undescribable feelings for undescribable news…

Background: Six months ago, I got hit by a car. No, not a ‘car accident’. I was a pedestrian who got actually hit by a car. It hit me head on, and some of my teeth were knocked-out and cracked. Everything got fixed except for one thing: my knee. My knees got hit before anything else did, therefore absorbing most of the shock of a 1500 pound car. No big. However, when I was rushed to the hospital, they only ran x-rays. They didn’t think about doing a MRI to see if I had any tissue damage.

Problem: My left knee has been giving me all kinds of ridiculous pains and problems. It gives out on me just about everyday. The pain I experience comes and goes. It’s a burning, stabbing pain that frustrates me. Anyways, because of this pain and major swelling, might I add; I decided to see a doctor about it. I just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t seriously injured or anything. Well, it is. First off, the doctor said that my bones were ‘crooked’, and she referred me to an orthopaedist. I went today, and he said that my bones look fine, but that I might have torn my ACL and MCL (and he kept saying, and maybe your meniscus, too. [It's the cartiledge in your knee.]) He told me that they were going to set me up with an appointment to get a MRI done. After the MRI, I’m supposed to go back and they’ll analyze the MRI and see what needs to be done. Just today, though, he straight-up told me that the only way a ligament tear is fixable is by reconstructive surgery. He was such an honest doctor, and did warn me that surgery would be anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. He did add, that if I don’t get it done, it could continue to always give out on me and could cause serious arthritis, and even get worse as the years go by. So, I told him plainly, that I’ll go ahead with the surgery. Yikes!

I’m nervous and anxious more than anything. I’m eighteen years old, and have never had surgery ONCE in my entire life. Plus, I don’t know what to expect… that’s what scares me the most. Hopefully, everything will work itself out. Thanks for all of the support that I’ve been receiving.

Vegan MoFo: Beauty Product Reviews

I’m really excited about these new vegan, cruelty-free, organic beauty products that I’ve found whilst adventuring around in the tiny town of Irmo. I purchased some face wash (Soy Milk & Papaya) and nighttime renewal cream by Full Circle. It’s a really good organic brand. They make all types of products; everything from organic baby food to organic frozen fruit.

The Soy Milk & Papaya face wash is absolutely amazing. I use it every morning. It’s really refreshing and invigorating. It makes your skin feel really soft and radiant. It has a nice foamy texture when lathered.

The Nighttime Renewal Cream is awesome. Both of these products smell really good, which, to me, is an important feature in a beauty product. The cream is really light, yet moisturizing at the same time. It’s also nice to use during the day, not just at night.

These products are wonderful, and I highly recommend everyone to at least try them. They are a bit costly, unless you can find a place that sells organic products for less.

Have a nice one!

Vegan MoFo: Day 8

Hiya everyone!  Today is the eighth day of Vegan MoFo.  I am pleased to announce that I am cooking a Vegetable Lasagna tonight for dinner.  It will have mushrooms, eggplant, carrots, and broccoli in it.  I am SUPER excited.  This will be the first time that I’ve ever made homemade lasagna.  I’m not going to post the recipe yet, considering that I’m not sure the exact measurements of everything until I make it myself.  However, I will post the recipe, along with a picture of it around 8ish.  Everyone look out for me!  Happy MoFo-ing!

Cassie

Vegan MoFo: Day 7

No, this is not an error.  I have honestly been so busy with working, that I haven’t had time to keep up with Vegan MoFo properly.  However, I have a few new recipes that I’ve tried to make up for my four day absence.

I have just bought the book, The 30 Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray.  It has such a wide variety of vegan recipes in here.  I love it.  The first recipe from this book that I adore  is:

Basic Nut Milk
I used almonds, but you can use any type of nut, as well as seeds, too.

1 cup shelled nuts or seeds
4 cups water

1) Rince the nuts well and drain.  If you have more time, as well as for best results see the chart at the end of the recipe for recommended soak times.
2) Place the nuts in a blender with the water and blend on high speed for 30 seconds or until creamy.
3) Strain the milk through a fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or fine-mesh bag.  If using a fine-mesh strainer, use a spoon or rubber spatula to swirl the nut meal around, which allows the milk to drain faster.
4) If desired, sweeten with agave nectar or maple syrup to taste.

This can last for 3 to 4 days when stored in an airtight-glass jar in the refridgerator.

Soaking Chart
For increased nutritional value and to enhance digestion, rince nuts or seeds well and place them in a bowl or jar with water in a ratio of one part nuts/seeds to three or four parts water.  Allow them to sit for the recommended time, covered, at room temperature, before draining, rinsing, and using in recipes.

Nut/Seed          Soak Time in hours

Almonds                        4 to 6
Brazil nuts                     4 to 6
Cashews                          1 to 2
Hazelnuts                       4 to 6
Macadamia nuts          1 to 2
Pecans                             4 to 6
Pine nuts                         1 to 2
Pumpkin seeds             1 to 4
Sesame seeds                1 to 4
Sunflower seeds           1 to 4
Walnuts                           4 to 6

Vegan MoFo: Day 3

As many of you fellow vegans may know… today is day 3 of Vegan MoFo!  Today, I’m going to share a very new and exclusive recipe with everyone.  Yesterday, I bought a copy of The 30 Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray.  It’s such a good book.  There’s a wide variety of versatile recipes; everything from smoothies to Mexican food to Asian food.  That’s why I love it.  I really enjoy cooking, and I do consider myself a “foodie”.  I research different types of food constantly.  I’m constantly experimenting with new recipes and new types of food.

