Image from peta.org

‘Easy Vegan‘ is all about practicality. Sure, in an ideal world we’d prepare each meal at home, from organic fresh-from-the-field produce. But what about when you’re held up at work and get home *starving*, with no motivation to cook? And what about when you’re visiting Uncle Bob, in nowhere-ville, and there’s nothing fresh to eat? Or what about when you’ve got that ‘fast/greasy/naughty food’ itch that just really needs to be scratched? What then?

For times like those it’s good to know what’s worth grabbing – and what’s better left on the shelf. Hence, the ‘Easy Vegan‘ guide.


Annie Chun’s Noodle Bowl: Garlic Scallion

On the Box: “Fresh cooked Hokkien noodles with bok choy, carrot, and sesame toppings. 100% all natural. No preservatives. No MSG.”

Left: the picture on the box. Right: the slightly less exciting reality.

Our Thoughts: This bowl was not particularly grand, and not too terribly terrible. It was pretty average, and by that I sort of mean bland. I didn’t get much sense of veggies and I didn’t taste a whole lot of garlic or scallions. To be fair, I like my flavors very very bold, so maybe me and this bowl were just a bad match.

Damian says, “Tangy!” and “It gets better the more you eat it.” *chomp chomp chomp*

The sauce was a bit thin for both of our liking, and we would have liked more (and bigger pieces of) veggies. Overall, we didn’t think that this was Ms. Chun’s best work.


Annie Chun’s Noodle Bowl: Korean Sweet Chili

On the Box: “Fresh cooked Hokkien noodles in a uniquely sweet and spicy red chili sauce. 100% all natural. No preservatives. No MSG.”

Left: the box. Right: what came out of the box.

Our Thoughts: I must admit, I had some reservations about this bowl. You see, I love sweet chili dishes, but since this is a prepackaged meal, I feared sickly-sweetness and very little spicy. How wrong I was! The sauce was delightfully sweet but not overly so, and the spice level was quite good. I have a pretty high tolerance for heat, and I really enjoyed that element here. So yay!

This bowl was a definite win. I still wish for more veggies and a thicker sauce, but as far as flavor this one definitely hit the spot. Would try again!

*** In the interest of full-disclosure, I did not pay for these products. For more information plese see my review policy here, under ‘Give Me Stuff’.***

I married a serious lentil lover. I think, if he could, Damian would eat this soup 3-5 nights a week. He requests it constantly, and lucky for him it’s an easy make. Unlike a lot of soups, this one comes together in well under an hour. It’s a super-hearty, super-healthy, and many many levels of delicious.


Ingredients:
2 ribs of celery
2 skinny carrots
1/2 yellow onion
2-4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil

1 cup green lentils
1 large tomato, diced
4 cups veggie broth or water, more as needed

handful fresh spinach
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Dice the veggies and sauté the mirepoix, garlic, and olive oil in the bottom of a soup pan. When onions are glassy, add the bay leaf and spices and continue to sauté another few minutes.

Add the lentils and stir them into the sautéing veggies. Keep stirring them around for about 2 minutes (add more oil if needed). Add the tomato and broth, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for an additional 20ish minutes, until lentils are tender.

Before serving, stir in the spinach and vinegar. Spice as you wish.

Serve steaming in an old chipped mug, with a huge hunk of crusty bread.

So, how have things been going with the pregnancy?
So far so great! This was a planned pregnancy so we were as prepared as we could be. Estimated date of conception: 5 June 2009. Date of positive pregnancy test: 30 June 2009. Estimated Birth Date: 10 March 2010.

Everything was smooth sailing up until about the 5th week, when I started getting nauseous and fatigued. Mmmmm, morning sickness, which for me lasted all day and never actually culminated in regurgitation. I just fell sick. Constantly. I also got a UTI, which are quite common in pregnancy, but I managed to treat it naturally instead of with antibiotics (woo-hoo!)

I’m a naturally go-go-go kind of person – we affectionately call it ‘Hyper-Productivity Disorder’ – so being too nauseous and too tired to work was a difficult adjustment for me. But relaxation has been an important lesson to learn, I think.

