I know I know, it has been decades since I have posted a new..well, post. But my sorry was pretty much spent working.
That's it.
Working.
This is going to be a quick, random little post to assure you that I am alive and haven't forgotten about you lovely readers. Fall is fast approaching (thank you Baby Jesus!) and that means I am whipping out old recipes and searching high and low for yummy new ones! I think that this autumn I am going to have a sort of autumn festival. I want to invite my friends over for a vegan potluck, but keep it autumn themed. More on that later, as I haven't ironed everything out just yet.
I want to share this video with you of the wonderful Linda Long (read about me meeting her here) talking about her new book Virgin Vegan! It isn't out yet, but if you know what's good for ya, you'll keep an eye out for it! It is bound to be a really great book, full of all you need to know....well....just watch the video! Be kind, be curious, be festive, be on the lookout for Virgin Vegan!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
And The Heat Goes On...
If you are anywhere around the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.
then you'll know that it is hotter than the hinges of Hell.
We have been stuck in a scorching heat wave for the past few days...today reaching the highest at around 108 degrees.
As I state every summer...I DO NOT do well in the heat. I get very grumpy, very fast.
As most people realize (I really hope all people realize), when it is this hot out, it is extremely important to drink as much water as possible. If you allow yourself to start feeling thirsty, you're probably already getting quite dehydrated. I have a 16 fluid ounce glass bottle that I refill about 5 or 6 times a day.
Yesterday I drank two bottles in the morning, then went away for about 8 hours...without drinking much water the rest of the day. By the time I got home last night, I had a horrible headache and felt very fatigued. Dehydration is a sneaky little bastard that can do a lot of damage.
While on the subject of drinking enough water, I'd like to remind you of the serious dangers of drinking from a plastic bottle. I know, I know...it's so convenient to just buy a plastic bottle of water from the store. But money wise, if you purchase a water filter for your tap, and buy a reusable, non-plastic water bottle...you will end up saving a lot of money as opposed to buying cases of water. You will also be preventing a lot of really nasty toxins from entering your body. You owe it to yourself to watch this documentary, Tapped. My mind was absolutely blown.
On a lighter note..I would like to share one of my favorite summer recipes.
Sure a vegan can grab some dairy-free ice cream and go to town, but I still don't find it very healthy and often don't want such a heavy consistency on a hot day.
So, straight from the incredible book Color Me Vegan, I give you...Watermelon Granita.
The first time I made this, I could not get over how delicious and refreshing it is..and I still love it! So here ya go! Be kind, be curious, be hydrated, be refreshed!
Watermelon Granita (From Colour me Vegan)
Add the cooled syrup, watermelon and lime to a blender and puree. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish (casserole or something similar) and put it in the freezer. After one hour, take it out and rake it with a fork. Put it back in the fridge and repeat this 3 times. Serve in pretty glasses and garnish with watermelon slices and mint.
then you'll know that it is hotter than the hinges of Hell.
We have been stuck in a scorching heat wave for the past few days...today reaching the highest at around 108 degrees.
As I state every summer...I DO NOT do well in the heat. I get very grumpy, very fast.
As most people realize (I really hope all people realize), when it is this hot out, it is extremely important to drink as much water as possible. If you allow yourself to start feeling thirsty, you're probably already getting quite dehydrated. I have a 16 fluid ounce glass bottle that I refill about 5 or 6 times a day.Yesterday I drank two bottles in the morning, then went away for about 8 hours...without drinking much water the rest of the day. By the time I got home last night, I had a horrible headache and felt very fatigued. Dehydration is a sneaky little bastard that can do a lot of damage.
While on the subject of drinking enough water, I'd like to remind you of the serious dangers of drinking from a plastic bottle. I know, I know...it's so convenient to just buy a plastic bottle of water from the store. But money wise, if you purchase a water filter for your tap, and buy a reusable, non-plastic water bottle...you will end up saving a lot of money as opposed to buying cases of water. You will also be preventing a lot of really nasty toxins from entering your body. You owe it to yourself to watch this documentary, Tapped. My mind was absolutely blown.
On a lighter note..I would like to share one of my favorite summer recipes.
Sure a vegan can grab some dairy-free ice cream and go to town, but I still don't find it very healthy and often don't want such a heavy consistency on a hot day.
So, straight from the incredible book Color Me Vegan, I give you...Watermelon Granita.
The first time I made this, I could not get over how delicious and refreshing it is..and I still love it! So here ya go! Be kind, be curious, be hydrated, be refreshed!
Watermelon Granita (From Colour me Vegan)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup of water
- 4 cups of watermelon chunks (about half a watermelon)
- Juice of one lime
- Mint leaves for garnish
Add the cooled syrup, watermelon and lime to a blender and puree. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish (casserole or something similar) and put it in the freezer. After one hour, take it out and rake it with a fork. Put it back in the fridge and repeat this 3 times. Serve in pretty glasses and garnish with watermelon slices and mint.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Imperfections Are Yummy!
