Vegan backpacking

“Hummus powder (Fantastic Brands) is great. Very garlicky. I made some in a zipback at breakfast, and then ate it with a spoon at a trail break with crackers crumbled into it.”

“I like that idea with the ziplock bag and I'm going to do that next time. Nothing to wash afterward would be a bonus in cold weather.”

“Nate, you can make lots of pasta dishes, like from Knorrs (Bowtie or Penne with tomato-cheese). Add the TVP at the beginning of the cooking, and it will take on the tomato-cheese flavor, or the Bowtie soup sauce flavor. Then when the pasta is done, serve it to your friend, and add a foil pouch of chicken (Sue Bee brand) to the remainder still in the pot and heat, for yourself.”

“Also I have a question about the soynut spread. Is this butter substitute pretty close to margerine? Does is have the trans fatty acids associated with making soybean oil into a solid?”

“The soynut spread that I saw was like peanut butter made with soybeans. It has 1.5 grams of saturated fat per 2 tbps., but no trans fats that were listed. I never tried it.”

“I found a recipe for making soy butter in the New Farm vegetarian cookbook.
Soy butter can be made by mixing 3/4 cup of soymilk powder, 3/4 cup of water and 1 tsp. of salt and cooking in the top of a double boiler for 25 minutes. Then whisk in 1 cup of oil. Beat until thick and creamy.
I never tried making this, but have made cheese substitutes using nutritional yeast. There's many recipes in the Uncheese cookbook.”

“eating vegan is too complacated

too much trouble”

“That's probably the biggest reason the majority of people cannot stick to this kind of diet. You really have to like to cook for the most part. It's really not that hard once you know what your doing and it does take some time to learn. It's not for everyone, but to me the benefits are worth it. There may be times in your life also when you will find it impossible to stick with it. For instance if you are injured, sick or hospitalized and cannot cook for yourself you'll probably have to break your routine a bit. Not many hospitals have good menus for vegans and if no family members are there to help forget it. Some hospitals are better than others however.”

“I agree, Rich. Most folks just get into their heads that eating vegetarian or vegan is complicated. After some education, it is not really any more difficult than eating any kind of healthy diet. Many meat eaters don't eat a very healthy diet, they just think they do.”

“Dunadan... the vegan troublemaker asked me to resend the email address.

Dunadan is the one TT'er who has met this kid. AmyG, SirPete and MadRiver met his older brother. The older kid is vegetarian, which seems so easy and simple at this point.

Vegetarian backpacking ain't hard at all. Staples like Mac & Cheese, peanut butter, all gorps, cheese, bread...etc are available and all the major makers of freeze dried backpacking meals have plenty of vegetarian meals.

There are some freeze dried vegan meals available from Mountain Gourmet, but they are expensive. I've made up my own (instant brown rice, dried soup mix, spices with freeze fried veggies, TVP or something else to make it more interesting). I find a blend of vegetable oil with a commercial butter flavored popcorn oil (some of these are vegan) makes a good butter substitute for flavor and fat content.”

“Let's say it all together.....FAT CONTENT!!!!”

“Did you mean CONTENTEDLY FAT?

No, I didn't think so.”

“it's also expen$ave as he4ck”

“Excuse me, but nothing could be further from the truth. You just have to get to know where to buy stuff. The Mori Nu tofu that I like (septic pak) is $1.49 in the grocery and $.79 in the local asian market. Vegetables are good for you regardless, and far cheaper than meat. TVP is extremely cheap compared to meat, and you just need some wine, red pepper, garlic and salt to make it taste great. Or you can add it to italien pasta sauce. Dried red lentils, cooked with red pepper powder and corn grits, are awesome. Dried chickpeas, prepared, and frozen, can be added to lots of mediterranean type meals and taste great. All these things will make your blood cholesterol levels better, and give your diet the fiber that it needs, plus are very inexpensive. Some things are expensive but worth it, but meat eaters say that about filet mignon or roast rack of pork (my favorites).”

“Meat, dairy and seafood are all more expensive protein sources than plant based protein sources. 5 pounds of TVP is around $11 and is equal to about 15 pounds of meat and it takes up no energy to keep it. It's dried so no need to keep it in the refrigerator.
If your into gardening you can save even more and the quality is better since it's fresh. Eating fresh picked food makes a difference in how you feel and I've tried it enough to know that it works. Eating fresh picked food on a regular basis I find that I have more energy, need less sleep and exercise stronger. Too bad the harvest only lasts a few months.”

