Self Worth, Respect & Love

A series of connections were made in my head earlier on this evening bringing me to a slight revelation of the great importance of self-worth, respect & love. And I got thinking about how surely in order to love anybody else you must possess a certain amount of love for yourself before you are truly able to expose yourself to another being, and I think that having that belief that you are worthy of another person's love can be quite an unnerving thought for some too. 

Last Wednesday Russell Brand made some comments in his show about his past drug addiction, surely this must have stemmed originally from a lack of self-worth in order for him to stoop to such a low, that forced him to form a coping mechanism that fundamentally influenced and altered his behaviour and personality? The annoyance for others of his unfamiliar and perhaps over-bearing behaviour whilst under the influence of these drugs must have been infuriating, something only a person who knew his true inner-self would have the tolerance for. 

I find it quite remarkable thinking of the almighty hurdle it must have been to to wean himself off them whilst still under the influence of the fog like mentality that heroin tends to bring (said not out of experience but an educated guess!). For despite the support that others offered that initial decision and willpower had to come from him personally. He'd have had to address the true issues that were causing him to use the drugs in the first place, changing his view of himself and beginning to see himself worth more that the damage the drugs were doing to him. Russell said that everyday he is faced with that temptation to reform to his old ways, whether the temptation is small or great it's still remains, but for the past decade or so he has never succumbed to the lows of his old self and instead embraces and actively loves the person that he is, something I strongly admire. 

The drugs in this example could be an endless number of other things for it is just the 'symptom' of an under-lying problem, they could be general habits for some or fatal and harmful actions such as the drugs for others. Whether it be drinking, over-eating or perhaps just blocking people out of your life, these are all coping mechanisms which need that exact same sense of compassion and self-worth to refrain from such abuse instead the ability to visualise yourself as worthy of respect. I think when you can love yourself you can then go forth and begin to go on an endless 'journey' of forming healthy and fulfilling relationships. But that leap of faith, exposing yourself to be vulnerable and learning to accept and cherish all the ins and outs of who you are is quite a daunting process, well certainly for me but we can but try! Anyway just some food for thought! 

love, bean xx 

Lunch Box #1 (Pesto Pasta)

So a couple of days ago I started college and with that came the new responsibility of making my lunches everyday. I've never been too keen on having the same thing to eat everyday, which is why I've always struggled with choosing what to have for breakfast, so it is my new task to come up with healthy, delicious and varying lunches everyday which are all easy to make. No pressure then. I shall be putting a series of posts on here with different lunches that I come up with, starting with today...

So the main thing that I had was the homemade vegan pesto pasta that I'd already made, the blogpost for the recipe is here, this was perfect as it was really delicious and it also really kept me going all day. One of my all time favourite things to have at the moment for a treat is corn chips dipped in homous, oh my goodness it's to die for and if somebody doesn't physically take the packet away from me I can easily just keep on going. I like to also have something sweet so I added a little booja champagne chocolate truffle, if you want to know more about them then the blogpost for them is here.

It's obviously a good idea to try and counterbalance some of the more stodgy and less healthy options with some fruit so I had a banana and fruit flakes, the flakes also count as one of your five a day. To finish it all off with I had an alibi drink, which are the most delicious energy drinks that are full of vitamins and minerals including the following vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12.

So this is just day 1 and I shall keep on going until I run out of ideas! I hope you found that useful and yet me know what you like to have for your lunches!

love, bean xx

Going to School & Home Education

Sadly it's that time of year again. For children from the UK September is the month that is the start of a new academic year. For some this means a fabulous prospect full of new beginnings but for others, it just means another dreaded year of getting up early. I was an early dropout of the schooling system, leaving at 15, deciding that I could probably do a better job then my teachers at preparing myself for my exams (there were, of course, other reasons too may I add!). It just so happened that teaching myself opened up many doors of opportunity and it enabled me to have my first proper taste of what the performing industry was like too in the big wide world. It's safe to say, I learnt a lot from teaching myself but I equally learnt as much before, when I'd gone to 8 schools altogether, I was certainly never 'deprived' of the school experience! 

The 8 schools varied greatly for me, each one teaching me different lessons - the majority of the lessons being of course outside the classroom. I think the problems I found at school were usually about fitting in whilst remaining true to who I am. I was interested in quite a few different types of things then the majority of other people, veganism being a prime example, and conforming to fit in and forget these interests was never my strong point. The other aspect I struggled with at school was that it wasn't until much later on that I found out that I'm dyslexic. This gave me a much stronger understanding of how my brain tends to work in a different way to other people, and how it also effects the best ways for me to learn. So when I taught myself I was able to plan it all in a way that was specific to the best way in which I learn. 

In retrospect I suppose I could have stayed at some of the schools for longer then my average of about 18 months, but I never regret it because from each school I learnt invaluable things about myself. There are so many things to say about the topic of school because it's a time of so much growth and self-discovery. You go through puberty, have the stress of sitting exams all whilst trying to balance your hobbies and friends as-well. It's a very demanding time filled with a lot of expectations and I don't believe that anybody goes through school without copious difficulties along the way. At the time it can feel like the be all and end all and that you're the only person in the entire world feeling how you're feeling but this just isn't the case. I now see that there's much more to life then being one of the 'popular people' and getting the perfect grades!

