So you think you can't tighten your belt?

Cutting down spending always seems impossible.
When the bills are all going up and food gets no cheaper, you wonder where you can possibly cut back.
It's something we try not to talk about in public because, sadly, the first thing people usually say is "well! if you got rid of the horses...!"

Not happening.

We don't believe animals are "things" to be discarded when the going gets tough, the only way they would go to new homes is if we genuinely could not find the money to keep the in good health.

But sometimes it feels like its getting that way.

After Xmas we sat down to take a long hard look at the facts. We needed to cut back somewhere.

So here's some things we've done to save money... (not all will be relevant as they include horses/chickens etc but they might be handy for some ;) ... as well as some general ideas.

SHOPPING

1. Make a list: Basic advice but so often not done. Once a week go through your freezer/fridge/cupboards and decide what you need. I like to make sure I have a certain amount of some products in my store at anyone time, things like plant milks/flours/pasta/baked beans etc... so replenish those.
2. Try and stick to your list...: But not blindly. If I come across fruit and vegetables that are reduced I'll buy those instead. If spaghetti is on offer I'll buy  that instead of macaroni etc.
3. Treat supermarket offers with suspicion ..: But don't rule them out. Most offers are on branded goods but sometimes... SOMETIMES its cheaper. For example we usually buy a supermarket own brand cereal, but an offer on a branded one actually works out cheaper at the moment. It doesn't happen often but its worth doing that math.
4. Talking of math..: Unless you have a keen mathematical mind, take a calculator. Work out the price per 100g/ml etc, it really can be surprising!
5. Think about your shopping experience: How stressful your trip to the shops is will determine how you spend. If possible, try and pick a time of day that is quieter (Sunday evenings are nice, and also have lots of reduced items!). If you can do it alone, then do. If you have to take children either split into two groups (with a small trolley for each group) or try and charge each child with helping out. It may take longer but will be less stressful.
6. Shop from home: If you can't shop at a quiet time or have children on your own who enjoy making shopping hell, then its worth considering home delivery. The delivery charge may work out less than you would "stress spend".
7. Don't buy self harm: Cigarettes, alcohol, junk food, fizzy drinks, anything labelled "sugar free" or "fat free"... these should not be a part of your weekly shopping. If these things are part of your grocery shopping you need a drastic rethink. Why would you spend money you don't have on things that make you ill?

FOOD.

1. Know what you have in your freezer/fridge/cupboards: Careless shopping often ends up manifesting in 3 open jars of the same product.
2. Plan your meals: Naturally you can be flexible, but having a rough idea of what you're going to eat will help you plan  your shopping.
3. Use what you have: You won't save money meal planning if you're buying all the ingredients every week. Plan cleverly around what you have already.
4. Leftovers are not your enemy. When most people talk about leftovers they mean having a Sunday roast and then using meat again on the Monday. As we eat vegan, this doesn't happen, but we are clever. Some examples (all homemade unless specified)...
   *Leftover pasta sauce mixed into extra veg and some lentils to make soup.
   *Leftover soup added to casserole.
   *Leftover casserole made into soup.
   *Leftover curry/chili made into pasties.
   *Leftover pasta made into salad.
   *Leftover mashed potato made into potato cakes/bread. ... and so on...
5. Never make soup or casserole straight from a recipe: These meals where designed to use up food. They should be made from your leftovers or from the veg you have a surplus of or that needs using NOW! The key to these dishes is in the herbs you use. Follow a recipe by all means, but be brave enough to change things. Maybe you have no sweet potato but lots of swede? Use it! It'll work, I promise!
6. If you have lots of one thing, either you bought it greatly reduced or you have excess from the garden, remember how friendly Google is! Search online for ideas on how to cook it. Sometimes  you'll find whole websites devoted to one food!! A surplus of cabbage will never scare you again ;)          
7. Make your own baked goods: The raw ingredients for bread, cake, cookies etc are very, very cheap so learn how to bake! If price alone doesn't convince you, remember just how much in the way of preservatives, colourings and other rubbish goes into shop bought baked goods, home made is healthier, you know exactly whats in it AND it tastes nicer too. Its a win, win!
8. Think about your eating habits: Its easy to get stuck in a rut with food, especially if you're a "meat and two veg" person. Some of the cheapest and nutritionally dense foods are vegan! 
9. Don't try to be TOO cheap: In my opinion there are somethings that are perfectly ok to buy in the supermarket "value" ranges.. and some that aren't. For example I'll buy value plain flour to use in sauces and things, but will buy the next level up for self raising. Value self raising flour is not man enough! Value tinned tomatoes and baked beans are perfectly acceptable, but value bread is disgusting (and full of crap!). Value "Weetabix" are gross and the kids refuse to eat them (don't blame them, I tried them too) but the supermarket own brand ones are as good as the branded. Also, just because its value doesn't make it cheaper, and its also worth remembering that you haven't saved anything if its so horrible that your family won't eat it.
10. Use loose leaf tea. Cheaper and goes further too!
11. Don't eat so much. Really. We all eat too much ;)

