Lentil and Split Pea Soup

Today I had time to cook, wasn't hosting a lovely guest and wasn't dying from whatever has been going around these days, so I took the opportunity to cook something hearty for Mr. K and I. Something vegan, tasty, costing nothing (except what I spent earlier this month to bulk up my pantry) and something that would provide leftovers so that we have a good lunch for work tomorrow.

I also remembered that we've invited a work friend of Mr. K's over for dinner tomorrow night, so I decided to remind myself that I can cook, and to pre-prep a few things for tomorrow, including the dough for broa (a Portuguese yeasted corn bread).

If you check out my blogroll, you'll see that I LOVE 101 Cookbooks. This site is so full of hearty cooking inspiration and has really changed the way I stock and view my pantry. The recipes are all vegetarian, with a solid amount of good vegan recipes in there (and even more that can be made vegan with some fair tweaking). Recently, I saw a post for soup crackers and decided they'd be perfect to make for today. You can find the recipe here, though note that it calls for both milk and butter. I solved that problem by subbing soy milk and Earth Balance "butter." I dare say that my non-vegan followers wouldn't know these were animal free crackers, and they received the Mr. K seal of approval. In his words "these won't last very long!" (little does he know I only baked up half the dough...haha!) I was a little nervous about the anise seed being overpowering, so I halved it. Now having eating the crackers, I'd go with the full amount (though I would still skimp a smidge on the sugar).

To go with these crackers, I decided to use up some of the legumes and veggies that have been accumulating in my cupboards. I had soaked a bowl of lentils and split green peas (both were on sale at the grocery store awhile back), overnight in cold water, so I needed to use those, and we got some rainbow carrots in the food share this past week, so those were a must addition as well.

**I should note that you don't actually need to soak lentils, and you can "quick soak" the split peas. They just take a little longer to cook, so you'd leave the soup on the stove longer than I did.

Katie's Vegan Lentil and Split Pea Soup 

1/2 cup lentils (soaked overnight)
1/2 split green peas (soaked overnight)
1 can whole kernel corn (with liquid)
3-4 medium sized carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
splash of olive oil
1T crushed garlic (I use the TJs kind)
salt, pepper, ground anise seed, chili pepper, coriander to taste
dash of dill for last minute flavoring and garnish

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions (keep on med to med-hi) and let them cook up until fragrant and beginning to go clear. A little browning and sticking is fine. Add the chopped carrots and keep on med-hi for a minute or two.

Pour in the liquid used to soak the lentils and peas. Bring to a boil in the pot, stirring. Let boil for a few minutes to soften the carrots, then add the lentils and peas. Pour in the corn with liquid and give it a good swirl.

At this point I added in some salt and freshly cracked pepper, threw in about a tsp of fresh ground anise seeds and probably 1/2 tsp of coriander.

After letting the soup simmer for 10-15min, I added in the garlic, sprinkled in about 1/2 tsp of chili powder, increased the black pepper (after tasting it) and sprinkled on the dill. I let it cook another 20-25 minutes. You just want to make sure you're happy with the consistency of the peas.

Serve with oatmeal crackers and enjoy!!

Every little bit counts...

Today was a long day.

It didn't have to be particularly long, but it was. I started out late to work because I went to the dentist, then I spent the day dealing with the launch of our new data system, meeting about our new data system, workplace stress due to our new data system, frantic calls and emails from confused investigators and colleagues about our new data system, and then I stayed extra late to actually use our new data system to get some work done. I didn't leave the office until 8pm.

I know this doesn't sound too bad to some of you. And if you knew me before I was salaried, you know that I'm a work-aholic, and that my answer to having school off was to load up my work schedule. I think I was working off the theory that if you spend all of your time working or sleeping, you have no time to spend the money you earn. This is how I saved up enough to move across the country without having a job or apartment in place.

Now I try really hard not to work more than everyone else, especially when it gets me nowhere. I try really hard to remind myself that balance between taking care of myself and taking care of my work is important. So it's not often lately that I voluntarily work until 8pm. As such, I treated myself to a vegan burrito (filled with corn salsa, black beans, brown rice, Cajun spices and big chunks of tofu...yum!). I left the office super hungry and knew if I waited until I was home I'd be too tired to eat something real. But enough rationalizing...

