Tag Archives: food

I am really still alive

I haven’t written anything for weeks.  Mornings have been spent doing things to get us settled.  Afternoons have been hot and humid and are officially designated as nap time.

The heat and the bugs have pretty much eaten or killed the garden.  So there isn’t much material there except that we have a lot to learn about gardening in this environment!

The kitchen is still unfinished. No counters, no cupboards, no dishwasher or garbage disposal and no window covering.  It is hot and primitive. Before we do cupboards, counters, dishwasher etc we need to lay a sub floor and tile the entire kitchen and pantry.  We have had 4 different attempts to get the work done and so far not one of them have panned out. Very frustrating! We finally decided we should do it ourselves. Scheduled to start next week. All of which is the the long way of saying that it is pretty hard to write about food when your kitchen is inadequate and you aren’t cooking very much.

Last week I finally got a little smart and bought a new appliance: an electric pressure cooker. We need to be able to cook quickly and with as little heat as possible. If you read this site you know that I am a long-time fan of pressure cookers. The problem with them in this environment is that the steam heats up the kitchen. So I finally started looking at electric versions. (more…)

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Plant-Based Diets and Iron

As a young woman my pulse was alarmingly high. I was a swimmer, got plenty of exercise and should have had a nice low resting pulse rate. My Doctor at the time was alarmed enough by my pulse rate to order a blood test that measured my hemoglobin.

The results showed that my hemoglobin was very, very low. The doctor concluded that I wasn’t getting enough iron in my diet.  He explained that the lack of iron meant that my body could not make enough of the protein, hemoglobin. And since hemoglobin carries oxygen to the cells my body was chronically short on cellular oxygen. He mentioned the word “anemic” and suggested that since I was a vegetarian it was unlikely I could get enough iron in my food. He got out his pad and prescribed iron pills.

He described the problems that came from chronic anemia – fatigue, brain fog, leg cramps, shortness of breath and on and on.  He scared me into taking the iron.

The iron pills made me miserable – I will spare you details. Just leave it that it took about a week for me to toss the iron pills in the trash and to start looking for iron-rich foods. This is my first memory of using nutrition as a “medicine” and the start of a life long practice of looking at food instead of medicine. (more…)

Posted in B12, diary-free food, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Cooking Blues

overwhelmed

It’s official – I am going through the cooking blues. There is nothing that I want to cook, nothing sounds good and my creativity is evidently on strike.

I had planned to post a recipe this morning.  But as I started sorting through what we have eaten in the last two weeks I came to the realization that I have not been really been cooking. We have been eating whatever was quick and handy. Good food, but nothing new, interesting, creative or worth sharing. (more…)

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Succotash by Any Other Name

Growing up, I was an easy kid to feed. I’d pretty much eat anything. There were only 3 foods I objected to – green peas, lima beans and dried powdered milk. So it follows that I really disliked succotash which my Mom considered a special treat. I wondered (and continue to wonder) why anyone would ruin good corn with lima beans.

Every now and then I have to go through the fridge and try to think of inventive ways to use the food. One day I made a mixture of corn, black beans, onion, green pepper and tomatoes. To my great consternation, David called it succotash. That started a heated discussion (argument) about the definition of Succotash. As much as it pains me to admit it, turns out David was right. (more…)

Posted in Beans, entrée, Protein, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

I read this book a few years ago (when it first came out). At the time I was impressed by it’s common sense and simplicity. Last week I was in a used bookstore and found a copy for a dollar. I brought it home and reread it.  I was impressed all over again!

In Defense of Food is an engaging look at food and the food industry.  Pollan writes well and had me captivated within minutes.  For the record, I never intended to do anything more than skim, but I ended up engrossed and read every single word – again!  It was a journey that alternatively amused and enraged me. (more…)

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Planeat, The Film


Over the weekend I watched last year’s festivals standout film – Planeat . Watched the streaming Video right to my iPad.; although you can buy a DVD or attend a screening in selected cities..

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