Ultimate favourite of the month; Booja-Booja

I think out of the few videos that I've put onto my YouTube channel so far I have mentioned in pretty much all of them a heavenly brand which is a slight obsession of mine; ''Booja-Booja''. There we go, blogpost done; enough said.

Well, I may say slightly more. It's a brand which I came across a few months back when my Mum & sister got given a box which was an assortment of various booja-booja chocolates. Of course, due to my nosey disposition I had to try them too. I can think of few pleasures in life which I deem equivalent to those feelings that I had tasting those chocolates for the first time. 

I found that my favourite of all the chocolates were probably the champagne truffles, made with french champagne. Each time I eat one of those little wonders it reminds me of the fact that some of the best things in life really do come in small packages. However I do generally care very little for small things, especially when it comes to chocolate, but the compact chocolate sized treat that Mr Booja created is suffice. Well, this is dependant on the type of day you've had, some days call for a slightly higher dosage of chocolate.

Of course, the next best thing to Booja chocolate is Booja ice-cream. Now this stuff really is dangerous, my self-control tends to be fairly in tact when it comes to the truffles but for the ice-cream? Forget it. I can easily guzzle my way through a freezers worth. The simplistic recipe leaves me dazzled every-time, if something so simple with barely a handful of ingredients is so scrumptious then why are all our supermarkets filled with chemically, poisonous shit? Excuse my french.

Writing this post I realise I'm also giving away the secrets to winning my heart. It's a simple formula really: Bean + Booja product = Happy Bean. I feel I have done my good deed for the day, sharing the meaning of life for all people to freely read as they please. Happy eating!

love, bean xx

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Urban Decay Naked Palette (for vegans!)

In my last post I spoke about the brand 'Urban Decay' and as a follow up to that I am going to do a quick review on a fully vegan eye-shadow palette that I put together from their range. It was really in replacement for their naked palette which sadly doesn't have enough vegan shades to make it worth buying. Now, finding pigmented eye-shadows in general is pretty difficult but add onto that requirement list being vegan as well; you can near enough forget it. This was my opinion until I came across these little wonders:

I wanted a fairly neutral palette because I like having the option to range from simple day-to-day to a fairly glamorous evening look. I have found these colours to be perfect for that range, they are easily built up but regardless of which look you're going for you can guarantee that they will stay nicely without smudging or drifting throughout the day. The four colours I went with (from lightest to darkest) were 'Space Cowboy', 'Virgin', 'Buck' & 'Darkhorse'. 

Urban Decay do much more adventurous colours then the ones I chose but I thought these four were a good place to start. The most unique I think is the sparkly one because it is ridiculously pigmented without being too overwhelming and it really stays, this is quite nice in the inner corners of the eye or patted on-top of the other shades. They all blend wonderfully together but without turning a murky colour which is very easy with a lot of eyeshadows nowadays. I really do recommend that you have a look at the full range of what Urban Decay has to offer so that you can find colours that suit you and your preferences! 

love, bean xx

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD4otT45t00

Chloe's Mac & Cheese

So, on my latest YouTube video for 'Skills Saturday' (link below) I made the all time classic 'Mac & Cheese'. Due to the fact that I am a pretty awful cook it had many inevitable ups and downs. The recipe was taken from the amazing cookbook by one of my favourite vegan's Chloe Coscarelli, whose website is http://chefchloe.com/. I met her earlier this year and she is such a bubbly and smiley person, her smile was pretty contagious! 

During the video I found myself slightly overwhelmed when there were so many things going on (memory cards running out, pasta nearly done, etc) and in the end I wasn't able to film the entire process of making the sauce. Now, the video was also more than anything to show that if I can cook vegan food then you can too therefore it wasn't specifically about the dish. However, if you are interested in recreating the dish, which I hope that you are because it turned out so good, then you can get the recipe (and 124 more!) in Chloe's book which really is worth getting. However, the ingredients for this specific recipe are as follows:

• 1 pound macaroni
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (I used gluten-free)
• 3 cups soy, almond, or rice milk (I used almond)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sea salt (I used pink Himalayan)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used a bit of fresh garlic instead - worked a treat!)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I just randomly squeezed 1/2 a fresh lemon in)
• 1 tablespoon agave
• 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs (I used 2 small slices of a leftover wholemeal hovis loaf!)

