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Beauty In Unfinished Edges

~ Always be reminded that life is full of unfinished edges and to find the beauty in it.

Beauty In Unfinished Edges

Tag Archives: vegan

My Vegan Diet

02 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by elizabethjones2411 in Food

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

#healthyeating, animals, diet, earth, eat plants, health, Lifestyle, vegan, veganism

About a year and a half ago I decided to cut out animal products fully for the first time. I had gone without dairy for a short time before this, gave it up and then went for it again. I decided to go vegan to help improve my digestive health. It didn’t take long for me to notice changes like weight loss, reduced pain and inflammation, better sleep, and more energy. Shortly after that I also went gluten free. This was a lot harder for me to do, and still is, but again I saw many changes that push me to keep going with it. My digestion/GERD is controlled a lot more when I stay away from gluten. I have zero bloat and even less pain and inflammation. For as much as I see and feel the benefits in maintaining a gluten free diet, I am focusing this post on my reasons and choices to go vegan.

I will be honest, I am not 100% vegan/plant-based all of the time. I’m human and have weaknesses. One of them is food. I happen to love food. I like cooking for my family and trying new recipes but I get bored easily making the same things over and over again. And I’m lazy, sometimes. Sometimes I just don’t have it in me to put in the effort it takes to plan and prep my food so I will do what’s easiest. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not hard to to cook a vegan meal. But sometimes I don’t feel like doing it. I know I’m not the only one out there who feels this way! It has taken me a while to realize that I don’t have to be perfect all the time so I don’t beat myself up over it, too much anyway. I do know there are people who are 100% vegan always. That is amazing and great, and maybe one day I will be there. But for now I am happy that I am about 90% vegan. Sometimes I will have real cheese or eggs. Sometimes I will have some meat, usually fish/seafood or, *GASP* a hot dog or gyro. I haven’t had lunch meat in so long because the last time I did it tasted awful. The same goes for chicken, beef or pork. It honestly grosses me out and if I do attempt to eat it, I end up spitting it out. It just doesn’t taste good to me. Unfortunately, I have always leaned towards the super bad for you meats like the hot dogs, salami, and processed stuff.

Like I said before, I chose to start eating a vegan diet for health reasons. However, this quickly changed. As I started watching documentaries and reading up on the vegan lifestyle, I came to learn about the dairy and meat industries. I was appalled at not only what was being done to animals, but what was being done to the food that we are supposed to be putting in our bodies. Listen, I get it. I get that humans have been eating meat for hundreds and thousands of years. I believe in the Hunter/Gatherer system. It makes sense. But there is a HUGE difference in the way our ancestors consumed animal products and the way we Americans do now. We weren’t made to consume as much meat as we do, first of all. We weren’t made to consume such processed meat as we do. Here’s something that really strikes a chord with me. What do the animals that you consume eat? Grass. They eat plants. WHAT? The animals are getting their nutrients solely from plants?! These days, the “best for you beef” is GRASS fed beef. If plants are good enough for the animals to eat, then why don’t I just eat the plants? Guess what, if they can do it, I can do it. I am cutting out the middle man, or middle animal if you will, and going straight to the source. One more tidbit: did you know that hot dogs, lunch meats, and red meat are categorized as carcinogens? That means cancer causing. The same category as smoking, asbestos and plutonium*. Why would I want to do that to my body?

