Curried Beans and burgers

After living off expensive crap for a week I decided to make something cheap and healthy the other day by soaking some kidney beans and cooking them with frozen veggies. I added Sriracha Sauce, some garlic and some scrapings of a jar of curry sauce. I had it for lunch that day and then made rice to go with it for dinner. Pretty good and very filling. Tonight I made burgers for everyone in the house. The 4 pack of veggie burgers from Grocery outlet turned out to be cheaper than the ground beef that I was only able to make three patties from.

Drown a cold.

Yesterday I was wandering around an Asian grocery store on broadway and bought some noodls and fried tofu. I'm glad I did because I also got a gold that day, so last night dinner was soup made from the tofu, noodles, some frozen veggies, soy sauce, some spices and an onion. I'm spending today in bed drowning the germs with herbal tea.

More Oatmeal and Omega 3s

I have another exciting photo of oatmeal for you all. Okay, I know it probably the least exciting breakfast food you can think of but it's cheap, easy to make, easy to make taste GOOD and has become my winter comfort food of choice. On a cold morning I want something fast and hot and I don't want to deal with something like a tofu scramble. It's also a "normal" food that your nonvegan family won't get weirded out by. Another reason I love it is because it's easy to add Omega 3 goodness to. This morning's bowl had ground flax seed and chopped walnuts. A lot of people get depressed in wintertime and sometimes the cause is not enough fatty acids or vitamin D. Flax seeds from the bulk foods section of a health food store are significantly cheaper than flax oil or supplements. Just buy some, grind them in a CLEAN coffee grinder and keep them in an airtight container in the freezer. Put some in oatmeal or in a smoothie. Flax is sensitive to heat and light so add it to outmeal after it'd done cooking. Other sources of Omega 3s include walnuts, avacados, canola oil, lingon berries, hemp products, and chia seed.

False Comparisons and Overgeneralizations

The other day one of my FB friends, who usually just shares inspirational/environmental photos on her page posted this comparison photo comparing two women in their fifties, implying that a "healthy" lifestyle made Gillian ugly and a life of smoking, drinking and fatty foods is why Nigella's gorgeous. I pointed out the the FB friend that these women likely had very different backgrounds and genetics, that Gillian was not technically a vegetarian (she recommends fish) and that Nigella may have had cosmetic surgery. Granted my information came from Google and might not have been any more accurate than the photo but I was simply pointing those out because the photo made me a bit angry because it implied that vegetarians are inherently unhealthy when most of the information I've found and my own experiences seem to show the opposite.In her response to my comment she admitted she posted it partly to justify eating butter. I have been overweight all my life, mostly from a terrible diet and chronic stress from a young age.Going vegan didn't solve all my health problems, but it didn't make them worse either. I don't tell people that butter is going to kill them and I wish they wouldn't tell me that Tofu gives you cancer or that a vegan diet lacks certain nutrients without having any idea what I actually eat or don't eat. I also hate this picture because it implies that if you're not naturally beautiful there's something wrong with you and whatever you happen to be doing in your life is making you ugly. It's just incredibly insulting and I was surprised that someone who considers herself a feminist would find it empowering. Okay, I'm done ranting and I promise to post something useful next time.

Squashy Sauce

Last night's dinner was penne pasta with tomatoe sauce and squash. I had enough leftover for another two meals :)

Gazpacho

The other day I made gazpacho with tomatoes from my garden and had the leftovers for yesterday's breakfast. Recipe came from here: http://www.pittsburgbellydance.com/gazpacho.html Gazpacho (Spanish Soup) 2 medium cucumbers 2 pounds ripe tomatoes 1/2 medium red bell pepper 1 garlic clove 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about one lemon) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper 1/2 cup water 1 cup fresh corn kernels 1 avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion Cut one cucumber into 1/4-inch dice; cut remaining cucumber into chunks. Coarsely chop tomatoes, red pepper, and garlic. In blender, puree tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, lemon juice, oil, salt, black pepper, cucumber chunks, and water. Pour this into a large bowl. Stir in diced cucumber. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours or overnight. To serve, top soup with corn, avocado, and onion.

Breakfast and Health

Breakfast yesterday morning was soy yogurt, cherries and a mango. Yesterday my mom and I decided to try to get our weights down over the next three weeks, so in addition to blogging about my food, I'll also start on exercise and focusing on eating HEALTHY as well as compassionately. I've started a vegetable garden in one of our flower beds with just a few squash and tomato plants. Yesterday I did yoga and tonight I'm going to dance class. Starting weight 329.8 lbs