HOME

1. Draft proof your home! Do it! Curtains, blinds, shutters, draft exluders, loft insulation. A well insulated and draft free home will need the bare minimum of heating.
2. Wear more clothes inside. Its February, you shouldn't be sitting in your house in a t shirt....
3. Upcycle things! Turn past their best towels in to face cloths, old tea towels in to dish cloths, old t-shirts into dusters (or bags, or scarves, or skirts.. seriously Google it!). Jam jars into containers, empty tubs into freezer Tupperware.
4. Mend things. Pick up a needle and thread and fix the hole in that sweater instead of throwing it away.
5. Sort your laundry. Not just whites and darks, but by different wash cycles. Bath towels and lightly soiled clothes are perfectly fine on an eco wash (30 degrees or less). Heavily soiled clothes should be soaked first. For extra green points, put heavily soiled clothes in your used bath water and leave over night. Ring out the excess water and then they can be washed at a moderate temperature instead of a damaging and expensive higher one. Be sure to weigh your clothes so you don't end up putting too much weight in your washing machine. Wet clothes take up less pace in the drum than dry ones ;)
6. Don't change your clothes so much! I know people who will change their clothes 2 or even 3 times a day! If you have to change your clothes in the day, because of your job maybe, then the chances are you can wear the clothes again the next day. Ideally, put  them on a hanger next to an open window, or out on the washing line for an hour or so to "air". There's being clean and tidy and then there's being OCD!

LEISURE   

1. Eating out is expensive. If you find that eating out or getting take aways is a regular occurrence, think about why you do? A special meal can be just as special at home. Invite friends over for dinner and ask them to bring a dish, social fun and cheap while still being celebratory.
2. Movies. We love them! The actual experience of going to the movies is expensive (especially for us as our nearest cinema is 35 miles away!). We try to go 3 or 4 times a year. The kids love popcorn but its lots cheaper to buy one large bag for them to share than it is to buy 3 small bags. They also take their water bottles with them, so no sickly, over priced sodas! If you're hardcore you can smuggle in your own snacks, but some cinemas frown on this..... I wonder why? ;) To get our movie fix at other times though we have a weekly "movie night" at home. We make our own popcorn, make a dinner easily eaten off our laps and watch either something from our own library or from lovefilm.
3. Ditch the TV. The TV license is a cost I can do without. Most people have a collection of DVD's at home and internet access. Via i-player and youtube there's a wealth of viewing material. Also add a lovefilm subscription (with is VERY good value if you like renting box sets as well as single movies) and you're covered, all without the TV in the corner tempting you to turn it on to watch rubbish and advertisements.
4. Newspapers: A newspaper a day (not including sat/sun papers) adds up to a whopping £200 + a year!! Breaking news is available online and also offers you the choice of several different view points and more in depth research if you want.
5. Magazines: The average magazine now costs nearly £4. Take a close look though and, again, you'll notice that a good third will be advertisements, or features written by a company. Use the internet for impartial advice and ideas and check out books for more in depth essays..... If you buy gossip magazines that peddle judgmental opinions of people in the media glare, consider giving these up. Encouraging you to judge others by their looks or actions will only make you feel judged yourself. x
6. Walk more. Its healthy and free ;)

PETS

1. Dog food: If your dog food contains "Meat and other animal derivatives" bin it.... someone scrapped the slaughterhouse floor and that's your "animal derivatives". Food companies are obliged to use "meat fit for human consumption" in pet food, but this only means they have to use the animal fit for human consumption. So your pet really is being fed the dregs. Then to hide this fact and make it more palatable, they colour it, add flavourings and sugars.... super! Its vile, and even cheap dog food is expensive. Make your own! Dogs thrive on numerous foods. Its not harmful to their health to be given normal food. I often cook up veg peelings and rice, add a spoon of peanut butter and a dash of oil and you have a filling, almost free, balanced meal for a dog. Obviously what you eat  your home will determine what you feed your dog, table scraps are fine unless you eat large amounts of junk food or the scraps are full of food that is dangerous for dogs to eat (ie, onions, rasins, chocolate). Use your common sense.
2. Chickens: When we first got chickens I bought layers pellets for them... then I realised how expensive it was and did some research. Now I feed two straight feeds (mixed corn and rolled oats) which are half the price, and I grind up vegetable scraps for them. They're also very fond of left over cereals, pasta and rice. It goes without saying that you shouldn't feed them chicken right? 
3. Horses: I could write a book on this, but will stick to a few points here. 99/100 a horses is being fed WAY more hard feed and supplements than they need. Most people presume their horse is in "medium to hard" work, when in fact they are barely working hard enough to warrant a "maintenance" level of feeding. If your horse does what the majority of horses do in a week (4-5 days ridden, two schooling sessions, two hacks, one longer hack or competition) they are still in "Low" work.
   This basically means they only need a very small amount of concentrated feed, a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement and forage in the form of hay or grass. That's it. A normal, healthy horses needs no more. Feed your horses as naturally as possible, trickle fed roughage, let them stay out as much as possible. Better for them, better for your pocket. This is a VERY basic generalization but thats what it boils down to.          

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE SPENDING MONEY.                          

• Do I need it or do I want it?
• If I want it how will it improve my life?
• Can I do without it?
• Am I prepared to go without elsewhere to have this item?
• Is this something I can make myself?
• Is this something someone I know can make in exchange for something I can make/do.
• Can I borrow it? (eg Library/neighbour etc)
• Will this thing have any negative reactions in my life?
• Can I postpone buying it? If so, will I still want it next month?
• Is this something that will last well?
• Is this something I am happy to share?

I know its not a comprehensive post, just the things that came to mind immediately  I'd love you guys to leave your own money saving tips in the comments for other readers to see!  *Plot twist... she wants you to leave comments* ;)

Jam.

