Well, our month long adventure into veganism is over! The verdict is in and while we saw some big changes in our health, the energy and money required to go completely is just too much for us.
Some of the highlights and our takeaways from this adventure:
Health - we definitely saw some improvements in our health. The biggest change for myself was no longer feeling the afternoon slump once 3 o'clock rolled around. I'm going to try and not be gross here, but our insides definitely felt cleaner, if you get my drift. As for my asthma, I didn't notice any improvement at all. In fact, I found myself using my emergency inhaler more frequently than I would have liked. In terms of my anxiety, I really didn't notice a difference, but then again, this was a bit of a stressful month for me at work and at home. My acne was pretty much gone for the first two weeks, and then I had it flare up really badly. Whether that was due to fluctuating hormones, a couple of slip ups in the diet department, or other reasons, I do not know. Lastly, I don't know if the diet made any difference on my immune system. I got the flu last week, despite eating very healthily and it was AWFUL. No amount of vitamins or fruits and veggies made me feel any better.
Money - we did not see any savings in our grocery bill. I would say we actually spent about 15-20% more on our groceries than we were used to. In an era where everyone is watching every dollar, this is huge for us. While we will continue to purchase more produce than we normally do and purchase almond milk over cow's milk, I am hoping our grocery bill will even out once again.
Time - the biggest thing for us was the time it took doing all of this. Because dairy, eggs, meat and chemical preservatives are so pervasive in the food available to the American public, it required more time for us to plan our meals and purchase better quality food. I am a busy woman. I work 45-50 hours a week and I'm sorry, but my time is precious. I don't want to spend two to three hours at grocery stores (yes, plural) every week trying to get the best deal or find the needed ingredient for my meals. Plus, many of our normal go-to meals were automatically out the window (you try substituting cream of mushroom soup in a casserole...it's just not possible) which required a lot of brainpower we simply didn't have to plan our meals. As the main breadwinner, chef, and homemaker in the family, I felt that all of the planning fell on my shoulders and I was too exhausted most days or too brain dead from work to really do it efficiently, which cost us more money and led to poor diet choices.
Attitude - the general attitude of this household was not a positive one while we did this. By the end of the month, we were not a happy group. I think a lot of it may be due to the feeling of deprivation; we couldn't eat many of the things we normally did and liked. Emotional eaters are us! Also, it was incredibly difficult to get Billa on board and get her to eat anything we were eating. And admittedly, there were a lot of things we tried that I just couldn't handle, let alone my child (mushrooms or eggplant). Michael will eat just about anything put in front of him, so his opinion is a little biased if you ask me. The lack of variety and feeling bored with our food choices also contributed to a poor attitude. We felt trapped a lot. We paid good money for this, so we have to eat it. And when we weren't at home, it was worse; finding vegan options that are cheap and fast is nigh to impossible, even in a vegan friendly city like Austin. And because we were bored with our food choices, more often than not, it lead to us not eating at all and getting snappish because we were hungry.
Milk - the one plus to this whole thing was our discovery of almond milk! We LOVE the stuff! It's slightly sweet, and it's wonderful in cereal or in baked goods. Plus, the chocolate almond milk is a dessert in and of itself. The biggest thing I noticed was how my body reacted to cow's milk after doing no dairy for an entire month; I think I am definitely allergic to cow's milk. We had hoped to wean Billa off of it to see whether it affected her allergies, but that was not as easy as we had hoped. It was fine for us at home, but everywhere else, cow's milk abounded. Plus, with everyone getting sick in the last week of the diet, there's really no way to tell if cutting cow's milk for her made a difference or not. I think we will keep trying and see what happens. But we won't be buying regular milk anymore, which was the easiest change for us by far. I think we will still eat cheese and some other dairy products, but in very, very small quantities.
Hummus - this wonderful spread has become our best friend. Billa even likes it, which is a freaking miracle in and of itself. We ate it a lot before the diet, but it's an item we are now purchasing every week in mass quantity. I tried making some myself which was yummy and had a slightly different texture, but the cost of making it was more than just buying it, so I'll skip the process and save myself some time. Huzzah for hummus!
Weight - another big plus to this diet was that I found myself eating less, eating more healthy options, and consequently, I lost seven pounds and 2% body fat. I'd like to lose more body fat, and maybe a couple more pounds, but for that to happen I'm going to have suck it up and embrace cardio. Blech. But losing seven pounds was nice!
Overall, the consensus is that being vegan is just not a lifestyle that was a good fit for us. I found myself missing and craving a lot of things I really love, like cheese, bacon, hot wings, and other not so good for you treats. I stayed pretty strong in avoiding most of them, but the emotional ties to those foods are really hard to break. I can see myself consuming them in moderation now, but giving them up entirely was just too much for me. The time required to make the diet work is staggering and I just do not possess enough hours in the day to do it, plus getting Michael or Billa to contribute to the planning was an argument I just don't want to fight anymore. The money was also a big factor.
However, we will be keeping some behaviors from this. We won't be drinking cow's milk, and we will be reducing the amount of dairy products we consume. We will be eating more fruits and veggies and whole grain dishes. We will also be cutting back significantly on the amount of meat we eat, probably eating no more than two to three meals per week with meat, and making those lean. We are also going to eat out less, because we noticed that when we did, our bodies were very violent with us afterwards. we could see ourselves being vegetarians, but not vegans. Still, it was a worthwhile experience and I highly recommend that everyone at least give it a go once in their life.
