Cream of Broccoli Soup

I'm not normally a fan of cream soups because I know that they are usually made with heavy cream (and lots of it), loads of butter and/or cheese, and not much healthy value.

But then broccoli went on sale at No Frills this week (89 cents/lb!) and I decided to make amends with cream soups. I found a recipe from AllRecipes.com that I could live with, that uses a ton of veggies, skim milk, and is a surprisingly good choice!

(sorry, I forgot to take pictures this time :( )

Cream of Broccoli Soup (makes 6 servings)
1 onion, chopped small
1 stalk of celery, chopped small
8 cups broccoli florets (about 4 stalks, depending on their size)
4T butter
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock (you could use veggie stock too, but I couldn't find a low-sodium version when I was at the store)
3T flour
2 cups skim milk

Melt 1T of butter in a soup pot (you could use olive oil if you want to limit the butter), sautee onion and celery for 3-5 minutes till softened. Add broccoli and chicken stock.
Cover and simmer till the broccoli is very soft, about 10-15 minutes. When done, smash up the broccoli using either a potato masher (if you like chunkier soup), a handheld blender, or pour into a regular blender. You can make your soup as chunky or smooth as you like :)
In a saucepan, melt 3T of butter and stir in 3T of flour to make a roux. When well mixed up, add the milk. Whisk well for a few minutes until the milk gets thick and bubbly.
Pour the thickened milk into the broccoli mixture. Stir it up, take a taste, and enjoy!

Mmmm :)

AllRecipes.com claims that this recipe is worth 207 Calories, 12.4g of fat, 17g of carbohydrates, 3.6g of fibre, and 9.2g of protein per serving. However, the original recipe called for "milk", not skim milk, so the nutritional information will be different with the modified recipe that I've posted here. When I calculated the Points Plus value of this recipe, it was 2 PP's less than this nutritional information gives per serving, making this recipe even more worth it to eat!

What's your favourite cream soup? Is it worth the calories/Points?

Holiday Potluck Extravaganza Part 2 - Chocolate Candy Cane Cake Pops

So this is one of those times where I'm going to post something that isn't exactly health-conscious or weight friendly. But srsly, these things are epic.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cake Pops

There are lots of recipes online that you can find for variations of cake pops. I was crunched for time, so unfortunately had to go with the simplest ones (box of cake, can of frosting). There are tons more that have recipes for cake and fun flavours of frosting that you can use.

Step one: Bake a cake. Any cake. I made a box of Betty Crocker French Vanilla. For added candy cane goodness, I added a tablespoon of peppermint extract. Peppermint vanilla cake?! Yeah! Allow the cake to cool.

Step two: Crumble up your cake. If you have a food processor, you can make this step really easy by simply putting in slabs of your cake and pulverizing them. Alternatively, shmos like me without food processors (I know….) can use your hands to do just as fine of a job :)

Step three: Mix in your chocolate frosting. All the recipes I found online suggested using an outrageous amount of frosting (2 cups, or about one entire can of frosting). As I was mixing it in, I realized that this was an INSANE amount of frosting, and changed my recipe to use only ½ the can of frosting (about 1 cup). This will depend on how moist your cake is, but basically you want to end up with a dough that is moist enough that it can hold it’s shape, but not so moist that it gets sticky and sloppy.

Step four: Roll up your cake pops. Depending on how big your cake pops are, you can get at least 30-40 balls or more. I ended up with about 35, but they were pretty big (about an inch in diameter – lesson learned, next time I’m making them smaller. You’ll see why in a minute J). Make it easier – use a little cookie scoop. All I had was a huge ice cream scoop, so I ended up rolling them up by hand. Put the balls in the fridge or freezer to firm up. In the freezer they’ll need about 20-30 minutes, longer in the fridge.

Step five: Melt your chocolate/dipping candy. I used white chocolate wafers (purchased at the bulk store) and melted in the microwave. You could add a little extra “Christmas cheer” by adding a bit of crème de menthe in there. Just sayin’... I also crushed up some candy canes to use for decorating/sprinkling.

Step six: Insert sticks. Easiest way to do this is to insert a stick into the ball first, about halfway down. Dip your stick into your chocolate/candy, and insert into the hole that you made. Put it on a sheet lined with parchment paper. It might be helpful to put them back in the fridge to harden and secure the stick in place. Or you can be fancy and use candy canes instead of sticks. You know. I’m fancy like that.

