veggie stir-fry

OK, so I haven't quite started on the whole vegan cookbook challenge thing (oops!), however, I did actually cook a REAL meal at home tonight! It was super easy, delicious and ridiculously healthy, not to mention gluten-free and vegan! So, I thought I'd share it with you. It took less than 30 minutes, cost less than $10 (and it even left me with plenty of left-overs), and requires minimal kitchen skill!

What you'll need

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 onion (sliced)
• 1 green bell pepper (sliced)
• 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• Liquid Aminos (or wheat-free soy sauce)
• agave nectar (optional)

Directions:

• First bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil (add salt to taste), then stir in brown rice.
• Once it begins to boil again, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the rice has absorbed all of the water
• While the rice is boiling, heat a large skillet on med-high heat add a touch oil (just so the veggies won't stick)
• slice onion and add to heated skillet
• then, slice peppers and toss in with onions
• follow with the mushrooms and bean sprouts
• cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring/tossing occasionally (be careful not to overcook...nothing worse than soggy veggies)
• add in some liquid aminos (or soy sauce) to taste...I probably use way too much!
• remove from heat
• makes 3-4 servings
• serve veggies on top of rice and enjoy!
• I like to top mine with a little agave nectar to give it that sweet savory sort of flavor. You can even stir in a 2 TBSP of natural chunky peanut butter for Thai inspired flavor! :)

The world through her eyes...

My oldest daughter, Emma, has always loved taking pictures. I began letting her use my camera to take pictures when she was about 2 years old, she is almost 5 now, and I am pretty impressed with how great she is at it! As I have mentioned before, I love looking at the pictures she takes, and seeing the world through her eyes. I would like to start sharing them with you (hey, what can I say, I am a proud mama!)

Here are a few she took last year...

flowers on the steps

her baby sister

her proud mama!

And some of her most recent work...

a self-portrait

chasing Abby through the hall

When I see these pictures, it reminds me of a time when everything in the world was new, exciting, and special. As we get older, we become more focused on the things we must do, and forget to appreciate the little, exciting things all around us. I want to begin taking a moment each day and reminding myself of all of the wonderful little things that surround me.

My New Recipe Project

Many people ask me what I eat as a gluten-free vegan. It does become a little complicated and unconventional when you are unable to eat anything containing wheat, oats, barley, rye, beef, poultry, pork, eggs, dairy, or any other product made from an animal. Sometimes, I am even at a loss as to what to eat! I find that I have become increasingly bored with my current menu, and cooking at home rarely happens anymore.

Luckily, my amazing sister gave me a wonderful cookbook, The Gluten-Free Vegan by Susan O'Brien. It contains 150 interesting and yummy recipes that are perfectly suited for my diet. It has given me some new motivation to cook, really cook, at home and make healthy, delicious, and exciting recipes for me and my girls. My goal is to test each of the new recipes out and share them with you. Then, maybe you can try them out for yourself, or at least find some inspiration to try to incorporate some vegetarian meals into your diet.

Go Veggie! for the planet

Everyone can pretty much guess that being a vegetarian is good for you health, but for the planet? Definitely! It affects more than you may realize. According to a study conducted by the United Nations in 2006, "the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." Chooseveg.com breaks it down perfectly into 4 major categories: conservation, extinction, pollution, and global warming.

Meat production in the United States is very inefficient and wasteful of our natural resources. Just think of all the crops that are simply produced to feed the animals that we are only raising to kill (I'll go into detail on that aspect in my ethics portion) so that we can eat them. A person living mostly on animal protein requires 10 times more land to produce food than someone living on vegetable proteins (wikipedia). So, that also means 10 times as much water is needed for that land. As a matter of fact, of all of the water used for any purpose in the US, more than half is used for livestock production. Just think about how much of the land and its resources we could conserve. Such an unnecessary waste. There is also a massive use of fossil fuels used to run all of the machinery now used to "raise" and "produce" livestock. Now, there are more energy efficient ways to produce meat using a natural-grazing method. The natural-grazing method is pretty much how we like to picture meat production...cows roaming free on a grassy hill...but that is not the reality anymore.

