Full Fat Vegan

As I hastily put together this post while the kids were distracted for a second, I realized the foods I put together were all pretty high in fat. Shocker, we are not fat-free around here. We have three growing children and I embrace healthful fats for their sake and to tell you the truth my husband and I love them too. Nut butters, coconut milk, nuts, tahini, avocado, etc. are all so yummy! Sure, as I hurtle toward the big 4-0 (just a few short months left in my 30's) I need less fat and want less fat in my diet than I did in my younger years. I've been trying to up my exercise instead of giving up on my veg fats completely. We'll see how it works, but I'm also trying to limit my caloric intake a bit as opposed to eating everything and anything I want, which I have done for my entire adult life. So as I load up my growing eleven year old son on his current favorite snack (Vegenaise, avocado, za'atar, and hot sauce on whole wheat toast) or refill my three year old daughter's bowl (cashews, raisins, almonds, and sometimes a few shredded coconut and/or dark chocolate chips) or indulge my seven year old son's insatiable taste for his favorite treat (nut butter and fruit spread sandwiches), I put a little less dressing on my salad or saute with water instead of oil. We all have different nutritional needs at different stages of our lives and I'm sure as my husband turns 50 next year we'll see him make some changes in his intake as well. Here are some recent meals, brought to you (or actually us since you weren't here to eat them) by The Vegan Table.

 Thai Curry with Veggies from The Vegan Table

Tastes very much like my In a Hurry Thai Red Curry, except no tamari and no sweetener so even better. Lots of coconut milk, veggies, and curry paste, what is not to like? Kids loved it, my secret ghost eater (aka my husband who is working 36 hours straight without sleep then two hours the next day, rinse and repeat, so thank goodness he works from home, but we still don't see him for meals, he came down while I was outside rounding up the kids and I came back to a big hole in the brown rice) enjoyed it, I tried not to eat it, but had to have a bit as I cleaned up. The great thing about curries, besides being easy and quick, you can throw whatever veggies you want in the mix and it is all good. Josie loves peeling potatoes and carrots and chopping them. I also added a few peanuts in the mix.

Pasta and Green Beans with Peanut Sauce from Vegan Table

This peanut sauce is a keeper, loads of fresh ginger and no sweetener means a peanut sauce we'll use over and over. I used green beans, carrots, and peas the first time and added some baked tofu we had on hand. I topped it with hot sauce, but it really doesn't need it. The pasta is whole wheat capellini from Meijer. I am not a big box store fan, but our friend, Gita, made the pasta of awesomeness with ww capellini. I asked her where she bought it and decided I need to stock up. It is organic as whole wheat and I haven't been able to find a ww spaghetti or capellini at our co-op or health food store.

Pasta and Green Beans with Peanuts Sauce sans Green Beans

Parker was disappointed we didn't have any Pasta and Green Beans with Peanut Sauce leftover the next day so I made it again except with shelled edamame standing in for the green beans. I preferred it this way, but really any veggies would work.

Usually, dessert is whatever fruit we have on hand. I don't usually mention it since it is after I've taken pictures of the rest of the meal, but we've been having some delicious peaches, bananas with peanut butter (they love just bananas, but I started spreading peanut butter on them while we were in North Carolina and now this is a big treat), cherries (I think we've had the last of the cherries for this season, farewell my love), and sometimes smoothies.

Organic Cherries

Plum Smoothie

I fell in love with plums while working at Fannie Mae in NW DC. There was a little stand on Michigan Ave where a local-ish farmer would sell plums. They were the best! I don't remember eating plums as a kid, boy did I miss out. My kids, however, know several different varieties of plums and look forward every year to plums showing up in the co-op produce section. I leave most of our fruit out to be consumed throughout the day by our children and their friends. I want it to be in sight and in their hands not locked away in the refrigerator to be asked for or forgotten about. During the steaming heat of the summer, the plums aged quicker than my little ones could eat them so I started making plum smoothies. The one above has plums (pit removed), frozen blackberries (we would buy them from the farmers' market and freeze them right away), frozen bananas, flax seeds, beet (peeled), carrot (washed with top removed), rolled oats, soy milk, and a few Brazil nuts.