Boloco (Boston Local Company) is a great burrito place. The cost is comparable to Chipotle or Qdoba, there are more options (tofu! peanut sauce! brown rice! oh my!), but those aren't the only reasons I like to go there. I noticed today as I sat and enjoyed my dinner, a sign illustrating some of the company's values. This company tries to maintain the "cool" and unique structure of whatever existed before the restaurant did. This particular Boloco retained exposed brick and had windows that can be removed on hot summer days. It overlooks Copley plaza and is in a perfect location for people watching.

Boloco also uses compostable bags, entirely plant-based and compostable cups for their beverages, and they separate out their trash, with a list of what can go in each bin. This reminds me of a great taco place a few blocks from our apartment that serves delicious food, composts in the back of the restaurant, and donates the composted goods to local farmers.

Neither of these places is fancy, and maybe they cost a little more than McDonald's or Wendy's or your fast food joint of choice, but frankly, I'd rather spend my money on something that makes me feel good. I'd rather know that I'm supporting a company that shares my values. They get how important it is to do good things (and obviously it isn't cost prohibitive or "too hard"), and they just do it.

And this is something Mr. K and I believe in. We'd rather eat out less often and go to a place that recycles and buys good ingredients and has innovative solutions for their waste, and gives back to their community, than a place that is cheap and easy but totally irresponsible. For the same reason, we refuse to patronize WalMart. The small savings we'd get from buying their super low priced goods doesn't compensate for the damage we'd be doing to the world by supporting such an organization. We also don't need that much stuff. If you're doubtful about our anti-WalMart stance, I highly recommend you check out the documentary "The High Cost of Low Price."

I've come into contact with a lot of people lately who are stressed out, sad, lonely or feeling lost in the life changes they're experiencing right now. Many of these people are really close to me, and it makes me sad to see their pain. I hear them saying that they just don't bother to worry about these things because they have too much on their plate already, and yet part of that unhappy plate is a sense that they don't have purpose, that they don't have direction, that everything is going to hell in a handbasket and there is nothing they can do about it.

Certainly a large part of this sadness and frustration and cynicism is due to the state of the world. We've had so many natural disasters, wars, conflicts and strange vote outcomes. It's scary to watch the news, and it's heartbreaking to see how much loss and destruction are out there. It's overwhelming to know that so much need exists, and to feel helpless to meet any of it.

Yet I have to remind myself that every little bit counts. I try to explain this to others, and it seems often to fall on deaf ears. But I really mean it. Every little bit counts. And it isn't the burden people might think it. Giving a little bit of time, thought or effort makes you feel better, gives you strength and purpose and makes it a little easier to stomach the day. At least that's true for me.

I tell my RYLA kids, when we talk about making an impact and taking their experience back to their communities, that it is overwhelming. I don't belittle to vastness of the world's problems. But just because there is "so much" out there that needs to be done, we shouldn't hide behind our own problems and say that we couldn't possibly make a difference, or that our efforts don't matter. In fact, they do.

Every little bit counts.


I read this book back when I first moved to Boston. It's more of a reference book than a "sit down and read me all at once" type book. Each chapter goes through different ways that you can make a manageable impact. If you love chocolate, learn about which brands are better for the earth and the world. If you love seafood, learn which areas your favorites should come from to be healthier for you and the planet.

I love that this book doesn't expect us to give up all of our worldly positions, quit our jobs and become flower children living on a commune in the woods (not that I have anything against that, it's just not practical for many these days). The author recognizes that we have lives and needs and wants and families to feed. He also realizes, however, that by becoming aware of the impact our decisions make, we can make better choices. Knowing that you chose wild Alaskan salmon for dinner instead of farm raised is empowering, because your decision made a difference. And perhaps your willingness to pay attention to where your food came from will inspire another to pay attention as well. And thus your impact multiplies.

This idea that every little bit makes a big difference can also soothe the concern for imperfection in life changes. Here I've made this commitment to being vegan for Lent. I've discovered since March 9th that my favorite spicy hot cocoa is actually made with cream, even if I request soymilk. This doesn't mean that I've been a failure (let me repeat that to myself: I am not a failure. I am not a failure). It means that I didn't know something, now I do and now I can make a more informed choice. I've since switched to chai and I get my chocolate fix from the low-fat vegan cupcakes (which are SO GOOD. and this coming from a girl who doesn't typically like chocolate cake).

