New Month, New Mood

Well hey there Masterina's. 

Is that a dumb name to call the readers of Mastering My Midlife? Masterina's. I dunno, it seems fitting for right now, let's just go with it shall we?

And going with it is exactly what I want to talk to you about this month. It's November 1st, which means, new month - new mood, new attitude. Autumn is in full swing and I'm feeling like I need to publicly bring back my virtue of the month and for November, I've chosen...

DISPASSIONATE

It means to not be influenced by strong emotion, and so able to be rational and impartial. In other words, no matter what's going on, if you're dispassionate, it means you're able to go with the flow (in my brain anyway).

We mere months away from the end of 2018 and I for one cannot wait to get it over with. That's something I rarely do, wish away time like that, but this year has been hard yo. I feel like we have been asked to surrender to within in an inch of our lives and sanity. I don't know about you, but I've been stretched thin, worn out, feeling used and abused and like I'm the butt of some great cosmic joke and I have not gone gently into that good nite, no sirree. I have not wanted to surrender. Seems every single hill I have stood upon this year was the hill I was prepared to die on - meaning I was constantly picking one battle or the next.

And I'm tired.

Happy to report that I'm finally feeling more human since I was taken over by vertigo in April. I'm not dizzy anymore and my heart is rhythmic for the first time in what feels like four years and I'm being fed creatively. So on that front, all should be well with me right?

Not so much. I've gained a bunch of weight from not being able to exercise and trying to eat everything in site to build up my blood. That's first. Next, I've had a creative parting of the ways with a team of people that I greatly admired and I'm sad to see that our project together will not have legs.  I've been over looked for jobs because there were no Indigenous storylines and at the same time I've been put forward for EVERYTHING with Indigenous storylines regardless of whether the shows are a good fit or not. I feel like I've been in a box this whole year. Or like I have been buried alive.

But now I'm here to say that I don't think that's the actual case. I think perhaps I was planted and now I am starting to grow. We all have. If you feel like this year has been super hard and ass-kicky too, that things have felt all dark and gloomy and you just wanted to pump your fist and rage against the injustices of the world, you're not alone. I feel like the universe has been culling things from our lives to make room for better stuff, nicer people, greater more fulfilling lives. It's been taking things away from us knowing that those things would NOT ultimately serve us or our hopes and dreams.

And while at times it has felt as though we've been trying to crest the wave of a tsunami only to wind up pummelled into a rocky shore, left to pick through the wreckage of 2018, that wave has cleared a bunch of shit away and we can now - dare I say it - start to rebuild.

Rebuild a body with health and vitality. Rebuild a career with people who empower us. Rebuild relationships with love and compassion. And be strong enough to face a world that sometimes feels cruel and ugly and violent and stupid and wrong and evil and dark. We can now stand, stripped down to the bare bone, in our truth and be our best light-generating, way-leading selves.

AND another thing... We can also see through the garbage that used to trip us up. We have stronger bullshit meters. We're less likely to be doormats. And we do not have to take the emotional rollercoaster ride for anything. Things can go wrong and we'll survive, really awesome stuff can happen and we don't have to get so caught up in the success that we forget what's important. We can be more like the ancient Stoics. We can be what? What can we be now that we've been through this baptism of fire that's been 2018?

That's right... DISPASSIONATE. We can be cool, even keel and rosy.

This will also allow us to see ourselves in a brand new way, perhaps give us the insight to see ourselves the way others see us. Or love ourselves exactly as we are, flaws and all.

Allow me to give you a tangible example of what I mean and this was a real eye-opener.

One year ago - November 2017 I decided that over the holiday I was going to grow out my grey hair to see what was beneath all that color. I gathered some images of silver sisters for inspiration, went away to a cottage and had at it.

Once the holidays were over, I got back to the city, had to go back to the writer's room and I hated my hair. It was ugly, old, uncool, etc. etc.

Cut to three months later being laid out on the bathroom floor with vertigo waiting for the color to process in my hair, hoping I'd be able to rinse it out before I barfed. What was THAT madness? I made the decision to try again. Once my next writing gig was up - I was going to take the summer and (sing it) Let it grow, let it grow... 

Now, as many of you already know it has not been an easy journey. I have gone back and forth and back and forth. Wanting to color it, thinking it's fine, hating it to bits and back again.

Yesterday I was looking through some old photos and kept seeing all these pictures of myself with dark hair and I immediately wanted to call my stylist to make this grey nightmare end. But then it occurred to me - maybe I could look at some of those early photos that made me want to embark on this journey in the first place. I mean if I could be swayed to want to go back to dyed hair by a mere image, perhaps said image could persuade me to stay the course. So I started looking and a crazy thing happened... I saw myself... and my hair in a whole new light because it was looking very similar to an image of someone's hair that I LOVED. We didn't look so different.

I'd had one or two friends say they liked how my grey was coming in. He Who Shall Not Be Named said he liked it too. Yet somehow I could not see what they saw until I revisited that photo. Now I'd like to ask you to look...

This is a pretty darned dynamic example of how sometimes the story in our heads blurs out the reality of what is right in front of us. We get so attached to the drama, the heartache, the stress, the idea that we've been clinging to that we can't see that the storm has passed, that we survived, we triumphed, we're beautiful, we made it etc. 

If this year has taught me anything, it's taught me to not believe everything I think (words to live by, am considering having them tattooed onto my forehead), it's taught me to let go and let God, and for heaven's sake the biggest lesson of all is THIS TOO SHALL PASS. Don't get so worked up over it.

So, together, this November - let's be dispassionate. And, November 1st is world vegan day - so why not try going vegan for the month. It won't kill you, in fact it will save the lives of several animals and you don't have to do it alone.

