What Do You Feed It? (Feeding a Vegan Teenager)

 Years ago Mr. Polly and I saw a movie and this was a funny line in it--I don't recall the movie, I don't recall what the character was referring to (I think it was a person? a baby? but maybe it was an animal? I don't remember!) but it was humorous and we've used the line jokingly with each other sometimes since then.  It has taken on a new seriousness as "what do you feed it?" is a legitimate question when it comes to feeding a tall teenage boy who has decided to try veganism.*

First he was vegetarian, which is imminently doable. We did that for quite some time, but since our family eats a lot of vegetables, beans, and grains anyhow, it didn't cramp my style at all.  He was content to eat eggs, cheese, and butter.  He floated the idea of trying veganism, which I nipped in the bud, telling him that I did not have the bandwidth to cater to a vegan!

Fast-forward to early fall--Finn wanted to try eat vegan foods only for a month.  I decided to consent.  He has been faithful to it ever since, and it hasn't been *as bad* as I predicted, although there are times when it feels inconvenient. However, since he's committed to it, he has both learned to cook some things on his own *and* devoted himself to being adaptable to eating things that aren't as excited as they might otherwise be if he weren't vegan, so his own efforts and attitude have gone a long way. 

So what do you feed it, when "it" is a vegan teenager?

*For breakfast he typically eats a waffle (I make these in advance and freeze to have on hand) topped with peanut butter, stovetop or baked oatmeal (also topped with peanut butter), or Ezekiel bread toast (topped with...you got it!...peanut butter! and sometimes banana or a few dark chocolate chips).  He accompanies breakfast with a cup of plant-based milk and always a very good cup of coffee. I am really good at coffee, y'all. 

*Lunch is often leftovers from dinner (see below). Sometimes he'll make himself a broccoli and organic tofu stir-fry.  He will also sometimes have a lentil BBQ sandwich: lentils + barbecue sauce on a Dave's 21-grain bun.  Today I made pizzas for lunch--his had tomato sauce, spinach, tofu, and sundried tomatoes; mine had tempeh, but Finn isn't a fan of tempeh! 

*Snacks: If he's hungry between meals--and he often is--it's smashed avocado on sourdough bread, guacamole and tortilla chips (more rarely), apple and peanut butter, dark chocolate (with peanut butter, if he wants a little protein), or--if he's REALLY hungry--lentils or tofu/broccoli. I sometimes make black bean brownies, which he likes, and that's a not-terrible snack.  Finn isn't a huge fan of nuts, but if he were, that would be a great snack. 

*Dinners: Dinner is the easiest.  We make a wide variety of soups or curries.  Once a week or so I'll make black bean burgers (from scratch)--plenty of leftovers for lunch--which Finn will have with roasted potatoes and veggies.  Sometimes I'll do a bunch of veggies and salmon, and instead of salmon Finn will have broiled tofu or a bowl of beans. My husband makes a great vegan stirfry with lots of veggies, topped with peanuts and served over rice.  

There are some parameters that I hold to very strictly. 

First, no soy protein isolate.  Period.

Second, tofu needs to be organic, and not eaten daily. His doctor said it's fine for him to eat tofu regularly, but we want to make sure we've got a variety of protein sources. 

Third, no junk food.  Oreos are vegan.  Potato chips are vegan.  We don't eat that stuff! Sweets are either dark chocolate or black bean brownies.  I do buy tortilla chips a couple of times a month.  Finn sometimes asks me to get Daiya cheese, but since it's not that good, he doesn't eat it often. I keep Orgain Simple on hand and he has that in a smoothie once a week or less, but it's really not that great-tasting...more of a "quick protein" source on rare occasions.  We consistently focus on whole foods, not processed junk, to try to make sure he's eating healthfully. 

Finn isn't an athlete; if he were, I'd be making twice the amount of food I already make!

So that's what you feed it!

