#time to shame soy plants the ground
Text
Nightmare
Request from Anon: I’ve been suffering really bad dreams and nightmares that are leaving me shaken the next day and all. And basically, I would really like and appreciate Ezekiel comfort post these dreams. He doesn’t know what the dreams are, so possibly he feels angry and sad on behalf of the s/o when she reveals the truth. The dream topic is quite triggering (bluntly, it’s sexual assault).
If I keep tagging you and you’re not interested or you’d like to be tagged; please let me know!
MASTERLIST
Translations:
Eres mia y yo soy tuya -- You are mine & I am yours.
Siempre.Yo también mi amor. Yo también. -- Always, me too my love. Me too.
Ezekiel Reyes (Ez) x Reader
Word Count:
Warnings: TRIGGERING TOPIC, extensive mention of sexual assault, language, angst, mention of self-hatred. PLEASE don’t read any further if this is upsetting in any manner or form to you!!
******************************************************
---FLASHBACK---
It was always the same nightmare, the same abandoned alleyway, and the exact same strange man following her for the last ten minutes. She’d just left Lettie’s surprise birthday. Nothing could’ve wiped the smile off her face that day, unbeknownst to Y/N. Her heart accelerated uncertain of what to do next as her feet sprinted a second faster. Her skin tinged with heat; her eyes dilated in trepidation. She remembered that disturbing night like the back of her hand, never forgetting a spare detail. Nausea trounced through Y/N as she turned the next street corner.
Her vision soon blurred into shapeless blobs the nearer Y/N traveled home but the pitter patter of blatant footsteps haunted her. It was the world’s fucked adaptation of Groundhog’s Day dooming Y/N to repeat her horrid deliriums. Of course, details change a time or two but never enough to ease her panicked heart. Her own screams troubled her subconscious.
With her body aching for rest and her mind preoccupied elsewhere, Y/N begged for one peaceful night of sleep. But when her eyelids shut, another tale came to life lurking beneath the shadows. She never knew his name; the asshole who so vehemently manhandled her in a very public and humiliating tactic.
Her purple nails slashed ferociously at his skin imprinting shallow cuts against his shaggy suntanned skin. His grotesquely bulky hand gripped her neck temporarily blocking her airways, lifting Y/N momentary levitating. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Nooo. Rapid sobs clawed at her throat in a forceful manner. She gawked in horror as he devoured her every inch by creepy inch.
A predator claiming his kill. She’d loathed the sickening grin playing on his edge of his lips until he smashed the back of her head against the red-bricked wall. An unwillingly imprint stamped in her disturbing memory.
This time her vision embarked into dusky darkness similar to that of a curtain collapsing. Black spots prickled her advantageous points of her sight. Goosebumps trickled down her arms in response to the howling wind hitching her dress dangerously high. His callused fingers rubbed harshly stroking the outside of her lace underwear. Once the shock deteriorated, Y/N glowered blankly at the devilish black irises. A burst of energy tingled the tip of her fingers migrating within her muscles and bones protesting a final shout of defiance. Her ears resonated tortuously, her voice reverberated from her windpipe, and her knee left the ground in haste connecting perfectly with his groin.
“Ooof, you fuck---ing bitch.” The man coughed violently falling to the paved cement.
She planted her hands trivially atop his chest pushing with every ounce of strength thrusting him away from her.
Y/N gritted in pure fury. “Fucking asshole!”
Without a second glance Y/N ran, she sprinted until approaching Lindo’s ice cream parlor two three away. She’d never been so thankful for high school cross country in her entire life. Replaying her phone call to Ez overwhelmed her countless times a day, listening to the spooked man on the other end. The only man she’d grown to trust since the incident. It was also a call Ez couldn’t erase from his head listening to the dead tone. Never in a million years did Ez conjure hearing her disconnected tone. He found her easily enough sitting on the plastic chair near the window.
