On the road post: Self Love... (And an invitation)

Hello Lovelies! Jemoiselle here...writing from the road! Helloooo!

You know, I'm always blown away with the sheer depth of joy that can be found within life's simplest moments in the life of a Nutritarian me. I think this is a beautiful and profound thing, so I hope that you don't mind if I ramble on a bit about a rather dear topic: loving yourself. 

Before Nutritarian life was the only way for me, for years, decades even, I felt incomplete. Like something was wrong with me because I didn't look like the people on TV. Some words, Inadequate, hopeless, depressed, short changed metabolism wise. Nothing I did worked. Many times as a teenager I actually tried to simply stop eating until I (hypothetically) had become the ideal size. The modern diet simply would not allow me to achieve the visual representation of glowing good health that I coveted in the appearances of certain others. It was so hard, so emotionally draining as I would ride a low, resolve to change somehow, only to watch my resolve melt away like it were made of nothing but down feathers floating in a hurricane. Not pretty.

Enter, tonight. I'm going somewhere I promise. So I'm at a mall, having a beautiful night with my family. Today, I ate out with them, I had a big plate of steamed plain baked potatoes with lots of black pepper. It was divine! I consider that treat food, as potatoes aren't super nutrient dense compared to my usual fare. When we eat out I make do! Its been so long since I've tasted the food most people eat I simply don't desire it, and ordering what I do is no form of sacrifice but rather quite an indulgence. Anyhow, I digress.

So in the mall, as often happens in families with small children, we had a mad dash to the bathroom. So I accompany my little one to the room I used to dread (read: mirrors everywhere!) and headed in with an extra bounce in my step. I'm not gonna lie, I love mirrors! I was actually excited to see myself! Call it vanity, I call it well deserved self-love. 

It gives me a warm fuzzy to look in the mirror and be utterly pleased with my appearance. It soothes my soul to leave behind the days of utter dread that would strike my heart and start up that all-too-familiar heart sinking feeling that came with knowing disappointment (even just a few seconds worth) was inevitably ahead, whether conscious or subconscious, a part of my old life every time I passed a mirror. Can you imagine the pain of clothes shopping? I avoided it! How sad it was. 

That existence of indulgence that promised pleasure but delivered only pain ate me up, a real soul crusher. It makes such beautiful sense to eat foods that actually want to be eaten and love me back as much as I love them! My food nurtures my soul, feeds my spirit, liberates my heart and sets my mind ablaze with a passion I've seldom experienced at this intensity! Oh the love I feel when I see myself now! To know I eat all I want, anytime I want, I am always satisfied and never stuffed, and all that, to be blessed to look like this! Finally, the love and joy I feel everyday on the inside has manifested on the outside. Complete contentment, self-adoration, gratitude for just being me. Weird eh? Quite the contrast.

 It's not vanity, it's the real blessing and reality of life available to EVERY human being on this planet, who embraces God's provision, the generous and symbiotic manna from Heaven, that which grows like magic from the Earth from next to nothing, into a plentiful harvest that not only fills us up but heals us, and caresses us molding our bodies and minds into the most beautiful and peaceful contented versions of ourselves as is humanly possible! It's simply marvelous to me, and tonight, I'm just so overwhelmed with the gratitude I feel for finding it.

Which part of my writing here represents where you are in life, in health and love? If you are still caught in the cruel cycle of infliction that is the Standard American Diet or Western Diet, and you truly don't want to be; if you are ready for a life changer, if you're sick and tired of this junk that addicts you and hurts you, I want to help you. Please, if you are truly ready to leave the old life of pleasure for pain behind, use the contact form on the right, and I'll help you through it. If it's your time for change, I want you to have it. 

It is my true desire that everybody who wishes for freedom from food addiction and heart breaking body image issues be provided the way. I can't do it for you, but I can share how I get through challenging events, and answer specific questions here on the blog that pertain to your challenges. Lord knows I've been through it all! I've travelled internationally, had birthdays, learned a new way to have a truly blissful holiday season and more. It's been 5 1/2 years of Nutritarian learning for me. I'm ready to share it!

Tell me, my dear readers, what do you want to know? I want to be more active here, so let's do this! I'm listening guys!

In love and health,

Jemoiselle

Yes, I went there: FAUX-BEEF JERKY (...Oh my gosh, help me!)

My dear readers,

It's been a while since I've come at you with something truly magnificent! Tonight, before I head up to bed, I simply MUST share a new discovery with you. We're talking a discovery so fresh, I am still eating my first batch with stars in my eyes as I type! In fact, it is rather hard to type and eat at the same time. *giggle* I just can't help it, it's soo good! I am so freaking excited to share this recipe!

So, most of us have ended up vegan after at least a few years under our belts as meat eaters, am I right? And while I certainly don't miss eating meat per se after all this time, I do miss the intense flavor beef jerky had. Heck, who am I kidding? I don't eat salt! While I certainly don't long for that terrible feeling of overeating that inevitably salt encourages, or the puffiness and exhaustion that results, I *used* to enjoy salt. A lot. (Guilty face!) As a salt-free, oil-free, added sugar-free nutritarian, nothing I have come across has reminded me of beef jerky, not that I've been looking. I use a lot of garlic, spices, vinegar and even table-tasty seasoning (from Benson's Gourmet) to replicate the full flavor of something salted in savory applications, but most days salty food just isn't on my mind.

It's just one of those things I didn't feel a need to attempt to replicate when there are so many other awesome things to eat and play with! While it's easy to make cookies, cakes, bars and crackers that remind me of old foods, jerky simply never crossed my mind. In fact, I don't really make a lot of "old world" mock foods these days. The beauty and simplicity in my cherished whole foods is just too tantalizing to bother attempting to "improve." Why mess with perfection, right? Most days this is the norm for me, but tonight was different.

