The Cupcake Adventure: Happy Birthday Medea

Today is Medea's birthday. She is six. I can hardly believe that six years ago today my little baby was born. I decided that I would dedicate my blog to her today. As I was thinking about a topic to write about dedicated to that little ball of fire, she practically dropped one in my lap. The cupcake adventure. Medea is a spitfire. She says what she is thinking and has a mind of her own. When we started this Vegan crusade, she said, "I am NOT going vegan." Then she decided to go vegetarian. Then the cupcake disaster of 2012 happened. Here is the story.

For her birthday/Easter party at school, her teacher bought Walmart cupcakes from the bakery. These were our favorite cupcakes. We used to buy these little cupcakes all the time. We would buy the 18 pack and eat them in one night, just the four of us girls. So, I attended her class party, and when they had these cupcakes, I wanted to tear into them. I wanted to eat them all. Mostly out of nostalgia. Out of love for the cupcakes. Of course, I didn't, but Mae did (we call Medea Mae).

She ate about 1/4 of the cupcake and then pushed it away. I said, "Aren't you going to eat that?" I wanted to eat it! She said, "Nah, it is gross." I said, "What do you mean, gross?" She said, "I think I just prefer home food." In that moment I realized that she had reset her taste buds. It was awesome. It was an awesome moment for me. The moment in which I made a difference in my child's life. Processed food tastes gross to her. That being said, I did buy a package of Oreos at the store because Veganism doesn't have to be about deprivation and Oreos are vegan. But she hasn't even eaten one of them. None of them has.

But this raised a really important question for me. Can a birthday cake be Vegan and taste good? Yes, there are vegan cakes, but can they replace what we once had? So much of our family traditions are built around food. I haven't even begun to really address how I am going to deal with Thanksgiving. I can't even think about it. I'm not ready. I almost didn't feel ready to address this cupcake situation. Maggie, my oldest child said, "Just let her eat cake." As if she were Marie Antoinette. I considered doing just that until Mae announced that she preferred home food. So, I launched on a quest to make a tasty Vegan cake.

I think it turned out great! The frosting needs some tweaking. I will tweak it. I have already been working on the tweaking in my head. I am going to make another cake next week for Mae's party with her school friends. I will post the new frosting recipe when I make it, but here is the current one and the delicious cake which I would want to eat even if I wasn't Vegan. It was that awesome.

That is what a naked vegan vanilla cupcake looks like.

Recipe:

1 cup sugar

1 2/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp vegetable shortening

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 1/2 tbsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put all the dry ingredients together and cut in the shortening. (I did it with knives). Mix all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. I usually skip this step in recipes, but don't do it! Add the wet to the dry. But here is my tip: start stirring the dry and pour the wet into the dry in a slow, steady stream as you are stirring. Then just mix until they are blended, but don't over mix! Immediately put them in the cupcake tins.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

I feel like I am missing an ingredient, so I might have to come back an edit this posting if I remember it!

Here is Mae frosting her cupcake.

Vanilla frosting recipe (that I am going to tweak . . . stay tuned)

1/2 cup Vegan margarine

3 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Almond milk to thin

Use room temp margarine and beat in sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add almond milk if needed to thin (I didn't need it).

Here is Persephone frosting her cookie. (Her shirt says McStud, just in case you are wondering).

Add Vegan Sprinkles.

This is what they look like done (sans sprinkles). Aren't they lovely. The cupcakes, seriously, were probably the best cupcakes I ever had. The frosting needs work, but those cupcakes. I could have eaten them all day.

In the end, we all loved them. Happy birthday, my little love muffin. I am so proud that I was able to share a Vegan cupcake with her. Maesus, because she could save the world. Because she Mae save the world.

Converts and lentils: The Joys of Purple Rice.

I hate evangelism. I despise those who try to push their beliefs on others whether it be religious, political, social, anything. I hate it. I do love the masterful art of debate and persuasion but coercion--I just despise it. I don't like people who try to convert me to their religious point of view. It really bothers me and always has. So much so that I spent a good part of my life's work . . . my career railing against these very practices. So, my current transitioning lifestyle has me in a pickle. I suppose this is what it feels like to find religion. I want to share it. I want people to come to the dark side. I want to scream, "but don't you see . . ." I want to rip the roast out of the lady in the grocery store's cart. I've gone mad.