Don't forget, like I did, that the conversions are different in American books including the temperature that the oven needs to be set at. I also halved the recipe as it normally serves 6. I hope you enjoy the video and that you have as much fun as I did at trying to recreate this wonderful feel good dish. 

Love, bean xx

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYBOlJLJpPs&feature=youtu.be

A Genuine Smile

I was on the train making my way to Glasgow and my head was pretty full with irrelevant worries which as the train progressed, through increasingly more beautiful countryside, seemed to gradually slip away. At one moment all I could see was fields which stretched for miles, slightly resembling a patchwork blanket consisting of hundreds of different shades of green. The next minute the train was surrounded by hills, with sparse white dots scattered across them. I think it's safe to say that the bliss scenery was a pretty big factor in helping me get lost away from my thoughts.

However, something much smaller caught my eye throughout the journey. A minor little detail, I may have been the only person to notice, but a woman was sat in the corner just taking in her surroundings yet there was something so pleasant about her. At first I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was about her that captured my attention to such a degree, whatever it was it made me want to just sit down with her over a brew. Yet she was just an ordinary woman. After a while had passed I figured that the part about her that was so inviting it was her most infectious smile. Once I was conscious of it I couldn't then help it, she'd passed on the disease to me. There was no way I couldn't not smile about somebody who just seemed to be so content with life, making everything seem simple. 

She could have been going through something awful, her life could have been the biggest mess imaginable but you'd never have guessed it due to the genuine smile painted across her face. For me, it was inspiring. I couldn't believe the difference it made to my mood almost instantaneously, I was absolutely intrigued by her friendly and calm disposition. It got me thinking what a difference it could make if everybody incorporated that simple gesture into their lives. We have little control over the majority of things in our life, ultimately we just have to go with the flow, but this is something that anybody and everybody can do. 

It's simple and in the grand scheme of things it's probably towards the bottom end of most people's priority list. But we just don't know how it could change somebodies day, like it did to me. And after a while you may even find it turns into a bit of a habit which helps you in creating an overall happier mentality. A genuine smile, who knew something free and so in-elaborate could make such an impact on a person's day.   

Love, bean xx

''Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.''

-Leo Buscaglia 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD4otT45t00

Souls

Death puts everything into perspective. It shows us the true meaning of life. I believe the true meaning of life to be love. Love is shown through our souls, nothing to do with out exterior selves and appearance. It speaks beyond our trials and tasks of every day living and represents us as beings which defines who we are beyond the point of death. The best people who have ever walked this earth, of which there have been many, have always shined from the inside out with love and continue to do so after passing.

I have recently been privileged with having a soul connection with a fellow earthling. This means that our relationship and friendship was made out of the purest thing. Love. The body of this soul was physically taken away from me. The signs had been there for days that this was going to happen but they were so subtle that I was blissfully unaware. Which meant that I lived, I lived in the present moment with my friend, which was what was meant to be - it was the universe's intentions. When this body was taken from me physically I thought all was lost. That this connection we had had gone forever. How I was wrong. What the universe quickly informed me of was that a soul connection lives on forever. Love conquers all, including life.

What I had to quickly learn for the first time was that physically we all go and leave this earth as earthlings, but our souls live on forever. How glad I was to be enlightened with this knowledge so soon after the parting of my dear friend, that our bodies do not define us but our souls do. After learning this I have realised that it is essential to let our souls speak for themeselves and let them define who we are whilst on earth. They are the only eternal aspect of who we are. When we are at peace with our souls we can then begin to accept others for who they really are as we have accepted ourselves. This is a connection of souls, and this is how me and my pal became souls mates, we accepted each other because of our spirits and allowed one another to shine, from the inside out.

After realising this suddenly my wails and screams for the return of my friend were meaningless. My friend was, and still is, with me. I realised that the universe had connected our two souls and that I was going to grow with my friend always, whether I liked it or not. I went beyond the grief and feelings of physically losing something dear to my heart and realised that the true gift of this friend hadn't been taken away from me.

