Lean and Green: Vegetarian Parenting
Follow me as I learn the ins and outs of raising a vegetarian preschooler and environmentalist.

Microwaves May Be Hazardous To Your Health

November 21st, 2009 by donna

Every so often I’d be at a friend’s house and there wouldn’t be a microwave oven in sight. When I asked why, I was never given a complete answer. “We don’t think they are good for us,” was a typical response. I’ve been a pretty frequent user of this appliance. I even bought a cookbook years ago titled, Microwave Meals In Minutes. So if there was something fishy about microwaves, I needed to investigate.

We’ve heard the news about plastics in a microwave oven. The chemical agents within the plastics break down when heated, potentially adding carcinogens to our food. We’ve heard the warnings about heating up baby formula in microwaves, not just because of the plastic bottles holding the formula, but because the formula can become hotter than the bottle. What a parent feels as lukewarm can actually be hot enough to burn the tongue and throat of the baby drinking the formula.

What I didn’t know, and what most parents I’ve talked with didn’t know, is that microwaves break down the molecular structure of food. What does this mean? Well, at one end of the spectrum, it means that our microwaved food loses its nutrients. At the other end, it means that some of our food elements become toxic.

According to Paul Pitchford, author of Healing with Whole Foods, experiments published in a British journal in 1989 showed that microwaves “transform the amino acid L-proline into D-proline, a proven toxin to the nervous system, liver, and kidneys.” Studies like this one done earlier in Russia were enough for that country to ban microwaves in 1976.

So why aren’t we warned about these dangers?

That seems to be the million dollar question these days. Why aren’t we warned about the dangers of the chemicals we use to clean our homes? Those we use on our lawns? The toxins in our food sold to us as high fructose corn syrup and BHT? Seems if we want to know more about this stuff, we have to search for it ourselves.

Thanks to the Internet, there is a great deal of available information on microwave dangers. Choose your source wisely; not all are legitimate. But all seem to be reporting the same information.

Am I changing my microwave habits? Yes. Have I stopped using it altogether? No. I will need an adjustment period. But I use it less, and I have definitely tossed the cookbook!

Posted in Nutrition | No Comments »

Heading to Worcester?

November 18th, 2009 by donna

Who’d have thought Worcester was a veg central for Massachusetts???

If you’re heading in that direction, be sure to make a stop at the vegan Buddha Hut on Chandler Street. This place has the best soups ever! Not surprising their soups were included in PETA’s Top 10 in the country.

If you still crave a little carnivorous fare, the menu includes a number of meat alternatives. The “seafood” tofu is super yummy, as are the “spare ribs” and “chicken fingers”.

You can also find healthier eats with tofu and a variety of rices and noodles.

Buddha Hut is a family-owned and run business where everyone is friendly, accomodating, and seems to embrace the philosophy behind veganism, including compassion and environmentalism.

Also on Chandler Street you’ll find EVO. Not a veg restaurant, but with many veg and vegan options. The meats (or should I say animals) that are served are grass-fed and organic. Next door is the Living Earth whole foods market, where you’re sure to find some healthful staples for your pantry.

Jumpin’ Juice and Java is a little more than a hop away and although you won’t find vegan desserts there, you will find soy milk for your coffee. A cozy cafe with a decor that is a mix between contemporary and rustic, this is a perfect place to spend a little time on a cold, winter afternoon. Winter…did I say winter???

Posted in Oh, The Places You'll Go | No Comments »

Teese Cheese

November 18th, 2009 by donna

I’d heard that Teese vegan cheese was good, but it’s not sold locally yet, so I’d never tried it. Then a friend picked some up for me at The Veg Food Fest in Boston, so tonight we made pizzas.

The whole fam was impressed. For some reason, vegan cheeses usually don’t melt. This cheese melted well and tasted good. On top of a whole wheat crust with spinach, mushrooms, red peppers, and scallions, the meal was complete. Yum.

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Secret Messages

November 12th, 2009 by donna

Max was excited when he did this activity at the children’s museum in Manhattan. Since then, he’s turned the whole idea into some kind of French espionage, with a character named “Bojon” sending us cryptic messages from across the pond.

All you need is an old candle and some paper or cereal boxes. Little ones need to press hard with the candle, so a white crayon might work better for some. Paint should be watered down. Food coloring and water works, too, though more difficult to get off little hands.

Although it requires a little set-up and clean-up, this is a fun activity and works well for practicing reading skills.

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Posted in Vegetarian Preschooler | No Comments »

Allowance

November 11th, 2009 by donna

Now that Max is 5, we’ve headed into allowance territory. I’ve never liked the idea of paying a child just because, but I do think it’s important for him to learn the value of money.

Max makes his bed (sort of) and brings his dishes to the sink as part of his family chores. He’s not paid for these; we each have to contribute and that is his contribution.

He earns money by doing extra chores. He can go around the house, collect the towels, and put them into the washing machine. He can dust baseboards. Yesterday, he picked up pine cones from the yard. He earned ten cents for each one. Fortunately, he lost interest at 60, but it was a great way to teach him about groups of tens, addition, and substitution (a five dollar bill for five one dollar bills).

