Sunday, January 13, 2013
Lazy Day Saturday
So Nick and I ended up staying in all day with Naomi. We kept a fire going as well as the coffee pot. We did leftovers for lunch, and then my famous Quinoa and Spinach Enchiladas. It was delicious as always. Not too much to report on. Today we woke up to the entire outside covered in frost. Supposedly it's 9 degrees out there, but it doesn't feel like it which is strange. Nick's chopping up some fire wood and Naomi is down for her first nap of the day (she stayed up all night with us -our little night owl). I should be baking some bread, but I am feeling too lethargic to do so and I don't want to commit to it.
I'm not sure what's on the schedule today. We had some oatmeal and bananas for breakfast. Unless we go out at some point, I'll probably just make up whatever I have in the cupboards for lunch. Maybe a nice big salad or some mashed potatoes, carrots, and mustard. The day is still early though, so we have plenty of time to decide.
I'm not sure what's on the schedule today. We had some oatmeal and bananas for breakfast. Unless we go out at some point, I'll probably just make up whatever I have in the cupboards for lunch. Maybe a nice big salad or some mashed potatoes, carrots, and mustard. The day is still early though, so we have plenty of time to decide.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Yogurt and Burritos
So Nick just texted me and told me that he has of until Tuesday!! Yay, what a wonderful surprise! It'll be our first free time to get about and move around Boulder and the surrounding areas. I'm not sure what we are going to be doing, but I am excited nevertheless.
Also, a nice surprise was Nick bringing home some nice soy yogurt for Naomi and I. Strawberry, Vanilla, and Key Lime. Naomi made a mess eating her strawberry and I nearly devoured my key lime. It is truly one of my favorite flavors, but I haven't had it since going vegan. Whole Soy & Co have got it going on!! It tasted like I was eating a slice of real key lime pie! Yummm.
I am on a re-fried beans kick for some reason. For lunch I heated up a can and melted some Daiya pepperjack cheese overtop. I made myself a little burrito, chopping up some lettuce and tomatoes. It was delicious as always. We'll have to go to the store tomorrow though. I can't keep eating the same thing no matter how tasty it is!!
The three of us, Breuser Naomi and I, ended up taking a nice little nap only to be woken up by the mail man. But that's okay. We were well rested and in better spirits. I strapped Naomi in her walker and placed her by the large window, and then took Breuser out for a walk. It's extremely chilly out today, so when we got back in I made some coffee and we all enjoyed some bread and applesauce.
Now we are just waiting on Nick to get home. Maybe a half hour wait time. =) I'll probably just make some spaghetti tonight. If you haven't guessed yet, we are starchavores big time.
Also, a nice surprise was Nick bringing home some nice soy yogurt for Naomi and I. Strawberry, Vanilla, and Key Lime. Naomi made a mess eating her strawberry and I nearly devoured my key lime. It is truly one of my favorite flavors, but I haven't had it since going vegan. Whole Soy & Co have got it going on!! It tasted like I was eating a slice of real key lime pie! Yummm.
I am on a re-fried beans kick for some reason. For lunch I heated up a can and melted some Daiya pepperjack cheese overtop. I made myself a little burrito, chopping up some lettuce and tomatoes. It was delicious as always. We'll have to go to the store tomorrow though. I can't keep eating the same thing no matter how tasty it is!!
The three of us, Breuser Naomi and I, ended up taking a nice little nap only to be woken up by the mail man. But that's okay. We were well rested and in better spirits. I strapped Naomi in her walker and placed her by the large window, and then took Breuser out for a walk. It's extremely chilly out today, so when we got back in I made some coffee and we all enjoyed some bread and applesauce.
Now we are just waiting on Nick to get home. Maybe a half hour wait time. =) I'll probably just make some spaghetti tonight. If you haven't guessed yet, we are starchavores big time.
