11 Questions!

Just for fun!

The rules:

1. You must post these rules
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer

What is your favorite reality show?(don’t say you don’t watch reality TV, everyone does. Swamp People counts)!

Actually...  I don't watch reality TV.  The only TV show I watch on a regular basis is Eureka. And they're cancelling it after the next 3 episodes.  But, if I'm really, really lucky, maybe they'll somehow, someway...  Keep it going.  I coconut-LOVE that show.  I'm watching it tonight with some homemade caramels and chocolate (maybe, if I'm really hankering for treats)

How many times do you honestly cook a week ?

Every single day.  I steam veggies like rutabaga and carrots, normally.  Easy-peasy stuff.  I try to make socca, but my pan has been very temperamental lately!  I love cooking up quinoa with cashew cheese.


What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?

Recently, eh?  Ip Man.  Hands down!  It was so fun, and funny, and touching all at once.  I got into a martial arts fix for a couple of weeks after that!

Over or Under toilet paper on the roll?

Gah.

In all honesty, it drives me crazy when the toilet paper is under.

It stems from a conversation I heard, when my father was talking about his parents bickering over whether the toilet roll should be over, or under.  Allegedly, it touches the wall if under..  I had never thought it didn't before I brought it up with my dad years later, and he laughed and pointed out that it's next to the wall either way.

It still bugs me.


Where would you love to visit? Any where in the world.

China!  I'm still bugging Boris to take me.

Online or store shopper?

Both, but preferably store.  Unless importing our teas.

Best compliment you've given?

I've given out quite a few compliments...  So it's hard to say.  It depends on the person.  I think the best compliment is one that you give having to do with somebody's personality.  Most recent compliment was, ''You are such a resourceful lady!'' ..  But, I suppose that's maybe not the best compliment one could have.

Best compliment you’ve received?

''You are so polite!''  It's weird, but I feel most strongly about rudeness.  Also, around the same peg: ''You are so honest!  I could ask you anything and you would never lie!'' ..  Honesty is so important to me. 

Sweet or salty?

 Sweetsweetsweetsweet.

Are you a morning or night person?

I love the morning!  As I've grown, I've become more of a night hawk, but I'll always be a morning person, and always feel my best nice and early.

What is your favorite quote?

''An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.''  - Mahatma Gandhi

He has a lot of great quotes, actually.




So, new questions:

1. If you had an animal following you around, what kind would it be?
2. Your favourite sweet?
3.  What was the game you played the most as a kid?
4.  Favourite movie?
5.  If you could gain only two super powers, what would they be?
6.  When you get up in the morning, what do you think about first?
7.  What inspires you?
8.  How do you stay motivated?
9.  Can you speak more than one language?
10.  If you had the opportunity to learn something that you've always had a challenge with, such as math, with an expert tutor, would you?
11.  Where do you see yourself next year?

Trina's 10 Tips Towards A Terrific Today!

Really, it's about happiness, but you all know how much I love alliteration.

10.  Develop A Routine!

This has been particularly difficult for me, as I am chaos incarnate.  But, I have noticed that I, and everyone around me, are much happier when I have a basic routine, or to-do list everyday (even if I switch it up a lot ;) )

9. Drink!

Water, that is.  And a lot of it.  Probably the most cited and recognized part of happiness is filling our mortal vessels with the elixir of life!  People scoff at the amounts of water I consume.  I will not be deterred!  The more I drink, the greater I feel!  (Within reason, of course). 

8. Betta Reco'nize!  

The beauty that abounds all around you! 

I was out walking with Boris yesterday, and all he could talk about was the little bugs that flew around his head.  What he didn't notice, or noticed without appreciating, was the birds singing, the gorgeous trees that climbed above our heads, and the smell of damp, spring-sprung earth!   It was an amusing conversation about the negative and positive.

He asked me, ''So, a negative person will be bitten by little bugs, and a positive person won't?''

I replied with, ''Maybe.  Or! Maybe the positive person is bitten by bugs too, but they're too busy being positive to notice!''

7.  Chew Your Food!

 It seems simple, but taking the time to chew your food into a pureed mush actually lightens your mood!  Give it a try.  My suggestion?  When you're going to eat your number-one-favourite-meal-of-all-time, take the time to smell it.  Take one very small, delicate bite.  Chew it, allow your saliva to do its work!  'Cause digestion starts in the mouth!  After I successfully eat a meal this way, I feel more satisfied, am able to tell whether I'm full or not, and I'm happier for it.  'Cause I love food.  The longer it lasts, the more the love, right?