I started reducing the amount of dairy my kids consumed years ago, when the older two were still in elementary school. I started reading and hearing about hormones in cow’s milk and it didn’t sit well with me to have my kids drink it all the time. Was I super strict about it? No, I wasn’t. However, I was conscious of it. The more and more I thought about it, the less consuming cow’s milk made sense. I’m not a cow, why do I need to drink a cow’s milk? Humans are the ONLY species that drinks another species milk. Why? Because we are told to? That’s not enough reason for me. Take a look into the dairy industry and I guarantee you’ll second guess that ice cream you’re eating. Not only that but really sit back and think about how and why milk is produced. There are tons of diary brands that proudly label their products as “No Hormones Added” but guess what? Milk is produced because of hormones. So even if that momma cow, who just had her baby calf ripped from her, wasn’t given extra hormones, her milk is still full of hormones because that’s how her body made the milk to begin with. So either way, added or not, you’re drinking/eating/consuming cow hormones. Those hormones are then in turn affecting your body. I don’t know about you but I have a hard enough time managing my own hormones, I don’t need another species hormones in the mix. One more thought on cow’s milk. Puss. Yes, puss. Because of continuous pregnancies and excessive milking, cows can develop mastitis. Mastitis is an infection in the milk ducts of the udders. This causes blood and puss to enter the milk. Grossed out yet? If not, here you go…in the US, the FDA allows 750 million puss cells in every liter of milk*. You are drinking puss from a cow. How does that puss affect us? Think mucus, inflammation, sinus problems and a variety of other problems. Why do you think doctors will recommend a decrease in dairy consumption when you have cold? Because the milk creates mucus and phlegm and that makes it harder to breathe. Just another reason for me to stay away from it.

Now, whether or not you believe in climate change, it is a proven fact that animal agriculture has a negative effect on our planet. In fact, animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation*. Not only that but take into consideration the amount of land, water and energy used to produce meat and animal products. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce just one pound of meat*. That’s one pound. Think about how many pounds of meat are consumed DAILY across the US. If health reasons or the treatment of animals doesn’t effect you enough to change you, maybe the destruction of our planet will. It might not seem like you, just one person, would make a difference by changing your diet. But I’m here to tell you, even just small changes make a big difference. Unfortunately there is a lot we need to change to help the status of our planet from reducing waste, reducing the use of single use plastics, and reducing animal agriculture. But I do think that with education and small changes over a period of time, we can make a difference!

My choice to consume a mostly vegan diet evolved from needing to improve my health to becoming very conscious about the effects of consuming animal products not only for myself, but for the animals and the planet. I like to think of it as a trifecta. Health, animal cruelty, and bio responsibility. I am happy to say that over time my family has also become very aware of my efforts and reasons to maintain this lifestyle. I had a lot to do with it by encouraging them to watch documentaries with me and become educated as well. We talk about food openly and because of this my husband has changed the way he thinks about food and what he is consuming, my teenage daughter doesn’t complain about not having all the food she really wants and appreciates my efforts to help keep her healthy, and the toddler has become a great eater (for as much as a toddler can be) and enjoys his veggies. We don’t buy meat anymore, or milk. In fact, is very rare that we have any dairy or meat products in the house. I know not everyone fully understands and that is okay. But if I have helped educate at least one person with this post, then my job is done!

For me, I really do find the beauty and satisfaction in eating plants for myself, the animals, and the planet. Here is a small list of where to start if you are inclined to educate yourself! The following are documentaries that I highly recommend: What The Health, Forks Over Knives, Cowspiracy, and The Game Changers. I will work to put more of a list of resources together for you!

Love,

Elizabeth

Sources

*https://www.check4cancer.com/news/335-world-health-organisation-identifies-processed-meat-a-carcinogen

*https://www.alv.org.au/cow-truth/17-reasons-to-wean-yourself-from-milk-today/

*https://www.cowspiracy.com/facts

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Fast and Easy Veggie Soup

24 Monday Feb 2020

Posted by elizabethjones2411 in Food

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

dinner, fast and easy, gluten free, soup, vegan, veggie soup

Here it is friends. The fastest, easiest, tastiest veggie soup there is. Not only is it all of those things, it is vegan and can be made to be gluten free as well (mine is!). Sometimes you want soup but don’t want the unhealthy, super processed can version. Sometimes you want a fast and healthy dinner. This is all that and more! Did I mention it is super inexpensive to make?? I promise you will like it, even my three year old gobbled it up!

I’m going to spare you all and jump right to the recipe because that’s really what you’re hear for, right?!?

Ingredients

Carton of vegetable broth
Medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 small potatoes, diced
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
About 6 oz tomato sauce
1 box of pasta of choice (we use gluten free pasta)
Pepper to taste
Cilantro for garnish (optional, but it is awesome!)