This idea is echoed in Kathy Freston's Veganist, where she recommends leaning into veganism. As I mentioned previously, personal growth is not easy, and it doesn't happen overnight. Becoming more aware of our decisions, the impact they have on our world, and how we feel about them once we confront their truth is a journey, not a destination (how many more cliches can I use in one post??).

And every little bit counts.

Katie's Vegan Chili

Sunday night (really, it was in the late afternoon), I threw together some hearty chili and this from 101 Cookbooks. The cornmeal crunch was fantastic, and the caramelized onions provided a perfect compliment to my chili.

I'm sharing my recipe here, but I'll warn you that when I cook this sort of thing I really just eye amounts and throw things in as I think of it, based on what's in my kitchen and how I feel. Most of the time it's edible. Sometimes, not so much. Though when it's edible, it's usually exactly what I want right at that moment.

Vegan Chili

splash of olive oil
onion (1-2, chopped)
2-4 potatoes, chopped small-ish (skins on!!)
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped small
half package of tofu (this is what I had on hand, you could easily add more)
garlic (I use the crushed kind from the jar, a heaping tablespoon or two, to taste)

1 can whole plum tomatoes (I used the TJs version, no salt. any whole tomato would be good here)
2 cans red kidney beans (again, any kind would likely work. these were on sale)
1 can chopped green chilies (I would have used a lot more, as mine was only about the size of a tuna can, but I only had one in my pantry)
half a bag of TJs "soycutash" (a mix of corn, shelled edamame and red pepper, in the frozen section, you easily sub your favorite mix of frozen veggies, but bell pepper and corn are great here, and I liked the texture and flavor of the edamame)
2-3 tomato cans worth of water (veggie stock would also work, but I was out)
chili powder, pepper, salt, smoky paprika to taste
splash of red wine vinegar (I am convinced that this addition plus the smoky paprika made the flavor of this chili), I probably used between 1/4 and 1/2 cup.
Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot. Add onions and cook until browned. Add potatoes and carrots, cook until they start to brown and stick to the bottom. Add tofu and garlic, using the moisture to scrape up the flavor off the bottom of your pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir well.

Add the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Carefully add the tomatoes, crushing them as you throw them into the pot (I squirted juice all over myself, this is why we wear aprons). Fill the now empty can with water to get the rest of the tomato-y goodness out, dump into the pot. Do this 2-3 times.

Add the beans and chilies, WITH their juices. Don't drain either of them. Don't do it! The thick juice from the beans will help thicken your chili, and the liquid from the chilies adds flavor. Stir the pot. Add your frozen veggies (or a can of corn and some chopped bell pepper). Let simmer for a bit, then add the red wine vinegar and spices. Start on the shy side of your spices...you can always add more!

This whole process of chopping veggies and getting the chili assembled took me around an hour (it was a labor of love). I then let the pot simmer as I made up the cornmeal crunch. Caramelizing the onions took me forever, so I think my chili simmered for a good 3 hours before we ate. I ended up adding more chili powder, since I like mine spicy (I got this great stuff from my PILs when they came back from a trip to SE Asia. Yum!), and more smoked paprika, because it's just darn good. I also threw in some fresh ground cumin.

Serve with a generous slice of cornmeal crunch, and enjoy!
This fed Mr. K and I for a hearty lunch/dinner, and we had enough left over for a generous lunch yesterday (1 Tupperware each).

The first 5 days

This is day 5 of the vegan lifestyle change, and I must admit I'm feeling pretty good. I've already lost 1.5 lbs, I have a lot of energy and my stomach problems aren't as frequent as they were. I also have a healthier appetite and don't feel weighed down after meals.

Breakfast:
I've been eating multigrain hot cereal most mornings, with a splash of almond milk and fruit or honey. This breakfast is packed with protein and fiber, so it usually leaves me pretty full in the mornings.

I've also been experimenting with soy yogurts, as one of my favorite breakfasts is Greek yogurt with some soy cluster and flax seed cereal and chopped up fruit (usually blueberries or strawberries). So far I've tried three brands: The first I tried was the Trader Joe's cultured soy. I tried peach, strawberry and raspberry and didn't really like any of them.

Then I tried Stonyfield Organic O'Soy yogurt. I tried the vanilla (I generally prefer plain or vanilla yogurt anyway, unless it's Chobani fruit on the bottom with pomegranate seeds). I actually liked this one better than the TJs version, especially when doctored up with cereal and fruit. Mr. K tried the blueberry and found it to be too sweet for his tastes (this is why I avoid flavored yogurt and go with plain...)

