Vegans and Coffee

Hi there Lovelys-
     Coffee and caffeine in general is something that is still a subject of debate in the vegan community, mostly the High Carb/Raw Vegan community.  Coffee is natural.  Coffee Beans can be bought organic, you can order vegan, non-dairy versions of your favourite lattes and cappuccinos.  It comes from the Earth, and as vegans, anything that comes from the Earth naturally is meant for our bodies. Right?  This doesn't apply to coffee for many vegans, so you are a vegan or a vegan who is trying to follow a more raw lifestyle, then you may not be able to enjoy your favourite morning pick-me-up anymore.
     Here's why: it is a stimulant.  On top of that it needs to raised to a temperature no longer considered to be in its raw form to please the raw vegan crowd.  Besides coffee, other stimulants that raw vegans leave out are caffeinated tea varieties, cold or hot, and vegan varieties of chocolate.  Stimulants are seen as unnatural in what they do and it is true that they can mess with the body's natural ability to energise itself through whole foods and proper hydration.  If you consume coffee frequently, it might help to cut down as a diet rich in fruits and veggies can definitely enable your body to reset itself and start producing it's own natural fast metabolism and energy.
     I'm not going to lie though, if I wake up after a rough night and even after enough water and a huge plate of dates and bananas, and I'm STILL dragging like a zombie, I'll brew up a cup of organic coffee and not feel bad about it.  I enjoy a cup of green tea on a snowy day, or a cup of honey and jasmine tea when the rain falls heavy.  Even I find that Raw Vegan diets can be a little restrictive in some regard.  There is nothing wrong with an occasional cup of coffee, or a cup of tea when you're cold or need to relax.  If you have the ingredients and the time, there's nothing wrong having a piece of home made, raw, organic dark chocolate.  It is not going to reset your progress and make you wake up the next morning feeling like you are starting your journey all over again.  Stop beating yourself up and be thankful for the discipline that got you this far and keep going.
     However, if you or someone you know is still a hardcore Raw vegan/Vegan set in their ways, then don't make them feel bad for it or accuse them being up-tight.  It is their decision and if it seems to be working for them, let them be.  On that note, if you or your strict vegan mates still wants to incorporate caffeine in a healthy and non-over-stimulating way, use this amazing face/body scrub recipe that I just started experimenting with this week.

Luxurious Coffee Scrub
-Finely ground coffee beans (enough for two cups of coffee)
-Juice from a whole lemon
-4 Tbsp. of raw honey
-Finely crushed mint leaves, use a mortar or food processor. (optional, but leaves a refreshing tingle)

After-Scrub Moisturiser
-1 Part coconut oil
-2 Parts Lemon Grass oil
(depending on the size of container you are using)

     It's so simple and easy; just combine all the ingredients in a bowl until the coffee grounds are soaked. Find a bathtub, get in your birthday suit and apply the scrub to your face, neck, chest, arms and legs.  Pay special attention to elbows, knees, heels and your hands (top and palms).  Rub GENTLY in a circular motion on delicate areas like the chest (especially if you're a woman), lady/man parts (don't get it inside areas where it shouldn't!) and around the eyes (don't get on your eye lids either).  Scrub with your hands for about 2 minutes and leave on for another minute.  Rinse with warm (not hot) water.  Shower as usual and then rinse again with cold water (if you can manage it).  Step out feeling like a baby and moisturise as usual (or use the additional recipe I provided above).  I promise you will see and feel a difference immediately.  Say hello to bright, soft and renewed skin.  Repeat twice a week or more if you have severely dry or sun damaged skin.
     The coffee not only works as a stimulant when taken internally, but it stimulates the skin as well.  It "wakes it up", so it's a good addition to your morning routine when the coming winter might leave your skin a little lack luster, even if you moisturised the night before.  Lemon juice has long been known as a reliable natural skin brightener.  That's exactly why this is a key ingredient for this scrub.   If you haven't heard till now, honey helps with acne!  Why wouldn't you want this natural gold on your skin? Look it up online and you will see the proof...or just check the mirror after a couple weeks on this regimen ;)  And as I wrote, the mint leaves are optional.  It doesn't affect the effectiveness of the mask, but if you want a light lasting tingle on your skin it works beautifully.

PS.
A lot of vegans do not use Honey.  If you are one of them, then you can use agave nectar.  I for one, cannot afford agave nectar, so until I can,  I guess I'm a Beegan for now :P.

     Hope you all enjoy this recipe and leave comments below to tell me how it worked out, or share you own natural skin recipes. ;).

Cheers <3

Curry in a Hurry

Hola Lovelys!
     So if any of you have been following me on Instagram @kittyfittz (http://yooying.com/kittyfittz) you would have seen that I have posting quite a bit of food on there, as well as promising to give up some recipes.  You can also see the pictures of the two dishes I will be featuring today on my Instagram profile.
     This week, I am posting the recipes for my Zucchini Bread and Indian Tomato Cilantro Curry, (and ya'll know I already LOVE all kinds of curry).  So first up! The Curry dish.

