Collaborative Consumption

I'm very much in favor of Collaborative Consumption. I think it helps reduce cost and waste and brings people and, hopefully, communities together.

Part of our goal as "Less Impact Fam(ily)" is to not buy someting if we don't need it and to see if we can borrow or share it as the first option.

Collaborative Consumption Groundswell Video from rachel botsman on Vimeo.

I've seen this coming together happen after a natural disaster. What if it was something that you feel comfortable doing every day?

Grimmy Grimm Grimm

Sorry it's been kind of quiet. Work has me swamped.

In other news, we just found out our Grimmy cat has diabetes. We're trying to learn everything we can and today are going to the vet to be taught how to take her glucose levels and give her insulin shots. This will require lots of changes in the house and even for the other pets as it relates to food and feeding time so we'll see how it goes.

In some cases, cats can balance how and go into remission. We hope this will be the case for Grimmy and that a few months down the road she better.

We love our Grimmy Girl!

Wish us luck!

Waste Not, Want Not

If we're starting with proverbs here, maybe I should say "a stitch in time saves nine" because I think a bit of planning ahead can make the dreaded meal-time debate so much easier.

First off, there are a few things you should be doing to eat well and eat well for the earth. Number one is eat local as much as you can. We love our farmer's market. We can talk to the people, know where the food comes from, ask them questions and minimze waste and packaging. Plus the food is fresher, usually less expensive and in better condition than the majority of what you can get in a grocery store.

Number two is plan your meals for the week. For a number of reasons we've been cutting down on eating out. On Sunday morning we come up with 3 - 4 meal ideas for the week and then go grocery shopping. This gives us options plus it saves us from having the "what do you want for dinner?" debate each night. It helps me when I'm rushing out the door and forgetting about lunch, saves money and cuts down on the number of trips to and from the store during the week. From stir fry to lasagna to pesto-grilled veggie pizzas, each meal is great for dinner with usually enough for lunch or even another dinner.

Number three is freeze! Once we've had our dinner, we freeze the rest of the food into single serving portions. Easy to grab for lunch or dinner, the next day or a few weeks later. This is especially handy if you make a big batch of something and you're getting bored.

If you are eating mainly plant-based (and you should be!) you are bound to end up with lots of veggie scraps - peels, cores, onion skin, etc. But don't toss them in the trash! Food waste is a HUGE issue. One that I can get into later. But let's just take a high level - while plant scraps do break down, they can't break down in a landfill wrapped in a plastic bag. So, what should you be doing to cut down on trash and this problem? Number four is Compost! We have a reclaimed pickle barrel for our composting ($15 vs $100+!) but you can do this on a much smaller scale.

But even before you get to the composting, don't waste those extra veggies or the tops of your fennel or that bunch of greens that you forgot about. Do what we do (number five) - Make vegetable stock.



Making stock from scratch is something I didn't often do until just recently. We would buy the tetra packs of the low sodium vegetable stock and use that then throw away the packaging. In the mean time we were wasting all of these vegetables too. Double waste! How lame is that?

So now we've been making our own stock. It's fun, delicious and we can control the amount of sodium in it, which as you know is always too much in the commercial kinds. And how easy is it to make stock.

Here's what you do:

Vegetables - I like to have at least a few carrots, celery (including the leafy center stalks no one likes), an onion and some garlic. Chop all of these up roughly. You can end there but use what you have. I've thrown in dark leafy greens, scallions, a few bay leaves, some coriander seeds, left over fresh herbs, turnips, corn cobs, etc.

Put some oil in the bottom of a big pot and sautee the hard veggies (carrots, onions, celery, turnips, garlic) . Sprinkle on some salt and fresh ground pepper
and cook until a bit softened. Add in your softer veggies (the greens, herbs, etc.) and pour in enough water to cover everything. I think 8 cups should be the minimum but I used 16 cups last time.

Let this come to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for as long as you want. You can make this in 40 minutes but I like to let mine really cook for a while. After a few hours I turn the heat off and let it come down to room temperature.