I love getting something for nothing, even if it really wasn't strictly for nothing.
Well, you know what I mean right?
Today I found myself with a handful of apples past their best.
Skin starting to wrinkle, bruises... not rotten, but not about to pass muster in anyones lunch box either.
After some thought, and a rummage in the freezer that yielded 1/4 box of frozen strawberries, I decided jam was in order.
Well I needed jam, and now I have some... simples!

When there's only a small amount of fruit I'm eternally grateful for the jam setting on my bread maker, which can only take 500g of fruit at a time, which is often the perfect amount for that fruit past its best you don;t know what to do with.

I also find it hard to get heat up high enough for setting on my little portable hot plate or the log burner, the former being good for short bursts of high heat, the latter for longer cooking times, neither of which suit the science of jam, with its measuring time from boiling point and simmer.

The bread makers jam setting means I just put the softened and mashed fruit in the bread tin, add and mix in sugar, shut the lid and turn it on.
One hour and twenty minutes later I have jam.

Anyway, in keeping with the ethos of the Various Shades of Green blog, the apple peel and cores where also cooked up, mashed and fed to the chickens.

Now I'm off for some pancakes and jam ;)    

Simple.

Collected a back pack of wood on my walk with the dogs this morning. Lots of windblown branches about at the moment.

Homemade sesame seed bread.

Soup made from left over vegetable soup with added leek, pearl barley and some cut up left over veg sausage.  

Finding the rhythm again.

I've been having fun finding some sort of rhythm once again, now the kids are back to school and I've nearly recovered from the flu.

The unseasonably mild weather means I've been doing all the winter jobs I usually have to do at the last minute in early spring.

All those "Winter chores" gardening books tell you to do between November and March are usually redundant up here. The ice comes hard and fast and the snows not often far behind.

The only trouble is that daylight is still at a premium. 

Today it really wasn't proper light till nearly 10 am this morning, and by the time you've had lunch its on the way to getting dark again.

But who's complaining?

Not me Jack.

Anyway... a few (bad) pics from today.

The new rhubarb bed planted  up. 

The sad demise of this chest to damp and woodworm has provided me with somewhere to plant some early potato's this year. Bashed some holes in the bottom, filled with muck and soil, all ready for early March. 

The chickens are all doing well so far this winter, although their winter run has taken a hammering with the heavy rain and then snow. They need moving ASAP but wire and posts aren't cheap.

A little forced rhubarb? Oh alright then....

Its a never ending round of wood chopping of one form or another. One of our projects this year is to seriously look into alternative energy, possibly a combination of wind and solar.  

..... Although it must be said, the log burner makes lovely Indian food :)

Compassionate Crofting

I shed a lot of labels in 2012, the one that bothered me most was  "Vegan".

I guess its human nature to want to belong to a tribe and tribes come with labels and although I still say vegan from time to time for easiness (sometimes its just too dull or inappropriate to explain in minute detail the what/why/when/how of your dietary habits) I pretty much don't identify with the label anymore.

A lot of the time I found my Vegan persona over lapping with my Green one.... And although it is perfectly possible to have an animal free crofting life I also feel its missing an important link in the chain to cut them out completely.

Don't get me wrong.. I'm not looking to start a thing here, I just want to lay out what I see as Compassionate Crofting.

You see, although I strongly believe that its possible to thrive on a 100% plant based diet I also have to look at the fact that I live in the NE of Scotland and a lot of my food is from other countries (like soya) or is fortified with vitamins.

This leaves me with a conundrum.  

You see, I'm a planner (or worrier... either way ;)... And one of the reasons I got into self sufficiency was all the "what ifs".

So you see, the last few years I've been "What if"-ing... like

• What if... there's a war and food can't be shipped to the UK?
• What if ... Global warming fucks up things so much that we no longer get fortified food?
• What if... Prices get so high that I can't afford to buy all the foods we need to stay healthy!

So right now.. this very second... its all good.
Most of my food is happily cheaper or the same price as carnivorous fair...

But....

So anyway, the whole point of crofting is to be as self sufficient as possible, which means, in theory, being able to live healthily off the land without having for fortify our diet (in theory) with added vitamins and supplements.

I have 99% of all this covered, the vast majority of essential vitamins and minerals are found in the food I can grow, even this far north. I'm not short on leafy veg, beans, peas, salads, berries...  Of course I can't grow bananas, but if I get the house sorted I MIGHT even be able to grow a handful of lemons inside every year!

Its with all this in mind that I continue to eat eggs.

They carry all the B vitamins and vitamin D that else where I have to get fortified.

Besides, if you've read any of my blog you'll know about  the chickens here, and yes, in the spring I'm hoping to have a few more rescue hens to the flock.

Chickens are perfect at turning kitchen waste and garden pests into food, even without eating them (NEVER!! Little ladies live in comfort till they die of natural causes!) they give back nutritionally and monetary wise, more than you lay out on additional grain and bedding.

They seem to me to bridge the gap between being truly self sufficient in this country and having to rely on big businesses to plug the vitamin gap.