So there you have it! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Kelly
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Friday, February 24, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sayonara Bacon!
Tonight, I said adieu to bacon.
I finished reading Rip Esselstyn's book, The Engine 2 Diet, this weekend and we have decided to go on the diet for the next month. That means no dairy, no oils, no sweets and no meats. Especially bacon! But since we don't like to encourage wastfulness around here we decided to fry up the last of the bacon and make some gingerbread pancakes as a last hurrah and send off to our old eating habits. I was trying to be all sneaky like about it, but as if it sensed it's own impending doom (because eating it is not doom enough,) every piece came out perfectly crispy and chewy, with no burnt edges, just the way I like it.
Little bastards.
But no more!
We've already been increasing our fruit and veg intake over the last week, and cutting out some of our dairy. I haven't had milk or eggs in a week (save for the lone egg that was in the pancakes tonight), and we switched out our usual dairy creamer for a soy one over the weekend. It's pretty tasty actually, and so is almond milk. Cheese has been a little bit harder. I totally bought a wedge of Manchego cheese just before I read the book, and we had a bunch of cheese sticks and sliced Muenster hanging around here too. And I admit, i bought a small container of feta because while I don't mind veggies on my pizza, I can't stand the thought of not having some semblance of cheese on top of it. But once it's gone, that's it! No more!
I'm really grateful to my mother in law for taking Billa on Saturday, because it meant I could spend four hours grocery shopping at the farmer's market, Sprouts, and HEB. I normally don't take that long, and certainly won't in the future, but it gave me the time to get better acquainted with the layouts of my stores and read labels on a bunch of stuff. It was super weird checking out without dairy, meat, and especially eggs in my cart. It was even weirder taking the groceries inside and realizing I don't have to worry about not smashing the eggs anymore!
This week, our menu is going to include a potato leek soup, pasta primavera, a wild rice pilaf, black bean tacos (a regular fave in this household...cheap, easy, and super yummy!), and veggie pizza. Lunches will be finishing off the leftovers from these tasty meals, but also hummus and pita with veggies and salads. Breakfast is pretty much the same-ol'-same-ol' of cereal or oatmeal, but adding in fruit. Dessert has been changed to fruit, and most of our snacks have been too. I've been buying chips from the Food Should Taste Good brand (soooo addicting!) and stocking up on whole grain pretzels and crackers as we run out of the old not-so-good-for-you snacks. I'm looking forward to this week's meal plan!
The biggest challenge thus far is Sybilla. Michael and I have been fairly easy to convince that this is the way to go, but Billa ain't having anything to do with it! She's been good about eating a lot of fruit and I've successfully added carrot juice to her OJ and other juices, and maybe just possibly convinced her that chocolate soy milk is super yummy, but she's such a picky eater already that it's been frustrating. We keep telling her that the rule is you have to try one bite and that sometimes helps, although tempers have flared mightily over that one bite on more than one occasion. I think it will get easier over time as we keep giving her the same foods and show her what we're eating, as well as having her help cook, but only time will tell!
Oh bacon, I would say 'it's not you, it's me', but the truth is, it is you. You and all your fatty salty goodness. You're breaking my heart, quite literally. It's time you packed your bags and moved out. Goodbye, sweet bacon! Hellooooo, plant-based diet!
Kelly
I finished reading Rip Esselstyn's book, The Engine 2 Diet, this weekend and we have decided to go on the diet for the next month. That means no dairy, no oils, no sweets and no meats. Especially bacon! But since we don't like to encourage wastfulness around here we decided to fry up the last of the bacon and make some gingerbread pancakes as a last hurrah and send off to our old eating habits. I was trying to be all sneaky like about it, but as if it sensed it's own impending doom (because eating it is not doom enough,) every piece came out perfectly crispy and chewy, with no burnt edges, just the way I like it.
Little bastards.
But no more!
We've already been increasing our fruit and veg intake over the last week, and cutting out some of our dairy. I haven't had milk or eggs in a week (save for the lone egg that was in the pancakes tonight), and we switched out our usual dairy creamer for a soy one over the weekend. It's pretty tasty actually, and so is almond milk. Cheese has been a little bit harder. I totally bought a wedge of Manchego cheese just before I read the book, and we had a bunch of cheese sticks and sliced Muenster hanging around here too. And I admit, i bought a small container of feta because while I don't mind veggies on my pizza, I can't stand the thought of not having some semblance of cheese on top of it. But once it's gone, that's it! No more!
I'm really grateful to my mother in law for taking Billa on Saturday, because it meant I could spend four hours grocery shopping at the farmer's market, Sprouts, and HEB. I normally don't take that long, and certainly won't in the future, but it gave me the time to get better acquainted with the layouts of my stores and read labels on a bunch of stuff. It was super weird checking out without dairy, meat, and especially eggs in my cart. It was even weirder taking the groceries inside and realizing I don't have to worry about not smashing the eggs anymore!