“This mother takes a picture of her first grader's vegan lunches that she packs everyday.: http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

”

“ohh that is SO CUTE!! i can totally see that in my future, if/when i have kids. i'm so insane/anal-retentive about planning meals that i sometimes lay awake at night planning dinner for the whole week based on what food i got, and what veggies i can sneak into dishes so Tarpy doesn't realize he's eating them. the thought of making such compact, healthy, varying lunches as those and having a kid eat them makes me giddy, LOL! i don't blame her, i'd take pictures too!”

“Way cute! I recently picked up a kids food cookbooks that has fun ideas like this... Mice made out of pears, smiley face pancakes, that sort of thing.

Food should be fun! :)”

“Let's hope you have girls. It would be sissy enough to be a vegan in 5th grade without bringing 'cute' lunches to school.”

“Lots of protein in that lunch huh?”

“"sissy," LMAO!! you're a nut. that lunchbox rocks! and that kid is only in 1st grade, they're still allowed to be cute.”

“Cool!

A lot of times I pick up the kidlets after work and shlep them to the activity of the evening. Course they're starved when they get out of school...when they were little I swore I wouldn't take them to McD's, then I did cause it's easy, but they don't really eat the food - they just think they need the stupid toy which they don't really want.

After playing referee for their wrestling matches at KFC one night where they only ate mashed potatoes and plates and plates of beets, I decided to make them pre-activity suppers. I hit the salad bar at work, putting in their favorite stuff - baby corn, cottage cheese, carrot slivers, mushrooms, cucumbers, boiled eggs and turkey or ham. Funny they say "yummy!" to those meals, but I've never heard that about a McD grease box. I think I'm gonna get toys from the dollar store and put it all in a little bag.
I've also put a snack box in the truck, it's easier on the wallet as well.

I might try some of those food designs, see what the kids think.

I'm making eyeballs and fingers for a Halloween party, LOL...
last edited: 10/06/05 2:58:10 PM”

“LOL. My mom used to do that all the time. Ahhhh. fond memories of elementary school.”

“Thanks a lot for the
cute lunch mom.
”

“That looks great and a good example of how to help develop sensible eating habits for kids.”

“There is nothing happening where this woman lives in WA, so I can see her spending all morning making up this crap. Her son is just going to grow up with unhealthy expectations of how his dinner should look if he marries, LMAO!

This is a link to Kennewick, WA where she lives, so you can see why her lunch creations are a main event.

http://www.ci.kennewick.wa.us/

They have 3 events listed for the entire 2005. One is they are figuring out how they want new bldgs to look in their community, another is they bought a new K-9 dog for the police dept. and finally, they gave an award to a fireman.”

“maybe when he grows up he can act like a grown up and make his own meals, then if he wants a cucumber chain he can have it!
:)



sheesh LH, I think my town has zero activities going on...is that wrong?? maybe it has something to do with being able to entertain yourself rather than needing constant outside stimulation.
last edited: 10/06/05 3:52:29 PM”

“That meal has too many fruits and veggies. There is no way that kid did not return home with a pant load from having the runs and not making it to the bathroom in school quick enough, LMAO!!!!”

“too many fruits and veggies???”

“ummm...nevermind
last edited: 10/06/05 3:53:59 PM”

“Atkins is dead, fruits, veggies and playground fun are the way to fight obesity.”

“right on RichB!
:)”

“I think the kid running home with the pant load would be the kid used to eating junk food and then given fruits and veggies. Kids raised on fruits and veggies will be fine.”

“Wow. That kid's lunch is about the saddest thing I've seen in a long long time. Maybe since the war.”

“I was a vegan for many years, was one during my pregancy with my son Ford...who ironically doesn't suffer from the obesity problems everyone else in my family has!
Once used to a diet, your body hums along ok. One thing thatkid won't suffer from is a lack of vitamins and fiber!”

“He'll lack other things unless you're supplementing. Many vegans don't supplement correctly. (B12)

PS - Our (young) director just got done with chemo. We were just saying how healthy she looked when the news came over the email ... C-A-N-C-E-R.

Oops!

Being a thin vegan doesn't mean you're healthy. Just means you're not taking in too many calories. But, who would with a lunchbox like that? I'd be thin as a rail if I had to eat that crap every day.

Oh, and good luck not taking any drugs. (You do know they're all animal tested in the U.S., right?)

