Just Breathe

Something I'm trying to work on is giving myself a pat on the back every once in awhile. It feels strange, and it's definitely not a habit I'm used to. I'm more used to kicking my own ass.
Yesterday I truly had a day that would make most people want to jump off of a bridge. From my first errand, through my last errand it was just one disaster after another. I'm talking missed busses, boots breaking, much walking through ice and snow in said broken boots. I had to deal with a SUPER rude bank teller. It was truly a day where you really question what the hell is going on. By the time I got home, I was exhausted, and inconsolable.
The old me would have handled my frazzled nerves by either bingeing and purging, drinking way too much, and smoking tons of cigarettes.(At the very least) And when I got home I had that wild need for anything to distract, or make those feelings of sheer frustration go away. But instead, I pet some kitties, fed some kitties, took some deep breaths, and just calmed myself down. And I survived! The me of even a year ago would have smoke many cigs trying to calm my nerves. Which is crazy, cause cigs are full of stimulants!
I think a lot of us focus too much on what we need to do, change, fix, accomplish. It's great to be a constant work in progress, but we have to take that time to notice how far we've come. We try to show positivity towards other people, and compliment, encourage, high five, but what about ourselves? I guess I'm learning that to be my own best friend, I have to actually be my own best friend. One thing yoga has taught me is breathe through the discomfort. So high fiving myself feels weird, and uncomfortable, but I'm breathing through it, and one day it won't feel uncomfortable.
High five, from my hand to yours!

Not Just For the Birds

Yesterday I sloshed and trudged my way to the Co-op to bulk up. I was hoping they would have Field Roast's new vegan Chao cheese, but not quite yet. All in all it was a good trip, and I was able to get my hand on what I think is an underappreciated grain. I'm talking about the main ingredient in birdseed, millet. It looks like couscous, but this is a grain, and it's gluten free. I know that millet can be prepared like quinoa, and served as a fluffy side, or mixed into a salad. I have never prepared it that way, I always use it for a creaminess factor in soups! It breaks down, and becomes creamy. It also makes a great breakfast porridge. Millet is very inexpensive. It's like ninety-nine cents a pound in the bulk bins at the Co-op, for organic. Millet will help your life in many ways. It hydrates the colon, preventing constipation. It is alkalizing to the body, and it's high in serotonin. It has minerals, and anti-oxidants, it might just be an unsung superfood. If your looking for another inexpensive grain to add to your pantry, try this amazing, super inexpensive grain!
As winter rages on. I also wanted to remind everyone to be very choosy about your take-out/restaurant food. Last week at work, both of the cooks at my job were sick all week. Like flu/cold hybrid sick. I also was on the bus, and someone who works in the café/prepared food section of a grocery store was on the bus after her shift, coughing, and hacking and talking of how sick she was. Also, several bartenders are sick, and their breathing and hacking into peoples drinks. It's funny how people get obsessed with using hand sanitizer, but they will eat food prepared by a cook with the flu. We live in strange times my friends. I'm saying this to remind everyone to really think about who is near your food. You can't trust that all businesses will do the right thing and send employees home who are clearly ill and possibly contagious. In my experience, that hardly ever happens. Be careful with your health, and eat some birdseed!

Short & Sweet

I am really struggling this morning with some bad feelings. The weather is horrid, and I have errands to run that unfortunately I can't put off. There is just a brutal mix of ice, and snow that makes it treacherous to walk, and I'm sure drive a car. I feel like every grumpy character ever.
There are two quotes I'm going to be saying over and over to myself today, as I'm out and about and I thought that they are appropriate for everyone involved in Beyoncé-gate. One is from my Yogi tea bag, and the other is the quote on my manifestation journal.
"Develop the power of listening"- Yogi tea sage 
"Kindness Gives Birth to Kindness"- Sophocles
I hope that today, and every day we can all listen more, and react with kindness, even if we disagree.

