Time for another change

 I went from a Vegetarian to Eating a Vegan lifestyle, now one more step I have is to get rid of all of my leather/animal clothing and products. I made a promise not to buy anymore leather shoes or purses and learn more about Vegan options when it comes to clothing and products. Becoming a Vegan is not something someone can do overnight, it takes a lot of learning and researching. There is so much involved. I want to make a difference and I have been taking steps and more steps towards living a complete cruelty free life.

I have many boots and purses made with Leather, Sheepskin and one pair of Rabbit Fur boots :( I feel awful for even having these items but I can make a change starting now. To just throw out these items would be cruel also, knowing that an animal died for them. I plan on selling many things on Ebay, as soon as I find time. I also have a $150 Ugg Credit that I need to use also. I even thought about taking the money I make off of it and putting it towards an adoption of an animal at the Farm Sanctuary or something that makes a difference in helping animals.

My dream would be to have my own Farm Sanctuary where I could bring in abused animals and teach them how to trust again and feel love for the first time. I have So much love to give and when it comes to animals my heart is so full of kindness and love, I feel helpless right now, I want to rescue animals and I have no idea where to begin.

It's Friday....So Happy!

My kitty Sadie yawning (picture taken by my son Gage)

I am so glad it's Friday! I have one more week until my vacation and I am so excited! Tom and I found a blog last night that had tons of the cities and states we are going to that included Vegan restaurant reviews. Some of them sound so yummy! We made a whole list of them and plan to visit a lot of them if we can. We need to sit down this weekend and plan everything out, we have been making notes of all the places we want to see and stuff to do, we just need to organize it all together.  One exciting place I have on the list is the Green Mountains in Vermont, it looks so beautiful and I want to hike at least for half of a day there.

Well like my kitty in this picture, I am tired so I am going to keep this post short :) Have a great Friday!

Weekend Update

It's been a little while since I wrote my last post. I have been so busy at work, it's Football Season for us so it's going to be a busy season. (I work at a ticket printing company). So when I get home, I get some cleaning done, my workout and before I know it, it's time for bed. When working overtime, I like to go in early to get out earlier. My son Gage is working with me again this summer. Last year he worked in bindery, this year he is helping with the data. I can't believe how smart he is, I mean I can but I show him one thing and he memorizes every step. 

My vacation is 2 weeks away from today! I am SO excited! We had just went to Florida in April and that was wonderful, but something about our road trips to many states and cities, I love that the most. We usually fly into a state out west and explore as much as we can, so this is our first Northeast trip, so many places I have never been to! The idea of this trip came up a few years ago when Tom saw so many places on the Food Network that he wanted to eat at. Drive Ins, Diners and Dives and Man vs. Food. The problem now is, he is no longer eating meat or dairy but he told me he is going to try the Philly Cheese-steak at Geno's and Pat's. I just hope he doesn't get sick, Philadelphia is our first stop. My son Gage asked him if he will eat Pizza with him at some of the pizza places on our list and he said he would. When he asked me, I said I can still get a pizza without cheese. We have been making our own at home and honestly I love them! Once you get used to not eating something, you can fall in love with other foods and tastes just as much.

Last night Tom and I went to the Outlets in Grove City and returned our Under Armour RC Charge Storm shoes. After running in them for over a week, he had a lot of issues with his feet feeling numb and heel hurting. I loved the style of mine and I think I was hoping I would not have a problem with them but after a week I realized they weren't working for me. They were comfortable to walk in but not run. For the price we paid $119.99, they just weren't worth it. Tom replaced his with the Asics 2170 and loves them. I am still looking for the right shoe. I have had a lot of opinions say that Mizuno is a great brand (I  never heard of them until now) and last night I tried on the Brooks PureCadence below and it felt great compared to the Asics 2170, Merrel Pace Glove (closet to barefoot running), and a pair of Nike Air running shoes.

Brooks PureCadence $120.00 @ Zappos

Tom bought these ones below at Finish Line, regular price is $110 but I found a coupon for $20 off then I linked through my Discover Card and received another 10% back, so he got a deal on his. 

