Autumn Apples

Posted on October 19, 2014October 19, 2014 by Amanda

It is a chilly autumn day in Connecticut. I went for a brisk walk in the park with my lovely God Daughter. We noticed how magnificent the fall foliage is. Every corner and every tree is bursting with color. A transformation at its finest, as each leaf blossoms entirely and then whistle downs at our feet, shedding its light and love with each one of us. We are one. I acknowledged and am grateful for that change. Grateful for those in and out my life. I am grateful for the sun rising and the cycle of life it brings. Change in incredible! The only thing missing from this perfect October day was Apple Pie. Luckily I went apple picking yesterday! I headed straight to the kitchen later in the afternoon to experiment!

I found this recipe on my favorite food blog. The recipes provided are typical one bowl recipes using minimal ingredients and minimal equipment. It is the best! Each dish is clean and light! I love that in a meal. You can check out the recipe here via Minimalist Baker.

My Beautiful Labrador Retriever, Aston, in the right hand corner! He likes apple pie too!

Yummy!

Festival of Living Vegan

Posted on October 13, 2014October 13, 2014 by Amanda

This past weekend my fiancé Chase and I attended Catskill Animal Sanctuarys annual Festival of Living Vegan in the small country side town of Saugerties, New York. I know I can speak for the both of us when I say we were so enthusiastic for this trip as we are both ethical vegans living in a community that is predominately made up of carnivores, so the anticipation of being surrounded by like minded individuals who share our same beliefs and goals was purely indescribable. Up until this weekend, we have been feeling rather lonely in our community, yet we are so thankful for this past experience and all the ones to follow. It was such a relief to meet others similar to us. We made so many connections from both our human and animal friends! I am incredibly thankful for this experience and shed gratitude as I reflect on the memories. I would like to give a special thank you to Kathy Stevens, a good friend of ours and founder of Catskill Animal Farm for inviting us and showing us such compassion.

We parked about 10 minutes away in a corporate parking lot, and toke a shuttle bus to the farm. It was packed with people all ages, from young to old. Upon arrival we stopped by Kathy’s house for a warm welcome. Her house is quaint and cozy with a beautiful flower garden surrounding the outside. Inside it was filled with animal paintings and books.

Next, we checked ourselves in at the welcome booth, and headed to the cooking demo performed by vegan Chief Linda at the sanctuary. Check out her blog, called Compassion Cuisine, which is an extension of the animal sanctuary. There are a ton of great vegan recipes! Linda demonstrated to a crowd how to make vegan mac and cheese, something Chase and I haven’t experimented with yet. The recipe can be viewed on her webpage via this link. We were fond of her technique, using nutritional yeast, cauliflower, and butternut squash as the main ingredients in the recipe! A great way for vegans to get their B12. She was kind and patient at answering our many questions. We got great insight on vegan cheese. We are particularly interested in trying Treeline vegan cheese thanks to her advice and sampling!

Another great idea we got from her demonstration was how to make your own vegan “bacon”. She cut a bunch of shiitake mushrooms, sprinkled salt and drizzled a little oil, baked them at a high temperature until *almost* burnt (very very crispy), then letting them dry out for 20 minutes, and well-ah! Vegan “bacon”. The recipe can be viewed via this link.

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Stay tuned…

Posted on October 2, 2014October 2, 2014 by Amanda

Syrian citizens protest against the drone droppings by the United States. “Don’t kill our children by your aircraft” WOW! This is tough to digest and hits home. We abuse rape mistreat our animal friends, we kill innocent people daily, our foundation is war and violence, globally that’s all Earth is, a battle ground. I have a dream. I have a dream of peace and justice and awareness and consciousness. I won’t stop. I will reach the masses. I will manifest change. I, Amanda Lollie, am not okay with what is taking place on Earth. And I, Amanda Lollie, will not be passive and tip toe around individuals blind feelings. I, Amanda Lollie, will fight for justice and harmony so my children and my god daughter can walk this Earth safely and peacefully.

STAY TUNED.

What’s lurking in your food?

Posted on February 5, 2014February 5, 2014 by Amanda

The FDA has allowed food preservatives to be used in our food for centuries. Yet it has only been within the last few years, a mass awareness has been spread nationally on the truth behind these added ingredients.

I have created a list of the top 10 food preservatives that should be avoided:

Monosodium Glutamate or MSG information can be found by clicking on this link MSG Truth

Artificial sweeteners including but not limited to Aspartame.

Titanium dioxide can be found in milk, salad dressing, frosting, and coffee creamer to name a few. Titanium dioxide is also found in sunscreen as it can absorb UV rays.

Butylated hydroxytoluene or BHT can be found in cosmetics, jet fuel, rubber, and embalming fluid. More so, it can be found in your shortening, cereals, and other foods containing fats and oils. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor. Many packaging materials incorporate BHT.

