Eat (vegetarian), Pray (from the heart), Love (what you do)

It was a sad day... I picked my last cucumber of the season. I had to clear out my garden - cut down the plants and toss them in a pile of half-dead plants that was to be thrown away. The season has come and gone in a flash. Although this might sound like I am upset (and I am about the cucumbers) but really, in the grand scheme of things, it is a new beginning. Since my garden is cleared of it's summer glory, I now have a new space to plant the cold season vegetables like kale, romaine lettuce, and whatever else you grow in cooler weather.

Last night I was sitting in a big comfy chair in the living room eating the last cucumber from the garden. My husband washed it, peeled it, sliced it, peppered it, arranged the slices so neatly on a plate, and served it to me. While I was eating, I was also reading a book titled - Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth (Liz) Gilbert (and yes, I plan to see the movie when I am done reading it). I love memoirs and I especially love memoirs about Italy. I felt a connection between me and Liz. The way she describes her passion for everything Italia. Even the way she writes. She is an amazing writer. Her job is amazing; who wouldn't want a job where people pay you to travel and experience the world. If I didn't love dietetics so much I would be a writer. Some day I will bring the two together (I realize blogging is writing, thank you). I will also find a way to throw in traveling as a mandatory necessity for a future career. Liz writes the way she thinks. When you read it, it is as if she is talking to you. That's how I write...

Speaking of career... I am two of three steps closer to starting mine! August 20, 2010 I will start a dietetic internship. This time next year I will be a Registered Dietitian (RD) and with that my big dream of being an RD entrepreneur will commence. This is my segway into how I will become a writer, a teacher, a speaker, and an inspiration. I am laying the foundations for what is unknown to me. I will be prepared for whatever the unknown "crusade" is and I am truly looking forward to it! What is your crusade?

Enjoy your crusade!

~ Crystal Van Meter
www.veggiecrusade.com

Summer (Produce) Lovin'

I look forward to so many things during the summer. Warm weather, being tan, summer dresses, going to the beach, visiting family, summer nights, and just being outside are but a few of the many things that summer time brings. It is truly the most joyous season of the year. One thing that you certainly cannot get during the other seasons of the year are ripe, luscious, and juicy fruits and vegetables. Growing them yourself makes them taste even better. Don't get me wrong, I realize you can get most of the same fruits and veggies year-round at the grocery store but they are more times than not, tasteless, hard, chemically, and down-right disappointing. I however, still buy them because I need a taste of summer goodness in the dead of winter when I am pasty white, wearing 20 pounds of clothing, cold, and going to bed at 8pm because it got dark 3 hours ago.
As for a vegetarian in the middle of winter... well lets just say there are some slim pickin's if you know what I mean. Being creative with monochromatic foods has to come second nature. But in the summer, there is a plethora of colorful goodness waiting to be tossed to together so effortlessly for your enjoyment. My personal garden supplies me (neighbors and coworkers included) with delicious cucumbers, Japanese egg plants, strawberries, yellow and orange bell peppers, chili peppers, banana peppers, strawberries, and tons of herbs. It is so nice to walk out into the backyard, snip off the veggies from the plant and eat most of them before I get back inside. Haha - the strawberries don't stand a chance! I don't think my husband even knows we have strawberries since they don't make it inside the house.
The relationship vegetarians have with food is sublime and almost spiritual. The summer months are a celebration of fun and rejuvenation. During this time I celebrate the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are picked during their own season and are allowed to grow on their own time. Strawberry season is over, watermelon season is in full force, and my egg plants and cucumbers are still pumping out huge volumes of veggies. Take advantage of this time. Visit your local farmers market to experience pure freshness and remind yourself what a real tomato tastes like.

Enjoy your crusade!
~Crystal Van Meter