Prior to pregnancy I’d done all sorts of research and made all these awesome über-healthy meal plans. But of course, that all went out the window with my morning sickness. I swear I went a whole week sustained on nothing but popcorn and potatoes – nutritious! *sigh* But I digress.

Around 13-14 weeks, I started to feel much better, and I haven’t had any morning sickness since. My second trimester is humming along splendidly! I feel great, I love my bulging belly, and I’m finally feeling the little guy move!


What did you plan and purchase before you got pregnant?
Well firstly, I took out my IUD. I did this a few months before we began trying to conceive, because I wanted to give my body a chance to cycle naturally a few times. I also took out my nipple rings, because I wanted to give them lots and lots of time to heal all up before breastfeeding. I had my annual female physical to make sure everything was copacetic, and I also had an entire blood panel done. I checked my nutrient and metabolic levels (luckily everything was within normal range) so that I would know if there was anything (like maybe vitamin D, or B12), that I needed to pay special attention to. Those were the first big steps I took.

In the interim between removing the birth control and actually trying to conceive, I was all about researching pregnancy and nutrition. I began my prenatals, and I researched which nutrients were most important to pregnant women. I made lists of foods high in these nutrients and I tacked it to the side of my fridge.

I switched from coffee to tea, but didn’t remove caffeine entirely until I became pregnant. I continued to drink alcohol moderately until I discovered I was pregnant. I read a book on vegan pregnancy and parenting (but it was old and pretty outdated) and I began reading the classic, “What To Expect When You’re Expecting.” Other than that, I didn’t really buy anything at all. I kind of still haven’t, haha.


Are you going to remain vegan?
AB-SO-LUTELY


But is veganism safe for pregnancy, the baby, and breastfeeding?
Yes!

There is a lot of misunderstanding about diet and nutrition, and there are a lot of misconceptions about veganism out there. I want to be very clear here: I am an intelligent, educated, and fiercely fact-driven person. I would never risk my or my child’s safety. Please don’t let anyone scare you into thinking you cannot have a healthy vegan pregnancy and infant. In fact, challenge them to show you just ONE case of a well nourished vegan mother birthing a baby who was unhealthy due to dietary deficiencies.

Then, remind them that the American Dietetic Association’s 2009 position paper on veg*nism states, “. . . appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life-cycle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence and for athletes.”

Personally, I’m lucky enough to know vegan-from-birth children in my own life, but many people don’t have that experience to calm their nerves. For some awesome inspiration and reassurance, check out this page of vegan children and their stories.


What supplements do you take?
I replaced my multivitamin with a prenatal multi a few months before we began trying to conceive. My multivitamin and my prenatal both contain B12, but I take an additional sublingual once or twice a week. Since being pregnant, I’ve been taking between 1,200 IU and 2,400 IU of Vitamin D2 each day – 1,200 in the summer and now up to 2,400 for the sunless, cold + flu-infested winter months. I also take a calcium (cal-mag-zinc) supplement because I’m paranoid and I spent most of my adulthood not thinking about and not getting enough calcium. Finally, I take the ever important DHA (Damian calls it ‘the vegan fishies’).

I usually drink an Emergen-C packet most days, to keep the immune system up and the flu away.

Whew! Seem like a lot? Maybe, but I guarantee you I’d be doing it just the same if I were an omnivore! I’m just crazy like that.


What foods are most important to a pregnant vegan?
Whole foods! Non-processed, non-microwave ready, non-‘million ingredients’, real foods. I know it’s tough and I’m guilty of slacking in the kitchen myself these days, but it’s crucial to make sure our diets are primarily composed of real, whole foods. (With a little wiggle room of course, for the sake of our convenience and our sanity! Yay sorbet!)

The micronutrients that pregnant women should be especially aware of include: iron, zinc, folate, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Iron is plentiful in pumpkin seeds, soy beans, Blackstrap molasses, sunflower seeds, cashews, lentils, spinach/greens, quinoa, black and pinto beans, chickpeas, and potatoes. Try to eat iron with vitamin C (orange slices in your spinach salad; bell pepper on your beans) to greatly increase absorption.