To strain it, I put some cheesecloth in my big colander so the stock is pretty clear. And that's it! Ladle it into some containers - I like to do 1 cup and 4 cup containers - and then freeze it. The stock is much more flavorful than the commercial kind. Sometimes I snack on the veggies, puree them up (take out any bay leaves) and use them in sauces or... compost them!

The Morning Routine

When you have a house full of animals and two people who work, the morning routine can be a bit of a juggling act. We try to balance the needs of the animals with getting ready for the day ourselves.

It goes a bit like this:

6:35 - Wake up 10 minutes before the alarm. Spend the next 10 minutes looking at iPhone while not waking the dogs up.

6:45 - Walk pup #2

7:00 - Wake up hubby and dog #1. Walk both dogs while hubby puts food in their bowls, Kitty #3 gets in front of the cat bowl for a scoop of fresh food.

7:10 - While dogs are eating, I jump in the shower and hubby preps the carrots for the goats and the fresh food for the chickens and Jake (lettuce, tomatoes, corn on the cob, etc.)

7:15 - Since pup #2 has inhaled her food, take her for a walk or hold her off until pup #1 is finished so they can both go at the same time.

7:20 - Give pups two pieces of carrot each. They're spoiled now.

7:30 - I'm done in the bathroom and, on alternating days, go out to get fresh water for the coop and the goats (two horse buckets full), rake out the coop, put out their food, get hay for the goats, refresh the waters, pick up after the goats (poop!) and spend a few minutes with everyone. If it's nice out, I let the hens and Jake the turkey run around the yard while I take care of the goats. Then I have to herd them all back into the coop yard. They are not thrilled by this as they would rather play in the yard all day.

8:00 - Come back in, make lunch for work, maybe grab some breakfast.

8:15 - Make up the bed, pick-up and start getting ready for work.

8:55 - Try to get on the road to drive to work. Hubby gets the pups settled down in the office so he can get to work too.

Whew!

What's your morning like?

Signs of Spring

I promised better pictures of our lovely Spring blossoms and trees. The best part is we do very little to encourage this. It all just happens to pop-up as it gets warmer. I'm recreating this post from over on Shoe Daydreams. Yes, I'm lazy like that.



This is our neighbor's house. They actually do work on their yard and it shows. Darn them!



Trees in our backyard.



Tulips

Wisteria blossoms up close.

More tulips.

And our Tulip!

Her prancing baby, Petal.

Happy Spring!

More pictures on Flickr.

International Acclaim

We're very excite here... our site was listed by Dobbies.com as a "Chicken-keeping blog we love!"




How sweet is that?!? Thanks, Dobbies!

Menu for the Week - 4-19-10

Menu for the Week:

- Spinach-basil-vegan ricotta lasagna

- Pesto pizza with onions, garlic, broccoli, olives & sun-dried tomatoes

- Spring vegetable minestrone made with homemade veggie stock

- Spice Roasted Tofu fillets with Israeli vegetable couscous

- Lentil loaf with mashed potatoes, gravy and sauteed greens

Some of these were holdovers from last week. What we had planned made a lot of food. We did really well with not eating out too. I did meet a friend for lunch one day and then we grabbed veggie cheeseless pizza on Friday night because I was home late but other than that, it was all homemade. And delicious.

We made the lasagna last night for dinner and then froze individual portions for lunches the rest of the week. I also made 12 cups of veggie stock which we froze in 4 cup portions to use for the minestrone and just to have.

I really love planning the meals for the week on the weekend and them shopping and cooking on Sunday.

I also made Lavender sables (french butter cookies) with EarthBalance and they came out just the same as with cow's milk butter. And I made my first loaf of Irish Soda Bread which we had for breakfast with a delicious tofu-onion-red pepper scramble and with the lasagna for dinner. I plan on baking more on the weekends too, like I used to.

