Are Humans Carnivores or Herbivores?

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Ask your doctor about meat...

Ask Your Doctor About Meat - The Future Is Vegan

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La Bella Vita

Chipotle roasted sweet potatoes & vegetables

♥

Roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, entire onion, chipotle & jalapeno pepper, cilantro, cumin, coriander, red chili pepper... over brown rice :)

"An estimated 800 million pairs of jeans are sold worldwide each year."

-Whole Living Magazine

WOW! I love a pair of jeans... but yikes! Just last week I got a "new" pair of designer jeans from Hallelu (on Wrightsville Beach, beside WINGS) for like $45 opposed to the like $200 that they normally cost. They were basically brand new... and actually fit perfect. I am going to have to get all new jeans this year :( and :) ... I put a sad face because money, but happy face because the reason I have to get new ones is because all of mine are huge on me now.

...FERNS...

are masters at clearing indoor air...? Who knew! It's the most effective air-purifying species... Whole Living Magazine says to put one (or many) in a bathroom with a window and let the steam from the shower act as a virtual greenhouse. (hmmmm that is pretty neat)

STRESS

Greenery reduces stress. Studies show the presence of plants significantly eases the recovery of hospital patients & lowers the blood pressure of office workers.

I can't wait until (I think) March when my lease is up at my apartment and I can move into a house with (hopefully) Kailee... I can't wait to paint a wall with that chalkboard paint. I think it is SO neat. I also think it would be cool to have like a "corkboard" wall, so we could put up pretty pictures, recipes, random pictures up and like make a collage...

When I "grow-up" aka get married and settle down, I plan ;) to have an office where I can have one wall with the chalkboard paint (for myself) or my kids to play on, a corkboard wall... and yeah I'll stop with my daydreaming... :)

Do you have migraines/headaches?

I found THIS interesting. Click here to read.

I've suffered from migraines my entire life... yes, even as a child... and completely think that my change in my diet, without a doubt helped me out... especially the dairy/cheese.

Beautiful skin...

Karyn Calabrese, a holistic health expert said "I use coconut oil for everything, without fail. It works as a makeup remover and as an intensive moisturizer. Jojoba Oil is even lighter and keeps oil skin in balance." It's absorbed into the skin instead of sitting on top of the surface, blocking pores and causing breakouts unlike mineral oils.

(I loved hearing this because I myself use coconut oil for ABSOLUTELY everything. Cooking, makeup remover, lotion, EVERYTHING... seriously. There is a glass jar of it right this second in my purse... you can get it at Tidal Creek & Fresh Market in the big containers... not positive about the other places. I'll have to go and get some Jojoba Oil to try out.

10-25% of Americans have a sensitivity to at least one food.

-Thought this was interesting because of gluten "deal"-

Brain Food

blueberries - red wine - dark chocolate

NAP TIME

2003 Harvard study showed that a 60-90 minute nap, including both slow-wave and REM sleep stages, boosted learning retention as much as a full 8 hours of sleep!

BUILD YOUR IMMUNITY

Veggie ppl way: beans, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans)

nuts, and seeds (try sunflower & pumpkin)

Battle of the Superfoods

Almond Butter > Peanut Butter

Almond butter has 60% more monounsaturated fat than peanut butter.

This fat decreases harmful LDL levels, lowering heart-disease and stroke risk.

-Runners World Magazine

Kale > Spinach

Kale contains 4 times more vitamin C and one and a half times

the amount of immune-boosting vitamin A & vitamin K.

Quinoa > Brown Rice

Quinoa has 3 extra grams of protein per cooked cup

plus more fiber, iron & magnesium.

Orange > Apple

Have similar amounts of calories & fiber but oranges have 12 times as much vitamin C.

Red Pepper > Green Pepper

Red Pepper has 8 times the vitamin A

(keeps your immune system strong)

Stole these from their facebook page :) so cute!

10-20-2010

Well I forgot to wear my purple today...

but I saw these quotes on my friends' facebooks and thought I would share them...

"Everybody's journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality." ~James Baldwin *Wear Purple Today* :)" -Jana Suggs Wirtel

"I'm as straight as they come but I will gladly stand up for the LGBT youth of America, scared to stand up for themselves. This gay bashing & bullying has got to stop. We have kids committing suicide because they are bullied & taunted for being "different." I've grown up & realized that there's so much more important shit goin on, then what society teaches us, as kids. Stop the hate. Love is louder." -Mel Atoa Siaki

Can we talk about boys... who want their cake and wanna eat it too... and then want nibbles out of other cakes... no, never mind I don't even want to go there....

