Penne Alla Vodka Recipe (Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Vegan)

Eating fresh food and more vegetarian options can help those who want to loose weight or those who are thin, but they want to be healthier. I am thin, but I used to get sick all the time with respiratory infections until I started eating more vegetarian. However, meals must be very balanced with vegetables and protein totaling in proportion to the carbs to loose weight or to get nutritional value.

I made Penne Alla Vodka last night, and I didn't have heavy cream, so I substituted shredded vegan cheese as soy or rice milk would not be creamy enough. You can also use shredded cow's milk cheese if you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I am a pescetarian, meaning that I still eat some seafood, such as mollusks and shellfish, and occasionally fish. I was a lacto-vegetarian before, but I got very anemic (black and blues all over my body) because I am susceptible to it as I was born anemic. I made a whole pot for the rest of the week. If you have time, it is a good idea to make tomato sauce from scratch and freeze it as all natural is always better as well as use fresh shrimp and clams. However, I was out of tomatoes and too hungry to go to the grocery store and deal with the lines.

Total time (preparation + cooking): 25-35 minutes
Cooking level: Easy
Total servings: 8 servings equivalent to 2 cups of cooked pasta each

Ingredients

• 1 4 oz.can Snow's chopped clams in their own juice (reserve juice)
• 1 10 oz. can Geisha whole baby clams (discard juice as it is mostly salt water)
• 1 4 oz Bumblebee's baby shrimp
• Vegan alternative: 2 links Tofurkey or 1 can of mock duck in place of clams or shrimp
• 1 28 oz can Tuttorosso crushed Tomatoes (4 fresh chopped tomatoes preferred, but I ran out)
• 1 14 oz can Dole stewed tomatoes (A 6 oz can of tomato paste is  preferred)
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, shredded (frozen carrots is fine as they retain the nutrients)
  
• 1 small bunch of broccoli (frozen broccoli is fine as they retain the nutrients)
  
• 1 lb whole wheat penne
• 1/1 lb semolina penne (you may omit and use all whole wheat, but I ran out)
• 1 hot red cherry pepper, crushed (red pepper flakes also good)
• 1/4 cup Vodka (the cheapest Vodka you can find will do)
• Vegan or Cow's milk cheese (1 inch x 2 inches x 2 inches), shredded
• 1 tbs fresh minced basil (I keep my herbs in the freezer to keep them fresh and readily available.)
• 1/2 tbs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tbs fresh oregano
• 1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp fresh peppercorns, grated, or to taste 
  

Cooking Directions

1. Put a pot of water to boil.
2. On medium heat, fry garlic in 2 tbsp of olive oil until lightly browned. Add crushed red pepper and saute another 30 seconds.
3. Vegans: slice Tofurkey or mock chicken and fry for 5 minutes. Skip steps 4 and 9.
4. Add clam juice
5. Lower heat and add vodka
6. Add broccoli and shred carrots with a potato peeler and add as you go. I do this to save time on preparation and to eliminate too many dishes to wash.
7. Simmer for 1 minute, then add crushed and stewed tomatoes.
8. Add thyme, basil and oregano. They wilt too fast and loose flavor if you add them too early.
9. Add salt to taste and grate black peppercorns on top to taste.
10. Add clams and shrimp. 
11. At this time, your pasta water should be boiling, so add pasta and a dash of salt.
12. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. 
13. Remove pasta and drain in a colander.
14. Turn off the sauce. Plate pasta and add sauce on top. Bon apetit.

Let Possessions Go = Embrace the Present Self

I have had the guilt over letting go of possessions because I have more than I honestly need and use. Being that I am not working at the moment, I have had some pangs of hesitation to letting go lately, that is not very common for me. It is due to the guilt of money wasted and loosing money when I am not bringing in any income at the moment.

I have listed many items on Ebay, but have either not had sales because people want it dirt cheap. Ebay also high seller insertion fees and final value fees, so the few I have sold have only resulted in about $8 per item for items that were new and valued at least $50 each. I have also had the headache of some buyers not paying and having to initiate a dispute or wanting to return items because they change their mind. I do not get reimbursed for the insertion fees or shipping fees if the buyer returns the item. So, unless there is an item that you can make at least $30 selling, it is not worth it. Consequently, only name high end brand items sell for at least $30. My H&M clothes have not resulted in sales. The time to prepare the item and wait in the post office to ship it does not seem to be worth the $5 net that I make on lower end brand items. Consignment shops only usually give $5 to $10 even for high end items.

