Category Archives: Vegan

Green food, Recipes, Vegan

Lazy pick me up breakfast smoothie

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This morning I woke up mega mega late. Since moving into my apartment a couple of months ago, I have been struggling to sleep through the whole night. Whether its due to the fridge freezer (which lives opposite my bed…) making funny noises, or the cat using the litter, or simply the early morning wake up call from the gazillion birds chirping in the trees which surround my home!

So, last night I decided to create a relaxing atmosphere to help me get into a deep, restful sleep. I massaged my skin in my favorite mix of sweet almond, patchouli and lavender oil, and covered my hair in coconut oil moisture wrap. I treated myself to a soy milk hot chocolate, and switched off from my devices an hour before bedtime. Finally, I completed a short yoga sequence and visualization meditation, before laying back on my pillow which I had sprayed with a subtle spitz of lavender oil. Pure relaxation…..

But I think I was perhaps a little too relaxed. Because when I finally woke up this morning at 8:30, a whole hour after my alarm had actually gone off, I was in a state of panic. No time for a coffee or a proper breakfast, I had 5 minutes to knock up something energizing, nutritious and filling enough to get me through a long day (and a very fast 40 minute power walk up the hill to work!!) The resulting mix and match of whatever I could find in my panic was actually so delicious I might even make it a daily ritual…well the smoothie, maybe not the mad crazy rush!

Lazy pick me up breakfast smoothie

Pick me up breakfast smoothie

Ingredients

  • x2 Bananas
  • A handful (literally) of frozen Blueberries
  • 1 tbsp. crunchy organic Peanut Butter
  • 1 tbsp. ground Flax seed
  • 1 tbsp. dried Goji berries
  • squeeze of Lemon juice

Method 

  1. Whiz up in a blender for 30 seconds or so (whilst you run around getting dressed and finding your keys…)
  2. Decant into a seal-able jar
  3. Drink straight from the jar or pour into a bowl with some extra berries as a Delicious smoothie bowl
General ramblings, Vegan

Activist Burnout: When being green just feels really f**king hard

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I’m tired.

Not the kind of tired you experience when you’ve had too many late nights, or not enough fresh fruit and veg. Nor the kind of tired you feel at 3pm on a Monday afternoon, when all you want is a strong coffee and a whole packet of Jammie Dodgers (and yes, they are Vegan!!).

I’m talking about the kind of physical and emotional exhaustion that an undernourished salmon feels after what seems like a lifetime swimming up a very steep stream. When you’ve depleted any energy and drive you once had to be who you are – or who you want to be – and no longer have the will to lift one eye lid up to see, let alone a whole arm to do.

But this fatigue – though it is spreading fast like a virus throughout my life– is not simply a result of working too hard, playing too hard or indeed life being generally hard. Its roots lie deep within; stemming from my increasing realisation that my attempts to live a green, waste less, compassionate life is surrounded by a million and one others who simply don’t give a shit. Apparently it’s called Activist Burnout, and I’m certainly not the only one who suffers from it. Continue reading Activist Burnout: When being green just feels really f**king hard →

Green food, Recipes, Vegan

Lazy Vegan Recipe: Nutty Tofu Coconut Curry with Barley and Cumin Kale Crisp

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You know how it goes. You get home tired, grumpy and hungry, yet hankering for something a little tastier than beans on toast (again!). This was me last night, when I got in from work and was fully prepared to dive into my travelling savings and treat myself to a takeaway, whilst lying in bed watching back to back episodes of Grand Designs.

But, reminding myself that the £10 I could spend for one curry takeaway at home, could set me up for several (far more authentic) ones whilst in India, I opted for fast track concoction. And this yummy dish is what I came up with in less than 30 minutes (including distracted glances at Kevin Cloud’s gushing over an eco build in Wales..). As always, I used up whatever I had at home and I encourage you to experiment and do the same, but it gives you an idea of what you can knock up in no time!

Continue reading Lazy Vegan Recipe: Nutty Tofu Coconut Curry with Barley and Cumin Kale Crisp →

Green fashion, Green Living, Sustainability, Vegan, What to buy, Where to shop

Bourgeois Boheme: From Shoe Apathy to Shoe Passion

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For those of you who have ever met me in person, you’ll know that I am the least fashionable person out there. I take the ethos of reduce, reuse and recycle to heart when it comes to clothes; and prefer a rummage in a charity shop rather than a credit card binge on the highstreet. This serves three main purposes:

Firstly, I don’t contribute to the throwaway fashion economy, in which you can buy a whole outfit for less than the person who made it earns in a year. Secondly, and rather vainly, I don’t have to feel old and frumpy in the latest fashions; choosing instead to stick to my 90s grunge look which has served me well for the majority of my 20s. Lastly, and most lazily of all, I don’t have a clue when it comes to “ethical fashion” and prefer to hide away from having to actively research the rabbit warren which is the clothes and shoe industry.