After a trip to the "big" grocery store (we had a rental car, so we stocked up on everything we could ever need for about a month), I tried SO Delicious soy yogurt, vanilla flavor. It's sweetened with agave, which gives it a distinct taste, but I think this is probably my favorite so far. It's also quite good doctored up with the fruit and cereal.

Lunch:
I didn't have much time this week to cook vegan dinners at home, so there weren't many leftovers to bring as lunches to work. This provided a challenge, as the cafe in my building serves only 1 vegetarian soup per day, but they generally add cream or butter to the mix. They have salads, which are sizeable, so I've been having the mixed greens salad with sliced almonds, beets, green beans and sprouts. I end up eating the whole bowl (which a coworker says it about a full head of lettuce, I think she was trying to say I was eating too much, but I feel ok with my eating a whole salad when she's putting back a pork two ways with oil and butter and cheese sandwich on white bread), and it holds me over until I get home.

My favorite bakery in town (Flour) has a fantastic grilled tofu sandwich with olive red pepper tapenade and roasted vegetables. It is SO GOOD. Oh man. New favorite. They also make a great spicy hot cocoa with cayenne pepper, and they'll sub soy milk making it a chocolate-y vegan treat.

Dinners:
Mostly I've been eating either sandwiches and soups from the cafes as I run from one thing to the next, or eating pasta loaded with veggies and tofu (the other night I threw together whole wheat rotini, tomato sauce, seared kale and seared spinach with a generous chunk of tofu...a quick and tasty meal loaded with protein and iron).

I've also made "rice misch," a favorite and versatile dinner dish that Mr. K and I love. This one used the brown rice mix from Trader Joe's (brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds--packed with protein and fiber), some leftover MN wild rice and then some black beans. I cook it with veggie stock, add spices and let it cook until it's creamy and risotto like.

Eating out, or not at home:
This weekend I was invited to speak at a Rotary event. When setting up my registration, I noted that Mr. K and I are vegetarians, knowing that it would cause a lot of confusion to point out that we're actually eating vegan. While plates of salmon and london broil were brought to our table mates, Mr. K and I awaited what would eventually be a plate full of cheese-filled tortellini. I ate the vegetables and used a roll to sop up some of the sauce. I had a few tortellini, but left most of it on my plate, finishing dinner rather hungry. Desert was a chocolate mousse, and I must admit in my hunger I did take a few bites.

Then disaster struck when we got to the hotel room. The hotel staff had sent us a cheese and fruit plate because I was a VIP guest of the conference (!!!). A round of boursin cheese, butter and wheat crackers and a huge stem of grapes. Being still hungry from my lack of dinner, I devoured the grapes and half the cheese round. I then promptly lost it in the bathroom and barely slept all night due to what I imagine was a combination of nerves regarding my impending speech, and an upset stomach that was overloaded with cheese.

The next morning breakfast was a buffet, the options being scrambled eggs (nope), sausage patties (nope), assorted pastries (nope), cereal with milk (nope), fruit (I had a whole plate of melon) and potatoes, which I'm hoping were baked and didn't have any butter on them. This was a thoroughly unsatisfying breakfast and contained no good sources of complex carbs or protein. After the breakfast speaker, Mr. K and I went to Starbucks to relax, have a coffee (with soy milk) and some Kind granola bars, which are dairy free but do contain honey (so not vegan by some standards). This helped tide us over until lunch, which was a salad with roasted veggies (everyone else had chicken ceasar).

We then met some friends for dinner at a chinese place, which had plenty of vegan friendly options and great cocktails. I tried some buckwheat and green tea noodles with sauteed veggies and tofu--just what I needed!

So today I'm more in control of what we're eating, since I'll be cooking from home. I'm thinking we'll have this minus the cheese, with a big pot of chili for a late lunch. Enjoy!

The Mess of Reading a Lot of Books at Once

I've noticed that many of my reader friends, and particularly my teacher friends, tend to have many books going at once. I generally prefer to read one book at a time, but those of you who are friends with me on GoodReads know that I am currently "reading" 4 books. While I am not actively reading all of these books, they all contain some sort of bookmark and beckon me to sit down with them and finish flipping through their pretty pages.

