# Veg Mamas Tribal Roll Call and Veg Support: July Thread



## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Well I thought I would start a July thread for us, hope thats ok with everyone. My dad had his heart worked on yesterday and had one blockage that was 99.9% blocked. It was lucky that he didnt have a heart attack. They were able to balloon it out so they didnt have to do bypass, which was also lucky. They are changing some of the ways that they are eating now because of this. My dad has high cholesterol too, so that doesnt help. I brought some of my vegetarian books down for my mom to look at while we waited and explained about good and bad fats. I think they are going to choose a lot more non-meat meals. My mom said they went to someones house and had a casserole made with soymeat (hamburger like) and said it was really good. I dont think she thinks Im as crazy as she once did for going veggie.


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

s for you and your family Carey. Sounds like he caught that right in time. It's so good for your mom to listen to you, my mom has health problems I could write a freakin novel about and she just won't listen to me about how to heal with food. So sad, just watching her injest all those pills and eat like s**t and feel lousy half the time. Hope all goes well. And oh, thanks for starting the new thread, always reminds me my rent is due


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

Mamacarey, I'm glad for your parents. My dad to had to have a stint put in an artery last year. They've cleaned up there eating a lot since then and he's walking every day now. Unfortunately mom won't and she's still smoking. Ugh.
We're going over there on the fourth for a barbeque, and luckily they are very nice about making vegi burgers and keeping meat out of various foods that don't need it. At mom's house the meat looks like meat and you don't have to ask. At mil's house it could be lurking anywhere- salads, soups, dips, you name it.


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

aagh... clogged milk duct (duck?). Feeling like sh... I've got a question that I've been meaning to ask you oh-so-knowledgable vegans...
So does anyone know where paraffin wax comes from? I always assumed it was a plant/chemi sort of thing, no? IS is at all related to beeswax?


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

: SO! Is EVERYONE looking fwd to those 4th of July carni-ques?
Luckily, I have plenty of veggie burgers and portabellos should the need arrise.

ITA with just buying something ready made for company. Sometimes I will just pick up a pkg of organic/free range chick breasts for dh to grill for company. Organic makes me feel ethically better, grilling keeps it outa my kitchen


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

Hi ladies









ahh another month passed... wow this year is going by quickly...


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Parrafin is derived from coal. We'd like to have a veggie-B-Q but we don't have any friends to invite









Maybe I'll scrounge some up somewhere. I just made a new friend and she's a veggie.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Hi Y'all - I'm going to share this with everyone but it is specially for isosmom.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Two options - seitan or soy

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion - chopped
big handful of baby carrots (or small regular carrots) - sliced
handful mushrooms (optional - I've never used them) - sliced
handful of chopped parsley
1 C veggie stock or 1 C hot water with veggie bullion cube
salt/pepper/cayenne/vegan Worsteshire sauce to taste
2 packages either Yves Ground Round or Chicken style seitan (chopped into tiny pieces)
olive oil
large glass or ceramic dish for the oven
a few tablespoons of flour (for thickening, it doesn't really matter what kind)
a whole bunch of russet potatoes - cubed

Procedure:

Put pot of water to boil for potatoes. Boil until soft, drain in colander with a bit of cold water poured on to prevent further cooking. Mash as you like (olive oil, Earth Balance, butter, soy milk, etc.) I usually use a lot of Earth Balance, a little soymilk, and some salt and pepper.

While the water is boiling, saute onion, mushroom, baby carrots, and parsley in oil until carrots are semi-cooked. Add "meat" and cook for several minutes, stirring so that it browns. Add flour and stir until blended, then add veggie stock and stir. Cook on low until thick. (Use this time to mash the potatoes!)

Add spices to taste (I usually use several shakes of Worsteshire sauce). Put in dish, topped with potatoes. Heat in oven (it doesn't really matter what temperature) for about 10 minutes, then pop under broiler to brown top of mashed potatoes (put a little bit of butter or margerine on them before doing this).

Serve to a very happy family or friends!

It's pretty easy to alter this depending on how many people you'll be serving. For DH and I, we made this exact recipie and had enough for dinner and lunch the next day. (FYI - DH was a GREEDY PIG that night and ate way too much. It would easily serve 4 people and have some left over.)

Enjoy!


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Three in a row! Go me!

Has anyone seen Tracie lately (AKA PeacefulVegan)?

I hadn't noticed any posts from her so I was just wondering...


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Thanks Pikku.
I'm going to 2 barbques this weekend, but it should be good. One's more like a cocktail party, go me! The kids are gonna be with my parents, big night out for me and dh








I think we've lost quite a few in the switch from FYT to GE.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

plugged duct here to.... getting worse instead of better







I'm sure it was from being so busy during the move that we didn't nurse as much.

What protein options for breakfast are there besides oatmeal? I'm getting board of it....

We're not doing anything for the holiday weekend... I'm not feeling very patriotic these days and really we've never done anything for it, so why start now? We're just gonna enjoy our time together as a family- do some shopping.


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

So you've completed the move Rainbow? Congrats. I feel soooooo happy to be out of my mom's house, and dh is so so so so so so happy







How about nut butter sammies for brekkie? I always eat a high fiber cereal myself, always trying to go all out and make a tofu scramble or something, but never have the time, dd wants to eat as soon as she wakes up.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

If you are taking the time to make oatmeal, you could be having french toast! I posted my recipie a while back but here it is again:

1 container Mori-Nu silken tofu - the soft kind for sauces
1/2 C soymilk or mixture of soy and rice
cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla (or use vanilla soymilk)
Maple Syrup (of course!)

Blend all together until smooth, dip thick slices of bread on each side, and fry in pretty hot oil (I use organic Canola.) Depending on how many slices you eat, this can have a LOT of protein, from both bread and tofu.

This recipie usually makes enough for DH and I to have two breakfasts of 3 slices each, plus some left over - which I sometimes have for dessert or a 3rd breakfast.

We also often have toast with almond butter for breakfast. With 2 slices of whole wheat toast and our Organic Woodstock Farms AB (only $6 a pound), you get 13g of protein (4 for each slice, 5 for AB).

I'm feeling very patriotic lately (for country, not gov't) so we're going to see Farenheit 9/11 this weekend. I figure the best thing we can do for our country is to be more informed, right?


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

hi mamas.thought I'd join this thread for support and yummy ideas!







I'm currently struggling with my diet due to an illness I had a few months back (pancreatitis/gallbladder issues). basically I've lost my appetite and when I am hungry I tend to go for boring stuff latley like oatmeal,yogurt or toast...yum,right?..problem is I love to cook and bake so at least my family is currently well fed! lol! (my DH grandma loves when I visit as I'm always taking her treats)






















to you mamacarey..I hope your dad makes a speedy recovery!
my mom has high cholesterol too so I can relate to trying to get a family member to make changes (or at least educate them when they ask). maybe you could make a few veggie meals for your parents and share the recipes? (every single time I make my family something they hem and haw and then eat it and rave,then go home with the recipe, it's so funny..)

btw garlic and green tea are supposedly good for reducing cholesterol!

so I've been veggie for 10 years and vegan of and on for the last 5. currently I'm on dairy as I got way to addicted to eating it again when I was preggers. I am trying to phase it out again but it's so hard when I am hungry for so few things these days!

I would love to exchange more recipes with you mamas! those already posted look great!

I'm especially looking for light dinners without soy analogs or breads...

oh and heres some of my recipes for some yummy salsas staright from my southwestern kitchen!! (you can use them on veggie wraps, pitas, as a dip for sandwhiches and with chips, over rice,whatever really!)

~mango Salsa~

4 mangos chopped
1-2 tomatoes chopped
1 red/yellow onion (depending on your taste) chopped
1 bunch of cilantro minced
juice from 3-5 limes (again depending on your taste)

combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for an hour or so to combine flavors.

~yummy mexican style salsa~

6-8 roma tomatoes, chopped
1-2 yellow onions chopped
lime juice to taste
1 cloves garlic minced
1 bunch cilantro minced
2 avacadoes chopped

combine and serve! yum! (you can also put all ingredients in the food processor to make it quicker)


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Rainbowmom, you're recipes look tasty







Please tell me how to chop cilantro! Do you pick every little leaf off the stem first?







I've made a couple of new recipes lately with cilantro and picking the leaves off takes as much time as everything else! Thanks!


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *callmemama*
Rainbowmom, you're recipes look tasty







Please tell me how to chop cilantro! Do you pick every little leaf off the stem first?







I've made a couple of new recipes lately with cilantro and picking the leaves off takes as much time as everything else! Thanks!

I know you didn't ask me, but cilantro is one of those herbs whose stem is tasty, so just go ahead and chop it up with everything else. I go for the rustic look when I cook


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

When I worked in a tex-mex resteraunt and was the salsa-maker, I always chopped about half-way down the stem. If you picked off every stem, you'd be in the kitchen all day!


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dready*mama*
When I worked in a tex-mex resteraunt and was the salsa-maker, I always chopped about half-way down the stem. If you picked off every stem, you'd be in the kitchen all day!










Hear hear! When DH and I make tacos (about once a week), I'm in charge of making the fixings. I always used to pick off each leaf and it would take so long. The last time we made them, the genius of a man said "Why don't you just chop it up?" DUH!!! So I cut halfway up the stem and chopped the rest. So easy! And when it's chopped up it also stays in the taco much better than it does when whole.

Mamacarey - I also hope your dad gets better soon. My dad also struggles with cholesterol as well as high blood pressure and a hypothyroid. (He's really fat because of it - just in his stomach. Wierd!) So he eats a mostly-vegetarian diet partly because of it, and partly because he's really poor and on assistance. As far as I know, he's much healthier now.

Rainbow - another protein idea. Tonight we decided to get a little







and bought a container of pumpkin butter instead of our usual almond butter. It's a bit more expensive, and a lot more oily so you have to stir it up really well but it tasted really good on crackers and toast and besides having 5g of protein a serving, also has tons of Omega oils, which DH usually takes in capsule form not only for the Omegas but they also help men's prostates, which he has problems with. We thought it might make for an interesting hummus, and also be an easy way of making our pumpkinseed pesto, which sometimes we're kind of lazy to do.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

yum pumpkin butter









rainbow- do you like soy yogurt? it has tons of protein (up to 14 grams I believe in some brands)..just top with some granola. easy to clean up too!

btw the easiest way to chop cilantro is to stick it in the food processor..or I usually use a sharp butcher knife to mince it up.

so I have insomnia and am scouring the web for recipes that appeal to me as I've actually been hungry today! :LOL

here's one my DH invented that's super easy..

~stuffed pizzas~

1 loaf italian bread
1/2 c.sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 small jar/can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and chopped
1 c. mozerella cheese/ cheese subsitute/ nutritional yeast (though it's also really good with no cheese at all if you're vegan!)
1/2 c. mushrooms, chopped
1- 1 1/2 c. pizza sauce
1 bunch each fresh oregano & basil, minced

*you can add pretty much whatever you like to this recipe*

preheat oven to 350 and cut off the top of the bread and hollow out the center crumbling up bread crumbs into a bowl..add remaining ingredients and mix well. spoon back into the bread (tp w/ cheese, cheese subsitute or nutritional yeast)and bake for 20 min or so until heated through..hope you enjoy if you try this!









will post more soon!


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Thanks for all the tips on chopping cilantro! I might continue to use it now :LOL


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

My blender died! I've drooled over the VitaMix, but I just bought a really good food processor two years ago and don't think I can justify another major machine. For those of you that use a blender everyday (Hello, Annie?!), what kind of blender do you have? Consumer Reports just retracted their 2003 review of blenders because they found that their top-rated one had problems after a few uses. I would love something that could handle not only making smoothies but "juicing" with the whole fruit/veggie - no discarding of pulp! I'm not asking for much, am I? lol


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

I







my Kitchen Aide glass blender, it is die hard and I use it every day.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

we have a cuisinart that is over 30 years old that my parents gave us when they cleaned out thier basement..the thing is ancient but the absolute best!









IME before I got this cuisinart I burned out about 5 blenders in several price ranges under 2 years (as well as several hand mixers!)..I just don't think they make them (small appliances) like they used to.


