefits of an avocado. The texture is more of an overripen apple, crumbly and wet. It didn't have that smooth velvetiness you get with your standard avocado, making for some very strange looking guacamole.

Anyway, I just added some tofutti sour cream to my guacamole to make it richer. Operation SlimCado failed.

The Ad That Launched a Thousand Ships

PeTA has a new billboard that says "Save the Whales Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian".

My first reaction, as most people may have, is "That's hilarious!" Upon further reflection, I think "That's fucked up!"

But now I'm sort of stuck. This ad has launch dozens of debates today about "sizeists" (well, mostly I've been called a sizeist for thinking obese people are unhealthy). And while I still think being over-weight is bad for you, I don't necessarily think this ad is right. Is PeTA incapable of not exploiting SOMEONE to help animals. Usually it's using female sexuality, and now it seems they're targeting the morbidly obese (and the female morbidly obese mind you).

Anyway, you can't deny that their marketing is effective, but does it bother any of you? Everyone seems SO angry about this ad. Are there any overweight people out there not completely offended by this? If you are offended, can you deny that being overweight is unhealthy?

The Amazing Nut

As vegans, you probably already know that peanut butter is a great source of protein. It was invented by a vegetarian and now it's wildly loved, bla bla bla.

But people seem to think they're too "fatty" and they have this misconception that it will make them fatter. But this just isn't the case.

Beyond that, there are some amazing health benefits to regularly snacking on nuts, particularly almonds, walnuts, and peanuts [[a legume, actually]]. Here's a few facts from an article I read that I've compiled into a list:

• Walnuts are particularly beneficial because they contain n-3 fatty acids -- which help protect against cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and promote brain health and immune function [[more info on n-3 fatty acids]].
  
• Nuts significantly reduce the risk of heart disease
  
• "...The risks of having a stroke, of developing type 2 diabetes, of developing dementia, of advanced muscular degeneration and of gallstones have all been found to be lowered by eating nuts."
• You should eat 1-2 oz daily to get the most health benefits from eating nuts
  
• Nuts won't make you gain weight. People who regularly eat nuts are actually slightly thinner than average.
  
• Nuts are a great source of fibre, vitamin E, folic acid, copper, magnesium and the amino acid arginine.
• "Nuts are the best dietary source of manganese and contain plant sterols, the compounds now added to some margarines to reduce cholesterol adsorption from food, and are a good source of boron."
• "...Regular nut consumption can be recommended as a replacement for consumption of refined grain products or red or processed meats."

For more information on nut health, check out this Article from Harvard and this list of health benefits on MayoClinic.


[[image source: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~wellness/wpp/nutri/main_resources_aa.html]]

Don't Let Them Scare You

I wanted to do a quick bit on this vegan/vegetarian guide on MedicineNet. I think this is the discourse of many omnivores. They try to scare you and tell you what you're doing is unhealthy. I often fall prey, as a lover of science, to these studies about nutrient absorption and lots of planning.

You DON'T have to do any more planning than a meat eater. Most meat eaters are overweight morons who should pay attention MORE [[based one my own experiences, I'm sure there are plenty of heath nut meat eaters]]. If you eat your vegetables and your proteins [[beans and tofu]] -- you will be fine. Take a supplement or two [[like everyone should]] and exercise often. You'll be fine.

NOW, if you eat french fries and iceberg lettuce all day, you'll run into some problems. I hope you all know better than that by now. :)

I just wanted to give a little pep to talk to everyone. Don't worry about this hullabaloo saying when to eat a grain with a protein or whatever -- there have been many vegans and vegetarians throughout history who have done just fine and lived long healthy lives. Remember that.

Basil Tomato Bisque with Garlic Coutons

I had this huge can of diced tomatoes in my cupboard and I've been meaning to try a tomato bisque, so this seemed like a great opportunity. I also made it with a really great side sandwich that will be featured in another post.

I love that I got a chance to prominently feature tomatoes. They are a super food, and full of amazing benefits:

Tomatoes contain high levels of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that supports the immune system and helps maintain healthy skin and tissue lining. They are packed with antioxidant flavonoids and vitamin E, both of which are essential for heart health, and are a good source of potassium. One medium-size tomato provides 50 per cent of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C; they contain no saturated fatty acids, are low in salt, starch and sugars, high in dietary fiber and have a low glycaemic index [[article]].

