Happy Monday evening!

Over this winter break, I’ve gotten a tad pizza acquainted experimenting with some very yummy vegan pizza recipes.

Vegan pizza? Say what? Yes, what. It’s a thing, and a very delicious one at that.

I was initially inspired when I was gifted with Pamela’s gluten-free, dairy-free pizza crust for Christmas.

From there, it was history.

I so luckily stumbled upon the most amazing pesto topping there ever was and decided to use it for both pizza prototypes.

Avocado Greens Pesto (Broccoli Bulletin)

• 3 cups packed dark leafy greens (I used kale one time and spinach the other)
• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 medium avocado
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of nutritional yeast (optional — I didn’t have & it turned out fine!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3-4 tb water
• Olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice, to taste

Process all of the ingredients in a food processor and wah-lah!

So here it is, Pizza #1…

Kale Avocado Pesto Pizza on Pamela’s Pizza Crust

Pamela’s pizza crust can be bought in stores or here, with recipe printed on packaging!

I recommend prepping the dough ahead of time (maybe in the morning), as to give it adequate time to rise (2+ hours). My mom and I didn’t and rushed the process a bit, so the dough had barely risen. It was delicious nonetheless, just a little flatter and harder.

And Pizza #2…

Spinach Avocado Pesto Pizza on Cauliflower Crust

Cauliflower Crust (Detoxinista) – serves 2

• 1 lb cauliflower florets
• 3 tb ground chia/flax seeds (I used chia seeds!)
• 6 tb water
• 1/2 cup almond meal (I used brown rice flower instead)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

***My mom and I actually doubled this recipe since we had 2 lbs of cauliflower and I’m so happy we did!

I recommend giving yourself at least two hours for this pizza, as the cauliflower crust takes a while to prepare and cook, and the whole crust process is pretty labor intensive.

Enjoy my friends, and pizza on!

Chow.

Hello, everyone!

Today I want to discuss raw foodism, a recent intrigue of mine. I’ve mentioned it in previous posts, but let me delve in further.

Raw foodism is essentially taking the plant-based lifestyle to the next level—the ultimate vegan diet. This raw food lifestyle is based solely on fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in their raw, natural state, untouched by heat or chemicals.

 

My reason for gravitating toward this raw lifestyle is solely for its immense healing benefits it provides to the body and spirit. Because of a recent medical scare of my own and my motivation to self-heal , then further educating myself on the physiology of the body and the foods it needs to thrive, this diet makes the most sense to me, intuitively and scientifically.

When one consumes food grown from the earth left in its natural state, the body is given the full, illuminating and ultimate healing nutrients. This food is the most vibrant, powerful food for both the body and mind, free of toxins and filled with life and energy.

Think about it. If you’re feeding your body cooked, dead food robbed of its nutrients, how will that then transpose into the energy your body will receive? Now don’t get me wrong, cooked food isn’t bad, but for me, knowing that there is something much better for you out there, I’m naturally all over it!

On this type of diet (lifestyle), the body is able to completely dispose of all waste, thriving off only the most nutrient-dense, electric foods.

This lifestyle is high-carb (fruits & vegetables) and low-fat (nuts and oils) or 80-10-10, which may sound strange to someone trained in conventional nutrition, but with all doubts aside, it seems to work quite beautifully. Of course, you need balance in any diet, but we don’t actually need so much of the other nutrients that are drilled into our brains by the food industry as we may think (overhyped protein need myth). Whole fruits and vegetables gift us with plentiful nutrients and benefits.

I have these famous raw vegan YouTube stars listed below to educate and inspire you further, as they did me!

• Freelee the Banana Girl
• The Life Regenerator 
• Annie Jaffrey 
• Dara Dubinet
• Fully Raw Kristina

It just seems like high carb, low fat is the way to go to live a life of ultimate energy, health, happiness and healing.

Along with this raw food lifestyle, I’ve been thinking about other aspects of my life and how to bring other areas of my daily routine back to nature. Some of these changes I’ve written off as long-term, as I am still under my parent’s roof/dollar and unable to completely change how my household runs. Soon enough though, I will be graduated (May!), living on my own and able to decide how to go about every detail.

My #1 goal is to completely rid any chemicals from my life. Anything from my beauty routine to my cleaning products to my household items. The idea is to keep everything as natural and organic as possible.

My other big goal is to live the greenest life I possibly can. I’m sure with enough self-education and application of what I already know, I’ll be able to make my household a luminescent green.

Nothing worth doing is easy & nothing easy is worth doing.

With the end goal in mind, I know I can accomplish anything. I think I’ve set myself up for success in my gradual transition to more raw, whole foods and a slow transition to more natural products in my daily life. With time, I’ll get there.

Knowing that I am filling my body with ultimate vitality that will allow me to be the best version of myself radiating positivity from from head to toe without supporting cruel, corrupt food giants or harming the environment is an exceptional feeling.

Who wants to join me?! 🙂

Well, it’s almost time for me to head back to school and preparations for The Veg Club of Virginia Tech are in full force as our recruitment efforts will begin shortly after classes begin. How exciting!

Hopefully, you’ll be getting an update on that very soon!

Chow for now!

Happy Thursday, all! Here’s a look into my food life today.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

7:15am I wake up and immediately drink a large glass of water.

7:30am In route to the gym, I pop in a handful of raw sunflower seeds. I l always keep a bag of nuts or seeds in my car as a morning pre-workout food or emergency snack. Thankfully I was able to actually get to the gym today though. Since the snow, it’s made getting my workout in rather difficult.

7:45-9am I do sprint intervals for 15 minutes on the treadmill, then move onto 50 minutes of strength training for my shoulders and traps. I hadn’t worked this area of my body in two weeks, so it was a bit of a challenge!