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

So how was everyone's long weekend? I had to work Fri and Sun so it was pretty normal for me, except I went to two barbques. My mom is always so considerate and gets me veg stuff. Sunday my friends had a little fiesta and there was the best vegan food there.







She made yellow rice and lentils, ceci bean salad, hummus, grilled tofu, I ate and ate and ate.








Gearing up here for mil and sil visit, which is 3 days earlier than I had thought. Speaking of ILs, hows it going over there dready?


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## HeatherG (May 22, 2003)

Anyone have a vegan recipe for corn chowder? I have 6 ears of corn I need to use up and I am craving corn chowder ( I was at a family party this weekend and my grandmother made corn chowder that looked SO good but it had milk in it I forgot to ask her the recipe )


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

We just make regular old chowder with soymilk







mmmmm.... I'll scrounge up our recipe and send it to ya soon.
aaack. the inlaws! they are on day 2 of 4. MIL is picking at my food like I flavored it with rat feces. She seriously puts one piece of lettuce and one noodle and a slice of tomato on her plate, and then an entire pork chop... WTF?? Anyone wanna come over? Seems that we've got PLENTY of leftovers! Oh yeah, little one turned 1 yesterday (yippee!) and we made the mile-high choc. cake from Vegan Vittles with choc. butter frosting (I don't like the frosting recipe they use) and blackberries.SOOOOOOO good!


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

I'm in CA but I'll hitchhike over (I can't drive) for some of that cake!


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## hipmamato1 (Jun 17, 2003)

hi everyone,
I'm new here... my daughter (16 months) and I just went veggie about two weeks ago. I've been inspired by a visiting vegan friend. I love it! I feel great. I've never been much of a carnivor anyway... we were only eating chicken and fish. I got online tonight because I'm running out of veggie meal ideas and I'm worried about dd getting enough protein. I don't want to subsitute everything with soy. I'd love any suggestions.

So, I just wanted to say HELLO. Thanks for the recipes!! I can't wait to try the mango salsa!

mamacarey... I hope your dad feels better soon.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

Welcome! At first I counted and calculated, but before long I just decided to keep healthful food options around the house and discard the junk and let their bodies lead the way. They both eat very well to







The amount of protein we need really isn't that hard to get I've found.

anyway, welcome to the group!









We don't use our blender all that much- we use our food processor more. I think that new blender with the smoothie spout looks cool (gimicky, but cool)


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Hi all. We had a wonderful vegie 4th. Well, as good as it gets for us anyway. We went to the local parade. There were turkey legs galore and the only veg item was corn on the cob....mmmmm... BUT it was grilled w/ the turkey legs!?! ick. Baylor managed to be nice for about an hour then we were forced to leave as he refused to sit in his stroller, refused to hold our hands, refused to be carried... he only wanted to run MAD thru the huge crowds...yah, right.

We went home and enjoyed home made vegie nut burgers on our vegie grill and sat in the kiddie pool!








Kimberley


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Welcome hipmama. I'm with Rainbow, I try to keep loose count of what we're eating, but if dd's got energy and I keep only healthy food (ok, mostly healthy) food around the house, I know we're doing ok. Besides, kids go on their food jags, and if I had to worry every time dd only ate cheese or blueberries all week, I'd lose my mind








Ok, I've got a ? What can I sub for yoghurt in recipies. Mostly for baking. Would soy yoghurt work? I don't really like the texture of it, kinda grainy, but would it taste good in baking etc.?
And oh yeah, dready, I'm on my way, save some food for me. By the time your ILs are gone, mine will be here :LOL


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Hi everyone! My dad is doing well and actually got to go back to work today.
We have found out that our dd is allergic to dairy. She had mac and cheese twice this week and broke out in a rash both times she ate it. Guess we are going to have to switch to the soy and rice versions here. I made a batch of no bake oatmeal cookies the other day for my dad and I used rice milk instead of cows milk. You would never know the difference. I actually like the taste of the vanilla rice milk a lot. I suggested it to my mom for my dad and she said she didnt think he would go for it "Because he likes the cow taste."







: I was unaware that cow milk had a cow taste.


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## FoxintheSnow (May 11, 2004)

Hi I'm new here. I have been vegetarian since 1991 and vegan since 1994. DH is also vegan and we plan to raise ds vegan as well. I love vegans especially vegan moms. I feel like I have a natural affinity for other vegans!

Said by my 3 year old vegan nephew- "No Grandma I dont want a Winnie the Pooh cause he eats honey and thats not vegan!"

Such a cutie!


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## FoxintheSnow (May 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hipmamato1*
hi everyone,
I'm new here... my daughter (16 months) and I just went veggie about two weeks ago. I've been inspired by a visiting vegan friend. I love it! I feel great. I've never been much of a carnivor anyway... we were only eating chicken and fish. I got online tonight because I'm running out of veggie meal ideas and I'm worried about dd getting enough protein. I don't want to subsitute everything with soy. I'd love any suggestions.










I hardly ever use soy substitutes. My favorite form of protein is textured vegetable protein aka tvp. you can buy it in the bulk foods section of any health food store. It comes dry and I soak it in veggie broth. Use it at you would chicken! And it's super cheap like $1.20 a pound. Also a cup of lentils has more protein than a steak!


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## sebrinaw (Jan 28, 2002)

Hi all: I am new here as well







I am married to a wonderful but very carnivore hubby and have three wonderful vegitarian boys. We have all been dairy free for 2 years now. I have been eating fish and chicken but have decided to givve that up as well. I was wondering if we can post our meal plans for the week just to get some different ideas. Here is mine








Pasta Fresca with Caesar Salad and Homemade Italian Bread
Baked Beans with Corn Bread and Coleslaw
Vegi Burgers and salad
Baked potato boats, steamed sting beans and salad
Vegi Stir fry and rice

Thats all I got so far








Sebrina


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

This is what I've got planned for the next week (not including dh's contributions)
pasta with vodka sauce and salad with romaine and artichoke hearts
vegetable barley soup with a green salad
tomato rice salad and sandwich roll ups
think I'm gonna try Pikku's shepards pie for my dad and stepmom on Sat.
last night I made a spinach salad with cecis, sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes, edamame, carrots, and cucumber and had bean, tomato, and beet soup
Also planning on some tofu scrambles for brekkie, maybe some buckwheat pancakes too


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

I'll share my meal plan because I actually have a good one this week









Cauliflower Curry
Vegetable Ratatouille
Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce
Barley & Lentil Stew
Potato & Chickpea Wraps with Basmati Rice and Mango Chutney


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## Annie7 (Dec 29, 2003)

Just checking in! Spent our holiday weekend remodeling, drywalling, mudding, sanding, and painting. Got a guy coming to measure for some flooring and finally finished a deck in time to sit on it and watch the fireworks. (After the first 4 or 5 lit up the sky, the rain cut loose in a torrent and chased us inside. We stood at the picture window and saw the rest of the display. They decided to hurry up and fire off every single one as quick as they could, so it was like a giant grande finale!)


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

meal plan?? huh?.... what?? You guys actually plan meals more than 12 hrs. in advance?









I've got buttermilk to use up, so tonite we'll have something with buttermilk biscuits and buttermilk mash potatoes.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

I haven't gotten the meal plan thing going lately, I loved when I did. I have to grocery shop tomorrow so I should sit down and plan something. Wasn't there a site somewhere where you can enter in your likes and dislikes and dietary needs and it plans menu's for you? I need something like that :LOL


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamacarey*
. I made a batch of no bake oatmeal cookies the other day for my dad and I used rice milk instead of cows milk.

Recipie pleeeeeeeeeeeese


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

oops mommy brain here, just posted my meal plan to the old June thread. apparently I've been getting them confused.lol.









Rainbow-not sure what site that is but vegweb.com has a recipe box meal planner grocery list feature that's great!









dreadymama- we must plan meals at our house or we end up eating like crap. it's also alot more economical for us if we plan ahead as we use leftovers for lunches.

mama to one- would you mind sharing your recipe for the lentil & barley stew?


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## Thomi'sMommy (Feb 11, 2004)

Hi all -

Up till now (through pregnancy and 9 months of BF) I've been taking Rainbow Light Prenatal Vitamins. I just ran out and am thinking that I ought to get a vitamin more specifically geared towards vegetarians....and since I'm BF, I want to make sure that I'm getting all my nutrients for that too.

Any recommendations?

I'm floored by all the choices out there.

Thanks!


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

rainbowmoon - here's my recipe. It's pretty easy, makes a big batch and freezes well. My ds LOVES this stew so we eat it a lot. It's the only way he will eat veggies









Barley & Lentil Stew

2tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 sliced raw carrot
½ cup chopped celery
2 tbsp minced garlic
3-1/2 cups broth
1 lb dry lentils
½ cup uncooked pearl barley
16 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp oregano
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach

Saute onions, celery and garlic in oil for 8 minutes. Add 8 cups water, the broth, lentils and barley. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until very tender. Add crushed tomatoes, carrot and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add spinach and stir to separate. Simmer another 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

See, now Dh and I stoppd planning meals and began going grocery shopping every night before dinner (with no kids,we have this luxury) because we foud that we wouldn't be in the mood for the meals we'd planned and we ended up throwing away a lot of produce because of it.

Everyone has a different plan that works for them.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

on my way to vegweb.... THANKS!

mama's... I really hate to ask. I looked through the old threads a little, but I'm being lazy- what is the name of that butter replacer that was good without being hydrogenated oil? We're trying to give up dairy & eggs


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

yah, the reason we don't plan is cause I usually am not in the mood for whatever I had planned! Plus, we have a big-ass freezer and I make lots of double meals, so if I feel like something, chances are we have it or something similar in the freezer. Also I buy in SERIOUS bulk (no, really, we have a room devoted to it - armagedon style :LOL). So most ingrediants are already on hand. I find that much more economical than buying ingrediants for a particular dish and then not feeling like making it. Then those ingrediants getting buried in the back of the cupboard.

woo-hoo! MIL is making good use of herself and painting up a storm in our bathroom!!! yippee!


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## Love2learn (Jun 3, 2004)

I have a question.
Are vegetarians supposed to take B12 or is that just for vegans?

Also, does anyone have a good Black Bean soup recipe?

Thanks!


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

I dont take any supplements and my b12 is ok...

its recommended for vegans cuz we dont ingest any animal products such as dairy, etc which has b12 in it... but if ur lacto/ovo i wouldnt worry about it...

i posted on the old thread... ooooops... my blonde moment for the day...


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

love2learn-if you're vegan and drink fortified soy milk or eat nutritional yeast a couple of times a week you shouldn't need to worry much (unless you have problems absorbing it).

rainbow- are you talking about Earth Balance spread?

mama to one- thanks a bunch for the recipe, it looks great!









thommismommy-for vitamins I like eclectic institute brand when I'm not pg/bf.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

YES, earth balance! i just spent an hour looking for it in the original veg tribe thread

Thanks!


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

It's funny about the meal planning. Everyone has something different that works. If we didn't plan our meals we wouldn't be eating as well as we do and I would probably buy stuff we didn't need. Our big problem was that we would buy a bunch of veggies that looked really good but weren't able to eat them fast enough. Plus the grocery store is 15 minutes away and we don't go to to town every day.

But my brother's family come home from work, figure out what they're going to eat and then go to the grocery store to buy whatever they need. Works for them but it drives me crazy when I'm visiting!!


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## nomadmom (Mar 30, 2003)

I generally do plan meals, but sometimes have had the same problem as others w/ produce not being used quickly enough. Fruit is easy--I just freeze it for smoothies. Fried rice is a great way to use up a variety of veggies. I puree peppers, spinach, and carrots into pasta sauce, which I freeze if necessary. I've also pureed veggies into hummus. I







my food processer!


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Here is my no bake oatmeal cookie recipe. They arent vegan, but you may be able to play around and make them vegan

1 stick butter
2 cups sugar







:
1/2 cup Milk or rice milk (Im sure soy would work too)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1tsp vanilla

boil butter, sugar, milk and cocoa for 1 minute. Add peanut butter and let it start to melt. Add vanilla and then the oats. Stir until all the oats are coated in the chocolate. Drop on a no-stick surface (like waxed paper) and wait for them to harden. They may start off runny, but they will harden. It may take longer if it is humid where you live. I also like to eat it warm before it hardens.


