It was one of those regular days. I was trying to figure out what to do with my life (which at the age of 26 is becoming increasingly pathetic) and instead I ended up launching into one of my animal rights, bio ethics and sustainability rants. My husband sighed deeply and interrupted me with "Why don't you just get qualifications so that you can work as a bio ethicist? It's all you ever talk about, and it is going to be needed in the future. You can work as a consultant.".
I halted, my entire brain halted. And in that instance my mood rose to new heights as my husband gave suggestions as to where I could consult. The list was long. Activist groups, government agencies, companies. With the right qualifications behind me I could even help groups such as Sea Shepherds while consulting with large companies in order to make them more ethical. I would help put together legal defenses and push for legislation.
He went online and had a look around, I could technically call myself a bio ethicist right now. It is less of a title and more of a descriptive word. It is not regulated... sort of like nutritionalist is not a regulated title in most countries. (Something else I could call myself right now if I chose to.)
I responded that there was no way I would call myself a bio ethicist before I had any qualifications, which my husband rolled his eyes at and mumbled something about me being a little TOO ethical.
But right then and there I think we found something. Something that I would enjoy doing, something that would let me bring about a positive change in the world, something with a future and something that could lead to all kinds of glorious things for me. Consulting, guiding, teaching and writing books on the matter.
So what do I call myself until I have gotten the qualifications I need? Aspiring bio ethicist, naturally! I will get there, believe you me. The second I can I will start studying. And I won't stop until I am standing there with the qualifications in hand and can start consulting, teaching, guiding and any book or article written by me comes with the qualifications that makes my voice count even more than it does now. But then again, who knows... my mind might change in a month or two again. BUT, for now this feels like it's the one that will stick. Perhaps not as ideal for my stress sensitive mind as becoming a librarian, but the future is just dawning in this field... and with the Declaration Of Consciousnesses In Non-Human Animals having been signed recently I do believe we are on the right track.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
"Why Vegan?"
Veganism, even the ethical side of it, is in no way dependent on spiritualism. Even my husband who is a hard-line sceptic and completely devoid of anything resembling spirituality is seeing the ethical advantages of a vegan diet, which is why he indulges me.
Me? I am not a spiritualist in a classic sense of the word. The aspects of my life that people sometimes attribute to spirituality are backed by science or important to my mental well-being as a part of psychological maintenance.
I grew up in a family situation where my father hunted (moose culling in Sweden that was done as a conservation effort to stabilise the population due to eradication of a healthy predator population.)
We kept our own hens and roosters, only selling the roosters that were hatched to people who were going to take good care of them. We also had two rabbits and a couple of turkeys every once in a while.
My father instilled in me a deep respect of all life, in a sense. Anthills were left untouched, hens roamed freely on the property and the rabbits also jumped freely. The result of the moose hunt each year resulted in the freezer being stocked with meat, and that is where the majority of our meat intake was from, the eggs came from happy and well cared for hens. (My father loved those hens, each one had a name and they were only killed when injury occurred. His favourite rooster was cared for immensely even after he had been ousted by a new rooster and when he fell ill my father cared for him and brought him inside the house, feeding him medication and keeping him warm.)
My father stopped hunting when the culling numbers decreased. He was happy the wolf population was increasing. Around this time I started adopting a more and more vegetarian diet. Commercial meat was being eaten more frequently in my family and it was not agreeing with my body. I stepped towards only eating fish and shellfish only to eventually abandon it and becoming an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Then I became a vegan for a year, and eventually fell off it on my family's insistence. I hanged in between an ovo-lacto vegetarianism and pescarianism for a long while after that, the I cut fish out all together and now I am a vegan again.
To this day my father prefers game meat and fish in his cooking. He respects my decision even though he does not understand it fully. He is, after all, the one who gave me that kind of morality regarding nature. He has always loved animals, and when he came to visit last year he fell in love with my cat, the two were close companions during the whole time my father was here.
And from there comes the basis for the ethics I built up myself. My father has always been of the opinion that you don't take more than you need, and wasting food is horribly unthoughtful. I have expanded that philosophy to include the fact that I do not need to eat meat, milk and eggs, and I can exclude that from my life for the benefit of the animals around me. My husband is following suit, and my mother has embraced more vegetarian food in her life since I started on my ethical journey.
The point of this rant? Well, sometimes what people do have a snowball effect. My father raised me to respect animals, I took that further because that was the only option for me eventually. Despite him not having any sort of inclination to eat vegan or vegetarian food he shaped the basis of my ethics system in a way that led to this. He did it without religion or spirituality. He did it with concern for humans being too intrusive into nature and teaching us to respect our surroundings because growing up, it was the nature around us and it's bounty that mostly fed us. Mushrooms, berries, meat and eggs all came from around us, not from farming. Same thing for a lot of veggies. My mother has always loved having vegetable patches, and during the time we didn't there was always my maternal grandmother (who grew potatoes, sweet peas, lettuce, rhubarb, blackcurrants, raspberries, apples, herbs, plums and more in her garden) and my paternal grandfather (who had a large strawberry field). You don't kill what feeds you (the hens) and the things that feed you with it's meat, you do not maltreat (the moose).
Of coarse I took it further. But the logic remains. And as such, I am a vegan; "I don't need meet, dairy or eggs, and as such there is no reason for me to contribute to the maltreatment of animals through the consumption and use of the products and by products that come from them as far as reasonable, possible and practicable."
Me? I am not a spiritualist in a classic sense of the word. The aspects of my life that people sometimes attribute to spirituality are backed by science or important to my mental well-being as a part of psychological maintenance.
I grew up in a family situation where my father hunted (moose culling in Sweden that was done as a conservation effort to stabilise the population due to eradication of a healthy predator population.)
We kept our own hens and roosters, only selling the roosters that were hatched to people who were going to take good care of them. We also had two rabbits and a couple of turkeys every once in a while.
My father instilled in me a deep respect of all life, in a sense. Anthills were left untouched, hens roamed freely on the property and the rabbits also jumped freely. The result of the moose hunt each year resulted in the freezer being stocked with meat, and that is where the majority of our meat intake was from, the eggs came from happy and well cared for hens. (My father loved those hens, each one had a name and they were only killed when injury occurred. His favourite rooster was cared for immensely even after he had been ousted by a new rooster and when he fell ill my father cared for him and brought him inside the house, feeding him medication and keeping him warm.)