This made me laugh... hope it makes you laugh too... :)

"At some point, we have to learn to let go of all control that we THINK we have." -Erica Denton

"Our Daily Ocean: A Story of Butts"

I just wanted to thank everyone that has been voting for my friend Danielle Richardet and her project .... "Our Daily Ocean: A Story of Butts" ... yay! She has 827 votes as of RIGHT NOW... 9:10 AM on Wednesday :) woohoo! You should check out her blog: "It Starts With Me" ... and the name of her blog, definitely deserves it's given name... because it HAS started with her! :) So proud of her!

If you have not voted... please do! You can do it everyday up until Oct 29th!

Yesterday, I had planned on going to the gym, doing P90X, etc but it was SUCH a beautiful day out that I decided to get some exercise outdoors... so I decided to go to, well... ONLY my favorite place in the entire world... yes, yes, yes, DA BEACH hehe... well I started at Stone Street (near Wings/Trolly Stop) and ran a little ways, until I found a Starbuck's coffee cup in my path just skirting around on the sand, feet from the water... and of course, I picked it up... had a few words (with myself, hehe) and then proceeded to run, with it in hand... well I continued seeing trash and it started to make me kinda angry... so I decided to turn my "beach run" into a mini "beach sweep"... and spent the next 3 hours picking up trash AND cigarette butts. I honestly should've put cigarette butts first, because that was definitely the majority of what was out there. I have to say, I never doubted Danielle's findings, or that there was a lot... and you probably don't either... but until you really go out there and LOOK for what has become so COMMON that we don't even notice anymore (so ridiculously sad) you probably won't understand... because I didn't realize JUST. HOW. SAD. it was/is. I spent the 3 hours seriously like talking to myself. Cussing to myself and then praying to myself... weird right? It's something so incredibly simple that could literally make the world of difference.

I picked up 541 cigarette butts, 6 plastic filters, tons of plastic straws, tops to bottles, bottles, glass beer bottles, numerous birthday balloons... I mean I was like in complete shock. I'm a nanny as I'm sure you know... and I brought most of the stuff I picked up with me to work, after Girls on the Run, I talked to Sonja (10) and Charlie (6) about Danielle's project again (they've been hearing me talk about it) and we sat outside and counted the cigarette butts. Sonja (10) couldn't believe how many I found, but I told her that it was NOTHING compared to what was still out there. If I compared it to the ocean, I told her it's like I only was one drop. Sonja was upset that I had gone without her, but I assured her that there will definitely be more times for her to participate.

Click here to see some of the pics from my FIRST mini beach sweep

I really think that I may start just picking up trash everyday, wherever it may be... of course, as many of you know, I was already "environmentally friendly" and what not... many of you call me a "Tree Hugger" or whatever, and that's okay... I don't take offense to it. It's honestly a compliment. Driving around yesterday afternoon with the kids to all of their activities, you should've seen me looking out the window at the side of the road, looking around and scoping out all the litter. arg. Danielle has made a Nazi out of me! hehe!

Random Interesting Facts/Info-ish

Did you know 12% of college students consider themselves vegetarian?

If vegetarian were a college major, it would be the largest!

I also heard on the radio that Psyche majors are the least

satisfied once they are placed in their jobs... grrrrrreat.

Cancer survivors who increase soy consumption are less likely to face disease again.

Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch author gives you five good reasons to go vegan

You may be wondering why I have posted a picture of Olivia Wilde on my blog post... well, because she's super cute and she is also VEGAN :) hehe she was actually named PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian of 2010 :) Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm a dork, so what!

Click on this and you can watch a clip tells about Olivia Wilde

and a little bit of the difference between vegan & vegetarian.

Yesterday I watched an old favorite movie...

CLUELESS!

Man... I could seriously put the TV on mute and speak for each and every character.

Pssssst... oh yeah... did I ever tell you she was a vegetarian?! :)

and this is her book......

This is her blog... super cool!

OKAY So alot of people have been asking me...

What is the difference between being VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN?

Click here #1

Click here #2

Paul McCartney on veganism

I had to minimize this and just listen... still made me want to vomit.

Fish fact

@queencityvegan In the past 50 years,

fishers have exterminated 90 percent of large fish populations.

