Healthier Living

     I'm going to keep this simple.   One of the reasons why Sue and I moved back to Western Pennsylvania was due to our desire for healthier living.  

    Sue has had some various health problems through the years and has managed to fight them all.  She's a strong resilient woman and one of the many reasons I love her is that she is a fighter.   Many people would have given up, but she keeps on keeping on.  For privacy, I will not go into what ails her. 

    I, on the other hand, have a pretty strong constitution and want to keep it that way.  So when my doctor starts telling me he's worried about "cholesterol" and "high blood pressure" I can't help but pay attention.  Both my parents have heart disease and it's something that I've been aware of my whole life.  Both Sue and I actually try to maintain a low salt diet for example.  

    That's tough to do when your a hedonist and a foodie at heart.  Living out here in the country does lead to more exercise.   The mere fact that I have to cut the grass, rake leaves, cut wood and power wash the house is a type of gym membership in itself.  Living in Western Rural PA also cuts back to the food that we have available to us.   

    We are simply not going to have access to something like Mofungo here.  Much less Arepas which can only be described as gooey goodness.  A soul warming combination of meat, white cheese, and potato or soft plantain served in between cornmeal biscuits.

    Don't misunderstand me, I'm not mocking the basic steak and potato.  However there is a wider culinary world out that that most Americans barely scratch.

Apera - stock photo

    Having a garden should help with our diet however.  Fresh greens would help us cut back on the amount of meat we eat, and we have had "Meatless Monday's" in our lives once before that fell by the wayside.  That needs to make a comeback.

  Two really good meat substitutes are jackfruit and paneer.  I actually enjoy the taste of Jackfruit - your actually better off buying it fresh if you can find it (try a Latin or Asian market) as you will get more bang for your buck.

    Speaking of paneer, while I'm not sure if I would call myself a "Cheese maker" I knew of several recipes for a variety of vegan cheeses.  I've been tempted to make myself some.  Although I have been having trouble finding nutritional yeast, and figured I would probably have to order some online eventually.  Also unsalted cashews; which seem to be the "go to" ingredient in vegan cheese, are not cheap

      Add to that that Miso paste, which can be found in Asian markets but not in rural Pennsylvania, and Agar Agar - which runs about $3.25 an ounce, and making vegan cheese quickly becomes a pricey option.  

    And frankly, once ordered..would I ever use this stuff again?  Of course, I'm an idiot that can't let go of something once it gets into my head...so I will probably order it.  Just not now.

    An other thing to consider was that these cheeses were made out of plant proteins, so they break down differently than dairy cheese, and that can lead to a "smelly" cheese.  Or a forgettable taste.  

    As much as the idea of making a vegan cheese just to try it, it will not happen anytime soon.

    So Sue and I are going to have to move to a more plant based diet.   We will take baby steps.  It takes time to change a lifestyle.  Getting out now that the warmer weather is here to walk is a start towards a healthier lifestyle as well. 

    I'll tell you what.   Send me your veggie based friendly recipes by putting a link or recipe in the comments, then sign up for notifications about when the blog is updated.  Remember to check out the Facebook page for this site also!

    Let's see what's out there.  There has to be good easy to make food out there somewhere!!!   Remember that I'm a complete and total idiot in the kitchen (and have been banned from the kitchen once before) so lets keep it simple.