Food Animal Cruelty: Dairy

     Hi everyone :) sorry I haven't written in a while; I've been relatively busy with my life, doing this or that. It's amazing how time can be swallowed up so easily without you getting much done. So today I thought I'd venture out on a completely different subject than my last posts have been about. If you've read the title I'm sure you can guess what it is. Food animal cruelty. This, in my opinion is one of the most atrocious deeds being done by the human race. I wouldn't say THE most, but quite surely one of them. Let's hold up a second. When you guys eat your meat, are you thinking "I'm eating an animal right now", or more "I'm eating meat right now"? Probably the later right? Well let me ask you this, how many of you ventured to think "If this was an animal... how was it raised?" or "I hope this cow had a nice life"? Probably not as many of you. I know I didn't really think about that very much when I was eating meat. So now let me ask you this. How do YOU think modern farm animals are raised? On pastures right? The cattle grazing in the fields, chickens squawking around pecking at the dirt, the little pigs rolling in the mud crying "oink oink! oink oink!". WRONG! Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong WRONG! If that were the reality this world would be such a better place! However, the harsh reality is that for the vast majority, it is not like that whatsoever. At least not in most countries especially North America. I've been told that England and other parts of Europe are much better at this whole humane animal treatment thing and I am so jealous that their country is so much more advanced when it comes to that. I've even read than parts of Europe refuse to trade meat with the US because their treatment is so unethical. So what is it that makes North America so undignified when it comes to food production? Read on my friends.

    There are so many different food animals I could talk about here. Pigs, cows, chickens, eggs, dairy, turkeys, goose, veal, sows, dogs, fish, shark, horse, the list goes on. But obviously I'm not going to talk about all of those so I figured I'd focus on Beef, Dairy, Chicken, Eggs, and Pork since those are most common. They may be a bit long so I'll just include one in each post for now. Here we go...

The Dairy Disaster:

I thought I'd start with dairy cows because they sort of lead to other cattle products. Dairy cows have one of the worst lives possible for a mother. The poor mothers are confined to minuscule stalls their whole lives; they are kept impregnated year round in order for them to continue producing milk. They are milked everyday by a machine which as you can imagine is quite distressing and not to mention creepy. Once their calves are born they're almost immediately torn away from their mother (usually 1-2 days after birth) in order not to "waste" her milk. The poor calves are crying for their mothers in distress; the males will eventually become either veal or normal beef meat, but the females are destined for the same fate as their poor mothers. Cows usually live for about 10-15 years but a dairy cow in a modern day factory will only live to be about 2 or 3 because by then their body is so lacking in calcium they can barely support themselves. The average cow is lame, suffers from ulcerations, laminitis, or rotten hooves from standing in their own waste all their lives. They also commonly have twisted stomachs, torn udder ligaments, pneumonia, or bacterial infection in their teats causing puss to be expelled along with the milk. Some disgusting, undignified, horrible, inhumane creatures also known as a few producers, will attempt to actually cut the teat off, in order to continue milking. Here is a picture of a cow with a teat infection taken at a livestock auction.

And here is a picture of cows being milked by machines at an american farm.

    Unfortunately that is not the extent of the horrors for a dairy cow. Let me take you to the livestock auctions. It's hard to believe that the people who handle these animals are actually human and not monsters in disguise. All sorts of animals you find at livestock auctions, the majority are in the most horrible of condition possible and yet they are still mistreated. People twist their tails to the point of fracture (dont ask me why), motivation to move comes from being electrically prodded, not to mention they're beaten a tremendous amount. I've had the misfortune to read that female cows often have a gloved hand shoved up their vaginas to check for pregnancy. How horrible is that? Can you even begin to imagine what that would be like? These cows are basically being subject to extreme mistreatment, torture, assault, and even what you would call sexual assault! I don't know about you but I am ashamed that my country, of which I am for the most part proud to be apart of, takes part in such practices on a daily basis! I was appalled when I read of how the milk I consume is produced.

Not to mention how they are normally transported for up to 3 WEEKS without provisions or weather protection. And maybe the most horrific part of all: slaughter. Here is a brief overview of how they are slaughtered:

Slaughter: (of dairy, beef, and veal)

-stunned with a stun gun which would be great... HOWEVER, this is 5-10 % of the time not effective enough to render

the cow unconscious

-throats slashed to bleed out (some are still conscious while they are being bled out)

-some cows don’t die before hock cutting, and are literally cut to death piece by piece

-”downed” cows are dragged with hooks and/or chains as they are unable to walk

-an average slaughter house kills 250 cows a day

    Horrific isn't it?

