Do we need bees ?

Bees are one of the rising topics right now since they are
disappearing drastically. Some people seem to care but others not as much. The question many people seem to be asking is if we need bees and the truth is, we do. Bees are viewed as these little bugs that only sting people during the summertime. But really they do much more than that. Bees pollinate many fruits and vegetables that you probably didn't even know. Such as

- watermelon
-blueberries
-strawberries
- mangos
- figs
-apples,
-avocados
-onions,
-broccoli and many more.

Without bees some of our favorite foods would be gone. What is causing bees to disappear is global warming, pesticide use, habitat loss and parasites.
But there are so many easy ways to help out our little buddies. One of them being just planting. Plant in a little box, outside your window or even in a green space in your community garden. Buying locally organic grown fruits and vegetables from farmers market is another great way to support beekeepers and the bees. So as you can see bees are really important to us and we should care for them. If you would like to read more information on bees and ways to help read: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/bees.pdf 

Photo retrieved from: www.wholefoodsmarket.com
Photo retrieved from:
http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2013/12/04/248795791/how-important-is-a-bee

A Spring Lovers Salad

             
     This salad is perfect for spring weather and it's packed with so much fresh flavor!

Ingredients

Arugula (or a spring mix of greens)

A whole small cucumber

Strawberries

Rasberries

Chia seeds or hemp hearts

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Optional: Balsamic vinegar or your favorite salad dressing

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Directions

1.  Wash your greens and berries
2.  Cut the cucumber and strawberries into small bite size pieces
3.  Toss all ingredients into a plate, sprinkle on chia seeds or hemp hearts and add your favorite dressing on top 

Vegan Ceviche

This vegan ceviche tastes great with tortilla chips or on a tostada! Also adding some spice and lemon is seriously the best. Definitely recommend giving this recipe a try!

Ingredients

A head of cauliflower

One whole tomato

 Half of an onion

A case of cilantro

Salt

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Optional:- Avocado ( to mix in afterwords )

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Directions

1. To begin with bring the cauliflower to boil a little where it will be easy to manage. 
2. After like 10-15 minutes on having the cauliflower boil you can either thinly cut it into pieces adding all the ingredients together in a bowl. 
3. Or you can add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until all ingredients mix well together. 
4. Serve with tortilla chips or on top of a tostada and enjoy! It taste really good also adding a hot sauce and lemon on top. 

Beet and Kale Salad

This kale and beet salad is great for warm summer afternoons or any time you want something light and filling. Its quick and easy to make! Most importantly it's DELICIOUS & HEALTHY!

Ingredients:

Kale

Beets

Cranberries 

Sunflower seeds

Almonds

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Directions:

1. In a large bowl add all of your ingredients
2. Mix all the ingredients and you're done
3. You can also add lemon if you would like to  its that quick and easy! Most importantly DELICIOUS & HEALTHY!

Running on Plants

Running is great in so many ways it helps in reliving stress, engages your muscles and improves your overall health. It is also a very easy way to connect with nature and get up and move! But what you eat takes a huge part on how your running performance will be.  For some it may seem IMPOSSIBLE to run and not eat meat because WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?! Well actually it is really simple you just have to be eating healthy carbohydrates, getting the proper protein and hydrating yourself ! BUT WHERE DO I GET IT FROM? Is a very easy question to answer! As a runner who follows a vegan lifestyle I will be sharing my favorite foods to eat the night before, in the morning and after a run/race.                                                                            













Dinner // night before a race/run

The night before I like to have something with lots of carbohydrates and protein. So I like to have a lentil soup with veggies and potatoes in it. Also a sweet potato with rice and lettuce is a great way to carb up the night before!

Breakfast // before a race/run

 In the morning I first like to drink a glass of lemon water. To eat I like to have a bowl of oatmeal with chia seeds, frozen blueberries, cashews and a little bit of almond milk.  I usually eat an hour and a half before running just so my digestion can take it but if I get a little bit more hungry I usually have dried fruit and nuts. While running it is good to pack small snacks in a little bag  just to have whenever you feel like your energy is running low.

Also having a bowl of fresh fruit or a smoothie before a run/race serves as a great light snack.

Lunch // Post race / run

After a race/ run it is very important to fuel your body because you just burned off a lot of calories that you need to restore. I sometimes like to have the same thing I had for dinner or I like to have a huge bowl of pasta with frozen veggies and spinach. Or also Brown rice with leafy greens and a Japanese sweet potatoes.

Hydrating yourself: Drink lots of water, coconut water or ( add lemon, blueberries, raspberries, mint leaves) or anything you want into your water to change things up and get even more beneficial nutrients.

Snacks: Lara bars, cliff bars, fresh fruits, dried fruits and nuts or even an acai bowl after a run/race.

Raspberry Oatmeal

This Raspberry Oatmeal is a great sweet yet nutritious breakfast that helps start your day in a good way.