Zinc is plentiful in sesame seeds (tahini!), baked beans, cashews, chickpeas, lentils, almonds, kidney beans, peas, peanuts, and oatmeal. Zinc is more common in ‘roasted, leavened, or fermented’ foods – so keep that in mind.

Folate is plentiful in whole wheat foods, lentils, pinto beans, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, okra, OJ/oranges, spinach, asparagus, avocado, and grapefruit. Switch to whole wheat breads and pastas and tortillas, and you shouldn’t have to worry about getting your folate.

Calcium is plentiful in Blackstrap molasses, collards, soy beans/tempeh/tofu, navy beans, kale, bok choi, spinach, black beans, almonds, chickpeas, and sesame seeds/tahini. So make sure to eat your greens!

Omega-3s, in the form of EPA, are found in flax seeds and flax oil, canola oil, walnuts, and spirulina. A healthy body should be able to convert EPA into the essential and usable DHA. Still, I recommend pregnant women (veg*n and omni alike) take an additional DHA supplement.


How are you meeting your protein requirement?
The recommended daily protein intake for a pregnant woman is between 60-75 grams. If you’re meeting your caloric needs and eating a balanced, non-processed, whole foods diet, it’s really hard NOT to easily meet this amount. I recently did a nutritional analysis of a random day, and I had consumed 93 grams of protein! 93 GRAMS! And that was on a totally soy-free day, too.

So where do I get it? From everything! (protein is in everything, remember, even veggies). But especially from legumes like lentils and beans, or chickpeas and soy (tofu and tempeh), from whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, or whole wheat bread and oatmeal (a serving of oatmeal has as much protein as an egg!), nuts and seeds, and protein-rich fruits/veggies like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, sweet corn, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms.


I heard that pregnant women need to take fish oil or eat fish. / I heard that vegans can’t get DHA and this is bad for the baby.
DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, has been the subject of tons of research over the past decade or so. We now understand the importance of this essential dietary element, and the role it plays in brain development, attention span, vision, depression, disease prevention, and more.

You know how everyone is always going on and on (and ON!) about how healthy fish is and how awesome fish oil capsules are? Well, that’s because of the DHA. And a lot of people mistakenly believe that veg*ns can’t get DHA since we won’t eat fish.

But don’t worry! In the same way that we get our calcium just like cows get it (from green plants), we can get our DHA just like the fish get theirs – from microalgae! Veg*n microalgae supplements are widely available.

A recent study, published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2008, concludes that microalgal DHA is just as bioavailable, and totally bioequivalent, to consuming salmon.

Further, a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics in 2005, showed that pre-term infants fed with formula containing algal DHA grew significantly faster than those fed with formula containing fish-derived DHA. The algal DHA group was superior in both weight gain and in length.

There is also no risk of contaminants like mercury and other heavy metals, which is always a concern in fish and fish-derived supplements.

So you don’t need to eat fish if you get pregnant, okay?!


But what if your child wants to eat meat?
Well, it’s like this. I am an intensely thoughtful person. I think about everything, over and over, all the time. So, I tend to have pretty strong opinions on most things. As an opinionated and ethically driven person, I certainly will do my best to instill my own moral code into my children.

However, most important to me is raising a human capable of their own thoughtfulness. I intend to urge questioning, open-mindedness, curiosity, intellectualism, and free-thinking; all these things that may very well lead my child to different conclusions than my own. But I’m raising an individual, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I can’t wait to hear my son challenge my philosophy, to experience the breadth of his minds capacity. I’ll love wherever that leads him.


Are you using a midwife or a Doctor?
I see a group of midwives, one of which will deliver our son (but we don’t know who will be on call when I go into labor). I did have one meeting with an OB, just to feel it out, but we were pretty set on midwives from the start.


