Son/Sun Light and the Purpose it Powers
May of 2019 we learned through a landmark United Nations study that humans are driving over 1 million species to extinction due to our destructive treatment of this planet, and that animal agriculture was the leading perpetrator.
By that point, I was already a vegetarian, but learning this (<— plus the health harms) was the fuel that lit the flame of urging Ian to give up the meat, and it lead me down the environmental slap of info regarding the impact of “Cheese, Glorious Cheese” that would eventually end in the lot of us giving up something I once loved enough to sing about multiple times daily (<— without ever thinking hard on the fact that I was gleefully participating in taking-away-a-species’-baby, eating-it, taking-the-milk-meant-for-that-baby (<—an unnecessary and cancer-perpetuating mammalian growth shake we consume past infancy ‘til death), and repeating that process until it was time to eat the mom (<—imagine if any other species wanted to put you through that circle of suffering… **needlessly**, and to the end result of ruining the planet they share with millions of species). All of the above now causes an immediate forehead slap.
Aside from the environmental/compassionate purposes to start transitioning away, once we cut out dairy we all felt vastly better (<— Q launched out of his failure-to-thrive, we stopped having chronic sinus infections, etc) and we lost constant aches/pains (<— Ian stopped having back issues, we’re no longer stiff when waking up, I’m no longer taking ibuprofen for Lyme’s sore system, etc).
Learning the depths of our impact to the world around us & our own health, while subsequently learning that we are eating ourselves right toward a climate cliff that will doom our children/grandchildren/etc but also every other species, was a mental slap so hard it shifted my whole life toward sounding a constant klaxon in the hopes we could all wake up before it is too late. We could/should begin using our brilliant brains for fixing what we’ve ruined and start working as proper stewards of this precious planet.
It’s become necessary that we snap to the realization that this is the only “home” we have, and there are no other planets within reach that meet all our biological needs. If you want a livable realm for your kin, there is a healthier/perfectly sustainable/KINDER path and it’s become imperative that we all start stumbling that way immediately; and as someone who aligns more with Hobbits than humans, I’ll forever be crowing that we lost nothing in the department of deliciousness when we shifted plant-based. Every meal is still loved, I still food-dance more often than is proper, and I have a kiddo who licks his dishes like each scrap is a gem not to be missed.
Continue for: some Dr Michael Greger writing regarding how plant-based diets are the most evidence-based for health and how even Insurance Agencies are harking this diet because they know it’ll lower healthcare costs across the land (<— by bettering your health); some examples of the plant-based and PBWF feasting we did this week; Spring Sun with a week of Q Light; an unexpected interview for Women’s History Month and the woozy rush of all the blood going to my cheeks.
Live Kindly, Feast Kindly, Grow Forward.
Silver-lining: after repeatedly showing that one could prevent/reverse cardiovascular disease with Lifestyle Medicine, Dr Dean Ornish *was* eventually able to get insurance companies to start reimbursing for this body-essential/environmentally-essential guidance.
”Lifestyle Medicine: Successful Reimbursement Methods and Practice Models”
One way we make it easy to eat whole-foods that will also give us protein/fiber: I make a big pot of quinoa we can use through the week. Quinoa cooks up in under 20 minutes, it is so dang good for you, and it’s delicious! <3
This batch we threw the peas in when the quinoa was cooking, and then used that base to either microwave quick or add in with something like seared mushrooms (above), with a quick de-glazing of aminos (or soy sauce, if that’s what you’ve got).
Serve with whatever you love. This was peanut sauce, quick-pickled cabbage, half a bowl of mixed greens, and topped with furikake.
An easy way to start each day off with a antioxidant-rich blast of berries, fiber, and protein: make a crisp.
We’ve been throwing in berries we collected/froze from last summer and then adding in things like mango, apple, or orange; then topping it with whole oats and crushed up nuts. (This one is black raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, boiled-whole-orange, mango; and it was served with chia, Oatgurt, and almond butter.)
And though we aim for health, we also have rare meals (this was his first time getting any kind of take-out since early Fall last year <—plant-based nachos with black-beans and an array of pickled veg) like this decadent Plant-Based Mac & Cheese from PMA Foods. (<—With Cheeky Monkey sauce and sun-dried tomatoes). It smelled so good he fake-fainted on the floor of the place when we were picking it up. :-D
We were meeting Crystal out at a park for lunch, and we also wanted to pick up some of the smokey pepper jack, cheddar, and gouda to make a big batch of Mac for Ian to bring along a night away with the engineers from work (<— they’ve all been working long hours within the pandemic and it was a well-need respite).