If only Vivienne Westwood could come shopping around Truro with me, and help me find a bargainous green outfit which makes me feel 3 stone lighter. But alas! The trains getting down here are a bloody nightmare. But even the most clueless of us occasionally fall in love. And when I fall in love, I can become pretty wistful and dreamy. Meet the Amanda Blue – the most beautiful shoe I have seen in my life. Continue reading Bourgeois Boheme: From Shoe Apathy to Shoe Passion →

Facts and Stats, Green food, Green health, Nature, Vegan

A Vegans Guide to Avoiding Calcium, Iron & B12 Supplements

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It’s often assumed that vegans generally survive off a varied cocktail of supplements and super foods in order to be truly healthy. True, any form of veggie eating needs a level of awareness to ensure you get everything you need for a balanced diet; but generally this is no different for meat, egg or dairy eaters too! In fact, it’s a myth that by eating animal products you are someone how immune to deficiencies; especially when your meat or dairy consumption actually decreases the amount of veggies you eat as a result.

In fact, some studies have found that whilst vegans may be prone to B12, Calcium and Iodine deficiencies; an average no vegetarian diet is not only deficient in calcium and iodine, but vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, folate, and magnesium as well! So vitamin deficiencies aren’t always just a veggies problem.

That said, when choosing to cut down – or out – animal products for a healthier lifestyle, there are still a few key things worth keeping an eye on; and they really don’t need to involve supplements. In fact, as a lazy (and very forgetful) vegan, I am terrible at remembering to take supplements at all, and am proof that you can live a healthy vegan lifestyle without popping the pills!

Disclaimer: advice which follows is based on my own personal experience of veganism over the last year; in which regular tests have confirmed I have no vitamin deficiencies. I am NOT a nutritionist by any means but I do love to eat!

Continue reading A Vegans Guide to Avoiding Calcium, Iron & B12 Supplements →

Green food, Nature, Recipes, Vegan

Lazy Vegan Recipe: Naturally Sweetened Cashew and Arrowroot Cookies

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I realised the other day that it’s been a long time since I shared one of my lazy vegan recipes, and hoped you all didn’t think I hadn’t been eating much since I shared my herby, “creamy” garlic courgettes and barley recipe in January. Believe me, I have been eating plenty!

But at the weekend, when I had a case of late night sweet tooth munchies, I concocted a recipe to use up whatever I could find it the cupboards; and it was surprisingly a massive success! In particular, I wanted to make a dent in a jar of arrowroot I bought when trying out Green Moxie’s Natural organic eye shadow recipe. It’s pretty awesome that one ingredient can make you pretty and give you a happy belly!

The best thing about these cookies is that it’s all naturally sweetened thanks to the agave syrup, so they are almost guilt free. You can also swap the nuts for your favs; I just love cashews.

Continue reading Lazy Vegan Recipe: Naturally Sweetened Cashew and Arrowroot Cookies →

Green food, Seasonal, Vegan, What to buy, Where to shop

Lazy Local shopping: Cornish Food Market

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Hello my lovely lazies, how are you?!

It’s been a pretty crazy few weeks for me, with one huge event to organise at work, plus the worlds most disorganised house move ever! But I’ve settled in to my brand new little home with more resolutions that the last 5 New Years rolled in to one! Aside from doing daily yoga and meditation, and eating less junk food, I’m also going to be ditching the car and walking the 40 minutes to work everyday day. Watch this space..

Views from my lovely new porch :)
Views from my lovely new porch 🙂

Continue reading Lazy Local shopping: Cornish Food Market →

General ramblings, Green food, Vegan

5 Things I Miss as a Vegan

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Aside from the obvious – and completely uninformed – questions concerning where I get my protein from, or how I could possibly live without cheese, one question always pops up when I tell someone I’m vegan; what do I miss the most? I find this a really odd thing to ask. It assumes that by cutting out animal products from my life I have in turn backed myself into a limited resource corner; in which I am deprived of what are clearly the most desirable things in life. Oh poor vegan me, people must think. No chocolate, ice cream, lamb chops, macaroni cheese, leather belts, “luxury” cosmetics etc etc. Surely I would miss all those things as they are so engrained in our culture, our history and more importantly, our habits. Continue reading 5 Things I Miss as a Vegan →