Monday, July 31, 2006
To all you vegan non-soy-eating coffee lovers out there...
I've read that coconut milk and coconut cream are delicious substitutes for milk or half and half in coffee. I will try it and keep you posted. ("Posted," haha - no pun intended!)
Compassionate, Healthy Eating
So, here's my new diet plan:
As of June 22, I don't eat sugar.
As of today, I am a vegan.
Wanna know why?
Check out The Sugar Blues by William Dufty. Also check out Vegan Vittles: Recipes Inspired by the Critters of Farm Sanctuary by Joanne Stepaniak, peta.com, peta2.com, and veganoutreach.org.
I am striving to eat mainly whole foods rather than processed ones.
Because I have an autoimmune thyroid disease, I am limiting my intake of goitrogens such as soy, textured vegetable protein, peanuts, millet, and cruciferous vegetables (yeah, this is going to be a little challenging on a vegan diet). Fortunately, soy and TVP will be okay in small amounts, cooking cruciferous vegetables reduces their goitrogenic effect, femented soy products like miso are fine, and I was never a big fan of peanuts or millet anyway. The addition of iodine (plentiful in iodized salt and sea vegetables) to a diet helps reduce the goitrogenic effects of these foods as well.
I am working towards total elimination of artificial sweeteners. (I am too weak to throw out perfectly good packs of gum!)
Because their effects on the body are similar to sugar, I am limiting my intake of refined carbohydrates like polished rice, pasta and white bread. And since I may have a sensitivity to wheat, I am going to try not to overconsume that either.
So "what's left to eat?" you ask. Well, vegetables, of course! And a variety of whole grains, legumes, and fruits.
Here's to a whole new way of relating to food and to animals (which are, for me, no longer the same things) and to my body. Here's to sitting down to meals with a clear conscience and a feeling of peace. Here's to no longer feeling the strange and painful contradiction between laboring with love for hours to save a wounded fledgling swallow while knowing that, if it were a chicken, I would eat it. Here's to learning how to prepare delicious, healthful, gourmet vegan meals!
P.S. To Kelsey, thank you for loving and not judging me even when I was eating meat right in front of you. I strive to follow your example.
As of June 22, I don't eat sugar.
As of today, I am a vegan.
Wanna know why?
Check out The Sugar Blues by William Dufty. Also check out Vegan Vittles: Recipes Inspired by the Critters of Farm Sanctuary by Joanne Stepaniak, peta.com, peta2.com, and veganoutreach.org.
I am striving to eat mainly whole foods rather than processed ones.
Because I have an autoimmune thyroid disease, I am limiting my intake of goitrogens such as soy, textured vegetable protein, peanuts, millet, and cruciferous vegetables (yeah, this is going to be a little challenging on a vegan diet). Fortunately, soy and TVP will be okay in small amounts, cooking cruciferous vegetables reduces their goitrogenic effect, femented soy products like miso are fine, and I was never a big fan of peanuts or millet anyway. The addition of iodine (plentiful in iodized salt and sea vegetables) to a diet helps reduce the goitrogenic effects of these foods as well.
I am working towards total elimination of artificial sweeteners. (I am too weak to throw out perfectly good packs of gum!)
Because their effects on the body are similar to sugar, I am limiting my intake of refined carbohydrates like polished rice, pasta and white bread. And since I may have a sensitivity to wheat, I am going to try not to overconsume that either.
So "what's left to eat?" you ask. Well, vegetables, of course! And a variety of whole grains, legumes, and fruits.
Here's to a whole new way of relating to food and to animals (which are, for me, no longer the same things) and to my body. Here's to sitting down to meals with a clear conscience and a feeling of peace. Here's to no longer feeling the strange and painful contradiction between laboring with love for hours to save a wounded fledgling swallow while knowing that, if it were a chicken, I would eat it. Here's to learning how to prepare delicious, healthful, gourmet vegan meals!
P.S. To Kelsey, thank you for loving and not judging me even when I was eating meat right in front of you. I strive to follow your example.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Trying to figure out what to rent?
