Making Life More Memorable

Basic Beauty Solid  I have to admit, I haven't had to buy anything for this part of the challenge so far. I have been addicted to Lush since it first arrived in Sheffield... I guess 16 years ago... I also had the added benefit of having friends who worked in Lush and have tried most of the products, so maybe I have an unfair advantage. My tip is... I stock up at Christmas when my favourite products are usually half price. Oh yes Snow Fairy for the year (and now also Rose Jam among others...I branched out a bit this year!). So when I was looking at which of my Lush collection was Vegan, I literally had the basics Shampoo, multiple body washes, body conditioner, body buffers, creams and soaps. Plus from my days at summer camp, black toothpaste that also happened to be Vegan. I also have this huge deal about trying to reduce plastic. I know it sounds stupid but I often battle with the checkout assistants in order to stick the stickers for my loose items of fruit et

Satisfying Vegan Food that Prevents Cravings Have you ever noticed that sometimes you get really weird cravings when you give up food or move to a country that doesn't have the same products? Colour Palette Bowl Earlier in the week, I found myself with an insatiable need for Beef Bourguignon, something I think I have eaten only once before in my 33 years. So I found a way to make the dish deliciously Vegan. Then one brunch I decided to adapt a recipe for American pancakes. I grew up believing we needed eggs in our baking but being Vegan has changed this (it's a myth we don't need them!). I also made a huge effort to find locally sourced produce and in turn create a rainbow pattern into my foods. The more vivid the colours the better, see pictured my colour palette bowl (with quorn pieces cooked with oil, lemon, white wine vinegar and rosemary). I found that sticking to eating foods within a colour spectrum helps digestion. So here are some of my favourite re

8 Days and Counting... Apparently I'm what is called a 'cold turkey strict Vegan', meaning one day I decided to totally exclude all animal products from my life. And so far...I'm enjoying every minute of it! The first few days were exciting and I put a lot of energy into researching ways to cook lentils and beans etc, but eating these products left me a little unfulfilled and I started craving something more. The problem I found was that I didn't need the meat or dairy, I just need something with a similar texture. It's like a psychological fulfillment, I need something solid. I took my tofu and quorn pieces, veganised my favourite recipes and made my housemate the carnivore version. I had her try both and she said there was basically no difference, yet she hates tofu so refuses my request to eat the Vegan version. OK. I admit I love Tofu and Quorn as I find them very versatile ( also similar to meat ) and I have had my fair share of beans and lentil

Recipe Spot This week, I have tried a mixture of prepackaged vegan food, vegan recipes sourced off the web and created my own delicious recipes adapting from none vegan recipes or over complicated recipes with ingredients my Italian supermarkets don't to have on hand. These are my tried and tested must eat recipes of my own... Dreamy Creamy Lentils This recipe is easier than it sounds, it would work brilliantly with mushrooms instead of zucchini and spinach. It makes 2 large servings of the lentil mixture/4 smaller servings.  Ingredients 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or preferred oil) 1 small white onion roughly diced 1 large clove of garlic diced 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp of vegetable stock powder 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar or white wine 1 cup of warm water 1 can of lentils 1/2 a zucchini cubed 1 cube of frozen spinach 4 tbsp of canned coconut milk 1 tsp of yeast flakes (optional) Serving suggestions: 100g (dried) pasta (any) (per serving) or Quinoa Jack

'Dunch' with Zoe On May 1st, I decided to become a strict Vegan ( for at least one month ) as part of the #meatlessmay challenge. As the day arrived, I'd already had three days of being vegetarian and preparing my body for such a change. I spent a fair amount of time researching what type of Vegan did I want to be and decided two things,  I want to prepare as much as my food as possible from scratch, this means purchasing an array of different herbs and spices to add to my protein sources. But in contrast, I want to try as much of the Vegan pre-made food available in Supermarkets/Stores etc in order to give my readers a good balanced review of Vegan living. Stocking up on supplies is very important, so my amazing friend Zoe ( the girl I interviewed in Being Vegan ) brought a surprise bundle of goods including coconut milk, dried lentils and beans, blueberries and lemons. She had explained to me two things, prepare to spend more money than usual on things and get into

Buying Supplies - Local Supermarket's I already know what I'm going to miss being Vegan, cheese, anchovies, a good steak/burger and my salmon sushi. Secondly, my makeup. However, this is not a first time experience for me giving up meat, but I would say it is the first time I am giving up all animal products including beauty. With the help of my generous friend, we went to the local supermarket ( not to bore you but I am still off work and on crutches ) and to the nearest International store, these shops are necessary for most none native's in any country in the world. Armed with a vegan shopping list, I venture out into the new world of Veganism. Happily, I enjoy Tofu & green vegetables Last week, my friend had helped me by helping me stock up on items such as lentils, legumes, tinned tomatoes, fresh and frozen vegetables. So today's shop is basically vegan products that are offered to the general public as replacement products. As I enter, on