Semantics

I read about Beyoncé's plan to partner with her trainer, Marco Borge and launch a vegan meal delivery service. My first reaction was, and still is happiness. I instantly thought of the gazillion of hardcore Beyoncé fans, I believe they call themselves the Beyhive, or something of the sort.  I was in my own world, happy as a clam, assuming the rest of the vegan world was also as joyous. After a few blissful hours, my bubble didn't just get burst, it got annihilated! There are a lot of unhappy vegans who are not only very critical of Beyoncé, but also anyone who dares to think this is a good idea. And boy, vegans can be just as mean, and bullying as anyone else. I feel very disappointed, and sad. Beyoncé does wear fur, lets get that out of the way. It sickens me to the bone. When I see someone with fur on, my first reaction is to tell them what dicks they are. I actually have done that a time or two. My point is fur is not okay, and vegan or not, the vast majority of people at least agree on that. So, I strongly disagree with her choice in that department. As far as her being a hypocrite, she has never claimed to be a vegan. When she and her husband, Jay Z (love) did a 22 day vegan diet, they spoke highly of it all the way through, and after it was over. They see vegan eating as a benefit to your health, and the environment. I have never heard either one of them really say anything about animals. I remember as they were on this "diet", Beyoncé was constantly instgramming beautiful pictures of amazing vegan foods. And they both spoke highly of the food, and how they felt. Many celebrities start a vegan diet to lose weight, or to try a trend or whatever flaky reason, and they seem to revel in trashing it when they're done, so when a celeb doesn't do that, I say high five.
The meal plan is expensive, but isn't any organic meal delivery service? I knew right away this would never be for me, but putting the name Beyoncé next to the words vegan food is a BIG DEAL. People might not get this meal service, but maybe they will try bobbing into a native foods, or veggie grill, or something of the sort. It's exposure, which is what we need. I am not a mainstream, trendy person, but we need vegan food to be mainstream. The animals need it to be mainstream There are plenty of very expensive vegan foods on the market, so the fact that this meal service is pricey is not going to start any rumors of vegan food being expensive, cause those rumors are already out there. And I don't hear vegans piping up about those companies and the price. You can't call someone a hypocrite, while being one. It kind of negates your point.
Maybe Beyoncé will evolve, and stop wearing fur. Maybe she won't. But in the right now, she is exposing vegan food to the masses, and I want to give her the BIGGEST hug. She is telling people, food can be delicious without meat. There are people who truly were raised meat and potatoes, and really, honestly can't imagine that  eating plants could be tasty, and satisfying. And, there are people who truly think the vegan diet consists of wheatgrass and spirulina salads, smoothies if we're feeling frisky! Something that I've come to realize is the world is not black and white. There's a lot of grey area, and we have to accept it, and work with it. I want the word vegan to not even exist. I just want it to be the way things are naturally. But we have a LONG way to go. And a beloved, very relevant, very sizzling hot celebrity praising vegan food so much, that she's putting her name on a meal service, I'm sorry I only see it as progress. To make the world better for animals, we need to progress.
One of my biggest frustrations with all politics is it seems like key words get thrown around, and all the words really stop anything from getting done. I hate to think of the same thing happening in the vegan community. We need to be fighting for the animals, not against each other. If you're a vegan, and you think Beyoncé's meal plan is a wonderful idea, yay. If you can't get past the fact that she wears fur, I understand, but it's still no reason to attack people who do support it. We all want the same thing, a compassionate world. There are so many different ways to spread veganism, and food is a big one. People are literally scared of vegan food. One way to get people to stop eating animals is to show them that compassionate food is so much more than quinoa and kale.
As far as I'm concerned, anyone who chooses to not eat meat, for whatever reason, is getting a high five from me. Beyoncé is a dick for wearing fur, but she's still doing a great thing for vegan food, end of story. Progress, not perfection.

Oatmeal just got Real

For years I've been a savory breakfast person. Lentil or miso soup, or a pudla, something savory. Since change seems to be something I'm really working for, yesterday morning I decided to switch it up and make oatmeal for breakfast. I recently discovered that I really love steel cut oatmeal. I like the heartier, firmer texture. It seems less gloopy. FYI- if you have a store with a bulk section, oats are soooo much cheaper in the bulk bins, especially steel cut oats. Normally oatmeal is pretty straight forward, nothing to write home about(ha), but I added a little zing to my bowl yesterday that really made my oatmeal sooooo luscious, I'm having it again today!(I never eat oatmeal two days in a row-ever!) I talked the other day about the newish culinary coconut milk from So Delicious. I made a curry using the light, and I still had a container of the original, which is super thick, like a thick whipping cream. I decided to add some sliced banana, cinnamon, maple syrup, and a dollop(or two) to my steel cut oats, and it was the best bowl of oats EVER! The thickness of the coconut milk made the oats ridiculously creamy, and mixed with the banana, and maple syrup, was the perfect amount of natural sweetness. Oats are something for me that I rarely eat, and when I do I always think, those were good, then I forget oatmeal exists for six months. Adding that little bit of creaminess made me stop, and think, why am I not eating more oats. I think today I'll try it with strawberries. Strawberry and cream oats? Sounds good to me!
I know I've talked an awful lot about all things coconut this week, and I apologize if coconuts aren't your thang, but I guess this was my week for new coconut product discoveries, and I like to spread the good word, and I guess the word this week has been coconut, and seitan bacon, of course!
Another little cool tip about the original coconut milk: it gets even thicker when you stick it in the fridge, after a few hours, it is like a stand alone whipped cream! And no, I am not being paid in or by coconuts!

