Veganism

I recently cut ties with my sister. Not because she's vegan, but because she's vegan because the monthly boyfriend is vegan. And the way she presents herself. She literally feels she is better than everyone else because she doesn't ingest animal products. And has gone so far as to proclaim that she can't understand how someone ignorant enough to consume flesh can work a computer, among other wonderful things. Nevermind that literally everything we have in our life causes the death of an animal in one form or another. It is completely lunacy to condemn others for their eating habits, while still utilizing products and services that cause the death of an animal. For example, electricity. most electricity is made by burning fossil fuels, which pollutes the food and habitats of animals, causing death. Farming (veg, tobacco, cotton, etc.) causes deforestation and loss of habitat, leading to animal death. Pollutants for using vehicles, causes animal deaths. Pesticides, housing being built, new roads, factories, most products, most foods... the list could go on forever. I have no problem with veganism. None. I DO have a problem with anyone who claims they are a vegan for the sake of animals, but then uses products or services that also cause painful death. Ever starved to death? Probably not, but that is exactly what happens to many animals due to loss of habitat. How about being poisoned to death? No? Plenty of animals are. Just because it's not a cow or pig or chicken doesn't mean it's not important... but I know the vegans in my life seem to forget about rabbits, deer, beavers, hedgehogs, etc.

Basically, my point is this.

I believe in being a whole person. Not picking and choosing snippets of a cause. We're each entitled to feel how we feel, and live our lives as we decide best fits us. But please, don't preach me to me that a steak is murder when you poison the air the animals breathe with pollutants spewing from hair products, pesticides, and vehicle tail pipes, or smoke cigarettes with tobacco grown in fields that kill animals by removing their natural habitat.
You may not eat flesh, but you're as much a murderer of animals as I am, just in a way that you somehow can justify and feel good about in your self-important, lunatic mind. So have fun with your cigarettes, gasoline, imported foods, and pretty much every product you use that directly causes the killing of animals through deforestation and other means. Don't feed me the righteous "I'm soooo freakin' vegan! Yay me!" bullshit because you've decided you're on an existence higher than that of someone else purely because you choose to ignore the fact that they way you live also makes you a murderer of animals. It is not being a "hippy" to recognize the negative mark you make on the lives of the animals you so righteously claim to love.

Until your vehicle is a bike, your food organically grown in your own backyard, every product you use proven to not have at any point caused deforestation or air pollution, and you've given up electricity (as most electricity is formed by burning fossil fuels, which = pollutants), FUCK YOURSELF. Harming an animal is harming an animal, whether you chew it or not. You're a fucking hypocrite to knowingly cause an animal death but then condemn others for doing the EXACT SAME THING in a different way.

/rant 

Again, I support veganism. I do. It's not for me, but it's not for me to judge. My issue is with self righteous behavior stemming from picking and choosing snippets of a cause, and them condemning others for not feeling the same way.

5 Weeks

I'm 1/8 of the way there... and feeling like crap! I honestly can't remember how I felt in the weeks leading up to finding out I was pregnant with Liam, but I sure do not remember feeling this awful. The morning sickness has hit me like a truck. The only thing that seems to help is chicken broth or something else salty. I can't handle the flavor of ginger, so most of the morning sickness remedies are not going to work for me. Sighhhh. Other than that, I'm exhausted, but for me lately, that's normal.

I have 2 more weeks in this semester, then a couple of weeks on break, then starting right back into the summer term. I'm actually kind of excited. :-) I will likely take the spring term off, like I did with Liam, and will graduate at the end of next summer's term. We'll probably also be moving right around the same time into a much cheaper place. I hate moving, but I love the idea of saving $725/MONTH if we move. In the rural areas here, rent is actually really cheap. But, because we had so little time to move, we are pretty much in the most expensive place we could be in, outside of mortgaging a McMansion here. Seriously. For what we pay in rent ($1375), we could be living in a brand spanking new 5 bedroom, 3 bath house in one of the subdivisions. Not that we ever would (EW!), but it puts things in perspective.

Our tentative plan is to find a cheap apartment, or even a trailer somewhere, so that we can bank a thousand dollars a month. After two years, we should be able to buy property outright, and then just mortgage the physical house we put on it. Unless we can find a standing house that we absolutely love. Even so, I refuse to pay more then $50k for whatever it is. We can always remodel down the line. :-)

Well, time to hurl and then cook dinner. :-) I have my first midwife appointment on May 9th, and I'll definitely update on the baby situation then. I have a bunch of recipes to post between now and then.