*Finn's rationale for this is fairly sound, encompassing multiple factors, and although I don't share all of his opinions, I do respect him!

The Sick Kit

We were in Charleston for the New Year when Mr. Polly came down with a cold, which then hit Finn when we got home, and then Annie last week, and finally landed on me this week.  I am recovering, but not without a few icky nights of congestion. 

It struck me that after 17.5 years of motherhood, I should have grasped this idea sooner: I need a sick kit! I have had a sick book for years, which has been invaluable. But I need a little arsenal of things that will make life easier when sickness hits us. Here's what my sick kit should include:

*Zicam

*Zinc pills

*Emergen-C. I love drinking the powdered vitamin C stuff with hot water, kind of like a weird tea, when I don't feel well. 

*Puffs Plus Lotion tissues. We never keep tissues on hand; I'm going to do it now, in the sick kit.

*The humidifier. As soon as someone starts feeling sick, I'll run the humidifier in their bedroom at night and in the room where they spend most of their time during the day.  The humidifier helped me so much last night--I can't believe I didn't think to use it sooner! 

*The little steam oil diffuser that I like to use with a few drops of essential oil.

*Sore throat lozenges--I like Ricola. 

*Lemons for hot lemon water, which often cures what ails me. 

*The NetiPot!!! And distilled water.

*My stepmom would remind me to add Vicks VapoRub.  She is a devotee of it!

And a few pre-existing household items would round out this kit:

*A hot water bottle and a heating pad--so comforting when you're pitiful in bed.

*A simmer pot in the kitchen: the crockpot filled with water plus sliced oranges, whole cloves, cinnamon, fresh rosemary. I made one this morning and although I don't think it's *doing* anything, it sure does help me feel happier. 

*Pot of water on the stove, simmering, to add humidity to our very dry indoor air.  It was 22% last night, but I've gotten it up to 37% with the simmer pot and humidifier.  

*Squishy socks, a cozy blanket, comfortable clothes, and a hot shower anytime to break up the congestion. 

*Good books or a knitting project, or--if you're really in bad shape--an easy movie!

What else would you add to a Sick Kit?  

A New Year, Again!

 Happy New Year!

I hadn't really realized that my last post was way back in April. It's funny how life's seasons shift.  I remember when I posted a lot--and now it seems like time is constantly pressing down on me.  I have to make room in my life for leisure and creativity--two things I have sorely neglected for a number of years now. My 40s have been an intense season of caregiving--the husband with cancer, the father with cancer, and two teenagers (in some ways, the caregiving of teens is more exhausting than the caregiving of little ones). 

*Annie turned 14--FOURTEEN!!--last Thursday.  My little baby with the wispy curls, a teenager!  She still looks very young, more like 11-12, so it's especially hard to believe that she's 14 already.  She started real, brick-and-mortar school in August, and she absolutely loves it.  She loves coming home with anecdotes, she loves attending different classes, she loves her friends. I thought 8th grade would be one of the hardest years to start school, but she is thriving.  She makes straight As easily (she has told me on multiple occasions that homeschooling is harder, and after seeing some of what she's doing, I have to say I agree....)  The school is small and we have known many teachers and administrators for years. It's a blessing for her at this time in her life. 

*As a result of choosing to start school, Annie also chose to not continue with the ballet company this year, which has changed the landscape of our lives significantly.  She still takes ballet classes 7 hours a week, but that feels like nothing compared to our lives in recent years. I am not sure what she will choose to do for next year, but I'm enjoying the breathing room right now.  Her involvement, the driving, and my own volunteerism for the ballet company were....a lot. 

*The fact that she wasn't in the Nutcracker and isn't in the company has been an unexpected blessing in another way--my mother-in-law had a health crisis in October (just off the plane, literally, from South Africa!) which has required us to pivot and try to provide support to her and my father-in-law. She spent 5 weeks in the hospital (3 of them in ICU) near the airport, which is about 3-4 hours away. She is a walking miracle, that's all I have to say.  I am so thankful that she is still with us.  She's such a sweetheart!

