Happiness and green juice

SO I got sick, really sick but it was 100% my fault. Honestly, no one to blame but me. I was 22 living it up, eating whatever I wanted ( ie, chocolate, croissants and more chocolate) and not exercising. I figured if I took the stairs once ever few days I was golden. But I was wrong. I also figured that since I was young that proper sleep was not essential and that five coffees a day was how everyone survived. But then it all caught up with me.

After a particularly hectic work week and a Sunday night spent out eating fries and taking shots I began to feel incredibly lethargic, unusually so. Following my friends conversation became increasingly difficult and this pain in the back of my skull began to radiate up into my temples it actually hurt to blink and my chest had this pressure that built every time I took a breathe. On my way home my coat felt like a million pounds, getting into the car was even more intense. When I finally got home I got my boots off and crawled into bed. I woke up the next morning and I could barely move. I actually thought I might be dying. the next few weeks were pure hell. I had managed to destroyed my immune system to a point were all my tests and levels mimicked that of a much older, very unwell person. I had contracted bacterial and viral pneumonia, strep throat and an intense stomach infection. I couldn't swallow, breathe and was coughing up blood. My fever hit 102 and stayed there for a week, on top of it all the visits to the emergency room during flu season had allowed my weakened and exhausted immune system to contract the flu. 

So there I was sick as I had ever been, round after round of antibiotics, scans, blood tests. An EKG because my heart was over compensating for my deteriorating lungs, doctors kept telling me "your so young!" and it made me feel incredibly guilty. I had done this to myself. Around the same time someone very close to me was diagnosed with terminal stage 1V cancer. We became hospital comrades and in a crazy determination to understand how someone I cared about so much could one day out of the blue be told that she had a stage for cancer i began to research. I bought and read everything I could on cancer, health and well-being and then I got the doctor who would change my life. After going back to the hospital for my fourth round of potent antibiotics ( our as I referred to it as my germ poison) I was sent in to get my prescription filled by this young doctor, she literally glowed. After reviewing my file and stating the usual "you're really young to be this sick" she starting to ask me about my nutrition, fitness levels, etc. ( the first doctor of the many I saw who even asked). After guilty admitting that I had been really, unnecessarily mean with my body she surprised me by saying that after the next round of antibiotics where  completed she recommended I do a juice cleanse... " a what?!" I hated vegetables, hattttted them! I was the kid who grew up on a beef farm and who's uncle had a dairy farm, I lived for meat and dairy. But I figured why not, I was at my lowest point and I needed to do something. I went home and started to research, I watched the documentary 'fat, sick and nearl dead' and finally bought a juicer. What was amazing is that a lot of the cancer research I had been doing in regards to nutritional health aligned with what the doctor had been telling me. That whole foods, plant based diets were optimal for overall health and well being and so I took a chance and it changed my life. Seriously! 

It has now been over a year since I got that sick. I was a watching, barely breathing zombie who started to listen to her god, pod and take notes. I am now living a mostly vegan lifestyle and exercising at least three times a week and I have never felt better. So this is my story, I have learned so much from the past year and I cant wait to share what I've learned. So here it is, this little vegan blog. Enjoy my loves!

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. 
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. 
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing. (via:LifeIsADaydream)

A few of my favourite images and quotes I've stumbled upon recently...

So true...

I have a bit of a cookbook fetish. I find them absolutely gorgeous from the photography and layout to the overall design and recipe execution. Plus, its a book that gives back. My collection has been growing quite rapidly these past few years and last summer I had a blast breaking out a few of my favourites and using ingredients from my family's giant vegetable garden. Currently, Winter is in full swing in the beautiful city in which I live, which means an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables is rather impossible. But hey a girl can dream right? therefore, today I picked up "Plenty" by Yottam Ottolenghi, a gorgeous and diverse book of recipes from the world famous London restauranteur. Soon summer will be here and I can scour my own garden but for now I'll depend on the local market,  I can't wait to get started.

#shityogissay has been on my video re-play for the past few days. Love it! Take a look, it doesn't get much better than this.