Step seven: DECORATE!!! I learned the hard way that you need to insert the sticks/candy canes farther than you’d think into the ball, especially if they’re big, because they get top-heavy and fall into the chocolate and make a huge mess and get cake crumbs all in the chocolate and ruin it for all the other cake pops. True story.

Dip your cake pops into your chocolate/candy (mine didn't get dipped all the way due to the top-heaviness, but you can submerge them entirely if the stick/ball can hold it). Hold them upside down (stick side up) and twirl around/tap them gently on the side of the bowl to let the excess run off. If you just flip them stick side down right away, you’ll end up with chocolate/candy running all down the stick and making a big sticky gross mess. Once they’re relatively smooth, you can decorate with sprinkles or whatever you want (or crushed up candy canes!). If you’re using sticks, let your cake pops cool by putting the sticks into a slab of Styrofoam to harden – that way, they won’t get flat tops. Unfortunately candy cane sticks don’t work that way, so I ended up with flat-topped pops. Whatev.

Step eight: Eat them. Eat them all. Mmmmmmmm!

Holiday Potluck Extravaganza - Spinach and Feta Stuffed Mushroom Caps

One of my bestest friends from university (the first time) invited us over for a holiday potluck this weekend! We had 6 people, a massive dinner of roasted chickens, mashed potatoes, curried cauliflower, copious amounts of wine, and fun appies and desserts.

I made spinach and feta stuffed mushroom caps for appetizers (pictured above - orange plate), and chocolate candy cane cake pops for a delicious tiny dessert. Whooooa! The recipes are a bit long, so I'll have to post them with pictures separately. In this edition...

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Mushroom Caps

You need:

• 1 package frozen spinach, well drained and squeezed dry
• 3 ½ oz crumbled feta cheese (about ½ cup, I weighed it out)
• 2T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Stuffing mushrooms (sometimes you can find big button mushrooms. Alternatively you can use regular sized mushrooms, but it’s trickier to stuff them)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Remove stems from mushrooms. You can chop them up and stuff them into the upcoming mixture if you like (I didn’t this time, because I had tiny mushrooms and needed all the room I could get to stuff in the spinach/feta goodness). If your mushrooms are small, it will probably be easier to stuff them if you scoop out the gills inside at this point.

In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic, spinach, salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is heated through and garlic is distributed evenly throughout the mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool (I put it in a bowl in the fridge for about 10 minutes)

Combine spinach mixture with feta cheese. Stuff each mushroom with about 1T of the mixture (depends on the size of your mushrooms)

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place mushrooms on sheet in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and a bit darker in colour. Serve warm.

Pre-cooking:

Surviving exams

Wow, I've been gone for a while! This semester kind of kicked my butt. However, now I'm just three short exams away from freedom!

Meanwhile, I've also been learning lots of new fun cooking skills, and loads of neat information to share about healthy living. This time of year is my favourite time to cook and bake, so you can expect to see lots of new recipes in the near future! Soups, veggie dishes, casseroles, drinks and bevvies, and of course DESSERTS!!!

For now though, I'm back to my books. Wheeeeeee...!

Brown-bagging it

I'm back, and back to school!

I have a pretty packed schedule. I'm in classes for about 20 hours per week, but also have time in between classes sometimes, up to 3 hours. This means that I'm actually on campus for about 27 hours per week. Usually I only need to pack lunch and snacks, but one day per week I am at school for eleven hours, meaning that I need to get some dinner too since I don't actually finish class till 9:30pm. Ughhhhhhhhh.....

Given that I am a poor and starving student, I really can't afford to be eating on or around campus (even like, once per week would push me way beyond my budget). Besides, the food that is available is mostly fast food and isn't the best option nutritionally. So, my best bet is to pack my own lunches (and sometimes dinners) and snacks to make sure that I stay both on budget and on plan!

I decided to post here a few ideas of the types of things typical of my lunch and snack bags for your viewing pleasure.

