My Kitchen is a Mess!

Yep, a huge freaking mess.  Why?  Because vegan cooking requires fresh food and, seemingly, most of this fresh food goes in a food processor, and a pot, and requires every measuring spoon and cup I own.  My new cookbooks are spattered and stained and my counters and walls need a wash or two daily.

But I'm not complaining; really, I'm not.  The food I've made has been some of the tastiest I have eaten.  Take this morning's breakfast, for instance - quinoa and berry cereal - warm and tasty and lovely.  And tonight's supper - creamy onion soup with kale - yummy and nourishing.  Or yesterday's snack of baked zucchini with spicy queso dip.  Even kale chips make a mess but are worth it for the crunchy-salty factor.

So, instead of popping a frozen dinner in the microwave or munching on a bag of chips or some other processed foods, I have taken up the gauntlet of healthy eating.  Kitchen mess be damned!

PS - image is NOT my kitchen and was posted for illustrative purposes only

I'm Learning as I Go

Every day I try to look up something on the Internet related to being vegan - vegan diets, vegan lifestyles, vegan recipes.  I was surprised to learn there are a lot of vegan haters out there (but also a lot of supporters).

I've found a lot of yummy recipes, some helpful tips on how to cook veggies so they keep most of their nutrients, and many articles on how great vegans feel mentally and physically.

Most rewarding to me, though, are the articles I find touting the health benefits of a non-meat, non-dairy diet.  Did you know dementia is linked to obesity and eating red meat?  Did you know getting calcium from pills increases your risk of heart disease?  Did you know a handful of almonds provides more calcium than an equal amount of milk?  Did you know that some chocolate milk, shredded cheese, and salad dressings contain cellulose (wood pulp)? 

Knowing that I am keeping my mind and body as clear and as clean as I can makes me feel good.  Scratch that - it makes me happy.  And what more can we ask for than to be healthy AND happy?

If you want to read some of the articles I have found you can check them out on my Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/notabookreviewblog