So lets talk free range meats. Trader joes seems to be my best source for free range meat at a not kill my wallet price. A helpful source for me in figuring what actually IS factory farm free meat has been the blog http://factoryfarmfreefood.blogspo… (many thanks to you) In her blog post "Is Trader Joes Chicken Humane" she explains:
"Here's the low-down. There are three categories of chicken at Trader Joe's: Butcher Shop (red label):
conventionally raised
primarily vegetarian feed
cage-free
no beak docking
get antibiotics when sick
All Natural (green and brown label)
*cage free
no beak docking
not sure if the feed is all-vegetarian or not (didn't write it down)
no antibiotics
if a bird gets sick, it gets antibiotics, and joins the Conventional group
Organic (labeled as such)
organic, all vegetarian grain feed
free-range (I think this means birds have some outdoor access, though it doesn't necessarily mean the birds use it or that it has grass on it. Could just be a concrete slab or gravel.)"
I have found getting a package of the organic chicken and a big slab of the tri marbled beef and partnering that with more complete meals of veggies, rice, beans etc. can last me a good couple weeks. I trim and cut the slab of beef into 3 oz steakletts to have with eggs, toast and fruit in the mornings. The beef it'self is 20$ but if you cut it into the smaller amounts you get a good 12 mornings worth of steaks. Well worth the price.
The biggest issue I've been running into is keeping up with my partner Dan's giant appetite. He is a 6'4", handsome giant of a man who can put away half of a large pizza with room to spare. My little 3 oz steaks and or a piece of chicken for dinner dont come close to filling him up. Maybe if i add more beans and high protein-cheaper than meat substances I will be able to keep up with him! Any ideas would be wonderful. More to come
I have recently made a change in my life to commit to a humane living lifestyle. This means only eating free range meats and dairy products ( comes from animals who were not raised in factory farms) and only buying cosmetics/ cleaning products/ laundry products etc from companies that dont test their products on animals. I will make an exception for holidays and eating at other peoples houses as it is my life choice that is an expensive one and will not expect other people to spend extra money on my life choice. I will also an exception for the occasional eating out excursion if I cant find a humane friendly meal or I specifically want to eat a meal that said restaurant is known for (i.e. burgers.) as I am also a foodie and love to try new foods and dont want to give that up. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time and am finally in a place financially where I can afford to do it.
So far my wonderful partner Dan has been supportive of me through this process. Thus far he has in no way belittled me or made fun of me for my new life choice, infact he has been very encouraging as i've begun to start testing out and cleaning/cosmetic products and has listened patiently to my ridiculous verbal spewing about my crises of worrying about if using humane cosmetic products is going to cause my skin to break out or my hair to be horrible or my clothes to smell horrible. I want to make sure that through this process I continue to respect his life choice of not caring either way about eating free range meat, and make sure that as Im trying new products I am sensitive to any negative reactions he might have to the strange scents organic products often have.
This blog is going to be my space to keep track of the products i am trying as I come to find which ones work best for me and as always to dump my ever growing worries of nothingness as I transition into this new lifestyle.
So after a year of contemplating it, running like mad to avoid doing it I have finally come to the decision to quit my group home job. I finally am now going to be working 40 hours a week like a normal human being. I dont think i've done this ever! Even in college I was doing school full time + work + intering with HAH. Once I started work I kept my cooking job. Then I took on the group home job and attempted to do all 3 for awhile which, just about drove me mad. Then I quit the cooking job and reduced my hours at the group home job. Finally we come to now, in which I will only be working Goodwill Easterseals. Its time. With things getting busier and busier at goodwill I am losing the energy or eventually the time to keep up with a second job as well as a life. When I do have a life these days I have to really push myself to get out the door. I am proud of myself that I was able to make it this far in maintaining that much work. And I am proud of myself that I am finally taking care of myself and thinking of me. Lately as I have been sitting at my second job i have had this feeling like I am watching my youth fade away. I miss my out on my friends and my family, and getting to spend actual whole days with my love. so yeah, thats me. I'm a workaholic, and im taking steps to cleanse myself of it.
Foods you love and foods you hate: First pets now food? My two favorite topics! Food, aside from pets is definitely one of my favorite subjects to talk about. I am a foodie. I love to eat food, talk about it, cook it, grow it, preserve it, go out to eat it, study it. At work, we talk about food EVERY DAY. Meals we've tried, brainstorming what to make with what we have left in the house, meals that have blown our freaking minds. There are really no specific foods that I hate. Sometimes I get grossed out by foods that I havent prepared just because I dont know whats in them. Or those frozen processed meals when you de frost them in the microwave and they look all weird. Sometimes certain types of spices really gross me out. Like Wasabi... wasabi puts me on edge, because it's a cold spice. And spicy hot just should not be cold. My brain cannot handle it. Though everyone and their dog has started a food blog I've often thought about starting my own food blog, or starting a joint food blog community with my fellow foodie friends. Where we all try different recipes and share our opinions on them.