Her back hunched sitting far from human contact. Still, the moonlight reflected off her in the most radiant of ways. Effortlessly magnificent. The bell hummed as the door closed behind Ez. Y/N didn’t look up until two brown boots met her penetrating stare. The rest was history. Ezekiel was more committed and in love with her than ever. He placed a kiss on her forehead resting his chin on her head. There was no hiding the flinching shudder that overtook her before Y/N leaned into his touch.; calming and familiar. He brought her into his tattooed arms, his comforting fingers ran along her spine. He’d never hated silence so much than in that very moment.
---PRESENT---
Ez awoke from his slumber when Y/N started to mumble incoherently, her body whipped back and forth riddled with unreleased anxiety. Perspiration glistened along her exposed skin falling into droplets on their indigo/cobalt sheets. Her eyeballs bounced around her shut lids further worrying Ez. His left hand gently shook her arm hoping to stir, to throw him a damn sign, anything to know she was okay. Her nightmares were becoming a nightly occurrence. Just like lightening, Y/N bolted up chest heaving for fresh air. Her eyes scanned their room grasping she was home, with Ez. She whimpered burying her face into his neck. Wet streaks shot down his neck as tears specked her cheeks.
“Baby, Y/N; can you hear me?”
Y/N continued to glare straight refusing to glance at the angel by her side. Her room shifted into familiarity exhaling boisterously. Blood pressure returned to normal levels allowing her a moment of vital clarity.
A meek ‘Yes’ stumbled from her quiet lips.
“What’s wrong, Y/N? What’s eating at you baby girl?”
To this day, Y/N never mentioned what happened that night, the assault. Whether it was shame or humility, Y/N was still working through the motions. Past experiences taught her to maintain an open heart to healing but the impenetrable wall inside stopped her. obviously so, he knew something was up when he picked her up, but he never asked any questions. Shortly after they became lovers, their friendship strengthened far greater than either prepared for.
Soon, they became inseparable entangled in each other’s lives, and they were simply happy. Y/N was a hard book to crack, keeping her emotions in check, embracing rational thinking for any and all decisions. She was the only other woman to beat his GPA, challenge his testimonies, and explode into contagious laughter at the drop of a hat. Falling in love with Y/N was the easiest decision Ez made in the last ten years.
“I’m here. I’m here” chanted repeatedly, a whisper in the calm of night.
“Almost a year and a half ago…. I—” Y/N shuttered as her courage began to waver.
Ez cupped her face bringing them to eye level. His amber orbs calmed her, oozing protection and unconditional love.
“Go on…or well, don’t? The choice is completely yours.” Internally, his blood boiled with concern. Y/N was the bravest girl he’d ever encountered, it wasn’t like her to stay hush hush. Ezekiel swore he’d kill whoever scared the living shit out of her, to the bastard who rattled her bones. And, he definitely wasn’t a man to fall back on his promises.
Y/N’s rolled her eyes at his cuteness, Ez was the ying to her to yang. She’d never trusted someone the way she treated Ezekiel.
“I was aa-a-attacked. After Lettie’s 18th bday.”
Ez ripped the sheet from his body standing up, quickly pacing. How the fuck did he let this happen? Why hadn’t she opened up to him earlier? Question after question poked at his fragile ego breaking him all the while enraging him. Y/N scooted to his side engulfing into his fading heat. She remained quiet sulking in the suffocating silence of the room. Ezekiel stayed speechless.
“Don’t blame yourself, E.” Y/N quipped. “I know that look Ezekiel Reyes…” a hint of a smirk came out of the darkness.
“Blame myself? Of course, I do! I’m fucking furious!” His voice broke into heart shredding quakes; “I wasn’t there to protect you. The one thing I promised to fucking do. I’m so sorry, so sorry querida.”
“He didn’t—he almost raped me but didn’t. I kicked him in the balls and he dropped. If it hadn’t been for those few additional seconds, I’d be a goner. And that’s terrifying.”
Ez sat on the mattress, his knees brushing hers, his hand guided to the outskirts of her thigh squeezing lightly.