Now that summer is just around the corner and produce is looking better and better, I thought I'd touch a little bit on the whole topic of organic fruits and veggies.
I try to buy local produce as much as possible. Luckily my grocery store provides a rather small (but it's still there!) selection of local, organic produce. It is definitely pricier, but I feel absolutely fine paying a little extra for top quality fruits and veggies. However, just because it's local...it doesn't mean it's organic!
Something I constantly hear a lot about is the difference between organic and non organic produce. Many people (admittedly older people) feel that there is absolutely no difference and that organic farming is a scam to get more money for the same amount of product. Please do your research! I understand that organic food can be expensive, but so can the side affects of not eating organic. I admittedly opt out of an organic ingredient from a dish if I am really really tight for money. I believe I probably eat about 98% organic. Even if you only eat 70% organic...it's better than not eating organic at all!
A lot of people go for the non organic produce simply because it looks better. Non organic produce always seems "picture perfect". Everything is the same mega size, the perfect color. But is it really necessary? I like the little imperfections! I find that organic fruits and veggies have a much deeper, natural color. I have personally noticed that a lot of the non organic produce that is "picture perfect" seems to be tasteless. A great test to this...grab a few non organic strawberries, the ones that are the size of a chihuahua. You know which ones I am talking about. They are usually light red with white near the stem. Now, grab a couple of organic strawberries. They are noticeably smaller, but a deep red color. Slice into them. You'll notice a huge difference. Then, try them! If you can't tell the difference....you may want to get your taste buds examined. I'm just saying...
To be honest, I could never really taste the difference in organic fruits and veggies before I became a vegetarian a few years ago. But since I have cut out all of the nasties....WOW! So go for the test! See if you can tell the amazing difference!
Click on THIS link to find out the top 12 things you should ALWAYS eat organic and why!
What are your views on organic foods?
Be kind, be curious, be organic!
I try to buy local produce as much as possible. Luckily my grocery store provides a rather small (but it's still there!) selection of local, organic produce. It is definitely pricier, but I feel absolutely fine paying a little extra for top quality fruits and veggies. However, just because it's local...it doesn't mean it's organic!
Something I constantly hear a lot about is the difference between organic and non organic produce. Many people (admittedly older people) feel that there is absolutely no difference and that organic farming is a scam to get more money for the same amount of product. Please do your research! I understand that organic food can be expensive, but so can the side affects of not eating organic. I admittedly opt out of an organic ingredient from a dish if I am really really tight for money. I believe I probably eat about 98% organic. Even if you only eat 70% organic...it's better than not eating organic at all!
A lot of people go for the non organic produce simply because it looks better. Non organic produce always seems "picture perfect". Everything is the same mega size, the perfect color. But is it really necessary? I like the little imperfections! I find that organic fruits and veggies have a much deeper, natural color. I have personally noticed that a lot of the non organic produce that is "picture perfect" seems to be tasteless. A great test to this...grab a few non organic strawberries, the ones that are the size of a chihuahua. You know which ones I am talking about. They are usually light red with white near the stem. Now, grab a couple of organic strawberries. They are noticeably smaller, but a deep red color. Slice into them. You'll notice a huge difference. Then, try them! If you can't tell the difference....you may want to get your taste buds examined. I'm just saying...
To be honest, I could never really taste the difference in organic fruits and veggies before I became a vegetarian a few years ago. But since I have cut out all of the nasties....WOW! So go for the test! See if you can tell the amazing difference!
Click on THIS link to find out the top 12 things you should ALWAYS eat organic and why!
What are your views on organic foods?
Be kind, be curious, be organic!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
New Steps!
My last post, Vulnerability and Shame, was my most viewed post to date. To be honest, I wasn't sure if it would get any views at all..and boy, was I surprised!
It makes me so happy to know that my little group of readers are just as interested in understanding and exploring oneself as I am. I feel like this allows me to open up another corridor of my blog, so to speak. Most of you know my passions and interests by now. So far, my blog has mainly consisted of posts about veganism, activism etc., all things that play a very large roll in my life. But why not share not only my journey with food and animals and nature and activism, but with spirituality as well? After all, isn't that being kind AND curious? I don't want to discuss religion. That, as we all know, is a very slippery slope. I consider myself a spiritual person, but not a religious person. I do, however, respect all beliefs...so long as they cause no ill will or harm to others.