I have been blessed with a soul mate. I will physically miss my pal everyday, thinking always of what she would do in each circumstance that I would have experienced with her. But I have no regrets, only occasional feelings of sorrow. No, everything that happens is meant to be. This is why the universe let me be with her till the very end. I was the only earthling to watch the last breaths of this beautiful earthling, the peace she possessed was an image I will carry forever. It changed the meaning of death for me. When an earthling is at peace with their soul it makes death, in essence, a fairly peaceful thing. Her peaceful death was the universe letting me know that she will always be taken care of.

So, how do I react and what do I think if I am not going through the usual definition of grief of loss? I am thankful. Thankful that I had such a great time physically with a fellow earthling on this earth for a fairly substantial amount of time. Thankful that I was able to learn from this earthling and experience the love that she always radiated. But more importantly, thankful that our souls will go on living with each other, nourishing each other always.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-fOHtE1rXE

Becoming a Vegan

Before I initially became a vegan it dawned on me as being a level of commitment that I aspired to have but never found myself in the right environment or possessing a strong enough incentive to make that big transition. My initial diet change came when I became a vegetarian a couple of years ago, however, during a crazy experience in Australia I found myself in the outback where the term ‘vegetarian’ was a complete foreign concept and eating meat was the only option. A year after returning to England I started to be home educated and I was no longer surrounded by farmers' daughters at school and living as a vegetarian was a much more achievable goal.

Due to the fact that I make my own dietary choices the obvious next deliberation for me was whether I wanted to go a step further and become a vegan. I had observed my sister and Mum, who are both vegans, and the idea seemed a lot of hassle in comparison to what it was worth but it still played on my mind. I decided, however, that I wanted to make an informed decision over what I was putting into my body. When I was doing some research I was watching an interview of ‘Ellen Degeneres’ and I heard her mention that the documentary ‘Earthlings’ was what had turned her vegan, and seeming as I love documentaries I had to watch it. It was the biggest eye opener I think I have ever had. It screamed the truth about the treatment of animals and factory farming which left me beyond the point of upset and in a state of shock. There was no way I could eat animal products with the same naive attitude that I had always maintained.

The next day I went to dance classes completely clueless and bewildered as to what I was going to eat. I had always cheated whilst being a vegetarian by eating bits of fish here and there but I was keen to be strict, as I didn’t want to feel responsible for the mistreatment and death of that animal. Due to being completely unprepared I think I ate some chips from the chippy and a bit of fruit. It was quite hard that day but as soon as I told my Mum my decision I then became fully introduced into the wonderful vegan world. Without her there is no way I could keep it up as I have no culinary skills in the slightest.

A couple of days later, following my documentary experience, I read the book ‘Skinny Bitch’. I'm really happy that I read it once I had made the transition as it was just a final confirmation for me, giving me plenty of practical facts to think about without concentrating too much on their information they give about animal welfare. I am constantly learning about this lifestyle choice I have chosen to adopt, another great documentary is 'forks over knives', and reading posts on the the 'PETA' are also very interesting.

I have not particularly missed any foods, partly due to the fact that there are such fantastic replacements for everything which I loved – they are also often more healthier and better tasting in my opinion too. Physically I feel so much more healthier than before. For example, my skin has always been fairly problematic and within a very short space of time my spots began to fade. My diet is constantly evolving, such as I'd love to cut out as many refined products as possible but it is a journey and I have to kep on reminding myself to take it one step at a time.  


I am so pleased and proud to be a vegan and it takes every bit of my inner strength not to preach about my new found wisdom to everyone in the world at every single opportunity! I have realised that being vegan isn’t just a diet but it is a lifestyle, an enlightened way of thinking and a new perception towards the world.

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Joyful Juices!

Juices are an incredible invention; something incredibly nutritious whilst tasting yummy. If I drank these more often I would definitely be the epitome of health.

The way I got interested in them was by my Mum who introduced me (online) to an amazing woman called 'Mimi Kirk" who at the age of 70 was named the "sexiest vegetarian of the year". When I saw her I thought she was a good 30 years younger then 70. She has had an amazing life and things don't seem to be slowing down for her now she is 74! She lives a completely raw vegan diet and swears by juices (hence where I got an interest for them). I figured if she looks nearly 40 years or so younger by drinking juices and eating a vegan diet that there is no harm in testing her theory. I recommend you go and look her up, and watch some of her youtube videos as she will make you laugh as well as inspire you.

