JACKPOT!!!

I ran across this websight with the top 25+ blogs for Vegan/Vegetarian Moms!!! We are super excited to check them out and find some wonderful ideas, we hope you find some good info too!

http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/Top-25-Vegan-Vegetarian-Moms-2013

Asian Avocado Raw Salad

*Casie Here*

So, I have been craving some healthy raw salad lately. (I almost had to take a road trip down to Kansas City to Cafe Gratitude). I had Vernon get me some ingredients at Whole Foods today. 

 I started with about 4 leaves of Dinosaur Kale. I ripped it in small pieces off the stem and looking back I think it would have been better to remove it from the stem and then shred it with my knife into thinner strips. I just like small pieces better (personal preference).

 LOVE my macro camera lens!!!! So beautiful.

I also tore a head of Romaine Lettuce.

 Does this pattern look familiar? Think blood vessels. Isn't that funny how things in nature mimic each other? There are so many fruits and vegetables that correspond to things within our bodies that they help improve. (ex. walnuts look like a little brain ~ they have have fats that are beneficial for the brain. etc..)

 The back of the Kale.

Removing the stem.

The lettuce part. Washed up with vinegar and water, rinsed and spun out. 

 2 Carrots. Washed but not peeled. We recently learned that you shouldn't peel carrots. The best nutrients live just below the surface, and if you peel it, you are stripping that away. We just rinse in vinegar water, scrub a little with your hand and rinse with plain water, then you are ready to go. 

 I made this Avocado dressing. So SIMPLE. And so very good.

1 Avocado, 1 TBS Olive Oil, 1 cup plus 1 TBS water,  2 TBS lemon juice (*TIP* I buy a bag of lemons with intention to use them, but inevitably don't, so just before they start to go bad I juice all of them with a reamer and freeze it in ice cube trays. Each cube of juice is exactly 1 TBS. NO WASTE!!!), 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black fresh ground pepper and a pinch of Cayenne pepper (I did 2 tiny shakes of the jar and should have only done one). It was just a tad too spicy (we are weak), but I did like the kick it had. Blend it all together in the blender. It made like 2 cups!!!! I had an empty, clean Coconut oil jar and it fit perfectly in there and can be sealed to keep from getting brown and going bad too fast.

I made my regular Asian Salad. 

1 head of red cabbage chopped up into small bite size pieces (this was just about the time when I tried to slice off the top part of my thumb ~ Note: careful with all the chopping and cutting)

3 different colors of peppers (about half of each one), chopped small

4 green onions, cut small on the bias

2 carrots sliced thin with a mandolin

Handful of Cilantro washed, dried and chopped

1 bag of bean sprouts (mung), washed and chopped smaller

I would have probably put some chopped cucumber in there too if I had it, but the one I had was moldy. : (

 I soaked about 1/4 cup dried Arame Seaweed in cold water for 5 minutes (directions on the back of the package). Then chopped it up into smaller pieces and threw it in the salad. It doesn't really have that strong of a taste, but lots of great minerals and nutrients.

 This is the re-hydrated seaweed.

So I put some of the lettuce mix with the some of the Asian Salad mix and added a little Avocado dressing. I added a few chopped mini tomatoes on top and it really made a delicious difference!

It was SO good. Just a few tweaks and it will be perfect. Hope you try it and enjoy! I am teaching myself how to 'cook' more raw foods. I will share my ingredient finds and let you know what works and what doesn't. We will learn together!!! 

Converting a MEAT-Eater

*Casie Here*

Since becoming a vegetarian/vegan I have had several conversations with mostly woman that have said, "I could definitely give up meat. That would be easy for me, but there is no way my husband ever would." or something similar to that. 

First of all, it's an excuse. I usually want to say: THEN DO IT!!! (as far as them giving up meat)

But I really totally get it. It's hard enough let alone when both parties aren't on board. It's usually not practical that two separate meals will be made for every meal. That would get exhausting super fast. So, I have come up with some practical tips you can try to convert your significant other over to being MEAT free. 

