Top 8 Tips for Being Vegan

One of the top questions I hear when asked about being vegan is, "Is it hard?" To be honest, I can always respond with a confident no, but through the years I have definitely developed a lot of tips and tricks. Just like any new lifestyle change in your life, veganism is learned and practiced, but through consistency it's as simple as getting dressed in the morning.

Here are my top 8 tips for being vegan:

Invest your time in educating yourself  through documentaries/YouTube/books.

Now that you've decided to become vegan, one of the best things you can do is to educate yourself on why you've become vegan. You will be asked many questions about your decision and you will want to be prepared with how to answer those questions.
One of the main reasons I have been able to stay vegan and have confidence that I will always be vegan is my conviction of animal cruelty, environmental concerns, and health. Through my own experience I know these topics were rarely, if ever brought into a conversation while growing up, therefore it was all about going beneath the surface and educating myself. Because I have educated myself and continue to educate myself, the thought of anything that isn't vegan repulses me. Cheese, eggs, and dairy are so out of my realm that I don't even care how good something could potentially taste because I am able to associate abuse and sickness on top of it.

Stop caring about how other people view you.

In our society, people get very defensive about food/food choices. If you aren't eating what they are eating, there is a tendency for them to get upset and have the sense that you attacking them, although that is the opposite of what you are doing. Food is food, and especially in America we should know that what you choose to put in your body is your choice whether you are vegan or eating a standard American diet. Do not let this get to you. People will look at you funny and may say rude things to you, but it is YOUR choice. Be confident in your decision and through educating yourself this will get easier and easier. However, I would like to point out that just because someone is getting defensive with you doesn't give you the right to attack them as tempting as it may be. Always remember to stay calm. This will give them no reason to keep attacking you. Getting defensive or attacking someone will only do more damage than good, especially with your loved ones.

Eat real food.

Eating real food means skipping all the vegan meats, cheeses, etc. These foods are nice and convenient if you are transitioning into veganism and you feel the need to eat something similar to what you used to eat. However, most of these imitation foods are not even good for you and can be very costly. Through time your taste-buds will adapt and you will learn to love healthy food. Or, if you are wanting something similar to a hamburger, learn how to make your own. Sticking to whole foods will not only make you feel better but it will be cheaper as well. Keep the imitation foods as treat foods.

Make health a priority.

When I see a lot of vegans fail, I can't help but notice that they weren't making health a priority. Just because you are vegan doesn't automatically make you healthy as there are plenty of "junk-food vegans" out there. The problem in this is you will eventually start to feel sick and could blame it on the diet instead of recognizing that you were just eating the wrong things. Eating enough food can also be a huge problem as plant foods are naturally less calorically dense vs. animal products, therefore you need to be eating bigger portions. Make sure you're getting in lots of greens, vegetables, fruits, plant based starches, plant based proteins, and healthy fats. Veganism should make you feel GOOD. If you are starting to feel sick, reevaluate what you are actually putting in your body and what you could be missing.

Buy groceries and learn how to cook.

One of the things that won't be as easy for you anymore is being able to go out to any restaurant you want and order anything. This is especially true if you live in small town, USA like myself. Therefore learning to cook is KEY. Cooking may seem like a big stride for you, but honestly I am one of the laziest cooks around and can usually get my cooking done within 15 minutes...which is potentially faster than getting in your car and driving somewhere. Learn how to make rice, potatoes, and pasta and make a stir-fry on the side or to go on top of your carb source. Start researching new recipes that you would like to try and make a collection. Cooking will get easier the more you do it as I didn't even know how to cook until I met my husband 3.5 years ago. On a even bigger plus side, you WILL save money. There is a big misconception that you lose money in buying groceries. This is only true if you waste your groceries, but if you are eating at home every night there is no reason you should be wasting anything.

Always be ahead of the game (restaurants, snacks, drinks...etc).

Just because you may not being going to restaurants as much doesn't mean friends and family won't want to go out to eat on occasion. In this case, find out where you are going and look up their menu. If you find that there is essentially nothing you can have, either find another restaurant and give that suggestion or pay attention to what they have for sides. A lot of the time you can get a baked potato and vegetables (with request of no butter) with no problem. It is also easy to talk to your waiter/waitress and tell them that you are vegan and most of the time the chef is more than willing to work with you.
It is also important to plan your snacks ahead of time. If you are going to be outside of your home all day, pack snacks. If you're already grocery shopping, you'll have nuts/seeds/fruits on hand that you can just throw in your bag. Another tip: Cliff Bars and Larabars are lifesavers. Trust me, putting in a little more effort will go a long way.