Will you deliver at home or in a birthing center or in a hospital?
My midwives have their own practice in a hospital, so we will have our baby there. I was curious about home birth, but in my husband’s words, “I want a swat team on the other side of the doors.” His comfort and sense of safety is very important to me and to our birthing experience, so I have no problem acquiescing on this. We are planning an all-natural, drug and intervention free, water birth.


Are you using a doula? (What is a doula?)
A doula assists in the birthing process, by providing physical and emotional support and often advocating on behalf of the family and their Birth Plan (should unforeseen circumstances arise). We will definitely have a doula, though Damian will be my primary labor support.


Will you circumcise?
Although I do not judge anyone for their choices (whether they are religious or secular), Damian and I will not be circumcising our son. I think I’ll leave it at that.


Will you breastfeed or use formula?
I believe very strongly in the importance of breastfeeding, when a woman is physically able. I plan to breastfeed long term (at least a year with our son self-weening when he chooses). I myself breastfed until I was two!

I also plan to pump and donate to a milk bank.


Will you use stainless steel bottles or plastic? Will you buy baby food or make it yourself?
We’re going with glass bottles. We will make all our own baby food (Vita-Mix Vita-Mix *crosses fingers for the Vita-Mix fairy* Vita-Mix!!!)


What does “Socially Conscious, Totally Fabulous” mean in terms of having a baby?
I plan to approach this experience the same way I approach the rest of my life: with ethics and enthusiasm. Damian and I intend to buy secondhand as much as we can, or to make what we need ourselves. We will use cloth diapers exclusively. (I just started the collection last week, with 6 gently-used BumGenius’s. Woo-hoo!) We will focus on wooden, cloth, and other ‘natural’ toys – and keep the plastic out of our house.

And our little family will be totally fabulous!




So, is that your natural hair color!???
No way! Neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! hahaha

Oh dear, I love dill. I grew a ton of it this year, because it’s my favorite herbal additive to my morning green smoothies. But there’s more to dill than it’s lovely liquid union with strawberries and citrus (seriously, strawberry-dill smoothies are SO good).

Dill seed is also a unique spice, similar to caraway with hints of that fresh dill flavor. Sometimes it even reminds me of rye. It’s delicious in home-baked bread, great when ground into salad dressings, and perfect for slow-cooking roasts and stews. And of course, it’s key for homemade pickles!

Dill is also a natural remedy for all sorts of maladies, from gas and indigestion to insomnia and menstrual cramps. It can also ease the symptoms of cold and flu, and colicky babies. You can soak your fingertips in a dill seed infusion to strengthen your nails!





Saving the seeds is so damn easy, this is really more a reminder that it can be done, as opposed to a tutorial of how to do it. Of course, because I’m me I’ve got all these pictures so I might as well walk you through it!

Begin collection after the dill has flowered and started dying back. You can pick the heads while the seeds are still green. Just place all the heads in a brown paper bag and allow them to dry completely, 1-3 weeks.





Once the heads are dried it’s pretty easy to remove the seeds. Some will shake right off. The rest you’ll need to pluck, which can be a bit time consuming, but it’s quite worth the time.

And that’s really all there is to it! Store your seeds in a cool dry place and use within the year for maximum flavor.





I think I’m going to make some dill infused potatoes first off. Then some onion dill rolls (I’ll definitely post a recipe if these work out!). And after that, who knows . . . any ideas?

Oi there my dears! Happy happy weekend, and you know what that means here at BA – it’s time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

So let ‘er rip! Let me have it! What’s on your mind? What posts have you enjoyed recently? What do you feel is missing? What do you want from this site? What are YOU interested in?!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time. This is your community, so get involved and have your say!

This week I dropped quite a bomb on this little community of ours. I must admit, I wasn’t sure how well it would be received. But as usual, you guys blew my mind with your awesomeness, support, and understanding. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart!

A lot of you expressed interest in seeing more pictures of the progress. I’ve been cataloguing the whole growth experience, which is now live here, for whoever may be interested. It’s all current as of now, and I’ll be updating every few weeks as well. So stay tuned!