I am now venturing back into conventional education (sort of) by going to college and doing a qualification in performing arts, I must admit I am slightly nervous because no matter how many times you put yourself into a completely new situation the initial nerves always seem to crop up. I'm hoping that due to there being a big similarity between us all, in the sense that we all love performing, that it will be easier in terms of friends then in school but only time will tell! The video, click on the picture below, is showing you my college morning routine, it was pretty much the same when I was at school (the majority of the products I use are vegan). Feel free to let me know how you found/are finding being at school!

Love, bean xx

Latest Video...

Just a quickie to let you know about my latest YouTube video about going to starbucks as a vegan. Starbucks is one of my favourite places to go to when I'm out and about, take a look at the video where I go into more detail about some of my favourite things to order. Just to let you know when buying the caramel drink the sauce that you can have on the top contains egg whites so be sure to just ask for it without that!

love, bean xx

Time to explain a few things...

At this stage in my life I am not as strict a vegan as I would like to be, as I've said before I don't believe it's something that can happen overnight but I see it more as a gradual process.  For example, I recently went and did an intense course down south for 2 weeks where we put on a show at the end. We were working 12 hour days and our food was catered for us therefore it was quite difficult to eat a proper vegan diet. I made the decision that I would try my hardest but not to be too dramatic (I left that for the stage!) and ate a predominately vegetarian diet. This wasn't ideal and my face was instantly covered in spots due to the sudden dairy intake that my body wasn't accustomed to digesting. But, for the friends that I met and the experiences I gained I felt the sacrifice was definitely worth it. Some people and stricter vegans then myself will not agree with my decision but I believe everything in moderation and trying to find a balance in life.

This blog and my YouTube account both reflect that relatively relaxed outlook, I use them as an outlet to share with other people the lessons that I'm learning. But I just thought I should write this disclaimer type post to give you a bit more understanding on how these posts and videos won't offer you a strict formula on how you should be a vegan, they're the gradual accumulation of things that I personally come across on my journey, which you may find useful for your journey too. If you're already the perfect vegan then I'm really not going to be much help but if you're thinking about maybe testing the waters and seeing if this may be something you're interested in then this may be the place for you. I suppose I'm an aspiring vegan, but I hope to always keep this relaxed frame of mind. I believe in this lifestyle and all the benefits that come along with it, and I want to share this passion for veganism and various other things I believe in with you, talking about an array of things as and when they inspire me whether it be a life lesson or a new ice-cream I've come across. I hope you've found this useful and that it's given you a slight more understanding on what this is all about!

Love, bean xxx

‘Do you want some dahl, darl?’

I’m aware that I can be relatively enthusiastic about some of the products and topics I talk about on here… and this post shall be no different! Dahl and rice is a perfect protein, so all those people with the mis-conception that being a vegan or vegetarian means that you suddenly become protein deficient can be rest assured that this is a prime example of how that’s a myth! I digress, besides its copious health benefits this dish is also wonderfully delicious; a highly requested dinner by me to my Mum. Now, just when you think a meal couldn’t possibly get any better, it’s also incredibly easy and quick to make, something I realised when I thought I’d thrown myself into the deep end when I asked my Mum to teach me how to make it!

Every dahl you make, because trust me once you start you’ll get hooked, will be slightly or dramatically different from your last. For me, this makes it interesting and also offers the room for those who want to experiment a bit more too. Although there are many different recipes out there I personally think my Mums is pretty sublime (not to be bias or anything…) so I shall hopefully get her to write it on here for you all to have (although it changes constantly).

It’s really perfect especially as we are making that transition into autumn (or for some of you ‘fall’) and it really is a meal that does tend to fill a hole as the nights get longer and you generally begin to crave bigger meals (well I do..). The little extra bits and pieces on the side are from ‘Unicorn Grocery’ in Manchester, although you can get these types of extras from anywhere. Let me know if you give this easy dish a go!

Love, bean xx

‘Shall we just have a freezer tea?’

If you’re similar to my family then, especially mid-week, you’ll probably find yourself exhausted and a chore such as cooking being the last thing you feel like doing. This is when the life-saving freezer type dinners come in handy. Now, don’t be misunderstood – I am not implying that all health and wellbeing should be forgotten and that you should resort to some dreaded poison like a ‘pot-noodle’. No, a freezer is a magical thing which can be filled with almost anything you wish and stored until a convenient time. Whilst I remember, they’re also great for putting frozen fruit in and using them for smoothies if you don’t want to risk buying lots of fresh fruit and it going off before you use it.

I think things such as burgers or soup are great for making a big batch of, freezing and just taking out as and when you need them. They're also perfect if you live by yourself and don’t want to waste extra food. Although I keep on mentioning her I think Chloe Coscarelli’s book is pretty good for freezer type foods. If you're not the type who wants to make the big batches of food in the first place then I keep loads of different foods such as various quorn products (careful if you buy quorn in the UK as it isn't vegan) and 'Linda McCartney' veggies foods teamed with chips and beans - now that really is a classic freezer meal! Besides from freezer foods there are also the innocent microwaves pots which are vegan and simply need to be popped into the microwave for a few minutes (not a huge fan of microwaves so if you've got the patience for more washing up then heating them is another alternative).

The pictures are of a meal including some burgers Mum had previously made teamed with some homegrown beans, potatoes and sauces! Was pretty delicious and impeccably easy in all honesty. Now bearing in mind, if it hadn’t been for Mum I most likely wouldn't have gone to quite so much effort regarding the condiments, etc but sauces can be made and kept in the fridge for quite a while too - a great substitute for not always simply having mayo, etc. 

I hope you've found this useful as unless you forget what you've already put in the freezer it's can be a real life saver. Let me know if you’ve got any questions or suggestions!

Love, bean xx