Freedom to Read

Well, it's Freedom to Read week in Canada and I know all my favourite Canadians are reading banned and challenged books this week.

Every year I am shocked about the books that are on the list. If you find a book offensive then don't read it. Period. No one is interfering with your right as a Canadian to be offended. :-)

For example- On the Banks of Plum Creek. The author does, in fact, use the word "Indian." She doesn't do it to be offensive. She uses it because it what the North American Indigenous people were called at that time. What a good way to show contrast between what people used to believe and what we believe today. How educational.

Okay, I won't say anymore because you want to get back to your banned book, I'm sure. Either that or you are just on your way to the library! Go! What are you waiting for? Go read!

Today is better... :-)

Just in case you didn't believe me that *Cheese is a Drug*

I talked to Jam Tart yesterday. She is coming for a visit today and wanted to know what she should bring. I told her red rice, black rice, sticky rice. Why can't I get sticky rice here? All the Asian people here must have a secret sticky rice connection.

I told her I was detoxing from dairy and she said, "that isn't going to happen to ME is it?" =8-o Uhhh... Well... What was I supposed to say? No? You'll be fine. In real life we don't call her Jam Tart or Jam-Jam. We call her Cheese-head. Usually we lay in a supply before she arrives.

She borrowed a detox book from her friend and is familiar with the idea of detox. And we have tea. Tea fixes everything. :-)

Okay, I still only half believe that a person has to detox from the Standard American Diet. We've always eaten pretty well. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean organic meat. I followed the food guide and believed the food guide was just that - a guide to food.

I looked at the food guide yesterday because I feared that perhaps I strayed from the path of the holy pyramid . I've heard vegans talking about how the food pyramid is upside down, but I didn't GET it until I started eating a lot more raw food. I am not eating 3 *cups* of whole grains per day. I don't think I eat three cups of whole grains in a week anymore. Well... unless popcorn counts. Sometimes Sunshine and I do popcorn and I eat a few cups at a time. :-P

Anyway- what would WE have to detox from? We were eating 'well'... But I have to ask! If we were eating so well then why were we sick? Wheat is ubiquitous. It is in everything. It is pretty easy to eat healthily because there are few products that we can just pick up off the shelf and eat.

Gluten is hidden in gum, makeup, shampoo, canned food, processed food, tea, anything with 'natural flavours' or 'starch', MSG, maltodextrin (unless specified that it is corn) and the list goes on like that.

It all started when I decided that I wasn't going to take junk and let them tell me it was great anymore. Why do North Americans put up with it? =8-o Honestly?! What is the matter with us? We're probably too whacked out on cheese to put up a fight...

You know what, people?

I am having a major dairy detox. I never really thought I was going to detox from dairy. I was just going to stop eating cheese (my only remaining dairy) and everything would be fine. I had even 'stepped down' to soy cheese. The soy cheese was full of casein, though, so it wasn't really all that soy-ish, was it? :-)

You saw me all blissed out on goat's cheese last time. Of course it was great! I got my drug of choice. When I woke up in the morning, though, things were a little more clear.

When I went off gluten it was a full two weeks of heavy cravings and a month before I started really enjoying it. Now the thought of bread kind of sickens me.

Apparently there is a real *detox* with dairy. One blogger claimed that it was harder for him to quit dairy than cigarettes. I didn't realize that I was craving something, but on my last shopping trip I bought rye ginger cake, malt vinegar and chevre cheese. I can't eat any of those things and I know it! What the HECK!

I haven't had a sinus cold or sinus infection - or really ANY illness - since I quit eating gluten. This is rare for me because I have always had a sinus cold. In the winter the sinus cold often becomes chronic bronchitis and I have to work hard to keep it from becoming pneumonia.

So- just be warned... if you plan on changing your diet there can be a genuine detox. I'm doing the same things that I would do for a sinus cold. I'm forcing hot fluids, adding lemon juice and chopped ginger to my tea and taking vitamins- particularly B and C. I am also taking very hot epsom salt baths.

Epsom salt is magnesium and I've found it helpful for several years. There is the real possibility that I wasn't sick, but trying to process gluten and casein instead. Anyway- I've known for a long time that I will get better after I sweat. After the forced fluids and magnesium bath I will just sweat if I need to.

***Don't try epsom salt baths if you have blood pressure or heart issues***

This morning I got up and I wasn't sure I felt well at ALL, but I got some fluids and blew my nose... several times... and I'm probably OK. :-) I wish someone had TOLD me that this could happen, though, so I'm telling you.

