Time for Work!

Tina

My mission for tonight is to buy hemp milk! I need to know what it is all about! 🙂

blueberrybabe

hey so in case you haven’t heard i am making olive oil cake tonight. i am sucking it up and not using whole wheat flour (i will use white) but my other question is i dont plan on using white sugar… do you guys think this will make it not taste right? i was going to use the whole foods brand of sugar that i have that is “evaporated cane crystals” i think its the same as turbinado or whatever…. thoughts? thanks!

Heather(II)

Hey! Does anyone know whether the cutlets can be made without the gluten? Sorry if this was asked and answered already. Happy Heart Day!

blueberrybabe – sorry, i don’t know much about other kinds of sugars. I think for baking it would all taste the same, but I am not sure about the properties of “evaporated cane crystals” and how that would affect the texure, rise, etc. of the cake. I did make the recipe as is and was delish!

VeggieGirl

**blueberrybabe:

The 18 grams of sugar comes from the vanilla and from the brown rice syrup (which is an all-natural, wholesome sweetener/thickener). I drink at LEAST 1 cup of hempmilk everyday, and I’m still here! The 18 grams of sugar hasn’t hurt me; especially since the pros FAR outweigh any potential cons of the hempmilk (no cons, in my opinion). :0)

VeggieGirl

**blueberrybabe:

no need to fear NATURAL sugars – especially the ones in fruits!! nothing is added to fruit – they are naturally sweet; and the ones added to the hempmilk are FAR from being refined, so you have nothing to worry about except for missing out on its benefits and delicious, smooth, creamy taste/texture!! :0)

VeggieGirl

**blueberrybabe:

p.s. – I believe that the evaporated cane crystals ARE the same thing as turbinado sugar; or you could even use Sucanat (which is the unrefined sugar that I use in all my baking projects).

Cara

Those patties look amazing!!! mmm. Have a great time at work! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Becky

I just wanted to say that I am a new blog reader and think it’s fantastic. I’m really tried hard to get out of the calorie count mentality and shift to more intuitive eating. I actually checked out this blog a couple of weeks ago but left it because I saw you added calorie counts to all your meals, and am so happy you stopped. I love your focus on eating to make both your body and taste buds happy, and on getting the most whole, non-artificial foods possible. This blog is also so relatable because you are willing to share your own internal conflicts that we all have. And even though I am not a vegetarian because I don’t want to limit myself, I do gravitate towards plant-based meals and recipes because I just love the ingredients and how energized and well nourished they make me feel. So as a non-veg, I welcome all the veggie recipes you find!

So this was long and gushy, but your positive approach (not to sound too hippie-ish) toward life and food and willingness to share your thoughts behind it all is inspiring. Keep it up!

Also, some questions:

All the news about plastic water bottles is starting to gross me out. What kind of water bottle do you (or any other readers) use?

I also drink a lot of herbal tea (especially now in the death grips of winter up in the North). I don’t add anything to it at all and none of it has caffeine (generally tends to be mint, chamomile, fruit teas, etc.) Is there such a thing as too much?

Nicole

I don’t comment on this blog too often, but I did just want to contribute to this discussion. First, I love that everyone is so nice!!! Unusual as this is a large group of girls, and as I’m sure we know: girls have catty tendencies….
I’m also a “flexitarian,” as seems to be the fashionable way to call it apparently. Currently, I’m eating fish because I have a mild to moderate obsession with sashimi and because I am recovering (or trying as hard as I know how) from an eating disorder which, needless to say, left me deficient in several areas and brought me to a potassium deficiency low enough to bring me near the point of cardiac arrest (if anyone reading this is dealing with an eating disorder: PLEASE have your blood drawn and check your potassium…). Scary particularly for me since I major in neuroscience and know the minutia of what that means… Anyway, maybe fish isn’t the only source of protein and fat, but it’s efficient in both areas, so it can stay for now.
I turned my version of vegetarian in the 7th or 8th grade when I decided that I found it wholly bizarre that I was consuming body parts with names I could identify on my own body. As a medical student now, I find this even more disgusting. I never really liked meat to begin with, but I’m not too intense about it: coming from an Italian family, I am TRULY the odd-man out, and I wouldn’t turn something down that had been made with chicken broth or adjacent to meat. Recently, I’m considering going vegan—mostly because of all the good ideas here!!! Though, true to my Italian background–cheese would be a struggle haha… I agree that veg-vegan-etc should be more of a continuum: each person needs to determine for herself what’s appropriate—if you like honey, you like honey. Much like politics, it’s hard to get boxed in perfectly. People vary, as do eating habits and desires, so it seems absurd to confine your life to boundaries created by someone else.
Jenna: I also want to thank you. As I said, I’m battling the end (cross fingers) of an eating disorder, and I think seeing a healthy person living healthfully is helping me to see that no, I won’t ruin my life, or be flawed if I eat. You’d think as a med student it would click in more rapidly that rather my life will be irreparably ruined if I continue on my old path–but I was stuck in the Type-A perfectionist trap. Thanks for your positivity, and wonderful ideas. ESPECIALLY HEMP MILK–which I now cannot get enough of. Good thing I’m in Boston, otherwise we’d need to battle it out at Whole Foods haha!! Enjoy your Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Kerry

