I didn't eat meat, but I did do their challah bread French toast, which of course involves eggy batter. It was tasty enough but nothing to get excited about, really. I was hungry so I ate it all. Then my daughter had a training thing for work so I spent the afternoon at her house with Miss D, and did the up and down from the floor, crawling, lifting and carrying a now substantial 9 month old for 4+ hours. And now I hurt. My knees are killing me, my back is aching, I feel Old and Decrepit. Maybe I'm imagining things and drifting off my plant based diet a few times in the last couple of weeks has nothing to do with the return of aches and pains I hadn't felt in many months, but somehow, I don't think it's a coincidence.
After our brunch my daughter and I hit a couple of stores on the way home. It was our first visit to buybuyBaby. Wow. Screw Babies R Us - this is the Bed Bath and Beyond chain's baby store, and it is just like a BB&B, except with walls of sippy cups and bath toys instead of kitchen ware and shower curtains. It's fantastic, and it's a good thing Miss D is already heading out of babyhood or Grandma might go broke. (I do know where I'm going for her first birthday presents.)
Girlmama did replace a missing teething toy. I'm old and hopelessly unhip and had my kids before the Innernets, so I'd never heard of Sophie Giraffe. Delaney got a Sophie when she was born, and it was carried around with her for months, until one day it went missing. That was weeks, possibly a couple of months ago, and today buybuyBaby gave my daughter a 20% off coupon, so she replaced Sophie.
When she unwrapped it and washed it and handed it to Miss D, her face absolutely LIT UP! She smiled with delight, she held it, she stuck it in her mouth, she squeaked it, and held it out to us to admire. Every time she looked at it she smiled tenderly, and she clutched it all afternoon and only put it down to nap. Whatever it is about this giraffe, it is worth the outrageous price. It was absolutely clear that D remembered it and apparently had been missing it, and her delight at being reunited with her long-lost friend was truly amazing. None of us realized how attached she'd been to it or how much she'd missed it, and I really felt bad that we didn't buy her a replacement sooner!
Meanwhile Grandma is wiped out, and is more convinced than ever that a plant based diet is the way to go for me. I won't call myself a vegan, because I'm really not - I don't examine labels to make sure there are absolutely NO animal products in everything, I still wear leather, etc. I love almond milk, but can't quite give up dairy half and half in my two cups of coffee in the morning. If I'm eating out I'll eat whatever strikes me, though I don't eat out often. I don't buy or cook meat, I use non-dairy cheese and like it, and one of my favorite no-brainer meals is kale sauteed with sweet onion and garlic, throw in a can of petite diced Italian seasoned tomatoes, add some beans (either chickpeas or white beans) sprinkle lavishly with Italian seasoning, and serve over rice, pasta, or even mashed potatoes. Easy and tasty!
I eat a plant based diet because it actually makes me feel healthier. Stuff that used to hurt stopped hurting when I made the switch, and after backsliding a few times in the last few days I'm feeling the old twinges twinging me. I do admit that sometimes I get tired of thinking about it, and that's when I just eat Whatever. I now realize that if I do eat meat and dairy and particularly eggs, I will pay a price for it and have to weigh the decision about the meal against the aftermath. I'll be paying for the challah bread French toast for the rest of the week.
What is it about giraffes that is SO appealing - both Darcy and Kirby had a stuffed goofy faced soft toy giraffe that could only be removed surgically for laundry. Perhaps the convenience of the long neck to lovingly throttle?
ReplyDeleteThe advantage about being a little older is that if we have any sense we have worked out what works for us.
When you're on a good thing, stick to it!
Gae, in Callala Bay