Juice With Cruice.
I drink juice. So should you. #juicewithcruice
I drink juice. So should you. #juicewithcruice
Thanksgiving is creeping up and like all things during the holiday season, it will be here before we know it!
Is anyone else out there hosting or attending a Compassionate, Plant-Based, or Vegan Thanksgiving?
I’m working to finalize my menu, but here’s a few more recipes that are definitely Thanksgiving table worthy:
Feel free to share any of your favorite plant-based recipes!
This is getting posted in both blogs because it qualifies for “Why I’m Excited To Buy My Condo” as well as “Things I’m Thankful For: A Compassionate Thanksgiving”.
Heat.
Don’t get me wrong, winter is my favorite season and I love cold weather. I also prefer to be cold over hot. But, when the nights fall below 40 degrees, it is imperative for my survival to utilize heating devices. My ghetto-rigged apartment has a heater in the kitchen. That’s all. For multiple reasons, I like to shut my door while I sleep. Only down side is that this inevitably keeps all of the hot air from strutting into my room and getting in bed with me to cuddle.
I am excited to have a slow, steady input of clean, hot air into each room in my new place. TO be able to control it with a digital meter, not a little stick that seems as if it is merely guessing what temperature it currently is and erratically attempting to change it.
On the other hand, I am grateful that I have heat. That I have the option to leave me door open or closed. That I have a roof over my head that keeps me protected from the elements whenever I deem that appropriate.
Stating these thanks and excitements makes me want to invite as many people as I can who don’t have a roof, or heat or a safe place to call home into my life so I can keep them warm. I probably wouldn’t even have to turn on the heat if I did that.
This Compassionate Thanksgiving blog series, is going to be more than just a post a day. As I have stated, I will be posting recipes and supporting Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt a Turkey Project. I also am offering menu planning — if you are going to be hosting your friends and family for any of the upcoming holidays and thus will be doing most of the cooking, I will gladly help you plan the perfect menu so that everyone will have a delicious, thankful day!
Even more exciting than that, I am toying with the idea of hosting an Orphan Compassionate Thanksgiving! If you are unable to be with your family on November 22nd and live in Chicago, and would be interested in attending (or would at least consider it) please let me know! If enough people are into it, I will not hesitate to host. All I will ask is that everyone bring a plant-based dish to share!
Today’s recipe is a staple in my family for any holiday! I haven’t made this exact one, but it is pretty similar to what my mom and I made growing up.
Enjoy!
Somehow it is already the end of October and Thanksgiving is a month away.
I went back and forth on whether or not to publish this series, as it overlaps my professional and personal motives for the lifestyle that I chose to live. I decided to go with it because I am confident and proud of my convictions.
I follow a plant-based lifestyle because of the overwhelming nutritional benefits. It has been researched, studied and proven that eliminating animal products from your diet is beneficial to your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, chances of having a stroke or heart attack, avoiding cancer and your overall lifespan. My plant-based lifestyle also includes a dedication to healthy living and taking care of my self physically, emotionally, creatively, spiritually, etc. Considering the other spectrum, I also employ a vegan lifestyle - one that is full of compassion and free of cruelty, harm and giving my money directly and knowingly to companies or products that profit off of the unnecessary harm done to animals. That is all I will say, for now. It is a personal choice and one that gives me a consistent feeling that I am able thrive.
In the desired humble spirit of Thanksgiving, I encourage you not to wait for November 22nd to think about what you are thankful for. What do you have that makes you feel lucky, proud, accomplished, wealthy, lavish, important, humble, privileged? Who do you have that you couldn’t live without? How would life be different if another person or opportunity never crossed your path?
I will start with: vision. One of my nerdiest obsessions is color and being an artist I have always felt that art, creativity and expression are a response to how you see the world. Some of this is intangible and can’t be seen — the components of the world and our lives that are interpreted. But the addtional items that shape our understanding of what’s around us are physical, they are tangible, they are heavy and colorful and they reflect and retract light. They hide in shadows and make us squint in the sun. They are far away and close, unbelievable, destructive, full of beauty, repulsive, precious and real. The question of whether I’d rather be blind or deaf (you know - the good ol’ conversation starter?) has never phased me. Take my hearing away, cut off my ear, damage my ear drums irrevocably. I would be lost without my sight.
I’d love to hear from you about what you are grateful for? What makes everyday Thanksgiving?
Looking for a cruelty-free recipe for the holidays? Every day until Thanksgiving, I will post a new recipe that I either believe to be or know to be fantastic and worth a shot.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Sweet Dijon Mustard
There will be more information regarding this in the next couple of days, but if any of my information motivates you to go birdless* (or you are already planning on it ) for Thanksgiving, let me know. If you commit to this I will adopt a turkey through Farm Sanctuary’s Adopt A Turkey Project in your name!
It’s day 2 of my elimination diet and it is going swimmingly. Between my food choices and the Bennie I had on Sunday, the swelling has completely subsided with the exception of some residual inner cheek swelling that is a result of biting my cheeks when they were actually swollen.
