So Good You Won't Know It's Vegan!

This is a modified recipe from one of my all time favorite cook books: "How It All Vegan!" by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer.
Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas, mashed (or four if they are small)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup sweetener (I use 1 gram, small packet of NuStevia instead)
3/4 cup chopped dates (I use chopped walnuts instead)
1 1/2 cups flower (I use organic whole wheat)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

* I also add 1 - 2 tbsp of organic cinnamon applesauce to keep it from getting too dry

Cooking:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, mash the bananas, add the lemon juice, oil, sweetener and dates (or nuts) and stir together. In a separate large bowl, stir together the flower, wheat germ, salt baking powder and baking soda. Add the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir together until "just mixed." Spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan and back for 40-50 minutes. Test with a knife to see if done. Makes 1 loaf.

I made mini muffins with no nuts for a snack at Lincoln's Montessori school and everyone loved them. They "couldn't believe they were good for you." ;) Helpful hint...If you decide to make muffins, turn the oven down to 350 and only bake for about 15-20 minutes. My first batch was almost a disaster.

Enjoy and if you like the modified recipe you'll love the original, so make sure to check out their book it is spectacular! You can find it on Amazon, or just link through the carousel on the right.

Happy Vegan eating!

From the Economic Front Lines

What's a working mom to do? The times are definitely getting tougher and expenses are not going down. Super Mommy to the rescue. Actually super family to the rescue, thank goodness. We are really pulling together and making it work.

- We aren't willing to compromise on good food, so we're still mostly organic AND we have started a little garden with some of our favorite herbs and veggies.
- We haven't had TV for what seems like forever and now we only rent movies from the $1.00 rental machine at the grocery store.
- I am refinancing the house when the next phase of the Stimulus Plan rolls out on June 8th.
- T and I are taking extra jobs that we never thought we would want or need to do.
- I am pulling money from a savings account that was supposed to be for retirement...so much for that idea. Paying for today seems to be more important. We'll have to circle the wagons and come up with a new plan for the future.
- We are selling our place in Manhattan...OUCH! That one hurts.

In the grand scheme of things, we have problems of prosperity and are blessed that we have something of value to sell and a savings to dip into at all. We're making it.

What are you doing to make your dollars go farther?

Happy Memorial Day!

We've had a Vegan feast here at our pad and it has been awesome! Lots of veggies on the grill, delicious tomatoes from our garden (nothing else was ready to harvest yet) and plenty of cold water.

What did you all do today? Any other yummy Vegan feast out there?

Thanks to any and all who have been in harms way as part of the armed services. No matter what our politics may be, your lives are precious and your sacrifice is great. Many thanks.

Peace to us all,
Mama Melly, Lincoln & T

Do Vegans Get The Chicken Pox?

Well the answer is most definitely, YES! Call it the Tofu Pox, or what have you, they are no fun for anyone.

You would also think that after undergoing the agony of deciding to immunize (even for the Chicken Pox) that we/he would not have to go through it, but not so. One of the side effects of growing his world it seems.

The good news...it was a very mild case, apparently because he had been immunized. Mostly on his knees ankles and a few strays on his arms and the top of his hands. The bad news... they were all in his mouth and it was excruciating for him. Couldn't eat or nurse much for a couple of days. Ice chips were the constant request. Poor pumpkin.

It was also a bit tough to diagnose since it did not present in the "normal" way. Well I guess that's what happens when Vegans get the Chicken Pox!

Everybody has a body

We were at the pool this weekend and Lincoln was fascinated by the two life guards. They were both really nice girls from one of the local high schools, athletic, in bikinis, but that's not the point. The point is:

L: "She has a body Mommy. And a naval." (Said plenty loud, of course.)

Now, what most people think is that he means a whole body, like head, shoulders, knees and toes kind of thing. That helps me in a public situation, but what I know is that he means she has a bottom and a "bajina." This is of course a mind blowing discovery. A body AND a naval. Who are these creatures? Surely only the people in his immediate presence at home have these things in common. Ahhhh, not so. These new beings, these Life Guards have all their parts too. WOW!

L: "Do they potty in the potty?"

M: "Yes, I'm pretty sure they do."

L: "Hi!" Shouted to one of the Life Guards.

LG: "Hi, Lincoln." They make a point of knowing everyone by name, at least the kids.

L: "You have a naval." Thank goodness the 'body' part of the previous conversation was left out.

LG: "Yes, I do. That's so funny. He doesn't say bellybutton."

M: "No, he knows the real words for most things. We just always did that."

LG: "Hey Lincoln, do you want to meet some of the other people here at the pool? They all have navels too."

L: "Yes, please."

So I proceed to swim around the edge of the pool while Lincoln walks around it with his new friend the Life Guard, being introduced to most of the people working there and her friends from school who were fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to have visited her at work this day. And yes, they all showed their navels. Such good sports!

Happy Mother's Day

Make a Smilebox greeting

The Body As Mother

Hips to carry you proud and strong

Breasts to nourish you many years long

Arms to hold you, subside all fears

Eyes to gaze at you through laughter and tears

 

The body IS mother

Help me. Heeelllp meeee.

"Help me.  Heeelllp meeee."  Lincoln declares, sitting in front of a canister of Vegan ginger snaps.  One might think, "open the jar for him you mean old woman."   BUT, you would have had to have witnessed the string of events that preceded the challenge to the lid of the jar of Vegan ginger snaps.  Let me retrace his steps for you.

Zoooooom.  Across the floor he goes on his Svan scooter.  He hoists it up onto the raised floor of the kitchen area.  Cruses in style to the low cabinet that stores his cups, grabs a cup, closes the cabinet door, manuevers (cup in teeth) to the fridge for the automatic water dispenser (which, as you know from a previous post, he is now a master), fills the cup, skillfully rolls over to his snack cabinet, takes a moment to decide what in the heck to do with the now VERY full cup of water...drinks some, tries to hold it and open the cabinet door without much success, places the cup on the floor, pulls out an organic smooshed fruit snack and the dasterdly jar of Vegan ginger snaps, closes the door, narrowly missing the glass on the floor when moving the scooter out of the way of the door, smooshed fruit snack in teeth, jar of Vegan ginger snaps in one hand, cup of water in the other, driving the scooter with legs only...ditches the scooter halfway across the kitchen floor, trots to his chair at the kitchen counter, places his stash up on the counter, stealthly scales the bar stool height chair, plops himself in front of his snack and then says, "Help me.  Heeelllp meeee."

I, who have been secretly watching this entire process in amazement and not daring to butt in, pause for a split second to think, "Is he serious?  NOW he needs help?  Well thank goodness.  I thought I was out of a job!"