    Now I have a confession to make. I don't eat meat but, I myself do actually drink dairy milk that is produced like this, each time I do I feel really terribly guilty but I can't help it for now. The problem is this: soy milk and almond milk is so dang expensive! It's not that I'm cheap it's just that I can't afford to be buying almond or soy milk, or ethical dairy milk for that matter, when it's over $4 for 2 litres! So that's why I took it upon myself to try to raise awareness about it, so that at least I'd be doing something. Even if you guys aren't going to convert to ethically produced dairy milk or other kinds of milk; I really hope you will try to do something about it nonetheless. Even just telling your friends about it is good! Or you could even venture to send a letter to your provincial/national agricultural minister like I did. Either way, I hope I at least taught you guys something. 

If you seek more information you can visit any of these sites:

http://www.cetfa.com/

http://www.chooseveg.ca/animal-cruelty-canada.asp

http://www.veganpeace.com/index.htm

    Stay tuned for my next post which will include the story of another desolate animal commonly found on our plates. Bye for now.

                                         -Morgan

Crocheted Toque/Beanie

    Good morning everyone! I'm in a right good mood today because guess what?! I got my first ever comment just a few hours ago! Thank you to Cosmo Dk! You've made my day! Haha that rhymes! Alrighty, So yesterday I posted a mini crocheted heart pattern. Today I thought I'd post another pattern, this time for a very simple and easy crocheted hat. This is just a basic toque/beanie. You can add decorations to it like the little hearts you might have made from my last post. Or you could crochet up some little flowers, or just simply add stripes by changing the colour here and there. This might be great to crochet as a gift for someone for Valentine's day, it only takes a few hours. :) After finishing the hat I decided I wanted a stripe so instead of taking some of the rows out and changing colour I just wove in a green yarn through the holes of a row twice and the effect is pretty good. Here's a picture of the end result:

Size:
It should fit an average teenager or adult's head. I will add an optional round for those of you making it for someone with a slightly larger head (this will come after R6).


Materials: 
-Bulky yarn, a 6 or 7 wpi. 
-10mm crochet hook
-Tapestry needle (big fat sewing needle)


Stitches and abbreviations:
ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
sc: single crochet
st: stitch


Instructions:
R1: Ch 5, sl st into first chain to connect. Ch 1.
R2: Work 10 sc into the loop, join with a sl st into the first sc of round. Ch 1.
R3: Sc in same st, *2 sc in next st* repeat from * to * until end of round. Ss into first sc to join. Ch 1.
R4: Sc in same st, *1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st* repeat * till end of round. Join. Ch 1.
R5: Sc in same st, *1 sc in next 2 stitches, 2 sc in next st* repeat * till end of round. Join. Ch 1.
R6: Sc in same st, *1 sc in next 3 stitches, 2 sc in next st* repeat * till end of round. Join. Ch 1.
This is how big it should look by now, you don't actually want it to be as big as the top of your head because it will end up too big. Maybe try finding a knitted toque that fits you and see how big the top is before the decreases started. However, for a larger size, continue with the row in brackets. 

(For larger size: Sc in same st, *1 sc in next 4 stitches, 2 sc in next st* repeat * till end off round, join, ch 1. If it is still not large enough, add another row but this time do 1 sc in next 5 stitches and 2 in next. This should definitely be large enough if you are using a Bulky or Super Bulky yarn.)
R7: No single crochet in same st! Now all you're going to do is 1 sc in every st around, join, and ch 1. 
R8: Repeat round 7 until hat is desired length. Cut the yarn leaving a 3' tail and pull it tight. Weave in the ends with the tapestry needle and you're finished! Yay!


Try making one for your partner or spouse for Valentine's day! Till next time!
                                             -Morgan

Crocheted Valentine Hearts

    Hey guys :) Its been a while. Sort of :P a week or so maybe? Well, I've just been busy reading this new book I got and crocheting little heart clips for my little cousins out on the East Coast. So I was going to give you guys a how-to for a simple toque/beanie pattern, but I figured since it is getting close to Valentine's day, why don't I teach you guys how to crochet little hearts instead?! They're pretty quick if you know how to crochet the simplest stitches. So here's the pattern:

Materials: 

-yarn: you can basically use anything, worsted weight is good if you want a sort of thick heart, but if you want a nice delicate and lacy looking one you could even use embroidery floss/friendship bracelet string.

-crochet hook: for worsted weight use no less than 4.5mm; for anything thinner, use a four, or if you're using embroidery string a 3.5 is good for a nice lacy look.

-tapestry needle (just a thick needle with a big eye)

stitches:

sc= single crochet

dc= double crochet

tc= triple crochet

ss= slip stitch

ch= chain

st= stitch

Pattern:

Start: Tie the yarn onto your crochet hook, ch3, ss to first st.