I have never hesitated to donate in the past, but there are only two charities that pick up, and I don't have a car to take items to legitimate charities. The two charities that pick up are not well known charities, and I have seen people selling used clothing in Chinatown and other areas, so I am not sure if these charities are legitimate, as research on the internet have not given much detail than a simple website that anyone can make. Since I purchased my items with my hard earned money, I want them to be used to legitimately help others.

However, I have come to a new conclusion today that we can't control certain things, especially the actions of others. When we give money to a homeless person, we cannot be sure that he will use the money for food rather than for alcohol or drugs. We hope that he will use it for food, but we really don't know, do we? My choice with this issue has been to give homeless people only food, and not money. However, with our clothing donations, we can't be sure that the charities are selling the items and using it to help the less fortunate, rather than for their own pockets.

I have accumulated a pile of items as I have lost weight since going back to being a vegetarian a year ago. Many of my items don't fit and cannot be altered and some items cause skin allergies (such as wool and cashmere). While I have donated much in the past, I have held onto good quality items, such as name brand items, items made of wool or cashmere and new shoes or shoes worn just a few times, but are now very tight on me. (My feet have gotten wider as I walk a lot these days, so I have to wear a 6 wide width to 6.5. I can no longer wear my size 5 1/2 or regular size 6 shoes). I have held onto these items, even though I purchased new items to fit me appropriately now because I hoped to sell them on eBay, but deep inside I knew it was not worth the effort, especially when even some of my name brand items didn't sell. I have held on to these items because of guilt and inability to let go of the past, and fear of the future and what I cannot control.

I feel guilt because I am not working and the items discarded are a symbol of the time I worked to earn money to buy the item. I also feel guilt for enjoying shopping for these items, thinking it will bring joy to me, when that joy lasted for only a short time.  I feel fear of the future because my mother's constant about not throwing things away because you may need them someday and not have money has made me fearful of not having enough in the future. I have kept many items that didn't sell with the thought that I can refashion clothing into new clothing, but I don't need anymore, so it makes no sense other than adding to the clutter.

Yet today, I am doing a big overhaul and letting go of these chains of guilt and fear. I purchased some of the items in times of pain and uneasiness due to tragedy and feeling down. Keeping items that remind me of that and make me feel guilty for going against my nature and knowledge that objects don't bring peace only make me feel worse in this moment. The reason for the purchase, the time and money spent are now all the past. I cannot get the time or money back, and that is fine. The awareness and lessons from mistakes are jewels of the present that I can apply in the present and not make the same mistakes again. The fear of the future is unfounded. I am not an invalid nor an unintelligent or lazy person. Although I am studying for grad school now, and not working, I will work in the future. Although I don't have extensive long term experiences at jobs, I have managed to get jobs in the past, and at each job, I was valued for my hard work, intelligence, resourcefulness and desire to do well and be efficient.

The fear of not being able to make money or not having enough is not because I crave material things for comfort, but because I am allowing the fears and words of others in society to affect my own view of myself and my capabilities. Not working, worrying about the future, and reflecting about the mistakes of the past diminishes the self esteem and is dis-empowering.

Letting go of things that hold you back, be they ideas, frames of thinking or possessions is a way of empowering yourself because you are challenging the things that cause fear, anxiety or guilt in you. While we cannot control the future or the actions of others, including charities, we can control ourselves and how we view life and ourselves. We can view ourselves as strong and adaptive, or flawed, fearful or always making mistakes.

Holding on to possessions with the hope of one day selling on ebay, while they pile up and cause us  to waste time re-arranging, cleaning and feeling guilty about only makes us  feel a loss of energy. While we may have indeed wasted money by buying these items, and not using them and now donating them, we do not have to wallow in mistakes and bad choices forever. We can take this as an opportunity for strength  to overcome the past, live solely in the present and take actions for a more fruitful future.

So, today if you are trying to reduce your possessions, take a deep breath and let go of the attachment to the past, to attitudes you have held on to, to guilt and to the possessions. Don't look at the possessions and create stories in your mind or lament over the feelings associated with them. Don't let yourself feel the overwhelming feelings of guilt and fear, but feel the emotions of the the beginning of a freer, less attached you, that lives only in the present. Take that donation box, and just ruthlessly put in the items that you have not used in the last few months or that do not give value to who you are now and who you want to be. Let go, welcome change and embrace today.