My father stopped hunting when the culling numbers decreased. He was happy the wolf population was increasing. Around this time I started adopting a more and more vegetarian diet. Commercial meat was being eaten more frequently in my family and it was not agreeing with my body. I stepped towards only eating fish and shellfish only to eventually abandon it and becoming an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Then I became a vegan for a year, and eventually fell off it on my family's insistence. I hanged in between an ovo-lacto vegetarianism and pescarianism for a long while after that, the I cut fish out all together and now I am a vegan again.
To this day my father prefers game meat and fish in his cooking. He respects my decision even though he does not understand it fully. He is, after all, the one who gave me that kind of morality regarding nature. He has always loved animals, and when he came to visit last year he fell in love with my cat, the two were close companions during the whole time my father was here.
And from there comes the basis for the ethics I built up myself. My father has always been of the opinion that you don't take more than you need, and wasting food is horribly unthoughtful. I have expanded that philosophy to include the fact that I do not need to eat meat, milk and eggs, and I can exclude that from my life for the benefit of the animals around me. My husband is following suit, and my mother has embraced more vegetarian food in her life since I started on my ethical journey.
The point of this rant? Well, sometimes what people do have a snowball effect. My father raised me to respect animals, I took that further because that was the only option for me eventually. Despite him not having any sort of inclination to eat vegan or vegetarian food he shaped the basis of my ethics system in a way that led to this. He did it without religion or spirituality. He did it with concern for humans being too intrusive into nature and teaching us to respect our surroundings because growing up, it was the nature around us and it's bounty that mostly fed us. Mushrooms, berries, meat and eggs all came from around us, not from farming. Same thing for a lot of veggies. My mother has always loved having vegetable patches, and during the time we didn't there was always my maternal grandmother (who grew potatoes, sweet peas, lettuce, rhubarb, blackcurrants, raspberries, apples, herbs, plums and more in her garden) and my paternal grandfather (who had a large strawberry field). You don't kill what feeds you (the hens) and the things that feed you with it's meat, you do not maltreat (the moose).
Of coarse I took it further. But the logic remains. And as such, I am a vegan; "I don't need meet, dairy or eggs, and as such there is no reason for me to contribute to the maltreatment of animals through the consumption and use of the products and by products that come from them as far as reasonable, possible and practicable."
"But that is not vegan!"
We all have certain things we consider to be un-vegan. For some it's using an old wool sweater, but the same person has no problem using sugar refined with bone char. For another person it's okay to use a wool sweater from their pre-vegan days, but they will not buy or consume sugar refined with bone char.
For some it's the consumption of animal products and by-products that is the issue, for other the cruelty and exploitation that goes along with those things that is the issue. Some are personal purists, some are more relaxed.
Some people will avoid zoos on principle, some people avoid certain zoos but support the ones that work for animal conservation.
Some people conveniently forget humans are animals too and hate humanity. Some people extend their compassion to humans as well.
Some believe in shock as an animal rights activist tool. Some use yummy vegan foods and quiet, friendly conversation.
We are all vegans. We all have various hot button topics. We will not agree on everything. That doesn't mean we have to give ourselves the right to revoke other people's "Vegan Cards" left and right. Discussion and disagreement is good in ethical philosophy. We could be a little more friendly about it, though.
Even the supposedly spiritual, jainist inspired vegans get way too hot under their collars.
Remember, pokes and prods aren't the only thing that hurts. Words can hurt too, and you are probably not the leading authority on bio-ethics or animal rights philosophy. You can present your opinion and your point of view, but don't condemn other for having minor deviations of ethical or philosophical opinions from your own.
The definition as put forth by The Vegan Society ( "Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose" ) is probably latitudinarian in it's wording in order to be inclusive rather than exclusive. It's about the ethics and the rights of animals, not your personal claim to purity.
So let's learn from each other instead of trying to revoke each other's vegan cards. Discussion and debate is fine. But turning around and pointing the finger going "THAT'S NOT VEGAN!" is not helping anyone.
And here is where my hypocricy beings and ends; Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose.
If you are eating a plant based diet because of health and could not care less about the ethics, then they are right. You are not a vegan. Because veganism is all about the ethics, and that definition is inclusive enough as it is.
Ah, hypocrisy. No one is immune to it. :)
For some it's the consumption of animal products and by-products that is the issue, for other the cruelty and exploitation that goes along with those things that is the issue. Some are personal purists, some are more relaxed.
Some people will avoid zoos on principle, some people avoid certain zoos but support the ones that work for animal conservation.
Some people conveniently forget humans are animals too and hate humanity. Some people extend their compassion to humans as well.
Some believe in shock as an animal rights activist tool. Some use yummy vegan foods and quiet, friendly conversation.
We are all vegans. We all have various hot button topics. We will not agree on everything. That doesn't mean we have to give ourselves the right to revoke other people's "Vegan Cards" left and right. Discussion and disagreement is good in ethical philosophy. We could be a little more friendly about it, though.
Even the supposedly spiritual, jainist inspired vegans get way too hot under their collars.
Remember, pokes and prods aren't the only thing that hurts. Words can hurt too, and you are probably not the leading authority on bio-ethics or animal rights philosophy. You can present your opinion and your point of view, but don't condemn other for having minor deviations of ethical or philosophical opinions from your own.
The definition as put forth by The Vegan Society ( "Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose" ) is probably latitudinarian in it's wording in order to be inclusive rather than exclusive. It's about the ethics and the rights of animals, not your personal claim to purity.
So let's learn from each other instead of trying to revoke each other's vegan cards. Discussion and debate is fine. But turning around and pointing the finger going "THAT'S NOT VEGAN!" is not helping anyone.
And here is where my hypocricy beings and ends; Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose.
If you are eating a plant based diet because of health and could not care less about the ethics, then they are right. You are not a vegan. Because veganism is all about the ethics, and that definition is inclusive enough as it is.
Ah, hypocrisy. No one is immune to it. :)
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Dancing With Plants
I have always wished I had a so-called green thumb. I have heard that my paternal grandmother could make anything grow, and my maternal grandmother has her own garden with vegetables and fruit trees.
My family seems to have had one thing in common whichever end of the family you talk to. A preference for growing, raising and to an extent killing your own food has taken a preferential status to being able to buy fancy foods.
My father was a hunter, and as a child we also raised our own chickens. We had fresh eggs, the occasional chicken and a lot of moose meat come from our own family. We also picked berries and mushrooms in the forest during the autumn and would freeze and make conserves out of a lot of it. My maternal grandmother would give us lettuce, sweet peas, rhubarb, apples and potatoes from her own garden, and she was also quite big on making her own conserves.