 

Asics GT-2170 Men's Running Shoes

I bought a few things at Madewell this week and I love them. I wanted a big bag for vacation, something I can carry everything in and get to quickly so I bought this Canvas bag. I had a coupon for 10% off my purchase so the bag came to $55.80 and I love the bag but that still was a little high for it, it's very roomy and also has a zipper enclosure on the inside.

The Caravan Mailbag-Seaweed on sale now for $62 marked down from $78

I also bought these shirts below that are SO comfortable and I love the bright colors!

Last weekend Tom and I drove over to Cleveland to get groceries again. We stalked up on so much hoping to last a few weeks, except for the fresh produce. When we were at Whole Foods, Tom asked if they had any Field Roast Frankfurters in the back and they were all out, Tom was joking with the employee telling him he was going to burn the place down, lol. These vegan hotdogs are the best ever and Tom said if he is going to eat this way, he has to have the substitutes that taste so good and so far this brand has really been the best I have ever tasted, even better then real meat from long ago when I ate it.  I have had Vegan meat before and most of it is disgusting and has a bad texture, this brand makes the best tasting hotdogs and sausage ever! If I could set up a little cart and make tons of them and pass them out for people to try, I would, I guarantee people would love them!

This week for dinner we had home made pizza with Field Roast Italian Sausage and tons of veggies, olive oil and garlic.

I can't believe this but my husband ate Tofu! He made Southwestern Tofu Scramble with the Field Roast Italian Sausage and fried potatoes. It was SO good and isn't it crazy how much it looks like scrambled eggs! The yellow is from the spice turmeric. Below he made homemade wheat bread without yeast. The buns he has been making have made us so tired and I read that yeast can do that, this bread is great and so easy to make.

 I have been making so many smoothies! We got a lot of blueberries and they really make them yummy!

This was made with Frozen Strawberries, Blueberries, Vanilla Almond Milk, Frozen Banana, and Flax Seed Ground Meal, It was SO delicious!

We almost had a dog last Sunday. When we got home from grocery shopping we saw this lady driving to our neighbors house with a little dog asking everyone if they knew who owned it. When she got to us, I told her no but I would post it's picture on Facebook to see if anyone in our town knew. My husband said we should keep it, I said we have 5 cats in the house, there is no way we can have a dog also, and we agreed before as much as we travel, it would never be fair to a dog. I did tell my husband to go find the lady and we would help her by taking it until we found a home. I called my mom and my little brother came and got it and took it to Club Pet a no kill shelter. Here it's an Apricot Poodle, male, 5 months old and as of right now almost a week later no-one has claimed the little guy. He will for sure find a home quickly. I told Tom if we were to help out a dog, we would adopt an older one that has been at the shelter for years, there are some dogs that have been in shelters for almost their whole life :(  Right now though we have enough love with our kitties! 

Well I am off to clean the house and get laundry caught up. Graham is going to camp for a week tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

Random stuff this past week and weekend....

This morning Tom and I got up early and went Strawberry picking at Pete's Berry Farm in Clark, PA. It was $4 a quart already picked or $3 a quart when you pick. We picked 8 quarts. We plan on freezing a lot of them and using them for smoothies. I like that this farm doesn't spray them with anything. We had to really look out for holes in the berries from bugs, there were a lot of them.

My youngest son Graham graduated 8th grade this past week, makes me sad how fast my boys are growing up. Gage will be a junior and Graham a freshman.

Last weekend I made Carrot Cake Bread and when I opened the Applesauce it exploded! It wasn't yet expired but the apples must have went bad and fermented causing gases inside. It was an open jar in my refrigerator for a few weeks. When I opened it, it sounded like a gun shot and applesauce went everywhere, on the ceiling, cabinets, all through my eyes. I cried and screamed, not knowing what happened and then after rinsing my eyes out many times I was fine. I still can't believe that happened. Thankfully it was a plastic jar and not glass. The Carrot Cake bread came out so good!