This bisque is slightly chunky with a little kick [[I love my crushed red pepper]] and some basil of course. The garlic croutons are something I read about in an article featuring Vegan Soul Kitchen so unfortunately I cannot take credit for those.

I used chickpea flour to thicken my soup this time, for the regiment's sake. But you can use white flour. I know it's just a small amount, but I really don't want to use it at all. This also helps the soup be gluten free.

P.S. I got new bowls and plates. So those are also featured today. :)


[[Basil Tomato Bisque]]
This makes kind of a lot. I'll say it serves six. You may have leftovers still, depending on how much you serve.

2 tbs earth balance
one white onion finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic minced
3 tbs chickpea flour
1 1/4 cup plain NOT LIGHT soy milk
1/2 cup red cooking wine
3 lb. diced tomatoes
1 14 1/2 oz can tomato sauce
1 bunch chopped fresh basil
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper

-- Melt butter in a sauce pan, add onions and garlic. Cook onions until soft and translucent.
-- Add chickpea flour and whisk vigorously to make it thick and clumpy. Add milk and wine. Continue to whisk and cook on medium heat until thickened.
-- Once thickened, add tomato sauce and tomatoes and stir. Let cook for about 10 minutes so the tomatoes soften.
-- To make it less chunky, take small amounts to a blender and blend. Then re-add to soup, and blend more. It will be hot so be sure to life the blender lid in between to let some steam out.
-- Add your bay leaves, basil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and enjoy.
-- Top your soup with some garlic croutons and balsamic vinegar. If you're having a fancy dinner, you can add a bay leaf for prettiness sake.



[[Garlic Croutons]]
I think this is a really good way to eat croutons if you're going to eat them. They often have parmesan cheese on them [[well the good ones anyway]] so this a good way to control ingredients. It's really, really easy, too.

3 toasted pieces of Ezekiel bread [[you can use any kind of bread]]
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced

-- Chop up toast into desired crouton shape. I've seen some that are just a crouton "stick", you could try that. I think it's really cute.
-- Heat oil and cook garlic for 1-2 minutes.
-- Add your cubed toast. You want them to be slightly burnt so they don't get soggy in your soup. [[Although Andrew liked the soggy ones, so go figure]]
-- You can add some herbs to this, too, if you want to make some for a salad or something. The garlic is really prominent and flavorful on its own, though.

Raw Sugar Versus Refined Sugar

Most of us should know that refined sugar is bad. It elevates blood sugar levels and then crashes them, making you cranky and unable to think straight [[More here]]. Recently, an LA Laker's player, Lamar Odom, is speculated by doctors to have a sugar addiction, which is hurting his health and in turn, his team [[Article]]. If you eat sugar every day, you should really consider switching to raw sugar or agave nectar or stevia. Natural sugars are higher in nutrients such as Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium. While, much like white flour, refined sugar is raw carbohydrates.

When Andrew does his sleep deprivation stunt, I'll have to put him on a diabetic diet just to avoid any blood sugar spike that could hinder his staying awake. We don't want him artificially awake-- by drug or even food. If his body wants to crash, it will need to be able to do so without stimulants inhibiting it. Otherwise, we could cause some major internal problems.

For now, we're just avoiding the bad refined sugar and sticking to whole wheat, whole grains. A touch of raw sugar in our clif bars, plus the VERY rare dessert with a touch of raw sugar in it [[try my 100% whole wheat strawberry shortcake]].

It's strange for me to know, as well, that all these years of dieting and working out in high school, I never received quite the same results as I get now. Eating no carbs and working out on the ellipitical, I lost weight but felt like crap. Even when I first went vegan, I started to feel unhealthy. I gained weight. I was tired. And I think it was just because instead of eating meat and dairy [[which are also bad]], I just ate more of the really bad stuff [[like refined flours and sugars]]. Now that I've made this complete transition toward EVERYTHING good, I feel better than I ever have before. I don't get as moody, Andrew and I are looking leaner, and we are improving more quickly on the track. Starting this regiment was my "a-ha" moment [[like those corny commercials? ha.]] -- I'm finally doing it right.

June - The Month of Dairy

For some reason, the dairy and meat industry like to dedicate whole months to their food. May was the month of beef. Now this month is the month of dairy. I thought I'd dedicate a post to dairy alternatives, in revolt of dairy month.