As I get older I feel a need to get back to that, unfortunately I am half a world away from the rich harvests of blueberries, wild raspberries, lingonberries and the occasional cloudberries at this time. But there are other things I do feel the need to do. Buy locally sourced. Plant my own lettuce, my own radishes and carrots, peas and herbs. The thought of spending a couple of hours pulling weeds out of a bed of produce almost sounds appealing to me.
I have started with one thing my maternal grandmother has always been good at, and that is knitting. I am knitting little hats and scarves, wrist warmers and thinking about moving on to socks as soon as I can buy those needles needed. I have mended many clothes and feel content working with my hands in such a way. I have started baking a lot more, plain loafs of bread, and I like cooking food from scratch with beans and legumes instead of going the route of commercially processed faux-meats.
I must admit my reluctant ways when it comes to using simple baking soda and vinegar in my cleaning, the smell is not appealing, and as such I am still buying a lot of vegan, cruelty free and environmentally friendly cleaning products. Luckily, they work wonders and smell divine.
The thing is, while I am extremely techno-progressive and love how fast we are progressing (hello, Star Trek fan and lover of the concept of energy accounting here) I feel the need to seek out things that are more sustainable, more close to home, more controllable by yours truly. Knowing that I knitted the hat my husband wears, exactly what went into the bread I made yesterday and exactly how many animals have been hurt brining me those potatoes and those heads of lettuces is appealing.
The big garden? It is probably going to have to wait until we own a home, or at least have a longer lease in place, but until then... perhaps I could start with something small, maybe a herb garden in a box that can be carried around. And, a few non-toxic plants around the house would bring some happiness to it. Maybe a lavender plant, they smell amazing and can be used for teas and scent sachets. :)
Well, for now I will be content with finding and unpacking that juicer I know is laying about somewhere. I have two kilos of carrots and a kilo of apples that are just begging to be juiced. :)
My family seems to have had one thing in common whichever end of the family you talk to. A preference for growing, raising and to an extent killing your own food has taken a preferential status to being able to buy fancy foods.
My father was a hunter, and as a child we also raised our own chickens. We had fresh eggs, the occasional chicken and a lot of moose meat come from our own family. We also picked berries and mushrooms in the forest during the autumn and would freeze and make conserves out of a lot of it. My maternal grandmother would give us lettuce, sweet peas, rhubarb, apples and potatoes from her own garden, and she was also quite big on making her own conserves.
As I get older I feel a need to get back to that, unfortunately I am half a world away from the rich harvests of blueberries, wild raspberries, lingonberries and the occasional cloudberries at this time. But there are other things I do feel the need to do. Buy locally sourced. Plant my own lettuce, my own radishes and carrots, peas and herbs. The thought of spending a couple of hours pulling weeds out of a bed of produce almost sounds appealing to me.
I have started with one thing my maternal grandmother has always been good at, and that is knitting. I am knitting little hats and scarves, wrist warmers and thinking about moving on to socks as soon as I can buy those needles needed. I have mended many clothes and feel content working with my hands in such a way. I have started baking a lot more, plain loafs of bread, and I like cooking food from scratch with beans and legumes instead of going the route of commercially processed faux-meats.
I must admit my reluctant ways when it comes to using simple baking soda and vinegar in my cleaning, the smell is not appealing, and as such I am still buying a lot of vegan, cruelty free and environmentally friendly cleaning products. Luckily, they work wonders and smell divine.
The thing is, while I am extremely techno-progressive and love how fast we are progressing (hello, Star Trek fan and lover of the concept of energy accounting here) I feel the need to seek out things that are more sustainable, more close to home, more controllable by yours truly. Knowing that I knitted the hat my husband wears, exactly what went into the bread I made yesterday and exactly how many animals have been hurt brining me those potatoes and those heads of lettuces is appealing.
The big garden? It is probably going to have to wait until we own a home, or at least have a longer lease in place, but until then... perhaps I could start with something small, maybe a herb garden in a box that can be carried around. And, a few non-toxic plants around the house would bring some happiness to it. Maybe a lavender plant, they smell amazing and can be used for teas and scent sachets. :)
Well, for now I will be content with finding and unpacking that juicer I know is laying about somewhere. I have two kilos of carrots and a kilo of apples that are just begging to be juiced. :)
"I'm just vegan for my health!"
"How does not wearing leather and silk help with your health?"
"Oh no, I still wear leather, and silk. But I eat a vegan diet because of my health. I'm not one of *those* ethical vegans."
You mean one of those vegans who actually use the word in the way it was intended?
Now, don't get me wrong, labels are best served identifying the food I can eat (which in these days comes in the shape of The Vegan Society's logo), but there is something to be said for clarity.
The discussions that has arisen in the past couple of weeks as I have been immersing myself more in the general vegan populous is getting very confusing and very muddled. People are appearing here and there claiming to be vegans, but not because of animal rights, but because of their health.
Phrases and words that have been used in the past to describe someone who eats a plant-based diet but does not follow the vegan lifestyle has been "strict vegetarian" and "someone who eats a plant based diet". This new fascination with saying that one is a vegan or eating a "vegan diet" seems to me, quite ludicrous. Along with this comes the justifications "the mainstream media uses vegan to describe all who adhere to a plant based diet".
The mainstream media of today corrupts words and twists facts all of the time... ask any scientist how correct the mainstream media are in their reporting of possible new discoveries. "We think we might have found a virus that has very interesting effects on cancer cells, we're conducting a lot of studies into if this can help with cancer treatments in the future." becomes "Scientists has found the cure for cancer!"
Please, don't let the mainstream media tell you how things work. You'll probably end up very misinformed and with conflicting information very quickly.
Now, back to the use of the term vegan. It was created by a group of vegetarians in 1944 who were concerned with the ETHICAL compromise that eating dairy and eggs presented. The ethics has been a constant companion of the word vegan and veganism since the word was coined.
Don't get me wrong, more people eating a plant based diet is awesome, but it does lead to confusion.
One vegan you meet claim to eat only plants, but sometimes they have honey, and they wear leather, silk and wool, and think that animal rights and ethics regarding animals is stupid.
The second vegan you meet eats only plants, never honey, they don't wear leather, silk or wool. They are passionate about animal rights and animal ethics and are amazed you wouldn't be, since it's supported by science that animals are more than just meat, they have sentience.
