Going Vegan

Labels that mean something

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:54:50 -0400

Love this idea of labels on foods that translate into how much physical activity is required to burn it off. Much better way to convey this information than cryptic numbers that don’t translate easily.

The walk/run represented above is just over 2 miles, about 30 mins of total effort…and I burned roughly 351 calories. That is one of the things I try to keep in mind when I am grocery shopping, or considering a nasty fast food option for lunch. (or at least should keep in mind….)

What ways do you keep healthy and develop good habits?

Paleo Diet is Nonsense Science?

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:38:03 -0400

Paleo Diet is Nonsense Science?:

Is the newest diet trend junk science?

Fruits, Nuts, and Friends like These

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:36:29 -0500

Fruits, Nuts, and Friends like These:

Excellent article regarding diets, fats and some misconceptions.

Vegetarians a third less likely to develop heart disease.

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 07:23:23 -0500

Vegetarians a third less likely to develop heart disease.

The Fallacies of Fat - Science Friday Interview

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:07:23 -0500

The Fallacies of Fat - Science Friday Interview

It is more important now than ever to avoid pesticides

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:48:04 -0500

Interesting read over at the NY Times about organic food and pesticides. How much of this is real science?

10 Signs You're in a Good Restaurant

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 07:45:00 -0500

10 Signs You're in a Good Restaurant

Off to Earth Fair

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:02:26 -0500

I have found myself shopping at the new Earth Fare in Louisville for groceries more and more. They have a reliable supply of fresh fruits/veggies. Yes, it is a bit more expensive than the the local, “nicer” Kroger, but the quality is superb. In fact, I’m heading there today to re-stock our fridge with yummy fruits and veggies.

Lots of Shopping! While we have not been 100% vegan and have had our ups/downs during this entire experiment, we have maintained mostly a Vegan household. However, that also means frequent trips to a fresh market. Even with our weekly Green Bean delivery, I usually have to go to the market an additional 1-2 times per week to keep fresh produce stocked in the home. It takes dedication to have good, fresh ingredients available in your kitchen. And, we HATE waste. We both have this overwhelming feeling of failure whenever we have to throw away something that has spoiled or not been consumed. It is a constant challenge to balance our freshness and variety with a minimal of waste.

Lists are a necessity! I am lost without at least a basic list of what is needed, especially speciality, not frequently bought items. Certain items are “staples” and can be assumed to be needed in fairly regular frequencies, including Almond Milk, blueberries, bananas, salad base makings, KIND bars and a few others.

One final quick thought. Working at home allows me the freedom to plan my trips during the day, when the crowd is minimal. During the AM, after rush hour..and before kids get out of school, in the middle of the week, are the best times/days to get in and get out with what you need, quickly and without hassle.

American's adjust ideal weight upward

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:33:46 -0500

American's adjust ideal weight upward:

Not surprising…but over the past 20 years, I’ve adjusted my ideal weight DOWN. Interesting…

Fiber Sources: 7 Surprisingly Rich Foods

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:22:49 -0500

Fiber Sources: 7 Surprisingly Rich Foods

Mock Vegan Chicken Salad Wrap and fruit. Excellent!

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:35:05 -0500

Mock Vegan Chicken Salad Wrap and fruit. Excellent!

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month. Go Meatless!

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:22:17 -0400

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month. Go Meatless!

Louisville Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:04:17 -0400

Louisville Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants

Bill Gates believes the future of meat is Vegan

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:19:48 -0400

Bill Gates believes the future of meat is Vegan

iPhone 5 mini-review

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 07:52:08 -0400

indysawmill:

I have been asked a few times what my thoughts are about the “…new Apple phone…”, otherwise known as the iPhone 5.

My current 4S is out of sync in the update cycle, so I’m skipping this particular generation of phone. Hello iPhone 5S in June 2013! ;) However, I’ve had a chance to setup and use another iPhone 5 over the past few days. Here are a few of my thoughts:

First impression is..it’s thin. You notice the “thin” before the “Tall” or the “Light”. It’s REALLY thin.

They have FINALLY gotten the Setup right. I had run 3-4 different versions of the iOS 6 Developers Beta, however this final push of the release went better and more smoothly than any past iOS 4, 5 or 6 transition. Make sure you have a GOOD iCloud backup before starting, shut off your old phone.. turn on your new one… and restore from iCloud. Easy peezy. No PC/Mac sync required. Just your WiFi and iCloud logins.

