the love of food is back

So...

you cant imagine how incredibly hungry I have been, as I try to navigate through what I can eat and what will give me terrible pain...

So tonight I went back to the basics of picking a recipe and giving it a try.

If you remember I tried to make seitan and it was HORRIBLE. I mean, its bad enough I dont really like tofu all that much (I do have 2 recipes I love) but now "wheat meat too?"

Well, tonight I made the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon. They are so FABULOUS I love them. I mean really they are so very very delicious :)

I will post picks but I just had to say that I am so glad I found something to get excited about and it was food related.

Even the girls really liked it.. though Susan had to give it a second bite to decide for sure.

so.. anyhow I think I am BACK.. so here is hoping so at least!!

tummy response

Dear Melanie,

Thank you for the letter. The truth is the very first sentence in your letter was the biggest key to your issues. You see, there is this strange little sore inside of here. All of those lemons just seemed to make it angry and then it started to act up.

I think after a few more tests you can see what I am talking about, and find out what you need to do.

Does this mean we wont be vegan anymore?

rumbly tumbly

Dear tummy

Dear tummy, 

two weeks ago we started this fantastic liver cleanse in the mornings, warm water and half a lemon squeezed into to. With a spring in my step and a load off my body (hee hee) the days were starting out good.

Fruit for breakfast and a piece of bread with almond butter as snack.. you seemed so content and satisfied.

Then came the wonderful salads for lunch that made panera vegan envious. and the snacks of red bell peppers and carrot sticks with hummus seemed certain to please.

And now.. it is day two of this awful rebellion.. 

You woke me at 530 am yesterday, with pain and a train going through my system.. since I ended my cleanse. When the pain was intolerable, you made me pass out and wake up on the bathroom floor wondering "how did I get here?"

Now.. I must face the inskilled, overbooked doctors at the base clinic and here it is 5 am and you are giving me grief. Dont you know I cant make an appt until 730?

Dreams of yummy food filled my mind while applesauce and bananas and gatorade filled my growling tummy.

Why must you treat me this way!!!

signed,

disgruntled intestinal track owner

lazy days

Just checking in for the week. I have the chance to teach a friend about vegan lifestyle and particular getting more protein in her diet. She isnt vegan but her diet lacks variety. One of the great things about my lifestyle is it never has to be boring. I let it get that way, but I think we all have our ruts we get in.

Tonight we are just making a pasta dish, but I hope to have some good posts, reminiscent of vegan mofo's consistent posts.

Sweet dreams :)

While we were out snowboarding the kids went to the snowmobiles.
Here we are with the girls after ice skating for a few hours. 
This is frosty, they were doing a movie of some kind and asked us to skate around with frosty.
But instead while frosty was skating backwards and Jerami was spinning the girls on the sled... Frosty got tripped up!
And here I am.. yes doesnt this look graceful? I fell 2 seconds later!! :) 

We forgot to bring cameras during the snowboarding. But it really happened! I was able to get up on the board, not heel side like I tried last time.. but toeside instead. We went for about six hours or so while the kids were off snowmobiling with the grandparents. I had to snowboard backwards most of the time.. which I was totally fine with, I just couldnt seem to get control while going down faced forward. I started to feel that my shoes were too small, and I ended up walking down one of the longer runs.. Maybe I walke 1.5 to 2 miles? I did however stop and sit down when there was a pretty spot to enjoy the view.

We had a great trip, and some friends came out to ski while we were snow boarding. What a fun weekend! Hope you enjoyed the pictures, I found my camera!!! yay!

Where did I put my camera??

I just have to gush for a minute about VeganDad. We had his winter vegetable pot pie, and this is our third time this year to have it!! I really am so impressed with his blog and the hard work he is doing making great food. I dont have the culinary ambitions that he has, but I hope to add a good collection of wonderful recipes like his to my great endeavor of cooking for the kids.
did that make sense? It IS 630 am as I write this!!!
Anyway I cant find my camera. If you know me, then you will know that in one word FLAKE describes me best. My best friend from college says my life quote is "where is MINE" since I am always losing things... ha ha ha ha
(maybe its also cause I am a little spoiled hee hee)
So today our weather is FREEZING.. yesterday though it was 12 degrees we had a wind factor of -9!
We are heading to a place called poor richards, that has a play area, coffee shop, and toy store all rolled together. Susan has been trying to spend the money in her piggy bank... so here is the chance. Its supposed to have some great vegan options, and I am feeling a bit adventurous.
This weekend we are going to Keystone and I am hoping to get up "heelside" on the snow board, I had such a hard time on that last time..
But most of all today I want to BEG you to read.. please please please... go get "the time traveler's wife" by Audrey Niffenegger.
I read it and wanted to see if she has written anything else, and when I googled it I saw they are making a movie out of it.
I think it will be like the notebook, and not just because Rachel is playing the leading woman!!
If you have read it, will you let me know what you thought??
I am still suffering from time travel envy.. lol

Where have you been?

You know, I want to say.. though I may not be posting much, I do still enjoy reading your blogs! Thanks for the kind nudge to get back.
So what is new?
Well, I am 29! Yes this really is the first time being 29 and I dont feel so old that want to "be 29 again, next year."
But I did however wake up with a horrible viral thing that made me think I was on the fast track to being ninety. I had sore joints all over and a weird rash on my joints. Luckily they blasted me with prednizone for five days and I feel better.
What else is new? Well I am glad you ask... I got my cholesterol down to 170... from 205 in July. I worked really hard, you know.. making great vegan meals and cupcakes.. it was such an effort, I cant imagine how anyone could live like this.. okay so I am kidding!! Anyone could choose to live like this.
Now, its not ALL pretty here. I did try to make a seitan loaf and it was a big flop! I dont know if I did something wrong, but I know I didnt follow vegan dad's way... so I am not giving up yet.
So now I am trying to figure out what to do next. And that is why I am quiet. I am sorry. I am looking into lots of books, on arthritis, on heart disease and on cancer. All things that are in my family and I am predisposed to. I feel like after giving my cholesterol the old 1-2-punch, that I want to tackle other things.
We are also looking at maybe getting a house, and I dont know if I will blog about that... I guess it does go along with how we are growing.
Lastly, I want to say that I got a cute pair of peacock earrings that I saw on a fantastic blog I LOVE. It makes me feel a little bit connected even though I know I have been in hiding.
So here is to "more to come".

If you want help with your cholesterol with out living off cheerios I would love to help. Even if you do still occasionally eat meat, I would love to help!!