One of my new recipes isn’t vegan:  it’s actually vegetarian.  I’ve become vegan with my main foods, now I’m just trying to figure out how to incorporate that into desserts.  What do you use instead of eggs to bind cake batter together?  I’ve already made my first vegan dessert:  Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge.  Instead of using cow milk, just replace it with vanilla soy milk.  It’s wonderful.  My new dessert is:  Pumpkin Spice Cake.  The only thing that doesn’t make this recipe vegan is the eggs.  If I could find a nice replacement, then this recipe could easily be revised.

My actual vegan recipe for the day is: Vegetarian Enchiladas.  I know what you’re thinking:  that’s not vegan.  Exactly. However, all of my recipes can easily be replaced with a substitute.  Instead of using regular shredded cheese, you could always use the Veggie Shredded cheese in the health section of the grocery store.

Keep in mind… I’ve only been a vegan for two weeks.  I sometimes think… maybe I should’ve waited until next year’s Vegan MoFo to actually participate in it, since I’m so new.  Nonetheless, I didn’t see any reason to wait any longer.

Anywho, that’s all I’ve got for today.  I’ll post some more helpful websites tomorrow on veganism.

Take care.
Cassie

Vegan MoFo.

Technically, I’m a day late on Vegan MoFo this year.  This is the 3rd annual Vegan MoFo.  And it’s MY first!  For those who don’t know, Vegan MoFo is Vegan Month of Food.  Vegans with a blog are supposed to post a vegan recipe to their blog every day of the month of October.  Fun, right?  Well, this is going to be quite a challenge for me, considering that I’ve only been vegan for two weeks.  That’s okay, though.  I’m constantly cooking, and searching for recipes.  So, here goes!

I’m going to just post links to all of my recipes.  That’ll make it a lot easier on my fingers.

Vegan Portabello Burgers:  This is my recipe for today.  I’ll post my newest recipe tomorrow, which will be either my vegan enchiladas, or vegan spaghetti.  We’ll see!

Happy MoFo-ing!

Cassie

today is world vegetarian day.

Okay, today is World Vegetarian Day.  I feel really proud because I’ve already been vegetarian successfully for two weeks!  I’m so excited about it.  I’ve tried, and gotten my family to try so many new and interesting foods that we would’ve never tried, had I not adopted this lifestyle.  Also, today marks my sister’s week into vegetarianism!  She decided to be vegetarian because she had some extra pounds that she wants to shed.  I am so proud of her!

Adopting this really healthy and versatile diet has done so much for me so far.  I’ve already noticed a difference in my energy levels, as well as my mood.  For some reason (maybe it’s just me), I seemed more grumpy when I ate meat.  Since I’ve been vegetarian, I’ve been a lot calmer, and friendlier.  That may be just how this diet is affecting me psychologically, as well as physically.

Believe it or not, your diet has a lot to do with your personality.  If you don’t eat right, you’re always going to feel run-down, and exhausted.  If you eat healthily, and well-balanced meals, you’ll feel more upbeat and energetic.  Not only has this been scientifically-proven, but I, myself have discovered it.

Happy Vegetarian Day!  I hope even the omnivores try something veggie today!

And good luck to all of the new vegetarians out there!  Support is the most important thing when you’re starting a new lifestyle change.

God bless.

Hello, there. I’m vegan.

Hello everyone.  My name is Cassie.  I am, obviously, new to WordPress.  I am also a vegan.  What?  Yes, I do not eat meat, nor do I eat meat byproducts.  This includes milk and eggs.  Why, might you ask?  I’ll give you a few good reasons as to why I made this startling diet option recently.  I used to eat meat.  I never really ate a lot of it… especially red meat.  However, my southern family and I live in South Carolina, where everything has meat in it.  I’m serious.  Many times, I’ve thought about becoming vegetarian, only because I care about animals so deeply that I didn’t want to eat them.  But, when I was 13, my mom would always say, “We can’t afford a vegetarian diet”.  I’m now 18, almost 19, working a part-time job, and easily affording a vegetarian diet.  Today literally marks my seventh day into vegetarianism.  I am so excited.  Some of the main reasons that I decided to stop eating dead corpses are: I love animals, and don’t want to particpate in this massive slaughter that is ruining our environment.  I love fruits and vegetables more than meat anyway, so why not cut it out?  Red meat can significantly effect the health of your heart (aka heart disease, plague build up), as well as your colon.  Scientific studies show that a vegan diet will make you sustainably healthier.  Eating red meat can cause colon cancer.  In fact, my fiancee’s grandmother recently got diagnosed with colon cancer due to her red meat intake.  (Luckily, it’s gone now- she had to stop eating red meat).  One of my main health concerns was this.  Heart disease runs in my family.  In fact, my grandmother, and her mother passed a way due to a heart attack and/or stroke.  I didn’t want to go this way.  I’m not the healthiest person alive.  I don’t excerise daily (although I do consider working good cardio), nor do I always steer away from chocolate when necessary.  However, one thing’s always remained consistent in my life- my love for animals.  Growing up, we always had a cat or two… and some fish.  Not until recently did I discover how badly these animals get treated, and how much exploitation is really taking place here.  Nor did I ever think that by buying 2 pounds of chicken breast meant that I supported it all!  The truth of the matter is, I felt like a hypocrite saying that I love animals, and I’m pro-animal rights… yet I ate them.  I felt like a huge hypocrite.

By blogging about my experiences as a new-found vegan, I think that I can help change many people’s perspectives on veganism.  That, in all reality, is my goal.  In my eyes, voicing the exploitation and mistreatment of animals is the goal of all vegans.  There are moral reasons why people become vegan…  I’ll also be sharing some really cool, as well as helpful vegan websites… as well as tips, recipes, cruelty-free products and whatnot!  Thanks for the support!

Really interesting article:  Who You Callin Vegangelical?

Cassie