A Chickpea Tale!

So...

I've been experimenting with chickpeas lately.

I must say that in the past, I have liked them at times, and at other times I haven't. For some reason the aftertaste was bothering me.

That is, until my coworker, who recently went vegetarian, began bringing in little disposable gladware containers of some of her curry dishes containing chickpeas...

...and man oh man were they tasty. No strange aftertaste or anything.

"They're easy to cook, LadyLee," she said, her eyes wide with excitement. "You just have to rinse them really well. They're good, and they keep you full!"

I trust what she says. Her and her husband know they be researching their dishes pretty hard. She KNOWS what she's talking about! And it's all soooooo good.

So I tried them out. I bought some canned ones at the store, rinsed them good and used them. No strange aftertaste!

"You can buy them raw and cook them, LadyLee," she said. Just soak them overnight, rinse them good, and cook them for about an hour. And you can store them in the fridge for a couple of weeks."

This sounded even better. And cheaper. And you know me. Don't bother me one bit to have something cooking on the stove and do something else.

So I tried this. Here's my raw chickpeas.

For some bizarre reason, I got a notion to try to bite into one of these. They are hard as rocks. Almost broke a tooth on it.

Then I soaked them overnight. They swell up to twice their size.



This always amazes me. It brings out my scientific side. I was asking myself the question, what is the rate of absorption of water per minute?

Hmmm... I don't know the answer, and like you, I don't care.

I cooked my chickpeas and added a few of them to some stirfried vegetables.

Talk about something GOOD!

WOW!!!

Lady Lifetime knows what she's talking about!

"Yo LadyLifetime! Those chickpeas were the bomb!

"I told you, girl," she said. "They are good!"

You got that right. Really though.

Glad I learned something new, something I can add to my veggie library!!!

Something New -The Meyer Lemon

One of my goals in my quest to be vegetarian has been to try new fruits and vegetables.

And in the latest issue of Vegetarian Times, I read about the Meyer lemon.

Why, you may ask, did I find it interesting?

Because I've seen it in my local Whole Food store.

I think, "Oh that's a pretty lemon! Don't look like a normal lemon!"

But the price - $2.99 a pound- I kept it moving!

But reading that aritcle helped me put that lemon on my "to try" list.

The Meyer lemon is a little different from your average everyday lemon.

You'll notice that it's a little darker in color, a tad bit rounder, and a smaller.

Here's a picture of the two different types of lemons all mixed together. You might be able to tell the differences...

The lemons we buy in the store, the Eureka and Lisbon lemons, are more common because they tend to grow year round and are easy to ship. They are hearty and have a thin skin.

The Meyer lemon is a little different. Those have a season (they are in season now, hence the article). They are thin skinned and a bit more fragile than regular lemons. (I found uh, it was a bit TOO easy to crush them, lol).


Here's what I find interesting about the Meyer lemon: it is a cross betwwen a lemon and an orange. That didn't necessarily make it sweet, but it's less acidic and a tad less tart than a regular lemon. It tastes like someone put a teaspoon of orange juice in lemon juice. It even smells a litte different.

I drink A LOT of water (upwards of 1 gallon a day at times) and it helps to squeeze lemon in my water.

So finding this lemon was a nice change of pace.

They don't hold up as long as regular lemons. Shelf life is estimated to be about 2 weeks.

But I bought a few... (Whole Foods had them for $2.99/pound; Dekalb Farmers Market- $1.99/pound) and I like them... They are VERY easy to squeeze and give more juice than regular lemons.

Definitely glad I gave them a try!

Enter the Dragon!

As part of transitioning to a more vegetarian lifestyle, I've made it a requirement for myself to try new fruits, vegetables and grains from time to time.

Some things work, resulting in me finding new and interesting foods.

Sometimes it doesn't. And all I can say is that I tried the item.

But the most unsual fruit I tried is one that I came across recently.

DRAGON FRUIT.

Other names for it: Pitaya and Strawberry Pear.

Look at it. Looks like an egg laid by a dragon.



Or if I'm really being honest, it looks like something a dragon coughed up or shot out its behind.

A bizarre fruit, it is. Even more strange is how it grows.



On a cactus. If I was a pioneer back in that day, and walked up on that odd looking stuff growing on a cactus, well, let's just say I would've kept on walking. Looks a bit, I don't know... poisonous.

It originated in the far east asian countries. It's also grown in Israel, Austrailia, and Hawaii.

The look of the flower doesn't do much for one wanting to eat of the fruit.



With that said, I saw the dragon fruit at my local farmer's market. I passed by it once, thought "What the heck is that?" and kept walking.

By the time I came back there were a few people gathered around it.

One guy said "You just gotta get one. You gotta."

He said what we were all thinking. So I grabbed one. I think it cost 2 bucks.

It sat in the fridge for a week. I half expected for to open the door of the fridge one morning and it would be there... pulsing and glowing. Or Ithought I'd open the fridge and see a baby dragon glaring at me.

(My imagination is way to vivid).

But it just sat there, on the top shelf... waiting.

I told Serenity23 about it, and she looked it up and relayed some info. (Why didn't I think of doing that?) So after what she said, I decided to give it a try.

I was NOT expecting to see what I saw once I cut it.



White flesh with black seeds. (There is a metaphor there somewhere, but I just don't think that deeply.)

Here's a pic I saw of it, all cut up all pretty.

Man, do not let me come to your house for a party and see some craziness like that on the table. I WILL TALK ABOUT YOU LATER ON. You might as well cut up an apple and serve it to guests.

Black speckled white wedges ate not a good look on a plate.

How does it taste? Tasted to me like a cross between a ripe overripe pear and a kiwi. As a matter of fact you would think that someone mixed kiwi seeds into a pear. I love pears. I like kiwi. But this was just alright.

You'll never hear me say, "Oh lawd! I'm craving some good dragon fruit."

I'm not a big fan of white fruits and veggies. I prefer colorful fruit and vegetables. This dragon fruit isn't all that spectacular on nutrients. Yes, it has the usual, like vitamins and minerals. Has a little protein. (note: anything that comes out the ground has protein). It has a little fiber. But nothing in huge amounts.

I probably won't put this on my grocery list. As a matter of fact, another trip to the farmer's market and there it was... at double the price it was in the past week. (I guess they assumed people's interest in this strange fruit was synonymous with a demand for it. Humph). So no, I wasn't paying 4 bucks for a piece of fruit which tasted just okay.

I'm glad I tried something new.

Still looking for new more interesting fruits and veggies to try!

Good Seedy Bread

One of my favorite readers, The Good Nurse, wanted to know about the new local bread I found that I spoke about in a post the other day.

It is a bread made by Big Sky Bread Company.

It is called Three Seed bread, and the three seeds in the bread are poppy, sesame and sunflower.

What I (and LadyTee) liked about this bread was that it was soft, and the seeds coated the outside of the bread. There were seeds in the bread, but they were ground up.

A loaf costs six bucks. That is a good price for a full loaf of whole wheat bread that contains no preservatives or artificial flavors. This bread is sweetened with honey only. So yeah, it's gonna cost ya. (And yeah, eating right can double your grocery bill).

But I'm not a big bread eater. In fact, I gave a third of my loaf to LadyTee to take home to her Mama. I try to share with her Mama any good eats that I find. I tend to stick with flourless breads that have to be stored in the freezer, or I buy breads that come in half loaves (like the ones made on the premises at the Dekalb Farmers Market).

