Vegan Diaries - Pad Thai

So, it's been about 12 days on this vegan journey (the two week vegan challenge), not that I'm counting days, or anything......

I have to say, it has been getting a lot easier.  Once I got over the dairy hump and my "need for cheese," things have been a lot smoother.  I find that I'm not missing cheese as much.  I did invest in some vegan cheese (made with almond milk) and am looking to see how that tastes.  I do find that I am missing ice cream.  I haven't found a replacement for that.....yet.

RT came home one night and suggested I try my hand at a Vegan Pad Thai.  I searched the web and found this recipe for Pad Thai on Vegan Insanity .

The Vegan Pad Thai was a hit!  I thought I would share the recipe:

Vegan Pad Thai

taken from Vegan Insanity

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 block firm tofu, drained, chopped into cubes
1 cup rice noodles *
1 medium head of broccoli, chopped
2 zucchini, spiraled
1/2 small red pepper, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove minced
4 green onions, chopped

For the sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger

toppings: 
chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, chopped cilantro

directions:
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large pan and cook tofu until browned on all sides**

Cook noodles accordingly.

While noodles are cooking, heat 1 Tbsp oil and add broccoli, zucchini and red pepper.  Cook for 5-10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Drain cooked noodles and add to pan of veggies along with the tofu.

In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients.  Pour over noodles/veggies.

Serve topped with peanuts, sesame seeds and chopped cilantro


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you looked at the original recipe, it does call for brown sugar in the sauce.  If you know me, then you know that I'm not a huge fan of sugar in my dishes.  I eliminated the sugar in this recipe and it was not missed.

*Rice noodles, zoodles (zucchini noodles) or even angel hair spaghetti will work

**I cooked my tofu in coconut oil and added some peanut butter

***You can add in whatever vegetables you have on hand.  I added some carrots and green pepper.


If you try making it, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Hey! Nice Pants!

I had to cut out my walk today.  And, my plans on getting to work early were nixed.  It all started with Alex coming home from work last night.

Alex works part time at a fast food restaurant.  He has been working some crazy hours (late nights and 12 hour shifts on the weekends).  He is one who needs his sleep, so we shall see how long this job lasts with school's early hours.

Last night, Alex arrived home after 10:00pm.  I asked how work went and he said that he needs a new pair of pants.

Me:  What's wrong with the pair you are wearing?
Alex:  They are too small and they ripped while I was at work.

It's 10 pm.  There aren't any stores open.  I work the next day and he works the next evening.  Somehow I have to get him some pants before I get home so he can put them on and go to work.

So, I did what any mother would do and got up early and went to the store to buy him a pair of pants before heading off to work.

Moral of the story:  Make sure that your pants fit.

Oatmeal Coconut Milk Soap

I thought I would try my hand at making more soap.  The soap I made in June hasn't cured.  I thought I would make some more so it will be ready when we are out of the first batch.

Found a recipe for Coconut Milk Soap here and thought I would give it a try.  Sounds a little odd, but, thought it might be interesting.

Here are some of the things you will need for this soap:


Necessary items:
Safety goggles
safety gloves
glass measuring bowls (heat safe)
thermometer
spatulas
soap molds
digital scale
stick blender
whisk


Oatmeal Coconut Milk Soap

Ingredients

8oz palm oil
8oz coconut oil
8oz pure olive oil
1oz castor oil
3.2oz lye
3.59oz coconut milk
2oz fragrance oil
coloring (optional)

Again, I'm not going to put all of the instructions here.  If you are interested in making the soap, check out Rustic Escentuals Crafting Library for details and pictures!


I thought this would be quick and easy and decided to do it at night.  It took a little longer for me to get the temperatures within 10 degrees of each other.  I also added some ground up oatmeal to the soap.  It was a weird last minute decision that I might regret later.  I'm thinking I should have put some oats on top once it was in the mold.  I have to wait 6-8 weeks for the soap to cure.  I'll update you on the outcome.