I'll be adding recipes here but also to the notes section of the Facebook page, so be sure to go by and "fan" it to get all the updates - www.facebook.com/TheDailyCoop.

A Week's Menus - 4-11-10

Menu for the week:

- Salad, green smoothie and baked potatoes

- Spicy Black bean burgers

- Big salad and cornbread

- Veggie stir fry with rice

- Spinach-basil-vegan ricotta lasagna

- Hummus & Grilled veggie sandwiches with garlic-herb "boursin-style" spread

- Grilled Portobellos and asparagus with rice

- Homemade pesto veggie pizzas

- Hummus black bean quesodillas

Sharing the Stories

Part of me is not sure what the point is for sharing these horrible, unbelievable stories of abuse and cruelty. But I think that, while they upset and outrage me, it is necessary to share them because they call attention to the link between animal abuse as a gateway to child abuse and other violent crimes including serial killings. They showcase how lax our laws are regarding this type of abuse and how animals are treated as mere property without regard to the suffering endured by these animals and how poor a job we do of protecting these innocents. These mentally disturbed individuals should prosecuted and monitored for the rest of their lives. The laws should be changed.

I hope these stories will help get the laws changed and impact the sentencing of the responsible. And if some karmic retribution comes back to kick their ass, I'd be all for that too. If you can help by donating to the care of this kitty (and the thousands of others hurt each day) that would be great. If you can adopt a rescued or shelter animal, you should. And if you ever see this abuse going on you have an obligation to step in and stop it.

From USA Today -

It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood, but all that sunniness was interrupted when I saw this video. Police are searching for the person who drove a nail through a cat's hind paw and left it hanging from a utility pole in rural Henry County, near Geneseo, Ill.

Local Andrea Bristol found it while driving home, she tells The Dispatch. "It just made me sick to my stomach."

The cat is microchipped, but efforts to reach the owner have been fruitless. If the cat survives, it will be put up for adoption.

Aside from the paw, the cat had head injuries and was dehydrated, according to Karen Russell, president of the Henry County Humane Society-Geneseo. (The Henry County Humane Society-Geneseo says that those who would like to donate toward vet costs can send checks with "abused cat" as the memo to them at P.O. Box 145, Geneseo, IL61254.)

Other stories:

Puppy set on fire by Man in front of his children

Burned and beaten puppy inspiring stronger laws

Friends Don't Let Friends: Eat Boxed Cereal

I'm a big fan of cereal. I don't have a Jerry Seinfeld level collection but I could easily eat cereal 3 meals a day. The hubby does not agree with this, so we do have actual food in the house... not due to me generally.

And while I love Grape Nuts, Basic 4, Rice Krispies (with lots of sugar) and Apple-Cinnamon Cheerios (okay and Count Chocula!), I know that even the healthy stuff isn't that great, they're pricey plus they have too much packaging. And we're trying to eliminate the packaging.

So that means it's time to get back to making the delicious, fully customizable granola/cereal I love to make!

This recipe can be adapted to include whatever you want to add. I usually throw in whatever looks good from the bulk section, so please take these amounts as guidelines and feel free to add more of something, less of others etc.

Ingredients:

3 cups Rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1/2 to 1 cup each: chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, macadamia nuts, pepitas, etc.

3/4 shredded coconut

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbl ground cinnamon

1/3 cup maple syrup (I like to dump in some honey as well. You could use molasses too, I'll bet)

1/3 cup canola oil

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup currants (or raisins or dried cranberries or dried blueberries)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut, currants, cinnamon and brown sugar.

In another bowl/measuring cup combine the oil, syrup, honey and salt. Pour this over the dry ingredients and stir to fully cover and combine.

Place the combined ingredients on a large baking sheet (or two depending on size) and pat down. Cook for 1 hr and 15 minutes and take out the sheet(s) every 15 minutes to stir and pat down the mixture to evenly brown. I line my baking sheet with tinfoil because as the mixture cools it will be very sticky.

