Something to remember today…

One of Those Days…

Hi Friends!

Yesterday was one of those days… yeah, you know what I am talking about. One of those days where it seems like nothing is going right and the world is out for you. I was walking home from class in the rain and I was already stressed out to the max due to school work, class registration, my job and relationship issues when  I saw a devilish red envelope in on the windshield of my car. I lost it. It was the cherry-on-top of an awful day. I could not understand why everything was going wrong. Once I was back in my apartment, I had a serious mental breakdown that had been brewing for weeks. I didn’t think there was anything that could save my day until I saw this on Pinterest:

I was instantly reminded that God is always on my side and I will not always understand His plans for me. I have recently decided to let God back into my life and it was a huge relief when I felt him with me as I read this prayer. I began to realize how childish it was to let these little events bring down my whole day. I have so much to be thankful for which is much more significant then the things that might bring me down. I think it is so helpful in times when you feel hopeless to step back, breathe in deep and say a little prayer. This one definitely helped me get through the rest of the day 🙂

Happy Friday 🙂

xoxo 

Michelle

Hey I’m back…

Hi Friends!

I am back to the blogging world after a long break. Unfortunately, my computer broke down in December and I have been crazy busy ever since. Also, my life has changed in so many different ways, I decided to update my blog to a 2.0 version. I hope you will stick with me as I get this blog up and running! I hope everyone is having an awesome day 🙂 Here’s a little inspiration to keep your day going strong….

 

xoxo,

Michelle

Declutter December Update

Hey all!

How is your Decluttter December going? Mines going great! Two of the biggest things I have gotten rid of are my Twitter account and a lot of my makeup. Here is why:

Twitter: I love twitter. I really do. Although, I have realized I spend way to much time on social media and not enough time on communicating with people face to face. We are living in a fake empire. The video below helped me put this problem into perspective.

Makeup: I have been looking into other ways I can make my life more cruelty-free and one of the biggest things I have come across is removing products from company’s that use animal testing. Not surprisingly, almost all of my makeup was from brands that test on animals including: Covergirl, Revlon, L’Oreal and Maybelline. I also got rid of my Mary-Kay cosmetics. They do not test on animals in the USA, but they sell in China, which requires animal testing on all imported cosmetics. Companies have to agree to this before they are allowed to sell there. Needless to say, I will be shopping this week for vegan brand cosmetics and lotions! Below is a picture of a few of the products I have gotten rid of.

Have you gotten rid of anything this month?

The Struggles of Vegan-ism (?)

Hi everyone!

As the second week of trying out the vegan diet comes to a close, I am realizing it is harder then originally thought. I am having a hard time finding a variety of foods to eat. I am not going to lie, I caved a couple times and ate Mac & Cheese (real cheese) twice and have had non vegan coffee creamer… a lot. I have lost some weight (which has been nice, but not apart of my decision to become vegan) and worry that I am not eating enough.

The hardest part of the vegan diet for me is that I do not know any other vegans (for support and ideas), and only a few vegetarians. Also, I work in the food industry and am constantly tempted by non-vegan food (mostly cheese…). I am working hard to always keep in mind why I want to be vegan to avoid cravings and am staying optimistic!

The thing I have found easy, is finding substitutes to butter, eggs and milk. I have completely switched over to almond milk as my go-to. I also have been using coconut oil as an alternative to butter while cooking/baking. For eggs, I have been using ground flax seed.

Do you have any strategies and/or suggestions to help me stay on the vegan track?  Any good book suggestions on this topic?

LESS really is MORE!

Hey everyone!

Guess what? It’s declutter December! That’s right, time to declutter our lives because less really is more. I am not just talking about getting rid of old things around the house, we also need to get rid of negative thoughts, habits, and vibes. Over the past few months, I have realized that getting rid of things feels great. I have got rid of things in my house (creating more room), stopped eating meat and most animal products (I feel like a better person) and have been trying to get rid of all pessimistic thoughts (creating more happiness!).

This month I am encouraging everyone to try to get rid of ONE thing per day. It can be a material item (such as old clothes, books, kitchen utensils, etc.), habit (biting your nails, going out to eat all the time, frowning, etc.) or even a feeling (resentment, hate, self pity, worrying, ect.). At the end of the month, you will have gotten rid of so many things, you will have room for more love, happiness and optimism for the upcoming year. 🙂

Here is a list to get you started:

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tonight I tried a recipe for these really good vegan, chocolate chip cookies. They turned out much better then expected. Here is the recipe! Enjoy 🙂

P.S. I found this cute meme on Pintrest and it definitely held true when I made these cookies

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup flour
• .5 cup oats
• .5 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter (crunchy or normal)
• .25 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp warm water
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• .33 cup brown sugar
• .33 cup granulated sugar
• .5 cup vegan bittersweet chocolate chips
• .33 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl mix together flour, oats & baking soda.

2. In a large bowl stir together the sugars, peanut butter, water, oil, ground flax seed, and extract.

3. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and mix well. Add in chocolate chips and almonds. Stir well!

4. Form dough into tablespoon sized balls. Place on pan and press down a little.

5. Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 12 minutes!

6. Enjoy 🙂

Peanut Butter Banana Quesadillas

Hey all!

I have been waiting to try out this super easy and delicious snack for a while now. It incorporates two of my favorite things: bananas and peanut butter! I hope you enjoy. 

Peanut Butter Banana Quesadillas:

Ingredients: 

 

• 1 tortilla
• peanut butter
• .5 banana

Directions: 

1. Spread peanut butter on half of the tortilla.

 

   2. Slice banana. Place slices on the peanut butter side of the tortilla. 

   3. Fold tortilla in half and place on warmed up pan. Cook each side until golden brown.

 

   4. Remove from pan and cut in half. Enjoy 🙂

Vegan Banana Pancakes

Today I made some awesome vegan pancakes for lunch (yes, lunch). This is the first REAL vegan recipe I have tried and it was super easy and delicious.

Banana Pancakes:

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 cup of Almond Milk (or other milk alternative)
• 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (Optional, I ended up not using any)
• 1 tbsp Ground Flax Seed
• 1.5 cup Flour
• 3.5 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• .5 tsp Salt
• 3.5 tbsp Coconut Oil (Can be substituted for other natural oil)
• .5 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Nuts & Syrup

Directions:

1. Whisk together milk, flax seed and vinegar in small cup/bowl
2. In a larger bowl, mix together: flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture.
4. 
5. Add in the coconut oil (melted), and extract. Mix well. The batter with be pretty lumpy and thick!
6. Add in mashed banana.
7. 
8. Mix together.
9. Heat up a pan and plop (literately because it is so thick…) the batter on to get these baby’s cooking. You know what to do from here. Flip, flip, flip.
10. 
11. When done, add syrup and nuts and you have yummy vegan banana pancakes!

Running With Nature

There is nothing more relaxing and real then outdoor running. It’s even better if your trail running. Yesterday, I went on a short run on a trail near my home. It was misting out and pretty foggy.

I felt at peace and one with nature while I was taking in all of the scenery, sounds, and smells of the Mississippi River. Nothing makes you feel more alive!