Hello there!
So, I received one of the Leibster Award nominations that have been doing the rounds lately from the lovely Jessica from Sprouts and Chocolate . Normally I’m not one to do these kind of things, but the Leibster Awards allow people to set the questions, and I thought that some of you (especially if you’re as nosy as me!) might be interested in the answers, especially if you’re curious about vegans or new to it all.
I am going to cheat a little bit, and I’m not going to nominate any other blogs to participate, because I have my own Q&A series here at Modern Day Missus. If any other bloggers (or non-bloggers) are interested in participating, I’d love to hear from you.
What was your diet/lifestyle life before you went vegan?
I’ve been a vegetarian on and off since I was 14, for ethical reasons. While I never really delved back into red meat, I was eating a bit of chicken and fish here and there. Now I look back at chicken and, aside from having protein, I can’t say it has much of much in it anyway nutritionally.
While I was vegetarian though, I was one of those people who ate a LOT of dairy, and thought there was no way I could live without cheese! In reality, giving it up was so much easier than I thought. It’s all about mindset. You educate yourself on the health benefits, and how incredibly cruel the dairy industry is, and nowadays I think to myself that I just couldn’t be responsible for the torture of cows, just because I wanted a piece of cheese.
What was the tipping point of you committing to a vegan lifestyle?
On my journey to having a child (the journey still continues!) my naturopath recommended giving up dairy and gluten (actually, I’ve since seen this recommendation in a number of publications for fertility). Gluten was easy. I was initially so closed minded that I wasn’t even prepared to consider giving up dairy, BUT as part of her recommendations, she recommended vegetarian protein at least once a day including things like quinoa and amaranth. I thought that if anyone eats that kind of stuff, it’s those bloody vegan hippies, so I went online and bought Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet and Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet (you can by these both from my Amazon store here if you’re interested). I thought they were both just cookbooks, but actually 50% of each book is about health and wellness. I was mesmerised (and a little shocked, and a little intrigued). I didn’t stop eating dairy then, but I was so fascinated I wanted to know more. Many books and documentaries later (I also have a movies page here) I was convinced that it was the best thing for my body, the planet, and of course, the animals. The tipping point though was watching Earthlings. I feel like my jaw is still open.
What do you hate about blogging?
Hate is a strong word – I try not to use it, but I do wish that I had more time for blogging. I am bursting with ideas, but I work full-time plus many evenings and weekends as a Marketing Manager, do the books for my hubbies business, and we’re in the process of renovating our house, among other things that are keeping my mind occupied at the moment! Writing this blog is a passion for me and I would just love to share more with you all, but time escapes me.
Are you the only vegan you know? Or have your friends jumped on the Vegan Train with you?
I’m pretty much the only vegan I know. I have friends and workmates who have become vegetarian which I thought was awesome, but nobody who is vegan (other than the online communities). I’m cool with that, and I think most people are cool with me being vegan these days too.
What is meal have you made and thought to yourself (or out loud) “Damn I am good!” ?
My 4-ingredient chocolate fudge. I just love that it is so simple and easy to make.
Where do you want your blog to take you? Publish a cookbook? Have a cooking show?
At this point in time, I don’t want my blog to take me anywhere. I’m happy just blogging for the love of it 🙂
I think that it is one of those things that as a profession is very hard to make a good living and like acting, only a very few hit it big time. What I would like, is to be able to share recipes and other stories about three times a week, and increase my following. I’d also like to develop more resources on the blog, but all just because I enjoy reading what others have to say, and hopefully there are some people who like what I have to say!
What is your favourite “junk-food” snack?
I have a few vices. I’d say once a week, I’ll have a handful of BBQ shapes. I also despise the fact that I like veggie sausages (most brands) because I don’t think they’re filled with very nice ingredients, but I usually indulge once every couple of weeks, and nozarella (a fake cheese) makes pizza amazing – I buy it and cut it up into chunks to defrost when I eat pizza (once a month or so). We also eat puff pastry on a fairly regular basis.
What cuisine do you find easiest to veganise?
Asian food is so often already vegan. You just need to be careful of fish sauce etc. Really, if you’ve got the mindset though, any cuisine can be easy to veganise.
What recipe of yours is a carnivore’s favourite requested dish when you go to family/friend gatherings?
Some of my biggest hits are puff pastry roll-ups (puff pastry, rolled up with cajun seasoning and nutritional yeast and cut into slices), 4 ingredient chocolate fudge, blueberry muffins and quinoa salad.
What is your favourite cooking season? (Do you love Fall for pumpkin? Or peas and mint in the Spring?…etc)
I love summer because food is so much easier in summer. I (not intentionally) eat by the seasons, and in warm weather I crave cold foods like salads and juices. They’re so easy and quick to make, and so healthy!
Well, that’s me – thanks for the nomination, Jessica.
Do you have any questions for me? If you want, I’ll also let you post them anonymously (put anon in the name field).
Robyn xx