The third vegan eats only plants, never honey, don't wear leather, silk or wool and want equal rights for animals because they are all our brothers and sisters in this big cosmic wheel. We are all connected through the universal consciousness and when we harm animals we harm our own karma.
The confusion was big enough when there was the more secular vegan and the more spiritual vegan. (British type vegan and American type vegan that incorporates ahimsa into their veganism.)
And now we have a new breed, the health-nut vegan who doesn't care about ethics and rights, they just think it's healthy.
Well, I'm sorry, but just eating a plant based diet does not a vegan make.
And no, this is not me being attached to a label. It is me wanting clarity. It is me knowing that in most parts of the world when I say "I am a vegan" people know I abstain from any animal product and by-product because of an ethical conviction on my part. To expand the term "vegan" to include anyone who eats a plant based diet will mean clarifying to each and every person this comes up with which KIND of vegan I am.
"I am a vegan who does not eat any animal products or by-products and I do not wear or use them in make-up, clothes, cleaning products e.t.c as far as possible and practicable because of my ethics." instead of "I am a vegan" does not strike me as very short, concise and clear.
"I am a vegan because of my health, because I want what is best for me, but I still use leather, silk and allow for animal products to be in any kind of cleaning product, beauty product and similar because I don't care about the ethics of it." instead of "I eat a plant based diet for my health." isn't very clear either.
Maybe I am "resisting the fluidity of language" by being staunch. It's not that I don't think you have the right to call yourself whatever. Call yourself a chair or Jesus if you wish, but with that comes a few things you should expect. You can expect Christians to lash out at you if you call yourself "Jesus Christ". And yes, I will continue to assume that a vegan is someone who leads a vegan lifestyle, not someone who simply eats a plant based diet because of their health. I will also continue to be amazed that people would call themselves vegans when they are, for all intents and purposes according to the definition put forward by those who coined it, not vegan.
Clarity, is something I value. If you want to be a vegan, become a vegan. Don't just call yourself a vegan and think that will work. I can call myself a professional author all I want to, because I write. That doesn't mean I am one. My income from writing is still nil, and you cannot be a professional without ever having gotten paid for doing it, just as you cannot be a vegan without ethical concerns about the treatment of animals.
"Oh no, I still wear leather, and silk. But I eat a vegan diet because of my health. I'm not one of *those* ethical vegans."
You mean one of those vegans who actually use the word in the way it was intended?
Now, don't get me wrong, labels are best served identifying the food I can eat (which in these days comes in the shape of The Vegan Society's logo), but there is something to be said for clarity.
The discussions that has arisen in the past couple of weeks as I have been immersing myself more in the general vegan populous is getting very confusing and very muddled. People are appearing here and there claiming to be vegans, but not because of animal rights, but because of their health.
Phrases and words that have been used in the past to describe someone who eats a plant-based diet but does not follow the vegan lifestyle has been "strict vegetarian" and "someone who eats a plant based diet". This new fascination with saying that one is a vegan or eating a "vegan diet" seems to me, quite ludicrous. Along with this comes the justifications "the mainstream media uses vegan to describe all who adhere to a plant based diet".
The mainstream media of today corrupts words and twists facts all of the time... ask any scientist how correct the mainstream media are in their reporting of possible new discoveries. "We think we might have found a virus that has very interesting effects on cancer cells, we're conducting a lot of studies into if this can help with cancer treatments in the future." becomes "Scientists has found the cure for cancer!"
Please, don't let the mainstream media tell you how things work. You'll probably end up very misinformed and with conflicting information very quickly.
Now, back to the use of the term vegan. It was created by a group of vegetarians in 1944 who were concerned with the ETHICAL compromise that eating dairy and eggs presented. The ethics has been a constant companion of the word vegan and veganism since the word was coined.
Don't get me wrong, more people eating a plant based diet is awesome, but it does lead to confusion.
One vegan you meet claim to eat only plants, but sometimes they have honey, and they wear leather, silk and wool, and think that animal rights and ethics regarding animals is stupid.
The second vegan you meet eats only plants, never honey, they don't wear leather, silk or wool. They are passionate about animal rights and animal ethics and are amazed you wouldn't be, since it's supported by science that animals are more than just meat, they have sentience.
The third vegan eats only plants, never honey, don't wear leather, silk or wool and want equal rights for animals because they are all our brothers and sisters in this big cosmic wheel. We are all connected through the universal consciousness and when we harm animals we harm our own karma.
The confusion was big enough when there was the more secular vegan and the more spiritual vegan. (British type vegan and American type vegan that incorporates ahimsa into their veganism.)
And now we have a new breed, the health-nut vegan who doesn't care about ethics and rights, they just think it's healthy.
Well, I'm sorry, but just eating a plant based diet does not a vegan make.
And no, this is not me being attached to a label. It is me wanting clarity. It is me knowing that in most parts of the world when I say "I am a vegan" people know I abstain from any animal product and by-product because of an ethical conviction on my part. To expand the term "vegan" to include anyone who eats a plant based diet will mean clarifying to each and every person this comes up with which KIND of vegan I am.
"I am a vegan who does not eat any animal products or by-products and I do not wear or use them in make-up, clothes, cleaning products e.t.c as far as possible and practicable because of my ethics." instead of "I am a vegan" does not strike me as very short, concise and clear.
"I am a vegan because of my health, because I want what is best for me, but I still use leather, silk and allow for animal products to be in any kind of cleaning product, beauty product and similar because I don't care about the ethics of it." instead of "I eat a plant based diet for my health." isn't very clear either.
Maybe I am "resisting the fluidity of language" by being staunch. It's not that I don't think you have the right to call yourself whatever. Call yourself a chair or Jesus if you wish, but with that comes a few things you should expect. You can expect Christians to lash out at you if you call yourself "Jesus Christ". And yes, I will continue to assume that a vegan is someone who leads a vegan lifestyle, not someone who simply eats a plant based diet because of their health. I will also continue to be amazed that people would call themselves vegans when they are, for all intents and purposes according to the definition put forward by those who coined it, not vegan.
Clarity, is something I value. If you want to be a vegan, become a vegan. Don't just call yourself a vegan and think that will work. I can call myself a professional author all I want to, because I write. That doesn't mean I am one. My income from writing is still nil, and you cannot be a professional without ever having gotten paid for doing it, just as you cannot be a vegan without ethical concerns about the treatment of animals.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Vegan Groceries - Seasonal Fruit And Veg
I try to eat as much seasonal fruit and vegetables as possible since we are suckers for fresh produce. I plan my grocery lists around the in-season items and then plan meals around what I buy.