Here are my top tips in trying to convert someone to become a vegetarian:

1. Let the research speak for itself:. You can't argue with science. Watch videos together on why meat is not good for you and vegetables are really good, read books and articles. Find lots of information that support going meat-free. *We have recommended so many on this blog* Gather all the FACTS. It's not you nagging and harping at them, it's a neutral person  stating the facts. Talk to each other about why you both want to become healthier and how you can support each other. Never think of it as a diet. Diets are restrictive. This is a life long lifestyle. You are adding all these wonderful healthy foods that MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER!!! Again, hard to argue with that.

*This is how we converted. You can't hear that information and then pretend you didn't. It just makes sense. If you have a big enough motivation as to why you want to make the change, you will stick with it. Do you want to live longer for your kids? Do you want to be healthier, so you can do more things with your family? Do you just want to feel better and be happier? 

2. This is kind of a crazy one. Try associating meat in your head (or in your husbands head) with something disgusting. Pretend the meat fell into the garbage and has all kinds of gunk stuck to it like dog hair and dirt swept up from the floor, snotty tissues and poopy diapers smeared on it. Doesn't sound very appetizing now does it? Actually, I think this is part of the reason it was easy for me to not eat meat anymore. I kept getting grossed out by eating blood of another animal. 

3. Try substituting at first. DON'T tell them until they finish the meal that you substituted the ground beef with soy crumbles, seitan (wheat protein), tempeh, tofu or just use mushrooms or beans in replace of the 'meat'. They look exactly the same and in most meals you make with ground hamburger you will NOT be able to tell any difference. Try tacos, spaghetti or sheppards pie. They might realize they actually LIKE it. I will caution about having too much soy, though. We really try to limit it in our household. 

4. Negotiate. Start small (were talking baby steps here). See if they will agree to let you cook 2 vegetarian meals a week (Meatless Mondays and Meat-Free Fridays). Maybe after a while increase the days slowly until BAM, your household is completely meat free! 

5. You could save meat for only 'special occasions' (when you go out to eat, holidays, bbq's, parties, etc...). And at home not buy or cook any meat. Although, honestly I would definitely start trying vegetarian meals when you go out. For one it can give you more ideas on things to make at home and you can find things you really love. AND I have always said this. Restaurants know that some of their patrons are vegetarian and most places have limited options anyway. They are going to make sure that the few entrees they do offer that are vegetarian are delicious or they know they won't get those vegetarians through their doors again. 

6. You could start by youself for now and become a good role model for them. When they start noticing the positive effects you are exhibiting, that could be enough of a motivator for them to try it too and if you are already doing it, it should be easy to just make more of what you are already eating.

7. Have your husband sign up to follow this blog on his e-mail. When we post new things, it will get sent to his in-box and maybe he will start reading them and something might 'click' with him. We use practical, real-life suggestions that are easily incorporated into your life. Plus, look at all the yummy recipes he will want to try! It's worth a shot!

That is about all the ideas I have for now. I really think the BEST one is #1. 

Impossible

*Casie here*

I know all most of you are thinking there is NO way my family could ever go meat and dairy free. Let me just say, I DON'T BLAME YOU. This is a HUGE mountain to climb, it seems overwhelming and nearly impossible. I totally get it. I'm just going to be honest with you. It is VERY hard in the beginning. V.E.R.Y. I will also be completely honest and tell you it WILL NOT WORK if both partners are not on the same page or at least not for very long. It will be nearly impossible. Seriously. Both you and your spouse/significant other need to be on board 100%. I can not imagine if my husband or I were not fully committed to this. It really would be so hard to keep it up, making two seperate meals, having things around that shouldn't be, watching them eating things you are not, just too hard.

Here is my advice and tips for you. Start VERY small. Maybe just try one night a week where you make a meal that is meat free. You can do that, can't you? Just use one of the recipes on here. Truthfully, the fall/winter I feel is the easiest time to be meat free. There are so many different vegetable soups that you can make, they go a long way and in the end are not very expensive. 

If you can't do a dinner, just try to do one lunch a week that you go meat free. (I also have lunch ideas for you *HERE* that will give you a good start). 

Give yourself time to learn what all the products out there are that you can substitute meat with. It took me nearly a year to be comfortable enough to start making recipes. We just had a lot of pre-made frozen meatless burgers and canned veggie soups for a LONG time. Only now am I getting comfortable. You will SLOWLY try different products and try different recipes and slowly get more comfortable with the substitutes and what all the names of the products are.

