No recipe this time. I am sick and have been for several days. This is a post that is more reflection than anything...so read on.
I get several "free" magazines in the mail. Health, Whole Living, Shape, Reader's Digest, Prevention, and I'm pretty sure there is another one or two that I can't think of right now. These issues are an unfortunate result of unused airline miles that will never really build into enough for free tickets, yet the airline feels compelled to give them anyway...in the form of free magazines...which I have taken full advantage of! I say "unfortunate" because I would much rather the airline double or triple my miles and allow me a ticket because all those magazines build up and lay in piles until I finally spend some time reading them. Then I save many of them because they have some good stuff I want to keep and use someday in the future. Except that day rarely comes and the magazines still sit in piles here and there (and everywhere) unused and whatever I wanted to save them for is lost on me now. Something I've decided is I will no longer order free magazines. There are maybe 2 or 3 that I really enjoy, so if I feel the need I will simply order (and pay for) those issues.
Something I have noticed about all these magazines is that they seem to go through cycles. And at times, it appears they are in sync with each other and what they will focus on in their issue. Often (90% of the time) the trend, of course, is LOSE WEIGHT - FAST!, get in shape in 15 minutes (or less!), what foods are healthiest to eat now, how to lose weight without dieting, the no-exercize diet, etc. Then there are the beautiful, shapely, most often young, and perfect models/celebrities on the cover...and the story behind their awesome abs and bikini bodies. More importantly, how YOU can look like them if you only adhere to their vigorous workouts and dietary plans. Did I mention these models/celebrities are airbrushed, computer enhanced, and pretty much perfect looking on the pages of said magazines? Sigh. What's a woman to do? These above observations have also played heavily on my decision to "give up" paper magazines. They all basically say the same things, and those who put themselves out there as health based often hawk the unhealthy and quick fix solutions to weight loss and shapely bodies. This, I don't understand. I guess it sells magazines, but then again I think print magazines are struggling since a couple of the subscriptions I have I never did order and they just seemed to show up in my mailbox one day and kept coming. Hmmm. Perhaps they send a year's worth and then hope for a renewal?
I've also been rethinking our "veganish" way of eating for these last 6 months. I definitely find it is beneficial, but have to admit here that I am also struggling with it at this point. Not just the food choices...but the inability to be able to simply throw together a quick, tasty and satisfying meal. Making vegan meals is a long and often complicated deal, and no matter how quick and easy a recipe claims to be, I have come to believe it isn't possible in the vegan world. Too many veggies to chop or cut, too many ingredients necessary to whip up a REALLY good tasting meal, and often those ingredients are just not...well...palatable for me.
For instance, tempeh is a "processed" form of soy beans. You can look it up online to find various descriptions and photos of it. I admit I've only cooked with it one time, but found it to be kinda weird in consistency (I could tell that from the way it looked), and the meatless loaf I made with it came out a bit strange although it wasn't horrible. Still, when I put all that effort into making a meal, I want it to taste good and feel good in my mouth! I realized that the next time I prepare this loaf, I need to actually put that tempeh into the food processor and mash the living daylights out of it, and perhaps then I will find it more appealing in the loaf. There are many ways to use tempeh in cooking, but really when I read some of the recipes and see the photos of them made into a meal, I am not made to feel like I want to consume it.
The vegan/vegetarian world has many substitutes for meat and cheese. The common mantra is, "If one thing doesn't work then go try something else." Well, I'm not sure I'm going to be up for continually buying new foods and trying to make meals that are just not worth it to me. Recently, I often fix a meal and then when I sit down to eat it, I am just not thrilled and don't even feel compelled to finish it. This coming from a "foodie", who has always enjoyed food and loved to eat. Well, maybe this is a foolproof road to weight management!! Hey! I could be on the cover of one of those magazines! They could include a couple of my recipes that will encourage pushing the dish away before the meal is finished!!
Eating out in restaurants (not to mention parties/pot lucks/cook outs, etc.) has become a real challenge. We recently spent a weekend in San Diego to visit my husband's family. Normally, we don't have problems there because our stay is relatively short and we seem to make do with choices when eating out. And we eat out 90% of our meals during these visits, just due to necessity. This stay was one day longer than usual, and for some reason it was very difficult to find meals or foods to order that would not only ease our hunger but give us some eating enjoyment. How much salad can one person eat in 3 days? Same with pasta...I LOVE pasta with tomato sauce, nice crispy crusted bread, etc., but it really isn't good to eat several meals of that in a row. Chips are real good, but I don't want to eat them all the time...same with french fries. Soups would be great, but many are laced with copious amounts of cheese and made with beef or chicken broth. One meal I had was tossed salad (a really crappy one, with iceberg, a couple pieces of tomato and not much else, while being drenched in dressing.) and a baked potato and broccoli on the side. Would have loved to add some kind of protein, like beans, but nothing on the menu indicated they had something like that to order. I am also tired of having to ask 20 questions of the waitstaff. Is there cheese in this? Can I order this without the cream sauce and chicken? What do you have available for a vegan diet? Many times they are most helpful, but often I can tell they end up frustrated and wishing we never walked into the place. Makes me want to leave a 30% tip.
Now, I don't want to dis the whole vegan/vegetarian lifestyle (I've also got issues with telling people I'm "vegan" rather than saying I eat a plant based diet...who I am shouldn't be defined by how I eat!) and I'm not saying I'm giving up on it (the hubs isn't going to let me, anyway...he seems quite content, although is also considering some modifications to our way of eating to get some balance and perhaps more energy.) but it ain't easy, folks.
We are considering going to a holistic, natural foods nutritionist and having a meal plan built around what our desires are (if we even know them) for a healthy and energy giving "diet". We originally began this venture into veganism for health reasons...future health concerns that might pop up...after watching a couple of movies about plant based diets and just how detrimental eating meat and dairy products can be to good health over time. I have since also learned about the awful processes that bring that meat and those dairy products to our tables, which is not something I'll go into here, but I will say that knowledge has also given me more desire to continue on in a plant based eating path. I do want to enjoy eating and be able to prepare healthy, whole foods based meals to bring to our table, and to share with others. It may mean a bit of compromise and allowing ourselves to eat a little dairy and meat occasionally, but focusing on eating plant based meals for the most part. Healthy eating is our goal, using foods that are appealing and good for us, and that will promote good health in our futures.
It's all about balance, folks.