Side Note: the kinds of photos Ian takes. <3 (Shared the pics he took while gone and it was a deep dip into hilly vistas, lakeviews with sci-fi books in the foreground, and illuminated ice crystals. <— One of the many reasons I’m appreciative I met my husband in college art classes: I’m forever getting the beautiful treat of seeing how he views the world. )
Another fun thing about Ian and a good kiddo vegetable hack: it was Ian who learned that if we diced up greens super tiny, Q had no issue or complaint with eating them. He started this out years ago and some of Q’s first chew-able meals were diced up greens, walnuts, apple, and balsamic.
Wrestling with a big piece of leaf can be frustrating for anyone’s mouth, so if you’re trying to convince a kiddo to eat their greens, consider chopping it up and covering it in some family favorite dressing. It gets gobbled up all the time over here in that manner.
Homemade Plant-Based Quinoa/Brown-Rice Mac, topped with Almond Parm, and balsamic dressed mix greens.
Homemade Whole-Grain Bread (oats, flax, tapioca), BBQ Jackfruit, Quick-Pickled Cabbage, and mixed greens
Taco of the week: Pumfu (<— 1 ingredient: pumkin seeds), cashew queso, greens, bell peppers, and ruby kraut.
And with the leftover PMA Smokey Jack and Cheddar, we made an arepa pizza with a base of roasted/pureed broccoli and Swiss chard, topped with orange bells.
Whole Orange Clafloutis: boiled up 3 whole oranges and pureed them with oatmilk, dates, flax meal, whole-oat flour, and vanilla. Topped with reduced lemon juice with maple.
Q and I settled in for stove-top popcorn & Movie Night (<— per his request a high school production of “Once On This Island” because he keeps listening to the soundtrack on repeat and wanted the visuals.")
Whole-Grain Whole Food Donuts sent along with Ian (these were about to be covered in chocolate): peanut butter donuts, topped with cashew cream and a ribbon of roasted peanut butter, then topped with dark chocolate and flax. (These are mini donuts.)
The two saved for our sweet neighbor Bob.
The spark of light whose future perpetually propels me to howl that there is a more sustainable kinder way for us to eat before it is too late.
Below: a swirl from a week where we spent even more time together because Ian was gone for 2 days of it.
You'd think we'd be tired of each other after a year of being home all day together, and yet we never seem to get enough, and I'm perpetually aware this is all just a blink and a breath before he'll be grown and gone. 💨🍃
I had imagined a lot of variables when hoping and hoping for him, and he's continuously proven to be beyond what I could have wished for and more light-filled/treasured than words can express... 'Tis what makes the fight for his future's environmental sustainability all the more impassioned and purposeful. 💞🌱🌲
Noting some stellar subnivean zone action in our front yard after the snow melted.
Also fun note: Q investigated these trails and discovered the voles set up a dedicated room for pooping and the rest of the trails were clean. Had no idea voles did that!
Snow melt and tag at the Rand Tract
This week we visited our neighbor Bob’s property for the first time and discovered it is a gem of nature (multiple streams, ponds, a creek, and filled with various installations) stewarded by a sweet/wise soul. Q was in heaven, as was I.
Saw our first crocus of the season. <3
The unexpected physical fun of running behind a cart and clearing branches.
Pure heaven. <3
Onondaga Lake with Crystal
Playing tag in Rand all week: through snow, sun, and then the chilly muddy thaw. :-)
Pretending he’s Agwe from “Once on this Island” (<— after he fell in love with Little Shop and Hello Dolly first by music, and then by seeing, I thought he may enjoy this old high school favorite and he did indeed fall for it hard. It’s been on repeat for the last 3 days.)
Playing tag around the high grass.
Belly Laughing over a Kliban Cats book my aunt gave me years ago.
5 years apart to the day: Q and his beloved Wicket.
Speaking of beloveds, this is Q describing how these flowers make him think of him and Aria.
Unpacked history/racism/sexism and heart-happy wept over Hidden Figures with him (”Mama, this may be one of my favorite movies ever! Ever! When Papa gets home, let's watch it all over again!"💞)
Saturday morning snuggles.
This week’s fact card he did for my aunt.
I love the snoring plant so dang much! <3
And he did this metaphorical masterpiece after a big family talk we had re a once-painful family member and the ability to move forward when that soul expresses remorse/apology and a desire to move forward.
