They Might Be Vegans

My kids are in this vegan journey with us, and on top of that they are gluten-free (in an effort to lessen their autistic symptoms). I know this might sound like some new form of torture, but they’ve been doing really well and feeling great. The hard part? My oldest hates vegetables and almost every fruit. How do you go vegan and hate vegetables and fruit and not eat wheat or oats? It’s a science, really. I want to list some of the foods he’s been surviving on, and also find out what all you other parents of pickies do to survive. Here goes:

• gluten-free pretzels–We’d all shrivel up and die without these. The problem? They cost $7.50 a bag. Yes, that’s dollars. It hurts me just to type it.

• vegan cream cheese–Let me start by saying that I am not a fan, but hey–I won’t shorten my already short list of things my son will eat. He puts Toffuti “Better Than Cream Cheese” on gluten free bread and english muffins, and also dips the aforementioned pretzels and tortilla chips in it.

• peanut butter–We get all natural organic kind and make it with jelly on a gluten free tortilla and do roll ups. He also dips “sour apples” (apples dipped in lemon juice) in the pb.

• kids gluten-free cereals–We have these with almond milk, the best is EnviroKidz, they like several, Gorilla Munch is their fav.

• corn pasta–We found some gluten-free pasta but the corn elbows seem to be the biggest hit.

• vegan cheese–Again, really not a fan and won’t ever be. I’ve always been a lover of cheese, so this sad substitute is at best rude and at worst a crime against humanity. That said, my kids love the white cheese by Vegan Gourmet. We shred it on top of tortilla chips and over their pasta.

• fruit leather–We buy these in bulk from Costco, and they are addicting. **This just in…he no longer eats these…

• fruit/veggie juice–If not for our beloved V8 Fusion juice (no added sugar, 100%) we’d never get any nutrients into my son. He actually likes this juice, and we add to it the Arbonne kids multi-vitamin powder and he’s happy. Shhh–don’t tell him there are veggies in this juice.

Aaaand, that’s it. I’m not just making a list, I’m listing everything. And notice one item should already be taken down, but since I have a huge amount of it in the garage it’s staying up there. My son’s list of foods were just as limited when not eating vegan and gluten-free, so it’s not all that much harder when I really think about it. Just more expensive. Living vegan is way affordable in my opinion, it’s just the gluten-free stuff that I can’t/don’t/can’t be bothered to make that cost the moola.

What do you feed your picky vegans?

I’ve never been good at meal planning, unless you count “order out” as a plan.  Now that we’re eating vegan, I pretty much have no choice but to cook.  This may have been daunting in the past, but since we’re committed to getting healthy (and thanks so some nice new pots and pans) I’ve discovered I actually *like* to cook.  Who knew?

The only way for me to cook regularly is to shop for a week or two in advance, because I just don’t have the time to go to the store every other day.  Add to that the fact that I like buying “bulk” (nice to meet you, Costco), and I’ve finally started sitting down with my cookbooks and magazines and now plan our meals.

So, without further adieu…

Here’s what’s on tap for this week:

• Monday:  Baja Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos
• Tuesday: (Small Group night) Veggie burgers, Roasted Waffle Cut Potatoes, Green Salad with Shallot Dijon dressing
• Wednesday:  Hummus Platter with whole wheat pita, cucumber, tomato (Hubby will be out)
• Thursday: Mama’s Night Out!  I’m sure hubby and kids will have some Amy’s frozen dinners.
• Friday:  Penne Vodka, Roasted Asparagus
• Saturday:   Roasted Portobello Salad
• Sunday:  Veggie Stir fry with Tofu

Breakfasts are green smoothies, lunches are usually salad, fruit, hummus, etc.

What are you cookin up?

*Inspired by CityMama

Last night was one of our most yummy vegan recipes to date, and it was a little crazy how much green was involved. People, I love the green, and coming from a life-long picky eater that is huge. Who would have ever thought that that I’d be vegan and happy about it? Not me, that’s who.

We had roasted asparagus, sauteed leeks over baked potato and the “main” dish was bok choy.

Here’s what we drooled over most, adapted from Veganomicon:

Baby Bok Choy with Crispy Shallots and Sesame Seeds

Serves 4

1 pound baby bok choy (remember, these are the little guys)

2 small shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings

1/2 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp apple juice

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Slice off base of bok choy, rinse well or put in bowl of water (these are sandy little guys) and slosh around. Drain ans shake off excess. Set aside.

Heat peanut oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced shallots, separating into rings (with hands works well, or just use your spatula). Fry gently for 5 min until they’re deep brown (this will come up suddenly, so keep an eye on these babies). Remove shallots from pan and set aside. Drizzle a little more oil into the pan.

Saute the ginger in the oil for a few seconds. Add the bok choy and stir to coat with oil and ginger. Stir fry for 2 minutes until the green leaves wilt. Add the juice and soy sauce, stir briefly, and cover the pan. Steam for 2 minutes, then remove the lid. Stir for about 30 seconds more and remove from heat. Transfer bok choy to serving plate, top with fried shallots, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds, and serve right away.

Enjoy!

P.S. I’m new at this food blogging thing, so I promise to have pics next time!

So here we are.  Unlikely vegans.  We decided to get our 30 something bodies into a much healthier state, and since The OCD kicked in and we were unable to just “make healthy choices” like normal people–we decided to go all in.  Vegan.  It’s been a roller-coaster since we made the change about 3 weeks ago, but way easier than we could have ever imagined.  Just so you know, it helps if you like vegetables.

I decided to catalog and journal our adventures into the vegan world, because we do feel like aliens in an unknown land.  I hope to share recipes that we’ve loved (or hated), trials, tips and tribulations.  To make everything all the more fun and exciting, our kids are also gluten-free.  Woo to the hoo.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you’ll come back even if you aren’t vegan and cheer us on!