Go to Veganuary and take the pledge. They'll help you out and you don't have to wait until January. Plus going vegan gives you great skin - in case you needed a little extra motivation.

Loads of love,
Shan

Ramblings...

Good morning,
I'm home on a writing day today so I should be working on rewrites for the show I'm on, but I've had so many thoughts swirling around in my head, I thought I'd come here to share.

Been reading so much lately about current events, the crazy stuff with the Russians, school shootings, environmental things -- and I'm reading the most incredible book right now that's reminding me so much of where I grew up. SO much food for thought. But... It kinda feels like the world is moving so fast it's about to spin out of control. Gag, just reading that makes me feel old - lol. But it's true. I do feel old. I worry about the young people as every generation before me has done.

I worry not because I don't think they're capable, I worry because of the world they're forced to live in. Students marching on the White House and demanding that gun control must come into play, meanwhile the guy they call president is off in California. Young surfers who have created initiatives to clean up the oceans, meanwhile companies like Starbucks (whom I admittedly do still love) are pumping out plastic straws and plastic lids. Just yesterday there was an article exposing big bottled water companies like Dasani, Evian, Aqua Fina, and Nestle Pure Life for having microplastics IN the water - check it out here. Or I mean don't. You don't have to read it to know that plastic water bottles are bad. And hey man, I'm guilty. I used to buy Perrier so my dog could chew the bottle after - biting the lids off was his favorite thing to do. I now buy Voss for twice the price because they use glass bottles. Probably not any better if it's actually being shipped from Norway. You really could drive yourself crazy with all this stuff.

But the thing that's really been bothering me the most has been bacon, ham and all pork products. Why? Because of pigs.

I could go into detail about the horrors pigs suffer on a daily basis, but if you're anything like me (or the way I used to be) that would have me tuning out. I don't want to see graphic images of torture and I don't want to know how much suffering they endure. But if it's that bad just to hear about about, imagine what the animals are feeling.

No, instead I want to tell you how great they are. Pigs have really high IQ's. Much higher than dogs. Would you have a party wherein you roasted your dig for dinner? God I hope not. Pigs fetch (yes, you could take your pig to the dog park and he'd go after the ball), they understand human direction. Basically you can teach a pig to do all the things you teach your dog - sit, down, stay, etc. They recognize their friends and families, mama pigs can recognize the sounds of their own piglets squealing in the same way a mom at a birthday party full of toddlers knows when it's her kid crying. They have great memories and unique personalities. Don't believe me? Check out Esther The Wonder Pig.

You might be reading this right now and be thinking so what, Shan, I'm never going vegan. This is the way the world is. It's been this way for thousands of years. And I'll agree with you. It has been this way and I don't imagine I'll see a vegan world in my lifetime but... I would ask you to leave pigs off your plate. I'm not asking you to go vegan or even vegetarian and while I personally feel it is just as wrong to eat a cow or chicken or lamb (that one might be worse) as it is to eat a pig, I would ask you not to eat pigs because they are exactly like our beloved companion animals.

Let me put it to you another way...

You've heard of Martin Luther King Jr. right? If you've been living under a rock or your a teenager or something, allow me to introduce you. 

MLK was a Baptist minister who was very active in the civil rights movement. If you need to get woke, just watch the movie Selma. 

So why do I bring up MLK in the middle of a post about pigs? Because of people's resistance to stop eating meat. Ask yourself why you're hanging on to eating bacon (as just one example). Why can't you give it up? Pork products are load load loaded with with cholesterol. So it ain't good for ya. The manure produced by hog farms kills fish when it comes in contact with rivers and water supplies. To prevent that, those farms spray it into the air so it's literally killing the people who live near these farms - so it's really really bad for the environment. Why are you eating it? Because it tastes good? Lots of other things taste good too, eat other things.

But I digress - my point is that at the time of his death, Martin Luther King was THE most hated person in America. According to Bernice King (his daughter) around the time of his death, an opinion poll reflected the fact that the civil rights leader was the most  hated man in the United States because regardless of how peaceful he was, he was promoting an idea that was extremely unpopular. Dr. King and countless other activists were challenging a system of discrimination that was (and still is) deeply entrenched in American society, so they were obviously pissing off a lot of people. (I am quoting a guy called Nik who is a vegan because he is against speciesism)

As a vegan, Nik is working to dismantle a system of discrimination that is even MORE widespread than racism. And I'm with him. I believe we need to change and I think we're capable. And if that makes people angry, that's okay. It just proves we're on the right track.

I mean you can't tell me that when you watch an animal rescue video that you don't cheer. 

No. You DO cheer because you're so relieved that the animal got saved. Well guess what? ONE VEGAN will prevent 198 animals from going to slaughter each year! YOU - by leaving animals off your plate can save 198 animals annually. But I get it. You might not be ready to change completely.  But please, I implore you - stop eating pigs.

Oprah says that people are resistant to anything that removes them from their current state of thinking. It feels threatening. Because they're then forced to ask: If I have to change what I believe (that it's okay to kill animals for example) I then may not be who I THINK I am because I have based who I am on what I believe. (So maybe you're not the top of the food chain, entitled, tough, whatever - be something better, more compassionate and loving). 

I'll finish with a final thought from Obama who said: When ordinary citizens decide that something isn't right, they can impact the way things are done. (march for women's rights, speak up for gun control, stop using plastic) 

And in my case be the voice of animals, because  like MLK I too have a dream - I have dream where we can build a community - nay a WORLD - where veganism is the norm. And you can help. Return to your heart. Leave animals off your plate.

