reminds how peaceful it is to be in the presence of animals. My daughter decided that she wants to live on a farm, the more horses and goats, the better.
10/21/2010
On returning
It's been a while. I gave up this little blog some time ago. It all seemed okay for a while and then little by little, I started to miss it. It isn't much, but it is my space and I suppose we all need that sometimes. I am up and running again if in a simple mode for now. The kids keep me on my toes so I'll be popping in when I can. Thank you to those of you who take the time to drop by or let me know that you missed visiting.
04/04/2010
In our yard, part 2
We are lucky enough to have birds nesting in a gourd hanging in our yard. I think it has been home to several bird families over the years. Each time is equally exciting for us. We feel lucky to have the birds choose our yard for raising their young, and we catch glimpses of the eggs as they hatch and watch the baby birds wait for the next meal. It is a wonderful experience for our children to learn about the natural world.
There are eggs inside but no way to get a picture of them without getting too close.
We are looking forward to seeing the sweet babies soon.
03/26/2010
In our yard
We are taking in all the lovely weather we can. It has been so pleasant with plenty of rain to get the fruit trees and plants off to a good start. We love having a very natural yard. We have lots of room to run, play, and enjoy--our own little place to experience nature.
03/22/2010
What Do Vegans Eat? | Seventh Generation
What Do Vegans Eat?
"Mom, I'm hungry!"
In my experience, these are probably the three most uttered words in the English language. As a mother of children who seem to eat non-stop, I can tell you that a considerable amount of money, time, and planning goes into the food choices for our family of four. Particularly because we are vegan.
Was that a gasp I just heard? When being vegan comes up in conversation, I am used to curious omnivores asking, "So what do you eat?" The implication, of course, is that there's pretty much nothing left once you remove animals from the equation. (Vegans eat no animal products, including dairy.)
But being vegan hasn't had a limiting effect on our diet. It's actually expanded our culinary universe to include Thai, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian, and Mexican foods, to name a few. Most of the world's cuisines are vegetable based, so making practically any type of meal vegan is pretty simple.
03/19/2010
Feeding the little ones
If you have visited my blog before, you know that I have two little ones. They are healthy, vibrant children who both began as good-sized babies. People often comment on how big and healthy they look, especially after finding out that we are vegan. "That isn't what you'd expect a vegan baby to look like." I take it as a compliment and hope that it helps others see that being vegan can be a healthy way of life, even for children. I take feeding my little vegans seriously. It is important to me that they get the best start in every way, including nutrition.
It breaks my heart to hear of children who are raised vegan being starved or not getting the optimal nutrition for growth. These stories always make the headlines, which in turn are used as a case against veganism. I would argue that many children are receiving poor nutrition or suffer through abusive situations who are not vegan, but I digress...
Now, let me say for the record that I am not a dietician or a doctor, and this is by no means medical advice. I am sharing what has worked for my family in hopes that it might to helpful to someone else. I came to understand vegan nutrtition and the nutritional needs of little ones much through my own reading. Going through the process of becoming a vegetarian and then a vegan gave me insight into the way the body adapts to the vegan diet. Every child is different (my daughter and son are prime examples) and what works for one might not work for another, but there are some factors to consider when feeding children.
First of all, breastfeeding is the best start for babies. As a vegan mother, breastfeeding is the only way to go for the first six months. It should be continued for at least a year and if possible for the first two years. I know that breastfeeding can be difficult. I have been there, believe you me. So often women give up during those difficult early days, when they are not getting enough rest and often lack the knowledge or support they need. Breastfeeding is something that both the mother and the baby must learn. It comes very easily for some and is a learning process for others. A good electric pump can help when nursing is painful or when the baby is having problems learning to latch on. The important thing is to be patient and not give up. Breastfeeding can be hard for the first 6-8 weeks, but it becomes so much easier than formula once mom and baby get the hang of it. There is no substitute that can compare in terms of being the perfect nutrition for babies.
