Struggles

Recently I've been having a really hard time staying vegan. I'm having a hard time finding things to consume. It's really stressful when you need to get up and go. Finding things that keep you full all day long is a problem for me. Plus add in the non-GMO and easily transportable it feels like eating has become more of a chore than anything. So a couple time I've broken down and hard some fish. And I guess I never really stopped eating shrimp. Call me what you will but I'm just trying to be healthy.

Tomorrow morning I'm headed to early morning yoga. I'm hoping to make it a routine. I also need to get into the habit of running...and I hate running so much. But I love my body.

I'm thinking about ordering vegan Chinese. It's a real thing.

So this is me admitting that I'm struggling with this whole vegan deal.

What do you get a very healthy Dad for Father's day?

Finding out what to give my dad has only become harder over the years. He really has no need for neck ties and I'm pretty sure he has all the tools he needs and then when he stopped eating junk food there was really nothing to get him! This year, however, we did a bomb job! 

I mean, look at this. We got him a book called The Food Revolution, some non-dairy dark chocolate, a kombucha, and a pepper plant! So if you need ideas on what to get you're very healthy, very vegan father, here's something my dad loved!

Swallowed up by Plants

 A while back I skipped third period and went to Brunch with my good friend. And I meant to blog about it but then I got busy (graduating...)

Anyway! This restaurant even beats out 'Vertical Diner'! It's called Sage's Cafe.

I would recommend this place to ANYONE (non-health nuts included) in the Salt Lake Area. It's located at 473 East 300 South in Downtown. It's pretty much swallowed up by plants, which is part of it's charm, and it's their food is amazing. 

I got a pasta dish that I don't remember the name of but it was delish. It had a light basil and tomato sauce that was fresh you could taste everything so vividly. I loved it.

 As a little bonus I got this cute (and tasty little salad) and my darling friends got veggies with her sandwich.

This was the view from our table. It was so sunny any beautiful and just absolutely perfect!!!

There's Me!

The moment we thought this place couldn't get any better there was a bird building sitting on her eggs right next to the window. Go to Sage's Cafe!!!

The good I'm trying to fill body with really does make a difference in the way I see things and the way I feel. I love how much the tastes and smells and new experiences are just lighting up my life. It's truly incredible tasting real flavors and real food the way it was intended to taste. I feel more in control of my body now too. I'm not even fat. I've never been fat or even chubby but of course I worried about I was eating and if it was doing what I needed it to do. Now I feel so great when I'm snacking on strawberries or shooting wheatgrass!

Something I have observed is no one questioned my health when I was eating cheeseburgers and corn dogs but the moment I start eating a salad or the fact I'm a veghead comes up people are suddenly really concerned about my health and well being...

Expect Problems And Eat Them For Breakfast

"Expect problems and eat them for breakfast." -Albert A Montapert 

Being the only vegan in a house of very avid meat-eaters and being the one who helps PREPARE the food is an experience I don't think I prepared myself for.

I work for a jewelry manufacturer, to give you a little background, and every year there is a jewelry show in Vegas called JCK (Jewelers Circular Keystone). So for several days during June, we pack up and some of us go down to the show. We rent a house and bring people over, feed them food, and sell them jewelry.

This is my first year attempting vegan-ism on this trip and it hasn't been easy. They had me preparing all kinds of meat...everything from Salmon, chicken, pulled pork, steak, bacon, pretty much every kind of meat there is. So I spent six days eating leftover salad, fruit, veggies, leftover appetizers and trail mix. Of course my stomach yearned for something more substantial since I was not eating nearly the amount of fruits and veggies I normally do, but I took it as an exercise  in strength!

Eating out. Eating Vegan.

I'll be the first one to that eating out and being vegan is a challenge. Unless you want some sugared down lettuce with a slice of tomato thrown on it then you're probably out of luck.

Good thing there are a few more crazies out there like us who just want good, real, healthy food! We found this fantastic place called Vertical Diner.

The first time I think I was dazed. It was so good and so unexpected. After a few more trips and a few interesting dishes I found my favorite: 

The Avo Sub. 

 Avacados, lettuce, tomato, veganiase, and onion and beautifully assembled into a fantastic little sandwich.

Lucie got this California Burger which is really just vegetables on 7-grain bread. She likes it...I have a hard time with veggie burgers and fake meat.

My Dad got this beautiful burrito thing. Fake sour cream everyone.

 Lets not forget our natural Soda and Dessert! All healthy!

 One big round of applause to one of our favorite restaurants!

This is not a hot dog!

Can I just tell you the excitement this brings me. This is not a hot dog! It's a soy dog and it's non-GMO! They're called Smart Dogs and they taste great. I'm not one for fake meat and I'll be the first one to admit that I shoveled hot dogs in by the ton. 

Also those are baked beans. Really good, really healthy baked beans. 

So let the BBQ's commence! I am now fully ready for the summer and the BBQ's it brings!

March Against Monsanto

Of course we were there! 

Brittany and Diesel ready for the March. 