Love you,
Shan

FebuDairy-Free

Hello my beautiful noble reader.

I hope this new year has been kind to you thus far. I'm sorry work has swept me away once again, but I could not let the Chinese New Year pass without wagging my earth dog tail and greeting you all with a resounding happy new year!

It's the year of the Earth Dog! Don't you just love dogs? They're so loyal and loving and always happy when you come home. Like most people, I feel like dogs are part of our family. We would protect them like we would our own children.

You know what's coming next right? Why protect dogs and not other animals equally intelligent, loyal and deserving of love? If you were not keen on taking the Veganuary challenge with me in January - I invite you to try going dairy free this month. Yep, FebuDairy- free. It's a thing. I'm not saying to have to give anything else up. Just try swapping out your dairy products for delicious plant-based alternatives.

Not sure where to start - head on over to the good folks at Veganuary and they'll help you out. Or you can reach out to me. I'm still new at this and had a ton of questions myself so I know exactly how you feel.

Happy new year and all the very best for 2018!
xoxo
Shan

Confessions of a Cheese Addict

Well Noble Reader, we're nearly two weeks into the new year and halfway through Veganuary. If you have elected to take the challenge to go vegan with me, how are you making out? Have you made any new discoveries about yourself? Have you been tempted? Or maybe it's been easy for you and if that is the case, I'd love to hear how you've sailed through it all.

There's a reason that I personally hadn't ever taken the full plunge into an entirely plant-based diet up until now and I can sum that up for you in one word -- CHEESE. I confess, I'm one of THOSE people. The people who learn that someone is a vegan and say to them - but what about cheese? How can you possibly live without cheese? I used to put it on everything - from pizza and pasta to salad, nachos and sandwiches.

Lemme take you back a bit to how I originally became a vegetarian as a teenager. All it took for me was meeting a cow. Seeing her face to face, looking into those sweet brown eyes, I knew I could never eat her. And those adorable pink little piglets? Fluffy white lambs? Forget about it. Eating animals was out of the question. But I'd never made the connection about the harm dairy causes cows and what having a fried egg means for the chickens who produce them or who are unlucky enough to be born a boy.

Cut to years later in my thirties... I'm busting my ass working out with Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis workout and I just couldn't seem to shed my muffin top and someone said these magic words - "you must eat more lean protein." So I added fish to my diet. It was then, I believe, that I began to lose my way. My vanity vetoed my compassion for fish and I was oblivious to what we were doing to this planet's oceans. Did I lose the muffin top by adding fish to my diet? Initially maybe yes, but I was following Tracy's prescribed diet at the time which amounted to about 800-1000 calories a day - so yeah. I lost it. But once I started eating normally again, my middle grew again. Turns out sugar was the real culprit. For more on that you can check out My Solution for cutting out sugar.

But even though I managed to kick the sweet stuff, I never gave up the fish. So I thought going vegan was going to be doubly hard, being that I had to let go of eggs, dairy and fish. What the hell was going to eat? Maybe you've asked yourself the same question. Or maybe I'm alone in this giant crazy universe. Either way - I haven't starved. In fact, the opposite has happened.

Making the choice to be plant-based in my diet has opened me up to so many more options than I'd ever thought possible. And one of those options is cheese. Yep, you read that right. Cheese. I stumbled across this fantastic Toronto-based company called Culcherd who specialize in butterless butter and Tree-nut cheeses and it is the best thing ever! I'm telling you, if I didn't know the difference, I'd swear I was having cream cheese.

This is the flavor that my love affair started with. It's fantastic on Mary's Gone Crackers vegan gluten free crackers.

The best part is that because I got brave enough to try something new {fussiest eater on the planet over here} I've been venturing further afield and have been experimenting more in the kitchen. In fact just this morning I made glorious Banana Muffin Tops from Oh She Glows. And yep - they're sugar free, gluten free, vegan and most importantly DELICIOUS! Thanks Angela!

I even spoke with my Mother In Law this morning and it's been five weeks since she's eaten meat! She's turned into a little vegetarian. Incredibly, she cooked a roast dinner for the family this afternoon but she didn't eat the meat. I'm proud to puddles - she makes me weep this woman, honestly. If she can be a vegetarian then for crying out loud I can be vegan. And in fact am happy to be.

Today is another day that no one had to die to feed me. That's pretty darn cool people. Would love to hear how you're doing with it all. Leave me a comment below.

xoxo
Shan

Where there's a will...

It's my last weekend before I head back into the office, so wanted to write a post to share some really great news! You know that old expression - where there's a will there's a way? Well, I'm amending it to - where there's a will, Amazon has a way! I'm not saying we can shop away all our troubles, but when you're addicted to your instant foamy milk drink and said foamy milk drink contains dairy and you need a way to create a foamy milk drink at home that is both instant and dairy free -- well my dears, look no further than Amazon.

I don't know if I've ever shared this, but I have a tiny kitchen. I mean to tell you it's the size of a postage stamp. It's so small you have to leave it to have the space to change your mind, you hear what I'm saying. You know the beautiful vegan feast I made over the holidays? That was possible because I was staying in a rental cottage that had a palace of a kitchen. Mine? Not so palatial. In fact I think the bathroom in a palace would put my kitchen to shame. In fact I know it would.

So anyway... I have been oooohing and awing over getting an espresso machine that has a foamy milk maker attached to it but as I was doing all the research, I found out a couple of things. The really good ones cost you an arm and a leg - both of which I need for work on Monday -- and even the crappy ones take up a boat-load of space - which if you've been reading - you know I do not have! In my desperation {frustration} I googled milk frother because I wondered if there was such a thing as just the foamy milk maker. Ha!! Turns out there is. Who knew?

