recipe: tropical kale smoothie

I've been wanting to make a smoothie with kale for awhile to use up some leftovers I have in the fridge and to get more greens in my diet, but since an arugula smoothie debacle from last week, I've been hesitant to try kale in a smoothie. I'm been afraid of overpowering the smoothie with a bitter kale taste and wasting a lot of perfectly good fruit. I took a risk with this smoothie this morning though and it was really good. You can still taste the kale, but it's not overpowering or unpleasant:

Ingredients:

1 large kale leaf, rough stem removed
1 peach
1 banana
1 cup tropical frozen fruit (my mix has mango, pineapple, strawberries, & papaya)
1/2 cup almond milk

mickey mouse gives some people disney spells

I love Disney! I’m planning out all of our vacations for the rest of the year and Disney World is the big one and the one that I’m the most excited about. I have our hotel picked out, all restaurant reservations setup (6 months in advance, of course), and now all we need is plane tickets.

A lot of people we talk to don’t understand our fascination with Disney World and why we enjoy going as adults without kids. So I’m going to try to explain my reasons for loving Disney World.

For me, one of the best things about being on vacation is being in a place that is very different from home. It’s not fun to go to the trouble of traveling somewhere to just end up doing all of the same things I would be doing if I had stayed home. I like going to Atlanta because my family is there, and I don’t usually get to see them. Traveling internationally is fun because I get to experience foods and cultures that are very different from those found in Utah. And being in Disney world makes me feel like I’m in this unique, detached world.

The Disney staff does a great job of manipulating every detail of their properties to make those places feel special. For example, when you’re at the Germany exhibit in Epcot all of the employees are from Germany and they’re selling real German food at the restaurant. Or if a little girl is dressed up like a princess and walking around a park all of the employees are trained to curtsy or bow to her and refer to her as “your highness.” When I visit I love trying to find these little details which constantly keep me impressed and happy, which are great ways to feel on vacation.

Additionally, there are so many fun rides, dining experiences, characters, shows, games, etc. at Disney that you’re constantly being entertained. Being there makes me feel like a kid because I’m not normally having fun so frequently in my normal life. So in conclusion, I love Disney because it’s very fun and very well executed. I appreciate entertainment mixed with efficiency and excruciating attention to detail.  If you’re questioning whether Disney really is worth the time and money, just give it a try and see what you think, you definitely won’t be disappointed. And if you’re an adult, try to schedule your trip so it coincides with the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. Now it’s time to share pictures, here are some from my recent trips:

Zach and I on Splash Mountain, ready with ponchos so we don’t get too wet

Zach and I on our honeymoon in front of Cinderella’s castle (we wore those hats the whole time)

Heather and I goofing off with masks before our Cirque du Soleil show

Heather and I with beer steins in Germany at Epcot

Dad, Heather, and I at Epcot

Hanging out with princess Jasmine near Morocco at Epcot (Heather’s not into it)

Sharing a margarita in Mexico at Epcot

Heather and I made potato heads at Downtown Disney

Elaborate Christmas lights at Hollywood Studios

Heather and I on the spinning teacups ride at Magic Kingdom

Mom looking crazy on the Buzz Light-year ride at Magic Kingdom

those who daydream in the shower are wishy-washy

Dream Home: Door-less shower

I’ve been thinking of features I want for my dream home and a door-less shower is at the top of my list. Right now our shower is nice and large with a big ledge, but it’s got glass doors which are the worst to clean. I’ll spend an hour working on cleaning the doors with everything I can think of from Windex, to vinegar, to CLR. And after a lot of scrubbing and light-headedness, I still can never get them back to how they looked when we first bought the house. For this reason I want a door-less shower with minimal cleaning requirements. Here are some examples of what I’m thinking:

Modern Bathroom by Santa Rosa General Contractor JMA (Jim Murphy and Associates)

Contemporary Bathroom by Bend Architect Christian Gladu Design

Contemporary Bathroom by South Burlington Design-build Peregrine Design Build

i realized that becoming a vegan was a missed steak

List: Worst things about eating vegan

1. Dealing with other people's reactions

This is by far the most negative aspect to being vegan. People are constantly bugging me and Zach about it. This is usually how the conversation goes:

Omnivore: "Where do you get your protein?"
Me: "Plenty of places, beans, legumes, nuts, green veggies. There's a lot of protein in vegetables."
Omnivore: "Hmm, I guess, but it's not complete protein. Well I could never be vegan, but I eat healthy. I had cereal and fruit for breakfast, and then a little bit of lean chicken with rice for lunch...you eat rice, right?"
Me: "I don't eat it often, but yes, rice is vegan."
Omnivore: "Ok, then for dinner I usually have fish, wait, do you eat fish?"
Me: "No, fish isn't vegan."
Omnivore: "What's wrong with fish? What do you eat?"
Me: "Fish is fine, I just don't eat it. I eat fruits and vegetables and beans and grains. There are plenty of options."
Omnivore: "I could never do it. Are you happy?"
Me: "Not in this moment, but generally, yes..."