I will continue to post about all of the previous things I have blogged about, that are a part of my life, but I will now also include articles and such that I find fascinating. Whether it's dipping a toe into understanding the human psyche, having an "a-ha moment", putting previous beliefs to test, so on and so for. I hope you all find these posts equally as interesting. As always, I hope you will give feedback and share this blog with others. Connecting based on common interests is a beautiful things. I'll leave you with an article posted by actress Rachelle Lefevre on twitter. I first glanced at the article but became so captivated that I read through it and knew I wanted to share with all of you. Just click on the title! Be kind, be curious, be the one to ride the crocodile!
Why Lying Broken in a Pile on Your Bedroom Floor is a Good Idea. ~ Julie (JC) Peters
It makes me so happy to know that my little group of readers are just as interested in understanding and exploring oneself as I am. I feel like this allows me to open up another corridor of my blog, so to speak. Most of you know my passions and interests by now. So far, my blog has mainly consisted of posts about veganism, activism etc., all things that play a very large roll in my life. But why not share not only my journey with food and animals and nature and activism, but with spirituality as well? After all, isn't that being kind AND curious? I don't want to discuss religion. That, as we all know, is a very slippery slope. I consider myself a spiritual person, but not a religious person. I do, however, respect all beliefs...so long as they cause no ill will or harm to others.
I will continue to post about all of the previous things I have blogged about, that are a part of my life, but I will now also include articles and such that I find fascinating. Whether it's dipping a toe into understanding the human psyche, having an "a-ha moment", putting previous beliefs to test, so on and so for. I hope you all find these posts equally as interesting. As always, I hope you will give feedback and share this blog with others. Connecting based on common interests is a beautiful things. I'll leave you with an article posted by actress Rachelle Lefevre on twitter. I first glanced at the article but became so captivated that I read through it and knew I wanted to share with all of you. Just click on the title! Be kind, be curious, be the one to ride the crocodile!
Why Lying Broken in a Pile on Your Bedroom Floor is a Good Idea. ~ Julie (JC) Peters
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Vulnerability and Shame
A new friend (and hopefully a friend who will become a close, long lasting friend) sent these videos to me about an hour ago. I watched them and immediately knew I wanted to share them with you. Each video is a little over 20 minutes, but I promise you that they are absolutely worth your time. So please watch, and tell me what you think. Be kind curious...and honest to yourself and others.
Vulnerability
Shame
Vulnerability
Shame
Friday, March 9, 2012
I Need Your Help!
I finally have my laptop back!
Oddly enough, the two things that I mourned over losing the most were my iTunes and a cook book that I made on my laptop full of great vegan recipes that have been shared with me or that I have found online.
The good thing is that I was able to recover all of my songs on iTunes (I'm not going to lie...I was in full panic attack mode), the bad thing is that I lost ALL of my recipes. Ones that I used quite a bit, and ones that I had been so eager to try.
So now, I need your help. I would like for you to share your favorite vegan recipes. I don't care if it's desserts, breakfast, drinks, whatever! Now, I'm no gourmet chef, so let's not go all Iron Chef on me.
Either comment below, send me a link on here or on twitter (Tommy9008) or find some other creative way. Please no carrier pigeons.
I shall be working on catching up with my blog friends and fill you all in on the happenings of the past month or so. Baby steps so I don't end up burning myself out just yet!
Thanks kids! Be kind, be curious, be giving!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Dooooon't Yooouu Forget About Me
I haven't abandoned you. I promise. I have SO much to blog about!
But here's the thing...
Technology has failed me.
My laptop crashed.
Guess who was stupid and didn't have a back up hard drive?
The death of my hard drive was over a week ago, the beautiful white corpse of my MacBook lay peacefully on my shelf.
Hopefully this week or weekend I will be able to get a new hard drive. It also helps that I have a friend who is willing to install it for free.
So, I hope you don't forget about the blog and stay tuned for some pretty great reads (or at least I hope good reads).
I shall hopefully be back soon!
But here's the thing...
Technology has failed me.
My laptop crashed.
Guess who was stupid and didn't have a back up hard drive?
The death of my hard drive was over a week ago, the beautiful white corpse of my MacBook lay peacefully on my shelf.
Hopefully this week or weekend I will be able to get a new hard drive. It also helps that I have a friend who is willing to install it for free.
So, I hope you don't forget about the blog and stay tuned for some pretty great reads (or at least I hope good reads).
I shall hopefully be back soon!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2012-The Beginning
Well, I had about 2 holiday related posts planned...
Then the holidays happened...
And the posts didn't...
I don't really have anything to say about the holidays because they didn't seem very holiday-ish this year. And now it's 2012! Wow! 2011 went by crazy fast, yet parts of it seem so far away. At the end of each year I usually make a massive post about my life over the past year. This year, nah. Why rehash all of the ups and downs? Why not just cherish, learn and grow from them? I like that idea. At the beginning of each year I also usually say that I'm going to do this and that and the other thing. This year, I'm still doing that to an extent. I'm doing it for myself, and myself only.