Did you know? If you knew, why didn't you friggin' tell me. I've been dying over here. Compassion - that's my virtue for January so I guess this means I can't hold a grudge so you're forgiven. {This time. But don't let it happen again, you gotta tell me shit, I don't get out much}

After a bit more research -- BAM! I was ordering and having a foamy milk maker delivered by Prime so of course it came the very next morning and voila! Look look look!

Isn't she gorgeous! And she's only knee-high to the base of my vitamix, so petite, so pretty, yet so powerful! Omigod it's love. I've been experimenting and she froths soy the best. Almond is a close second. Cashew milk? Not so much. Yuck. I've made cappuccinos and chai tea lattes for He Who Shall Not Be Named. So quick and easy and no muss no fuss.

Don't give up. If you have a favorite food or beverage that you fear going vegan will make you sacrifice, think again my beauties. There is always a way to veganize everything. So do me a favor will ya? Get your butts over to Veganuary and sign your ass up if you haven't done so already. This movement is growing.

Speaking of growing, that's the other bit of amazing news I have to share. We spent the Christmas holiday with He Who Shall Not Be Named's mom, my mother in law. She came over from England and spent the whole holiday being my fabulous sous chef in the kitchen. And she did confess before she came, she was really worried about being holed up in a cottage in the woods for two weeks with a coupla plant-eaters. We did tell her she could have chicken or fish or whatever she felt she needed. But once here, she decided to go with the flow.

She did so well. The only thing she had that wasn't vegan was cheese. The woman lives on a dairy farm for crying out loud, cut her some slack. In any case, that isn't the news. The news is that once she got back to England, she went to spend a couple of days with her daughter, my sister in law. On her second day there, her daughter offered to cook her up a roast lamb dinner for the following day {I even find that hard to type as I have never ever eaten lamb - except for one accidental and very unfortunate incident that I rarely like to talk about} My MIL said she thought that would be okay.

On the day in question, she woke up, went to her daughter and asked: Would it be okay if I had a vegetarian meal instead? What? Whaaaaat?! When she shared this with me I burst into tears of joy. Mary's little buddy was safe for another day. She of course told me that she was in no way going to become a vegan {Sure Jane, it's just a matter of time love} and that she wasn't even sure she could be vegetarian because she'd still like to cook her roast dinners for the family on Sundays. To me, this was a massive victory for the little animals. If someone like my Mother in Law could find it in her heart to make better choices, so can the rest of the world. If you can't be a vegan, try vegetarianism. If that seems too hard still, then do it a couple of times a week, or one meal a day. You choose. But the sooner we lighten the load off animal agriculture - the better off our whole world will be.

Enjoy your weekend.
Loads of love,
Shan

And PS I adopted a pig.
Well, I didn't adopt so much as sponsor - it already has a home on a cozy farm sanctuary - I'm just chipping in to help pay for food and stuff. Cool right? You can too - check out the directory to find a sanctuary near you and pick an animal that you can help. 

Eat, Drink & be Merry this... Veganuary?

Whoa, two posts in one day, what is she, cray? 

Well, I don't know how much time I'll have after January the 8th when I get back into the writer's room and I want to hold myself accountable as well as offer support to you where I can, so yeah - two posts in one day my lovelies.

If you've decided to join me and try vegan for the month of January, thank you so much I always appreciate the company and you know how I love to moan about the hard shit so thanks for being here. If you're a hard-core carnivore and there is no way you could ever imagine your life as a vegan, but you've elected to try being a vegetarian for a spell - I'm so proud of you. I hope you enjoy trying some new food options. {My mother-in-law has been over this holiday from England and she lives on a dairy farm and she's been such an inspiration, rolling up her sleeves with me in the kitchen and pretty much going vegan. For the holidays! Whaaat? And she still loves me. Amazing} 

As for those of you out there who are already on the green brick road of a plant-based diet - thanks a million times over for paving the way --

Thank you for being the consumer that demanded more which has lead to fabulous options and recipes for newbies like me. I'm ever so grateful.

If Christmas day and New Year's Eve were anything to go by, we are going to want for nothing this month and who knows, by the time February rolls around, we might be so good at this vegan thing, it just may stick. 

First thing you need to know is I am no chef. I'm not great in the kitchen, getting me to try new things is like pulling teeth and I'm plain old lazy most of the time. However, since I had some time this holiday, I decided to go for it a little bit. Oh, don't get excited, I didn't step too far outside my square but I wanted to share what was created for these two rather momentous holidays {Christmas and New Year's Eve} to show you that if I can do this, then so can you. So can your child and likely so could a well trained monkey. I can't take credit for a single recipe here because as I said - not a chef - but Ima link you to all the stuff I tried. And you should also know that my Mother in Law made the bestest sous chef ever and I could not have pulled any of this off without her.

Lemme start with Christmas day. Like many of you I'm sure, I grew up on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy - plus some other less traditional stuff like cabbage rolls. Years back when I was vegetarian, I'd often relied on the old Tofurkey for special occasions, but since learning I had a gluten allergy, that option was glitterally {literally dressed up in glitter} off the table. So yeah, that's something else you should know - being gluten free presents its own challenges - but I'd always thought: Geez Louise, there's no way I could be vegan too, I'd starve to death. Au contraire my pretties. I've been extremely well fed these past few weeks.

Allow me to keep this as simple as possible. Our vegan Christmas feast consisted of homemade Tofurkey --

If you'd like the recipe, go here. It was kind of a lot of work, but nothing so complicated that a kid couldn't do it if they followed the directions. But I'll be honest - I didn't love it. Sad face. I think I may have preferred just plain old baked tofu. 

