Think Thursday

Today is Halloween and it is also Think Thursday.

I'm going to get straight to it. I do not remember what I was taught in school about Halloween and the only way I will know the significance of today is if I do a Google search. What I know about it now is that we use this day to dress up like something spooky.

The other reason today is significant is because the young children come trick or treating to our houses and ask for sweets. We give them said sweets and they eat them (and my bet is not very moderately) over the following week.

I told my dad I am not answering the door tonight, he expected me to to hand out sweets and chocolates high in fat, dairy and who knows what other chemicals.

I refuse to even hand out vegan sweets.

I was a sweet and chocolate addict as a child and into my twenties. I do not wish to contribute to the ill health of a child. I may be called cruel, but really, am I? I am being conscious about the health of that child by refusing to hand out sweets as a "treat". The reason we crave sweets is because our bodies want sweet FRUIT! It wants the natural sugars that occur in natures candy...if we feed it artificial, processed junk then we are not nourishing our cells and that is bad for our health in the long run.

All I am saying is, just like every other holiday, Halloween is heavily orientated toward consumerism. It definitely makes me question the sanity of humanity. Why do we have to be so materialistic and ignorant towards the state of the land we are living on?

Anyway, I feel I have too many thoughts tonight and this post is going off point.

So, to summarise. Halloween is an excuse to fill our children up with sugary shit we deny them of most of the year and then we say "here have a few months worth of candy to make yourself sick in one night"

What are your opinions? I hope you start to question your outlook on this day.

Much love

Jennifer x

Wishful Wednesday

It's Wishful Wednesday!

What crazy thing do I wish for today? Well it would not be right if I did not wish for something that feels impossible right now...

I wish for a purpose.

I do not fit convention, I have been learning that over this year, so when I was 11 years old wishing I was married to my Prince Charming and having his babies, with a modest house, cars and a great income I was delusional.

I do not wish for Prince Charming because I am an independent woman (at least I keep telling myself that!), I definitely do not see children in my future anymore (perhaps in my Sims games I can class them as my children) and I will never want to own my own house because I keep packing my bags and leaving every few years (or months).

I cannot hold down a "regular job" or even any job at all because I usually suffer from boredom and my recent qualifications are in finance and man it is dull! 

I feel like I am here to help people, but what can I help them with and how can I get into it? This question is with me all the time. I am 100% sure I have a purpose in life, I have no idea what it is, but I know I definitely should not be stuck in an office making some suit rich or working unsociable hours just to get some money together. I want a job where I can be me 100% of the time, where I can get up when nature intends me to and not when my alarm dictates. I want to connect with people, learn about them and teach them some things I've learned in my life (I think for 27 years old I've done a lot).

What is my purpose?

Perhaps I will have an epiphany on my travels...at least I am wishing for that!

Much love

Jennifer x

Tasty Tuesday

Welcome to Spooky Tasty Tuesday!

In case you do not already know, it is Halloween on Thursday! So, I am posting this video from Kristina for you to prepare (for any parties) in case you want to give the Trick or Treaters something healthy and fun (and better than sweets).

My body is reacting to the awful weather here by developing a sore throat. (I usually get 6+ per year, previously masked by medicine, but this one I am riding out with food, rest and water) So I am making this post quick so I can go rest in bed!

Enjoy the video, Kristina is just wonderful :)

Much love

Jennifer x

Make it Monday

Welcome to Make it Monday!

What better way to start off the week than to make your own inspiration board. The general idea of an inspiration board is to fill it with your wishes, goals and wants or fill it with motivational quotes and images or simply anything that makes you feel good.

We are all unique and have our own ideals in life, so do not be afraid to do something different. Do not be self critical and think what you do may be wrong, because this is personal to yourself, your dreams and your goals. Make it fit in with your life :)

Depending on your living situation you may want to just take a plain wall and plaster it with images, if you cannot take over a wall perhaps you may want some cork boards, or you can get a large piece of paper and do many collages and stick it on the wall like a poster.

This is my inspiration board - it will be changing constantly, what inspires us today may not tomorrow, do not be scared to start all over again :)
I painted the canvas at the top in 2009 and it finally got hung this weekend! :P

As you can see above, I only have two small cork boards. However, I may expand and tack things to the walls either side. It's so fun printing images and looking at everything together.

