Coming Clean

First off: The winner to my giveaway is Meghan! Congrats- I'll be contacting you soon :)

Theres a lot I have to talk about in this post, so I'm just going to dive right in.

I'm not a full vegan anymore. Ever since mid-May to June I have been eating eggs. This is directly and only related to the fact that I can't eat gluten anymore. I tried the vegan, gluten free lifestyle from January to May, but it was not for me. Planning, stress, limited things to eat, all of the above were included in a gf/v diet. Going out with friends or family came impossible (besides salads), and simple things like gf breads and rolls I couldn't enjoy. My protein was also severely lacking, since gluten itself is a protein. I still don't eat meat or dairy (never will), and pride myself in a very vegan heavy diet. Things like gluten free bread (Rudis!) has eggs in it, as does some of my salads or if I am tired of tofu. I always try to buy local, organic, hormone free eggs from happy chickens. 

I don't have time to blog, and haven't blogged well or honestly for awhile. Although I post vegan recipes (which I obviously make and eat) it felt odd to post as a vegan while I'm not really a vegan anymore. I've been posting less, and worse posts. I've become so busy at school, volunteering, working out, and having a job that I don't have time to post anymore. I like to write about food and nature, but attempting to keep up with a blog has been a lot. I also have to blog and Facebook for my work, which then adds to the stress of trying to plan my own posts.

I've enjoyed this blog, and this isn't goodbye. I may come back, I may change my blogs name, but my recipes will be here for awhile. I'll still read everyone else's blogs- and comment when I want, so I'm not disappearing. Maybe I'll come on every once in awhile and post something great- but who knows. I'll have to see as the time goes on. Thanks for reading, commenting, and the support. Write to you soon :)

Book Review and Giveaway!

I've been reading "Triathlon for the every woman" by Meredith Atwood, who blogs over at swimbikemom. It's obviously about triathlons, but more specifically about her journey to get to where she is today, which is a half-ironman competitor. This book will make you laugh out loud, feel a sense of pride in sharing her accomplishments, and feed you positivity on how you can complete a triathlon yourself. I can't say much besides that I absolutely loved reading the book- I laughed out loud, felt a sense of accomplishment when she described her race, and fell in love with the sport all over again.

Meredith breaks up her book into a few different sections, training, how to pack for a race, recaps of her own races, and even a whole section on nutrition. I would read it all over again if I could, it was totally useful in almost every aspect. I can't read it again though, because it's time to pass it on!

The book on Amazon

If you would like to win a SIGNED copy of "Triathlon for the every woman" leave a comment below telling me if you have done, or would ever do a Triathlon. Also, please leave a blog I can contact you at, or an email address at which I can reach you if you win! I'll be picking the winner in 10 days through the random number generator, so make sure you comment before January 20!

Out of my teenage years, and onto a new decade!

Although yesterday was my 20th birthday, I've been feeling 20 for quite a few years.. Regardless, it's nice to know that I'm out of my teenage years! I celebrated in appropriate style up in Oregon, where my twin lives.

I'll be in Oregon till Sunday- and will be posting lots of pictures of food.. one of the best parts of traveling is trying out new things in new places. 

Pictured: vegan soy southern style fingers, gluten free cornbread, mashed potatoes and gravy, and southern greens from Cornbread Cafe, an all vegan comfort food restaurant. delicious!

Mini vegan gluten free cupcakes from Divine Cupcake, an all vegan cupcake shop here in Eugene.

Blurry, but picture of our vegan gluten free pizza from the Pizza Research Institute. Half was red potatoes, pear, and vegan pesto. The other half was spicy tofu, cranberries, and cauliflower. YUM!!!!

And the last, my birthday dessert- vegan gluten free peanut butter banana chocolate pie. YUM YUM YUM! 

green lentil soup

Happy New Year!! 2012 had its up and downs- but I'm looking forward to 2013 since I have a lot of great things planned. To start off the year right, I'm making some soup for my parents before I leave for Oregon tomorrow. Pretty simple, and could also be made in a crock pot.

Ingredients:
-Broccoli
-leafy greens
-lentils
-onion
-spices

Method:
1. chop broccoli into smaller pieces
2. wash spinach
3. boil water over stove, and throw vegetables in
4. once water is boiling, turn down heat until soup is still simmering
5. throw in 1 and 1/2 cup lentils and the onions (use any kind - even green)
6. simmer for 20-60 minutes (until vegetables are soft)
7. season with spices (garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder)
8. use an immersion blender to blend up!

How much I love Trader Joes

I'm back in California for a bit- and of course stocked up on all the Trader Joe essentials... And, I even found a new thing to be excited about... VEGAN CHEESE!

Overall- the cheese is ok... it doesn't come close to Daiaya (but what does?), but it melts, tastes good, and is actually pretty decent. It's sort of runny though, which is an odd consistency. But, as seen below, I've used it in the past few days :)

Nachos with avocados 

vegan, gluten free pizza

This pizza was bomb... on top of a brown rice tortilla, with sauce, cheese, zucchini, kale, and sweet potato bits (pre-cooked). I love Trader Joes :)

What If? [reposted from a high school friend]

A friend from high school, Eshed, posted this on his blog recently. It really got me thinking, and I admired it so much, I asked him if I could repost it... Happy finals everyone..

What if we went to school for an education instead of a degree?

What if her parents hadn’t replaced her childhood with a mandate for academic success? What if they didn’t pressure and force and push and shove her through AP classes? What if they had just let her live her life? Would she still be hopped up on adderall and coffee at 3 AM every night?

What if the media didn’t convince us that real men are muscular, football-loving, beer-guzzling meatheads? Would so many of us continue to struggle with our self-image? Would we continue to chug beers and hit the gym in search of that ‘ideal’?

What if women weren’t under constant pressure to be thinner, more beautiful, or more ladylike? Would they still be skipping meals and seeking out those who prey on insecurities?

What if his community hadn’t force-fed him religious doctrine from the tender age of 3 months? Would the WTC still be standing? Would funerals still be picketed? Would homosexuals still be bullied, attacked, and discriminated against?

What if we realized that having to study for finals is the ultimate “First World Problem”?

What if that girl that you openly laugh at whenever you see her is going through more shit now than you’ve ever had to deal with?

What if we studied what interested us instead of what led to the highest paycheck?

What if we stopped equating GPA with happiness?

What if our ‘dream college’ list didn’t exactly mirror national academic rankings?

What if we stopped passing judgement on the harmless little things that make others happy?

What if?

Colorado climbing

Almost 7 months out of my shoulder surgery, and I'm already top roping outside. This past weekend I went camping and climbing with some friends, up in Boulder Canyon. Camping was beautiful, as we were right near a lake, away from civilization, and in some crazy awesome campsite. Climbing the next day was great, we went up to a place known for it's sport routes, and threw up some top ropes.