This week, our menu is going to include a potato leek soup, pasta primavera, a wild rice pilaf, black bean tacos (a regular fave in this household...cheap, easy, and super yummy!), and veggie pizza. Lunches will be finishing off the leftovers from these tasty meals, but also hummus and pita with veggies and salads. Breakfast is pretty much the same-ol'-same-ol' of cereal or oatmeal, but adding in fruit. Dessert has been changed to fruit, and most of our snacks have been too. I've been buying chips from the Food Should Taste Good brand (soooo addicting!) and stocking up on whole grain pretzels and crackers as we run out of the old not-so-good-for-you snacks. I'm looking forward to this week's meal plan!
The biggest challenge thus far is Sybilla. Michael and I have been fairly easy to convince that this is the way to go, but Billa ain't having anything to do with it! She's been good about eating a lot of fruit and I've successfully added carrot juice to her OJ and other juices, and maybe just possibly convinced her that chocolate soy milk is super yummy, but she's such a picky eater already that it's been frustrating. We keep telling her that the rule is you have to try one bite and that sometimes helps, although tempers have flared mightily over that one bite on more than one occasion. I think it will get easier over time as we keep giving her the same foods and show her what we're eating, as well as having her help cook, but only time will tell!
Oh bacon, I would say 'it's not you, it's me', but the truth is, it is you. You and all your fatty salty goodness. You're breaking my heart, quite literally. It's time you packed your bags and moved out. Goodbye, sweet bacon! Hellooooo, plant-based diet!
Kelly
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Hello bloggy world, and Happy New Year!
It’s been awhile since we’ve chatted. A lot has happened since then! We moved to a new apartment, Michael’s sister Michelle got married, and we made it through the holiday season in one piece. Phew!
The dust has been settling slowly but surely, and these are the things on my horizon:
Resolutions – I’ve refrained from making an actual list this year, but my tradition of keeping a theme for the year has not changed. After hearing the same phrase pop up a few times on different occasions at church, I’ve decided the phrase “be faithful in the little things” is my theme for this year. It comes from Matthew 23:25 and Luke 16:10 and I think it’s a really powerful phrase to hold close to my heart. I think it’s God’s way of telling me that I need to slow down and pay attention to everything around me. I have a tendency to rush things to get to the end result faster, sometimes cutting corners or people, and while I might get what I was looking for, I find myself dissatisfied because I didn't truly enjoy the journey and the experience. I know this isn’t necessarily the original intent of that scripture passage, but God speaks to each of us in His own way. And for me, I feel that I need to slow down and be faithful in the little things this year.
Esme Barrera & Ben Breedlove – if you’re not from Austin, you may not know who either of these people are, but they are extraordinary nonetheless. Ben passed away from a chronic heart ailment at the age of 18 on Christmas Day. He left behind an incredible YouTube video about his near death experiences that inspired a lot of people and touched a lot of hearts (the link above takes you to Part 1 of his video, which will then direct you to Part 2 when you're ready). Esme Barrera was brutally murdered in her home on NYE and her death has rocked the live music and arts communities here in Austin. She was virtually unknown to the rest of the world, but her kindness, generosity, passion for music and helping others (particularly kids), along with her cheerfulness are all anyone can talk about. An article in the local paper moved me so much, I pasted it on my wall in my cubicle as a reminder of the kind of person I want to be like. Hearing the stories of these two remarkable young people has left me humbled and inspired.
Forks Over Knives – Michael and I watched this documentary the other night. We’ve been meaning to eat healthier for a long time, but after seeing the documentary and doing some subsequent research, changing our eating habits is long overdue. My biggest challenges will be ditching the bacon, cheese, and sugary treats, but the possible benefits of a whole foods plant based diet are really motivating. If it can reverse diabetes and heart disease, why not asthma, allergies, and chronic anxiety (my triple A’s!)?
Babies – after seeing so many babies over the holiday season, both Michael and I were hit by baby fever HARD. We’ve decided that we’re going to go ahead and start trying for baby #2 this year. This time though, we’re not going to stress about it like we did with Sybilla. If the Big Man Upstairs decides to grant us another child in our life, we will accept that blessing according to His schedule. If it’s meant to be, it will be. And if it's not, we're ok with that too.
Financial Peace University – our church is starting off the year with a great series about finances, and they’re starting FPU classes. Michael and I have waffled on it before, but this time, we are
absolutely certain we want to do it. We’re tired of feeling like we can’t really live our lives because of our finances. It makes me cringe when I think about how we've treated our money in the past. It makes my brain hurt to even think about changing the way I view money (much less actually change that viewpoint), but when I think about continuing to live my life the way we have, it makes me sad and miserable. I’d rather buckle down for one year of my life and enjoy the years after that than live all of my life in misery.
Writing – I’ve been putting off a lot of my writing the last few months because of work, moving, the wedding, etc, etc, etc. I threw myself a huge pity party and woke up the next morning with a mental hangover. As I sat there kicking around the imaginary beer bottles, I decided enough was enough and vowed that 2012 is the year that I’m dumping my inner critic and telling her to piss off. I’m going to get published, y’all. I don’t know when, I don’t know how. But it’s gonna happen. I guarantee it.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Happy (belated) New Year,
Kelly
It’s been awhile since we’ve chatted. A lot has happened since then! We moved to a new apartment, Michael’s sister Michelle got married, and we made it through the holiday season in one piece. Phew!