Snack Bag - usually at least two or three of these items appear each day

• whole fruit (bananas, peaches, apples, oranges, etc)
• cut veggies with hummus (peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrot sticks...)
• Greek yogurt with berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries...) and maybe a drizzle of honey
• WW mini snack bar or pack of gingersnaps (some kind of crunchy or sweet snack to satisfy those mid-afternoon slump cravings when the vending machine calls)
• baggie of pretzel sticks

Lunch Bag and sometimes Dinner Bag - usually I take leftovers from dinner the night before as lunch the next day. When leftovers aren't available, these are some of the things that might appear

• giant salads - made with 2-3c of greens, about 1c of other veggies (peppers, mushrooms, onions, whatever is left over in the fridge), almonds or walnuts, maybe some avocado, and anything else in the fridge that needs to be used. I usually pack a breakfast pita along with my salad.
• other kinds of salads - bean salad, quinoa salad, chickpea salad, pasta salad...
• soup in a Thermos - heat it up in the morning, pack in a Thermos, and it will still be warm a few hours later when you get around to eating it!

Given that I am indeed such a ridiculously busy person, I often have to prepare these things at least a day or two in advance so that I can just grab them and go. Usually this means that my fridge is stocked with:

• Pre-cut veggies: Come home from the grocery store, chop veggies into suitable pieces (pepper strips, carrot sticks, celery sticks, etc). Store them in water in the fridge so that they don't dry up. All you have to do is reach into the cold water and pack up your veggies to go! Also a great way to cut down on dinner prep time! You can do this with fruit too, but maybe only a day or two before you are going to eat it. Unfortunately, fruit tends to get soggy if you keep it in water, so you have to leave it as is (e.g. strawberries, peach slices, kiwi slices, mango chunks, etc)
• Pre-packs: In addition to pre-chopping, I usually also make pre-packs of some of my staple snacks. This makes it quick and easy to just take what I need out of the fridge, and hey - everything is already PORTION CONTROLLED! I often pre-pack my yogurt and cottage cheese. I also pre-pack my bulk snacks, usually as soon as I get home from the store with them (things like dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, etc). This way I can just take a little pre-portioned baggie with me, and I know how much I'm getting. If I have the opportunity to reach my greedy hands into a bag full of almonds, I will eat them all. If all I have is a little bag, I will still eat them all. However, it's significantly fewer almonds/whatever than I would have eaten uncontrollably without the pre-packing!
• Breakfast on the go: I've posted before about how awesome breakfast is, and I'm a HUGE lover of this morning meal! I need to eat breakfast, and usually, I eat a lot of breakfast. That way I'll stay satisfied and energized throughout those boring morning classes where I would otherwise be tempted to snack. I also am energized enough that on days that I don't have a morning class, I can go to the gym for a workout, or plow through some of my homework! During times when I know that I will need to take a to-go breakfast or just need to get breakfast made really fast (e.g. on the way to an early morning yoga class), I will cook up a big batch of oatmeal early in the week and keep it in the fridge. I just scoop out a few spoonfulls, pop it in the microwave, and a couple minutes later I'm munching my way through a hearty homecooked breakfast! I make my oatmeal with just some cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar, so that I can mix up my oatmeal toppings every day and it won't get boring. One day I might put dried cranberries and almond slivers, the next day is blueberries and strawberries, the next day might be apple chunks, etc etc etc...

What are some of your favourite snacks and lunches to take on the go? How can you make prep time easier when you're a busy bee?

Decluttering part 2: Giving Back

As my quest to declutter continues, I've decided to change these posts from being about getting rid of crap to giving stuff to people who need/want it.

It shall be called Giving Back, though still accomplishes the decluttering. Giving Back has a twist though - you're still getting rid of stuff you don't need/want anymore, but giving it new life with a new home. In my decluttering quest, I've found out about some really cool charities that will take stuff that you don't want anymore. Also found some neat ways to recycle stuff to new people - not necessarily charities, but keeps things out of the dump all the same.

Here's what's been happening since the last decluttering post:

Magazines: are finally gone! The person who I had emailed from Craigslist didn't reply back. So after a week, I posted my own advertisement to give away free magazines. Five minutes later, someone emailed back asking when they could get them. Sweet! I dropped them off last night to a lovely French lady, also named Michelle, who wanted the magazines to help her improve her English. I was very happy to give away my stuff to help promote literacy (and especially to help a fellow Michelle) :)!

Textbooks/Other Books: With school starting back up, it's a perfect time to get rid of textbooks. I've already successfully sold two textbooks on Amazon.ca in the last week and a half, and have since posted up another few textbooks and some other stuff that I had lurking around that might fetch a buck (some DVDs and other books/novels).

