What do they know that I don't?

"Your funeral service should be as unique as you are. Start planning today".

WHAAAT!!!! This message keeps popping up in my email and Facebook feed. Now, I know I'm between the age of 70 and death, but what do they know that I don't?

And "unique"? Really? Shouldn't my life be unique? Shouldn't my hair style be unique? Shouldn't my laugh, or my fashion style or my decorating skills be unique?

Shouldn't my legacy be more unique than my funeral? Yep...that's it!! I want my legacy, your memory of me to be unique, and what footprint I leave on this earth to be unique!

I want to be remembered for my outspoken opinions. For my advocacy for the less fortunate. For my sometime inappropriate comments. For my passion for the causes I strongly believe in.

When I'm gone (don't get your hopes up, it won't be anytime soon), I don't want people to say how "sweet" I was, or how "quiet" I was, or "what a blessing" I was. I want people to remember the outrageous things I did and the passions I shared and strongly believed in. My hope is that the people that I have crossed paths with through the years, smile, or even better laugh out loud, as they think about times we spent together.

I don't give a rat's ass about my funeral. I don't want my loved ones to endure the pain of funeral costs or logistics. They won't need to have the thoughts and prayers of others. They are all strong people and they will handle the grief in their own time, in their own way.

Nope, my funeral will not be unique!! Flick a Bic!! Ba, da boom, ba da bomb!! Done! Gone!  I don't want to be remembered for how I died. I want to be remembered for how I lived!!!

Yep, color me unique, and when my time comes, color my legacy unique.

......until next time, keep your Sunny Side Up 🌞

If People Would Only Listen.....BEFORE It's Too Late

I reconnected with an old friend recently and we started chatting about how different I look, so much healthier and happier, she said.  She complained about how unhappy she is with herself, her excess weight and all of her aches and pains.  When I told her that I have lost almost 60 pounds in a year, she was very eager to hear about it.

And I was SO was eager to share all that I have learned. I shared websites and documentaries and articles and I recommended books. I shared recipes and easy meal ideas. I shared my enthusiasm and my excitement. I told her all she had to do was just....

Then she realized the work I've put into it, and then came the excuses. One excuse after another. She was looking for an easier way. A magic pill. Any way where she wouldn't have to 'give up anything'.

I've been this person.  I have used all of those excuses when I wasn't able to lose the weight.  I am an excuse expert. You can't fool me!! They are just excuses....plain and simple! I also tried all the "lose weight quick schemes". I could write the book on excuses and a number of the quick fix, fad diets.

And, I know that each person has to get here on their own.

For some, it will take a serious health scare.  For others, it will be "that" moment of clarity that hits them so hard in the face, that they cannot ignore it.  For others, it'll be a slow path that eventually leads to a healthy lifestyle.

But then, sadly, there are all of those "others" who never get it.  Or refuse to get it. There will be those that continue to eat artery clogging foods even after, one, two or three heart attacks. There will be those who lose their eye sight or a limb and continue to consume high fat and sugar laden foods. And there are those who will die too young, too soon because of their selfish, bad behavior. And leave families and loved ones to mourn. How sad that is. How very, very sad!

While this Way of Eating can seem drastic at first, it is easy and HEALTHY. So many of the medications prescribed to 'solve our health problems' these days are UNHEALTHY and SO very expensive.  And many of those solutions are either short-lived or come with a  myriad of side effects, and many times, worse than the diseases they're treating.

I am SO grateful that I not only found this way of eating, but that I have been able to embrace it fully. It is now not only a Way of Eating....it is also a Way of Life. I will continue on this journey I will continue to lose the weight. And, I will continue to get healthier, each and every day.

I hope that you will "find your way" before it's too late.

Before you're having your chest carved open.

Before you lose a limb or your eyesight.I

Before you're dependent on someone else because of your poor choices.

Please do it before........

before it's too late.....

before....the end.


Suggested reading.

Suggested documentaries.

Forks Over Knives
What The Health
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Cowconspiracy
(all of these can be found in Netflix)

Playing With My Food......Sorry Mom!!

My mom always scolded me when I played with my food! She was an awesome cook, but ironically I never learned to cook from her. I grew up in the era where children were 'seen, but not heard' so I was always told to go play when she was cooking.

I did eventually learn to cook. But it was all the fat and sugar laden stuff that filled your belly and expanded your hips. Oh, the damage I did to myself and my loved ones.  So now in my 'golden years' I'm learning a whole new way to eat and cook....the WFPB way!!

Fresh vegetables, fresh juicy fruits, legumes and rice and grains! And recipes made without added oils or sugars. No meat, foul, fish or dairy....nada!!  I've discovered a whole new world of spices and flavors. I use very few processed foods, with the exception of organic canned beans, organic canned tomatoes and a few frozen veggies and fruits, mainly for convenience.

Today in my kitchen I did some prep work for a few meals this week. First, I made my world-famous quinoa salad. You can find that recipe here.

Then I dug out my Instant Pot....oh, how I love my Instant Pot!!! I made some black rice to go with tonight's dinner. Easy peasy!! Two cups water, one cup rice. Put IP on manual for 15 minutes....perfect rice every time!!

Then came the Peanut Sauce. Another easy, peasy recipe. You can do this in a mini food processor like I did, or a blender!! It is divine!! A tad spicy....so add the sriracha a little at a time to your liking.

