I hear often that "giving up meat would me easy for me. Cheese is hard!" Many times I give those people perspective when I point out that almost every meal they eat contains meat. When I went vegetarian in December 2015, my boys declared “We will never give up meat! We love meat!” I prepared the same meal for all three of us, just adding in a little chicken, beef, or fish for them. When I decided to go vegetarian, it was plain and simple; “I don't like meat, why am I eating it?” So, I stopped. I ate eggs everyday, mostly, because we had chickens and we had a lot of eggs to use. I also LOVED cheese. Once I started studying holistic nutrition and learned about the plant-based lifestyle and it's ability to reverse disease, I was SOLD! I'm a type A personality. You've heard me say this before, I'm an all or nothing kind of gal. My poor husband, he loves me anyway! I started sharing all the information with my boys, educating them on the amazing health benefits of a plant-based life...they were not as excited as me, but I'm happy to say they were a little frightened by what they learned about animal products. *cue evil laugh. I told them that if they wanted meat, they had to cook it themselves. Well, that was easy because no one cooks around here but me. I win, again!! So, that was it, no more meat. That's where we started and then, eventually, weened off of the cheese and eggs. Well, eggs were not difficult for us to cut out of our diets after an eye-opening article that described the chicken's egg as part of their menstrual cycle!! REALITY CHECK! GROSS!! Our transition consisted of some “fake” meats...meats made with soy protein, vegetable protein, and/or vital wheat gluten. These are not health foods and I would never want to advocate for that as they are highly processed foods. However, they made our transition A LOT easier. These “fake” meats have helped us get on track and stay the course. Vital wheat gluten, when used to make vegan meat, is referred to as Seitan. I have practiced with this numerous times coming up with some pretty delicious and fun recipes like “chicken” and bbq “ribs”. It's actually really easy to work with, but takes a while to cook. Confused as to what vital wheat gluten is?
My son has always loved pepperoni. After eliminating meat from our diets, he would say “I'm craving pepperoni”...he's a weirdo. Well, being that I love him so much, I went in search of a plant-based pepperoni and came upon the Fat Free Vegan Blog. I haven't adapted her recipe at all, other than subbing what ever nut butter I have on hand when she calls for cashew butter (I have never had cashew butter so I have used peanut butter, almond butter, and sunflower butter on separate occasions.) This recipe is spot on for the “taste” of pepperoni!! The texture is a off...I would describe it as soft and maybe a little doughy. My son likes the softness, but I have tried adding more time to the baking time and have had success with a firmer and drier pepperoni; play around with the baking time and see what works best for your taste buds. I shared this with our nutrition workshop participants and everyone seemed to really like the flavor! Even some of their kids gave it a thumbs up. So, if you are already plant-based give this one a try for some new meatiness, but even if you're not plant-based, yet, give this a try and maybe we can convert you!! Here are a few tips: -Get your hands in there and work the dough! It will be too tough to use a spoon. -The recipe calls for a 7 inch log, this will give you about a 1.5 inch in diameter slice of pepperoni. If you want smaller slices (like you'd find in regular pepperoni), you can create (2)-7 inch logs with the logs being narrower in circumference. Just wrap them separately in foil and decrease baking time by 10 minutes. -You may prefer a drier pepperoni...just add a little time to the recommended baking time -I always double the recipe...it lasts for about 2 weeks when sealed in the refrigerator. -Eastyn's favorite is a pepperoni and mustard sandwich! Veggeroni (Seitan Pepperoni) |
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Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more for spicier pepperoni)
- 3/4 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter (may substitute peanut butter or tahini or any unsweetened nut butter)
- 2/3 cup water
- 4 tablespoons ketchup or tomato sauce (I prefer ketchup)
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar (optional, but definitely use if you use tomato sauce) (I never use this)
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Put the cashew butter in a smaller bowl, and slowly mix in the water. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the small bowl and blend well.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry, stirring well (use your hands if necessary). Remove from the bowl and knead for a few minutes, making sure ingredients are distributed well.
- Roll into a log shape, about 7 inches long. Place the log on foil and roll it up in the foil, twisting the ends to seal. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning over after 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and unwrap to cool. Slice as needed and store leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge.
Cristy
Minimalist Gift-Giving
Plus, if you've stocked up and don't end up giving away, you know you'll at least be able to use it up yourself.