Unfortunately, I have some textbooks that can't be sold, either because they are damaged or because they are too old and no current student would be looking for them anymore. I would still like to give them to somebody, if anyone will take them, and I'm not expecting to get any cash for them. I've found out about a few cool charities in the States and one in Quebec that accept donated textbooks for various programs, but most ask you to drop the books off at their office rather than mail them in (and really, I'm not going to spend $15+ per book on shipping to give it away for free).

The Canadian School Book Exchange is one of the few places that I've actually found within the GTA that accepts donations of textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. The books are given to organizations across Canada and internationally that promote literacy education. If they can't be used for these purposes, they can also be recycled, in which case the proceeds from the recycling are donated to United Way charities and a matching donation is made. Their office is located in Mississauga, so next time that I have access to a car, I will make the trek out there with my stack of old/non-saleable textbooks.

Other organizations

In trying to find charities to donate to, this website kept popping up on Google. I assumed that it was something for the city dump, since it's posted on the City of Toronto Solid Waste Management website. However, it turns out that it's really an awesome list of charities and organizations seeking donations of just about everything! These organizations are looking for things like clothing, books, non-perishable food, art supplies, small appliances, furniture, bedding, kids bikes, and even old cars. Visit www.toronto.ca/reuseit/orgs.htm to find some local charities that are looking for your stuff!

In the future, I'll try to keep posting about neat charities that I find to take stuff that I no longer need. Since I'm far too poor now (as a starving student) to donate money to anyone, I love that I can still give back in a different way!

What are some of your favourite places to donate items, food, or funding?

Remembering Jack

In case you are living under a rock, or at least not living in Canada, you might not have heard that Jack Layton died on August 22, and that his funeral was held yesterday. You might also not have seen the enormous outpouring of love and support from across the country. Canadians from all walks of life have come together to remember an inspiring, loving and influential politician. A politician!!! How many people in politics could ever imagine that such a response would be seen for them???

He was really no ordinary politician though. Known simply as "Jack" to most voters, the optimistic and smiley handsome gentleman transformed what we once thought of Canadian politicians. He was a leader of the people, giving a voice to the voiceless. He worked tirelessly as a Toronto councillor, deputy mayor, and eventually as the leader of the opposition to bring issues of domestic violence, homelessness and poverty, environmental impacts and cycling safety, and other social concerns to the forefront of Canadian politics. He engaged voters, particularly youth, to encourage people who had been soured by the voting experience to make a difference in their world. He truly believed that together we could change the world, and embodied these beliefs wholeheartedly.

The country was saddened to learn that Jack had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2010, but saw him fight valiently against the disease. He gave a face to prostate cancer, working with cancer associations and encouraging education and prevention across Canada. He won his battle with cancer, never slowing down in his continuing efforts to bring social justice to the country. He went on to win a shocking victory for the NDP - earning his place as the official leader of the opposition for the first time in the party's history. Across the nation, the people had spoken, showing that they were ready for change and ready for an inspirational leader to bring it.

Only about a month ago, Jack announced that he had been diagnosed with a new type of cancer (though never revealing what the cancer was). Appearing gaunt and frail in his press release, he stated that he fully intended to come back to serve as the party leader when Parliament resumed in September. Sadly, he didn't make it that far. Jack passed away on August 22.

As the daughter of a cancer survivor and continuing patient, and someone who has worked in social and community services and housing advocacy, the passing of Jack Layton made me surprisingly emotional. I never thought that I would be so sad about the death of a politician, but here I was in shock and disbelief to find myself near tears as I watched the news coverage. It didn't take long for Canadians to begin to show their support for Jack. At his office on Broadview Avenue, in front of the Parliament buildings of Ottawa, and at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, supporters began to lay orange flowers, cards, and letters of sympathy and thanks to the man that we had come to admire. One woman wrote a message in chalk at Nathan Phillips Square. By the next day, every surface of the square was covered in messages (including my own). People lined up for hours when his casket arrived at City Hall, eager to pay their respects in person. On the day of his funeral, thousands lined the streets of Toronto to follow the hearse carrying Layton's casket, and watched from the park next to Roy Thompson Hall as the state funeral took place.