Tom and I have been walking and starting to run now, so we ordered new running shoes. I ordered the new Under Armour RC Charge Storm shoes for both of us. I wear a size 8 in all shoes but with my New Balance running shoes I wear a size 8.5. I called Under Armour and also did an online chat with them to see what they said. One told me my true size the other said 8.5. I went with the 8.5 and Tom's normal size for him. His fit him perfectly, mine felt a little big, they are supposed to fit snug. I went up the outlets in Grove City yesterday and tried on the 8's. I felt like they were too snug for me, even though they were saying the shoe will form around the foot, I just decided I rather have a little room at the toe then feeling like it was going to push through. I love the colors and style, they feel good too. They have an outlet store up there and Tom and I bought some shorts, some pairs were only $7.97 and $9.97, for Under Armour, you can't beat that.

Well I tried for 1 week with a deodorant that is aluminum free and I had to go back to using Secret Clinical. I am still going to try out others. I tried Tom's of Maine Apricot long lasting deodorant. It says it gives you 24 hours protection, I would have to say 3 hours at the most. I had to keep reapplying it before I thought it would wear off. I had used it at home at first and realized the only way I can use this is if I reapply, otherwise it was like I wasn't wearing any deodorant at all, not good. The deodorant smells great, goes on smooth, some-days I felt like my underarms were burning, other days were fine. No staining of clothing. I just can't risk forgetting to reapply it, jeez that would not be good, lol.

I read on another person's blog that they had tried many aluminum free deodorants and the only one they said that worked for them and lasted was Malin + Goetz Eucalyptus deodorant

found here, but $18 is a lot for deodorant. I did spend almost $12 on the Secret Clinical which is the 2.6 oz, so I might give this a shot. I have read so many bad things about deodorants with aluminum in them, I am trying to find replacements, but they have to work for me.


Here are a few of my kitties :)

Haystack just looking pretty :)

Sadie & a chipmunk having a staring contest

Sadie

Great Weekend! Perfect Weather and Yummy FOOD!

This weekend was great, I got so much done and we stalked up on so many fruits and vegetables. We really bought a lot of groceries this weekend, went to so many places including B&K Farmers Market in Warren, Ohio where we got so much of our fresh stuff. 

Notice the visitor that happened to walk by in the above picture? I have 3 mommy raccoons out there now.

I planted Basil, Oregano, and Thyme in my empty steel cut oatmeal tins. They worked perfectly for this, I put some holes in the bottom to drain the water out.

I also planted some pretty Red, Pink and White Impatiens in the Raccoon planter that my mom got me last year and also in the flower bed and around the outside of house to brighten it up.

This weekend Tom made one of the BEST meals ever, we both were So happy with how these Vegan Sloppy Joes came out. Since eating a vegan/plant based diet he was thinking about what things he would miss most and Sloppy Joes were one of them. He started looking online for recipes and found this one. The only thing he did different was instead of the chili powder he used his own Memphis Rub which is a mixture of Salt, Pepper, Cayenne, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chili Powder, Cumin, and Cinnamon. I have never seen him happier about something he made. He made everything homemade including the whole wheat buns which came out PERFECT. He had tried a recipe last week that didn't work out so he tried this one and replaced the egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed and 4 tablespoons of warm water These had SO MUCH flavor! I can't get over how good they were and wish I could share them with everyone that loves sloppy joes. Tom said this is the best Sloppy Joe he ever had! I agree completely.

this is the main ingredient that replaces the meat and is packed with nutrition including a lot of protein! ALL VEGAN and NATURAL. I bought a 4 pack case of these on Amazon for $8.13 under the subscribe and save, I already ordered more.

 

I could go on for days how incredible these are, the flavors and texture and just everything were out of this world!

I have been buying a lot of the Bob's Red Mill items on Amazon, I use the Subscribe & Save to save even more money and free shipping, You can cancel it anytime! I bought Chia Seeds, Unsweetened Coconut, Golden Flaxseeds, High Protein TVP, Blue Cornmeal and Buckwheat Groats.

Today we went to Sam's Club and bought the Clif Bar Fruit Ropes above for my sons, Gage loved the Nature Valley ones but we can't seem to find them anywhere except Sheetz. I love that the Clif bar ones are Organic. And I figured these out they are cheaper. You can 24 for $10.58 and 2 of these would make the Nature Valley long ones at Sheetz for $1.00, so this cost $.88 and it's better for you.  We bought one case and then in the car my husband and I tried them and loved them so we went back and got 4 more cases.

Tonight we made a different smoothie. We just threw in a bunch of stuff and hoped it would come out good. 