Directions

  1. Add onion to heated oiled pan. Saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add potatoes and continue cooking and stirring for about 4 minutes.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients except for pasta and cilantro. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes.
  3. Cook pasta while the soup is simmering. I don’t like to cook pasta in the soup because I find it gets too soggy for my liking.
  4. Once pasta and soup are done simply add to a bowl and garnish with cilantro. It is so refreshing!

Hopefully this helps with finding the beauty in making dinner, enjoy!

Elizabeth

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Creamy Potato Dill Soup

21 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by elizabethjones2411 in Food

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

#homemade, creamy potato dill soup, dill vitality essential oil, essential oils, vegan, young living

Saturday night my husband and I went out to a nice local restaurant, which is known for its seafood, to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I already knew I was going to stray from my vegan diet for the night. I love seafood and I told myself that every once in a while it is perfectly okay to fall off the diet, especially for special occasions like celebrating love LOL!

I ended up choosing a shrimp and scallops dish with sautéed veggies, mashed potatoes and a creamy potato dill soup. I had never had this kind of soup and was pretty excited to try it as I recently discovered how much I actually love dill. It’s become somewhat of an obsession and if you haven’t tried Dill and Black Pepper Popcorn, hit me up and I will hook you up!! I was nervous about indulging in this soup because I wasn’t sure how my stomach would handle the cream in the soup and the milk and butter in the potatoes. When my soup came I dug right in. OH MY! It was so delicious, I was in heaven and I am ecstatic to say that I had zero tummy problems the next day!!! This vegan diet is doing wonders for me!

I knew right away that I HAD to learn how to make this at home, but a vegan version. A day or two later I grabbed the almond milk soup base from my pantry to see how I could use it. I ended up grabbing it two weeks ago from the grocery store in the off-chance I might need or want it for a new recipe. Low and behold, right there on the carton is a recipe for creamy potato soup! I also decided to use my handy-dandy tool, Pinterest to see how adding a dill component would work. I didn’t look too long though, instead I just looked through my cabinets and came up with something I thought might work. Enter……my Young Living Dill Vitality essential oil. *insert happy dance here*

Now here is the part where I wanted to say how amazing my soup was and how jazzed I felt to have recreated such a yummy dish. I really wanted to do that. But I’m not going to and this is why…I’m not a chef. Nor am I a food blogger or recipe developer. I’m not even a veteran vegan. I am just an okay home cook trying out a vegan diet to improve health and wellness and who really enjoys cooking meals for my family, when they actually eat them, and who loves the satisfaction of making things from scratch. Not only that, but I don’t want to mislead you or be fake. I had a real life experience and I want to share that not some glorified version of what happened in hopes you will follow me. I still hope you’ll love what I’ve provided you, but I what I really hope is that you’ll appreciate the honesty and maybe even help me out with some tips to make my dream soup even dreamier!!

With that said, my soup came out okay. Not amazing, but okay. Even though I simmered the potatoes for the time suggested, they weren’t cooked all the way through and didn’t mash all the way. I didn’t mind them not being completely mashed because I like a chunkier soup but it ended up being a thinner soup than I was anticipating and I think that’s why. I did try to thicken it up with some cornstarch and it helped a little but still not creamy like I was wanting. As far as spices and herbs, the dill was PERFECT in my opinion. However, I had too much garlic and it made the soup a little darker and heavier than I had anticipated. I didn’t think my garlic press was working so I dumped some garlic powder in. For whatever reason I retried the press AFTER I already dumped in garlic powder and it worked so…I added the minced garlic in as well. I should have left it out but I always hear, “you can never have too much garlic”. Apparently that isn’t always true. My soup could have had a lighter, brighter taste with a thicker, creamier texture but I am so happy I experimented with it!

I want to touch on Dill Vitality essential oil from Young Living. I ordered it for a popcorn recipe and I was somewhat skeptical about it but it was easy enough to make so I went for it. From the moment I opened the bottle I was hooked. Just smelling it makes me happy!! To my surprise Dill Vitality essential oil has more uses than just being used for recipes. It can help aid in digestion and it can also help with weight management. If you rub some on your wrists, or simply smell it straight from the bottle like I do, it can help curb those cravings that get in the way of a healthy diet!

