The Most Restrictive Vegans in the World – My Children

By all measures I am a lazy parent.  I have no idea how to set up and maintain a schedule and I honestly wouldn’t even want one.  Who in their right mind wants to be forced into a frenzy to get home in time for the kids’ noon nap? Children are always developing and forcing a ridged nap time on them is not something I ever was interested in doing.  That is not to say that my children don’t or never napped.

My oldest son would nap twice a day until he was a year old, then slowly he started once a day until a year and a half when he no longer napped. My middle child never slept at all.  This is not an exaggeration, he literally would stay up all day and night unless my husband held him and even then he barely slept.  By 1.5 he was diagnosed with epilepsy and his AEDs finally afforded him rest – they slowed his brain down enough to sleep I guess. He naps at school everyday at 2 pm for an hour or so.

My youngest daughter does nap about once a day somewhere between 11am- 1pm depending on when she woke up and how much excitement she is experiencing.  And that, dear readers, is the point to me.  If you provide your children with enough stimulation they will need to nap and will go to bed at a reasonable time, their minds and bodies need time to process all of the information they have taken in.

Now enter meal times.  We are a grazing family.  I keep cut up fruit in class containers, bananas and oranges on the counter and other healthy foods at hand. We don’t have soda in the house and have limited 100% juices.  I have a cheap wooden mug rack on the counter so even my 4 year old can grab himself a cup when he wants a sip of water. During the school year my husband and I attempt to prepare breakfasts – whole grain pancakes with agave, whole grain cereal – but sometimes the boys just aren’t hungry after waking.  Their school, Joliet Montessori, does allow them to snack when needed which is a policy I greatly appreciate.  I want my children to develop a healthy relationship with eating and learn to listen to their bodies for hunger and satiation cues.

I came from a family of big eaters like many of my friends from Jewish (and what I hear Italian) families.  Food is equated directly to love, comfort and caring.  The bigger the meal, the more you care.  The more you nag about eating, the more you care. You get the picture.  Needless to say I was an overweight child and teen, I did deal with eating disorders and body image issues.  My goal as a parent has been to avoid that for my children so I rarely press them to eat and I never make them “clean their plates”.

My younger son still breastfeeds, if he could he would eat this way exclusively I believe, and although I am getting a little worn down by it I truly believe that nothing comes even close to breast milk for optimum nutrition. Breast milk contains stem cells and if there is even a fraction of a chance that this golden liquid can help repair any damage seizures have caused or keep him functioning optimally then so be it, we breastfeed. I do however want to make sure that all of my children eat a diverse range of food.

In the past I have recounted how my older son went on pancake benders – times when all he would eat where pancakes.  We added vitamin and protein powders to them, and still do to this day. My younger son takes his cues from his older brother, and my daughter – she just eats anything.  This makes my goal getting the oldest to eat. He has become what we refer to as “the most restrictive vegan” in the world.  He will only eat pasta plain, with a little salt. If he eats tofu – it has to be cold with a little bit of salt.  Rice – has to be white with a little salt. He does eat wheat pasta and wheat bread but will only eat soynut butter (my husband has a peanut allergy and as a youngster my son convinced himself he had the same allergy refusing to eat other nut butters). What he does enjoy is cooking and when in a good mood (he’s a tween and a little angsty) will help me with new creations which I find he is more receptive to eating.  His favorite creations are recipes from Gino D’campo that we convert to vegan friendly.

This afternoon we all woke up very late, since school is on break our “schedule” is even looser. I decided to make brunch.

Green Brunch Noodles

• avocado oil
• wheat soba noodles
• 1 package firm tofu – lightly mashed
• 1 large Zucchini diced
• 1 large yellow pepper diced
• medium bunch cilantro chopped
• 1 lb bag spinach
• Arizona dreaming spice mix from Penzey’s

I sautéed the tofu, added the veggies and sprinkled with seasoning, once the veggies started cooking and there was some juice I added the noodles. I purchase the Annie Chung pouch noodles which are precooked and only need a few minutes to loosen up.

I also served a large mixed greens, broccoli sprout, orange pepper, radish and carrot salad and a bowl of chopped cantaloupe and pineapple.

Needless to say the older son refused to eat almost anything and claimed to feel ill after finding out the “Carrot” he thought he was eating was actually an orange pepper. That translated into the younger son refusing to eat – all of this while my daughter sat happily on my lap, sucking up soba noodles from my plate.  Children are definitely a trip. I hope we fare better at dinner tonight.