Or I may just continue to play the lottery, win it and then move to a warmer country where I can grow all my own soya and chick peas ;)      
 

Merry Xmas Blogger

So that's Xmas over for another year.
Was it a good one?
Sadly we've had Norovirus in the house for the last ten days, although thankfully Xmas day was drama free with only Middle child being a little sick in the morning. But lets face it, its not Xmas if you can't lay in bed all day watching movies and putting Lego together ;)

We still had a good time though and I was pleased as anything that lots of the gifts I gave this year were either made by friends or relatives or I managed to pick up second hand.

Sadly I didn't get round to taking pictures.

Here's a few from the day itself though :)

Our little tree, its over 30 years old and still going strong. Decorated in the main, as always, by  the knitted decorations my mother gave me a few years ago.  

Mince pies :)

Home made "posh" chocolates,.  

Mushroom and cashew pate.

Reaction shot to the big box of 2nd hand transformers and transformer DVD's. 

Redmills "Cheatin' turkey roast" was a big hit!

"Merry Bloody Xmas"

Anyway..... 2013.... I have high hopes.

The veggie garden had a major overhaul last year and will be ready to plant up properly this year. We have plans for the house and possibly even a business venture.

Watch this space... blogging will resume in earnest ;)   

      

I've been absent from here...... Some of it has been because I've been working on other projects, but mostly I'd got to a point where I felt I had nothing relative to say anymore.
The garden here was really pretty neglected the last 12 months. Some of this was to do with the weather (terrible terrible wet summers and late/early frosts), some of it was because I was working... tending other peoples gardens for money.
It was only really a few weeks ago that I realised how ridiculous this was .... what was the point in looking after other peoples gardens for a little money rather than tending my own and growing food.
Seriously, didn't this go against EVERYTHING?

So, currently we're designing and building a real permecultre garden rather than just traditional veg plots, although they will be a small part of it.
We're working hard to find as any native trees, bushes and plants that we can rather than trying to grow "traditional" fruit and veg.... We're in the NE of Scotland, growing tomatos and cucumber without a heated greenhouse is ... if not impossible... at least difficult and at best hit and miss.

Anyway for those that are interested, here's a  pictorial run down of the last year before I crack on with starting this blog up again properly :)

Have a Very Vegan Xmas!

Although some of us are old hands at cooking Veggie or vegan for Xmas many people are facing their first major hurdle ……………

                                   The first meat free XMAS!!

Its such a big deal, it’s a monumental shift in the way we see Xmas, which as a holiday is really more about the food than the gifts.

Like lots of traditions (Putting up your tree, carolling, watching specific Xmas movies) food is one of those things that really sets the mood.

So here is a quick guide to animal free eating this year!



Mince pies

Most store bought pies have butter in them, but lets face it, its much nicer to eat homemade pies!! You don’t have to be a pastry chef either! My homemade pastry leaves a lot to be desired so I cheat. A jar of mince (check the ingredients but MOST are OK) and some pre-made short crust pasty are all you need to make delectable mince pies. Use as glass to cut round if you don’t have pastry cutters, grease a pie tin, put it all together and bake at @ 180oC for @ 15-20 mins or until golden. Sprinkle icing sugar over the top when they come out the oven, allow to cool slightly and then remove from the pie tin!



Nibbles

What can you make a bee line for at a party buffet??? Not much if “Mums gone to Iceland”. Stick to breadsticks and veggies then pig out on mince pies when you get home!!! Even better have your OWN party. You can make seasonal favourites vegan in a flash.

Use veggie sausages and pre-rolled puff pasty (Not butter pastry!) to make sausage rolls.

Make cheese straws with pastry and nutritional yeast.

Mini quiche with tofu.

Cheese boards with fake cheese and crackers.

Pates are easy to make with mushrooms and nuts (and taste heaps better!)

Some crisps are vegan friendly (although for their association with Procter and gamble I have to say no to Pringles!)

And of course don’t forget veggies and dips!!!



The BIG day!

What about Xmas lunch?????

Can you eat it without the ghost of Turkeys past??

The traditional nut roast is a bit of a joke in many circles but whatever… I love them! Try the Magical loaf studio for basic ideas and then make them festive by using chestnuts, cranberries etc.

The trick is (like cooking meat!) to make sure the loaf doesn’t dry out, you want a firm but moist loaf, not a crumbly heap! Veggie loaf is much tastier the next day so make one on xmas eve then heat the next day, wrapping it in foil to prevent burning and drying.

Remember as well, everything tastes good in puff pastry, so go wild!

Loved pigs in blankets??

No problem.

This year I am wrapping Vegi Deli sausages in Vegi Deli slices and cooking with the potatoes…. Should work, but we’ll see!

The rest of it is generally easy…..

Potatoes roasted in veg oil, carrots, sprouts and chestnuts, sage and onion stuffing, mashed swede, homemade gravy….. Nope, no animals here!

Even store bought xmas pudding often has no egg, dairy or other animal products in it, enjoy with a dollop of vegan cream like Grano vita.

This year I made my own xmas cake from an adapted recipe from the Down-to-earth blog. Just replace the eggs with a cup of milk that’s sat for a few mins with a tbsp of cider vinegar in it. It rose well and was light and smells very xmasy!!!



Booze!!

Lots consumed over the festive period!

Although its hard to check your alcohol when your out and about you can at least make sure the stuff you buy in is veggie or vegan. The Co-op labels all its wine (all its products in fact) clearly as veggie, vegan or not and their own brand vegan wine is cheap and very cheerful!



Xmas away?

If your staying with a none vegan family over xmas it can be hard….. Remember to pack your deflector shield!!!!