Butylated hydroxyanisole or BHA can be found in butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. You can click this link to learn more on studies done with both BHT and BHA at Truth about BHA and BHT

Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are commonly used to preserve meat products. It prevents bacteria growth and helps meat retain its red color.

Sodium benzoate is a preservative used in acidic liquids such as vinegar, juices or soft drinks. It is also found in food products such as margarine and fast food hamburgers. Sodium benzoate is also used in fireworks and makes a great rocket fuel.

Potassium bromate is most often found in bread as it improves the quality of flour. A small amount is very harmful and has even been banned in Canada, Europe and China.

Castoreum is a natural flavor enhancer that is often used in fruit-flavored products to make them taste extra fruity. Believe it or not but this comes from a beaver.

According to the FDA, preservative and additives are perfectly safe. Yet, if you are anything like myself, you don’t believe everything you’re told without doing your own research. Scientist have performed studies that lead to the belief preservatives and additives pose a major health risk. It can give us small allergic reactions such as migraines. It can alter moods, growth, and learning. It can cause deadly diseases like cancer. Regardless that the majority of these preservatives are banned in other countries, our country still supports the use of them in our food products. Our labels do not contain this information, so be mindful, for our own sake and those of our future generations, as they will be the ones to spark the revolution.

Listed below are more articles to begin your independent research:

CNN In-Depth article with more information on preservatives and additives: Preservatives

This website is an easy reader with a check list of safe, cut back, and avoidable preservatives and ingredients with as an easy reader with a check list: Preservatives Checklist

On a lighter note, this past week had me occupied. I am still seeking balance and clarity in my busy days. I am proud of myself endlessly and remind myself daily that my hard work will pay off. I was able to hit the studio two times this week for my regular hot yoga classes as well have a few home practices, one in which I was able to snap a few pictures!

Be Mindful

Posted on February 5, 2014February 5, 2014 by Amanda

I had a few really great yoga sessions this weekend. I was able to squeeze in a home practice along with studio days. I went to the studio for my regular scheduled 75 minute hot power yoga class: The following day I toke the same class in 90 minutes. Proceeding, I toke my first ever yin class! Yin is a slow yoga practice that focuses on the holding of each pose. We maybe did a total of 7 poses, all which were held between 5-10 minutes. The focus of the yoga sequence was a kidney and bladder cleanse. We did a lot of crunching of the upper body to the lower body. The poses were diverse as they focused on opening other parts of the body.

For instance, child’s pose massages all the major organs over the stomach. It also works the thighs and hips depending on how far your knees are separated. The closer your knees are together the more it becomes a resting pose; as to having the knees separated making it an active pose. I am a lover of child’s pose- but holding this posture without adjustments for 5 minutes was very uncomfortable. Mentally I was time traveling. Which isn’t always a good thing as it is often recapturing old emotional attachments I have yet to release, my to do list. Sometimes, I will find tears.

How do I cope when these feelings arise? How do I find the strength to continue my yoga practice? Simple, I take one more breath, the only thing I can control, the only thing I can do, and I just begin again. I never give up; I just restart. And with that, I let it go. I am present and I am mindful.

Which brings me to the discussion of todays post. What does being mindful mean?

Being mindful is being attentive at any given moment, allowing you to be in the present moment. When I first heard the word mindful and began to make sense of the meaning, I thought it was very strange. I was surely already in the present moment, wasn’t I? I started to talk to myself, “am I in the present moment?” A few moments go by… “OK, am I in the present moment now?” I would always answer yes. But with each passing moment I had a feeling I hadn’t been in the present.

Many of us believe we are fully aware of each moment, but to be truly in the present is a very tough discipline. I mean, mindfulness is a terrifying practice. It means not thinking about the next moment. It means not dwelling on the one you just had. It means not thinking about what you could have done, or said.

In respect, I invite you to take baby steps to mindfulness. Begin with mindful eating. Next time you sit down for a meal, use these skills. Take a deep breathe in; a long exhale out. Continue breathing like this for only a short minute. Thank the universe silently in your mind. Mindful eaters sit down and appreciate their food. They eat slow and deliberately. They chew thoroughly. This can all be done silently to ourselves.

Make it a priority to implement this once daily. Comment below by simply clicking the “comment” button, and share your thoughts or experiences behind mindful eating.

Yoga fashion alert! Check out my galaxy leggings! You can find this trend on BlackMilk Clothing. My Black Surf Pro mat is from Manduka. It is the Black Surf Pro series in vibrant oceanic blue. I fell in love with the ocean blue it comes in. It is inspiring. It is also very supportive and easy on my spine, hips, elbows, and knees!