peanut ginger quinoa salad :)

Ginger Peanut Quinoa Salad.

                Today I would love to share this awesome vegan salad with you, my very first vegan food post! It’s absolutely delicious and turned out wayyyy better than I thought it would. I feel so fortunate to be able to walk into my backyard in my skimpy little summer clothes and be able to pick some fresh cucumbers and carrots from my mom’s beautiful gardens. I just realized how much I’m going to miss all this fresh organic produce when I move out. L I know I should spend more time helping my mother weed and tend the vegetables but you know how it is, you get so caught up in your own affairs you forget to partake in such activities. Anywaysssssss………. I made enough of this salad for my mother so I hope she takes it as a sign that I truly appreciate all that she does and that I love using the fresh vegetables to nourish my mind and soul.

I would recommend making some quinoa the night before you make this salad and chill it in the fridge. To make quinoa simply combine half a cup of dry quinoa with a cup of water and cook it like you would rice. Also, if you you’re not a fan of ginger, by all means use less, I simply adore it. I ate this on the porch with a nice glass of lemonade and loved every bite. Enjoy!!

Ginger Peanut Quinoa Salad.

1 cup cooked, chilled quinoa

1 small cucumber, chopped into bite size pieces

1 small carrot, grated

1/3 onion, diced.

3 leaves of basil, sliced thin

*optional additions

½ avocado

1/3 cabbage, chopped thin

1 tbsp. roasted cashews

DRESSING:

1 tsp. organic peanut butter

Sprinkle of salt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. sesame oil

Just a little bit of soy sauce if you so desire

2 tbsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Mix the dressing and simply pour over the quinoa and vegetable and stir. I prefer it chilled but you can also eat this hot if you would like.

Veganism and Dreads!

Veganism and dreads!!

                Hello everyone J it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything and yet I’ve had so much to write about! First things first… I now have dreadlocks! I’ve always wanted them and so about a week ago I finally got the guts to go ahead and get them. My darling friend came over and worked diligently on my hair for about 9 hours. Sometimes it hurt but it was so worth it. We had a lot of fun just goofing off, listening to music, and talking each other’s ears off. I’m so happy with the results and even though I know the deadlocking process will be long and sometimes frustrating, I can honestly say I’m prepared and willing to learn. I believe this journey will truly teach me patience and self-acceptance. The first question people have been asking is, “whyyyy in the world would you do that to your hair????” and my answer is always the same. By having dreadlocks I’m rejecting the conventional idea that girls of this time and age need long, straight, processed hair in order to look beautiful. Girls now days do more and more to try to fit in and make themselves look good, yet they feel worse about themselves and begin to think they can never compete with the prettier girls. I, on the other hand, obviously don’t care what people think concerning my appearance and I think I’m setting a good example by loving myself completely and accepting my natural self. After all, before brushes and shampoos designed to detangle hair, we ALL had dreadlocks, and anyone who disagrees with that is just being stubborn. In fact I would go as far to say that I believe Jesus may have had dreadlocks, and that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Dreadlocks do NOT need to be dirty and gross; it’s simply a common misconception that you can’t wash dreadlocks or make them look good. Anyways I’m extremely pleased with how mine look and I can’t wait to see how they look in the upcoming weeks.

                Another huge change I’ve made in my life is converting to veganism. I have been a vegetarian for almost two years but I never really gave much thought to being a vegan, I guess I just didn’t think it was a big deal. That all changed once I watched the documentary “Earthlings”………… words cannot describe how this movie affected me and it’s amazing to think about how great it would be if everyone watched it! We would all be vegans I swear. It contained so much graphic footage I nearly threw up and I cried for two hours straight until there were literally piles of salt resting on my cheeks. They explained how animals are killed and abused in order for us stupid consumers to be able to buy leather, meat, and how animals are treated in circuses and medical labs. If you ever thought you knew all there was to know about animal treatment, I urge you to watch this documentary. You will definitely learn things you never even wanted to know. Knowledge is power and even though I am now scarred with these horrifying images, I feel so much more in control of my life and my diet and I have given up all animal products. Surprisingly, if you put your mind to something, everything else falls into place. I’ve been making some AMAZING vegan meals and finding awesome vegan blogs online. Luckily its summer and my mother’s garden is absolutely stunning and overflowing with delicious cucumbers, zucchini and beans. My mood has lifted, my heart is lighter, and I have never felt better. Look forward to some great recipes in the near future!