According to United States Department of Agriculture, in 1997, there were 1,315,051 farms that carried livestock.  That's crazy! Just imagine the acreage need for all of those farms to exist. How many forest were chopped down to make room for the fields needed to provide for all of this livestock? However, it is not just the trees we are losing, but also the countless animals, insects, and other plant life that were occupying that forest. The United Nations reports that "ranching-induced deforestation is one of the main reasons for the loss of plant and animal species in tropical rain forests." Think about it, the rain forests are being destroyed in order to clear land for cattle grazing, so we can over-indulge on double cheeseburgers and 16 oz steaks.

Then, there's the poo...seriously, the run-off from the farms is polluting our water making it toxic in some cases. The manure also produces methane gas, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide and releases it into the air. (Not to mention the amount of chemical fertilizers used on the crops grown to feed the cattle.) Methane gas, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are some of the most destructive gases in our air today and they are being produced at an alarming rate due to the incredible number of livestock needed to keep up with the high demands for meat.

Now, combine the effects of wasteful production, fewer forests, and higher levels of toxic gases and what do you get...global warming. In 2006, the United Nations reported that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined! So, maybe we should carpool AND put down the cheeseburger to reduce the effects of global warming!

Let's take care of this gorgeous planet God made for us! Reduce, reuse, and recycle...and Go Veggie!!!

Let's Hit the Trail

I used to spend hours at the gym on treadmills, stationary bikes, stair climbers, I did it all! It was so hard to motivate myself to "run in place" on treadmill for even 20 minutes. No passing scenery, no breeze in my face, just a screen in front of me telling me how long I had been running. It was torture!

I cancelled my gym membership and decided to get my exercise in a more natural way. I thought I could do some resistance training at home, and go for runs around the neighborhood for cardio. So, I bought a jogging stroller/bike trailer so my girls could come along with me. It worked. I had figured out how to stay in decent shape without going to the gym.

The girls in our bike trailer.

Then, I discovered my trail, and it has made a world of difference for me! It's a 13 mile walking trail/bike path near my home. It is covered by trees, and absolutely surrounded by nature. It is breathtaking! My favorite moments in my day are usually spent on the trail. I can easily spend two hours out there and not even realize it! My torturous 20 minute runs have turned into 8 miles and I actually enjoy it! My girlies and I go for long walks, runs, and bike rides almost every morning. It is where I find peace, time to reflect, and get away from the hustle of daily life. It seems as though we are miles away from it all and on our own little adventure. I get to be free, run at my own pace, and take in some fresh air!

My amazing view while I run.

Being surrounded by nature has also deepened my appreciation for the earth and how important it is that we care for what God created for us. Everyday when I am out there, I am blown away by the beauty and detail that He put into it all for us. It absolutely inspires me!

The girls love it too (with the exception of a little arguing over who had what toy first, of course)! We see countless butterflies, birds, and squirrels (even some turtles and a possum once)! I think that it is so important for them to be able to enjoy creation too. To help them appreciate how wonderful the earth is in its natural state, so that they can understand why we need to care for it and preserve it.

I let Emma take some pictures while we were out one morning, and I loved what she captured. So interesting to see the world through her eyes.

Emma's view looking up into the trees

Her view from the trailer.

I love that I have found another way to live a bit more simply and naturally. I encourage you to try to find what you love doing in nature, whether it may be gardening, swimming, hiking, biking, or taking your dog for a walk. Find anything that gets you out of your daily grind and helps to bring you back to a simpler time, if only for a moment. Then, maybe we will appreciate the earth a little more and want to take better care of God's beautiful creation.   

Off the Juice!

I have always had a problem with giving my kids juice to drink. I am not a big fan of it myself, its too sugary for my taste.  Most people feel that it is a necessity; a dietary staple for our children to receive the vitamins they need. To me, this is ridiculous! Juice is simply not the equivalent to an actual piece of fruit. Fruit (and veggies, of course!) is a vital part of our daily diets. It contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants that keep our bodies healthy, growing, and going.


Let's consider apple juice for a moment, every kids favorite. Apples are an amazing fruit that naturally contains fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and even a little calcium.  But, it is 100% juice, so is it just like eating an apple? Not really, most juice, even though it says "contains 100% juice" on the label, is still from concentrate. Now take that same apple and strip away the peel and the flesh, along with all of the nutrients, leaving nothing but the sugary juice that was inside. Concentrate it (filter and remove all water from it), then reconstitute it, and "fortify" it with man-made "vitamins". How healthy does that sound? Yet, we are pumping it into our kids nonstop. Even going as far as making convenient individual juice containers that a bottle nipple can screw right on the top of!

