Transition Tip 7—Use Coconut Milk instead of Cream

One way that dairy gets into the diet is through the morning cup of coffee.   I have used different milk substitutes in my coffee such as soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk.  None of these milk substitutes gave me the same satisfying taste as half and half until I tried coconut milk. 

I’m not talking about the coconut milk that comes in a can.  The canned coconut milk is generally used to make curries.  Personally, I’ve never really liked the canned coconut milk, so I never tried it before I went to the City (San Francisco) for my birthday. 

I went to Café Gratitude a vegan restaurant in San Francisco.  I ordered a cup of coffee, and it came with a little container of coconut milk.  I poured the coconut milk into the coffee and instantly I knew the combination was going to be delicious.  The coconut milk swirled in the coffee with the effect of the most gorgeous caramel color.   I lifted the cup of coffee to my mouth.  I could smell the deep riches of the roasted coffee and the succulent fat of the coconut milk.  I pursed my lips and let the sweet, caramel colored liquid slide into my mouth.  It was yummy!  

Ever since then, I switched to coconut milk in the carton.  Give it a try instead of half-n-half in your coffee or instead of milk with your cereal.   You can use it to bake with or to make ice cream with.   

Weekly Eating Vegan Update--One

How do you feel?  How does your body feel since adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet?

I am beginning to feel electric.  Remember, I am eating a high raw vegan diet.  That means, I am not cooking most of my food.  I am also incorporating more exercise into my life. 

Thank you for subscribing to my update. 

Friday--June 15, 2012:

I was not very successful at either of the tasks on this day.  I cleaned the refrigerator, and shopped for whole fruits and vegetables.  I drank Australian wine, which made me crave rice.  So, I made teriyaki veggie dogs with mushroom fried rice.  It was delicious. 

I did not exercise.

Saturday--June 16, 2012:

Raw all day!  I woke up with a slight hang-over from the wine, but I was up at 7am.  I wanted to eat something cooked, but I did not.  I did drink coffee with coconut milk.  The rest of the day, I ate watermelon (also drank watermelon juice), bananas, and romaine lettuce boats (see vlog for recipe).

I did not want to exercise, but I made it to the gym for zumba.  I felt blocked energy releasing from different parts of my body as I danced.  Later, I did some yoga.   

I soaked some sunflower seeds; I might make a pate.  Remember to always soak your nuts and seeds before consuming them. 

Sunday--June 17, 2012:

Up at the crack of dawn, I feel great.  Went to my computer and wrote a transitional tip for my blog.  I drank coffee with coconut milk and had cantaloupe & pineapple for breakfast.  I’ve been thinking of ways to get the coffee out of my life.  For now, it is okay.

Went for a walk, and it was awesome.  I love being outside listening to the birds and smelling the fresh air.  It is also a time when I can be alone with my thoughts.  The treadmill is not the same as being outside.

I created raw cucumber sandwiches for dinner.  I used a mandolin and thinly sliced some cucumber lengthwise.  I place the cucumber strips on romaine lettuce leaves.  I added avocado and an heirloom tomato & parsley relish (recipe to come).  It was delicious!

For my fat craving, I ate some of those soaked sunflower seeds with raisins.  All I can say is “satisfying mouth feel.”

Monday--June 18, 2012:

I got up at 5:30am this morning and went immediately for a walk.  I felt energized, so I started writing my weekly update for the blog, which you are probably reading right now.  Yes, this is to you.

I got some guarana to help with the coffee.  I know it is a stimulant, but it somehow I have rationalized that it is not as bad for me as coffee.  I should be able to get up and go without any stimulant.  It is a practice; there is not perfection.    

I soaked some cashews because I will make kale chips (raw, dehydrated kale leaves coated with a cashew sauce).  Kale chips help with the potato chip craving. 

Tuesday--June 19, 2012:

Going to exercise was hard this day.  I dragged my ass out of bed and got to the gym.  I was dreading it because I thought the class at 9am was Ripped.  The schedule changed to my surprise and the class was PIloxing, which is a combination of Pilates and boxing.  It was so much fun.

I took a guarana capsule.  It worked. 

Raw all day, I used the soaked nuts to create a cucumber fettuccini.  Just cutting the cucumber in a different shape can actually change the taste.     

The electricity was still there buzzing around in my body.

Wednesday--June 20, 2012:

Started the day with watermelon and a strawberry & banana smoothie, it was good.  Walked and did yoga.  My body aches from all the exercise or the previous lack of exercise.  The good thing is that my lower back is better, and the pain in my buttocks has lessen. 

Anxiety is starting to get the best of me.  I am worried about the nuts & bolts of life, but there is nothing I can do.  I can only control myself.  All I can do is breath and let the energy swirl around.  I put my intention into the universe; I’ve said it; I’ve written; I’ve taken action towards it.  Now, it is just allowing it to come. 

I thought, “What can I do different to change this life?”  It dawned on me that I say, “no.”  The new thing I will try is to say, “yes.”  I know, this mental shift is a slight result of Jim Carrey’s movie, but I saw that film years ago. 

