Vegan Down in the Dumps

It seems that a co-worker of mine was feeling a little generous when he left work on Friday, and left me with this really nasty cold. It hit me on Sunday - sore throat, congestion, and the sudden feeling that I wanted to curl up in bed for the rest of the day. The sore throat was extremely mild at first, but then as the night went on it got worse.

Now, usually, when you have a diet that has no animal-based products included you typically never get sick because your immune system is fortified and healthy, meaning it's in pristine working condition. However, since my current diet doesn't consist of any animal-based products but remains a bit sketchy since I don't eat very much due to long hours and little free time, mine is vulnerable.

There are ways to combat a cold with natural, true to the earth ingredients. If you ever begin to feel like the flu bug has got you by the coat tails, there are plenty of ways to fight it without antibiotics clogging up your system or a trip to the doctors office. The one I'm most familiar with are lemons. These tart babies are ideal for restoring acid-alkali balance in the body and helps maintain its natural pH levels, which support healthy bacteria instead of viruses and harmful bacteria that thrive in acidic conditions.

I'm sure some of you have had mother's like mine that used to tell you to stay away from milk when you're sick. That's because milk produces and aids the growth of bacteria in the body. According to Gabriel Cousens, M.D. and author of Conscious Eating, the undigested lactose and acidic nature of pasturized milk encourages the growth of bacterian in our intestines. Before you go reaching for a glass of milk or a small thing of yogurt while you're sick, grab a glass of lemon water. Not only will this make you feel ten times better, it will also help detoxify your body, ridding it of all those nasty toxins that come from the crap you were eating before. A good recipe to follow (one I love, especially) is hot water, the juice of one lemon, and two tablespoons of honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. Thinking it's going to be too tart for your taste? The sweetness of whichever sweetner you use will give that sour taste a run for its money.

Some cold fighting foods that I would've never guessed are mushrooms, broccoli, blueberries, kidney and garbanzo beans, pumpkin seeds, garlic, and brazil nuts. Each of these does your immune system some real good. Mushrooms, broccoli, and blueberries help de-stress the immune system so it doesn't have to work so hard; pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, a crucial nutrient to give your immune system a power boost; garlic is simply a delicious antibiotic that fights virus'; and brazil nuts are the number one source of selenium, an antioxidant needed to rejuvenate our bodies so it can kill germs and protect cells from free radical damage.

So when those aches and pains wbegin creeping up on you, remember these wise words from the Lazy Vegan. But if you add these simple foods to your everyday life, the flu or the common cold will ever get the best of you because your immune system will be one bad-ass germ killing machine.

Yours truly,
    

A Little Advice for My Peeps

My best friend and I were talking about the natural occurence of pooping.

I know, right? The things we talk to our friends about. Since her surgery (gastric bypass), she's been having problems maintaining proper balance of nutrients while she works out and throughout the day. This gave me an idea (or two) about what she could do to get the proper amount of vitamins, minerals, omegas, etc that food is supposed to provide.

The other day, I spoke about the vast benefits of kale, bananas, and mangoes in Food Alert! My bestie just so happens to be an omnivore who seems to have an aversion to vegetables and fruits. Naturally, the reason she may not be getting enough of the things her body needs is because her diet consists of primarily animal based foods. The more animal based foods we eat, the less nutrients our body recieves.

"Most Americans eat twice as much protein as necessary, which has sent obesity, heart disease, and cancer rates soaring over the past fifty years. When you eat large amounts of animal protein and saturated fats and do not eat whole grains, vegetables, and fresh fruits, there is no fiber to bind all of the toxins and fat together to be eliminated from your body." - Skinny Bitch

What did I suggest, you ask?

I told my best friend three things: try green smoothies, add more meatless meals to your daily diet, and add more fruits and vegetables to her diet (duh!). I also added in there a little something about trying to juice at least once a month. Juicing is awesome! It provides you with raw vitamins and minerals. Even the experts agree that juicing does wonders for the body. "Whether it's fruit juice, veggie juice, or both, the enzymes are wonderful aides in the cleansing process."

Die-hard omnivores, like my friend in Colorado, have even tried juicing. It's for everybody and anybody, and it works. When I'm feeling like my body is in need a good detox, I spend every penny I have on fresh fruits and veggies. It's even better (not to mention cheaper) when your local farmers market is up and running - imagine all of the possibilities.

Periodic repeated fasts are especially useful.

The long and short of it is that in order to recieve and maintain your nutrients and vitamins is to eat a sufficient and significant amount of  fruits and vegetables and less animal proteins. Remember, this is key.

