H.A. Larson's Blog, page 74

My Journey Towards a Healthy Life - Part 2

Awhile back, in Part 1, I talked about my journey towards being in better shape and living a healthy life. While I've made great progress that I'm quite proud of, I still have to deal with one more thing: my weight. I have lost 25 lbs, and for that I am also quite proud, but I have more to lose. After I lost the initial weight, I leveled off and I haven't lost a pound in a few months. I had to take stock of what I was eating and realized that although I was eating much better foods, I was eating too much of it!

Since weight loss is my last healthy goal, I decided to dust off the old My Fitness Pal and start taking account of what I eat. I hadn't used it since my last weight loss, so the evil app decided to chop more off my daily calorie consumption...the big jerk. I kid, but in all seriousness, I have my work cut out for me. Being a vegan has come in handy though, because all the crap in the food market at work that would normally tempt me is not vegan. This makes it easy to stay away from the ice cream, candy bars, and other calorie dense-low nutrition foods! I've found myself just eating more veggies so I can consume more food and not feel so hungry.

So, wish me luck! I need it, and I will keep you updated. Have you found any good methods that work for you? Leave me a comment.

Have a great day,

H.A. Larson

Success

For many people, it's easy to dream about success and how they envision their future, but for a large portion of these people it will never be anything more than that: a dream. It's one thing to daydream about something, but it's entirely another to actually work towards it.

I talk to many people where this rings true. They talk about all the things they're going to have in the future, and they use the word 'someday' so frequently it almost hurts. But when does someday come? The truth is, for many people it never does. The reason? It's easier to dream about something and hope it just happens rather than actually start working towards their goal.

And herein lies another truth: nothing is ever going to just fall in your lap...you have to work for it. I'm not just talking about jobs and money here, I'm talking about dreams. You want to be a writer, an artist, a musician, a doctor, a world traveler? You'll never be any of those things unless you start working towards it, not someday, but today. Now.

Furthermore, dreams don't happen overnight (maybe for a select few, but that's not reality for the majority of us). It takes patience and time to be a success. Giving up should never be an option, because some dreams take years to realize.

When I first started writing, I researched the Indie market and knew right away that realizing my dreams of being a successful author was going to require a lot of work, patience, and time. My other dream, besides being a writer, is to be a traveler. I've already worked hard to make that happen, and I work hard now by working two jobs and saving my money regularly so I can continue to make that happen.

I know that being a successful writer will take years of hard work, and that it might never happen at all, BUT at least I tried by working as hard as I could at it. I know that being a successful traveler require a lot of work, saving, and the realization that I can't travel all the time.

What I want you to take away is that if you really want something, start working hard for it, and start working now. Someday never comes and today is already here.

Better Late than Never

Long time no see!  Okay, so it's been 10 days, but who's counting?!  The truth is, I've been blessedly busy. As you know from previous posts, I went back to work full-time, I still work part-time from home, I shuffled my kids back and forth from their yearly trip to my parents' house, and, of course, there's the never-ending cycle of errands/house cleaning. Amongst all that, I took a girls-only trip this last weekend with a dear friend of mine from high school. 
We had originally planned to hit up the Wisconsin leg of the Mother Earth News fair, but with me starting the new job (and a new schedule along with it) we knew we wouldn't be able to make that far of a journey work. Rather than scrap the whole weekend, we decided on somewhere closer to home: Des Moines, IA.
I hadn't been to Des Moines in years, and I was pleasantly surprised at how far it's come along. So, here's my girls weekend in picture form. Enjoy!


On our last night, we took a walk around Grayslake Park. The sun was setting, and we both paused to capture the moment.


On our second day, we drove north out of town aways to Ledges State Park. It was gorgeous and we hiked over 5 miles in it.




The Ledges are so named for their sandstone 'hills'. We hiked some of the various trails in and around the hills.

This picture kind of sums up the trip. From top left corner going clockwise:*Our first night, we enjoyed drinks at the Jasper Winery.*After a few more drinks at a local bar, we were ready for some tattoos. I got my kids' names on my arm (we went simple or we would have had to come back for an appt) while my friend got "All those who wander are not lost" around her ankle.*A self-portrait of our hiking trip at Ledges.*Some very delicious, albeit very tiny, vegan tacos from Tacopalypse.*A view of Des Moines skyline from Grayslake Park.
We also had some delicious vegan Vietnamese food, which made me wonder why in the world I had never eaten Vietnamese cuisine before!  
Have a great day!  -H.A.

