So sweet!

I know I've mentioned in my profile that I teach students with emotional disturbances in a seperate facility. I really do have some pretty terrific kids. This is my first year with them and I've already seen so much progress from the beginning of the school year. Not only that, but people who have seen the kids in the past comment on their progress as well. We've truly become a family in my classroom. I'm so proud of each and every one of my students.

My students have become increasingly curious and interested in the fact that I'm a vegetarian, pointing out I don't each chicken or hamburgers. We don't have a cafeteria at my school so all the food is picked up from the local high school by someone from my school. The kids don't get a choice, it's either what they offer or pack your lunch thanks to the peanut butter recall. Most of my students buy regardless because their parents can't afford to send lunch. One student in particular one day didn't want her sausage so she sat it on the back table where I was eating. She was concerned about setting it back there since I'm a vegetarian and don't eat sausage. She kept apologizing for setting it there.

Well, today that student came in beaming with her folder in hand. (Because bookbags are banned in my school.) She told me she had something special for me. She reached into her folder and pulled out 8 different recipes, all vegetarian. How sweet was that? She said her mom told her she could have some old magazines to cut up and use for whatever so she decided to cut out some recipes for me.

Thanks to my sweet student, I now have recipes for green onion corn muffins, greek-style salad, sauteed spinach with roasted red peppers, iceberg wedges with buttermilk dressing, potato salad with cornichons and capers, basil baked tomatoes, calico black bean salad, and orange citrus salad. Guess we'll have to try them out, huh?

Banana Flax Seed Muffins

For roughly the past 21 years my dad has been reminding me that breakfast is the most imporatant meal of the day. I usually just roll my eyes and give him "the look." I just don't get up early enough in the mornings to eat breakfast. And if I did, while I do enjoy cereal, I don't enjoy it as a breakfast food. I'll admit that I do know I should be eating breakfast. So in honor my dad and his constant rambling on about breakfast I thought my first recipe should be a nice make ahead, grab and go, dairy-free (for my little AJ) breakfast food. Since no eggs, milk, or butter was used, these yummy muffins are completely vegan.

Today's recipe is Banana Flax Seed Muffins. If you have the availability, chia seeds (yes! ch-ch-chia seeds!) will also work wonderfully in this recipe.

Flax seeds are a great low carb "whole grain." While it’s not technically a grain, it has a similar vitamin and mineral profile to grains, while the amount of fiber, antioxidants, and Omega-3 fatty acids in flax leaves grains in the dust. And its combination of healthy fat and high fiber content make it a great food for weight loss and maintenance -- many dieters have found that flax seed has been a key to keeping them feeling satisfied. With all of this, who wouldn't add flax seeds or flax seed oil to as much as possible? They're also great because you can sneak them into things such as muffins and no one, not even a suspicious husband, will know they're in there. Teehee!

The cast of characters in this recipe are:

1 Tbs. flax seeds
3 Tbs. water
1 c flour
1/2 c pastry flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c vegetable oil
3 bananas, mashed
crystalized ginger or dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)

First, preheat the oven to 350* Put 1 Tbs. of flax seeds in 3 Tbs. of water and set off to the side

Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl and set aside.

Mash the 3 bananas. Usually I have AJ do this, but he wasn't feeling well.

Add all remaining ingredients (except the flax seeds) and mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and then add the flax seeds. Mix well!

I usually spray my muffin tins with a fat free cooking spray for baking when I do my muffins. I have found this is way easier for little hands to eat rather than having to peel off paper muffin holders. Then I use an ice cream scoop to fill the tins about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake the muffins for 15 minutes , or until a toothpick (bamboo skewer in my case) comes out clean when placed in the middle of a muffin...Perfection!

And, yes Daddy, I did have breakfast this morning.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. flax seeds
3 Tbs. water
1 c flour
1/2 c pastry flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c vegetable oil
3 bananas, mashed
crystalized ginger or dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)


Directions:
1. Let the flax seeds sit in the water as you prepare the rest.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Mash bananas.
4. Combine remaining ingredients in a seperate bowl, mix well.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients, and the flax seeds, stirring to blend. If desired, stir in crystalized ginger or dairy-free chocolate chips.
6. Bake at 350* or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the in the middle of a muffin.
7. Eat and enjoy!