1: Working into the loop, dc, tc, dc. 3 sc, tc. 3 sc, dc, tc, dc; next ss into the loop, pull the yarn out and tight, next cut leaving a fairly long tail (about 3' long). Weave the ends in with the tapestry needle, or if you're going to attach them to something like clips, you can use the tail to sew it on with. And you're done! This is what they sort of should look like after you're done:






Hope you guys enjoy that, make some for a friend or family member for Valentine's Day! :)
Until next time!
                                         -Morgan <3


P.S.
Happy Valentine's day! <3

Completely Guilt Free Chocolate Mousse

     Hi everyone! 
Guess what?! I am now at a total of 4 page views!... hmm. Impressive?... I think not. Well, that's alright. Someday someone will follow me and read through all my posts and I wont have been writing these things to no one :)
     So, in my last post I gave you guys (well, there isn't really any "guys" being addressed here, I'm mostly just talking to myself :P)a borscht soup recipe. Hopefully someone will actually try it in the future but so far my guess is that no one has since I've only had 2 page views since the recipe went up. But anyways! My spirits are not dampened; hey, it sure beats writing in a diary where you KNOW (and often hope) no one will ever read whatever you're writing. 
     But in any event, *focus Morgan!* today, I thought I'd share my chocolate mousse recipe. This is basically the bare minimum of calories one can have in a dessert; however the end results are completely satisfactory. 
     It's not exactly what most people call mousse, it's actually made out of sterilized egg whites, sugar, cocoa, and whatever flavoring you'd like to compliment it. So it doesn't really end up all creamy and pudding-like, but rather... it's hard to explain. I guess, well, sort of a thicker foamy texture? No that just sounds weird. Hmm. Well I guess you'll just have to try it! I assure you its completely scrumptious. Here we go!

CHOCOLATE EGG WHITE MOUSSE

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup of sterilized egg whites
-2-3 tsp of sugar (or to taste) *see note bellow*
-about 1-2 tsp of cocoa (I'm not entirely sure of that so, TO TASTE!)
-any other extracts/flavourings you'd like (Almond is good, Maple is reaaallyyy good, as well as peppermint)
*note: you can use syrups to flavor and in the place of sugar. So for example if you were doing maple flavor, just use some maple syrup instead of sugar)


Directions:
In a smallish bowl, whisk egg whites. You can start with a whisk but then its probably best to switch to a mechanical beater. Or you can just use an electric beater the whole way through (i don't have one so...). Once mixture is getting stiff, add in a  few teaspoons of sugar and continue whisking. Once the egg whites are still and can sort of hold peaks, add in the remainder of your sugar (however much you want to use), cocoa, as well as any flavourings. Mix this all in and you're done! Serve right away as it will start to separate. 
Enjoy!


If you want a completely different flavour than chocolate, just don't put in the cocoa. I'm sure just plain Vanilla is great too! It's also very good on fruit :)
It serves quite a lot, it could either be a big bowl for you, or two smaller bowls.


Nutrition: (for whole recipe)
Calories: 104
Protein:14.5 g


     So that's it :) It's really great when you're on a diet and all the desserts besides fruit out there are at least over 200 calories. Not to mention the high protein content! I'd really appreciate if anyone who tries it would leave a comment or something, It's great when you know people are actually looking at your posts. 
     Next post I might include a begginer's crochet hat pattern so come on by for that. Bye for now :)
                                                                                                   -Morgan

Borscht Soup

     Hey everyone!! Guess what?! I had one page view since last night! From someone in Germany :) Thank you person from Germany for viewing my page! Did I ever mention I'm part German? And Scottish, French, Norwegian, Italian, and something else I always forget. I just remember that in total there's seven. Sometimes I remember them all but usually one or two happen to evade my mind whenever I try to pull em up to tell someone. 
     Anyways, enough with the blabber. Good morning everyone!! I thought I'd include one of my great low calorie, vegetarian, healthy, super tasty recipes in this new post. Just so you guys know, it's not that I'm some needs-to-be-skinny obsessive person, it's just that I have some ballet competitions coming up which I do actually need to lose weight for. But that doesn't mean I can't eat yummy food! 
     So today I'll be sharing my mom's great Borscht soup recipe. It's a really popular Russian soup, and if you ask me, it is the absolute best soup in the entire world!! It mostly consists of beets, cabbage, carrots, potatoes; which sorta sounds gross but I promise you, IT IS NOT.
     Here it is:
This is just a picture I found on the internet but that's pretty much what my mom's looks like too.