Sometimes, I think it can be a great beverage to have with their breakfast; their version of a cup of coffee in the morning (which I cannot live without!). However, guzzling cup after cup all day; I just don't think that is very good for them. I delayed giving both of my girls juice until they had progressed to drinking from sippy cups, but even then, I always diluted it to half water-half juice. I still didn't feel right about it. They wanted it all of the time, and would simply refuse water. I had to have juice at the house at all times, or have to face a melt down. (Plus, my plastics recycling bin was filling up way too quickly!)


As a child that had a long hard struggle with obesity, I am a firm believer that instead of trying to fool our kids into eating healthy, we need to begin to teach them from an early age what kinds of foods they need to eat to keep their little bodies healthy. We should instill healthy eating habits that will continue on into their adulthood. I think the best way to do this, is to lead by example. Eat healthy meals and snacks with your kids, and maybe trade in that soda for a glass of water. How about instead of animal cookies and apple juice, we offer apple slices for a snack, maybe with a little peanut butter to dip (a favorite for me and my girlies). Or orange slices with breakfast instead of a cup of orange juice. It's easier than you may think!


So last week, I made a promise to myself. A promise to just fight the battle head on and not buy anymore juice (or soda for me)! It has been so much easier than I thought it would be. I began making home-made fruit infused water for the girls to drink instead, and they love it! (I also love it when I am craving a soda. The hint of flavor totally satisfies my craving.) It's super easy to make, simply add a fruit of your choice to a pitcher of water and chill. The natural flavors of the fruit give your water a hint of sweetness and yummy flavor to enjoy!
Some favorites of mine...

Mixed berry water I made at home

• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Mango
• Peach
• Lemon
• Lime
• and even Cucumber

Since I made the switch, I have noticed that my girls aren't as whiny and are more willing to try new foods. Now, I can feel good that my girlies are drinking WATER all day! How wonderful! Give it a try and see if you can feel a difference too! Remember, small changes over time can revolutionize your health and your life!

Say No to TV!

It is amazing to me just how much of the American culture is influenced by the media, especially television. For most it is a way of life, it's what you do when you are at home. It has become a main conversation topic at dinner and amongst co-workers, it is how we relate to others.

When I was moving out on my own in May 2010, I did not personally own a TV, and I chose to keep it that way. I barely watched TV anymore, and I was finding much more interesting things to do other than staring at this glowing box in my living room for hours on end. I had become tired of the ridiculous drama of reality TV and bored with the predictable comedies. Plus, I was finding myself feeling completely irritated and guilty over the fact that my oldest daughter, Emma, would sit and watch TV all day. She would be absolutely devastated when I told her she had to turn it off or that she couldn't watch it for a while. I didn't want my daughter to be so influenced by the media. I wanted her to actually be a kid! You know run and play, go on adventures in the backyard, play dress up, ride a bike, draw, just be creative!

When others find out that I do not own a TV, their reactions make me laugh. It is usually a response of true concern. To them, I am obviously a struggling single mother that cannot afford a TV. There is generally a long pause followed by an offer of an extra they have somewhere. It's hilarious! It's only when they find out that it is by choice that they think I am insane. I always get asked what we do all day without it. My response is, "everything". We go for walks, bike rides, go to the park, read books, draw pictures, play dress up...we live. I refuse to go on the rest of my life simply coming home to watch other peoples lives; I choose to live my own. I choose to raise my children without the constant pressure of the media telling them that they are not good enough and that what we have is not good enough.

I can honestly say that I have felt a release of the pressures I felt before. I am no longer concerned about the latest styles and trends, or which celebrity is the hottest, or which is the trendy decorating style. Consequently, I have saved so much money without feeling that I need go get the latest, hottest things. It is a freedom of sorts. It allows me to simply be me. My girls are also calmer, more creative, and even more sociable.

Maybe it seems to be a bit much for you to throw out your TV; however, I do encourage you to try to live without it a little more. Find new hobbies. Get out and be active. I am sure you will find that you are better off living your life without it.