Farm to Fridge: The Truth Behind Meat Production
Some of this footage is the same as in Earthlings, which I watched last night. Earthlings goes deeper into the subject though, including the terrible things that happen to dogs and cats, scientific test animals, and animals for fur. The video below is further reinforcement to not eating meat or dairy and only organic, free-range eggs. At least organic eggs have standards, and the chickens get to run around in the fresh air and lay eggs as they please!
Warning: Graphic material. Probably not suited for young people or those with sensitive stomachs.
February 15, 2011
February 10, 2011
My Latest Baking Adventure
Another recipe from The Gluten-Free, Almond Flour Cookbook!
The recipe she called for is simply Chocolate Chip Scones, but in true Angel-form, I had to make a couple changes. In addition to the 70% dark chocolate (mmmm!!), I added in unsweeted coconut and walnuts. Since I can't yet afford to buy a bag of almond flour (that stuff is expensive!), I, again, had to make my own almond flour. Blanch them, peel them, and pulse them into a powder. It sounds difficult, but it's really easy. It just takes a little bit of time. Here is the fruit of my labor:
On a side note, this is hubby's post-workout shake:
The recipe she called for is simply Chocolate Chip Scones, but in true Angel-form, I had to make a couple changes. In addition to the 70% dark chocolate (mmmm!!), I added in unsweeted coconut and walnuts. Since I can't yet afford to buy a bag of almond flour (that stuff is expensive!), I, again, had to make my own almond flour. Blanch them, peel them, and pulse them into a powder. It sounds difficult, but it's really easy. It just takes a little bit of time. Here is the fruit of my labor:
Man, are they delicious! And in all honesty, they really aren't that bad for you either.
On a side note, this is hubby's post-workout shake:
Love,
Angel
February 08, 2011
Getting Older...
So, here I am, at the ripe old age of 22. I don't feel any different yet. We had a small get-together on Jan 30 in Niceville with the family. We had a delicious gluten-free meal! On the menu: baby greens salad, coconut curry butternut squash soup, coconut walnut crusted pork loin, gluten-free bread, pancit, and THE most perfect gluten-free cupcakes in coconut and chocolate! (I'm happy to report that after many tries, I have finally perfected the recipe!) Photos below. As for my actual day of birth, it was quite uneventful. I did not leave the house at all. I sat around most of the day, baked myself an almond flour cake with coconut meringue, and hubby picked up some thai food for Siam Asian Diner. I got pad thai, and it was delicious! Then, I had a Twilight marathon. I hadn't yet seen the third one, so I recapped on the second one first then watched the third.
The job hunt is still proving to be less than fruitful. I've put in at least a dozen applications, had one interview, and still no employment! Society is messed up, I tell you. I can't even find a job as a secretary or bank teller, both of which I am way overqualified for! *Sigh* I'm about to get desperate and start waiting tables.... At least hubby got a job as a lab tech at the health department. Hopefully, he can start working this week. He's still waiting on paperwork to clear or something.
In biggest news, as of 2 days ago, I have decided that I am now a full-on vegetarian, leaning more towards veganism. (I'll still eat eggs. They're the best source of vitamin B12, a necessary nutrient.) But no more meat or cheese for me. I had been eating some cheese like parmesan and sharp cheddar because hard pressed cheeses don't contain lactose, which is what I was avoiding, and I had only been eating meat a few times a week as it was. So what sparked this change? Well, it had been in the back of my mind for about a month now, and I picked up a copy of The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It has been eying me on the bookstore shelves for months. However, she fancies gluten, so there are some modifications that I must make to fit my own needs. I have also been experimenting in "raw food." It's pretty easy, actually. A salad is raw, nuts can be raw, a smoothie is raw. I find snacks are the easiest way to add in raw food. White sugar has been mostly out of my life for a while now too. I sweeten everything with either honey, agave, rice syrup, or stevia. All of which are better in preventing blood sugar spikes!
I don't really think that there is one "right" way that we should eat, as long as we are putting good things into our body. I feel everyone needs to find what works best for them. For me, it just happens to be a combination of gluten-free, raw, and vegetarian. For husband, it's almost the same, but he isn't ready to completely give up meat yet, so he'll grill himself up a steak when he gets the urge for one.
I've also been exercising more! I try to do some strength training (some light weight lifting, lunges, squats, bicycles crunches, push ups, etc) 2-3x a week, some yoga, and hubby and I have been going on nature walks at UWF at least once a week. Sunday, we took about a 4 mile walk around the neighborhood. He made me do some short sprints too. I'm still sore! haha Some yoga is definitely necessary today to stretch out my sore muscles.