Head my advice, young ones!!!! :)

Sincerely yours,

Food Alert!

Hell yeah! It's the first Food Alert of 2012, and it is goooooood!

For the past two or three weeks I have been surpressing this crazy craving for a kale and banana smoothie, among other things. Finally, last night I made it to Whole Foods by the skin of my chinny chin chin and bought a bunch of kale ($2.49 each; thank God for tips, right), bananas ($0.69 a lb), one carton of AlmondMilk ($1.29, 365 brand), and a carton of Soy milk ($1.99, 365 brand).

Helpful tip of the day:

I was about to buy a $3 carton of the soy milk in the refrigerated section when I noticed that there was an entire section dedicated to cartons of every vegan milk you can imagine - from hemp to almond. I wanted to try the Tempt brand of hemp milk, but realized that that is a splurge for some other time. I saved myself two whole bucks buying the cartoned milk instead. It lasts so much longer, and I was able to buy two different kinds. Needless to say, I walked out a very happy woman.

So, this morning, after I forced myself out of bed I blended up the best damn green smoothie you'll ever lay your eyes on. I call it the Better than Raw Kale smoothie. It is so good, and damn good for you, too.

Now, if kale were a comic book character it would be Professor Xavier from X-Men. This vegetable is full of mad crazy super powers. It's closely related to other awesome veggies like broccoli, and brussel sprouts (which are great steamed, by the way). Kale is an awesome possum antioxidant and acts as an awesome digestive aid. It has all the vitamins you need - A, B-6, C, E and even K. Vitamin A is good for tissue growth and eye health, among other things. I got this little paragraph of info about the other vitamins kale provides from livestrong.com (def a site you should consider visiting sometime):

"Your skeletal tissues, skin and hair rely on vitamin A for renewal and repair. By maintaining the mucous membranes that line the inner surfaces of your body, vitamin A helps protect you against infection from pathogenic organisms. Vitamin B-6 helps your body to produce the antibodies that fight illness and promote healthy brain and nerve function. Vitamin C facilitates tissue repair and wound healing, boosts immunity and providing antioxidant protection against pathogens and toxins. Vitamin E also offers antioxidant protection and plays a role in the formation of red blood cells. Vitamin E enables your body to use vitamin K, which assists in blood clotting and bone formation."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/305663-kale-vitamins/#ixzz1inKhPIAW

In short this smoothie is the prime day starter. You get your omega three's from the ground flaxseed, potassium from the bananas, and more vitamin A, C, and E, plus selenium and folic acid from the mangoes.

What are you standing there for? Get blending!

Better than Raw Kale Smoothie

2 small or 1 big leaf of Kale (any kind)
1 banana
1 mango, skin peeled (any kind)
1 tbs ground or milled flaxseed
1 tsp agave
2 1/2 cups vegan milk (soy, almond, rice, or hemp, your choice; I used almond)

Toss everything into your blender, and blend on low for 5-6 seconds. Switch to high and blend for 1 minute before going back to low and blending for another 5-6 seconds. Blend one more time on high for 1 minute and end blending on low for a couple seconds.

Voila!

Enjoy your creamy, delicious goodness! From my kitchen to yours, happy blending, folks!!

Yours truly,



New Year, New Resolutions?

It's 2012 and I am feeling better than ever. I've got a brand new job, and an awesome new trainer who has helped me get a new lease on life - I'm feeling amazing, guys!

At the beginning of every year after I fell off the vegan wagon, one of my main resolutions was to go vegan and stay vegan. I tried and tried, and I failed and failed. But failing never stopped me from picking myself back up and trying all over again. Kathy Freston, the vegan self-help author of the century, strongly recommends that people lean into the vegan lifestyle because diving-in head first is not a good idea. Freston says to lean in a little more each time your ready to, and to inform yourself at a pace suited for you.

And I agree. That's what I wanted this blog to be all about (well, maybe not all about). I created The Lazy Vegan to share helpful tips to my fellow vegans, vegetarians, and curious-itarians out there about how to live the lifestyle on a budget, share delicious recipes and maybe give you all some information that would enlighten you and encourage you to make healthier decisions for the rest of your lives.

When I went vegan some three or four years ago, I didn't know anyone else who was vegan, I didn't browse vegan blogs like Vegan YumYum, or subscribe to online vegan cooking classes like sporkonline.com. I wasn't very well-informed. I believe that's why I fell off the wagon so quickly - my lack of knowledge and vegan social connections were limited and non-existent.