1 head of Romaine Lettuce

3 handfuls of Spinach fresh

1 Banana frozen

1 Gala Apple frozen

2 large Carrots shredded first

1/2 cup of orange juice

It was very thick, I could have added more orange juice but I didn't want extra calories. The flavor was a lot better than I expected. You can not taste the Spinach or Romaine Lettuce. This REALLY fills you up too. I figured the cost to make 2 full large cups (probably about 4 cups total of liquid) it cost $5.42, so $2.21. I also figured out the calories to be approximately 536 total, so 218 for a huge large cup full as pictured.

I am off to take a long walk with Tom, last night Gage came which was great, (Graham was at Kennywood) so we are going to get our boys walking with us every night also.

When & Why Did I stop Eating Meat then Dairy....

Beautiful Cow at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY -Mothers Day 2011

So many people ask me when and why I became a vegetarian and then stopped eating dairy products. First let me start off by saying that all my life I wasn't a huge meat eater, I did eat hotdogs, chicken wings, sausage, an occasional burger. When making deli sandwiches, Tom would laugh at me because I would use 1 thin slice of turkey which was barely anything on my sandwich. I did enjoy getting Ranch & Hot Wings with Tom every once in awhile. I would eat grilled chicken thinking it was the healthiest option so giving up meat for me was pretty easy.

It all started almost 6 years ago, my great aunt Shirley was diagnosed with cancer. She had 5 siblings that all except for 1 died of cancer. My grandma was one of them. Shirley was diagnosed with cancer in the lining of her uterus. She had a hysterectomy and treated with chemo therapy and as of right now is cancer free. That was her only surgery her whole entire life, she will be 77 this year. The whole year that I was helping her get through her treatment and surgery and helping her out in any way, I started to look online for foods that prevented cancer. I came across an article very similar to this Top Five Cancer Causing Foods. It was like a wake up call, I read through it and realized that so many of the foods I was eating were ones that caused cancer. Did I believe this? Yes. It all makes complete sense to me. I stopped meat immediately. It was pretty easy at first. I did crave it a few times and within 2 years I had eaten meat again for a short period in between because I gave into my cravings but I would go back to not eating meat right after. After those 2 times, I never have craved or even thought about eating it again. I have learned SO much more since then and I continue to learn. It's SO easy now and I actually enjoy food SO much better. I look better, feel better, just everything is amazingly better! The first couple years I didn't experiment with food, I just ate salads and pastas and when we went on vacation was the one time I had given in because I was just eating salad the whole time. Now I know how to be creative at home with a husband who makes me incredible meals. There are so many options now also especially in big cities.

Not only did I learn about how bad meat & dairy is for me, I then learned what animals actually go through and I was horrified. I never knew what they went through. I had never thought about it. Watching videos on Peta made me sick and SO ANGRY! How could anyone treat an animal this way just so we can stuff our face when there is plenty of food that doesn't require a living being. I hate when I hear people say WHERE are you going to get your protein or calcium? Well educate yourselves please, you can get more calcium from Coconut Milk and Almond Milk then Cow's milk. You can get protein from many foods that are NOT MEAT. It takes education and in this day and age, so many people are stuck in the beliefs they were brought up in. If meat and dairy are so good for us, then why is the US full of obese and sick people? Seriously, let's take a stand, get smart and take a chance at something that has been with us since day 1. I really believe God gave us enough foods with the vegetables, grains, and fruits. But that wasn't enough, man became greedy and wanted more. Now look where we are at, so many chemicals in foods, so many creations that are doing nothing but harm to our bodies. Isn't it a eye opener when you hear that red meat is bad for you, well then people say I don't eat much red meat, I eat chicken. What makes you think that chicken is ok? It's all about what people hear on the radio or news. Why not read articles that tell you that Meat is not good for you, NO MEAT.

My health has increased dramatically! I was one who ALWAYS had the stomach flu yearly, colds at least twice a year, bladder infections, pleurisy developed out of nowhere (I blame this on the pill), but my immune system seemed to be so bad that since I was a little girl I would always be sick. When I gave up meat, right away I lost 10lbs. My skin cleared up some, my sense of smell increased, my energy increased, I wasn't getting sick at all when my kids were and others around me. The list goes on.


