I'm back!

Hello !

Yes, I'm back! Did you miss me? I sure did miss blogging and to be honest, I think that i needed that time to refocus, recenter myself and going forward with what is really crucial for me, right now: being completly honest, always be truthfull of who you are and admitting that somewhere along the way, you CAN do mistakes, having poor judgment, making bad decisions but, like they say, what doesn't kill, will make you stronger right! Is really what you do with theses situations that will really mathers...


little explanation


I've been (especially during the holidays) confronted with my choice of being a vegan. As you might know, I'm originaly from Montreal, Quebec and it is in our family's culture to eat, hunt and be gratefull for gooooood fleshy meat stuff! So, when the holidays hits home, is all about tradition. And traditionaly, there is no place for a vegan!

Don't get me wrong, they all accept and support my new way of eating but would they adapt their meals, as a majority, for my own little moi..? The concept of veganism is still obscur for some of them and still a bit confusing as they still think that a vegan an a vegetarian is basically the same thing, except the first one is a real snob!!! They did have a lot of vegetarians options thought: dip & veggies, cheeses, nachos, eggs salad sandwichs etc. But, nothing 100% vegan...


It is hard for me to say, but I went off the wagon

And since my blog's name is vegan zone, you can imagine my hesitation and lack of enthousiasm to blog again having theses facts over my head....I must say that I didn't actually ate any meat but was well aware of the chicken broth use to cook the veggies and sauce that they poor over my pasta, well aware of milk in my cafe and all the pieces of cheese along the way. And don't even ask me about the multiplication of non-vegan deserts....! Well, there you have it, I felt awfull and it took me awhile to figure it all out:

That is ok to not be perfect (and what is perfect anyway!)

I think that all of the people around me, I was the one putting all this pressure of being an examplery vegan who doesn't cheat and who's completily committed to this life style.

But the truth is :

I realised that i'm so much more than an etiquette. I can't resume myself to one. As an individual, we are so much more than one thing. I love so many things and my blog should honor all of them. I'm commited to a healthy lifestyle, and if being vegan is right now the path that i choose, so be it. Struggles happens along the road to test the main raison you commited yourself to a belief, a way of living. And despite all the management of preping, searching and cooking recipes for a family who eat meat and vegan food ; my heart is now clear of any dark cloud.

I can't change the fact that this way of eating make me fell: ALIVE!

I shall remain vegan but without any pressure of anykind.

Just pleasure...Pure delight of discovering new positivity and awesomeness!


So here we go again folks, vegan-zone is back, back with more fearless content and of course,

a new peace of mind!

PUMPKIN BREAD FROM THE KIND DIET AND OTHER DELIGHT

Good Morning everybody!

Starting to get chilly outside, isn't it? Me and my sweet girl were freezing our A.. off during Trick or Treating on Sunday but we manage to get a big bag full of sweets just around the block! She wanted to go as a Princess, Again, second year in a row...What do you want me to do, she just love girly stuff might as well enjoy it now because it won't last too long right? In a couple of years she will be dressing up like a Sexy Vampire Vixen sucking our blood for money or just for the fun of it...

Just kidding! She will never dress up like that, ( well according to her dad...!) freezing her butt like theses teenage girls that we saw dress up like trash cheerleaders from hell...asking for candy at almost 17 years old. No age limit to like the sweets, I get it, but good lord, put some leggings on for god sake! You think I'm prude or getting old or completely out of my mind and really old fashion???? Maybe all of the above but seriously, I'm afraid ....Will I be able to avoid that phase with my little princess? They grow up so fast, knowing stuff too young, wanting to be an adult way before your body is ready or your mind for that matter. Getting them out of trouble in our time will be hard, I must say...Having headaches just to think about it! Anyhow, you are right, this is a long time before it will hit our roof but I see this as a retirement funds;

YOU HAVE TO PREPARE YOURSELF IN ADVANCE!!!