The dust has been settling slowly but surely, and these are the things on my horizon:
Resolutions – I’ve refrained from making an actual list this year, but my tradition of keeping a theme for the year has not changed. After hearing the same phrase pop up a few times on different occasions at church, I’ve decided the phrase “be faithful in the little things” is my theme for this year. It comes from Matthew 23:25 and Luke 16:10 and I think it’s a really powerful phrase to hold close to my heart. I think it’s God’s way of telling me that I need to slow down and pay attention to everything around me. I have a tendency to rush things to get to the end result faster, sometimes cutting corners or people, and while I might get what I was looking for, I find myself dissatisfied because I didn't truly enjoy the journey and the experience. I know this isn’t necessarily the original intent of that scripture passage, but God speaks to each of us in His own way. And for me, I feel that I need to slow down and be faithful in the little things this year.
Esme Barrera & Ben Breedlove – if you’re not from Austin, you may not know who either of these people are, but they are extraordinary nonetheless. Ben passed away from a chronic heart ailment at the age of 18 on Christmas Day. He left behind an incredible YouTube video about his near death experiences that inspired a lot of people and touched a lot of hearts (the link above takes you to Part 1 of his video, which will then direct you to Part 2 when you're ready). Esme Barrera was brutally murdered in her home on NYE and her death has rocked the live music and arts communities here in Austin. She was virtually unknown to the rest of the world, but her kindness, generosity, passion for music and helping others (particularly kids), along with her cheerfulness are all anyone can talk about. An article in the local paper moved me so much, I pasted it on my wall in my cubicle as a reminder of the kind of person I want to be like. Hearing the stories of these two remarkable young people has left me humbled and inspired.
Forks Over Knives – Michael and I watched this documentary the other night. We’ve been meaning to eat healthier for a long time, but after seeing the documentary and doing some subsequent research, changing our eating habits is long overdue. My biggest challenges will be ditching the bacon, cheese, and sugary treats, but the possible benefits of a whole foods plant based diet are really motivating. If it can reverse diabetes and heart disease, why not asthma, allergies, and chronic anxiety (my triple A’s!)?
Babies – after seeing so many babies over the holiday season, both Michael and I were hit by baby fever HARD. We’ve decided that we’re going to go ahead and start trying for baby #2 this year. This time though, we’re not going to stress about it like we did with Sybilla. If the Big Man Upstairs decides to grant us another child in our life, we will accept that blessing according to His schedule. If it’s meant to be, it will be. And if it's not, we're ok with that too.
Financial Peace University – our church is starting off the year with a great series about finances, and they’re starting FPU classes. Michael and I have waffled on it before, but this time, we are
absolutely certain we want to do it. We’re tired of feeling like we can’t really live our lives because of our finances. It makes me cringe when I think about how we've treated our money in the past. It makes my brain hurt to even think about changing the way I view money (much less actually change that viewpoint), but when I think about continuing to live my life the way we have, it makes me sad and miserable. I’d rather buckle down for one year of my life and enjoy the years after that than live all of my life in misery.
Writing – I’ve been putting off a lot of my writing the last few months because of work, moving, the wedding, etc, etc, etc. I threw myself a huge pity party and woke up the next morning with a mental hangover. As I sat there kicking around the imaginary beer bottles, I decided enough was enough and vowed that 2012 is the year that I’m dumping my inner critic and telling her to piss off. I’m going to get published, y’all. I don’t know when, I don’t know how. But it’s gonna happen. I guarantee it.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Happy (belated) New Year,
Kelly
Friday, April 1, 2011
Bento Lunch Week 1
Heeeelllloooooooo, weekend! So glad you're here :o)
This week I challenged myself by going bento for lunch every day. Well, almost every day. We had an in person training from our HR rep, who's actually based in LA, so the company ordered in lunch for us on Tuesday this week. Yum! I have to say, the focaccia sammich with spinach, bacon, turkey, and some sort of white cheese (provolone, perhaps?) with a chipotle mayo from Jason's Deli was pretty darn tasty. And yes, I braved it and ate the mayo. Shocker, I know!
Anyhoo, here is my bento showcase for the week. It was actually a lot of fun to plan out what I was going to eat and to arrange it in my tiffin box, which I finally used! Michael bought it for me for Christmas from World Market and I just adore it. It does have it limitations – you can't put it in the microwave and the circular shape prohibits some foods from fitting properly – but on the whole, it's a great little lunchbox. It's really helped me manage my portions and be conscious about what I'm eating.
If you're interested in getting one, they retail for about $10 at World Market and are dishwasher safe. The top bin is pretty dang tight, so you could even transport soup or other liquidy foods without issue.
Bottom layer: Spring mix salad with shredded rotisserie chicken, dried pears, candied almonds, orange cherry tomatoes, and a pear Gorgonzola vinaigrette (in the blue lidded container to the left).
Top layer: Chocolate chip cookies, cucumber slices, orange cherry tomatoes, string cheese, honey wheat pretzel rods.
The office bought lunch. YES! But my homemade dinner of bacon shrimp with cheesy grits and baby spring peas was way better ;o) Recipe came from Kevin and Amanda. A little salty, but oh my heavens, it was sooooo good. Especially when paired with the Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay...now there's a good Chard to keep around!
Bottom layer: Quinoa and black beans with shredded rotisserie chicken, and baby carrots.
Top layer: Honey wheat pretzels, cheese stick, green grapes, strawberries, and raspberry fig bar.
