Auspicious Alltag: November 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

The absent presence of William Holmes McGuffey

322/365 Friday, November 18, 2011 by cathie

322/365 Friday, November 18, 2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

322/365 Friday, November 18, 2011

I stand right next to this window about 3 times a week waiting for the elevator to take me back down to the first floor. (This is not Irvin where my office is). It just occurred to me that I should really start taking the stairs--at least down after the class. I don't like taking them up the stairs becuase I'm afraid I'll get all hot and sweaty right before I teach. The view is also interesting when one looks directly down, because there is a statue of the building's name sake: William Holmes McGuffey.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

321/365 Thursday, 11/17/2011

321/365 Thursday, 11/17/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

The vegan experiment continues. Bill and I watched the pro-plant-based diet documentary "Forks over Knives" the other night and I've been reading many posts of this blog: http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/ on nutrition and the benefits of a low-fat plant-based diet. That being said, there is a part of me that still thinks - I am mainly doing this for ethical reasons and so the occasional vegan junk-food item is ok--I guess I am cutting myself some slack as I continue on this interesting food/nourishment path. One thing I have noticed is how some folks seem to go to great lengths to find pro-meat-eating arguments--i.e. they say things like humans are meant to eat meat, vegans are often gaunt, weak & unhealthy, or they talk themselves into feeling somehow deprived if they don't consume animal products. I remember thinking I craved meat, but I now think I was talking myself into craving it...so far I have not experienced any strong meat, dairy or egg cravings. Part of this is psychological too--I've probably talked myself out of wanting to eat these foods, because of what they are. (=products derived from animals, whose sole reason for existing is to serve as a food source for humans).
Nevertheless I am definitely going to try and reduce the fats I eat and also try and eat more whole grains and less refined ones...bring on the whole wheat pasta and even more of that weird quinoa. I am also interested in experimenting more with oatmeal--especially in "savory oatmeal" as shown here:
http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2011/01/cheezy-oatmeal.html

Friday, November 25, 2011

320/365 Wednesday, 11/16/2011

320/365 Wednesday, 11/16/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I posted a picture of my little fake ladybird a while back and on this day I noticed a real one walking across my table. After I took this picture I put it on a piece of paper and let if fly away off of my balcony.

319/365: Tuesday, 11/15/2011

319/365: Tuesday, 11/15/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

My colleague and I treated ourselves to tis wonderful Indian feast. I assume it was not vegan--but vegetarian. I will ask them what they cook things in. I also inadvertently ordered a mango lasse with rum, which was of course not vegan, but delicious nevertheless. We were quite full after only a fraction of this meal, which meant I had leftovers for both breakfast and lunch the next day. Which even made it quite economical in the end too!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

318/365: Monday, 11/14/2011

318/365: Monday, 11/14/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

So today at home in Albion I have been reading up on the so-called "Esselstyn" diet-- he's the doctor who appears prominently in the "Forks over Knives" documentary about how much healthier a plant-based diet is-for everyone... Dr. Esselstyn and his wife and (adult) kids adhere to a completely plant-based and also low fat diet (i.e. lots of veggies, but no avocados, no nuts, except for the occasional walnut and also no olive oil). As a person transitioning to vegan-ism mainly for ethical reasons it is kind of a lot to get my head around-- I dearly love my avocados. Dr. Esselstyn would also not approve of my vegan bagel (=not a whole grain?) and I'm sure he would disdain the Earth Balance margarine that I now use instead of butter. I will definitely experiment with olive-oil free sauteing of my green veggies and baking/roasting too. And I'll also look for more whole grains too.
But for now I will - at least occasionally indulge in avocados, nuts (=not just walnuts) and olive oil. What I will try and do is not over-indulge in them....we'll see how it goes!!

My first pomegranate

317/365: Sunday, 11/13/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

317/365: Sunday, 11/13/2011

Was tasty but rather messy-little dark reds drop of juice got everywhere...

316/365 Saturday, 11/12/2011

316/365 Saturday, 11/12/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I need to also make better friends with oats-another super-healthy vegan-plant-based stand-by...These are good but it is still just a little microwave pouch and not the kind you cook on the stove. One reason I still prefer instant is that the amount is just right. With a little maple syrup and some kind of fruit this is a good breakfast for me.

