Soyagera journey into healthier living

We ordered some sunchokes from our CSA this week. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, so I simply roasted them as per a few recipes I found online. I roughly peeled them, chopped them, tossed them with some olive oil, placed them on my pre-heated pizza stone, and roasted for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees. They were awesome! Raw sunchokes are very similar in appearance and texture to ginger root. However, the skin of sunchokes is completely edible. Hubs thought they tasted like french fries and stopped mid-bite saying, “Mmmmmm! I think I need some ketchup with these!” I thought they were a bit like a parsnip in taste. Either way, they were (are) delicious and chock-full of minerals! Yum!

A veg friend and I were giggling over the guilt we feel about certain items in our life that do not fall in line with our worldview. She feels guilty about not cloth-diapering her kid; I was embarrassed to step into my (albeit small) gas-hog SUV. So, since my last post was about perfectionism, I’ll debunk all that.

Non-eco friendly/non-animal friendly/non-health-friendly/non-my-agenda-friendly items Hubs and I still use:

-Our 2006 Jeep Liberty: 2 years left to pay; lost its value; it’s not going anywhere soon
- Razors; sometimes disposable ones!
- Swiffer Wet Jet: I’d like to think I’m going to get on my hands and knees every week and clean the kitchen floor. Like I said, “like to think…”
- Ibuprofen: in the land of chemical pain-relievers, this one is probably the “least harmful”
- Regular ol’ batteries: not the rechargeable ones
- Plastic wrap, plastic baggies, plastic cutlery: I try to remember to bring my own fork & knife to work, but usually just use the plastic stuff provided there…
– Pizza & Mexican food: about once every 5-6 weeks, we make concessions and just eat some damn cheese
– Traditional household paint: probably one of the most toxic things to bring into the home, but I can’t afford $30/can for the non-toxic stuff. Opening windows is free…
– Leather shoes/jackets/gloves: I haven’t bought any new ones but I’m certainly not throwing out the old ones.
– Paper towels & napkins: might switch to cloth napkins, but recycled paper towels is what works for us
–Trashbags: there are bio-degradable trashbags, recycled trashbags…nothing breaks down in a landfill anyway but I suppose we could use something that isn’t made of petroleum. One day, when we have a yard, we will compost and have minimal trash production.
–Tampons: my husband experiences enough of my bodily functions without throwing wearable cups and reusable pads into the mix.

I’ll add to the list as I think of more. This has actually been a good exercise for seeing what changes we have already made!

I’m a perfectionist.  So, if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it RIGHT. Take my lifestyle, for instance. I made the decision to be more eco/world/health-concious, and so, that influences every choice I make.  So, to use house-cleaning as an example, when I realized the harmful effects of chemical detergents and cleansers not only on the air quality of my home, but on the environment as a whole, I stopped buying those things. I found other truly natural options (like Dr. Bronner’s; vinegar; baking soda). Therefore, it’s very hard for me to accept small changes. I want change NOW! I want the Barack-Obama-campaign-poster-sized CHANGE in everyone! Yes, this is impossible (is it?) but I still can’t let it go.

An employee of the small, organic market where we shop said to me last week, “What if everyone just made one change–like even changing from whatever cleanser they are using to that new Clorox stuff  that is more eco-friendly? Just imagine how much of an impact THAT could have.” And she is totally right. I just have a hard time finding peace.

If someone says, “I just stopped using traditional makeup. Now I use minerals!” I want to know if they have switched all of their other cosmetics to natural/organic products. I want to know if they buy their minerals from an independent company versus a big box store.

I was on an “eco-friendly family” forum, where the main topic is cloth diapering. (I admit, that is what drew me to the forum in the first place even though there are no thoughts of children at the moment.) Women discuss the process of cloth diapering, the spraying, the soaking, the washing, the bleaching, the ammonia… I wanted to scream, “What about the water you’re using?!? What about bleach you’re inhaling?!?”  And by the way, there really is no answer as to which is the “better” method in the disposable vs. cloth debate. (And if you’re really bored, find one of these forums and post a message entitled, “Your method sucks because…” then wait for the mob to attack.)

If someone says, “we recycle,” I’m happy, but want to know if they continue to buy products packed in unnecessary plastic…

What is my deal? I’ve set the bar too high, perhaps even for myself. I didn’t create this petroleum-based world but I somehow feel like I can fix it. Perhaps that is the heart of the matter. Small changes are unacceptable to me because there is so much to do. I want everyone to make it her priority. My agenda is huge, my hopes high.  And so, I am constantly searching for peace with this idea…

This post speaks for itself!

‘Veggie Love’: PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad

Hubs and I went bike riding on the first warm day of spring. Leaving our house at 11:30 with no food in tow, we knew we’d need some lunch by the time we got to our state park destination. We stopped at a local organic market to get some goodies. Now, we hadn’t been to this market in awhile, and their shelves were fully stocked with new items; we went a little crazy. What was supposed to be a quick stop for a bite on-the-go turned into:

-1 package of flatbread (4)
-1 package of Field Roast deli slices (yum!)
-2 avocados
-1 bag of Mary’s Gone Crackers! Twigs and Sticks
- 1 block of raw cheese (for Hubs–he can’t quit cheese)
- 2 bottles of Kombucha (so addicting!)

The total was around $30.00. Ouch!

I’m not complaining, because Hubs and I have made a deal that we will never feel bad about doing good things for our bodies, but we could have easily bought a loaf of white bread, a package of bologna, 2 avocados, 1 bag of pretzels, a package of cheese slices, and two bottles of soda for oh, I’d estimate, $12.00. 

Another example: a few weeks ago, Hubs and I were doing a “cleanse.” We fasted on a Friday night and then all day Saturday. We drank a fiber&scillium-rich drink mixture and juice. Hubs went to the store to buy two bottles of juice for our “meals.” As he waited in the check-out lane, the woman in front of him bought a Banquet frozen dinner, two frozen pizzas, and a two-liter of soda. Her total: $6.49. Hubs bought one bottle of organic apple juice and a bottle of organic grape. His total: $8.99!

We’re pretty good at figuring out how to make cheap and healthy, quick meals. However, a cheap AND healthy meal is ALWAYS more expensive than a cheap, NON-healthy meal.  Add in the fact that most people don’t know how to cook anymore, and there you have it, the disappearance of a healthy diet.

I’m hoping that as organic food becomes mainstreamed the prices on it will continue to drop. Until then, we’ll have to cut out those $30 unplanned lunches…

Try to ignore the fact that the fireman is nervous, but calm, and the factory-brand morning-show host is, ironically, rushing him through the segment (as they always do). THIS IS THE REAL DEAL. The fireman, Rip Esselstyn, and his fire company buddies got healthy by averting themselves from the Standard American Diet (or, SAD–coincidence?). So, I’m a little miffed that it takes a bunch of “manly” firefighters to have mainstream media take note of the concept of –gasp!– not eating meat nor dairy. But, if it gets the word out there, so be it. But don’t buy the book; spend your money on research from people who have been doing this longer and aren’t necessarily trying to make a buck. Unless you’re a manly-man who needs a fireman book to help you feel more secure in your manlihood when not eating meat…