Bottom layer: Homemade mac and cheese using "bat pasta" (really just bowtie pasta, but Billa calls it bat pasta, lol!), shredded rotisserie chicken, spring peas.
Top layer: Dried apricots, raspberry fig bar, blue corn tortilla chips, shredded mozzarella and colby jack cheese. I made nachos out of the cheese and chips for a mid-afternoon snack. OMG, it was awesome. I nuked it in the microwave at work for about a minute on half power...best. afternoon. snack. EVER! I'm totally doing nachos again next week. Maybe I'll add some black beans this time and make it my main meal!
I discovered the limitations on spacial intelligence of my tiffin box for today's lunch. I ended up using an old tupperware container container instead which worked beautifully! In it I stuffed: (counter clockwise from top left) Muenster cheese, pita pocket bread, cucumber slices, roasted red pepper hummus, shredded rotisserie chicken, raspberry fig bars, and dried pears. The honey wheat pretzels sat on top of everything once it was packed.
So there you have it. I'm going to try and pack bento again next week. I'll keep you posted on my ideas, but so far, I think I have an Italian/Mediterranean theme going on lately. I'm going to try and actually make some sushi or simple Japanese stir fry to throw in next week. Whatever I do, I am so excited about bento!
Cheers,
Kelly
This week I challenged myself by going bento for lunch every day. Well, almost every day. We had an in person training from our HR rep, who's actually based in LA, so the company ordered in lunch for us on Tuesday this week. Yum! I have to say, the focaccia sammich with spinach, bacon, turkey, and some sort of white cheese (provolone, perhaps?) with a chipotle mayo from Jason's Deli was pretty darn tasty. And yes, I braved it and ate the mayo. Shocker, I know!
Anyhoo, here is my bento showcase for the week. It was actually a lot of fun to plan out what I was going to eat and to arrange it in my tiffin box, which I finally used! Michael bought it for me for Christmas from World Market and I just adore it. It does have it limitations – you can't put it in the microwave and the circular shape prohibits some foods from fitting properly – but on the whole, it's a great little lunchbox. It's really helped me manage my portions and be conscious about what I'm eating.
If you're interested in getting one, they retail for about $10 at World Market and are dishwasher safe. The top bin is pretty dang tight, so you could even transport soup or other liquidy foods without issue.
MONDAY
Bottom layer: Spring mix salad with shredded rotisserie chicken, dried pears, candied almonds, orange cherry tomatoes, and a pear Gorgonzola vinaigrette (in the blue lidded container to the left).
Top layer: Chocolate chip cookies, cucumber slices, orange cherry tomatoes, string cheese, honey wheat pretzel rods.
TUESDAY
The office bought lunch. YES! But my homemade dinner of bacon shrimp with cheesy grits and baby spring peas was way better ;o) Recipe came from Kevin and Amanda. A little salty, but oh my heavens, it was sooooo good. Especially when paired with the Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay...now there's a good Chard to keep around!
WEDNESDAY
Bottom layer: Quinoa and black beans with shredded rotisserie chicken, and baby carrots.
Top layer: Honey wheat pretzels, cheese stick, green grapes, strawberries, and raspberry fig bar.
THURSDAY
Bottom layer: Homemade mac and cheese using "bat pasta" (really just bowtie pasta, but Billa calls it bat pasta, lol!), shredded rotisserie chicken, spring peas.
Top layer: Dried apricots, raspberry fig bar, blue corn tortilla chips, shredded mozzarella and colby jack cheese. I made nachos out of the cheese and chips for a mid-afternoon snack. OMG, it was awesome. I nuked it in the microwave at work for about a minute on half power...best. afternoon. snack. EVER! I'm totally doing nachos again next week. Maybe I'll add some black beans this time and make it my main meal!
FRIDAY
So there you have it. I'm going to try and pack bento again next week. I'll keep you posted on my ideas, but so far, I think I have an Italian/Mediterranean theme going on lately. I'm going to try and actually make some sushi or simple Japanese stir fry to throw in next week. Whatever I do, I am so excited about bento!
Cheers,
Kelly
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Bento, Manga, and Japanese!
Amongst my close friends, it's no secret that I love the Japanese culture. It came about as an accident really, when I was in college. My best friend Kellie and I went everywhere together in those days, earning us the nickname of Kelly/ie Squared or K2 as some of our professors called us. People began to wonder when only one of us showed up anywhere! Part of our degree requirement was to have two semesters of a foreign language and we chose Spanish. None of the classes worked out with our schedule, but Japanese did. What the hell! we said, and we signed up. The next two semesters were some of the most fun we had, as our sensei was quite the character. She was new to America by only a couple of years and I daresay we taught her as much about American culture as she did Japanese culture with us. Those two semesters sparked something within Kellie and I.
Kellie's daughter Madeleine is obsessed with anime, and in turn, Kellie and I got into it too. One thing led to another and now we're obsessed with manga, anime, bento box lunches, Japanese cuisine, and relearning all of our college Japanese. Kellie had told me about an anime called Fruits Basket on instant watch on Netflix which was a great show, but it ended on a weird note and I felt cheated. It's a nice thing that my husband works for a bookstore, because I've been tearing through the 27 volumes of the manga that the anime was based on. A side note: it's called Fruits Basket, because there is no 't' sound in Japanese. Everything is spelled out with syllables, so the word 'fruit' in Japanese is actually 'furutsu', thereby translated in English to 'fruits'! Pretty cool, huh?
