Breville Juicer Review and A Glass of Sass

Hey everyone! This video is a LONG one, but in it I review the Breville juicer that I just got! It deserves a long video! :) 

I also mention a really cool raw vegan book I got, and use the juicer to make one of the recipes! So if you have the time, check it out! :) 

Here's the recipe I used for the Juice in the video!

A Glass of Sass

Ingredients: 

• 1 whole bunch spinach
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1/2 bunch celery
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1/2 inch knob of ginger
• 2 apples, cored
• 1/2 lime, peeled
• 1/2 lemon, peeled

Method: 

• Juice all ingredients one at a time in the order mentioned above. 
• Serve and enjoy! :) 

The book title is: "Rawesomely Vegan! The ultimate raw vegan recipe book", and the author is Mike Snyder. It's definitely worth a read!

Here's the juicer on the company website!

P90X Progress Thoughts - What Week Is This?

One of the things I have to keep telling myself is to take things a day at a time. Especially when it comes to fitness...

I'm sad to admit that because of a hectic schedule and strange sleeping patterns (oh, excuses.. haha) I've had to pretty much set myself back 1 week in P90X. So right now, I'm re-doing my previous week because of too many missed workouts. I know I can't go back in time, but I don't feel right going forward and noting in here "I'm in week ____" while knowing that I actually missed a few workouts. Unfortunately, time and current energy levels don't quite allow for me to double-up on workouts to make up for it either.

A little added hindrance to my progress has been the whole B12 deficiency, because my energy levels have been suffering despite my efforts.

A few years ago, my doctor told me I have a B12 deficiency, and that I'd have to take a supplement for it pretty much for the rest of my life, or even worse, I would need to start going in for regular B12 shots. (Yikes!) I'm also low in iron, but I don't quite have an iron deficiency. I found out I had this because I was one of those people with little-to-no energy, and would live off of coffee and energy drinks. I also used to get migraines, I was moody, and needlessly depressed half of the time.

This also has NOTHING to do with vegetarianism or going vegan. I had this deficiency even back when I used to eat meat.

So over a year ago, I started taking a supplement, and it seemed to be doing the trick. (Yay!)

Lately, I don't know if it's been because of bad sleeping habits formed from noisy neighbours and late nights working on assignments, or if it's because the supplement I was taking just isn't working for me anymore, but I've started noticing the same symptoms I was dealing with a little over a year ago. I've noticed myself getting pretty moody in situations where I know I have no reason to be, I've been a bit down lately, and my energy levels have been on and off. I've also started getting more headaches, which is very annoying...

I'll be trying a new liquid supplement this weekend, and giving it a week or so to see how I feel. Hopefully it does something for me, otherwise I do have to start getting shots of B12. I'm also easing myself back into the proper P90X schedule, and not letting the half a week draw-back get me too discouraged.

I'll also be meditating before bed every night, because I'm one of those people who constantly has thoughts running through my head preventing me from sleeping.

We're all busy people with busy lives, so rather than focus on the days that I've missed, I'm going to look forward and push myself to keep with it.

So those are my thoughts for today. Not the most uplifting thoughts, but thoughts that contain hope and potential for a better day today, and a better day tomorrow! :) The silver lining is there, and that's all I need to give me that push!

Ruby Red Super Juice

Is it super? You'll have to try it for yourself to see! ;) 

I still don't have a juicer yet, but guess what: I'm going out to buy one today! Finally... This whole juicing things by hand/food processor/hand blender takes a LONG time, and I don't have the time to spend an hour doing something that I know I could be doing in 5 minutes.

Anyways, today I made a jug of veggie + fruit juice that tastes... super. I don't know how else to describe it, because it makes me feel super. Perfect word, right there. So I'll go with it! Here's the recipe! Enjoy!