When done baking, remove pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Before it is fully cool, remove the mixture into a large bowl and stir to cool. As it cools it will stick together some, but you can then easily break it up for easy eating.

Keep in an airtight container and enjoy as cereal or for snacking!

Becoming the "Less Impact Fam(ily)"

I am a fan of self-improvement.  I love to learn and experiment and explore.  I read a lot, I try new things, I refuse to stagnate.  One of my relaxation treats is to watch documentaries.  Lately they have been on food (Food, Inc., Future of Food, King Corn, Earthlings), social and cultural issues and environmentalism.  These have always been some of my favorite topics so it was great to watch No Impact Man which combines all of these topics.

What is so neat about watching this movie is that I had read the No Impact Man blog during the time he was embarking on this "experiment".  If you aren't familiar with the blog or the movie, Colin embarked on a year-long trial with his wife and child to see how little they could impact the earth.  This means they tried to only eat locally, cut out trash, stopped using chemical cleaners, phased out electricty and got around using their own two feet, bicycles or scooter.

The documentary had an inspirational influence on me.  We do our best here to lighten our load on the environment. We're vegan for starters, which does create a huge reduction but we also try to be good about the recycling, reusable bags, making stuff from scratch a lot and only one of us commutes to work.  We have a high efficiency washer & dryer and only do about 6 loads a month.  We haven't used a dishwasher in 10 years. So all that isn't bad to start.  But after watching the documentary, we're inspired to try and push ourselves to do a bit more.

So, what are we going to put into place?  Well...

 - Eliminate eating out, especially take out, unless we're going out for a social occassion with friends or family

 - Reduce/Eliminate food packaging by buying in bulk, making stuff on our own (granola for cereal, bread, tomato sauce, almond milk, veggie/bean burgers, etc.) and freezing or storing it in reusable containers. Bring our own reusable bags for shopping and bulk and produce buying.

 - Remove our names from all catalogs and ask our banks and bills to go paperless.

 - Stop buying commercial cleansers and make ours from natural options including borax, castile soap, baking soda and vinegar

 - Use up all of our current stock of food items and personal care items before buying more

 - Stop using paper towels (except for pet messes) and swiffer cloths. Instead use sponges and cloth towels, cloth napkins and broom, dust pan and steam mop

 - Cut down our overall consuption (HUGE issue!)

 - Borrow or barter before buying

 - Attempt to reuse/refill packaging before recycling

 - Sell or donate items that are just taking up physical and mental space.  If they are not getting actively used they need to go.

 - Low energy evenings.  This means turing out the lights and turning off the TV/games at dusk.  We will relax, read, etc.  We don't need or want so much sensory input all the time.

 - Hold out on turning on the AC or heaters.  It's cool in the house now with the windows open, the fans on and the attic fan on.  It was above 80 degrees today and we still felt okay in the house.  Our goal is to see how long we can go into May before it gets too warm inside.

 - Create and maintain our garden.  Keep composting but do more such as using our bean soaking water to water the plants.

 - Buy most of our produce from the farmer's market.  We pretty much do this any ways but we want to be better about eating seasonally.

 - Install a clothes line to dry some of our laundry

 - Work on house projects we have the stuff for but have been putting off.

The Pacific Trash Vortex

It seems like a lot but I don't think it will be that difficult.  These are all things we like and want to do but we just have not sat down and decided to to do them.  We have a few things we need to put into place, like the clothing line and some window fans, but these are all doable. 

We'll keep you informed with what's working and what isn't.  What are something you would like to do or suggest to us?

What came first?

I'm not very much into collecting or themes but I will admit to having a few chicken related items, including jewelry. I mainly have the Paraphernaila Chicken claw necklace, the Chicken Fauna bracelet and the Cpt. Poulet necklace. 

But now I have a new must have item.  And, of course it is from Wendy Brandes!  The Chicken on the Nest necklace.

I mean how adorable is that.  This delicate piece is so detailed AND it's mechancial!  All for $150.  Amazing!