Some of the gang from Fruits Basket: Hatsuharu, Kyo (my favorite!), Tohru, Momiji, and Yuki.
With the new year rapidly approaching, I've been meaning to live a healthier lifestyle and one of my new resolutions this year is to start doing bento boxes for my lunches. Bento is a way of packing your lunch in a little box that hits all of the food groups and keeps the portion sizes appropriate. There are all sorts of fun gadgets and do-hickeys that help to make the bento look cuter and more appetizing. It can get pretty serious, but I'm only concerned with trying to keep it healthy for now! I think I will also plan on eating more meals with chopsticks since it forces me to really concentrate on my meal and how much I eat.
I'm excited about relearning all of my Japanese and then some. I'd love to go to Japan someday and tour the country, trying the food, meeting new people, and checking out the scenery and historical sites. I'll be sure to share my adventures in bento box making as well as reviews on mangas I read or animes I watch. This is going to be an exciting year!
Cheers,
Kelly
This is hiragana, just one of several forms of characters used in writing Japanese. Hiragana is used to write out words that are native Japanese; katakana is used for foreign words that have been introduced to Japanese, and kanji is the complex language to spell actual words (as opposed to katakana and hiragana, which spell out syllables)
Kellie's daughter Madeleine is obsessed with anime, and in turn, Kellie and I got into it too. One thing led to another and now we're obsessed with manga, anime, bento box lunches, Japanese cuisine, and relearning all of our college Japanese. Kellie had told me about an anime called Fruits Basket on instant watch on Netflix which was a great show, but it ended on a weird note and I felt cheated. It's a nice thing that my husband works for a bookstore, because I've been tearing through the 27 volumes of the manga that the anime was based on. A side note: it's called Fruits Basket, because there is no 't' sound in Japanese. Everything is spelled out with syllables, so the word 'fruit' in Japanese is actually 'furutsu', thereby translated in English to 'fruits'! Pretty cool, huh?
With the new year rapidly approaching, I've been meaning to live a healthier lifestyle and one of my new resolutions this year is to start doing bento boxes for my lunches. Bento is a way of packing your lunch in a little box that hits all of the food groups and keeps the portion sizes appropriate. There are all sorts of fun gadgets and do-hickeys that help to make the bento look cuter and more appetizing. It can get pretty serious, but I'm only concerned with trying to keep it healthy for now! I think I will also plan on eating more meals with chopsticks since it forces me to really concentrate on my meal and how much I eat.
See how fun bento can be? I'd love eating this for lunch every day!
I'm excited about relearning all of my Japanese and then some. I'd love to go to Japan someday and tour the country, trying the food, meeting new people, and checking out the scenery and historical sites. I'll be sure to share my adventures in bento box making as well as reviews on mangas I read or animes I watch. This is going to be an exciting year!
Cheers,
Kelly
Monday, May 31, 2010
An Anniversary to Wine About...
This month Michael and I hit the four year mark of being married and while it was actually a week and a half ago, we weren't able to do anything to celebrate it until this weekend. And really, there was no whining involved, but there was plenty of wine! My friend John bought us tickets to go to the Austin Wine & Music Festival out at the Domain and we had a great day tasting wines from local vineyards and listening to live music. The only whining was about the weather, which was hot and muggy, but even with an unexpected downpour in the middle of the festival, we still had a great time!
All in all, a lovely day. We are so grateful to our friend John for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this milestone in a way we love best!
Here's to four years...may there be many more!
Bottoms up,
Kelly
We started off with a light lunch at Tomo Sushi. That's John in the back and his friend Amy.
And by light, I mean a lot. John just kept ordering roll after roll, dish after dish. The above is sea bass, escolar, butterfish, salmon, and albacore tuna. My favorite was the escolar; it was like butter and so tender.
This was our favorite roll at Tomo. It's called the "Say my name!" and was jalapenos spread with cream cheese that had scallops, tuna and crab mixed with it, and is then lightly fried. It had a spicy chipotle type mayo on top and the texture was amazing.
We were definitely fat and sassy after all that and definitely ready for some wine tasting! (And note to self, Mama and Daddy were right about the slouching...gotta work on that)
It rained for about 30 minutes while we were there so we went under some tents to stay dry. It was a welcome relief from the heat, but when it passed it just got muggy and gross.
So we cooled off with some frozen yogurt from Mambo Berry. This stuff is amazing. This is their swirl with their green tea and original tart. Yes, I said tart. The yogurt has very little sugar in it, but you don't miss it at all. It was so refreshing and delightful without being overwhelming! If you want to try some, they can be located down on South Congress Tuesday through Sunday next to Hey Cupcake! in the airstream trailer food park. Seriously. You need to try it at least once! And yes, you can get sprinkles on it if you want :o)
John and Michael convinced Amy and I to do a cigar and port seminar with them which was very educational and actually pretty fun. I love a good port and we were able to sample ports from two different wineries, Dry Comal Creek's 1096 and Stone House Vineyard's Scheming Beagle. I personally preferred the Scheming Beagle although both were excellent.
And yes, I smoked my first cigar. It really wasn't that bad since you don't inhale it, but I don't think I will be making a habit of it--it makes it hard to taste anything for a bit afterward and my nose was not happy with me the next day.
