Veggie Nuggets!

I am a chicken nugget fiend. I have to admit, that's one of my biggest concerns about going vegetarian - how am I going to get my nugget fix?

Luckily for me, there are a lot of options on the market for vegetarian alternatives to chicken nuggets. They're not available at fast food restaurants, which is part of the allure of chicken nuggets - a trip to the drive thru with friends when you're on your way home from a concert, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's never a bad idea to cut fast food out.

The last time I was at the grocery store, I happened to notice the 'meat alternatives' section in the freezer aisle and decided to grab a bag of veggie nuggets to try out and see if they were even comparable enough to feed my nugget craving.

And then I thought I might as well write about it.... and then test a few more brands to see which veggie nugget will reign supreme.

I've only tried one brand so far, but I've got to say it might be hard to knock out of first place. Gardein did pretty great with their seven grain "chick'n" tenders.

Gardein Seven Grain Crispy "Chick'n" Tenders

Oh man, look at that art. I should definitely look into a career in food photography! 

The downside to veggie nuggets? They're super processed to have the same texture as chicken nuggets, which is great when you're eating them but feels... very strange when you're just thinking about them. Even the colour of the 'meat' inside is similar to chicken, despite the fact that it's made up of vegetables. Don't get me wrong, chicken nuggets are over processed as well, it just seems more expected that way. 

I think I might try making my own veggie nuggets next, for something a little less processed and to try something new. 

What's your favourite brand of veggie nuggets? 

Meat Free 'till Dinner

I recently decided I was going to approach this 'going vegetarian' with a plan. I wanted some ways to cut down on my meat intake to acclimate myself to the idea of cutting it out completely because I know that I do rely on meat quite a bit.

So I've decided to take the "meat free until dinner" approach. The idea is simple: no meat products until dinner time. It gives me a set goal to work towards without being completely overwhelming. It also allows some leniency for family meals, since I live at home and don't always have control over groceries or dinner meals.

I never realized just how much meat I eat until I tried consciously trying to cut back. I've never particularly thought of myself as an avid meat eater. I very rarely eat red meat. I claim I don't eat a lot of pork either, but that's mostly because for some reason I never equate bacon and ham as pork. I eat a fair amount of bacon and ham.

But I eat a lot of chicken and poultry and sometimes fish. A lot. So much that it seems to worm its way into almost everything I eat, especially when it comes to lunches. I add it to salads and stir fry. Sandwiches always have turkey or chicken. A grocery store pack of California rolls (crab meat, avocado and cucumber) has also always been an easy lunch. And when I go to the cafeteria at school, I'm almost always suckered in by the chicken finger plate. It's fast, easy and readily available - not to mention that adding a bit of chicken to a salad always makes me feel full, whereas crunching on a large bowl of lettuce generally just makes me bored.

The quest for the perfect meat free lunch has commenced. Here are a couple of options that I've had a lot of luck with.

• Garlicky quinoa bowls from Amuse Your Bouche. Her recipes are all vegetarian and really easy to make. This quinoa bowl has been a hit, as it contains lots of my favourite ingredient: garlic. Sorry family, the kitchen is going to stink. Sorry classmates, so is the classroom when I open my container. But not actually that sorry because it's delicious! I like to add some more veggies in it, as well. The recipe calls for leeks and broccoli, but I tend to add green beans as well. Roasted sweet potato also makes a nice addition! Bonus: this recipe makes a ton, which means I usually have lunch for the entire week when I make it! It also tastes yummy hot or cold. 

• Chick pea butter 'chicken' and rice. I came across a recipe for vegan tikka masala using chick peas instead of chicken and had the idea to do the same with butter chicken. Butter chicken is definitely my go to for Indian take out, and I knew I had a bottle of store bought sauce in my cupboard. So I sauteed up some chick peas (I like them better cooked), heated up some rice and added some of the butter chicken sauce to it. It was great! I got about two meals from one tin of chickpeas and about a cup and a half of rice. I would recommend adding some veggies for some added crunch! I definitely will next time I make this. 

• FALAFEL! I'm a big fan of shawarma, but I always seem to forget that falafel is available as a vegetarian alternative. It's pretty quick and easy, and I seem to live in a neighbourhood where there's no shortage of shawarma places. Pita Pit also does a really nice falafel wrap as well, though there's never enough falafel in it! The school cafeteria also has a Mediterranean place that does falafel. It's definitely a bit of a junk food alternative, but who can pass up the delightful garlic white sauce? 

Do you have any vegetarian lunch recommendations? Let me know in the comments! 

Megan

How cruel is my make up bag?