Vegetarian Diaries - Vegan Challenge

A little over six years ago, I made the decision to become a vegetarian.  It wasn't an overnight decision.  It was something I thought about for years and finally made the leap to try it for awhile.

Last weekend, RT and I watched the movie, "What the Health."  A documentary about the food industry, health organizations and Big Pharma.  The message is the idea that going vegan leads to a healthier body and life.  So, I made the decision to try going vegan and see how I feel.  I have the vegetarian part down, now to eliminate the dairy and eggs.  I am finding that cheese is something that I miss.  I read that cheese (and dairy) are very difficult to overcome because dairy is addictive.

Running along side me on this challenge is RT, who has decided to try going vegan for two weeks.  He eats my vegetarian meals, but, occasionally eats meat.  He has been struggling a little on this vegan journey.  He wants grab and go food (or maybe he just wants me to make it for him?).  He started off eating some fudge the first day.  The next day he put milk in his cereal (we have almond milk).  He was complaining of a dull headache yesterday.  I have a feeling I'm going to find him stuffing his face with cheese.

It's only been a few days since we started this crazy vegan challenge.  I'll update you and let you know how and, most importantly,  IF  we survive.

Shower Head

When it rains, it pours.

That line fits with the title of this post.

I wrote about our a/c unit breaking down (may it rest in peace).  Now, it's our shower head.

RT told me, before he left for work, "You're going to love what I did to the shower!"

I didn't think much about it.  Went about my morning.  When I hopped into the shower, I looked up and noticed the shower head was completely off and it was just the pipe.  I thought it can't be that bad.

Remember playing with the garden hose and spraying someone?  That's how it feels taking a shower. Or, even better, under a fire hose.  It's not bad, but, not pleasant.

It certainly has cut my showering time down.  I mean, I'm in and out in seconds minutes.

No.  RT didn't do it on purpose.  He knows I like my morning shower.  The shower head broke and needs to be fixed or replaced.

Hopefully this will be resolved soon or I might get used to this and start showering in people's sprinklers on my morning walks.

The Day the Air Conditioner Died

But I knew that I was out of luck
The day the air conditioner died.
I started singing

Bye, Bye My air conditioner died
Drove my Jetta to the pool
but the pool was full
And my kids were sitting around drinking
ice cold lemonade
singing

This is the day that the air conditioner died
This is the day that the air conditioner died

*original American Pie, Don McLean 


After 26 years, our air conditioner died.  We knew it was old when we moved in twenty years ago.  The repair guy is estimating the age of the unit.  Every year we cross our fingers and say, "One more year!"  This year, it didn't quite work in our favor.

Luckily it has been rather cool at night this last week (yea, it's been more than a week without air conditioning).  I open the windows then it cools off in the evening and leave them open all night.  I close them in the morning as it starts to warm up.

I'm not sure how long our luck will last with the weather.  If we don't get one this year, it will be the hottest September and October ever recorded.  If we do get a new air conditioner unit, it will be cool and we won't have to turn it on the rest of the year.

We will need to replace it eventually.  Until then, I keep on singing,

Bye, bye, My air conditioner died...

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

School is back in session.  Well, for two of the three kids.

Didn't get a chance to post today because I was too busy

having fun
partying
living it up
eating bon bons
running errands and cleaning the house.

Yea, the boring one is actually what I really did.  Sad, but, true.

I was able to get pictures before they went off on their adventures.  And, I walked Bella part of the way to school (I incorporated it into a little walk for me this morning with the dog).  Nick actually came downstairs and was ready to party because the other two were gone.  I highly doubt he missed them today.

I know some people are excited for this time of year.  I mean, there are days during the summer where I am actually counting down the days for them to go back to school.  But, when they do finally go back, I actually miss them.  I can't help it.  I love hanging out with my kids!  They are super fun to hang out with, even though they drive me crazy!