Vegan Breakfast Pizza

It's been a long, busy week in writer-land. I went back to work full-time this week while keeping my part-time work-from-home job; I had two kids to get ready to send off to Papa & Grandma's house which included a trip to the laundromat since my washer at home died on me; keeping up with my social media; working on my third book; and all the other writing I do. Whew, that was a mouthful to type, I imagine it was to read too! Anyway, I think you get my point: BUSY! 
I also had a weird phenomenon happen: I had the house all to myself for two whole days! Yes, that's right, H.A. had 48 wonderful hours of peace & quiet, and my house stayed immaculate the whole time. I visited a friend, entertained some friends, opened up my yearly schnapps (which was my best yet), and made a heap of delicious vegan food. 
I've really been craving pizza lately, which comes as no surprise since I'm a huge fan of pizza, and I've mastered the art of making vegan pizza. This morning though, I was really craving a breakfast pizza. A certain gas station chain I grew up with makes wonderful carnivore breakfast pizza that I used to devour. Now that I'm vegan, I had yet to have a vegan breakfast pizza that mimic'd the omni ones I've had.
I solved that problem this morning by coming up with the greatest idea ever! It came out just as delicious as it looks! I made this using a pre-made crust because I wanted to make easy pizzas this weekend. Made sure you read the notes at the end!

Vegan Breakfast Pizza
Ingredients:
1 pre-made pizza crust (any pizza crust will work)1/2 c. of chickpea omelette mix, mixed with water and ready to use (recipe here)1 vegan burger patty, crumbled and fried in1 T. coconut oil1/4 c. black olives1/4 c. chopped onion1/4 c. chopped green pepper1 c. sliced mushrooms1/2 c. vegan cheese shreds (I used Daiya)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Lightly grease a pizza pan or a baking sheet.3. Spread out the chickpea omelette mix over the crust.4. Add your toppings, starting with the "meat" and ending with the vegan cheese.5. Bake for 20 minutes.6. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.7. Enjoy! (Mine was enjoyed with a cup of coffee and a large, cold glass of cashew milk)
Notes:
The toppings you choose are limitless. You could add the TVP crumbles from my recipe, and you can add any combination of veggies you want. Use your favorite cheese, but I suspect that my vegan cheese sauce would be fantastic on top of this pizza. Just make sure you use a crust and the chickpea omelette mix and everything else after that is up to you!

Cooking with TVP

Oh TVP, what the hell are you? Most vegetarians, vegans, and maybe even a few omnivores have heard of TVP, but many many more are very confused as to what it is. TVP stands for T extured V egetable P rotein. If you've ever purchased fake bacon bits, they are made of TVP. Vegans from way back used TVP as a meat replacement, but as modernity has hit us, so has better alternatives for replacing meat in the meatless diet. The reason for this is that TVP can be very boring, and, if not cooked correctly, not very tasty.

I am in the camp, however, that TVP is a great staple to have around. It can mimic ground meat easily, is incredibly cheap (Bob's Red Mill makes it, and if you have a Natural Grocers near you, they have it cheap in their bulk section), and stores indefinitely. The trick is knowing how to work with it. Well, never fear! I'm here to help.

I use TVP as "meat" for spaghetti sauce, taco filling, biscuits & gravy, and a host of other things. So here's what you do.

Basic TVP "Meat Crumbles" Recipe
1 c. TVP granules4 T. soy sauce (tamari or Bragg's works the same)1 t. liquid smoke1 1/2 T. coconut oil1 t. pepper1 c. boiling water
Put your water to boil on the stove. While that is working, put all the other ingredients (except the TVP) into a small bowl. When the water is boiling, add it and the TVP to the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and let sit for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed, and the granules are tender.
That's it! That's your basic recipe, and it equals roughly one pound of meat.  Now, here's how you go specific:
Italian Style TVP Crumbles
Add 1 t. each of granulated onion, paprika, along with 2 t. granulated garlic and 1 T. of Italian Seasoning to the "Meat Crumbles" recipe. Add to already cooked sauce.
Taco Style TVP Crumbles
Add 3-4 T. Mexican-style seasoning (or one packet of taco seasoning) to the "Meat Crumbles" recipe. Fry lightly in some oil and make your burritos, enchiladas, tacos, etc. If you add some to the Cheese Sauce recipe, posted in the recipes section here on my blog, along with some salsa, you have some nacho cheese dip for sinking some tortilla chips into. 
Sausage Style TVP Crumbles
This is perfect for pizza topping or biscuits & gravy. Add 1 t. each of granulated garlic, granulated onion, red pepper flake, basil, and pepper, plus 2 T. of fennel seeds that you crack open with the back of a spoon. Fry lightly in oil and add to already cooked roux for biscuits and gravy, or put on pizza. 
If you want sausage patties, add a flax egg (3 T. water and 1 T. ground flax) and 1/4 c. to 1/3 c. of flour, and form into patties. Either fry in oil until brown on both sides, or bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes per side.

I hope that helps solve your TVP dilemma, or at least inspire you to give TVP a try. My pantry wouldn't be complete without it!