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

oh yummy! I haven't made fried rice in SO long! I think we'll do that tonite


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

mamacarey!!!!!!!!!! Looks goooooooooooooood


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

well I am so proud of my parents. They are making a lot of dietary changes. Last night they had boca burgers for dinner. My mom also bought some tofu for a recipe tonight.
I was worried about my ds and his switch to vegetarian. His main like is chicken nuggets. I bought some of the Morning star brand and he is eating them for lunch.He cant tell the difference.








Now if I could only get my dh to change his eating habits. His only vegetable he will eat is a salad (although I have got him to start eating spinach salads) and corn on the cob (not corn off the cob though???) He will not eat whole wheat anything and he hates beans unless they are in chili or red beans and rice. He has got to be the pickiest man ever!!! Give him a big slab of meat and he will eat that right up though. I can just hear his arteries clogging up.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

We eat fried rice a lot for this very reason. Where we just moved there are a few bunny families. Our veggies don't go to waste and don't need to be composted anymore either. We take scraps and veggies that are beyond my ideal of fresh and set them out under this big tree. The bunnies usually come within an hour so if we stay back a ways we can watch the bunnies feast. The veggies are always gone by the next day at the latest. I think it is so sweet. Old bread goes to the ducks of course.

I go back and forth between plannig and winging it. I definately waste less and stress less when we plan. I just did the vegweb thing and it really made it a lot easier. I picked recipes and a click of the button adds them to a printable shopping list. This is what I went this morning and bought after using it:

Quote:



*Jamaican Rice and Beans *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·2 cloves garlic 
·1 stalk scallion (green onion), if not 1/2 white onion 
·1 vegetarian bouillon 
·1 scotch bonnet pepper (or any pepper ) 
·salt to taste 
·1 cup Red Kidney Beans 
·2 cups Brown (white can be used) 
·2 0z. of dried coconut milk 
Directions: 
This recipe is a Jamaican Tradition used in virtually every Jamaican household. 
Boil the peas in water until tender. Add water, coconut milk, rice and all seasonings. Be sure when adding the water that it covers the rice by 1 inch. (this will ensure that there is enough liquid to cook the rice). Bring to a boil then immediately turn down to a simmer until rice is soft. Enjoy! 
Serves: 8 
Preparation time: 20 min

*Chinese-Marinated Vegetables with Rice *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·ginger salad dressing (in the dips and dressing section) 
·Olive oil or butter 
·1/2 chopped red bell pepper 
·1/3 cup chopped onion 
·2/3 cup chopped zuchini 
·1/2 cup sliced or whole snow peas 
·1/4 cup water chesnuts 
·rice 
Directions: 
This one is very simple. Boil enough rice for two people and meanwhile heat up a medium skillet with 1 tsp olive oil or a comparable amount of butter. Simmer the vegetables with about 1/2 to 1 cup of the ginger salad dressing for around 10 minutes. Taste them frequently to determine when they are ready. Upon completion, serve them over rice along with any marinade left in the pan. Makes an excellent light meal. The veggie amounts may be changed according to taste. 
Serves: 2-3 
Preparation time: 30 min

*Broccoli Stirfry *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·1 broccoli head plus the stem, separate head and finely chop stem 
·3 oz mushrooms, cut up 
·1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 
·1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 
·1/2 cup water, add more during cooking if needed 
·1/4 cup lite soy sauce, or to taste 
·large handful of fresh spinach 
Directions: 
In any skillet or pan with a lid, add water and the veggies except for the spinach. Cover, cook on medium approximately 15 minutes (your choice)...stir 2 or 3 times. Pour on soy sauce, stir, add spinach, stir, cover and cook addition 5 minutes. 
This is good alone or on rice. 
Serves: 2 
Preparation time: 30 minutes

*Sweet & Sour Stir-Fry *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·3/4 lb. broccoli 
·1 5oz can water chestnuts 
·3 carrots 
·1 small red bell pepper 
·4 oz rice noodles 
·1/3 cup water 
·1/4 cup tamari 
·1/4 cup prepared vegan mustard 
·3 tablespoon water 
·3 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 
·2 tablespoon pure vegan maple syrup 
Directions: 
First you must make the sweet and sour sauce. In a jar, combine the tamari, mustard, 3 Tbsp water, sesame oil, and maple syrup. Cover and shake vigorously. Refridgerate until needed(lasts up to 3 months). Shake well before using. 
Now, cut the broccoli into florets and peel and slice the stems into coins about 1/2 inch thick. Take the core from the bell pepper and julliene into strips about 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut the carrots in half (cross wise, not length wise), then julliene them as well. Drain and rinse the water chestnuts. 
Cook rice noodles according to directions on the package. When they are almost done, boil the 1/3 c water in a wok or large skillet on high heat. Add the broccoli, bell pepper, and carrots. Cover and cook on high until just short of done, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water chestnuts, 5 to 7 Tbsp sweet and sour sauce, rice noodles, and I like to put 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper in. It makes it a little spicy. Cook, stirring constantly until the broccoli is crisp-tender, 1 to 2 more minutes. Taste and add more sauce if needed as well as Tamari.

*Sun Dried Tomato Ziti *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·20 - 30 sun dried tomatoes 
·2 1/2 tablespoon of dried rosemary crumbled into smaller bits (add less or more according to your taste) 
·1 can of large black pitted olives 
·1 tablespoon parsely 
·1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder or 1-2 cloves fresh 
·1/4 cup of olive oil 
·Salt & pepper to taste 
·5 cups of any pasta with grooves in it such as ziti (to hold the sauce) 
Directions: 
Place the 5 cups of pasta in a pan and cook until just tender (I won't insult anyones intellegence by telling you how to cook pasta) 
The Sauce: 
1. While the pasta is cooking, soak the sun dried tomatoes in hot or boiling water until soft (15-20 minutes) 
2. Chop the sun dried tomatoes into smaller pieces and place in a blender or food processor. 
3. Coursely chop the olives in large pieces. 
4. Add the rosemary and olives to the sun dried tomatoes. 
5. Add a few tablespoons of the oil to moisten. 
6. Pulse the blender until mixed, but still somewhat chunky. 
7. Add the remaining oil and salt & pepper. 
8. Pulse until mixed completely with small chunks of tomato and olive still visible. (mixture should be somewhat thick in consistency) 
9. Drain pasta and mix in the sauce. The sauce should cling into the grooves of the pasta. 
10. Garnish with parsley, serve immediately. 
Serves: 2-4. 
Preparation time: 20 min.. 
Nutrition Information: This recipe can be made low-fat by using less oil or no oil. Substitute vegetable broth or water in its place.

*Fast and Easy Garlic and Broccoli Pasta *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·3-4 tablespoon olive oil (too much makes your broccoli mushy) 
·1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (use as much or as little as you like, I like a lot!) 
·2 cup broccoli, frozen 
·2 cup cooked noodles of choice, I like this dish with fettucine 
·garlic flavored salt, to taste 
Directions: 
Put olive oil in hot pan at medium heat, and add garlic. When the garlic pieces start to brown add the broccoli, still frozen. You could speed this step up by heating the broccoli thoroughly by other means, but this way really takes in the flavor of the garlic and the oil. Continuously stir the dish until the broccoli is soft, about ten minutes. Sprinkle with garlic salt to your taste. At least a little is good, or it can be a little bland. Finally, toss with cooked pasta. ENJOY!!! You can throw in any additional veggies you like, I have used mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in this too for variation. My semi- carnivorous boyfriend LOVES this, his mom was very surprised he actually ate broccoli! 
Serves: 2ish 
Preparation time: 20 min.

*Outrageously Easy BIG Bread * 
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·2 packs of yeast 
·1/4 cup warm water 
·2 cups hot water 
·3 tablespoons vegan sugar 
·1 tablespoon salt 
·3 cups flour 
·1/3 cup vegetable or corn oil 
·3 cups flour 
Directions: 
Note: This recipe works best if all ingredients are set out, ready to go, in advance. Also, make sure the vegan sugar, salt, flour, and oil are measured in the exact amounts called for. 
Pour warm water into a small ceramic bowl and add the yeast, but DO NOT STIR. Set aside. 
In a large mixing bowl, pour hot water over the vegan sugar and salt, then stir with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve. Combine 3 cups flour with the water mixture. Pour the oil on top of the dough mixture then add the yeast mixture on top of that, but DO NOT STIR. Top with the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix well. (I begin mixing with the wooden spoon but I very quickly have to move into squishing the dough with my hands.) At this point, the dough should be pliant and moist, but not gooey. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside to rise for at least 45 minutes. (I've left it for almost two hours.) 
On a lightly floured cutting board or countertop, divide the dough into half. (If my partner's home, this is when I call him in to knead the dough -- a must in his opinion. But the recipe actually calls for no kneading; I've done this recipe many times without kneading anything and it always turns out really good.) Flatten each half into roughly an oval/rounded rectangular shape, about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thickness; then roll the dough lengthwise and place on an ungreased, but very BIG, cookie sheet. (If you don't have a very large cookie sheet, use two cookie sheets, one for each half of the dough.) Cover the dough with a moist towel and set aside to rise again for another 45 minutes (or longer). 
After the dough has risen the second time, preheat the oven to 375 and bake for exactly 23 minutes. If you can keep everyone from digging in right away, allow to cool for about 15 minutes and then enjoy. (Also, before the vegan bread bakes, you can slit the top of each lump of dough a couple of times and brush lightly with some kind of egg substitute. The glaze helps the vegan bread come out with a slightly crunchier crust. I don't usually bother.)

*Fudgsicles! *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·1 package Mori-Nu tofu (or 12 oz (340 g) of any silken tofu) 
·1/2 cup (120 mL) vegan sugar 
·1/4 cup (60 mL) cocoa powder 
·1 tablespoon (15 mL) oil 
·1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) vanilla 
·1/8 teaspoon (0.5 mL) salt 
Directions: 
Blend it all together, pour into popsicle moulds, freeze and enjoy! 
These things are addicting, I swear. Even my milk-addict little sister loves them. 
TRY THEM!! 
Serves: 4-6, depending on size 
Preparation time: 5 minutes plus freeze time

*Blueberry Pancakes *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·1 cup whole wheat flour 
·1 teaspoon Baking powder 
·1/4 teaspoon Salt 
·1/4 teaspoon Baking soda 
·1 tablespoon Sugar if blueberries are unsweetened 
·1/2 cup soymilk or rice milk 
·1/2 cup Canned blueberries w/juice (***bought fresh of course, LOL***)
Directions: 
Mix the dry ingredients togther; then mix in the soymilk and the blueberries. If the batter is too thick, mix in more blueberry juice until it is the right consistency. Cook in a nonstick pan until they look edible. They will be very blue! Makes 6 thick pancakes.

*Oatmeal-Almond Cookies *
Ingredients (use vegan versions): 
·1 1/4 cup rolled oats 
·1/2 whole wheat flour 
·1/2 teaspoon salt 
·1/2 cup dried coconut shreds 
·1/3 cup raisins 
·2 tablespoon corn oil 
·3/4 cup mashed apple (peeled) 
·1/4 non-hydrogenated vegan margarine () 
·1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
·1/3 cup toasted ground almonds 
·4 tablespoon vegan maple syrup 
Directions: 
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Then blend apple and maple syrup till it forms a nice smooth mushy mass. Add butter. Add liquid to dry mixture and mix to form a homogeneous whole. Scoop spoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheet or non-stick flat pans (e.g. pizza pan) and flatten to a 1/4" thickness. Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Cool on rack.


And one day we'll eat bean taco's or tostadas or something similar and I usually take one night a week off of cooking for leftovers, or take-out (mmmm... thai food. LOL)

That, some fruit to snack on through the week, and a few other misc items and I spent 120.00. Our goal is 100 a week. We eat "dinner" at lunch and a simple salad or such for the actual dinner time. breakfast is usually oatmeal. so that should be all we need to get us by the week. Not a great bargain, but not to bad for organic stuff.


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

Rainbow, you're making my mouth water.









I too go back and forth from planning to winging it. A lot depends on what nice produce I find and if there are enough leftovers to work another meal around or if I have start new.