I apologize to all of my Chicago loving friends and others who just couldn't put this book down, but I had a hard time not falling asleep or losing interest and I slogged through the Devil in the White City. I'm about half way through this book, which I bought because it looked interesting, had gotten a lot of praise from friends and was chosen by the book club comprised of my friends from the past in CO. Frankly, I'm just not that into architecture. Pages and pages of descriptions of a landscaper stressing about what kind of tree to plant just don't really hold my interest. The murders and the psychopath guy are pretty interesting, though. It reminds me of an episode of Dexter or Criminal Minds (two of my favorite shows).

I do recognize, however, that I currently have no patience for fiction. So perhaps my frustration with Devil in the White City is a result of my impatience. Sometimes fiction just needs patience, and requires you to immerse yourself in a made-up world, instead of requiring you to engross yourself in real facts.

I went through a big fiction/coming-of-age-in-other-lands phase a bit ago, where I devoured books set in China, Japan, India, 100 years ago, 1000 years ago or yesterday. One of my favorites was The Blood of Flowers. I had a teeterng stack of such books on my desk, and a running list of everything I wanted to read. Getting me to put in to a non-fiction book was like asking me to watch water boil. So not worth my time.

And then sometime around Christmas, I started picking up books about nutrition. I'd read Eating Animals over a year ago, which prompted my final commitment to vegetarianism (instead of just meat avoidance, which I'd practiced since I was about 17). I received Omnivore's Dilemma for Christmas, and read through that pretty quickly. I think that's what started my dive into reading anything and everything non-fiction I could get my hands onto.

Taking a break from books about food (there are only so many times you can have your heart wrenched out and you mind blown by facts that throw the way you were raised on end), I sped through a few memoirs. I LOVE memoirs. One of my advisors referred to memoirs as "icky" and "bleck," when I mentioned a few I had on my reading list. His point was, "who cares? it's so self-indulgent." My response (in my head, as I'm practicing the skill of keeping my mouth shut in moments like these), was that I care. I am at that (horrible) point in my life known as the "20's," and I'm confused.

Everyone said that High School would be the time of my life (a really depressing statement, based on my high school experience), and then that college would be a hoot (ok, I had fun and learned a lot, but I'm not chomping at the bit to go back to working 4 jobs and studying on less than 4 hrs of sleep a night--no thanks!). So now I'm "in my 20's." Supposedly this means that I have nice skin (I honestly can't complain in that department, and that sample of kiehl's firming night lotion I got the other day? and my new vegan diet? definitely helping), plenty of energy and the whole world ahead of me.

I'm sure I'm commiting some sort of international crime by pointing out that this prospect is actually terrifying! And no, I'm not averse to change. I like growth (though I recognize it as a painful process). I accept and embrace change, heck-- how many other people do you know that decide one day "I'm going to live in Germany" for a year, and then in that year, travel to 6 different countries (even alone!), and then within a year of being back stateside decide to move halfway across the country without having seen the school she's enrolling in, having a job or a place to live? I love that kind of stuff, I get antsy if I sit still too long.

It's just that there are so many confusing role changes, decisions to be made, and things to figure out. And I am a nerd (if we haven't established that already, well...I hope we have). I read and I research and I analyse and I mull and I think and then I overthink some. So naturally, reading about other people and the decisions they've made and the thoughts they've thought and the feelings they've felt intrigues me.

My Aunti M. told me once that we often compare our insides to other people's outsides, and then we feel like we're really messed up and wrong. But if we took the time to (stop comparing) apples to oranges and just stuck with comparing two rotten apples, we'd see we're ok and we'd be able to move on with confidence that we're doing our best. So maybe by reading about people's internal rotten apples, I can prove to myself that thinking over 5 completely unrelated career goals in one day is not abnormal, or if it is, so what. And maybe I can see how people put together their current path, so I won't feel like I missed the trailhead and am doomed to wander amongst undergrowth. This has to be important, right??

But again, some memoirs actually are lame. Especially the ones written by people who can't actually write. Sometimes the wording and lack of varied sentence structure makes me want to take out my red pen (though I make no claims of being perfect, or writerly), but generally I still find them interesting. Enlightening, thought provoking, funny, charming, encouraging, inspiring. They get the juices flowing and I like it.

