NaNoWriMo Food

Hi everyone! Yesterday I completed my ninth National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), writing 50,000 words in November!

I didn’t try any new recipes this week, so I figured I would (re)share what’s been my most dependable easy meal this month. I’ve posted before about my peanut butter brown rice burrito, but I modified it to be even simpler so I could have quick dinners when I finally finished writing for the day. I combine ½ cup of instant white rice and ½ cup of water, bring the two to a boil, stir, cover, and remove from heat. I let that sit while I heat up a cup of frozen vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower) in the microwave, get out the rest of the ingredients (a tortilla, soy sauce, peanut butter, ginger, and garlic powder), and snack on some candy (leftover from Halloween lol; it’s usually victory Smarties, but I switched it up with Sour Patch Kids this year). Then I stir the rice, stir in the veggies, add some soy sauce, a big spoonful of peanut butter, and some shakes of ginger and garlic powder, and stir it all together and then onto the tortilla for the burrito! 

In other news, I visited the firebird this week to take some pictures. The Firebird Festival is taking place on Saturday, December 8; it’s going to be our fifth time attending, and I’m so excited! 

Here’s Daisy up in the cat tower this morning… 

Peace. :)

Victory Smarties

Hi everyone! Today's Vegan MoFo prompt is: Silly food – What are some silly food traditions/memories you have? This is a timely prompt because I've been enjoying my "Victory Smarties" this month...

On Halloween night, I set aside some of the leftover candy (specifically, the Smarties). And then, each day in November when I complete my daily writing goal for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I have one of the rolls of Smarties as a reward. 

I've been writing at least 2,000 words a day (it's 1,667 words/day to stay on track), and I'm at 44,654 words so far. I have a nice buffer built up, so I'll get to skip some days of writing for Thanksgiving and the weekend!

Here's a close-up of a sleepy Buttons...

Peace. :)

BBQ Jackfruit

Hello everyone! This week I tried out the Upton's Naturals Bar-B-Que Jackfruit that I'd ordered from Vegan Essentials. 

It was good, though not as great as I was expecting, haha. Here's how I had it...

over rice with broccoli and carrots (OK)

mixed in with rice, broccoli, and carrots in a burrito (better)

over mashed potatoes (best)

In other news, I am on a roll with NaNoWriMo, having written 2,000+ words each day, so I am currently at a word count of 42,011!

Here's Cringer staring intently at her shadow, Daisy looking silly in the middle of licking her lips...

...Leela all lined up with the sunshine, and Buttons on her favorite perch.

Peace. :)

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

Hi everyone! Super quick post tonight since today was a fun but busy day (Zach, Alena, and I visited Skylands Animal Sanctuary & Rescue)! Here are the yummy cookies I made on Thursday. I used this recipe from House Vegan but left them as cookies instead of making them into cookie sandwiches. Delicious, and I think I might try adding cranberries the next time I make them. I always think of raisins in oatmeal cookies, but cranberries seem like they would be more fun with the pumpkin. 

P.S. Here is something I did to motivate myself for my NaNoWriMo writing, using some leftover Halloween candy – I have one after I've finished my writing for the day... hehehe! 

Peace. :)

Turkey Sponsorships

Looking for a way to celebrate your vegan Thanksgiving and help care for rescued turkeys? Consider sponsoring a turkey! I did a quick search today, clicking through the sanctuaries listed on Your Daily Vegan's Animal Sanctuary Database, and here are the options I found:

Turkey Sponsorships (Thanksgiving Specials)

Catskill Animal Sanctuary (Saugerties, NY)
“You have two options for turkey sponsorship this month:
For a one–time donation of $25 you’ll receive:

1. A PDF booklet of Chef Linda’s Compassionate Thanksgiving recipes
2. A glossy photo of your new turkey friend to place at your table

For either a recurring monthly donation of $18 or a one-time donation of $216 you’ll receive:

1. A PDF booklet of Chef Linda’s Compassionate Thanksgiving recipes
2. A one year Family Membership (a $65 value!) Your Family Membership entitles your household to free tours April–October and reduced admission to special events.
3. Two glossy photos of your turkey along with their rescue story, perfect for a place at the dinner table.
4. The option to come and visit your sponsored turkey year–round by appointment (please call or email 72 hours in advance) and see for yourself the quality of care your support provides.”

Turkeys you can sponsor: Declan, Daisy.

Farm Sanctuary (Watkins Glen, NY & Orland, CA)
“For a one-time donation gift of just $30, anyone can sponsor a turkey. As a turkey sponsor, you will receive a special Adopt a Turkey certificate with a color photo of and fun details about your new friend.... For a gift of $210, you can sponsor the whole flock and have adoption certificates sent to family and friends!”
Turkeys you can sponsor: Tibbott, Martha, Gable, Anna, Elsa, Cecelia, Turpentine. 