Not anymore! Now, via Facebook and various vegan sites, I'm more connected and definitely more determined to make this lifestyle my own. I want to share it with you; I want to plead with you all once more to come with me on this journey into the new year with a new perspective on veganism, vegetarianism, and so on. I'll be your Yoda and you'll be my Young Skywalker.

Oh! I won't abandon you like before. I spent a few months forgetting about my lovely blog while I struggled with finding another job, paying bills, and eating horribly. No more. I'm done leaving stuff in the dust and unfinished (another one of my resolutions: finishing what I've started). And for that very reason, I'm posting three additional posts today. WooHoo!!!

So, give my advice a go and see what it does for you. I, like almost every vegan on the planet, can guarantee you won't be disaapointed.

Ciao!! Yours truly,



 

New Job, New Rules

Yeah, you heard right, I got a new job.

Not just that, I'm working for an upscale fitness center in midtown Tulsa. The pay is only a little better (by $1.00 and about 50 hours more), plus I'm still pulling a few hours at the magazine. So, now not only am I working more and making more money, I'm busier than ever. That means more meticulous meal planning, and way more penny pinching because I'm shooting for moving out on my own.

"Oh, my God," you say? Hell yeah. I'm piling on the financial responsibilities.

I haven't posted in a few weeks, so I'll give you a quick update. I've been living like a vegetarian on the verge of going vegan. The majority of my food has been canned and not much cooking has been done.

Fear not, I made a delicious vegan mac 'n' cheese on a whim, however, and it turned out DELICIOUS!! Using only seven ingredients, I made my first vegan mac 'n' cheese a pure success.

It didn't look exactly like that, the Daiya cheese was a bit darker. I've included the recipe just for you guys. Enjoy!

2 1/2 cups of Rice milk

1 pkg Daiya Cheddar

1 tsp dried dill

A dash (or two) of pepper

1-2 cups frozen broccoli (thawed) 

8 oz fun pasta (whole wheat, if you like, of macaroni, elbow, rotini, whatever)

Dash of salt (for the pasta water)

Cheeses sauce:

Bring rice milk to a low simmer. Then, add cheese, dried dill, and pepper. You have stir this continuously, if you stop stirring for just a second the cheese will stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep stirring until cheese is totally melted and the rice milk is no longer white; it'll be a light yello at first, and then it'll change into this dark, gooey, delish sauce. As your sauce is cooking, thaw your broccoli, and when it is completely thawed dump it in the sauce.

Pasta:

I would totally start boiling my water while I'm simmering my rice milk. Sprinkle with some salt, and cook til al dente (about seven minutes) because you're going to continue cooking it for another two or three minutes in the sauce.

This stuff is amazing. I can't help but have two helpings. Shhhh! Don't tell anybody.

I've got a bed to get to, so have a lazy vegan night, dudes!!

The Lazy Vegan

  

Effective Communication Blog (For School)

Hi! Welcome to The Lazy Vegan on blogger.com. I'm so glad that you've decided to join me today for something a little different.

Usually, The Lazy Vegan is about creating satisfying vegan meals on a budget; today is going to be a little different. Instead of blogging about the joys of being vegan on a budget, I've decided to share a few tips about three very important skills required for effective communication. But, I refuse to stray from the essence of this blog so I've decided to try and incorporate subjects from my blog to those three steps. This should be fun!

The first skill is by far the most important one: learning to adhere to applicable government regulations and guidelines. The USDA suggests that we make at least half of the grains we eat whole (easy for vegans since that's pretty much all we buy anyway), that we vary our veggies (gotta love the Farmers' Market), focus on fruits (you should try to vary those, too), get your calcium rich foods (mmm, kale), and get plenty of protein (toot toot for beans and legumes). These are guidelines to take into consideration when you are planning your meal plans. Beans are uber cheap and go a long way, so all you die hard vegans should have jars of dried beans lining your pantry. And every vegan should know that by shopping seasonal, your veggie choices will vary significantly.

The workplace, though, is very different from following simple USDA suggestions for adopting healthier eating habits.

In my line of work, these guidelines are extremely important. Plagerism in media is a big deal, so is slander, libel, defamation of character, etc. These are all guidlines that enable journalist to do their jobs effectively, and to communicate questions and concerns without breaking any rules or laws.

This second skill is the hardest for most people who are not exactly "proactive" like myself; it's using time productively. I don't always like to do things right away. I'm what you call a chronic procrastinator. I absolutely hate doing things ahead of time. For example, making my meal plans the day before or the day I decide to go to the grocery store. A lot of times that is how we go over-budget, when we don't use our time wisely. The key is to make sure you have enough time to survey and assess what you already have in your pantry or fridge and make your meal plans according to that, so you can purchase as few items as possible. This saves you time and money at home.