BLAT goes the Vegan!

When I was cleaning my fridge the other day, I noticed a package of Sweet Earth Hickory & Sage smoked seitan bacon in my crisper drawer! I think I bought this back in November, or early December. I knew I needed to use it before March( the use by date) so I decided to make myself a good old fashioned vegan BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato), on my fave Veganic bread!
I have all good things to say about this new to me vegan bacon, so I want to get my only gripe out of the way. It is a pain in the arse to open, and the bacon is in a slightly saucy, oily reddish sauce, so use caution. The sauce color reminded me of products that are chipotle or Andouille style. So, have scissors ready, and don't wear your favorite shirt when opening! On to the good. First of all, as your cooking it the smell is like nothing I've ever experienced. My kitchen had this rich, savory smoky smell, minus the heavy fat and dead flesh. My kitties were milling around like what is happening here. I knew it was going to be something special as soon as it hit the pan. It's quick cooking, I cooked it in a pan with a smidge of coconut oil, for maybe three minutes per side. It got crispy around the edges, and had a delicious chewy, but not too chewy, bite. I loved everything about it. I could really taste the hickory smoke, and also the sage. I had a couple of pieces alone, so I could really give an educated review! It made an epic sandwich, with Just Mayo, avocado, romaine, and thinly sliced tomato. Yum. It was a perfect "summer" type of sandwich that I needed to lift my spirits yesterday, when I really needed it. This is by far my favorite vegan or vegetarian "bacon" out there. Sorry tempeh bacon, you need to have a seat. This will be something that becomes a regular splurge item. In the summer, when tomato's are super juicy and sweet? That will be when the BLAT's are really out of this world! It would be great chopped up in a salad, or in pasta. I'm sure it would be amazing paired with a tofu scramble, and some toast. I couldn't remember how much I paid, but it seems the average price is between five and six dollars for a package that has eight slices. I am on a tight human food budget, so this is a splurge, but more than worth it. Sweet Earth appears to be a vegan, or at least vegetarian company that prides itself on a natural approach. I feel a strong urge to support these vegan companies who are making such outstanding products. Not just for those of us who are already veg, but stuff that is so tasty, it could make a carnivore stop and realize that you can eat tasty food, and be compassionate. I honestly give this seitan bacon all the thunbs up!

Winter Ranting

I'm having a really hard week. It started going downhill on Saturday, and then Sunday winter decided to rear it's ugly head again. It's just dumb little things, but they just keep happening. I now know what the saying "my nerves are shot" means. I feel frazzled. I'll give you an example, Monday I put my garbage and recycling on the curb where I do EVERY WEEK, and I don't know if the snow covered/camouflaged it, or what but they didn't take my stuff! And yes, they took other neighbor's garbage, and yes my sewer/trash bill is paid. Things like that, along with the hideous weather is really making me struggle with any type of cheer.
I find winter to be completely unacceptable. This is the long stretch of winter that I really loathe. I've come to the conclusion that winter makes everything worse. All of life's little inconveniences seem SO MUCH BIGGER!  Life is far too short to spends MONTHS of it hating it, and hating the thought of being outside, in the elements. I believe all animals, including humans need and should desire to be outside at some point in the day. UUUGGG! Where I live, there is easily three feet of snow on some sidewalks, and even where there is less snow, there is the thickest layer of ice. It's like a death layer dip. As a pedestrian, I've learned to seek out the snow, it serves as a buffer from the ice that will knock you on your ass.
Am I the only one who is just OVER IT?

Coo Coo for Coconut!

I made it through Snowpocalypse 2015 last week with barely an inch. But the last couple of days has been shall we say a bit snowy for my taste. The winter blues are in full effect! So, last night feeling chilled, blue, and just all around blah, I decided I needed a spicy curry in my life. My body was screaming for the spice, and I needed something in a sunshine yellow sauce. It also gave me a chance to try a new to me product. So Delicious makes culinary coconut milk, in little re-sealable containers. Which is so great when you have a need for just a little. I've read enough about BPA's and etc. in cans to make me really try to avoid them, and I can't always afford the organic canned coconut milk, so this container is awesome!
It comes in original, and lite. The lite is pretty similar to canned coconut milk once you've shaken/stirred the cream and the water together. It made for a wonderful, creamy and comforting curry.
The original is pretty thick. It could be easily whipped into a whipped cream, or a very rich, thick icing/frosting (are they the same?) for a cake. It's so thick it does not pour, it must be squeezed.
This is a great product, and it will be a pantry staple for sure, as I love curries. I purchased mine at Giant Eagle, and I paid $2.49 per container, which is around the cost for a can of regular coconut milk, so it's a fair price. Being able to store it in the fridge for multiple uses is very handy.
I found this in the baking aisle, close to sugars and oils, so keep your eye out for it, it might not be with other canned coconut milk. This is yet another example of a company just hitting it out of the ballpark with amazing vegan products! If only my coconut curry would have taken winter away!