The funeral was simply amazing. Having known that he would pass, Jack had discussed his wishes with his wife Olivia Chow (also an NDP MP) and the reverend who would lead the ceremony. He had made clear the types of music he wanted to have played, and the fact that he wanted the ceremony to be a celebration of life, not a mourning of his death. That is exactly what it became - from the music chosen (from Bach to Van Morrison), the eulogies and readings given (from the Bible, Torah and Quran, and an Aboriginal blessing), languages spoken (English and French), singers chosen (one with physical disabilities, a community church choir, Steven Page), mixed political affiliations (the Liberal Premier of Ontario sitting next to the very conservative mayor of Toronto) and the fact that 600 members of the public were allowed space in the hall, the funeral truly exemplified and celebrated the diversity of the land and people that Jack loved. It was sometimes hard to tell that it was a funeral at all, with standing ovations, cheering and clapping, flags and signs waving from balconies, and cheerful music playing. Truly, it was a celebration of life for everyone, just as Jack would have wanted it to be.

In his final letter to Canadians, written just days before his death, Jack made clear his wish that Canadians carry on his work. Regardless of political affiliation, whether you agreed with his politics and beliefs or not, I think that everyone can learn from these words:

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.

Decluttering: Part 1

So it's only been a few days since I last posted about decluttering, and I've hit it head first :) Since my post, I've discarded three bags worth of recycling and garbage, found a way to get rid of my magazines, a bunch of old towels, and even did away with my sister's wedding dress!

How??

Magazines: This is what I found in my magazine pile: 23 Fitness magazines, 18 Weight Watchers magazines, 1 Oxygen, 5 Women's Health, 3 Cosmo and 1 Canadian Family (I've never even HEARD of this magazine, why do I have it?!?!). This totals a whopping 51 magazines! Whoa.

I actually have more than this, but I'm keeping the current year issues because I do like to go back and look at them. I'm keeping about 8 magazines, all WW and Fitness.

I hated the idea of just chucking out 51 perfectly good magazines, especially those that are full of awesome recipes and fitness plans. So, I headed out to find them a good home. I tried to give them to my local hospital for their emergency room/waiting rooms, but sadly they wouldn't take them, saying that they are already so overloaded with other magazine donations that they would just end up tossing them too. How unfortunate :(

I then discovered that people actually look on Craigslist for old magazines. Seriously?? Yes! Teachers, caregivers and other crafty people looking for arts and crafts supplies, and I even found a person who was looking for women's and fitness magazines to keep her motivated on the treadmill. PERFECT!!!!! I've sent an email offering up my stack, and just waiting for a response!

Towels: I had a little pile of towels that have been collecting under my bathroom sink. Last year when boyfriend moved in, he brought along an insane number of towels. I mean really, why would one person have thirty towels??? We gave a lot of the less used ones away to the yoga studio where we teach, as they have a big stack that they lend out to students/teachers. The others have been floating around ever since, including some not-so-nice looking/ratted up ones. I finally packed them up and took them to the Toronto Humane Society, who appreciate them to make bedding for their dogs/cats/other creatures, and also need rags and small cloths to clean cages. The puppies seemed pretty happy to get them - then again, I was also fawning all over them and oogling them to pieces, wishing that I could take them home in exchange for a bag of towels :)

Wedding Dress: This one is my favourite thing so far that I've gotten rid of. My sister got married a couple of years ago, and has been trying to sell her dress for at least a year or so with no luck. Unfortunately, she's just a ridiculously small person, and not too many brides will fit into this teeny tiny dress! She has moved away (out of the country) now, and in the cleanup of her own clutter/rest of the house, she gave me the dress and asked me to find a new home for it. She gave permission to give it away for free if it couldn't be sold.

That's when I discovered The Bride's Project.

This is officially my favourite place ever. Basically, they accept donations of gently used wedding dresses and other wedding things (including bridesmaids dresses, jewellery, accessories and veils, suits, etc etc etc), sell them for a lot less than they were originally worth, and give the proceeds to cancer charities. Wicked! I took the TTC out to their store, looking like a bag lady/crazy person (really, who takes a wedding dress on the TTC!? lol!) and delivered the goods. They were very happy to receive it, and I was very happy to be giving indirectly to a cancer charity, plus get the dress out of my closet at long last. They will put my sister's dress up for sale for about $400, about half of what it was originally worth.

Best wedding dress store ever.

How have you creatively decluttered?

Decluttering

Since boyfriend moved in over a year ago, we seem to have accumulated an extraordinary amount of stuff. The vast majority of it does, actually, belong to him (as he moved from a larger space when he came to my apartment), however I'm not entirely blameless. I have some clutter that has been accumulating around the apartment too, and when added to his house worth of stuff, it makes for a crowded and unpleasant living space.