Moderation for Progress

I have a high respect for people who are minimalist due to the sheer discipline. However, I have found that some people believe that doing so makes you automatically a successful and self fulfilled person. I was a minimalist to some extent for most of my life in that I had only clothing and items I used, except for my large library of books. In my mid twenties, I shopped a lot, trying to fit an image that friends said I needed in the corporate world. However, unlike before, many of the items I had were not really "me", but others style that they oppressed on me. So, in the last 4 years, I went on an extreme spin to be a minimalist. It was great to challenge myself to see how much I can live without. Yet, I don't feel that I moved much towards achieving success in life due to it. I enjoy material things, but was never attached to them nor did I ever have the mistaken belief that I would find happiness purely by obtaining stuff. However, the minimalist goals of living close to the land, living with less stuff, shopping less and finding more time for friends and family did not fulfill me in themselves. I have always seen family as important, and other than school loans, I have never been in debt over purchasing items. I don't believe in having stuff you don't use, nor buying stuff you don't use, though I have certainly had my mishaps. I also don't believe in rampant consumerism for the sake of it or for the false believe that it will fulfill you. Doing without is refreshing and freeing, but having also can create joy and comfort. Therefore, I find moderation, not minimalism or extreme materialism is a better way.

What struck me about many minimalists is that they are so extreme. Some harped at me for owning 20 pairs of shoes when I work in the corporate legal field and live in NYC where our streets are not forgiving on shoes, and where we have 4 seasons.

People seem to have categories of minimalism now, such as extreme minimalist or moderate minimalist, but these are highly arbitrary. You are either a minimalist (obsessed with reducing possessions & living with less), an materialist/extremist (obsessed with gaining material possessions) or a moderate. I think most people fall into the category of being moderate, and with anything in life, moderation may be be the best in most things. I personally do not consider myself a minimalist or a materialist, but rather a moderate.

I am not obsessed with material things, but I have no desire to be so strict on myself that I cannot enjoy a small shopping trip now and then. I donate regularly, so I am not so attached to things that I am not letting them go. While I have had guilt at wasting money on purchases that didn't fit into my lifestyle in the past, it was a valuable lesson learned, and one that I remember to not commit. I make time for friends and family, and know that they are a great treasure. However, I am aware that my peace and self fulfillment is most important as if I don't have those, I am not as pleasant, encouraging and kind as I could be. So, yes, I do want to move up in life. I have career goals that I want to achieve. I would like to live a comfortable life. However, I also have big dreams to help others if I am blessed enough to achieve wealth. My reasons for attaining career success are 1) to be self fulfilled and reach my highest potential, 2) to be self sufficient so I am not a burden or expense on my family and to build a life with my husband, and 3) to give back to my close family, close friends and society. They are all equally important goals to me. In being self fulfilled, I like to have nice things and enjoy beauty. It is not a need per se, but something that makes me happy to reward myself for my hard work.

So, extreme minimalists may not agree and look down. I know some who are not working or are just happy being where they are in life, just living on a small budget and hanging out with friends and family in most of their time. That may make them happy, and that is fine. I personally think contentment is commendable. However, as much as I love people and my loved ones, having goals and challenging myself to achieve is also integral to my happiness. So, to each his own.

Green Ideas fo Health & Productivity

Limiting the things that I bring into my home and simplifying my chores gives me more time to do what I really enjoy. I find that using environmentally friendly products are better for my health and for the environment. Here are some products and practices that I employ that makes my life a little bit easier.


SKIN CARE

Use natural skin care products. It is better for the environment and your skin. Coincidentally, most natural products have fewer ingredients than other products. Look for those with the least ingredients and with no preservatives. If you don’t use face makeup (powder, foundation, concealer, blush, etc.), steaming your face with a soft wash cloth and boiling water should be sufficient. If you run out of natural products or can’t find them near your neighborhood, products for extremely sensitive skin, such as Cephatil or Eucerin, also have fewer ingredients.

HOUSE CLEANING

Baking soda and vinegar are miracle house cleaners, which were used before cleaners were mass marketed. You can use them to deodorize, clean stoves, counter tops, tubs, sinks, etc. Check this site for recipes/idea. I use baking soda to clean pots and pans, and soak dishes in baking soda and minimal water to loosen grease and food, but I am looking for an alternative to liquid soap to wash dishes. Any ideas?

LAUNDRY/DRY CLEANING

For delicate materials, such as silk, cashmere and merino wool (which encompass half of my wardrobe due to my sensitive skin), you can just use clear, cheap shampoo, like Suave, White Rain or Tresemme to hand wash them in lukewarm water. This saves money on the cleaners and protects the environment because dry cleaning solvents are dangerous for the environment and also bad for your clothing because they break down fabrics. If you have a stain, try to treat it right away with a little hot water and undyed soap. Then you can just steam the fabric when you get home. Steaming is also a good alternative to dry cleaning if your aim is just to freshen your clothing after a wear of two until you are ready to wash it with gentle shampoo.

