Vegetarian Update #1

Well, hello there.

So much for "blogging more often" or even the simple "weekly update" I'd promised (it's been a little over a week since my last post).

I could give you a long list of excuses now as of why I have not had the time to blog, but honestly, i've just really been enjoying my summer. Working at the bakery is much more fun than I'd expected it to be, turns out simply being around cake (and eating it, too) is a pretty good happiness booster for me, just as spending time surrounded by friends and good food in the evenings certainly has had its positive effects. Which brings us to the subject of this post: my experiences as a vegetarian so far. There are a few things I've noticed and I thought I'd share them with you!

1. People's reactions

I was extremely surprised by the way people reacted to me telling them I wasn't going to be eating meat anymore. While almost all of them were quite shocked at first, when I explained my reasoning to them most just shrugged and accepted my decision. While I did notice some of my friends don't really think much of vegetarianism in general, not a single person so far has tried to convince me to change my opinion. Some were even quite interested in the facts that influenced my lifestyle choice.

One phrase I heard a lot was " But how can you live without (insert favourite meat dish)?" to which I simply responded that I'd never liked meat that much or ever craved a burger in the way that other people might. 

In a nutshell, I'd expected to have to justify myself much more than I did and the reactions I got were overwhelmingly positive.

2. Food options

While I've never been much of a pure meat eater, completely cutting it from my diet made it obvious how much meat I really was consuming without even noticing it was there, out of sheer convenience. Whether it be the bacon in a quiche lorraine or the odd ham and cheese sandwich, even though I'd almost never choose a dish because of the meat, I really wasn't following a vegetarian diet in any way. Many dishes I was eating before taste just as good without the meat (in my opinion) but people still put it in there. However, most of the time, it is fairly easy to simply ommit it or choose a different option. Finding something to eat has not been difficult at all and deliberately choosing not to consume any meat has made me try dishes I otherwise wouldn't have picked. Which brings me to...

3. Eating out.

I really thought going to a restaurant would be quite a challenge but the exact opposite was the case. Usually, I'd study the menu for ages, overwhelmed by the amount of choices. Crossing out any dishes which include meat makes the decision-taking process much faster and smoother - to the delight of those used to my struggles when it comes to choosing what to eat. I also feel as though I am unconsciously making healthier choices, with vegetable-centered dishes replacing creamy pasta. During the past week, I've fallen in love with food I otherwise would have never tried and a whole world of delicious, fresh and colorful food I never knew was there has opened up.

4. Cooking

Due to the fact that I am working at the moment, I haven't experimented very much with my cooking since going vegetarian but there are literally hundreds of foods I want to try, recipes I want to cook and alternatives to usually meat-centered dishes which I am determined to find. Before last week, I'd never given tofu a second glance whereas now, I find myself more and more intrigued by the possibilities it creates. One thing I was quite worried about was how this was going to affect people enjoying the food I cook for them. After yesterday's lunch though, which consisted of a creamy, avocado based pasta sauce with soba noodles, I don't think this is going to be a real problem. Everyone thorougly enjoyed it, even my dad who is one of the biggest meat-eaters I know. Also, I've realized that my food choices don't have to influence the way the people around me eat. We are having people over for dinner tonight for chicken gyros and falafels - so I simply won't be eating any chicken.

There are many more things which I could talk about right now, but I don't want this post to be too long so I'll simply leave it at that. So far, I don't see myself going back to the way I was eating before( just over a week ago, such a long time right?). Not only do I feel better from a physical point of view but I am more calm knowing that my food choices don't counterdict my ethical beliefs anymore.

I hope you found this post at least the slightest bit interesting and I'll try to be more consistent with my blogging.

Going Vegetarian

The question of whether or not I should be consuming meat has been present at the back of my mind since I could understand the meaning of the word vegetarianism.
Every time i found myself in a conversation either with a vegetarian or simply about the topic, the same cycle of thoughts would be going through my head : 

"Well, I don't actually like meat that much, why don't I just stop eating it?
 But there's meat in so many things, and it would be so exhausting to always have to ask for something different to what everybody else is having. 
I do like animals, but in all honesty, I don't really care what that steak looked like before it got to my plate. 
If I don't feel passionately about these animals, why should I make my life so much harder through cutting meat out of my diet?
Maybe it would be more ethically correct to be a vegetarian but if I don't think about it any further, i can go on with my life as before.
I don't even eat that much meat anyways so where's the problem?"

The I'd push the issue aside and go on with my day, reassuring myself with the though that, if everybody was living this way, how wrong could it be?