I have the next few weeks off from school, and have lots of time on my hands during the day. The first day or two, it was awesome. Now I'm bored to tears and am raging to find something to do with myself. Yes, I do go out to exercise to relieve boredom on occasion, but really, I can't just go to the gym or yoga for 8 hours a day.

I've decided to spend this time off in a fierce decluttering frenzy, and finally dealing with the little projects that I've been saying "I'll get around to it" for way too long.

My goals over the next 3 weeks:

• Selling/getting rid of old textbooks that I won't need anymore (including some from my past life as a business administration student...)
• Donating/getting rid of some clothing that doesn't fit/isn't stylish anymore (not that I have much style to begin with, so you can just imagine the stuff I'm trying to get rid of!). This includes a pair of snowboarding boots that I've been trying to sell for a couple of years, and for some reason my sister's wedding dress that has been hanging in my closet (and doesn't fit because she's 4 sizes smaller than I am!)
• Doing something with my pile of Fitness, Weight Watchers, Women's Health and Cosmo magazines. I had subscriptions to Fitness and WW for several years and have accumulated an astonishing number of magazines. I even gave some away to my coworkers for free last year, and I still have at least 3 years worth collecting dust.
• Organizing the gaming devices that we hardly ever touch. For example, we have 7 Guitar Hero/Rock Band guitars and a drum set, but I think it's been at least a full year since they were last used. I'm sure that this can be downsized a little bit.
• Doing something with the vast array of novels and other books that we have already read a hundred times through and no longer want/need. Boyfriend has a lot more of these than I do, but I think that mine are probably more give-away-able.
• We have a lot of Tupperware. Like, a lot. I have no idea how the collection of plastic tubs has grown so exponentially. I think they're mating. Most of them don't even have matching lids anymore. They need to go away, or become useful in some other way.

I would love to have a yard sale to get rid of some of the other knick-knacky things around the place, but living in a condo makes this kinda difficult and they aren't really the kind of thing that someone would search for on Craigslist. I'll need to get kind of creative to make this happen...

Updates to come on how the decluttering goes, and hopefully I'll be able to provide some suggestions and helpful hints along the way!

In the meantime, if anyone is interested in getting some stuff off my hands...

Why I decided to be a vegetarian

Disclaimer:

There are many reasons why someone may choose to become a vegetarian or vegan. These are just my reasons, and shouldn't be considered to be the be-all-end-all. I don't claim to be right about everything, and I am not posting this in an attempt to try to convince others to become vegetarian. I'm just posting this so that I can convince others to think about their food and where it comes from.

I hold no judgements against those who do eat meat - in fact, I consider myself a "flexitarian", because I still eat fish a couple of times per week, and I'm willing to eat meat on occasion (e.g. I'm not going to make my mom cook a Tofurkey for Thanksgiving. That said, I will probably eat a lot less meat than in previous years and help out a lot more in making vegetarian options available). I also still eat eggs and dairy in order to ensure that I consume an adequate amount of complete protein, calcium and other nutrients, as I believe that it is better to obtain these nutrients through foods than through supplements (e.g. a calcium or iron supplement that isn't absorbed as well by the body). Call me a hypocrite if you wish, but that's just how I roll.

So here we go.

The Environment

According to PETA:

• The United Nations reported that the greenhouse gases emitted by the meat industry (includes farming, processing, transportation, cold storage, etc) is greater than that emitted by "all of the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes and ships in the world combined".
• It takes 300 gallons of water per day to produce a typical vegetarian diet, compared to 4000 gallons per day to produce the typical meat-eater diet.
• Of all of the fossil fuels and raw materials used in the USA, more than 1/3 of them are used to raise animals for food.
• The Environmental Protection Agency reported that runoff from factory farms produces more runoff into rivers and lakes than all other industrial pollution sources combined.

The EPA also reported that the world's livestock herds are also the largest source of human-induced methane production. Yikes!

Water is a very precious resource that the world has taken full advantage of. I believe that it is important to preserve out potable water supply, and reduce water usage that is harmful. It takes about 2500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, whereas to produce the same amount of soy takes only 250 gallons.

In addition, we have all heard about the effects of methane and greenhouse gases on the environment and their contribution to global warming. By reducing my consumption of meat, I hope to reduce the demand on the market to continue producing meat products in a way that harms the global environment. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported in 2003 that the production of one calorie of animal protein requires more than 10 times the fossil fuel input of one calorie of plant-based protein.

