What's with all the sodium? The first days of mass production alternatives

I ventured out on that first weekend and did some grocery shopping alone in order to take a close look at some alternatives to mass production meat and I found out that almost everything on offer is high in sodium. Veggie dogs (which Kaitlyn loves) and soy cheese are loaded with salt, while milk alternatives are only slightly less offensive. I realize that the choices I made are in some cases just the vegetarian equivalent of regular high sodium junk food, but not all. How do vegetarians balance their non-meat alternatives with a low-sodium diet?

Speaking of sodium, one of my new choices is to use veggie broth in soups instead of chicken. A quick comparison of the PC Organics brand and the Campbell's Organic veggie broths, which I unfortunately neglected to do at the store, shows me that the PC brand has twice as much sodium per serving. It also contains tomato paste so that means there's sugar in there, too. The photo on the front shows an inviting clear-yellow broth while the actual product is brownish-red. Yuck, I won't make that mistake again!

Do vegetables really taste so bad to the average consumer that everything has to be salted down? Or is it just what we have available at our store? Apparently soy products are also highly modified so they're not popular with a lot of folks. This venture of ours is turning into a lot of research, it's almost like learning how to eat all over again.

I'll also mention that our first couple of weeks have not been all veggie. We've had deer and, since I'm not about to waste money throwing out everything we had in the freezer, we've also had some chicken. At this point, it's something to explore and be conscious of when we make our meal choices. But it's hard and we need to keep being reminded. When I told Keith that I was craving salami, he asked "what animal is that?" That didn't help my hangry but I'll forgive him because he's so supportive.

A tipping point

Last night at the grocery store we had one of those moments that, I hope, will define parenthood for us. Normally, if we all end up at the grocery store I'll take Kaitlyn to the toy section while Keith does the checkout. Beside the toys are the paper towels. Stacked high with spaces between, it turns out that they make the perfect labyrinth of towers for an 18-month old.

As we were leaving the store, Kaitlyn ducked into the paper towel maze. And that was the moment. Tired after a stressful day of work and eager to get everyone fed, I could have easily marched in, picked her up and insisted we go home. Or, as her mischievous face peeked out from the first tower, I could choose to join in the game of hide-and-peek, which is what we did. For at least two minutes we all ducked in and out of the paper towel tower maze, Kaitlyn giggling and shrieking all the while. At one point she even pulled me in to her little space to hide from dad with her. It set the tone for a night full of laughter for all of us and I guarantee I'll never wish that we had gotten home two minutes earlier.

Getting Vegucated

A few months ago we cancelled our cable and got Netflix, for the few times we have time and inclination to watch TV, and to avoid commercials for the ridiculously inane garbage that now passes for entertainment. Since then, I've been watching things I probably never would have rented from a video store, just because they're there. This week, I've been working my way through Vegucated in which a New York woman challenges three people to go vegan for six weeks. During that time she tries to teach them as much about the benefits of eating plants as possible, and exposes them to some of the truths about where their meat comes from.

I'm only half way through the show and it hasn't been particularly graphic but I can see why people avoid documentaries like this. Seeing images of mass farms and how the animals are treated is horrifying. Think about that for a second. Seeing where your food comes from is like watching a horror movie, one so bad that most people avoid it.

I'm going to throw it out there right now that I am not now nor will I likely ever become a vegetarian but this show has made me realize how lucky I was to grow up, for a short period, on a farm where we grew most of our own food and animals. We had pigs every year that had special batches of jam made for them, and my dad kept the freezer full with deer and moose. Even now my freezer is full from his last visit. It's not the killing of animals that bothers me, it's how they are treated when they become machines to satisfy the masses.

I knew before starting the show that mass-produced meat was not humanely treated and it bothered me a little, but not enough to stop buying meat in the supermarket. We do buy local eggs and I've looked into local chickens but wasn't motivated enough to follow through. Last night, however, I couldn't shake the truth that I had seen and today, I am more determined to make changes.

So what does that mean for my family? It means sticking to local, humanely treated meat or game. It means choosing more meals that feature beans or legumes, or even tofu (to Keith's horror, he's pretty game about the rest). And it means we are going to try some other vegan alternatives, like almond and soy milk, and soy cheese. They're worth a taste at least, right?

Are bottle feeding moms demonized?

A couple of weeks ago I posted this story to my facebook page, a rant about how breastfeeding moms are given a tough go about feeding in public, or continuing to feed past one year and several other issues. It sparked a conversation between my friend Carli and I about our experiences with breastfeeding and she pointed out that bottle feeding moms are judged perhaps not as overtly, but just as much.

So here's my confession, I'm a judger. I didn't realize it until this conversation but it's true. I like to think that I believe everyone has the right to feed their baby any way they want. But then I realized that every time I find out that someone bottle feeds, I ask the question "why." And in that simple word is the judgement; the belief that they must have some justification for choosing to bottle feed and that they should share that justification with me.

So far, everyone I've asked has had a reason that made sense to me, such as not being able to produce milk. I have not yet met a person who simply said "because I didn't feel like breast feeding" and if I'm going to be honest I have to say that if I met that person, I would probably judge them. In fact, I would probably decide based on that statement alone that our values were too different for us to be friends. Talk about being a judgy mom!

No one has ever asked my why I breast feed my daughter. In fact I've never had anything but positive interactions about my choice to feed her that way. And my automatic reaction to bottle feeding moms makes me wonder if maybe the tide has turned. Are we now making it harder on those who choose bottle feeding?

The best baby cookies ever!

I've been sharing this recipe around a lot lately because it has become my absolute favourite after daycare treat for Kaitlyn, and last minute breakfast option for myself. The recipe was passed on to me by a friend and I've been making my own additions and changes. You can find the original digital version from allrecipes.com here. The key is to make the cookies small and flatten them out a bit so that they cook properly.

"Healthy" Banana Cookies

3 very ripe bananas (the riper the sweeter)
2 cups rolled or quick oats
1 cup dates, dried figs or any other dried fruit
1/3 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
(My optional additions)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 1 cup ground nuts

Mash bananas in a bowl. Mix in all the rest of the ingredients and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The bottoms will be quite brown as the sugar from the bananas caramelizes.

Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of allrecipes.com