Folks, this new discovery was all just a big mistake! A freak dehydrator incident. A way to preserve a surplus of fresh food I couldn't consume fast enough, consisting of many different veggies that tonight, as fate would have it, included some celery stalks cut up into long sticks that dehydrated into tiny little sticks. I intended to grind them up with the other veggies to make another one of Hubby's mind blowing whole food seasoning powders, but tonight I just took a nibble out of curiosity.....

                                    .....and WHAM! Beef jerky flavor! What in the world?

Here's the recipe. It's stupid simple.

Jemoiselle's Mind Blowing Faux-Beef Jerkey

1. Get some organic celery (Psst! I won't tell anyone if you use regular, but try!)
2. Cut each stalk into thirds, and then cut third into three or four long sticks.
3. Place on dehydrator tray for two days at 95ºF. 

Dehydrate, and eat. Freak out. Do whatever you do. Share your results! 

For me, I swear, it even matched the meat texture! Almost made me kind of grossed out at first remembering how beef jerky actually felt in my mouth, the stretchy bits (shudder) that didn't quite get trimmed out. I am telling you, this stuff is the closest we will ever get to beef jerky this side of the farm! Next time, I will try making powder out of it and using it as a "one veggie" celery seasoning. Can you imagine that? Nom. Cows will sleep a little easier tonight I'm sure. *wink*

Have a great night everyone, lots of love!
Jemosielle

Faux Real! Mock PB Candy Pieces Mylkshake Magic...

Hello Everyone! 

How did you do during the infamously tempting Holiday Season? You know, that dreaded but wonderful time of the year where it seems that absolutely everyone is trying to torture/derail you with cookies and candies and fudge and everything that we try so hard to forget even exists? :) Well, I am proud to say for the first year ever, I made it through the season without a single crumb of cheat food! In fact, my last crumb was in August 2013 and I intend to keep it that way. (Update, still going strong Jan '15!) You know what, it felt GREAT! Marvelous even! We're talking Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday, my kiddos birthday, my Hubby's birthday, and most importantly Jesus's birthday, all without consuming (or serving) anything that causes us harm. I have so much I have neglected to blog about, perhaps that can be my resolution this year? Maybe? I have been dreaming of this accomplishment for years now, nearing 5 to be exact, and I've finally realized it. Finally, It's time to celebrate! Are you ready? But not with cheat food, oh no. Not even necessary. I have a special present to share with you...

Now before I became a Nutri (my way of saying Nutritarian!) one of my major weaknesses was Reese's Pieces. Well, who am I kidding, Reese's anything. By the bag full! After making the transition to this lifestyle and really embracing it, I found that even when I had cheats and ate some of those old favorites, they just didn't taste the same anymore. Needless to say, eventually I stopped eating them! My past love affair with junk however, is what has inspired this post, so hang with me and I'll explain! 

So, it started the other day. My little one, homeschooled and also a Nutri, having recently received a neat vintage cook book from Grandma for Christmas, wanted to make one of them as an experiment. It was published in 1980 and was a really neat gift, containing both healthy nutritarian-esque recipes, and umm, not so healthy recipes. Raw egg milkshake for kids anyone? LOL The recipe he picked out was in need of some modification for our lifestyle, and what I am about to share with you is the result of said experiment. I wasn't expecting this to be even remotely edible since I don't usually make smoothies or "mylkshakes" with these ingredients, but hey, he really insisted, so we forged ahead. 

The recipe in the book was originally (before I nutrified it!) supposed to taste like banana and peanut butter, so imagine my surprise when I changed some things here and there, took a cautious sip and tasted something oddly familiar and comforting all at once…it took a few sips to pin point what I was tasting, but eventually it came to me. Reece's Pieces! Say what? Another sip later and I was hooked. This is pure magic! Alchemy! How is this recipe not already circulating the boards of pinterest? How are we NOT freaking out!? Let’s change that, shall we?

So, without further ado, I present to you with much love and compliments especially from my 6 year old whom without his inspiration and insistence this recipe would not have come to life, a completely dairy-free, no unnatural sugars (it uses honey) salt and gluten free, guilt free mylkshake that tastes so good you’ll swear it’s bad, but it’s not! I present, a healthy mylkshake (this is no smoothie, folks!) that actually tastes and looks like a real milkshake, tastes to me, exactly like Reese’s Pieces, but is as harmless as a fluffy feather lazily drifting about in the wind. Enjoy with great pleasure, and to your health! Clearly, this is not something we are going to eat every day, right (ahem!) but when you want something truly special, I hope you'll give this one a try! 

In Love and celebration,

Jemoiselle

Faux-Real Reese's Pieces Mylkshake

Serves 2-4

2c Homemade Cashew Milk (Vitamix 1c raw unsalted cashews to 2c filtered water)

1/3c Natural 100% Peanut Butter (No salt, sugar or oil please, only peanuts)

2 Tbsp Raw Honey, or to taste.

1/2 Large Speckled Banana, PERFECTLY ripe (Don't be tempted to add more banana!)

1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (Check those labels, no added sugar please!)

Ice cubes, Approx 4 cups (or to your texture preference)

FOR THE CASHEW MILK

In a Vitamix Blender or other insanely high powered blender, make that cashew milk. My cashew milk is a whole milk, no straining or filtering. Blend until rich and creamy, store in the fridge for a week max. Adjust amount of cashews for your preference, more or less. 

FOR THE FAUX-MYLKSHAKE

In a vitamix, add all ingredients except the ice. Blend until smooth. Taste test for desired sweetness, then add ice one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. I like mine SUPER thick! Your mileage may vary! :)