Improvements with Aches & Pains

Earlier this year (I can't believe I'm already saying that - it's March!) I was telling you about some aches and pains I was having that seemed to be increasing.  I also told you that I was looking into ways to improve them.  I feel like I have done that (somewhat) successfully.  Of course some days are better than others.  I have to tell you that I haven't been diagnosed with anything and I'm not really self-diagnosing either.  But what I can tell you is that almost everything I was dealing with lined up to fibromyalgia systems.  Steps I have taken to help with my systems have helped a great deal.  After doing research on the subject I found out that many doctors will say that it's true if you have 13 (or 15 - depending on who you talk to) out of 18 pain points.  I can say that I have different levels of pain and/or aches in 16 out of 18 of them.  

So what have I done to make these improvements?  

First and foremost I have upped my B Vitamin intake.  I have also added Spirulina and Chlorella tablets.  I've always LOVED Turmeric so I have increased my intake in that as well!  I have been wearing different bras for the past couple of months.  They are high impact sports bras.  I have changed the way I sleep.  I used to be a side sleeper and have changed to laying on my back.

I have picked up many things from Forks Over Knives, Dr. McDougall, and the Hallelujah Diet.  All of which are plant based.  Each day I have been trying to learn more and more and implement something new.  So far I have seen a HUGE difference.  I will continue to report on things I find to be helpful.

Vegan MoFo ~ Cookbooks!

Okay...this is going to be a pretty crazy post.  Vegan and Raw Vegan Cookbooks are just like better than potato chips...you can't have just one!  Therefore I will be doing a post featuring several of my favorites!  But please keep in mind there are MANY MORE and you can view them on my GoodReads Feed and Profile.  If you are on GoodReads PLEASE add me!  I'm looking for more veg friends on there!!!!  So...here goes!  4 books you may or may not have guessed I adore!  Vive Le Vegan by Dreena Burton I have LOVED since it came out!  It contains one of my most favorite recipes of all time in it which is the Hummus Quinoa Casserole!  Another one I would guard with my life is The Vegan Zombie Cookbook!  I met these guys more than once and they are AWESOME and so are their recipes!  I also like pretty much anything Philip McCluskey comes out with.  The possible 'dark horse' of the bunch may very well be "How We All Went Raw."  It's more like a binder but the recipes and ideas are pretty awesome.  Perfect example of 'don't judge a book by its cover.'

Above I mentioned Dreena Burton.  I pretty much like every book I have seen her come out with - like I stated about Philip McCluskey, too!  A few other Cookbook Gurus I can't get enough of are Matthew Kenney and Ani Phyo.  They are both wonderful!

Other Cookbook Authors I enjoy and wish I had more from include: Zsu Dever, Judita Wignall, Mimi Kirk, Jennifer Cornbleet, Robin Robertson, Terry Hope Romero, Tal Ronnen, and Bryant Terry.  I know there are many more but that is just off the top of my head.  I do have some of the books that some of these people have done but have noticed even more books that they are behind that I either don't have and WANT or haven't gotten my hands on as of yet OR didn't even know existed!

I LOVE how the vegan and raw vegan cookbook world is exploding!

But who could forget some of the best of all time...some of the ones that have really taken the vegan world and mainstream world and media by storm?  Like The China Study, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Engine 2 Diet, and Forks Over Knives and their companion cookbooks!?  I MUST mention them!  And many of other doctors books like Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. John McDougall.

And a WHOLE COLLECTIVE of books from Moosewood...which go back decades!

Now there are more celebrities who are throwing this vegan hat in the ring such as Alicia Silverstone and Mayim Bialik and I admire what they are both doing quite a bit!

There are just too many vegan cookbooks and so little time.  Tell me which ones you like, want, or wonder about!

