The Mono Meal

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart... em no, actually it was our first as vegans. I think our family members were a little concerned about what on earth they could and couldn't give to their newly different relatives. No gift could be, or was a disappointment though!
As part of the gift from my Mum and Dad, they gave us vouchers for Mono, a popular vegan cafe bar in Glasgow.  We were both very excited by this, but my unpredictable health, and our total lack of social motivation ensured that we stumbled at every hurdle on the way to going there! Until now, that is!

As Steven was on holiday last week, we wanted to do our best to make it happen! We planned it out in advance, I tried to manage my pain and conserve my energy, all so we had a fighting chance of making it out the door! Despite being in a lot of pain as usual, my overall energy feeling was much better than usual, i.e. I didn't feel like I was dragging myself around like a dead weight, instead I felt excited and awake!

Anyone living with chronic pain and exhaustion will know that there was no way on earth that this unusual feeling could be taken for granted! Not knowing how long it could last, I just had to go with it and hope for the best!

It really seemed like it was just meant to happen this time! Instead of me rushing around, running late, being stressed and in a fluster, things just seemed to be going at a nice steady pace! Everything was going as it should and I was still feeling 'good'! We got to Glasgow in a stress-free drive, found a space in the car park, saw that Mono was literally across the road and just felt great!

It isn't normal for outings to go well for me. They are generally rare, stressful and uncomfortable, to say the least! This particular outing was the first social one I have had in a long time. In months. Possibly only the 2nd this year! Don't get me wrong, I get to see my friends regularly, just two days earlier I was with all my friends at the health centre getting all my blood taken away for tests. Oh, wait a minute, I think they were actually nurses...oh well, never mind. Don't feel sorry for me though cos a whole month earlier, I got to go out to the Pain Clinic, that was no fun, but I got a new packet of colouring pencils as a reward on the way home! (This is sadly true lol!)
So, as I am sure you more social people can imagine, this Mono trip was quite a big thing to me, and to my husband! We actually got out of the flat together, and went for a meal! A gorjus meal! The most gorjus meal I have eaten in a long time!!

I was so excited about our day trip that I had been sneaking a wee look at the menu online. I was delighted to see all the amazingly delicious options available, and every single thing is vegan! No animals were harmed in the making of our meal!! I cannot express how freeing it is to go to a restaurant, browse the menu, and know that you can choose absolutely any item you see!! Rare!

We shared a starter of beautiful warm flatbreads with the best hummus ever! (I am still dreaming of those flatbreads 5 days later!) Choosing the main meal was hard, there is such an array of delicious options!
Before I went in, my tummy and eyes were grabbed by the Seitan Burger. I actually daydreamed about what this might be like! When we were actually there,  knowing a decision had to be made, I was torn between a couple of the pizza options and the coveted Seitan Burger. Then Steven decided he would have the burger. Nooooooo! My stupid brain says I'll have to order something different, otherwise I am wasting an opportunity for us both to try new things! Arrgh! Thankfully I had a quiet word with myself, and realised that we could both indeed have this burger. And we did. And it was absolutely amazing! Lovely gooey melted vegan cheese all over this juicy, delicious burger, smothered in BBQ sauce, mustard on the side. Every bite was just to die for, except nobody had to! They must do the best chips in the world! So so so so delicious! Even the salad was superb and moreish!

I honestly tried to persuade Mr B that we should go back 2 days later, I just could not stop thinking of our culinary experience! We are both so blown away by the food at Mono, and cannot wait to go back for more. Wasn't that the most thoughtful and genius Christmas gift ever? And due to the fact that the prices are so good at this place, we still have half of the voucher value left! Result!

I cannot express just how fabulous this place is. Whether you are Vegan or not, you will have an amazing meal here! Not only that, but you can sample craft beers, soft drinks that are brewed in their in-house microbrewery, an ethical blend of coffee that is designed and roasted specifically for Mono! As if all that wasn't enough, they are also a popular music venue!!

We cannot wait until our next visit!

Thank you Mum, Dad and Mono!

X

The Duke who stole my heart!

Since becoming Vegan, and learning a lot of vivid truths about the meat and dairy industries, I have struggled with how to handle the emotions brought on by the truth. I felt helpless and hopeless and like there was absolutely nothing I could do to change the way animals are treated and seen by the majority of the world.
Then one day, I stumbled upon a facebook post about a bullock named Duke. I went on to read his story and watch his videos and I absolutely fell in love with him!

This is a photo of the lovely Duke Bullock with his best friend, Kevin Lamb! What a gorjus pair they are!

Duke is a dwarf hereford bullock who was rescued by Calf Sanctuary in Scarborough. He had been destined for death by bullet before they stepped in to save him. He was considered an embarrassment to his breed and had been rejected by the farming industry. Thank goodness the people who had him contacted Sharon at the sanctuary, otherwise this little sweetheart’s life would have ended long ago.

