How to Eat Flax Seeds and Soy Milk When You Don't Really Like Them

Here's the thing: Most people eat because things taste good. But what about this: What about eating because it's good for your health? Take flax seeds for example. They're not really that good! But boy, are they good for you!

Here's a way to eat crushed flax seeds: Buy a container of already crushed flax seeds and store them in the freezer. When you pour your cereal in the morning, put a tablespoon of the flax seed on one tiny corner of the bowl. Now when you eat your cereal, eat the flax seeds with a bit of cereal first. Then you can eat the rest of your cereal, without the seed. After doing this for a while, you will begin to like flax seeds better.

For soy milk, I prefer the unsweetened. Start by only moistening your cereal in the morning. Don't pour a lot on at first. Later, as you get accustomed to the taste, pour more soymilk on. When I first started doing this I didn't like the flavor compared to milk. Now I can drink the remaining soy milk left in the bowl. My next challenge, down the road, will be to drink a whole carton of soy milk. I know a colleague who took little boxes with her in hotels when at library conferences. I've got to get to that point, because it is on-the-go protein.

We are all on a road -- best wishes to you who are on that vegan road. Until next time, Bonnie

How to Be a Non-Cook and Still be Vegan

Everyone I meet asks me about what I cook. I know -- I'm bad! I actually never cook! Yet I'm a vegan!

For my special diet, all you need is a bunch of frozen dinners by Amy's Kitchen (delicious, vegan ones) and some canned soup by Amy's Kitchen (some hearty ones with beans and rice in them). Canned beans are good to have handy too. With a variety, you can make a bean salad. Just combine some with celery and some tasty balsamic vinegar and oila! Bush's Vegetarian Beans are good too. My mom, a vegetarian, loves these just at room temperature. No cooking needed! A salad completes all of your tasty vegan meals.

I know there are a lot of vegan blogs that share recipes, but you don't even have to be a cook to be a vegan!

Waiting on the World to Change

Guess what! The video I selected (below) was not the one that I really wanted to choose (that I felt was "moving", with quotes, etc.) but, nevertheless, the "Waiting for the World to Change" one is still very well done! Thank you, PeepChick101!

The one I really wanted to select, "Famous Vegetarians" begins with a black screen and a quotation. Whatever happened to that video? Does anyone know?

At least I know I now can put a video on my blog. I just learned that in a library workshop by Stephanie Zimmerman!

Take care, my vegan friends!

Famous Vegetarians

This is a very moving video - great music too!

Vietamese Food and Poetry

Hello friends! So much going on in my life right now. I let a bit of time go by since my last post.

Yesterday we went to a Vietnamese restaurant -- love Vietnamese food! It is probably the least fattening of all the types of Asian food in restaurants. For example, Chinese food is usually fattening because of all the oil they use in stir frying. All of that fried food is so yucky!

At the Vietnamese restaurant I had a dish with tofu and noodles and spices such as hot pepper, mint, lemon grass, ginger and garlic. How heavenly it was! There were plenty of salad items on the plate too, with a tasty sweet vinegar dressing on the side. The portion was large enough that I could save part of it to take along to the hotel I stayed at in Williamsport that evening.

Lately I have been reading some poetry books, to help get me through this transition period in my life. I especially love books by Roger Housden. Here is a link to his books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Roger+Housden&x=16&y=17. He writes a series that starts "ten poems." Right now I am reading http://www.amazon.com/Risking-Everything-Poems-Love-Revelation/dp/B000XUDFTU/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218465232&sr=8-14. "Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Revelation" includes some wonderfully passionate and moving poems. I would recommend any of Roger Housden's books on poetry. Some, the 10 poems series, has more of his commentary on the poems, and others such as "Risking Everything" has less commentary and more poems. Both types of books are superb!

Let me know how your vegan path is going for you. Being vegan is a very happy feeling!

Easy Diet Dinners

Here is my new idea for a great diet dinner. Buy cans of Amy's Kitchen soups or veggie chili and heat them up. Serve this with a salad with only balsamic vinegar - no oil.

Here is the very best vinegar, in my opinion - Oliver's 25-year barrel-aged balsamic vinegar, purchased at Williams Sonoma. All you need is some salt and pepper. The vinegar is very sweet and mellow.

Amy's Kitchen soups often have only 1.5 grams of fat per serving, or something like that. I usually eat the whole can rather than one-half a can, so I am eating two servings.

Now you can afford to have some wine with that and maybe a slice of bread toasted in the panini baker. If one could stay on that diet for a while, you will lose weight.

My problem is that I get side-tracked with too much hummus sometimes!

Oh well, I hope you are staying on the vegan path, my friends! Take care, Bonnie