So, what do we do after Halloween and we are stuck with a big fat pumpkin? Well, I'll tell you:

PUMPKIN BREAD

From the Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

• 5 cups cooked pumpkins (fresh is best but canned will do)
• 2 cups maple sugar
• 2 eggs replacer (I use 6 tablespoons of water with 2tbs of flaxseeds pureed)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 3/4cup safflower oil ( I use canola instead)
• 1 ts vanilla extract
• 4 cups spelt flour
• 3 ts baking soda
• 3 ts baking soda
• 1 tbs ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup grain-sweetened nondairy chocolate chips
• 1 cup whole macadamia nuts ( I use walnuts instead)

Reserved some of the last 2 ingredients to sparkle on top of your 2 loaf pans

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil 2 loaf pans 9x5 inches

Combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl,combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and most of the chocolate chips and nuts if reserving some to sprinkle on top. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined. Fill the prepared pans with batter. Top with the reserved chocolate and nuts. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the top springs back when pressed with finger. Let the loaves cool in the pans for a few minutes and then to a baking racks to cool completely. Enjoy!

Malik was my first recipe tester, He was not harm in this experiment I swear! But the picture tell it all:




Other Topic:

I did buy my Piston 200 Sugoi pants after all and went for a great Run yesterday....VERDICT:

I LOVE IT!!!!!!! It is so amazing, I'm in love with my pants!
Do you think that the drivers will see me in this outfit?

Keep on running

Good morning everyone!

I had a few runs this week including one in the Fog ( BOOOOUUUUUU) It was a bit spooky and right in time for the Halloween mood! I just love Halloween and autumn is really my favourite season of all. Nature is changing, leaves are falling in style. Adding colours to a boring concrete sidewalk, putting a big fat smile on my face while running on it! The CrockPot season is back with mouth watering perfume infusing houses, baking goodies for the mind and soul with earthy products like pumpkins and butternut squash. I just fell in love again with this kitchen appliances, what a great tool for a small family like mine, it gives you time while minding it's own business! LOVE IT! Speaking of kitchen tool, It's been a few weeks since a pull out my sweet Georges ( my hamilton juicer ;) ) for my Green morning booster juice and I must confess, my body really miss these:



That daily intake was providing me with so much energy like you wouldn't believe, better than coffee, I swear to god! I will put it back in my morning routine as soon as tomorrow and I suggest you do the same, especially with the flu season knocking at our door! That juice will give you all the nutriments and vitamins that you need to beat the crap of any sickness that you might catch and boost you immune system as well! My personal favourite is a mix of spinach, romaine lettuce, celery, lemons an apples with a kick of ginger!

CHEERS!


I keep on running and keep on rocking with this new gadget of mine, check it out:



This is my Birthday gift in advance this year from my man. Since I committed myself to running, He couldn't wait until my birthday to give it to me. Smart move because I was looking at theses watches for a while now and was about to buy it for myself! AMAZING, really Garmin you have a way of pleasing the runner in me! This is the Forerunner 305 model. Now I can see my time, my pace, my distance, my heart rate..everything! After each runs, I can just in a blink on a click on the computer, see my results, witch is vary easy to set up and it got so many amazing features that I can wait to try in the near future...Did I tell you this tool is AWESOME? Really, my heart is giggling right now :)


Well now, I need a pair of pant to continue my journey as a fearless runner, hope to be able to run thru autumn and winter but for that, I will have to gear up myself with good apparel...I already got my jacket, my Arc'Teryx hat and gloves, my Helly hansen underwears I just miss a good pair of pant...

I found these one:




The Piston 200 for women, I tried it at the runner's room last week...I've been dreaming about it ever since!!! But oh boy, it is expensive, 99$ plus taxes... I know what you are thinking, should I? Really?

It is my birthday coming up after all isn't it? So, why not but this in a little pretty box, from ME to ME...Oh yeah! Sounds right to me, don't you think?

Have a great day and see you soon!

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR THE SOUL

Flipping pages on the Whole Living magazine the other day, I found this little list of thoughts...

1. Your body already knows how to heal itself; you just have to get out of its way

2. Go ahead- vent a little. Think of it as detox for the soul.

3. Good posture isn't about rigidity, but fluidity.

4. When you can appreciate being alone, you're rarely lonely.

5. Clutter is the by-product of indecision. Make sure everything in your space is there because you CHOOSE to keep it .

6. You may not be in school anymore but there's always more to learn ( So true, I'm always hungry for new stuff to learn, a real student of life I must say!)

7. True sufficiency doesn't mean having plenty; It means having enough. ( well, still have to work on that !)

8. Pay attention to how you walk. Ask yourself what you're rushing toward-or away from.

9. Transform anxiety into excitement; focus NOT on the fear of what lies ahead but the possibilities you might create ( WOW, definitely my new favourite quote for motivation now!)