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"The standard diet of a meat-eater is blood, flesh, veins, muscles, tendons, cow secretions, hen periods and bee vomit. And once a year during a certain holiday in November, meat-eaters use the hollowed-out rectum of a dead bird as a pressure cooker for stuffing. And people think vegans are weird because we eat tofu?" - vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke

Change your diet, change the world.

VEGAN BAKED ZITI

DO YOU EAT FISH??? READ ABOUT THIS...

I'ma nut, you're a nut, we're all nuts! :)

"You ask people why they have deer heads on the wall. They always say, Because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother's attractive, but I have photographs of her."
-Ellen DeGeneres

"Of what use are all your sacrifices to Me? I have had enough of the roasted carcasses of rams and of the fat of fattened beasts. I take no pleasure in the blood of calves, lambs and goats . When you spread out your hands, I close My eyes to you; despite however much you pray, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before My eyes and stop doing evil."
-Isaiah 1:11, 1:15-16

"An estimated 85 percent of all U.S agricultural land is used in the production of animal foods, which in turn is linked with deforestation, destruction of wildlife species, extinction of species, loss of soil productivity, mineral deletion and erosion, water pollution and depletion, overgrazing, and desertification." -Dr. Michael W. Fox, Agricide

"Vegetarianism is a way of living consciously on the planet." -Amy Smart

Picture of my new friends. (yes, shoes)

I don't want to take these shoes off I love them so much! :) I love love love them! Happy Early Birthday to myself! :)

Ryan told me last night that he doesn't know how I do the 'vegan' thing... and this is typical of what people say... but honestly I don't even have to think about it anymore... it's a complete different mindset that I have now. And I care enough about it, that it isn't a loss in my eyes... :)

CLICK THIS TO SEE A SITE FOR A GIRL LIVIN LIFE RIGHT...

another too

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."

You would think that Fruit by the Foot would have gelatin because it is goey, but instead it gets its texture from pear concentrate and locust bean gum. I used to eat them like crazy when I was a kid, so now I am really excited that I can enjoy them again.

P.S. Wanna know favorite part about finding seemingly non-vegan foods? It's when I eat them in front of my omnivorous friends (and especially friends who are considering going vegan/vegetarian) and they say, "Hey, those are vegan? I guess you really don't just eat lettuce and carrot sticks!" This happens to me with Oreos a lot, people assume the cream is from milk (they're actually made from vegetable fat).

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Random Gabbin'

A lot of people have been asking lately what I do about eating out and just random questions about what I eat....

I eat out hardly ever... it saves money and it is a LOT less fattening.

When I DO eat out, which is slim to none... I usually get like steamed veggies... and I ask them if they can cook them with NOTHING, no butter/oil, and no seasoning... I was in Southport, NC last week and went to a seafood restaurant...

I can't think of the name... but I asked for steamed veggies, and PLAIN... NOTHING on them... well, they didn't listen to my request... because whenever I was served my food, they were SO salty I about hacked right there. I took that first bite, and then sat down my fork and when the waiter came back around, I informed him that they were by no means PLAIN, but it was okay, and he insisted that he have them do it again (ya, you better) okay, so the next time they came back out... they were WHAT I ASKED FOR ;o) haha...

If you are doing just VEGAN and not VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE there are usually tons of options... even if they don't have a side of veggies on the menu, or a side of baked potato on the menu, look at the menu and see what comes with the other entrees, and ask for them... I assure you that they will say yes.

::LUNCH::

Alot of places have wraps and pitas, which is the best way to go for a VEGAN. Most places also have like at the least ONE option for a vegetarian... If they have like shrimp pitas or chicken pitas, etc you could always ask for them to steam veggies and put it on a pita, and then ask for a salad dressing(make sure you're careful with the dressings, I honestly don't use salad dressings because they are SO full of sodium)...

The thing that I am most particular about in all of my eating is the SODIUM content in all of the food. I have to admit that I honestly rarely ever look at the fat/calories/carbs... if it's vegan and gluten free, you're pretty much in good territory already, but then if you go to the grocery store and for instance, this is what I've been most shocked about... ok, so you go to the grocery store... lets say like... hm, Harris Teeter... well let's see... there are probably 7-8 different brands of black beans... but they're all the same right?! So you go for the cheapest one? Yeah, no... check out the sodium content. UGH... makes you wanna vomit in your mouth. Most have like 200+ mg of sodium per 1/2 cup... yeah, that my friend is NOT acceptable. Even the ones that say "low sodium" are rediculous... NEWSFLASH: THIS IS AMERICA... we salt EVERYTHING... so low sodium isn't always the best option... I don't know if they have a Fresh Market, wherever you live but if they do... that is where I get my black beans. The store brand of black beans is what I get... they are $0.99 a can... and I usually buy like 15 cans when I'm there because I literally eat black beans like crazy. Hellooooooo... PROTEIN! Oh yeah, and did I mention that they are 10mg of sodium per 1/2 cup?! Yeah... that's what I call fabulous. :)