And continuing the reminder: October is America’s National Co-Op Month, and National Fair Trade Month, and it’s also Vegan MoFo (that’s Vegan Month of Food). Get involved!

Okay, that’s all for now. Have a blast this weekend!!!

You may have noticed a distinct lack of outfit posts as of late, and maybe you’ve wondered if I’d grown a third eyeball or something. Well, not quite . . .

See, firstly it was summer. Summer, with heat in the hundreds, means a whole lot of cut-offs and tank-tops and flip-flops (what is it with hyphenated hot weather clothing?). Those sorts of ‘outfits’ don’t leave much room for creativity, ya know?

But really, I’m just making excuses. See, I’ve had another reason to hide safely on the backside of the camera. A secret I’ve been keeping, a DIY project to trump all other homemade treasures. It looks something like this:





I’M PREGNANT!!!

Crazy, right? HA! Five months today, in fact. Damian and I are so excited!!!

I want to apologize for keeping this a secret for so long. There were a few good reasons though. I wanted to be cautious with putting my private life in such a public space. I wanted to be sure everything was safe and steady, before I came out with the big news.

Also, it’s important to me that you guys, my readers and community, know that I am capable of keeping this very exciting part of my life separate from my ‘professional’ life here on Bonzai Aphrodite. I wanted to show you that this site isn’t going to change, isn’t going to become all family-centric baby-blog.I am determined that BA stay just the same, okay?

But for just today . . .

YAY YAY YAY! I’m going to have a SON!!! This is seriously the most fun I’ve ever had. EVER.

Word.





So in an effort to keep the baby talk to a minimum, I’m thinking of putting together a ‘Baby FAQ’. That way I can answer all the potential questions (and concerns?) in one consolidated location. So if you have a question, let me have it! You can ask either here in the comments or you can send an email to info@bonzaiaphrodite.com

For those of you who *are* interested in following the journey of our little lentil, I’ll probably include baby related updates in the Friday Feedback Forum. But who knows, maybe y’all will be interested and ask for more information and articles. I’ll just have to play it by ear, ’cause, you know, I’ve never done this before. HA!

Love you guys! Thanks so much for always being mind-blowingly awesome!!!

One of my most favorite things about fall is the food! Warm and hearty and oh-so comforting, autumn is all about hot soup and crusty bread for dinner, and porridge with a steaming drink in the morning.

This recipe marries two of my greatest culinary pleasures: hot cereal and hot tea. I used Earl Grey because I was drinking a ton of it at the time, but i’d imagine all sorts of teas would work – from blacks to reds to herbal blends. You know what I always say, ‘Be creative, and have fun with it!’


Earl Grey Oatmeal For One

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 tea bag, Earl Grey (decaf optional) or other
1/2 cup standard stovetop (non-instant) rolled oats

Assorted toppings, like brown sugar or maple syrup, alt milk of choice, walnuts or pecans, raisins, etc.





Instructions:
In a small sauce pan, bring the water to boiling. Remove from heat and drop in the tea bag, allowing to steep for 5 minutes or more (you want it good and strong). Remove tea bag and bring back to a boil. add the oatmeal, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened and ready, about 3-5 minutes. Top with your favorite alt milk and sweetener (I like hazelnut milk and real maple syrup these days) and other accoutrements of choice.

Enjoy with tea and your favorite fluffy slippers!

This month’s Mission was to go ‘no-poo’. There was a lot of interest in the Mission, but that interest came coupled with all sorts of questions. Well of course it did! Inquisitive minds are intelligent minds, and my readers are the curious-est!

So I’ve written up a little faq on the no-poo hair care system, an expanded addendum to accompany this Mission. I hope it helps to clear up the confusion!


What is the point of no-poo?
No-poo is a method of natural hair maintenance, including cleaning and healing, to be continued indefinitely. No-poo replaces conventional shampoo and conditioner, allowing your hair to self-regulate.