Volunteering Mission

Hola Mi Lovelys!
     Just another quick post I'm putting up on here to tell you about something that I've been wanting to do for the longest time.  Volunteering abroad.  Not only do I have an unbearable itch to travel and see the world, I also want to do what I can to help out causes that are important to me.
     Today I joined an online fund raising group called Volunteer Forever.  It is a free site for those looking to volunteer in all kinds of projects all around the world.

Amazon Watch

Good Morning Lovelys~

     Today I'm posting about a cause that is near and dear to my heart: The Environment.  More specifically, the damage that is being done by major oil companies to the Amazon Rain Forest, one of the ONLY major remaining rain forests remaining on Earth.

    Above is a VERY important video about something the public and the people who work for this industry either don't seem to grasp, or they know about it and they just don't care.  Both predictions are deeply saddening.  In the grand scale of things, this is causing an accelerated mass suicide of our planet and the people and animals who depend on it's balance for survival.  Please watch the video and donate to their cause.  Also share with your friends and family.  You or someone you know may know someone who is working with these companies and make an even bigger difference.

     I honestly can't say much more on this post because the video by Amazon Watch does a powerful job at covering everything you need to know about what is happening RIGHT NOW.  Who knew that my generation, and the upcoming generation would have to grow up in a dying world?  It doesn't have to be this way.  We can do something, we can make a difference and all it takes is a little more awareness and a little more compassion for the generous planet we live on.

     Anyone who denies climate change and does not believe it is affected by human activity is lying to themselves.  Wake up!  It's time to get back to basics.  Natural, wholesome living and an emotional connection to our world is what will save us, like it or not.  Unfortunately, people are stubborn, locked into a certain way of life and not willing to change because "someone else will do it" and "I'm going to die anyway".  That is an incredibly selfish way of thinking.  I don't call out people very often because it is a form of aggression I try to keep on the DL.  However, it needs to be addressed.  The impact that 5 or even 10 more people a day could make an amazing difference.

      Please share the video on whatever social media site you are with and donate to their cause.  If you are unable to donate, then please share it with someone who you know will.

Thanks again for reading, Lovelys and have a Fruitastic day <3

Visit www.amazonwatch.org

Losing my Abilities

Morning my lovelys!~
     So, in this post I'm going to be discussing part of what has being happening to me lately.  It is also partly the reason where all I've felt like doing with my life is eating, working out and then crawling right back into bed, in the dark, all  alone.

7 Smoothies for 7 Days

Afternoon Lovelys <3
     In this post I'll give you 7 smoothies that I use for breakfast or lunch through out the week.  They are interchangeable.  Meaning you don't HAVE to have a certain one during a certain time of the day or anything.  These are fun and ultra-tasty smoothies you can make anytime.  I just tend to prefer them in the morning, either before or after I work out for a extra kick of energy.  Also, because they are all fruit/veg. it is good for the morning time to wake up your digestive system in a sweet and gentle way, instead of other normal breakfast fair that either needs to be fried, sauteed in oil or has unnecessary fats and artificial sugars.  Don't shy away from fruit because of the "sugar".  This is the sweet candy of the Earth, put here to sustain us with all the water, vitamins and minerals that we need to live a healthful and vibrant life.  Have you ever noticed how some fruits only grow at certain times of the year?  That's because Mother Nature knows which vitamins are essential during different seasons to ensure that we stay in good health all year round. The natural sugars and carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables are vital to our bodies and the cells that keep everything flowing as it should.  Enjoy the recipes below as many times as you like.  I recommend having a good quality blender or hand blender for these smoothies as you will want them as smooth as possible.  Overly chunky smoothies can be unappetizing, unless you like it that way.

I'm So Sorry

Hello my Lovelys!
     I feel so bad that I haven't posted anything recently, please forgive me.  I've just been so extra busy with trying to find a new game studio job and trying to work on new things for an updated demo reel that I've had no time to really put anything nice together for the blog.  I've been slacking big time and I'm trying my best.  As soon as this storm of stress passes over I'll be back to posting recipes, advice and products that I love (and you should too).  I'll do my best to drop a short post here and there, and you can also keep up with me on Instagram @summerdoll_tessa.

Love you all and thanks for being supportive!  Please comment if there's anything you would like to see from me in the future <3

Allergic to Spaghetti Squash?!

