hurrayic

30-Day Vegan: Week 2

Persist.  I glanced at our calendar and thought how apropos this month's word was and is for lots of things going on right now.  Persisting in finishing up school subjects when the warm sunny weather beckons us (although shh...we go through the summer with some subjects...), persisting in finding a job for my daughter (my son got a job -  yay!), persisting in working a bit more on the livingroom (more on that later)... and of course, persisting in the 30-day vegan workshop. 

took to a neighborhood gathering over the weekend

I must admit that this 2nd week for me has been a bit more challenging ...mentally.  Joyfully challenging, I might add, but challenging none the less.  The 'honeymoon' stage is waning and the real-life application is beginning.  All with its ups and downs of course.

roasted sweet potatoes - love them without the dressing & so so colorful!

The biggest 'hurdle' is main meal planning.  I've got the salads, snacks and smoothies down (well, sort of), but the main meal - the entree - is where I've had to really think and plan.  (I'm also cooking a non-vegan (meat/chicken/fish) dish on certain nights for other members of the family.)

yes, that IS pork loin with rosemary and garlic in the background, but I resisted!

I didn't realize just how much I've come to rely on picking out chicken, fish or meat and then complimenting those dishes with veggies and salads and grains and beans.

quinoa, chickpeas, spinach and smoked paprika - a favorite in our house!

Although (as I've already mentioned) we do eat a lot of vegetarian meals weekly, I still have to really think about planning out supper/dinner time since I'm not using dairy in the recipes for this workshop either.  I'm we're eating a whole lot more veggies and fruits in one day than we usually do in several days.  That's good!

another salad that I tweaked and took to the neighborhood cookout

Before this workshop, I didn't stop to consider exactly where a vegan would get protein...yes, I know the typical beans & nuts and tofu, but I'm learning that there are other items that can offer a good amount of protein. 

What I like about Heather's recipes (and other recipes I'm using during the month) is that not only does she address ways to add protein, but also incorporates well-balanced meals that are packed with other healthy vitamins and minerals, are easy to prepare (mostly) and are colorful to boot.

asparagus, arugula, pine nuts, avocado on a crusty bread = yum

I would be remiss if I failed to mention another mental challenge this week: thinking how a little bacon or a little feta cheese for example, would add to the meals... and I guess veering away from the specialty cheese area in our grocery store would be a good thing, don't you think?

 ... but overall, I'm happy with trying to stick to the thirty days. 

Yarn Along: Annabel & Taproot

You'd think that with just two sleeves to knit this week, I'd have finished the black Annabel.  Nope.  When I switched to dpns, I found I was getting a little bit of laddering, so I pulled harder on the yarns, wishing of course that I simply had a short circuluar needle to do the job. I discovered a site with a few tricks on how to deal with ladders (I think mine were too tight rather than too loose).  At any rate, I've been fixing the one sleeve and will have to get a move on the other.  Don't think I'll meet my self-imposed deadline for this sweater since tomorrow is the last day of May, but who knows... between the dentist visit (for me) and college placement exam visits (for my two oldest), I may just squeeze in some knitting. 

My reading has consisted mainly of cookbooks (for all the vegan cooking I'm doing recently) but yesterday, when my 2nd issue of Taproot arrived, I happily substituted my reading material for the magazine.  That is..until I turned it over...just look at the poor thing!  So sad.  Yes, I've received damaged items delivered to my mailbox before, and I know it happens, but on the inside of the back cover is a very neat illustration (at least from what I can tell), and I was hoping to be able to see the whole thing.  Oh well.  Hope to get my hands on a 2nd copy soon.

What about you?  What are  you knitting and reading this week for Ginny's Yarn Along?

{this moment}**

A tree? a tree!

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~ Soule Mama

{this moment}** a single photo with a few accompanying words ~ hurrayic

 

Have a good weekend!

30-Day Vegan: Week 1

dinner awaits

I thought perhaps I would write a weekly post (or two) about the 30-Day Vegan workshop I'm participating in.  So today is as good a day as ever to begin, right?  I've been enjoying the background info, the pantry tips, the idea of taking care of yourself (many ways; not just eating), the shopping list, the video(s)and of course, all the recipes.  Yum.  What I am appreciating about the course so far is the thoughtful and gentle approach to introducing veganism to a non-vegan.  Yes, we aleady eat a lot of meatless and vegetarian meals, and I like to cook, but I do like my cheese I am learning how to approach eliminating and/or substituting certain items in a new way.  It has been fun.  Unfortunately,  I wasn't as prepared ahead of time as I had hoped, but so far, so good.

new-to-me

Although my pantry is pretty well-stocked, I did visit Whole Foods for a few items that I did not have on hand.  Items that I knew little or nothing about.  Like gomasio?  What?  Or nutritional yeast?  Isn't that the yeast you bake with?  And sea vegetables!  Ohhh?  Sounds scary! (smile)  There were a few items that I opted not to purchase due to the too-high sodium content, but that's okay.  Heather said we could be flexible and adjust things that work for us. 

quinoa chili and  chickpea & spinach curry

I have to say that in just a few short days, I have already fallen off the wagon!  Twice!  Ack!  The first time on the very day this workshop began...my mom (who is also participating) and I were chatting away while snacking on a handful of rice chips.  Yum.  Until I realized that we were eating the parmesan variety!!!  Oh well.  It wasn't intentional. 

pad thai (made with the wrong noodles but still tasted good)

The 2nd occurrence was more intentional but with good reason.  While visiting a museum in the area, we decided to have lunch.  I had not packed anything ahead of time other than a water bottle and a banana.  Upon arriving in the cafeteria (ravenously hungry I might add) and discovering the limited choices the museum had to offer (vegan or non-vegan), I realized there was not one thing on the menu that would fit the vegan category (unless you counted a salad with cheese, turkey and egg.) Well, needless to say...you can guess the outcome... a slice of cheese pizza...

too huge a helping of garlic and beans over angel hair (with gomasio and nutritional yeast)

So, in just a little bit of time, I'm beginning to appreciate how good it is to think ahead and plan.  Thankfully, Heather is addressing the importance of meal planning in her workshop too.  Thanks, Heather!