Somehow, reading about people's lives and the decisions they make naturally leads to wanting to know more about life so I can start making some decisions of my own. Enter the non-fiction. It started with (and is currently mostly comprised of) reading about birth and babies and midwives and hospital care in the US for mothers and infants. I thought I'd be trudging through this self-imposed assignment, but instead I find myself rivetted and absorbing more information that I ever thought I would! I think I may have found a passion, folks!

And now it all comes to a head. I'm reading Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife, which is BOTH a memoir, AND a non-fiction book about birth. Talk about a perfect pairing for me. It's full of juicy stories about birth and running around in nighties in the middle of the night. I find myself glued to the pages at every description of a birth, each one so unique and miraculous in it's own special way, and yet related to an experience that every single person has had: being born. Can we just appreciate for a moment how cool that is? It also makes me contemplate my third career idea of the day: being a midwife. Thoughts?

I am also currently reading Birth By Design: Pregnancy, Maternity Care and Midwifery in North America and Europe, which contains parts written by my fellowship advisor. I must admit that when I first saw this (thick) book as he plucked it off his shelf and loaned it to me (on pain of death), I assumed it would be dry and boring and textbook like, filled with numbers and tables. It is filled with numbers, but I am also finding myself really interested. This book contains a lot of information, and I want to retain the numbers so I can speak more acurately about the issues raised in the book. This one is going to take some time to read, and sometimes I just want to whiz through a book in a few days. 

 I am also reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health. This one I keep hidden in plain sight on my desk filled with books about reproductive rights, the politics of birth control, patient rights and orgasmic birth (actually, that one's a DVD that I need to watch soon). This book is interesting because it talks about things I think we all should know, basic things about how our bodies function. Yet it covers information that I'm embarassed to say I never learned or that I allowed myself to gloss over in biology. And I even took a class devoted to fertility and fertility treatment! Anyway, I'm trying to use this book to both expand my understanding of myself and continue on my quest to stop putting crazy things into my body that keep me from feeling good, and to expand my knowledge base in case career option #2 comes up again: being a childbirth educator and/or doula.

Perhaps when I finish Baby Catcher, before I move on to something else I should finish up the other two birth related books. And then maybe give Devil in the White City another go...

A Nutritional Comparison- For those who doubt the health of a vegan diet

Over the course of my first day of being "vegan" (I'm 2 meals in and I've said no to croissants, muffins, egg and cheese sandwiches, popsicles with natural flavor, ice cream, pizza and chocolate), I've run into a lot of people expressing concern or doubt that I'll reach my daily nutritional requirements.

My first comment is that people have the same risk of not getting enough vegetables, eating too much candy and chocolate and eating too much refined sugar and carbohydrates whether they are vegetarian, vegan or a meat eater.  And actually, if you're avoiding butter, egg and flavorings (vegan) you have to look harder for junk food you can eat. And lets not forget that protein isn't the only thing our bodies need.

Anyway...as I am a full blown nerd, and a (almost) master in public health, I have prepared the following "day on the table of" listing to show you just how off our general assumptions are about what we eat. Keep in mind that the list below doesn't go into vitamins, servings of veggies or fruits or types of fat (note that fat from animals is always partly saturated, and comes with a lot more cholesterol than plant derived fats)

According to the USDA, I require the following daily (based on my height and weight):

Carbohydrates: 308-446 grams
Fiber: 25 grams
Protein: 65 grams (this is a high estimate, so going too far above is unhealthy)
Fat: 61-102 grams

To compose the meals below, I picked out foods I would have eaten before I was a vegetarian, and food I would eat now that I'm vegan. I stuck to whole foods, assuming I prepared them mostly at home (which I do). The amounts I picked were an estimate of what I'd eat. I then searched for each food item using this nifty tool from the USDA. Please also note that I didn't change my mind about the menu after I looked up the nutritional values. I just wrote down what I'd normally eat, and went with it, to make this as genuine as possible.

How to read this post:

(meal) spinach, tomato, mushroom
Carbs: 5g, 10g, 20g (35g)

Should be read as "5g of carbs in spinach, 10g of carbs in tomato, 20g of carbs in mushroom, for a total of 35g of carbs for this meal."

