Do-Over!

June 27, 2008 | 2 Comments

My blogging break is over! I’m back.

I’ve decided to be less mean-spirited, critical, and petty. I’m vowing to change. I want to be a better, nicer blogger.

So I’m starting that by making my archives private. I’ll slowly pull out the good posts, rewrite the bad ones, and try to mold my blog into something a bit more positive than it used to be.

It took a good shaking-up to remind me that I’m often unnecessarily petty.

My mom got sick. She was bleeding internally and the cause was unknown. I was really worried about her for a while. So I flew out to be near her. (She’s fine now. Turns out it was a bit of bad luck and a nasty bacteria.)

During my visit to California, I saw my father and his mother. She has dementia. And my dad’s not getting any younger. Imagine, my 72-year-old father is caring for his 95-year-old mother who has dementia.

I felt such a privilege that I have my health, my family, my mind. And at the same time I felt completely useless. What can I do? I don’t know what I can do. Everyone’s going to die eventually. And I can’t stop it. I was so sad these last few weeks.

I’m not doing enough GOOD work.

I felt a shame that my thoughts are so often preoccupied by frivolous arguments with people I’ve never even met in real life. I want to stop that. So I started by shutting off my blog.

It gave me some time to think about what I want from this publishing space. And what I want is what I had before: a place where I can write about whatever I want without dealing with editors and publishers. But more than that, I want this place to be something I’m proud of. I want this place to be and cause GOOD.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Blogging, Miscellaneous
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You Ought To Read This

June 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Links, veganism
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My Sample Vegan Diet - One Week’s Worth

June 11, 2008 | 2 Comments

Here is a sampling of what I eat in a week.

I share it for ideas only. I am not a nutritionist, dietitian, doctor, or other expert that you should trust. And I’m not the most healthy person in the world. I’m merely showing you an example of my weekly vegan diet. If you’re not vegan then please consider this inspiration to go vegan. If you are vegan, please consider this inspiration and/or please give me tips on making my diet healthier :) So, here goes, a sample of my weekly food intake:

Monday

Breakfast: A bowl of oatmeal with berries or raisins.
Snack: An apple.
Lunch: A veggie sandwich, usually with avocado, tomato, lettuce and more.
Snack: A handful of walnuts.
Dinner: Red beans and rice. (recipes here)

Tuesday

Breakfast: A bowl of breakfast cereal with soymilk and an apple or juice.
Snack: A fruit smoothie. (recipes here, here, and here)
Lunch: A baked potato with either margarine, spices, or salsa on top.
Snack: Pita or carrots and hummus.
Dinner: Indian spicy lentils and rice.

Wednesday

Breakfast: A variety of fresh fruit. As much as I want.
Snack: Apple slices with raw almond butter.
Lunch: A large salad filled with a variety of veggies sprinkled with nuts on top.
Snack: Fresh vegetables and raw dip.
Dinner: Vegetable sushi or nori rolls. (Here’s a video)

Thusday

Breakfast: A bowl of oatmeal and an orange.
Snack: An apple.
Lunch: Bean and rice burrito or veggie fajitas.
Snack: Crackers or celery and peanut butter.
Dinner: Vegetable soup and wholegrain bread. (lentil soup recipe here) Cookies for dessert.

Friday

Breakfast: A fruit plate.
Snack: Soy yogurt with fruit.
Lunch: A veggie burger and fries or a fruit salad.
Snack: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Dinner: Pasta with tomato sauce and a side salad.

Saturday

Breakfast: Pancakes or French toast and maple syrup.
Snack: A bowl of strawberries or blueberries.
Lunch: Thai or Chinese - restaurant food!
Snack: A carrot or two.
Dinner: Vegetarian chili and rice.

Sunday

Breakfast: Tofu scramble made from potatoes, tofu, onions, and spinach with spices. (Here’s a video) (Here’s a recipe)
Snack: A peach or two.
Lunch: A veggie wrap.
Snack: Steamed broccoli.
Dinner: Veggie pizza - either frozen or delivered.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Food, veganism
2 Comments to "My Sample Vegan Diet - One Week’s Worth"

Penne Pasta With Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

June 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I made this red pepper cheesy pasta for lunch. It’s sort of like a red pepper baked ziti or an adult mac and cheese. It’s good and healthy and I think I might make it again.