There's a lot of great bloggers out there that post ice cream recipes and mac n cheese recipes and various dairy alternative recipes, for vegans. Give some of them a try this month.

There's a vegan blog completely dedicate to vegan ice cream, called A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise. Although, I try not eat ice cream, this blog has a lot of amazing sorbet recipes, too. There's also reviews of the millions of vegan ice cream cookbooks.


One of my favorite mac n cheeses is a recipe I got from Get Sconed!. I up the spices a lot to give it a kick. To make it regiment approved, I use chickpea flour to thicken the cheese sauce. There's no weird beany flavor, it's perfect. For bread crumbs, I toast and grind ezekiel bread in a coffee grinder. It works. Give it try this month!


Vegan Dad has the best gyro recipe. I make it all time. The amazing part is the vegan tatziki sauce. Made with silken tofu and absolutely delicious. No need for heavy cream here. This sandwich though, it literally tastes like a sausage. Must be the seasoning. But it's soooo good!


I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but this creamy creole is delicious. It's mostly soy milk and earth balance and it tastes great. Give this a try. This is the healthiest "cream" sauce you're going to get.

These are just a few I could think of off the top of my head. If you know of any other great recipes, please let me know. And even if you're vegetarian, maybe this is a good month to make that final leap into an amazingly healthier, 100% cruelty free live style.

Being Vegan Makes You Hard

Ok. That was a raunchy title. But it's true!

Planet Green posted an article today claiming that a vegan diet improves blood circulation [[none of that artery clogging meat!]] and reduces your risk of erectile dysfunction. [[read more]] Most vegans are leaner, too, which is going to make it easier for you to want to get it on. You know it's true. Compare:


I love this article because it talks about the stereotypes of meat eating. Eating meat is NOT actually macho. I'm pretty sure Phoenix trumps Meatloaf in the macho battle. At least on looks alone [[at least before Phoenix went off the deep end... but that's manly? right?]]

So next time your dad tells you your a pussy for being vegan, just tell him, "At least I can still get it up." BOO-YA!

EVERYONE Needs More B12

I don't care if you're vegan or not, most people don't get enough B12. If you don't take a supplement, you should. It seems to be one of the most researched things out there-- and they've linked B12 deficiency to numerous ailments such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, hearing loss, and more. I think we beat this one over the head by now, but it's an important one. [[more on the research here]]

Unless you're eating cow liver every night [[or various other organs]], as a meat eater you're not getting much B12, either.

COMPARE*:
Common omnivore foods:
- 1 piece of steak, 203 grams - ranges from 4 to 8 mcg. depending on the part
- Pork isn't even a measurable source of B12, unless you eat the organs
- Ground raw chicken, 1 ounce - less than 1 mcg.
- Cow's milk, 1 cup - 2 mcg.
- 1 chicken egg - 3 mcg.
Common vegan foods:
- Silk, light plain soy milk, 1 cup - 8 mcg. [[equivalent to the best kind of steak]]
- Morningstar's sausage style breakfast crumbs, a mere 55 grams - has 14 mcg.
- Nutritional Yeast, 1 1/2 tbs - 133% of your daily value [[I couldn't find it in mcg.]]
- Tofu and tempeh are not a significant source of vitamin B12

At the end of the day, we're both getting about 5-10 mcg. a day. I'm sick of the age-old question "Well, how do you get your B12?" [[or the ever popular, and stupid "How do you get protein?"]]. If anyone asks you this, tell them some of these facts. And suggest they take a supplement too, because they're probably not getting enough either [[unless they're a freak who eats ostrages and cow tongue all day-- gross]].

*All this information can be found at nutriondata.com

Creamy Tartar Sauce with Breaded Tofu and Couscous

The regiment is all about healthy food and maximizing the nutrition from your calories. We eat a lot of brown rice and whole wheat pasta as a good source of fiber and vitamins. I struggle to vary out diet sometimes, outside the realm of beans and rice , or the ever-popular and quick Amy's meal. I have only had couscous once or twice, I'm ashamed to say. I understand it's a staple in many vegan diets, but I just haven't managed to get on that train until now. I don't know why I haven't tried it before-- it LITERALLY cooks in 2 minutes. So, last night we had a little couscous action.