“If anything were to happen to you…I—I refuse to think about a life that doesn’t involve you. That fucking prick had the audacity to disrespect the Mayans unknowing of his repercussions. Did you recognize him? Any distinguishing features?”
“Not really… Caucasian with hideous gelled tips? Breath reeked of barbecue and he smelt of pleather and whiskey. Hideous snake tattoo draped on his forearm. He followed me from the restaurant. He was watching, waiting to get me alone. I’m just ...dealing with it. Finally getting around to the processing bit and it’s scary. This shit’s complicated and I didn’t want you think I was this weakling. So, I buried it so deep within me that it’s beginning to eat away at me edging closer to the surface.”
Ez leaned in finding her lips with ease kissing her with fervor. They stayed like that a few kisses longer before faintly parting. The space between them was minimal but enough to be grateful for.
“You are the opposite of weak. In fact, you’re the most determined and brilliant person I’ve ever laid eyes on. There is only one Y/N for me and I will stand diligently alongside her for as long as she’ll have me.”
“I love you, Reyes. Eres mia y yo soy tuya. Siempre.”
“Yo también mi amor. Yo también”
Ez and Y/N understood the difficult road ahead of them, Y/N’s agonizing memories, but he was proud of her. Proud of the woman who took a stand and fought like hell, choosing to share the comfortable pieces of her past life.
Her tone excluded downhearted sadness; “I’m sorry for coming in and fucking up your life.”
“Stop that. Stop right there. Goodness can be found sometimes in the middle of hell.”
Discreet snores told Ez she’d long fallen asleep. He laid them down holding her determinedly. Y/N cuddled into his warmth nuzzling his shoulder sheepishly sighing. His mahogany eyes grew heavy joining Y/N in a serene slumber. The crickets chirped at the summer’s heat worshiping the moon. The fire blazing in her dark and injured heart seemingly glowed around them like a moth a flame. To be alive at all is to have scars. But to love openly regardless of said scars; now that, that was life’s truest miracle.
~~~~~~~~
Tags: @ifoundmyhappythought @angelreyesgirl89 @carlaangel86 @imagineredwood @mayans-mc @reaperwalking @prospectfandom @emmaveale123 @peaky-marvel @kind-wolf @scorpio4dayzzz @starrynite7114 @breanime @whyisgmora @thegirlwhowritesfics @star017 @threeminutesoflife @gemini0410 @ly-canthrope
#mayans mc#mayans#my writing#ez x reader#ez reyes x reader#ezekiel x reader#ezekiel reyes x reader#fx#mayans imagine#mayans drabble#request#anon#mayans x reader#mayans mc x reader#angst#fanfiction#fanfic#ez reyes#ezekiel reyes
106 notes
·
View notes
Text
Pasture For Life - My Quest
It seems a long time ago now since we changed all of our farming practices towards an organic future. The farm has changed, the life on it has improved dramatically, there is more wildlife, happier livestock and healthier soil. With so much discussion around greenhouse gases and climate change I think ruminant farmers do have a responsibility to ensure that their practices do not cause further harm to the environment, I at least want to make sure my operation is truly beneficial and that is why we are producing Pasture For Life meat.
It is certainly frustrating as a producer of the best beef in the world to have to continually listen to the mainstream media going on about eating less meat and turning vegan. I know there are a lot of people that believe it is not humane to eat meat and avoiding meat is best for sustainability and the planet but we need herbivores and that is the exact reason I farm and produce pasture for Life meat, building a case and solid reasons for people to choose mine over all factory-raised meat, that i certainly do not support.
I certainly do not wish to be classed as the enemy in the battle against climate change, i am an environmentalist and I believe my animals at Herons Green Farm are carbon neutral, as the wonderful cartoon above demonstrates, grazing animals are beneficial for the soil, the work they do in carbon sequestration is amazing, "chewing the cud", as we say, stimulates new grass growth, the manure and urine they leave behind works microbes into the land, increasing the biodiversity of the life under the ground which helps in the process. We therefore store more carbon in the soil than our cows emit during their lives, the permanent pasture that makes up the farm and 70% of the nations farmland acts as a massive carbon sink.
