Day 29: School Lunches

Yes it's that time again! Back to school means back to the same old lunch routine. I challenge all of you to bring a healthy lunch every day for the first week of school. Seem impossible? No worries, all you need in a truly healthy lunch is in this diagram below:
 

Good luck and have a good first week of school!!!

Day 28: Is PETA a bogus organization?

I get this question a lot: "are you a member of PETA and if so, do you stage crazy protests and burn down buildings?" My answer? Yes and  no. Yes I am a member of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, however, I do NOT stage crazy protests nor do I burn down buildings. Instead, I get really cool stickers for free and put them everywhere! I have some on  my school binders, my cellphone, laptop, you name it! I joined PETA after watching this video clip, "Meet your meat." (Warning: this video is pretty graphic)

This changed the view I had regarding PETA; it encouraged me to get involved to stop animal cruelty. If this video inspires you like it inspired me, I encourage you to go to www.peta.org and sign up for the organization. Not only can you get free stickers, you can rack up points to buy some pretty cool PETA gear. However, if you do not want to, please do not feel pressured to sign up for anything. The purpose of this post was to change some misconceptions people have about PETA.

Day 27: Whoops!

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a month since my last blog post. I apologize to anyone out there that still looks at my blog occasionally. It's pretty obvious I need to get back on track and finish what I started almost 6 months ago, writing a daily blog on the trials and tribulations I face due to my decision to become a vegetarian. So anyway, I cannot promise that I will always be able to write daily, but I will do my best to update my blog at least once a week. I also gurantee that I will continue to do this blog until the header says "Day 365." If anyone is out there, thank you for following my blog, and I will continue to try to help you with your journey in life as a vegetarian.  

Day 26: Asian

OK I'll admit it. I too, like to joke about Asian people eating dog meat and other animals that I find revolting, but it still doesn't make it right. As day two of my culture week continues I am shedding light on Asian cuisine (obviously). In this segment I will attempt to explain some of the misconceptions people have about Asian cuisine in a condensed fashion, as well as, be as unbiased as possible while I explain some of the cuisine people in Asia are cooking up.

The truth: some Asian cultures condone eating dog and occasionally cat meat. This is especially prevalent in third-world countries like Vietnam. However, in more established countries like China and Japan eating dog and cat meat is not always OK. Everyone has differing opinions.

In remote villages in Japan, especially on the coast, eating dolphin meat is considered perfectly OK and even a cultural tradition. However, due to the levels of mercury and the health problems this type of meat poses most Japanese people refuse to eat it.

For info on Asian recipes you can make at home visit: http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/World-Cuisine/Asia/Main.aspx. This site has some great and really tasty recipes from all around the world.

Have questions? Comments? Just reply to this post or send me a quick fb message and I'll try to get back to you ASAP.

Day 25: Latin America + Spain

One of my favorite Latin dishes is tostones. Tostones are fried plantains seasoned with salt. They taste like potato chips and are an excellent way to sneak essential vitamins into your food. You can find recipes for tostones at http://www.recipe.com/ or any other recipe site. If you live in the Lilburn area, the Lilburn farmers market currently has the cheapest plantains. Happy eating! 

Day 24: Spaceship Earth

Recently I have been asked the question that irritates me to no end: "why are you a vegetarian." I'm sorry but vegetarians should not be singled out for their beliefs about the consumption of animals. However, what really gets me is these same people turning their noses up at different cultures and the eating habits and customs they have. So I have made a decision, I am going to create a new blog post everyday for a week celebrating a different culture and their eating practices. Should be fun right? If any of you guys are familiar with the eating customs of people from different cultures comment on this post or get in touch with me through some other form of communication.

"The way I see it, we are all part of a living, breathing, working system known as spaceship earth."

Day 23: Gardein products!

Gardein products are plant-based "meats," they are meat-free and considered vegan. All of the "meat" is made of soy protein and different plants. They come in a variety of flavors and dishes including chicken nuggets, beef tips, buffalo wings, and many more! They are a healthy and Delicious addition to any vegetarian or vegan's diet.

I just had the Gardein chicken nuggets and they were awesome! I love the taste and I also love that they are meat-free. One tip though, when you cook the nuggets, make sure you turn them over halfway through their cooking time or they will be a bit hard. All-in-all, I love this product about as much as I love Morningstar "meats."
*Tip of the day: Try out new products, you never know what you might find. Oh! Check out my new blog at http://brittanyajay.blogspot.com/. Trust me, it's different from this site and completely and totally awesome!

*Recipe of the day: http://www.recipe.com/lemony-sesame-asparagus/
-These are chock full of vitamins! Extra bonus for the great flavor!