I hope you all have fun creating something unique :)

Much love

Jennifer x

Sweaty Saturday

It comes around quickly, it's Sweaty Saturday!

I recently rejoined a gym and I am getting back into the swing of things, but you do not need a gym membership in order to get sweaty! The best exercises are those that use your own body as a machine. I made it my aim to be able to do proper push ups and unassisted pull ups. I will get there one day, but for now I am going to practice and practice.

I discovered calisthenics this year through many videos on YouTube and the strength that these people have is just amazing. I'd love to be able to do this in the future. 

Enjoy these videos.

Much love

Jennifer x

Fun Friday

Fun Friday has arrived!

I am going to share some photos of myself that have been taken over the years, it will give you an insight into what I consider fun!

My favourite activity - getting into children's rides!

Super-lamb-banans - I love this clown version

Crosby beach - holding hands with one of the iron men

Biarritz, France - always fun to write your name in the sand, especially at night on a candlelit beach!

Seated in my chair at Glastonbury

Some of the decorations in one of the tents at Glasto

I love swans!

Played the piano!

Vintage car show

Gorgeous interior

I'm Hello Kitty!

Enjoying the boat

Fruity swan! I travelled to Wells, Somerset to see the swans that were decorated and spread throughout the town

I went on a carousel....

My horse was called Willy!

Holding up the tree! See my super strength!

Another Hello Kitty!

Captain of a boat ;)

Are you getting the picture, I like Hello Kitty!

I told you on the first picture!

Riding a dragon!

Love for all animals, real or not!

It's fun to eat a watermelon on a bench right next to the river

Every species needs to mate ;)

I love flowers and smelling them

I love tea pots but not really into tea or hot drinks for that matter.

It's the best way to horse ride..

I was in Tarantara Tarantara!

So, this is me. I like riding kid's rides and I love swans...

Much love

Jennifer x

Think Thursday

On today's Think Thursday I ponder ethical clothing.

The collapse of a factory in Bangladesh was headlining the news in the UK 6 months ago and today it is featured on news programs and newspapers again. It was a devastating accident, which cost the lives of more than 1100 people and I dedicate this post to those who were affected by this.

Now, I may stereotype and generalise here but I feel it necessary to get my point across.

Man is selfish, greedy and stubborn. Westerners are born into this world and brought up to believe money is our aim in life. We work to live, we need money to survive and the more money we have the better our lives will be.

Not everyone follows this path but throughout my life, be it education, work or just general living, people have expressed their belief that in order to be a success you will have a large sum of money in your bank account. I am not saying everyone thinks this, but most of the people I have been around in my life do.

The point I am making is that whilst we live it up in this country, most working an average of 40 hours a week or 8 hours a day, getting a reasonable salary (i.e. you can afford shelter and food - necessities) the people in Bangladesh are being exploited just so we can go spend our wages on clothes we do not even need. They work long hours, do not have the same health and safety environments and get paid so little. 

The reason they do this is because we demand it. 

We are a society that no longer questions the where, what, who, why, how and when of everything. 

Where were these clothes made? 

• What are the conditions like in the factories?
• What are the ethics of the manufacturing company?
• What are the working hours for staff and do they have benefits like we do?

Why are the clothes so cheap?

• How much do staff get paid?
• Where do they source the materials from?

How were they made?

• Did anyone get ill or injured in the production of these clothes?
• Again, what hours were worked by staff?

Who made these?

• Men or women?
• Children?!

I believe that we just take everything for granted nowadays. I admit that I do.

I used to go shop in Primark because it was cheap. It allowed me to buy clothes and still have money left for going out and socialising. Since turning vegan I have started to question these issues. Most people deep down think that the likes of Primark uses cheap labour and sweatshops (although they deny it how can you make clothes THAT cheap?!) but they still buy clothes from there.

I just want to get you to think about this because I really need some winter cardigans and so shopping is on my mind. I was thinking about visiting Primark but since these thoughts I have decided I will not go there again. My money will go towards ethical companies from now on. Yes, it will cost more money, but in all fairness I do not need lots of things. There is a culture of excessive buying in this country and I think cheap shops encourage it more.