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Go Rainbow! Gotta try that vegweb thing. I usu just go through my gigantic collection of cookbooks and recipies and of course the mothering eating forum and write down a bunch of stuff that looks good and is in season. Then every other week, I choose 4 recipies and dh chooses 4 and we buy for a couple weeks. We still run to the store or farmers market every now and again, but not everyday like we used to before dc2 arrived.







T I've got a confession, I just bribed dd with chocolate so I could get some time to myself







Ain't that sad? Looks like she's caught on, gotta go!


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## nomadmom (Mar 30, 2003)

Rainbow's fudgsicles (which I'll be making soon--thanks!) reminded me of something I made a couple weeks ago and wanted to share. I started w/ the vegan "ice cream" that was posted on the summer dishes thread. I let it get frozen solid and dumped it in the blender w/ a couple Tbs. of home-made chocolate syrup and some coconut milk. It turned into the thickest, creamiest, yummiest shake!!!!!!!

Another thing... Someone mentioned that the bananas were overpowering her smoothies. That happens when they're too ripe. I use bananas that have only just lost their greenness. What a difference--you get the creaminess, but w/ a very mild flavor that doesn't dominate.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

"Fast and Easy Garlic and Broccoli Pasta" wasn't to good... hoping the other ones are better







So is DH. He is trying so hard to be supportive of me being veg but it is hard for him when I make yucky meals :LOL He much prefers when I use soymilk and parmessan in my brocoli & fettucini- but trying to get he cheese out.

Great banana tip nomadmom- I freeze the over ripes to use in stuff. Now I know to buy fresh. Makes sense, we love green and borderline green banana's but once they are ripe nobody will touch them...


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

I was inspired by the garlic, broccoli pasta thing, but I made it a bit fancier. I saute'd onions, garlic, bell pepper, and broccoli, then added a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, oregano, pepper, and basil. I tossed it with some cooked pasta, cooked lentils, and olive oil. It was a hit.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Rainbow- those fudgsicles look yummy! I hate that when meals don't turn out to be as good as the recipe looks







luckily DH will eat just about whatever I make though.lol.

mamacarey- that is so awesome your family is trying to make changes! way to go!

So I am on a quest in the next couple of weeks to stock up my freezer if anyone has any ideas for stuff that freezes well(I had made a ton of stuff before ds was born but now it's all gone) it worked out great though, I love having meals on hand especially if I don't want to cook as takeout isn't really an option (we live in the boonies...ranch land at that) and there's absolutley NO veggie food where I live!

so anywho,here's a recipe I want to try out (don't know if it's any good or not yet), just thought I'd post it..

~carrot rice burgers~

1/2 cup brown rice
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cashews
2 1/2 ounces sunflower seeds
1/8 sweet onion, chopped
1 carrots, chopped
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Cook rice.Roast cashews and sunflower seeds in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. In a food processor grind nuts to a fine meal; transfer to a large bowl. Place onion and carrots in food processor and pulse until fine; transfer to bowl with the nuts.

Combine cooked rice and olive oil in food processor and pulse until smooth; spoon into the large bowl. Season with salt, to taste.

Using your hands mix the ingredients and form into patties or logs.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

**Edited to add my meal plan I posted in the wrong thread.

-arugula & roasted red pepper stromboli
-cajun bean burgers
-mexican night (probably black bean tostadas,rice,etc)
-santa fe style veggie wraps
-shepards pie (we'll make a double batch and freze half)


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Rainbow - I just wanted to let you know, as well as other mothers here who may do the same, that feeding bread to the ducks (as much as they enjoy it) is really bad for them. I am a supervisor at a wildlife clinic and ducks need to be eating raw leafy greens like romaine lettuce, chard, kale, etc. along with raw seeds like cracked corn. Bread fills their stomach but does not provide the nutrition they need - causing reproductive disorders and a condition called "Angel Wings" where the baby ducks grow up with wings that stick out and are useless due to a lack of magnesium and calcium.

I used to feed the ducks bread, too, until I learned how bad it was for them. Please don't do it anymore. I'm sure other people are still doing it, and buy bringing them some of the foods I listed above, you can help to counteract the other bad stuff they're eating. You can buy "hen scratch" (the cracked corn) for really cheap in feed stores or even pet stores. Romaine is the best lettuce for them (and us - it has the most calcium)

Thanks! (Oh, and give the bunnies all the veggies you want!)
PM


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Oh, and while I'm doling out advice about feeding animals - there is an epidemic of Trichnosis - a bacterial disease spread by feces - going around birds, at least here in CA. The best way to help stop the spread (and avoid getting it yourself) is to soak your bird feeder in bleach water (1 cup per gallon) for 20 minutes, then rinse. (I'm assuming some people have bird feeders. I only put mine up in the winter since having it in spring teaches baby birds to look for food at the feeder and not in the wild, and creates more competition, but some people have them year-round, and others have hummingbird feeders.)

And, about hummingbird feeders (I'm a regular scold, amn't I!







)

Whatever you do, don't buy the commercial hummingbird solution that is brightly colored. Only the feeder needs to be colored to attract the attention of the birds. Having artificial dyes (I'm sure many here pay attention to this in food but it might not have occured to some to think about the bird food) creates the same problems in birds that it does in us - most specifically, genetic disorders and reproductive disorders. You can make a really simple 9:1 water to sugar solution - much cheaper than the store-bought brands.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Rainbowmoon - are you using my shepherd's pie recipie? IF so, let me know how it is. If not, can you post yours so I can compare?


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## ChiknGirl (Apr 22, 2003)

PikkuMyy - Thanks for the animal feeding info. I knew not to feed ducks bread, although not why and it was great to learn about the bird food even though I don't have a bird feeder. I will be sure to pass this information on to anyone I know that feeds the animals.

We had a wild mama duck visit our apartment complex regularly while I was pregnant and one day she arrived with a broken leg (most likely from a local dog or spending so much time on her feet out of the water). It was so awful to see and after we called everyone we could think of to get the duck help (lots of vets and the zoo offered to help the duck if we could catch her) I learned about not feeding ducks.


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## KYCat (May 19, 2004)

Hi. I posted once a long time ago and I woke up at 5am and needed to ask this question of somebody. Are your children of "normal" stature or are they small? ds#1 is small and has been diagnosed with growth hormone (gh) deficiency. The thing is that they are basing this on IGF1 levels because to look directly at gh is hard because it fluctuates so wildly throughout the day. IGF1 has a dietary component to its expression I think and I'm worried that hi is nonexistent because we're veg(ov/lac). They can do a test that just looks at gh but it involves fasting and 4 hours in a hospital hooked up to ivs while igf1 is a blood test and since he's only almost 4 that seems like too much.
I love being veg but 1st I'm a mommy and I'm worried that I'm standing on platform instead of what my son needs you know? Obviously there's nothing wrong with being small, but ds was in 75%(at 1 year) and now he's just 5%(3 yr). Dh is average height and I'm slightly above average in a family of very talls. I'm worried that no one wants to offend us and so they're just not saying we should give the kid some meat.
I'm not sure who to ask this. I know the omnis will just say give him meat, and my husband just says no we're veg and I just want some answers with no politics, ya know? The doc does know that we're veg, but I rarely trust docs to know much about diet.
Sorry for the rambling I just love this guy so much and wish that those instructions on how to always do what was best didn't get lost in the damn placenta!


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

hi, we're vegetarian, and both DS are VERY skinny, but tall. Of course, our parents say we need to bulk em up, with some meat! ick! But they are healthy, so I'm not worried. One of my bestest friends who is vegan has a little boy who is 4 now, and weighs 60 lbs. That's just freakin huge! Definatly well fed on his vegan diet!! I think genetics play more of a factor than diet (unless you're feeding an obese child cheesey puffs and soda







).


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

pikkumyy- I use the shepards pie/mushroom gravy recipes from HIAV..we love it!







oh and thanks for the info on the ducks! dh and I often go to the lake that's 5 min from us to feed the ducks! I had no idea it was bad







thank you for letting us all know about this! I feel so badly now!

so dready mamas post got me to thinking and I was wondering what do you all say to family members that say that your kids should be eating meat? ds is only 4mo and already I seem to get baited at times by DH family with "mmmm he wants some chicken!". hmmff...







also do you tell your pedi that you/dc are veggie?


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

btw I wanted to send kycat a







sorry I don't have any real advice for you mama but I'd say when in doubt go with your intuition mama!


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## KYCat (May 19, 2004)

thanks for the replies. I've just made an appt. with a naturopath who will help us make sure that Gus is meeting his nutritional needs with his veg diet. It's so hard for me to deal with stress I wake up with in the middle of the night. I need to get it out of my head and this site really helped.
I do think that size is mainly your genetic makeup. That being said, Gus seems to be defying his, so I need to make sure that our good intentions aren't hurting him, you know? Like I said the doctor doesn't seem to consider his diet a problem, I just needed to hear of average or tall veg children. Thanks


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## Annie7 (Dec 29, 2003)

Rainbow He much prefers when I use soymilk and parmessan in my brocoli & fettucini- but trying to get he cheese out. [/QUOTE said:


> We love the result of the faux parmesan cheese recipe from _How it all Vegan._
> 
> 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
> 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
> ...


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KYCat*
I need to make sure that our good intentions aren't hurting him, you know?

I think it's good you are investigating to make sure he's getting all his nutrition. I think vegi people can be very healthy but we should make sure we aren't overlooking all our vitamins and minerals and protein, especially for our kids. I have some trouble with my 12 yr old because she's picky but truly believes in a vegi lifestyle. So we do a lot of reading and figuring out what she needs to eat to be healthy and grow. All my kids are small. My oldest dd was small even when we were omnivores and my twins were born small. I look at their energy level as well as growth pattern as a guide. I wonder if there are nutritionists or dietitions who are experienced with vegetarianism or veganism that do family consultations. I think that would be helpful for us. What exactly is a naturopath's speciality? Are they general healthcare providers or are they more like nutritionists?


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PikkuMyy*
Rainbow - I just wanted to let you know, as well as other mothers here who may do the same, that feeding bread to the ducks (as much as they enjoy it) is really bad for them. I am a supervisor at a wildlife clinic and ducks need to be eating raw leafy greens like romaine lettuce, chard, kale, etc. along with raw seeds like cracked corn. Bread fills their stomach but does not provide the nutrition they need - causing reproductive disorders and a condition called "Angel Wings" where the baby ducks grow up with wings that stick out and are useless due to a lack of magnesium and calcium.


Even organic grain bread? It is sprouted grain bread so I thought it was ok- I was told reg bread was bad for them but the sprouted grain bread was ok.







: Here I thought I was doing them a favor by giving them some food with some nutrition. I'll start thowing it in the compost pile then, but I assume *some* animal will eat it there to. Thanks for the heads up,







I thought it was just the empty bread that they couldn't eat


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

Thanks, I 'll give it a try!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Annie7*

We love the result of the faux parmesan cheese recipe from _How it all Vegan._

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt

Grind it up in a food processor and store in a glass jar. Try it on everything from homemade croutons, salads, garlic bread sticks, to soup recipes that call for parmesan. Really a good sub!


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amandzia*
I was inspired by the garlic, broccoli pasta thing, but I made it a bit fancier. I saute'd onions, garlic, bell pepper, and broccoli, then added a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, oregano, pepper, and basil. I tossed it with some cooked pasta, cooked lentils, and olive oil. It was a hit.

Now that sounds good!


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## KYCat (May 19, 2004)

Amandzia,
I'm not exactly sure! I was looking for a knowledgeable nutritionist, (I'd been to one who knew NOTHING about vegetarianism and she was of no help) and a friend said that they had had a friend who had worked through some problems through diet with this naturopath. After speaking with her office it sounds like she has a holistic approach to nutrition and helps people work through all kinds of health issues that nutrition can affect. I'll know more in a couple of weeks and I'll let you know.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rainbow*
Even organic grain bread? It is sprouted grain bread so I thought it was ok- I was told reg bread was bad for them but the sprouted grain bread was ok.







: Here I thought I was doing them a favor by giving them some food with some nutrition. I'll start thowing it in the compost pile then, but I assume *some* animal will eat it there to. Thanks for the heads up,







I thought it was just the empty bread that they couldn't eat

I'm sure sprouted grain bread (organic) is WAY better than the wonderbread crap most people give them. The main question I'd have about that is whether it's cooked. Since I believe it is, although it's much better than regular bread, it's still not what their digestive system is meant to handle. Since they eat mostly greens in the wild, they're meant to poop almost constantly (that's why golf courses are so angry with geese taking up residence). With bread, they don't go nearly as often and their systems also get backed up. In the compost pile, omnivores like racoons and opossums will most likely eat it.

