People watching...

I'm a people watcher. It’s amazing all the stories that I can conjure up in my mind as I sit and watch the people come and go. Sitting in my favorite corner of my favorite little breakfast/lunch spot, I see many people just coming and going, the lady that always orders the coffee and French toast, and the guy that starts his day with a diet coke. The young bus boy just making his rounds from table to table, he seems preoccupied today, I wonder what's on his mind. 

And, then I see her.... she was sitting by the window, all the way on the other side of the restaurant this sweet little elderly lady, she is beautiful, silver hair, coffee colored skin, pink lipstick. Even though there are clearly many more years behind her then there are in front of her she is still radiating beauty. 
 I thought she was alone, but, then... an elderly gentleman appears, he is quite dapper, well dressed, I imagine he was quite the ladies’ man “back in the day.” Is he… her husband, maybe? Yes....her husband... he kisses her on her head and she looks up at him, so lovingly, as if it was the first time she was seeing him. 

He places her coffee and muffin on the table in front of her; he takes the seat across from her. His oatmeal arrives. I bet they have been eating the same breakfast for the last 50 years, muffin and coffee for her, oatmeal for him. I smile to myself as I think; maybe he is watching his cholesterol so he can be with his love for another 50 years. They are so cute together. They don't say much, I doubt they really need to "speak" actual words to each other after all these years. She hands him a napkin, he smiles, and she touches his hand. ..... I love people watching....

Dance in the rain ...

Today, I got busted skipping and singing in the rain!

She was a sweet little older lady, someone’s super cute grandma. She just smiled at me when I noticed her watching. I smiled back and with a shrug said... why not!? She responded, that's right honey, dance and sing like no one is watching, even if it is raining, don't let anyone or anything steal your joy! Amen! No joy stealing allowed! #dance 

Shop Aldi for health food?!

This weekend I went to Aldi,  for the very first time. To be honest I was always skeptical of shopping there, I thought like many people, Aldi was not one of those stores that would carry very high quality food items.  Well I was wrong! I was thrilled and surprised to find they carry many healthy items! 

The produce section is small but the selection was pretty good. They had organic apples and bananas!! They also carry many USA grown produce and no GMO produce so thumbs up Aldi! 

I even found this totally vegan German rye bread (pictured below). Simply made using few ingredients (whole kernel rye, water, wholemeal rye flour, oat fiber, yeast. ) And it was so cheap I couldn't believe my eyes! I've spent 5-7 dollars for similar bread in whole foods. This one was only 1.79!  I was excited to find it. I am going to enjoy it topped with lots of yummy veggies and veganaise! Maybe a vegan curry chickn' salad!!  Vegan / healthy eating on a budget, it can be done! No excuses people!

YES!  The best news ever!! I pray this is the start of something even more wonderful for all the children! 

 

NYC School First to Offer Vegetarian Lunch Menu

By Melissa Nguyen | May 2, 2013

 

PS 244 in Queens, NY replaced unhealthy meat with tofu, beans, and greens on its students’ plates. 

The Active Learning Elementary School in Queens, NY is making headlines for recently replacing meat products in its lunch line with healthier, protein-packed options such as tofu, falafel, and black bean quesadillas.  Read the full story:  http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=5733&catId=8

Quick Recipe: Oatmeal with Fried Apples

Here is an awesome way to eat your oatmeal; with "fried" apples on top.

Don't worry they are not actually fried at all. :) 

Oatmeal with Fried Apples

 Oatmeal with Fried Apples

This makes 1-2 servings. 

Sliced apples (skin off) (organic is nice)

Add apples to saucepan with 1/4 cup water 

1 tbsp. vegan butter

Squeeze a fresh lemon 

Cinnamon to taste

Sweetener of choice (Stevia, honey, raw organic sugar etc.) to taste. 

Allow to simmer until apples are soft and sauce thickens. 

Cook oatmeal as per package directions but you want it sticky not watery. 

Top with fried apples and all that gooey cinnamon sauce. 

Enjoy and do it again! :) 

You’re welcome ;)

Green smoothies with yummy "stuff" on top

Inspired by some of the vegan green smoothie loving peeps I follow on Instagram I've started topping my green smoothies...well all my smoothies with yummy "stuff." This one is organic kale micro-greens fresh pressed organic apple juice and organic banana, it is topped with coconut shreds, organic cacao nibs and chia seeds on top. 

 Oh what wonderful treat this is! Try it!!!

 

Yummy green smoothie with "stuff"

 

My first vegan lasagna!

My first vegan lasagna! It was a hit! I knew it when our 7 year old daughter asked for seconds, then our 12 year old daughter asked for thirds!! And then my meat eating husband cleaned his plate! Yippee!

Recipe will be up soon! I need to perfect it! 