10. Lead with your heart, NOT YOUR EGO!


What an inspiration list of random truth and kind wisdom quote!


And you, what are your best quote for the soul?

I did it!!!

YES! I did it!

I completed my first 5K race this last sunday at the Scotiabank marathon in Toronto. My last post was a true moment of real inferno for me but it help me realize that in moment of complete disaster, emotionally dysfunctional and stress to a point that your own mind can't bare, YOU have a decision to take and drastic actions to pull yourself together and moving forward with your life, yourself and yours dreams...

And my goal for the last few weeks, since a started the Learning to run clinic with the Runner's Room, was to run a full 5K. In the beginning, I couldn't even run 2 minutes without imaging myself ended it in a hospital with oxygen pumps all over me!!! But look at this remarkable growth. Now I can run for 20 minutes and still, at the same time, be enough comfortable to talk with my fellows runners, isn't it wonderful?

I'm so grateful and SOOOOOOO proud of myself. I look at my medal with candid emotion and can't wait for the next races to come!

Note to myself: Don't be so hard on yourself...You are extraordinary, remember this feeling you had at the finish line, you will own it for the rest of your life! Cherish it, love yourself and continue to move forward!

SABOTAGE

Have you ever experiencing a few days of complete laziness, no desire to complete your daily tasks and feeling like a big potato glue to your couch? Even though I've been on board with my new healthy lifestyle since a couple of months, seeing so POSITIVE results and feeling so much better, I find a way to sabotage myself and right now, It seem to consume me. I was so happy and then BOOM! , I persuaded myself that a fews days of slipping here and there will be find, that I deserved it and bla bla bla. Such Bullshit really! Why should I deserved to put garbage (again) in my body? Why will it be ok to smoke a fews cigarettes? Why will I deserve to fill me up with crappy process food? I wonder...

I never consider myself like a sportive kind of gal, either a person who is as healthy as she could be. I admired people with such a discipline hygiene for health and sports, something that I couldn't achieve in this lifetime...

My actions doesn't compute with my mind and soul. By doing that, I'm destroying my hope, my inner beauty and my self-confidence, why? I wonder....

What I am hungry for? I still wonder to this day. Can't seem to have answer this question completely or perhaps honestly is the right word...


What Are you hungry for?

GREEN is now my favourite colour!

Bonjour!
Long time no blogging! We have visitors from our beloved Quebec province of ours this past few weeks, that is the reason why I've been neglecting my sweet blog of mine! But you know what happens beside the fact that we've been complete tourist in our new area, (and it cost us a lot of money) is that I've been cheating on my eat to live diet...Bouhou! So the result of the bad behaviour: I gained 2 pounds! OMG! BUT, let me reassure you ( and myself for that matter!) that everything is back to normal and I lost that 2 frustrating vacations pounds and I'm down another 2, yourrai!!! So now:

weight: 118 lbs
hips: 36 1\2
waist: 27 and 31
arms: 10
thighs: 20 1\2

Not bad! Slowly but surely ! I'm in my 5 week with the running room as well and everything going pretty good with the motivation of my amazing group. I will be running a small 2 K on Labor day in Oakville...Will see how it goes but I'm so exited, first race EVER! Wish me luck!

I've been reading a lot of book on veganism and raw food and I decided to put more raw in my food intake. Especially, the green monster juice first thing in the morning. I bought that juicer:

It"s been more than a week that I cut my cafe in the morning and this is my new thing, I Love it! It's not the best one in town but for a rookie , it's perfect! Let me tell you that with the green juice in the morning I don't miss caffeine at all. I got so much more energy it is unbelievable! This is what I usually put in my juicer, I name it Georges!




And this is the result:


I play a lot theses days with raw recipe like this zucchinis pasta:
I will definitely post some more Raw recipes since summer is so abundant with fresh local fruits and vegetables. I see my life in green and I'm loving every minutes of it! And another great thing: my kids are eating a lot more veggies and they just dig my almond milk,strawberries and bananas smoothie! Here is a picture of me and my kids down in Niagara falls last week. we had such a wonderful day, we walked a lot and have a blast at wonderlands with the belugas! Having kids it"s the best thing to keep your child heart , I never have a day without laughing with them! Love you my sweet M&M duo ( M&M stand for: Mia 4 and Malik 20 months)