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

‘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

Only touched the surface

I want to quickly tell you of an interesting moment I experienced earlier today. I was in a room that had reddish coloured curtains that were drawn shut, allowing the sunlight to shine through, tinting the colour of the room. As I sat in the room I saw some obvious blue veins on my leg which I’d never noticed before, I then shifted my focus and noticed that bright blue veins were showing up all over my body due to the light. Although I’d always known that there were veins all over my body it was the strangest thing actually seeing them, I felt rather like a picture out of my high school biology textbook.

It got me thinking, in a slightly more metaphorical sense, how many other aspects to myself I haven’t yet seen. I wondered how much there really is to me just under the surface that hasn’t yet been able to come to light, but would given a change of circumstance. These veins keep me alive, they never stop working and I’m covered in them, they’re a truly fundamental part of who I am yet I'd never given them a second thought before. It all sounds very silly, but for me it was fairly symbolic and I learnt a lesson; there are so many aspects to ourselves which we haven’t yet discovered or even acknowledged to be there, both physically and I suppose too within our personality. They showed me that there are endless bounds of self-discovery that I have to do and really I’ve only just touched the surface on getting to know who I am.

love, bean xx