Honestly, I didn’t do anything special, aside from adding the Dill Vitality oil and some dried dill, I just followed the recipe on the almond milk soup base box. I did use a vegan butter rather than a cow’s milk butter to make it vegan. As far as the Dill, I added 2 drops of oil and about a half of a tablespoon of dried dill right after I added the vegetable broth and let it simmer. Once that was done, I added the soup base and another drop of dill vitality oil. At the very end I used some dried dill for garnish. I paired the soup with a fresh garden salad and fresh homemade drop biscuits. The meal was almost fully vegan, I had to use cow’s milk butter in the biscuits because I didn’t have enough of my vegan butter…wah waaaah.

almond milk soup base
20190220_172321
20190220_180600

 

And now what you’ve been waiting for…the recipe!!

Creamy Potato Dill Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk soup base
  • 3 drops Young Living Dill Vitality Essential Oil
  • Dried dill for seasoning and garnish

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in large pot. Add onion, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 min.
  2. Add potatoes and garlic. Cook 1 min.
  3. Add vegetable broth and 2 drops of Dill Vitality oil and dried dill. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
  4. Mash potato mixture to desired consistency.
  5. Gradually stir in almond milk soup base and one more drop of Dill Vitality oil. Bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and dried dill for garnish.

The soup wasn’t perfect but it was easy and there is promise for a better version…I definitely find beauty in that!!!

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Why Essential Oils?

10 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by elizabethjones2411 in Domesticated Oils

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

anxiety, cbd oil, essential oils, gerd, pain, vegan, young living

Essential Oils are all the rage these days and after having my own success with oils I fully know why. Most of my friends and family know my love of oils but they don’t all know why I have chosen to start using them or start working the business.  This blog isn’t a chance for me to educate you on essential oils or explain my business. It is however about me, my story, and my journey.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED…Peppermint oil was my first experience with oils, about 7-8 yrs. ago. A Co-worker offered it to me while I had a migraine. I was surprised a few minutes later when my pain had started to ease up. After that, anytime I had a headache I went to her to “dose” me up with her peppermint oil. Slowly I started hearing more and more about oils and started buying some and experimenting, not paying attention to quality and not even knowing that it mattered much. In March of 2016, when I was pregnant with my third baby, I was about to take a flight with my older 2 kids and had a lot of anxiety. I couldn’t drink or take any Xanax to take the edge off and so naturally I whined about it to my friend.  She suggested this calming blend you could buy at Walgreens. I bought it and used it. I was pleasantly surprised that I did notice a difference. During the next year I continued to use drug store brand essential oils and even started diffusing them. I still didn’t know a ton about how oils worked, where they came from or how to be safe with them.

