2am update

I'm up uncharacteristically late tonight, updating my twitter and blogger backgrounds. That's normal, right??

So those no-bake date and nut cookies? One left. I pretty much ate them all. No one wanted any. Normally I'm a little offended when no one will try one of my creations, but this time I was happy to have them all to myself. Not joking, these were so effing delicious!! Definitely will make them again. Unfortunately I paid for my overindulgence today by experiencing some *gastrointestinal distress*. What? Dates are a laxative??

If any of you live in the Columbus area, you've got to check out a great tea spot that I just discovered. It's caled Tea Zone and it's off of Bethel Road (across from my favorite Banana Leaf!). I took my brave friend Karin and the two of us caught up on months of business once we discarded our shoes and took at seat at one of the tables that are recessed into the floor. The tea was served with some sort of sweet bread and a funky little sand timer to measure the tea's brewing time. I received some of their jasmine loose leaf tea for christmas - Teavana educated me in the art of proper tea brewing and I haven't enjoyed a cup of blah Tazo since.

My good friend Adina, the resident tea afficionado, raves about a spot in Westerville called something turtle...I'll find out details and let you know. I've yet to go there, but hopefully before I start classes next week (yikes) I'll have a chance to go.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, y'all!!

In lieu of a typical cookie, I opted for a no-bake date based treat from Vegan Planet - a cook book that my omni family highly recommends. I was astonished by the layers of flavor that such a simple concoction made; the only ingredients were dates, nuts, a bit of coco powder, a hint of vanilla, and some coconut to roll the balls in. I'll take some pix tonight at family Christmas #1 to show them in their fully displayed glory.

I hope you all have a chance to spend today with family and loved ones. I've found that's what's most important to me. I also celebrate the birth of Jesus and his sacrifice for my eternal relationship with God. Whatever you celebrate, do so with fervor and thankfulness!

Brownie Hell

 I have returned to Columbus until the beginning of the new year, feeling better, and holding down a job at a local family-owned (not vegan)brownie shop. Allow me to rephrase: working my ass off at a local, family-owned brownie shop. Said shop does not run in shifts, instead each employee stays for however long he or she is available every day. That means that I work from 6:30AM to somewhere around 7:30PM Monday through Thursday, fewer hours on Friday, and not at all on Saturday or Sunday. This arrangement is only for the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve (Or, in my case, this past Monday to Christmas Eve) - when the shop needs help with their holiday rush.

I start my day, blinking and bleary at 6AM. Making my way up to the kitchen to grab my prepared lunch and a piece of fruit, I retrace my steps countless times to collect the daily necessities. I blast the heat in my mom's car to melt the ice off of the windshield and my ears. The shop is a 15 minute drive of dark solitude away from my parent's house.

The factory where the brownies are made is behind the storefront. We soldiers of the batter arm ourselves with caps, aprons, and rubber gloves to shield the onslaught of chocolate, cooking spray, and human flesh. (Okay, maybe not that last one. But seriously, vegans, they use around 1200 eggs a DAY. And so much butter. The company's contract with Sysco has got to be enough to feed a small country for life.

So why do I work there, you ask? I hang out with my friends all day, baking and making lots of money. I've worked there for a couple of seasons now. It's not a living, it's a way to make some much needed cash in college. Everyone has to choose their battles, and I've chosen mine. I wish I could save the world by being 'Super Vegan', but all I would accomplish is an empty bank account. There are no 100% ethical places to work that pay the bills.

I do love working at the Little Shop of Horrors. Although I stand for up to 13 hours a day, it keeps me occupied. It's fun to see all of the(literally 14,000) brownies go through the rotation every day. I could use the exercise, and I talk to the people I work with about veganism. It's cool. So that's been my life since my last post. I finished my Christmas shopping after work today and plan to do some Christmas baking with my mom. Each member of our family was to choose their favorite Christmas cookie, and I have yet to decide...