Ruby Red Super Juice

Ingredients:

• 2 beets, peeled
• 2 lemons (juice only)
• 2 golden delicious apples (or whatever apple you like, this juice isn't picky because it's super)
• 4 carrots, peeled
• 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks (or fresh, again - this juice isn't picky!)
• About 1 tbsp FRESHLY grated ginger (no powder, please! Freeze your ginger before grating, it makes life a million times easier!)
• A bit of water if doing this all by hand...

Method: 

• If you use a juicer: juice all ingredients except the lemon. Use a citrus juicer to juice the lemons, and add it to the finished juice afterwards. Then stir, and drink!
• If you do it by hand like I've done *sigh*, chop everything up and put it into a food processor. Chop it really, really small... Then, add all ingredients (even the lemon juice) to a blender (or a jug if using a hand blender like I did), and pour some water in. Just enough water to cover 3/4 of the ingredients. Then, blend. Then, slowly with small amounts at a time, strain the mixture into another jug. This takes a LONG time to do, especially with a recipe this size. Trust me though, it's worth the effort! - Next, go buy a juicer because doing this all by hand is annoying and time-consuming. ;)

Here's a picture of my super juice! It makes me happy. :)

Ruby Red... Perfect for those of us born in July! ;) 

Today's Smoothie - Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana

Mmmmmm... That's all I can say about this one! Quite calorie-dense, but filled with so much goodness! Can't go wrong with anything that has these ingredients...

Today's Smoothie: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Sunwarrior raw vegan protein powder)
• 2 squares of your favourite raw/vegan chocolate

Method:

• Blend all and drink!! :)

Sweet and Spicy Popcorn Recipe

Here's a late night snack vlog recipe for some tasty sweet and spicy popcorn! It's almost like caramel corn, but better. And vegan. Can't go wrong with that, now can you?! :)
I also ramble a little bit at the beginning of the video about what my goal is for St.Patrick's Day.
Anyways, here's the video! :) Have a great day everyone!!

Peanut and Almond Butter Cups [Vegan Recipe]

Hey, you! Do you like chocolate? Do you like peanut butter? How about when the two are mixed together... Do you like that? Hush now, don't answer. It's a rhetorical question. I already know the answer is YES, unless you're allergic to nuts... 

So what I'm giving to you all tonight is a quick and easy (somewhat healthy and vegan, shhhh!) recipe for some peanut & almond butter cups. It's in the video, which means you have to listen to me talking for a bit, but it's a small price to pay for an amazing recipe. At least I think so...

Here's the video! If the thumbnail is really ugly, because for some reason YouTube gives the worst video thumbnail selections, just erase the image from your mind. ;) I also spelled "muffin" wrong, and just noticed... Darn!

Just a note: I used unsweetened Baker's chocolate here, because that's what I happened to have on hand. (There's no dairy or sugar.) If you're not the type to enjoy really dark chocolate, you can use any type that you like. You can even use carob chips. (I've made these before with those, and they're just amazing...)

Dairy Industry: Is This Where It's Heading?

There's been a lot of articles floating around about the dairy industry that really reminded me of how happy I am that I'm not ingesting animal products anymore... It's not new news really, but I've obviously become more aware to the information that's out there.

Something just doesn't seem right when cows are impregnated several times in a short span of time, so that they can be milked to the maximum amount that their bodies can handle. (Twice a day, 30L in one day, sometimes up to 25L per milking?!) Then, the calves are usually used for veal... Which even when I was a meat eater, I couldn't accept the fact that baby cows were being slaughtered. (I've never eaten veal, and I cringe when people say "Oh, it's so tender, you don't know what you're missing!") I'm not one to force my beliefs on other people, but I don't understand how when people see the truth of all of this right in front of them, they can still drink milk... Or eat meat... Or any animal products for that matter.

Speaking of slaughtering animals... Just a side note: I think I reached my snapping point today in all of this when I watched a video someone posted on Twitter. It was by PETA, and was in protest of Toronto Fashion Week. (Mainly clothing designers who use leather.)
The article and video can be viewed here.
(Before watching the video, please note that it contains graphic scenes.)