Even though its gross... I do feel better. I can't explain it because I feel SICK, but better.

I'm sick. Siiiiiick... and WHINY....

Last night I got brave and tried chevre cheese. I still feel fine! :-) I found out a week ago that the feta I was buying was NOT made from goat's milk. In fact it has a tiny COW on it! What the HECK?!

That cheese was sharp and delicious! The raw food people can say whatever they want, but when *I* don't feel well I want comfort food. And you know what - a guacamole mixed with raw chocolate is NOT chocolate pudding! It's not! =8-0

I have some raw cookies in the fridge so I'll probably start with them instead of going crazy and making nachos or something... :-)

Of course you want the link so you can make your own raw cookies, today! You probably made peanut butter balls for your kids when they were small, right? These cookies are like that. They are very filling and nutritious. They aren't highly portable for packed lunches, etc. but we do like them for snacks. Just keep in mind that it is a very high calorie snack and to be approached cautiously... :-)

I don't dehydrate mine. I just make the dough stiff and refrigerate to facilitate making balls. I use a half cup measuring cup then roll them in whatever so they aren't sticky. I used ground nuts for the kids and homemade stone ground corn meal for me.

Today is poutine...

It just seemed like a good day for it. I went to the grocery store yesterday and got a lot of vegetables. I convert any root vegetable into fries.

Sunshine and I have vegan cheese that melts - a true miracle. Most soy cheese have casein as the first ingredient. What is the point in eating soy cheese if it is still dairy, right? :-) The other guys have cheese curds so we are all happy.

Sunshine and I are going to have mushroom gravy and we'll make gravy from the drippings of the roast beast that they had the other night.

Poutine is one of the things that we miss and it is the trifecta of gluten intolerance. 1.The fries should have that crispy coating on them to hold on to more gravy. 2. The cheese curd. 3. The gravy should be made from a packaged mix. Of course you could make your own, but it wouldn't be the same...

We are going to eat it with battered deep fried f...sh. Anything that seems like an animal product but has missing letters is plain, extra firm tofu disguised as something you'd want to eat. The kids always get excited when they see chicken in the stirfry. It's not chicken- it's chick'n. ;-)

I can hardly wait for lunch I'm so excited about it! :-)

You'll never believe what happened to me!

I had Saturday night off! And it was GOOD! =8-)

I lost my mind. It might be menopause. :-)

I woke up Sunday morning and I hated all my towels. I hated them! Why do I have burgundy towels? WHEN did I *buy* burgundy towels? Was it when I moved into my last house almost ten years ago. The kids didn't know, but they assured me that they don't remember a time when we didn't have burgundy towels... Yeah....

So I went out with the intention of buying towels. I bought a set of bath maths instead. A chocolate brown bath mat is a promissory note for chocolate brown towels. Also on my list is new bedding. I *do* remember the last time I bought new bedding and it's been a while.

Yesterday, I went out on Family Day (or Sham-ly Day as my supervisor calls it) and bought new dishes. I did! I know people are going to be shocked and I don't care. The plates are small and the bowls are very deep. It is just what I want. Dh and Brown Bear lobbied hard for large plates in a different colour, but I remained firm.

Actually, when dh showed me a lovely set of white dishes I told him, "I don't want to wait until you are DEAD to get what I want. I *will*, but I don't want to." That made him think that I should have whatever colour of green dishes that I want. :-)

The plates are 8 inches and the edges look like the petals of a flower. They are Debbie Travis (if anyone is in Canadian Tire and wants to see them) and the colour of the inside of an avocado. Very pretty!

I want a smaller plate partly for portion control and partly because they take up less room and partly because I'm insane. Did I mention the insanity already?

By the time I'm done ... everything in this house will be CLEAN... and MATCHING. :-)

One more night until my night off...

It's been warm and sunny so things are getting slushy. It is more of a workout to walk in slush at -10C than on packed snow at -30 C. The warm weather does give me hope that the eternal winter will end.

The walking every day hasn't been too bad, but it does get tiring on my long week. I'm looking forward to my night off.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and Monday is family day. We don't have any big plans- just hang around and watch the Olympics. And make some popcorn... :-)

When the Olympics come to California...

Arnold will probably be a very good choice for torch bearer. At the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, however, it was a tacky move. WHAT was he doing there? He's not a proud Canadian. He's not a great Canadian. He is not a loyal Canadian. He is not CANADIAN. We have Canadians, here. In fact Canadians are made here.