9:15am Upon arrival home from the gym, I make a smoothie bowl made with 2 frozen bananas, a handful of frozen blueberries, a handful of fresh spinach, almond milk and PB2. I then top it off with chia seeds and sliced almonds.

9:30am I take a shower and get ready for the day.

10am On my commute to work (Dad and I drove in together this morning!), I sip on some green tea and continue to do so for my first hour of work. I continue to drink lots of water through out the entire day too!

12pm My dad’s office is actually down the street from where I am working over winter break, so he took me out to lunch to celebrate my belated 1.5 year vegan mark! As of lately, I’ve been just loving all Indian flavors, so we headed to the Indian restaurant across the street, but much to my surprise, there were very limited vegan options and not-so-accomodating staff.

As a plan B, we headed to the Thai restaurant, “Absolute Thai,” upstairs and very much enjoyed our dishes and the tranquil atmosphere. I ordered the Green Curry veggies and tofu with brown rice and some nice, warm green tea! I can never get enough of that stuff.

      

2pm I eat half of my Pink Cripps apple slices as I work.

3pm I eat the other half of my apple slices.

4:45pm Upon arrival home, I peel apart a juicy clementine and chow down. Make that two.

6pm I excitedly pour myself some of my mom’s famous minestrone soup. Seriously though, this stuff is AMAZING.

8pm I de-seed a pomegranate and eat every single seed, per usual. I think it’s well deserved too after that lengthy de-seeding process. Someone seriously needs to invent a pomegranate de-seeder already!

10pm I hop into bed and read various vegan blog sites for about 30 minutes until my eyes get heavy and I fall asleep.

With the extra time I’ve had over winter break, I’ve been discovering more vegan blog sites and even some vegan Youtube channels. One vlogger in particular has inspired me — Annie Jaffrey. After watching a few of these “vlogs,” I’ve decided that I may want to start one of my own in the near future. I mean how much fun would that be? This probably will require an investment in a nice camera though…graduation present perhaps? 😉

Being able to put a live personality to the insight provided and to view actual preparation of recipes and other instructional type posts would be super beneficial and a lot more entertaining, in my humble opinion. This is just a thought, but I’ll keep you all updated with that.

Who knows…maybe “vlogging” will be my first project on my own as a college graduate in my new living arrangement, wherever that may be!

As much as I would have liked to stick with the raw vegan diet, it’s been a bit trying with the vicioiusly cold weather we’ve been having. I’m still attempting to keep all my dishes as simple and whole as possible though, still incorporating more raw foods into my daily intake, just not 100% or until 4pm.  I see the potential for this type of transition when the weather gets a bit warmer. I’m already excited for it!

That’s all for now. I hope everyone’s new year resolutions have some correlation with a happy mind and a healthy body, and that you all can find the determination within yourselves to stick by them. You deserve to be your best you.

Chow!

It’s true. Today marks my 1.5 year Veganniversary!

My only thought looking back is that I only wish I found it sooner.

Funny thing is that if someone were to have told me I would go vegan cold-tofurkey 😉 and stay vegan for the rest of my life just 1.5 years ago, I would probably laugh. Sure, I was always a health-conscious individual, but just like so many others, I saw veganism as an extreme diet that didn’t seem practical.

Well, here I am 1.5 years later, alive and well, to tell you that it is indeed very practical, and in fact one of the most practical lifestyles to live; not to mention the single most nutritious, economical, ethical and sustainable.

Although I am beyond grateful for where I am at now, I truly value the time I had before going vegan—a whole 20 years! Having been raised on a typical American diet (of course with lots of fruits & veggies—thanks Mom!), it gives me perspective on those who continue to carry out the western diet, heavy in animal products, like meat, dairy and eggs. People are just a model of their makers, a product of their society. People only know what they are told. Sadly, we have been brainwashed through the billion dollar meat and dairy industry to find necessity in animal products, and to block out any negative information, about inhumane treatment or less than sustainable practices, within mass-production factory farming.

The truth must be told, but people must be willing to hear it first. Yes, of course these animal products taste good. We have been conditioned to enjoy these flavors, and this industry makes it their job to insure we continue to feel this way. But do they taste good enough to knowingly put innocent, salient beings through torture? To me, they do not. Do they taste good enough to knowingly poison your body with parasites, feces, unhealthy fats and cholesterol that eventually lead you down the road to fatal western disease? To me, they do not. One must look at the big picture over the minor details to understand the impact and good that comes with this life-changing transition.

Being vegan is not hard. It’s just different. 

I have achieved what I would have never thought possible over the past year and a half, both mentally and physically, and I truly give it up to my plant-based diet. Plant foods alone have every nutrient your body needs in the purest, most superior form, powerful enough to reverse disease and aging in its tracks.

I lost body fat, gained muscle, lost time off recovery, gained a clearer mind, and raised my level of consciousness and compassion. I feel overjoyed to carry out a lifestyle of peace and worldliness.

Veganism has inspired me not just in the way I eat, but in the way I think, how I act and ultimately, how I feel.

Veganism has moved me—as an individual, as a member of society, as a species of this planet. I feel so blessed to have found this lifestyle and will never go back.

Along the way, I’ve managed to inspire countless others to pursue a plant-based lifestyle full of health & wellness—one of the sole reasons I started this blog and the single greatest reward I could receive.

My one request to all of you is to educate yourselves. Be more conscious of the food you are eating. Think beyond yourself. How was this made? Where did this come from? What was the process this endured from farm to plate? What impact on the world am I making?

As for me now, I’m onto the next 100 years! 🙂

Chow for now.