When you tell someone that you are VEGAN, the first thing that pops into their head is, okay well maybe the 2nd because the 1st thing they think it HIPPIE...(by the way, I am by no means a hippie, but go ahead, label me that if you please) but yeah, anyways the 2nd thing that they think about is "Like OMG where do you get like your... like protein?!?!" ugh um, you can get your protein from plenty of places that doesn't involve KILLING and MURDERING an animal... dummies.

To those of you wondering where VEGANS get their PROTEIN...

Okay, so this is like one of my staple meals... and I also use Tofutti sour cream, it tastes funny whenever you just stick your finger in it and lick it (haha) but whenever its consumed WITH something, it's DELISH... :)

My "dairy" products that don't MOO :)

Packaged Dairy free Mac&Chz & Alfredo

Okay, so a couple people have been asking me about what "dairy" products I use :)

Silk you can find in grocery stores-even Walmart, it's a soy milk... I think currently there is a coupon for Silk on it's website. The tub of stuff is Vanilla Soy Yogurt, I haven't seen this yet in the grocery stores, so I get it from the local "health food stores" aka Tidal Creek & Lovey's!

These are the "cheeeezes" that I use, they are WAY better than the CHEESE I was eating before I became vegan. The cheese I ate tasted like water... these taste like they are the gourmet cheeses!

I don't use butter like really... at all but the couple times I do use it, I use Earth Balance. Tofutti is the other two things, sour cream & cream cheese. I LOVE THE SOUR CREAM! I use it on sandwiches ALL THE TIME!!!!

2/6/2010

So I've made a big change this year! I'm a vegan! I eat all types of "weird" stuff hahahaha... kidding! I LOVE it all. My biggest complaint so far is cream cheese because I love it on a bagel in the morning. I've tried two different kinds of VEGAN cream cheese and they just don't taste like regular cream cheese :( so that sucks... I think I just need to develop a taste for it... or I could just replace it with something else! I have been using this strawberry jam, and also almond butter. OMG ALMOND BUTTER is amazing!!!!

I've lost 10 pounds since Jan 14th! I have to say... I'm eating more than I ever have... and I've lost weight. SO weird right? But it's because I'm eating GOOD stuff :) hehe!

I have to work @ 245 today, so I'm trying to decide on what to make to eat for lunch. That's another thing that I've really changed lately... is I COOK A LOT! I used to eat out ALL the time. But I really think that is where you pack on the weight because they put SO much CRAP in food. Seriously. You order something and you think it's the healthy option but seriously... half of the stuff you think is healthy... even like the veggies sometimes... they're LOADED with BUTTER!

I have LIVED in the grocery store lately. No, seriously! I'm at one everyday! Getting things here and there that I read about and want to try! It's all so yummy!

It's so funny, because before I switched over ;) to being a VEGAN, I would hear that word.. and think, they must be a hippy, or some kind of weirdo because they can't eat like ANYTHING... silly but yeah, that's the truth. But really, it's not that way at all. I can eat A LOT of stuff. I can eat bagels and whatever too. It just takes me 30 seconds longer for each item in the grocery store because I check the ingredients to make sure it's whole wheat, not packed with sugar, doesn't contain milk, cheese, and what not... I mean like there's all this stuff that I would walk by... like hm, Graham Crackers... and be like oh man if I bought those and ate a few each day, I'd turn into a cow... UM NO! Wrong! They're VEGAN and actually quite good for you. Silly me! :) hehe!

If you have not yet read "Skinny Bitch" then I don't know what you are waiting for. For one, it's HILARIOUS!!!!! AND it explains ALL of our foods to us. It's awesome! Even if you don't want to be a VEGAN it's really cool to learn where our foods come from, and what is good for us! A couple minor tweaks, and you could really do your body some good!

Okay, well I'm off here! I'm going to watch the rest of "The Doctors" and think of what new thing I want to cook for lunch since I got all kinds of new stuff that I've never tried :)