Yarn Along: new yarns

No school lessons.  A wee bit more free time.  An extra pair of hands to help with dinner prep and clean up (thanks, Mom).  All of these things add up to more knitting and reading this week.  I finished the body of my black Annabel and am working through one sleeve.  I think I should have it completed for next week.  Exciting! 

Even more exciting is discovering stumbling upon a new yarn store in the area.  On Friday, we (grandmother, mother and daughter) had a girls'-day-out and visited 3 yarns stores nearby.  We intended to visit only the first being that we did not know the other two existed.  (the owner of the first store told us of the other two stores)  Good thing she did (or not so good depending on how you look at it...he he)... at any rate, I came home with a linen yarn (Louet Euroflax in Pewter) and a few skeins of Berroco Seduce in Graphite.  I'm thinking of a simple lacy scarf for the Euroflax, but the jury's still out for the Berroco yarn.  Might go back and buy more to make this top or this one.  I saw a sample knit of the 2nd top at the store and bought a pattern since I like the ruching on the front.  But with my ahem figure, it may not be the best match.  We'll see. 

At night I've been reading a combination of things: various cookbooks, recipes, printouts from Heather's 30-Day Vegan workshop, and  An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler.  After reading Amanda's post on the book (read her post - she very eloquently talks about the book!), I ordered it from the library.  Haven't gotten too far but am enjoying what I've read up to this point.  The author makes you approach eating in a new way; it's more of mini 'essays'. (No, no...not the boring and lengthy paragraphs that we were forced to write and read about in school!) These 'essays' are filled with lively adjectives and tidbits on how to use foods in a creative and common sense way rather than recipes per se.   How to Boil Water is the very first chapter heading...interesting, indeed! 

So what are you reading and knitting for Ginny's Yarn Along this week?

{this moment}**

early morning chess game with Grandpa

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~ Soule Mama

{this moment}** a single photo with a few accompanying words ~ hurrayic

 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

Yarn Along: Annabel progress

Ginny's Yarn Along has snuck up on me again.  I have been knitting (albeit a few rows or rounds here and there) but somehow not enough to show a big difference.  I've made progress on my Black Annabel although from the picture above you probably just see a big old mess of knitting.  Right now, I'm thinking that finishing the present skein of yarn and perhaps using another will cover the body, and then I'll just have to move onto the sleeves.  My goal is to try and finish the sweater by the end of May (and perhaps the purple scarf as well), but since my parents are visiting this week, and ...ahem... I foresee a few visits to local yarn stores...meeting that goal may prove challenging. 

Reading has consisted of prepping for homeschool again and drooling over the pictures in the La Tartine Gourmande.  I like the freshness and combinations of food used throughout the book.  The photos remind me of some of the gourmet cooking books that I would pore over when we were first married (when we had more leisure time...remember leisure time?)

Right now, my time is limited and honestly, my interest has shifted away from recipes that require a hundred unique ingredients and thousands of hours spent in the kitchen to execute that one gourmet meal.  Instead, I'm into simpler, wholesome recipes that are also easier to make and much quicker to grace our table. Admittedly, this cookbook does lean to the gourmet side (maybe for special occasions?), but there are few recipes that fit the easy/quick need.  Of course there is one recipe that caught my eye right away when I browsed through this at the library.  It'll probably take a bit of time to execute but who knows?  I'm willing to give it a go.  Chocolate crepes.  What do you think?  Have any of you tried recipes from this book?

What are you reading and crafting?

Sewing: 241 Tote ~ Take 2 (& a button)

Spent a little time sewing this past weekend.  I had done most of this 241 Tote several weeks months prior, and then it sat in my to-do basket messy pile.  I opted for another loop closure rather than the suggested magnetic snap and lengthened the strap like the last time around.  I like this one better than the first. 

And just so that you don't think I'm a total procrastinator (which I am), I managed to find a button for the first tote and actually sew it on.  It's not ideal, but it'll do. 

The black purse is made from:

Kona cotton in black
Washi - Star Flower in charcoal
Japanese ume blossom print that I bought several years ago from Japan.

Are you sewing anything now?

Enjoying: 24 today

Good morning, Monday!

After another busy week with errands and school and cleaning and dinner with friends who will be moving soon and missing the neighborhood tag sale (got the dates mixed up!) and no piano recital after all since a stomach bug claimed a victim this past weekend (during the dinner with friends no less!) and enjoying a simple mother's day where I did not have to cook or clean (!!!!) and informing my parents that they may have to reschedule their plane tickets (bad stomach bug! go away!)and...

Right now, I'm enjoying a conversation that went something like this:

 

    One of my sons was looking at 'old' photos and commenting along the way...

    "Boy, you guys look a LOT different."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You know."

    I feigned ignorance at this point.  I knew to what he was alluding.

    "What do you mean?" I repeated.

    "You and Dad looked so much YOUNGER."

    I nodded. "Why thank you very much, son."

After 24 years of marriage and 4 children, I like to think of our gray hairs as gaining wisdom, wrinkles as expressing ourselves in unique ways and our added weight as extra 'insulation' to keep us warm and cozy...

 

Happy Anniversary, Honey! 

 

 

{this moment}**

my girl

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~ Soule Mama

{this moment}** a single photo with a few accompanying words ~ hurrayic

 

Enjoy the time you have!