All in all, a lovely day. We are so grateful to our friend John for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this milestone in a way we love best!
Here's to four years...may there be many more!
Bottoms up,
Kelly
Monday, February 8, 2010
Pinot and Pizza
This was our dinner tonight.
It's no secret that I love wine (I also love chocolate but that's another post all on it's own). I love the smell, the taste, the color. I can taste sunshine and earth in every sip and I love to watch the light through it as I swirl it in my glass. I wasn't really much of a wine drinker until I met Michael. My parents would drink it, but I preferred to have beer. Michael has an incredible sense of smell and taste and it was so much fun to experiment with all the different types of wines made from the myriad of grapes in existence. At one of our bridal showers we received a dozen bottles of varying wines; enough to partake one a month for the first year of our marriage. One of our dreams is to own a vineyard someday, but until then we share our love of wine by searching out good bottles of wine that come in under ten bucks a bottle.
A lot of people don't share my love for wine and I can understand. Either they don't drink or it doesn't suit their palate. It's an acquired taste, one that takes patience and the willingness to explore. One of the biggest mistakes people make in regards to wine, in my humble opinion, is that wine is for special occasions only and that it's not a good bottle if you don't purchase an expensive one. Unfortunately for them, they are very wrong. There's no need to go broke to enjoy a great bottle of vino. We have found PLENTY of great wines that cost $10 or less and they can all be found at your neighborhood grocery.
Take tonight's bottle for example. Granted, the Ruffino Pinot Grigio typically markets for about $12-$13 a bottle, but I got it on sale for $10 this evening. When I tasted it at the store, the first sniff blew me away. "Please tell me there is a perfume that smells just like this!" I asked the wine rep. She laughed and agreed that there should be; it was heavenly. It was light and fruity, a little dry but not too dry, and just the right hint of sweet. I'm no good at detecting those subtle hints of oak and cherry and whatever else wine writers write in wine magazines or on the labels, but my tongue works quite well and I know a good bottle of wine when I've had one! Trust me, I have partaken of $300 bottles of wine that left me wishing to drink vinegar instead.
My biggest pet peeve about wine however, is the attitude that most people take towards it. They think it's like fine china; they stockpile it for years and years, never drinking it until the right occasion. My great grandmother Adelphine always insisted on bringing out the china any time my mom visited her, which was quite often. "It's just me," my mother would protest. "And aren't you special enough to warrant using the china?" my great grandmother would always reply. But like their china, most people keep their wine around, waiting for that so-called special occasion. Every day is a special occasion and like mama always says, "You know not the hour nor the day when you will die, so live every day to the fullest!"
The wines in the grocery store are good enough to bring to the table every night. They're good enough to share with friends who unexpectedly drop by, or with loved ones you've not seen in awhile. They're good enough to cook with (most recipes only call for a cup or a half cup anyway, so find something you'll want to drink). And those wines are good enough to enjoy with a pizza while kicking back on the couch watching Night at the Museum with your family. The majority of the wines that are within the average Joe's price range are meant to be drunk right away anyway, or at least within a year or two. The kind of wines that James Bond drinks are about $1000 a bottle and were made to last fifty years in a cellar at 68F all the time.
And speaking of Mister Bond, the only exception to wine on special occasions is if you're eating out at a nice restaurant; the bottles are typically marked up three to four times their normal price so it's just not worthwhile to order a glass unless it's something special. In fact, the general rule of thumb is to offer a glass at the wholesale price that the restaurant paid for it. Because they aren't sure if they'll be able to serve the entire bottle, they have to try and recoup their costs.
Some wine tips:
*Always store your wine on it's side, not upright. The cork will dry out and then crumble into the wine which is not good. If that happens, your wine has probably turned to vinegar anyway. Of course, if you plan on drinking it right away, no worries on bottle orientation!
*White wines need to be chilled, reds do not. To remember this, white is the color of snow, red is the color of fire. The optimum wine temperature is about 65F for reds, and 45F for whites. Warmer temps cause the wines to age faster and turn sooner.
*Try to store your wine in someplace dark and cool if you don't have a wine fridge. That means out of the kitchen, but away from the windows. Try a pantry or a closet if you don't have a cellar or basement.
*To really get the full effect of your wine, let oxygen get to it. It will increase the "bouquet"–this is why you see people swirl their glass of wine, it increases the surface area which increases the amount of oxygen getting to the wine.
Cheers!
Kelly
It's no secret that I love wine (I also love chocolate but that's another post all on it's own). I love the smell, the taste, the color. I can taste sunshine and earth in every sip and I love to watch the light through it as I swirl it in my glass. I wasn't really much of a wine drinker until I met Michael. My parents would drink it, but I preferred to have beer. Michael has an incredible sense of smell and taste and it was so much fun to experiment with all the different types of wines made from the myriad of grapes in existence. At one of our bridal showers we received a dozen bottles of varying wines; enough to partake one a month for the first year of our marriage. One of our dreams is to own a vineyard someday, but until then we share our love of wine by searching out good bottles of wine that come in under ten bucks a bottle.