All was not lost however --

We also made vegan gluten-free stuffing, with vegan gravy {which was out of this world and I was eating straight out of the pan, lil piggie me} mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, steamed veggies and really awesome vegan cabbage rolls {again, I couldn't get the rice mixture in the cabbage fast enough because both my MIL and me were eating it straight out of the pot} so when I go to do this over, and I definitely will next Thanksgiving - I'd do it all exactly the same, but save the effort on the tofurkey and bake my tofu. Simple. Check out the spread.

As you can see, I did NOT in fact starve, rather I was STUFFED! I did have extra stuffing which I wrapped in foil and baked and it was still fabulous, so no need for the tofurkey.

Now listen, I know we're not going to go to the trouble of all this every time we get in the kitchen to make a meal - very few of us are Martha Stewarts - so I wanted to keep it plain easy for New Year's Eve.

What we came up with was filled with familiar nibblies and comfort foods that could easily be made for your carnivore family or friends. {I mean my MIL loved it and she makes a roast dinner every Sunday night so that should tell you something right there.} Again, I didn't want to do anything too off the wall. I thought, I want appies that we can snack on through the evening, be light enough not to put us to sleep, but hearty enough to carry us through to the midnight hour. So we created a menu of favorite finger foods and simply made the vegan alternatives. It was a snap! Take a look.

Complete with champagne! 

Obviously we wanted a good selection of fresh veggies which we served with hummus and a delicious smoky cauliflower and white-bean dip {added bonus, because this dip is made with awesome stuff like cauliflower, beans, and tofu, when I found we had leftovers, I molded it into pancakes and fried them in a pan for brunch New Years Day. Omigod - it was even better the next day warmed up! Two-for-one}

Along with the veggies we had a good selection of crackers - both gluten free and regular - and all we had to do for those was open the box. Yay for small victories! These were served with olives and a beautiful vegan walnut mushroom pate and that was the hit of the night! Brilliant.

And as anyone who drinks champers knows, it's easy to get carried away so you should always having something bread-ish to soak up the booze so...

We had fantastic bruschetta on French stick as well as GF bread, along with bites of fresh snappy guacamole in crunchy mini tortilla bowls.

To finish off the snacks, I had a hankering for something warm and chewy, dare I say... meat-like??  Yikes. And I'd had all the tofu I could handle so I found a wonderful stuffed mushrooms topped with an unbelievable vegan parmesan cheese. I am not even kidding, I was eating the stuffing and fake cheese right out of the bowls before I could get it into the baked mushrooms . Another huge hit.

Sorry I'm not a food photog but trust me, these little babies tasted way better than they looked. I'm telling you, I didn't miss the cheese tray one bit and that was ALWAYS my first and favorite stop at any party.

I also really enjoyed browsing through these vegan cooks' websites. There is so much inspiration out there, we only need google.

I hope this has inspired you to try something plant-based or new.  Once again, all the best for a sparkling 2018 my beauty.

xoxo
Shan

New Year's Eve Assignment...

Your New Year's Eve assignment, should you choose to accept it is...

I can hear you now -- Whoa whoa whoa, homework on New Year's Eve? What kind of twisted evil writer would assign homework on New Years?

Me! I would! Hopefully you love me {and yourself} enough to keep reading.

Ahem, as I was saying, your New Year's Eve assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to close the year 2017 consciously by reflecting upon all that's happened this year to prepare for the new year that will be upon us tomorrow. Time's ticking, so I'll just get on with it, shall I?

The good folks over at Numerologist have created a ritual to get you thinking about all that's taken place this past year and they've even been generous enough to make a free workbook which you can download should you choose to accept this assignment. But if you don't feel like heading over there - I've compiled a list of the questions that make up this fantastic exercise.

For me, taking the time to review the year - to consciously look over my successes and failures in equal measure - brought some much needed clarity and perspective so I can set myself up for a happy and hopefully easier new year. I've enjoyed it so much I wondered if you might too. So here we go - 

Make your favorite warm drink, find a nice cozy spot, curl up with a pen and paper or notebook and be prepared to be amazed at all you've overcome, learned and achieved in 2017! 

Remember, as with everything we do, no being a hateful meanie to yourself, this is not an exercise of judgement. And make it your own - there is no right or wrong way to answer these questions. Take your time, enjoy revisiting the past and allow yourself to look forward to moving into a new year with a clean slate!

EXERCISE 1
List all of the things that made you smile. You can do this month by month or do the year as a whole. Think back, what made your heart sing? What did you win at? What did you create, grow, nurture and accomplish? What gains did you make? 
Again, don't rush. Take time to really enjoy this process and maybe even pat yourself on the back.

EXERCISE 1A
Take note of your experiences and achievements. Consider the actions that you took. What new experiences did you have? What projects did you start? Were there areas in your life where you took a leadership role? Do you notice yourself feeling more confident as we close out the year compared to the start of 2017?
This was a 1 Universal Year - a time of new beginnings. Review the list you've just made and appreciate the supportive energy that the number 1 brought into your life this year.

EXERCISE 2
This one's a bit scarier, but don't be afraid to tackle it. You've achieved so much and overcome many obstacles. It helps to see the strides you've made and this exercise will illustrate that.
Reflect on the challenges you faced in 2017. What struggles occurred for you? What brought up fear, pain, discomfort and resistance? What made you cry?
Don't rush through this and again, no judging. 