Most of my time, I spend defending myself or pushing people away—that is the “no” part.  I wish I could just relax and let life happen—that is the “yes” part.      

So, I can choose to attach to thoughts or not to attach.  The mental reprogramming is a toughy to do alone that is why it is so important to journal, message board, comment, or reach out to others who may be in the same space you are.    

Thursday--June 21, 2012:

A major thing I notice this week is that I woke up with the sun.  Each morning I was up between 6-6:30am.  I have more energy. 

Added an apple to my green smoothie this morning—good fiber.  I was so full after I drank it.  For exercise, I barely walked, and no yoga.  I just wanted to sit in the chair and watch tv.  I’ve got to get out of the house.  I craved salt.  I gave into temptation and ate potato chips. Do I feel guilty?  Yes and No.

Anyway this is the  Video of the Week.  It has some recipes you can use to incorporate more fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet.  For all of you who are in transition to eating vegan or for those who just want to add more fresh whole foods into your diet, the cucumber fettuccini and the raw lasagna can both be side dishes for a meat meal.    

Message me or post a comment and let me know how your transition to eating vegan is going.  I want to know about your journey—the ups and downs.   Remember I am here to support you as well as get support from you.  I write this blog because I care about each of you.  You guys help me eat vegan and stay on the path of peace. 

Much Love,
Nicole

Transition Tip 6--Soak Your Nuts

  First, I recommend that you eat raw nuts if you do eat them.  Cooking the nuts speeds up the nuts’ deterioration process, and they go rancid.  Hey, I’ve eaten roasted or toasted nuts just like everybody else; I have always had a weakness for peanuts, which technically is not a nut; it is a legume.   I noticed that when I ate peanuts my tummy got bloated.

You want to soak your raw nuts because nuts have a toxic coating on them that causes us to become constipated or have tummy troubles when eat them raw. 

The other day I soaked some cashews a little longer than I normally soak them.  Normally, I soak cashews for 24 hours.  I soaked them longer (almost a day and a half).  When I went to drain and rinse them, I noticed that the liquid had gelled.  The cashews released some sort of product which caused the water to gel.  I was actually shocked.  I thought, “Oooh, all this time I’ve been consuming this gel because I did not let the cashews soak long enough.  That is probably the reason I get an upset stomach after I eat nuts.”  I made sure to rinse those cashews really well until all the gel was gone.  I made creamy Cashew & Yellow Bell Pepper dressing for my salad last night, and I feel great today.  I’m not constipated and my tummy does not hurt. 

Check out the recipe for the Cashew & Yellow Bell Pepper Dressing.  Let me know how the recipe turned out for you and what you tried it with.  Message me or leave a comment. 

Cashew & Yellow Bell Pepper Dressing
¼ cup of soaked raw cashews
1 clove of garlic
1 yellow bell pepper
1 pinch of dulse
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
1 lime
¼ cup of water

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. 

Transition Tip 5--Get Support

Making a lifestyle change can be difficult.  This is especially true when transitioning to eating vegan because we live in a world where the consumption of meat is the norm.  In society today, it is strange to not consume animals at least chicken and fish.  But, this perspective is becoming rare as more and more people shift to a plant based diet. 

To help transition to eating vegan, I recommend that you get support.  Find those people in your life to cheer you on and give you positive energy.  Sometimes those people are hard to find in our day to day life.  For me, that person is my mother.  She tried my recipes, drank the juices, listened to my vegan rants, and all the while she supported my lifestyle change. 

Maybe your partner or family member does not want to make the transition to eating vegan with you, or maybe your family and friends are not supportive.  They may try to sabotage you.  Stay focused and have a well-stocked pantry, so you can always make something vegan to eat.    

Although, this lifestyle is more prevalent in society, it is difficult for vegans to find each other.  So how do you get support if you cannot find them in your day to day life?  The answer to that question is to: read books about eating vegan; subscribe to vegan magazines; find vegan websites where you can find recipes and message boards; join a vegan society/meet-up or start one in your town; go on the youtube and watch videos  promoting the vegan lifestyle; reach out to the universe, and the universe will provide the support you need. 

Message me or post a comment, and let me know how your transition is going.  I'd like to hear how yo uare doing.  Take care of yourself.  And remember eating vegan is a practice; there is not perfection.          

Have a Raw cucumber Sandwich!

Transition Tip 4—Cut up your Fruit

I start my day with fruit.  It gives my body energy to get through the day.  I feel light and alive when I have fruit for breakfast.  Fruit is also a great alternative to bacon & eggs, or yogurt, or some type of animal product. 

