Wednesday, January 21, 2015

History of Vegetarianism

Many people become vegetarian for religious, moral or ethical reasons.  I chose to become vegetarian for the moral and ethical reasons regarding the treatment of animals.  When first deciding to transform my lifestyle, learning how long vegetarianism has been around blew my mind.  Vegetarianism began long before recorded history and has withstood the test of time. 



I think it is important to understand the lifestyle from the various points through history and see how it has benefited human kind.

Going way back to cave men, many anthropologist believe that most early humans ate mainly plant foods and were more gatherers than hunters.  This concept makes the most sense to me.  Knowing how to gather and grow sustainable food is a more reliable source of nutrition than hunting.

Vegetarian ideology is said to have been practiced among religious groups in Egypt around 3,200BCE.  The karmic beliefs of reincarnation were a main factor in vegetarianism for these people. 

In many eastern religions a meat-free diet is fundamental in religious philosophies.  Many religions have doctrines of non-violence and respect for all life forms, including animals.  Vegetarianism has always been one of the main aspects of Buddhism.  The religion focuses on compassion to all living creatures and the respect for all.




Looking at the research, it is clear to me that many of the early vegetarians, besides early humans, practice this lifestyle because of religious and philosophical reasons.  I find this very interesting because those religions are not as common in the United States. 

Vegetarianism was not very common in the US until 1971.  Author, Frances Moore Lappe, wrote a bestseller book titled Diet for a Small Planet that was published in 1971 encouraging people to practice a meatless diet.  His book described that it takes 14 times as much grain to feed an animal than what you get out in meat.  He recognized this as an enormous waste of resources and supported a vegetarian lifestyle to stop wasting the world’s food.





In the 1990’s the American Dietetic Association officially endorsed vegetarianism after overwhelming medical evidence supporting the superiority of vegetarian diets.  Many of my vegetarian friends became vegetarian in the 90’s because of the research and the support of a healthy lifestyle. 

I believe that the vegetarian community has grown rapidly in the past couple years because of the shocking truth behind the meat industry.  There is no denying that our county allows the mistreatment of animals to produce meat quicker at more quantities.  Recent documentaries and research has brought this industry in the limelight.



Vegetarianism has been around since before recorded history and has withstood the test of time.   It has been recorded through many decades in cultures all over the world.  A plant-based diet has sustained humanity for thousands of years, why not join in on this healthy lifestyle?

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie


Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Delicious Vegetarian Breakfasts

I believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It fuels the body for the day and kick starts your metabolism.  I make sure that I have a hearty breakfast to sustain my body throughout the morning until lunch.  My good friend recently asked for my Citrus Granola recipe so instead of just sharing it with her, I decided to share that recipe and a few more of my favorite vegetarian breakfast recipes.

Hope you enjoy them!

Citrus Granola Parfait

Ingredients-
1 lemon, peal shredded for zest
1 lime, peal shredded for zest
1 orange, peal shredded for zest
3 tbsp. grape seed oil
4 tbsp. orange juice
4 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. lime juice
3 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cup rolled oats
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup almonds, chopped
¼ cup dried coconut
1/8 cup flax seed
¼ cup chopped dried apricots
¼ cup dried cranberries
Vanilla Yogurt

Directions-
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Combine all the ingredients except the yogurt into a large bowl and stir until combined
Spread the mixture on a pan or cookie sheet, bake for 15 minutes, stir, and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow the granola to cool to room temperature and serve with yogurt.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Oatmeal Waffles

Ingredients-
1 Cup white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1 cup quick oats
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups frozen blueberries

Directions-
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, and oats in a large mixing bowl.
Add applesauce, milk, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla into mixing bowl, stir until combined and let rest for 5 minutes.
Fold in the blueberries and cook in waffle iron for directed iron time. Enjoy!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients-
1/3 cup regular oats
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1 ¼ cups Almond Milk
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts for sprinkling on top
Directions-
In a medium pot on medium heat, add the oats, apple, chia seeds, applesauce, almond milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger and whisk well and heat for about 8 minutes stirring frequently.
When the mixture has thickened and the liquid is absorbed stir in vanilla extract and pour into dish and sprinkle with walnuts, cinnamon and maple syrup is desired.  Enjoy!

For those days when you are running late and need something quick:

Easy Apple Yogurt Salad

Ingredients-
4 green apples, cored and chopped
¼ cup toasted almonds
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped dried cherries
1 8 ounce container of vanilla yogurt
Directions-
In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients together until everything is evenly coated with yogurt.  Enjoy!


Easy Warm Cinnamon Apple and Banana 

Ingredients-
1 Banana- sliced into small pieces
1 Apple- sliced into small pieces
1 tbsp. cinnamon
Directions-
Place banana, apple, and cinnamon into medium bowl or pot, mix until cinnamon is dispersed on banana and apple.
Warm mixture in microwave or stove top until banana and apple are warm and soft.  Let cool, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: It tastes so much better than it looks! :)

With these yummy recipes, you shouldn’t be hungry in the mornings anymore.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day…at least it is to me! :)

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

Thursday, January 08, 2015

My favorite Vegetarian and Vegan Bloggers

When looking for new recipes or more information on a topic I often turn to fellow bloggers.  By reading a blog about a product or a recipe I know that it is a personal opinion and am able to connect with it on a deeper level.  There are so many blogs out there with great content for vegetarians.  Here are my twelve favorite vegetarian and vegan blogs.

1. Naturally Ella is my go to blog for seasonal recipes.  She has some of the most delicious recipes I have made.

2. My New Roots is written by a holistic nutritionist and vegetarian chef Sarah Britton.  There are wonderful recipes with ample information on nutrition.


3. Oh My Veggies is a blog from Kiersten who has been a vegetarian since she was twelve.  She has good recipes as well and reviews recipes she tries from other blogs.


4. Cookie and Kate has quite the archive of fresh vegetarian recipes and treats like margaritas, cakes, and popsicles.  She also talks about her canine companion, Cookie, who catches her crumbs.


5. Vegan Yum Yum shares vegan recipes that appeal to vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike.  She uses beautiful photography and has a great section called “how to” with great articles like “How to cut a pepper” and “How to peel mushrooms.”


6. 101 Cookbooks has every recipe you could possibly be looking for.  It is very useful because the recipes are categorized by season, recipe type, or ingredients.


7. The Veg Space has great recipes as well as a great writer, Kate Ford, who has been vegetarian for over 20 years.  She also reviews books and other products.


8. Green Kitchen Stories updates their blog very frequently with “must try” recipes.  They focus on cooking healthy, simple food with natural ingredients, whole grains, good fats, fruits and vegetables.


9. Happyolks is a great blog for recipe inspiration and for a good read.  Besides recipes and good writing this couple writes about finding a place in the world to feel truly like yourself.  It is a good inspirational blog.

10. VegKitchen is primarily a recipe site but it also features articles about what is good to eat and how to prepare and eat it.


11. VegNews is a great blog with product reviews, news, inspiration, and everything that has to do with living a vegetarian lifestyle.

12. Soul Veggie has a ton of information why having a vegetarian lifestyle is the healthiest option.  They also showcase news, recipes, and much more.

I hope you find these blogs as interesting as I do.  If you have other blogs that you love, I would love to check them out!  I have learned that blogging is such a great way to spread information and share feelings.  Go bloggers!

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie































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