Here is another EASY tip. Use your same meals that you are eating now (and you are comfortable making) and just replace your regular meat with a meat substitute like Seitan, Tempeh, Tofu, etc... Most come pre-cooked in strips like chicken or groud like ground beef, so all you have to do is warm it through. Throw it into your dish like 10 minutes before it's done. You can seriously fake everyone out. No one will know, I guarentee it. It looks the same as hamburger or chicken and tastes the same. So, that's easy and doable. You don't have to learn any new recipies, just swap the meat out.

Try switching your dairy milk with non-dairy milk. Try all the different kinds and see which one you like the best. I L.O.V.E. almond milk. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! My favorite brand is Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Vanilla. I will NEVER go back to cow's milk. There are other options besides Almond. There is Coconut, Rice and Soy Milk. All these products also have substitutes for other 'dairy' products like sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt, etc...There are so many good items out there.

You have to start somewhere, this is at least better than doing nothing at all. You can do it!

Things To Do

If you are like me, you have multiple things on your mind at all times.  People like us want to accomplish both daily tasks and life goals and we have many projects started or good intentions to start them, but we just don't ever get around to getting them completed.  Consider keeping a small tablet or text file that lists all of your priority and long term tasks/goals.  View this list daily and make an attempt to start, work on or complete your tasks/goals each day.  For many of us, there always seems to be uncompleted tasks that are hanging over our heads.  Having this list and viewing it daily keeps us from putting off things until a later time.  When you able to mark off task/goals that you have completed you will feel a sense of accomplishment that you will be proud of.  You will be amazed at how quickly you will be able to check off items on your list when you are committing 20-30 minutes per day to tend to these tasks.

Grocery List

What is on your grocery list?  Does it include fruits and vegetables?  Would you be able to walk past the candy/junk food/potato chip/soda aisle without making a purchase? 

When you go to the store, have a grocery list of the things that you NEED and only buy the items on your list.  Don't make an impulse purchase unless it is in the produce section. 

Know your grocery store layout.  Most of the soda, chips, candy and junk food are in their own aisles, so just avoid walking down them.     Start your grocery store experience in the produce section, acquire most of your groceries there and then move on to the other areas of the store that have the rest of the items on your list.  Also, never buy anything at the checkout area.

Don't be intimidated by the produce area.  What you should be intimidated by is the list of unrecognizable and unpronounceable ingredients in most of the junk food out there.  Learn how to read food labels and make it a habit to look at the food label before you make a purchase.  There are many items out there that advertise how healthy the product is or it is assumed that the item is healthy, but in reality the sugar, salt and fat content makes it quite unhealthy.   Don't be deceived by what is on the front of the box of the item you are considering buying.

Make your food choices by what is on the side/back of the box (ingredient list and nutritional list) and not what the front of the box advertises.  If your food item doesn't have an ingredient list, that usually is a good thing, because that means you are buying something that isn't in a box and it is it's own ingredient, like a banana, spinach or kiwi.  Compare that to a bag of potato chips, a box of cookies or a cereal box.  Look at those labels and ask yourself if you really want all those unknown ingredients in your body. 

Check the labels on the items you have at home and all your potential purchases in the store.  Not only will you become a wiser consumer, but you will cut your sodium, sugar and fat intake by a great amount once you started realizing what is in the food......that you are no longer going to be eating.

Decrease Morning Stress

One of the most stressful times of the day can be in the morning as you are getting the family up, ready and out the door on time.  One of the best ways to curb the morning stress is to spend 10-15 minutes the night before and prep for the next morning.  You can get the kids' clothes picked out and ready, clothes ironed, school/work lunches prepared, as much of the breakfast meal decided on and ready to go and all items that need to travel with the family in a common place so they can be easy to grab in the morning.   Every minute you save preparing the night before will relieve you of a tremendous amount of morning stress, allow you to depart at your planned time and get you to your morning destinations on time, if not early.  It is sooooo worth preparing the time the night before to have a less stressful morning.  Just make it part of your routine and it will allow your mornings to be much more bearable. 