Of course, if someone wanted to get me the parent piece, the museum-worthy Hen in the Egg necklace, I wouldn't mind.  RIGHT?!?!

Le Sigh!  Wendy, quit breaking my heart!

I'll Bet You...

You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit.

If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple,

I’ll buy you a new car.
- Harvey Diamond

What kind of asshole eats a lamb?

Yeah, the title's a little inflammatory (it's also from my new favorite shirt) and, yes, I used to be a lamb-eating asshole, but if you can watch this video, especially starting at 00:16, know how these animals are treated and killed and STILL be okay with it, well.... I don't want to know you.

Where's Bea???

The Power Plate by PCRM

I love the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The are tirelessly active on behalf of humane medicine and healthy eating. And they have a great site filled with information and resources.

My new favorite feature is the Power Plate.




I love that they, the doctors, state:

These four food groups provide the good nutrition you need. There is no need for animal-derived products in the diet, and you're better off without them.

Heck yeah!

We continue to be surprised that when we tell folks we're vegan that people a) don't even know what that means sometimes and b) they ask "what do you eat?". The husband was in a situation this week where he was asked this and he answered, "You know that stuff next to your steak? Just a larger portion of that." Of course that does not convey the true breadth and range of foods we eat which is far more varied and interesting than what we ever ate before.

Well this handy little site lets you click through to each of the quadrants and has a bunch of recipes for each! Click through!

There is lots of information under the navigation on the left, including a fun quiz for kids. They even spell out the common concerns about protein, calcium, vitamin D, B-12, Iron and Omega-3s.

Can you tell I'm in love with this site and the group. I may just direct folks here when they ask if we're healthy, what we eat and where we get our protein.

A Change in Plans

So we've had another "change in plans". We're essentially cutting eggs out of our diet altogether.

Not that this is a big change. We're pretty much egg-free all winter. Most people don't recognize this but chickens, left to their natural cycles, do not really lay eggs during the winter. Unless they are artificially tampered with, as all commercial egg factories do, hens don't lay eggs when it is not feasible to have baby chicks around. Therefore, no eggs in the winter.

But it's spring again and the girls have started laying again. We know that our girls live in a cruelty-free, natural environment. We know they won't be killed when they stop laying. We know they were rescues and not bred just for us. So theirs are the only eggs we ate because they lay them regardless of what we do with them. And, as there is not a rooster around, these eggs would never become chicks.

(BTW, you know that's how it works, right? Eggs are part of the hen's reproductive cycle. Just like humans, they produce an egg no matter what. Only if it is fertilized does it become a chick. So many people have been surprised by this that I have to make sure to clarify.)

The hubby is really the only one who has been eating the eggs. I was never a huge fan anyways but after we became vegan I really saw no point in it, especially as I've had no problem working around them for baking. Well, he tried eating some recently and has found that they are bothering his stomach. His body has recognized, by being free of this animal product for several months, that it does not need them. So now they're out.

What are we going to do with the eggs that Meg and Gertie lay each day? We are going to share them with our friends. While I don't want to encourage egg consumption, I'm hoping these eggs can replace some of the purchasing of commercial eggs and spare, if only slightly, the millions of abused animals that are subjected to unspeakable cruelty in this industry.



While we're talking eggs, check out the giant egg that Meg laid the other day. The egg on the right is her typical egg. Crazy, huh?

Go Meggie!

Friends Don't Let Friends: Miss out on warm Brownies

Brownies are one of my favorite dessert. The only need a few ingredients, they're easy to make and the bake fast. Plus you can lick the bowl! I like mine dense and dark chocolate-y. This recipe was in VegNews and came from a bakery. I'll track down the original sources asap!


Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 ½ cups sugar
1 cup cocoa
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup coffee
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
¾ cups water
1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate chips - optional
Nuts - option

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease or line a 9 x 13 baking pan. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Add coffee, flaxseed, water, oil and vanilla to dry ingredients. Combine with a spatula until just combined and thick. Stir in chocolate chips. I like to add at least a bagful!

Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 30 min or until a toothpick in center comes out clean.

Serve warm with a big scoop of Purely Decadent ice cream.


Image by z_b on flickr

First Signs of Spring

Just a quick note:

Even though the weather has been shifting from sort-of warm to rainy wet snow today, the early signs of Spring are here.... the hens have started laying again.

We didn't even notice it at first because the girls like to be sneaky. We have several bales of hay for the goats stacked up in the coop side of the building and covered with a large tarp. We thought we were discouraging the hens by covering the hay but nope! The sneaks had climbed up in there, made a hay nest and layed a few eggs. Even though their "nest" keeps getting disturbed as we use the hay for the goats, they're still using it.

We were surprised they got up under the tarp. I'd have thought they would have been scared of it, but I guess not.

So far we're getting an egg every other day which leads me to believe it's just one hen, probably Meg, who is laying.

We'll keep our eyes open.

Vegan-a-go-go and a-cough-cough

If you haven't seen it, my latest "Vegan Expert" post is up on the Getting Healthy section of The Demoiselles. Check it out here!

In the article I gave tips on travelling and eating vegan/vegetarian while out and about. One thing I didn't mention is what happens when you've been running on an inconsistent eating schedule, staying up way way way later than normal, walking around in the snow and cold for hours and then having to deal with major flight complications.

Oh, yeah... you get sick.

So after all of the above, I got sick for the first time in almost 2 years. I've been fine all winter while the people around me succumbed to illness but not eating or sleeping properly lowered my resistance.

I hate to take medicine and I usually don't but I do get coughing issues and have been forced (by the hubby) to take some cough medicine. What he found for me seems to be the least "harmful" formula out there... a diabetic version.



With no sugar, alcohol, sodium, dye, codeine, sorbitol or fructose/HFCS it tastes gross, but it does work and doesn't fill me full of all the crap listed.

I'm not happy about taking it but I guess this is the best option. I'm trying to find out if it is vegan and animal-testing free. I'm not sure that it is but I'm hoping it is. It's really hard to find out this info. I think we need better labeling.

And I plan on getting better soon and staying well so I can avoid taking it in the first place!

Friends Don't Let Friends: Not Make Risotto

I love risotto.

Ever since I learned how to make it I crave it, especially in the winter. It is more comfort food for me than mac and cheese ever was. The great thing about risotto is it makes a big batch of food, is very simple, it's peaceful to make and looks damn impressive. Plus, you can add almost any flavor or additions to it and make a completely new meal. I've made rosemary versions, saffron, asparagus, mushroom etc.

Oh, and did I mention it' pretty low fat??? Shocking, I know!

I make mine in the most basic way: onions, broth, wine, salt and rice. That's pretty much it. And most of these you should have on hand so it's as good a meal to throw together as it is to make for company.

Here's how it goes:


Ingredients

1 large onion – chopped (garlic optional)
4 Tbl Olive Oil (approximately)
½ cup white wine
2 Cups Arborio rice
6 – 8 cups veggie stock
Salt

Preparation:

Pour stock in separate pot to warm

In large saucepan (6 quart with deep sides, ideally) sauté onions in olive oil, about 4 tablespoons, over medium heat until soft. Can also sauté garlic in there if you choose. If you are adding a woody herb like rosemary, you can add it now.

Add rice and sauté about 10 minutes, until there is just a white dot in the center. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed. Stir in stock in ½ cup increments not adding more until absorbed. Keep adding stock until rice is soft all the way through and cannot absorb any more – usually about 30 to 40 minutes and about 8 cups of stock. Add salt to taste.

When the risotto is done absorbing the stock, you can in things like butter squash puree, steamed or roasted veggies, mushrooms or soft herbs such as sage. Really anything you like will go well with this.

For the two of us, this meal makes a great dinner with salad on the side and then travels and reheats for work lunches beautifully.

Enjoy!


Image via The Vegan Foodie