The Beginning

I've had this blog about a week now and as badly as I've wanted to post, I didn't know quite how to begin. I'm beginning without set purpose so the natural theme of posts may evolve organically. I do not intend to pigeon-hole said Blog's potential. (She'll have a name one day, Her character has yet to reveal itself :))

Due to the title of Blog, it's a bit of a paradox that the event which inspired this post was choc-full of tears. Unfortunately, I have terrible digestive problems and general ill-health associated with food. I've pinpointed a few definite troublemakers (corn being the leader of the pack), yet I'm definitely far from feeling perfect. For the past 4 months I've been systematically eliminating foods and adding them back in to see if I can tolerate them. (It's called an "elimination diet"- read more about them here) To complicate matters further, I practice a mostly vegan diet (for many reasons- moral, environmental, political, cost, AND health) Any-who, despite all the trial and error, I still experience extreme discomfort, often for days on end. The most frustrating part is that I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of experiences (I can't eat out easily and social events are both difficult and awkward when they surround food) and STILL feeling ill. However, I've done a LOT of reading about digestive issues and realize I must find what works for me. Other people on strange diets often spent years figuring out how to eat (but once they do, it's much easier!) So, I suppose I just need to keep truckin ;) Overall, I already feel much better and I've learned a LOT about myself and how to feel better! (The fact that I don't feel sick EVERYDAY is huge for me :))

So, even though I had an emotional breakdown on the phone with my mom this afternoon, I realize I have so much to be thankful for :) My cat makes me the happiest girl around town, I live in a beautiful, safe neighborhood, and I get to go to school soon! I have orientation (for UCLA) this upcoming weekend and I couldn't be more stoked :)

Okay, time for a picture break (no blog is complete unless its full of great photos.. Looks like I need to work on my photo skills as well :))



First off- My little guy/lil mr./kitty baby/Scrags (His full name is Scraggles)




Anddd- some muffins I baked this evening :) Even though they look more like zucchini or carrot muffins (some other options I was toying with) they're actually vegan lemon poppyseed with coconut flour! The reason they're brown is because I used flaxmeal and water (2Tbs and 3Tbs for each egg, respectively) to replace the eggs in the recipe from Elana's Pantry. Unfortunately, they didn't rise nicely like hers did! I'd like to figure out what I can replace eggs with to make them rise more effectively and keep them vegan, but I'm also planning on getting some eggs at the farmers market next weekend and testing them for occasional use :) (Just one more thing to look forward to! :D)


Lastly, since this is just the beginning do not assume this is what is to be expected of Miss Blog! She'll undoubtedly delve into nutrition, art, recipes, cool new studies, rites and rituals, book reviews, trips/travel, my little ones (I have a puppy too :)), and of course the many reasons we should smile everyday :)

Happiness and Hugs