While it is true that he was an athlete he is also known to have used performance enhancing drugs. Vanoc proved that B.C. has athletes and former Olympians in abundance. Surely they could have dug up one more. Just one.

Vancouver 2010 is the 'Green Olympics' and the Governor is, apparently, an eco-warrior. Good grief. You are in B.C.! You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a scientist or activist. Maybe David Suzuki was originally booked, but was cut when he gave them a 'bronze.'

Badly done, Vanoc! I am *most* displeased with you! }:-@

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So now the sad news. :-( Wasn't it SAD when the Georginan luger died this afternoon? I feel really badly for his family. There is just no sympathy large enough for people who lose a 21 year old family member.

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I've been watching bits and pieces of the torch relay for a couple of days and recognized a couple of the people. I assumed they were just working two days in a row (poor guys!) but NO! There are members of that security detail that have been with the torch for 106 days. In an interview on CTV one guy said they ran 4 out of 5 days and each day was 20 to 50 kms in two legs. He said he is 'probably in reasonable shape.' Yeah... *probably*! I think I'm a hero for walking 2 kms to work and 2 kms home- most days.

Now don't forget that when the torch went through MY city it was -30 C. The torch passed within an hour of 90% of Canadians and so did the torch's security! Say what you like, but I think that is awfully impressive. What a massive undertaking and logistical nightmare.

Like the Arrogant Worms say, "Canada's really big"

A day for soup

It's been a little warmer outside lately so it is colder inside. I know that doesn't seem right, but that is the way that it is. Brown Bear requested bread for supper and I had a pail of peels in the fridge so it seemed like a good match.

I'm trying a new gluten free bread recipe. Sunshine had to take supper when she left for work and she declared it was good. The land sharks have been circling for a couple hours so they will probably like it, too!

Sometimes it is nice when they are easy to please. :-)

Good morning, blog fans! :-)

I know everyone is waiting with bated breath! Did she keep the microwave?? I did. You should have heard the uproar! Good grief! I did reclaim that section of kitchen real estate, though, and I'm very happy about it.

Now the only thing on the counter is my vegetable bin. It's kind of like a fruit bowl, but it is a vegetable bowl instead. It is very handy for making raw vegetables every day at lunch. It occurred to me lately that they aren't refrigerated in the store so why am *I* refrigerating them?

The other thing is that room temperature veggies taste nicer than cold veggies. I've been eating a raw lunch (Usually vegetables and tahini or Cheez) so I've kind of settled into it. It is a LOT faster and easier. The kids are old enough to do their own thing. Yesterday they made brown rice pasta with tomato sauce. I put some of the sauce on Dh's veggies and they added the extra veggies to their sauce. This is a typical sort of meal around here, but it is usually me accommodating everyone's tastes and allergies. I find it very wearing.

Today I'm trying out raw hummus. Basically it is the same as any other hummus- the beans just aren't cooked. I'm hoping the flavours will blend a little because right now it tastes a lot like raw chickpeas and I don't think I'm quite THERE in my raw food journey. ;-)

Okay, I admit I'm still in a little bit of cheese and yogurt withdrawal, but I feel a LOT better without it so it balances out.

I know there are questions, though, so let me answer them.

Is it more expensive to eat so many fruits and vegetables? It's really not. The food money just goes to cases of healthy food instead of things out of a box. A box of battered fish is $7.

Are you getting enough calories? I AM! My usual breakfast is 2 pieces of fruit (about 150 calories) and a quarter cup of nuts (about 200 calories). It's probably about the same number of calories that you had for breakfast this morning. Don't forget I have 2-3 snacks a day and if I want seconds or dessert I eat them. Last night we had gluten free chocolate chip cookies for dessert, but we often have a personal apple crisp.

Since we are off the oatmeal I blend whatever nuts, raisins and seeds that we want and we have a quarter cup of the mix on a chopped up apple. Each person makes there own and does cinnamon, butter and brown sugar to taste. If you make it with brown sugar and butter it gets a little caramelized and crispy. We usually put a a tablespoon of frozen non-dairy whipped topping on for 'ice cream' too.

Snowed in

I used to get snowed in on a regular basis and I really miss it. Of course the house was always well stocked with food so that was never a problem.