Simple and healthy eating.

This post is for the person that is intimidated by cooking (healthier) or has individuals in the family that resist eating vegetables.  

I want you to start thinking about not only new meal options but also how you can incorporate more vegetables into meals that you already make for yourself and your family.  I don't care if you have to "hide" the vegetables as long as they are included in the meal.  A blender provides an excellent means of "hiding" your veggies into your meal creations.

How often do you make pasta at home?  We make a pasta creation like this a couple times per month.   Eating healthier is as simple as combining a large handful of raw organic spinach with any warmed up pasta sauce (soon I will give you my homemade recipe for pasta sauce) and mixing the two together in a blender.  Serve with whole wheat pasta instead of traditional pasta. 

Look at the nutrition labels on the various pasta sauces.  Pay attention to calories, fat content, sodium and sugar.   Avoid cream sauces.   Keep your portion size small and enjoy.

Be creative with this meal.  Add peas, steamed cauliflower, mushrooms or steamed squash to the mixture in the blender. 

These are the ways you make a difference in how you eat.  It's not difficult or expensive.  It takes a bit more prep time but is worth the nutritional benefits you are providing.    Keep the blender on your counter, you are going to be using it for many of our recipes. 

Don't be surprised if you get requests for you to make this meal again soon.   Enjoy!!

 

Pedometer

I believe too many people are intimidated by exercise. In the view of many individuals, exercise means a membership to a gym or an elaborate and expensive set up at home. Exercise is assumed by many to be uncomfortable, a chore and requires many hours of time per day.  Too many people put off exercise to the tomorrow that never comes or always has an excuse for not working out today.  I've heard them all and I've even used a few myself through the years.

 

 

Exercise comes in all forms and I like to create a mix of exercise options that combine cardiovascular and strength training.  I try to avoid performing the same workout routine each and every night.  I like to give my body a multitude of exercise routines that vary each night and challenges my body to become stronger, leaner and healthier.

 

 

I love to walk, so it is very easy for me to incorporate this activity into my daily routine.   There are some days that walking is the only form of exercise that I will get.  But walking is still better than just sitting on the couch and watching television.  Is walking as good as running or other cardiovascular activities that are going to increase your heart rate more?  Probably not, but for many people, walking may be the only form of exercise they are able or willing to perform. 

 

 

I wish everyone would own a pedometer.  Pedometers measure how many steps you take each day and allows you to better achieve a set goal of steps taken each day.  I have used a pedometer for a number of years now and I love being able to keep track of how many steps I walk per day.  There is no better motivation to work out than when I look at my pedometer and it shows I am nowhere near my daily goal.   There are many companies that manufacture and sell pedometers and they are rather inexpensive.

 

 

I would recommend that you use the pedometer every day.   Pedometers are about the size of a pack of gum and can be placed in your pocket.  They provide a display that can show many measurements like steps taken, distance travelled and some have memory settings so that you can recall recent steps per day.

 

 

There are many references online regarding how many steps to walk each day.  If you perform you own search, you will find a common recommendation is to walk 10,000 steps per day as a minimum goal, which is approximately 5 miles. These may seem like intimidating numbers, but start out with goals of 3500 or 5000 and work your way up to 10000 steps.  I promise you will be amazed on not only how few steps you take on some days and how many you walk on others. 

 

 

If you are just beginning to get into a workout routine, I would recommend getting a pedometer and using it each day for a couple of weeks and averaging your daily steps. Then make increasing goals each week until you meet the 10,000 step goal.  

 

 

If you are already working out on a regular basis, I would still recommend a pedometer, too.  If you use a treadmill, elliptical machine or you run outside, keeping track of your daily steps is another way for you to keep motivated.   For awhile, I was trying to achieve 15,000 steps per day.  The only way I could achieve that with my schedule was to use an elliptical machine or treadmill.  It forced me to increase my speed during the workout to achieve these numbers in the limited amount of time I had to work out.

 

 

There are many ways for you to increase your daily steps. You can park far from the entrance to the places of business you are shopping.   You can set aside time for a walk in your neighborhood.  You can go to a nearby walking trail, lake or mall.  Find destinations like mailboxes or stores that are a distance that you can walk from your house instead of driving.  Call a friend or family member and go for a walk together instead of going out to eat.     