Okay, Jenna!
I made your mother’s scampi recipe this evening, and I have to say that it is incredible. I had to take deep breaths when adding all the butter, going against every instinct to cut back on it, but I didn’t want to tamper with the recipe. I’m so glad I didn’t!
I have to say, that this is the most wonderful thing I’ve ever made, and I’m not some newbie in the kitchen. My nine-year-old daughter has declared that she wants it for her birthday dinner. But, my birthday comes first, so I’m making it for mine!
Thanks for getting the recipe up so quickly, despite your nasty migraine. And, be sure to tell your mom thanks from all the way out here in New Mexico!

Lori- the pleasantly plump vegan

that salad looks great. sometimes only a salad will do!

Alyssa

Mel H,
Though I’m only nineteen, I think about that too since I want to have kids someday. We need to be a role model for our kids and for ourselves and recognize that yeah, there are constant messages of dieting and stick thin models/etc, but to tell them that that is not a healthy lifestyle. Just because those messages are repeated and repeated and repeated in the media does not make them right. Since I have an ed, I keep worrying that I am going to pass it to my daughter/daughters someday because I got the same type of thinking from some of my relatives. We just have to be conscious about what kind of messages we are sending to our future kids and the kind of environment we raise them in. We need to tell them and teach them what is healthy and to help them travel through the unhealthy mess that is society and the media. We also need to expose them to healthy role models and show them what being healthy is all about. I know that I will need to have enormous confidence and trust in myself in order to help my kids live a healthy lifestyle.

Heather(II)

Brittany:

Turkey-Walnut Loaf
Makes 6 slices
1 lb ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped fine
1 carrot, shredded
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts
1 egg
1tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup diced tomatoes in juice
2 bay leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Toast the walnuts for
about 5 minutes or so until they start to smell all
toasty and good. Let cool.
2. When the walnuts are cool, grind them in a food
processor (or blender) until finely ground. Set aside.
3. Combine the turkey, onion, carrot, celery and
parsley in a mixing bowl. Add the ground nuts, egg,
thyme, salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Pack mixture tightly into a greased loaf pan and
top with 2 bay leaves. Pour the tomatoes over the top.
5. Bake for 50 minutes or until the meatloaf starts to
pull away from the pan. Let cool for about 20 minutes
before eating and don’t forget to remove the bay
leaves!
224 calories/slice

JJ

I try to teach my little girl and little boy (both 5) that eating healthfully will help them have enough energy to have a great time, play games and not get tired and crabby. Have I pulled out my hair because they don’t each more veggies – yes. But life is short, and I try to make great healthy choices in front of them, which INCLUDE eating (usually homemade or organic packaged )cookies and treats after a healthy meal and including them in celebrations. But everything in moderation I think – and there is a place for gross store bought birthday cake! It seems like what many women battle is an all or nothing approach – success or failure. I don’t want my daughter to feel that way – life is much more…and food is only a part (a lovely part) of it. I commend those of you who are examining this now…sometimes I get reallyscared to be raising a daughter in a society that places so much value on body image. I’m just doing my best.