Find other vegans/watch other vegans on YouTube/follow vegan blogs.

It's easy to feel alone when you are the only vegan you know. There are many vegan meet-up groups you can be apart of or you can find other vegans to follow on YouTube or follow vegan bloggers. This will help you feel like you're not alone and knowing that there are many like-minded individuals helps in the transition process. This will also help you stay on track as many vloggers/bloggers are posting new and valuable information about being vegan and how they live a vegan lifestyle.

Have a supportive partner.

From experience I know that having a supportive partner makes the transition way easier. I was lucky enough to even have my husband (boyfriend at the time) become vegan with me. However, I do not think that your partner needs to go vegan with you for you to be successful. The best thing to do is to let them transition when they are ready and not make them feel like you are pushing them. It is important to educate them and let them know why you are doing what you are doing and tell them that their support is important to you. It would be hard however, if they were the one in your ear telling you that what you were doing was not a good decision. The key to any relationship is mutual respect and communication. Let them know that you need them to respect and support your decision.

Veganism is a journey and by no means will you learn everything in a day or even a month. I've been vegan 3 years strong and still learn knew things everyday. Consistency is key and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it.

Now, go on and you do you!

How To Make Homemade Lara Bars

I love Lara Bars.

I love that they have limited ingredients, yet they are so delicious.

We used to buy a box of them every time we went grocery shopping because I love how easy they are as a quick on-the-go snack. I also love that the list of ingredients is very small and you know exactly what went into what you're about to consume.

But seriously, if they are around, I will eat one every day because they are delicious, duh.

I love supporting awesome companies such as Lara but the only thing is, they don't always fit into the budget.

So I'm sorry Lara...it's not you, it's me.

So, for all of you out there who feel the same way, here's a recipe that will help with the budget and also satisfy your taste buds.

Here's what you'll need:

10-12 dates

2 Tbsp organic cocoa powder

2 Tbsp PB2 (or regular peanut butter)

That's it....awesome right?

Of course, you can make any flavor you want, but the peanut butter cookie is my personal favorite, so that's what I like making, and adding cocoa powder amps it up that much more.

With this recipe you can be really creative or as simple as you want.

That being said, I decided to add chia seeds.

Why chia seeds? 

Chia seeds are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, protein, omega 3-fatty acids, and so much more. They are an easy add-in and they don't have a flavor, meaning they won't overtake your recipe. 

I add them in my oatmeal, on toast, and basically into anything I bake. 

So real question is...why not chia seeds?

Pit your dates and add them into your food processor along with your cocoa powder and PB2, and in my case, chia seeds.

I find it is easier to make them in a food processor, but you could definitely use a blender as well.

Blend it up.

You want to blend until the consistency is thick and sticky. If it is too thick to the point that it won't mold together, add a bit of water.

Take your "dough" and spread it out in a small cake pan. I used a small bread pan, because that's what we have in our home, and I'm thrifty like that.

Stick your bars into the fridge for about 15 minutes until they are easy to cut. I also find that they taste better after being refrigerated. 

Cut your bars into whatever shapes you'd like, and boom...

Delicious bars using simple, healthy, tasty ingredients.

Now, they may not look as perfectly sculpted as those Lara bars we all know and love, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

I love taking mine on road trips, or just having them ready to go in the fridge when I'm needing a snack or for a quick fueling before the gym.

They don't leave you full, bloated, or with a stomach ache, so basically...they are perfect.

I'd also like to note that if the bar thing isn't working out for you, you could roll them into balls, which I have done. Same taste different shape.

So there you have it! Now, it's your turn.

If you like this recipe, comment and let me know. Also if you have other flavors you like, I'd love to hear.

Why am I Vegan?

My heart is so heavy writing this, as I know that many don't understand.

Roughly 2 years ago, I made the best decision of my life, to become vegan.

Becoming vegan wasn't an option for me. It was something I had to do. 

The stereotypical view of vegans are that they are hippies eating salads all day long and know nothing about actual health. They push their opinions on you, they deprive themselves, and they are only doing it to be different than everyone else.

First of all, if anyone knows my husband and I, the last thing we do is eat salads all day as we know that is not sustainable. We do anything but deprive ourselves as we eat more than anyone else we know, and we definitely do not push our opinions or do it just to be different.

Yes, we don't eat any animal products...this means no meat, cheese/dairy, or eggs. We don't eat animal fat, gelatin (as it comes from bone marrow) or honey. We don't wear leather, wool, or suede. 