This bread is great for toast, and it makes a pretty good sandwich. I made a soy chicken salad sandwich, with raw spinach, cucumber, and tomato.


That was a GOOD sandwich.

Now Good Nurse, this bread is made by a company in Birmingham, Alabama, which is considered to still be local (makes sense, since it's a couple of hours west of ATL). The Whole Foods stores carry it. There are a couple of other good local bakeries in my immediate area, like Masada Bakery in Decatur. There's also a bakery over in Poncey Highlands (forgot the name of it). I find their breads at my local vegan co-op store.

So there you have it, Good Nurse. I tend to stick with flourless breads, but I was trying to find a whole wheat bread that I don't mind eating, and that's not hard as a brick.

I think I found it! I'm definitely gonna keep this one in my kitchen.

Blood, blood, blood!

Wow. Bet that title caught your attention.

LOL

That Southern Black Gal asked about blood oranges.

Here you go, Gal.


Looks interesting, don't it?

Here's another picture.



It should be easy to tell that blood oranges get their name from the fruit's color being the same as that of blood. Here's a better pic:


Yeah, that makes it crystal clear, doesn't it? Or as the English would say... that makes it bloody clear!

The first time I saw a blood orange was in one of my mother's cooking magazines. It was used as a garnish of some sort. I thought "That's a trip. I'ma have to get one of those."

And it is very rare to come across them.

They originated in Europe, but I think they are grown here in the USA also. They are a little smaller than regular oranges, and the hull looks a little rougher too.

And when I see any fruit or vegetable (and lately, rice) that color, I automatically think of an important family of natural antioxidants, the anthocyanins. These are seen in many fruits and vegetables, but I believe it is a rare phenomenon in the citrus family. This family of antioxidant is thought to have a slew of good health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol, lowering the risk of cancer and heart disease. And it is also know to boost the immune system. (Hence, the reason why I like foods with that class of phytonutrients).

I must say, I'm not a big fan of the fruit. I was a bit disappointed the first time I tried one. Just looking at it, it looks very sweet. Quite the contrary. It is more tart than sweet. To me, it tastes like a cross between an orange and an grapefruit.

So if you like that, then cool. I prefer regular oranges.

But I LOVE blood orange juice.

And I had blood orange sorbet for the first time back in December.


That is some GOOD stuff. One of the best sorbets I've ever had. LOVED-ED it!

I found a company, Ciao Bella, that makes the BEST sorbets in the world, including the blood orange sorbet. I'm addicted to that stuff. (Don't worry, I only buy one pint a month, if I buy it. And it runs about 60 calories a serving, so you can't beat that).

So that's your mini-tutorial on blood oranges. Like I said, I'm not a fan, and I never buy the fresh fruit. It's much too tart.

But hey, it's always good to try something new.

You never know, you may like them!

Personal Vegetarian Goals

I was taking a look back at one of last year's personal journals and I came across a list of my vegetarian goals.

The Journal entry was dated June 15, 2009, so yes, it's been a year, and I think it's a good idea to post them and my thoughts on them, because I'm working on coming up with new goals. I may or may not post them. But there will be goals, and they will be written down somewhere.

So, here are the personal goals I created:

1. Go Vegetarian for the Summer - I know I wanted to transition to vegetarian for life, but that first goal was to make it through the summer. If I couldn't make it through the summer, then what was the point.

So I was successuful in that goal. After that, the goal was to make it through the rest of the year. And I did that.

2. Obtain a subscription to a Vegetarian Magazine. Not a problem. Of course I didn't know how to start.

Not to jump off subject, but this goal reminded me of the nature of my friendships. It messes my head UP when I hear of people drifting apart due to someone making changes to better themselves. Oh it just hurts my heart. I don't see much of that in my life. I told a friend what I was trying to do, and even though they had no intention of doing it too (and NO! I am NOT the type to drag people into my ventures. No way, no how), she immediately made a phone call to one of her veg friends on her own and they told me what magazine I needed to take a look at. (That's how friends should be. I'm the same way with mine. I will cheerlead your tail all the way if you got goals, man. It ain't my goal, but I'm just happy you trying to do something special, and I wanna be in on it!)

So I began reading Vegetarian Times. OH HOW I LOVE THIS MAGAZINE.

It is a great magazine, very nice for beginners like myself. Every issue is chock full of good recipes, and nice articles on different fruits and vegetables and products. I get many ideas from it, and it gives me hope. LOVED-ED it.

I read the magazine for about four months, and I got a subscription. I love opening my mailbox and seeing it there! Look forward to it each and every month!

3. Purchase one vegetarian cookbook. I did that. The one book that was recommended by the friend's above friend was The Passionate Vegetarian.

I'm not a big fan of this cookbook. Oh, don't get me wrong. It's nice, and good for someone just starting out. BUT, I'm strange. I like cookbooks with big beautiful pictures of food. This isn't that type of cookbook. Not one picture in the book. Sigh.

But it is the size of a telephone book. And I LOVE how there are HUGE history and nutritional discussions on each and every fruit, vegetable, nut and grain. That's what I will remember about this cookbook. So I learned much information.

I can't say that I've used it much. Although there is a ginger lemon sorbet that I've made in my ice cream maker that is DIVINE. That is the best sorbet in the world. I think I had a sore throat one day, and it completely knocked it down. I was happy for that. And I have gotten many ideas from it. Knowing what I know now, and the plethora of new fruits, grains, and vegetables I've tried over the past year, I can go back to this cookbook and start working on some of the recipes!

4. Cook 3 new vegetarian dishes. That's a bit vague. I think the context of which I wrote that was probably to cook three new vegetarian dishes for the summer. I accomplished that goal. No, I don't remember what I cooked.

I think right now, I cook 2 or 3 new dishes a month. I try just as many new items a month. So that's good.

I read somewhere that I should eat something new every DAY. Yes there are enough items out there to achieve that (I have a pepino melon in the fridge right now. It is the size of a small mango. And I cooked purple cabbage last week.)

But for now I think I'll stick to making sure I stay on track with that goal above.

5. One day every two weeks (biweekly), go completely raw. Nope, I haven't done that. Should be easy enough, but it is something I would have to plan. Raw diets are like, the height of veganism. And I wasn't attentive enough to do that.

Here's what people that only eat raw food believe (and it appears to be true): when you cook food, you destroy many of the natural enzymes. Yes, this does occur with heat, so they get over into a way of cooking where nothing is heated over 110 degrees, I believe.

Interesting. And there are classes in "raw cooking". One of Green Eyed Bandit's homegirls took a class in the ATL somewhere. And uh, yeah, Bandit, you need to hook us up in a 3 way phone call so I can talk to her. I would LOVE to take that class.

There's a raw food section in the cold area of the Vegan co-op where I shop. Some company in the ATL specializes in it, and they make up little TV dinners and desserts, etc. Real interesting. They have dishes like vegan salmon croquettes and pad thai. BUT that ish is expensive. Averages around nine dollars or so per entree. And no, not family portions, but basically enough to fill a small saucer. I've never had those.

Now I did buy a piece of apple pie. The portion size is the size of a small brownie. That was six dollars. Uh, let's just say I made that apple pie last a couple of weeks. It was GREAT, and I'd love to know how to prepare it, BUT I think taking a class would be more helpful. Organic food is terribly expensive as it is, but prepared raw food takes the expense to some other level.