 

 

The bottom line is that the pedometer gives you an objective measurement to meet your daily exercise goals.  If you combine healthy eating and at least 10,000 steps per day, you should see results rather quickly.  You may be shocked at how few steps you walk per day if you are not measuring it.    You will be surprised at how much this device will change your daily routine and how creative you will become at finding extra steps to walk.

 

 

Click HERE to view the Amazon.com information for the pedometer we use.

 

 

 

I Love You Part II

Last week, I talked about how to express your love to your child through nonverbal communication.  Tonight, I wanted to talk about ways you can let your spouse or significant other know how much you love and care for them.  I can tell my wife that I love her multiple times a day, but they are just words.  Hugs, cards and flowers go a certain distance, but I'm wanting to head towards daily actions and words of kindness that REALLY show how much you love that person.

For instance, have you ever thought about all the things the other person does each and every day that goes unnoticed or unthanked?   How often do you expect the other person to perform a task or chore and yet you rarely or ever perform the task/chore instead?  Does one person in the relationship make all the meals, give the kids their baths, shop for groceries, vacuum, do laundry, get the kids ready, dust, etc?  When is the last time you helped out?   I mean REALLY helped out? Here are some ideas for starters:

Ask what you can do to help.  Wash the clothes.  Fold the clothes.  Iron the clothes.  Wash the dishes. Put the dishes away.  Clean all the bathrooms.  Go to the store to get groceries.   Ask what you can do to help.  Clean the floor.  Dust.  Pick up toys.  Organize areas that are cluttered.  Clean the garage.  Clean your closet.  Make at least 3 evening meals per week (ordering out or picking up something on the way home doesn't count).  If you don't know how to cook, then learn to make at least 5 meals really well...and make one of these meals each week.   Set a day that you take off work and YOU take the kids to their doctors appointments.  Clean the windows.   Ask what you can do to help.  Make an inventory of anything that needs repaired or replaced in your house.  Call to schedule a massage for the other person while you watch the kids.    Don't start eating until the person that made the meal has a chance to sit down.  Have a drawer or place where all the financial/password/budget/income/tax/investment/insurance information is kept in case anything ever happens to you.  Make an effort to get home from work early on at least 2 or 3 work days per week to spend time during the whole meal together as a family.   Come home from work and leave all your work drama and stress at work...don't bring those issues home.   Ask how THEIR day was.  Ask what you can do to help.  Ask for a list of 5 realistic tasks, repairs or chores that the other person would love for you to get done within the next 2 weeks.  Make a will.   Take them out on a date and go somewhere you know THEY want to go, even if you don't want to.  Vacuum the steps.  Iron some clothes.  Coordinate with their best friend a night for the two of them to go out and enjoy some well deserved time together while you hold down the fort at home.  Write a note about how much that person means to you.  Make a CD of some songs they can listen to in the car.  Give a foot massage.  Bring home their favorite tea, coffee, dark chocolate, etc.  Suggest you both go out for a walk.  Suggest a game of Rummy.  Understand that just because you were at work all day and you are the bread winner that you can't just come home and call it a day, your role as a husband/father/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other is just beginning.  While at work, email/text/call and say that you were thinking of them.   Schedule a night where the family can just sit down and play a board game, go to the park or sit at the table and talk.  Make a meal together.  Take a day off work in addition to your regular days off and spend a day-cation with the family.  Go for a bike ride together.  Get them a gift certificate to their favorite store.  Write them a homemade thank you card.  Take pictures/video of the family/kids and have it developed and framed.  Ask what you can do to help.  Become a better person.  Spend time with their family.  Don't make it seem like it is always a chore to spend time with their side of the family.  Show an interest in their activities or interests.   If you are into sports or a sports team, make sure during that season on days/nights where there are no games you spend extra time and attention to your family....don't consume all of your time with the sports instead of your family and offer your family as much energy, devotion and passion as you do your favorite sports team.     That should be a good start for you.   I promise if you do just 5 things I listed that you don't already do, that you will show your love in a new dimension.   Be a better person to the ones you love the most.  Don't assume you are doing everything you can to help out.   Go above and beyond and they will do the same for you.   Appreciate your family members....they do way more behind the scenes than you probably give them credit for.  Try it....it will provide you with amazing results. 