Sundew Terrarium drawing and love note for Aria.
Working on a hibernaculum drawing for his weekly journal theme (sundews).
Missing an apostrophe, but love this quirky drawing he did on his math work of some divers discovering a hibernaculum. <3
Unexpected kismet heart-swirl this week:
You’ve seen plenty of drawings re Q’s interest in carnivorous plants and he’s done paintings too (like the one above). Our neighbor Bob said he happened to know an artist friend who specialized in painting/drawing them too, and put us in contact with Scott Bennett who was effusive about Q’s passion/art and wants to meet us to not only art-share with Q, but also share some plants and show us places to find sundews and pitcher plants locally. This was such a fateful social stumble into luck and it caused Q to squeal around the house like a Beatles bopper. <3
And speaking of squealing, I received an email from a SU journalism student about wanting to do an interview about Your Kind Kitchen for her Women’s History Month piece because she was focusing on inspiring local women (me = looking behind me, pointing back at myself and sounding like Arrested Development's Michael Bluth "Her?!”😅; also me: using my son's building blocks and an old DVD shelf so I don't have to waste money we don't have on a standing desk😅) and Crystal couldn’t be free at the time, so I got to the humbled honor of sending out more Plant-Based info and explaining how Crystal and I once were ardent defenders/lovers of animal products but we woke up to the nutritional/environmental/compassionate reasons to ditch them, are now healthier than ever (along with our families), and working as hard as we can to wake up the rest of our community.
What’s the most impactful thing you can do as an individual to help your kin, community, millions of species, and planet? Transition as plant-based as possible.🌎♥️
Why? Plant-Based foods are environmentally imperative 🌎. They also promote ideal health💪 (which takes stress off our overburdened health care system), are inexpensive🙌, delicious🤤, & compassionate. 💕
Why imperative, though? 🤔We’re approaching (& have crossed) climate tipping points that will doom our kin & millions of other species. 😱📣Reducing/eliminating animal products is the *most impactful thing an individual can do* to prevent worse. 🌎🔥
Why? Animal Agriculture creates more emissions than the entire transportation sector combined, it’s tied to water waste/loss/pollution (<-- freshwater is our most precious resource💧), land loss/deforestation (<-- exacerbates climate change by reducing our ability to sequester carbon🔥🌎), ocean acidification (<-- FYI 50-85% of earth’s oxygen originates from oceanic plankton🌊) & vast species loss/extinction/suffering💔📣🌎
Plus, consuming animal products is tied to increased risk of cardiovascular disease❤️🩹, diabetes👎, cancer👎, and chronic disease👎; whereas Plant-Based feasting is linked to preventing/reversing some of our most common diseases (<— like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer); plus it promotes ideal health & robust strength (ie Olympians, Weightlifters, Endurance Athletes are thriving via PBWFs too). 🎉🙌♥️
What organizations are promoting plant-based diets for best health and environmental stability? National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, Yale, the United Nations, Harvard School of Health, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, National Kidney Foundation, even the Parkinson’s Foundation.
We’re all overwhelmed in one way or another, but for the sake of our kin (and the millions of species we share this planet with) we need to start pivoting forward. As someone who once rarely ate green things & used to eat animal products at every meal, I can assure you that is possible, affordable, enjoyable, & purposeful to pivot Plant-Based. In fact, our whole family is now healthier/stronger than ever. 🙌♥️
Anecdotally, our son had failure-to-thrive, was also plagued with perpetual ear-infections/sinus-infections, and had an omnipresent runny nose. What was he eating? Grass-fed milk, organic/antibiotic-free/grass-fed/local meats, eggs from organic-fed/well-loved chickens from a neighbor, every meal came with vegetables, and we limited junkfood. He was healed via a plant-based diet: he’s launched out of that diagnosis and the last time he had a sinus-infection (or was sick at all) was in 2019 when he had some cheese at a school Christmas party. Before shifting to PBWF’s he was sick every month, and how he’s a robust, vital, thriving kiddo. 🙌🎉♥️
If you think any of the above sounds over-reached/absurd/impossible, please go read the links above. I understand the inclination to hackle-raise (<—because I was once totally there) but the science is clear: any step we make forward is imperative (<—and again “STEPS” is the focus. Don’t leap, just start making steps!). It’s as simple as starting with one meal a week and growing from there.💕
We have the ability (deliciously, healthfully, kindly, inexpensively) to *preserve/protect* the planet we share with millions of species & our kin. How are we going to use that power today?✌️🤟🖖