Epic vegan Quotes
"People eat meat and think they will become as strong as an ox, forgetting that the ox eats grass." ~ Pino Caruso
"Suffering is suffering. It is always ugly. It is always unwelcome. It always needs to be stopped. There are no exceptions. A person with the capacity but not the inclination to cease suffering is morally incomplete." ~ Mirko Bagaric
"We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate for having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein do we err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth." ~ Henry Beston
"I just could not stand the idea of eating meat - I really do think that it has made me calmer.... People's general awareness is getting much better, even down to buying a pint of milk: the fact that the calves are actually killed so that the milk doesn't go to them but to us cannot really be right, and if you have seen a cow in a state of extreme distress because it cannot understand why its calf isn't by, it can make you think a lot." ~ Kate Bush
"It is more important to prevent animal suffering, rather than sit to contemplate the evils of the universe praying in the company of priests." ~ Buddha
"We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature." ~ Rachel Carson
"Isn't man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife - birds, kangaroos, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice, foxes and dingoes - by the million in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billion and eats them. This in turn kills man by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal- health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year, sends out cards praying for "Peace on Earth." - from Old MacDonald's Factory Farm by C. David Coats
"There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery." ~ Charles Darwin
"In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people" - Ruth Harrison
“The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk, or giraffes' milk. ~ Michael Klaper
"I became a vegan the day I watched a video of a calf being born on a factory farm. The baby was dragged away from his mother before he hit the ground. The helpless calf strained its head backwards to find his mother. The mother bolted after her son and exploded into a rage when the rancher slammed the gate on her. She wailed the saddest noise I’d ever heard an animal make, and then thrashed and ...dug into the ground, burying her face in the muddy placenta. I had no idea what was happening respecting brain chemistry, animal instinct, or whatever. I just knew that this was deeply wrong. I just knew that such suffering could never be worth the taste of milk and veal. I empathized with the cow and the calf and, in so doing, my life changed." ~ James McWilliams
"Could you look an animal in the eyes and say to it, 'My appetite is more important than your suffering'?” ~ Moby
“Recognize meat for what it really is: the antibiotic- and pesticide-laden corpse of a tortured animal.” ~ Ingrid Newkirk
“People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing to the practice. According to this logic, we should not try to prevent people from murdering other people, since this has also been done since the earliest of times" ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer
"Suffering is suffering. It is always ugly. It is always unwelcome. It always needs to be stopped. There are no exceptions. A person with the capacity but not the inclination to cease suffering is morally incomplete." ~ Mirko Bagaric
"We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate for having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein do we err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth." ~ Henry Beston
"I just could not stand the idea of eating meat - I really do think that it has made me calmer.... People's general awareness is getting much better, even down to buying a pint of milk: the fact that the calves are actually killed so that the milk doesn't go to them but to us cannot really be right, and if you have seen a cow in a state of extreme distress because it cannot understand why its calf isn't by, it can make you think a lot." ~ Kate Bush
"It is more important to prevent animal suffering, rather than sit to contemplate the evils of the universe praying in the company of priests." ~ Buddha
"We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature." ~ Rachel Carson
"Isn't man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife - birds, kangaroos, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice, foxes and dingoes - by the million in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billion and eats them. This in turn kills man by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal- health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year, sends out cards praying for "Peace on Earth." - from Old MacDonald's Factory Farm by C. David Coats
"There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery." ~ Charles Darwin
"In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people" - Ruth Harrison
“The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk, or giraffes' milk. ~ Michael Klaper
"I became a vegan the day I watched a video of a calf being born on a factory farm. The baby was dragged away from his mother before he hit the ground. The helpless calf strained its head backwards to find his mother. The mother bolted after her son and exploded into a rage when the rancher slammed the gate on her. She wailed the saddest noise I’d ever heard an animal make, and then thrashed and ...dug into the ground, burying her face in the muddy placenta. I had no idea what was happening respecting brain chemistry, animal instinct, or whatever. I just knew that this was deeply wrong. I just knew that such suffering could never be worth the taste of milk and veal. I empathized with the cow and the calf and, in so doing, my life changed." ~ James McWilliams
"Could you look an animal in the eyes and say to it, 'My appetite is more important than your suffering'?” ~ Moby
“Recognize meat for what it really is: the antibiotic- and pesticide-laden corpse of a tortured animal.” ~ Ingrid Newkirk
“People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing to the practice. According to this logic, we should not try to prevent people from murdering other people, since this has also been done since the earliest of times" ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Dinner By The Fire
I cook for a family of five instead of two and three quarters. Oh well. At least my man has an appetite. Yummy stuffing, corn & peas, and roasted potatoes alongside a nice crisp salad. We will sleep with full bellies tonight.
Basic White Bread
So while Naomi was taking her late morning nap I figured it was time to make some more bread. I usually have to make a new batch every other day, or every other two days depending on how fast we go through it. It took some self convincing, just because it's such a tedious process, but then I have to remind myself of the end result and that it's really not that difficult. Nick's aunt sent us this recipe out of some Bread Book. It's all pretty self explanatory. It may take a few batches to get it down right, but even if your bread starts off looking a bit deformed, by your third or fourth attempt it will be beautiful, and you'll have your own little routine. Plus eating homemade bread is just so much more gratifying AND TASTY!!