“Not responding is a response - we are equally responsible for what we don't do.” - Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals

Extremely "wrong", as it turns out (although "harmful" would probably be a more appropriate word here). As Jonathan Safran Foer states in his book Eating Animals, by mindlessly consuming what everyone else around you is, presumably "doing nothing", you are already doing something. You are making a choice on a day to day basis to support an industry that is not only responsible for the suffering of millions of animals but also for the destruction and pollution of our world. This book really opened my eyes on exactly how badly a large percentage of farm animals are treated before and while they're killed and this knowledge made me wonder whether I could still support my own decision of consuming meat, even if it was only on a twice-weekly basis.

The thing is, I don't feel about the deaths of these animals the same way as most vegetarians (or at least those I know) do. I don't feel pity for them for having to die, and I can still eat the piece of pork on my plate, knowing that it once belonged to an animal just as (or more) playful and intelligent as your typical family dog. If I didn't feel this way, I probably would have been a vegetarian for a very long time. 

However, I am extremely passionate about every living being deserving a free and happy life. This might seem contradictory to what I just said, because how good of a life can an animal have if its mere purpose is to be consumed by humans? To me, if a pig was allowed to run around in the mud, was fed an appropriate diet and given shelter and medical assistance as necessary before being killed at a "reasonable" age, then I can eat the meat it offers without even a hint of a bad conscience. How I was ever able to believe that the scenario I have just described would even come close to reality,  I don't understand.

After finishing Eating Animals (bursting into tears on more than one occasion because of the sheer cruelty inflicted on the animals), I knew I would at least have to try to change my eating habits in a way that aligns with what I believe to be right. So I started by writing down the dishes including meat I thought I wouldn't want to live without. Turns out, I don't actually eat the majority of these foods because of the taste or texture of the meat(or seafood for that matter). Would I miss the chicken in my curry or the beef in Chili con Carne? Sure not. 

Yes, I do love smoked salmon, having mussels in the south of France and the stuffed turkey at christmas (which is probably the one to be avoided at all cost). However, except for the mussels, there is no way for me to ensure these animals were killed in a humane way, especially when eating out. And this, for now, means that I won't be eating them.

I set myself a period of 3 weeks (21 days is supposed to be the amount of time it takes to create a new habit) during which I will not be consumming meat at all and I'll see where to go from there. As of now, I am thinking about going 90% vegetarian or more afterwards (leaving room for my beloved mussels and the occasional organic burger), but it all depends on how I feel during and after the next 20 days. One thing i know for sure though is that I won't be having a cheap curry or Spaghetti Carbonara anytime soon.

I would love to write more on my "journey" on here if any of you are interested in hearing about it. Maybe a weekly update would be something you would like to read?I would sure love to have some feedback, whether you're a devoted meat-eater or a vegetarian yourself.

As always, I hope you enioyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!

A Summer Breakfast: Carrot Cake Overnight Oats & Maple Ice Coffee

I thought I'd do something a little different today and show you how to make one of my favourite breakfasts for summer (or any time really), as well as a super easy "recipe" for some delicious homemade iced coffee. This breakfast takes close to no time in the morning as you prepare most of it the night before, so its perfect for those rushed weekday mornings. Even the preparation is pretty quick so there really is no reason to stick with your boring old buttered toast when you can have something so delicious and nutritious with the same amount of effort. So here are my new obsession, carrot cake overnight oats and some maple iced coffee!

While i love my porridge all year round, when temperatures start to drop i mostly crave something fresh in the mornings. This is where overnight oats come in perfectly, they have about the same texture as your usual porridge without the heat! All you have to do is mix your oats with some milk or water (although i really prefer milk for overnight oats) and whatever other ingredients you want to add the night before, let it sit in the fridge overnight(hence the name), and in the morning, you've got your oats ready to be devoured. I even think preparing oats this way can give them

more flavour than when you cook them on the stove, as the milk soaks up a bit of everything you put in there.

It might sound a bit crazy to put carrots into your oats at first (after all, they are a vegetable) but believe me on this one, it's incredibly good! So good in fact that i've had it for three breakfasts in a row this week. It kind of tastes like a healthy carrot cake dough and i find myself savouring every single spoonful of it, so I really hope you enjoy it too!

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats (vegan and gluten free)

Ingredients:

some kind of jar to store it in

1/3 cup gluten free oats (or regular if you're not gluten intolerant)

1/2 cup milk (i used unsweetened almond milk)

1/4 cup pineapple

1/2 medium carrot, grated

1/2 tablespoon flax seed (or chia seed if you like the texture)

1-2 dates, chopped

1 dried fig, chopped

1 teaspoon cinnamon

optional:

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

a few drops rum extract

Method:

First of all, blend up the pineapple and milk in your jar by using a hand mixer (you can of course do this in your blender as well).

