The Art of Being Vegan – My Vegan Story

If people only knew the struggle, frustration, constant disappointment, mockery and doubt that every Vegan faces on a daily basis- maybe they would see just how amazing

The

art oftruly is.

My transition to Veganism happened literally overnight.

Does that even count as a transition?

While browsing YouTube, I stumbled across an amazing video lecture by Gary Yourofsky. By the time my little family was finished, nearly half of our refrigerator, freezer and pantry was piled neatly into in trash bags, lining our porch.

look green


Every Vegan I’ve ever met has had one solid, earth shattering realization that completely altered the course of their very existence. My awakening was no different, it rocked me to my core.

As a Pagan, I considered the negative implications of eating meat and dairy, from a purely energetic perspective.

Killing innocent, living beings who are born and bread to be tortured and killed is not only morally wrong, it is

energetically

The negative energy from such devastation is then transferred to your plate and transcends into your body’s own energetic field.

I quickly realized that this Meat and Dairy Machine not only lead to countless innocent lives lost but

The Meat and Dairy Machine breeds Generation upon Generation of Human Psychopathy.

Psychopath (noun) – possessing a callous unconcern for the feelings of others. Psychopaths show lack of emotion, especially social emotions, such as shame, guilt and embarrassment. Psychopaths experience a lack of remorse and continuously shift the blame of their actions towards anyone but themselves. Psychopaths have a very low tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence. Psychopaths possess irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by physical fights or assaults.

– From “What is a Psychopath?” at Psychology Today


When I witnessed the blatant torment that these animals were subjected to, at the hands of Human beings, I wondered how anyone could participate in such cruelty and devastation. To be honest, I couldn’t finish watching many of the videos that showed these horrific acts first hand. I cried for weeks non stop.

I realized that I was enabling, promoting and encouraging this torture and devastation to continue. I was sick to my stomach. I was hurt and I was angry.

why

I spent day and night researching Veganism. I became obsessed with living a cruelty free, compassionate life, in every way possible. I would no longer contribute to or support the torture and loss of innocent lives. I broke free from the chains of normalcy and ignorance.


I am not going to lie

being vegan

takes a lot of time, patience, motivation and will power. A simple trip to the grocery store takes no less than 45 minutes. Finding Organic anything is a debacle. Reading every single ingredient, on every single item you consider purchasing, makes your eyes cross and the room spin beneath your feet.

You

sigh

and shake your head as you are forced to put half your cart right back on the shelf.

You dread fighting with fast food workers about removing their beloved

Meat, Eggs, Cheese, Sour Cream, Butter and Milk…

from every damn item on their menu.

Don’t worry, everything you wanted removed will still be there, as if to test your resolve. And let’s not delve into those people in your life, who just cannot seem to accept or ignore the fact that you happen to be Vegan.

Even through all of this –  every single frustration, irritation, all the time spent, the hard work, the research- it is all worth it. I hope you know how much of an impact YOU make every single day, by your choice to be Vegan.

choose

Sometimes we all need to be reminded of why we made the choice to be Vegan. You are saving lives, with every breath, through every step, through every bite you take. And that is something worth celebrating.

vegan


The amazing video lecture by Gary Yourofsky that completely changed my life, can be found here:

http://youtu.be/es6U00LMmC4

Vegan Friendly Foodie Review- Chuy’s Mexican Food, Houston, TX

We all have a hands down, could eat it every second of every day, never gets old, mouth starts watering at the mere mention of it, stomach growls in excitement

favoriteMy wonderful husband is no exception. His foodie love affair extends way past the norm when it comes to one food in particular

Mexican FoodIf he lived alone-

My side of the bed would be replaced with Huevos Rancheros, Negra Modelo, Green Salsa and hundreds of freshly sliced limes.

Can you picture just how glorious that truly is?

blue borderWhen we became Vegan, we figured Mexican Food was the one food that we could still enjoy, with the least amount of fuss. I mean, we could always tell the waitress

“No Cheese, Meat or Sour Cream…”

and still have a huge variety of goodies to choose from. Right?

wrong 2

After some serious research, we quickly found out that there is one particular Non-Vegan ingredient that many Mexican Food eateries LOVE to add to nearly every single item on their menu…

lard 2

Mexican Food Restaurants use Lard in various aspects of their menu items; from the rice to the various kinds of beans and even the tortillas. Lard is a huge staple of Authentic Mexican Food and many dishes simply wouldn’t taste the same without it.

After all of our research, my husband was completely devastated. It was obvious. He began the grieving process of leaving behind, his favorite foodie love of all time.

My husband has been so supportive and encouraging on our Vegan journey. I just couldn’t let him give up his favorite food. We live in Texas for crying out loud-

deny

Who knows, it just might be. It’s a damn shame.

I began the grueling task of researching Mexican Restaurants that had Vegan food options. I finally found it. There was a Mexican Food Restaurant 5 minutes from our house, that had everything our little Vegan hearts desired.

