Month: November 2011

Stir fried vegetables with brown rice; Vegan

Aynaria 9 Comments

Veggies n Brown Rice

A few moments ago, I made this dish of stir fried vegetables and rice.

It’s a simple meal that can be prepared in minutes. Occasionally, you’ll see me preparing meals that do take a while to make, however in this household it’s rare. I love good food, the majority of my daughter and my meals are home cooked.

Color (besides taste and nutrition) is something I look for in a meal. I enjoy seeing a variety of hues displayed within a dish, and so you’ll usually see some type of vegetable (or fruit) playing a starring role in the meals I prepare. Not only does it add a bit of food bling, it  also supplies us with the nutrients that our bodies needs. I’ll write more on the importance of food nutrition in a later post.

I’m a whole foods lady, meaning I eat foods as close to its natural source as possible. If you were to open our freezer you wouldn’t find too many pre-packaged meals. Wait… I take that back!  You would, but they’ve been prepared by myself. Occasionally, I’ll prepare meals in advance and freeze them for the times when I just want to heat something up for us.

Meal Preparation

I’m vegan, but these days my eight-year old daughter isn’t and so you’ll see non-veggie dishes that I’ve prepared for her. While she does eat non-veggie dishes she still prefers vegetarian or vegan cuisine.

If you’d ask me a few years ago, if I’d have let her make such a decision (this early) I would have told you no. Back in the day, I never prepared non-veggie dishes either, but now I do for loved ones. Of course, they get a nice mix of veggie cuisine, and those dishes have been devoured by them. WIth some, they were surprised that they actually liked the dish. To which my response is, it’s all in the preparation.

Bonding with family

In recent years I’ve made several non-vegan meals for family and friends. However, even though they weren’t vegan they all had a few things in common; they were nutritious, delicious, and quite simple to make. Who wants to spend time in the kitchen, when you have loved ones to hang out with?

Although my life is fairly busy, I still think it’s important to share meals together, and so you’ll find me taking my dinner time with my daughter. It’s a great chance to see what happened during her day, and because I listen it’s one way she knows that I care about what’s going on in her world. At times, we all need to be quiet and listen to what others have to say. After I pick her up from school, I usually let her help me prepare something for our evening meal. However since I have a few surprises in store for my little princess today, I decided to prepare our meal early.

The cookbook

Those who’ve followed me from my old site, VeganMomma, might remember me mentioning a cookbook I was writing. Creating a cookbook is challenging  for me. Why you ask?  It forces me to actually measure ingredients. That’s something I don’t (normally) do. I just know what amount works well with a dish. I guess that comes from cooking for a while. I made my first meal when I was four years old, thirty-seven years later I still enjoy cooking.

Anyway, while writing the book I realized there were a lot of stories to tell — some have been tied to various dishes I’ve made over the years, and so I went back and included stories. Crescent Dragonwagon’s Passionate Vegetarian and Yumana Devi’s Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking did an excellent job of applying that technique into their cookbooks.

If you’re a fan of those types of cookbooks, you’ll find plenty of stories mixed in with many of the recipes they share. I read cookbooks like a novel, I enjoy them because the passion that is apparent with the one who’s writing them, but along the way I’ve learned additional cooking tips from some very talented chefs.

Next year, I’m taking a few cooking classes. I’m looking forward to them, and will most likely share bits of what I learn here.

 

Photography; Clouds

Aynaria 10 Comments

Clouds 1

This morning, while taking our Shih Tzu (Mr. Bentley) for one of his morning walks, I noticed the clouds. After he’d done his business, I immediately ran inside, grabbed my camera and started taking pictures with my Nikon D80.

A few of my lens have been temporarily displaced, so I’m using the lens that came with my Nikon D80. Although not the shots I wanted to take, it’s still a great view of what I saw in the sky this morning.

Clouds 2

My daughter is used to me snapping up my camera and running outside, the majority of the time she joins me. However since she was sitting at the table eating the breakfast I’d prepared; Veggie scramble, banana pancakes, pineapple/strawberry, & kiwi smoothie (all made by myself). She wasn’t moving. She asked me, “What did you see mommy?” “Clouds”, I said while streaking out the door. “Oh!”, she said, turning her attention back to her breakfast.

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud. I enjoy my alone time, but I haven’t felt lonely in a long time. Anyway, the poem is one of my favorites by William Wadsworth, and so I’ve decided to include it below. Perhaps, you’ll enjoy it as much as I?

Because of the season, I don’t have any daffodils to show you. However if you stop by Celebrate Life this coming spring, I’ll have plenty of gardening photos to share.

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed–and gazed–but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wadsworth 1804

 

 

 

 

A bit of fog

Aynaria 23 Comments

 

Fog 1

I enjoy foggy weather. Well, I don’t like driving in it, but the fog sets the perfect backdrop for some nice pictures, and wandering around in the haze.