Nutiva Coconut Oil is Simply Put..... The Best!

I have written often of my love for coconut oil, both for cooking, and most importantly for beautifying!  You will never have softer, healthier skin using anything else. I have been lotion obsessed since I can remember. I think it's very hereditary for me, as I remember a lot of people in my family loving various lotions and potions.
When I first started using coconut oil, in the stores I shop in I could mostly find Spectrum brand, which has done me fine over the years. Coconut oil is becoming much more of a "thing", so it seems every time I go to the grocery, there's a new brand. Well, last week when I needed to replenish my supply, I decided to try a new brand, and I have to say, it's kind of the best thing ever. The brand is Nutiva. It's been around for awhile, it's just newer to me and my market. What I noticed right away is it is remarkably creamier than any brand of coconut oil I've ever used. I always soften my coconut oil in warm water for moisturizing purposes, and I found that wasn't really a necessary step, as it was easy to use in it's natural form. That is amazing news to me, because I do find Spectrum's brand to be almost impossible to use without warming and softening first. My skin feels amazing of course, but in all fairness no better than using Spectrum. It's really just so much easier to use for lotion, and cooking when you don't have to always remember to warm it first.
I bought my jar at Wegman's, I bought the twenty three ounce jar, give or take an ounce. I have a sleepy kitty in my lap. and I don't want to get up and disturb anyone! So I believe I paid around fifteen dollars, which is actually a way better price. And what I have found is it lasts forever! A little goes a long way for cooking, and beautifying. When you use something on your skin that is so nourishing, you don't have to reapply it, or use a ton. And the same with cooking. Coconut oil can give a dish that rich, fatty flavor that a lot of meat eaters are terrified of giving up. I add about a half to a full teaspoon to cooked rice, and I add a touch to my chickpea/ noodle soup which makes it a little rich, and just makes it more satisfying.
Coconut oil is also good for your fur pets skin and fur as well. In addition to daiya, my main squeeze Dylan also enjoys a little coconut oil every time I use it. If I don't give him a little, he will follow me around licking my skin!!
If you share my love of coconut oil, look for Nutiva  at your grocery, you won't be disappointed, I promise!

Read All About It!!

Somehow I missed the news that there is a new vegan magazine on the market! It's called Vegan health and fitness. I notice it on the shelf right next to vegetarian times. I seriously had to do a double take. We are growing, and growing! And I think people are becoming more and more interested in this lifestyle.
I am on a shoestring food budget this week, so a five dollar magazine just wasn't a possibility this week, but I will look for this magazine in the future for sure. I leafed through it, and as the name indicates, it is very much health and fitness related. Lots of body builder/ swimsuit model types, and more bikini shots than a sports illustrated magazine! It is clearly for men and women, which I really like. I like seeing all of the body builder types in this magazine, just looking ripped and strong and eating an all vegan diet! I recently read the sad news that the actor Samuel L. Jackson had turned his back on his vegan diet, due to needing to bulk up for some movie. He said he just got too lean as a vegan, and could not put on the pounds. I wish he would have called me, I could have coached him. Ha. Many people still think that to be a vegan, you have to have sallow skin, and be very thin, and generally weak, or sickly. So it's nice to see this glossy magazine full of strong, in shape healthy glowing people thriving on such simple foods. The recipes I saw were for mostly smoothies, and some powerful salads. By powerful I mean no iceberg lettuce, weak ass tomatoes here. The recipes I looked at were chock full of beans, grains, and veg, both raw and cooked. It made me realize I need to get more creative with my salads!
I couldn't be happier to see this newish magazine. It's been months since I've seen VegNews magazine on the shelf, so it's nice to see that vegetarian times isn't the only meatless magazine.
Robert Cheeke is listed as a contributor, and it doesn't seem like he struggles with muscle mass at all!! And I didn't realize this, but he's been vegan for over twenty years! That means he built those muscles on a vegan diet!
" Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." -Hippocrates