Mimi practices a full raw vegan diet to the extreme which I truly admire and wish I had such dedication and time for. However, I believe in balance and so I am going to try and incorporate some of her ideas in a more manageable, realistic way that suits me, starting with her idea of drinking juices. Over the past few days I have been making a celery, carrot, apple and spinach juice. If you would have offered me that a while ago I would have laughed you out of town but now I am genuinely looking forward to drinking it each day.

The types of juices that she has in a morning, and that I am adapting to suit me, are something I can easily see forming an integral part of my diet. If I drink them first thing in the morning I can almost feel the energy and positivity spreading through my body, it is quite remarkable (sounds rather dramatic but it's true!).

They make eating vegetables and fruit really fun and easy and they are also an easy way to obtain all the nutritious wonders that these foods contain. Not only this, but the nutritional value isn't dropped by having to cook the vegetables - plus no prepping as you simply shove it in the juicer! I have never been a breakfast person but they are something that are so easy, quick and tasty that I really would enjoy having them for breakfast too.

Another great thing about them is that there is no particular method or set ingredients you have to use to make them. They are good for using up any leftover veg you happen to have. It is your creation and choice; it's all down to your own indervidual tastes. It is a wonderful way too to eat some things you hadn't liked as much before, the reason being that by getting rid of the texture and pulp and by mixing the flavours with some of your preferred tastes it can get rid of the undesired part you didn't like whilst still obtaining all the nutrients from that particular food.

The benefits are quick to show, my skin was more glowing and I felt the benefits with my digestive too. Do make sure though that you drink them as soon as possible after making them so that you really get to drink all the good stuff. They are a brilliant new aspect to add to my new healthy diet that I am trying to create. And if you hadn't already noticed I would thoroughly recommend you joining me in this wonderful world of juices. I can think of plenty more to say on the subject but I think that is enough for today.
Much love, Bean xx

(NB Something to bear in mind when you start making them is that a pound of produce is roughly a cups worth of juice)

(PS Another vegan who my mum and I have found really inspiring is a woman who goes by "Chef Chloe". Her recipes in her book are truly tremendous. My mum and I cooked a few at the weekend and they were vegan heaven! Her book as well as Mimi's is definitely worth the buy!)

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Magnificent Manna!

Inspiration

My mum once decided to create a blog in order to write about the various aspects of her life but predominately for self development reasons. As always I have been inspired by her and have also come to the decision that it would be quite fun to do the same. She decided to base hers on 12 parts that she believed to be the main factors of her life & it got me thinking about what I believed to be my 'parts' that I would want to write about. I came up with the follow -

1) Performing
2) Discovery of health exercise (inc. being vegan)
3) The trials of being a teenager & growing up
4) Finding myself (inc. religion, life goals, etc)

I believe that being 38 years younger than my Mum, it is quite acceptable to have only a third of the amount in terms of the aspects of my life that I'd want to write about, which I deem to be important and influential in my life, in comparison to her 12. My 4 subjects are all relatively different and I think how 'deep' they are also varies quite a lot. I have been doing quite a bit of 'research' of different blogs and you-tubers and haven't quite found someone as of yet who has inspired me in the sense that they talked about all the things that I wanted to cover. So, as I have been told in the past - if you want something doing, do it yourself.

A brief explanation of who I am is that I am 16 years old and I left school at 15 to teach myself and entered the strange world of being 'home educated'. Before that decision of leaving school I had been to a total of 8 schools. I left each one for different reasons and I believe it is by going to so many schools that got me to the point where I felt ready to leave school a few years earlier then planned. I come from a strong, tight knit and supportive family of 6, with 2 dogs to fill in the spare space of our house. My parents run a successful and thriving company that is now 21 years old. My 2 sisters are both equally successful with one following into the family company and the other just starting a PHD in physics. My brother, is much like myself however, he has big dreams of making it in the performing industry without a concrete plan of how exactly to go about it.

I believe that different people have different forms of outlets to express themselves and I am hoping that through the Internet I may be able to express myself in this strong time of self discovery.

Much love, Bean xx

 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-fOHtE1rXE