the day I purged the fridge: mixed bean and quinoa hodgepodge

I'll throw a disclaimer out right away: I'm not a chef. I'm not a food photographer. This is not turning into a food blog. What this is is a yummy recipe-ish concoction that I threw together one day with stuff left over in the fridge, and it has become a staple in our house. It's animal-friendly (vegan) in the way that it doesn't use them, and it's a complete meal. Plus, it's flexible and easy, so if you're a not-chef, like me, you can swing it. Here goes...

mixed bean and quinoa hodgepodge

serves any number of people over any number of days, depending on how much you want to eat

stuff you need (all approximate)

• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 cups vegetable broth

• 1 lb organic green beans

• 1 lb/1 can dark kidney beans

• 1 lb/1 can garbanzo beans

• 1/2 pound cooked lentils

• 3/4 cup Italian-ish dressing of your choice (You can make your own, or I like Trader Joe's or Annie's Naturals Tuscan Italian varieties.)

what you do with that stuff

Cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth (you can also use water, but vegetable broth will provide more flavor, plus, it's easy to make), covered, until the liquid is absorbed (15-20 minutes), then cool.

Discard the ends of the green beans and snap each bean into thirds. Steam slightly in a steamer basket or blanch (you still want them to be crunchy), then cool.

Cook the beans, unless you're using cans (I usually use organic canned beans for convenience). Feel free to substitute any type of bean you like.

Cook the lentils, if necessary (I LOVE the packaged lentils at Trader Joe's...you can find them in the veggie section. Much easier.)

Once everything has cooled, stir all ingredients together in large mixing bowl.

Feel free to play with the proportions to suit your dietary, taste, or texture preferences.  It keeps nicely in the fridge, so I make this big batch so I can have something to easily grab for lunches over several days. It's quite filling! The rest of my family loves this as a side dish. I sometimes eat it as-is, but I often use it as my base and add different combinations of things I have around. Some of my favorite additions:

• avocado and beets

• pecans and raisins

• almonds and apples

• over a bed of your favorite cooked greens

• over your favorite lettuce

• with a side of roasted fennel (another of my staples)

I probably would have fallen of the vegan wagon a lot more often had I not been able to reach for this nutritionally-balanced quick meal, so I'm sure to have some on hand about every-other week so that I can just grab a scoop when I'm ravenous.

my new bible: The Kind Diet

A few months ago, I borrowed Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet from the library, and once I hit the maximum number of renewals allowed, I hung onto the book and paid the overdue fees until a purchased copy was delivered to my doorstep. I couldn't be without it. As an aspiring vegan for reasons of health, animal protection, environmental preservation, and, well, hell, the love of a good challenge, I find myself turning to The Kind Diet on a daily basis. Silverstone's book provides coaching, inspiration, and damn good recipes, all free of judgement.

The first half of the book shares Silverstone's opinions and research about why being vegan is a good choice and how it makes her feel. It is often funny. It's thought-provoking and approachable, as if you're chatting on the couch with a girlfriend. I mean, she talks about farts. Good stuff. She discusses the benefits of particular foods and coaches the why and how of making a transition to a vegan lifestyle. I've called myself a flexitarian because I'm making mostly vegan choices but still can't tear myself away from an occasional juicy burger. Since being a vegan can seem extreme and the lifestyle has it's share of critics, it's helpful that Silverstone outlines three levels of vegans, and how to qualify: "flirting," "going vegan," and "becoming a superhero." There's something for everyone!

The second half of the book is full of delicious recipes. Silverstone has introduced me to some new ingredients I never knew existed, which is really exciting. Some of the recipes are quick and simple and have become staples for my family, such as "Christopher's Cauliflower Steaks." Some are definitely more time-consuming and labor-intensive, but since Silverstone talks a lot about experiencing the joy and sensuality of cooking, this makes sense. I have to plan ahead a bit more for these recipes, but they are worth it.

I've implemented many of the basic tips from The Kind Diet and am working my way through the recipes in the book as a huge part of my journey toward becoming vegan. Plus, it's a fun read. Everything about it is kind. To learn more about The Kind Diet and the vegan way of life, check out Silverstone's Web site, The Kind Life.

anticipating Blackfish

From the day I discovered you could be something when you're all grown up, I had a singular dream. Until the middle of my college career, I worked hard to become a Killer Whale Trainer. Did you just giggle a little? It's no joke. I became a certified SCUBA diver. I was a docent at a marine museum. The license plate on my first car read "TINORCA." I chose my college based on it's Marine Biology program. I honestly can't put my finger on one reason why I ultimately decided to go down a different path. I'm not sure if it was fear or concern for the animals or a combination of the two, but I never realized that dream.