At Herons Green Farm and The Communtiy Farm I have certainly seen a change in the soil diversity and its productivity since we have not routinely wormed our cattle or applied any artificial fertilisers since 2003. Agriculture is probably the most vulnerable industry to climate change, we are dictated by the weather, floods, droughts as our animals, environments and landscapes are too. However we are also in a unique position as we can correct it and sequester 50% or more of current greenhouse gas emissions in our soil. It is however not without its additional costs to the farmer and this obviously needs to be recognised and we need the consumers support for these farming systems that mitigate climate change and build residences to its impacts.
The Case for Eating Meat - There’s a Story behind everything we eat
So back to the argument of eating less meat and or turning vegan. I love the fact that extinction rebellion, XR are raising the bar on environmental issues that the governments have ignored for a generation. However the intensification of agriculture, the use of biofuels from cereals are all supported by big corporate finance, so is the vegan market, more plants, more agro-chemicals to grow them, more machinery, more for their shareholders. We have been reported to by the media with the wrong information, biased flawed science and so we have reached this juncture with millions of people reaching the wrong conclusions. It seems that if a point is presented as environmental then we are supposed to support it regardless of the consequences, a move to greater reliance on plant based protein for example will not benefit climate, ecology or human health and certainly not rural communities. As an organic farmer i believe we are offering solutions however we are being unfairly tainted with a brush that says a plant based diet is the answer? The disconnect with our population looking for environmental answers is huge. I want to stay open minded about the future, but people also need to investigate the truths more and look into the misrepresentations as regenerative farming cannot be pigeon holed along with other industrial led agriculture practices.
Is a vegan diet really more sustainable from a land use perspective. Most land is not suitable for vegetable production and therefore protein from animals is an important part of our diet and even more important from a land use perspective. It is a shame that other studies are not truly reflective of the meat industry as a whole, it mainly includes factory-raised meat in the figures which has a massive effect on the environment when you consider these cheaper factory produced animals are fed protein in the form of grain and soy that is imported from Brazilian rainforests and other countries. I found an interesting info-graphic which helps explain the environmental impact of pasture-fed beef.
http://rxprimal.com/2016/02/19/infograph-meat-and-the-earth/
For the first time, consumers have the knowledge to choose to, or choose not to, do their part in helping mitigate climate change. The production of these emissions can be reversed if people only eat regeneratively produced meat and vegetables. We have been doing it for it years but at last it has come to this juncture that we can ask our customers to buy more meat and vegetables from us and other producers that are farming in this way.
There is a snippet in the Guardian article which provides some common ground on which we can build: “
The large variability in environmental impact from different farms does present an opportunity for reducing the harm without needing the global population to become vegan”.
How 100% Pasture fed livestock is better for You
At the story you will be pleased to note that we have become members of the PFLA, Pasture Fed Livestock association because we believe that you will reap the benefits of meat that is reared in this way. The Health benefits of grass fed meat is huge not only to you but also the environment and the future of our food supply.
It is no secret or new thing but the emerging trend is that people are trying to source better meat and that usually means slowly reared and on grass fed diets. The new research proves that red meat reared on pasture based diets contains more omega 3, fatty and cancer properties.
The Story are giving you access to something very few people have as you can not only visit our farms to understand more about pasture fed livestock and what it means to how we rear our animals but you can also pick up some of the finest meat in the country at our butcher shop in Blagdon.
You will find that the meat far outweighs the grain fed non-organic mass produced meat that you can buy elsewhere. At Story butchers we ensure that our non-organic meat is also sourced from farms that do not feed grain as a substitute and because it is also hung for 30 days it easily gives you an unrivalled taste and tenderness.