Try one of these:
Smoke Signals
The Last Unicorn
The Girl in the Café
Walk the Line
Amélie
French Kiss
City of Angels
The Family Stone
Signs
Catch Me If You Can
The Pianist
The Count of Monte Cristo
Finding Neverland
Lord of the Rings
The Princess Bride
A Knight's Tale
The Royal Tenenbaums
Dead Man Walking
The Wedding Singer
Ever After
Houskeeping
School of Rock
Jesus (the version made in 1979)
Love Comes Softly
Love's Enduring Promise
Sense and Sensibility
Emma
Adventures in Babysitting
Benny and Joon
The Journey of Natty Gann
The Aviator
Miracle on 34th Street
Anne of Green Gables (the TV mini-series)
The Chronicles of Narnia
Cold Comfort Farm
The Full Monty
Kinky Boots
Dear Frankie
Strawberry & Chocolate
Duck Season
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Little Miss Sunshine
Smoke Signals
The Last Unicorn
The Girl in the Café
Walk the Line
Amélie
French Kiss
City of Angels
The Family Stone
Signs
Catch Me If You Can
The Pianist
The Count of Monte Cristo
Finding Neverland
Lord of the Rings
The Princess Bride
A Knight's Tale
The Royal Tenenbaums
Dead Man Walking
The Wedding Singer
Ever After
Houskeeping
School of Rock
Jesus (the version made in 1979)
Love Comes Softly
Love's Enduring Promise
Sense and Sensibility
Emma
Adventures in Babysitting
Benny and Joon
The Journey of Natty Gann
The Aviator
Miracle on 34th Street
Anne of Green Gables (the TV mini-series)
The Chronicles of Narnia
Cold Comfort Farm
The Full Monty
Kinky Boots
Dear Frankie
Strawberry & Chocolate
Duck Season
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Little Miss Sunshine
Wal-Mart
I don't believe in shopping at Wal-Mart. I opposed Wal-Mart's efforts to build a Supercenter in our area. Still, I shop at Wal-Mart. I'm a big, fat Wal-Mart hypocrite. The wonderful thing about being a Wal-Mart hypocrite, however, is that you never have to worry about running into others who are anti-Wal-Mart while shopping at Wal-Mart. And if you do, you know that they are Wal-Mart hypocrites, too!
Pet Peeve of the Day
When you're in a restaurant or cafeteria and the server or person making your sandwich asks, "white or wheat?" Although white bread may have the nutritional value of sawdust (minus the fiber), it still originates from wheat. Jeeez. A better question would be "whole-grain or refined flour?" - or perhaps simply, "white bread or brown?" Thanks for the sandwich, though.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Better Living through Chemistry
Remedy for depression, anxiety, and/or job stress:
Vent to a good friend or trusted family member
Take a brisk walk, preferably through an area with natural beauty; it's a bonus if it rains
Listen to songs from U2's Joshua Tree or Bonnie Raitt's Longing in Their Hearts or Jars of Clay's self-titled debut album or Sufjan Stevens's Seven Swans
Take a long, hot shower - lather up and sing, "I'm gonna wash that [man, job, coworker, customer, family member, day, or whatever] right outta my hair..."
Get dressed in something you feel good in
Eat a Boca vegan burger, potatoes, salad, and vegetables
Drink plenty of ice water, preferably from a pretty glass
Drink coffee
Drink a double gin-and-tonic
Have a fan blowing and scent the air with a soothing home fragrance
Take a nap or go to bed early and get a good night's sleep OR read something or watch a movie that will either make you laugh or make you cry
Alternatively, you could kick a rock really, really hard. Make sure it's small enough that you don't stub your toe. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Or you could "put de lime in de coconut, drink 'em both up..."
Vent to a good friend or trusted family member
Take a brisk walk, preferably through an area with natural beauty; it's a bonus if it rains
Listen to songs from U2's Joshua Tree or Bonnie Raitt's Longing in Their Hearts or Jars of Clay's self-titled debut album or Sufjan Stevens's Seven Swans
Take a long, hot shower - lather up and sing, "I'm gonna wash that [man, job, coworker, customer, family member, day, or whatever] right outta my hair..."
Get dressed in something you feel good in
Eat a Boca vegan burger, potatoes, salad, and vegetables
Drink plenty of ice water, preferably from a pretty glass
Drink coffee
Drink a double gin-and-tonic
Have a fan blowing and scent the air with a soothing home fragrance
Take a nap or go to bed early and get a good night's sleep OR read something or watch a movie that will either make you laugh or make you cry
Alternatively, you could kick a rock really, really hard. Make sure it's small enough that you don't stub your toe. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Or you could "put de lime in de coconut, drink 'em both up..."
P.S.
There's probably something seriously wrong with me for furiously licking the sugar granules from the bottom of the bag even though I've vowed to go sugar-free.
Sugar
There's something seriously wrong with the state of the food supply when a bag of potato chips has more sugar than salt. (Yes, little bag of potato chips, you are my chosen microcosm for the day.) What's next? Sugar-coated popcorn? Oh, wait. That's already been done.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Freedom from Fear
By Elisabeth Elliot
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
There is a sense in which every form of fear is essentially the fear of death. Jesus came to deliver us from that in all its forms. "He became a human being so that by going through death as a man he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might also set free those who lived their whole lives a prey to the fear of death" (Heb 2:14,15 JBP).