Here are some pictures of my dreads, aren’t they amazing? J

My rant against the NRA, gun violence, and guns in general.

My rant about the NRA, gun violence, and guns in general.

*warning: this might get prettyyyy radical. Read at your own discretion.

               

                First of all, you need to know one thing. Actually no, make that two things. I love Rolling Stone magazine, and I hate guns and ignorant people.

                That being said, Rolling Stone has just recently come out with some mind-blowing, brutally honest, and completely amazing articles pertaining to our nation’s current crisis concerning gun violence. One article that I just read, titled “The Gun Industry’s Deadly Addiction” was one of the best written articles I’ve ever read in my entire life. It was all about how gun industries are trying make money and continue to maintain a steady supply of buyers. That old generation of old white southern gun buyers is basically dying out and suddenly gun makers and sellers are faced with a serious problem, who to sell to. What’s so incredibly thick and ignorant of them is that their solution to that exact problem is to target young children and criminals. Let’s face it; those modern video games that all the kids and teens are playing nowadays are extremely violent, graphic, and overall disgusting. A while ago I stepped into my brother’s room and was HORRIFIED at the images that were pouring out of my brothers TV screen. Bloody Nazi zombies. My brother was fixated on the game and telling me about every single type of gun that could be used to kill the zombies, names and all…… after I left his room I didn’t give the whole situation much thought till recently I overheard a conversation between him and my father. It turns out my bro had asked my dad for a couple of air soft guns for his birthday. When asked what he thought about the general safety of his request, he replied, “Its ok, my friends and I will be wearing safety glasses.”

                Safety glasses or no glasses, nothing compares to the damage that has been caused to his growing mind and imagination. The thought of holding a gun and shooting it gets his blood flowing. He, and thousands and thousands of other boys have had their innocence corrupted by the idea of power and killing. No longer are we talking about conventional deer and turkey shotguns that was were used long ago, we’re talking modern, military-like weaponry used to kill mass amounts of people quickly and efficiently.  This is the image that the gun industry has been forcing into the minds of our young generation.

                It’s absolutely mind boggling that a grown adult can see these video games, learn about what happened in that recent elementary school killing, hear about what happened at the batman movie premier, watch a few episodes of Dooms Day Peppers, and STILL say that there shouldn’t be background checks on those buying guns or that lethal weapons such as AR-15’s should continue to be sold. What also gets me are those people who automatically bring up the 2^nd amendment, right to bear arms. If you defend that amendment, you might as well write up a 2^nd ½ amendment, right to kill and destroy, because that’s EXACTLY what’s happening right now. Hundreds of criminals are getting their hands on these deadly guns and weapons and killing people. Meanwhile the hard headed politicians and governmental officials are getting all riled up because Obama wants to set some protection regulations on the selling of these same instruments of destruction. You have GOT to be kidding me. How daft can you get?

                There is a light at the end of the tunnel however. There may in fact be a victory to be won for us peace loving and anti-violence people. It turns out that a few major cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles have committed to withdrawing investments from gun makers who profit from assault weapons and high capacity magazines. This could have a huge impact if more cities get in on this. Also, the mayor of Chicago has called out to the CEOs of the Bank of America to use their financial leverage against big gun industry’s to demand a ban on assault rifles and promote universal background checks. I just hope the CEOs aren’t as scared as the Supreme Court is of the NRA. We all know the government is being controlled and intimidated into opposing anti-gun laws. They choose not to pass laws protecting us against gun violence because the NRA tells them “if you pass any laws against us, we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure you don’t get reelected into office.”  The fact that the Supreme Court can’t stand up for themselves and for the good of all people is a HUGE blow to their karma. We’ll see what happens to them all in the end.

 

Ok so that’s the end of my rant. Oh and by the way, my dad told my brother NO WAY is he getting any guns for his birthday. We’re a pretty liberal, peaceful, anti-violence kind of family but you know kids, sometimes they get led astray. My dad had a really long conversation with my bro about the dangers of guns and pretty much what I just wrote in this post… in a more condensed, understandable way haha. Listen I’m sorry if I sound like such a raving lunatic, I just feel passionately about making my opinion known. And yeah definitely get a subscription of Rolling Stone if you haven’t already. Best magazine ever.

Breaking through your restraints and confinements.