How does it work?
Baking soda and vinegar, of course! (would you expect anything else from me?) The goal is to ‘mess with’ your hair as little as possible, applying the baking soda (BS) and apple cider vinegar (ACV) once a week or less. Some people eventually remove the BS and ACV all together, and stick solely to water. Others continue the BS and ACV forever, but decrease the frequency and increase the dilution ratio over time.

You should still ‘water-wash’ your hair whenever you shower (not more than once daily), by running your hair under water and massaging with your fingers. Brush your hair carefully and thoroughly to distribute the natural oils that are essential to healthy hair. Finally, don’t overdo it! A little BS goes a long way (ha!)

But why would you do that???
I’ve written in the past about harmful chemicals in cosmetics, and shampoo is no exception. Common offenders include sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate, the detergents/surfactants that have been linked to all sorts of terrible troubles. There are tons of other worrisome additives lurking in your shampoo and conditioner too, variable by brand.

Then of course, there’s the oil industry connection. Yup, shampoo contains petroleum products, in the form of ‘mineral oils’. These byproducts are added to give your hair that extra shine, – by coating it in petroleum! Ick.

And finally, if all that isn’t enough to convince you, how about the cost? It’s just cheap ol’ baking soda and vinegar, and you use a lot less of it too. Can’t beat that!

So why baking soda? What does it do?
Believe it or not, water will remove the vast (vast!) majority of grit and residue found in ‘dirty’ hair. But for those tough times, BS does the rest. BS is oh-so-slightly alkaline, is a natural deodorizer, and gently scours away dirt and product build-up.

Apply the BS (try it in a squirt bottle) to the roots, gently massaging it thoroughly over the scalp. Allow it to sit and then rinse in warm water to cleanse and clarify.

So why vinegar? What does it do?
Conditioner was invented to replace the oils stripped by harsh detergents (that’s shampoo). Without the nasty, drying, stripping soap, there’s no need for extra oils. Vinegar can do it all!

ACV is mildly acidic, with about 3-5% acid content in most store brands. Most importantly, the tincture restores desirable pH. It seals the cuticle while detangling and clarifying hair. Additionally, it promotes circulation in the scalp and reduces flaking or peeling skin. No dandruff!

Apply ACV (try it in a spray bottle) to the shafts and scalp. Distribute evenly and allow to sit. Rinse with cool water to soften hair, reduce frizz, and restore curls.

What about the transition period?
If you use normal shampoo, your hair is accustomed to being stripped of it’s natural oil. When this stops, the hair freaks out for a bit! This can cause an ‘oily period’ where the scalp is overcompensating. Just give yourself a few weeks to re-adjust.

What are the benefits of all this?
A lot! People who no-poo claim:
• volume
• shininess
• bounciness
• softness
• cleaner/clearer scalp
• less breaks/shedding (more elasticity)
• less need for styling products

And that’s all there is to it . . . so what are you waiting for!?

Oi Oi! Hello there, hooray for the weekend! It’s time for fun and gathering, for adventuring and lazing, and of course it’s also time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

Let me have it. What’s on your mind? What do you want? What do you want from this site? What are YOU interested in?!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time. This is your community, so get involved and have your say!

And just a reminder: October is America’s National Co-Op Month, and National Fair Trade Month, and it’s also Vegan MoFo (that’s Vegan Month of Food). Get involved!

And have an incredible weekend!

Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

#14

Alright guys, lets talk about coffee.

If you grab your joe on the go, remember to bring your own reusable mug. Millions of plastic and paper cups are trashed each year, and totally unnecessarily. For extra insurance, stow a lidded metal mug or glass jar in your glove box for emergency caffeine fixes. I even have a friend who habitually carries a ceramic cup in her purse, everywhere she goes!

If you brew at home, make sure your equipment is eco-friendly. For example coffee filters are bleached with a chemical called dioxin, an environmental toxin and carcinogen. Choose unbleached paper, cloth, or metal mesh coffee filters instead, to keep yourself and your planet dioxin free.

Regardless of whether you drink out or drink in, make sure your business is going to a company that shares your ethical priorities. Look for earth-friendly organic, eco-friendly ‘shade grown’, and socially responsible fair trade coffees.

BONZAI!