Peanut Sauce

This easy Peanut Sauce recipe comes together in minutes and is perfect for so many delicious dishes! It makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup creamy organic peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon natural maple syrup
1-2 tablespoons Sriracha (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh or jarred ginger
1 teaspoon fresh or jarred garlic
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup roughly chopped peanuts (optional)

Directions

Add peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, sriracha sauce, ginger and garlic to the container of a blender or food processor. With the motor running, slowly pour water through the chute until the mixture is creamy and reaches the desired consistency. More water will make the peanut sauce thinner and less will make it thick.

Next up is Zucchini Zoodles. These are just spiralized zucchini. I love my spiralizer...I just need to remember to use it more often.

And finally Steamed Vegetables!! Again, my beloved Instant Pot to the rescue. I dumped (that's gourmet talk right there) about 8 cups of assorted frozen veggies in the pot. Turn on steam to zero (0) and let the magic begin. It does take about 20 minutes, but do a quick release as soon as the IP beeps. Perfect steamed veggies!!

And there you have it....a big healthy, yummy dinner that won't clog your arteries or expand your waistline! Doesn't this just make you wanna play with your food??

...until next time, keep your Sunny Side Up 🌞

Puuurrr-dy Chickpea Salad.....

I am always on the hunt for a good salad!! Whether for an easy lunch or dinner, or something perfect for potlucks!! And today's experiment is a hit!! Easy to make! No oil! No sugar. WFPB all the way!! And the best part...it's hubby approved!!

Puuurrr-dy Chickpea Salad

1 avocado, diced
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained
1/4 cup diced red or sweet white onion
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 cups grape or roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups diced cucumber
1/2 cup fresh chopped kale
3/4 cup diced yellow, green or red bell pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt & pepper to taste

Toss all together in a bowl!! Chill for 1 hour. Yummers!!!I

...until next time, keep your Sunny Side Up 🌞

Don't call me a Vegan......I'm a WFPB'er

I'm not a vegan!!! I don't eat vegan cheeses, faux mock meats and other processed products just because they don't have meat or dairy. To me processed means unhealthy. Processed means there are a gazillion additives and chemicals added so that it has a shelf life of 2 or 3 years and beyond.

If someone chooses to live A WFPB or a vegan diet, why do they want a product that "bleeds like meat". That makes no sense to this girl!!! If they don't want to eat meat or its byproducts, or kill animals, why do they want their food to taste like it? To bleed like it? To melt like it?

Plus most vegan cheeses and veggie burgers are highly processed to get the flavors and textures just right. Aren't highly processed foods unhealthy? Isn't that what we are trying to avoid? And, the environment is harmed by the highly processed foods. These processed foods pollute the planet more than whole foods.

A vegan diet can also consist of sodas, chips, Oreos, added sugar, refined grains and oils which are all unhealthy vegan foods. So in my opinion, vegan does not mean caring about your health. Being vegan means caring about morals, animal cruelty. Veganism is an ideology, not a lifestyle.

Now don't take this wrong. Vegans have their beliefs and their rights to be vegan. I applaud them for that. But I choose a different path...a different lifestyle. But, it wasn't always this way. For 70 years, if it wasn't nailed down, I ate it. Without forethought. Without regrets. Then one day....I won't go into that now... but you can read all about it here.

So I choose health....first and foremost. A WFPB diet is inherently healthier than vegan diet. It focuses on minimally processed foods that are nutritious. Whole Foods Plant Based. A WFPB diet also seeks to reduce or eliminate intake of refined sugar, salt, oil and refined grains.

This is healthful both for human health and the health of the environment. A person following a WFPB diet over a vegan diet should live longer and healthier. And WFPB diet costs less than a vegan diet, too. Vegan cheeses, mock meats and other replacement products are far more expensive than whole foods.

Like all lifestyle choices, it is exactly that....choices. I don't understand the choices some folks make, but they are their choices. There is no wrong or right. It all comes down to the motivation behind your diet and lifestyle. And I'm not perfect 100% of the time. After all, I am human. But 99% of the time I only consume WFPB foods.

If you want to improve your health a whole food plant based diet might also be for you the way to go. If you care for the ethical treatment of animals: the vegan diet/lifestyle is the way to go. If you want both: the whole food plant-based vegan diet/lifestyle is great.

Whatever ”diet” fits your lifestyle, there are benefits to both. One thing is for sure, both are delicious and doing the planet a great favor.

As for me....

• I choose healthy....
• I choose to live longer....
• I choose not to add cancer causing foods and chemicals to my body....
• I choose plants!!! 
• Lots and lots of plants. 
• I choose WFPB baby!!!!

I hope you will join  me along with millions of others!!

....until next time, keep your Sunny Side Up 🌞

Boom in the Room.....Making' My Own Fireworks!

I've had a summer cold! Ugh!! And now it's the 4th of July!! I remembered my mom telling me to eat spicy foods to ward off the colds and flu. Hence here is my latest culinary creation!!!!

Boom In The Room Hummus

• 1 15-ounce can of black beans
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp sweet & spicy mustard
• 1 teas cumin
• 1 teas onion powder
• 1/4 teas cayenne pepper
• 1 teas dried cilantro leaves
• Juice of one lime

Put all of the ingredients in a good processor, blend well.

To serve, top with a few spoons of fresh salsa and green onions. This is fabulous served with fresh veggies or tortilla chips!! You'll be the boom in the room too!!

And guess what!! My mom was right!!

....until next time, keep your Sunny Side Up 🌞

Happy Birthday to the U.S.A.......The Land That I Love!

Wishing everyone a happy & safe Fourth of July!!

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

....until next time, keep your Sunny Side Up 🌞