Breaking through your restraints and confinements.

                You know, I was standing in the kitchen earlier with my sister and we were just having a good ol’ time eating green grapes. Suddenly, I took a grape and I threw it at her. After the initial shock of the moment, she looked at me and said, “Why in the world did you do that?” My answer was simple yet straight to the point. I did it because I wanted to prove to myself that I could.

                We all, meaning us humans, sort of just walk around and begin to feel as though we follow an invisible set of rules. It’s an invisible, silent set of regulations that keep us from doing the outlandish sort of actions that may be seen as random or absurd. If you don’t agree with me then call me crazy but it’s almost as if many people wouldn’t have thrown that grape at their sister just because there was no real need to. However, what I’m trying to say is that you don’t NEED to be a point to do anything in this life! Who’s to tell us what to do or what to say? Why do we need amendments telling us we have a freedom of speech? Did the cave men have amendments to such rights? No, not at all.  I’m not an except at cavemen-isms and maybe that wasn’t a good example but you get the gist of it. I read about the few people that really have done something with their lives and it didn’t have to be for a cause or to reach a goal. They did it because they could. Whatever it is we want to do is completely possible but we follow those invisible rules telling us not to do it. Here’s another example.  A middle aged man is just coming home from his nine to five job and sits down to have some dinner. He has a flash back to when he was younger and had a dream to travel the world. He laughs to himself thinking, “Ahh those were the good times, when anything was possible.”…………..dude, go travel the world. Quit your job, pack your bags and get out of the freaking house. GO LIVE YOUR LIFE! Break the invisible rules! Break your constraints! Rules were made to be broken and challenged. Regrets are heavier than the largest anchor.

Alright that was my rant for the day, if you have anything to say comment below, you may regret it if you don’t :p

-Gloria

Reason I dont like the Victorian era.

Reasons I truly cannot stand the Victorian era:

It’s amazing how much we think we know about a certain event or time period versus how much we actually DO know. People would be quite surprised to find out what a troubled and violent time the Victorian era was. Behind all the fancy dresses, balls and social manners, the Victorian age actually can be considered one of the scariest times to be born in, at least, if you’re a woman. During a time when domestic violence and rape was socially acceptable and even encouraged, you might have been lucky just to make it to one of those fancy balls alive.

First of all, women had no rights. Not just the right to vote or have any say so in daily affairs, you were also striped of all rights concerning money, property, and even your own children. Once you got married, which was usually at a young age such as 18, all your belongings and property went straight to your husband. In the face of the law, you were no better than a common criminal or child. Divorces and law suits were absolutely out of the question.  You were raised to be completely obedient and giving. Your main purpose in life was to satisfy your husband and do everything he asked, even if that meant surrendering your own body.

No other place was scarier for a young woman during the Victorian age then the bedroom. On a girls wedding night, the husband had every right to abuse and rape their new wife. One report stated that an 18 year old had been locked in a closet during her honeymoon because she had refused to yield to her husband’s harsh and cruel demands. When doctors found out that a woman’s sexual pleasure didn’t affect her ability to conceive, they encouraged men to engage in intercourse frequently and brutally.  Not having any education on sexual matters, young girls were completely unprepared and frightened. They grew up to hate and fear their sexual relationship.

Besides the sexual abuse that women suffered, they also had to deal with physical abuse such as whippings and punches. It was not illegal for a man to beat his wife, as long as the stick was not wider than the man’s thumb. Beatings were very frequent and were regarded by society as a way for a man to control his wife, who was always viewed as insuperior and irresponsible. If the woman spoke out of turn, it was common for the man to beat her down or threaten to send away, never to see her children ever again. Such threats were the very reason woman stayed submissive and quite.

You can watch as many gold trimmed movies as you want about the so called royal and noble Victorian age, but I will always think back on the savage and unmoral way woman were treated. I thank the heavens I was not born during that time.

*yes, this was an extremely random post but I just watched “the duchess” and I felt a sudden urge to pour out all my feeling about the Victorian era LOL! Thanks for reading, comment below if you want to contradict me or agree with me, either one is ok with me.

-Gloria

Baked apple and banana oatmeal

Healthy apple banana oatmeal; a filling, nutritious breakfast.