Cleaning Party

Here is my idea for getting areas of the house cleaned up in an efficient manner.  This requires just a little teamwork,  a kitchen timer and some music everyone in the family enjoys.  Decide on the room or area you are going to clean and put 20 minutes on the timer.  Cue the music and work aggressively as a team to clean, pick up and organize as much in that 20 minutes as possible.  It is interesting how much can be completed in such a short period of time when everyone works as a team.   

The 20 minutes will go by very fast, much will get done and you will build teamwork skills.  With everyone contributing, no one person will feel like they are solely responsible for the burden of cleaning the house themselves.

Husbands and children can really show appreciation towards their wife/mother by helping out around the house.  Show your love by helping out whenever you can.  I promise your contribution will not go unnoticed.  Also, don't wait to be asked to do this, rather be the one to suggest it.  This will be one less stressor your wife/mother will have to worry about. 

Turmeric

I often find myself conversing with patients, friends and family about the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric. Here are some interesting articles from Dr. Andrew Weil's website on this amazing spice:

1. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03001/Three-Reasons-to-Eat-Turmeric.html

 

2. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA142972/Anti-Inflammatory-Herbs.com

 

 3. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400838/Turmeric-for-Arthritis.html

Your Only Car

This is not my analogy and I am not quite sure where I first heard it, but it really connected with me so I wanted to share it with you.  

Let's talk about two potential situations. In the first situation, you are given a car to drive age 16.  At any time in your life, you could get another car should the one given to you break down, should you want another color or model or if it was lost or stolen, etc. How would you treat this car? Would you take the best of care of the car knowing you could get a replacement car at any time? Would you worry about dents and dings? Would you worry about regular car maintenance? Would you concern yourself with spills on the floor or tears in the upholstery?

What if there was a second situation where you were given one car at age 16 and that was the only car you would ever be able to drive for the rest of your life. If anything happened to the car, you would not be able to get a new one. You could get some replacement parts over the lifetime of the car but the point is that the car had to last you the rest of your life. How well would you maintain that vehicle? Would you treat it the same as the first situation above? Wouldn't you take the best care of this car that had to last a lifetime? Wouldn't you only put the finest fuel and oil to keep the engine and mechanics working at their greatest potential for the short and long term? 

You probably know where this is going....and you are right. You only get one body. Sorry, there are no returns or trade ins. Why aren't you feeding yourself with the highest quality of foods that allow optimum performance for the rest of your life? And why are you feeding your children the best for their tiny bodies?Think of some of the healthiest foods: Kale, spinach, broccoli, beans, berries, nuts, cabbage, tea, onions, garlic, raw chocolate, eggs, etc. and ask yourself why you are not consuming at least some of these on a daily basis. I'm not talking about drinking the drainage of canned asparagus. I'm talking about easy to incorporate into your diet foods. And we are going to talk very soon about how to sneak these items into your diet, whether hidden or in plain sight.

Fuel yourself with only the best. You will find that fast food is really good for you because the fast food I am referring to isn't found in a drive thru or something you pick up at a convenience store. The fast food I am talking about is raw food, food that doesn't come in a package. Look at a head of broccoli and look at it's ingredients.....um, it's broccoli. One ingredient, that's all. Have you ever thought of broccoli as a fast food? I do. I spend less time making my lunch than someone sitting in a fast food line and I guarantee you I will never feel guilty eating my "fast" food. Here is a video of what I bring to lunch every day. It's healthy, super convenient and full of many vitamins and minerals that your body has been deprived of for a long time. I put you to the challenge to make this meal for at least 3 of your work days. Let your children watch you prepare this and have them watch you eat it, too. Next thing you know they will be requesting to eat or take this same lunch to school.  

Remember, take care of yourself.  Eat healthy! If someone looks at your plate or the lunch you bring to work or school and doesn't comment "You're going to eat that??????", then you and/or your children aren't eating healthy enough.  

Relaxing Music

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