Not for me. But I could easily have a day where I eat salads with a dash of lemon juice. And fruits. That's not a problem and I may revisit the idea.

6. Read a book on Vegan or Vegetarian living per season. Yep, that was easy enough. It started out with one of the Dummies books, Vegans for Dummies. I've read a few other books since then. I like to read, so this is simple enough.

This is how I feel about books: I'm not trying to soak up everything. Just those one or two things for me. Certain things stick with me. Like from one book, I learned much about water. From another, I understand much about the nature of raw food and enzymes. And with me being a chemist, I love and remember anything that gets down to the chemical nature of food (Afterall, I am a food chemist and a closet phytochemist, lol). For this reason, I changed the type of mushrooms I eat, etc.

Books can get a little strange. Information abounds, but it can get politcal real fast. There are a lot of soap-box vegetarians, who seem to look down on anyone who even thinks about eating a piece of meat. And that comes through in the books. Much is said for shock value. Sorry, but just because you are where you are in life, that doesn't mean it's easy for everyone else, and you have the right to look down your nose at people. This happens all the time, and I hate it. I am nothing like that. We all have our paths in life, and my goal is to walk my path, and support you in your life path. PERIOD.

This is why certain things are missing from my goals list. This is probably the reason I've not reached out to a vegetarian support group. I don't look like the everyday vegetarian. I'm not picking up a picket up a picket sign to protest animal cruelty. I am not picking up the "Protect the environment" mantra. I hate to admit it, but those things are not on my life's board right now.

I want to learn to eat healthier, as it may help with my lupus problems. THAT is the ultimate goal. And like I said before, I've kilt off 90% of my symptoms.

I want to LEARN.

I like books with that in mind. That is hard to find. But I do learn from all books. Not a problem.

Sometimes you have to pick through the chaff to get to the wheat. And that's cool. As long as you get busy picking!

Okay! So I ended with a little food for thought. Heck, there's a bit of food for thought scattered throughout the post. I want to write whole posts on such, and I think I still will.

So those were my goals starting out. I look at them now, and they seem a bit vague, as they should be for me who is starting out from the ground, and alone.

I pat myself on the back. I am proud of the progress I've made in the past 12 months. To be eating healthier, and to have reduced my meat intake by some 95% makes me happy. My confidence is high, and I will continue to learn.

So, I will think on this, and use them to come up with future goals.

Spring!!!!

Spring!!!!

*Lee looks skyward and feels the warm sun upon her face*

I love spring!!

Yeah right.

I don't want to talk about the spring season.

Looks as if I've developed a strange problem during this time of vegetarianism. Some may call it a habit. A good one, but potentially costly.

I only drink and cook with spring water. And I only eat ice made from spring water.

LOL

Is it really a bad habit?

Probably not. The water is cleaner, but honestly, I try to drink upwards to a gallon a day, and it's easier for me to do it if I like the water.

Let's just say, I can taste every single impurity, etc., in water from the faucet. Some cheap waters even taste funny to me.

Hence... Spring!!!!!!

I seem to like water that's a bit expensive.

I love Poland Spring water the best.

I never buy individual bottles since I drink so much. I only buy gallon bottles and those big 2.5 gallon containers. Those are $1.99 and $4.75 respectively.

Pricey. If I drink 6 to 7 gallons a week, uh... it gets pricey.

Then there's this water I read about in a book: Essentia water.



That's an interesting water. It's an akaline water, one with a higher pH than regular water, and it's suppose to be better for you.

But again, it's pricey. $2.99 for a 1.5 liter bottle. This water is an occasional thing. But I LOVE it. Due to it's akaline nature, it has a very smooth taste to it.

I gave some to one of my secretaries.

"Smooth, isn't it?" I asked. "Tastes good, don't it?"

"No," she said. "Tastes like regula water to me. I can't tell the difference."

*Lee snatches bottle of expensive water from secretary*

"Well, you just need to stick to the water from the water fountain!!" I yelled.

LOL (Don't worry, the secretaries know I'm "special").

Then, there's the elitist of water, something that my sister Kentucky turned me onto.

Metromint waters.



They are waters with just a hint of mint and other flavors. No sugar or artificial sweeteners are used. Just a very nice minty refreshing water. No calories, just an interesting aftertaste. I like it.

But they are $1.99 for 16 ounces.

Uh, not a good look.

Normally I wouldn't like these. But Kentucky asked if I wanted some one day. I asked the cost, and she told me. Now, this was during my financial fast. I gave her a uh, few choice words for an answer.

But she came home with a sack of a variety of these waters.

I watched as she tried one, a chocolate mint flavored one. Her nose scrunched up at the taste of it.

I gladly took it off her hands. A free bottle! I don't care how it tastes. It's free expensive stuff.

I took the chocolate mint water to work the next day, and had the nerve to run up in a meeting with it.

You would've thought that I had walked up in the place with a crackpipe hanging from my mouth. LOL

I thought it was very good. Would I buy it again? Nope. Too expensive.

So, what have I done with my expensive water habits? I did what I needed to do: I found a solution.

I would like to drink water stored in glass bottles as there are no leaching problems as seen with plastic jugs. (Trust me, plastic leaches. Brands of water come through the lab. They leach badly).
But I've settled on getting refills from Whole Foods. I have clear plastic square gallon jugs, and I can refill those for 40 cents a gallon.

I figured that out during my financial fast. There was NO way I should spend 30 bucks a month on water. I've reduced that way down to about a little over 10 bucks a month.

And that's good enough for me.

This works out well, since I don't drink sodas. I drink some organic juices, but I dilute them by 75%. So for me, it's water, dressed with cut lemons and limes. I recently found out that I can purchase peppermint oil and add a couple of drops to my water. It will give the same effect.

So, I, the Oldgirl, can keep looking to the sky, and feel the warm sun upon my face.

Spring!

Yes, Spring is where it is for me.

Spring is where it's at!

Learn

One thing I understand about going through this year of trying to figure out this whole vegetarian thing is this:

There was a lot more to it than I thought there would be.

There is so much to LEARN.

So, when I ran into vegetarians, I asked questions.

This was interesting, because people are on their own plans... on their own planets, really.

And that's cool. That let me know: there is no real plan. Just try.

First of all, it's RARE to run into a vegetarian, especially a black one. Maybe they are all around. But no one talks about it or walks around with a blazing sign over their head. I can understand this now, because the first thing someone says when you say you're on this path is:

"Girl, I couldn't do that. I couldn't go without meat."

Okay uh... that's encouraging. So, uh, I be sure to hush up. The topic will come up when I order a vegetable plate or something.

And I've gotten like others: I don't want to talk about it. I get discouraged every time. NOT a good thing.

But I ran into one person who told me a couple of things that have been at the backbone of my year, and at the forefront of my mind for some time: Nikki's brother, 'Swad.

He's been a vegetarian for ten years. She had mentioned this to me, so when he came into town to visit when she was sick, I was over there too.

And I talked his ear off.

He told me two things that have really stuck. I didn't understand then, but I thoroughly understand now:

"Lee, it's gonna take you a few years to transition."

"WHAT?" I said. "You tripping. It ain't all that hard."

(Note: I had stopped eating meat on June 1, 2009. It was mid-June 2009 when we had this convo. LOL!!!)