Naturally we ensure our quality is maintained by using an Abbatoir that is close by at Langford, Bristol University because reducing the effect of stress on the animals during transit is paramount to the animals health and well being but also the end quality of the meat and hence taste. We ensure 28 days minimum of dry ageing process and hanging which enhances the meat further.
We want to help you help the environment by making that choice of eating more sustainable meat and feeling good about it at the same time. Look forward to seeing you soon!
1 note
·
View note
Text
Dear Lora
My grandfather wrote a 6-page typed letter to my mother in 1992. His wife, my grandma, my mom’s mom, had died earlier that year. His letter is in response to a letter my mom had written in which her mom visits her in a dream. Below is the transcribed letter in full:
Dear Lora,
Today is the second day of October. Summer of 1992 is history. Even though I am somewhat reluctant to bid farewell to the warm pleasant days of summer, the unmistakable chill in the morning air is convincing enough that fall has arrived. The morning temperature was in the low forties. The warmth of the furnace felt very good. I am, I suppose, prepared for winter (as if it made any difference whether I am prepared or not). Ready or not here it comes. I welcome the coming of winter as I do with the approach of the other three seasons.
This year my garden crop was very productive. I had carrots, turnips, eggplants, corn, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and green beans. Each year with the beginning of the growing season, I make a solemn vow that I am going to limit my crop selection to just a few items. As the year progresses, the urge to plant just one more thing just simply overwhelms me. It’s fun anyway. The thought of putting a seed in the ground, watching it grow and then getting to eat it holds a certain fascination. I sometimes feel that I am a frustrated farmer. Flowers are blooming at their prettiest. It seems that just before their inevitable doom, nature makes a last ditch effort to make them more beautiful than ever. Could this be nature’s way of burning their beauty into our brain so we will be sure to plant them again next season?
I am doing quite well. Apparently all of the vitals are functioning adequately according to the doctor’s report from my last visit. I hope you are taking care of your health. I recall it was during my forties that I began to realize in an abstract way the possibility that I was not immortal and it was just possible that I could become sick just like old folks often does. During my fifties, I took a step further into reality and faced (however reluctantly) that I was indeed going to someday become old just like those other old folks does. Now that I have arrived, I find that in reality this is not at all as bad as I thought it would be.
A quick examination of the available options and alternatives lead one to the acceptance of life with all of its joys as well as its sadnesses. As I write this page I have one ear focused on my television set. Ross Perot is making a speech regarding his decision to run for President or not...From the drift, as I hear it, he seems to be saying that he is going to run...This will be an interesting election year. I am going to vote for Clinton, not that I think he is the best the country is giving us. I don’t know whether my vote will be a vote for Clinton as much as it is a vote against Bush.
It was a pleasure to have received such a long, informative, neat and well-composed letter. Receiving a letter is always a treat. Although we talk by phone a lot, a letter is always something special. I know with your busy schedule with the wife/mother doings, there is little time left for extracurricular things.
You spoke in your letter of Mom visiting you in your dreams recently. Ironically, just prior to receiving your letter, she visited me in a very vivid dream. Usually my dreams are so vague and scattered that it is difficult for me to form a meaningful recollection of the theme or the contents of the dream. And I must add that I do not have frequent dreams of her. I recall hearing from some leader a theory on dreams involving departed loved ones. According to his theory, if that loved one is at peace in their new existence (their new life) then their dream visits will be few but if there is restlessness and discontent visits will be frequent. In this dream, she was radiant, well-dressed and the picture of good health. We were at home together. She was busy cooking and packing in preparation for a trip to your place. I recall asking her about her medication like I always did prior to our trips. She smiled and said “Don’t you remember that I don’t need to take those things anymore? I had an operation and now my liver does the same for my body as the dialysis did. I feel good now.” It was such a pleasant dream. I feel that somewhere out there that she has found peace and contentment. Of course, I shall cherish the memories of all of those wonderful years we spent together. Over the months, the reality of life and death has been drawn into focus. It is strange that a phenomenon as real and predictable as the passing of a loved one could confuse that reality but time is a healing thing and with the passage of time there emerges an emotional balance, a healing process that draws one back into rational acceptance. However altered, there is a sort of life that can be lived and enjoyed. Life is such a precious gift. A constant concern of mine is not so much focused upon my own life, although I try and take reasonable care of myself, but hoping you, my children, and my grandchildren will be healthy and live long, happy lives.
