Nut milk is a good idea

Hey. Try making your own nut milk.

MmmmmmmmmmmmMMmmmmm

As you know, I'm lactose intolerant. So, since sophomore year of college (when my intolerance kicked in the front (and back) door of my digestive system (eeeeewwww)), I have bought alternative forms of "milk."

But now I make them.

It's so much better. Tastes better, no additives, I can flavor it however I want, and I can make any kind I want. It's great! So far, I've done pecan milk (several times), cashew milk (smoothest, imo), and almond milk. I want to try Brazil nut milk...... maybe pistachio milk if I feel a little crazy (and can find raw ones).

You take a cup of whatever nuts you want, and soak them overnight (or 8 hours). Strain out the water, rinse them off (to get off the enzymes!), and put them in a blender. Add four cups of water, and BLEND. Now strain it to get the nut particles out. I've ordered a nut bag, but I've been using a mesh tea basket in the meantime (it takes longerrrr). You can use that or a cheese cloth or... I dunno, some kind of mesh material that will catch nut bits. AND NOW YOU HAVE NUT MILK. I usually add a bit of stevia to mine.... but I think I might treat myself soon and make pecan milk with a little maple syrup. Can you imagine?

ALSO. Also. With your leftover nut bits, you can make THIS:
Raw cheesecake!

I made one out of my almond leftovers and I keep eating iiiiit.

Here's a video from My New Roots about making nut milk: Here. Go here.

Also, I've been giving natural cosmetics a try and so far, I loooove them. A zinc/mineral sunscreen (Vive Sana) worked really well for a weekend at the lake (pictures later I hope) and I've switched from Olay as an everyday sunscreen/moisturizer to one from 100% Pure. It has argon oil. It's a bit pricey, true. But the ingredients are marvelous and a tiny bit goes a long way. Seriously, like half a fingernail size. Also I'm using their coffee bean eye cream, which is also super awesome. AND I take their lavender body wash with me to the gym for quick rinse offs.

For makeup, I've switched foundations from Neutrogena to RMS "un"-cover up. You can find it at Spirit Beauty Lounge. It all feels really nice to put on my skin and it actually feels like my face is getting less oily.

I have plenty more to talk about (like my hair and how I've stopped shampooing it and it's wonderful), but there will be other blog posts. So for now, go make nut milk.

Food for Thought

I am often asked if I am a vegetarian or a vegan when I tell people about the kind of food I make at home. The answer is no, although I do follow certain rules when cooking for myself. I suppose the following post will be a sort of testimonial to the benefits of the lifestyle I choose and perhaps a good starting point for someone looking to take on a similar approach.

So here we go.

1. Accidentally hitting a bunny with my car made me cry
I swear to god it came out of nowhere and I had no time to stop. I wept for that silly rabbit, and I have wept merely for videos or stories of abuse. I am not a mighty hunter. The thought of watching an animal writhe to death repulses me and requires me to admit that unless I were absolutely starving (with no other options), I could not kill for food. And yet, I am not a vegetarian.

2. Meat is expensive and kind of gross to prepare
The sort of meat that I would buy is grass-fed and ethically raised. The flavor and health benefits are worth the extra cost, but when I can forgo that cost all together.... I will. Also, I have memories of preparing Thanksgiving turkeys and chicken breasts and more than once while I've been elbow deep up a turkey's ass or scrunching my nose at the bizarre feeling of a knife going through flesh, I have thought... "What the fuck am I doing?"

3. Cooking with vegetables and fruits is fun and colorful and quick and easy
Woohoo!

But no, I'm not a vegetarian.

I have a rule for myself, and it's that if I'm not willing to kill it and prepare it myself... I don't buy it and bring it home to cook and eat. If someone else prepares me a dish with meat in it, I will probably accept some. It's not that I'm opposed to hunting, it's just that I can't do it myself. So I don't buy huge portions of meat because I feel like it's cheating somehow.

I do eat eggs (ethical eggs), use butter to cook with sometimes (from grass fed cows), put honey in yogurt (raw, local honey and Greek yogurt - I try to look for a note about pasture raised cows), put cheese on things (raw when I can, always look for something about grass-fed or ethically raised cows, etc), and use whey protein in my smoothies (again, from grass-fed cows). None of these things kill living animals, the animals don't suffer in the production (as opposed to factory farming, where they do), and I feel I could prepare these things myself if I had the know-how.

Furthermore:
I feel like we (Americans, anyway) are way too focused on our meat portions and not nearly imaginative enough with vegetables.
When you go out to eat, you order your meal, and it will probably be a huge piece of meat with some vegetable side item(s) that you don't give a fuck about and neither did the person who prepared them. If most people were asked to prepare a filling vegetarian meal, they might not know where to start. We are so obsessed with meat.

We don't need to be! There are so many flavorful options that take less effort/money/time to prepare and they are filling and GOOD for you. They give you energy rather than make you tired after a meal.

Also, I cut out processed grains and simple sugars wherever I can. That's not to say I don't still enjoy toast with my Waffle House (or have a weakness for tiny cakes), but I don't buy loaves of bread or cereal anymore; and when I want to make a pasta dish, I julienne slice a zucchini for my noodles.

Since I started preparing raw meals for myself, I have lost fat, gained energy, need less sleep to feel awake, my complexion has improved, and I workout almost every day. Also I feel better about my diet from a conscience stand-point. I'm proud of it. I don't feel I'm being a hypocrite like I sometimes used to. It starts with a few good recipes and you end up learning so much about how to creatively prepare food. Anyone who knows me can tell you: I'm amazing in the kitchen.

So! Hopefully that came across as helpful and not "I'm so great lol." I'll post another recipe soon. ;)