And two more makes five!: 2013

Ever since we started eating vegan we have recieved all types of feedback, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Most people ask me "What do you even eat?" I can definetly see where they are coming from being a non-vegan most of my life, it's hard to imagine such a change in lifestyle! To those people who ask, I tell them "Everything!" In fact it has opened up a whole new variety of food and ideas to me.
The recipe I'm going to show today isn't anything new or unheard of. But it is a great way to incorporate more vegetables in your diet as well as use the leftover rice sitting in your fridge if you have that problem. Of course it's freakin delicious and something familiar! It's simply Vegetable Fried Rice.

Chop up half an onion and sautee in olive oil with garlic and basil and shown below. I add in these little dried chiles called chile de arbols. My husband loves these because everything I make must be spicy! I add the onions in before the oil is hot to give them a more savory flavor instead of a sweet caramelized flavor.

I found these wonderful creations at Walmart. They are in the frozen section. I put one cube of garlic and basil in with the onions. They are just freshly chopped and then frozen into cubes. This really helps save time and money which is a must for me.

Once again to save time and money I just buy a bag of frozen stir fry and add it to the wok. If you are a purist and have the extra time go ahead and buy all the vegetables and chop them up. This one had baby corns, water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, red bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli. Then I add the following sauces and seasonings.

These are my main staple sauces for a lot of the Asian food I make. Yes I know nothing too fancy but trust me, it's really good! Sautee the vegetables with these ingredients for 5 to 10 minutes. You can just eyeball the amount you want. Then add the rice. This time I had some leftover coconut lime cilantro rice in the fridge that I added.

I always use jasmine rice. To make the coconut lime cilantro rice I do one cup coconut milk, one cup vegetable broth or stock, and one cup water in a pot. Also the juice of one lime and bring to a boil with 2 cups jasmine rice. Cook according to rice directions and when done add in some chopped cilantro. Anywho, sautee the veggie and rice mixture and medium high heat. I like to char the rice a little to get that fried rice flavor.

Serve with a lime wedge and bon appetite! Or I guess Gè bǎo in Chinese! I normally serve it with fried tofu and sometimes egg rolls for extra protein but did not have any this time. I know it's not any new break through in cooking and something we have all seen before but it is really delicious!
I will be posting, hopefully, more vegan dishes that are more exciting and different soon! I realize that some of you may not agree with the "vegan lifestyle" and that's totally fine. I'm not in anyway trying to force our way of eating on anyone else, just sharing some delicious, healthy recipes!

Well needless to say I'm not very good at keeping up with a blog. My life is a little on the insane side right now and a lot of days I'm lucky if I get a shower in. When this kind of mess happens in a matter of minutes....

You get the idea.

     It's really strange going out with all three of my girls. As I take my 3 year old Jade to the mall (not for shopping) to play or going to the grocery store or just anywhere I really notice the other girls my age and how different our lives are. I think about how they are most likely living with room mates or are newly married. They wake up to go to work getting a nice long shower in, getting their hair dried, and even get makeup on. They probably get to sleep in on the weekends and get to hang out with friends multiple times a week. Eating out, going to parties, movies, clubbing, vacationing! etc. Working out is no problem, they have plenty of time and energy for that. As they look back at me what do they see?
   A person who wakes up next to their husband of almost 6 years. A person who clearly has no makeup and possibly not taken a shower that day. A girl with her hair up in a pony tail, baggy eyes and not wearing the latest style. Or any style. A person who is trying to keep two babies entertained and keep a three year old happy and in sight. To them it might be like a horse seeing a zebra for the first time. What is this strange creature who should be like me but is nothing of the kind.
   Sometimes I catch myself feeling envious I must admit. Seeing their freshly curled hair and perfect makeup. Tight fit bodies and stylish clothing carefully picked out. Their carefree spirit and laughing faces. Newly manicured nails and probably fresh pedicures. Then, what do I do? What does every woman do so naturally and without thinking? I compare myself of course. I look at myself. With my unstyled hair and clothes. With my exhausted frame and mind. Never able to rest with the ceaseless crying, tantrums, dishes, laundry, messes, cooking, teaching, cleaning etc.
   How do we get out of this mind set? It is almost impossible for me not to compare myself to other women, it is truly a weakness of mine.
     This is what I'm trying to do instead. I say to myself "Wow I'm 24 years old. I have three beautiful healthy daughters. Yes I am very different from other women my age but victory has made them weak." My life is literally a constant challenge and difficult and stressful. I am going through a seeming never ending refiners fire but when I come out I will be like a brilliant diamond. Strong, capable, and freaking beautiful! I'm learning how to truly be selfless and push myself harder than I thought possible. I have and will continue to suffer through depression, physical pain, anxiety, headaches (literally everyday) and more. But if everything was easy we as humans would not enjoy life. We would grow soft, weak, and break easily. We would be like a marshmallow easily consumed by life's sharp jaws. We would be entitled, ungrateful, and selfish. And we are that way. Look at how the new generations are becoming more and more that way. But I digress. Probably because my 3 year old and one of my babies are going nuts right now.

    All you moms out there probably can relate to a lot of what I've said. If we can stop comparing ourselves are realized we are amazing because we are doing the hardest and most rewarding job in the universe it will change our lives.

     Well this post wasn't what I intended it to be. I was gonna be about how we became vegan last August and about the Muse concert we recently went to in Las Vegas (our first getaway in 4 years) but that will be for another time! I really cannot concentrate well or think straight anymore so this might just be ramblings of a mad woman. Below are some pictures of what my life's all about right now and maybe you can relate.