1. Your name 2. All the places you’ve lived 3. Your first best friend 4. Your childhood fears 5. What you were like in high school 6. Your favourite and least favourite subjects at school 7. Your first boyfriend or girlfriend 8. Your oldest hobby 9. Your sexuality 10. What you look for in a partner 11. Your kids, or your feelings about having kids 12. Your pets, past and present 13. Foods you love and foods you hate 14. What your life was like ten years ago 15. How much alcohol you drink 16. Your worst illness 17. What you do at work 18. A question or comment people should never make to you 19. The style of clothing you feel most comfortable in 20. Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert 21. Who you have a crush on 22. A friendship you lost 23. Three achievements you’re proud of 24. Your political views 25. Your religious beliefs 26. Your perfect night out 27. Whether you like to plan ahead or be spontaneous 28. What you look for in a friend 29. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark 30. How you would like people to remember you
Your pets, past and present: First off note that I am completely and 100% an animal person. I love animals and animals generally tend to love me, particularly dogs. My pets. We had 2 cats Bentley and BJ that were my parents cats even before Ariel and I were born. Even before tmy parents met. BJ apparently was MY cat as he would sleep on my bed every night. Though i remember mostly being terrified of him because he was a grumpy cat and liked to scratch people. We always had fish growing up. We always had a gold fish, one of them had a tendency towards suicide and liked to try and jump out of the tank. We always had one of those fish that likes to suck on the tank. And we always had a bunch of little fish that we called "the voters" because one of the fish, (possibly the gold fish?) was always called Bill Clinton. After the cats died we got our first Golden Retriever. And have had Golden Retrievers ever since. Ike: What a character he was. He was a very mischevious dog. From the moment he came into our house and ate Jasmine the barbie doll. My favorite mischevious memory of him was when he escaped the house during the middle of a storm. I remember he had this look in his eye like "try and catch me now!" then he booked it to the front door when a huge clap of thunder sounded and scared him. To him we lost a couch, several rags, and countless numbers of socks. He would always steal people shoes when they would come over. I remember when he first realized there was a dog in the window (his reflection) when the sun went down and he would bark and bark all night. He was like a furry brother to me and my friends growing up. When he died we had a wake for him alot of people showed up. Because he was just that kind of special dog. Amie: was our second golden retriever. She was also a fiesty dog, in her own way. She would do things like only eat bones if they were at one point ike's bones and she would make sure to prance around every room in the house with it just to make sure EVERYONE knew she had the bone. She would get all excited for a walk and then refuse to go any further than the driveway ( I think she was more excited about the bone afterwards). She was always ferociously defending our house from the pesky cat that would walk through our yard just to piss her off. There were many nose prints on the window to prove it. She loved my mom and she loved to cuddle, but she hated it when anyone would touch her back legs. She always looked like a little bear with no tail and her fluffy fur. Gus: was and is our 3rd Golden Retriever after Amie. He is the sweetest, gentlest dog you will ever meet. Seriously one of my best memories of Gus is when he growled at me while chewing a bone, and then immediately realized he had growled and proceeded to follow me into every room until he was satisfied that I was not upset at him. He came from a puppy mill where he was a stud dog and was not exposed to much but a tiny crate for 7 years so when we got him he was extra curious and even more frightened of everything. He would barely go outside for the longest time because wind was terrifying to him and it took him quite a while to figure out how to get up on the couch. He and i have a special cuddle routine where I lie and the ground and he comes and lays his body next to mine and his head on my chest. One time he was so excited about it that he knocked me over trying to get me to lie down. He is also a classic example of a dog who thinks he is alot smaller than he is. Running into things, trying to fit into spaces he cant.
I have also had a pet fly once who had a broken wing whom I named Greg. And we had a baby bird who had fallen out of a tree. We also had zebra finches for awhile until the populated to too many.