Repost ~ Barre Bars, Couscous, Forks Over Knives Cookbook, Sacha Vida's Chocolate Covered Sacha Inchi Seeds, & Coconut Secret's Coconut Nectar

Today I am going to post about a few things I have been gnawing on, consuming, reading, and testing.  I'll be blogging about things that have exited my kitchen as of late and things that I have been revisiting or have been using more and more of lately.  (NOTE: I'm reporting this due to some wonky coding that was messing up my blog last week) Starting things off is this Snack Bar from Barre.  It's the last one I had on hand from them and I will say I enjoy each one that I tried!  They are very yummy, filling, and made with REAL ingredients!  I know you aren't supposed to play with your food...but I do!  I enjoyed picking it apart to see all of the ingredients inside.  This is Barre's Black Swan Chocolate Berry Flavor.  The texture is between a protein bar and what I remember a Devils Food Cake being like, texture-wise.  The Berry is juicy and sweet!  The Cake-E part is full of Chocolate-Goodness!  It's chewy but plump and the Cake part is fairly moist.  It's almost like Trail Mix in the form of a bar!  I have to say it's very satisfying and filling yet light.  Sweet Tooth - CHECK, Protein - CHECK!  Another winner from Barre!

It's been a long time since I have made Couscous from a box...I have been making my own flavors via the bulk Couscous I have bought.  But there was a great sale on these a while back and I bought all of the vegan flavors they had.  I do really like them when I have had them.  I had this for dinner last night.  I had a bit leftover that I will probably eat tonight as a side.  Another thing that I ate this week that turned out great was a Stir Fry that I forgot to snap a photo of.  It was Basic White Jasmine Rice with Mixed Veggies such as Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Green Beans, and Peas.  I also added some of my Wildtree Teriyaki Sauce to it, too!  I like this sauce because it is lower in sodium than other Teriyaki Sauces I have seen.

I've renewed this book TWICE already and owe some late fees on it.  I should just purchase it online and I just might do that down the road.  As you may know I am a fan of the documentary and have watched it a few times...might have to watch it again, too!  This is the companion Cookbook.  It's great!

I may not follow the recipe completely but it gives me a bunch of wonderful ideas about flavor combo's!

I have noticed that a lot of the recipes I've seen in here so far call of Brown Rice Vinegar...I know I am out of this in my pantry at home...might have to purchase some more at some point.

Sacha Vida's Organic Chocolate Covered Sacha Inchi Seeds.  While visiting their website today I see they they are currently sold out of these.  BUMMER. These little seeds pack a powerful PUNCH!  And they have quite the history!  They're a healing plant native to the Peruvian Amazon that produces star-shaped green fruits which yield edible seeds. It has been cultivated by indigenous people for centuries, and will grow in warm climates up to altitudes of 5,500 feet. The cultivated seeds are extracted locally in the Amazon. Natives living in the Peruvian Amazon have consumed the leaves of the plant, the seeds, and their oil for hundreds of years. Sacha Inchi has been traditionally used to spur the growth of young children and keep senior tribe members in robust health. The plant was originally cultivated by the Incas and can be found depicted on pottery found buried in Inca and pre-Inca tombs.  This Super Food IS a SUPER Food!  It boosts brain activity, is heart healthy, high in omega 3, 6, and 9, and has 5 grams of protein in just 1 ounce!  They also contain a good amount of fiber for a little seed!  I have been snacking on these but I am tempted to grind some of them up and/or include them in some smoothies soon!

And then there is this Coconut Nectar!  You may have noticed it in some of my recipe posts as of late!  I love this the more I use it!  It's super sweet but good for you - it's vegan and it's raw, too!  But how?

When the coconut tree is tapped, it produces a naturally sweet, nutrient-rich sap that exudes from the coconut blossoms. This sap is very low glycemic and contains 17 amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins, and has a nearly neutral pH.

This natural sap is minimally evaporated at low temperatures (only to remove excess moisture and allow sap to thicken), never exceeding an average summer day in the tropics. Some agave syrups are hydrolyzed at temps up to 140 degrees F. for 36 hours, the end product containing 90% fructose, compared to sap nectar which is only 0.5% glucose, 1.5% fructose, 16% sucrose, and 82% inulin.

Recipe Tips:
The naturally sweet, mild flavor of our Nectar is an ideal sweetener for use on pancakes, over cereal, in tea, smoothies, and all your favorite dessert recipes!

Ingredients:
Coconut Sap grown without chemicals, pesticides or herbicides. (USDA Certified Organic)

Just some FUN finds and products I've been into lately!  Have you tried them yet!?  What are some of your new faves?