The Station Update

Good morning! It finally appears to be a day that might not be so swelteringly hot. During the hottest days of the year, I tend to 'seal' up the house the best I can by covering up the windows in dark fabric, rolling up a towels that I put down on door gaps, and running a few fans by the A/C vents. It helps a lot with my electric bill, but it can feel like perpetual night and sour our moods! In that sense, then, it will be nice to 'open' up the house today.

Anyway, I haven't worked on my latest book as much as I wanted to lately, mostly for reasons that you have already read about in previous posts. I really began again this past week with renewed vigor, laying down the plot of the book. It's moving right along again, but if there's anything else you know about me, it's that I never put a book out when I say I will.

Of course, now is the perfect time to catch up on my other books! If you haven't already, you can pick up my first book Cold right here, and my second book The Melody here, both are only $2.99 each! I can tell you that The Station will be my creepiest, most thrilling book yet, and I cannot wait for you to be able to read it!

And just to whet your appetite, here's another excerpt from my forthcoming book, The Station :

"He put his hand against the cold surface, running his fingers along the gouges. They had definitely been carved into it by human hands. The sides of the stone should have been covered in moss, but instead were black. He got down on his haunches to get a better look, and as he did, the whispering became a symphony of loudness and annoyance. He couldn’t ignore it, so he stood up. As he did, panic began to invade his body, and suddenly, he was scared.             At that moment, a woman’s scream pierced the ungodly whispering and cut through his soul. The scream had come from no more than a few behind him. Every nerve in his body was on high alert and he had the distinct urge to run, but curiosity got the best of him. His mouth agape, he slowly turned to see what was waiting there. His heart was beating so fast that he feared it might beat out of his chest, and every hair on his skin was standing straight up.            It took an eternity to turn the 180 degrees, but when he completed the turn, the owner of the billowy white cloth was standing five feet in front of him. It was the woman from his dream. The skirt of her ashen dress blew in the cold breeze, and that dreaded face from his nightmare, the one as black as night, was impenetrable by the light of the moon. He willed himself to run but his legs were frozen in place. He begged her not to come any closer, but it only came out as a murmur. “Please…please,” was all he could quietly manage. He couldn’t bear to look into that face again and see the empty void within.           As suddenly as it seemed to begin, the whispering stopped. He didn’t move, she didn’t move, and the silence that surrounded them now was deafening. Again he willed himself to move with all the strength of his being, but before he could, something heavy struck the back of his head. He fell to the dirt floor of the clearing and then everything went black."



-H.A.

The preceding excerpt is copyright 2015 by H.A. Larson, who owns all rights to it.

Honesty

When it comes to the six traits that I admire most, honesty ranks right up there next to responsible, hard-working, funny, loyal, and motivated. It should be no surprise then that I have always been pretty open & honest with you. In my life, I've always strived to be true to myself, my family, and, you, my friends & fans. If I can't lay my soul bare when I need to the most, then when can I?

We all go through struggles in life, myself included, and by sharing my feelings I aim to do two things: show people that it's okay to talk about things that bother you, and, that by sharing your feelings you can begin to move forward from that which aims to hold you back.

I've never been a fan of Christina Aguilera, but she said something once that resonated with me: "What I am saying is there is nothing fake about what I do. I'm up-front, I'm real, I'm honest, and I'm open with my feelings." I related to her words, because that's exactly who I am.

The truth is, I don't know how to be anything other than who I am. I've never been a good liar, and I've never been able to pretend that I'm something I'm not. With me, what you see is what you get. Good or bad, like it or hate it, it is what it is.

With this starkness comes honesty. Sometimes I need to talk, to express myself, and as a writer, putting those feelings down in words is only natural. I'm not afraid to lay myself bare to others, because I don't derive any weakness from that. I think weakness is trying to hide behind a mask, only to watch that mask crumble under all the weight it's carrying.

Sharing my trying times has helped me to break free from the shackles of my feelings, and now things are moving on the upswing. So thanks for listening, and if you ever need me...I'm right here.

Have a fantastic day,

H.A.

Day Trip Adventure: Lincoln, Nebraska

Last Thursday, I took the kids to Lincoln, NE--our state capital--which is about an hour's drive from our home. I packed up a lunch and chose four free activities, for keeping within my ideal that adventure & fun doesn't have to cost money.
We started off at the Sheldon Museum located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While not large, it was very impressive. We started at a Henri exhibit, saw modern art, including the Mickey Mouse Warhol, and ended with a Willa Cather special exhibit.




This next one looks like it was taken down the stairs at the museum, but it's actually a painting. I thought it was great in its detail.


After the museum, we went to the Sunken Gardens. It was absolutely gorgeous! Many kinds and colors of flowers and foliage abounded, all surrounded by fountains, waterfalls, statues, lily ponds, and Koi fish.







We ate our lunch at the gardens, and then headed to the Capitol Building. It's an impressive structure filled with beautiful mosaic, marble, and murals.