This may seem a little mismatched, but it works. I wanted to make a tartar sauce, but this is a little runnier. Sort of like a Greek Yogurt or something? It's really good, and pairs PERFECTLY. I breaded and lightly fried some tofu slices, make a side of couscous with some garlic sauteed vegetables. Here's the recipe/method:

[["Tartar" Sauce]]

4 tbs vegan mayo [[vegenaise]]
juice from half a lime
1 tsp parsley
couple pinches of dill
1 tbs horseradish mustard
a couple dashes of salt and pepper

-- Mix in a resealable bowl, cover, and refrigerate while you cook the rest.

[[Seasoned Couscous]]
I'm admitting, this dish needs some work. Alone, it's kind of bland. Mixed in with some of that "tartar" sauce, it's great.

1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable broth
about a tsp of cumin
about a tsp of turmeric

-- Heat water until it boils, add couscous and cook for two minutes once all water is absorbed. Remove from heat, add broth and spices, and cover for five minute.
-- I'm new to couscous, so I'm open to suggestions, too. :) But this did a good job

[[Grilled Vegetables]]
I know. This may be useless.

one green bell pepper
1/2 of a red onion
minced garlic
extra virgin olive oil

-- Heat some extra virgin olive oil, add garlic. Once garlic sizzles, add one sliced green pepper and half a sliced red onion. Cook until soft. Set aside.

[[Spicy Whole Wheat Breaded Tofu]]
This is where the tartar sauce really comes into play. Cools the kick in the tofu.

blend one toasted piece of ezekiel bread in coffee grinder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
reserve a side of whole wheat flour
sliced tofu
grapeseed oil for frying

-- Mix home made bread crumbs, or store bought ones, with the cumin and cayenne. Set aside on a plate for dipping.
-- Lightly squeeze out excess moisture from tofu slice. Once oil is heated, dab in a little flour, coat in bread crumbs [[you may need to push it on to get it to stay]], and fry on each side about 2 minutes. The time will shorten as you go, because the pan will become hotter.

Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcake

Growing up, my strawberry shortcake was always 1 part bisquick biscuit, 1 part simmered strawberry goodness, and like 2 parts cool whip [[a la my step dad or mom]]. I think it was more a vessel for my cool whip eating. Still one of my favorites.

When I decided to do this regiment with Andrew, I had to stop baking sweets. I couldn't imagine a whole wheat cookie being that good, or a low sugar cake exciting me the same way. And I still can't. However, I got the idea to do some strawberry shortcake with a whole biscuit. I was a little worried it would end up too dry or healthy tasting, but honestly, it was as good as the bisquick shortcake I ate my whole life. For Andrew, he always had it with angel food cake [[which I think is traditional?]] rather than a biscuit. But he still gave this little slice of heaven two thumbs up.

I also have a vendetta against vegan whipped cream. I think it's nasty. Instead, I made a cream cheese, whippy side topping. Though the cream cheese made it taste a little like strawberry cheesecake, which was definitely not a bad thing.


I have to tell you, I'm tremedously proud of this dish, and if you don't try it some day, I'll be mad. This is the healthiest strawberry shortacke you will ever eat while still being really delicious. You could even do it without the whipped topping and make it even healthier. I haven't done any official math but I'm pretty sure it's under 400 calories. But that's based off the janky calculator in my mind. I don't really bother counting calories anymore.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcake with a Cream Cheese Whipped Topping]]
This makes five buscuity-goodies. PS - this looks really long, but it literally takes 20 minutes.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 475 F
STEP TWO: Make your cream cheese topping.

Cream Cheese Topping:
1/2 container vegan cream cheese
2 Tbs raw sugar
1 1/2 tsp Tbs. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

-- Blend together with an electric hand blender. The raw sugar will not dissolve so you will see little yellow dots in it. That's normal. :)
-- Place in airtight container and refridferate while you prep the rest. [[about 15-20 minutes]]

STEP THREE: Make the biscuits.

The Biscuits:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs canola oil
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
A little raw sugar for dusting

-- Whisk together all the dry ingredients. Then stir in oil and milk. It'll be sticky, don't overbeat.
-- To get thme a pretty, round shape place then in a lightly greased cupcake pan and smooth out the top. You only want them about a 1/2 inch from thick [[don't fill up the whole cupcake cup]].
-- Springle with a little raw sugar and bake for 8 minutes.

STEP FOUR: Prepare the strawberry topping.