Easter

Here's a photo of my siblings and I at my parents' place for Easter dinner. From L to R: me (27), Jennifer (26), Jeremy (24), Caitlin (22).

Yes, I'm still fat as ever. Yes, we're all tattooed. Yes, we've considered the impact the tattoos will have on our lives. No, we don't give a flying frog's ass what people think of us, except our babies. And we all have them. Beautiful, perfect babies.

Speaking of babies, I'm PREGNANT! Only 4 weeks along, so we'll see how it goes, but I'm optimistic.

So, things here are good, for the most part. I'm wrapping up a semester at school, then just 10 more courses until my Bachelors in Human Services is done. I can't wait. Liam is incredibly well. Huge! At 15 months, he's in the 96th percentile across the board. His 18m clothes are getting too tight. So much for frugally outfitting this kid. He doesn't stay a size long enough to even wear through everything he owns twice. I'm not kidding. I have clothes he outgrew that still had tags on them.

Here's some photos of Liam.

Thrifty Wedding

When Seth and I got married, we eloped. Considering we'd only been dating for barely over 3 months, it seemed the best choice to run off, get married, and *then* tell our families. I don't recommend it for everyone, but it's worked for us.
So, this summer is our 3 year wedding anniversary. I decided it was time we have a wedding. Smack dab in the middle of a major debt reduction plan. So, we have a very skimpy budget. Here's how we plan to pull this off:

Location:

We live in a village of cottages, built by an amazing contractor who had an idea to build a storybook village. Where we live Part of his design is a beautiful meeting house, equipped with tables, chairs, seating area, bathroom, full kitchen, and exercise room. It has many uses, but he also lets residents use it for private functions. Our cost for the location for our wedding: $0. We'll be doing just a small ceremony outside. I may invest in one of those bridal trellis things.. or not. Since it'll be mid-August, we may just go out, having a standing ceremony, then go back in where it's cool. :-)

Dress:

This is the dress I chose. But, I'm also going to be scouring eBay and thrift stores. My sister knows of one up near her that has tons of wedding dresses. The current cost for the dress is $90, but I'm hoping to find something even cheaper. I may even make one!

Clothes for the 'wedding party':

My wedding party consists of Seth and Liam, our son. I have two dads, 4 sisters, 3 brothers. There's no way to have someone walk me anywhere, or stand up next to me without including everyone. So, I choose none. Seth can wear whatever he wants, and Liam is getting a mommy-made tuxedo t-shirt. Total cost: $6 for the tshirt and fabric pen.

Officiant:

Seth's cousin married us the first time, and I'm asking him to do it again. Cost:$0.

Cake/Food/Decor/Favors:

The cake will be a carrot cake. Two tiers, with handmade sparrows and stars in gum paste. As I have pro cake making experience, I'll be making it. We'll also be doing cupcakes with the same theme. Cost: about $35-40, but some of this is for gum paste molds I'll be keeping and see as an investment.

My sisters, mother and I will make all the food. We're doing typical BBQ fare! The dads will man the grills and do chicken, burgers, hot dogs, veggie packets, and some black bean burgers. Us ladies will do salt potatoes, roasted produce from my parents' garden, salads (green, and pasta), fruit cups, cheese/cracker/veg trays, and anything else we decide at that time to do. Drinks will be iced tea, lemonade, minted ice water and coffee. No pop. It's expensive, and I'm not buying 15 different varieties to please everyone. Total estimated food cost: $100.

Booze.... this one is still undecided. I'm not sure if we're going to just buy a bunch of beer and inexpensive wine, or what exactly. Anyone coming is driving at least an hour to get here. I'm putting a tentative number of $100 on this.

Decor and favors are lumped into one. The flatware will also be the wedding favors, and the decor! We're doing bamboo fork, knife, and spoon sets and because we're getting so many, without the cases, we're getting a great wholesale deal. I'll just tie a pretty ribbon around the sets that I've used a fabric marker to put our names and the date on. These will be tucked into mason jars (I have dozens) on the tables along with some flowers and whatever else I can grab from nature for free (branches with inedible berries, dried branches, etc). I'll be buying a canvas drop cloth and cutting it into strips for table runners. We'll be using biodegradable plates and bowls, and possibly cups too if I can find them. If not, plastic cups. The meeting house is lit by huge paper lanterns, so I'm actually not doing any other decor than what's on the tables. Total cost: approx. $110.