"No, it's gonna take a minute."

"No it's not," I said.

"Yes it is," he shot back.

We went back and forth about that. I just let it go.

Then he said.

"You're gonna really have to learn how to cook."

Now he had just gone and lost his mind then.

ANYBODY WHO KNOW ME KNOW I CAN COOK MY TAIL OFF.

I began to think, "This boy don't know what he's talking about."

But...

I saw him a couple of months ago. We'd gone bowling. And I had to tell him.

"'Swad. You were right."

You were right, you were right, you were right.

I know he was thinking... she's a bit TOO excited.

LOL

This thing... it's gonna take a minute. It REALLY is a transition type of thing. I've been eating meat for over 39 years. That is a long time. That is something I've held strong to. It's completely automatic: meat at every meal. It's like that for everybody.

Hence, I do thoroughly understand:

"Girl, I couldn't do that. I couldn't go without meat."

Yeah, I understand that. Try to accept it, but it's not my personal truth anymore.

And that is why I wrote that short series of stronghold posts last week. There are things in life we hold strongly to. And when I think of strongholds, I think of bad things. I never thought of it in terms of the "normal" things. Eating meat is normal. It is vital. It is, as far as I'm concerned, the very best part of any plate.

Good meat is good meat.

So, I understand it takes time to transition away from it.

I don't know about you, but for me anything abrupt brings misery and shock and utter confusion.

And this hasn't been necessarily abrupt. But it's a process involving much time and patience on my part.

Now, looking back, I also understand the whole notion that I really have to learn how to cook. I mean really cook. And I better be creative as hell about it. Or there will be (and have been) problems.

I've had to learn how to properly cook my vegetables, and more importantly, expand my mind concerning trying new things. Trust, there is absolutely NO room to turn my nose up at anything new.

I better try it. Period. So what if I didn't like it?

I tried it.

I can now form and have an opinion on it.

I've had to learn how to braise vegetables. I've had to learn about different oils for cooking. I've had to try vegetables that I would otherwise not try. (I really like sea vegetables. A couple contain every mineral the body needs). I've had to learn to cook vegetables I don't care for (I don't like spinach, too slimy. But I have learned to cook it where it's not. And I like it).

I've had to learn about spices (I really like African spices. WOW!) I've had to learn which fruits and vegetables contain iron and protein, and how to incorportate them on a regular basis. I've had to try grains and learn to cook grains that I've never ever heard of or can barely pronounce (got a funny story coming up on this).

It helps much that I am a food chemist. I work with fruits and vegetables every day, and I see some strange stuff come through the lab. These days, I will go look up the item, not to to research the chemistry of it, but to get a recipe, or see how it's used.

(My Auntie Joyce has taken FULL advantage of this. She'll call and be like "Lisa, have you heard of mangosteen or chermoya?" Nope. But I'ma look it up and track some down for her.)

(Hope the boss don't read that, lol. Suppose to be concentrating on the pes.ticide resi.dues!).

LOL

With all this said, I have learned some key things:

I have learned to be opened minded and to try new things.

I have made it a point to read something new concerning vegetarianism each and every day. (this is NOT difficult. There's all kinds of stuff going on on Twitter and Facebook. And I do a good amount of casual reading.)

The point is I have learned.

And I will continue to learn.

And as a result, I will continue to grow.

The What, the Why, and Other Stuff

Don't feel like writing about my weekend.

Nope. I'm changing it up!

We're just gonna jump right on in... and we're gonna keep it short.

So...

I have gone vegetarian for a year. That's a whole 365 days.

Why did I do it? No, it wasn't a weight loss thing. This would be the WRONG thing to do for such a reason. We're getting over into trendiness issues then, and I can't stand trendy stuff. I want something that lasts.

I did it because of my lup.us issues. I noticed some strange things during our yearly church fasts over the years, which either required no meat, or a reduced amount of meat: I felt a lot better and my bloodwork was good. That got me to thinkng and digging and reading, and talking to my doctor. Looks like I have had bad inflammation responses to protein, namely meat.

I don't have debilitating pain, I don't walk with a cane, and I rarely have swollen joints. But I usually have low grade fevers and I'm in some type of pain most of the time (but it was something that I got use to). I am highly functional, not bedridden or any of that.

So a reduction in symptoms was my goal.

Was I a hundred percent successful? That wasn't even the point. That would have driven me nuts.

But I was around 95% successful. That number is simple enough to come up with. If I only ate one meal per day containing meat, then I would've reduced my meat consumption by around 66%. That in itself is a lot. It took a minute to figure out on paper, but I can actually remember the times I ate meat -vacation and around holidays- and I calculated from there.

That suprised me. 95% is a good number.

What are the results? The results were pretty good. Just talking with my doctor, and looking at bloodwork, my lu.pus symptoms were reduced by some 90%. I only feel bad these days if I'm stressed out, and I try to keep that down. I know lu.pus gets bads around cycle time, and that is rare these days. Heck man, for whatever reason, I don't even experience cramps anymore. (Glory, lol!)

I sleep much better. It's like I experience deeper sleep. And I tend to sleep through the night. I don't even need much sleep.

I lost 30-35 pounds around this time. No, this wasn't a weight loss thing. This was a "feel better" thing. I don't weigh myself. I only get weighed in during my doctor appointments, which are every six weeks or thereabouts. I seem to float up and down in that range. I figure that is because I'm not the most active Oldgirl in the world. I do some moderate walking, but I'm unable to do any running or anything strenuous, as it will hurt my joints.

My anemia is a distant memory. Been working on that for years, and lo and behold, it has evaporated. I don't have any bad protein issues, either. I get a full workup of every vitamin and mineral through my bloodwork, and all of it is good. I also had a significant drop in my cholesterol level. That was always borderline. It's been normal for the past year.

Will I continue in this? Yes. It is something that is becoming more of my own personal reality. It's not even something I care to talk about these days. I find that people tend to announce it if I decline to eat something.

"LadyLee's a vegetarian! She can't eat that."

This ticks me off for some reason. Then people commence to watching me. Which bothers me even more. Let's just say I catch hell at times if I'm eating a bag of chips or candy.

I suppose I have to understand that we all have our own ideas of what a vegetarian is. I have mine, and I have found that these ideas differ from person to person, from vegetarian to vegetarian, even.

I'm still in learning mode, without a support base. I think that it's a matter of not knowing where to find support groups and what not. (I would love a support group of some sort, but I don't want to deal with animal rights folks).

I've done well, and will continue to do so. It's a slow process, and that's cool.

The deal is, I'm making progress. It's a process, and I'm making progress.

I hope I've explained a little something here. It's all a little hard to explain in a nutshell, but I hope I've given you a glimpse into the what and the why.

And for the rest of the month, I plan on talking here and there about the good, the bad, the ugly and the funny of it all!

I know we don't look forward to Mondays, but it's gonna be a great week. Something great is going to happen this week, for you and for me.

So let's run with that attitude... and make it a great week.

On purpose.

95 Percent... What a Number!

Good Tuesday morning.

It's JUNE!!!!!

Not sure why I'm excited about that. Maybe just trying to sound excited.

I had a great Memorial Day weekend. So great that I called in and called off from work today.

I can see my boss throwing her phone up against the wall. lol

Oh well, she'll be alright. I have an ungodly amount of sick leave and vacation leave. An Oldgirl got stuff to do today.