315/365 Friday, 11/11/2011

315/365 Friday, 11/11/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I spend a lot - perhaps too much time at my little desk in my apartment. Georgie much prefers lounging about with me on one of my IKEA chair, usually while watching a TV show. But on those nights when I don't make it over there, he tries to get some "me" (=him) time by sitting on my lap while I'm at my desk...

314/365 Thursday, 11/10/2011

314/365 Thursday, 11/10/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Quinoa...this first attempt was not all that satisfying, but i will persevere since it is such a healthy food...

313/365 Wednesday, 11/09/2011

313/365 Wednesday, 11/09/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A late-fall view of my office window. We had had some rather blustery weather recently and I think that hastened the "de-nuding" of "my" tree. Still the weather in Oxford (south-western OH) is definitely warmer than it is in Southern Michigan.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

312/365 Tuesday, 11/08/2011

312/365 Tuesday, 11/08/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I think this was my first attempt at making a scrumptious meal with quinoa. It was so-so. I did not really care for the quinoa...even though I know it's terribly healthy. something about the texture. The pinto beans were tasty though, as was the rosemary onion foccaccio and of course my old stand by - tomatoes. Oh how I wish I could grow my own. Hmm maybe if I stay here next year I could try and grow some on my little wooden balcony. Of course that's still a big "if"...

Saturday, November 19, 2011

311/365 Monday, 11/07/2011

311/365 Monday, 11/07/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I think this was some rainbow chard I got for myself from the Kroger. I like chard and kale a lot. And i have always been fond of brussel sprouts. I need to experiment more with things like cauliflower and cabbage--which is not one of my initial favorites, but when cooked in a nice way sounds quite appealing to me now.

310/365: Sunday, 11/06/2011

310/365: Sunday, 11/06/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Ok I have to say I was a bit afraid to try this stuff. but it is actually surprisingly yummy! I like it! So far so good for being a vegan. We're going to a non-vegan Thanksgiving, where it probably won't be a problem eating vegetarian, so that wlll be ok. The food is served buffet-style so one has more freedom to only eat what one wants. I hope I am not too tempted by the turkey.

309/365 Saturday, 11/05/2011

309/365 Saturday, 11/05/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Yep another blue-post..and one that was actually taken before the Friday shot of my boots...I have to confess that quite a few of my pics recently were not taken exactly on the day I say they were--they're more an approximation but in the end no one will really care--and they always not too far off. Taking pictures is just less of a priority when I have tests to grade or classes to prepare...this is a shot of some Adrienne's and my "spoils" from our Sat. outing to IKEA, Kohl's and Target. I went a little crazy because I don't get to shop much and now I'm earning again and so is Bill. We had fun.

308/365 Friday, 11/04/2011

308/365 Friday, 11/04/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I have noticed that the female Miami students tend to wear very similar outfits: in the summer they were all wearing athletic shorts with a stripe on the side. Then came the jeans with sperry type shoes -- or black cotton pants - sort of a more presentable sweatpant and now a lot of them are wearing all kinds of lovely boots (or Ugg-type boots) stuck into skinny jeans. I have wanted a pair of boots since before coming here, but now that I'm trying be as vegan as I can be...I'm less inclined to want to buy leather. I found these comfy man-made-material boots (that I will probably not stick into my jeans) at Target. I will also try and assemble a skirt outfit or two. They are surprisingly comfortable for let's face it a rather cheaply made boot. And I think they look nice too.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

307/365: Thursday, 11/03/2011

307/365: Thursday, 11/03/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Sorry for the blurry pic. This book has a lot of good info regarding how to get vitamins etc from what types of food. As far as I can tell the only really essential supplement for vegans is B12 and second to that many might need to supplement Vitamin D. (not just vegans, alot of us do not get enough of it because we're not outside enough...)

306/365: Wednesday, 11/02/2011

306/365: Wednesday, 11/02/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

One of two vegan cook books I ordered from Amazon. I'm pretty sure Rebecca recommended it--thanks! I like it The recipes are pretty easy and there are so many of them!