Being vegan is about the animals, but it's also so much more.

Being vegan is about taking down the blindfolds that have been put in front of our eyes by society and seeing the world for what it really is. It's about knowing and understanding what is going on with our products, instead of taking the easy way out and hiding. It's about knowing what is in our food, skin products, and cleaning products and not participating in evil.

Most importantly, it's about being compassionate.

Many seem to think being vegan is just a diet, but that is not true as being vegan is a lifestyle. 

I don't miss anything that I'm not eating or using because I know the truth behind it. 

The problem is, as consumers, we are completely blind to what is going on before we get what we are buying. We don't raise, kill, or butcher our meats. We don't see the animals getting tested before we buy our shampoos and soaps and we don't listen to the cries of the enslaved animals. When we buy our products in a nice little package, we don't think about what it really is or how it could affect us.

This is a lifestyle. 

We choose to live compassionately towards animals, the planet, and the people around us.

We choose to reduce our carbon footprint and to make the best, most educated decisions on what we buy.

We choose to be vegan.

This is a topic that I am very passionate about, but I feel that without being exposed to what I've been exposed to, it's difficult to truly understand.

I challenge anyone who has not already to watch these YouTube videos and documentaries.

-Gary Yourofsky: Best Speech you will ever hear- 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

-Earthling 

-Cowspiricy

-Food-Inc

-Forks over Knives

In no way is this a post trying to make anyone feel badly, or judged against. This is only to open up minds about veganism, to eliminate hateful stereotypes, and to expose the truth behind our food.

Sorry, not sorry

Why is it that, everyone feels entitled to their own opinion, but if another person disagrees with that opinion suddenly that person is wrong? This is a backwards way of thinking don't you think? I mean, saying one person is right 100% of the time seems illogical.

This is where I'm coming from...

I'm in my early 20's, graduated from university a year ago, married, vegan, and I've been out of a job for 3 weeks.

I am the definition of someone living outside of the norm.

Do I care? Absolutely not.

Should you care? Absolutely not.

I'll take myself being a vegan. If I'm on Facebook, Instagram, or out in public for that matter I hear that vegans are weird, meat is awesome, why would someone deprive themselves of meat, eggs, and dairy (because apparently you shouldn't live without them) and if you're offended you should just get over it because you're the odd one out. BUT, if a vegan walks in the room and talks about their meal all of a sudden people are offended because by you not eating meat, eggs, and dairy you are bullying them. I mean....really.

I'll also take myself being in my early 20's and being married. There are posts all over everywhere talking about this topic but even by being out in public you can hear the conversations about how young people are ruining their lives because they are getting married. Stop. Right. There. When did it become some kind of sin to love someone unconditionally and want to spend the rest of your life with that person? When did moving in with someone and deciding to do everything together start ruining peoples lives? The thing is...I'm not into pushing love. I'm not into pretending to love someone just to get married and have a wedding. What I am into is loving and taking care of someone because they are more important than your "happiness" or your "relationship goals". If you haven't found the one yet, that's okay! Live your life to the fullest and take one day at a time. If you don't find them until you 50, that's still awesome. If you don't have the desire to find someone, that's great! Just do you.

Which brings me to my final rant, not having a job. Forcing yourself to work a job that you absolutely hate and that makes you a terrible person, is not doing anything for anyone. Sure we all need to make a dollar. I for one, know exactly how this is. I've had more jobs than hands and feet and I'm young. I've had more jobs than some 80 year old's can say and it's because I needed to eat. But...if you have dreams, aspirations, something you're working for...being in an environment where you aren't happy....isn't going to send you on your path.

I've had a job since I was 15...sometimes having 3 jobs at once. Not having a job right now is out of my comfort zone. I thought I knew what I wanted to do but it only took me to a dead end. So now I'm here. It wasn't until now that I'm realizing and trying to figure out what I really love, what I'm passionate about, and where I need to go all because I was forced to stop, breathe, and really think. Being out of your comfort zone is sometimes the medicine you really need.

The point of all of this is just because someone isn't living the life that you set out to live, does not mean they are wrong. Each one of us has different paths, different goals, and different passions. We are all here to follow those dreams. Just because you hit a speed bump, doesn't mean you crashed and burned and that also doesn't give someone the right to judge you. God doesn't make mistakes. If we all did the same thing, this would be a boring world wouldn't it?

Prove the haters wrong. Haters are going to hate, but you...you do you.