Using your time productively in the work place is something a bit similar. At work, it's easy (especially if you sit in front of a computer 8 or more hours a day), to stop working and surf the net telling yourself it's just a little break. Instead of trying to figure out what J. Lo wore to the club last night, use your "break time" to find out different ways to smooth out that email or proposal you've been putting off; try to format various ways to breathe some life back into that presentation. You know what would really rock your socks? Exploring the many gadgets that Office PowerPoint software has to offer to give that presentation an even bigger kick. Your boss will love you.

And last but certainly not least, is communicating effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. In fact, more vegans should take this skill into consideration. Some hardcore vegans can be insensitive to the experiences of others when they try to communicate their passion for veganism. Many times they can be callus and unattentive to the backgrounds of others, and vice versa. Plenty a vegan has experienced harsh, and insensitive responses when someone finds out they're vegan. If everyone took into consideration the background and experiences of others communicating our ideas and thoughts would be much simpler.

Especially in the workplace. How many times have we stood before our classmates and/or co-workers and made a reference about something cultural or ethical (maybe you referred to a person with mental retardation as a retard when they actually have autism) and didn't use the politcally correct term? You may have offended someone with a relative that has autism. If we learn to respect our teams backgrounds and experiences, we learn effective ways to communicate together.

So, the next time you feel like using your time unwisely, or decide to cut a few corners when it comes to guidelines or policy, remember that in order to make communication in the workplace (and at home) work, you have to practice these three essential skills.

Thank you for your time,
Danielle "Dani" Davis
The Lazy Vegan

Shopping While Broke

Sometimes I wonder if I should change the name of my blog to "The Broke Vegan." It doesn't ring as well as "The Lazy Vegan" but it's still just as charming.

I've written and revised about 13 shopping lists this past week. Have I learned anything? Yes. I've learned that it's time to find another job.

This week, I've been a poor example of a vegan living on $115 a week. I still have my puttenesca sans the pasta. I used the last of it feeding myself and a friend (totally unplanned, by the way). Since then, I've been eating whatever my mom could buy. Pathetic, I know. And I've been counting the days until I could go to the grocery store to buy my own vegan-friendly food.

Disregard my failure week, if you don't mind, and let's get back on track.

Now, last week, I talked about the dreaded shopping list. Well, I've been following some of those tips according to my budgetary confines and have created a well-planned, and soon to be well-executed meal plan and grocery list. True, I had to scour the weekly grocery ads for sales; sometimes sacrifice is a necessity to survival.


My meal plan looks a little something like a skipping record. Here's something I find works really well: take an inventory of what you already have in your pantry and your fridge, and look for vegan recipes that use what you already have - that way you can cut down on what your spending at the grocery store. Also, I think that if you split your list into different stores (preferrably close to one another), you can save. Maybe not on gas if you're going to places that are an entire town apart. For example, my list for this week has me going to a sale at Reasor's, then to the Neighborhood Wal-Mart down the street and then back to Whole Foods about 1.5 miles away. For me, that will take a bit of gas since I drive an eco-enemy SUV.

Reasor's, here in Oklahoma, has a sale called the 10 for $10 sale every now and then. I've found that this week they are having their 10 for $10 on Progresso soup and Vitamin Water (plus General Mills cereal is only $2!). It is true that Progresso is not my favorite soup in the whole world because it is loaded with sodium and sometimes has sneaky dairy products in the soups that we vegans tend to trust (their vegetable soup has parmesan cheese in it). Fear not, my fellow vegans, I will be cautious and I will READ MY LABELS!!!

Another tip I'm trying is shopping day by day per my meal plan. For the grocery list I'm using on Monday, I have only the things I need to make the meals on my meal plan for Tuesday and Wednesday. Pay attention:

Tuesday
Breakfast - Smoothie with soyogurt
Lunch - Red Cabbage Salad
Dinner - Cucumber Avocado Sushi Roll

Wednesday
Breakfast - Soyogurt Parfait
Lunch - Cucumber Avocado Sushi Roll
Dinner - Chili

So, for my grocery list, I have everything I need to make those items on the list. When the meal plan changes to something different (which won't be until Friday) I'll get it on Friday after work. This is definitely a trial and error sort of thing.

I'll let you know if it works to help me save money. It may and it may not. LOL. :)

Until next Sunday, enjoy a very lazy vegan week. Ciao!!



The Lazy Vegan