As a child, I spent a great deal of time with the killer whales at Sea World. I have yet to take my children there. I no longer wish to support that industry. That fact leaves me in mourning. I so want my children to see the magic of the killer whale in person. I want to share with them the excitement that I experienced as a child, but I know I can't. I can't.

Blackfish, a film by Magnolia pictures, was recently released. As described on the Blackfish web site:

Many of us have experienced the excitement and awe of watching 8,000-pound orcas, or "killer whales," soar out of the water and fly through the air at sea parks, as if in perfect harmony with their trainers. Yet, in our contemporary lore this mighty black-and-white mammal is like a two-faced Janus–beloved as a majestic, friendly giant yet infamous for its capacity to kill viciously. Blackfish unravels the complexities of this dichotomy, employing the story of notorious performing whale, Tilikum, who–unlike any orca in the wild–has taken the lives of several people while in captivity. So what exactly went wrong?

Shocking, never-before-seen footage and riveting interviews with trainers and experts manifest the orca's extraordinary nature, the species' cruel treatment in captivity over the last four decades, and the growing disillusionment of workers who were mislead and endangered by the highly profitable sea-park industry. This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals.

Although I am quite anxious about seeing the movie, I am very much looking forward to it. It is out in limited release, so I'll have to wait until August. I know the experience of viewing the film will be emotional for me.

Are you planning to see Blackfish?

all in the name of a pet name

With the royal baby-naming on so many minds, I started to evaluate the names we've given our family members, and how we hardly ever use them. I never call my kids or my pets by their given names. I spent all this time carefully considering the perfect monikers, and, yet, those names are only used on formal occasions. You know, in times of punishment. Here are a list of my kids' and dogs' names and what they have morphed into: Porter (my son, currently age 6): Po-po, Po-diz, Diz, Po-dizzy-diz, Po-dizzily-diz, Dizzy (um...perhaps the kid was lacking in balance as a toddler?), P (only used by close family friends...we never call him this, but it's totally cool), Shiz, Fo-shiz, and, most commonly, "Po."

Fluffy (our Sulcata tortoise): Fluff, and most commonly, "Fluffers."

Campbell (my daughter, currently age 4): Campbellina, Tam-bo (coined by Porter when she was born because he couldn't say Campbell), Tambelina (you can see where I'm going with this, right?), Tam-tam, Tam-tam-a-roonie, Tam-a-lamma-ding-dong, ding dong, Sissy-moo, Sissy-moo-too-head, Tap-tap (coined by the same family who calls Po "P," because their youngest can't say "Camptell," Tu-tu head (what we called her for the first four days of her life when we couldn't decide on a name) and, most commonly "Sissy," "Sis," "Tam," and "Cam," used in equal proportion.

N.A.S.H.A. (our dog. Hubby named her as an ackronym for "Not A Siberian Husky Again." He wants one of those, and I tend to bring home squirrely-looking mutts). Nashie, Nashie-ree Nasie-ree-made-out-of-pee, Nash-a-rino, Nash-Nash, Nash-Nash b'gosh, and, most commonly, "Nash."

Brennen Jr. (my step-son, currently 16): Brennenino, Dude-seriously, and, most commonly, "B," which is why I have this tattoo, along with the fact that the queen bee protects her worker bees to the death, even if they aren't biologically hers...

Brennen, Sr. (my hubby): Babe, Honey, and, most commonly "have you mowed the lawn, yet, bleeper?" Yes, he counts as a kid or a pet, or something like that.

Kermit (our first dog as a married couple, preceded our children, no longer with us, but deserves a mention): Kermie, Kermalicious, Kermalicious and nutritious, Kermalicious and nutritious–we eat you on our very best dishes (for real), Ker-meister, Pookie-peanut, Pook, Pookie-peanut with sugar on top and a cherry, OPP (original pookie-peanut), Kermit the dog, and, most commonly, "Kerm."

Kristen (that's me): I'm mostly called Mommy or Mama (even my hubby and friends call me Mama). B calls me "Kristen," which is not really a nickname. I've encouraged him to call me "evil-stepmother-extraordinaire," but it never took. My favorite is what Po will occasionally call out: "Mamacita, salty senorita."

Aren't nicknames the BEST? I think we sometimes don't even realize we are giving them, they become so second-nature. They make us feel bonded and closer to each other, and I just can't argue with that.

What are the nicknames in your family? Mamacita-salty-senorita is dying to know!

future vet camp at the Children's Museum of Phoenix

The Children's Museum of Phoenix is one of our favorite places to go, especially to escape the summer heat in the desert. We last visited during companion animal month, when we participated in all sorts of animal-related activities. This past Saturday, the littles participated in the Banfield Future Vet® program at CMoP. The interactive program is designed for school-aged children as an introduction to the field of veterinary medicine, and was a great activity for our animal-loving family.