Before I could get started though, I had to do all of my dishes and move everything around because this kitchen is TINY. It's a bit upsetting, but once I get a little portable island (you know, the one with the wheels and what not) I'll have some more room. I mean look at this thing... Oh well, at least it has a window above the sink for dish-washing entertainment. =)
So I started prepping by adding two teaspoons of Fieschmann's Active Dry Yest and two cups of warm water in a small bowl (the recipe says to add it in a large bowl but since we had so little room in the Corolla to pack anything, mixing bowls were left behind). Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the yeast could dissolve and form a nice creamy texture.
While that was sitting, I got together my flour mixture. Now like I just said, I don't have bowls, so I had to use a pot. I started off with four cups of Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White Flour and two teaspoons of salt (I use iodized sea salt). I like using a wooden spoon, but alas -it is another item that is currently missing from our collection. Any kind of large sturdy spoon will do.
The recipe tells you to add the flour mixture into the water and yeast little by little, but I had to reverse it and add the water and yeast to the flour. I did this once before since we have been here and didn't notice a difference. In fact, it seems like it's a lot easier to mix together so I may just continue to do it this way. So just stir together both mixes, you may have to add a little more flour, but once it is combined well enough to turn out of the bowl and onto your work surface, you're good to go.
Before I could get started though, I had to do all of my dishes and move everything around because this kitchen is TINY. It's a bit upsetting, but once I get a little portable island (you know, the one with the wheels and what not) I'll have some more room. I mean look at this thing... Oh well, at least it has a window above the sink for dish-washing entertainment. =)
Basic White Loaf
(makes 2 small loaves)
What you will need: 2 cups warm water, 2 tsps active dry yeast, 2 tsps salt, and 5-6 cups of unbleached white flour.
So I started prepping by adding two teaspoons of Fieschmann's Active Dry Yest and two cups of warm water in a small bowl (the recipe says to add it in a large bowl but since we had so little room in the Corolla to pack anything, mixing bowls were left behind). Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the yeast could dissolve and form a nice creamy texture.
While that was sitting, I got together my flour mixture. Now like I just said, I don't have bowls, so I had to use a pot. I started off with four cups of Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White Flour and two teaspoons of salt (I use iodized sea salt). I like using a wooden spoon, but alas -it is another item that is currently missing from our collection. Any kind of large sturdy spoon will do.
The recipe tells you to add the flour mixture into the water and yeast little by little, but I had to reverse it and add the water and yeast to the flour. I did this once before since we have been here and didn't notice a difference. In fact, it seems like it's a lot easier to mix together so I may just continue to do it this way. So just stir together both mixes, you may have to add a little more flour, but once it is combined well enough to turn out of the bowl and onto your work surface, you're good to go.
Make sure to dust your work surface with flour. You'll have to continuously add a little flour here and there as you go. Knead for about ten to fifteen minutes. You don't want your dough to me sticky, but smooth and elastic (OH! and don't forget to take off any rings you might be wearing. You'd think as often as I make this that I would always remember, but it's not until my hands are caked in dough that I do). Once you are done, form the dough into a ball.
Then either wash out your previous bowl, or grab another one, lightly oil it (I use canola oil) and place the dough ball in it -turning it over to coat the entire thing. Cover with saran wrap and let it sit to rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Naomi woke up right while I was finished doing this step which was nice. It's always a difficult process to get through the kneading with her getting into trouble and wanting to be picked up. Last time I made bread her onesie was completely covered with dough. Poor thing. lol. We ended up playing around for a bit and then making some lunch. Nothing too special (I unfortunately found out that the Yoga class was at 9 AM today and not 7:30 PM like I initially thought -I don't know how I messed that up- so I figured I'd make up a little pasta now instead of dinner). There was a bit of my salad left from last night so I just boiled up some macaroni elbows and mixed it with it adding a few more tomatoes. It was delicious, and Naomi thought so too!!!
After the two hours were up, I went to check back on the bread. It had risen beautifully. I then took the saran wrap off, punched the dough down some, and covered it back up. After that you let it sit for another hour or so.
Preheat your oven to 350 about thirty minutes prior to baking. Once it's risen for the second time, turn it out of the bowl and kneads a little bit more. Then divide into two, forming two balls. Let sit for 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes are up form your loaves. I never got a tutorial on this part so I just kinda roll them out making sure that dough is smooth all around. Oil your bread loaf pans, and place the dough in them, making sure to coat the dough all around. Score the top three times with a sharp knife and stick them on the middle rack. Bake for 50-55 minutes.
AND WALA(?), Presto Primo you have yummy homemade bread!!! As tempting as it sounds, try not to eat the entire thing at once. While the recipe is easy enough, it takes ALL day to do. Though, if you need to go out at any point -go when the bread is rising. Dough can never rise too much. Just punch it back down to size. Delicious, huh?
Stuffing, corn, peas, and salad are on the menu for tonight. For now, I am going to relax some.
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