*Last year we did get to see the eclipse.  That probably deserves its own post.  It was amazing. 

*Also last year, we took a big Southern road trip to visit my family in South Carolina and Georgia, where we enjoyed a Lowcountry shrimp boil with first, second, and some third (!) cousins. We went to the beach with my husband's family--a low-key and relaxing week. It seems like the world is off taking all sorts of exotic vacations and having these big adventures (Annie has friends who went to Spain, Japan, Nepal....), but we go see family!  Family means a lot to me, so I am happy to spend our vacation opportunities making memories with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. 

*The iconic, 100+ year old barn that represents our farm and has housed so many memories burned to the ground in July. It was a devastating day (and has made me feel so much empathy for California right now--we lost *one* barn, which is nothing compared to the losses that are occurring out west).  It was such a blessing that the fire was identified quickly, that it didn't spread to other nearby structures, to the house, or to the fuel (!) that was stored close to it.  It's also a blessing that no one was harmed--including the sheep, chickens, goals, or the livestock guardian dog. But oh, what a heartache it was for a few weeks. 

*I currently teach US Government to 7 homeschooled high schoolers in my basement once a week, and it is SO much fun!  It's really one of my favorite things about life right now!  They are curious, polite, engaged, and funny; I wish they could come over more than once a week!  It started as a way to get Finn's US Government credit while also getting some time with friends, and we are achieving those things, but I simply didn't realize how much I would LOVE doing it.  The lesson planning is excruciatingly time-consuming, writing all the tests and quizzes, coming up with projects, etc....all of this I'm doing from scratch, but it's so fun.  I guess that's where a lot of my creativity is going these days. :) 

*I still work part-time, and I still really like my company.  In March I will have worked for them for two years, which doesn't seem possible--the time has flown. I usually work 5-10 hours a week still, and that's what I plan to stick to until Finn is in college.  Once he's in college, if Annie is in *regular school* and not homeschooled for high school, I may increase my hours to 10-20. (If Annie decides to homeschool for high school, I'll work 5-10.)  Once Annie is in college, I will consider working somewhere full time only if we truly need the extra income to pay for college.  Otherwise, I think part-time works very, very well for our family. 

*Speaking of college, Finn is a junior in high school and we're looking at colleges.  We're also running Net Price Calculators, which has been a sobering exercise.  Everything seemed so straightforward when I applied to school: I picked a college I liked, I applied early decision, it was in-state, and so I went there. That same college costs over four times as much now!  Finn isn't really sure what he wants, but it's looking like maybe a small liberal arts college with a strong French/study abroad program. (Anyone know of a fantastic French program??)  That doesn't really narrow things down, frankly!

*Speaking of Finn, he's the tallest person in our house now!  He's very tall, has long blonde hair, and was recently mistaken for an adult--probably because he almost is an adult.  He's also vegan, which is a tad inconvenient sometimes, and speaks beautiful French and Spanish, and is the Assistant Director for a play right now!  So Finn is busy. 

*I just came down with a mild cold, but otherwise I am healthy and well, and grateful for that.  Mr. Polly is also doing great.  We celebrated our 25th anniversary last October by taking Finn and Annie to a Very Fancy Restaurant in the city.  Annie was fascinated by the bananas foster situation. 

*I've been thinking recently about the disjointed feelings of life with 2 teenagers-the way we go in different directions. Life looks so different than it did 10 years ago, and for good reason! But there are elements that I miss; for instance, I didn't do anything in my flowerbeds this past summer.  And we don't read aloud anymore. Life feels very functional, and I am operating it with efficiency, but I really lack something--I can't put my finger on what.  Leisure? Soul-supporting activities? Lightheartedness?  Something like that!  I'm going to "study on it" this winter to see what I can do to help with that. Even so, I am thankful for this quiet, filled-up little life of mine.