Breakfast:
(M): english muffin with 1 poached egg, 2 slices cheese and 2 slices canadian bacon
Carbs: 26, 0.35, 1, 1             (28.35)
Fiber: 1.5, 0, 0, 0                    (1.5)
Protein: 4.4, 6.25, 13.9, 11.4 (36)
Fat: 1, 4.7, 18.56, 4              (28.26)

(V): 10 grain hot cereal (2 servings), soy milk, strawberries
Carbs: 56, 8, 12.75 (76.75)
Fiber: 10, 1, 3.3      (14.3)
Protein: 12, 7, 1      (20)
Fat: 2, 4, 0.5            (6.5)

Lunch:
(M): ceasar dressing (2T), romaine lettuce, with chicken and parmesan cheese
Carbs: 1, 4.6, 0, 0.7         (6.3)
Fiber: 0, 3, 0, 0,               (3)
Protein: 0.5, 1.7, 58, 7.6 (67.8)
Fat: 17, 0.4, 7, 5.5          (29.9)

(V) spinach, pears, almonds and dried cranberries salad, vinaigrette
Carbs: 3.3, 25, 20, 33, 25 (106.3)
Fiber: 2, 5, 11, 2, 0             (20)
Protein: 2.6, 0.6, 19.5, 0, 0 (22.7)
Fat: 0.3, 0.1, 45, 0.55, 6     (52)

Dinner:
(M): fresh pasta, tomato sauce, broccoli, parmesan
Carbs: 28.4,17.6, 5, 0.7 (51.7)
Fiber: 0, 3.3, 3, 0             (6.3)
Protein: 6, 2.2, 3, 7.6     (18.8)
Fat: 1.2, 3.4, 0, 5.5        (10.1)

(V): fresh pasta, tomato sauce, broccoli, tofu
Carbs: 28.4,17.6, 5, 3.6 (54.6)
Fiber: 0, 3.3, 3, 1.3          (7.6)
Protein: 6, 2.2, 3, 14      (25.2)
Fat: 1.2, 3.4, 0, 7           (11.6)

TOTALS:
(M)
Carbs: (28.35), (6.3), (51.7) = 86.4 [vs 308-446]
Fiber: (1.5), (3), (6.3)           = 10.8 [vs 25g]
Protein: (36), (67.8), (10.1) = 113.9 [vs 65g]
Fat: (28.26), (29.92), 10.1) =   68.3 [vs 61-102]

(V):
Carbs: (76.75), (106.3), (54.6) = 237.7 [vs 308-446]
Fiber: (14.3), (20), (7.6)            = 41.9 [vs 25g]
Protein: (20), (22.7), (25.2)       = 67.9 [vs 65g]
Fat: (6.5), (52), (11.6)               = 70.1 [61-102s]

So it looks like the vegan gets closer to the daily requirement of carbs (I can add more carbs!), is at about twice the recommended amount of daily fiber (check out what the mayo clinic has to say about fiber). It should also be pointed out that the sources of carbs in the vegan's diet are mostly complex carbs, which keep the blood sugar more even (medline has this to say)

The vegan is right where she needs to be for protein intake, getting even more than the generous recommendation, while the meat eater may actually be getting too much protein--even without having meat with dinner! (check out what the Mayo Clinic has to say about high protein diets). I think I'd rather take a little flatulence over an increased risk of kidney and liver problems, heart disease and cancer.

And the meat eater and vegan are about even in fat intake. Though it should be pointed out that well over half the fat in the vegan's menu is from the almonds. We know that almonds have good stuff in them (see here). If fat were a big concern, the vegan could have substituted seitan, tempeh, tofu or edamame in the salad as low-fat protein sources. The fat in the meat eater's diet is almost entirely from meat and cheese, and therefore definitely contains saturated fat and cholesterol (you can't really argue with me that those are healthy things)

I certainly feel better about my choices now. How about you?

Vegan for Lent Begins!

Last night Mr. K and I made an appearance at the Taste of the South End and ate our happy little hearts out on some great fare from some of the top restaurants in the South End of Boston. We had pizza, cupcakes, red velvet whoopie pies (ok, I might have had 2 of them and wished I'd had 3), arancini balls, samosas and saag paneer, naan, plantain soup, crab salad, smoked salmon, trout pate, raclette, cheddar and blue cheese from South End Formaggio (definitely went back to that table about 5 times), biscuits (Mr. K ate the chicken part of the deconstructed pot pie, while I stuck to the biscuit), masa, octopus, ceviche, some sort of caramely chocolate goodness, veggie empanadas, mini eclairs, scallops, among other delights. We sampled some fancy drinks including a watermelon jalapeno margarita, a pomegranate drink with vodka and mint, a cucumber gimlet, and a coconut martini (yes, it was a Tuesday night, but please keep in mind that all but the vodka drink were about the size of a shot).