Just a quick friendly note

Hey everyone! Just a quick friendly note from me, The Friendly Vegetarian. I was trying to stockpile some blogs for future posting. Seeing as how I'm still new to blogging I didn't realize that when I went to post them, they would not show up as listed as being published the date that I clicked the "publish post" button. Be looking for new posts. My newest is from yesterday and is on vegetarian nutrition.
Be ready for more posts! AJ and I are spending some quality mommy/son time tonight making marshmallows! I can't wait! We love to cook and bake together!
Have a great day veggies!
Love always,
The Friendly Vegetarian

Shopping for Produce

Great news for everyone out in the blogesphere wondering just when you can expect to see The Friendly Vegetarian's firt recipe: I'm hard at work on great recipes right now! Thanks to the help of my wonderful husband and son they should be up in the near future.

But, before we start making all of these wonderful vegetarian dishes I think it is super important that you know how to pick the best and freshest produce available for your recipes.

I was going to write a blog on this and then I discovered that Marianna from one of my favorite blogs Green Mama's Pad (http://greenmamaspad.blogspot.com/) had already blogged about picking the best produce. Marianna is wonderful and had excellent resources on this so I've decided to link you to her post. Not only will you gain the knowledge to picking wonderful fruits and veggies, but you'll quickly discover the blog that is Green Mama's Pad. Soon you'll not only be following her blog, but reading it every day!

Thanks again for posting this wonderful resource Marianna!
Love,
The Friendly Vegetarian

http://greenmamaspad.blogspot.com/search/label/produce

You're a what?!

So you're vegetarian, huh? Oh yeah? Just what kind of vegetarian are you anyway?





Vegan


Vegans eat no animal products of any kind. They eat only vegetable, fruits, and grains. That's it! No animal helped make their food, not even the honey from a bee. And, while we're at it, you can forget about that Jell-o over there...you don't even want to know how that's made. (No, not from the boxed powder and boiling water.)





Raw Vegan


Contrary to popular belief, raw vegan is not just salads and carrot sticks. And, while no real "cooking" is involved it can still be a lenghty process to prepare meals. The raw vegan diet includes raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and nut pastes, grain and legume sprouts, seeds, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs, and fresh juices. Foods on this diet are not heated above 118* F.





Ovo-vegetarian
Vegetables, fruits, grains and eggs only for ovo-vegetarians. If and when I can get my lovable son, AJ to consume eggs this is what he is thanks to his severe dairy allergy....but mainly I just make him vegan meals.





Lacto-ovo vegetarian


Lacto stands for dairy products. Ovo is for eggs. Lacto-ovos eat vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy products. They don't eat meat, chicken, or fish. This is what the majority of vegetarians out there are.





Flexitarian or Occasional vegetarian


Even the biggest meat eater occassionally eats a meal that has no meat. Even my friend Mike, believe it or not. And the opposite is true for occassional vegetarians. Flexitarians might eat the occassional chicken or fish in addition to vegetables, grains, eggs, and dairy or simply indulge in a burger without the guilt.

Vegetarian Nutrition Summed Up

You've decided to become a vegetarian, been one for a long time or are just curious. You have your reasons. Very few people will argue with you about this--unless you too know my friend Mike. What people will question you about is making sure that you are getting all of your nutrition in each day.



A healthy lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is very reasonalble and pretty easy to follow. The main nutritional issues associated with being vegetarian are getting in your protein (obviously considering you are not eating meat), iron, B-12, and calcium.



Protein is essential for growth, tissue repair and to fight infection. The biggest question I always get is, "What about protein?" Newsflash, protein is found in foods other than meat! Most lacto-ovo vegetarians should have no problem obtaining a proper amount of protein, if they eat the proper amount of eggs, dairy products, and legumes.

Some great and yummy ways to consume your protein are:

*Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)

*Peanutbutter

*Soy Foods (soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk)

*Nuts and Seeds

*Seitan (wheat gluten)

*Eggs

*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)

*Grain Products (wheat, rice, corn--yes corn, barley, oats, millet, quinoa)



Iron is important for the formation of red blood cells. Plant goods and eggs contain a different kind of iron than red meat. Don't worry, it's in there, but just harder go get. In all actuality, vegetarian diets are often higher in total iron content. Really! However, the type of iron found in plant-based foods is poorly absorbed by the body. (Bummer, huh?) Good news! Vitamin C helps the body absorb this iron and we all know vegetarians tend to get lots of Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to unlock the iron and make it available to the body. Guess you'll be drinking lots more OJ from now on, huh?

Here's where you'll find your iron hiding:

*Whole grains

*Eggs

*Dried Fruit (raisins, apricots, figs-- Whole grain Fig Newtons anyone?)