EXERCISE 3
What lessons did 2017 bring? Think carefully about your joys and pains. What did they teach you about yourself this year? This exercise may take some time as it asks you to move a little deeper. 
What were the consequences of the things that came your way this year?
What insights did you receive about yourself?
{I bet that you discover that you're more capable and talented than you realized or ever gave yourself credit for. Yeah, I'm talking to YOU!}

EXERCISE 4
Now, considering all that you've reflected upon, what might you be willing to release? Are there any habits, patterns, thoughts, beliefs or behaviours that you could leave behind in 2017? Are there relationships that are no longer serving you? Are there outmoded parts of yourself that have no place in the year ahead?
Take a deep breath and list them. Now this next part is critical...
You don't have to know how you will let them go - trust that you will be assisted in releasing all that comes up for you. You don't even need to be ready to let go, just feel the essence of an intent, a glimmer of possibility and go for it.

EXERCISE 5
Last but not least - what do you want to call into your life in 2018? Think BIG and believe that anything is possible, because it is! Remove any of those old mental or emotional limitations that you may still be holding onto.
Think of it like this -
If your life was to become a paradise on earth, what would that look like for you? Describe your ideal 2018.

Now give yourself a hug. The work you've just done is essential to your personal evolution and happiness. This practice of deep reflection and inner excavation is not easy, but by taking the time to do it, it will enable the life you desire to begin to form itself around you. You've just planted some powerful seeds for an incredible 2018. 

If you want a little bit of extra support and guidance into letting go of your own bullshit, want to stop doubting how fabulous you are and get on with living your extraordinary life - I highly recommend that you invest in the book YOU are a Badass...

And then... Let the magic begin. 

And remember, there's still time to sign up for Veganuary. I've been so pleased with all of the resources they've sent so far. Recipes like Caribbean Tofu with Coconut Quinoa and the Vegan Spanish Omelette as well as tips for getting enough protein, where to find plant-based omegas, a grocery guide for vegan alternatives like milk, butter, meat, and cheese, as well as how to dine out as a new vegan and more. There is such a warm and wonderful support group out there for us - together we can change the world!

Love you,
Shan

The Twelfth Day of Christmas - Do not go gentle into that good night!

Oh it's Christmas Eve! I've always loved this day. As a child it was the most magical of days that I'd wait for and count down to until it was here. We'd get the Sears Wish Book sometime in November and I'd pour over those pages picking gifts for everyone in my family - usually starting with my mom and grannies, then I'd hit the toy section and wish and hope and dream.

I feel especially warm and fuzzy seeing these old images. It was such a time of wonder and possibility and that hopeful excited feeling lives on in me today. Most especially this Christmas. By all accounts, this year is anything but traditional. I'm not at home in Saskatchewan. I'm not with any members of my own family. There won't be a turkey or eggnog or chocolate. You might be wondering then why I feel so positive?

I'm squirrelled away in a beautiful cottage in the snowy woods of Ontario with He Who Shall Not Be Named and his mama, and both of them are indulging me, letting me make my giant homemade tofu-turkey from scratch along with my gluten free stuffing. We've made gluten free, sugar free, vegan fudge {which as gross as that may sound to some, it's pure heaven to me} and the dog could not be happier. And if I could make one wish this Christmas, it would be that every person who read this blog post would consider trying  - if not the whole of Veganuary by going Vegan in January - at least doing one day meat, egg and dairy free. That one tiny action would have the hugest impact.

And for those of you who are taking the plunge with me in the new year, let's ring in our Twelfth Day of Christmas with a bang and --

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night!

Once the new year hits and we all return to work, or back to school or whatever our routines may be, there are going to be people who look at us sideways when we skip the cheese tray, don't order our regular old latte, or give the chicken salad a miss at lunch. Contrary to what the title of this post says, I'm not suggesting that you come out swinging and say I'm a vegan and all 'a y'all suck for eating meat. I don't want to shame anyone, make anyone feel guilty or bad for the choices they make, but nor do I want us to become the subject of ridicule.

Once people hear that you are choosing a plant-based diet, they are going to hit you up with questions; the first likely being WHY? Why would you do that to yourself? Why make eating such a chore? Such a bore? etc. If you're making an ethical choice, you might get that lame-oh loser response of: Vegetables feel pain too. Or Animals were put on this earth for us to eat.

The trick is to be prepared with some ready answers. I for one like using humor.
So I'd say something like - I don't like cheese because I'm a curd-mudgeon. 

The key to making the transition as easy as possible is to know why you're doing it. Did you watch the documentary film What The Health or Forks Over Knives and realize that eating more plant-based meals just makes you feel better? Share that knowledge with people, or suggest they check out the film. Incidentally, THIS is a great spot to go for tips on making the transition from the folks over at Forks Over Knives.

You don't have to get into it with people at all if you don't want to. My beloved He Who Shall Not Be Named went vegan and never told anyone besides me about it. When we went out for dinner with friends, he'd look for salads, grains and veggie dishes that he could eat and if pressed he'd just say I don't eat dairy and people simply assumed he discovered that he was lactose intolerant. Most folks tend to be very accepting of health or allergy issues and will leave the subject there. 

If you know you're going out for a meal, try to scope out the restaurant ahead of time to be sure that they have options for you so that when it comes time to order you're not caught without a choice. Or if you know that at the office staff meeting they always serve cup cakes, you could offer to bring them in and then swing by the vegan bakery on your way to work and pick up a vegan version. In Toronto we're so lucky to have a place called Bunners, a fab bakery that makes solely gluten-free AND vegan baked goods.

We are incredibly lucky to be living in a time where people are waking up to the joys and benefits of living a plant-based lifestyle so we have foods at the supermarket, restaurants, and food shops that provide lots of options.

Another thing I'd suggest is to seek out others eating a plant-based diet so that you have a buddy to share tips and tricks with.