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (Woodstock, NY)
“With each sponsorship, you’ll receive a beautiful card that includes a color photo of the turkey you are sponsoring along with their story of how they came to us, and a bit about their unique personalities.... During the period before Thanksgiving we are offering a flat $50 special instead of the usual $15 a month.”
Turkeys you can sponsor: Tomoko, Loren, Jean, Lennon, Marley, Beatrice.
 
Feast for the Turkeys

Heartland Farm Sanctuary (Madison, WI)
“$25 per person – includes a complimentary TURKEY SPONSORSHIP packet. The packet contains a beautiful color photograph of your Heartland turkey, the turkey’s personal rescue story, and sponsorship acknowledgement – all in a stand up frame card that will go perfectly on your Thanksgiving table to show everyone that YOUR Thanksgiving turkey is a friend!”

Turkey Sponsorships (General)

Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary (Deer Trail, CO)
“Turkeys: $180.00 or $45 quarterly... We'll send you a picture and bio of the animal you are so kindly sponsoring.”

Kindred Spirits Sanctuary (Ocala, FL)
“Receive the following: T-Shirt + Animal Created Painting + Framed Photo ...for a one year sponsorship.” (Turkey sponsorships are $20/month.)

Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary (Poolsville, MD)
“You will receive a framed photograph and your animal’s story, along with the opportunity to visit in person.” (Turkey sponsorships are $8/month.)

Maple Farm Sanctuary (Mendon, MA)
Turkeys can be sponsored for $20/month; turkeys you can sponsor: Charlie, Dale.

SASHA Farm (Manchester, MI)
“Animal sponsorships start at just $30.” ($30 = Emailed certificate; $50 = Mailed certificate, letter and a picture; etc.) 

Indraloka Animal Sanctuary (Mehoopany, PA)
“Receive weekly updates, free visits, tours and special bonding time with your favorite animal!” (Turkeys can be sponsored for $15/month.)

Ching Farm Rescue & Sanctuary (Riverton, UT)
Animal sponsorships are $25/month (or a one-time payment of $280 for the full year). Turkeys you can sponsor: Apollo, Lincoln, Clementine, Daphnie.

Let me know if I missed any opportunities for turkey sponsorship & I'll be sure to add them! 

P.S. Putting this list together may have been me procrastinating a bit on my NaNoWriMo writing. Hehehe. (I'm at 6,947 words total after the writing I got done yesterday.)

Peace. :)

Goals for 2014

Hello there! I hope you had a good start to the new year! In December, I clearly lapsed on my posting-once-a-week goal, but I'm bringing that goal back, and taking on a few others, for 2014.

Trying New Recipes: One of my goals is to cook more from my cookbooks:

Vegan Handbook (Vegetarian Resource Group)

The Cookbook for People Who Love Animals (Gentle World)

Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food (Alicia C. Simpson)

My collection cookbook, which contains tons of random recipes, some handwritten, copied down from who knows where, some clipped out from magazines, newspapers, etc.

I've rarely used these cookbooks; they pretty much just sit on a shelf together, wondering what their purpose in life is, so I'm going to try to pay more attention to them. I would like to get a greater variety in what I'm eating, and I know I'm sure to discover some new favorites in the process.

Reading More: I read a fair amount already, but I want to try to read even more this year, and I have a nice (nearly 2-ft tall) stack of books for 2014, and I'm sure more will be added along the way. I'm currently reading Catching Fire (The Hunger Games series) by Suzanne Collins. I saw the movie before reading it, and overall, I'm liking the book better, but there are a couple parts that I thought the movie handled better.

Self-publishing: Having completed my fourth NaNoWriMo this past November (as well as a Camp NaNoWriMo in April 2013), I feel it's kinda ridiculous that I haven't done anything with the stories I've written (other than just reading and editing them myself). I want to publish them, and I've been saying that for a while, but I keep procrastinating. My goal is to self-publish at least one of the stories. I think I might try my story about Mystery (the 30,000-word one I wrote during Camp NaNoWriMo) first, followed by my NaNoWriMo novel from either 2012 or 2013.

Other goals: I also want to work on exercising more, try meditating, and get back into the habit of walking every day (once it stops being so cold out).

Oh, and one more goal, thanks to Rachel at The Vegan Mishmash, is to submit my turkey sketches to 46millionturkeys.

Well, that's about all for now. I hope everyone's keeping warm; Mystery's strategy to stay extra warm and comfy is to cry until I lie down on the couch and let her curl up on my stomach. While she has me pinned down, I use the time to do some reading. 

"Chop, chop! Time to get more reading done!"

Peace. :)

End of November Recap

Hello everyone, and happy December! 

I successfully completed this year's NaNoWriMo on November 27, with a final word count of 50,123! 

This was the first time I have ever finished my writing early, and it was worth it to have the last three days of November off!