Right now I suppose I can count Coco, my love Dan's dog, as one of my pets. I spend most of my nights and alot of weekends over there and we have developed a strong bond.(Despite the fact that she has eaten several pairs of my underwear). Our thing right now is when I get up to turn the alarm off and make Dan and I coffee in the morning, she will steal my pillow in my absence. When I come back and as I'm waiting for the coffee to brew she and I will lie next to each other, our heads touching,sharing the pillow and i will give her belly rubs. She is unlike any dog I have known. In many ways she is almost like a cat. She HATES car rides and she can spend hours just entertaining herself by throwing a bottle cap up in the air, or across the room and then pouncing on it or pawing at it to see what it does. I strongly appreciate and am grateful for her bond with her human, my Dan. Where he wont always let me be there for him when he's dealing with the chronic pain he has to deal with, Coco is always at his side ready to be petted and help him through it, and it is equally soothing for him. At those moments I sometimes wish I could transform myself into a dog so I could be soothing for him too. 1. Your name 2. All the places you’ve lived 3. Your first best friend 4. Your childhood fears 5. What you were like in high school 6. Your favourite and least favourite subjects at school 7. Your first boyfriend or girlfriend 8. Your oldest hobby 9. Your sexuality 10. What you look for in a partner 11. Your kids, or your feelings about having kids 12. Your pets, past and present 13. Foods you love and foods you hate 14. What your life was like ten years ago 15. How much alcohol you drink 16. Your worst illness 17. What you do at work 18. A question or comment people should never make to you 19. The style of clothing you feel most comfortable in 20. Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert 21. Who you have a crush on 22. A friendship you lost 23. Three achievements you’re proud of 24. Your political views 25. Your religious beliefs 26. Your perfect night out 27. Whether you like to plan ahead or be spontaneous 28. What you look for in a friend 29. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark 30. How you would like people to remember you
Your kids, or your feelings about having kids. Definitely want to have kids!! I think it would be a waste to be given these reproductive organs and the ability to carry a human being inside me and NOT experience it. I totally want to be that pregnant lady who talks to her stomach about the food we are going to eat. Am I terrified and grossed out by the idea of my body changing, vomiting on a regular basis, pushing a baby out of my vagina, and the possibility of pooping in front of a bunch of people during chidbirth? Yes,but I have to believe it will be worth it. I dont really care if i have a boy, a girl or a transgendered baby. I'm going to love it either way. I think my biggest fear about having kids is whether or not I will become a total spazz. I deal with anxiety and depression regularly. I fear that the addition of a baby and the responsibility of a baby, and the certainty that said baby will likely hate you at one point will set me off in a way that I cant come back from.
1. Your name 2. All the places you’ve lived 3. Your first best friend 4. Your childhood fears 5. What you were like in high school 6. Your favourite and least favourite subjects at school 7. Your first boyfriend or girlfriend 8. Your oldest hobby 9. Your sexuality 10. What you look for in a partner 11. Your kids, or your feelings about having kids 12. Your pets, past and present 13. Foods you love and foods you hate 14. What your life was like ten years ago 15. How much alcohol you drink 16. Your worst illness 17. What you do at work 18. A question or comment people should never make to you 19. The style of clothing you feel most comfortable in 20. Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert 21. Who you have a crush on 22. A friendship you lost 23. Three achievements you’re proud of 24. Your political views 25. Your religious beliefs 26. Your perfect night out 27. Whether you like to plan ahead or be spontaneous 28. What you look for in a friend 29. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark 30. How you would like people to remember you
What you look for in a partner. Honestly, I'm not really sure. That's probably been my problem with dating. I'm looking for someone who enjoys food and the process of cooking and/or eating food as much as I do. Someone who isnt afraid to feel and doesnt always get defensive if I feel. Though not so feeling that he cant take a joke every once and awhile. Patient and kind. Someone who enjoys reading as much as i do. Someone I can be myself with, and someone who I can relax well with. Someone who can challenge my world but also respect it. It's kind of hard for me to answer this right now because I'm in a very happy and stable relationship, so it's hard for me to not just describe my man.