Of course, I have more sense than that, so I bring it to you--my like three blog readers. But the fact of the matter is that this isn't religion. It isn't mythology. It is truth. We are doing bad, bad things and meat consumption is at the heart and soul of many of those bad, bad things. So, the usual, let me say something totally asinine and clever to a Vegan response I heard today was, but small farms need animals to complete the life cycle. You know, Heather, fertilizer . . . blah blah. Yes, true. I am not talking about that. In most ways, I totally get it. But your Burger King triple cheeseburger didn't come from some quaint farm where the lovely life cycle of animals and plants is being lived in some idyllic harmony. It came from a horrific, factory farm.



So, the response goes, then go get some meat from a nice harmonious farm. Ok, well here is why that doesn't work for me: 1. It is so expensive. I agree food shouldn't be crazy cheap. But it isn't readily available in my neck of the woods, and it is expensive. 2. I believe plant based diets are better for me and my family health wise. 3. I didn't want to get married until all people could get married but freaking health insurance and tax breaks pretty much forced my hand, but I can do this to be against factory farming. I can do this by goodness.



That leads me to the real crux of the problem. Robert, my husband. I want him to convert with me. I have shown him movies. I have read him articles. I have cooked him lovely meals. I have awakened at 5 in the morning to make him breakfast. It is nearly midnight and I am still up because I am making him lunch and it is taking longer than I expected. I have made it as easy as I can. I don't understand it. I have told him that if he would just give it a few days, his taste buds would reset themselves. I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING I CAN! But he still sneaks Whataburger. Does the hamburger really taste that good? Does it? Then my rational brain says, "You freak, you can't make him share your values." And isn't that the b*tch about love? We want to, right? We want to share the values.

And this is where we have to be the ripe tomato. This is where all we can do is lead by example. I cook the meals. I do the grocery shopping. So, the things I can control I shall. The rest, I have to let pass. So tomorrow, he gets lentils and exotic purple rice for lunch. If he eats it, then he is better off, and if not, then he will have a stomach ache. I can't control him.

Thanks for letting me vent! Tomorrow you get the great cupcake adventure and Earthlings. I promise this time.

Potatoes, cauliflower, and kids, Oh My!

I decided to make Aloo Gobi because my husband loves Indian food, and this is one of my favorites. However, I live in a lovely little area where I have not been able to find garam masala, and I didn't feel like making it from scratch because that would have required a trip to the store. So I went with just making it curry. So I am calling this Curry Aloo Gobi.

Medea, decided she "loves" curry as well. She doesn't, but she wanted to help cook. Here is Medea working on some onions.

So, Medea also inspired me to realize that the time is upon us to really make sure that I am doing right by the kids. We ran out of milk yesterday. Up until this point, we just had milk left in the house. So then I was faced with this huge dilemma. What do I do about the milk? I know it probably seems like the dumbest question a person ever asked. But I really didn't know what I was going to do. Anyway, I have decided that I am not going to buy any milk. This is a vegan house now.

Here is the finished product. Curry Aloo Gobi. Here is the recipe:

1 medium head of Cauliflower (cut into bite sized pieces). We just ripped it apart with our bare hands!

3 medium potatoes. We used Golden Yukon.

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion. We used a local green onion that was HUGE! and mild and delicious.

1 small bunch of cilantro

1 can organic diced tomatoes.

2 cloves of garlic minced.

1 inch of fresh ginger minced. TIP: take the back of the knife and run it over the ginger and the skin comes right off.

1/4 cup of water

2 tsp cumin (my addition)

2 tbsp curry powder

Saute the onion in the olive oil add the garlic. Add the cilantro and cumin. Add the diced tomatoes. Add the ginger, cauliflower, potatoes and everything else. Cook until the veggies are tender.

Yummo.

Here is Mae with a Kale Chip. I invited her to make Kale chips with me. She was like cool. We had a good time. Then I was like, "try this Kale Chip." She says, "Um I don't think so." I was like, "for me." So she tries the chip. She liked it! Then yesterday, I catch her running around the house just eating from the bag of Kale chips!