I am really impressed by the neatness and precision of your word-processed letter. It must be a real aid to letter writing and writing in general. It is hard to master? Could a dummy life me use one? I like to write things. A problem I have is after I write and sleep on what I have written, I have an overwhelming urge to change what I have written. Maybe a word processor would cure that ambivalence.
You made a comment concerning your handwriting. Have you ever seen my handwriting? Yours would put mine to shame. My typing is rather shabby too.
I noticed judging from the look of some of my vegetable crop we have already a frost so soon. There are still a few things I have to do in order to prepare for winter. I had a new door installed at the front entrance and the door to the garage. That are is always like an icebox in spite of my attempts to weatherstrip. Hopefully the new carpet and drapes will help some to keep the place warm this winter. I still have some other things in mind to help keep the heating bill under control this winter.
I talked to Alan and Elfriede recently. They are extending an open invitation to visit them this winter for a few days. I might take them up on the offer. I still haven’t made any concrete visit plans. Hopefully the airlines will throw out some good discounts during October. Then we shall see about the holidays. I think we will make our trek to the southland sometime next year. I don’t think Doris is too interested in going. I understand her lack of interest to a certain extent. If that Alyx is interested, I suppose she and I should make the trip. How about Steven?
Did you hear that Erika is pregnant? Due sometimes early 93. Kim is still pending marriage in April I believe. I hear from Noelle occasionally. She seems to be getting along well, working hard as a nurse in a nursing home in Ft. Collins. I question her selection of a boyfriend (but don’t we all?). She never sounds too happy when she calls. He is going to school, a rather nice fellow but seems so immature to take on marital responsibilities. I hope I am wrong.
Election time is drawing near, isn’t it? Ross Perot is toying again with the idea of reentering the race for President. It is alright for him to play politics so long as he don’t do anything that will spoil Clinton’s chances to kick Bush out of office. In my view, the country has been so fouled up under 11 years of Reagan/Bush policies that it will take a decade of pain before the country is straightened out. I think we will be in real serious trouble if Bush manages to sneak by and get reelected.
It is nearing supper time. Three guesses what I am cooking up today...
I don’t know the name of it but the ingredients are squid, daikon, Konyamu wakame and gobo. It was a family favorite. We are having a district meeting* here tonight so I will share some of it with the WD. I have already tasted it and it tasted real authentic. I am (in my opinion) getting pretty good “international cuisine”. I pick up cooking tips from various sources. Yoshiko’s Chef at her Chinese restaurant let me in on some of his secrets. One of my favorites is a relatively simple chicken dish. It goes like this: completely thaw out a large frying chicken. In a large pan, bring enough water to completely the chicken to a rapid boil and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from the boiling water. In the meantime, prepare a sauce using soy sauce, grated garlic, ginger cut in small strips, a little sugar, and a dash of hot sesame oil. Cut the chicken up into frying sized pieces, place on a platter and pour the sauce over the chicken. Finally, place chopped cilantro over the dish. It is simple and it is good! Note: It is necessary that the chicken not be frozen when it is placed in the boiling water. It is preferable that it be left out for a while to raise the temperature before boiling. On many occasions, I try to recall some of the dishes Mom used to make. She was not keen on letting me know too much about her cooking secrets. My traditional role in the kitchen while she was cooking was sort of like a kitchen helper, relegated to such simple tasks as fanning the cooked rice that she was going to use for making sushi, or slicing vegetables for tempura. None of the technical stuff. However, I did manage to steal some of her prized methods. This comes in handy because I have not lost any of my love for the taste of Japanese foods. I like to cook and also like to eat, so getting a balanced meal is not a problem at this point.
