I have a new obsession:

It's bad.

Dearest Readers,

If you are a regular reader and "commenter" of my blog, let me just say that this post is not geared towards you. I consider you all as my friends and I truly value what you say. I appreciate your input and I look forward to hearing from you always. Thanks for letting me tell you my stories and my thoughts and thanks for your support. 

I'm really not sure where to start. Lately, I've heard a few stories of people who have been looking at my blog and...um...how shall we say it, not being so enamored at what I've been posting. Of course, these people do not leave comments but choose to spread their words around in other forms. 

Look. I know what I talk about sometimes might ruffle some feathers. I especially know what people's thoughts and actions usually are when it comes to me discussing my veganism. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry. I do not mean or try to attack anyone when I post these, and I keep all your feelings in consideration when I write. I really do.

I know veganism is, to some people, "far out there" or "so extreme." I know it might be a difficult concept to grasp, especially when you've known me for many years, and especially when I come from the background that I do. You might think that I am weird or different now, but I'm really not. What I hope you consider and realize when you think about veganism, is that to me, it is something I hold very dear to my heart.

Boiled down, veganism is very simple. It is taking the same care and consideration we all feel for animals (such as our beloved pets) and applying it to every animal, including those who are forced to produce food for us and those raised to be on our dinner plates. To you, it might seem like I'm being weird in trying to avoid foods that are very common in our diet. To me, this belief is an action on what I've really felt my whole life. My decision to be vegan was not easy, by any means. And frankly, it was these types of reactions that I feared the most. 

But what I hope you understand is that my decision to be vegan is hugely based on my interpretation of the Word of Wisdom and what many scriptures, prophets, and church leaders have said about the treatment of animals and the earth. To me, it is very spiritual and personal. I know that many people make ethical decisions that are largely based on religious beliefs, such as one's stance on abortion. (I hope you don't think I'm combining the two issues here, I'm just trying to make a point.) Me choosing not to eat meat, dairy or eggs is just that--an ethical decision largely based on my religious beliefs and morals. When these beliefs are criticized and mocked, especially behind my back, I can't tell you how much it hurts.

Now I'm really not trying to play the victim here, I take responsibility for the fact that I have a blog. I'm posting these thoughts and feelings for people to read and I would like for you to read them. I know that in a way, I'm making myself a target. That's something that I accept before I publish my piece. What I ask is that if you should disagree or want to talk about something, that you post a comment, send an email, or give me a call (most of you probably have my number). I realize that the internet isn't always the best place to work things out, but it is certainly better than what has been filtered through four different people. 

To most people, veganism would probably be considered a political topic. And it is, in a way. That's probably why people can feel uncomfortable about it. What I attempt is to try to remain as neutral as possible when discussing things, because no one wants to read something that will make them mad. 

That brings me to the topic of my "politics" label. I really am not claiming to know anything about politics, and frankly, I don't care half of the time. I really don't feel like I have to defend those posts because they are what they are. If you think that I am, in some way or another, obsessed with a man on my politics page, then you are mistaken. Even so, what would be wrong with having pride in our president?

I guess what I'm asking is that if you read my blog, please be respectful. I like to talk about and discuss issues on here and I don't expect everyone to agree with me. If you don't, talk to me instead of everyone else about it. After all, I am the one with these thoughts and ideas. If you think what I write about is too weird or upsets you too much, maybe it might be best if you didn't read my blog. It doesn't do you or I any good if you read these things and hold grudges. 

All the best, 

Candice

Amtrak, where have you been all my life?

Lately, I've had an itch. Not knowing what it was or what would cure it, I stumbled upon some pictures that a professor of mine posted on Facebook. She recently made a trip to San Francisco on Amtrak. 

Amtrak, was it still running? I had no idea until I saw her pictures and the scenery was gorgeous. Sure, I had been on a train in Europe, but in America? Who takes trains?

