How to Make Your Vegan Diet More Sustainable

February 5, 2020February 18, 2020 by Sophia & Michael

Kicka här för hela inlägget på svenska: En guide till klimatsmart veganism

Mike and I aren’t outspoken vegans, and we might never become ones either. We like to say that “we eat mostly plants”, and that is indeed very true – I would say that over the course of a year, roughly 95% of our energy intake is plant-based. Perhaps most would call themselves vegans if that’s what their record looked like, perhaps not. Perhaps some think we’re hypocrites for not going “all in”, labeling ourselves vegans and being done with it. Regardless, we believe that for the greater good, it will be of positive influence if people see and hear about a slightly less rigid approach to food. We think we have a much greater chance of inspiring others to eat more green and eco-friendly if they don’t feel as if they need to convert completely. And so, that’s what we try to do! We will never in a million years shame someone for their choice of diet, but instead hope to cook and spread recipes that look so darn good we’ll attract vegan devotees and carnivores alike. The bottomline is – for us – that it’s better to be including than excluding, that all green meals count even if you eat those that aren’t and that there are a bunch of positive changes to make without having to go completely cold turkey (I’m not sure that would even count as a pun – but hey, none intended!).

Perfect Weeknight Pasta with Green Peas and Dino Kale

January 31, 2020February 18, 2020 by Sophia & Michael

Pasta with green peas and dino kale in a bowl

A couple of quick, simple pasta dishes up one’s sleeve and almost any weeknight can be saved. This might be the quickest and simplest one yet in our repertoire, and one of the yummiest at that.

Frozen green peas is a staple in our household, and primarily so during the colder half of the year. They’re grown in Sweden, cost practically nothing and can really boost any meal by bringing protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals to the game. To us, it’s the perfect thing to have a couple of bags of in the freezer.

50 Things for a Better 2020

January 22, 2020February 18, 2020 by Sophia & Michael

Pouring coffee from a thermos into an enamal mug out in nature.

Kicka här för hela inlägget på svenska: 50 idéer för ett bättre 2020

Initially, the plan was to divide these “50 things” into categories – let’s say some for body, some for soul, some for planet, some for wallet etc. – but we quickly realized most could be tied to more than one. For example: one thing we’re going all in on is baking all of our bread ourselves, no buying. You could argue that’s a good thing for our wallets, because it’ll save us money – but also our bodies, because we’ll be eating purer products, our minds, because we’ll get relaxing moments of baking in the kitchen often, our planet, because of less plastic waste and more sustainably sourced ingredients… hence, we’ve put together one big list of 50 things to do, keep in mind or ponder for a better and happier 2020 for all. We have also created a one-sentence, downloadable PDF version of the list for those of you who might like to print it out and put it on your fridge. There’s both a Swedish and an English version available, and you’ll find the files at the very bottom of this page. Some things on this list of course won’t apply to you, and not all of them can be “checked off”, but we’ve included boxes to tick anyway, since that can be very satisfying and fun. If you like this, please share it with friends and family – that is by far the best way you can help support us so we can produce more of the content you like. Thanks, and have an awesome 2020!

Spiced Vegan Apple Cake

November 7, 2019March 31, 2020 by Sophia & Michael

För recept på svenska, klicka här: Saftig vegansk äppelkaka

Fall equals many things: mushroom foraging, lit candles, crackling fires, gorgeous foliage, frost covered fields, warming soups – and apple desserts, of course. Now is THE time to take care of all the fruit out there. Preserve what needs to be preserved (by baking and making jam, butter, sauce etc.) and store what can be stored (this requires a cool, slightly humid place, such as a root cellar or unheated basement). If you happen to know what variety of apples you’re dealing with, it’ll be much easier to know whether they should be eaten and/or preserved immediately, or if they can be stored. So-called “winter apples” are still picked in the fall, but they will last – provided they’re stored in an appropriate manner – until the end of the winter.

Vegan Pad Thai

October 17, 2019February 18, 2020 by Sophia & Michael

För recept på svenska, klicka här: Vegansk pad thai

The comfort food of all comfort foods: Pad Thai. Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like it? I can’t recall ever having. Our version isn’t very unlike all the others – hey, then it wouldn’t be as good! – but it’s plant based and doesn’t require a bunch of unusual ingredients. Really only one, and that is (drum roll) tamarind paste. Now, most regular grocery stores won’t carry it, but almost all ethnic food stores will. Paying a visit to one is hugely recommended if you never have before – we LOVE browsing these shops and feel as if we were just transported to a different part of the world (however it really mostly feels like New York!). Our favorite store back in the big apple is by far Kalustyan’s on Lexington Ave, between 28th and 29th St. However, we recently discovered our closest little town has a newly opened ethnic food store and went to check it out last week. It was awesome, and we came away with a giant tub of the best looking tahini and – of course – tamarind paste. It’ll last forever and doesn’t cost a fortune, so it’s one of those “investments” we’ll actually encourage. Well, that is if you like Pad Thai and plan on making it at home, of course 🙂

20 ways save money (and reduce consumption)

October 15, 2019February 18, 2020 by Sophia & Michael

Kicka här för hela inlägget på svenska: 20 sätt att spara pengar (och minska din konsumtion)

As Mike and I decided we were moving to Sweden, we cleaned up our finances immediately. Living according to a strict budget has been our (chosen) everyday since, and we can’t even imagine not, today. Our general consumption has gone from quite all over the place to minimal and very thought-through, and it is much thanks to our low living expenses we can live the way we do today, with plenty of free time and space to pursue the things we love. We also think of these (very) manageable costs as one giant social insurance in itself. If we would run out of work or get sick, or when the day comes when we choose to retire, we won’t be sitting here with piles and piles of bills, unable to afford a much too expensive lifestyle we’ve gotten used to. We won’t need to dramatically change the way we live due to drastically different circumstances at some point in the future – simply because we already did that (change the way we live, that is). And of course we’re all different, but we’d much rather take that step when in full control, and not when forced to.

Black Bean Brownies

January 24, 2019February 18, 2020 by Sophia & Michael

In all honesty, we were kind of like… really? when first hearing about black bean baked goods. Don’t get us wrong (I doubt you would by now), we LOVE beans and lentils. They’re the best. But we also love our baked goods. Cakes, cookies, buns… you know, the whole spectrum. And around here, we tend to lean towards the attitude of “if you’re going to bake buns, bake buns. Not a ‘health-ified’ bun that no one will really enjoy anyway”. I think you get my point. But we also happen to know that from a sports nutrition point of view, having an evening snack with a touch of protein is beneficial. And one simply can’t have too much of all the good stuff in legumes. Enter black bean-based baked goods.

Thank you, life (part 1)

August 28, 2018February 18, 2020 by Sophia

Blogging! Oh, this will be fun. The plan is for this blog to be about the same things as our Instagram account @intabagreen, i.e. a lot of vegetables and small scale farming, all our running endeavors, and some delicious vegetarian food to top it off. But plans often change direction and become something else (thank you life – you’re awesome), so we’ll just go with the flow and see where this takes us. Read more

live slow run far

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