Change

My husband made almond milk for the first time. I have never made almond milk. He is very focused on our transition away from animal products which is very helpful to me since he has more time at home than I do. It was really pretty easy. 1 cup almonds soaked overnight in 3 cups of water. Drain. Put in the blender with 4 cups of water. (half at a time since the almond milk foams up nicely) and then strain through cheese cloth or use a press. Worked really well. I think I could do it myself if needed! Yesterday I went to see my daughter who just brought her son home from the hospital after 8 weeks in the neonatal unit. He was born early at three pounds. My daughter was very distressed to discover that the enhanced breast milk that her son was given while in the hospital contained bovine milk. It had not occurred to her that the hospital would add bovine milk to her milk along with nutrients. She was so conscientious about pumping milk so he would get breast milk instead of formula. She cried. No one asked her about it they just did it. There is a company that makes the enhanced milk for preemies with breast milk. It costs a lot more money and they don't sell it except to hospitals on a doctor's request. As a society we probably have no idea how often our foods are not what we think. It is almost Lent. For people in Christian communities that celebrate Lent, it is a time of prayer and reflection, a time to examine one's life and renew the commitment to be disciples. I do not like the idea of giving things up only to go back to them at Easter. If I give something up, it should be with the idea of long term change for the better. This Lent a number of people in my community are working to cut down on the consumption of animal products of all kinds now that we understand its connection to environmental degradation and climate change. It is going to be an interesting journey of discovery. So far I have had many conversations with people about how to cook tempeh, how to season tofu, what to eat in place of eggs or dairy yogurt and so on and Lent hasn't even started yet. I am not feeling somber. I have a renewed sense of purpose and it feels good.