I know we will eventually fall into our school routine.  It will just take a little time.

Here's to a happy, fun filled, new school year!

The Most Lively Time at our House

Apparently, that's 3am.

Everyone is awake (it's summer).  Someone is usually moving around in the house.  I went into the kitchen for lunch and all three of my kids are discussing the previous nights activities.  Bella heard Nick come home and go up to bed.  Nick said that Alex was still awake in his room with the light on. Alex said, "Dad went downstairs to use the bathroom.  I said, "That was me."

This led to a 30 minute inquisition of why did I go downstairs to use the bathroom and what was I doing.

*to go to the bathroom
*to get a drink of water
*to see if Nick came home

I finally told them that I wasn't prepared for that line of questioning and that I needed a little more time to prepare my answers and consult with my attorney.

Apparently, in our house, if you want to do something and don't want anyone to know what you are doing, don't do it in the middle of the night.

Vegetarian Diaries - Cheesy Zucchini Bites

The dilemma of what to do with all of this zucchini is taking over my life!

I have added shredded zucchini to scrambled eggs (delicious, by the way), tried my hand at zucchini fries (they didn't turn out so well), made lots of zoodles (zucchini noodles), grilled some, added some to soup, made zucchini bread and zucchini chocolate cake.

I found this recipe here .  The whole idea of adding cheese to shredded zucchini and baking it sounded yummy, so, I just had to try it.  Turns out, the recipe was a crowd pleaser.  Even for those who aren't big zucchini fans.

I'm still in search of more zucchini recipes.  You know, like, zucchini soap, zucchini toothpaste, etc.  I'll keep you up to date with my finds.

Oh, yea, here's the recipe:

Baked Cheesy Zucchini Bites

Ingredients:

1.5 cups shredded zucchini
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs*
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt/pepper to taste


Directions:

Oven 425F.

Grease a baking sheet (or use parchment paper)

Put zucchini on paper towel (or clean towel) to remove excess water.

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix.

Place scoops of mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten with your hands.

Bake 16-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.


*I used ground up oats instead of bread crumbs and they were quite tasty.


If you make Cheesy Zucchini Bites, let me know!  I would love to hear how they turned out!

Enjoy!

The Bouncy Ball Incident

While on vacation, we visited a museum.  As a little incentive and to make it fun for kids, they had a treasure hunt with a prize offered at the end of your tour.  Bella decided to do the treasure hunt.

They had a local artist visiting.  He was painting and talking to people.  RT and I talked with him a bit while Bella tried to find answers for her treasure hunt.  We caught up with her and made our way through the rest of the museum, filling in answers as we went along.

When we finished the tour, Bella turned in her form and was able to choose from a basket of prizes.  There wasn't much of a selection, and she decided on a bouncy ball.  She carried it as we went into a couple of different stores.  As we were heading to the car, she decides to bounce it on the sidewalk.  RT asks for it and he bounces it once, misses it and it goes toward a parked car, rolls under it, then back and rolls down the sewer.

We are saying, "Oh, it went into the sewer!"  People walking by are all worried.

"What went into the sewer?"

I said, "Her ball fell down there.  She just got it."

I didn't want to say, "The free bouncy ball she got that her father carelessly bounced, didn't catch and it landed in the sewer."

Luckily it was only a bouncy ball.  I'm sure we have millions more around the house.

I guess it's one of those life lessons that make you tougher.

Sometimes you put a lot of work into something and it just bounces away from you.

When you put a lot of time and effort into something, you should cherish it and take care of it.

And, most importantly,

Don't let Dad handle your bouncy ball right after you get it.  Especially if he is standing near a sewer.

You know you've had a good time at the beach when there's sand in places it shouldn't be.

My swim suit bottoms worked out great.  Thanks for asking!  At least I didn't almost lost my suit like someone else.

Swim Suit Shopping

Not one of my favorite things to do.

