tofu and honey. coconuts. and boots.

Tofu and Honey.

Four days ago already was New Food Friday (It was four days when I started this post, now a full seven days have passed since the last new food friday. Things have been crazy around here and posting has been the last thing on my mind). I made Honey Mustard Tofu. It was delicious. A highly ironic new dish for a vegan since honey is NOT vegan. My reasons for making it were two-fold. First, I have a full jar of honey from 2009 that needs to get eaten. I don't want to waste it and it was a good way to use up 3/4 cup of it. Second, I had a pound of tofu in my fridge that was about to go bad. So, I made it. It was wonderful and in an attempt to finish of the jar of sweetness that our good friends the bees made, I will most likely make it again.

I discovered that really, anything fried is going to be good... even tofu. I told Hayden they were "nuggets" and he dipped the tofu chunks in ketchup and loved them. One might be surprised that I am just now discovering this little tidbit of tofu information. The truth is in all my years of vegetarianism, last Friday was the first time I ever made any tofu dish. I have had a relationship based on fear with tofu. Something about the sheer mass and texture of a big ol' block of white tofu has always intimidated me. It seemed like such a process with the draining and pressing and cutting and all. But, one night with just me and tofu and my world was rocked. The stuff isn't so scary after all. A bit labor intensive but, if it can pass as something tasty for my toddler, then it is worth all the effort.

So here is my message to you, tofu... "I will not live in fear. You don't scare me!"


Coconuts.

Hayden and I went on a probiotic last week. I did enough research to discover a good probiotic is worth its weight in gold. So I shelled out the thirty bucks for a months supply for both of us. Even though there are probiotics available for infants, I figured since I am nursing Hudson, he is covered by my daily dose. I chose to do a Coconut kefir probiotic. Turns out coconuts are a pretty powerful fruit. Coconut kefir can actually be made easily enough. One just needs some time, young green coconuts and a kefir started pack. A few months supply can be homemade for about 2o dollars. I am planning on trying it out. I will let you know if and when I do. (It is important for me to write out my plans, sort of ups my degree of accountability. So, if in two weeks I haven't updated you on my coconut progress... get on me. See how I just passed the responsibility off on you? Humans are overwhelmingly good at making other people responsible for their life. Me? I am no exception.)

And boots.

Any of my facebook friends may recall this recent meltdown. Last Friday Hayden spent the morning throwing up for no apparent reason. (I think it was an adverse reaction to his antibiotic. Ten straight days of serious pooping and his body couldn't handle it any more and just got rid of everything in his belly in some other way. Poor baby.) Anyhow after hour one of puking, I discovered that at some point he had vomited on my one pair of brown boots. The boots that I wore everyday to internship. I picked up the boot, held it in my lap like a sick little puppy and then I cried. I cried for my boot, the loss of my morning plans, the toddler that I love who was so ill and I cried for me.

There are somethings in life, like puke on boots that I will never be able to fix with healthy food, exercise, probiotics or whatever new remedy comes along. Life cannot be fixed with a three-step plan. Life is about relationships and doing the best you can with whatever God has given you. Sometimes I forget this. That is a lie. Most days I forget this, and think that I am missing out on some sort of magic pill to make bad things go away. I get frustrated that everyone but me seems to know the secret to life. That frustration usually goes away as soon as I remember what I know to be true about life. And then I just try and smile about something, anything, because smiling just makes you feel better about everything.

I didn't try any magic cleaning product to fix my boots. I threw them away. They were crusted in salt from days spent in Minnesota winters and not worth the effort. Turns out by the end of the week I randomly found a new pair of boots, much prettier, warmer and over 60% off. Booya I said! Bring on the puke.