Yay health!
Below are some of the yummy things I've been making the past week! I know, I know, I always write about food! Leave me, be, though. I'm a new-found "foodie" and loving experimenting in the kitchen!
Cupcakes from my birthday party! Don't they look amazing?
I like to call these little beauties my period-relief bars. They are not only full of delicious, nutritious ingredients, but they satisfy chocolate cravings at no price to you! They taste naughty, but they're really very nice. I can eat these things without any guilt whatsoever. I just threw all the nuts and seeds I have around (which is quite a few), some dark cocoa powder, agave, a pinch of salt, a dash of coconut milk, and a few dark chocolate chips into my food processor, and pressed and cut into bars. Yuuummm!
I promise all the food looks way more delicious in person! We have terrible lighting in the apartment, so I can't get a good picture of anything!
Suppose that's all for now. I must get to cleaning the kitchen and then time for some yoga!
Love,
Angel
The job hunt is still proving to be less than fruitful. I've put in at least a dozen applications, had one interview, and still no employment! Society is messed up, I tell you. I can't even find a job as a secretary or bank teller, both of which I am way overqualified for! *Sigh* I'm about to get desperate and start waiting tables.... At least hubby got a job as a lab tech at the health department. Hopefully, he can start working this week. He's still waiting on paperwork to clear or something.
In biggest news, as of 2 days ago, I have decided that I am now a full-on vegetarian, leaning more towards veganism. (I'll still eat eggs. They're the best source of vitamin B12, a necessary nutrient.) But no more meat or cheese for me. I had been eating some cheese like parmesan and sharp cheddar because hard pressed cheeses don't contain lactose, which is what I was avoiding, and I had only been eating meat a few times a week as it was. So what sparked this change? Well, it had been in the back of my mind for about a month now, and I picked up a copy of The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It has been eying me on the bookstore shelves for months. However, she fancies gluten, so there are some modifications that I must make to fit my own needs. I have also been experimenting in "raw food." It's pretty easy, actually. A salad is raw, nuts can be raw, a smoothie is raw. I find snacks are the easiest way to add in raw food. White sugar has been mostly out of my life for a while now too. I sweeten everything with either honey, agave, rice syrup, or stevia. All of which are better in preventing blood sugar spikes!
I don't really think that there is one "right" way that we should eat, as long as we are putting good things into our body. I feel everyone needs to find what works best for them. For me, it just happens to be a combination of gluten-free, raw, and vegetarian. For husband, it's almost the same, but he isn't ready to completely give up meat yet, so he'll grill himself up a steak when he gets the urge for one.
I've also been exercising more! I try to do some strength training (some light weight lifting, lunges, squats, bicycles crunches, push ups, etc) 2-3x a week, some yoga, and hubby and I have been going on nature walks at UWF at least once a week. Sunday, we took about a 4 mile walk around the neighborhood. He made me do some short sprints too. I'm still sore! haha Some yoga is definitely necessary today to stretch out my sore muscles.
Yay health!
Below are some of the yummy things I've been making the past week! I know, I know, I always write about food! Leave me, be, though. I'm a new-found "foodie" and loving experimenting in the kitchen!
Cupcakes from my birthday party! Don't they look amazing?
Mom has actual pictures of me blowing out my candles on my birthday cupcakes, so I'll have to post those later when I get them.
My almond flour birthday cake with coconut meringue!
Birthday cake is complements of this wonderful book! She also has a website, elanaspantry.com. Tasty and delicious food made with protein-rich and good for you almond flour. She has a cupcake book coming out in April using both almond flour and coconut flour. They're much healthier for you than regular flours.
Raw cookies in my dehydrator. In oatmeal raisin cookie and brownie flavors. And in cute heart shapes. Plus, they're GOOD for you and guilt-free! Made with almonds, agave, and water. That's it for the base! Added in raisins, cinnamon and walnuts for oatmeal raisin cookie and dark cocoa powder and some buckwheat groats for brownie.
I promise all the food looks way more delicious in person! We have terrible lighting in the apartment, so I can't get a good picture of anything!
Suppose that's all for now. I must get to cleaning the kitchen and then time for some yoga!
Love,
Angel
January 24, 2011
Experiments in the Kitchen
Aside from my baking adventures, dinner has become another of my canvases. It is a chance for me to experiment with new recipes, and it usually challenges my creativity. I have always been very fond of wandering through the kitchen to see what is "in stock," then creating a meal out of what I have. It is a quite necessary skill to possess when you are a young, newlywed couple, still unemployed and on the job hunt. Let's just say our kitchen is currently quite sparse. Thankfully, hubby supports my endeavors and is a good sport when it comes to eating my concoctions.