Then simply add your oats, flax seed, grated carrot, dates, dried fruit, cinnamon and any additional flavours to the jar and mix it all up with a spoon or by simply shaking the jar. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.

When you're ready to eat, leave it as it is or top it with whatever you like. Fresh fruit  such as strawberries and banana, nut butter, granola and coconut flakes are my personal favourites!

The next "recipe" probably doesn't even deserve to be called that. It really is super  quick and easy and if you leave the coconut whipped cream aside, it takes close to no time at all to make while still being really tasty. I find that most of the time, the easiest recipes are the best ones!

 

Maple Iced Coffee (with coconut whipped cream)

Ingredients:

for the coffee:

~1/2 cup of freshly brewed or refrigirated coffee

enough ice to fill your glass at least halfway

as much milk as you like (i used oat milk)

1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it to be)

(optional) for the coconut whipped cream:

a can if full-fat coconut milk

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup

Method:

for the coffee:

First of all, brew your coffee whichever way you like, i used my nespresso machine for this. Fill a tall glass of water with ice cubes, then simply pour the coffee over the top. Add milk and maple syrup to your liking and for a bit of a treat, top it with some coconut whipped cream. Enjoy!

coconut whipped cream:

 

Take your can of coconut milk out of the refrigirator after you left it there overnight. This step really is crucial so don't try to rush it.

Open up your can at the bottom so the coconut water just flows out and you're left with a more solid residue, the coconut cream (you can use the water for smoothies and such). Then simply beat it with a hand mixer until you get the  texture of whipped cream and add a bit of sweetener if you like. I find this much easier with non-organic coconut milk as the residue isn't quite as solid but you'll just have to beat the other onr a bit longer. Top your iced coffee with a tablespoon or two of your whipped cream and store leftovers in the fridge. This tastes delicious on basically everything: berries, crumbles(berry crumbles?), yogurt,...you name it!

I really hope you like this type of posts as i had so much fun creating it! I'd love to hear if any of you try out yhese recipes:)

On: Running

My attitude towards running has changed quite a bit over the past year. You could say i made a 180 degree turn : from loathing to love.

Last summer, i couldn't even run for twenty minutes at a more-than-slow pace, whereas now, i'll go for 40 minute runs and i don't have the speed of a turtle anymore. Which i am pretty damn proud of, seeing as i always used to think i could never be a runner. So even though i still don't consider myself to be one, at least now i don't start complaining as if the world was going to end if we have to run for more than 5 minutes.

The biggest difference though is the way i think about running. Yes it is a type of exercise and i certainly do it partly to stay fit, but it does so much more than that. Whenever i feel stuck in a circle of thoughts, running helps me clear my mind as i simply cannot think anymore (or not as much). Everything seems so much clearer when i'm running, it's as if my brain just shuts out the less important things so i can concentrate on what really matters. Running kind of puts things back into perspective for me, and really relieves me when i'm feeling stressed. Which seems to be like, all the time.

No matter how down i might have felt before, i always return from a run with more energy and motivation (which doesn't really make sense as you're basically getting rid of energy but whatever). I get my best ideas while running (and in the shower - anybody else feel that way?) and as i'm so motivated i also actually go through with them.

I' just realized again what a positive effect running can have on me today. The past few weeks i didn't go for runs as often as before, and it showed. So when i almost freaked out trying to study for a pretty important biology test coming on tomorrow, i just put on my Nike's and went for a run. For the first time since what,October, i could feel the sun on my skin. Only about 100 metres away from my house a grin started to creep on my face, which then turned into a smile - people driving by probably though i was some sort of a maniac, but i quite simply didn't care. It felt as if all the worries and stress that had build up over the last two weeks just slid of more and more with every step i made. It became clear to me that there was no need to worry about that biology test as i already knew almost everything i needed to know to take it, that i didn't have to stress about eating healthier or working out more, cause hey, i'm fine just the way i am. Once i got back, my mood had lifted enormously and i felt so much more confident than i has in the morning.

Running makes me feel free, relaxed and confident about myself, and honestly if it's good for me physically too, why skip it. I'm certainly not trying to "run away" from my problems and stress, it just makes me more capable to cope with any issues i'm having. And when school gets as stressful as it is at the moment, i really need something to keep the balance