6. Smile!  Laugh!

These two buddies go together pretty well, so they can sit on one tip.  And fake it 'til you make it.  It may seem phony, or like lying, or deceiving, but I don't think so.  I think we all want to laugh and smile, but don't really always feel able to.  When we fake it, we open up, and we let ourselves do what we really want.  Laughing and smiling feels good, so why not?  Look in the mirror and go, ''HA HA HA''... And then when somebody you know passes you by, giving you that odd look, I'm sure you'll both be laughing.

5. Move!  

This means that you should give yourself time everyday to do some messy-motions.  Preferably something simple, if you're new at the 'moving thing'.  I remember when I was.  It was pretty funny.  I would get angry at Boris when we would go biking together.  I'd yell at him to slow down so I could catch up!  It doesn't mean you have to move for very long, at least not at first.  Try doing something active for 5 minutes.  Work hard!  Dance!  Do push ups!  Squats!  Anything!  It'll make you happier in the long run!

4. Find Company!

I'm stealing this one from Chocolate-Covered Katie.  Let yourself be around friends and family, even if you're a solitary individual.  Spending time with people is important, and helps us to connect with community and the grander scheme of things!  And, if all else fails and you really don't wanna go out with people or spend a lengthy amount of time socializing...

2. Hug Somebody!

It only takes a minute!  Go on!  Go hug somebody!  If you're not shy about that sort of thing, go hug a stranger.  It's kind of fun.

1. Surround Yourself With Nature!

A new study shows that when people unplug devices, and allow themselves to be surrounded by nature, they actually become more creative and, dare I say it, intelligent!  So, what's the harm?  Go and smell the fresh earth, see the birds outside...  Even in the heart of a city, there is nature to be found!  Pigeons are often ignored, and seen as pests.  But observe them, and appreciate those little lives.  Think of what they go through.  Animals, plants and insects will always inspire you, if you know how to look at them!

30 Bananas A Day (Low Fat, High Carb, Raw Vegan)

Hey there lovely beams of light!

So, I've been following the cheerful, yet feisty Australian 'Freelea'.  She's got a lot of people following what's called the '80-10-10' diet.  That's raw vegan, with 80 % carbs, and 10 % fat, and 10 % protein.

She's gorgeous, frankly.  She looks lean, muscular, and fit.  At least in many of her photographs, and she'll flex for the camera if you ask real nice-like.

But, that doesn't mean that she's healthy.
  
I've been mulling over this new lifestyle for a few weeks, and although it's certainly wonderful to think of being able to eat hordes upon hordes of bananas and dates.  That would certainly be my happy-paradise-heaven.   But, my Realist-Radar went off.  It's a small, tiny little radar that sits in my gut and says, ''No way, Jose.  That ain' gon' fly.''.  When I don't listen to it, disaster happens.

And I'll tell you why, I think, at least, that this diet is not beneficial for long term health and fitness.

There's no doubt that anyone could subsist on this diet for a number of years.  The human body is surprisingly versatile.  You could eat just proteins, or just fats, or just carbs, and you'd survive (as long as you're eating enough).  But, again, that doesn't mean it's healthy.

If you're eating only 30 bananas a day, that's some-odd 3000 kcal.  That's not a big deal if you're active, granted.  The sugar?  Well, that'll hurt your teeth for sure, natural or not.  And 30 bananas is about 40g of protein.  And it's not complete, either.  Generally, we need a nice, varied diet for complete proteins to be made in the body. They don't need to be eaten all in one sitting, but one needs to eat lots of different things throughout the day. (Or so I would be lead to believe.)

Without proper protein synthesis, the result is skin, hair and nail problems.  Everything else could seem as healthy as ever.  But, those are the signs of a lack of protein.  It may not be terrible, or threatening to one's life.  It may not even be apparent.  It's just not the healthiest or most ideal, at least in my opinion.

From what I've seen of Freelea, her hair and skin doesn't glow quite as much as it used to.  But, that's just how I see it.

Our bodies turn everything we eat into glucose.  And there are certain times when we need faster sugars, like fruit.  Especially if we're incredibly active.  But, sugars that are broken down more slowly, such as complex carbohydrates, and fruits such as apples and oranges, are important too.  Maybe this diet will work wonders, but I'm not sold just yet.

And what's going on, on the inside of the fruity-vegan bodies?  Well, only blood tests and extensive research will know for sure.  I say wait on it, no matter how tempting it may sound.