On our last get away, I forgot the bottom half of my swim suit.

Yes.  It was a tragedy.  Swim suit shopping, at least for me, is very depressing.  Trying to find that perfect suit that actually looks good on you, makes you thinner and sexy looking.  Not an easy find.

August is not the perfect time of year to shop for swim suits in the Midwest.  They already have fall clothes (and winter coats) out now.  Swim suits are put out in January (when it's -20F).  The perfect time of year, because everyone is thinking about swim suits in January.

Before we even get to the store, I already decided that I would settle with a pair of shorts.  You have to be open and flexible this time of year.  And, hey, I'm on vacation.  I won't see these people again!  And do they really care what I'm wearing?  I can probably wear a tent and no one would notice.

Unfortunately, the one store we went to (I don't think RT was up for multiple stores) had really large size bottoms and one really small size (I think it was a kid's size and might have fit my foot?).  I headed to the workout shorts section and found a couple hundred pairs to try on.

Please note that RT and Bella are in tow.  I requested their opinion and assumed both followed me to the fitting room.

When I arrived at the fitting room, only Bella was with me.  I assumed RT had other shopping to do.

I tried on a couple pairs and decided on one.  I received the thumbs up from both of my judges on my choice.  (RT appeared out of no where)

On our walk out, RT told us that we disappeared on him.  He was on his phone, looked up and he was hanging out in the bra section of the store.  I'm sure the security team found it odd that a man was hanging out in the lingerie department.

The moral of the story is supposed to be, don't forget your swimsuit when going on vacation.

I think the lesson I learned is, don't leave your husband unattended in the women's section of the store.

Kindness Rocks

They are all the rage.

Kindness Rocks:  a rock, painted with a picture, a bible verse or words of encouragement or love, placed somewhere to be found by another person.  Messages in kindness rocks are uplifting.  Finding a kindness rock can make a person's day.

We found several kindness rocks when we were in Colorado.  Some were around town, a couple when we were on hikes.

Prior to our mini weekend trip, Bella decided to paint a few rocks to bring with us.  (I was told that I could not post a picture of the rocks, in case any of my two loyal followers find them).

On the back of the rock, you can put a # (hash tag) so you can track your rocks and see who finds them and where in the world they go.

Bella placed the rocks and we walked around for awhile.  We returned the same way (back to the car) and the rocks were gone.

We have been checking social media to see who the lucky recipients are and where the rocks are headed.  We hope they make whoever finds them very happy.

That Time I climbed a Mountain....

Yea.  You read that right.

I was out in Leadville, Colorado and the mountain was Mt. Sherman.  RT and I trained for that day.  it's not easy to mountain climb train when you live in the flat Midwest, but, we found a ski hill near us.  We filled our backpacks (I used cans, RT used weights) and we climbed up and down the small ski hill.  Oh, yea, and don't forget my daily walks carrying my backpack throughout the neighborhood.

When the big day came, we hopped into the car and headed to the mountain trail head.  We had a few slight hiccups along the way.

*We took the wrong road

*Our car almost got stuck

*We parked where we were and hiked the last quarter of a mile to the trail head

*I fell a million times going up and down the mountain

*Bella sang, "I'm a Goofy Goober," at the top of the mountain

*I had to walk a quarter of a mile backwards directing RT while he drove in reverse so he could turn the car around

Despite the hiccups, it was a real cool experience.

What's going on in September?

For the last month, RT has come out with a new outburst.  We can be watching a movie, eating dinner, doing yard work, and, out of the blue, he will blurt out, "What's going on in September?"  To which I reply, "I don't know."

When I'm able to grab the calendar, I look and see that we don't have anything going on that month.  RT insists that something is going on but he can't remember what it is...

Recently, I found out that I will have a baby shower to attend.  I remind RT that we will probably host a family get together.  He still insists that something else is going on and we are forgetting about it.

So, I guess my question to all of you is,

What's going on in September?