Kale Chip Recipe

1 bunch of dino kale (but regular kale will work) stems removed.

Then we ripped it up into bite sized pieces.

Put them in a bowl and drizzle olive oil and salt on them until they are coated. I think we used about 2 tsps of olive oil, but it may have been a bit more.

Then you bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until they are crispy. Make sure they are spread out and not touching on the pan even if you have to bake them in multiple batches.

Ok, so that is the Vegan Wellmans for today.

We have to be Goliath . . .

Everyone wants to be David. It is cool to be David. Oh I'm David, and I killed Goliath. That's cool, right? I say, we have to be Goliath.

For my lovely friends (Kristine, I mean you) who don't keep up with bible tales, the basic story of David and Goliath is as follows: David is a small person who has to fight a giant (Goliath). All he has is a sling shot and three stones. With this inferior weapon and his diminutive size, he is able to bring down the mighty giant. The point of the parable is that even the small guy can take on the giant.

But what if we were the giant? People hate Vegan activists. I have found this out. They are protective of their food. But ask one person to watch a video of factory farming. Ask people to understand the environmental implications of mass producing animals for consumption. Estimates say that Vegans make up about 2% of the world's population. That isn't very many. Right now we are David. And people hate us. But I can't help thinking . . . what if we were Goliath. What if we could be a giant force of change and good in the world. I know in the parable Goliath loses. That isn't the point I'm making. The point is that we need to be Giants. We need to be fearless.

As a difficult and awkward segue, I got upset with my kids the other day about their school work. I just said, "Life Sucks. It is hard. It is hard everyday. But if you are willing to work really hard and face all the challenges, the rewards are immeasurable." I really believe that. I think that is the same with food. It is hard. It is hard to watch a movie like Earthlings (see tomorrow's post--don't you love my teasers?). But if you are going to eat meat, then at least go into it with your eyes wide open.

Maybe I should dedicate this blog to recipes and the challenges of being a Vegan mom in rural America, and I bet 99% of it will end up being that, but for today, and maybe tomorrow, and maybe even the next day, I'm going to start by being a Giant for Veganism. Maybe I can inspire you.

"It tastes like Spirulina" is what's wrong with the world.

First, I want to open with, "WTF!" I seriously just turned down a pretzel for a piece of romaine lettuce with hummus in it. At first, I was like, "just eat the stupid pretzel." But dang that hummus was good. What is happening to me.

Second, I feel super guilty that I am not forcing my children to go through this change with me. If I care this much about myself, then I should care that much about my children too right? And I am trying. It is small steps. Little changes. I have totally overhauled our house, so that is a good step in the right direction.

I keep going back and forth . . . do I make them, do I not make them? The truth of the matter is that the two little ones have been vegan since I got home because what else are they going to eat?

But when you make this delicious potato/salad bar, who could say no? Not Persephone . . . doesn't she just look totally excited.

In other Vegan news, I found a Vegan restaurant in town. Who would have guessed. The food is pretty tasty. Not as good as it is at home, but it never is, and at least I have a go to place now. So, yeah for that. I also fit into my first (first out of like 20) pairs of goal jeans. First on the road. First on the journey. Well, first thing to be proud of.

Back to Spirulina. I bought this shake mix to mix with my juice in the morning just because I thought it might help me feel fuller. It is vanilla flavored, but it has spirulina in it. So, in the reviews on Amazon, all the negative reviews say things like, "it really tastes like spirulina." So I was not expecting anything great to happen. So I mix it in my juice, and it tastes good. It turns my juice green. It has a little spirulina taste, but nothing overwhelming. I mean come on people, what are you looking for a miracle. I mean, readjust your taste buds for the love of all things green! The point is, there is no quick fix. Spirulina isn't going to taste like bacon, but it also is good for you, and it didn't come out of a deplorable factory farm. So be proud. After two shakes, you won't even notice. Since I live in Longview, we have limited selections, and I didn't want to buy something off the internet without trying it, so here is what I bought:

I have been pretty happy with it. The good old hubby even drink it up with no complaints. When I was in California and had access to other shake mixes, I bought some, but wasn't nearly as pleased, and those really tasted like spirulina!