The year is approximately 42% over. And I'm starting to think more about my goals, what I've done for the year, and where I want to go from here.

And one most interesting thing has gone down: As of yesterday, I've completed a year of transitioning to vegetarian.

MAN, I've learned some stuff this year. GEE WHIZ.

lol

I planned on having a Vegetarian week here on blog. But I'm ditching that idea, because that means that I'll have to write several posts over a week's time. I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna spread it out over the month, or even beyond, because I want to write about other things too. I got a lot of stuff going on right now (for some reason, I think I'm about to be forced into some 12 hour work days when it comes to this BS going on in the news right now), and I don't want to force myself into a box.

So in a nutshell, I reduced my intake by around 95%. I was shocked by that number. No I wasn't consistent, but looking at that number, it seems to show that some consistency was in place.

(I have consistency problems. Interestingly, the sermon on Sunday was concerning the mysteries of consistency. That's a whole nother food for thought animal that we DO NOT want to get into. LAWD HAVE MERCY!)

95% is an exceptional number. I pat myself on the back for that one.

And I will NOT concentrate on the 5% where I lost my flippin mind.

NOPE.

Ain't my fault that I went on vacations. And on holidays, I eat whatever.

And it was that one time that I was at my Auntie's house, and she put that nice fried chicken wing on my plate.

I ate that ish. And it was good. Almost ate the bones. My auntie can cook. It would be wrong for me to disrespect my elders.

LOL!

And I did other little dumb stuff. All I know, PMS tends to be a strange time for the Oldgirl.

But 95%. What a wonderful number.

Here's the deal. And here's the reason I wrote the stronghold posts last week.

I don't want this to be a will power thing... where I have to constantly think about it.

"Okay, okay, okay, let's make a menu plan, let's work HARD to stick to it, blah, blah, blah."

NO!! HELL NO!

(Excuse my yelling.)

Oh, don't get me wrong. I do these things. Serenity has grabbed me by the back of my neck and has forced me into it. (I know she just read that and hollered "What???") No, on the real, it was something I asked her assistance with, as a bootleg accountabilty partner (I can't stand that type of thing for some reason), and you know how that Serenity is: a chicken with a sharp beak pecking at my foot about such matters.

Let's just say, when I get to work every morning, I send her an email of what my meal plan for the day is. I even tend to do this on twitter. Shoot man, I think I even tried to send an email and she wasn't even at work that day. (Ended up just sending it to myself).

Yes, the habits are fundamental and totally necessary. Accountability, all of that. ALL of them. TOTALLY necessary.

The problem is, I want to go higher.

I am looking for that place, where it goes from being something up in my head, to somethng that drops down in my spirit and becomes a part of my heart.

Becoming automatic.

Without a second thought.

No falling off wagons. None of that. Just automatic.

A stronghold that won't be broken down.

THAT'S the place I'm looking for with this thing.

Will I get there? Most likely I will.

Because when I eat meat now, it's like, uh... where's my broccoli?

LOL

Broccoli... I crave it like a crackhead craves crack. LOL

I did pretty well, considering I'm alone in this. There's no vegetarian support system. Not like with the natural hair thing, and the workout thing going on around blogland. Nope. It's a ghost town.

And that's cool.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am EXTREMELY solitary.

And I know more today, than I did 365 days ago. MUCH more.

And my little year trial period (Yep, it was a trial period, you didn't know that?) is over.

I think I'll just stay this way.

And keep going.

And keep growing.

And working on jumping past that good number, that 95%.

A Vegetarian Tale

Dedicated to blogger Chele, who's on a quest for a Meatless March. She says she needs some new recipes... well, here's one just for you, gal.

I've been wanting to write this little story, but haven't really been able to, as it involves my girl Nikki, who passed last year. I remember her saying "Lee, I KNOW you're gonna blog about this!" I told her back then I'd blog about it, as it was truly hilarious.

We had too many times together that left us cracking up... and seeing *crickets*.

So, I'm finally doing it.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

"A Vegetarian Tale"

So...

Back in June, Nikki gave me call. She had just been discharged from the hospital, and she said they were having some type of cookout at her house, and wanted to know if I wanted to stop through. I told her I'd come on over. And I'd bring a few dozen cookies.

(I never go anywhere empty handed. If all I have is a glass of water... well, I'll be walking through your door with a glass of water.)

I arrived, and Nikki was upstairs with her best friend. We all laid up across the bed and watched television. Nikki's Mama came upstairs looking at us like we were half crazy.

She clapped her hands. "Ya'll come on and get up out of my bed."

Uh-oh.

"Nikki, why you didn't tell me were in your Ma's bed, man?"

She shrugged.

"You all come on downstairs and get ready to eat," Nikki's Mama said.

We got up, helped Nikki with her oxygen, and made our way downstairs.

As usual there was a LOT of food. Nikki's Mama had been hollering about how she was going to have some veggie dishes for me. I didn't care one way or the other, as I try to eat before I show up anywhere where there will be a gang of food. Or I roll up on the scene with my own stash.

We settled in the den and watched television. I'd brought some yarn along so that I could crochet. Nikki said she was going to bring out her yarn, but she decided to just watch me instead. We ate dinner, and I had a BAD case of the 'itis. Hard sigh.

If it wasn't a shame, I would've laid up on that couch and went to sleep.

Well, in walks an older gentleman carrying a Corning ware dish. He looked to be in his mid-fifties. He was tall, very dark, and bald. He had a big booming voice that demanded attention. I don't think he was a relative. He may have been a family friend. I am not sure.

And I could tell right off: he was that type.

You know the type: the crazy uncle type. The one who gets out in the middle of the floor and does that crazy dance. The one who's the life of the party.

Yeah, that type.

He goes up into the kitchen and sits his dish down. He makes small talk with the peeps milling around in the kitchen, then he comes back down in the den with us.

And he laid down on the floor.

I didn't say anything. I just kept crocheting and talking to Nikki and one of her hilarious female cousins.

Hey, sometimes people like to make themselves at home. I myself was perched up on the love seat with my shoes off, crocheting up a storm, just like I do when I'm at home.

This fellow (we'll call him "Joe" as I can't remember his name), relaxed on the floor. He was quite funny. Had this Oldgirl in stitches, I tell you.

Nikki's Mom called down from the kitchen (which overlooks the den):

"Joe! What's in this dish here?"

Joe sat straight up. "It's a little something I made for 'Swad!"

'Swad is Nikki's brother. He was in town from California, and he'd left to go see some of his friends.

Joe pointed a finger in the air. "It's a vegetarian dish! I made it for 'Swad!"

I stopped crocheting and looked at Joe. "Really?"

"Yes!" he yelled. "It's a dish I saw on the Food Network. I said to myself, I can make this here for 'Swad!"

"What is it?" Nikki asked.

I am glad she asked, because I wasn't going to. Whatever it was, it was vegetarian, and I wanted to try it.


He relaxed back on the floor, resting on the back of his elbows. "It was on this show on the Food Network in the middle of the night. They took some bananas, and mixed that with some onions and bell peppers and nuts and they baked it up. I though to myself. 'I can make this! I can make this for 'Swad!'"

**crickets**

"Really?" I said.

"Yes!"

"What was the name of that show?" I asked. Could it have been Paula Deen? The Barefoot Contessa?