Panoramic Camera: Very cool, but time will tell if it is a gimmick or a new, needed feature. It is easy to use and the resulting pictures were pretty good, as long as the light is good. Low light produced obvious pixillation as the stream of images were stitched together.

It’s fast. This is to be expected, but the jump appears to be a considerable improvement over even the 4S. Several common App launches, compared side-by-side with the 4S, showed the new 5 to include a major speed boost. Testing the AT&T LTE next to my Verizon Retina iPad showed similar performance, but is easily much faster than the 3G/quasi-4G iPhone 4S.

The screen is bright. The contrast ratio appears to be a major improvement from the 4S. It looks surprisingly good.

Finally, is the new 5 worth the upgrade price from the 4? I say yes, absolutely. The phone has a definite “Next Generation” feel to it. Upgrade from a 4S? Maybe.. The 4S still runs iOS 6 very well and I didn’t even realize my phone was slow until I held the 5. Even my Retina iPad doesn’t demonstrate much of a speed difference from my 4S, but the 5 just appears to be much faster. I will live vicariously through the 5’s that surround me, but I think I am content to hold onto the 4S for the time being.

Going Vegan may have saved former President Bill Clinton's life.

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:06:56 -0400

Going Vegan may have saved former President Bill Clinton's life.

Tomatillo? What is that?

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:12:41 -0400

The CSA brought us a bag of tomatillos this week. They are these little green tomato type things wrapped in a husk. I know 99% of you already knew that, but I sure didn’t. After sitting there for a few days, the tomatillos cried out, “eat me before I go bad!” I peeled back the husk, cut into one and tried eating it raw. It was a cross between apple and tomato in texture, but had a strong sour taste. I wasn’t so sure about all that, so off to the interwebs i went. One quick search later and my world was changed. These little suckers are the source of salsa verde! Who wudda thunk it?

Per the instructions, I dehusked them, washed off the slime (hrm, didn’t even notice the slime when eating it raw), and boiled them for 10 minutes. I combined cilantro, onion, red chili peppers, olive oil and 5 tomatillos in a blender. It could have used some garlic and lime, but i didn’t have any, so eh. That was blended into a yummy salsa that will now accompany my spinach nuggets on “junk food” night.

I never thought I’d say this, but I actually prefer that to my regular Sriracha/Catsup mixture for nugget dipping.

I Heart Portobello Mushrooms Marinated portobello mushrooms with...

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 20:57:07 -0400

I Heart Portobello Mushrooms

Marinated portobello mushrooms with greens, onion, tomato, and homemade guacamole. Excellent.

Marinated Portobello Burger ... mmm

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 11:39:05 -0400

We picked up some portobello mushrooms the other day but weren’t sure how to use them. We marinated them over night in pomegranate balsamic vinegar, honey ginger balsamic and olive oil. We flipped them a couple times and squished them down a bit as they became saturated with the marinade.

Because it is approximately 8,000 degrees out, we didn’t dare go near the grill. We baked them for about 10 minutes at 425, which worked out well. We both agreed that grilling would probably taste better.

Once they were cooked, we threw those suckers on a thin bun with onion, cucumber, guacamole and hummus. Since we forgot to add sriracha to the mix, we put it on the side. We highly recommend that you give these a try.

Oh, and all that for about 200 calories, score!

4-Months, 99.5% Vegan

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:10:52 -0400

We are approaching our 4-month Vegan anniversary. While we have had a few slip-ups, both intentional and unintentional, we have remained mostly true to our original diet/lifestyle goals.

It is “natural” to return to our Vegan diet after we have a bite of cheese or a taste of an offered morsel. I no longer have any cravings, from Pizza to beef. In fact, only Eggs and Cheese have any real appeal for me. An occasional bite of an oyster, clam or other seafood will probably always have a place in my diet…saved for special occasions or travel. We remain extremely experimental in our desire to sample all types of cuisines, and that frequently requires us to cross over the Vegan line. However, our first instinct is always to try the local or regional Vegan offerings.

We will continue to post great Vegan food that we either run across in our travels, or that is made in our kitchen…along with our progress.