THE TURNING POINT…I have GERD, along with some old injuries that lend to my body feeling pretty crotchety at times, and anxiety. By May of 2017 my GERD had started getting really out of control and I spent the next 10 or so months feeling MISERABLE. I had eliminated what seemed to be ALL of the food. I think I was down to eating oatmeal, eggs, toast, fruits (but not all) and veggies, rice,…you get the idea. My stomach hurt ALL of the time and I was always afraid of eating my next meal. I had a lot of headaches, my joints hurt, and I wasn’t sleeping well.  I had taken turns eliminating gluten and dairy and when I eliminated dairy for the first time I saw small results and I lasted about 4 or 5 months. I did not see any difference when I eliminated gluten. I was taking obscene amounts of anti-acids and too many OTC pain relievers for my headaches and pain. I lost a lot of weight in a very unhealthy way between July and November of 2017, my anxiety was through the roof that summer.  In March of 2018, after a day out with a friend, we ended up back at her house having some dinner and wine and we started talking about essential oils. I was super surprised that she used Young Living essential oils because by now I had heard of the company, but she didn’t seem the “type” to “buy into this stuff”, meaning a direct sales company. Yes, I was Judgy Mcjudgerson. BIG TIME. I had resigned myself to never buying into another direct sales company again. She explained her simple routine and how much relief she had gotten in a short amount of time. I was pretty intrigued and when I got home I started researching essential oils and GERD and became excited that there might be something out there that could actually help me, and it wouldn’t be a pharmaceutical. And not only could they help my digestive system but maybe I’d find help with my anxiety and pain as well. I’m a little bit of a hippie and love all things natural so this was right up my alley! The only reason I decided to do some research and start believing in the possibility of these oils and this company is because while my friend told me her story, she wasn’t trying to sell me. She doesn’t even work the business. She uses the oils in her daily life to help improve her health, simple as that. That spoke volumes to me. So, after a couple of days of doing some research I sat and talked with my husband and said “hey I want to try this and this is why”. I broke down the pricing, what I would get, the benefits and how it all worked. He said, “okay! But only if you promise to not make it a business”…So, I promised. In April of 2018, I got my premium starter kit and within 2 weeks of starting a routine for my GERD I had stopped taking almost all of the anti-acids I had been for almost a year and started EATING again. It sounds drastic but I will never forget the day I decided to celebrate those two weeks of feeling awesome with a piece of Portillo’s chocolate cake! I might have jumped the gun a little on that celebration because I paid for it the next day, but I quickly recovered and got back on track. Have I regressed here and there? Yes.  I am human and to tend to eat when I’m bored and give in to cravings way too easily. Am I currently still on an anti-acid? Yes…however, one a day. If I over indulge then I may have to have a back-up, but I usually get back on track with my oils first before reaching for an OTC. My ultimate goal is to be medication free! Speaking of OTC’s…Advil and Tylenol. I rarely take any these days. The only reason I might take an OTC these days is because of a headache. I get terrible headaches but thankfully not nearly as often as I used to, maybe once or twice a month, and I have yet to reach a point where I don’t need a little extra help in headache relief. Body pain? Yes, I still have pain, but it is so much more manageable and I reach for the oils first and avoid the OTC’s. My anxiety? Almost completely under control now. I still have some moments of panic and anxiety but they aren’t as frequent and they don’t last as long. I will add that about 9 months before I started using the oils I was hypnotized for my anxiety and I saw tremendous results, but for me the oils are what help me maintain and keep myself spiritually and emotionally in check. Since October I have added CBD oil to the mix, as well as a vegan diet shortly after that. A quick FYI – Young Living has announced they have partnered with a company to provide a quality CBD oil that is infused with Young Living essential oils and I cannot wait until it’s released! Between the essential oils kick starting my journey to a healthier body, the CBD oil, and the vegan diet I’ve had a huge amount of progress in under a year!! It hasn’t happened overnight but it is happening and I am so thankful to experience it first hand. I’m actually excited to eat…not only to eat but to try new flavors. I’m not afraid to work out because I don’t want to have to use pain medication the next day which will then in turn hurt my stomach. It’s been an awesome journey so far and I know that I still have a lot more to experience with essential oils. Wanna know my favorite part of this process, aside from how great I feel?? My whole family, husband included, ask for essential oils. It took a few months but the first time my husband said, “What oils can I use for this and can you show me how to use them?”, I practically did cart wheels through the house! To have him on board and really understand the power that these little bottles hold was very exciting for me. My teenagers ask for oils as well for anything from pain to needing some motivation to finish up their homework. I love having my whole family on board and learning about the natural way to help improve their health!

THE JOURNEY IS REALLY JUST GETTING STARTED…I didn’t start working my business until November of 2018, just a few months ago, six months after incorporating essential oils into my life. Remember, I promised not to! Because I have had such great progress I decided that I wanted to share essential oils and hopefully teach as many people as I can how to utilize something so pure and natural. My husband and kids have been so extremely supportive making this process so much more exciting! Early on in my essential oil journey I started making roller bottles for myself and my family. Eventually I started making them for friends and now it has snowballed into an Etsy store that will be open very soon!!!

Now that you know my story I hope you are encouraged to do some research on essential oils and what they can do for you. I hope you are inspired to start your own journey to a more natural, less chemical filled, way of life. Finally, I hope that you remember everyone has something they’re dealing with and while it might not seem like it in the moment, there is beauty lying there waiting to be seen.

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