Joe shook his head. "I don't remember."

I looked over at Nikki, who was being nonchalant about this, and looking straight ahead at the television. I went back to crocheting. (I quickly recognized that it was one of those things that, if we looked at each other, we would've probably both just lost it!)

Bananas and onions and green bell peppers.

I searched my memory. I'd never thought of putting such ingredients together. Never.

Nope, I'd never heard such a concoction.

"I wanna try it!" I yelled.

Nikki shot a hard side-eye my way. I glanced at her, but quickly looked back down at my crochet project.

"I made it for 'Swad!"

"I know," I said. "But it sounds interesting. I want to taste it."

"Ma," Nikki called out. "Bring us a plate of some of what Mr. Joe made. Just a scoop of it. Me and Lee can share a plate."

"Okay," her mama said.

Nikki's mama came down into the den and handed us a saucer of a brown murky goo.

Sort of looked like something you hurl up, you know.

But it was a vegetarian dish. And I just had to try it.

Nikki tasted a bit of it. I tasted some too.

Mr. Joe looked back and forth between the two of us expectantly.

Neither of us said anything... just chewed on it.

We couldn't say anything. What could one say?

It was unlike anything I'd ever tasted.

Like a party in your mouth.

It reminded me of when I was at a club one time, getting my dance on out on the dance floor, having a good time.

Then someone threw a chair from across the room out onto the dancefloor. A fight ensued.

And the party in the club turned into a "run for your life" scatter type of situation. Pure chaos!

Yeah, party in your mouth, but an out of control party. Pungent. Sweet. Salty.

And a whole lot of other flavors I just couldn't describe.

"Hey, you got a LOT going on in that dish, Mr. Joe," I said.

Mr. Joe nodded. "Yes, I thought it was interesting. Just wanted to do something special for 'Swad."

This man sure did love himself some 'Swad. Talked about him endlessly. That dish he made was from the heart. For 'Swad for sure.

"Tell me," I said. "How many onions did you use in that recipe?"

He held his hands up. "I used two big onions."

Nikki gave me another hard side-eye.

"Maybe you should ease up on those onions, " I suggested. "A fourth of a cup of onions. That might help it out."

"And those peppers, too," Nikki added.

"You think so?" he said.

Nikki shook her head. "Why don't you just leave the peppers and onions out altogether."

"Well," Mr. Joe said. "That's the way they did it on the Food Network."


"That might be the ticket, Mr. Joe," I said. "Take out the onions and peppers, and add some raisin and pecans or walnuts or something like that, and it'll be off the chain."

"Yep," Nikki chimed in. "That'll do it."

"I might have to try that," Mr. Joe said. "That might work out."

And I hope he does try it. Because I have never tasted anything like that in my life, and I hope I never will again.

Later, Nikki and I were talking about it.

"My brother will never eat that," she said. He's gonna look down over in the pot and shake his head. He's not going to eat it."

I think 'Swad should've tried it... It was definitely a treat.

I myself have not made this "Banana supreme". I put bananas in my smoothie, my oatmeal, or I'd just eat them as is.

I often wonder what show Mr. Joe was watching that night?

And I wonder if he heard "banana" when they actually said "beef"?

LOL.

I don't know. And I don't think I want to know.

So Chele... that's the end of my "Vegetarian Tale".

I myself have come up with great vegetarian recipes, and a few that were not so great.

I hope you find better recipes than the "Banana Supreme."

In fact I know you will.

Enjoy your Meatless March, honey!!

That Doggone Vegetarian Post

I need to give a vegetarian update.

And I've been avoiding this. Not avoiding it really, but I couldnt figure out how to blog about it.

This is not an issue, but I just haven't really cared to do it. Honestly, it would take several posts, and I get a bit drained by my longwinded self.

Plus...The shine wore off that thing.

Now, that in no way means that I've stopped the pursuit. I was a bit more excited this summer when I started this little venture on June 1, 2009.

My goal was to vet the whole situation for the last 6 months of this year.

I'm still kicking vegetarian. But, I have had some meat here and there.

When I went on vacation to the Mayan Riviera in September, I had plenty of meat.

I mean it was all inclusive... there were seven restaurants there!

I mean, they had lobster!

I ordered that on our first night there, I believe. I think I had a sliver of that steak, and gave the rest to Kimmie Kim.

She had shrimp that night.


I MADE her give me one of those shrimp (while I forced her to take that steak off my hands). LOL

I think I had all kind of things I hadn't been eating. And I did that on purpose.

I found out some very interesting things.

I don't care for eggs (scrambled or otherwise).

I really like seafood of all types.

I don't care for chicken or pork.

I could take or leave beef (I rather leave it).

I can't stand salty stuff.

I hate hate HATE cow milk.

Hmm... all interesting.

My taste buds have changed. I like the seafood deal. (Had some for the thanksgiving holiday).

I decided that if I eat meat, it will probably be seafood (even though I am feeling that thought fading away).

But like I said, the shine of all this has completely worn off.

I think that's a good thing...

It's almost like meat is going the way like the end of a movie.

It's fading to black, credits slowing scrolling up the screen.

I rather do my veggies and more healthier fare than meats.

And that's a very good thing.

Now, I have to focus on what to do next. Definitely decided that I'll just stay this way, but I've seen a problem areas, and room for improvement.

1. Problem Areas. I do like carbs. Carbs is an issha with me. So my behind needs to FOCUS in this area. One good thing for me is that I really like flourless breads and other flourless products, but doggonit, I like sweets, too. (Somebody needs to hook an Oldgirl up with some flourless doughnuts!)

The solution is rather simple: learn to cook good vegan desserts. Problem is that I don't care to bake said desserts. I do have a plan for a couple of desserts, though. My goal is to fool around with those over the holidays.

The local vegan store has an insane variety of vegan cakes, dessert bars, fruit parfaits, all kinds of craziness. I may just have to satisfy my sweet tooth up there.

I also got this thing for cheese and sour cream. I'm not sure what that's about. I don't eat much of either to cause concern, but I would like those out of the way completely. I found interesting substitutes for those. I can make my own sour cream, and I can make my own cheese from various nuts. I'm raising an eyebrow at that, but hell, it's worth a try. That means hanging out in the kitchen a little more. Sigh.

But, this type of thing, the carb thing, gets strong on me when I'm PMSing. So maybe I just have to get through my hormonal stages. Sigh.

2. Expand. This is somewhat related to #1 above. I'm at the point right now where I have to do some expanding, just cooking more stuff. Plus, there are things I purpose to add more of to my diet, especially on a daily basis, like more green leafy vegetables. Those seem to have all the vitamins and minerals I need, well most of them, and I have to ramp that up. So, it is a goal now to figure out new ways to prepare these things. This means more time in the kitchen, which I detest. But if I want to continue to eat right, I must cook from scratch.

3. Education. You know, a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Really it is. So, I have found what has helped me the most is to do a little reading.

People get upset with me when I say I'm transitioning to vegetarian.

"How will you get your protein, Oldgirl."

That ain't a problem. I read that the American diet contains 3 times as much protein as needed. Beans contain much protein. Plus, there is a specific grain that contains every amino acid. I eat that one on a regular basis (I damn near crave it, lol). I found a sea vegetable that contains every amino acid. I found a heavy cream substitute that tastes justs as good as regular dairy cream. Came across some beef and chicken broths that are all natural, and don't contain chicken or beef (and taste better).