I know people whose lives are totally controlled by fear. There is no bondage more powerful and crippling. Fear takes over the mind, coercing and circumscribing all its activity. We know where that spirit of fear originates, and we know the name of the enemy who would hold us enslaved. In the name of our God we must tread down our enemies, including all the nagging "what ifs" of our lives. To those frightening possibilities Christ answers, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Let the very worst thing come to pass--even there, especially there, his hand will hold us. If we go into darkness, He is there, has been there before us, has conquered all its powers. That's why He became a man. That's why He died. That's why He rose again.
My Lord and my God--forgive my fears. Deliver me from bondage by the power of your resurrection.
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
There is a sense in which every form of fear is essentially the fear of death. Jesus came to deliver us from that in all its forms. "He became a human being so that by going through death as a man he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might also set free those who lived their whole lives a prey to the fear of death" (Heb 2:14,15 JBP).
I know people whose lives are totally controlled by fear. There is no bondage more powerful and crippling. Fear takes over the mind, coercing and circumscribing all its activity. We know where that spirit of fear originates, and we know the name of the enemy who would hold us enslaved. In the name of our God we must tread down our enemies, including all the nagging "what ifs" of our lives. To those frightening possibilities Christ answers, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Let the very worst thing come to pass--even there, especially there, his hand will hold us. If we go into darkness, He is there, has been there before us, has conquered all its powers. That's why He became a man. That's why He died. That's why He rose again.
My Lord and my God--forgive my fears. Deliver me from bondage by the power of your resurrection.
The Fear of Loss
By Elisabeth Elliot
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters we see with startling clarity the cleverness of the enemy in deceiving human beings.
Selfishness has a thousand forms, most of which we are slow to recognize for what they are. I was thinking about the fear of loss and what a stranglehold it can have on me. As I listed some of the things I dreaded to lose, it occurred to me that this fear is a deadly form of selfishness. Selfishness does terrible things to us, but it does not stop there. It does terrible things to others. "Saving our own skin" usually results in skinning somebody else. Think, for example, of the fear of losing: reputation, opportunity for advancement, credit, recognition, position, beauty, youth, health, money, the love of friends or children, compliments, popularity, security, privacy, rights, people you love, job, home, dreams, power.
As I considered each of these separately, I began to think what sort of sin each kind of loss tempts me to commit. Then I thought about what kind of faith is required to enable me to commit those fears to God. Has He, in fact, made provision for these things? The list is not a list of sins--make no mistake about that. It is a list of blessings, of gifts from God. But to grasp them selfishly and greedily, to hang onto them fiercely and allow myself to be enslaved by the fear of losing them, is to deny Christ. Do not fear, He says to us. I am with you.
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters we see with startling clarity the cleverness of the enemy in deceiving human beings.
Selfishness has a thousand forms, most of which we are slow to recognize for what they are. I was thinking about the fear of loss and what a stranglehold it can have on me. As I listed some of the things I dreaded to lose, it occurred to me that this fear is a deadly form of selfishness. Selfishness does terrible things to us, but it does not stop there. It does terrible things to others. "Saving our own skin" usually results in skinning somebody else. Think, for example, of the fear of losing: reputation, opportunity for advancement, credit, recognition, position, beauty, youth, health, money, the love of friends or children, compliments, popularity, security, privacy, rights, people you love, job, home, dreams, power.
As I considered each of these separately, I began to think what sort of sin each kind of loss tempts me to commit. Then I thought about what kind of faith is required to enable me to commit those fears to God. Has He, in fact, made provision for these things? The list is not a list of sins--make no mistake about that. It is a list of blessings, of gifts from God. But to grasp them selfishly and greedily, to hang onto them fiercely and allow myself to be enslaved by the fear of losing them, is to deny Christ. Do not fear, He says to us. I am with you.
An Encircled Shield
By Elisabeth Elliot
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
We wake in the early dark and find ourselves the targets of many fiery darts of fear. We may think we are on guard, and suddenly a dart comes at us from an unexpected angle. We can't cover all the possibilities. We dodge and duck, but some of the fears get to us--unless we take refuge in the Lord. The psalmist calls Him "my encircling shield, my glory." No need to stare into the darkness, allowing our imaginations to torment us with the "what ifs"--"Now I can lie down and go to sleep and then awake, for the Lord has hold of me" (Ps 3:3,5 JB).