Then it finally dawned on me, this is what I was looking for. This was the itch. I wanted to take a train ride, preferably to a west coast city. After thinking about it a minute, I decided that traveling on a train had many pros:

1. It's affordable

2. I don't have to get undressed to board*

3. I can pack plenty of items

4. I can relax and enjoy the journey

5. Can you say student discounts?

6. A dining car! 

7. Eco-friendly

Although I haven't made any plans yet, I hope I can do it in the near future. If you want to read more about Amtrak, you can find it here. I can't help thinking about how grand it would be to ditch my car and hop the rails like many other people do to get around.

Any one else love trains?

*Lest you get this confused for something nasty, I'm referring to airport security here. :) 

Say a little prayer...

For our friends up north.

One day soon, this will be over.

*EDITED: If your wondering why Canada's government allows for the useless hunting of seals, check this out. 

Ladies and Gentlemen...

I give you....



Spring!

Here's to longer nights, greener grass and more trips to my favorite destination: home.

KING CORN

Haha, sorry about the all caps thing. The title just reminds me of some huge announcement like KING KONG!! Um...anyway....

I got a free two week trial to Netflix. Out of boredom yesterday, we watched this documentary online. Here's what it's about:

After discovering that both of their great grandfathers originated in the same small town in Iowa, two guys decide they want to move back to that same small town and grow an acre of the crop that everyone else grows. They send a letter to a farmer and ask if they can use an acre of his land. They are fascinated with how important corn is in America and decide to try to follow what would happen to their corn after it had been harvested.

Ian and Curt talk about the history of corn and how the corn grown in Iowa has been genetically modified to contain more starch and less protein, so much that one farmer called it "crap." Although these farms grow the corn, the farmers do not eat it because it isn't really edible. 

They discuss how this corn makes it's way through America's food system. Probably the most disturbing part of the documentary was when they discussed how it is fed to factory farmed animals. Curt and Ian talk to experts and farmers about how this diet of corn that they feed cows is fed for the purpose to fatten up cows for slaughter. They visit a cattle feed lot and see all the cows who basically just sit around and eat corn all day, which makes them, in their words, "obese." An expert explained how this diet of corn is so bad for their bodies that they couldn't live much longer than they were expected to be slaughtered. 

One man even went as far as to say that grain-fed hamburger was fat disguised as meat because the saturated fat content is far higher than grass-fed. Then they showed this cow trapped in a chute that basically had a hole in it's body. The hole was positioned above one of the cow's stomachs and one man was reaching his hand in and pulling grain that the cow had eaten out of its stomach. I don't remember why they said they were doing this because I was so shocked. I think the gist of it was that they were trying to figure out how a cow's stomach was digesting this diet of corn. Mark discussed it with a coworker and she said that they do that if a cow is having problems digesting the  corn, so they must get it out of her stomach. Bleh. Either way, I thought it was so sad that I almost started crying. I felt so bad for that cow. 

Moving on... sniff...

The pair investigated how this corn makes its way into America's soft drinks. They even figure out how to make their own high fructose corn syrup and make some themselves. (gagging after they tasted it.) They explain the problems with consuming beverages with high fructose corn syrup and how consuming one beverage a day doubles your risk for getting diabetes. Pretty scary. Then they find out just how many processed foods have byproducts from corn in them. 

So why are American farmers growing this stuff instead of something else? One farmer admits that you basically lose money when you grow corn, but government subsidies make it possible to grow and make money. They discuss how genetically modified corn, herbicides and modern machinery make it possible to produce much much more than what their great grandfathers were able to produce. So not only is it easier to produce this "crap," our government is paying for them to do it, too. 

There's a lot more in this film, but you'll just have to watch it. The best part is probably the ending and I won't give that away. I would highly recommend watching it if you have the time. (Click here to see a preview.)

For me, this show only affirmed my decision to eat a whole foods, plant-based diet. About a month ago, I had a conversation with an individual about soy. For some reason, she blamed America's obesity problem on soy, stating that it was in everything and that it was bad for you. I was so blown away that all I could say was, "Hmm...I haven't heard that before."