I couldn’t believe it!

chuys 1I was so excited to take my husband out to dinner Friday night! The heavenly scent of fresh tortillas engulfed our senses as we walked through the door. It was amazing to see hundreds of fresh tortillas made by hand, piping hot, ready to be served.

tortillas 2When our waitress handed us the menu, I couldn’t help but notice how disappointed my husband looked as he asked

“What can we eat here?”

I smiled and listed some of the goodies I had found online.

  • Flour, Corn, Blue Corn, Wheat Tortillas
  • Mexican or Green Chile Rice
  • Refried or Charro Beans
  • Guacamole Tacos
  • Bean Taco or Bean Burrito (No Cheese)
  • Bean Sopapilla (No Cheese)
  • Ranchero or Tomatillo Sauce
  • Veggie Enchiladas <~~~~~ YES!!

beer

My husband smiled and his eyes lit up. He could have his enchiladas and his rice and beans too! He ordered a Negra Modelo with sliced lime. I knew that all was right with the world once more.

guacvegvegench

The Veggie Enchiladas are so good! We can’t wait to try the Guacamole Tacos on our next trip. If you are desperately needing your Mexican Food fix, Vegan style, check to see if there is a Chuy’s Mexican Restaurant near you. No Lard- No Problem!

http://www.chuys.com

Vegan Foodie Review- Green Vegetarian Cuisine

Isn’t it amazing how the best restaurants in town, are always the ones you mistakenly stumble upon, totally by chance?

oh honey!green veg front entrance

needs to be at the top of the

“Bad Ass Vegan Places To Stuff Your Face” List…

Last week, Sunday rolled around and our little family, had absolutely nothing to do. That is a rare occurrence in our house, so we decided to take full advantage.

We were long overdue for a

vegan adventure 2

We made the 45 minute drive to Downtown Houston, jamming Sublime ’40 oz to Freedom’ the entire way. We were driving past a tiny shopping center on Richmond Avenue when I saw “Vegetarian” in big bold letters. Now, we all know, there is a BIG difference between Vegan and Vegetarian but with such few Vegan restaurant options available, we figured

it never hurts to ask

 Thank Goddess we did! We were amazed to find out that ALL of the Menu items at Green Vegetarian Cuisine are in fact Vegetarian, but ANY of the Menu items can be made Vegan as well!

green veg 1

green veg 3

blue borderThere were so many mouth watering dishes to choose from! We decided to order some Smoothies and take our time drooling over the menu. I finally decided on the “Fish” Sandwich, Tom ordered the Jalapeno Burger and Bre chose on the Vegetarian Tostadas. When the waitress brought our food out, I couldn’t help but admire how amazing it all looked!

green veg fish sand

green veg jal burger

green veg tostadas 1

We were absolutely stuffed! It is such a rare occurrence, to eat so much food that I can barely breathe. But believe me, the amazing food at Green Vegetarian Cuisine will tempt you to lick the damn plate clean. When our waitress came to check on us, she asked if we had room for Vegan Dessert.

wait did you just say

I must be hallucinating, from all the delicious food I just devoured, but I could have sworn you said ‘Vegan Dessert.’

The waitress laughed and walked to the front of the restaurant. She brought back a huge tray FULL of Vegan cupcakes and brownies.

I nearly fainted. I am not even kidding.

One of the most difficult things about our transition to Veganism, is that we haven’t had much luck finding good Vegan desserts.

I looked over at my husband, and quickly realized that I wasn’t the only one picking my jaw up off the floor. My husband was in the “Vegan Dessert Zone.” In his trance state, he grabbed one of the “sample cupcakes” right off the tray and started to pop it in his mouth. Thankfully, having been married for 7 years, I am a master at ‘food-to-face’ interception. My ninja reflexes kicked in, I snatched that sample cupcake and plopped it right back on the tray.

chomp

My poor husband didn’t even know what hit him. The waitress stood in front of us, gripping the tray with white knuckles, mouth wide in a perfect “O.” She was in shock. Poor thing. I looked up and smiled.

we will take one

bordercupcakes 2cupcakes 1


To see if there is a “Green Vegetarian Cuisine” near you – check them out at

http://www.eatgreen.com

Namaste & Blessed be!

Winner Winner Tofu Dinner!

A few weeks ago I entered a contest on Facebook; something I very rarely do.

The contest was hosted by Ariel’s Treasure Troves

Ariels Treasure Troves

A Vegan, Organic, Cruelty Free boutique for all things health & beauty.

The contest was simple-
Do you have an idea for a new line of soap? 
The idea chosen will win a free product.

I suggested one of my all time, favorite herbs

Turmeric

Turmeric
And guess who Won?!? ———————->  Me!

My simple idea for Turmeric Soap was turned into a reality by

Ariel’s Treasure Troves!!

I love Turmeric! I take Turmeric in capsule form twice a day; I cook with it and I recommend it to literally everyone I meet. My love affair with Turmeric began a few years ago, in an emergency room at 3AM.