Duke was injured and lost the ability to walk and stay upright. Thankfully, his new mum and family have been the best thing possible for him! Since being at the Sanctuary, they have worked so hard to help him and he is now able to walk a little bit unaided and get to his feet by himself. He still needs lots of care and attention to get him even stronger and more confident. He has set backs and these can be very disheartening for him and his family.

There is very little help available to the sanctuary, so all the work is being done by his mum and dad. They are so dedicated to him, they truly love this little boy, and you can tell he loves them too!

Duke isn’t the only one who lives at the Sanctuary, there are many other boys and girls needing care and love too. On top of this, the wonderful Calf Cafe can now only open at the weekends. They need this Cafe to fund the sanctuary and their lives, and there just doesn’t seem to be the help out there for this to be possible.

Duke has his own facebook page which is brilliant. He updates it regularly, sharing selfies of him and his mum, embarrassing Kevin by showing his baby pictures, he is open and honest about his set backs, and is very grateful for all the love and support he receives.

I want to do whatever I can to help Duke and his friends. He truly is inspirational and you just can’t help but fall in love with him! If you would like to help Duke to walk again, you can donate to his fund here www.gofundme.com/help-him-walk Any amount you can spare will help him!

Other ways you can help is to share his story. The more people who know about him, the more chance there is for help.

If you’d like to know more about the wonderful work that they do at Calf Sanctuary, please take a look at their website www.calfsanctuary.com They even have an online shop where you can buy all sorts of great things including Vegan treats, t-shirts, hoodies, gifts and much more!

There are so many beautiful animals that have a wonderful life thanks to the amazing work that is done by this sanctuary. They can only continue to make a difference with the help of people like us! They have a wish list set up through Amazon so that supporters can buy exactly what is needed for the animals to thrive! If you’re interested in getting a little something from there, here is the link www.calfsanctuary.com/wishlist/

I am eagerly looking forward to the day that I can meet Duke Bullock, Kevin Lamb and the rest of the gang. They deserve all the cuddles and love in the world!

I will leave you with another photo of the beautiful Duke!

Moo kisses and licks x x x

The Magic of Jason Mraz & Raining Jane

As someone who barely leaves the house these days, it has become increasingly difficult to do when the time comes! I have really only managed it for medical appointments, if I don’t cancel them first. But twice now I have been lured out of the house by the promise of some magical music!

Mr B and I got tickets last year to go see Jason Mraz and Raining Jane at the Lowry in Manchester. When September came around and it was time to make the trek I was filled with dread! It is quite scary to face travel and a gig when you are me. I am no longer used to being around lots of people, and even something as simple as sitting on the couch can cause me great discomfort and pain, so the thought of a 3 or 4 hour drive to Manchester followed by the unknown territory of a gig was really daunting. Luckily I was just the passenger and I could snooze, sing to the ‘Yes’ album and just relax. 

When it came time to get to the gig, I nearly finished myself off by doing the supposed 5-10 minute walk to the theatre. It is a good thing that the gig started way later than we thought! - time to regain composure!(ish)

Well, when the show began, all fears of out of control crowds of screaming girls etc just melted away. A very casual Jason Mraz slipped out from behind the curtain and just sat down on an amp and chatted as though it was just him and us! What an amazing start to what turned into a phenomenal evening! The musical abilities of Jason and Raining Jane are just out of this world.  Mona Tavakoli had me absolutely gobsmacked from the second she struck the first beat on her Cajon drum box! I was a classical percussionist and for years I was consumed by a love for playing. Sadly over the years, my piano and percussion playing has faded to almost nothing, largely due to lack of confidence and pain. But this fireball of energy and talent just exploded on the stage and didn’t miss a beat or lose an iota of energy. It was so inspirational! Every member of Raining Jane is overflowing with talent. They all play multiple instruments, they sing beautifully and they just ooze happiness and passion. It really is something everyone should see!

A few weeks after the gig, they announced they would be playing in Glasgow! This was just amazing. We knew we had to get tickets as there was absolutely no way we were not taking the opportunity to see that show again, and at home too!! I was hovering over the page waiting for the fan pre-sale to open and BOOM! I got amazing, 5th row tickets. We wouldn’t fully appreciate how good they were until we were there on Wednesday night! (Feb 11th). We were so close to the front. My seat was perfectly positioned to be able to see all the instruments that my inspiration, Mona, was playing and just how passionate and amazing she was. To be able to see Becky playing the Sitar so close up was amazing. She also played the bass guitar and double bass! She is quietly cool throughout the entire event! 

Having Jason singing at our side of the stage at one point, it was awesome, there were no people in the seats between us and him, it was such an intimate setting. It really is a fabulous way to enjoy the music of these geniuses!