But I think the recipe needs a tiny bit of tweaking. If you can figure it out, please let me know. Maybe omit the soy sauce and add a bit more salt? Or add a tiny dash of crushed red peppers? Yeah I think that would be good! Anyway, here is the pic and the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound of penne pasta (preferably pure semolina pasta)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 an onion
1 red bell pepper
1 clove garlic
2/3 cup cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce (or not)
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
optional: 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions: Combine the garlic, cashews, yeast, water, lemon juice, soy sauce, and salt with half of the red bell pepper in a food processor or blender and blend. Set aside. Chop the onion and the rest of the red bell pepper and set aside. Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil, and cook the pasta. Drain the pasta. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion and red pepper. Saute on medium heat for about 7 minutes until the onion turns clear. Add the cashew blend and stir. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add the pasta and stir until pasta is completely covered in sauce. Turn off the heat and serve with a salad. Serves four or more.

By the way, here’s how this recipe is healthy. Cashews give you protein, fiber, iron, and fat. Nutritional yeast gives you B vitamins, potassium, protein, and fiber. The pasta gives you zinc, folate, iron, magnesium, and other nutrients as well as a good dose of carbohydrates which will give you energy. The onion and garlic offer vitamin C, B6, and other nutrients. The red pepper is a great source of vitamin C. And the recipe has no cholesterol, no added sugar, and if you’re watching your salt intake, you can easily remove the salt. It takes about 20 minutes to half an hour to prepare, making it a quick vegan lunch or dinner. Enjoy! :)

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Food, veganism
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Sun and Daughter (Vitamin D for Vegans)

June 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

More pro-meat propaganda:

Glasgow: “A girl of 12 brought up by her parents on a strict vegan diet has been admitted to hospital with a degenerative bone condition said to have left her with the spine of an 80-year-old. [...]

“The youngster, fed on a strict meat- and dairy-free diet from birth, is being treated at the city’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children. She is said to have a severe form of rickets and to have suffered a number of fractured bones. The condition is caused by a lack of vitamin D, which is needed to absorb calcium and is found in liver, oily fish and dairy produce.”

So, that’s the spin. Here’s the truth:

The vitamin D found in dairy is artificial. It’s been fortified. You know why? Because omnivorous children were getting rickets. So the US government started fortifying dairy with vitamin D.

And now, many other foods are fortified with vitamin D, too, such as SOYMILK, orange juice, and breakfast cereals. Even mushrooms and nutritional yeast may be good sources of vitamin D for some people.

Oh, yeah, and vitamin D can be absorbed through sunlight. It’s recommended that everyone spend some time outdoors everyday to get a good, healthy dose of vitamin D. (Hello? One of the reasons I love Vegas: sunlight is good for humans.)

However, dark skin pigmentation makes vitamin D absorption through sunlight more difficult, so some people with darker skin may want to pay extra attention and make sure they get vitamin D in their diet.

Also, vitamin D requires some dietary fat. The best sources of dietary fat are vegan sources.

Also, one can receive too much vitamin D. You can overdose on vitamin D. So it’s not always a good idea to use supplements for vitamin D because of that risk. Simply spend some time outdoors and eat a wide variety of vegan foods. However, if you live in the north, you should probably take a supplement during the winter.

Oh, and if you read The China Study you’ll learn that a diet that contains animal products tends to inhibit the production of a special feature of vitamin D. the resulting trend is that people with low exposure to sunlight (living at northern latitudes, like Scotland) who also eat animal-based diets (meat-centric) are more likely to get Multiple Sclerosis than people who have higher sunlight exposure and eat plant-based diets. (See the appendix starting at page 361.)

What’s the take-away? Well, duh, if you care about your health or the health of your children (or other people you feed) you need to do a little research about nutrition and learn about food. Everyone needs to learn about nutrition, not just vegans!

Anyone can create a poor diet that results in a vitamin deficiency. Don’t think that eating meat will protect you, it won’t. In fact, it will only hurt you. Studies consistently show that people who eat plant-based diets (when given a choice) are healthier than people who eat animal-based diets. Moreover, people who eat whole, unprocessed foods are more likely to get adequate nutrition than people who eat processed foods.

For more information on a healthy, vegan diet, please read these sources:

Hat tip to Increasing Veganicity, who found the pro-meat propaganda.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Family, Kids, & Friends, Food, Health, Fitness, & Beauty, veganism
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