Stay tuned for my next blog . . . being Goliath. Yeah. That is going to be awesome.

Mystique of Cheap

Should food be cheap? Awhile ago in my public policy class I wrote a paper about Farm Subsidies. Basically, we create a system where we artificially lower the price of food, so we expect food to be cheap. But we should really be asking ourselves, should food be cheap.

What if we spent more on food, but that food was grown locally, in a humane way? I saw an interview with a humane farmer, and he said, "I see people at the farmer's market who freak out about eggs that are $3 a dozen while they hold a 75 cent soda." That makes sense. Maybe we should be paying $3 a dozen for eggs that are farmed in a humane way.

But eating a decent meal doesn't have to be uber expensive even in our fast track world. Here is what I had for dinner.





Here is a break down of the cost (amount is for what is included, for example if I used half of something I only included 1/2 of the whole cost of the item):
Avocado: $1.00
Tomato: $0.35
Cucumber: $0.35
Onion: $0.30
Lettuce: $.0.35
Bell Pepper: $0.50
Various spices: $0.50
Total: $3.35

It was so good! I was really hungry, and now I feel totally full. It tasted like heaven.

Anyway, the point is, if our food is cheap because it is filled with pink slime or because it is made with "carton eggs," then maybe we should be questioning how much money we spend on our food. I recently found out that carton eggs are made from the eggs that "come out" with no shell-- without being graphic, you can imagine what those eggs are exposed to. I think a few extra cents at the farmer's market may just be worth it.

I"m a Vegan

I'm up to no blogging good. I kept writing all these Facebook posts about my eating habits, and I said to myself, "Self." Sometimes, I call myself, self. Anyway, I said, "Self, you are really excited about your eating changes. You are struggling, succeeding, and having all these emotions about it you want to share; but, let's face it, no one wants to read about it on Facebook."

What is a gal to do? Then I remembered that I used to have this awesome blog. So, back to the blog I am. Now, you can read about my awesome food if you want . . . or not. It is really up to you.

Anyway, here is the news. I started taking some new medicine for my migraine headaches, and it made my stomach hurt really bad. One of the side effects was meat made me want to throw up. So, I just quit. When I was a youngin', I was a vegetarian. So, it was kinda easy for me.

Then my lovely husband watched this movie called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead about a guy who started juicing. He got some crazy idea that he wanted to juice. So, we bought a juicer. Well juicing is really hard. It makes you really hungry and it is just really hard.

But juicing did something wonderful for me. Something glorious. Something lovely. It made me get on the Internet and do research. I found this blog called choosing raw. You can find it here: http://www.choosingraw.com/. And then I started reading more and more of the articles she had posted and more and more vegan blogs. And I realized, this is what I wanted to try. I wanted to do it. I wanted to be one of those crazy vegan kids. (I had tried vegan in the past, but had never been able to really stick to it.)

So, I started. And this is what I did. Grrr... I had a hard time. Today is day four of Veganism.

Day one: I only juiced. I had to just quit cold turkey because I am a cold turkey kind of kid. It wasn't so bad. I had a fruit based juice, followed by a greens juice, and then an carrot based juice.

Day two: I was determined to just juice. Nope. I couldn't do it. Well technically , Robert couldn't do it. So I juiced breakfast and lunch and had avocado salad for dinner. Yummo.

Day three: I had juice breakfast, and hummus wrap lunch and dinner.

Here is how I cheated. I had a diet a Dr. Pepper. I did it. I also cried. I mean just cried. I have also screamed a few times and may have threatened to punch someone. I'm not sure. But the point is that I made it through. The reward has been that I have lost 20 pounds (in the past month not in the past four days) and I feel really proud of myself.

I also found out that there are three reasons why I am glad I am doing this:
1. The environment. I care about the environment. Factory farms are bad for the environment.
2. My health and Robert's health. Period it is better for your health. Watch the movie Forks over Knives.
3. Pigs. Pigs are cute. I love Pigs. Pigs are smart. Pigs make me think of my dog, cornbread. I would never want to hurt cornbread. I don't want to hurt pigs.

I promise to post pictures and keep you updated on the new vegan adventures of me.