Because Max is 5 and prone to losing things, we pay him in pretend bills. This also makes it easier for me, since cold hard cash rarely finds a home in my wallet.

Now Max is learning a lesson about economics, and just how much the toys he likes costs. This made be the hardest lesson of all.

Posted in Vegetarian Preschooler | 2 Comments »

Something’s Fishy

November 11th, 2009 by donna

For me, seafood was the last to leave my plate. After all, I grew up in Maine, the Seafood Capitol of our country. What did it for me was reading about the destruction of the oceans. The fishing industry today has grown into a multi-million dollar business, where rules are followed by some, and disregarded by others.

One of the biggest problems is the bycatch- the unwanted fish caught up in the nets. Most of this bycatch is a food source for other larger fish. Without it, the marine ecosystem experiences drastic changes, and many of the fish species we know today are likely to be gone within the next ten years.

For the fishing industry, bycatch was always an economic pain-in-the-rudder. It caused more work, got in the way, and there was no market value.

How to solve that problem? Easy. Simply rename the fish and market it as high-quality stuff, even though, as in the case of escolar, that is not the case.

Check it out:

Slimehead, originally named for its mucus-covered head, is now called Orange roughy.

Oilfish, named so because it is very oily and, like escolar, will produce a laxative effect when eaten, is now called Blue cod.

Spiny dogfish is now Rock salmon/hass on the menu.

The U.S. FDA apparently has no problem with this marketing campaign. They simply request that seafood manufacturers warn their customers of any potential, um, negative effects (like having to sit on the toilet for a whole day).

And of course, Big Business is always looking out for you and me, so I am sure that’s going to work just fine.

Source:

“Green Around The Gills”, Mother Jones, November/December 2009

Posted in Green Tips, Nutrition | No Comments »

Toasted Butternut Squash Seeds

November 11th, 2009 by donna

Before Max came along, I knew very little about food. I thought applesauce formed in a jar and pumpkin seeds grew in a package. These past few years of food “discovery” have been a blast.

Pumpkin seeds are amazing to toast, and super nutritious for you! Usually I buy a pumpkin just for the seeds and toss the rest into the compost heap. In the last carving, though, I cut up the pumpkin, too, and now it needs to be pureed.

My latest discovery, though, is butternut squash seeds. I always threw those out after carving the squash, even though it felt wrong. Finally, I saved them and toasted them just as I do pumpkin seeds, and they were great! Taste pretty much like pumpkin seeds.

They pop when you cook them, so you probably don’t need the toaster oven set to more than 275 degrees.

Definitely worth the extra ten minutes!

Posted in Nutrition, Recipes | No Comments »

Baked Stuffed Mushrooms

November 9th, 2009 by donna

These are great ’cause you can serve the mashed potatoes with another meal a couple nights before, and use them again for this recipe. (If you do that, you might need to double the recipe below, depending on the size of your brood.) Sweet potatoes are high in nutrients and far better than other potatoes, but if your kids won’t do the orange, try to work in a half sweet potato and the rest yellow potatoes.

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Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 yellow potato
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 small onion, chopped and sauteed
1 tablespoon soy milk
1 tablespoon margarine
8 large button mushrooms, washed and with insides carved slightly to make room for stuffing
1/4 cup almonds, lightly toasted and ground

Directions

1. Boil and mash potatoes, using margarine and soy milk. Add more if necessary.

2. Stir in peas, onion, and half the ground nuts.

3. Fill mushrooms.

4. Sprinkle remaining nuts on top of mushrooms.

5. Cook in (toaster) oven at 425 degrees for about twenty minutes.

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

No Rainbows Here

November 5th, 2009 by donna

When I found this activity, I had visions of rainbow-colored candles with swirls of color that would accent the lights shining in the eyes of each recipient this holiday season.

Harumph.

Sometimes visions remain just that- visions.

We melted broken crayon pieces to make these candles. As you can see from the candle on the left, we used too many dark-colored crayons. So the second time, we used only light-colored crayons, thinking that would surely solve our problem.

It didn’t. Manure-colored candle, anyone?

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Posted in Green Tips, Vegetarian Preschooler | 1 Comment »

Cold: Days 3 and 4

November 5th, 2009 by donna

Starting to feel better, though would love to curl up and sleep for, oh, three days. Naturally, Max has started to cough and sneeze.

Okay, cold virus. You want to play dirty? Bring it on!

Our arsenal now includes Sambucus, a cold remedy made up of elderberry, echinacea, and propolis. A couple mothers I’ve talked to swear by this as an effective cold treatment, especially if taken within the first sneezes. I also stocked up on mouthwash. Yep, kills the germs. Of course, I found a brand with no alcohol or dyes, so good for the little guy, too.

Currently, I am looking for a bubble to put around our home. If you should find such an item, please let me know!

Posted in Nutrition, Vegetarian Preschooler | 1 Comment »

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