PERIODICALS

I have done away with all my magazine subscriptions, except one for husband's reading in the bathroom. lol. Sorry for being explicit. You can read most of the information on online versions of most newspapers and magazines. If you want premium content, most major newspapers and magazine offer online subscriptions now, but I advise not to complicate your life by doing so unless you need premium content for your job. Also, ask retailers to remove you from their mailing if you can so you don’t get catalogs and junk mail. When you do get catalogs or junk mail, recycle right away rather than letting them pile up. Don’t bother looking through them to browse unless there was something you were looking for previously.

I have also scanned some of my old magazines into the computer to save spaces, such as my copies of Gothic Beauty, Propaganda and Victorian Goth Garden Magazine and articles from Yoga Journal.

BOOKS

I love the tactile-ness of books, but have only purchased a few books this entire year, since my husband bought me a Kindle Fire. I used to go on compulsive bookstore shopping at Strands and Barnes & Nobles. I still have held on to books not in eBook format, such as a few goth culture books, historical books on witchcraft and vampires, my collection of Poe and Lovecraft stories and my law books. However, all else have been replaced via eBook if the copyright has been expired, such as classics, like Wuthering Heights, and some of my psychology books. This saves so much time and space, and it looks so much like a book that the first few weeks of using it, I would reach for the edge as if turning a page. It is a little pricey, though cheaper than the Kindle, even though it was the first innovator of EBook technology. It is worth the price though in convenience and portability for your back, and think of how much you would save if you had to move all those books. Not to mention that it saves trees. All the classics are available in eBook format, and many current books are being produced as in eBook format (pdf) also. You can download classics, where copyrights have been expired, for free from Project Gutenberg and read in pdf format on the reader. These days, I only buy regular books if I really need them and cannot find it in a store. I also encourage supporting smaller booksellers when possible.

HOUSEKEEPING

Housecleaning takes up a lot of time if you have a lot of possessions, so the first thing that I recommend is clear out anything you have not used in the past year. This includes kitchen gadgets, office supplies, magazines, old video games and toys if you have children, etc., most of which can be donated to thrift stores. I also recommend getting rid of excess bins and containers because although they are marketed to keep clutter under control, they also keep you unaware of all the things that you actually own. The plastic in bins are also bad for the environment. I keep all kitchen items in accessible cupboards so they can be used regularly rather than stored somewhere. For two people who don’t usually entertain more than 4 people at a time, 6 forks, 6 knives, 6 spoons, 6 plates, 6 bowls and 6 glasses are sufficient. A lot of people have way too many house wares that they rarely or never use. We used to have only 2 of each, but since we like to have a few friends over instead of spending a lot of money dining out all the time, we bought a few more items, but not more than needed.

CLOTHING 

I have said a lot about minimizing clothes in my other posts, since as a female that was my biggest area I had to minimize when I started this journey. I have to emphasize that I do not recommend storing clothes, shoes or coats where you cannot see them because you will not be aware of how much you actually have. I keep all my clothes hung up and shoes on wood shelves and in wood baskets. At the end of the season, I wash or steam all my clothing and put them in clear, reusable suit bags. I hate using plastic, but this makes it easier to see the items that I have in the event that I need an off season item and also to keep inventory of all that I have. Shoes that I am currently using go on a wood shelf near the door, and those not in use are in wooden baskets in the bottom of my closet.

FOOD

I am not a strict vegetarian, but try to eat meat and fish as little as possible, and I eat no red meat. I used to be a strict vegetarian, but as I am anemic, I got very sick, and my doctor recommended that I eat a little more protein. So I eat fish and seafood 2 to 3 times a week, and once in a blue when I visit my in-laws home, I eat chicken or pork if there is nothing else because I do not want to inconvenience them, but that is rare. That said, I try to eat simple, vegetarian food most of the time. It is better for the environment because of all the emissions and food required to maintain the food industry and for your health as studies have shown that communities that do not eat meat live longer. See the Cornell China Study, and the Oprah’s episode on centenarian (person who is at least 100 years old) populations around the world.  I walk with vegetarian snacks, like Kashi cereal, dried fruits, etc., so if I am hungry and cannot find a vegetarian friendly menu or if it is too expensive such as in New York, I have sustenance to hold me out until I get home.  I do my best not to eat chocolate, processed food or excess sugar, though I do have a fruit filled cookie or make flan or other desserts. I try to make deserts at home because there are no or less preservatives and less sugar than store bought items.