Sicky McSickerson

I've come down with something nasty (I think I'd have worse body aches if it were swine. I'm banking on bronchitis.) and I went to the store (Kroger) to find some natural cough drops - or any cough drops that were sugar-free. Since I was young my dad has maintained a theory on cough drops: they should always be sugar-free because the sugar feeds the bacteria in your throat, worsening the situation. My hopes were dashed when I found the only "natural" cough drops contained aspartame. I steered clear and purchased Traditional Medicinal's Throat Coat tea.

I know it seems dumb to run to Kroger in search of a natural product, but as it was 8 pm The Farmacy was closed. Also, the Kroger in Athens has the best natural/organic food/product section I've seen from the chain. They had all kinds of teas and remedies that I have heard have minimal effect and only produce "expensive urine", but no cough drops.

My question for you is, what do you do for cough and cold relief? Do you know of any brands of cough drops that are truely natural and also sugar free?

Shepard(less) Pie for the Family

After dinner with a friend at one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus, Banana Leaf, I spent the remainder of the evening slaving over a hot stove to prepare for a family gathering today. The omnis of the family (everyone except for me)will have lasagna, bread, and salad, but instead of making a veganized version, I decided to whip up a seasonally appropriate dish. I adapted happyveganface's recipe for shepard's pie to include lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, and cellery. I also used soymilk instead of rice and a completely differnt marinade - spice mustard, soy sauce and garlic - for the tempeh. I must admit it smelled amazing as I put the finishing touches on the dish. I left my camera in Athens for the weekend, but I'll take a picture on my phone or something.

As it is a birthday celebration, there will be cake. I'm trying to cut out a lot of refined sugars and grains, so I opted to make a fruit tart with wheat flour instead - an apple, rasin, walnut tart to be exact. It didn't work the way I wanted it to...I tried to leave it at home but my family is insistant that I bring it. The crust seems tough. The apples didn't let out any juices and just sort of dried up.

I wouldn't be embarassed or anything, but one of my aunts is a professional chef and specializes in amazing deserts. She once had a coniption fit when I was baking cookies at her house because my cousin and I decided to make "free form" cookies instead of perfectly round ones. She's rather judgemental. It's not like I put my heart and soul into the tart - it was an afterthought, really.

I'll just let them know to enter at their own risk and not think less of my cooking ability - or the tastiness of vegan deserts. I'll make something really awesome for Christmas. Any suggestions for a tried-and-true favorite?? I'm willing to go all out. This shepard's pie took me four hours. Not kidding. I cook slowly though.

Now I'm just on a roll

Check it: two posts, two days in a row. I'm on a roll.

I wanted to share with you the delicious breakfast I just threw together. I sliced a honeycrisp apple, warmed it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, topped it with cinnamon, and sprinkled a few walnut pieced on top. Hot green tea rounded out the meal and now I need to get my butt out the door to go give blood at noon.

This will be the second time I've given blood. The first time I watched a girl in front of me pass out and knock a bunch of shit over. I had been talking to her for about a half an hour before she went behind the little curtain thing to get her finger pricked. I was like "see ya!" after that, until the people next to me saw my expression and said "You look like you're freaking out. It's really not that bad! Awe are you a freshman??" (To which I replied either "Fuck no, are you chinese?! Didn't think so" or "No, I'm a junior", I can't remember which.) Somehow that was comforting and I stayed, gave blood like a champ, and sported the arm gauze for the rest of the day.

Wish me luck!!

Back to Reality

Please excuse my previous post, as it was incredibly sentimental and cheesy. Such ideas need to be written on paper and kept in a drawer, not posted on the internet. I apologize.

Now I want to focus on eating healthier. Because it's available at my parents' house, I've been eating conventional peanut butter and lots of processed foods and I can definitely feel the difference! Not only have I gained a lot of weight, I'm battling headaches and fatigue like crazy.

I'm going to the grocery store either today or tomorrow to pick up some fruits and veg. I'll probably get some quinoa and natural peanut butter (!). I'm definitely in a food rut and I could use some help.

I'm looking to eat a bit lighter and non-processed. Any tips? Also, do you make your own salad dressings or what do you put on your salads?