Friday, November 11, 2011

305/365: Tuesday, 11/01/2011

305/365: Tuesday, 11/01/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I really enjoyed The Hunger Games--(as did a lot of other people I gather) and so I went ahead and even got a hard copy of the second installment of this YA trilogy.

304/365: Monday, 10/31/2011

304/365: Monday, 10/31/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Vegan dinner: garden burger on a slice of Pumpernickel with salad and (very) brussel sprouts. It was quite tasty.

303/365 Sunday, 10/30/2011

303/365 Sunday, 10/30/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

This was a semi-successful experiment. It was not knock-your-socks-off yummy but it was quite edible...Since this picture I have also made my first meal with quinoa and I have to say I did not care for it...I kept telling myself that it is good for me, but still...it will take a bit of getting used to. So far the two vegan items I have hated are the slices of provolone flavored veggie cheese....(yuck!) and the shelf-stored Almond breeze milk...it was grey and tasted blah...I'm fine with non-dairy coffee creamer's though and the mint flavored chocolate coconut milk is quite yummy. If I remain focused on all the things I can eat and not on the things I don't want to eat anymore I should be fine. I'm taking a B12 supplement once a week plus a multivitamin pill every day. I might get a Vitamin D supplement as well. I feel good--just a bit tired from teaching, but actually pretty good.

302/365 Saturday, 10/29/2011

302/365 Saturday, 10/29/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I was looking around for things to take pictures of and this is what I came up with...the pattern on a box of tissues...

301/365: Friday 10/28/2011

301/365: Friday 10/28/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

I took this picture at Miami as I walked to my office early in the morning (before 8).

Thursday, November 10, 2011

300/365 Thursday, 10/27/2011

300/365 Thursday, 10/27/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Tree trimming taking place at my aprtment complex. I took this picture while waiting for the bus.

299/365 Wednesday, 10/26/2011

299/365 Wednesday, 10/26/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Vegan breakfast take two: Van's vegan blueberry waflles, Earth balance whipped organic (soy) spread, sliced bananas with maple syrup...another yummy vegan food I need to not overindulge in...

298/365 Tuesday, 10/25/2011

298/365 Tuesday, 10/25/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

Vegan breakfast: Ezekiel muffin with Krema peanut butter (made in Dublin, OH) with some sliced bananas. It was good.

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

297/365 Monday, 10/24/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A picture of a common snack these days: non-dairy fig Newman's (took a bit of getting used to, but now I think they taste fine), some figs and some mixed nuts. I have to watch my nut consumption a bit--they are really good but very high in fat and calories....also I should probably eat more pistachios and almonds and less of the extremely fattening and less super-healthy cashews...which happen to be my favorite nut...although I really like almonds and pistachios too now that I'm trying to stick to vegan foods.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

296/365 Sunday, 10/23/2011

296/365 Sunday, 10/23/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

This was a pasta topping: broccoli, capers and artichokes. It was good!

295/365 Saturday, 10/22/2011

295/365 Saturday, 10/22/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

A typical Saturday night: relaxing with Georgie and watching a DVD---in this case House.

Vegan food haul!

294/365 Friday, 10/21/2011, a photo by cathie on Flickr.

294/365 Friday, 10/21/2011

I just figured out that it is MUCH quicker to hit the "share" button on flickr to post my pics to the blog....duh....anyway - this was at the beginning of my vegan days...it has been a very interesting process. I think the fact I live on my own and in close proximity to many vegan goodies has made my transition easier than it otherwise would be. I have been surprised by how many things I thought I would not like I actually do - e.g. the earth balance non-butter spread is quite good. I have switched to a coconut milk coffee creamer which is even nicer than the Silk one in this picture. (Silk has been brought up by Dean a big dairy company and so I'm trying to find non-Silk products). Of course I'm still not completely vegan..e.g. I still own and am using some non-vegan lip balm. I did buy a nice pair of non-leather boots from Target on the week end. And I'm overwhelmed by the many many vegan and plant-based websites and forums that are out there on the internets.