We got a good view of this church as we walked to the entrance, and I thought it was a cool mixture of creepy and interesting.







Last, we visited Pioneer Park. It has a regular park with shelters, picnic tables, grills, and playground equipment, but there's more. Within you will find two nature centers, beautiful forested walking trails, outdoor play area, three wetland marshes, and an area to see bison, elk, & deer. Impressive indeed!







We had a fun day. I was pleasantly surprised by the free things there were to do that were truly momentous. I would recommend stopping in Lincoln for the day, or for a longer visit. It's definitely worth the trip!

Confronting Ourselves

Recently, I've had to confront myself--and it's not the first time, you've heard me bring it up a few times this year already--and it definitely hasn't been easy.

I worked hard, back in April, to acquire a good-paying, part-time job working from home that was going to be all that and a box of chocolate. After about three months, I've come to realize that it wasn't even one piece of chocolate. On the outset, it seemed perfect. I would make nearly what I made working full-time at my previous job after taxes and deductions, I would be there for the kids when they needed me, I could work my own hours, and, most importantly, I could spend plenty of time working on my writing as well.

So what was it really like? Well, between never-ending dirty laundry, a messy house, one child constantly chanting "mommy mommy mommy" while watching loud television, and not being to live up to the job's expectations, I realized quickly that it wasn't working out the way I had hoped. I wasn't working much, and I sure wasn't writing much. Combine that with the money I wasn't making, the problems that that caused, and depression started to settle right in.

I guess it's that feeling of hopelessness that we moms can succumb to during the lean times. I know the lean all too well. I spent many years of my adult life being near poverty or in poverty that when I got myself out of that hole a few years back, I vowed never to return. The past few months has set me back and so I spent the last couple of weeks mired in depression and concerting thoughts.

Somewhere in all that I reminded myself of something. Lying in bed one morning willing myself to get up, my brain told me, "Get your ass out of this bed! You've dealt with so much worse, and you've lived so much harder. Instead of whining about it...do something about it!" I immediately thanked myself, got out of bed, and got busy.

I had renewed vigor and a sense of hope, but I had another demon to wrestle with: myself. When I first moved here, I was 30 years old and filled with a renewed sense of hope for a promising future (after fleeing a bad relationship): one that included my son and myself. I found myself in a string of jobs where I got treated poorly and so I would quit without warning to move onto what I hoped would be better. Years later, I became bitter about jobs, and so had a poor attitude about working any. Which made the work-from-home thing all the more painful.

I decided that not only did I need a career change, but I really needed a better attitude. I know I need to look towards my future, and that vision needs to be positive: after all, I've preached that enough times myself.
So, that's what I've done. I found myself a decent paying job, with good hours, and some really good benefits (something that in this day and age cannot be overlooked).

Now, I know that every day is not going to be perfect, but I can take comfort in the fact that I am employed, that I can make a decent life for myself and my kids, and I can once again look at the world through my 30-year-old eyes. I can also write, nothing will, or can, ever stop me from that.

Life is what you make of it. You can either choose to make it great, or you can choose to let it be the same. The choice is yours. I know which choice I've made, and it's wasn't just the choice to change my career path either. Sometimes, the choice we make to change our lives for the better starts from within.

I hope you have the greatest of days! I have another post coming soon about a day trip the kids and I took to our state's capitol.

Much love,

H.A.

Vegan with a Vengeance

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of eating at Isa Moskowitz's Omaha restaurant Modern Love. For those of you who have no idea what that is, it's the only full vegan restaurant in town, and Isa just happens to be one of the most popular & famous vegan chefs. I ate at Modern Love a couple of times between January and February, before I was a full vegan, and I was blown away. It was the best restaurant food I had ever eaten, and it was vegan.
Now that I am a full vegan I decided that I needed a couple of good cookbooks to help me navigate my way through being a vegan. I first bought the Gentle Chef's books, and then I picked up the 10th Anniversary edition of Isa's Vegan with a Vengeance. The Gentle Chef is great and filled with ways to make your own 'butters', 'cheeses', 'creams', seitan, and seitan items, just to name a few. Isa's is great because it's the same kinds of foods I ate when I was an omnivore, but veganized, and I needed that.
I have now made six recipes out of Vegan with a Vengeance and they are all amazing! I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who wants to start being a vegan, but even old-school vegans will enjoy this one. Isa is an amazing cook!  I especially recommend The Best Ever Pumpkin Muffins, and Brussel Sprout Fried Rice. This newer version of the cookbook has new photos, a few new recipes, and she has tweaked some recipes. 
Below are all of the dishes I've made from the cookbook except for pancakes.  :)


The Best Ever Pumpkin Muffins

Pomegrante BBQ Tofu with Brussel Sprout Fried Rice
Tempeh Reubens