The Greatest Skill - A Positive Attitude

I can attest to my performance in any area of life being contingent on my attitude. I am human, and I have had let criticisms and negative comments from some "friends" affect me, although I have been for most of my life, encouraging to friends. However, when it comes down to fulfillment in our life, we are ultimately responsible. So, in cases such as these, we should internally deflect these comments or defend ourselves and wait to see if the friends change this behavior. If they don't, distance yourself, and don't let them sully your attitude with their negativity. Sometimes, we also are our own spirit-dampener, whether it is because we are used to the habit of pessimism ourselves or if we are going through depression due to a rough time in our lives. However, a positive attitude is the greatest skill that we can have to make progress internally and externally in life. Comforting friends and expressing ourselves is not a bad thing. We all need that. Even criticism is not bad if the person does so with a solution to help us, and says it in a gentle way. However, people who are consistently miserable do not help themselves or the world at large. We will all have our moments, but as a whole, starting today, try to eradicate a consistently negative outlook from your own mind, and do not spread the poison of negativity. Every day is filled with gifts of life if we would only move the veils away and see clearly.

Here are some quotes that inspire me on the topic:

• Since the house is on fire, let us warm ourselves.  -Italian Proverb
• Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world.  ~Eckhart Tolle
• In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.  ~Albert Camus, Lyrical and Critical Essays
• If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one.  -Cavett Robert
• Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts.  It's what you do with what you have left.  -Hubert Humphrey
• Learn to smile at every situation.  See it as an opportunity to prove your strength and ability.  -Joe Brown
• A person will sometimes devote all his life to the development of one part of his body - the wishbone.  -Robert Frost
• Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.  ~Voltaire
• The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
• If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.  ~Vince Lombardi
• My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants.  ~J. Brotherton
• I don't like that man.  I must get to know him better.  ~Abraham Lincoln
• I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.  ~Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
• The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations.  ~Eli Khamarov, Surviving on Planet Reebok
• Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.  ~Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818
• Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com
• Whenever you fall, pick something up.  ~Oswald Avery
• Success is due less to ability than to zeal.  ~Charles Buxton
• You're not going to make me have a bad day.  If there's oxygen on earth and I'm breathing, it's going to be a good day.  ~Cotton Fitzsimmons
• Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time.  ~Betty Smith
• The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.  One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.  ~F. Scott Fitzgerald
• I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.  ~Mahatma Gandhi
• There's a saying among prospectors:  "Go out looking for one thing, and that's all you'll ever find."  ~Robert Flaherty
• The soul does not absorb negativity by accident, always by choice.  ~Dodinsky, www.dodinsky.com
• Being a sex symbol has to do with an attitude, not looks.  Most men think it's looks, most women know otherwise.  ~Kathleen Turner
• We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails.  ~Author Unknown
• The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, became a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong.  ~Thomas Carlyle
• We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.  ~Joseph Campbell

Being Your Authentic Self (Self-Esteem & Self-Actualization)

It is a conundrum that I am sure humans have faced since the dawn of civilization and society: be autonomous, unique and independent OR be harmonious and confirm to certain ideals of society. Personally, I have been on both sides of the spectrum, but 80% on the side of being independent. However, it has been an extreme that has not always created balance and clarity in my life. This is because the fact is that we live in a society and have to play by certain rules and need each other to subsist. I certainly have needed people in my life, but I am very stubborn to ask for help due to not burdening others, but more so out of not wanting to give up control to anyone or my authenticity to appease others. However, the truth is that unless you live on the land, fetch your own water from streams, hunt wild animals and build a hut from forest timber, we all need people and interact with people in our day to day lives. I enjoy people and a thriving environment very much, but have been torn by the need for human contact, interaction and help.

Here's a great video about self-esteem and Self-Actualization pertaining to Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which has to do with being the being the best version of yourself. I will post more on this topic in the future.

Words to Inspire You

"Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left." - Hubert Humphrey

"Self-actualization refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, ...to the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming." - A.H. Maslow

Top Productivity Blogs

I don't read or follow all of these. Those that I have visited more than once are listed on my Favorite Blogs link. Many of these are super helpful and encouraging, especially when I am having a low day, and don't feel much like writing myself.

http://zenhabits.net/the-top-50-productivity-blogs-most-of-which-you-havent-heard-about/