Did it look tasty? Yes.
The other night, I was reminiscent of something hubby and I did often last year, when we were gluten-eaters. We would get a whole wheat pizza crust from the store and make our own pizza for dinner, usually topped with spinach, olives, red pepper, and parmesan. Since it had been at least 6 months since we've had a pizza, I decided it was time for one. Prepared with my new gluten-free flours in hand, I attempted a pizza crust, blind baked it, topped it with pesto, spaghetti sauce, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, (the only veggies we had on hand) and mozzarella. The final product:
Toppings: delicious.
Crust: fail.
Not only did it taste funny (I can thank the garbanzo/fava bean flour for that), but it did not hold together well. Probably from my mistake to leave out xanthan gum. (A replacement for gluten.) I figured the flours themselves had enough protein in them to hold the crust together, but alas, I was mistaken. So, needless to say, hubby ended up just eating the toppings off of most of the thing.
However, last night was a complete success! We had bragg-marinated porkchops (bragg's is Bragg's Liquid Aminos, a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce) with a GF rice pasta, zucchini strands, and carrots, all topped with a coconut curry cashew cream sauce (made from just cashews, coconut milk, water, curry paste, and some seasoning). A GF, dairy-free masterpiece!
+
=
Yumm!
January 21, 2011
Kayla!
I saw this in Berkley's Bob's in Cullman, AL. It's a hippie coffee shop. This made me think of you!
I WILL Be Gluten-Free!
Years ago, I decided dairy was a no-no for me (being of asian decent and lacking the enzyme to break down lactose), and I've felt much better since making the change. It's not a hard thing to live by. There are tons of soy products including milk, ice cream, cheese, etc. Also, rice and nut milks are a great choice. Coconut milk is by far the best non-dairy alternative. Creamy and delicious. Especially in smoothies, ice cream, and even soups and sauces! Needless to say, dairy-free is the way to be for me.
This brings me to the subject of this post. In the recent months, I self-diagnosed myself as having a gluten-allergy. They all say "whole wheat this, whole wheat that, it gives you fiber which is good for you, etc." I've decided it's a big conspiracy from the big corporations. Wheat is cheap to grow and an easy filler. It isn't good for you at all! There's a lot of research behind how it negatively affects your body, which I will not go into now, but just trust me on this. I challenge you to start reading labels. You'd be surprised at all the places you'll find wheat listed. Besides the obvious breads and pastas, you'll find it in tons of other unsuspecting ingredients, as in this list from the Gluten-Free Goddess (Btw, I love her website. It has tons of amazing gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan dishes):
Hidden gluten can be found in gravy, broth, bouillon, soy sauce, tamari, marinades, sauces, salad dressings, cured meats, sausage, hot dogs, vegan hot dogs, sausages and burgers, self-basting poultry, flavored and herb cheeses, blue veined (bread mold based) cheeses, spice blends including curry powder, dry mustard, canned and prepared soups, tomato paste, sweeteners, confectioner's and brown sugar, beverages, flavored coffees, herbal teas (watch for barley), roasted, flavored or spiced nuts, jerky, flavored yogurts and puddings, some chocolate and chocolate chips, cocoa and instant coffee mixes, flavored vinegars, cooking wines, flavored liqueur and liquor, wine coolers, some ice cream and frozen desserts*
*http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
So, you see, it's all over the place! You might wonder, how is anyone to avoid all of this?! It seems like it would be, indeed, difficult, but I'm finding that I've been doing just find the past few months. Besides feeling MUCH better than I did when gluten was a daily staple, I've been able to nurture my creativity a bit. I challenge myself to create new dairy-free, gluten-free things almost every day. I've been doing gluten-free baking for a little bit, and it has been a learning experience for sure. There are a ton of gluten-free flours out there, but they all behave differently and add things to the finish product: elasticity, moisture, etc. Previously, I had not known this and just bought a gluten-free flour to replace regular flour with in all my recipes. That worked out alright, but now I'm diving in to mixing all the different flours and playing with protein replacers (gluten is the protein in regular baked goods that holds them together). There have been multiple trials and errors thus far...
Last night was yet another adventure in gluten-free baking-dom. It was my fourth attempt at a gluten-free bread. The first one was overly yeast-y. The second: rather flat for a loaf of bread and lacking flavor and the third: cooked unproperly (aka burnt by my toaster oven; you should always use the regular oven!). After doing much research, I finally got it right! A loaf, large enough to make a sandwich out of, soft, moist, delicious. It's just what a homemade bread should taste like! Thus, now I can proceed to make multiple loafs at a time, therefore saving myself quite a bit of "dough". Excuse the pun. Do you know how much a small loaf of gluten-free bread costs at the store? At LEAST $5.00. I could probably make 3 loaves for that price. Here it is:
Definitely one of the easiest things to jump into when trying to cook gluten-free are pancakes. I made pumpkin spice pancakes:
They taste great! They just grew too much...
