Coconut curried veggies

Recently I made coconut curried vegetables over brown rice. They were super yummy, though the combination of using a cast iron skillet and a variety of veggies including zucchini, and cooking it probably ten minutes longer than it needed, turned the concoction a rather unappetizing color. Sort of a brownish green. Not the lovely yellow brown a curry should have. But it was tasty, despite the overcooked veggies.

You should try this one, Luke and Jody!

I'm a fake vegan, but it works

So, here's the thing. I'm not actually adhering to the vegan diet 100 percent. And that's okay with me.

If I'm craving chocolate and there happens to be a bowl of M&Ms nearby, I will probably eat a few. This morning I had some cream of wheat. One of the final ingredients was whey. I figured there couldn't be very much in there.

I'm more worried about the bigger picture. Like this past weekend when we were eating a family meal with my in-laws. My brother in law was happy to prepare his specialty for everyone: stuffed steak. That's a plate-sized piece of beef, marinated and baked with bacon and mushrooms. I've had it before and can varify that it tastes pretty dang good. But this weekend, I wasn't tempted by it (much) because I knew if I ate it, I would not feel good at all. I ate a baked potato (topped with mushrooms and olive oil, salt and pepper) and a salad, and didn't feel a bit deprived.

"Meat"balls

Today I made spaghetti. I served the kids first and they chowed down immediately. I set a plate in front of my awesome husband. He leaned over and whispered, "What are these? Surely not...meatballs?"

"Let's say that they are," I whispered back.

The kids ate them, no problem. The eldest said they tasted a little funny, but she ate them anyway.

They were soy. What an amazing food--you can make that stuff look and taste like anything!

Pancake success!

I wanted pancakes this morning, so I modified my favorite pancake recipe to be vegan. Turned out delicious! My kids even asked for seconds!

Vegan pancake recipe

1 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4-1/2 C mashed tofu
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp olive oil
Dash of salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 banana

Challenges

If you’re single, changing the way you eat can be easy.

If you’re married with kids, changing the way you eat can be much harder. A supportive spouse is essential.

Let me just say, my husband is awesome. I am blessed to have a job I love, made possible by my house spouse, who handles things on the domestic frontier so that I can focus on the professional one. He cleans, changes diapers, and even shops and cooks.

His standard menu selection isn’t fancy, but he works hard to make meals that are tasty, nutritious, and economical.