why no, i don't eat dirt or cardboard

asparagus, broccoli, rutabaga, fresh ginger, mustard greens, poblanos, brocco slaw, and the hydro tomatoes from the previous entry made several meals and sides that we all enjoyed.

one misconception omnis tend to have about vegans is that we must eat dirt & cardboard. couldn't be further from the truth. i eat tons of different kinds of veggies and have found my horizons broadened by eliminating all animal products from my diet. one might believe that makes eating a pain in the ass (now you know how the blog earned its name), but its only bothersome if you enjoy eating garbage.

i won't lie: i loved fast food for a long time. it was a sid and nancy relationship--we used each other, i ate, felt like crap, and would swear off the #6 combo from wendy's. i read fast food nation, and some of that changed. i still ate meat. but enough of my pregan days. if you're truly curious, you can read all about that here or here. sure i eat my share of fried food, but i know who is making it--me!

the photo above is the bounty i'm able to obtain from my local food bank- mother hubbard's cupboard. it's a humbling feeling to publicly admit i need to use this service to provide healthy meals for my family. if you are a family that needs assistance and you don't qualify for food stamps or WIC, i beg of you to seek out (or start!) your own service that provides food for those in need. the pantry is set up to help many people in between situations or working class families that can't afford to adequately feed their families after paying bills. thursdays are made priority for pregnant and breastfeeding women, so i go on that day. if it weren't for MHC, we would eat a lot of pb&j or pasta. that's why it means so much to me that y'all visit this blog. every click earns me some change that i end up donating to the pantry. all people deserve to eat well, and fine dining shouldn't be the stuff of privilege, but in this country it is. the american meal has become bastardized, and most residents of this country believe a meal consists of a sandwich, fries, and pop. rarely do we eat together as a family anymore. balsamic sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms served with tofurky sausage and broccoli

pita halves stuffed with dr. praeger's veggie burgers*-(probably the BEST store bought vegan burger on the market-no one paid me to say this), made with REAL VEGGIES that you can actually see!, rice vegan cheeze, hydro tomato, pickles, onion, and veganaise. served with a side of jerk roasted asparagus and broccoli slaw.
*=wait for a coupon or sale!

i know this isn't the prettiest food pic, but it was damned tasty: dal over rice in the background sits quietly while a big mess o' steamed mustard greens is topped with a wild yam and pine nut saute. wowza!

enjoy those veggies, check out your local food bank, start your own if your town needs one, and for the love of rutabagas--stay vegan!