I might make some icing for them tonight to try to cover up the damage...
There you have it. A novice gf baker at its best.
Love,
Angel
This brings me to the subject of this post. In the recent months, I self-diagnosed myself as having a gluten-allergy. They all say "whole wheat this, whole wheat that, it gives you fiber which is good for you, etc." I've decided it's a big conspiracy from the big corporations. Wheat is cheap to grow and an easy filler. It isn't good for you at all! There's a lot of research behind how it negatively affects your body, which I will not go into now, but just trust me on this. I challenge you to start reading labels. You'd be surprised at all the places you'll find wheat listed. Besides the obvious breads and pastas, you'll find it in tons of other unsuspecting ingredients, as in this list from the Gluten-Free Goddess (Btw, I love her website. It has tons of amazing gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan dishes):
Hidden gluten can be found in gravy, broth, bouillon, soy sauce, tamari, marinades, sauces, salad dressings, cured meats, sausage, hot dogs, vegan hot dogs, sausages and burgers, self-basting poultry, flavored and herb cheeses, blue veined (bread mold based) cheeses, spice blends including curry powder, dry mustard, canned and prepared soups, tomato paste, sweeteners, confectioner's and brown sugar, beverages, flavored coffees, herbal teas (watch for barley), roasted, flavored or spiced nuts, jerky, flavored yogurts and puddings, some chocolate and chocolate chips, cocoa and instant coffee mixes, flavored vinegars, cooking wines, flavored liqueur and liquor, wine coolers, some ice cream and frozen desserts*
*http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
So, you see, it's all over the place! You might wonder, how is anyone to avoid all of this?! It seems like it would be, indeed, difficult, but I'm finding that I've been doing just find the past few months. Besides feeling MUCH better than I did when gluten was a daily staple, I've been able to nurture my creativity a bit. I challenge myself to create new dairy-free, gluten-free things almost every day. I've been doing gluten-free baking for a little bit, and it has been a learning experience for sure. There are a ton of gluten-free flours out there, but they all behave differently and add things to the finish product: elasticity, moisture, etc. Previously, I had not known this and just bought a gluten-free flour to replace regular flour with in all my recipes. That worked out alright, but now I'm diving in to mixing all the different flours and playing with protein replacers (gluten is the protein in regular baked goods that holds them together). There have been multiple trials and errors thus far...
Last night was yet another adventure in gluten-free baking-dom. It was my fourth attempt at a gluten-free bread. The first one was overly yeast-y. The second: rather flat for a loaf of bread and lacking flavor and the third: cooked unproperly (aka burnt by my toaster oven; you should always use the regular oven!). After doing much research, I finally got it right! A loaf, large enough to make a sandwich out of, soft, moist, delicious. It's just what a homemade bread should taste like! Thus, now I can proceed to make multiple loafs at a time, therefore saving myself quite a bit of "dough". Excuse the pun. Do you know how much a small loaf of gluten-free bread costs at the store? At LEAST $5.00. I could probably make 3 loaves for that price. Here it is:
And, I made vanilla cupcakes. Yes, I baked up a storm last night! This was only my second attempt at the cupcakes with the new gluten-free flour blending. It really is an art. I'm slowly learning how each different flour behaves. So, I'm the kind of person that can never, and I mean NEVER just stick to a recipe exactly. I took one of the GF-Goddess' recipes and tweaked it a little. I changed some of the flour, and with my novice gf flour experience, did not realize that I needed much less leavening. Hence, I ended up with this:
I might make some icing for them tonight to try to cover up the damage...
There you have it. A novice gf baker at its best.
Love,
Angel
January 18, 2011
And so it begins...
My first blog post in many, many years. The last blog I had was with the then "cool new thing:" LiveJournal. Yes, back from middle school/early high school at the tender age of 14. Now, here I am, weeks from 22. I feel like I will have more substantial things to write about, not to mention better writing skills. My techniques and vocabulary have indeed increased in the 8 years since my last blogging experience.
As a 21-year old, fresh out of college and recently married, there are many new experiences to have and a lot to learn. I intend for this blog to be a place to share all of these new things. My ventures in healthy culinary creations, new hobbies and crafts, fitness, mindfullness, and the many struggles and frustrations along the way.
And so it begins...
Love,
Angel
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