Now, the rule should always be don't feed the animals at all. However, we all know that no matter how many people follow it, others will feed them - and on regular bread. So whatever they get that is more nutricious than regular bread is great. If you're not going to start bringing them lettuce and corn (which may be too much trouble for you, or too expensive) - and no judgements if you aren't - then I'd still bring the sprouted bread with the same justification as you mentioned earlier.

I'm about to throw this succulent peach that has a little mold on it in the compost pile. Some animal is getting lucky tonight!

Thanks for listening! Most people I talk to at the ponds nod and say yes and then keep bringing crap. However, I talked to one elderly lady and her caretaker, who were visiting this pond everyday with pieces of tortillas. Now, tortillas - corn ones - are much better than white bread, but I still explained. I checked (visually) afterwards, and they're now bringing raw, cracked corn!

Rainbow moon - I'll have to look at HIAV and give that recipe a try!


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

well my dh is worried that by raising our kids vegetarian they will not grow correctly. (This is coming from the same man who bought our ds a tootsie roll sucker to eat while we waited for our food last night at a mexican restaurant) Our ds has been non-veggie for the first 4 years of his life and is very small (around 35lbs) and I dont think that being veggie will make him any smaller. our dd is also very small (17lbs at 1 year) and I know that she is eating healthy. She loves to eat and eats most of what I put in front of her. She just scarfed down a whole slice of veggie turkey for lunch and then had some watermelon. DS is a little pickier than that though. I think by me being a vegetarian we have more fresh fruits and veggies in our house, and that is what my children can snack on. Much better than the sugary gummy treats that the little boy I watch brought for snack the other day.

BTW Does veggie versions of cold cut meats have nitrates like real meat cold cuts do? I am just wondering because I just got some veggie turkey and some veggie hot dogs. I hope not!


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PikkuMyy*
I'm sure sprouted grain bread (organic) is WAY better than the wonderbread crap most people give them. The main question I'd have about that is whether it's cooked. Since I believe it is, although it's much better than regular bread, it's still not what their digestive system is meant to handle. Since they eat mostly greens in the wild, they're meant to poop almost constantly (that's why golf courses are so angry with geese taking up residence). With bread, they don't go nearly as often and their systems also get backed up. In the compost pile, omnivores like racoons and opossums will most likely eat it.

Now, the rule should always be don't feed the animals at all. However, we all know that no matter how many people follow it, others will feed them - and on regular bread. So whatever they get that is more nutricious than regular bread is great. If you're not going to start bringing them lettuce and corn (which may be too much trouble for you, or too expensive) - and no judgements if you aren't - then I'd still bring the sprouted bread with the same justification as you mentioned earlier.

I'm about to throw this succulent peach that has a little mold on it in the compost pile. Some animal is getting lucky tonight!

Thanks for listening! Most people I talk to at the ponds nod and say yes and then keep bringing crap. However, I talked to one elderly lady and her caretaker, who were visiting this pond everyday with pieces of tortillas. Now, tortillas - corn ones - are much better than white bread, but I still explained. I checked (visually) afterwards, and they're now bringing raw, cracked corn!

Rainbow moon - I'll have to look at HIAV and give that recipe a try!











Got it, thanks for the heads up! I actually asked our vet about it before we started giving it and she acted like I'd be doing the ducs a favor so I just thought it was cool. Now I know- we'll take veggies from now on and toss bread in the compost pile







(which is always eaten and never actually composted. LOL)


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

What about the pond fish? Is bread bad for them, too?


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

So I've got dad and stepmom coming in a couple hours, and we decided to bypass the whole eat at home thing and have a picnic. That way dd can run around and my house (who am I kidding? apartment) is a wee bit small for entertaining, since that is what I have to do when they come around. Anyhoo, so I'm not making the shepards pie, gonna save that one for myself. Instead I made a brown rice salad with balsamic vidalia onions, tomatoes (they're so good right now), ceci beans, cucumber, bell peppers, and walnuts. The dressing is rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil. Also gonna make a sunflower seed and carrot dip and I've got some hummus on hand. Cranberry ginger ale to drink and dh made lavender raspberry rice pudding last night for dessert. So.........if you had to feed your ignorant omni fam, would this work for them? Oh, I've got some sliced melon too.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Well, my family would be fine with that because my mom is gluten-intolerant, so she'd like rice things. However, I'd be a bit wary of serving a brown rice salad to those who thought my vegan lifestyle was hippy-dippy nonsense. Cause brown rice and salads are usually the first things that come to mind when people think about health food.

OTOH - maybe your family is more open-minded than that, and the salad sounds delicious anyway, as does that pudding! Can I get a recipie for that?

Hope it went well!


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Re: pond fish - Bread isn't going to be good for them either. It isn't good for anyone except humans, really. What kind of fish are they? Some fish eat insects, some eat other fish, and some are herbivores. What I worry about is the insectivores - who are used to watching out for insects landing in the water - eating the bread thinking it's an insect who's fallen in. Obviously there's a big difference between a fly and a piece of bread. If you're going to do it, at least make sure the bread has a high protein content (if it's going to be an insect replacer) such as whole wheat or multi-grain.


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *isosmom*
lavender raspberry rice pudding

Ooh, could I have that recipe?







That's sounds yummy!


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Well the picnic was a success! Everyone ate everything, even the carrot and sprouted sunflower seed dip that even I was a little hesitant about, but it was real good. My stepmom said, you always cook such interesting things. I always eat food I haven't had before when you cook. Dh and I were joking, she's never had brown rice? Last time she came over for a meal I had made a lentil salad and she told us she had never had lentils before! Huh? How do you live 63 yrs and not eat lentils? Anyhoo, it was fun.
Here's that rice pudding recipie. Dh adapted it from Vegetarian Planet
for 6 servings:
7.5 c soy milk
1.5 t dried lavender
a few strips of lemon rind
2/3 c uncooked basmati rice
2/3 c sucanat
1/2 pt raspberries
Heat milk with lavender and lemon rind. When it starts to simmer, add the rice and cook on very low heat, uncovered, for 2 hours. Add the sugar 10 min before it's done. Stir often.
Chill 2 hours and fold in berries before serving. (I liked it hot as soon as it was done the best though, tasted like really really good oatmeal!)
This recipie would be really easy to vary methinks. Use whatever kind of milk, rice, sweetener, etc. Enjoy!
Oh, that sounds real good, think I'm gonna have some leftovers


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Wow! That's great! You'd be surprised how little people step out of their "American Diet" shell. We took our friend (who converted to vegetarianism three years ago because of some discussions with DH) out to this amazing Middle Eastern restaurant in Brooklyn (If there are any NY-ers, go to the Waterfall Cafe on Atlantic Avenue) and he'd never eaten any food like that. No grape leaves, no falafel, no hummus, nothing! Poor guy. He'd not eaten a lot of ethnic food. So I'm not surprised about your mom not having eaten lentils (Bean of the Gods!







)

But I'm really happy that it went so well. Perhaps you're helping your mom to open her mind, little by little!


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## SandyBeachBums (Nov 14, 2002)

Hey I'm afraid of lentils. I see them all the time, but I don't think I've ever eaten them. I know for sure I've never cooked with them and I'm pretty adventurous! So, what's your favorite lentil recipe?

I've really been enjoying this thread and I'll pout because I think we should be a tribe.

I used to visit Vegfamily alot, but I can't access anymore. The site won't let me and Erin hasn't answered my emails.

Heather


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

That's wierd I just visited vegfamily the other day..hmm.

I know many of you mamas must know about http://www.veggieboards.com
but I thought I'd post the URL just in case (love that board!)

isosmom- Do you mind sharing the sprouted sunflower dip recipe? btw my mom was here and we were making salsa with avacados and she told us she's never eaten one! So that's definitly not wierd at all! I think it's fun to teach family new ways to cook things..especially my parents, it seems to amaze them. lol. I have even got my mom making veggie stuff at her house like falafals and veggie chili and soups,etc! It's so funny, ytoo bad we live 3,000 miles apart!

btw I absolutley







Vegetarian Planet! Great cookbook and so much variety..seems like some of the veggie cookbooks have the same old stuff in them and are spinoffs of each other.

Ok I'm off to bake some gooey strawberry oat bars for taking to DH grandmas later..will post the recipe when I get time!


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Not to gross you out







but I was raised on meat, potatoes, gravy and white bread! I had spaghetti for the first time in COLLEGE!! I am pretty sure my parents never had brown rice in all their 70 years







IMHO it is downright amazing that I became a vegan!!!


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## Annie7 (Dec 29, 2003)

gives propers to callmemama !


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Heather - Erin is a member of MDC. Did you PM her?


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## SandyBeachBums (Nov 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PikkuMyy*
Heather - Erin is a member of MDC. Did you PM her?

Thanks for reminding me. I keep forgetting to. I guess it doesn't like me because of my isp.
I'm going to go search for her now


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

SandyBeachBums and rainbowmoon, I had to pm you the recipies because they are copywrited, so check your pm's for some good recipies.
After reading the "Were you all born this way" thread I can figure most people weren't raised on good whole foods. Dh and I think it's important for dc to have fond memories of the good, wholesome foods we cook and eat. We take them shopping and to the farmers market so they can be involved in the whole process. Dd helps cook when time isn't a factor.
Isn't it funny that we introduce foods to our parents that have been around for ages? Just in their natural state, not processed. I guess a lot of our parents grew up when "convenience" food was just hitting the shelves, so they consumed a lot.
Good for you callmemama!


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## LavenderMae (Sep 20, 2002)

Can I get the sprouted sunflower dip recipe too, please!!!








That rice pudding recipe sounds divine!!!








Also when you all sprout things do you leave them on the counter or put them in the fridge? It is pretty hot and humid in my kitchen so I want to make sure I do it right.


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Gotcha Sheacoby! This was the first time I ever sprouted anything. I stuck the jar in the window during the day and on my counter at night







But I live in a very cool area.........I'm sure someone knows better than I, anyone?


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## SandyBeachBums (Nov 14, 2002)

I just thought I would throw out a link.

```
[URL=http://www.sproutpeople.com]www.sproutpeople.com[/URL]
```
 is my favorite sprouting site. I bought my easy sprouter there. I bought a starter pack that had russian, french and some kind of bean type sprouts. They have lots of fun info and recipes. We sprout on our counter no matter the weather. If it's really hot in here then I rinse more often.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

I'm really greatful to my mom for the way she fed me. She grew up eating frozen and canned foods - NEVER, and I mean, NEVER any fresh veggies! But as an adult, she went out of her way to learn how to cook everything from scratch delicously - veggies, baked goods, etc. So I was there - we went to the farmer's market and prepared everything ourselves. I was also highly allergic so we cooked a lot more from scratch because there weren't nearly as many wheat free or vegan options of ready-made food back then.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

I never had lentils until this year when i learned I adore Indian food







I've still not prepared them at home


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Oh, RAinbow! - you're missing out ! Lentils are the fastest and easiest bean to cook, no soaking or boiling necessary and they taste so good in different ways. Would you like my never-fail Egyptian Lentil Soup recipe? (ingredients: lentils, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, broth - really quick)


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## LavenderMae (Sep 20, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SandyBeachBums*
I just thought I would throw out a link.

Thanks!







I added it to my favorites!!

Lentils are quite good although I have had some not too pleasant side effects from lentil soup, other ways are okay though. I have made some good lentil burgers before!!


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

hi everyone









ive been hanging out in TAO cuz the limited amt of time i have on the comp cuz of work, school, volunteering, and life has definately made it impossible to read long posts and replying to every thread i want to...

so im here.. reading.. miss all of ya veg heads.. :LOL


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

There you are! I was wondering where you were...

We miss you too! How are the cats?