And speaking of experiences...
I've given concert or musical tickets, yoga class passes, massage and manicures. I used to think gift certificates were so impersonal, but many people reach a point in their lives when they no longer need “things”, but “things-to-do”. Trips, subscriptions to membership sites such as Audible or Netflix, movie passes, cooking classes or even an ancestry/DNA discovery service, or sponsoring a rescue animal in that person's name all make fun and interesting presents that live well beyond the limits of a shelf or cabinet..
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a joyful, prosperous New Year!
Give the Gift of Health!
1 in 3 Americans is OBESE.
That's over 33% of Americans or 110 MILLION PEOPLE!
And if that isn't cringe-worthy enough:
20% of our children are MORBIDLY OBESE!!
Obesity puts children at a detrimental risk for debilitating diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
With skyrocketing numbers in increases of diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancers our healthcare costs are rising and 75% of those costs are attributable to the aforementioned diseases. AND ALL of those diseases can be avoided or possibly reversed with some fairly simple diet and lifestyle changes. Being overweight is the number one cause of most diseases...here is how to make some changes:
NO oil is healthy. None.
They are all stripped down and processed, and contain no nutritional value. More importantly, oil has a calorie density of 4,000 calories per pound!! So, are there good fats and bad fats? Yes and no. Dietary fat is very easily converted into body fat; whereas, carbohydrates are more easily burned as fuel. So, if you are consuming any kind of fat, it can easily be converted to body fat instead of being used for energy. Choose your fats wisely, choose ones that are nutrient dense from plant sources like avocados, seeds, and nuts. Animal-fat sources are the worst, which contain mostly saturated fats. They also contain cholesterol, hormones, carcinogens, dioxins, antibiotics, and bacteria, while also devoid of fiber and antioxidants. Steer clear of animal products as they have been found to be detrimental to human health and, independent of other factors, cause weight gain.
Nutrition is the MOST important factor in health.
But exercise is important too! Just an hour long walk each day can extend your life expectancy by 24%!
Our bodies do a great job at burning energy in the form of calories, but if we want to lose weight we need to eat less than we burn. But we can also burn off some of those calories in the form of exercise and while we are at it, reduce stress, too...WIN! WIN! Calories in vs. calories out. You must burn more calories than you consume. Exercise isn’t just about that 30 minutes on the treadmill, though; it’s about creating a lifestyle that isn’t sedentary. But, the great thing about eating healthfully and exercising is that all that good stuff makes you have more energy!! Then, you want to move! Find an activity that you really like/love and that is the one that you can form a habit around. It can be anything that keeps you moving for at least 30-40 minutes; walking, running, hiking, yoga, biking, etc. Consider weight training: more muscle = more calories burned. While a pound of fat burns only two calories per day, a pound of muscle burns six—and takes up a lot less room.
Peace, Love, Plants,
Cristy
It got me thinking about grandparents, how, for many of us, our relationships with them build such a strong foundation of character and of who we will become. My grandmother taught me many things (I desperately wish that making her apple pie would have been one of them), but I think the most telling is, as a woman, a wife and mother, she modeled the importance of "self" and putting oneself on the priority list. She always made time for her friends, to travel and explore and she gave herself the freedom to play.
Big Genemare and Little Jeanmare. I had the honor of giving the eulogy her at the funeral service this past Saturday. I'm publishing it here, word for word, grammatical errors and all, not only for family and friends that were unable to attend, but so you might get to know her for who she was to us.
I would love for you to share any stories or memories of you may have of Genemare or of your own grandparents down below. Through stories, we can still learn and enjoy so much from this generation.
A Tribute to My Grandmother
Unless she had Bridge.
We have her purse displayed over in the parish hall, along with some of our family photos. Maybe you could take a turn rummaging through it and figure out what it was she was always looking for.
Grandma was once the person who hoped her plane would be hijacked in the 1980’s so she would then be able to visit Cuba during the embargo. She was also the person who hid in the bathroom after getting a terrible case of the giggles while trying to place an ad on the local radio program, Potpourri.
Authors
Jeanmare and Cristy are creators and contributors of the Living Simply Nourished Blog. Grab a cup of tea (or coffee!), find a cozy spot, scroll around, read some stories, find some inspiration, and enjoy!
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