A lot of people don't share my love for wine and I can understand. Either they don't drink or it doesn't suit their palate. It's an acquired taste, one that takes patience and the willingness to explore. One of the biggest mistakes people make in regards to wine, in my humble opinion, is that wine is for special occasions only and that it's not a good bottle if you don't purchase an expensive one. Unfortunately for them, they are very wrong. There's no need to go broke to enjoy a great bottle of vino. We have found PLENTY of great wines that cost $10 or less and they can all be found at your neighborhood grocery.
Take tonight's bottle for example. Granted, the Ruffino Pinot Grigio typically markets for about $12-$13 a bottle, but I got it on sale for $10 this evening. When I tasted it at the store, the first sniff blew me away. "Please tell me there is a perfume that smells just like this!" I asked the wine rep. She laughed and agreed that there should be; it was heavenly. It was light and fruity, a little dry but not too dry, and just the right hint of sweet. I'm no good at detecting those subtle hints of oak and cherry and whatever else wine writers write in wine magazines or on the labels, but my tongue works quite well and I know a good bottle of wine when I've had one! Trust me, I have partaken of $300 bottles of wine that left me wishing to drink vinegar instead.
My biggest pet peeve about wine however, is the attitude that most people take towards it. They think it's like fine china; they stockpile it for years and years, never drinking it until the right occasion. My great grandmother Adelphine always insisted on bringing out the china any time my mom visited her, which was quite often. "It's just me," my mother would protest. "And aren't you special enough to warrant using the china?" my great grandmother would always reply. But like their china, most people keep their wine around, waiting for that so-called special occasion. Every day is a special occasion and like mama always says, "You know not the hour nor the day when you will die, so live every day to the fullest!"
The wines in the grocery store are good enough to bring to the table every night. They're good enough to share with friends who unexpectedly drop by, or with loved ones you've not seen in awhile. They're good enough to cook with (most recipes only call for a cup or a half cup anyway, so find something you'll want to drink). And those wines are good enough to enjoy with a pizza while kicking back on the couch watching Night at the Museum with your family. The majority of the wines that are within the average Joe's price range are meant to be drunk right away anyway, or at least within a year or two. The kind of wines that James Bond drinks are about $1000 a bottle and were made to last fifty years in a cellar at 68F all the time.
And speaking of Mister Bond, the only exception to wine on special occasions is if you're eating out at a nice restaurant; the bottles are typically marked up three to four times their normal price so it's just not worthwhile to order a glass unless it's something special. In fact, the general rule of thumb is to offer a glass at the wholesale price that the restaurant paid for it. Because they aren't sure if they'll be able to serve the entire bottle, they have to try and recoup their costs.
Some wine tips:
*Always store your wine on it's side, not upright. The cork will dry out and then crumble into the wine which is not good. If that happens, your wine has probably turned to vinegar anyway. Of course, if you plan on drinking it right away, no worries on bottle orientation!
*White wines need to be chilled, reds do not. To remember this, white is the color of snow, red is the color of fire. The optimum wine temperature is about 65F for reds, and 45F for whites. Warmer temps cause the wines to age faster and turn sooner.
*Try to store your wine in someplace dark and cool if you don't have a wine fridge. That means out of the kitchen, but away from the windows. Try a pantry or a closet if you don't have a cellar or basement.
*To really get the full effect of your wine, let oxygen get to it. It will increase the "bouquet"–this is why you see people swirl their glass of wine, it increases the surface area which increases the amount of oxygen getting to the wine.
Cheers!
Kelly
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Today's Color is...YELLOW
When I was a kid, I was teased mercilessly for my name, my red hair, or my farm kid lifestyle. I was a very sensitive soul and very gullible (really, look it up in the dictionary. My name is first!) so I was an easy target for everyone. One of the names that I was called was "Yellow-bellied Kelly the Pirate." Thinking back on it now, I am mystified as to why I found that so offensive, especially considering that the kid who consistently used it against me was had no idea what "yellow-bellied" meant other than that it rhymed with Kelly and got a rise out of me every time.
Having a pirate-y name is not all that bad, although being yellow bellied might. I'd like to think that if I really were such a pirate, it would probably be because I ate this:
Yeah, that was my daughter's dinner last night. And no, it was not intentional that everything about her dinner was yellow. That is the only plate with little compartments and it happens to be yellow. Mac and cheese and nuggets happen to be the staple "lazy dinner" in our home, meaning that it was on hand and didn't require a lot of effort to fix it. And every mother tries to make sure their child is getting some semblance of vegetable (although there really isn't a whole lot of nutritional value to corn, but that's another post).
It wasn't until I was about to serve it that I realized my monochromatic meal making misdemeanor, so I felt it worthy of a picture.
And an entire blog post.
You're welcome.
Nighty night,
Kelly
Having a pirate-y name is not all that bad, although being yellow bellied might. I'd like to think that if I really were such a pirate, it would probably be because I ate this:
Yeah, that was my daughter's dinner last night. And no, it was not intentional that everything about her dinner was yellow. That is the only plate with little compartments and it happens to be yellow. Mac and cheese and nuggets happen to be the staple "lazy dinner" in our home, meaning that it was on hand and didn't require a lot of effort to fix it. And every mother tries to make sure their child is getting some semblance of vegetable (although there really isn't a whole lot of nutritional value to corn, but that's another post).
It wasn't until I was about to serve it that I realized my monochromatic meal making misdemeanor, so I felt it worthy of a picture.
And an entire blog post.
You're welcome.
Nighty night,
Kelly
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