Just don’t think about Stephen Kings’ book, The Mist. You never know what might be lurking in the haze.

Fog 2

These pictures were taken out back, overlooking our garden.

Most of our crops have been harvested. We still have some leeks, pumpkins, and the occasional tomato. However, everything else has been gathered, some of it has been given to loved ones, naturally some of the produce used in our meals, and the rest has been frozen to be used at a later time.

I enjoy gardening. the entire process excites me; planting the seeds, watching them grow, taking care of the crops, gathering, etc, We tend to share our crops with the wildlife; birds, deers, rabbits, and squirrels, etc., There’s plenty to share.

During the warmer months, you’ll usually see me gardening without gloves or shoes. I love the feel of the soil on my bare skin.(It doesn’t take much to make me happy). A simple pleasure yes, but it’s something I enjoy immensely.

Simple pleasures… I suspect we all have and enjoy them. What are some of yours?

Joining the Quilting group; Youngest member

Aynaria 8 Comments

Prom quilt cartoon

This cartoon made me laugh. My daughter saw it and frowned, I guess she foresees me doing something like that to her, but I promised her, I wouldn’t embarrass her like that.

Why should I? There are so many other ways that can be accomplished without me even knowing I’m doing that. I have tons of adorable childhood pictures, and equally cute childhood stories that are precious to me, but I’m betting as she gets older she’ll won’t be thrilled about me sharing some of those stories.  Sighs, kids…

Sunday, while at church, I chatted with a lady, who just happened to be over the small groups ministries at the church. I told her I’d be by the next day, to meet the quilting group and get additional information about some of their other outreach programs.

Monday, I arrived to meet the quilting group. I thought I’d only be there for about thirty minutes. You know,  just long enough to introduce myself, express an interest, and off I’d go. Boy was I wrong! The lady I spoke with on Sunday seemed surprised when she saw me. She introduced me to the ladies, who seemed happy to be gaining a new member. When they found out that I could sew, they seemed ecstatic.

As I suspected, at 41, I’m the youngest member of the quilting group. Which is perfectly fine, I have friends/acquaintances my age but I’ve always gravitated towards those a lot older than I, I’ve learned so much from them. The ladies seem to be retired, and the youngest is most likely in her late 50s.

As a new member, there was no sitting back and to observe the process. Since they knew I could sew, they were hoping I’d help. It’s why I volunteered right.  I rolled up my sleeves and started cutting.

Using my sewing skills…

Because they’re making quilts on a grand scale. They aren’t making hand sewn quilts, like the ones you’ll find at Karen’s virtual home. The material is cut, the quilt filler added, edges are secured with pins, and the quilts are neatly placed in a pile to be sewn. Guess who got to sew five quilts today? Yes, I had a chance to sew. Although the sewing machine is different from the ones I have at home, I got used to it and was soon sewing at my normal  breakneck speed.

Edited to add: The quilts are donated to Lutheran World Relief.

I started sewing when I was about seven or eight, creating a lot of designs that I’d dress the few dolls I owned. It’s the only time I played with dolls. I loved being outdoors. In my teens, I made a lot of my clothes, and in my twenties I participated in several fashion shows. At the time, its what interested me — so naturally I went after it. I’m determined that I won’t have any ‘what if’s in my life, and so I put a lot of effort into turning my dreams into a reality. Those were great times, I met some amazing people, and have lots of pleasant memories.

Anyway I’m getting sidetracked…

While sewing each quilt, I said a few prayers, hoping it would give the recipient as much joy upon receipt as the quilting group had making them. The room was filled with so much happiness, teasing, and joking among the ladies. Joined by a desire to help those less fortunate, even as a new member of the group, it’s obvious that they’ve become friends too.

I wanted to bring my camera, but I decided to hold off. How would that look, someone brand-new to the group coming out taking pictures? 😉 However, I’ll bring my camera next week so I can snap some pictures of the quilts, and if they ladies don’t object, I’ll include them in some of the shots, and I’ll share a few on my site.

Three hours later, our time was over. With cheery goodbyes from the others quilters, and see you next time. I left the group exhilarated (and a bit surprised that time had flown by so quickly).

It always feels great to help others, spending time in fellowship with like-minded souls is good for the soul too.

Rose; Fading Beauty

Aynaria 15 Comments

The cooler months are my favorite time of year. Unfortunately with the change in temperature it also means saying farewell to our lovely flowers — at least for a few seasons. Taking pictures is a great way to remember them, when they’re no longer around outside.

We still have plenty of unblemished roses on our rose bush, but  I was more intrigued by the ones that were starting to fade, and so I snapped many photos of the roses fading beauty.