By the end of the video, I was shaking and crying at what I was watching. I have a pretty weak stomach for that stuff, but something about it hit me harder than usual today, and I can feel myself getting angry and upset just writing about it now... It's definitely worth a watch, and if you're on the fence between vegetarian and omnivore, it may be one of the things that pushes you right to going vegan.

Anyways, here's a few articles with varying types of information that I've looked through. When looking up information on this, know that some websites will have a bias or an agenda, but either way it's still good to read other people's collection of information or opinions:

1. Information on the automatic milking systems.

2. A little Wikipedia based info on automatic milking (for whatever information on Wikipedia is worth) 

3. An article about the dangers of drinking cows milk.

And here is my little comic about the future of automatic milking & robotic cows. I have a funny feeling that this is what the future of cow milking is coming to.

Today's Smoothie - Superman Banana [P90X Inspired]

Today, on Twitter by @toddrobb45, I was jokingly asked:

OK so here we go: As an awesome vegan cook, do you ever use the superman-banana in your meals? #P90Xjoke#yourewelcome

(For anyone who may not know, "Superman Banana" is an exercise in a few of the P90X workouts... If you want to know what it looks like, there's a bunch of videos on YouTube of people doing the exercise, here's one that actually shows how to do it properly!)

My response was to make a P90X themed "Superman Banana" smoothie for today's smoothie! I tried to make the Superman colours, but blueberries are actually purple. I also didn't have anything red enough to get that bright "Superman red", but that's okay, because this smoothie is "super, man!"... Hah... Hah... ha...
So without further delay, here is today's smoothie! It's a pretty one! ;)

Today's Smoothie: Superman Banana

Ingredients:

• Layer 1 - 1/4 cup frozen blueberries + 1/4 cup coconut water
• Layer 2 - 1 frozen banana + 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk + 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• Layer 3 - 1/4 cup frozen strawberries + 1/4 cup pomegranate juice

Method: 

• Blend each layer separately, and set aside. 
• Spoon layer 1 into the bottom of the glass. 
• Spoon layer 2 on top of layer 1. 
• Spoon layer 3 on top of layer 2. 
• Drink up, and enjoy! :)

Here's some pretty pictures:

Yummy! :) It's like Superman starting a tornado... Or something. 

Some Thoughts on P90X and Vegan Peanut Butter Mousse!

Hi everyone! I didn't feel like writing an entry today, so I made a video instead! Also, look below for a recipe from Attack Of The Vegan on Twitter! 

Check out the recipe for that awesome peanut butter mousse!

Vegan peanut butter mousse! Yum yum yum yum yum........ 

Today's Smoothie - Creamy Green

I woke up this morning feeling as though I was coming down with a cold. Maybe it's just in my head, but when I drink something green I almost immediately feel better. So I ran to the kitchen (okay, I didn't actually run), and I made myself something tasty and green to hopefully rid myself of that oncoming cold feeling.

I added some cucumber into this smoothie, which is different for me, because I'm not really used to adding veggies into smoothies. Kale has been like a "gateway green" for me though, so here's the fresh and creamy result of today's smoothie! :)


Texture note: there will be chewy bits from the shredded coconut and seeds in the kiwi. 

Today's Smoothie: Creamy Green

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 3-4 kale leaves
• 1/2 peeled cucumber
• 1 peeled kiwi
• 1 frozen banana cut into chunks
• 3 tbsp dried shredded coconut
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Method: 

• Blend all and drink! :)

P90X - Week 5 Progress Thoughts & Fighting Demotivation

Now that I'm a few days into week 5 of P90X, I decided to take a few progress pictures. (I won't be posting these, I'm not that comfortable with posting pictures until I've completed the 90 days.)

A few thoughts came into my head. My initial thoughts were "WOAH, I have biceps!!! WOAH, I can see abdominal definition!!! What is that, an hourglass shape?!? Yay!" After that, I had mixed feelings about my progress.