Anyway, cutting out nuts, seeds, soy, avocados and gluten has done the trick. What does this mean? It means that one of those sources is likely the culprit. If the reaction occurs with these 5 categories removed then I will start to look at fruit, vegetable, grain or one of my supplements being the cause of said allergic reaction.
I am making a point to get a lot of diversity in what I am eating so I don’t miss anything. Sticking to the foods I normally eat, but not leaving anything out. Also, I am trying to not introduce anything new. So today when I was really tempted to buy dulse and burdock root just because I have been meaning to experiment, I had to contain myself.
Hopefully, I will be good the next five days then next week I will introduce avocadoes, then soy, then gluten, then seeds, then nuts. This may take some time….
I specialize in plant-based lifestyles, because I know and believe in the profound impact that it can have. Still, many people don’t know and the information is not readily accessible. Plant-based lifestyles are the best step of prevention for chronic illness, especially heart disease.
I found this fantastic report that explores the necessity of heart attacks and the two very different approaches to avoiding them.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: The Last Heart Attack
It feels good to know that I will never die of a heart attack. And, you don’t have to, either. Click here for a free consultation
What’s on your menu for #meatfreemonday?!
Here’s mine:
For breakfast I had a breakfast bowl with brown rice, banana, raspberries, a little agave, cinnamon and maca powder
For lunch: leftover portobella/eggplant lasagna with tofu ricotta
For dinner: chipotle-glazed portobella fajitas with raspberry rhubarb salsa
And, dessert: raspberry-chocolate oatmeal cookies
Happy vegan eating!
Well, the time has come again.
I talk about elimination diets all day long. Most of us have food sensitivities, intolerances or allergies that will forever go undiagnosed. They will manipulate our relationship with food, secretly. And, because their symptoms are often times mild or bearable - we will learn to live with them, to expect them, to deal with them, to neglect what it is our bodies are telling us. Subsequently, we will never know how good we can feel, we will never realize our potential.
That sounds deep, given that I am talking about a food sensitivity, but it’s something most people don’t think about. Though, it has the power to change our lives.
For the past few days I have felt the onset of a reaction that was similar to what used to happen when I had severe food allergies to almonds and sesame seeds. I spent the past few days just being aware of it and journaling about what I’ve been eating and how the symptoms transform. To be specific, my uvula (the little punching bag in the back of your throat) is swelling. Basically, it feels like there is something stuck in my throat, but it’s just an engorged uvula. My cheeks and tongue starting to swell yesterday. So, I dug out my epi pen (which is likely expired), popped a Bennie (yes, me and Benadryl have an established relationship that allows me to give him a nickname) and planned my eliminiation diet for the week.
No nuts. No seeds. No soy. No gluten. No avocadoes. (The latter being the hardest.)
Once the swelling completely subsides, I introduce each. Slowly. Once I identify the source I will work to bring it back into my diet without a reaction. The fact that this can be done, and has been done, is an example of how remarkable our bodies are.
While food sensitivities, allergies and intolerances are not necessarily enjoyable, I see this as a challenge, and challenges excite me. And, when it is all said and done, I will be better and stronger because of it.
Just because you are vegan/vegetarian doesn’t mean that you are healthy. If you want to be both, then come to my workshop tomorrow at 12pm and learn how to make sure you are getting everything you need.
Come to Chiro One in Old Town to learn about the benefits of drinking fresh vegetable juice and juice cleanses from Holistic Health Coach, Marcy E. Cruice! Get recipes, juice samples, enter a raffle to win a free juicer and receive a special promotion!
This is a great opportunity to learn more about juicing and chiropractic care and how the two can truly change your life!
Bring your friends and family and please be sure to register as space is limited.
We hope to see you there!
-Dr. Kevin and Marcy
Studies show that eating egg yolks can cause almost as much build up in your arteries than smoking.
This article is in the same vein (no pun intended) of many articles that I find myself enjoying more for the responses that it creates, than the research itself. I understand that there are some holes and weaknesses in the research, but the bottom line is: one egg yolk contains 80% of the amount of cholesterol that a healthy person should consume in a day and 120% of the cholesterol that someone with high cholesterol should consume. 1 in 3 adult americans has high cholesterol.
Not as hungry for eggs tomorrow morning? Try my tofu scramble recipe, instead! A great breakfast without the guilt or weight of too much cholesterol.
Feeds 4. Prep time: 5-10 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
Method:
In a medium pan, sauté garlic and mushrooms in the olive oil. Crumble tofu into mixture, mix over medium-low heat for a few minutes, or until tofu is consistently warm. Add turmeric and mix well. Add spinach and cover for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper it to taste.
I normally eat this on an #ezekiel sprouted grain tortilla with #daiya cheddar and #GimmeLean sausage made into patties, but goes well with anything you would normally eat eggs with.
Enjoy this cholesterol-free breakfast!