My first vegan lasagna!

 

Chocolate banana oatmeal....

Organic steel cut Irish style oatmeal topped with bananas, honey, cacao nibs and flax.

Mix it all together and you get chocolate banana oatmeal and a huge smile on your face! :)

Chocolate banana oatmeal

Progress party!

Had myself a little progress party today! Progress, it feels gooder than chocolate cake. LOL Yep I said "gooder!"

Call it what you want… I call it a blessing:

Call it what you want… I call it a blessing:

I have quite the collection of IV scars on my arms to remind me of the torture and torment I have endured over the past year.   Since this mystery illness began, I have suffered debilitating migraine headaches, lasting for hours, sometimes days. I have lost my sight and hearing, and had continuous blurred vision. Dizzy spells became a way of life. I have been paralyzed, dealt with frustrating stuttering and slurred speech, constant vertigo and the list goes on! Sometimes these symptoms would appear one at a time, sometimes, all at once! I was sure at some point I might just die! I became so horribly depressed I didn’t recognize the person in the mirror looking back at me.  I remember sending a text to a friend that said “If I wasn’t such a coward, I would kill myself.”  I spent days crying and I could not go to sleep without my husband right beside me because I was so afraid that tomorrow would  not come for me. It was a horrible existence; I was living in complete paralyzing fear. I honestly didn’t think I could take much more. 

After over a year of going from Dr. to Dr., Specialist to Specialist, and one emergency room visit after another, I finally found the answers and the solutions I so desperately needed. Finally, I was diagnosed with Hemiplegic Migraine.  It is a rare neurological disease that presents itself with stroke like symptoms. In severe episodes, permanent brain damage, coma, and even death are possible.   

They can call it what they want… I call it… a blessing.  What you say?! Maybe she has had one to many of these episodes! No, I have not lost it! As a matter of fact I would say I have found it!  “It” being that place of gratitude, and “it” being a state of grace and peace and the true ability to appreciate life and fully live in the moment.  

We have all found ourselves saying “life is short”! I have uttered that same statement myself a million times! I know enough about loss to appreciate the saying. I have experienced true loss several times in my life, but I never truly realized the value of my own life until I began living “this” close to the edge of losing it. I had to admit, in my previous post, Living in a Place of Gratitude, I have always been one foot in the moment and one foot someplace else. All that changed when I personally came face to face with how fleeting life truly is. It’s amazing how everything became crystal clear, like I had been walking with blinders on all this time. I had to ask myself, what the heck have I missed out on?!  Now, suddenly, I have both feet firmly planted in the present moment at all times! The mere fact that I woke up is cause for celebration!  My waking prayer every morning – THANK YOU, life has a much deeper meaning for me these days.  

I am not saying I am all of a sudden some sort of super “enlightened” being. I am saying, I have been living in a state of fear and emotional chaos and I am finally free of all that. I am lighter in spirit, a lot less stressed, and beyond grateful for the opportunity to start again.  

My transformation has amazed not only my friends and family, but medical professionals’, complete strangers, and even myself! By taking matters into my own hands and making what some would consider drastic lifestyle changes, (if going vegan, juicing every day, exercising, losing 70 lbs and meditation and yoga are extreme, then call it extreme) I triumphed over this debilitating disorder. I found out that drastic changes are what you must resort to when your life is on the line. Before I knew what “it” was I knew I had to take control. I knew I was the only one that could take charge of what was going on inside my body, mind and spirit. 

Will and determination are powerful things, more powerful than fear. I am living proof of that. 70 lbs later, I may be on my way to being in the best health of my life! Though I am told this “condition” might never actually go away, the “episodes” I was experiencing are far less frequent and far less debilitating. I have a 1 gallon zip lock bag full of bottles of medication I was on and, I have a bunch of hospital wrist bands to serve as reminders of where I was and how far I have come. 

For my next chapter, I will live my life with a little more spontaneity, face my fears, live my dreams, and most importantly, express my love to those around me daily and often because… this moment is all we have! As a matter of fact, as I type this paragraph, this moment is already a memory.  No more missed moments, no more lost opportunities, and definitely no regrets. If I knew today was going to be my last day, I would want to go into the next life dancing barefoot in the rain, wearing a pink tutu, and princess crown, laughing uncontrollably saying “dam that was fun let’s do it again!!”  This is the good stuff, this is the stuff that living is made of, and that is the stuff I want to fill my world with.  

So I say, “thank you” mystery illness “thank you” very much, you have helped me see the beauty in everything! You have helped me tune in and focus on what truly matters. There is a saying I have seen several times all over social media it goes something like, “It’s the really important stuff that never makes it on the “to do” list.”  My to-do list has been drastically rearranged, #1 on my list of things to do – LIVE!!! 

*image from Little Birdie Blessings.