I've always been an impatient person, and I'm also my own best critic, so of course I can sit and pick myself apart like no other. This has always posed a problem in my progress when it comes to fitness. In the past, I would get to this point, but then grow impatient and aggravated that the progress wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, and I would give up. How silly is that, eh? Poor logic: Slow progress = get frustrated and give up... Not this time.

Today was Yoga X day. I cannot stress how much I both hate and love Yoga X. This workout is a challenge, as it's a little more intense than any yoga class I've ever been to. The best part about this workout is that it feels really, really good. I've noticed a major increase in flexibility from doing it. It's also very relaxing to get a solid hour and thirty minutes of yoga in a few times a week...

The worst part about this workout is that it allows me to notice every little undesirable flabby area on my body. Every twist, bend, and leg-over-the-head move causes the body to move in ways that it wouldn't normally move. My biggest challenge is finding a way to prevent myself from stopping the workout to pinch at the flabby spot that I thought was gone, but realized is still there. (Well... Smaller than before, but still there.)

Today, I had an epiphany. As my knees were hoovering around my ears as I was in "plow pose", I thought to myself, "self, shut up."

Literally. I told myself to shut up, and to just focus on the task at hand. (The task being getting through the rest of the workout.) You know what? It sort of worked.

I finished the workout, and afterwards I felt great. I checked off today's workout box on my list, made myself a smoothie, and felt better both mentally and physically. I also discovered a new part of myself today. A part that is motivated, and determined to push past any unmotivated moments. A part that is ready and willing to kick the butt of any negative thoughts, and that is going to stop me from giving up before I've reached my goals. It's refreshing...

So I guess the "moral of the story" is to not give up. When you're unmotivated, and feeling like you want to quit because the ultimate goal seems so far away, just suck it up and keep going! Giving up won't get you to your goal, but pushing past the tough moments will.

Today's Smoothie - Tropi-Kale Monster!

Okay, maybe this smoothie isn't exactly a monster, but it sure is green like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! They're sort of monsters, right? Good monsters though... So this smoothie is a "good monster", plus the glass I used made me think of the Ninja Turtles... (Raphael was my favourite!)


To stop myself from going into any more detail about cartoons and movies I was obsessed with as a child, I'll start talking about today's smoothie! I tested out some vanilla flavoured Sunwarrior protein powder this time around, mainly because it's both raw and vegan. This awesome woman Jennifer that I've spoken with on Twitter swears by this stuff, so I had to try it because she has some great taste in products like this! She knows her stuff!

So here's the smoothie for today! :)

Today's Smoothie: Tropi-Kale Monster

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
• About 1/4 cup each of orange juice and coconut water
• 3-4 huge kale leaves, leafy parts only - no stems!
• 1/2 cup frozen mango
• 1 tbsp coconut butter (my tbsp was pretty big... I love this stuff!)
• 1 tbsp hemp hearts (pictured below with the protein powder I used this time around)
• 1 serving of vanilla protein powder

Method: 

• Blend all, and drink up! :) 

I've come to truly love the colour of green smoothies. Weird, eh? 

Hemp hearts (cool flavour and texture!), and the Sunwarrior protein that I tried out for this smoothie. It has a nice flavour :)

Today's Smoothie - Neapolitan Nostalgia

Have you ever, in your childhood (or in the present day haha), allowed a big bowl of ice cream to melt together so that you can stir it into a soupy consistency and eat it like soup? I loved doing that, and when I was a kid I used to do that with neapolitan ice cream because I liked tasting the vanilla, chocolate and strawberry at the same time. I was too impatient to scoop out pieces of each flavour...

I was in a bit of a funk for a couple of days, so I needed a smoothie that would bring me out of that sour mood. This was the perfect solution, because it gave me a few minutes of blissful nostalgia. Also, it's packed full of protein and other good things, so it's not unhealthy like that bowl of ice cream from childhood... ;) (I've been using the performance line of protein powder from Vega, which is vegan, so that's what's in this smoothie!)