Note to self: never wear tights and a cincher belt to a food tasting again. Bad choice. Though we did get our photo taken for some online magazine...so maybe we'll be famous!

The event was a fundraiser for AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, a great organization that serves a lot of people. I did my internship with them earlier on in my degree program, writing a training manual for the facilitators of their "BE SAFE" collaborative program, which trains youth workers in issues such as violence, substance abuse and other hot button issues.

So back to food. Today is Ash Wednesday, which means its the first day of Lent. Mr. K (who went to Catholic school and therefore has a much better knowledge base of these things than I), has informed me that Lent does not technically start until you go to mass and get ashes on your forehead. As I am not planning to attend mass today, I just began my "lent" when I woke up this morning.

Be Involved and Join Me!

I'd like to chronicle my progress and share what I cook and eat to provide you all with some ideas of how this process looks for me, and perhaps some ideas of what you can make if you'd like to cut out some animal products from your diet. Please leave comments to tell me whether you'd prefer a daily (concise) update (so you can follow along with me and cook some of the recipes I post), or that I post only weekly (there are 6.5 weeks between now and Easter, so that would mean roughly 7 posts). Weekly posts would then be a little longer as they will contain a week's worth of information.

Remember, if you'd like to join me but aren't ready to start today or don't want to align your own experiment with Lent, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is hosting a 21 day vegan kickstart online. You can check it out here. Also, you can "like" it on facebook and you'll get some posts with recipe ideas, news articles and information to encourage you and answer any questions you might have. The site itself it full of some great tips and some useful information about nutrition. It also has recipes!

You might also consider trying out "Meatless Mondays" with your family, and choosing to try one completely vegetarian (or vegan) meal per week. The New York times has a great series called "Recipes for Health" which usually operates under a particular theme every few weeks. The recipes are generally very simple without too many crazy ingredients. The posts also include information about the ingredients, and often notes about what makes them healthy. I think most of them are vegetarian (I subscribe to it with my google reader and I don't think I've come across any meat-filled recipes, though I could be wrong), and the current theme is vegan recipes, as many people give up animal products during Lent (hey, I'm not alone!). The recipes are hearty and definitely full of nutrition and substance. I'll be reposting (or linking to) my favorites in the coming weeks. Another great recipe source is 101 Cookbooks, an all vegetarian blog written by a woman who not only understands great food, but is a stellar photographer to boot. She has several vegan recipes (see the side panel to pull up the list of them), and many of her recipes can easily be made vegan by swapping in soymilk for milk, oil for butter, and eliminating cheese.

Please also feel free to comment with any of your own recipes, challenges, questions, or misgivings about vegan or vegetarian diets. What would be the hardest thing for you to give up? For me, it's looking like yogurt and cheese.

And Finally: The ultimate goals!

Any experiment needs to be accompanied by a goal of sorts, or a purpose. First, here are the parameters:

1. Eliminating dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), eggs, meat/fish (already done), gelatin (made from animal parts)
2. Avoiding natural flavors (These are typically made from tallow, or animal fat. Fat is the part of the animal that stores most of the toxins. It's also an animal part, not just an animal product).
3. Replacing the milk, cheese, yogurt and eggs that I have been eating with complex, protein and nutrient rich whole grains (couscous, brown rice, barley, wild rice), legumes (lentils, beans) and vegetables (which I already eat a lot of).
4. Avoiding the temptation to satiate my craving for rich eggy, cheesy, creamy foods by increasing my intake of junk food (which is already pretty minimal, I just don't want it to increase).

And here are the goals or expected outcomes:

1. Losing weight. I am currently 20 lbs heavier than my "normal" weight, and 25-30 lbs heavier than my "ideal" weight. (I attribute this to my shoulder injury and resultant inability to swim, the holidays and a new sedentary job).
2. Having more energy and "feeling good." This is totally subjective, but essentially I'm looking to find greater harmony and balance internally, acting on my conviction that eating something because it's "easy" or "tastes good" or "everyone else does" doesn't outweight the negative environmental, ethical, economical and health impact such an act has.

Please join me! Please comment and be involved. Any encouragement or recipe ideas are greatly appreciated!

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