One favourite for autumn/winter (since that is where we are here in Australia) is apples. There are so many things they can be used for. Apple pie, apple juice, apple sauce, apple chutney, you can dice them up and put them into porridge along with some cinnamon and raw sugar, and they can be dried if you've got a good deal on a couple of kilos worth of them.
The other good thing about autumn and winter are the citrus fruits coming into season. Not only do I love grapefruit as a nice addition to breakfasts and orange as orange juice, but lemons and limes provides nice opportunities.
My husband is not a fan of plain water, and with lemon and lime the possibility for home-made lemonade comes into play. It is a lot better than the store bought, carbonated beverages in that the lemons and limes actually do contain large amounts of vitamin C.
And, for all those of us who love our Mojitos and Margaritas over the weekend the abundance of lime is great.
One of the new projects in our home is whispered about as being citrus mousses and jellies with the help of agar agar, and soy lecithin.
I love Asian food. Stir fries, Pad Thai, warm noodle soups and curries alike. With broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, ginger, kale, okra and Chinese vegetables making an entrance into the "in season" section again that is one thing we will be looking forward to. Bread, pasta and cous cous will slowly be substituted with noodles and rice, sweet potato and potato.
I hope I will come up with some nice recipes to share on this blog, and maybe some failed ones to warn against. As for now I am working on the grocery list for tomorrow. I might post again later today though, because now I am delving into options for beauty regimes, being the vain woman I am.
One favourite for autumn/winter (since that is where we are here in Australia) is apples. There are so many things they can be used for. Apple pie, apple juice, apple sauce, apple chutney, you can dice them up and put them into porridge along with some cinnamon and raw sugar, and they can be dried if you've got a good deal on a couple of kilos worth of them.
The other good thing about autumn and winter are the citrus fruits coming into season. Not only do I love grapefruit as a nice addition to breakfasts and orange as orange juice, but lemons and limes provides nice opportunities.
My husband is not a fan of plain water, and with lemon and lime the possibility for home-made lemonade comes into play. It is a lot better than the store bought, carbonated beverages in that the lemons and limes actually do contain large amounts of vitamin C.
And, for all those of us who love our Mojitos and Margaritas over the weekend the abundance of lime is great.
One of the new projects in our home is whispered about as being citrus mousses and jellies with the help of agar agar, and soy lecithin.
I love Asian food. Stir fries, Pad Thai, warm noodle soups and curries alike. With broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroot, ginger, kale, okra and Chinese vegetables making an entrance into the "in season" section again that is one thing we will be looking forward to. Bread, pasta and cous cous will slowly be substituted with noodles and rice, sweet potato and potato.
I hope I will come up with some nice recipes to share on this blog, and maybe some failed ones to warn against. As for now I am working on the grocery list for tomorrow. I might post again later today though, because now I am delving into options for beauty regimes, being the vain woman I am.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
"Veganism and Vegetarianism is a first world luxury": A response.
Let us first look at the definition of Veganism as put forward by the original British Vegan Society.
"Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose."
It is a simple definition that allows for deviations from what one would consider the norm of vegan eating when a situation is created where the complete avoidance of animal products or by-products is not possible or practicable.
One of the biggest things that is thrown in ones face as a vegan or vegetarian is this;
"Veganism and Vegetarianism is a first world luxury."
Now, it is decidedly not a first world luxury in the way the individuals who spout this phrase usually mean. In fact, meat in and of itself is not cheap to produce compared to plant matter. The high-meat diet that people in first world countries commonly adhere to is the first world luxury.
A lot of people ask what one would do if one had to live in Africa for a while. Africa is a continent where, on average, most of the food is plant based and meat is not even considered a staple but more of a delicate spice or luxury. Yams, plantains, green bananas and cassava are the essential staples in Africa. Beans and lentils are also very popular.
Most poorer countries have staple foods that are of vegetable origin as their primary food source because meat is expensive to buy, expensive to raise in terms of clean water, feed etc... and refrigeration can be a major issue causing diseases because of parasites, bacteria and similar.
So, more than the lack of meat the presence of a high quantity of meat is a first world luxury. The luxury first world vegans and vegetarians have is knowledge of nutrition requirements, and this does not disappear because you have travelled to a poorer country. Meat, as a staple, is confined to the countries that are high beef producers and the "developed first world" and in most of these cases it is factory farming that makes it possible.
http://www.afrol.com/archive/food_staples.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/dec/12/ugali-masai-african-food
http://www.congocookbook.com/staple_dish_recipes/index.html
http://cyberschool.oxfam.org.hk/eng/articles.php?id=82&page=2
The reason I used Africa in this is because it is the most commonly used continent in correlation with this statement.
When using places like India for example it becomes easy to refute since almost a third of the Indian population are, in fact, vegans or vegetarians because of religious convictions.
While the high level of plant-based food might not be a choice for poorer people because of the cost of meat, the problems with adequate cooling and similar that does not mean that being a vegetarian or vegan is a first world luxury. Most people do fine on the very things that would largely be available to them on the African continent, albeit in smaller portions, while faux meats might be a first world luxury, a plant-based diet is not. A meat-based diet, however, is a first world luxury on the scale your average American, Australian or European consume it.
Arguing on the Internet about someone's choice to abstain from animal products? That is definitely a first world luxury.
"Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing and any other purpose."
It is a simple definition that allows for deviations from what one would consider the norm of vegan eating when a situation is created where the complete avoidance of animal products or by-products is not possible or practicable.
One of the biggest things that is thrown in ones face as a vegan or vegetarian is this;
"Veganism and Vegetarianism is a first world luxury."
Now, it is decidedly not a first world luxury in the way the individuals who spout this phrase usually mean. In fact, meat in and of itself is not cheap to produce compared to plant matter. The high-meat diet that people in first world countries commonly adhere to is the first world luxury.
A lot of people ask what one would do if one had to live in Africa for a while. Africa is a continent where, on average, most of the food is plant based and meat is not even considered a staple but more of a delicate spice or luxury. Yams, plantains, green bananas and cassava are the essential staples in Africa. Beans and lentils are also very popular.
Most poorer countries have staple foods that are of vegetable origin as their primary food source because meat is expensive to buy, expensive to raise in terms of clean water, feed etc... and refrigeration can be a major issue causing diseases because of parasites, bacteria and similar.