But what I realized yesterday was that you could make this same argument about corn. The problem is not with the plant itself; the problem occurs when you start modifying certain aspects of these plants and isolating certain compounds and putting them in everything processed. Yes, it might be true that soy is in everything, but it's in everything processed. There's nothing wrong with eating whole soy and whole corn foods (just as long as they're not GMO). I can't say for certain about isolating soy proteins and such because I don't think they've done research about it, but I can say that we can see the problems when we process corn, right? All the more reason to stick to a whole foods diet, people! 

And the best part about watching the documentary? Shortly after, Mark announced that he would no longer be eating beef. Coming from a guy who used to eat Quad burgers at Burger King, it must have been a huge decision. I am so SO proud of him. 

Cheap Vegan Meals--French Lentil Soup

Well, it's been a long time comin', but I've finally got around to posting a recipe for you all! I am so excited to share this recipe because it is so cheap and so healthy. Lentil soups are pretty basic and often a staple in many vegan cookbooks. To be honest with you, I really had no idea what lentils were until about 5-6 years ago. I didn't grow up eating them, at least as far as I can remember. If you aren't familiar to lentils, give 'em a try! 

So what's so great about lentils? Not only are they VERY high in fiber, they're packed with protein, just like other members of the legume family. They are also very high in folate and iron. The good thing about this recipe is that it is made with tomatoes, and eating iron rich foods with a source of vitamin C has been shown to aid iron absorption in the body. Lentils are also a good source of thiamin, vitamin B6, copper, manganese, magnesium and potassium and plenty of other vitamins and minerals. They are big BIG winners in my book. Three cheers for lentils! 

I highly suggest looking around for a store that sells grains in bulk. Not only do these stores usually have a huge selection, the prices are hard to beat. And you can buy as much as you need! 

Here's the ingredients: 

French Lentil Soup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 large celery stalk, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 or more cups water (I added 5 cups)

1 vegetable bullion cube (about 2 tsp if you're using jarred paste) or more to taste

1 1/4 cups lentils, sorted and rinsed

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic and saute for about 10-15 minutes. Add water, bullion, tomatoes and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes. 

After the 30 minutes are up, give the lentils a taste to see if they are tender. If they're cooked, transfer about 2 cups of soup to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. (If you don't have either, you can skip this step. But your soup will be more chunky, like a stew.) Be extra careful when blending hot liquids!

 

Return puree back to pot, stir and season with salt and pepper. You can also add any desired spice or other seasonings. For this pot, I added about 1/2 tsp basil and just a dash of oregano. You could also add a bay leaf (make sure you remove before blending) or cumin. I'm sure any seasoning would be great! 

I would suggest serving a big salad as a side. One of the staples I always keep in my fridge is a salad mix of romaine and kale. It is just an easy way to make sure I get in my green leafies for the day. It's best to buy the head of lettuce at the store, come home, and chop it up yourself instead of the bagged stuff. It saves so much money! And remember, when it comes to lettuce and green leafy vegetables, the darker the better. I topped mine with cucumbers, carrots, and avocado. Yum! 

Cost Breakdown 

1 tbsp olive oil--$0.18

1 onion---$0.23

1 large carrot--$0.30

1 celery stalk--$0.12

2 garlic cloves--$0.10

1 vegetable bullion cube (or equivalent 2 tsp bullion paste)--$0.26

1 1/4 cups lentils--$1.15

I can diced tomatoes--$0.53

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Total cost per pot: $2.87

Serves 6 

Cost per serving: $0.48 

Big Salad (this makes an overflowing salad spinner size) 

1 bunch of kale--$1.99

1 head of romaine--$1.49

avocado--$0.89

cucumber--$0.89

6-7 baby carrots--$0.20

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Total cost of salad: $5.46

Cost per serving: $0.91

It was hard for me to figure out how many servings are in that salad. I'm just estimating that one salad spinner size has at least 6 servings. 

So there it is! My first Cheap Vegan Meal post and I will certainly add more! Coincidentally, my favorite podcast author just produced a podcast entitled "Eating Healthfully in a Recession: Five Tips." (also available in the podcast widget to your right) Colleen offers many suggestions that can help save money while in a pinch and still get all the nutrients you need. 

All the best, and happy cooking!