Forget the Sheep and Get Some Vegan Shepard’s Pie

I haven’t made this in a while because they have discontinued carrying Barbara’s Kitchen Instant Mashed Potatoes at Whole Foods, so now I will have to take the extra time to make the mashed potato topping by hand. Not as daunting as a task for me since I started using my electric beaters to whip the potatoes smooth.

With only 230 calories per cup of cooked lentils, they are little power houses, loaded with B vitamins, protein, fiber and iron with little fat.  Add in some other iron and vitamin rich vegetables and you have some nutritious comfort food for the eating. Go with a skin on mashed potato topping and add phytonutrients in addition to  vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and fiber to your meal.

Here’s what I like to use:

• Lentils
• onions
• carrots
• spinach
• potatoes
• olive oil
• salt, pepper
• garlic
• thyme, sage, rosemary
• vegan omega spread.

But you can add whatever you like – every once and a while I change it up and try new veggies – broccoli didn’t work so well, its too tough.

It’s pretty simple to make, you can use 2 cans of canned lentils if you like, otherwise, use 2 cups of dry lentils.  For every 1 cup of dry lentils use 2 cups of water, bring to boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender.  I like to substitute vegetarian broth for the water, that way there is a richer taste.

If you are using real potatoes now is a good time to get them boiling, I like skins on for the additional nutrients, wash/scrub and cut them in chunks.  Boil about 20 minutes or until soft. Then drain and mash, I throw in some vegan spread, sometimes a little bit of Silk soy milk to make them creamy, and salt / pepper to taste. I have begun to just use the electric hand mixer to whip them into a soft potato goodness!

Next, I sauté onions (1 cup because I love onions- I use the sweet onions), carrots (about 1 cup chopped), garlic (at least 4 cloves because I love garlic too and it is heart healthy), herbs (about 1 tsp of each), a little salt and pepper to taste in a minimum of olive oil, just enough to cover the pan and onions.  I sauté until the onions are translucent and then add about a bag of spinach (since it wilts down quite a bit and I like to get the extra iron).  At this point you can also add in other veggies you may want to experiment with (such as tomatoes, mushrooms, peas – anything that is soft)- and cook only an additional 5 minutes.  When the lentils are fluffy I add them to the sauté mixture and mix in, cooking another 5 minutes.

At this point you poor the mixture into a glass / metal baking pan,  then spread the mashed potatoes on top.  You can store this for baking in the fridge if need be, or pop it right into the oven, 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes should give you a nice golden brown crust on top though baking times vary.

There are some great vegan gravies on the market if you want to top your Shepard’s Pie off, I like mine plain personally. If you are not sure about where to get gravy or don’t have a place to go to get it, try Pangea online for all of your vegan shopping.

This recipe is my own, please cite my blog Family Can B Fit, I receive no compensation from the website mentioned I simply shop there for hard to find ingredients.

Green Smoothie Bible; Be the Incredible Hunk!

What’s Big, Green and Full of Power? No, not the comic book character – it’s the new craze of those craving the next big food movement – Green Smoothies. I was contacted to review a new book on the market, all opinions are my own and I received no compensation.

Introducing “The Green Smoothie Bible,” featuring 250 of the fastest and easiest recipes that will give your body the daily dose of fruits and vegetables it needs.
Delivering a bigger punch than simple fruit or vegetable juices, green smoothies add body-cleansing plant fibers and offer incredible benefits – improved skin and hair tone, more daily energy and a stronger immune system. You can choose whether to eat what’s in season or address particular health issues (bones and joints, cardiovascular health, cellular health, blood sugar and hormones).

Most of the recipes given are raw and vegan – two things that I enjoy!

The book itself is available via major online retailer for under $11 http://www.amazon.com/dp/156975974x/

The Green Smoothie Bible isn’t just a recipe book, it is full of information regarding ingredients (such as Chia seeds, another hot food staple for this year), nutrition, and specific recipes for alleviating conditions.

Most of the recipes are simple, quick and use easy to find ingredients.  There are some interesting blends given, including using kitchen herbs you never would have imagined drinking.

If you are like me, a veggie loving vegan the recipes are great.  If you are like my husband who cringes at the sight of anything green and leafy – even the 40/60 won’t make this a palatable pleasure, though he could choke one down. Start the kiddos early, let them help you press the blender button and they are on board with anything, especially recipes with bananas as they provide a sweeter flavor. If nothing else the book really does provide interesting facts, like B6 can be found in bananas and bell peppers.