For those of you who don't know, Monsanto is a seed and food company. They are the ones who created Agent Orange and many harmful pesticides that are sprayed over our plants all the time. Right now the fight is over whether or not labels are required to distinguish GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms. It's hard not to be biased because I am. I think we have a right to know what we're putting in our bodies. Not to mention the too-tight relationship between Congress, Monsanto, and the FDA. A bill was recently rejected that would give States the rights to decide whether labeling of GMOs was required. 

This was never just a march against Monsanto, it was a march against the politically corrupt agriculture and food industries that circulate billions among themselves without so much as a thought about the well being of the people and the world. 

Of course, we don't want to forget what the Genetically Modified Crops are doing to the bee population and how Monsanto is crushing small farms with lawsuits all over the world. Here is a link to someone who can absolutely say it better than I can if you are interested in learning more. 

March Against Monsanto: The Reason
5 Reasons Why Pesticides Are Bad
Organic Consumers

It was a great experience! To be so involved in something you believe so fully is really amazing. Salt Lake didn't have to biggest turn out and I can't say that people were particularly excited to see us marching down state street but I believe we made a difference. Even if it was a small part. 

Some people took the message very well, others were mad we were holding up traffic. Either way, I'm proud we did it! 

Eating Healthy does not break the bank.

This is how close I'm going to get to great shopping until the Farmers Markets pop up. 

I want to illustrate the point that, despite popular belief, eating healthy does not break the bank. I remember the first time I told my mom I was trying to eat a mainly plant based, whole food diet she said something along the lines of, "Yeah you can't afford that in college." Which is exactly what I thought until I proved myself wrong. I mean, at the moment I'm only buying myself food for the time between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM and a few dinners, since I still live at home. Here are some tips I've learned over the last few months about eating healthy on a budget. 

1. Plan Ahead. 

I know, every budgeting article and money saver website has told you to plan ahead. That's because it really makes a difference. I spend five minutes picking what meals I want to eat the rest of the week and then change them if they don't work out or I decide that this week I'm going to hate cucumbers and I don't want a cucumber salad. But I always go into the store with some kind of idea about what I want. 

2. Figure out what stores in your area are charging.

Whole foods is almost infamously famous for over-charging for mediocre food just because it has the whole foods label on it. That's not to put down Whole Foods in anyway, it's just a little pricey for me. For example, I don't see the need to pay $1.99 for a cucumber when I can get it at m local farmers market or sunflower market for $.99. I shop at Smiths mostly because it's close, but when I get the chance I go to the sunflower market. 

3. Give yourself time.

If you're in a hurry, which is understandable, you'll be more likely to throw something into the cart and hurry along just because the label is more recognizable or the assumption is made that more expensive = better quality. Which is seldom correct, in my experience. I'm not the knower of all things, despite my general attitude towards the human race.

For example: Here are some Honey Nut Toasty O's. These are so great. They taste just like cheerios at about half the cost and they have wholesome ingredients: Whole grain Oat Flour, Sugar, honey, Oat bran, wheat starch, and brown sugar.

4. Prepare the food at home. 

I know this sounds crazy but I mean things like dressings, sauces, things of that nature. It's cheaper and you know what's in it. You see I have a bottle of strawberry vinaigrette there, and that's because I'm lazy. But don't worry I have made it before! And my piggy bank is kind of wish I had made it this time because that little bottle cost $6.00! You need three ingredients for the homemade recipe and if you don't have vinegar and sugar in your house on a regular basis we need to have another conversation. Anyway! Making these things yourself is cheaper, healthier, and truthfully, more fun in the long run.

5. Drink Water.

It's no secret that most of the time when you're hungry you're body is actually trying to tell you it's thirsty. You'd be amazed at how often drinking a bottle of water kills the hunger craving. That gets rid of the needs for snacking and thus buying unnecessary snacks. 

This is the beginning of our story. By Brittany Cole

When my Dad first walked into my room around the middle of february and announced he was going vegan and he wanted me to join him, I completely thought it was just going to be a phase and that it eventually would sizzle out. I rolled my eyes a few too many times and listened to him rant. And I said I would give it a try. I had a previous engagement that evening and was trying to rush out the door. My dad sat down and started to watch the documentary he had come across called Forks Over Knives. At some point it caught my attention and sat down and watched it. The things they talked about in this video struck something deep in the gut and made me question what I had been taught. The videos message was simply this:

"That most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods".1

That wasn't what I was taught as a kid. My family has always been moderately healthy and more so recently but this was completely different. I tried to shrug it off and continue with my life but the seed was already there, growing, and demanding change. I remember I had about an hour and half before I had to be somewhere and I was hungry so I stopped at the Article Circle by my house and grabbed a hamburger and some fries. About halfway through the hamburger I took a long look at it and the thought popped into my mind, this is the last hamburger I'm going to eat. It had a sad, disappointed undertone to it. Like my mind had already made the descision before I consciously realized it. And so far it has been true. I haven't had a hamburger since them, nor any other meat. Animals products followed a little bit after that. It's certainly been a struggle and I'm not perfect  but this is my side of the journey.