I've formed and forgotten so many ideas, only to find myself at the keyboard, desperate to purge my mind of aching anxiety and pretty ponderings. In my last post, I vented heavily about animal rights, a rant I plan to continue, but this time attacking with facts and figures, not raging emotion. Despite my feelings being a great virtue to the cause, intense anger mostly leads to people thinking animal rights activists are lunatics without reason. That's just not true. Although my feelings and thoughts stem from my own sense of morality, I can also look at society and point out the flaws in the system, how animal cruelty simply adds to a decrease in overall happiness. But this is for another blog entry, after I have enough time to completely research each of my arguments. For now, I will continue to post yummy vegetarian recipes and cruelty-free products that I adore to hopefully amp up your recipe box and hygiene cabinet.
In the past few months, I have become addicted to couponing, donning another nickname: Coupon Cat. As a [previous] college student, money tended to be tight, and my spending habits could have been a bit better. But now, coupon binder safely tucked under my arm whenever I go to the store, I save a lot of money, averaging about 50% worth of savings every time. And that's sticking to my vegetarian lifestyle! An awesome place to start is at KCL, they have taught me so much about couponing. Each week, I will share with you the best vegetarian deals around the country for all of the top stores, including Target [my favorite], Hy-Vee, Walgreens, and CVS.
Recently, I have been going through a lot of stress and anxiety. A few weeks ago, I lost someone very close to me, an experience that continues to put tears in my eyes and a veil over my heart. Dealing with loss is never easy, and the only comfort I find rests in the words of my mother, a permanent guiding light in my life. The regret I have felt almost outweighed the sadness, wishing I would have been there more, asking myself why I didn't call more often or visit. The constant rehash is deafening, a torture chamber of crying fits and urges to turn back time. And despite now understanding more about life, about seizing the day and doing what you love every moment, I can't fill the empty space inside, not with anything.
Although minimal in comparison, my stress continued with moving out of my lovely little college apartment after 4 1/2 years. For me, too much stress equates to a build-up of anxiety, which leads to tummy troubles and in this case, acid reflux. I've researched a few ways of relieving stress, the number one result being exercise. That means putting more miles on my bicycle [I am an ecogeek after all]. Taking proper vitamins, veggie ones of course, helps too, along with eating a proper diet full of greens and drinking about half of one's body weight in water per day. Blogging also helps me relieve stress, because the words I write often express how I am feeling, definitely an outlet for negative and positive vibes alike.
Now, on to the recipe I cooked up last night and today. I love sweets, perhaps a bit too much, and Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops are creamy, cute, and cookie doughy [yes, I know they are cakes]. So, I hunted around the web for a cake pop recipe and stumbled upon strawberry cake pops coated in chocolate. I simply baked a strawberry cake mix according to the package, let it cool, mixed in one container of cream cheese frosting until it formed a dough, and chilled overnight. The next morning, I rolled the dough in balls, chilled for about an hour in the refrigerator, and coated them in melted milk and white chocolate. Sprinkles where then applied liberally before another trip to the fridge. Most boxed cake mixes are already vegan, so using an egg substitute will keep the treats free of animal-derived ingredients.
The product I want to spotlight today is the vision enhancement vitamin by Gaia Herbs. I tend to have higher pressure in my eyes, and this vitamin contains ingredients to benefit eye health, such as lutein and bilberry. The capsule is derived from vegetable cellulose with vegetable glycerin inside. I take one capsule per day along with my other veggie vitamins.
=^. .^= Critter Watch (* o *)
Polydactyl Cats! My city's humane society randomly has a large number of polydactyl [extra-toed] cats up for adoption. They are super adorable and just as lovable as any other feline. Humane societies mostly run off of donations and thus depend on community support to feed, clean, and shelter these animals. With my couponing, I have been able to get free pet supplies, including dog and cat food. If you can, please donate to your local animal shelters; they really need and appreciate the help.
Time has a way of running from my fingertips, but I will try to keep this blog updated from now on. Stay cruelty-free, animals need all the love they can get!
~The Vegetarian Cat
["When destiny calls you, you must be strong. I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on. You'll be here in my heart, always." Always, Grandpa.]
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