So, before you go running off to the shops think "do I need new clothes or can I make do with what I have?" and "am I contributing to the abuse and exploitation of people around the world?".

Much love

Jennifer x

Wishful Wednesday

Welcome to Wishful Wednesday!

I always find myself wishing away over the week, but come Wednesday I have forgotten what it is I wished for!

I guess most vegans (if not all) can relate to this one.

I wish that my family (one person in particular) would accept me for being vegan and not constantly question my decision/choice to embrace this lifestyle and find negative examples to try to convince me that what I am doing is "wrong".

I started taking B12 shots over the last week due to my levels being low according to NHS standards. This is the only supplement I feel that I should put in my body. Vegans, vegetarians AND meat eaters can be deficient in this vitamin. My dad is one of them, being a meat eater who believes the only way to increase your levels is to eat animal products (because the "experts" have fed this bullshit to us for years). I am beginning to believe my problem is not dietary but in fact hereditary. Apparently my nan suffered and my dad does too, so it makes sense. 

My dad thinks that I have this problem due to being vegan, but in fact it only occurred to me last night that when I was 19 I tried to donate blood but my iron levels were too low. I never got it checked out, so perhaps I have always had a problem. I only decided to check it out due to the change in my lifestyle. Turning vegan has possibly made me aware of issues I've always had.

So anyway, I just want my family to support my choices.

Have you got similar wishes? Let me know.

Much love

Jennifer x

Tasty Tuesday

Welcome to Tasty Tuesday!

As I shared a recipe yesterday, today I am going to share with you some very creative cake ideas. 

A lot of people tend to start ordering their Christmas cake around this time and I want to show you that cake doesn't have to mean fat filled, alcohol drowned, prepare for a massive bloating session. So keep an open mind, get some ideas and perhaps you can prepare yourself a fruity cake without all the crap! :)

Super fun, more of a display than a cake, I can imagine this in the Caribbean or a hot country over the Christmas period!

Looking more like Christmas (even if it was for 4th July!)

Could frost the edges in white so it looks like an igloo :)

Yummy! 

This one is the naughtiest of them all...but it looks so pretty! 

 

I hope I've made you want to go eat some fruit (with the exception of the last cake!) and perhaps make a fruit cake for an event (hint to the raw vegan groups I am in, at the next potluck I want a fruit cake!!) Now put down that bad food and fill your face with what nature allowed us to grow on trees!

Much love

Jennifer x

Make it Monday

Mmmm...it's Make it Monday and I've made fat free (except what is in the chickpeas) hummus!

It tastes better because I made it too!

Surround it with your favourite vegetables to dip into

Here's what I used:

A can of organic chickpeas in water

1 clove of garlic

Half a lemon, juiced

A small red onion, chopped

Water - I used the remains of the chickpea broth

Cumin - I used a little, add as much as you like

Here's what I did:

Boil chickpeas as per instructions on the tin (or make your own).

Fry onion and garlic in water, yes water. No need for oil in this recipe!

Squeeze lemon.

Add everything listed above into the blender and blend away until it is the consistency you desire! 

I am eating it hot, but you could let it stand for a while and then refrigerate it. It tastes soooo yummy I do not know why it needs oil at all. I realise this is not raw...but it is better than getting store bought hummus so I will not punish myself for eating cooked food.

Enjoy it!

Much love

Jennifer x

Sweaty Saturday

It's Sweaty Saturday!

Have you done 100 squats?

What better way to work up a sweat, tone your bottom, abs and legs and feel like you have a better rear than J.Lo!

Watch the video to perfect your squatting technique.

Remember, it is not a race. The only person you need to conquer is yourself! Start slow and you will gradually build up your strength and ability to go lower and much quicker - once it becomes easy THEN make it harder ;)

Facebook page 

Much love

Jennifer x

Fun Friday

Welcome to Fun Friday!

I was in Liverpool this evening having a meal with my very good friend and I decided I wanted to have some fun with the superlambbananas in the city so...spot Jen!

I think that's me and not a superlambbanana :P

Smells wonderful!

A bit blurred!!

Have a great Friday!

Much love

Jennifer x

Think Thursday

It's Think Thursday and by now you may have realised I have lots of random thoughts!

Today I want to stay on a supernatural level and think about whether we are alone in this universe.