Use of Land and Resources (other than fossil fuels)

In order to produce meat, land must be dedicated to this purpose. This often means that forests and natural green spaces are removed to make way for factory farms. The United Nations reported that an astonishing 30% of the Earth's land is now used to raise animals for food, including space for grazing and the land used to grow crops for feed. It also reported that more than 260 million acres of U.S. forests have been cleared to make way for crops used only for feed for farmed animals.

Farmed animals use an astonishing amount of grain, in a very inefficient way. Animals consume a large amount of grain, but produce a comparitively small amount of caloric content in their meat. PETA reported that more than 70% of the grains and cereals grown in the USA are used for farmed animals. SEVENTY PERCENT! If even a small portion of this grain was diverted from feed for animals into feed directly to people (particularly soy and wheat products), we could develop sustainable solutions to eradicate food insecurity and hunger issues, as well as providing more affordable food solutions.

Health Matters

People do not require meat to live. In fact, there is no nutrient that cannot be obtained through a vegetarian diet or through supplementation for a vegan diet. Meat products do not contain all of the vitamins and minerals that we need to live - indeed, meat is actually quite deficient in vitamins other than the B-complex and contains absolutely no fibre. Saturated fats only exist in meat products. These are the fats that are often linked to heart disease and stroke risk. Studies have suggested that people who consume a vegetarian or mostly plant-based diet have lower risk of many types of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases (although, admittedly, many of these studies may be skewed by confounding factors, e.g. the fact that many people who are vegetarian/vegan also have healthy lifestyles complete with physical activity, not smoking and limiting alcohol).

That said, I admit, there are certain nutrients that are only found in meat products and/or are more easily absorbed by the body when consumed from meat sources. For example, B12 and cholesterol are only found in animal products. Cholesterol has a bad rap, however it is still an important part of our cellular structure. However, vegetarians who still consume dairy and/or eggs will still receive an adequate amount of these nutrients. In addition, supplements are available to help vegans obtain the nutrients they need. Iron is more easily absorbed in it's heme form, only available in animal products, but it is not impossible to receive adequate iron when vegetarian. A new vegetarian MUST do their research to determine how best to gain nutrients like this, and how one can enhance absorption (e.g. eating spinach with vitamin C-rich foods but avoiding calcium to enhance absorption).

Yes, it's true, meats contain complete proteins. However, I've posted before about the fact that it is not at all impossible to build complete proteins from plant-based foods if you have done your homework and know how to complement proteins. All plant foods contain proteins, however most (pretty much all except quinoa) are lacking in some essential amino acid that needs to be added through another food. For example, rice and beans complement each other and build a complete protein. Vegetarians are still perfectly capable of consuming an appropriate amount of protein, but it's very important to do your research to know what you're doing!

So there you have it.

Note that my reasons listed don't involve much to do with animal welfare. That's not to say that I don't care about it at all (I love a fuzzy chick or snuffly pig as much as anyone else!), however the welfare of farmed animals is not among my top priorities for reasons to become a vegetarian. I think that once farmers start focusing more on the environmental and social impacts of their farming, the welfare of the animals may improve as well.

This is also not to say that I won't ever eat an animal ever again. If these conditions change in the future, I will happily give my business back to meat producers. However, I'm choosing to avoid meat products in protest of the negative impacts of farming practices and the social impacts of using the majority of the world's grain for meat rather than feeding the hungry, and using up unreasonably large amounts of precious, non-renewable natural resources (water, fossil fuels) that are in danger on our planet already.

As mentioned earlier, I hold no judgements whatsoever on those who do choose to eat meat or those who choose to be vegan, or any variation thereof. I hope that my choices will also not be judged by others. I only want to encourage people to think about their food sources and understand where their food comes from. There are, indeed, many good reasons to eat meat as well, and many others to remove animal products from one's diet entirely!

Vegetarians + Carnivores = Dinner??

For some time now, I've decided to stick with vegetarianism. Maybe one day I'll actually post about my reasons for making this choice, but for now, y'all just get to hear about FOOD!!!

Meanwhile, boyfriend has stood his ground and wants meat. Lots of meat. Carnivorous to the max. Tried vegetarianism for a month or so, hated every minute of it.

