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Tofu Scramble By A Psycho

Greeting!

It has been an interesting few weeks! I have learned that I can not trust my doctor. Read my last post. I called him immediately and heard back from his receptionist two weeks later. He then claimed that I have completely made up High Sensitivity and wanted me to sign off on psychiatric treatment. 

SAY WHAT?! 

Yes, so I will no longer be going to that doctor.

I still plan on posting some videos about being an HSP, but I think I will go about it differently. I posted some links in a previous post that talk about what an HSP is and isn't. It really can't get any more direct. Well, it can, but I'll let you do your research if you're interested. So, if you have any questions, ask them and I will respond in a video! 

Now, onto what this post is really about. 

Food.

Yes, delicious, yummy, incredible food.

The other morning I made something that I would consider one of the easiest and tastiest things I have ever thrown together. 

Tofu Scramble.

I have made tofu scramble before. It just wasn't that great. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't something I'd make often. It's kind of the vegan equivalent of scrambled eggs. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with tofu. When it comes to me actually making something with tofu, it's usually a hate relationship. 

I mean, there's a reason the stuff gets made fun of a lot. It can be pretty gross. 

But not with this tofu scramble. I'm going to tell you how to make it, then you can thank me. After you eat the entire pan. 

Start off with a block of extra firm tofu. Drain all of the water from it (it's best to do this the night before, you'll see why). You will need to put all of your weight into pressing all of the water out. But it will still be a soaked block of tofu. So, put the block on a plate, put another plate on top of it and place in the fridge. Put something heavy on top of the plate, so that it puts weight on the tofu. I used a big ole bottle of wine. Don't judge. Leave it there over night. 

The next morning, chop up half of a yellow onion and saute it in about a tablespoon of olive oil until it's a nice golden color. Dice up half of a green bell pepper and throw it in as well. Using a fork, a masher of some sort, or your two clean hands....smash the hell out of the tofu until it's all crumbled. Throw it in the pan! Don't forget some mushrooms! If you're like me and love mushrooms, throw in crap load of mushrooms. 

Now for the seasonings. 1 tablespoon of onion powder, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder and a few splashed of soy sauce and a few sprinkles of turmeric.  Let them all get happy in the pan for a few minutes until the the tofu starts looking like scrambled eggs. You'll know when it's done. Pile a heaping mound on your plate and top it off with some Daiya shreds and there you go. A plate of heaven. 

You're welcome. 

Be kind. Be curious. Be hungry!

Oh, and be aware that your doctors may not have your best interest at heart.

HSP Diaries- Never Again.

I went to my family doctor on Wednesday to see what my options were for managing my sensitivity related stress.

He kind of knew what I was talking about

But he was running behind, so the appointment was rushed. 

He decided that I needed Paroxetine, a kind of Paxil, to take the edge off

I wasn't fond of that idea. But he assured me it was a low dose and that if I didn't take something, I could become severely depressed. 

He also prescribed me a very low dose of Xanax, which I told him I certainly wasn't comfortable taking

He said, "See you in two weeks."

Yesterday I took my first dose of Paroxetine in the morning. 

"One pill, every morning."

Two hours later, the door to Hell was opened

And I still haven't left.

Two hours after swallowing the tiny white oval, my world didn't matter. Nothing mattered. 

Time had no meaning.

There was no sadness.

Or anger.

Or happiness.

An intense feeling of "this is not right, something is definitely wrong", but feeling completely helpless about it.

And can we talk about how light headed I was? 

Grab onto something quick because you're going down! kind of light headed.

I had to work yesterday afternoon/evening and I couldn't even finish my shift. 

Actually, a lot of yesterday was a blur.

I was exhausted. SO exhausted.

But I haven't slept.

I tossed and turned all night. Only getting 3 hours of sleep. And I'm wide awake.

I have to be at work in 2.5 hours. I have absolutely no clue how I'm going to make it through my shift.

My head is pounding. I'm exhausted. Every time I yawn, my hands feel as though they are cramping up.

My doctor will be getting a call today.

I was told my body has to get used to the the drug.

I don't want to get used to this feeling!

I don't want to not feel anything!

It makes no sense really, why I was prescribed the drug.

It's used to treat sever depression and anxiety (among other things).

Not for mild depression caused by severe stress. 

Never again.

I went from being hyper aware, to completely unaware of everything around me.

I have never taken any kind of antidepressant before, and will never again.

I thought this was something that there would be no natural solution for. But there has to be one better than this.

Be kind. Know your body. Ask questions. Do your research.

A Return To Innocence

It has been nearly 7 months since I've blogged last.

Holy crap.

To be honest, I lost steam.
I began forcing myself to post things, just so I didn't feel like a failure at blogging.
I write. A lot.
But it was hard for me to write interesting things every day. I wanted to be entertaining and insightful and informative. I wanted to prove that veganism and being kind to the environment and people and animals was fun. Because it is! But I noticed that I was started to go about it in a way that wasn't very fun for me. I tried not to get too "deep" for fear of turning people off. I tried to be extra peppy sometimes, turning myself off.

So I stopped.

A few months ago, I began making random and odd YouTube videos. But again, I found that I was trying too hard to be constantly peppy and, well, trying to force a part of who I am to be the whole of who I am. Make sense?

So I stopped.
Well, stopped forcing it, anyway.

Why can't I be like this person or that person? Why does it feel like being me is so confusing and exhausting? Then I began to think. A lot. I always have. I over think things until I'm on the verge of losing my mind.
Why am I so conflicted with myself?
Why do things affect me more than they seem to affect others?
Ever since I was a little kid, I was always told to "let it go", but never could and still can't seem to.
Why have my relationships been so tumultuous?
The list could go on and on and on. And does.

Turns out, I make up small portion of people (20%) that is considered to be "highly sensitive".
No, that doesn't mean that I cry at the drop of a hat, or that I'm a "wimp".
In a nutshell ( a very condensed nutshell), my brain takes in WAY more than is necessary.

This new revelation is something I am trying very hard to understand completely. I am at a point in my life where intense stress is almost an every day thing. I have bad days. I have really bad days. And I have really good days.

I want to take you on this journey. You may very well find that you too are and HSP (highly sensitive person). We're not a very large group of people, but we are a very special group of people.

There are many characteristics that hold true primarily with HSP's, that I honestly didn't know were special to me...so to speak. I just thought I was weird. Well, more so than the average person.

This blog will continue to be about veganism and the environment and animals and kindness.
But it will also be about mental health, spirituality, the exploring of emotions and so much more.

Over the next few weeks or so, I will be uploading some videos of me talking about what it means to be an HSP. And what it doesn't mean. I'll end this post by providing links to some articles that are very helpful in understanding what high sensitivity is all about. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will answer them the best that I can.
I know that this will not be entirely accepted by some. I have already dealt with those who roll their eyes at the topic. But it IS real. It is very real. I hope that if anything, I can expand and open your mind.

Be kind. Be curious. Be accepting of your special self.

Characteristics of Highly Sensitive People
Being an HSP

Little Randoms

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!

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)

• 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

Make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar on the stove over high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
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.

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!