Many of you know that I have delved into the untamed world of whole foods and nutrition this last year. So many times I have felt a lot like Joseph Smith describing the many churches calling "Lo Here!" and "Lo There!" on every side, but not feeling at home with any one of them. When I decided to make the health-food leap for Gavin's sake (we wanted to reduce his mucus production by eliminating dairy from his diet while still trying to fatten him up), I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. There is so much information of such drastically varying thought that it is hard to know what and who to trust. If it weren't for the word of wisdom, I think I would have felt adrift amidst a tempest of opinion. It has been a crazy ride full of research and prayer, but one by one pieces are falling into place and thankfully my husband is still by my side after hours of forced education on excess animal protein, decalcification of bones, raw foods and tofu, blah, blah, blah.
1 apple, seeded and chopped (leave skins)
It's been difficult and frustrating at times to come to peace with the fact that I have to be satisfied with what I can do now, and not overshoot my capabilities. Sometimes recipes won't turn out, sometimes vegan cupcakes will look delicious and actually taste like chocolate covered cardboard. But that's ok. I'm learning, and luckily my children are at an age where they have no choice but to be patient. :) And miraculously, there are those days where everything goes right. I somehow manage to put together 3 balanced vegan meals packed with nutrition that *gasp* actually taste and look good. I like to think that those days are increasing in frequency, but I know it will still be a long time before I am at ease in this new world. My goal at present is to eat 2 primarily vegan meals a day with the kids, and then a nutritious dinner with a modest portion of meat for dinner (happy husbands make happy homes :) ). In the end, no matter what, I feel good because I am trying to live the word of wisdom, and discovering great new ways to eat along the way.
I know quite a few of you have been trekking the same road, and if you have some great recipes (vegan, vegetarian, or just healthy) I would love for you to share them! Here's one from me:
This is my favorite breakfast right now, fast, yummy, sweet and filling.
1 apple, seeded and chopped (leave skins)1 banana, sliced
1/8 cup raisins (or more, to taste)
2 tbsp freshly ground flax seed
crushed pecans (to taste)
Sprinkle with a little soy or coconut milk just to wet everything, or:
blend a little Silken soft tofu with 2-3 pitted dates, some vanilla extract and a little coconut milk for a delicious and protein-packed sauce.
Serve fresh with a slice of wheat toast. for younger kids, just lightly blend everything to make a nice & chunky "fruit soup." They love it!
Variation: fresh pears, bananas, and craisins are also a delicious combo!
9 comments:
i'm not sure why, but i can't find your email address. email me your address and i'll send you a delicious recipe for lime chicken avocado soup. you can fill it will all sorts of yummy veggies and black beans and leave the chicken out and it still tastes great.
whitneyshafer@gmail.com
Melissa, we need to have a fun conversation STAT. I love this stuff (and everything else you post), so you're pretty much my hero.
Whitney, send me that recipe too :)
This is a great blog. She is in my ward and is very knowledgable.
http://www.veganmothering.blogspot.com/
Looks good! We are trying to eat healthier, but my version of eating healthy is to at least get one serving of veggies and fruits in a day. You will need to update your blog with receipes so I can try some. Would you say it has been more expensive or less with the change over?
Hmmm...It's hard to say. I do a lot of our produce and specialty food shopping at Sunflower Market because they have amazing sales on things every week. I also get what isn't on sale at Buy Low Market in Provo. Some things are definately more expensive, like 100% maple syrup or agave nectar in place of white sugar, Earth Balance butter vs. real butter, etc. But the very expensive things are usually also the things that I should be eating in greater moderation, even sparingly. So I pay more, knowing that it will have to last me a long time to be as cost effective as processed foods. It keeps me in check with eating stuff I should eat less of. On a typical month, I spend about $350 on groceries for the 4 of us.
Hi Melissa :)
I've really liked this blog. We don't eat vegan, but we tried to eat a little closer to vegetarian. There's a recipe for black bean burgers on the blog that's really good and not that hard to make. They're different from hamburgers, but we actually like them more than meat burgers I think.
http://blog.vegcooking.com/
Melissa, you have inspired me. Especially after not passing my glucose test yesterday (although hooray i passed today. No diabetes for me). It just kind of shakes you up and makes you want to revamp everything. Brian and I consider ourselves pretty healthy eaters, but there is definitely room for improvement.
Having said that, I think you should type up your favorite, tried and true, tested recipes and email them to me so that I can feast upon your experimentation :) Why go through all the hassle if you have already done all the hard work?! You know, cuz you have SO much free time on your hands with two kids. :)
I miss you and hope you can come to my baby shower on Saturday, march 6...you should be getting an invite in the next week or two. Loves!
wow that is inspiring and I am happy you have the time and desire to do all that research. I am on a quest myself to lessen the fat and all. I have just retired and want this body more fit
Being severely lactose intolerant has made me a bit of an expert on cooking meals with out dairy. It is all about substitutions and learning to really cook like your grandmother could. Just a note though, Soy is a bean which is the musical fruit. Soy should be eaten in moderation or else it can also do damage, not to mention generate less than pleasant fragrances. Kathrine has been putting together a cookbook since we we got married. You don't have to buy the expensive health-food store stuff if you know what to look for.
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