Like many couples or families with meat-eaters and salad-chompers cohabitating, we have faced some challenges in making sure that both of our needs are met. I am still eating fish though, so most of the meals that we can both eat revolve around fish/shellfish and makes life easy for the person cooking (me). However when the urge for meat comes calling to boyfriend and I get sick of fish, we often end up eating completely separate meals. Something involving tofu for me. Something involving a former animal for him. It gets pretty challenging to plan two completely different dinners, try to have them both ready at the same time, and oh - the DISHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *shudder*

So. How can a vegetarian and a carnivore possibly make meals that make everyone happy AND don't require cooking two separate meals??

Here's a great start: stuffed peppers! I made the filling following a vegetarian stuffed pepper recipe, and just added some meat to half of it. Done and done. Also made some pretty fantastic smashed potatoes as a side dish.

Observe! The power of omnivorous cookery!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers and Meat-Eater Stuffed Peppers

What you need:

1 Tbsp olive oil

onion, chopped up

1 clove garlic, chopped up

handful of baby carrots or 2 carrots, chopped up

1 tomato, diced

1 cup peas, either fresh or frozen (I used canned :( they smelled funny)

1 tsp each basil and oregano

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

2-3 cups tomato sauce, either prepared or homemade

4 peppers (big'uns if you can find them!)

about 1/2 a package of lean or extra-lean ground beef, chicken or turkey. Whatever your meat-eater prefers.


Preheat the oven to 350 C (unless you are also making the potatoes. Check potato instructions!)

You should get started on your meat and rice at this point. Check the directions on your rice to see how long it will take. Traditional brown rice can take up to 40-60 minutes to cook!!!

Now we can get started on those peppers! Cut off the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place them in a baking dish so that they can all stand upright. NOTE - if you prefer a less crunchy pepper, you can steam them for a few minutes before putting them in the pan.

Next, chop up all your ingredients! I have made excellent use of the Slap Chop here to chop up my onions, carrots, and yes - my walnuts. You're gonna love my nuts! (bahahaha!) The tomato I chopped up by hand because I wanted them to be bigger bits and not mushy, but hey, to each their own.
Don't forget about the meat. Check on it often. When the meat is cooked, drain out the grease (eew) and set the meat aside for now. Set the rice aside when it is done as well. Let's cook the stuffing! Saute the olive oil, garlic and onion till the onion is golden yellow, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, peas and herbs. Cook till the carrots are tender, about 3 minutes or so. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomato, walnuts, brown rice and a 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. Heat through.

Now it's stuffing time! Stuff your vegetarian peppers first (and stuff them good, don't skimp out! This recipe makes an insane amount of leftovers once the meat is added!). When the veggie ones are done, toss in that meat that you cooked and set aside earlier. Heat the mixture up again to get the meat heated through. When it's hot, stuff the meat peppers too.

Add about 1/2 cup of sauce to the bottom of the baking dish before putting your peppers in. Once all stuffed and placed back in the dish, liberally top your peppers with more tomato sauce. Mmmmm :)!

Pop the peppers into the oven and let them cook for 20 minutes. If you like softer peppers and haven't steamed them first, leave them for a little longer (up to about 30 minutes is enough).



Ridiculously Easy and Delicious Smashed Potatoes

mini potatoes (for two people, I used about 12 to give us 6 each)

olive oil

kosher salt and pepper to taste

rosemary (dried or fresh)

The potatoes take the longest time, so get them started first if you are making both recipes. Preheat the oven to 400 C. In a bowl, put your mini potatoes in and roll them around in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then, place them in a baking dish (this here is a cake pan, but it totally doubles as a roasting pan *shifty eyes*). Pop 'em in! They will need to cook for 20 minutes.
When your 20 minutes is up, take the potatoes out of the oven. Use a large metal spoon or a flat-bottom pot and squish each potato just until you hear the skin pop. Your potatoes are smashed!


Drizzle your taters with a little bit more olive oil (about 1/2 Tbsp), and sprinkle with pepper, kosher salt and rosemary. Pop 'em back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

*note, you can put them in the oven with the peppers at the lower temperature too, but they'll just take longer. They will end up coming out of the oven at the same time if they are at 350 instead of 400 C).


The final product! Behold!

These are the veggie stuffed peppers and delicious little smashed potatoes (with a few that got a little bit too eagerly smashed :P). Check it out, they even look good when the meat-eating pepper falls over and spills everywhere!

I must admit a small disclaimer on this magical meal though - it's not skimpy on dishes. But since the peppers and potatoes take a while to cook together, you've got time in between to clean up :)

What other meals can carnivores and vegetarians both enjoy together while still feeling satisfied?