Invitations:
We're doing the traditional save the date cards, as well as invites with rsvp cards. I'm doing a kind of retro tattoo flash theme for those. I'm still pricing those out, but I believe if I design them completely
myself and have them printed at Kinko's or Staples, I can get away with it for about $100.

So, $446 for a wedding with 30 guests, $546 if we serve alcohol. I don't think that's a bad deal at all. And I'll be working on cutting the expenses even more. Pricey weddings baffle me. People are coming for the free booze and food. I know it. You know it. I just prefer my guest be able to wear flip flops and tank tops to come eat my food. ;-)

The only thing I haven't figured out yet is photos and stuff. I'd like professional photos, but the only photographer I know is my bff, moving out of state, and if she could come- I'd want her having FUN, not lugging 87 pounds of camera equipment. I considered those wedding disposables.. no. Bad photos + unnecessary expense = irritated me. My plan now is to either hire someone for cheap, barter for it, or ask family members and friends to bring their digitals and have at it.

So, what do you think? Any ideas to cut costs down even further?

Low Carb Chicken Soup

We're sick at the Jacobs house, so I whipped up this soup to ease our upset bellies.

1lb chicken (any cut really, cooked and diced)
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
8oz spinach, chopped (I used frozen)
1C carrots, chopped (I didn't have any)
10 cups broth (I recommend homemade stock or broth made using "Better Than Bullion". Bullion cubes are garbage. Any base where meat is not listed first in the ingredients is unacceptable.)
Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.

1- Put everything except the spinach in a pot on a low simmer for 45 minutes.
2- Add spinach, remove from heat after five minutes and serve.

I use Nature's Seasoning to season nearly everything I cook. It's sold online or in the spice aisle near salt.

As is, there are 10 servings in the pot. The net carbs for each serving is about 3.

Low Carb Cabbage Casserole

1 medium cabbage
1 large onion
1lb bacon, chopped (turkey bacon is fine)
1lb sausage (or chicken, cooked and diced)
8oz sour cream (fat free is ok if you're watching calories)
8oz cream cheese (low fat is ok if you're watching calories)
8oz shredded cheddar (fat free is ok if you're watching calories)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook bacon until half done, add onion and sausage and cook until sausage is browned and onions are browning.
2. Add cabbage and cook until soft.
3. Add sour cream and cream cheese, mix thoroughly.
4. Add 4oz shredded cheese, mix.
5. Pour into TWO greased 9x13 pans, then top with remaining shredded cheese.
6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

This makes 12-14 servings, so adjust the recipe accordingly. I make huge batches of food because I can microwave portions for myself for lunch and dinner all week. I hate to cook lately.

This recipe was inspired by a similar recipe from my favorite low carb site. In her recipe, Linda uses chicken and a few other ingredients I didn't have in the house. Her recipe can be found here: http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/cheesy_chick_bacon_cabb_cass.html

The main difference between the two is that my sauce is much creamier, and based on my calculations, my version has a couple less carbs.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving

Calories 496

Total Fat 38.5g

Sodium 1364mg

Total Carbohydrates7.8g

Dietary Fiber 2.1g Net Carbs: 5.7g Cost: $12 for the entire meal. So, $1 per serving. :-)

Dinner Guests

We have guests coing for dinner, so including them and us, there will be 5 people eating (Seth, me, Liam, and one couple). The ladies in the group are doing a low carb eating plan, and one of the guys is on a high protein plan, so this meal is perfect. What are we having?
I can buy a pork roast for $1.29/lb. In our area, that's pretty much the cheapest cut of meat you can find. They vary from 7-9lbs, and I'll buy on the bigger side. But, we'll actually only eat about half for dinner and the rest will be pulled pork for sandwiches and such. Total cost of the meat for dinner based on an 8lb. roast is $5.16.
With it, I'll be making a smashed roasted cauliflower, and some roasted green beans. I'll be using 2 bags of frozen cauliflower ($.99 each), 1 bag of green beans ($.99), one brick of cream cheese ($.89), one stick of butter ($.50), and a splash of milk ($.02).
The spices for the entire meal will be around $.35. The BBQ sauce for the pulled pork is $1.

So, total for everything I'm cooking: $16.05.
The total for the dinner: $9.89.
Total per person: $1.98

Not bad for a dinner for 5 people!

The pulled pork costs $6.16, and it will feed Seth Liam and I for at least 5 meals. So our main course will cost $1.23, or $.41 per portion per person. Pair that with a roll of some sort and salad or a veg, and we're looking at an under $3 total meal.