 

                Guys, I’ve made a break through… this oatmeal is completely healthy, super yummy, and did I mention it was healthy? People now days fill up on empty carbs like donuts and white flour bagels for breakfast but I say NO! I’ve made it a priority of mine to eat in a way that is good for my body inside and out. I’m in the process of learning ways to sweeten my foods naturally and I’m telling you, I’m beginning to see why god put bananas on this great green earth. A slightly overripe banana will pass up sugar any day. As for syrup? Forgetttt about it. I’m sooooo done with that store bought, sugar filled, and chemical laden poison. (Real maple syrup is a different story; however I haven’t exactly found any in my area yet.)

 The apples add a nice, apple pie flavor when mixed correctly with classic spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. This has totally become my fav breakfast ever. Try hang get your hands on some organic whole oats and make sure your bananas are a little brownish; I promise you it’s not rotten or uneatable.  To bake your apples just stab them with a knife a couple of times and bake them in a shallow dish at 400 degrees for about half an hour. That’s for a pretty big apple though so just use common sense when adjusting the heat or whatever. For those of you that are wondering why I didn’t just add freshly chopped apple into my oatmeal then know this, I think baked apples are a whole lot sweeter and softer. I cannot stand crunchy apple in my oatmeal, instead I like it very soft and pie-like, know what I mean?

 

Appley banana oatmeal!! 2 cheers for a healthy start to a great day!!

 

1.       1/4 baked apple

2.       1 cup organic oats

3.       2 cups full fat milk or skim milk if you so desire, I personally think natural whole milk is healthier than any watered down version.

4.       ½ tsp. cinnamon

5.       1/8 tsp. nutmeg

6.       1/8 tsp. salt

7.       ¼ mashed banana

*optional: nuts, prunes, butter, hemp hearts, or flax.

 

Directions:

1.       Start to cook the oatmeal by combining the oats and the milk in a little pot over medium high heat.

2.       When it looks like it’s almost done add the apple.

3.       Add the salt and spices. At this point you can tell if it’s done or not, the whole process is about 7 mins for me, though some stoves are quicker or slower. It really all depends.

4.       Pour into a bowl and top with the mashed banana. At this point you can add whatever else you would like such as walnuts, sunflower seeds, chopped prunes, or a tad bit of organic honey.

 

Well that’s all I have for you today, I hope you enjoyed my recipe and if you have any feedback then don’t hold back! Hey that kinda rhymes…. Anyways have a splendid day and enjoy your awesome breakfastJ

Mushroom farm!!!!!!!!!

MY IDEAS AND VISION FOR CREATING A MUSHROOM FARM:

I’ve been stuck by a lightning bolt of revolutionary genius and random-ness….. I’m going to start a mushroom farm! Yeah! Actually it’s not completely random. I attended this amazing VABF (Virginia Agriculture Biological Farmers) convention and took this workshop where Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain explained the entire process of mushroom cultivation and mycorrhizae (the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi.) it was an extremely visionary and enlightening class, Tradd explained that mushrooms could not only serve as a food source (that happens to be richer in protein than meat *wink wink vegetarians* but can also help create more top soil and decompose waste. I never knew that mushrooms could be used to clean up oil spills!! The knowledge behind fungi is freaking mind blowing!!  Anyways I absorbed every last drop of info Tradd had to offer, I picked up every pamphlet and researched mushroom cultivation for days on end. I can now confidently say that I am mentally prepared to go on this journey where I am going to grow mushrooms and possibly, yes, become a mushroom myself…. Kidding ha-ha

WHAT IM PLANNING ON DOING:

First of all, I’m going to start off small, I’m going to invest in some white button mushroom and portabella mushroom spawn. The spawn is basically a mix of saw dust (also called the substrate) and mushroom mycelium (stage of mushrooms before they actually fruit.) I’m going to add some spawn to a mushroom bed that I’m going to develop in my backyard and nurture it until mushrooms pop out of the ground. As I probably should have mentioned before, mushrooms can eat essentially anything, wood, compost, coffee grounds, anything. I definitely have a lot of compost due to the fact I have a large family and we eat a large amount. After I perfect the art of growing a small amount of mushrooms I seriously hope to market them and I have already spoken to some neighbors as well as some of my teachers who expressed great interest in buying from me. After all, mushrooms are delicious and well as pretty expensive. I’ll be growing them 100% organic so that’s a huge plus in my opinion. I’m super excited to start this experiment and I’ll be sure to post on every part of it.

Go mushrooms!! :D