Do other life forms exist?

I often wonder if they do. Nowadays I am beginning to think anything is possible and it would be amazing to actually see proof that other beings live out there, but we do not need to see evidence in order to believe so I'm going to say that yes, I believe in other beings in the universe.

I have to clear this up though, I do not believe in vampires, werewolves or zombies. I just fantasise about vampires, that's all.

It would also be amazing if there are parallel universes where I'm doing something completely different. I'd like to think that the world would be a lot more natural, there would be less technology and life would be about enjoying fruits from the tree, social gatherings daily, celebration of the sun rise each day and equality amongst earthlings.

So back to other life forms in the universe. I think it would be an amazing discovery, but we need to sort out the conflict on this planet before we contacted other beings. Until we reach a state of world peace we should never introduce ourselves to other beings because that would give them an insight into how selfish, greedy, uncaring, unloving and destructive we are as a planet. Now, who wants to be introduced to that?! I know I wouldn't.

I am posting on my phone again as I've been a little stretched for time. I need to sleep and hopefully have some wonderful dreams I can share with you!

Let me know your thoughts about today's post.

Much love

Jennifer x

Wishful Wednesday

Welcome Wishful Wednesday readers!

Upon this day of wishes and dreams

I hope to inspire some human beings

To open their minds to wonderful things

And see what their imagination brings!

I wish for a vegan vampire boyfriend.

So many funny pictures here

Now, I never said all my wishes will come true, but I have plenty of fun times in my head imagining this one!! I cannot help these thoughts, especially with the Sookie Stackhouse books I've been whizzing my way through! I've just always been fascinated with vampires, it's the biting that thrills me more than anything!

Is this fantasy just mine? I don't want to be a vampire, just a vampire's play thing ;)

What are your thoughts of vampires?

Much love

Jennifer x

Tasty Tuesday

Hello again! It is Tasty Tuesday, which means you're in for a treat.

I dedicate this post to tasty smoothies as it's what I have for breakfast everyday! They are simple to make and as long as you have ripe fruit you can make whatever you dare to experiment with!

This is my breakfast smoothie, 10-12 bananas, an entire head of romaine lettuce (and not the small ones you get from the supermarkets, I mean HUGE!) and some water. Blend it up and serve in your biggest jar

If I remember rightly, this is bananas, strawberries and water. I know summer has gone now but it would be such a perfect reminder (if you can still buy fresh strawberries) of how summer tastes! (I have some frozen)

Now this one is about 5 bananas and 4-5 sharon fruit, with water. I wouldn't exactly write home about it, but it's a great way to increase your iron intake! I much prefer to eat sharon fruit whole but these were a little too far gone for eating so I blended them!

I guess it's a juice more than a smoothie, but this is watermelon juice mmmm...
p.s. it is a jar not a vase :P

This is my usual breakfast smoothie (banana and lettuce) but I added spirulina. I shall not do that again! In fact I do not want my spirulina so message me if you're interested.

My drinks are so colourful, why would you want anything else?! Fuel your body with fruit sugars and it will reward you.

So...for those of you who do not know me, I am "trying" to live a 100% raw vegan lifestyle. Now it has many ups and downs mainly because of having to unlearn to like foods I have eaten for over 20 years (I am 100% vegan so that was probably the biggest challenge for me, especially as I "loved" lots of dairy). 

Once we start eating fruit for breakfast and then lunch and snacks in between meals we do not crave biscuits, cakes, sweets, etc because we are being satisfied from the fruit. I was a chocoholic, ate whole packets of biscuits and even ate 3 cakes in a day regularly in my previous jobs, so for those who do that right now there is hope and you can stop! 

I mainly struggle with cooked foods because when it is cold I have always had hot food. It's just something I am trying to unlearn and relearn. This lifestyle is all about learning and it is amazing, especially when you have great people around you (join facebook groups, meetup pages, etc).

Well I am not a tattoo kind of gal, but I thought maybe if I had one on my hand I would reconsider what I put in my mouth to eat... so here's my vision..

What are your thoughts? Will you try a smoothie if you haven't already? Will you experiment more with the fruit you use? Do you like my tattoo idea? Am I actually influencing you to eat more fruit and veg?!

Much love

Jennifer x