Riley Update, Viana Vegan Spread, Forks Over Knives - Extended Interviews, & Insights

I want to thank everyone for the comments and emails yesterday after I posted about Riley.  All of the positive vibes, prayers, and thoughts were much appreciated!  I'm happy to report that Riley is doing quite well!  He ended up having Oral Surgery.  When I took him in - they were unable to really 'see' what was going on under his tongue/on his teeth.  Riley is a Scared-E-Cat!  He won't let me do his nails, brush his teeth, or even BRUSH him without him throwing a fit!  So it was 'by chance' when he yawned the other night that I even SAW the 'grey spot' to begin with!  I'm glad I did, tho!  When I called the vet about it I told them I felt so bad that I had 'missed it' up until now.  They told me that they 'missed it, too' because he was in for a full physical about two months ago.  They said that it was in a really weird spot, too, and no one would have really seen it! What was "it" you might ask?  Well....eeeeek!  You won't believe it!  I sure didn't!  It was a combo of hair and plaque!  Yes...HAIR got in between his teeth and layer that with plaque and it kept building up!  OMG!  I couldn't believe it and never have heard of that before!  They removed all of it along with the two teeth underneath!  I still feel awful but they did take care of it and he's doing well!  THANK GOD!!!!  Thank God it wasn't something worse or life threatening!  In the meantime, Suzie, didn't do very well at all with her brother 'missing' yesterday.  She was certainly in 'rare form'.  Now that everyone is home where they belong the "Blissful Household" is getting back into it's "Blissful Swing of Things".  Riley is re-cooping nicely and just about back to normal after yesterday's ordeal!  He's on Antibiotics and we do have pain pills if needed.

 In other news - since the last few days have been so nuts I decided to 'skip' this week of world foods and get back on track next week BUT will still be posting about the foods I do consume, regardless!  Last night I did a quick Veggie Burger - of course it was my most FAVORITE Veggie Burger - the Artichoke and Cashew ones I have talked about several times before...they are from Five Star Foods!

For a snack I had a few of these Orgran Corn Crisps with Viana Red Pepper Sunflower Veggie Spread and topped it with sprouts and Cherry Tomatoes!  They were AWESOME.  I have to say this is one of my NEW FAVORITE PRODUCTS!  It's so tasty, so creamy, so filling, it's great!  The flavor of the spread reminds me of Erie's Whole Foods Co-Op Deli Cashew Cheese!  No matter how hard I try I can't duplicate it!  But it also reminds me of the flavor of Garlic Bread dipped in Marinara!  It's FABULOUS!  I can't get enough of it and I will be ordering it again!  I also bought the Wild Herb one...I haven't tried it yet but if it's ANYTHING like the Red Pepper one I know I will LOVE IT!  I purchased them BOTH on VeganEssentials Website!  I have so many reviews, products, and tidbits to share with you I am getting behind so I have been considering pumping up to at least two blog posts per day!  At least that is my hope for a while!

MONTHS ago I (finally) watched the Forks Over Knives Documentary and I would recommend it to ANYONE and EVERYONE!  Last night I finally watched the Extended Interviews part which is above and beyond the documentary itself.  This is a photo that I took from my iPhone off my TV - not bad, eh?  It's a photo of T. Colin Campbell.  I have linked the wiki page if you are interested in reading more about him and his career - but in short - he is one of the brains behind Forks Over Knives as well as The China Study and many more enlightening projects!  He is an amazingly fascinating man who is compassionate and very knowledgeable!  Other people who are amazing to read up on and follow while talking about Forks Over Knives are Caldwell Esselstyn, Neal Barnard, and John McDougall - among others!  ALL Doctors and Professionals in their fields!  And people I have researched time and time again!  For those of you who have Netflix - you can watch BOTH the documentary AND the Extended Interviews for free with your subscription.  I believe there are like-documentaries on Hulu Plus as well!  They are definitely worth the watch!  They WILL BE and ARE an eye opener for everyone regardless of diet/food preferences!

That's my first installment for today!   Let me know if you have heard about "Hair in Teeth" in dogs, if you have tried any of the products I mentioned above, or if you have seen Forks Over Knives and your take on it.  And if you haven't - but know these health leaders - I would love to hear what positive things you have to say about them, their findings, and their teachings and/or lifestyles and how it's helped you!