So, more than the lack of meat the presence of a high quantity of meat is a first world luxury. The luxury first world vegans and vegetarians have is knowledge of nutrition requirements, and this does not disappear because you have travelled to a poorer country. Meat, as a staple, is confined to the countries that are high beef producers and the "developed first world" and in most of these cases it is factory farming that makes it possible.
http://www.afrol.com/archive/food_staples.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/dec/12/ugali-masai-african-food
http://www.congocookbook.com/staple_dish_recipes/index.html
http://cyberschool.oxfam.org.hk/eng/articles.php?id=82&page=2
The reason I used Africa in this is because it is the most commonly used continent in correlation with this statement.
When using places like India for example it becomes easy to refute since almost a third of the Indian population are, in fact, vegans or vegetarians because of religious convictions.
While the high level of plant-based food might not be a choice for poorer people because of the cost of meat, the problems with adequate cooling and similar that does not mean that being a vegetarian or vegan is a first world luxury. Most people do fine on the very things that would largely be available to them on the African continent, albeit in smaller portions, while faux meats might be a first world luxury, a plant-based diet is not. A meat-based diet, however, is a first world luxury on the scale your average American, Australian or European consume it.
Arguing on the Internet about someone's choice to abstain from animal products? That is definitely a first world luxury.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Mushroom Burgers and lip balm...
So... I finally got to go to The Green Edge, and I was not disappointed. Like most fairly new vegans I am used to the selection of, for example, refrigerated goodies be around 5 items including 2 varieties of Tofu. This place was heaven... I wanted to buy the entire store, but unfortunately this fortnight is extra hard for us. (All bills including electricity going out)
I did walk away with a neat selection. My chapped lips are in heaven thanks to the HURRAW! lip balm. I splurged and got two. One root beer and one black cherry tinted one. They're both awesome!
Their mushroom burgers were FANTASTIC! I wasn't expecting them to be THAT tasty, but the vegan cheese they used in combination with the mushroom and the mango chutney was beyond yummy, and they were LARGE. My burger had three huge mushrooms in it.
We made mini-pizzas with the cheese and pepperoni slices I bought and I loved it, the husband thought it was okay, but he was unimpressed. Now I'm boiling sweet corn and then I'm going to knit a small hat for myself, one without ears... contemplating a bath.
Tomorrow I am going to try the soy chicken in a stirfry, and later in the week we'll have the asam fillets. Can't wait. I am so stuffed... I think I was still stuffed from the burgers when I started in on dinner! :D
Veganism and bad videos...
So, I finally made that youtube video, and it was bad. Why? Because I couldn't get any editing and recording to work except for youtube direct webcam recording. That means no editing and bad quality. Eventually, after having re-done it five freaking times in one hour I thought "fuckit" and just settled for the last version. Stupid? Probably. I got most of my points across though. But this was a response to a larger youtube user, and that is kind of... silly of me.
I am going to make a good vegan video in a couple of days though, because there needs to be more reasonable ones out there. *le sigh*
Well, for now I am DONE. Now all I am going to do is enjoy a cigarette, do some knitting and load up an episode of House... if there is enough time... OH! I was supposed to take care of a bunch of other things as well! DARN IT!
Tomorrow is The Green Edge day! WHOOT! Root beer flavoured vegan lip balm here I COME! I can't decide what to get from the cafe though! Mushroom burger? Breaded tofu burger? Veggie burger? ARGH! So many choices! Or should I just get a sundae? Or both? EEEK! Maybe a thickshake?
Oh well, off to bed I go.
I am going to make a good vegan video in a couple of days though, because there needs to be more reasonable ones out there. *le sigh*
Well, for now I am DONE. Now all I am going to do is enjoy a cigarette, do some knitting and load up an episode of House... if there is enough time... OH! I was supposed to take care of a bunch of other things as well! DARN IT!
Tomorrow is The Green Edge day! WHOOT! Root beer flavoured vegan lip balm here I COME! I can't decide what to get from the cafe though! Mushroom burger? Breaded tofu burger? Veggie burger? ARGH! So many choices! Or should I just get a sundae? Or both? EEEK! Maybe a thickshake?
Oh well, off to bed I go.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Failed baking and headaches...
I developed the headache from hell earlier today. Luckily I was able to banish it with a couple of painkillers and a nap. I am still tired as all hell though. I know why, I have been skimping on the water lately. The reason for that is that our water tastes like dirt, literally. Not very appetising, and it usually makes me a little nauseated, but apparently not dangerous according to the husband, and since all the water around here seems to have that taste I'll believe him.
I tried baking vegan cinnamon scrolls today. It did not go well. The texture was good, the taste was awful. I tried a shortcut by using bicarbonate soda instead of making a proper yeast dough. Never doing that again, next time I'll either use self raising flour or baking powder at the very least. At least hubby eats the things despite them tasting like buttfluff. (Not literally, but metaphorically)
Now I am sitting here and trying to decide if I should have a bath or if I should knit and watch some episodes of House. Regardless of what I end up doing I will be making a youtube video tomorrow. Nervous about that. It is an awaited response to a larger youtube user, I always get nervous about things like these, but... someone had to represent the vegan community in a reasonable and adult way. Dear heavens my fellow vegans can be asshats!
Oh well, time for that knitting! Knitting and tea! I am thinking rose and french vanilla for today. And then we'll see if I end up watching House or if I decide to listen to some of that Lana Del Rey. My sister is sold on her, and I have to agree that she is quite good.
I tried baking vegan cinnamon scrolls today. It did not go well. The texture was good, the taste was awful. I tried a shortcut by using bicarbonate soda instead of making a proper yeast dough. Never doing that again, next time I'll either use self raising flour or baking powder at the very least. At least hubby eats the things despite them tasting like buttfluff. (Not literally, but metaphorically)
Now I am sitting here and trying to decide if I should have a bath or if I should knit and watch some episodes of House. Regardless of what I end up doing I will be making a youtube video tomorrow. Nervous about that. It is an awaited response to a larger youtube user, I always get nervous about things like these, but... someone had to represent the vegan community in a reasonable and adult way. Dear heavens my fellow vegans can be asshats!
Oh well, time for that knitting! Knitting and tea! I am thinking rose and french vanilla for today. And then we'll see if I end up watching House or if I decide to listen to some of that Lana Del Rey. My sister is sold on her, and I have to agree that she is quite good.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Cold feet and warm beds
It is cold tonight, chilly in fact... I am curled up in bed, wanting more tea and to watch an episode of Supernatural.