The picture above, was taken on a particularly foggy day. As I recall, It was taken right before I took my daughter to school. It was a chilly morning — perfect for me. Besides taking pictures of flowers, I took pictures of the fog, our woods, and a few birds flitting around in the early morning sunshine.

I used my dependable Nikon D80 for this photo. I’ve had the camera for about six years, and although I’ve purchased a few more cameras (and lens) since that time. It’s still my camera of choice — when I haven’t lost the Nikon D80 battery charger.

The majority of my photo editing is done with Aperture 3, it’s an amazing photo editing software for Apple computers. I don’t edit all my photos, and this is one I kept as is — no edits. I have Aperture 3 installed on my 17″ MacBook Pro.

The flowers, around our home, serve as a gentle reminder (for me) that although I have a lot of projects that keep me busy, I also need to take time to relax and enjoy life. Also, I’m reminded that something (or someone) doesn’t need to be ‘perfect’ to be beautiful.

Happy Veteran’s Day; Send hand-crafted cards so our troops can use to send to loved ones

Aynaria 6 Comments

Honoring our troops

In the United States today is the day we honor our veterans. This day was formerly called Armistace Day. Since it’s a federal holiday you’ll find many government offices, schools, and some businesses off for the day.

President Woodrow WIlson was the first to declare this holiday. On November 11, 1919 he stated…

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

A Mother s Love

Although today is set aside to honor our veterans, it’s important to remember them throughout the year.

For those of you who’ve fought, died, and continue to serve, all I can say is thanks. A lot the privileges we do have, wouldn’t  have been ours if it weren’t for you. Thanks, your service is appreciated.

Operation Write Home

I’m happy to say that I’ll be giving a few of my handmade cards to Operation Write Home. Operation Write Home is an organization that sends hand crafted cards to our troops, so they can use to give to their loved ones.

If you want to send your own hand-crafted cards to our troops read the guidelines, check the deadlines, and make sure to mail your hand crafted cards to the correct location.

 

Hat tip to other websites remembering our Veterans

Photosource: Unknown

Reaching out: The spirit of giving

Aynaria 7 Comments

Peanuts spirit of giving

Throughout my life, I’ve been actively involved with groups that constantly stepped out of their comfort zone, to do things to help others. Assisting at homeless shelters, mentoring for at risk youth in high crime areas,  sharing our garden produce to those in need… things like that. Helping others feels great.

For myself, it seemed the natural thing to do. When it came to giving, my parents have always been great role models. It’s something they’ve always done, and as a child it was how my brother and I were introduced to many of the activities I mentioned above.  So yes, they passed on that spirit of helping others onto us.

I do have a confession to make, for about a year now, I haven’t done too much reaching out. Naturally, I’ve helped at school that’s not going to change, I’m very involved with my daughter’s life. Her teachers have always known that I’m a phone call or email away. That’s one of the perks of working from home. I can usually assist them — if I have advance notice.  However stepping outside my ‘comfort zone’ wasn’t done as much.

I had the typical excuses…

I got wrapped up in several business related projects.  I channelled so of much energy and time into those endeavors, outside of my family, I stopped doing many of the things I enjoyed. Looking back, I  didn’t feel great about it, and discontent crept up in other aspects of my life. At the time I wasn’t sure what was wrong — until  a few months ago when it dawned on me that reaching out was a major part of my enjoyment, and so I started looking on what I could do to change.

The church I’d attended wasn’t as active within the community as I’d like, and so I found myself looking for another church, and I believe I’ve found one. Although it’s s small step, joining the quilting group at this new church is a great move.

I mentioned the group briefly in one of my crafting posts. When I checked out the church website, I was happy to learn that this quilting group is part of the Lutheran World relief which donates their hand crafted quilts to people all over the world.

Lutheran World Relief works to fight poverty and promote a more just and peaceful world by helping people help themselves. Your support provides the foundation for LWR’s work.

Naturally, I clicked on through, once I’d read the information on the church’s site. I never heard of Lutheran World Relief, but their website was very informative. It surely made my heart happy reading the above statement.

As an adult, I’ve mainly gotten involved with various outreach organizations on my own, but it’s surely nice to be part of a church that (that just so happens to be a church that I’m very interested in joining) does outreach on a local and global scale.

You want to know what’s even better? The lady I knew I’d miss most, at the church where I’m a member now is part of the quilting group at the Lutheran church. I didn’t know it until I checked out the picture they had of the quilting group. It looks as though I’ll be the youngest lady in the quilting group, it seems that most are retired, which makes it even better since I’ve always enjoyed interacting with those much older than myself. I’ve learned a lot from them.

What I enjoy about the new church is there’s plenty of opportunities to get involved on the local and global level. I’m sure over the next several months; I’ll be writing about various other outreach programs I have joined.