A sketch of my main character and her cat friend.

Once I finished writing and had a quick lunch, Zach and I got ourselves packed up and headed to his parents' house, bringing Mystery along with us. That night, I finished the last sketch for my "Respect turkeys. Go vegan." album that I had been putting together on Facebook. Here are my final turkey sketches and their captions.

"Turkeys are able to adapt to a wide variety of habitats. However, most wild turkeys are found in hardwood forests with grassy areas." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of this photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wild_turkey_and_juveniles.jpg]

"Like cats and dogs, turkeys are intelligent and sensitive animals who form strong social bonds and show great affection to others." (http://freefromharm.org/farm-animal-intelligence/farm-sanctuary-reveals-10-fascinating-facts-about-turkeys/)
[sketch based off of photo from here: http://animalplace.org/_blog/Animal_Place_Sanctuary/post/28-days-of-turkey-talk-day-9/ (Photo caption: "Creek and Miwok arrived together from a free-range turkey farm. They would spend time grooming each other and pecking dirt off of each other's face.")]

Domestic turkeys being raised for food are "routinely 'beak-trimmed' (also called de-beaking or partial beak amputation).... Beak-trimming is performed using sharp shears, a heated blade, or a high-voltage electrical current. Turkeys' beaks, loaded with sensory receptors, are highly sensitive, much like human fingertips, and this painful procedure severs and exposes nerves. Some birds starve to death before they are able to eat again with this painful disfigurement; some die of shock on the spot." (http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/learn-3/factory-farmed-animals/turkeys/)
[sketch based off of photo from here: http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/meet-the-animals/turkeys/tomoko/ (Photo caption: "Like millions of others, Tomoko was being raised for slaughter for Thanksgiving 2013. She has the sadly typical scars from having been debeaked and de-toed. Thankfully for Tomoko, the horrors of that torture are becoming a distant memory, since a kind soul rescued her and 2 others (Jean and Loren) and brought them to the loving arms of Woodstock Sanctuary.")]

"In natural conditions, baby turkeys would stay with their mothers for up to five months, but turkeys on commercial farms never experience the safety or warmth of the nurturing presence they instinctively long for. … Eggs are collected from breeding hens and hatched in incubators. The unmothered, frightened hatchlings are transported to larger facilities where they spend the remaining portion of their brief, miserable lives." (http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/learn-3/factory-farmed-animals/turkeys/)
[sketch based off of this photo: http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/1x6054754/newly_hatched_turkey_chick_and_eggs_e764257.jpg]

Turkeys raised for food are "slaughtered at only 4-6 months of age. They still respond to a recording of a mother turkey hen's cries for her lost chicks. Birds are slaughtered young on both large and small farms." (http://animalplace.org/_blog/Animal_Place_Sanctuary/post/28-days-of-turkey-talk-day-15)
[sketch based off of this photo: http://pacificbirdandsupplyco.com/wp/pacificbirdandsupplyco.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/White_Turkey-290x300.jpg]

"Detoeing is cutting off the ends of a turkey's toes." (This is done without any anesthetic.) (http://46millionturkeys.com/2013/10/25/an-impression-of-free-range/)
"Young Petunia had quite fortunately not been debeaked, which is a sad but all-too common practice in the highly exploitative poultry industry where birds' beaks are burned off without any pain relief, often rendering them unable to eat. She had, however, had another cruel and common procedure performed – the cutting off of her toes." (Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary)

"Between 250 and 300 million turkeys are raised for slaughter every year in the U.S. – more than 46 million are slaughtered for Thanksgiving alone." (http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/learn-3/factory-farmed-animals/turkeys/)

For Thanksgiving, we went to my cousin's house; my contribution to the meal was a cider roasted root vegetables dish (red potatoes, gold potatoes, shallots, & carrots roasted first in olive oil and then in an apple cider/apple cider vinegar/brown sugar mix). I didn't take a picture of the one I prepared for Thanksgiving, so in its place is a photo of the leftovers of the first test batch I made. 

 

My sister made a vegan version of our Poppy's corn and mac bake. Other vegan foods at Thanksgiving dinner included corn and applesauce, as well as plenty of snacks (potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, vegetables, and fruits). We also brought along some leftover vegan goodies from my birthday (cake and chocolate peanut butter cups made by my mom). So it was a good feast, and while my sister and I were the only vegans, there were others at the table who did not eat any turkey, including Zach. I had a fun time hanging out with my little cousins, especially since they wanted to do their kitchen experiments with us again (creating new recipes in the kitchen and then bringing out the results for everyone to taste-test). This year, the main ingredient was clementines (last year it was cranberries).

On Friday, we headed over to my parents' house and had a nice relaxing day.