I happened to be sitting in that freezing cold cubicle of a room, with my ass hanging out of one of those ridiculous gowns that only make whatever ailment you arrived with 10x worse.

I was sitting there because in a matter of minutes, my stomach grew and expanded to the point where I appeared to be 6 months pregnant. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I couldn’t lie down without screaming from the excruciating pain.

My husband drove me to the hospital and after what seemed like forever, I was finally able to speak to a Doctor. The emergency room ran all sorts of tests. Blood work, cat-scan, x-rays and finally an ultrasound. I remember lying there, clenching my teeth, tears rolling down my face, as I watched the doctor performing the ultrasound proceed to call four more doctors over to look at the images on the screen. I knew then that something was terribly wrong.

When all of the tests were finished, I was wheeled back to my cubicle to wait for the results. A million thoughts and potential ailments crossed my mind.

What was this? How bad was it? Can they fix it?

The door opened and a very stern looking doctor walked in. He introduced himself and got right down to business.

“Desiree, you have Ovarian Cysts.”
(I already knew that. I’ve had them since I was 12. Most women do.)
“What you are experiencing is caused by your Ovarian Cysts rupturing. Your ovaries are literally covered in cysts. When one ruptures, it is like a chain reaction, that in turn, causes each one to rupture. Your stomach is filled with blood. The size of your stomach right now, should give you an idea of just how many cysts we are talking about. The excess blood will disperse and absorb with a little bit of time. But we need to discuss the options you have for having a hysterectomy.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

I have been told multiple times in my life, by various doctors, that I would need a hysterectomy. I have always fought the idea, for a variety of reasons. I cannot have children and since I was told pretty much as early as I can remember, I made my peace with that. Yet, I still fought the idea of a hysterectomy. I didn’t want to be on hormones and medication the rest of my life. I didn’t want to go into early menopause.

The Doctor went on to explain

“In all my years of practice, I have never seen Ovarian cysts rupture like this. I know this is a big decision for you but you cannot continue to put your life at risk. There is no miracle medication I can give you to fix this. You need to see a Doctor, make an appointment and get it done. You are very fortunate that it wasn’t worse than it is now.”

I was devastated. I went home and cried, screamed and became more and more depressed. I quickly realized that I hadn’t truly given up on the idea of one day having children. I felt like having a hysterectomy would vanquish every last ounce of hope I had.

My husband was absolutely terrified after hearing what the Doctor had to say. He tried to convince me to get the hysterectomy. After I explained my position, my husband got on board and completely supported my decision. Little did I know, he was well on his way to finding his own solution.

My husband became obsessed with finding an alternative, holistic remedy to cure my ovarian cysts. He spent day and night endlessly searching for a solution. Finally, he narrowed it down to two potential solutions. One involved a Castor Oil tincture & heat and the other was Turmeric. Turmeric was the easiest route, so we went to our local Health Food store, found Organic Turmeric capsules and I started a regimen of  2 capsules twice a day.

My heart was racing and my nerves were on edge as I entered my follow up Doctors appointment. At this point, I had been taking Turmeric twice a day every day for 6 months. When the doctor preformed the ultrasound, I closed my eyes, held my breath and prayed to the Goddess for good news.

I heard the Doctor say

“I can’t believe this. This doesn’t make sense.”

I looked over to see my Doctor vigorously scanning the computer screen, looking for any sign of my ovarian cysts.
Finally, he turned to me with a look of pure shock and said

“I don’t know how this happened or what you’ve been doing but you do not have a single Ovarian cyst.”

He shook his head and continued to mumble to himself and refresh the computer screen.
I was so relieved, I fought the urge to jump up and do the Moonwalk right there in the office.

I am eternally grateful to my wonderful husband for not only saving my life, but for finding a “Miracle” herb that continues to shock and amazed me with it’s limitless benefits to this day.

Winning the Giveaway was about more than getting a FREE product in the mail. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if my husband hadn’t found Turmeric. I hope this new product inspires everyone to find out more information and see how Turmeric can help you in your daily life.
I am so excited to try out the new Turmeric Soap from Ariel’s Treasure Troves!

Turmeric Soap

With such amazing products at shockingly affordable prices, it is easy to transition your beauty and health routine to align with your Vegan lifestyle.
I have already purchased the Organic, Cruelty Free, Vegan

Mascara, Liquid Foundation, Face Cream and Deodorant.

I cannot wait to post reviews for each product when they arrive!

Thank you to Ariel’s Treasure Troves for entering my life at just the right time, for just the right reason. Isn’t it funny how life always brings us exactly what we need, sometimes in the strangest of places? I hope I am able to pass on the good vibes. I hope this blog will resonate with you, at the perfect time, just when you need it most.

Namaste & Blessed Be!


What are some of the Health benefits of Turmeric? Find out here:

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/20-health-benefits-of-turmeric.html

Shop the amazing products Ariel’s Treasure Troves has to offer here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArielsTreasureTroves?ref=l2-shopheader-name

DISCLAIMER:

**The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this website is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.**