It was a change of routine - we could cancel school and do our own thing. It was a good excuse to bake something nice and not catch up on the cleaning. No one is going to drop in because they are all snowed in, too. :-)

Here in the city, though, there are no snow days! The buses always run and I always go to work.

So- since I have no snow days I must be using the opportunity to catch up on my cleaning, right? Yeah, mostly. I'm doing the kitchen today. I don't know how my kitchen gets SO messy, but it does. I mean- the dog does what he can on the lower cupboards, but he is not that tall AND you probably can't call it 'cleaning' if the dog licks the spill off a cupboard door.

And I've been wondering today if I really NEED a microwave. I have very little counter space and do I really *need* it? I had the mental war- of course I need it. I've always had a microwave since I was 7 years old. We were the first people in our small town to get a microwave. Everyone in town came for coffee that month so they could SEE it and watch something get heated. When the kids came unattended my brother and I would explode eggs for them.

So having a machine that heats coffee AND explodes eggs is pretty good, but is it necessary? I don't know, but I'm going to remove it and see what kind of backlash I get. Stay tuned... :-)

It's the WEEKEND! =8-D

This weekend I'm cleaning the house and trying to get a few things done. Jam- Jam- the - cheese-eater will be here in less than two weeks and I don't want her to know that we live like pigs... :-)

On the weekends everyone usually fends for themselves. I graciously offered to grate vegetables for everyone, though, and found my offer was met with a surprising amount of resistance. Brown Bear has never been a huge fan of vegetables. He eats enough to keep himself alive, but certainly wouldn't seek them out the way the rest of us do.

When the kids were little we would always eat in buffet restaurants when we went out. You can eat immediately and everyone gets what they want. In fact- that was the rule- you can eat what you want without a parent (mom...) leaning over you and suggesting another food group. He is remembered for having said, proudly, "Look! There is no green on my plate!" :-)

So, it is not surprising that he was resistant to the idea of vegetables for lunch... even when I offered them with "Cheez." Just in case you want Vegetables and Cheez here is the recipe:

Cheez

1 1/2 cups cashews (raw and unsalted)
1/4 - 1 cup of water
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced.
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Soak the cashews two hours, blend until smooth with garlic, salt and pepper to taste, refrigerate overnight and keep in a covered container. Lasts one week.

Now- don't be fooled into thinking this is CHEESE (I'm talking to you Jam Tart!) because it is not cheese- it's cheez. If your family has been vegan since before you were born then maybe you would be fooled. You don't know any better! Don't get me wrong- it's good. I wouldn't share the recipe if it wasn't good- it's just not cheese. Why wouldn't I just eat cheese? I just can't digest the casein. AND for some reason that is not entirely my fault we didn't get any cheese at the grocery store last week.

We do have an enormous tub of feta, though, so the cheese eaters aren't suffering. And we'll go to the store again before Cheese-head arrives.

Vegetable 'spaghetti'

I have to give an update on the vegetable spaghetti! It was good!

The consensus was that 5/6 of us liked it and would eat it again. I informed them all that it was raw, vegan and gluten free and asked if they felt good about that. Brown Bear replied, "NO! All I've got for supper is a bowl of vegetables!" There was also sourdough buns on the side before anyone feels too sorry for him! (AND he has free reign in the kitchen to make himself more food or different food.)

I've done a raw diet before and there were some things about it that I didn't like... namely raw onions and raw garlic. Last night I cooked the onions and added them to my tomato sauce. The tomato sauce came out of a can so obviously it wasn't raw, but all the shredded veggies under it were only warm- not cooked.

It was really good and a lot more filling than you would expect.

Well, it's a new month!

And it doesn't matter what any furry, weather predicting rodent says- there is going to be six more weeks of winter and then some.

I don't exactly have cabin fever because I leave the 'cabin' most days, but I think I probably do have the mid-winter blues.

In an effort to combat the blues I'm organizing my craft supplies and making some cards our of scraps and supplies that I have on hand. While I was out today doing 15% off day at the grocery store I stopped at Micheal's on the way home. I got a very large, black stamp pad. It was not frugal, but it was exactly what I wanted and I'm glad that I got it.

The other thing I'm doing is eating all the vegetables that I want. Tonight we are having shredded vegetables with pasta sauce and gluten free sourdough garlic buns. I just really want it and the rest of the family either has to eat what I want or make their own. I gave them fair warning and they decided they didn't want meat badly enough to cook it for themselves.


I'm hanging around Split Coast Stampers and Fat Free Vegan recipes for inspiration. :-)