Saturday was the harvest dinner with Zach's family. Vegan snacks included tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, and pickles. For dinner, I had a burrito with peppers, onions, brown rice, and salsa, with corn on the side. And for dessert, ginger snap spice cookies with apple cider. Another great feast and lots of fun! Zach and I got a workout chasing his little cousins around in circles inside the house for the majority of the time we weren't eating. After that, it was time to pick up Mystery from my parents' house and head home.

Enjoy the new layout for the holidays (I'll have a post soon with photos of our decorations), and here's a (blurry) sleepy Mystery to bring this post to its close.

Peace. :)

NaNoWriMo, Turkey Sketches, and Mystery!

Hello everyone! Just another quick writing update, more sketches, and of course, Mystery!

With NaNoWriMo, I passed the 2/3 mark last night and am currently at a total of 34,508 words (I haven't written today yet). I'm going to buckle down and start writing more each day because I want to build up enough of a buffer so I won't have to write on Thanksgiving. If all goes well, I might even finish NaNoWriMo early (I've never done it before, though, so we shall see). 

Here are the most recent turkey sketches I've done.

"It is difficult to sneak up on a turkey. They have excellent vision and hearing, even though they have no external ears." (http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/learn-3/factory-farmed-animals/turkeys/)

"Male turkeys, called toms, love to feel noticed and admired. Toms on sanctuaries are known to follow busy human caretakers from chore to chore, standing off to the side, puffing out their exquisite feathers in a blast of scalloped ruffles, quietly and patiently waiting for the prospect of attention." (http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/learn-3/factory-farmed-animals/turkeys/)
[sketch based off of second photo from the above link]

"A male turkey is called a tom or a gobbler, a female turkey a hen, and a baby turkey a poult or chick. A young male turkey is called a jake and a young female is called a jenny. A group of turkeys is called a flock." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of first photo from here: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/the-sanctuaries/rescued-animals/2011-rescues/a-safe-thanksgiving-for-25-baby-turkeys/]

"Wild turkeys spend most of the day searching for food like seeds, wild berries, small insects and acorns." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)

"Wild turkeys have dark feathers which help them blend in with their habitats." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of this photo: http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Pictures/Turkey3.jpg]

"Domesticated turkeys have been bred to have white feathers." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of this photo: http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Pictures/Turkey4.jpg]

"Male turkeys will start making their gobbling sound before sunrise and continue through most of the morning. Hens make a clicking sound." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)

On Tuesday, I had to bring Mystery to the vet for some blood work. As a senior cat, her kidneys aren't so great, so the vet has her on special prescription food and she gets blood tests done every now and then so we can make sure that she's doing OK. The vet called me yesterday with the results: Mystery's blood work came back showing improvements in her BUN (blood urea nitrogen), creatinine, and hematocrit levels. Yay for Mystery and her old kitty kidneys! (She's also gained weight; she's at 6 lbs. now!)

And finally, a cute Mystery story: Yesterday while I was putting away laundry, Mystery climbed onto the nightstand from the bed and from there climbed into the third drawer of our dresser, but it was filled too high for her to snuggle in. I picked her up and pulled out the next drawer instead, which had more room, and set her in it. She soon curled up and took a little cat nap; when she was done, she climbed out, using the little step-stool (laundry basket turned upside down) I'd put there for her. And she went in and out on her own two more times that night to enjoy additional naps. 

Peace. :)

NaNoWriMo Update, More Turkey Sketches

Hello everyone! I'm nearly to the halfway point for NaNoWriMo; I'm currently at 22,578 words (still need to do my writing for today). 

I've been continuing with my turkey sketches as well, so here's the next batch for you to enjoy!

"Wild turkeys can fly for short distances at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. On the ground they can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour. Domesticated turkeys usually weigh too much to be able to fly. Their weight is about twice the weight of a wild turkey." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)

"Turkeys like to listen to music, especially classical, and will often sing along!" (http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/learn-3/factory-farmed-animals/turkeys/)

"[Turkeys] have a field of vision of about 270 degrees and are able to see in color. They can see movement almost a hundred yards away. They don't see well at night." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of first photo from here: http://littlebitsofgreen.com/article/a_new_thanksgiving_tradition/]

"[Turkeys] have a poor sense of smell, but a good sense of taste." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of this photo: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151966007245569&set=a.10151965989580569.1073741857.25267825568&type=3&theater]

"Male turkeys have black, hairlike feathers on their breast called beards. Some female turkeys have them too." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of this photo: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151966007230569&set=pb.25267825568.-2207520000.1384316201.&type=3&theater]

"The bare skin on the throat and head can change color from flat gray to shades of red, white and blue when the turkey becomes distressed or excited." (http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/Turkeys.htm)
[sketch based off of this photo: http://www.woodstocksanctuary.org/2013/05/nutmeg-the-turkey/]

And to bring this short post to an end, here's a little photoset which I like to call "Mystery and the Art of the Blurry Close-Up."

Peace. :)