Make sure your host knows exactly what you won’t eat BUT make sure you say it nicely! The most sensible thing to do is to offer to bring your own main meal and help with the cooking. If they like to cook veg and then slather it in butter ask then to set a little aside for you before they do. If they cook potatoes in goose fat ask if you can cook your own, or if maybe they could pop a few potatoes in with the stuffing (in a tin!) and cook those with veg oil.

Be aware that a kitchen at xmas is stressful.

It may be easier for you to take a whole meal with you (one that is quick and easy to heat up) than to stand over your stressed hosts shoulder pointing out their mistakes.

Be sure to bring plenty though, amazing how often other diners will want to try a fork full!



Lastly, remember this is a time to get together with the ones you love.

Your family, your friends, its NOT a time to pick fights about what’s on every ones plates.



Remember how you used to eat what they are eating now?

Show them how much you enjoy the food you are eating, answer sensible questions and ignore anyone who tries to bait you.



Make 2011 the year of learning how to be a great cook and invite them all over for xmas dinner next year!



And remember…. If all else fails….. There’s always Bingo!!!!

Merry Xmas!

Ex-Vegan venting ahoy!

I though very hard about whether to write a post about this blogger The (formally) Voracious (Vegan). Once one of Twitters most outspoken Vegans she shocked the blogsheper by doing a 360 back to eating meat.
She maintains that many vegans are lying about being vegan and are still eating meat (on the quiet) and selling us a lie.
She said that her 3 years of eating vegan caused her health problems and depleted her vitamin and minerals stores. She talks about depression, exhaustion and how we are "meant" to eat meat.

You can read her post HERE.

Now I wasn't sure how to take this at first.
For a moment I did the whole panic thing, after all, its not just ME or even me and Kim , its our children as well.
What if she was right?
What if we were wrong?
Could I make such a turn around?

First of all I have to say I am blessed with a level headed husband.
Kim is Mostly vegan (with slips into the occasional chocolate bar and once a year (so far in 2010!) shellfish meal) and came to it on his own and well informed. He NEVER just followed me and was keen to do his own research.
He read her post and concluded that she was (his words) "A nutter".

She was upset that some vegans had attacked her for doing something to save her health, but I'm not sure they did. Some offered advice (unwanted) others dared to ask if she had seen a specialized nutritionist rather than her regular GP (unanswered by blogger). Yet others pointed out that her gym routine was a little excessive.

Now while I have nothing against someone deciding to quit veganism, for health or other reasons, and on Twitter I initially supported her and commiserated with her dilemma, I quickly grew upset with how her message to the world changed. All of a sudden her life was full of Bacon, cheese, steak and how good it was and how she needed it and it became a little much, especially when only weeks before she had been vocally deriding anyone who ate meat.
Also, although she claims to have eaten an amazing diet, following her tweets (and pictures and posts from her blog) her "meals" looked like nice snacks or entres, but not enough to sustain. She talked of HUGE salads and I saw 3 lettuce leaves.
Her gym habbit also rang alarm bells. Every third tweet was "off to the gym for killer cardio work out!" This girl has a serious gym addiction.

Down to earth hubby pointed out that living where she does (Saudi Arabia) there would likely be very few fortified foods she could purchase. So although we can have fortified soya milk and cereals and "mock" meats she was likely to be only eating basic whole foods.
A lot of her food was Raw, she seemed to mostly follow a raw vegan diet, and while raw enthusiast claim that the diet is healthy, many health professionals are not convinced. Coking helps the food digest easier, so although raw food is super packed with vitamins and minerals, they are not as easily absorbed.

Now it could be that she is right.
Who am I to say that everyone can handle a vegan diet. everyone is different and individual lifestyles or health problems can be problematic with some diets.
Most people who objected to the post seemed to object to her attitude.
Once she has ran a hard line telling everyone to go vegan for their health, the environment, the animals. Now her stance is "Stupid vegans! Learn from my mistake! everyone should go Omnivore! For your health! For the enviroment!"

What would I do?
Say my Dr told me my health was in danger I had to eat meat.

Don't think I haven't thought about this before.
Could I go back to being a full on meat eater?
Probaly not, I could see myself compromising, adding a little wild caught fish or wild shot game once in a while but chowing down on pork, beef or chicken? Unlikely.

No scratch that.
Not at all.
Anything likely to have been factory farmed will not pass my lips.

So this bloggers first meal as a newly "awakened" meat eater?
Steak..... really.

So she said veganism left her with no energy... Kim works upto 14 hours a DAY at a highly physical job. He couldn't do that if his energy levels where not being met.
She said every meal left her bloated but hungry... If your body is only getting large amounts of raw food it will have to work super hard to digest it. A head of greens is not a meal.
She said her hair was thinning and she was always getting ill.... Anyone who knows me knows how thick my hair is, how Kim at 54 has more hair than men half his age, that my sons have hair longer and thicker than most girls (note to self, buy scissors!).
Sure we get the ocassional cold, but when you have kids at school its part of life, and it seems to me that some of my meat eating facebook friends have at least one "Ugh , have a cold :(" status a month so you can't say meat cures all.

She said that having to take vitamins is wrong, but have you ever tried to buy vegan vitamins? Out of the thousands and thousands I looked I found THREE suitable for vegans... which tells you something about the sort of people who take the most vitamins. Many health professionals think EVERYONE should take multi vitamins, especially B vitamins. So few of us eat really fresh organic foods that by the time something has been picked, shipped, sat in a shop and then sat in our house before we eat it.... well, can the vitamin content really be as high as all that? If science can help me be healthy I'm all for it.     