One of the best things I found when I first started blogging about The 30-Day Method was that I was writing about trying to stay on track for that 30-Days, I found other people just like me giving it a shot. We built up a little community and shared the joys and difficulties of adhering to the program and being accountable to this new lifestyle shift. I'm hoping to do that again here.

So if you can't find people in your local area, you can come here for support and encouragement or to commiserate with on the various challenges of being somewhat different in your world. I remember how hard it was to keep up with a daily workouts when most of the people around me were not working out at all. I was told I was acting like I was in a cult or that I'd been brainwashed and I expect that this next undertaking may bring on more of the same, but I'm not afraid. I know why I'm doing this. And I know that there are one or two of you out there who are doing it too and together we're stronger. We can make our world a better place, a healthier place -  and a safer, more compassionate place.

Stick with me, girl. I got your back.

I'll be prepping my tofu to make my vegan turkey tomorrow - so watch this space to hear how that went. And if you're interested in the vegan gluten free sugar free fudge lemme know, I can post the recipe here for that as well. It turned out brilliantly!

Wishing you all a very happy healthy holiday season and I'll see you on the other side!

xoxo
Shan

The Eleventh Day of Christmas - A day in the life.

Hey there again my beauties. We're nearly there! Nothing doing but Christmas dinner, a boxing day binge-fest and then coasting 'till the new year and those pesky resolutions kick in, hey?

Since I've taken the pledge to go vegan earlier than anticipated and the idea behind these twelve days of Christmas was to help anyone who wanted to transition with me, I thought it might be nice to share...

A Day In The Life Of A New Vegan

So what the hell does a vegan eat, anyway? You're gonna get that a lot if you switch to a plant based diet. I'm certainly no expert. In fact I'm winging it and more or less figuring things out as I go, but I can give you what a recent day's meals were like and include the super easy recipes for you to try yourself. And as you move towards incorporating more veggies and grains into your diet as you replace meat, eggs and dairy, I'd suggest stepping outside of your square. Don't be afraid to try new things or even things that you've had in the past and didn't like. 

Our taste buds do actually change over time. Check out this great article about why and how this happens. It will actually encourage you to bust out that jar of sauerkraut or those brussel sprouts and give them another go if you've tried them in the past and decided that you didn't like them. It really can work in our favor as we shift into new foods territory.

I happen to love simple foods, I'm just lucky that way. So my "day in the life" menu might not tempt you, but I'm hoping it inspires you to see that everyday ordinary foods that you already eat can be made vegan with very little effort.

So breakfast for me is almost always a smoothie. I add a ton of great ingredients so they're filling and delicious but also super easy and quick which is what I need as I'm flying out the door to grab the subway to the studio on a work day.

I like to change up my smoothies from day to day - but my building blocks are always 1 1/2 cups of nut milk and protein powder. I like Almond, cashew or coconut milks personally and I always go for the unsweetened. Because I add fruit, I don't need the extra sugar of a pre-sweetened beverage. Next I add my vegan protein powder. I've been using Sun Warrior for nearly two years since He Who Shall Not Be Named went vegan. It's the best. High in protein, great taste and only ingredients that I can pronounce so that's a win.

I need to stay full until lunch and in the writer's room, you never quite know when that's going to come, so I make sure to add fat. This is dealer's choice and I'll pick the fat depending on the fruit or other vegetables that I might add. My go to's are almond butter, peanut butter, coconut oil, MCT oil, or a half an avocado. Following that I add the whole foods.

When I'm not in the mood to experiment, I keep it simple with 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries and a half a banana. That's it. Done. But sometimes I'll swap out the banana for a few sweet cherries. OR I'll ditch the berries and add an apple to that banana plus a dash of cinnamon. I also love to add in things like cacao powder, maca, or tiger nut powder. These add minerals and lots of sweet flavor. You get the idea - wing it and see what you invent.

Now because I'm only about two weeks into this vegan thing I don't have a staple go to lunch but the one I had yesterday was da bomb! So simple, quick and easy. I mashed an avocado onto some gluten free toast and topped it with crunchy veggies. Yum.

Isn't it pretty?

My dinner was a Rustic Pasta recipe from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and I served it up with crusty garlic bread {not pictured.} and a glass of red wine. So delicious and again - nothing fancy. No weird or hard to find ingredients. This idea that being a vegan requires all sorts of strange exotic hard to find or expensive to buy food is a myth. I bet it was invented by the meat industry. Lol 

Anyway - this was dinner and because it was so fantastic and I definitely plan to make it again, I'll post the recipe below in case you want to try it.

Alicia Silverstone's Rustic Pasta Recipe.

 INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb gluten free pasta - your choice. I used spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions thinnly sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 celery stocks sliced diagonally
1/4 cup tamari
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt (or powder)
1 head of cabbage thinnly sliced
5-6 tbsp vegan marinara sauce (I used store-bought)

 DIRECTIONS
Boil water and add pasta with salt. Cook to package instructions but keep it el dente
Drain and rinse well
Meanwhile, heat oil in a very large skillet on high. Add onion and cook for about 7 minutes until soft then add garlic and saute for 3 more minutes. Until everything looks golden.
Add celery and saute for a minute or two, stir in tamari, garlic powder, then add cabbage and saute for about 4 minutes. Mind your heat.
Reduce to simmer and cook 5 minutes longer.
Add your cooked pasta and marinara sauce to the skillet, toss together and cook over medium high heat for another minute or two and serve.

I added micro greens to my bowl after I served. I love that bit of green in there and it gave the dish a nice extra crunch.

I hope you get to try some new recipes and enjoy the adventure of doing something new. It feels good to take charge of our health while doing something great for our planet and the animals.