Strawberry Topping:
1 bag or about 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
3 Tbs water
1 1/2 Tbs. raw sugar
a pinch or two of agar agar [[to thicken; you can also use 1 Tbs. cornstarch. this is better for you]]

-- While the biscuits are baking, put the strawberries in a small saucepan on meidum-high heat. If frozen, wait a few minutes for them to soften. Add water, sugar and thickener. Let simmer until thickener dissolves and strawberry sauce has a thicker consistency. It will still be slightly watery, but the strawberries should be soft and juicy.
-- Pull from heat until biscuits are ready.

STEP FIVE: Assemble.

-- Take warm biscuit and top with four or five strawberries and a little sauce to saturate the biscuit. Side with about 1 Tbs. cream cheese topping.

Are Plastic Containers Killing Us?

One of my bosses read some crazy diet book. I can't remember what it's called, but it talks about all sorts of things we use that are killing us, plastic being one of them. Apparently a chemical, abbreviated to BPA, is used to solidify #7 plastics. And just my luck, our office water jugs are #7 plastics. So I've sort of been scurrying around, calling people, looking information up on google, so we can see about alternative bottles. So far, no luck. I've tried recommending a brita filter, but she will only drink spring water-- never tap or filtered.

If you don't know about BPA, supposedly it causes serious health problems including cancer, cardiovascular damage, diabetes, and other diseases. [[See this article for more info]] We already know that we shouldn't microwave tupperware containers or wash them in the dish washer, because heat releases chemicals, but what about these elusive #7 platics? It has me baffled.

Anyone know anything about these chemical releasing plastics? Or is it just the plastic combined with heat that releases chemicals?

Big Changes

The regiment has always been about getting healthy. But weight-loss is the shit, too, so I mention it. Andrew has lost an astounding 10-15 pounds and as I've mentioned, I lost about 8. It's amazing too because we kind of still eat a lot. It's just better food with exercise and BANG! We're losing weight and feeling better.

Last night I made some modified Tempeh Reubens from VwaV. I used Ezekiel bread because unfortunately, Rye bread has white flour in it. I didn't butter it and grill it, I just toasted it. I still had sour kraut, the thousand island dressing, avocado, and tempeh. And luckily, it was still reuben-y and delicious.

In a couple days, we're about to go on a two week vacation. First week is with Andrew's family in Florida and the second week is in California with my family. We're mainly concerned about not finding good tracks to run on and trying to cook still in NOT well stocked kitchens. It's easy for me to make ANYthing these days. I have all the essentials. But when we go, there won't be a large stock of nutritional yeast and liquid aminos and whole wheat flour. That will be a big challenge. And in my home town, the high schools and elementary schools only have gravel tracks [[I know!]] and running on sidewalk is not something either of us are interested in. Andrew did it a few days ago and it put him on resting mode for four days because it jacked up his legs so bad. So, traveling presents a few challenges for us. It won't be as bad as our greyhound trip, but it will be rough. Stay tuned.

Pot Pie Revisited

I don't have any pictures of it, mostly because it looked exactly the same. Instead of using just whole wheat pastry flour for the crust, I used half whole wheat and half whole wheat pastry and it came out fluffier. However, it was much more distinctly whole wheat flavored, which if you like it, is delicious. Probably not something good when cooking for non-vegans, but a great healthy alternative to an a white flour crust.

I also added some spinach to the pot pie mixture and used chicken style seitan instead of tofu. The chicken style seitan worked so well, especially with it's shredded nature that I so vividly remember in chicken pot pies.

Anyway, pot pies are a lot fun, try experimenting with them. It's easy. And in the end, it's still awesome.

Healthy Products a Sham

I'm really upset with Rudi's Organic Bakery products. We bought a package of "Wheat Buns", which seemed like they would be whole wheat, right? The top listed ingredient is "Unbleached Wheat Flour" which is just a foxes way of saying white flour. Shit like that really bothers me. I know they offer a whole wheat bun [[from what their website says]] but the wheat buns seem like a dirty trick to make people feel like they are eating a healthy product when in reality it's just white bread. It just reinforces that fact that I need to read labels a millions times more carefully. There are companies out there trying to bank on the health food train without actually being healthy.

Another thing that bothers me [[and our beloved clif bars do it]] -- "Evaporated Cane Juice". It's like, really? I know that's just sugar.

Healthy products. What a sham.