NO diet cures all.

I will NOT stand with the meat eaters/veggies/vegans/raw foodists and say "Come to our side for everlasting health an vitality!" Life doesn't work that way.

"Ah!" Some of you more militant vegans/meat eaters might say. "But you eat eggs!"   

Seriously, our hens give us maybe on average an egg a day out of the four of them... add them up over a week and divided by 5, is it REALLY going to make THAT much difference?  

OK, So I vented.

Eat what you want, but don't make me feel bad for not eating as you do.

Rest assured that the moment I suspect any of us are not in good health I would go to the GP.

I care about animals, but I care about my kids more. 

Want to read more? Ginny Messina, MPH, RD is a dietitian specializing in vegan nutrition writes an interesting follow up to the post HERE. 

  

Why I'm giving up forums- I AM VEGAN

I used to be a forum addict.
I LOVED finding a forum full of interesting people and ideas and shared goals.
I loved filling in my profile and choosing an avatar and introducing myself.

However I am now officially giving them up.

What have a learned about forums?

Mostly that in this sort of online situation you have a handful of extremists and the rest playing along to keep in with the cool kids.
I've lost count of the amount of times I have found myself playing devils advocate because people are talking bollocks basically.
I even once found myself DEFENDING fox hunting because the loud mouth who was banging on about it was horse rider (ie rich bastard toff) bashing and missing all the good points he could of been making! Instead of focusing on the fact that hunting was cruel he used it as a platform to stage a class war.

It seems that the world of forums are full of "Polly Pures", people who are the very heroes we mere mortals aspire to be.
If you use a green soap powder you can bet someone uses soap nuts, and that someone else hand washed and yet another person only uses  rain water and all the way up to "PP" who never washes her clothes because its a waste of resources.

You get the picture?

In real life you would have congratulated the person who brought green soap powder, you would have patted them on the back for making a good choice.
On the forum however she is now left feeling like she can never EVER possibly reach an acceptable level and she may as well go and chop some pandas heads off.

The catalyst for me was joining a vegan forum a few days ago.
I was super excited about it!

The creator is a vegan I admire greatly and the food is amazing, so I was really looking forwards to joining. (No I'm not naming it, some of the people there were very nice).

So I joined and went through the posts and said hi and thought "This is sooooo coooool! I love this place!" 

Then I made a mistake.

I admitted that I had rescue hens and maybe ate an egg a week.

Immediately I was bombarded with "You're not a vegan then"

Well.... Yeah I am...

A vegan is one who seeks to eliminate animal suffering and exploitation as much as possible, a vegan consume no animal product, but as I live how I live and wanted to offer these hens some freedom and compassion after their bad start in life I wasn't exploiting or hurting anyone was I?

Grey area.

Nope I was told in no uncertain terms that I absolutely was not a vegan and shouldn't call myself one. I was offered "Ethical vegetarian".

WTF????

You want to throw me a bone and say I can stay as a slightly yukky pet so long as I know my place?

Correct me if I'm wrong but if they can be vegan and still feed meat to their pets (directly contributing to the meat industry), take medication tested on animals and containing animal products like milk and opt to have the flu jab (suspended in egg) why the hell can't I call myself a vegan???

I rescued those hens, they have no cockerel so the eggs are not fertilized, they will lay no matter what I do but I MUST NOT EAT THEM!!

Apparently I can give the eggs away or feed them to the dogs but I MUST NOT EAT THEM!!

But wait... If I gave the eggs to someone else isn;t that passing the buck? Isn't that like the Christian who won't kill but is happy to let someone else do it while he watches?

Forgive me... I don't GET this?

You can buy factory farmed meat for your cat but I can't eat an egg from my rescue hens?

Now You know apart from this egg (and it really is 1 or 2 a week TOPS) I am 100% vegan. When the hens don't lay I don't BUY eggs, I never eat eggs elsewhere, and all my friends know that vegans don't eat eggs and so they don't serve them to me.

This narrow minded black and white view is what has made me throw in the towel.

After this thread I was in bed worrying about the fact that all of a sudden people didn't like me.

I had allowed myself to be cyberbullied.

I am a person who understands the grey in all areas.

I don't need to follow the rules to do the right thing.

I don't need the acceptance of groups to make me feel good.

vegan is not a diet it is a lifestyle.

I AM vegan.    

World Vegan Day: meal suggestions

Linda Barbaro posted on the face Book page for World vegan day- " OK I can do it for a day. Any help? What can I have. Not what can't I have. :)"

The trouble is on the surface a Vegan diet seems highly restrictive with a long list of foods to avoid, BUT to make a list of foods you can eat would take years and be highly boring to read!
Most supermarkets have a list online of food in their stores that  is suitable for vegan, I have yet to get past the first page of any of them yet *yawn*.

So today I am going to post a few suggestions for meals to make on World Vegan day! Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section :)

Breakfast:

Yeah yeah yeah we know, its the most important meal of the day! but what do you usually have?

Cereal: Most plain cereal is vegan friendly. watch out for hidden D3 vitamins, go for D2 or none fortified cereals.
Porridge is fantastic as a slow release food.
You can make your own muesli by adding a few oats to your choice of fresh or dried fruit, seeds and nuts. Use none dairy milk and agave syrup rather than honey.