We were so lucky to get to see this performance, but luckier still to have met Chaska and Mai afterwards. They must’ve been exhausted and just wanting to escape to peace and quiet, but they were so kind and took the time to take photos and have a wee chat! Such lovely ladies!

Mai plays the Cello beautifully, she was on the piano, and guitar I believe, but also singing. The smile on her face when she performs is just so warming. She really does seem to love what she is doing! I really think that they all do!

Chaska has such a beautiful, crystal clear voice. Such a powerful singer, a beautiful soul. She is also a master of many instruments, including the keyboard, glockenspiel, guitar and others that I forget.  It really is wonderful to watch someone so happy in their work!

And Mr Mraz himself was outstanding! He is such a funny, lovable guy. So down to earth and caring. I just can’t believe how clear, beautiful and versatile his voice is. I have never heard such perfection in live performances as I do when Jason Mraz and Raining Jane are on the stage. The songs that they performed were so uplifting and magical. My face muscles were so painful as I could not stop smiling the whole time. Whenever I hear live music, it has an inexplicable effect on my mind and body. I get emotionally attached and immediately want to be up there playing too! These guys had the biggest effect ever. I was so uplifted, happy, and energised. I have not felt this way in a very long time and I do not remember feeling much pain during the whole thing. And that is despite having a migraine begin shortly after taking my seat! I may have to follow these guys on the rest of the tour and ditch the medication!!

As always, with any activity I do, I am suffering severely now, even 3 days later. (Mind you, I feel like this all the time anyway) But for once though, it was totally worth it. I actually experienced something amazing and had a wonderful time at it. I thank Jason Mraz and all of Raining Jane for the wonderful effects of their music and for getting me out of the house! 

The return of the Cheese Fiend

Despite what people think, there is absolutely nothing that I have missed out on by becoming Vegan!
As mentioned in my post 'The Cheese Fiend', I was such a lover of cheese and wondered how I would deal with not having cheese! But, there are so many non dairy cheese options out there that this will NEVER be a problem!

The first Vegan cheeses that I fell in love with were by Vegusto! They make gorjus cheeses, and I make sure that I always have some in my fridge! This week we have tried a new one, the Sheese products by Bute Island Foods. They have a large range of Sheese, but their website shows that they also have a Vegandeli! This is something I am going to have to try out too!!

I have been enjoying toasted bagels with garlic and herb creamy Sheese! Gorjus is the best word I can use! Reminds me of my old pre-vegan favourite, Boursin!

The Blue Sheese is absolutely amazing! It slices and grates amazingly. The texture is so like the Dairy cheese I am used to. I really have loved having this on sandwiches and crackers. It is very like Blue cheese but not so much that my husband (who hated blue cheese) didn't enjoy it. I really have found myself fancying a wee chunk here and there to nibble on!

Last night we made our homemade Vegan pizza and we tried out the Mozarella Sheese. We spread the sauce onto the base and then grated the cheese onto that. Then put our red onions, mushrooms and peppers on and spread out circles of the Vegusto No-Moo Melty and slices of the Mozarella Sheese. Having both was brilliant. When it was time to remove the pizzas from the oven, the kitchen had an amazing smell of cheese. Heaven!!! Both cheeses were just delicious in their melted form. I am so happy that these companies exist and have restored cheese in my life!

What cheese alternatives do you like? Any to avoid?  Would love to hear what others think.

The Hunt for Determination!

Where do people get their grit and determination from? This is something that I swear that I used to have but bit by bit it has crumbled away. I would love to know where I left it but I will need to come back to that!

Anyway, I have people questioning me all the time. Why don't you try this? do that? Surely cost doesn't come into it? Wouldn't you do anything to feel better?

Well in theory it is very easy to ask and expect nothing but 'of course' as an answer. I mean who wants to say that they don't want to get better? However living it is very different! Well it is for me at least!

I seem to be living some sort of Groundhog Day style life. I should be very grateful to have life at all, and I am. However, living in extreme pain on a daily basis, and being permanently exhausted makes it very hard to be on the sunny side of things frequently.

I feel like I have been living in this hole for such a long time that I don't really know anything else. I understand that I used to have energy. I played Percussion in Wind Bands and Orchestras, worked an active job as a Lifeguard and swimming teacher and also had a second job working in a shop. Both those jobs involved me being on my feet all day. I did that, went out partying, saw friends, had hobbies and still remained upright!

Nowadays, I have to psych myself up to get off the sofa to go to the toilet, never mind considering leaving the house or anything more exciting!

The thing I feel I should try to tackle first is my diet. I have been a Vegan since 1 May 2015, but my diet isn't great. I eat rubbish, drink soft drinks, eat sweets etc. Don't get me wrong, I still have the healthy things too, fruit and veg, pulses, whole grains etc. However, the balance is out of whack!