I made my go-to dish for dinner, a pearl couscous with mushroom and a vegan hot dog chopped up into it. And kale... kale is awesome.
I would love to spend the entire day tomorrow reading. But what should I read? I have to finish Wuthering Heights soon so I can start with another classic. And I am currently also reading "The Vampire Lestat". But I feel like some fantasy. I might have to go looking through my husband's side of the collection of books we have...
Oh well, I might just have to coax the husband to make me that cup of tea, my feet do not want to touch another cold tile in a long while.
I made my go-to dish for dinner, a pearl couscous with mushroom and a vegan hot dog chopped up into it. And kale... kale is awesome.
I would love to spend the entire day tomorrow reading. But what should I read? I have to finish Wuthering Heights soon so I can start with another classic. And I am currently also reading "The Vampire Lestat". But I feel like some fantasy. I might have to go looking through my husband's side of the collection of books we have...
Oh well, I might just have to coax the husband to make me that cup of tea, my feet do not want to touch another cold tile in a long while.
Friday, May 18, 2012
No Sushi, but plenty yum!
I ended up not making sushi anyway. I ended up making pasta with vegan schnitzel and fried beetroot with a side of roasted sunflower seeds and a carrot/red cabbage salad. It was plenty yummy, and all vegan.
Now, what to do now? Well, if I can choose I will read for a bit, followed by some dancing around the room, then writing. Or writing before dancing. Who knows?
There is still plenty of dry roasted sunflower seeds left over (and yes, I roast them myself), so that will be my snack. Now for the after dinner coffee and a large glass of water.
Now, what to do now? Well, if I can choose I will read for a bit, followed by some dancing around the room, then writing. Or writing before dancing. Who knows?
There is still plenty of dry roasted sunflower seeds left over (and yes, I roast them myself), so that will be my snack. Now for the after dinner coffee and a large glass of water.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Reading and Sushi
The visit to the Vegan cafe and shop has been pushed forward to next week. I am a little bit disappointed but my friend (and cousin-in-law) is a little under the weather at the moment, and health comes first!
I had an okay day anyway so far. Some scotch and beer has been imbibed (not good for the health), I made my own vegan burger and will be making vegan sushi for dinner. I got some kale, mushrooms, celery and carrots from the veggie store, so we will not go without yummy food. That much is certain. I also got organic beetroot and sunflower seed and will attempt to make something yummy with that. (I am a huge fan of beetroot. So yummy!)
Until then I have books to read, sites to check out, a new episode of Bones to watch (season finale unless I am mistaken), a bath to soak in and a youtube video to plan. Yes. I have decided to step into the youtube arena yet again. This time as a champion for rational veganism.
What to do first? Oh well, I think I'll start with the reading and work my way from there. The husband will probably be busy with his DnD campaign all afternoon and evening.
Keep healthy, people!
I had an okay day anyway so far. Some scotch and beer has been imbibed (not good for the health), I made my own vegan burger and will be making vegan sushi for dinner. I got some kale, mushrooms, celery and carrots from the veggie store, so we will not go without yummy food. That much is certain. I also got organic beetroot and sunflower seed and will attempt to make something yummy with that. (I am a huge fan of beetroot. So yummy!)
Until then I have books to read, sites to check out, a new episode of Bones to watch (season finale unless I am mistaken), a bath to soak in and a youtube video to plan. Yes. I have decided to step into the youtube arena yet again. This time as a champion for rational veganism.
What to do first? Oh well, I think I'll start with the reading and work my way from there. The husband will probably be busy with his DnD campaign all afternoon and evening.
Keep healthy, people!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Ubuntu and Vegan Hot-Dogs
So, I have a geek thing to talk about. Ubuntu. I just changed my OS on my old netbook from the Windows XP (Because it was bombarding me with error reports and it couldn't even re-install itself) to Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Remix, Maverick.
This thing has never worked better, ever. The wireless is up and running perfectly (it never ran even okay on the Windows OS); the graphics, sound, mic and webcam is way better than it ever was as well; Ubuntu just rules with all the nifty features it has. I downloaded GIMP and opened it. In less time than it took me to even download GIMP on my last OS it was installed and loaded and I had played around with it. The thing is just amazing.
Also, I just devoured a vegan hot-dog with mustard and tomato sauce as well as fried onion. It was delicious. For those of you who can get it Fry's is the best in my opinion. The hot dogs are yummy and not to strong in their flavour.
Hopefully I will be going out tomorrow with the husbands cousin and aunt to try out this vegan store/cafe. I have to get me one of those lip balms at the very least! Now... cherry or root beer flavour? That is the question. :P
This thing has never worked better, ever. The wireless is up and running perfectly (it never ran even okay on the Windows OS); the graphics, sound, mic and webcam is way better than it ever was as well; Ubuntu just rules with all the nifty features it has. I downloaded GIMP and opened it. In less time than it took me to even download GIMP on my last OS it was installed and loaded and I had played around with it. The thing is just amazing.
Also, I just devoured a vegan hot-dog with mustard and tomato sauce as well as fried onion. It was delicious. For those of you who can get it Fry's is the best in my opinion. The hot dogs are yummy and not to strong in their flavour.
Hopefully I will be going out tomorrow with the husbands cousin and aunt to try out this vegan store/cafe. I have to get me one of those lip balms at the very least! Now... cherry or root beer flavour? That is the question. :P
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Coffee and Guitars
I've been thinking about the world and my life in general lately. So much that it has begun to make me uneasy. But then I just sit down with a cup of coffee and play my guitar (badly, I might add). A lot of the things in life are so incredibly small and can seem mundane. Sometimes we don't even pay attention to them. But days like these, where the sun is shining and you have some spare time for a cup of coffee and the guitar one stops thinking and start living.
On a more food related note I am going to mosey on into the kitchen soon to fry up some Fry's burgers and down that vegan goodness with a large dose of mustard. (I am a mustard fiend)
Somewhere along the line I want this to become more than just a small, personal blog. More like a lifestyle blog, but with less shallowness and more beautiful words. Words of compassion... and lots of yummy vegan food!
Monday, May 14, 2012
It be cold in here...
I am sitting here in my newly knitted "cat ears" hat and wondering what to make for dinner. Curry or pearl couscous with mushrooms? Either way I have more yarn, lots of plans and a lot of want and need to write.