Cooked:  If you like scrambled egg you need to try scrambled tofu! Like this real "manly man!!"

 

A quick search on youtube will yield lots of other methods!

You can serve it on toast or as part of a cooked breakfast.
Vegan sausages, grilled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, slices of fried smoked tofu.... Mmmm.

Toast: toast toast toast! Quick and easy whats not to love! Marmite on toast (with vegan spread) is a great source of B vitamins. Peanut butter is a great protein boost. I like to add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes to peanut butter to add B vits :)

Light meals

A lot of people come unstuck when faced with lunch. If you have been surviving on cheese sarnies you'll wonder what on earth you can eat!

Some easy sandwich/wrap/roll fillings:
Hummus and salad
Smoked tofu and bean sprouts with vegan mayonnaise.
P,B & J!
Mushroom pate (recipe to follow soon)
Mashed beans in hot sauce.
Fake cheese and pickle.   

The trick is to pack in flavour and texture. A slice of fake cheese between two slices of bread is dull, add pickle, salad, grated carrot, vegan mayo, sliced peppers, onion etc, although maybe not all at the same time!



Don't forget the power of soup as a meal on the go! Make your own for superior flavour and nutritional value or check out canned soups that are suitable for vegans.
When I make soup I always go for a mix of veg and a high protein source like beans and lentils. You can leave it chunky or blend it smooth or have it somewhere in the middle :)

Other foods that travel well for lunch at work/school are:

Couscous or rice, with veggies, raisins and nuts.
Small portions of pasta in tomato based sauces.

Most leftovers from an evening meal can be packed for lunch.

Add fruit juice, water, a piece of fruit and a none dairy yogurt for a power packed lunch.

Main meal. 

Vegan main meals are easy  to make and prepare. Some family style ideas are:

Curry and rice, many Indian curries are meat free and rely heavily on lentils (dahl) or beans and vegetables.
Chili and rice/baked potato. Either make a bean heavy chili or replace the beef mince with TVP pr veggie mince.
Chinese stir fry: sliced veggies, tofu, rice noodles... yum! 



Spaghetti bolognese, use a tomato based sauce and some veggie mince /tvp.
Shepherd-less pie, again you can use TVP instead of mince or you could make it with brown lentils, both versions are good! Make your own gravy or use a vegan store brought one. Either way a good spoonful of marmite makes that "meaty" flavour come out and also add important vitamins.
Veggie loaf "roast" The magical loaf studio is a fantastic online tools that helps you make a veggie loaf recipe out of the ingredients YOU have to hand! Serve with roast potatoes and veggies with gravy! (also slices well cold for sandwiches!!)

Don't forget that many shop brought jars of sauce (pasta/curry/etc) are suitable for vegans, just check the labels! Nothing simpler than chucking a jar of sauce onto some cooked pasta for a quick meal!
There are also a heap of mock meats that  you can use to replace meat in a meal.

What to replace!
 Your own cook books are still very much a help to you!

When a recipe calls for milk use none dairy milk instead.
Any meat can be replaced with either a straight swap for mock meat or by using beans or lentils.
Butter can be substituted with oil or vegan margarine.   
Eggs in baking can be replaced with a sup of soya milk that has been curdled with a spoon of cider vinegar (really!).
Eggs for glazing can be replaced with none dairy milk.

What about snacks?
Ok we all know this is the bit where I should say fruit.... So.... Fruit!

Now thats over we can look at the real snacks *evil chuckle*
Some store brought goods are vegan, ginger biscuits, bourbons and dark chocolate are usually ok, but (again!) check the labels first!
Crisps (chips for you US folks!) are another danger point. Even safe sounding flavours like salt and vinegar can have milk in them in the form of powder. Normally plain crisps are fine but some surprising vegan flavours can be found, beef and onion and BBQ are often vegan friendly!

If you have a sweet tooth it pays to learn how to bake. Vegan cupcakes take over the world takes you on a sweet food porn journey that has vegans and omnivores salivating in delight!

  

So I hope this post helped some of you who where wondering what to eat! Comment if you have any questions or ask on the wall at World Vegan day on Face Book.   

Vegan store cupboard- World Vegan Day Post.

The thought of eating vegan seems to fill most people with a sort of slow, creeping dread.




What the hell am I going to eat!!!!??????



Even the limited cupboard of a confirmed meat eater is likely to yield the ingredients of a vegan meal.


But what DO vegans eat?

The common misconception is that the vegan diet is salad and lentils, alone, dry, boooooorrring.



Well YEAH I’d be pretty bored too if that all I had to eat, but….

But what if I told you that vegans ate stir fries and curries, south American food, junk food, snacks, cakes, fried food and all manner of highly flavoured meals.

Can a Thai curry with its rich creamy coconut milk base and mouth tingling chillies be called bland?

Could a rich hot Mexican chilli, with white rice be boring?

How about fried chips with a selection of sauces and dips, crispy onion rings and battered tofu? Sound gross?



To be vegan is to be inventive, to look at every recipe and understand that it only needs a couple of items replacing to make it vegan.



I kept all my cook books, even the meat heavy ones, 99% of the recipes within can be adapted.



There is no need to miss out on any of your favourite meals.



Vegan means compassionate eating, not a life of chewing dried mung beans and navel gazing.