When I first started the vegan diet, I thought it was a hassle to eat fruit because I had to peel it or get it ready to eat.  But through experience, I have found quite the opposite.  To prepare bacon, it is necessary to process the body parts of a pig.  Take the process pig parts and cure it.  When the pig parts are cured, they become bacon.  The bacon is separated and each hunk of bacon is sliced into pieces, the pieces are placed in a plastic wrapping labeled with safe meat handling instructions.  The bacon is now shipped across the country to be placed in your grocer’s refrigerated section.  You stroll by your grocer’s refrigerated section pushing your cart, and you stop.  You pick up this package of bacon, place it in your cart, and stroll off.  I will not go into detail about the process of how your grocer acquires the eggs that you purchase for the morning breakfast of bacon & eggs, but just know that it is involved. 

 Think about this comparison between bacon & eggs and pineapple & cantaloupe.  All you need to prepare pineapple & cantaloupe is a knife.  You cut it; you eat it.  With bacon & eggs, you have use pans, fats, spatulas, heat, maybe a bowl depending on how you want your eggs; it is involved.

When you think about, it is easier to prepare fruit for breakfast.  This also sets you up for successfully eating vegan because you have food there on the table ready to be popped in your mouth.    

The Benefits of Pineapple & Cantaloupe:

Pineapple is great for inflammation.  It contains bromelain (enzymes), which my help to reduce inflammation.  Bromelain is great for digestions.  Studies show that pineapple is an immune boaster, and is great for arthritis, asthma, PMS, sore throat.

Cantaloupe has a mega amount of beta-carotene and vitamin C, which is great for vision problems.  As you know, I have glaucoma.  The potassium in cantaloupe may help lower the blood pressure.   

Transition Tip 1: Swap Veggie Burger for Hamburger

Transitional Tip 1 is to swap a veggie burger/patty for a hamburger.  You could look at it from the “Whole Kale” position, which is from this day forth, only eat a veggie burger.  The opposite approach of the “Whole Kale” is “Chicken Salad,” which can be defined as slowly adding fruits and vegetables to your diet while still eating small amounts of meat, or one step at a time.  Whichever way you look at eating vegan, you should keep in mind the goal of a plant based diet.  You can jump in with both feet or just get your toes wet; the choice is yours.  Both approaches will help improve your health just as eating a vegan diet has improved my health. 

You can get a vegan patty, and bake or sauté it on the stove top to create your own burger.  The patties come in many different flavors and brands.  I prefer the vegan grillers when I do eat a veggie patty.  When I first started this lifestyle, I ate them all the time.  They helped me transition.  Now, I think of veggie patties as a junk food.  The longer you practice the vegan diet the more your body will crave fresh fruits and vegetables.   You will find that your taste buds will change; you'll recognize the subtleties of flavor.  For instance, I can tell the difference between fresh and frozen corn (or any other plant food).  Fresh corn is crisp, juicy, and sweet; you could eat it cooked or raw.  Frozen corn taste like waterlogged mush with a sligt sweet baby food senation.  I can only eat frozen corn if I were straned in the Alaskan Wilderness, and frozen corn is the only thing between me and starvation.  Then, I would get down on some frozen corn. 

You can also make other dishes out of veggie patties that can help you better transition to a vegan lifestyle.  One such dish is Meatless Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy.  Check me out on Youtube making this delicious dish by clicking on the title or the photo.  It is easy to do, and it is cheap to make.  The more you practice the vegan lifestyle the less you will want to consume prepackaged products.  These products do help ease the transition from meat to meatless.  Just one step at a time on the journey to eating vegan.

The Whole Kale



Kale Chip with cashew cheez.  Yummy!

I know that it may appear difficult eat vegan, but only if you look at it from a “Whole Hog” or the “Whole Kale” point of view.  Veganism is a practice.  Each day a person must consciously choose to eat a plant based diet, which may include as much fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, and grains that she wants to consume.  Let go of the "difficult" thought.  There is a new way to see your transition to a vegan diet, which is to think about all of the foods that you can consume, and to think about the bounty the earth provides for her creatures (yes, you are a creature of the earth) .  Put yourself in the space of gratitude and abundance rather than the space of lack and missing. In other words, think about the good stuff you can eat!

New Path for Eating Vegan

Emails fill my inbox, and the same question or subject keeps coming up.  The subject is Transitioning Tips to Eating Vegan. At this time in space, everyone seems to want to know how they can incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into their diets and how to consume less animal products. Because of all the emails I received requesting Transitioning Tips to Eating Vegan, it has been decide by you the reader the path this blog will take for the next few months. 

I know that eating vegan can seem daunting at first because everywhere we look there are advertisements for Steak & Lobsters, Double Pattie with Extra Cheese 100% Angus Beef Burgers, or Carne Asada Tacos, or some type of food that contains meat.  In the current society we live in, it is impossible to escape the meat culture.  It seems strange to many of us to have a meatless meal.  Popular media tells us that we may suffer from a lack of protein and become weak and die!  Okay, now that previous sentence is an exaggeration, but you get my point.  Somewhere in our consciousness we are programmed to believe that we need to eat meat to survive.  The key word that I am hitting on is “programmed.”  If one can be “programmed” to eat meat, one can be “programmed” not to eat meat.  What if we take control and decide to consciously eat.  Consciously eating means to be aware, pay attention to the foods that we put in our mouths and how these foods make us feel.