Then I gave up milk, I only had skim milk with cereal so that wasn't hard. Cheese on the other hand has been a hard one to give up, just pizza, but I finally did these past few months. I would always go back and forth and throughout the years hardly had any but being in Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City, I would have a slice of pizza. I now do not eat any dairy at all. Giving up milk and only eating cheese once awhile through those years cleared up my acne that I have had since I was 12 years old. My face is clear and it's VERY rare that I get a breakout. I would actually have perfect skin, eat pizza and in a few days have a breakout and also feel completely bloated after pizza. Ice cream was a hard one also to give up but now I make my own ice cream at home with coconut milk and everyone loves it. You can still enjoy the foods you love with replacements that are so much healthier.

I have never felt better than I do now. I have so much energy, my skin glows, I swear it helps with aging. I am 35 and so many people tell me I look like a teenager, I don't really take that as a compliment because honestly I don't mind being 35. I love how much more I learn and appreciate as I get older. Don't get me wrong it is a compliment but I wasn't a woman who cried when turning 30 and actually find it ridiculous that women do. Getting older and wiser makes my life better, and makes me a better person. 


The other night I was at my son's choir concert and saw so many young girls (6th thru 8th grade) that were so overweight. My heart broke for them. They are so young. Articles and doctors are saying now that our children might not outlive us. This should be a wake-up call to everyone. Child obesity and diabetes has done nothing but increased. 


I really wish people that wanted to make a change would stop the fad diets and try one that is real, that makes sense and that has proof that it works. It's not even a diet, it's a lifestyle. 


Please just watch Fork Over Knives and share it with anyone else you love and care about, or anyone that will listen. It's the answer to everything health related in my opinion.

PS. My husband has lost 16 lbs in 12 days by eating plant based foods and he eats A LOT of food, his daily headaches are gone, sense of smell stronger, his stomach issues (bathroom) are gone and he has more energy! 

This and That

Cecropia Moth on the side of our building at work

Coming into work this morning as I walked up to the door was this beautiful what I thought was a butterfly but later learned it was a Cecropia Moth. It's gorgeous! The colors, it's size,the little feather looking antennas. This is what makes me happy! A beautiful insect that reminds me of childhood,  although I do remember putting bugs and butterflys in jars then letting them free, but now as an adult thinking about that makes me cringe. How cruel that was, but I didn't know any better at a young age capturing them to watch them. I looked up this moth online and sadly they only live for 2 weeks. They do not eat and their only purpose is to mate! Very sad :(

I am feeling great! I have been eating so clean for months and months. Tom has lost 14 lbs in 1 week and 3 days. His headaches are gone and he is experiencing what I did when I first became a vegetarian, my smell became stronger. I know it sounds weird but it's true. He has so much more energy already, instead of me doing the treadmill every night, him and I have been going for walks for 1 hour every night. It feels so good and the weather has been wonderful.

Everyday we are making so many delicious meals at home. I don't crave any bad foods at all anymore, I actually crave fruit and my biggest craving is homemade guacamole! I can't get enough of it. I can eat 2 avocados and not gain a pound, they are high in fat but it's the good fat, it fills me up and I love it!

On Sunday, Tom made bean burgers and asparagus and green onion on the grill. YUM!

 Chocolate Almond Nut Butter

I have been making my own Nut Butter and this one is perfect. I got the recipe from Oh She Glows and it's very easy!

2 cups of Almonds Raw Plain- Put in Food Processor for 15 minutes, scraping sides of processor every minute.

1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips (or regular chocolate) with a teaspoon of Coconut Oil-Microwave or Melt in pot, if you microwave it, stir every 30 seconds for a total of 1.5 minutes.

Add melted chocolate and 1/4 tsp of seat salt to food processor after the 15 minutes and process for 1 minute and you have perfect Chocolate Almond Nut Butter!

Here are two of my cats that seem to love to lay on our kitchen table (I am a very clean person lol) This morning I took the picture because my son was trying to eat his cereal and Haystack (the big black one) was trying so hard to get his milk. By the way that is the last of the dairy milk in the house. I told the boys one change I am making with them is no more dairy milk.