In order to try and build my energy levels I need to eat properly so I feel like I need to eat mostly Whole Foods. Other things I need to do are exercise and lose weight, however I need to get the foundation in place, and I think that if I have the best fuel, then I have a better chance of getting some natural energy back, and then perhaps have some chance at building my resolve and abilities to tackle the bigger problem.

So, does anybody have any help or advice to offer me? I need to come up with the best plan of action to make the changeover. I do feel I am in need of a visit with my Whole Foods Guru as she is always bursting with energy and advice!

Because I feel terrible most of the time, I find it very difficult to cook. It really takes a lot of energy out of me when I do cook, and I suffer for days. Even standing for any length of time is painful and problematic. So, I know I have to change the diet and cook more, but any hints, tips or life hacks would be hugely appreciated.

I really do want to have my life back and I have to start somewhere.

Anybody else in the same situation?

Anybody else want to try this too?

Anyone want to tell me their experiences of already doing this?

I really look forward to some comments and hope we can help each other!

Thank you

The Christmas Tofurky

When we decided to become Vegan in May, we had a wee chat about what challenges we thought may be coming for us! I was quite surprised about how few there were. Aside from my prior mention of being slightly into cheese, or was it a ‘Cheese Fiend’ that I called myself??? Well apart from that, the only other thing that stood out was Christmas Dinner (& Sunday roasts).

This wasn’t something that was possibly going to prevent us becoming Vegan, just something that we thought would be a glaringly obvious change on the big day! (I am pretty sure that one of us had a thought bubble which had a plate with brussell sprouts & roast potatoes and then scratching our head looking at the big turkey the others were eating)

Anyway, a few weeks on and I was desperate for a roast dinner so I got my normal roast veg together and looked into options for meat alternative. Frustratingly, the Quorn Roast is not suitable for Vegans, grrr, actually it appears that none of their stuff is! I am pretty disappointed in this as even before going Vegan, I really didn’t like much meat and heavily relied on Quorn Mince and chicken pieces in my meals!

Turns out there are plenty of meat alternatives out there so we were going to be fine! After a search online I discovered that the Whole Foods Market stocked Tofurky! Now I have only ever heard of this on shows like Friends but was very excited to think we could actually try it! So we got the Tofurky Feast to cook on Christmas Day.

Our first Vegan Christmas Dinner

I was intimidated by it to be honest, but once I got going it was great. There were a couple of baste recipes on the box so I did the one with Olive Oil, Soy Sauce and Sage. I put the roast into a roasting tin, surrounded it with a quartered onion, some carrots, parsnips and potatoes and the baste.
I also roasted veg a different way as I was nervous it all might not work out :-)  Well the whole thing was absolutely gorjus. The baste had made the veg all caramelised and delish, and the Tofurky itself was just amazing!!! We were in absolute heaven! This is definitely something we will be having again! So 1st Vegan Christmas was a complete delicious success!

I would love to hear what others did for Christmas dinner. Anybody else do the Tofurky Roast? I look forward hearing from you!

The 1st of 2015

Many people get swept up in the pressure that New Year brings. Trying to make sure that the perfect Hogmanay celebration is had, and the list of resolutions that will make your year wonderful. I used to be one of them. I always seemed to be under so much pressure for that last day of the year. What to wear, where to go, paying entry fees to pubs that are normally free, higher than usual taxi fares. The whole thing was always a giant pain in the backside, AND it was always a big fat let down! What a way to bring in the new year eh?

I am not sure when this all changed for me, I think it may have been in my early twenties when I had moved away from home, connections with friends were slowly weakening, alongside my desire to go out partying, and then one day I just didn’t care. 

A big part of this for me now is the fact I am so overweight. I have lost all my confidence and dread the thought of seeing a single soul that I know! But aside from that, I am unwell and in so much pain that my perfect night in is with my medication, my heated blanket, working on a wee crochet project and watching my soaps! I feel like I somehow skipped from mid twenties to being a wee old lady!

So my Hogmanay this time went along the following lines - Watched movies with Mr B all day, at around 23:30 we remembered it was the 31st and decided we better have a quick think about things. So we decided we wouldn’t set ourselves up to fail with resolutions that would last until midday on the 1st, but instead we would talk about where we’d like to be by the end of the year and pick 3 particular things we would like to be working on. The number 1 on my list is to lose weight. I need to lose a lot of weight. Not only for my health but my confidence. So I am putting this out there so there’s no hiding from it!

I won’t put a target or deadline but simply that I will make better choices, and aim to be in a better position in 365 days! Does anyone want to join me in pledging or simply attempting anything? No pressure just support! I leave it up to you. I’d love to know if you have taken a different approach than normal or whether you just don’t bother. Whatever it is, I would love to see what others are doing.

Happy New Year to all, here’s hoping we all have a wonderful year!