1. Your name 2. All the places you’ve lived 3. Your first best friend 4. Your childhood fears 5. What you were like in high school 6. Your favourite and least favourite subjects at school 7. Your first boyfriend or girlfriend 8. Your oldest hobby 9. Your sexuality 10. What you look for in a partner 11. Your kids, or your feelings about having kids 12. Your pets, past and present 13. Foods you love and foods you hate 14. What your life was like ten years ago 15. How much alcohol you drink 16. Your worst illness 17. What you do at work 18. A question or comment people should never make to you 19. The style of clothing you feel most comfortable in 20. Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert 21. Who you have a crush on 22. A friendship you lost 23. Three achievements you’re proud of 24. Your political views 25. Your religious beliefs 26. Your perfect night out 27. Whether you like to plan ahead or be spontaneous 28. What you look for in a friend 29. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark 30. How you would like people to remember you
What is my sexuality? My sexuality is: I love sex. I love talking about sex, and learning about sex, and trying new things. I've only ever been with men but would kind of like some day to try being with a woman (though I have a feeling I'll end up sticking with the penis). I've dabbled in casual sex, found it to be enjoyable but not quite as fulfilling as "in a relationship" sex. I wish I had been more confident and adventurous enough to have tried and experimented more with sex in my college days, and not stuck with the same guy through out that whole time. Yup. That's about it. 1. Your name 2. All the places you’ve lived 3. Your first best friend 4. Your childhood fears 5. What you were like in high school 6. Your favourite and least favourite subjects at school 7. Your first boyfriend or girlfriend 8. Your oldest hobby 9. Your sexuality 10. What you look for in a partner 11. Your kids, or your feelings about having kids 12. Your pets, past and present 13. Foods you love and foods you hate 14. What your life was like ten years ago 15. How much alcohol you drink 16. Your worst illness 17. What you do at work 18. A question or comment people should never make to you 19. The style of clothing you feel most comfortable in 20. Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert 21. Who you have a crush on 22. A friendship you lost 23. Three achievements you’re proud of 24. Your political views 25. Your religious beliefs 26. Your perfect night out 27. Whether you like to plan ahead or be spontaneous 28. What you look for in a friend 29. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark 30. How you would like people to remember you
My oldest hobby: My oldest hobby is definitely reading. I am and always have been a huge book worm. I have been reading myself to sleep ever since i learned how to read, and often find I cant get to sleep unless i read before bed. I remember staying up all night reading and then wandering through the halls of school with my nose in a book or a book hidden in my math book during class.
1. Your name 2. All the places you’ve lived 3. Your first best friend 4. Your childhood fears 5. What you were like in high school 6. Your favourite and least favourite subjects at school 7. Your first boyfriend or girlfriend 8. Your oldest hobby 9. Your sexuality 10. What you look for in a partner 11. Your kids, or your feelings about having kids 12. Your pets, past and present 13. Foods you love and foods you hate 14. What your life was like ten years ago 15. How much alcohol you drink 16. Your worst illness 17. What you do at work 18. A question or comment people should never make to you 19. The style of clothing you feel most comfortable in 20. Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert 21. Who you have a crush on 22. A friendship you lost 23. Three achievements you’re proud of 24. Your political views 25. Your religious beliefs 26. Your perfect night out 27. Whether you like to plan ahead or be spontaneous 28. What you look for in a friend 29. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark 30. How you would like people to remember you
So, for the past two going on 3 months I have been working 2 -3 jobs. One is my full time - 40 hr a week job at Goodwill as an employment coach for single homeless adults. Another is an every other thursday job in which I cook and get paid 30 dollars, but usually ends up being about a 4 hr gig (i'm going to be emailing my boss to see if I can negotiate getting paid more.) The final is an every other weekend - 20 hrs a time mental health worker position working with individuals experiencing severe and persistant mental illness. So overall, each week i usually work anywhere form 40 -74 hours a week. Right now i'm really torn about what to do about whether or not to keep working all the jobs. There are pros and cons about it. * Major Con - I'm exhausted all the time and dont really have the energy to all of what I need to do. Sometimes, when I work CIP on weekend it takes me untill wednesday to start working at full speed again, but by then half my week is over and i havent gotten hardly anything done at goodwill and that frustrates me to no end. I especially need this energy now as some big projects are coming up for Goodwill, and the audit.
*Pro's - I am addressing all of my passions and am building skills in all of my jobs. Through CIP I am learning more and m ore how to work with people with SPMI, how to de-escalate people, situations, and conflicts, how to drive/ gun it in a big van, how to teach skills about cooking and nutrition, I get access to free CEU's for my social work license, how to build good rapport with clients, I like the ladies and I feel like as I am getting to know them more, getting to know their triggers more I am able to work with them better. They all seem to feel comfortable around me and I have been able to help them with their goals.
Through Goodwill I am very excited about the mission and to be apart of a project that addresses homelessness in a way that I believe is equally empowering and fiscally efficient. I'm excited to have the opportunity to teach and to be able to do case mananagement. I love my co workers. I love that it keeps me on my toes.
Through WAND I am excited about the skills I have learned about cooking, cooking for big groups, healthy cooking on a budget, meal planning, etc.
I like also that it is all helping me to pay my bills and my loans down faster, though I wish i got paid more. I also really want to achieve that goal of paying off my credit card and my car loan so i can live less pay check to pay check.
I like it all...but most of the time I hate it all because I'm so damn tired. I want to be able to have fun in my life as well. I want to pursue hobbies like jewelry making and work on my creative projects like that blanket I've been meaning to sew for Ariel since christmas. I want to spend more time with friends, Dan, my family, reading books, getting in shape, cooking.
So this is my dilema. LJ friends, if anyone still reads my blog. Advice would be wonderful