Dr. Molander, a veterinarialn from Banfield Pet Hospital, led the class of about a dozen with assistance from Dr. Duncan, also from Banfield, and Dharti Patel, a student in veterinary medicine from Texas A&M participating in the student job program at Banfield. Service dog Benson and his person, Justine, from Pet Partners® were also on hand to participate in a sample examination. Dr. Molander interacted with the kids right from the start, giving them the opportunity to talk about their own pets. Molander, Duncan, and Patel shared with the class the reasons why they wanted to become veterinarians. Dr. Molander related a childhood story about watching a vet stitch up her injured horse, saying "I want to do that!" Dr. Duncan told the kids how veterinary medicine was the perfect combination for her two passions, animals and science, and Patel told us that she loves animals, but was never around them growing up, so she wanted to learn about them and work with them. They made it clear to the kids that people arrive at the career choice from different backgrounds and for a variety of reasons. The kids also learned that becoming a veterinarian is a lot of work and requires four years of school.

Dr. Molander talked to the kids about what vets do, and aside from taking care of injured and sick animals, the students learned that vets sometimes travel to large animals who won't fit in the office, such as farm animals and zoo animals. Veterinarians also spend time teaching, researching, and performing tests to further the field of veterinary medicine. Veterinarians also do meat inspections–something I learned–to help keep people who eat meat healthy.

Dr. Molander displayed posters on various topics and allowed the kids to come up and mark correct answers. They drew pictures of what a pet would need to stay healthy and discussed individual symptoms and whether they meant that the animal was feeling well or not well.

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Things really got fun when Dr. Molander called Benson, a gorgeous English Golden Retriever, up for a mock examination. She described what she does and why as she looked Benson over. "I start the examination before I even touch the animal," she explained. Whether or not the animal greets her when she walks in the room is important. She notices the animal's balance and gait and looks at the eyes, all before she makes contact with her hands. The kids learned that veterinarians do a nose-to-tail examination, and Dr. Molander showed them how she feels different parts of the animals' bodies and what she looks for. Benson was quite cooperative and seemed to enjoy the attention.

Dr. Molander further illustrated her examination with models, showing the kids what goes on inside a dog.

After Benson's exam, Dr. Molander talked to the kids about what they can do as a pet owner to make sure their pets stay healthy and happy, including making sure they have twice-yearly exams, helping control the pet population with spaying and neutering, the importance of vaccinations, nutrition, regular teeth cleaning, exercise, parasite control, and identification such as microchipping. I'm glad that Dr. Molander talked to the kids about the importance of identification for our animals, as I just wrote about a revolutionary app that hit mobile devices for the first time last week.

Dr. Molander also talked about how to handle pets in the heat of our Arizona summers, telling the kids that although exercise is important, we need to be careful that we don't push our pets too much when it's hot and we need to be careful of their paws on hot outdoor surfaces, another subject I touched upon recently. She also explained that just as we increase our water intake during the summer months, so do animals, so, as pet owners, we need to make sure that we are providing our animals with plenty of fresh water.

The kids had great fun learning all about veterinary medicine, and were awarded for their efforts with a graduation ceremony.

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They received working stethoscopes, graduation certificates, and a bag of goodies that included bookmarks, stickers, and an activity book. My kids love "stuff," so they were thrilled.

After the ceremony, the kids got to get their feet wet by examining ever-patient Benson.

When the kids were done being vets, we enjoyed exploring the rest of the museum, as there is always something new going on. In fact, on October 19, the museum is hosting 5K and Play, which will include a 5K, 1-mile Fun Run/Walk, and Toddler Trot. Registration includes admission to the museum on the 18th, 19th or 20th, healthy post-race food and drinks, and a t-shirt. All race finishers will receive a unique handmade piece of museum artwork, and the top three finishers in each five year age group will receive prizes. Sponsorship opportunities are available. All proceeds will benefit the Children's Museum of Phoenix. It sounds like an awesome, healthy family activity!

The Banfield Future Vet Program was an amazing experience for my kids, who are true animal lovers, and all of the kids in the room seemed to really enjoy themselves and get a lot out of it. The program is designed for children aged 4 and up. Though very interactive, it is a true classroom-style affair and may not be suited for younger kids without classroom experience. My four-year-old daughter, Campbell, enjoyed most of it, but did get antsy every once in a while. Porter, my six-year-old son, soaked in every minute and described the experience as "totally awesome!" The Children's Museum of Phoenix offers the Future Vet program periodically. Reservations are required, but the program is free with paid museum admission.

Disclaimer: We received admission to the museum in exchange for my honest opinion about the Future Vet Program.