Healthy or not, that lunch is SAD!”

“

Dirtbagger's Pasta Parmegan page 112 made by your's truely. :)”

“Not all vegetarian diets are created equal. You can not eat meat and also not eat vegetables and just eat carbs.

I do not believe that vegetable protein or protein from bean, nuts, etc. have all the amino acids you get from animals. I didn't read anywhere that she supplements his diet.

With all the fruit and veggies, she doesn't put fruit juice in a cup, it's a shot of Immodium AD for the runs.

There is no way this kid is not swapping cucumber rings for someone else's chicken salad sandwich. I can just see all those plums sitting on the bottom of the cafeteria garbage can if he isn't already flinging them out the bus window on the way to school:)”

“The mother says she sees what he leaves behind uneaten. Who brings uneaten food home from a school lunch, raise your hand.

This kid has her snowed. He leaves a little bit of food here and there just to throw her off track.

So she feeds him fiber cause it's good then puts refined sugar (cookies) in his lunch box. There's nothing wrong with a few cookies, but if she's so concerned about everything else, why the cookies? What about the saturated fat in them and preservatives?

I can see the poor kid right now digging coins out of the couch cushions when his parents are not around to buy soda and a candy bar at school.”

“Healthy diets aren't THAT weird, really. For instance, I make Ford's lunches 5 days a week for school, and yes, he eats them. I make homemade cookies that are sensible (and tasty) for him. Doesn't mean he gets beaten up or he tosses 1/2 his lunch. This is a kid who eats a LOT.
My mother made us sensible lunches, and we ate them.
Being vegan or vegetarian doesn't mean any of the things people percieve of it. I never suffered from deficiencys all those years-you can B12 in a number of ways-and not all are animal related!
Yes, I do eat meat nowdays..but not a lot of it. Ford was a vegetarian until he was at least 4 years old..he simply didn't want meat-to this day he prefers fish over beef. He'd rather eat carbs.....
Oh yeah, and he brags that mom makes him cookies at school...the other kids love to share with him ;-P”

“My son went Vegan. I objected (because its a pain to cook for him), but let him do it if he agreed to cook a lot of his own meals. He's 17 now and 6' 4" and a strapping young man. He's also smart as swip, winner of many awards and scholarships. THe Vegan diet didn't harm him (I did push to make sure he got the things a vegan diet has trouble with).

Lot's of vegan food items come with supplements and yeast is a great source for things like B-12.”

“so great to see a kid's lunch with reusable containers too!”

“I agree hiking! I know most parents use throwaway bags these days..not me!”

“The statement about deficiency is a common misconception, but the reality in a properly planned vegan diet it just doesn't happen. How many people do you see that got sick because they couldn't get to the burger joint in time because of a protein deficiency? It just doesn't happen. The reality is that more disease is caused by excess than deficiency.

A vegan diet is not that easy to do and to do it right you have to educate yourself and like to prepare your own food. It's not for everyone, but I do it for no other reason than the fact that body operates well on a plant based diet. My take is eat what you like, makes you feel good and fits your lifestyle.”

“"YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT"”

“I don’t understand why vegans and vegetarians always put everyone on the defensive and everyone thinks they are emaciated and unhealthy. One of the top body builders of the 70s and 80s, Bill Pearl, was a vegetarian. If they wanna eat that way and they want their kids raised that way it's their business.”

“Yep, if you have made the decision to go vegan yourself I guess you've decided it's the best way to go, and you're bound to want what's best for your children.”

“Birch and Sass are the only parents I’ve seen that foster a healthy diet in their child. The rest of the parents have wall to wall candy, serve Happy Meals ½ the time and the other half of the time it’s hot dogs and mac & cheese.”

“actually Nigal, it's our duty as Americans to put the planet under as much stress as possible by eating the least efficient protein source we can...animals!

p.s. if you people are telling me that just b/c you eat meat, you naturally get all the vitamins, minerals, etc. recommended w/out taking a supplement, then you must eat about a million calories a day. everyone can benefit from supplements, not just vegans/vegetarians. and there are vegan forms of just about every kind of supplement you could want, btw.

gee whiz, a mom makes her kid a nice lunch instead of letting him eat the mystery meat at school, and it turns into a critique of their philosophy of life! that makes sense.
last edited: 10/07/05 8:59:01 AM”

“Somebody call Children's Services! This bltch MUST be stopped! LOL!”