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
We wake in the early dark and find ourselves the targets of many fiery darts of fear. We may think we are on guard, and suddenly a dart comes at us from an unexpected angle. We can't cover all the possibilities. We dodge and duck, but some of the fears get to us--unless we take refuge in the Lord. The psalmist calls Him "my encircling shield, my glory." No need to stare into the darkness, allowing our imaginations to torment us with the "what ifs"--"Now I can lie down and go to sleep and then awake, for the Lord has hold of me" (Ps 3:3,5 JB).
Fear God and Fear Nothing Else
By Elisabeth Elliot
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
The world is shaking with fear. "What will become of us? Where will it all end? What if Russia...? What if cancer...? What if expression...?" The love of God has wrapped us round from before the foundations of the world. If we fear Him--that is, if we are brought to our knees before Him, reverence and worship Him in absolute assurance of his sovereignty, we cannot possibly be afraid of anything else. To love God is to destroy all other fear. To love the world is to be afraid of everything--what it may think of me, what it may do to me, what may happen today or tomorrow for which I am not prepared.
"The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps 27:1 RSV).
And yet, Lord, the truth is that I am often afraid. I confess it. All the weight of your promises seems sometimes to be only a feather, and the weight of my fears is lead. Reverse that, Lord, I pray. Give me the healthy fear that will make light of all the others--"The fear of the Lord is life; he who is full of it will rest untouched by evil" (Prv 19:23 NEB).
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
The world is shaking with fear. "What will become of us? Where will it all end? What if Russia...? What if cancer...? What if expression...?" The love of God has wrapped us round from before the foundations of the world. If we fear Him--that is, if we are brought to our knees before Him, reverence and worship Him in absolute assurance of his sovereignty, we cannot possibly be afraid of anything else. To love God is to destroy all other fear. To love the world is to be afraid of everything--what it may think of me, what it may do to me, what may happen today or tomorrow for which I am not prepared.
"The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps 27:1 RSV).
And yet, Lord, the truth is that I am often afraid. I confess it. All the weight of your promises seems sometimes to be only a feather, and the weight of my fears is lead. Reverse that, Lord, I pray. Give me the healthy fear that will make light of all the others--"The fear of the Lord is life; he who is full of it will rest untouched by evil" (Prv 19:23 NEB).
I Will Not Be Afraid
By Elisabeth Elliot
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
News reports come every day concerning economic and political calamities about to befall us all, not to mention famines, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes, things which may at any moment strike us or people we love. There are always plenty of good reasons to be afraid--unless you know that things are under control. A Christian has this "inside information." Things are, in fact, under control. God is our Refuge, our Strength, our Mighty Fortress. Nothing will get by the moat of his protection without his permission. To be afraid of what happens today or what may happen tomorrow is not only an awful waste of energy, it is not only useless, it is disobedient. We are forbidden to fear anything but the Lord Himself.
When Christians in China were being hounded to death in the 1930s, one of them (I am told) wrote this simple song, which has helped me in countless times of fear ever since I learned it as a high school girl:
I will not be afraid.
I will not be afraid.
I will look upward, and travel onward,
And not be afraid.
Will power, of course, will not always overcome human emotions. But willed obedience to the One who is in charge, coupled with prayer for his help in vanquishing our natural fears, is something else.
Taken from A Lamp for My Feet
News reports come every day concerning economic and political calamities about to befall us all, not to mention famines, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes, things which may at any moment strike us or people we love. There are always plenty of good reasons to be afraid--unless you know that things are under control. A Christian has this "inside information." Things are, in fact, under control. God is our Refuge, our Strength, our Mighty Fortress. Nothing will get by the moat of his protection without his permission. To be afraid of what happens today or what may happen tomorrow is not only an awful waste of energy, it is not only useless, it is disobedient. We are forbidden to fear anything but the Lord Himself.
When Christians in China were being hounded to death in the 1930s, one of them (I am told) wrote this simple song, which has helped me in countless times of fear ever since I learned it as a high school girl:
I will not be afraid.
I will not be afraid.
I will look upward, and travel onward,
And not be afraid.
Will power, of course, will not always overcome human emotions. But willed obedience to the One who is in charge, coupled with prayer for his help in vanquishing our natural fears, is something else.
Inspiration from a Paper Cup
Starbucks "The Way I See It #135"
Wrangling fear is the biggest challenge the world faces now and the challenge we all face, now and again, at our crossroads, in the dark moments, at those times we are asked to compromise, at those times when we know deep down that we must revolutionize our own lives.
-- Holly Morris
Author of Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine
Wrangling fear is the biggest challenge the world faces now and the challenge we all face, now and again, at our crossroads, in the dark moments, at those times we are asked to compromise, at those times when we know deep down that we must revolutionize our own lives.
-- Holly Morris
Author of Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine
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