I've got my skeptic hat on for this one.

Cheeze Snob!

Okay, I admit it.

I'm a cheeze snob.

Maybe it's because I'm in an area of the city right now where pre-made shreddable vegan cheese, such as Teese, Daiya, and Cheezly are unavailable.

Or perhaps it's this new-found penchant for a love of purity in all foods.

Despite that tremendous amount of chocolate I ate last night.

What-ever it is, I am on a quest to recreate the Kraft Dinner of my youth, in Vegan form.  A noble quest that all vegans strive for.  I'm not quite vegan yet, mind you, but I've got the vegan spirit! 

I've never been very good at following recipes.  I always have a tendency to nit and pick and change things around.  This can either be disastrous, amusing, or it can turn out well.  90 % of the time it's the former two.

So, finally, I decided to quest for the closest Kraft Mac n' Cheeze I could find.  

I read many recipes, and first tried to make my own.  Inspired mostly by the idea of liquid smoke by Vegan Dad and Olives for Dinner.

Too much liquid smoke.

Still delicious, but mostly a steamed-vegetable-dip.  Next time, instead of being inspired, I should actually follow these recipes.

Then, I tried Oh She Glows.  Though wonderful, I used too much sauce and not enough noodles.  I think I used oat milk.  The noodles were swimming, so I didn't get the perfect mouthful.  Will have to try that one again later, as it was still very indulgent.  I really should attempt the Butternut Squash version.

But then, after meticulous searching, I found it, and I followed it to the letter.  The closest, most wonderful recipe is also, unsurprisingly, not too frilly.

Move Over, Kraft!

Bam!  There it is!

I will have to find miso, and play with this a bit, see if I can make my own version...  Someday, I will find my very own, perfect cheeze sauce!  

Next stop:

Pizza cheeze!  Must... Find...  Perfect..  Cheeze!!!!

And for those who would like to learn about Vegan-Cheeze-Making, I'm also curious to try this cheeze, with mozzarella adjustments.  It's also very informative:

The Accidental Vegetarian

And noww..  It's salad time!

Ciao!

 

Warning to all Tea Lovers Everywhere!

Hello beautiful, shining beings of this world!

I must warn you that you may be deceived, due to a lack of knowledge.  It's my duty to inform you...

The tea you're drinking could be the low quality crap that they sweep up from the tea factory floors!

Especially if you're drinking it from tea bags, and you get 'em from your grocery stores.  Generic black teas, and mixed black teas, or green teas with fruit, are particular culprits.  ''Earl Grey''?  No way!

It's best to import teas directly from the source.  Chinese teas are a particular favourite of mine.  There are also Indian, Japanese, Thai, Sri Lankan...  Well, you could get teas from anywhere, really.  I've only tried a ton of Chinese, and a teensy bit of Japanese and Indian.  I like the Japanese tea with the beans in 'em.

So, if you want a nice, sweet, gorgeous cup of tea, be sure to order loose leaf online and do your research!  I think that it's always best to know what you're putting in your tea vessel.  Tea hee, I made a funny.

I've never been a fan of Chinese green tea. I've always leaned towards black, or white, but I have been partaking, and enjoying, 'yellow' tea.  It seems to be very similar to both black and white teas.  I think it's quite fitting, since spring has finally peeked its sweet, green, bright bud from the soil of winter!

Aaah, sunshine!  How I have missed you!  Beam, shine and radiant upon me so that my soul may yet sing the promises of the season's warmth to come!

I really need to move someplace warm.

Like China.

Yangshuo, China, here I come? 

The First Post... Or is it the Last?

I've been crawling through blogs for almost a year, and there's a common theme.

The first post is sometimes the last.  Ominous.

It often makes me wonder-- What happened that didn't get the blog off the ground? Laziness?  Sheer disinterest?  Or maybe they're just like me, and have severe ADHD.  For me, that usually means that I'll have obsessive fixations that I get passionate about and stick to for about a month.  Sometimes longer.  And sometimes they even come back.

Does this mean I'll be sticking around?  Maybe.  Hopefully.  I need someplace to air out my words.  But, realistically?  Probably not...

But, hey, maybe I got it all wrong.  Maybe these blogs ended before they really started 'cause the people behind them met mysterious and terrible ends. 

Such as this:

Or this!

Or even...  This!

Ken had it coming.

Anyway, I think I'm done with this post for the day.  I'mma go play with the rest of these blog-making stuff.  At least sporadically.

Have a super-awesome-wonderful day!