It's only been in the couple of years or so that the issue of animal testing on cosmetics has been brought to the forefront of my mind. Animal testing has always been an issue - animal rights activists have been tackling the issue of animal for decades - and I've been aware of it, but it's been a peripheral issue. It wasn't something that I thought about too often. I didn't think about what was going into the creation of the cosmetics I used. Now, I do. I don't think it's right that animals have suffered so I can add a little sparkly eyeshadow to my face when I feel like it. So I have consciously been trying not to purchase cosmetics that have been tested on animals.

Why do I, one human being with one face, have so much make up?

Using LogicalHarmony's carefully curated list of cruelty free brands, I'm going to see how the contents of my make up bag stand up against animal testing. I'm not going to feel guilty about the purchases I've made in the past, but I am going make sure that I don't support the company or repurchase the product in the future.

So with a couple rolls of washi tape, I'm going to go through the contents of my make up collection and see how it holds up to the cruelty free standard!

Brands Left: Rimmel, Covergirl, MAC, L'Oreal, Benefit, Fresh, Younique, Make Up Forever, Tarina Tarintino, Clinique
Brands Right: Topshop, Soap & Glory

Pictured left, every piece of make up I own that has definitely been tested on animals. I expected most of these. Drug store brands like L'Oreal and Covergirl are often criticized for testing on animals. MAC also receives a lot of criticism for their business practices. Up until very recently, MAC actually was a cruelty free company. In 2012, MAC started selling their products in China, where animal testing is required by law. A quick way to check if a brand tests on animals is to see if it sells in China.

These products are ones that I will definitely NOT be purchasing again. They're also products that I could probably throw out today and wouldn't notice they were missing! With the exception of a couple of the lipsticks and the Benefit "They're Real!" mascara. I'm really disappointed that Benefit isn't a cruelty free brand!

Pictured right are the products currently existing in no man's land. There's no definitive answer that I could find on the internet that could support or deny the claims that Topshop or Soap & Glory test on animals. Until a definitive answer can be found, I won't be purchasing from their brands again. There's still a chance for them, though! So they've been marked differently from the no-nos.

Brands: Urban Decay, Tarte, NARS, NYS, bare minerals, Too Faced.

The bulk of my make up bag, I'm happy to say, contains products that have not been testing on animals! None of the ingredients or final products of the brands I use the most of have been tested on animals, which is great news! However, all of these brands are owned by parent companies, like Estee Lauder, who are not against animal testing and have brands under their umbrella that do test on animals. I marked these to remind me of that, because while it is great that none of these products have been tested on animals and I can feel good about that when I wear them, I'm not sure if I want to continue supporting them when it also supports companies who do not share their cruelty free values. It's a bit of a moral dilemma that I want to keep in mind and think more about because purchasing from these brands again.

Brands: Barry M, Wet 'N Wild, ELF and Pixi

And finally, the last 5 items. They were the only ones in my make up collection that were completely 100% cruelty free and not owned be a parent company that is not cruelty free. I will definitely be looking in to buying more from these brands when it comes time to get some new make up.

In case any of you are interested, I've added in the video I watched that got me started on cruelty free cosmetics. There are some great resources available if you're interested in taking steps towards making your cosmetic habits a little more ethical!

24 things I've learned in 24 years

I recently celebrated my 24th birthday, and with that came a lot of introspection - and panic about the direction my life is going. Growing up, I had always thought that I would be a real adult when I was 24. I would live on my own, have my own car and be starting a family of my own. I have none of those things. And honestly, I'm not even remotely close to having that for myself, thanks to a couple of years of misdirection and not knowing what path I wanted to go down. It's strange to compare my life now to my parents' when they were my age. When my mother was 24, she'd been married for nearly 4 years, had her first child and was getting ready for her second (me). It seems like they had it all figured out. I don't have anything even remotely figured out. 

On the bright side, I'm only a year away from having a valid quarter life crisis. That's mildly comforting. 

Anyway. Here are a couple of nuggets of wisdom I've collected in my 24 years walking this earth. 

1. People who want to be in your life will make the effort to be in it. But it's a two way street. You need to make the effort to be in their life too. 

2. There's never a wrong time to re-watch Gilmore Girls or the West Wing for the 100th time. 

3. A cute AND comfortable shoe is nearly impossible to find. When you find a pair that ticks all the boxes, buy multiple pairs. They're practically the holy grail.

4. Sometimes it's best to just mute your family members on Facebook. 

5. Your voice isn't always the most important in the room. You need to learn how to sit back and not talk over other people who have different experiences or ideas than you. 

6. A perk of being an adult is definitely being able to eat ice cream for breakfast if you want to, but you will soon learn that it's never a good idea to eat ice cream for breakfast. 