And this conversation repeats whenever someone finds out I'm vegan. What I like the least is when people get very defensive about their own diets and start listing everything they eat. That gets old. And people look at me and Zach a lot with pity, which is also strange, since I don't think they realize that this is a choice that we're both okay with. We ate meat and dairy before, now we don't, and we prefer this way, end of story.

2. Eating away from home

Eating in an "uncontrolled environment" can be very tricky. When lunch is provided at work we usually have to bring lunch from home anyway, since the vegan option is generally a very tiny salad consisting of 1 cup of iceberg lettuce, 1 or 2 tomatoes, and a dressing on the side that usually contains dairy.

Eating out is also tricky. Most restaurants have salads, but once you strip them of meat, cheese, and dressings, they get boring. My favorite types of restaurants are Asian ones since they usually avoid dairy anyway and have a lot of dishes with tofu instead of meat.

Zach and I found that the worst place we've been while eating vegan has been France. I don't even think they had a word for vegan since butter and cheese are such staples in their diet. While we were there we had to stray from our diet while eating out since there really weren't any other options.

3. Missing comfort foods

The final worst thing about eating vegan is missing foods that's can't be veganized. Zach misses Reuben sandwiches and steak the most and I miss delectable baked goods and cheese. And holidays are especially hard since food is linked to tradition and social bonding during these times.

Notes:

Despite the negatives Zach and I still enjoy eating vegan foods. See this post for reasons why. As more people adopt this style of eating all of these reasons for why vegan-ism is difficult should get better. So spread the word!

recipe: simple baked cinnamon apples

I've always been a dessert person, but recently I've been trying to remove added sugar from my diet. I've been substituting fruit for my usual after dinner treats, but lately I've been getting really bored of fruit. One good way to spice things up is to heat up the fruit to get an distinct flavor and texture that's reminiscent of the flavor of delicious, sugar and butter filled baked goods. Here's a quick way to doctor up apples:

Directions:
(serves 1)

1. Spray a small baking dish with a light layer of oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop 1 apple and add to baking dish.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon on apple.
4. Sprinkle apple with about 1/4 c non-dairy milk and another light layer of cooking spray.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
6. Serve with fresh blueberries.

recipe: sesame ginger bok choy salad

Last night for dinner Zach and I had this great, simple salad with miso soup. The greens and cabbage are bitter, but the sweet dressing provides a nice contrast.

Ingredients:
(6 servings)

2/3 c water
1/2 cup tahini (I use Trader Joe's brand)
3 T lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)
1/2 T miso
1 1/2 T minced fresh ginger
3 dates, pitted
2 cloves garlic
two bunches bok choy, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 small head red cabbage, chopped
3 large handfuls of sprouts
Sriracha or red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

1. Mix first seven ingredients (water through garlic) in a blender. Add more water if you want a thinner dressing. Dressing can be stored in fridge for a week.
2. To prepare salad, toss bok choy, green onions, cabbage, and sprouts with dressing. Add hot sauce or red pepper flakes to taste.

i'm not vegan because i love animals; i'm vegan because i don't like vegetables

List: Best things about eating vegan

1. Reduce amount of fat and processed foods

So it is definitely possible to eat poorly on a vegan diet because you could technically get away with eating tons of bread, pasta, peanut butter, and “accidentally vegan” snacks (like oreos!). But for the most part, following a vegan diet will force you to remove a lot of fat and processed foods from your diet. When I first started reading ingredient labels I was surprised to find how many companies sneak milk and eggs into products that you wouldn’t guess would contain dairy.

2. Feel great

Both Zach and I feel like we have a higher, more consistent level of energy since we’ve changed our diet. Our digestive systems also seem happy, since we never get stomach aches and enjoy a very regular “schedule.” And an added bonus that I wasn’t expecting is clear, blemish free skin.

3. Prevent cancer and loads of other diseases

A diet high in vegetables and fruits and low in animal products has been proven time and time again to prevent most of the chronic illnesses that affect Americans. I won’t go into all of the data, but if you’re interested you should read Dr. Furhman’s book Eat to Live. Zach and I accept all of the data presented in the book as accurate, so it feels good knowing that we’re significantly reducing our risk for developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and more in the future.

4. Significantly reduce personal energy consumption

There’s really only one political issue that I’m really passionate about and that is protecting the environment. So an extra benefit to being vegan is knowing that by avoiding animal products (which have a significantly larger carbon footprint than vegetables), I’m doing my part to lower my overall energy consumption.

5. Make clean up super easy

Zach and I were pleasantly surprised to discover this advantage. You no longer need a special cutting board just for meat! There’s no more spoiled milk and moldy cheese! Once you get rid of animal products in your kitchen it’s a lot easier to clean up after cooking. And if you take oil out of your diet too, cleaning gets even easier.

Notes:

Being vegan has great benefits, but it’s not all a walk in the park. At times it can be very hard to eat in a way that is so opposite from the way everyone around you is eating (especially when their food smells so good!). It’s still worth trying though. If you’re interested just try the diet for a month and see how you feel. Then you can determine if the benefits outweigh the inconveniences.