Ingredients:
-Beets, 4 small cubed (about 1/2" cubes)
-Carrots, 1 large cubbed
-Cabbage (i usually use white, but i think purple is fine too), 1/2 medium sliced into thin ribbons
-Potato, 2 medium cubed
-Garlic, 6 cloves crushed and chopped fine
-Large onion (yellow), sliced into thin rings
-Large tomatoes, 3 peeled and chopped
-Balsamic/red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp
-White sugar, 1 Tbsp
-Vegetable stock seasoning, 2 cubes
-Water, 2 1/2-3 L
-Black Pepper, 1/2 tsp
-Salt, 1 tsp
-Butter, 1 tsp
-Optional: ~Fresh dill to garnish (about 1/2 cup chopped)
           ~A dollop of sour cream to serve, or you can substitute it for plain yogurt which tastes good too. I don't use it but you might want to (keep in mind that will bring the calories up a bit too, for those of your worried about that)


Instructions:
1.Combine soup stock cubes and 2 L of water in a separate bowl or pot.
2.Melt butter in a big pot on medium. Add cubed beets and carrots, stir well to coat with butter. Sautee for about 5 minutes. 
3.Add onion rings, diced tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. Add in 2 Tbsp of the soup stock you prepared in step 1. Give it a little stir. Lower heat to a bit below medium.
4.Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5.Add sliced cabbage, stir to moisten. Put lid on pot. Continue simmering for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6.Add remainder off soup stock, potatoes, garlic, pepper, and salt. 
7.Cook at medium (do not boil!) until potatoes are tender.
8.Simmer for another 15-20 minutes on low for best flavour, or if you're really hungry you can serve now.
9.Before serving, sprinkle the optional dill, and stir a little bit to distribute the flavor. Serve, add optional dollop of sour cream.
Note: some will prefer the soup without the dill.


Serves about 6 or 7 nice big bowls.




Nutritional information: per serving
Calories: 95
Total fat: 1.3 g
Potassium: 650 mg (about 20% daily value)
Dietary Fiber: 3.1 g
Sugar: 8.5 g
Protein: 2.6 g
Vitamin A: 70%
Vitamin C: 40%


     
     And that's it! I hope you guys try it. It makes a really good hot dinner for those cold rainy days. I don't know about you but I sure get a lot of those where I live.
     Until next time :)
                                        -Morgan

Welcome :)

Hello fellow bloggers,

     I'm really pretty new to this whole blog thing; in fact this is my first time. I've always wanted a blog but I figured no one would really actually want to read my ranting on about this or that. Which could be true, I guess we'll see :P I also always thought I wouldn't have enough time or... oh what's the word... determination, to keep it up. But, here I am. Hopefully a few people or so will join me in my little blogging experiment. 

     So anyways, I think I'll start off by telling you a bit about myself. I'm a ballet dancer in training (hence the common lack of time), and I hope to one day soon be good enough to get into a company. I never really thought of myself as artsy or crafty but not too long ago I was thinking to myself "You know, I'm actually a very artsy person". I love all sorts of thing like knitting, crochet, baking, cooking, nutrition, beading, the environment; I've recently developed a thing for food animal cruelty which I guess I'll probably be ranting on about in the next few weeks. I also love poetry, dance (obviously), chickens, the word rumpus (for those of you who don't know, the definition is pretty much just a big racket, or disturbance; something one might find their children doing) and European accents. They're the best. Well, I basically love everything about Europe. When I retire I want to live in a nice beautiful country home in Ireland, complete with an apple orchard and beautiful garden with little gazebos and a pond with little ducks swimming around. I want to sit and eat cheese and salamis on crackers from humanely treated and slaughtered animals. I'll have a pet sheep dog and my little grand children will come to visit me and my husband. Haha, sounds like quite the dream huh? Well, we can always hope.

     Now I bet you're wondering, what is this crazy lady who seems to talk about everything and nothing going to write about in her blog? Well, I will tell you. I don't like being restricted to just talking about one thing; I like to open up to the people I talk to. Considering that, I'll probably be talking about knitting and crocheting, I'll probably give you guys a bunch of patterns and HOW TOs to have fun with as that's what I love to do. I'll probably just include whatever crafty thing I happen to be trying, making soap or even painting moustaches on cups. I'll definitely throw out a bunch of awesome low calorie recipes, maybe some baked goods. You'll probably happen upon me talking about the mistreatment of food industry animals, or maybe fair trade coffee and the poor children in Africa making cocoa. Maybe I'll throw in a few poems I write, or perhaps I'll be too shy ;) either way, I think you'll find your fill throughout the next month or so, so long as we share some of the same interests.

     In any event, I think that'll be it for my first post. I should go to bed cause I've got ballet tomorrow as is the usual (as you will soon come to see if you continue reading my posts). Bye for now guys :)

     -Morgan