7. It is always a bad idea to take an hour long detour to eat at a fast food restaurant made popular by a bad movie. (I'm looking at you, White Castle) 

8. There are people in this world who will yell at people who work in food service because they don't want to wait in a line up or their order was wrong. Don't be that person. 

9. If you're lucky, you'll visit a place and feel like you're exactly where you belong. If you're even luckier, you'll find a way to live there. I'm still working on making that happen. 

10. Starbucks' chestnut praline latte feels like happiness and a warm hug in a cup. 

11. Be the mom friend. It's always a good thing to have kleenex and band aids and other in-case-of-emergency items in your bag. Sure, it'll make your bag heavy,  but you won't be sorry when your lips are chapped and you've got 3 emergency lip balms stashed away. 

12. It's important to learn how to make a proper apology. If you hurts someone's feelings, you don't get to explain it away with excuses. You say you're sorry and adjust your behaviour. 

13. Don't post every moment of your life on social media. It's nice to share things every once in awhile, but don't take yourself out of the moment to make sure you capture it for an Instagram or Snapchat. Plus, you'll be happy that thing you thought was super cool when you were 16 isn't there to embarrass you when you're 24. 

14. Carry your favourite tea bags in your bag at all times. You'll be thrilled if you're ever desperate for some tea and the only option you've got is Red Rose.  People might think you're weird, but it'll be worth it. 

15. You should always try to be the Leslie Knope of whatever you're doing. Doing your best is cool. 

16. Everyone will always have an opinion about you or the choices you make. Your opinion is the most important one. Make sure you keep that in mind. 

17. Be friends with the people who appreciate dumb jokes. 

18. Watching the dinner party episode of the Office is a great way to cheer yourself up after a bad day.

19. Love the things you love. Don't think about the things you don't like. No one wants to hear about how much you hate that popular tv show. Talk about the things that make you happy, don't worry about the things that don't. 

20. Don't engage in political debates on Facebook. It will never be successful and it's the equivalent of yelling at a wall, but yelling at a wall gives you less of a headache. 

21. Telling lighthearted by self deprecating jokes about yourself can help you get through a rough day. If that doesn't work, scream into a pillow when you get home and spend some time scream/singing Avril Lavigne. Either way, you'll get through it somehow. 

22. Having two cats and two dogs at one time is insanity. Cute, fluffy and loving insanity, but insanity all the same. Also, it's impossible to get things done when you have two 3 month old puppies around. 

23. Driving isn't as scary as it seems. Don't put off learning to drive for 8 years like I did. 

24. Saving money to travel is hard, but it is so so so worth it when you get to spend some time in new places. 

And so it beings.... again.

Welcome to the third attempt at making this blog stick! Hopefully this time it will - it definitely helps that my activity on here for the next couple of months will be graded. (Hi Tim!)

At one point, I had high hopes for becoming a blogger. I was on a gap year and looking for something to do after work that would make me happy - and the popularity bloggers (and vloggers) were on the rise. I was watching people like Zoella (a UK based beauty blogger/vlogger with a current following of 11 million people) reach 1 million followers on YouTube and reaping the benefits. Cosmetic companies were sending her products - she got paid to sit at home and talk about make up! What a dream job! 

So I started a blog. The motivation to keep it going was never there. As much as I loved playing with make up, I didn't love it enough to keep talking about it every day, and this blog fell by the wayside. 

I tried again a couple years later, fresh out of college. I had every intention in joining the ranks of travel bloggers this time - chronicling my month long graduation trip to Scotland, England and France. It was an amazing trip, but I didn’t take the time out of the trip to chronicle enough to make it blog worthy – and returned to working 44 hours a week immediately upon my return, with no time to get over jetlag much less write about my experiences. C’est la vie.

So here we are, shifting the focus and starting this blog over again, shedding the concerns over gaining followers. This blog will be for me – an outlet for my writing, and a way to hold me accountable for the lifestyle changes that I’ve been trying (with only a modicum success) to make.

This blog, for the most part, will chronicle the ups and downs of my journey towards living a cruelty free lifestyle. The first hurdle is to remove cosmetic products that have been tested on animals from my product line up, as I do not want to actively contribute my hard earned money on products that have caused suffering in vulnerable animals.

The biggest hurdle will be the process of slowly scaling back the amount of meat and dairy products in my diet, with the ultimate goal of removing them completely. Can this picky eater learn to love chicken nuggets made from vegetables? Can I give up the delightful squeak of real cheese curds and beef gravy in poutine, my favourite Canadian delicacy? Can I learn to survive on tea with no milk? Only time (and surely several missteps) can tell.

So stick around for more on the baby steps I’m taking towards this lifestyle and other musings I'm sure to make. I’ll see you in the next one.  

Megan