So here's the recipe for today's smoothie! :)

Today's Smoothie: Neapolitan Nostalgia

Ingredients:

• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder 
• 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tbsp flax meal (optional, I just really like to add flax in to everything!)

Method: 

• Blend all, and drink up! :) These smoothies really are the easiest recipes to post... :)

Overcoming Asthma & Coming Down From The High...

...Runner's high that is. The best kind!

I don't normally post from my phone, because I feel a lack of control when it comes to editing my post... But I just got in the door, and don't feel like booting up the laptop.

So today, I laced up my runners, tossed on my lovely stretchy Lulu's, and took to the pavement with the Motion Traxx podcast in my ears.

Aside from the fact it was much colder than I had anticipated, getting out there again was such an amazing feeling. I'm okay with working out indoors, P90X is an indoor thing, but I always feel like a hamster on a treadmill. I love them, but I feel funny running in one place. I've also always paid too much money for a gym membership that requires me to spend too many hours indoors during the spring/summer/fall months when I could be outside running or biking.

(Side note: I NEED to get another bike. I miss my old one, and feel an empty place in my heart where my old one used to reside.)

Back on track: Today's run was a start-up run for me. I did about 5k, run/walk intervals. I'm not one for bursts of speed, I'm quite a slow runner, so I like to take it easy while still giving myself a challenge. Whatever I do seems to work for me, which is good.

With running/jogging/walking, I don't do it to train for anything. Not yet anyways... I do ultimately want to participate in a 5k or 10k run this summer, so I'm starting to learn about training for that. But the reason I enjoy this so much is because hitting the pavement has actually helped me kick Asthma's A-double-S. That's right. You read correctly.

I was a pre-mature baby, and had lung problems all through my childhood. I was on several different types of inhalers, and for most of my teen/early adult life, I was taking two different inhalers almost daily. Up until a year or two ago, I was taking the blue inhaler (Asthmatics know the one I'm talking about, it's a steroid) twice a day.

I had a trainer at a gym tell me I should gradually start running. Start a few times a week; not fast, but steady. Then, increase that to almost daily.

Sure enough, within a year of this, I was only taking my inhaler in emergencies. (Times of anxiety, or when I was "too active".)

Fast forward to the current day: I haven't taken an inhaler in almost a year. ALMOST A WHOLE YEAR!!!

This is a BIG deal. I had doctors telling me that I would be taking inhalers for the rest of my life. I even had doctors telling me that I shouldn't run, or train hard at the gym because of the stress it would put on my lungs. (Can you believe that?!? You'd think I should strengthen my lungs, not use an inhaler as a bandaid!)

When I was a kid, maybe 9 years old, I was in a cross-country race. I was a very chubby, unhealthy kid. Anyways, the only thing I remember is running for maybe 10 minutes, then everything went dark. Then, I remember people putting a cold cloth to my face because I had an Asthma attack and they couldn't find my inhaler.

Now, present day and 40 minutes after today's run is over, I'm sitting here sipping on a protein shake, feeling better than I've ever felt in my life. My lungs feel great, and my lungs are easily accepting what they've just been put through.

And, I don't need any stinkin' inhaler. Take that, Asthma. One more point for the healthy lifestyle.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding - My Avocado's Fate

I have a confessions: I am one of the few vegans that don't actually like avocado. Never been a fan of guacamole, even though I've tried it every single time it's been put in front of me alongside some deliciously crispy tortilla chips. When I'd get sushi (the rolls with cucumber and avocado), I'd pick out the avocado and replace it with a heaping chunk of wasabi. (MMM, spicy...)

Yet for some reason, I still purchased an avocado at the grocery store last time I was out. It's been sitting on my counter for a few days (it wasn't ripe, so it had some time). For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what to do with it. So I Google'd. Then I Google'd some more. Then I came across this recipe for chocolate pudding. I didn't quite follow the recipe posted, but I did use it as a basis for this heavenly creation.