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Hope some of you can appreciate this.........MIL is visiting, and we just came back from Trader Joes. I wanted to wait until she got here so she could get some food she wanted and I know she loves to go to TJs as I know there is none where she lives. She knows I'm vegan know (as opposed to veg last time she visited) so she kept asking, can you eat this? Can you eat this? Over and over again! I mean, I'm glad she is interested/concerned, but I'm like, I'm picking up the bill, I'll get what I want, you get what you want. The whole reason I took her shopping is because I know she doesn't normally drink oat milk (which she liked btw







) and all my funky food. Doesn't really bother me, I guess it just is a little annoying because then I feel like I'm being high needs when I'm buying groceries for my own house, kwim?


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Did you ever see "Mother" by Albert Brooks? She asks him if he ( as a vegetarian) can eat salad! DH's mother asked him if he could eat bread. Some people just seem to turn their otherwise intelligent brains off for this topic. At least she was being concerned and trying though!


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PikkuMyy*
Oh, RAinbow! - you're missing out ! Lentils are the fastest and easiest bean to cook, no soaking or boiling necessary and they taste so good in different ways. Would you like my never-fail Egyptian Lentil Soup recipe? (ingredients: lentils, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, broth - really quick)









- sounds good- throw it at me!


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow so if anyone's got a great recipe send it my way. DH has been craving meat and driving me nuts. lol


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## kimmysue2 (Feb 26, 2003)

portabella mushrooms make a great BBQ grilled sandwich that meat eaters claim taste meaty.


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## HeatherG (May 22, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PikkuMyy*
Did you ever see "Mother" by Albert Brooks? She asks him if he ( as a vegetarian) can eat salad! DH's mother asked him if he could eat bread. Some people just seem to turn their otherwise intelligent brains off for this topic. At least she was being concerned and trying though!


Ha ha ha , that is funny. I get silly comments like that too. Like, Oh i used veggie oil to fry the eggplant, can you have veggie oil? I just look at them and say, you think about that a minute.

But the coolest thing is, my grandmother, who was SO concerned when I became vegan 6 years ago, said how wonderfully healthy and big my 1yo DD is... then said who knew a little vegetarian could be so healthy.

Anyway, my family doesn't dought me anymore, they actually are very interested and ask tons of questions now, like what foods help for this and that. They are also asking and coming around on the organic thing too. They used to say that the checmicals were fine or they wouldn't put them on the produce or feed them to the food animals. Now that it is coming up slowly in the media they are questioning it. I get so mad, like "what you don't beleive me until channel 7 airs a story?"


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Here you are, Rainbow -

Egyptian Lentil Soup (This is from a certain cookbook that is vegan and Mediterranean, but I've written my own directions and edited a bit.)

Ingredients:

2 med yellow onions
2-3 carrots
2 stalks celery
lots of garlic
1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds or 1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Fennel seeds (I've never used them)
4 C veggie broth (or water with bullion cubes)
4 C water
1 1/2 C lentils
1 fried chile pepper (or a few shakes of chile seeds)
salt 'n' pepa (if they'll fit in the pot! LOL)
lemon or red wine vinegar
several slices of red onion (optional)
Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Chop up yellow onions, carrots, garlic, and celery.
2. In big soup pot, heat up olive oil and sautee veggies with cumin (and fennel, if using) for about 10 minutes until slightly cooked.
3. While veggies cook, rinse off lentils and check for pebbles (in years of eating lentils, I've come across one pebble.)
4. Add broth, water, and chile (if using) and put to boil
5. Once water boils, turn down, partially cover, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Uncover and let cook another 10 or so.
7. Optional - this does taste great but adds extra work - Toss red onion slices with olive oil and bake for about 15 minutes in a pan covered with foil. Do this while the soup cooks.
8. Serve soup with a squeeze of lemon or a bit of red wine vinegar (delicious! about a capful per large bowl) and top with red onion slices.

We usually eat it with buttered toast - sourdough works really well, as does a thick whole wheat. We'll have it as our dinner - big bowls with toast.

The original recipe called for the soup to simmer for 30 minutes, then simmer uncovered for another 15. I've found that the soup cooks in much less time nad if you cook it that long, you end up with squishy, falling apart lentils. So 15-20 minutes should be plenty for the partially-covered section.

Enjoy!


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## UnschoolnMa (Jun 14, 2004)

Hi everyone,

I am a new vegetarian, and I just wanted to pop in and say hello! I grew up in a family of serious meat eaters, but it was never my favorite choice. I have always used alot of veggies and fruits but I did eat meat also. Lately though meat and dairy just make me feel all icky.. and life is too short to feel icky from food. Food is supposed be a pleasurable experience, and I hope to put that back into what I am eating. I got what appears to be a good book from my library, and I am about halfway through it so far.

Doing away with meat feels pretty easy to me, since I was never super into it to begin with. Going no milk seems harder for some reason. We shall see... I just want to enjoy eating again, YKWIM? Kristi


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

I wasn't a big meat eater either- but I'm very picky, so the hardest for me was opening up to new foods.

That looks awesome Pikku- i'm going to try it!


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

I C U

:LOL

the cats are good.. the 2 youngest ones have been adopted into a loving home.. and will be welcomed by 3 older brothers and sisters...

poor mickey misses them but he will be ok...

now off to go eat more food that has to be mushed up cuz i cant eat solids yet









Quote:


Originally Posted by *PikkuMyy*
There you are! I was wondering where you were...

We miss you too! How are the cats?


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tricia80*







I C U

:LOL

the cats are good.. the 2 youngest ones have been adopted into a loving home.. and will be welcomed by 3 older brothers and sisters...

poor mickey misses them but he will be ok...

now off to go eat more food that has to be mushed up cuz i cant eat solids yet









But he has Khaila to love him, he'll be ok.

Why can't you eat solids? When I was younger, my mom and I used to make blended salad, and I really liked it. It was literally a regular salad in the blender, we'd use celery sticks to push down the lettuce. Then we'd put some lemon juice and a little oil in and eat like soup.

How about some creamy soups? Like potato leek - just saute the leeks and sliced potatoes, then once getting soft, add broth and boil for a short time, blend and voila!


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

i had two of my wisdom teeth extracted on wednesday... so its been painful.. im slowly but surely eating solids..jus cant chew for a long time...

yeah mickey has been loving khaila more than usual and she is loving it... :LOL


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Ouch! I need to get 3 extracted but I've been putting it off - partly because the more they grow in, the easier the surgery is, partly because we have no $$$.

I'd go nuts on mashed potatoes.


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## amylsp (Jul 16, 2004)

Hi my name is Amy and I just joined the board recently. I've been a vegetarian for 17 years but am now looking for recipes for my three year old. This looks like a great thread to get some ideas!


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Hi Amy! Welcome to our thread! If you look at the past postings, you'll get some. Also do a search in the good eating thread itself for our june thread, and for our previous veg mamas one. Lots of recipies posted.


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## isosmom (Apr 23, 2004)

Ok, so I haven't used margarine in who knows how long, it's been butter and only butter for quite a while. But now I'm on the vegan track, so.......I was making pancakes yesterday and the recipie called for melted butter, so I thought I could substitute melted margarine. Well it didn't melt. It did however let off a horrible smell that almost made me uke. So I used coconut oil instead. I was using Spectrum Spread. Is this normal? Do other margarines melt or not? Should I even try margarine or just stick to oil? The only time I use it is in baking, really. Please help!


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## ChristaN (Feb 14, 2003)

I use oil a lot in place of melted butter, but Earth Balance margarine also melts just fine & smells fine when it does melt. Earth Balance is vegan & has no hydrogenated oils. It is pretty good stuff. I don't know about Spectrum - have never used that brand.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

ChristaN said:


> Earth Balance margarine also melts just fine & smells fine when it does melt. Earth Balance is vegan & has no hydrogenated oils. QUOTE]
> 
> ITA - I use Earth Balance all over the place. I've never liked Spectrum at all.


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## sweetpeasmom (Nov 20, 2003)

I also use earth balance for everything. I melt it for my pancakes and comes out very yummy.


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

Hi All ! I just started back to school the first week of August , so have taken some time away from 'chatting', but was thinking of everyone today as I made a REALLY yummy vegan feast for myself and friends.
Curry tofu eggless salad with a matching
curry spread as a sandwich with fixins'
and some great veggies...

anyway, popping in to say hi







: and welcome the new veggies.

I have to say , that lately ( especially since I am taking an advanced nutrition class this semester) I have been harboring some real resentment towards the new "Weston Price and his merry followers" and such. I am feeling very negative and find that the new trend of " lets put the oil from contaminated fish livers in everything" to be so disturbing....

Thats all!
Ain't I cheery









Peace,


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Hi everyone, Ive been out for awhile, but I just got some moosewood cookbooks from the library and they look YUMMY!! I must say that I am so proud of how my dd has been eating lately. She loves any kind of veggie and usually screams for more. Last night she ate almost a whole avacado. A few days ago she ate an entire tofu hotdog. I have never seen her eat so much in her short life. My DS is the struggle every day. Today he has had an ok day. He had cream of wheat for breakfast, veggie meat slices (like cold cuts) for snack and noodles and green beans for lunch. He wanted jelly beans for lunch, so I think this was an improvement. We have to take my dd to the allergiest in a few weeks because she keeps having reactions to things. So far I think it is dairy and cats. (luckily we got rid of our cats while I was pregnant)


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

For some reason my dh who was toying with veg is suddenly very annoyed with my preparing all veg meals. Any ideas why? We had one week where most the meals I made were really umm... worthless? And since it is either hit or miss. Any idea why the sudden irritation with vegetarianism?

I heard this from a long time internet friend recently, what do you think? She said she doesn't think eating animal is ethically wrong per say- she believes that we are omnivores by nature (teeth, digestive, yada yada) and perhaps we are evolving to a veg animal, but in this time she believes we are still part of the food chain iykwim. However, I thought she was veg- turns out she isn't actually veg by the ethical reasons I may expect. She believes when you eat an animal you are ingesting their total spirit, soul and even karma. By ingesting the soul of a tourtured animal you are adding torture and pain of the spirit to your own soul. By ingesting the karma of a wild animal you are adding their karma to your own. So she will sometimes eat organic or self caught animals that are mild in nature. Just rarely because it isn't a positive thing to her.

It struck me as extremely interesting and just wondered what others thought. It is interesting spiritual approach to vegetarianism.


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

I've felt similar to that before. I feel that DH is eating *better* when he gets some wild pig, etc to eat, rather than Walmart ground chuck, or whatever. A little bit better energy. I do think the only good way to eat meat is if you can catch it yourself and eat it raw. BTW, how does your friend manage this catching part? I've never heard of anyone who could.

I think we are NOT meant to eat meat, by my research. Teeth, digestive, yada yada, all point to a vegetarian lifestyle.


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

I guess it was (still is some places) necessary to eat meat, but if since I have the means of getting good nutrition without it, I feel compelled to do so. My dh goes along with it for the most part but sometimes he gets meat hungry. Rather than ignoring it and letting him pop into a fast food restaurant or something, I go down to Whole Foods (a health food type grocery) and get him some organic family farm raised meat. I don't like the killing of animals, but a family farm is a much better alternative to factory farms. The animals are healthier and treated more humanely (if being killed at all can be considered humane.) After learning about cows in the factory dairy industry, I am thinking it's in a way, less cruel to eat organic family farm meat than cheese made from abused cow cheese. Dh will never give up cheese, however. As far as taking in the soul of an animal you eat- that's not unusual. There are people in the world who eat their dead family members to keep their souls alive. It is not part of my belief system, but I can understand and respect it.


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## Rainbow (Nov 19, 2001)

well, her father catches/raises/etc and hands it to her in a neat little package.

Amandzia- I do the same for DH. I figure better organic meat than factory farmed meat.

dready mama- I always thought that event he veg community thought we were omninvores by nature? Expand for me if you feel like it, or hand me a site? I remember reading that our digestive system is set up for either and our teeth more closely represent animal eaters. Pointed insizors (sp) and all... very interesting!


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Rainbow, dh and I went vegan (or strict vegetarian, if you're a purist) at the same time, three plus years ago. I STILL feel like I'm learning to cook and its so nice to have a number of meals now that we like. But dh would be quite grumpy at times along our new journey - I'm just pleased he's walking it with me and ds!!