This is stuff I never knew.

I say all that to say this: I learn a lot from reading. New things to try, stuff I need to avoid, etc...

And I will continue reading. My goal is to learn one new thing a week. I learn more than that.

I am considering finding a support group of some type. That might not work out, as I am NOT interested in cavorting with a bunch of bone thin beatniks, lol. But I am sure I can find a few people like me who are transitioning and are looking to learn and share ideas.

Now I'm not doing this for weight loss purposes. The only time I get weighed is when I go to the doctor every 4 to 6 weeks. I've lost around 30-32 pounds.

No, I am doing this for health reasons. This vegetarian thing has greatly improved my lupus issues. In talking with my doctor, we figured out that I have squashed about 90% of my pain. I still have issues, like right now, I have a very mild tendonitis in my foot (which irks me to no end, although it is not painful), but I have greatly reduced the inflammation isshas in my body, thus less pain. I AM HAPPY FOR THAT, MAYNE.

And my iron issues somehow got solved in the process. I don't know WHAT that's about. I was popping iron pills like candy, and it was BARELY working out. My doc was like "You can stop taking your iron pills if you like." She got the hard side eye for that one.

Uh, no honey. Maybe a year from now.

I am doing this for a lifestyle change. And I'm seeing now, how this is slowly fading into my lifestyle.

I was told by another vegetarian that it will take a couple of years to get the hang of things.

That saddened me, but only for a brief moment.

I got this here toothpick, and I'ma dig this vegetarian ditch with my toothpick... doggonit.

So what if it takes a couple of years. We gonna take it, and conquer it!

I feel I have accomplished much over the past 6 months. I give myself a grade of a "B".

I will continue to grow, and accomplish much concerning this venture in 2010.

Semi Wordless Wednesday: Goodness Gracious Alive!

I saw this picture on wiki.pedia and my eyes glazed over.

Man, I would straight up pass OUT if I saw fruit and vegetables stacked all up like that.

DANG!!!

I wouldn't know what to do, where to turn. GEEZ!

As my Grandmother would "Goodness gracious alive!"

That's somewhere over in Barcelona.

Miss Celie (Tayari), you're headed that way soon, ain't cha girl? Go find THAT and take a picture of THAT for this Oldgirl.

Much Obliged!!!

LOL!!

To Be or Not to Be?

To be or not to be?

That is NOT the question!

The real question is...

"Is that Original Oldgirl LadyLee a Vegan or a Vegetarian?"

Honestly, I thought the two terms were the same.

(Honestly, I never really cared... Much less thought about it).

Anyway, boys and girls, lets look at the two terms.

In other words, gather around Oldboys and Oldgirls, it's education time.

*Lee does the happy dance*

One of my goals (and check the goal list, goals keeper Serenity3-0), was to read a book a season about vegetarianism. It is important to educate myself about it all. I have been digging around in two books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living by Beverly Bennet et. al. and The New Becoming Vegetarian by Vesanto Melinda et. al.

It's been very intersting reading indeed. There's like a whole spread of different types of vegetarians. Too many to list here, so I've narrowed it waaay down.

Let's define some terms:

Vegetarian - is a diet that excludes all meat (fish, game, red meat, poultry).

Near Vegetarian - a diet that includes some meat, fish or poultry. Also known as semi-vegetarian.

Near Vegan - a diet that excludes all meat, eggs, and dairy products. This can range from no eggs or dairy, but could care less about traces of animal products in prepared foods to eating pizza or ice cream or whatever every now and then. They largely exclude egg and dairy products though.

Vegan - a diet which includes the avoidance of ALL products of animal origin. This include eggs, dairy, gelatin, and honey (made by bees). Not only are animal products avoided in the diet, but they are also avoided in other areas: no leather, no silk, no wool, no feathers, etc... No going to the circus, no hitting up a pet store, none of that.

*big MC Hammer dancin' crickets*

*crickets having visions of crickets*

Man, I was alright up until that Vegan definition. Avoidance of ALL product os animal origin.

I was lost at giving up honey, just because it is made by an insect.

I'm not too sure that I know of many sistas who will give up the silk panties.

And dudes like their silk boxers too.

(Ain't NOTHING like a brutha in some silk draws. Nothing).

And this Oldgirl would NEVER give up leather sneakers. If that had to be the case, I might as well go down to Fat Matt's Rib Shack over on Piedmont Road and order up a slab of ribs and half a bird, man.

Really.

(And you might as well throw me out the window if you think I'm giving up my down pillows and my down comforter. We gonna FIGHT like some mad dogs in the street if you think I'm giving THAT up.)

Man, that whole vegan lifestyle is waaaay too much thinking. Waaaaaaay too much.

I don't knock it. You do you. I always support you doing you.

I found it VERY interesting that vegans are warned not to get a "holier-than-thou" attitude because of picking on people who choose to do differently.

(I myself have seen this before).

One author warned vegans to not go picking on folk if they aren't vegetarian because people watch you and will call you out on your mess. Really.

It is unfair, it is. That's a daunting, stringent choice, and not right for everybody. I prefer to work hard on my lifestyle change, and do the best I can do. If I slip up and eat a pot of chitlins, so be it. Get back up, dust myself off and keep it moving.

I saw on the news that the animal rights people were upset that Obama killed a fly.

I am sure these people are some hardcore vegans.

I can't fanthom being upset about a fly.

If you think I would twist my mouth to whine about President Obama putting the smackdown on a pesky housefly to my Grandmother, who didn't get her civil rights until she was in her 30s or 40s...

... then you smoking something.

And it ain't a simple cigarette.

The rights of a housefly.

Black folks don't even have all their rights. Heck, women don't even have all their rights.

Work all that out, and I might think about the rights of a whale, a seal, a dog, a cat...

... or a housefly.

Okay, let me get off my soapbox. I'd be in major trouble if a wonderful vegan came over here and read this.

But like Mister said, This here is MY mailbox, i.e., this here is my blog, and I sayest how I feelest!

But anyway, I would consider myself Near Vegan.

And I won't be impressed with myself 'til I hit the 100 day mark.

It's only been approximately

50 days

1206 hours

72360 minutes

4341600 seconds since this all started.

I exclude all meat, eggs, and dairy. I had some quiche that I thought was tofu, but it was actually organic free range eggs. I had that twice, but that's about it.

I was never a big milk drinker, and I prefer the almond, rice, and hemp milks instead. I had a slice of cheese once. That's because it came on a black bean burger, and I didn't feel like fighting with peeps over it. (I'd already had to send the salad back).

But that's about it. I could give a flip about what is in my prepared food. (I ask, and leave it alone if it is dairy or egg related if I can).

I'm sorry. I am NOT having a conniption fit over that type stuff. I have too much other stuff on my mind.

Shoot, I took a gang of hot wings to my writing workshop last week. Whatever. Thought the meat eaters would appreciate some hot wings and ranch and bleu cheese dip on a balmy Friday night...

(Too bad everyone there was vegetarian except the host. LOL!!)

So there you have it... a VERY simple primer on some things I never knew, and some things I bet you never knew.

Yeah, and go tell all of that to the housefly buzzing around your house.

Sure that sucka would be terribly interested...

...And would be hoping and praying that you are vegan.

LOL!!

Gone Vegetarian...

