Some Food Thoughts...

Nutrition

Mama and I talk a lot about nutrition, but it's important that you know your own body, so do your research, talk to nutritionists, doctors, whomever you need to make the right choices for your body.

You may wonder why we use so many different beans in the recipes? Why not just buy one type or find one you like and be done? We're trying to create more options so you can find the taste you like, AND, of course, in my mind, homemade food tastes better. Whatever you like, is your taste, and that's okay!

We use different beans because each legume has a different bit of nutrition. Some beans are higher in iron, others have more calcium, etc. We don't worry about the nutrients, but we are interested and we know that a variety of foods provides the best balance of nutrition for our bodies.

My Journey

Cookbooks! For the past year or so I have been fascinated with cookbooks. Every week we would choose different world cuisines and get vegan or vegetarian cookbooks from the library. We tried some recipes, but I also just loved the pictures, flavors and ideas.

With the recipes we present, and the upcoming Bean and Veggie Burger cookbook, we aren't trying to replicate non-vegetarian burgers. We don't mimic the texture, taste or look of a "burger". Why? you may ask. Well... for some people, especially if you are trying more plant-based foods you may want to replace a favorite food with a vegan version, and that can be fun to try. BUT, often these foods fall short - if you have had the same food for 5 years or 20 years that you love, and then try to veganize it, you might be disappointed.

There are products that exist and they can be helpful, but for us, the joy of making food (and adding a pinch of love to every recipe) is important, AND many vegan replacement foods are low in nutrition and high in processing. That said, there's nothing wrong with eating whatever is right for your body, your budget and your journey!

What we're focusing on

I feel like, by doing this, we're trying to spread information about animals that need help, both wild and domesticated; everything from tapirs (my favorite!) to cows. I want to start conversations and move our world towards helping animals even more and ending factory farming. There are other things going on in the world, of course, but some people don't realize how many species go extinct every day! There are animals that we haven't discovered and no animal will ever replace another. Every animal matters.

Click this link to sign a petition to end factory farming

Someone I greatly admire, Dr. Jane Goodall reminds us that our choices matter. Thanks for making this journey with me and I look forward to your comments!