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

I wanted to share an animal rescue from yesterday with you guys.
Our property is loaded with iguanas...LOADED. Our property is also fenced all the way around as we are on a deep ocean canal area and I have 2 kids. Anyway, an iguana was running from the girls 2 days ago ( as they do) and tried to run THROUGH the fence ( chainlength) and got stuck. She was floundering around and it just looked awful! I told the girls to leave the area and she would then calm down and figure out how to get out (overestimating the reptilian brain...)
Yesterday we were out playing, and I see that the iguana IS STILL STUCK! I was sick thinking it died there and I never came back to check on it. My 3 year old starts screaming that it is still alive , so I called a Herp friend to come help me unstick it.
While we were balancing on the sea wall, cutting the fence to free the poor thing, my neighbors are screaming:_*EAT 'EM - THEY TASTE LIKE CHICKEN!*_







: ( side note, many down here DO eat them...but that is not the point...)
I was very proud that my kids helped me give the little lady (3 feet long) fresh picked cherries and water, and return her to her habitat ( my yard)...

On the family note, my dad tried to talk me into seeing his new "guru" yesterday...who is a Mercola nut and my father is now convinced I am killing myself and my kids through my veg diet.







In the past they basically ignored my diet ..


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

I've learned that we do have those two sharp-ish teeth, but real meat-eaters have those in front for ripping flesh.
I've also learned that our intestines are SUPER long, much much much longer than carnivore/omnivore intestines. Theirs are short so that the rotting flesh can escape their bodies quickly, without causing problems. For the same reason my dog can eat garbage, moldy food, horse poo (need I go on? I know, my dog is disgusting) :LOL


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

ok guys.. im not a happy camper....

my dd had a fish fillet at mcdonalds yesterday while in the care of my mom... she told dd fish wasnt meat...







ummm yes it is ... its freaking flesh.. i hate some ppl.. and when i told dd what it was she almost cried... im not a happy camper.. she said that mcdonalds didnt have a veggie burger.. umm yes it does...

why oh why sometimes do i jus wanna give up.. its bad enuff ive let a few things slip lately and have been a very bad vegan... but i made sure dd was good... oh man the guilt is baaaad...









ok had to vent a bit...


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

oh that sucks!








Last Thanksgiving (when DS was 4mo) my mom thought it would be a wonderful idea to let DS suck on a Turkey bone b/c he was obviously "feeling so left out"! WTF! umm... no... he's still vegetarian... well.. actually, he's never eaten anything besides breastmilk. But's that's just wrong.
I think our mothers are plotting against us!







:


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tricia80*
my dd had a fish fillet at mcdonalds yesterday while in the care of my mom... she told dd fish wasnt meat...







ummm yes it is ... its freaking flesh...

uke
Don't feel bad lets put it in perspective!
a) it was likely not fish, they use lots of soy fillers!
b) just like many MANY other things she will experiment with ( by her choice or peer pressure) 1x is really not going to lead to a life long issue with fish stick abuse. It is all how you handle it , and I am sure you are doing it perfectly


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tricia80*

she said that mcdonalds didnt have a veggie burger.. umm yes it does...
ok had to vent a bit...

Do they really? I dont think ours does. I know I can get them at burger king. I would love it if McD did. What is it called?


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamacarey*
Do they really? I dont think ours does. I know I can get them at burger king. I would love it if McD did. What is it called?

they don't in Florida...if you go to the McD's site you can find the few states that do. BK does, and it is better than nothing on the go.


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## Erin Pavlina (Nov 11, 2001)

Not all McD's carry the veggie burger.


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

All the ones where we live carry it....

we have been there b4 unfortunately ... but ordered a garden salad instead... so that excuse cant fly with me...

i know shes not gonna abuse fish sticks.. :LOL but the fact my mom lied to my dd is what got me upset.. and when i set her straight she nearly cried... she felt horrible... and all she kept repeating was "mommy it didnt have milk in it"...so she thought she was helping the animals...

i bet it is a plot against us...







:


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## tricia80 (Oct 28, 2003)

OOOps double post


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## love2all (Dec 13, 2003)

I am not passing judgement here, but mcd's???? Do they cook the veggie burger by itself on a clean grill with a veggie spatula?


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

I was thinking that, too. Considering their whole french fries issues and all







. I reckon they just nuke em though. Seems that what Burger King does (yes, I'll admit to eating there while on a loooong road trip and really hungry). I do know that's what Subway does with their veggie burger-things. but they don't have the option of a grill, either, I suppose.


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *love2all*
I am not passing judgement here, but mcd's???? Do they cook the veggie burger by itself on a clean grill with a veggie spatula?

We just try and do it as a once a month treat when we drive to visit my parents. While I was pregnant with DD we ate there way too much. Now we limit ourselves to our traveling. I know its not good for us and our house was filled with happy meal toys. YUCK!


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## guestmama9924 (Mar 16, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tricia80*
and all she kept repeating was "mommy it didnt have milk in it"...so she thought she was helping the animals...









oh thats sad! My girls are the same way, they try so hard to please me and my demands on them as far as food--and it goes beyone meats for my house, no refined sugars, food colors, white bread....occasionally I do cave out of no options, but that is rare ,and sometimes my girls are like " is this a healthy french fry?"








It is hard, I am trying not to be neurotic about food, lest I drive them towards a disorder or something, but I do have firm beliefs and care about their precious bodies...


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

We almost got bumped to the 3rd page of Nutrition and Good eating.







:
We havent been a very chatty bunch lately huh? Everything is going good here, but having trouble with the fact that my DH eats like crap and doesnt want to change to eat healthier. He could live off only meat, oh and white bread. It is hard trying to get kids to eat things that are good for you when daddy doesnt have to. Luckily both of my kids love most veggies. anyone else have this problem? I am wanting DH to eat better because his dad is diabetic and had bypass surgery a few years ago. This was our conversation the other day:
ME: You would have a hard time changing your diet if you had to for medical reasons.
DH: I would probably just keep eating the way I do now.
ME:its nice that you would keep eating crap and die early and leave me and your kids
DH: well I like what I eat







:







:







:







:







:







:







:

Anyone else have this problem?


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamacarey*
We almost got bumped to the 3rd page of Nutrition and Good eating.







:
We havent been a very chatty bunch lately huh? Everything is going good here, but having trouble with the fact that my DH eats like crap and doesnt want to change to eat healthier. He could live off only meat, oh and white bread. It is hard trying to get kids to eat things that are good for you when daddy doesnt have to. Luckily both of my kids love most veggies. anyone else have this problem? I am wanting DH to eat better because his dad is diabetic and had bypass surgery a few years ago. This was our conversation the other day:
ME: You would have a hard time changing your diet if you had to for medical reasons.
DH: I would probably just keep eating the way I do now.
ME:its nice that you would keep eating crap and die early and leave me and your kids
DH: well I like what I eat







:







:







:







:







:







:







:

Anyone else have this problem?

**I would be so frustrated with your husband. I have a husband from the midwest. Corn and potatoes (and meat), but he DID go vegetarian and has been for about 4 years now. BUT he's also still as stubborn as a meat and potatoes guy... Just minus the meat?! His lack of concern for his own health makes me just flabbergasted. He doesn't like ethnic cooking. He hates trying new things. He will not eat anything "round" or "that pops"?? I COOK. I cook from scratch each meal and I am an awesome vegetarian cook ... to the worlds' most BORING EATER! What is it with these silly guys?


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

OMG! Mamacarey, do I sense some poligamy (sp?) here? I mean, you just described my husband. Scary, eh? To make it worse, he has heart problems in his family. He has told me he doesn't expect to live beyond 65. WTF? I'm hoping he just thinks thats really old, and maybe when he gets that old, he'll feel differently. Anyhow, he goes through these phases (long ones) where he'll just want to eat one type of food. Well,he's eaten PB&J for lunch every day since he was a kid (he feels he's made tremendous strides changing from grape to strawberry jelly, and from creamy to crunchy PB!) Right now he's on a pork chop thing. ONly on the grill (makes a funny sight in our CO winters :LOL), and he could care less if there's any side dishes. I usually force him to eat a spoonful of whatever I'm eating and my sides. Of course he'd much rather have canned peas, which is the only worth-while vegetable in his opinion. yuck. It seems logical to me to experiment with different ingrediants and differnt methods of cooking. I mean, if I were a meat eater, I think I'd be eating pretty good and varied. I try to suggest different cooking methods for the pork chops to DH, and he doesn't see the point.







:
He often says he wishes I ate meat and I'm like, REally?? If I ate meat, I still don't think you'd eat what I cooked! I'd actually use vegetables (gasp!) and make casseroles, skillets, all sorts of things... which he obviously can't handle.
okay, I'm done with my rant.
Just glad to know there's others out there. I'm sicka hearing about you veggie mamas with veg DHs who adore your cooking!!!


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## Erin Pavlina (Nov 11, 2001)

You could try sarcasm and reverse psychology...

When he says that he would still eat this way even if it meant an early death, I would be tempted to say, "Well I'd better get myself back into shape since I want to be very attractive for my next husband. What fun it's going to be to go shopping around for a new vegetarian hubby. Thanks for giving me some warning. I must get to work on this right away."

I know this won't change anything, really... but you never know, in the back of his mind he might start wondering...

Also, start having the kids whisper things in his ear like, "Daddy, are you going to be alive when I get married (or have kids)?"


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

I thank the powers that be every day that my DH is vegan just like me. It makes things Sooooo much easier. But then I had thought that I wanted the next person I was with to eat like me, rather than falling in love with someone who ate meat - so it was much simpler. And we both decided to go vegan at the same time.

Last night I made my famous seitan/potato tacos and he ate NINE TACOS!!!!

ETA: Confession: Today I was telling DH that I ratted on him about the 9 tacos, and he said "WHAT???" So I have to confess I was just typing and I wasn't thinking. I didn't make the tacos.







HE DID. While I was at work so that they were almost ready when I got home. So he's a wonderful husband and I'm a liar.


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Erin Pavlina*
You could try sarcasm and reverse psychology...

When he says that he would still eat this way even if it meant an early death, I would be tempted to say, "Well I'd better get myself back into shape since I want to be very attractive for my next husband. What fun it's going to be to go shopping around for a new vegetarian hubby. Thanks for giving me some warning. I must get to work on this right away."









:







:







:
That is too funny! I'll have to try that


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## Lilg127 (May 19, 2003)

I just saw this thread and don't have time to read now because I have to pump before a meeting but wanted to say hi.

I'm Lil and my DH and I are new vegetarians... We're transitioning to vegan and planning on raising our son Nick that way.

Anyways I'm excited this thread exists and am looking forward to chatting with everyone here.


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

Hi Lilg









I wasn't vegi when I met my husband so I didn't know I'd want a vegi husband. Poor guy, he thought he was marying a meat cooker. Well, I didn't cook much meat, but a little. I was vegi for a few years up until I had my first dd when I was 21, then I had such meat cravings when I was pregnant that I would have eaten the neighbor's cat...raw.

Six years later I met my husband and we got married a year later. He went happily along getting meat now and then until about a year ago when I went vegi...partly for his health (high blood pressure and cholesterol)and partly because my 12 yr old dd (the one who gave me meat cravings in the first place) reminded me why I had been vegi all those years ago. She is very much into animal rights.

Now dh only gets meat when we go visiting or on those rare occasions when he keeps talking about it and I give in and get him some organic family farmed meat. He doesn't do the shopping nor the cooking, so he's at my mercy. (evil laugh)







haaa haa hoo

It would be nice to have a vegi hubby, but I didn't marry one so I have only myself to blame. sigh...


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Any ideas on how to get a 4 year old to eat beans? My ds has never eaten beans, but he is sure he wont like them, which means he wont try them or even have them on his plate. How can I make them more appealing to him?


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## SandyBeachBums (Nov 14, 2002)

My 7 year old boy, Gibran, hates beans. But, we just kept offering them. Around 3 years of age he fell in love with hummus. I'm surprised at the number of kids who like hummus. Especially if it's homemade. He finally like refried beans. We eat refried beans all the time and he finally likes them. Since, he likes crunchy tacos we put them in there instead of taco filling. You could try spaghetti sauce. Try some ethnic foods, too. My kids will eat the strangest stuff at new restaurants. I really think it's the texture. My second son adores beans and will eat baked beans straight from the can. Gibran is my picky one, but he will often try something if he got to make it.

Good Luck,
Heather
Personally I love beans and will eat them totally plain!