Some store cupboard staples make life a lot easier though, so here’s a few things you might consider getting in for World Vegan Day.



TOFU. (Most major supermarkets)

Much maligned and often used incorrectly, tofu is a great source of protein and a must have health food for any post-menopausal woman (and the rest of us!). Scare stories abound about Soya, but the general consensus is that consumed in moderation it is a healthy food and a great friend to the vegan.

Tofu comes in many kinds though and it is IMPERITIVE that you use the right one for the job!



Firm tofu (from the fridge section), is your guy for using as a straight meat replacer in stir fries, curries etc. drain well and weight down between two clean tea towels to really firm it up so that it keeps its shape when cooking.



Firm tofu (UHT packed) is no good for cooking in chunks. Makes good mock scrambled “egg” and can be blitzed with a blender to make sauces and dips.



Silken tofu (UHT packed) lighter than UHT firm, use as above, also good in smoothies.



Smoked tofu (from the fridge section) tastes like bacon!! Fantastic in sandwiches, wraps etc, stir fry’s. very very firm.



Braised tofu (Some supermarkets), sheets of tofu, packed in brine and in a tin. A good tuna replacement.



TEMPAH (Some supermarkets, independent shops/whole food)

Like tofu, this Indonesian Soya bean food can be used in numerous ways. Often come in jars of brine in flat sausage shapes.



MILK ALTERNATIVES (All Major supermarkets)



Soya milk can be an acquired taste when drunk alone, but is very good for tea and cooking. Be sure to use unsweetened milk for savoury cooking!



Other common milks are rice, almond, and oat.



When using milks that have added calcium and vitamins make sure that they are suitable for vegans. Some use Vitamin D3, which is derived from sheep’s wool! D2 is vegan friendly!



Another thing to note is that Soya milk should be purchased from companies who are rainforest friendly. As Soya is grown cheaply for cattle feed many supermarkets now produce their own brand Soya milk. This is not guaranteed rainforest friendly! Alpro Soya and Provamil both have good ethics.



NUTRITIONAL YEAST FLAKES (Independent food shops/whole food)



These cheesy flavoured flakes are not only yummy but are packed with B vitamins. Sprinkle on soups, pasta, even on toast for a vitamin boost.



MARMITE/ VEGEMITE

Savoury yeast spread full of B vitamins, add to stews for a “meaty” flavour, spread on toast and crumpets.



VEGAN MARGARINE

Nearly all margarine has milk in it somewhere. In the UK there are only a few spreads that are vegan.



Pure (all major supermarkets) a choice of Soya or sunflower spread, Vegan society approved.



Vitalite (Most major supermarkets) Suitable for Vegans BUT made by dairy crest, so debatable if it can really be “vegan”. Personal choice.



Suma (online, independent shops) Vegan sunflower spread.



OTHER PRODUCTS



Agave syrup (Most supermarkets) syrup from the agave plant, sweeten drinks and cereal and use in place of honey.



Parmezano (most supermarkets) parmesan cheese replacer in a shaker, nice to add to mock mac n cheese!



Mayola vegan mayonnaise (Most supermarkets) I found this while I was still an lacto-ovo veggie and couldn’t find a decent free range egg mayo, they all tasted nasty! This meanwhile was lovely and is still a sandwich staple!


TVP (Textured vegetable protien) Deydrated soya mince, great for chilli's and pasta sauces.




THINGS THAT ARE NOT VEGAN BUT YOU THINK THEY ARE!!



Crisps! Even flavours that don’t appear on the surface to have any animals in it (i.e. salt and vinegar) can still use whey powder and lactic acid in the flavouring. Never trust, always check the label. Perversely steak and onion walkers crisps are vegan… go figure.



Bread. Some bread will have dairy products in it. Look out for milk powder, whey powder etc.



Drinks. Not all drinks are vegan. Even some Soya drinks contain milk! This is more often in drinks brought from Asian markets.



Chips/hash browns/ croquettes. Anything that has a coating is potentially none vegan. Yes even plain old chips!



Sweets. Most sweets contain gelatine, milk products, or egg products.



It sounds hard work, reading labels, but its really all you should be doing anyway.

To pick food blindly and not check what you are putting in your body is foolish for vegan and meat eater alike.



HIDDEN THINGS TO LOOK FOR



Whey /Whey powder (milk)

Milk/ Milk powder (Milk)

Lactic acid (Some is vegetable derived)

Lactose (Milk)

Casein (Milk)

Rennet (extract of calf stomach)

Albumen (from egg white or blood)

Aspic (Meat/fish jelly)

Carmine/ Carminic acid (red dye from bugs!)

Cholecalciferol (Vit D3 from fish or Lanolin)

Glycerine (Animal fat)

Isinglass (fresh fish air bladder)

Lanolin (sheep’s wool fat)

Lecithin (egg yolk fat)

Shellac (Insect secretion)

Stearin/ Stearin acid (Form animals fat)



CALM DOWN THOUGH!!!!



Notice how many of these hidden animal products are the kind that crop up in processed food?

Why else would you eat sheep wool fat?



If you are eating a good diet of fruit, veg, whole grains and protein foods like beans, peas and Soya, you will not even come across most of these things. Pick up some sweets a packet of crisps and a cheap pre-made sandwich and you have them by the truck load!



Learning to look at labels is a good lesson in food generally even if you don’t decide to go vegan.



Any questions or other vegan stuff you want covered please comment here or on the FB event page!