Love,
Shan

The Tenth Day of Christmas - Activate

Oh la la, we're into the double digits. Including today, there are only three days left in our twelve days of Christmas. How are you feeling? You ready? Done the grocery shop? Wrapped the presents? Cleaned the house? It seems that there is so much to do this time of year, who has the time to be an activist? And why would we want to? We've got enough on our plates with work and family and a million other obligations. It's stressful just trying to find time to squeeze in a quick workout am I right? I know I'm right. But I also think it's important that we don't just accept the status quo, so let's talk about that today, on The Tenth Day of Christmas...

Tis the season to ACTIVATE the ACTIVIST in YOU!

In this golden age of social media, making change is easier than ever. You can reach a worldwide audience, you can speak out for what you believe in and stand in your truth. But as easy as that is, it's also easy to fall into this false sense of being an activist. You see a post that calls out some jerk for his boorish behavior, you hit like - how 'bout stop the use of fur in fashion, hell yeah, hit like - or get rid of the name Washington Redskins already for fuck sake - like again, maybe even one of these posts gets you to "repost" it. Then you feel better about things because you feel like you "did" something. 

Hey man, I'm guilty! I can spend 20 minutes on IG, hit like like like like like like like and think - wow, I've done some good today. But really, what have I done? I call this activity "slacktivism" because I think I'm being an activist but I'm not. Not really. 

This year, I wanted to make a New Year's Resolution that might actually have a chance of not only sticking, but of making some kind of difference, so I signed up to go vegan in January with the good folks over at Veganuary. But as I began to dig beneath the surface, I realized that I could be doing more. There's shit going on in the world that just ain't right. I feel it in my gut, in my heart and soul. I feel like any one of us, if we listen to that little quiet voice that comes from within, will remind us that once we know the truth, we simply cannot go back to the status quo. I get that for some of us, that means never wanting to learn the truth. If we don't see the violence or hear the cries of animals, we don't have to make the change. We never have to rock the boat. But I am asking you to be brave. To open your eyes and not only rock the boat, tip the fucking thing!

I mean what if Rosa Parks decided to ignore her little voice? It would have been much easier for her to just do as she was told. But when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Alabama, she was fired from her job, she received death threats, and her life became harder, not easier. Yet she could no longer remain quiet about what she knew to be wrong. We may think we've come a long way since the civil rights movement of of the 50's and 60's, but women still do not hold the same rights as men in several countries around the globe, gay marriage is still not widely accepted. There is more work to be done.

If we're still living in a world that too often sees women and gay people as less, what chance can farmed animals possibly stand if we remain silent?

Now I'm not saying you need to go out there and get arrested for stealing animals from cages, or for protesting farm auctions. I don't want to see you take violent or dangerous actions. I don't plan on getting arrested any time soon if I can help it. But we can be activists by making choices with our dollars because at the end of the day, profits are the only thing that big corporations care about anyway.

It's because people spoke up that companies like Michael Kors, Jimmie Choo and Gucci are stopping the use of fur in their fashion lines. It's because people demanded to have beauty products that are not tested on animals that big companies like L'Oreal Paris, Maybelline, and Lancome are researching methods of testing products which don't involve animals - read about it here. We're not there yet, but we're making strides in the right direction.

We can have a major impact on our world by what we put in our shopping carts. By spending our hard earned cash on ethical foods and products, we are awaking the activist within us. 

If you've elected to take the vegan challenge, want to become a vegan or have switched to a plant based diet and now want to extend that change into the rest of your life, there are so many fantastic brands and designers that make cruelty-free stuff. Hell you can even use this new lifestyle change as your excuse for a shopping spree come boxing day.

How bout I get you started. Looking for a fantastic new winter parka? I got you covered, noble reader. And if you think I was fussy when it came to food, I'm ten times worse when it comes to fashion. I've been searching for years but had a very strict list of things my jacket needed to include. First and foremost it had to look good. {sorry, still vain} It had to have a faux fur hood that didn't look like crap. Why do so many vegan parkas neglect their hood design I ask you? It's one of the most important features in my humble opinion. I also wanted my new coat to be wind resistant and waterproof of course, because when snow melts it becomes water - duh. And last but certainly not least, I needed warmth. No sense looking good and having a fabulous hood if I was still going to freeze to death. And oh yeah, last thing, it couldn't be $700. I needed an affordable jacket.

In my research I found many options for vegan jackets - but none of them had everything that I wanted. Still there were some great choices like:
Vaute  came up a lot and they are beautiful, but no furry hoods.
Wully was another brand I almost went for - awesome looking coats but bit of a wimpy hood. However, if you're not a hood girl, I bet you'd love these.
Noize may have been a real contender if I hadn't found the coat I ended up buying. Maybe next year tho, because they have a fantastic looking collection.
Hoodlamb would have been my first choice had I been able to get it in Canada. These jackets have all the bells and whistles and look the absolute bomb! If you're in Europe this may be the coat for you.

But for this Canadian girl, I went with a parka that was made in Vancouver Bristish Columbia. Entirely vegan. Lined with premaloft and great up to -20! {-4 for my American friends} It's windproof so feels extra warm in the windy arctic temperatures where there are no trees to block the breeze. Are you dying to know what it is?

It's the Golden Bancroft Vegan parka by TNA (Aritzia) and I love it.

And look at that hood! Omigod it's so amazing. And there are tight extra long cuffs at the wrists. It's brilliant. I'm so happy. The more items that we select that are free from animal products, the more companies will make them.

Imagine that, you can be a real activist without ever leaving your house, just jump on the old google machine and do a bit of shopping. Activate and be powerful.