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

When my 12 yr old was little she would only eat beans she could pick up with her fingers (she still likes to eat with her hands). She loved black beans in particular.
The twins love kidney beans as a snack. I just hand them to them one by one as I cook and pretty soon they've eaten half the can.
You could try different kinds of beans hot or cold, plain or spiced until you find one he likes and that may become his "gateway" bean into the world of beans.


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamacarey*
Any ideas on how to get a 4 year old to eat beans? My ds has never eaten beans, but he is sure he wont like them, which means he wont try them or even have them on his plate. How can I make them more appealing to him?

**White beans (navy) are easy to puree and add to just about anything... even pudding if you want! I swear! White beans pureed w/ a tbs of olive oil and a bit of rosemary s&p makes a yummy sandwhich spread. Blend them and add them to avacado if your child likes avacado. I often marinate them with the tofu and saute together w/ garlic or onions and my son will eat them.


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## Mizelenius (Mar 22, 2003)

Hey, ladies!!! Can I join? I've been a lacto-ovo veg for about 13 years, I think? I NEED HELP!!! I originally wanted to be vegan because I think dairy/eggs are just as (if not more so) cruel than meat, but I found it to be so isolating and extremely difficult to cook . . .

So, what I need help with is to cut down on the dairy/egg based diet, since that seems to be where I get my main calories from.







(The eggs are from free-range hens, but still . . .) I'd prefer to go to an almost completely plant-based diet, but avoiding too much soy at this point (we're TTC and I think it'd mess with my already messed-up hormones).

I need cookbook recommendations, websites with recipes, whatever! I want recipes that are easy, delicious, with readily available ingredients (health food store is far), and nutritious. Ha, I know I'm dreaming, but I'm desperate! I'm getting fed up with my "cooking" (pun intended).

Thanks so much!


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## fayking (Jun 28, 2004)

i just thought i would pop my head in here...i've been veggie since 12 and vegan for 3 or 4 years.
not a mama yet but TTC later in the year...
Mizelenius! i found 'how it all vegan' by tanya barnard and sarah kramer to be a wonderful vegan cookery book...they also have a newer book out called 'the garden of vegan'..
super yummy food and not to complicated or costly.
even more fun for me cos i am from the UK and
had to guess what some of the foods were!
some of the places i get recipes from online are...
http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/
http://www.vegfamily.com - Erin's site (fellow MDC mama)
and my fav message board info sites (besides vegfamily) are..
http://www.veganrepresent.com
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/


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## Erin Pavlina (Nov 11, 2001)

My favorite vegetarian/vegan-friendly cookbook is by far Lean and Luscious and Meatless by Bobbie Hinman and MIllie Snyder.

The reason is because most of the recipes are naturally vegan or you can just skip the cheese and sub rice milk instead of cow's milk. And all of the ingredients are normal, everyday things you can find in a regular supermarket. So I think it's a great transition book.

Plus, the recipes are very hearty so other non-veggie family members will like them. All around, I think it's a great book. Here are a few recipes from the book I make ALL the time.

Potato Lentil Stew
Turkish Stew
Very Veggie Enchiladas
Corn Creole
Green Beans in a peanut sauce
Curried chickpea casserole
Thai linguine

And so much more. their desserts aren't great. but the meals... awesome!


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## Amandzia (Aug 16, 2003)

Everyday Vegan by Jeani-Rose Atchison is one I recomend to beginner vegans. I use it alot and was able to use it right away with the things I already had on hand. In addition to all the recipes, it has nutritional info, but she's not too preachy. I get a little annoyed when I get a vegetarian cook book that's half filled with preachiness.







"I already bought the book, stop convincing me and get on with the recipes!!!!" lol
The Compassionate Cook is a PETA publication. It's user friendly too. I recently got The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. I find I have to think about the recipes in advance because they either take longer or use an ingredient that is something you have to have already made previously. The results are very worth it, though. They use a lot of white beans and cashews so if you want a non-tofu vegan cheese, give it a try. There's tofu too sometimes, but mostly not. They use a lot of nutritional yeast flakes too. You may have trouble locating that ingredient. I guess you could stock up when you make it to the health food store.


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

well my dh surprised me yesterday. No he didnt decide to go vegetarian, but he had a vegetarian starter guide from PETA sent to me in the mail. I did think this was a good start for him to show some support to what Im doing.


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## Annie7 (Dec 29, 2003)

baby steps are still "steps"!


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## amylsp (Jul 16, 2004)

That sounds like a great first step mamacarey! At least it sounds like he supports your decision. My husband and I decided to be vegetarians together. I have a lot of respect for couples who are split on this issue. It has got to make meal planning that much more complicated.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amylsp*
That sounds like a great first step mamacarey! At least it sounds like he supports your decision. My husband and I decided to be vegetarians together. I have a lot of respect for couples who are split on this issue. It has got to make meal planning that much more complicated.









ITA

Beans, beans, the musical fruit...









In the health food store, you'll find lots of different beans in the bulk section, but I'd try canned first to see what your DC like. There are so many kinds of beans, especially the Heirloom varieties.

hummus on pita bread
baby carrots or pita chips dipped in hummus
white bean spread on toast
sneak them into blended soups
refried and mushy into tacos and quesadillas
some are huge and can be eaten whole - European soldiers are very smooth and sweet
Garbanzos with oil and black pepper


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

well we got something in the mail today that I had to explain to my ds. We got a catalog from Cabellas (the hunting store)
My ds was asking about why people hunt and what the stuffed animals (real ones) were. He said we dont hurt animals do we? I think he was sad when he saw all the guns. Granted I didnt want him to even look through it, but he got to the mail and started going through it before I could stop him.
I was having a discussion with my dad and I didnt quite know how to answer. He said that if everyone was a vegetarian then we would have too many animals overpopulating the country. Would there be a way to stop this from happening if everyone was vegetarian? Please excuse me if this is a stupid question


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## root*children (Mar 22, 2004)

Seems to me, if everyone were a vegetarian, all those deer (that seems to be the most common animal omni's refer to overpopulating) would just start living in the new forests that used to be animal farms/grazing pastures, etc. I figure animals like cows would probably die off relatively soon.
Did that make any sense? I've thought about it alot too, since we've got hunters in our family. I do see a problem with the lack of predators for the deer, but I think it would level itself out pretty soon (without the help of scaiby hairy smelly fat men and their guns







)


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamacarey*
I was having a discussion with my dad and I didnt quite know how to answer. He said that if everyone was a vegetarian then we would have too many animals overpopulating the country. Would there be a way to stop this from happening if everyone was vegetarian? Please excuse me if this is a stupid question

**It makes me nuts when omni's say that! No, there wouldn't be too many animals in the country. There is a nat'l way of things (other animals eating each other, etc) that would control THAT. THat is if we could control our growth. But, for the most part, humans are unwilling to control ourselves- yet we feel the need to control all other forms of life! ugh.







: And if someone is going to argue that theory than I would assume human would be bright enough to figure out the "problem of animal overpopulation (lol- I laugh while typing that)" . We've put a man on the moon for crying out loud!


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## mamajody (Jul 3, 2004)

Greetings All!

i have been a veg since 1991, and I am married to an omni who only eats meat when outside our home. We are raising our daughter Veg.

Question:

When you are talking to others about diet do they get allhorrified and judgemental when you tell them you are raining your kids veg? It makes me laugh when i hear people say, "aren't you even going to give her a choice? She's a baby for crying out loud! You can't make her be a vegetarian!"

I cn't believe how brainwashed our culture has become!


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Several things to that WAY MORE THAN STUPID argument - which animals are they referring to?

Deer? All the hunters who eat the meat (since this is an argument about people becoming veggies) hardly make a dent in the deer population. The only reason there is an "overpopulation" of deer anywhere is that we've killed their animal predators and stolen their land.

Domesticated animals? Well, the only reason they are here is that we've domesticated them. Many don't live very long anyway because of the health problems caused by breeding them certain ways for our purposes. There are way more than there would be naturally because we FORCE them breed at an extraordinary, and unnatural rate. Like gestation crate female pigs which are forced to get pregnant within 4-5 days of having given birth. In the natural world, pigs raise their piglets and then get pregant again the next YEAR. So no, they wouldn't overrun the world. There would be a huge amount for a short while right after we stopped eating them. Then most would die a natural death and the breeding would go back to natural breeding. Plus, there's no reason that people couldn't set a stop date for breeding and only eat the animals that were left after that. We soon would have very few domesticated animals.

I'm only speaking about the US here - because we have the worst industrial (read: high population) food animal sitautions. (except for Asian's bird industry) In most countries, the populations of food animals would easily reach normal levels very quickly.

Yeesh! So simple, and yet...


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## memory maker (Dec 11, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PikkuMyy*
Several things to that WAY MORE THAN STUPID argument - which animals are they referring to?

.

I think he was referring to all animals. He also made the comment that the world could never make enough veggies for everyone to be a vegetarian







that made no sense to me at all


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## sadkitty (Jun 24, 2004)

Oh mamas! Speaking of the hunting issue; there was this thread in the childhood years about the tragedy of a child who just watched Bambi's mama get shot for the first time! Acckk!! I will rant here if I may. I really wanted to tell the parent in question to simply explain that some people feel the need to kill animals for fun and sometimes food. They don't think about how that animal's baby might feel. Thats how I explained it to my dd anyway. i'm so insensitive








What if we were all honest with our children about where their "food" came from. Especially since most little ones are so compassionate towards animals at first, until we lie and desensitize them towards suffering.


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## ChristaN (Feb 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamacarey*
He also made the comment that the world could never make enough veggies for everyone to be a vegetarian

What a lame arguement. What does he think that the animals that are raised for food are eating? We grow more vegetables and plant foods that humans would ever eat already. We are just feeding most of them to the cattle & other animals that we are raising for food.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamajodi*
"aren't you even going to give her a choice? She's a baby for crying out loud! You can't make her be a vegetarian!"

My response to this one is, "you mean that you aren't even going to give your children a choice? You are just going to feed them dead animals without letting them know what it is & letting them decide whether they want to eat that?" "Forcing" a child to be a vegetarian is no different than "forcing" them to be a meat eater. My children (almost 6 & almost 4) are not being "forced," either. They know that they are welcome to eat anything that they would like. They know what it is & where it came from. If they choose to eat it, I am not going to make that decision for them. Thus far, both of them are very outspoken little vegetarians.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

Originally Posted by mamajodi
"aren't you even going to give her a choice? She's a baby for crying out loud! You can't make her be a vegetarian!"

My FIL tried to make this lame argument, even though he intellectually "understands" why we are vegan. Everything we do as parents involves making choices for our children. (I was just writing about this in "P as P" to a woman who's husband keeps giving their 19 mo candy and says that she is tryiing to be controlling of their DD when she doesn't want him to.) When we make them wear shoes when walking outside, when we insist that they can't go places alone, when we lock the medecine cabinet so they don't accidntally take our prescription drugs: these are all choices we make for our chidlren, based on what we believe to be best for them and the world.

Some people don't lock their cabinets, others let their kids take drugs, others don't supervise them. They've made the decision to give their children a choice. But most of us don't see those as choices that are good for children to make. And when we believe that a vegetarian/vegan diet is best for our health, and best for the animals and people and environment, then we d*mn well have a right to make that choice for our children, at least when they are very young.

Most of us then decide when, on these different issues, to allow our children control. Some people allow their kids to go to school alone at age 8, some at 10, and some at 14. Some of us have sugar-free homes but allow our kids to buy their own sugar with their own money. And some of us have animal-free homes but allow our children to eat meat once they are old enough to make an informed decision.

This issue, like any other, comes down to us doing what we feel is best for our children. Some could argue that by not vaxing, people aren't giving their children the choice. Sure they are, they're just letting them make that choice once they are actually old enough to understand the issues involved.

And on this particular issue, we'll see that most kids, once they understand where meat comes from, how the animals are treated, etc. choose not to eat it. And while some may stray as teens, many come back to it as adults, once mature enough to realize that their parents were right!

That's my two cents for today. I've got to get dressed *yes, I'm still in my bathrobe - I've got to take advantage of the flexibility of not having kids while it lasts* and go see how foggy it is at the lighthouse because we want to do some birdwatching.


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