I know what my goals are for the year.
And I'm not talking about being a better person or donating more. I feel like that should be an everyday goal, not some distant thing that you feel is something nice to strive for.
I'm talking about life changing things.
I know what those goals are.
You don't.
And that's ok.
I have noticed over the past year that when I speak of my current situation and my future plans, I know what I need to do for me. But others overruled my plans/ goals as "ridiculous" or "wishful thinking". I was told that I was "existing, not living". That was a knife in the heart. Just because you THINK you know a person, it doesn't mean you do. There are days when I feel so full of life and love that I can hardly handle it! I contribute to the universe numerous ways, every day. As does everyone! It's in your hands to make it a positive contribution. This year I am making sure I don't let anyone get me down with THEIR negativity.
Contrary to popular belief, the Mayan calendar does NOT end in 2012, but instead begins a new cycle. Apparently 2012 is to begin a sort of spiritual rebirth for the universe, ourselves, mankind, etc. If this is true, then I am beyond excited. I think we all need a rebirth, but why wait for some prophetic calendar cycle to run out? I hope that in 2012 we can all begin to love and accept and tolerate and embrace and grow. Let's put an end to radical politics and using religion as a weapon. Let's finally open our eyes and hearts to what goes on our plate and into our bodies, as well as what is ripped from our ground and and being buried under concrete, what's being thrown in our streams and oceans, what's being poured in our waters. Let's love, laugh, give, live! Let's think of health not as a pesky thing we have to keep checking on, but a beautiful gift to take care of!
I am so grateful for YOU.
You who read my blog, who comment, contact and follow me on twitter. Who offer your opinions, advice and gratitude for my posts. I want to continue sharing as much as I can. I have most recently started another blog. It's called Jagged Little Thrill. It's a space where I can share some of my writings and hopefully connect with you on a different level. There is some light, some dark, some beauty, some reflection. I hope you continue to enjoy this blog as well as my new blog and are eager to share with other readers.
May the year bring you all you deserve. Be kind, be curious, be positive, be reborn.
For all of you :-)
Then the holidays happened...
And the posts didn't...
I don't really have anything to say about the holidays because they didn't seem very holiday-ish this year. And now it's 2012! Wow! 2011 went by crazy fast, yet parts of it seem so far away. At the end of each year I usually make a massive post about my life over the past year. This year, nah. Why rehash all of the ups and downs? Why not just cherish, learn and grow from them? I like that idea. At the beginning of each year I also usually say that I'm going to do this and that and the other thing. This year, I'm still doing that to an extent. I'm doing it for myself, and myself only.
I know what my goals are for the year.
And I'm not talking about being a better person or donating more. I feel like that should be an everyday goal, not some distant thing that you feel is something nice to strive for.
I'm talking about life changing things.
I know what those goals are.
You don't.
And that's ok.
I have noticed over the past year that when I speak of my current situation and my future plans, I know what I need to do for me. But others overruled my plans/ goals as "ridiculous" or "wishful thinking". I was told that I was "existing, not living". That was a knife in the heart. Just because you THINK you know a person, it doesn't mean you do. There are days when I feel so full of life and love that I can hardly handle it! I contribute to the universe numerous ways, every day. As does everyone! It's in your hands to make it a positive contribution. This year I am making sure I don't let anyone get me down with THEIR negativity.
Contrary to popular belief, the Mayan calendar does NOT end in 2012, but instead begins a new cycle. Apparently 2012 is to begin a sort of spiritual rebirth for the universe, ourselves, mankind, etc. If this is true, then I am beyond excited. I think we all need a rebirth, but why wait for some prophetic calendar cycle to run out? I hope that in 2012 we can all begin to love and accept and tolerate and embrace and grow. Let's put an end to radical politics and using religion as a weapon. Let's finally open our eyes and hearts to what goes on our plate and into our bodies, as well as what is ripped from our ground and and being buried under concrete, what's being thrown in our streams and oceans, what's being poured in our waters. Let's love, laugh, give, live! Let's think of health not as a pesky thing we have to keep checking on, but a beautiful gift to take care of!
I am so grateful for YOU.
You who read my blog, who comment, contact and follow me on twitter. Who offer your opinions, advice and gratitude for my posts. I want to continue sharing as much as I can. I have most recently started another blog. It's called Jagged Little Thrill. It's a space where I can share some of my writings and hopefully connect with you on a different level. There is some light, some dark, some beauty, some reflection. I hope you continue to enjoy this blog as well as my new blog and are eager to share with other readers.
May the year bring you all you deserve. Be kind, be curious, be positive, be reborn.
For all of you :-)
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