The birth of Milk and Cookies Jr. was a most delightful interruption...

We now return you to our regularly scheduled broadcasts...

Now, one of my life goals has always been to become vegetarian...

It has been more of an imagination than anything.

Why, I've thought about it often, especially when I'm chowing down on a barbeque rib sandwich or a merrily eating a 2 piece spicy chicken dinner from Popeyes.

Always thinking about it, but never mustering up the courage to go through with it.

But, I noticed something particularly interesting during the fasts that we have at church every January. Sometimes I participate, sometimes I don't make it through. It is never anything stringent (like total water fasts - negroes will act a jack behind such), but usually involves some type of detoxifying element, like no junk food, no red meat, no white food (rice, potatoes, other high starcy stuff), nothing bad for you.

Very detoxifying indeed. The heart and mind is very clear during that time.

But like I said, I noticed something very interesting happened during these times:

My lupus symptoms virtually disappeared.

I could go so far as to say that they disappeared, because I don't remember any symptoms.

During those times I felt, what's the word... NORMAL.

And yo... an Oldgirl was REAL happy about that.

And soon as I'd go back to my old ways, well... the symptoms would raise their ugly heads.

Now my symptoms aren't terrible, as I am functional. I always have a low grade fever. I don't sleep well (only 6 hours a night, and constantly waking up). I have constant inflammation, and a little joint swelling. It gets a bit bad during PMS. I have spontaneous nosebleeds from time to time. Sinus infections prevail.

Like I said, I am very functional. I work everyday. I am limited in activities (2 on the weekend, 3 during the week). Anything more and I am virtually wiped out with fatigue.

I've always been proud of the fact that I can take care of myself. I am not dependent on anyone. Being completely debilatated had been a fear in the past.

But there was something about those periods of fasting that stayed on my mind.

And I looked into it one day.

I read all types of things on lupus, but one day I saw something interesting: that symptoms can be exasperated by animal protein, to the point where all the symptoms could be some sort to an allergic response. Essentially getting too much animal protein could cause all kinds of inflammation problems and kidney problems. I have had both at some time or another.

It could be bogus. Who knows. I blew it off and went on to something else. I don't see much about this in my mainstream book that I have on the subject. Such is to be expected from a book more centered on Western medicine.

But it isn't bogus to me because of what happens when I eliminate animal protein from my diet for periods of time.

Mix that with meeting one of Cowgirl Cre's cousins at one of her family functions who was a vegetarian just this past Memorial Day Weekend.

Our convo was interesting:

"So you're really a vegetarian?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"So how long you been like that?"
She laughed. "You make it sound like I have a disease."
"No, I was just wondering."
"For 10 years."
My curiosity was peeked. She was a young chick, couldn't be over 30. "And why did you decide to do that."
"Because I had an animal protein problem that put me in the hospital, and after that, I stopped eating meat. And if I try to eat it now, I just get sick."

Hmm. I didn't know what to say. We all went on talking and joking about other things. I was trying to catch her alone but couldn't. I was nosy as hell. I wish I could've gotten her number so we could talk privately. I wanted to know what caused her protein issues. (But I didn't want her to think that I was hitting on her. LOL!! Maybe I'll see her at another family gathering (as I tend to crash Cre's family stuff often)).

Anyway, I thought on that for awhile. And not to mention, me and Dr. HazelEyes, another sista Doc on my job, had decided we were going to fast together. (She'd done some similar fasting like I'd done in January).

So we made a pact to do the darn thing.

"We're starting June 1st, LadyLee," she said.
"That's cool, I'm ready," I said. "And I'm kicking it for the whole summer, babes."

She looked at me like I was crazy. "Naw, I didn't say all that. The month of June, that's it. I'll work it out past that when we get that far."

"I'ma do the darn thing, girl. And if I can make it to the first of September, I'm shooting for December 31st. And if I can do that, then shoot girl, I'm gonna just stay that way."

*Dr, HazelEyes looking at Lee REAL crazy-like*

It is a most daunting goal indeed.

It is the most positive and interesting thing I did last quarter.

How am I doing?

It has been:

46 days

1104 hours

66,240 minutes

3,974,400 seconds...

Since I "turnt" vegetarian.

How am I REALLY doing?

1. No constan low grade fevers.

2. I can't remember the last time I had any arthritic pain or pain from inflammation. (Well, yes I can: late May, that's when).

3. I sleep like a rock. I get 6-8 hours of sleep per night. And even if I get 3-4 hours of sleep, it is a very good DEEP and satisfying sleep. I am not groggy for the rest of the day on short sleep.

4. No lupus flares (suddenly worsening of symptoms) during PMS.

5. No spontaneous nosebleeds. (Gosh... I HATED that).

6. No sinus mess going on. (Thank the Lawd for that).

7. Lost 17 pounds (Doctor Bhaji was happy about that). I can't tell, but it is what it is.

8. Doctor Bhaji said my hands had gotten smaller. *Lee sees crickets flying around that statement* In other words, no real inflammation and fluid retention isshas were seen on my last doctor visit.

9. My cholesterol dropped about 60 points. (It had been borderline high- around 220). That was from a June 9th test. Might be lower now.

10.Much better concentration (I usually have the concentration of a flea, which is lupus related- I cannot STAND that).

11. I am more energetic.

So, uh... should I stick with it? Or should I let it go and go get some Popeye's chitlins?

LOL...

So, Chele, I hope I answered your question of why I went vegetarian. Purely for health reasons. I think this is one of the most important decisions I made in the second quarter of the year.

And now the question is... Am I vegetarian or vegan?

There is a difference, you see...

To be continued...

A Most Tasty Dinter

I broke out the wok and cutting knives and hooked up dinner in about 20 minutes flat tonight!

Uh-oh... almost forgot about the rice!

Okay... NOW it's tight!

Blog fam yells "OH NO! That looks like chicken up in there, LadyLee!"

Uh. No.

Told ya'll negroes I was going vegetarian.

Been vegetarian for 31 days.

743.5 hours.

44, 610 minutes.

2,676,660 seconds.

In other words, that ain't chicken!

That's seitan!

Chicken-style seitan. Yeah, yeah, I haven't heard of it either. Been hanging around that vegan store I roll up on once a week, and found out about it. Good stuff.

Looks like chicken.

Feels like chicken up in your mouth.

Hell, you get drunk enough, you'd probably swear it was real chicken!!

Anyway, I am posting the recipe... Not for you, but for myself.

And to prove to my baby blog sistah and keeper, Serenity30, who has my list of summer goals in hand, that I am sticking to the goal of preparing 2 or 3 vegetarian dishes this summer.

(And you know how cantankerous that chick can get when it comes to goals. HUMPH)

LadyLee's Special Bok Choy Stirfry

3 cups bok choy, washed and rough chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 cup onion, sliced

1/2 cup portabella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup seitan, sliced

1/2 cup broccoli

1 tspn curry powder

1 tspn sriracha pepper chili sauce

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Insructions: Throw it ALL in a wok and let her rip!!

LOL.

There are no real instructions to stir-fry. Stir it, fry it... then eat.

Turned out pretty well. I had a small container of leftover dirty brown rice made with soysage (I don't care for that soysage, man... AT ALL), and I paired it with my stirfry.

Dinner, from cutting up everything to sitting down and eating: 20 minutes...

Now THAT'S what I call fast food!!

Really though.