I will probably end up in the sofa today after dinner with a cup of Rose and French Vanilla tea and the yarn knitting weird stuff while watching episodes of Supernatural. OR! I could watch some Disney movies. Oooh, decisions!
But, to the good news! I might be going to Earth Edge cafe on Friday! It is a place my husbands cousin tipped me off about and she is letting me tag along if I want to! She showed me some of the stuff she had gotten from there and WOW. Lip balm that smells like root beer, faux parmesan (yum!) and vegan cheese that melts! YAY! They also have a cafe, that serves burgers. Vegan burgers with vegan aioli! And they have sundaes! I want to go TODAY!
Oh well. I think I decided on the pearl couscous! With vegan hot dogs and mushrooms. I am off to cook some nomnoms! Later!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The Shining and Cold
It is cold outside, I am curled up in the sofa. A moss green blanket wrapped around me and one of my husbands jumpers with a hood pulled over my head.
I have spent most of the day in a kind of daze. I keep wanting to make something... a drawing, a story, make something come to life. But the cold is seeping the energy out of me, and I cannot decide if I should cook dinner now or later.
Speaking of dinner, I have a recipe idea in my head. Just the thought of it is making my mouth water a little bit. I seem to have a need for pasta. It is good comfort food for cold evenings. I guess I should get started, even though I am not particularly hungry courtesy of a small handful of pecans. Oooh, I should add pecans to the dinner.
Oh well, I suppose I had better get started. Nothing is going to get better by me sitting here typing while half watching "The Shining".
I have spent most of the day in a kind of daze. I keep wanting to make something... a drawing, a story, make something come to life. But the cold is seeping the energy out of me, and I cannot decide if I should cook dinner now or later.
Speaking of dinner, I have a recipe idea in my head. Just the thought of it is making my mouth water a little bit. I seem to have a need for pasta. It is good comfort food for cold evenings. I guess I should get started, even though I am not particularly hungry courtesy of a small handful of pecans. Oooh, I should add pecans to the dinner.
Oh well, I suppose I had better get started. Nothing is going to get better by me sitting here typing while half watching "The Shining".
Friday, May 4, 2012
Images, Words and Those Pains...
... I cannot wait until next month to see if the vegan diet does for me what it did last time I went on it. It almost eradicated my cramps, which was awesome. Right now I am not liking being a woman.
I am sitting here, sipping on a beer and playing around with images, words and creative thoughts.
I am hungry again, and I kind of wish I would have made more yummy food for dinner. We had hot dogs (vegan of coarse) with wholemeal bread. The husband had bought some veggie bacon that unfortunately contained egg white that he had with it. I, on the other hand, made a Tofu scramble that was delicious!
Tomorrow I'm making tofu curry. I can't wait! I have missed curry. It's so darned yummy! <3
Oh! I can have a sammich! Alfalfa sprouts and half of an avocado. Some onion and red bell pepper! *drools* Yumyumyum.
The husband is DMing a DnD game over Skype. It's quite cute, but it makes me feel a little bit lonely on Friday nights when they don't have Rugby League games on. I could plug in the PS2 and play some Star Wars games, I suppose... but right now I am content half-watching episodes of Dark Angel.
I also want to make this dish I have been thinking about. A pasta with kale, avocado and olives. Should be delicious.
Oh well, back to the Dark Angel and beer sipping.
I am sitting here, sipping on a beer and playing around with images, words and creative thoughts.
I am hungry again, and I kind of wish I would have made more yummy food for dinner. We had hot dogs (vegan of coarse) with wholemeal bread. The husband had bought some veggie bacon that unfortunately contained egg white that he had with it. I, on the other hand, made a Tofu scramble that was delicious!
Tomorrow I'm making tofu curry. I can't wait! I have missed curry. It's so darned yummy! <3
Oh! I can have a sammich! Alfalfa sprouts and half of an avocado. Some onion and red bell pepper! *drools* Yumyumyum.
The husband is DMing a DnD game over Skype. It's quite cute, but it makes me feel a little bit lonely on Friday nights when they don't have Rugby League games on. I could plug in the PS2 and play some Star Wars games, I suppose... but right now I am content half-watching episodes of Dark Angel.
I also want to make this dish I have been thinking about. A pasta with kale, avocado and olives. Should be delicious.
Oh well, back to the Dark Angel and beer sipping.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Changes are exciting!
I'm on the cups of that change from lacto-ovo vegetarian to vegan. I'm excited. I have been working towards it for a while now, and in high-school I was a vegan for over a year. I was extremely healthy despite having some minor disordered eating. I can't wait for tomorrow when we will officially be out of dairy and eggs. The fridge is stocked and ready to go.
For breakfast I will have wholemeal toast with baked beans and soy milk with cereal.
Lunch will be potatoes, mushrooms and broccoli.
Dinner will, most likely, be a curry with brown rice.
I also have bananas, oranges, juice, red bell peppers, almonds and everything in between.
I'm also going to exercise. Minor yoga in the morning, since I haven't done it in a long while... then dancing and weights in the afternoon.
There will also be a lot of cleaning and washing. I have a lot of things to sort through in order to finally get some... well... order. I also want to clean out the juicer we have properly and try it out. Kale, orange and carrot juice sounds pretty good.
So, plans starting to come together. We're (husband and I) soon going to curl up in bed to watch an episode of Supernatural (Dean/Jensen is the cutest, despite all those cheeseburgers!) and drink a big cup of tea, and perhaps relax with some reading. I bought a French book at a second hand store today. We'll see how much I will understand of it, I haven't studied French since primary school.
Camomile tea, here I come!
For breakfast I will have wholemeal toast with baked beans and soy milk with cereal.
Lunch will be potatoes, mushrooms and broccoli.
Dinner will, most likely, be a curry with brown rice.
I also have bananas, oranges, juice, red bell peppers, almonds and everything in between.
I'm also going to exercise. Minor yoga in the morning, since I haven't done it in a long while... then dancing and weights in the afternoon.
There will also be a lot of cleaning and washing. I have a lot of things to sort through in order to finally get some... well... order. I also want to clean out the juicer we have properly and try it out. Kale, orange and carrot juice sounds pretty good.
So, plans starting to come together. We're (husband and I) soon going to curl up in bed to watch an episode of Supernatural (Dean/Jensen is the cutest, despite all those cheeseburgers!) and drink a big cup of tea, and perhaps relax with some reading. I bought a French book at a second hand store today. We'll see how much I will understand of it, I haven't studied French since primary school.
Camomile tea, here I come!
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