'Tis the season

So evolved!

Albert Einstein:  "Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." 

See Raw For Beauty's post, copied from Green Yatra--but I couldn't link to it on facebook) for more great quotes by "The Great Vegetarians."  I'm sure there are more, and certainly some great women deserve to be on this list (!!!), but it's a nice little grouping.

It's what you put out there

I had a brief, but lovely, conversation with a nice gal I met the other day.  I was 39 weeks pregnant and about to go in for an acupuncture appointment when she complimented me, saying that I am a cute pregnant lady, which I certainly wasn't feeling at the time!  But it was nice to hear and began our conversation.  It turns out that she made a goal for 2012 that if she was having a positive thought she would share it, just put it out there.  Negative ones wouldn't get the same attention.  She said that 9 months later she's finally living it.  I think it's a wonderful idea.  Why not tell someone when you're thinking something nice about them, and just try and release some of the negative thoughts that pop up along the way?

6 days until due date

Crock pot seitan

Seitan is a delicious and versatile meat substitute, well loved by meat eaters (like my husband) and vegetarians alike (like me).  Sadly though, most of the recipes I've seen require around an hour of either boiling or baking, which is not really reasonable when you're in the midst of a record-breaking hot summer.  But there's good news!  I found this great recipe for making seitan in a crock pot, posted by Webmistress Laura on VegWeb Weekly.  I'm going to spice it up a bit the next time I make it, but wow--it's so easy and doesn't make our apartment unbearably hot, and the seitan is perfect for sandwiches or with the veggies we've been getting from our CSA.  Yay!!  Please note:  I read some reviews of this recipe online before making it, and everyone says that it's critical to oil the inside of your crock pot or you'll have a sticky seitan mess.  

What You Need:
2 cups vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
9-1/4 cups faux chicken stock (vegetable stock or water work fine too)
3 tablespoons soy sauce


What You Do:
1. In a large bowl, mix vital wheat gluten, garlic powder, and onion powder. Next, stir in 1-1/4 cups of faux-chicken stock and soy sauce and continue to stir. When it forms a stiff dough, knead for 10 to 15 times. Let dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead for 5 minutes more. Let it rest another 15 minutes. Cut dough into slices (or "steaks").

2. Oil or spray the inside of a slow-cooker or pot, and pour in remaining faux-chicken stock. Place the slices of dough in the cooker, making sure they have enough room float without touching. Cover tightly and simmer on low (180 to 200 degrees) for 6 to 8 hours.

CSA flower share

As part of our CSA, this year we also signed up for a flower share!  I'm thrilled!!  Here's a pic from the first distribution.  :)

Happy 4th!

A year ago

Hampton Beach, NH

25 weeks

Angelrox--a bit of heaven

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Angelrox studio in Brooklyn.  I've been eyeing "the wrap" for awhile now, but with my growing belly and the quickly approaching summer, I finally figured the time was ripe.  ;)  I was thrilled to be invited to visit the studio and to meet all the lovely people behind Angelrox.  In addition to their products just being flat out beautiful, versatile and comfortable, I also like supporting local sustainable business.  It's a win-win situations!  Here's info about Angelrox, from their website:

angelrox represents balance inspired and guided by the angels we serve 

 

Photo via Angelrox website

 

an amazing range of ages, sizes & lifestyles are cozy and elegant in our sumptuous eco knits

crafted with joy and made in America   angelrox is versatile comfortable & ideal for travel

we reuse, recycle and seek sustainability in our practices and offer goods produced locally

we cherish philosophy learning loving growing crossing generations and diverse cultures

created and run by designer and parsons professor roxi suger

assisted by her beloved family and a host of sweet folk

  

may peace prevail

I'll post some pics of me enjoying my new wrap soon, but in the mean time, here are some lovely photos from Roxi's blog.