     Just when I thought I'd found the holy grail of pasta alternatives, after going through all types of gluten-free high carb goodness....I've had quinoa, rice, as well as corn pasta, which all do great in replacing the thing that makes me bloat beyond recognition.  My best friend recommended that I try Spaghetti Squash.  I've had vegetable noodles before, which I mostly do raw ( zucchini, cucumber, carrot, steamed-potatoes), but sometimes I just crave a nice warm, comforting pasta dish.  I picked up two large spaghetti squashes in the grocery store three days ago and had an entire one for dinner with a tikka masala (minus the butter ghee) vegetable stew as the topping.  It turned out so yummy and filling and the minerals I was getting from the whole squash sort of had me excited.  I had no reaction.  However, last night was very different somehow.  Not only was the second squash bigger (as big as my head to be honest), I made it with a more traditional pasta sauce, with mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, yellow and red tomatoes with tofu chunks.  Again I ate the whole thing with no problem and even ended up feeling hungry later into the night.  But between that time, a period of severe nausea and dizziness took over about 45 minutes after eating it.  What surprised me about this and worried me, was that I almost never get sick after eating anything, (except animal products) especially any type of vegetable.  We had to pull over the car several times for me to attempt to allow my body to rid itself of this, and I also speculated that it could just have been normal motion sickness.

     After extensive research this morning I found out that there is a possibility of having an allergy to a certain type of squash, especially the winter variety.  Who knew, right?  It was so hard to find information because it's apparently an allergy so rare that barely anyone knows that it really exists.  I think I'll stick to my regular veggie noodles from now on to avoid the discomfort I went through.  It even lasted till breakfast this morning.  Ugh.  Rough start to the day, but it got better.

     It mostly got better because Jeremy took me to Barrie, a city 45 minutes North of us that we'd never been to.  Along with picking up some water filters, we went to Rawlicious for dinner!  I've always wanted to go eat there and they just recently opened one in our town.  So I'm excited for future visits.  Go look them up! even better would be to visit for a dine-in if you can!  The food was so fresh and full of flavour.  All vegan, all raw, all allergen free.  We also went to the lake across the street, and basked in the sun and breeze.  Watching people sail by and having the nature surround us reminded me of why I fell in love with Canada...and why I want to move North now :P.  Don't know how that would work out seeing as there are no game studios in Barrie, but I'll be posting pics!

Goodnight, Lovelys!

ALS Challenge

Hi Lovley's <3
     So I was tagged by a friend of mine to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and I tagged others as well.  Now I'm also tagging all you out there who haven't done it yet! It was refreshing and it's for a great cause, so fill up a bucket, or a pot or anything that can hold a good amount of water.  Fill it with some ice and pour away!  Here's the link below to my video.  I couldn't actually post it here because the video file was too big, so just click the link below and check out footage of me pouring a full pot of ice water on myself! I couldn't find a bucket unfortunately though, so I hope this still counts.

Breakfast and Dinner

Hi Lovelys!

     Tonight I'm going to share with you a couple of recipes that I stick with, especially when my day is busy and I want to make sure I get in enough carbs, energy and nutrients for most of my day.  Something I've also been indulging a lot in lately, are products derived from coconuts.  It's my favourite of all the tree nuts and I utilise it in as many ways as I can find.  Coconut Oil has amazing effects on the skin and hair, and if you must fry something it's the best oil to use for high temperatures and won't give your food or sautees a burned taste.  I have been using coconut oil in my hair for the past few months and the results have been out of this world for me.  Mostly because I naturally have thick, curly hair that gets very dry, very easily and grows quite slowly.  Coconut oil has not only made my hair softer, but with regular use, especially when my hair is damp after washing, my hair is easier to manage, shinier and has even gotten longer.  Coconut oil is also great as a facial moisturiser since it won't clog pores, smells really nice and can help to clear acne.  My favourite brand of coconut oil to use is Nutiva.  It is organic, cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil.

Amazing Pizza and my Leg Routine

Hi There!

     It's so late in the day and I still haven't reached the gym yet, ugh.  Not to worry, I'm making it there this evening for my leg day.  I hear so many people complain about working out heir legs but it's actually my favourite muscle group to work out.  Watching how my calves and quads and minor muscles develop over time give me the sense of such power and boldness that I feel like I could sprint up a mountain and take off flying.  I actually get a small high off of it, strangely enough.  Everyone also has their problem areas and my legs used to be one of mine.  I used to hate them.  I dreaded the idea of wearing shorts and skirts, so I lived in ill-fitting jeans and baggy sweats almost totally year-round.  If I had to wear shorts I pulled them very low on my hips so the hem would hide my upper thighs and give me the illusion of slimmer thighs.  I sat in certain positions and edged my butt to the end of chairs so gravity would pull at my hamstrings, making my legs look thinner from the top...because you know, you never know if you will be talking to someone standing above you while you sit.  That's just a few of the crazy things I would do to give the impression that I was okay.  I wasn't. I was making my life stressful, obsessive and unhappy.  I will admit, however,