Ingredients

Oats

Water or Almond milk

Blueberries

Rasberries

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Directions

1. Put the water or almond milk on the stove until it begins to slightly boil
2. add in the oats and let them cook for about 8 minutes
3. Once the oats are done cooking, let them cool down for 3 minutes
4. Serve in a bowl and add raspberries and blueberries (or really anything you want to add)

Decolonize Your Diet

Decolonize Your Diet is great book written by Luz
Calvo and Catriona R. Esquibel, it talks about how we as
a modern day society who live off of fast food restaurants, unhealthy fats and American based foods can
start to decolonize our diets and eat a more healthy way.
It shows us what health foods our ancestors would eat
hundred of years back and how we can recover to eat that
way once again. It shows healthy, vegetarian Mexican
foods (that also include some vegan foods). From the
publishers description it says: "They promote a diet rich in plants indigenous to the Americas (corn, beans, squash, greens, herbs, and seeds), and are passionate about the idea that Mexicans and Latinos/as living in the US and Canada need to ditch the fast food and return to their own culture's food roots for both physical health and spiritual fulfillment." 

I love how this book shows how food is the key
to health and how sacred it is for us. It teaches
us ways to make food taste so amazing by using
ingredients that are good for us. Following a
plant-based lifestyle has never been easier!

      
                                                                                                  
  Photos from their website: 
http://decolonizeyourdiet.org 

Vegan Brownie Ice cream

This Vegan Brownie Ice-Cream is so delicious and creamy you won't believe its vegan!

Ingredients

Frozen bananas (to make ice cream)
Vanilla extract (to make ice cream)
Almond milk (to help blend the frozen bananas)
Vegan Brownies (I bought them at Traders Joe's)
Granola

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Directions

1. In a blender add the frozen bananas, a tea spoon of vanilla extract and a little bit of almond milk to help it blend
2. Once it gets to a creamy consistency, in a cup add granola at the bottom then add a layer of ice-cream and continue layering it
3. To finish it off place brownie bites on top and enjoy! 

Green Power Smoothie

         This Green Power Smoothie is delicious yet so healthy for you. You won't even know there is kale and spinach in it

Ingredients

Kale
Spinach
Pineapple
Almond Milk
Agave Syrup
Ice
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Directions

1. Start off with washing your greens and putting them in a a blender
2. Then add almond milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
3. Add in the agave syrup and ice as well
4. Blend all ingredients well, serve and enjoy!

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Berry Blue Acai Bowl

Ingredients

1 frozen Acai packet

1 frozen ripe banana

A little bit of water ( if needed to blend better)

Any toppings of your liking

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Optional: Agave or maple syrup 

(it makes it sweet and taste even more amazing)

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Directions

1. In a blender or food processor add a little bit of water (if needed) and put your frozen banana and acai packet
2.  Blend until you get a thick smoothie like consistency
3. Pour it into a bowl and top it off with any toppings of your liking (such as fresh bananas, strawberries (or any type of berries), coconut shreds, cacao nibs, granola and agave/maple syrup. These all make amazing toppings for your acai bowl)  

4 Tips on going Vegan

Ive learned a lot along my veganism journey. One thing that I definitely know is that you will never finish learning about new foods or things about yourself. Transitioning into a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is different for everyone but I will be hearing 5 tips if you do want to go vegan or vegetarian.

1. Have an open mind

Having an open mind will allow you to not have a negative mindset. If you think that going vegan is going to be a punishment or that you won't last , then it will be and you won't last.

     2.  Know your reason why

Whether if its for the animals, the planet, yourself or for another reason. You need to know your reason why. This will give you the motivation to continue and have a reason to stay a long the path.

    3.   Find food that you enjoy eating

Finding good easy meals that become a staple to you will make it all easy because you will know how to quickly make it when you may be in a rush or maybe a weekly meal prep.

  4. If you are going on a road trip, pack food with you

This is a very important thing. You never want to starve in a long road trip. Packing small snacks and meals will help you survive long trips where you might not find foods that accommodate.

Health Is Wealth

Beginning the journey to a vegan lifestyle can sometimes be very overwhelming especially if you know nothing about it. But the reality is that you have to start off with the basics and take it step by step because you do not want to malnourish yourself. To start off, it is very important to buy the necessary foods. For example, some of my favorites are sweet potatoes (or potatoes in general), rice, beans, pasta's, fruit, vegetables as they range in variety.


What's great is that most of these foods won't cost you a fortune and are great for your over all well-being. Of course, there are also unhealthy vegan junk food that can sometimes be relatively healthier than other options. Having the basic foods is a great way of eating because you will be getting all the necessary proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins your body needs. And you can eat as much of it as you want and will make you feel great afterwords.

Many people believe that a plant based lifestyle is expensive but it really is not. Being vegan does not mean you have to shop at expensive grocery stores such as Whole Foods, of course, they do sell produce and foods more on the organic side and have vegan foods that are amazing but it does not mean that is the only place you can buy your foods. Try your local grocery store and you can be surprise on the amazing things you will find. Also, local farmers market in your community are a great way to find fresh produce and vegan food!

The vegnism lifestyle is an amazing and incredible journey. You will begin becoming more aware on the animals, planet, meat/ dairy industry and yourself. Enjoy and eat all the delicious vegan foods !



Photo: http://www.care2.com/causes/why-it-matters-that-ontario-legally-recognized-ethical-veganism.html