Once baby is ready for solids, there are some wonderful resources available to help parents and caregivers understand healthy nutrition for babies and children. One of my favorite sources of information on this topic is Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. This book is really all one needs to begin feeding a baby in a healthy manner whether vegetarian or not. While the book is not vegan, it does include information on feeding vegetarian babies. I don't follow this book to the tee, rather, I use it as a guide on what foods to introduce to a baby each month, how to make and freeze baby food, and how to give my babies a well-rounded diet. I highly recommend it to anyone as it will save you lots of stress, time, and money.
Super Baby Food and the website
More good stuff:
From my readings in nutrition and my experience in feeding my own children, I make sure to include:
- Good protein sources such as nuts, seeds, tofu, beans, lentils, whole grains, and nut butters.
- Healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, nuts, seeds, nut butters, tahini, Earth Balance, and avocado.
- Omegas from hemp seeds flax, and walnuts (or supplements (algae) if not getting enough from diet).
- Fruits and vegetables
- Probiotics found in soy yogurt, coconut yogurt, and Good Belly fruit drink.
- Other good sources of vitamins and minerals like nutritional yeast, fortified rice and soy milk, kelp, and hemp seeds.
We eat a variety of food and are always trying new recipes. The foods listed above are foods that can make a difference in having a heathy vegan diet. We do not follow any type of low-fat diet; rather, we include ample healthy sources of fat. Children need healthy fats in their diet. In our home, we do not force our children to eat anything. We offer a wide variety and encourage tasting new foods. We also do not force our children to finish a determined amount of food as we prefer for them to eat when hungry.
With a little planning and reading about infant nutrition, vegan children will get the healthy start they deserve.
03/12/2010
Playing along
capturing a moment from our week
03/11/2010
The 30 Minute Vegan
The 30 Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray was a gift I received on my birthday. It couldn't have come at a better time either, as I was feeling a need for some new inspiration in the kitchen. So far I have made 6 of the recipes from the book and they have all been wonderful.
Macaroni and Cheese
This is my new favorite macaroni and cheese sauce. It comes out just right and has a bit of curry powder in it, the non-spicy kind. Adah likes it, too, minus the black pepper.
Crispy Kale
I was a little skeptical about this one, to be honest, but it turned out to be really good. My daughter even ate it and asked for more. It is such a good way to get people who don't think they like kale to eat kale.
Macadamia Nut-Chocolate Chip Cookies
(I made a couple of changes to mine but followed the recipe overall. Love them!)
Onion-Zucchini Corn Cakes
I added some carrot along with the zucchini. They are beautiful and so delicious. I served it with apple sauce as suggested in the book. I will be making these again for sure.
I don't usually buy a lot of cookbooks. Often, they include recipes that are so complicated that I couldn't possibly find the time to make them or are things that my toddler wouldn't even dream of eating. (We have entered that picky toddler phase.) This cookbook, however, has been really useful and easy to use. I am planning to try many more recipes.
03/07/2010
Fun with solar prints
We were home looking for something crafty to do when I remembered that we had solar paper just waiting for a beautiful sunny and not too windy day. So we open it up and let our imaginations soar. If you haven't worked with solar prints before, you are missing out. The paper reacts to the sunlight leaving a print of the objects you select. We started with a tea set and moved on to flowers, sewing notions, barrettes, toys... It is so much fun trying to come up with new objects for each print. I'm not sure who had more fun, me or my 3 year-old. I just love those kinds of crafts.
Luckily, we have more paper left for another day of fun.
This is the Solar Print Kit we used.
In other news, I am so excited to be included in a post over at KidStyleFile. Cassi for The Crafty Crow, one of my favorite spots for daily kid crafting inspiration, wrote about making the most of what you've got. I was delightfully surprised to see our crafting there. My little Adah's crafting, I should say. Click on over and check it out.
Mama Veg
I'm a stay-at-home mom who enjoys a healthy vegan lifestyle while teaching, learning, crafting, sewing, cooking, and loving my children.
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