*Dark Green Veggies (broccoli, kale, peas, string beans, chard)

*Soy Foods (soybeans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk)

*Blackstrap Molasses

*Legumes (beans, lentils)



Calcium is essential for teeth, bones, and healthy muscle function. If you are lacto-ove then you know that the lacto comes from milk. Dairy products are the number one place to get calcium. Another great source of calcium is dark green veggies. Yeah, people laugh at me when I tell them broccoli is a good source of calcium, but it's true! Almonds too. If for some reason, you aren't getting enough calcium like your good friend the Friendly Vegetarian (hiding in embarassment) then pick out a good calcium supplement to help avoid osteoporosis when you're older.

Looking for Calcium? Try:

*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)

*Soy Milk or Rice/Almond Milk

*Fortified Orange Juice

*Dried Figs

*Legumes (beans, lentils)

*Soy Foods (tofu made with calcium)

*Almonds (sprouted are best, but in a pinch go with what you like)

*Dark Green Veggies (broccoli, kale,m collad greens)

*Blackstrap Molasses



B-12 is needed for the formation of red blood cells and a healthy nervous system. If you include dairy products and eggs in your diet it is pretty easy to get your B-12. B-12 is found in animal products, not just meat so it should only be a problem if you have a dairy allergy like my son or are a vegan. If you are, you'll just need to make a special effort to find B-12 in alternate sources like meat or egg substitutes. You can also sprinkle nutritional yeast on just about anything these days. If you are a vegan, be sure to let your doctor know so that you can get your B-12 checked yearly to see if supplements are needed.

Want B-12? Eat:

*Dairy Products (milk, cheese, yogurt)

*Nutritional Yeast

*Fortified Cerals

*Fortified Soy Milk



Some other nutrients to keep in the back of your mind include Zinc, Vitamin D, and Riboflavin.



If you are armed with this information and eat many of these foods then you will easily get in all the required nutrition and not only be a friendly vegetarian but a healthy one as well!

A Friendly Introduction

Welcome to The Friendly Vegetarian! It's been a long time coming...I finally have a blog! That's right, I'm jumping on the bandwagon! I may officially be one of the last people on the planet to have a blog. (Seriously, even my parents blog! http://oldgoose.blogspot.com/) My thought was always, "Why do I need one?" I started a website for my son who is almost 5 way back when I was pregnant and to date it currently has well over 369,000 views so we had all we needed, right? Besides, who wants to read about my family? We get up (late, in my case) head off to work and school, come home, play, eat, go to the YMCA, bathe, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. Yeah, we're a thrill a minute around the old Friendly Vegeatarian homestead. *insert an eye roll here*

As time has gone on more and more of my WONDERFUL mommy friends have begun to blog. These women are AMAZING! I seriously cannot say enough wonderful things about them. Talent and the gift of word pours out of each of them. There are photography, cooking, fashion/makeup, educational, craft, and product (for both mom and baby) review blogs that my friends put their hearts and souls into. I looked at each one of these blogs in amazement. Amazement because they have the knowledge and talent, but have also found the time with small children and busy lives to blog.

Me? I'm a busy girl/wife/mother. I spend a good portion of my day at work. I'm a teacher. Not just any teacher, but a special education teacher. I teach students with severe emotional disturbances in a seperate facility. Here I spend my days teaching, inspiring, acting as a role model, and family member to my elementary aged students. When I get home I'm usually exhausted. I want to spend as much time with my wonderful husband, Andrew and fiesty son, AJ. We're often rushed in the evenings to get in a good dinner and get to the YMCA for our many different activities. So much of my time after work is spent cooking. I figured this left me no time to blog. Then one day I discovered a woman named Ree Drummond. Why, Ree has a cooking blog! I instantly fell in love with idea of a cooking blog. Unfortunately, Ree and her family are meat eaters. So, most of the recipes on her blog (thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ ) are filled with beef and other meats that I'd never make for my family. Wait a minute! I'm too busy to blog, but need to cook dinner each night, right? And, I enjoy cooking blogs? Couldn't I combine the two? *Ding! On goes the light bulb!* I'll start my own vegetarian cooking blog. Not only is this your typical vegetarian/vegan recipe blog, but my son AJ has a severe dairy allergy so many recipes will also be food allergy friendly. I will also be sharing stories, reviewing products, and discussing many differnt things such as produce and where to find different items needed to make a wonderful vegetarian meal.

Hold on to your carrots because here comes The Friendly Vegetarian! ;)