So, now I will share with you all, the amazingness of this pudding. Normally, I wouldn't be so overly confident about a recipe, but if you knew how much I disliked avocado, you'd be shocked to see me devour this stuff.

I'm pretty sure this recipe makes two, maybe even three, big servings... But let's just say it's one serving, okay? ;)

Vegan Chocolate Pudding - Hello, Avocado! 

Ingredients:

• 1 very ripe avocado
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp agave nectar (I used cinnamon flavoured agave)
• 4 pitted dates
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any type of milk you like: hemp, rice, coconut, etc.)
• 2 tbsp raw cacao nibs 

Method: 

• Place all ingredients except the raw cacao nibs into a food processor, and process until smooth. 
• Add the raw cacao nibs, and pulse twice to gently mix the nibs in with the pudding, but don't over process!
• Pour everything into a bowl, and place in the fridge for as long as you wish... Well, the longest you put it in the fridge for should be overnight. Then eat it the next day.
• Serve in a fancy little bowl, topped with whatever you like! I decided to eat this with some whipped cream and raw cacao nibs sprinkled on top!

I know, you may be thinking, "Nikki. Whipped cream isn't vegan. Why are you eating that?" Well let me tell you something! This isn't just any old "dairy" whipped cream. This is whipped RICE cream! (I know, I know... Mind = blown.) I saw this stuff (pictured below) when I was picking up some groceries yesterday, and I couldn't believe what I was looking at. I literally stood there for a solid 10 minutes just examining the can of this stuff. I wouldn't recommend gorging out on this stuff. Just because it's vegan, doesn't mean it's 100% healthy... But WOW, you can have your cake whipped cream, and eat it too! This makes for one Happy Nikki. I picked this stuff up at The Big Carrot on the Danforth in Toronto. I'm not too sure where else you can get it to be honest... Anyways, here's some beautiful pictures that I managed to snap before I ate the whole batch of pudding. I'm comfortable enough with myself to admit to that. Don't judge. (Okay, I joke... The rest of the pudding is still in the fridge...)

So pretty! :) Avocado chocolate pudding topped with rice whip, and raw cacao nibs! YUM!

Ok, I had to dig into this beautiful piece of heaven...

...And then I had to dig some more...

...And I kept on digging... I couldn't help myself...

And now, a kiss... Oh, Chocolate, how I love thee... 

The pictures of the pudding after the previous image were pretty much just me devouring it in a fashion that closely resembles Golem from Lord of the Rings, and that whole "my precious" thing... You know what I'm talking about... So I'll leave those images out for the sake of my maintenance of at least a somewhat normal public image, haha...

THIS STUFF is amazing. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to make it almost 100% perfect. I don't suggest eating stuff like this on a regular basis, because really, it's junk food. Vegan or not. But it's a nice treat! :)

Today's Smoothie - Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

This morning, it was brought to my attention by @TorontoVeg on Twitter that today is...wait for it... PEANUT BUTTER DAY! This is amazing. I LOVE peanut butter. And almond butter. And cashew butter. And walnut butter. I'm sure you get the point... ;)

So it was no tough decision to add some peanut butter into today's smoothie! I was tempted to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (mmm, orange ginger jelly...), but decided to throw the whole "pb & j" idea into my glass, sans bread of course... Though, with the flax meal, it gives a hint of "bread" flavour too!

So here's today's smoothie!

Today's Smoothie: Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (I used crunchy this time around)
• About 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 heaping spoonful of strawberry coconut-based yogurt (yay, dairy free!)
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder

Method: 

• You  know the drill. Toss everything into a blender, blend until smooth, and drink up! :)

I need to find a more creative way to take pictures of these  smoothies... haha...

And now for something random to celebrate Peanut Butter Day while drinking a PB&J smoothie because, well, it's peanut butter jelly time.