Rather than review my letter in its entirety to correct the misspelled words, I am going to send it on as it is written. In all probability, if I go back to edit it I will end up attempting to rewrite it and never finish. Anyway, you can figure out what I am trying to say. Today is Friday, the 2nd of October, a beautiful day. I have done morning Gongyo*, had breakfast, had a visitor who accompanied me on my walk around Prospect Lake. I plan to visit Richard this evening, perhaps spend the night there. He is so busy with his golf obsession and keeping up with his three business things that time is not sufficient for him to leave his area.
This is a picture I took when the kids were here this summer*. I think it is now time to say goodbye. Don’t you?
Love,
Dad
_______________________________________________________________________
*District Meeting* - Buddhist district meetings were monthly meet-ups for the area in which you lived. In bigger cities, like LA, there were more districts. In a city like Colorado Springs, districts were smaller and Buddhists drove further to get to meetings.
*WD* aka women’s division. The SGI has a long-standing tradition of peer group-led meetings. It’s always had men’s division, women’s division and youth division.
*morning Gongyo* - if you chanted morning gongyo you’re basically crushing it.
*no clue what picture* Oh how I wish I had it now.
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
130lb of Ukrainian Courage pt. 12
Lip spots his brother sat on a bench from the gated entrance of the park and waves his free hand over his head in greeting. He knows that Mickey must be around somewhere, he doesn’t usually leave Ian’s side for more than a minute unless he has to. To Lip that shit is weirdly possessive but Ian doesn’t seem to mind it, in fact his brother seems to actively enjoy it.
Lip shifts the cardboard tray of Starbucks drinks to his other hand, closing the gate behind him. He winces as his bruised ribs stretch with the movement. Storming into Ian and Mickey’s house like that had been a few steps short of suicidal, but only a few. Mickey might be a human guard-dog when it comes to Ian, but to most other people, he’s still a dangerous guy with a short temper. Lip thinks he probably got some sort of ‘extended family beat-down discount’ because he’s not actually that fucked up, but he still got his ass handed to him.
Thinking back on his attempted rescue this morning it had been a really fucking stupid thing to do and fuck Archie for planting the seed that it was Mickey who messed Ian’s face up. Nearly eight years have gone by and in that time, there have been arguments; Ian has occasionally stormed back to the Gallagher house for a night or two over some row or another but Mickey has never been abusive.
Lip expected him to be. Everyone expected a Milkovich, gay or not, to be an abusive piece of shit once the honeymoon period wore off. But Mickey is devoted to Ian. The word ‘faithful’ springs to mind and Lip grunts in surprise at his own minds conjuring, but there is no denying that is the word for it. Mickey is faithful to Ian, in every sense. Maybe more so even than Lip has been throughout their late-teens and twenties.
Lip wasn’t the one at clinics waiting for meds, he wasn’t the one helping Ian take small sips of water and make it to the bathroom when he was too depressed to move. He hasn’t actually done a whole lot for his brother in the last decade that wasn’t in some way just following Mickey’s lead.
He runs his hands over the bruises at his throat and rolls his eyes. Fucking idiot.
“Lip!”
As if conjured, Mickey is waving at him from the playground, a bright smile on his face, making Lip jump and nearly spilling the crappy peace-offering everywhere. Lip knows that smile. Every guy in South Side who has ever owed a Milkovich money or laid an unwanted hand on Mandy, knows that smile.
“Hey, Mickey.”
Lip looks anxiously toward Ian who is watching placidly from the park bench he is sprawled across and then realises what he is doing and squares his shoulders. It would suck if Mickey decided to go for round two but Lip is not going to hide behind his little brother to prevent it.
“Thanks for coming, man. I’m sorry about earlier. How you doin’?”
Mickey hops over the brightly painted dividing fence and claps a hand on Lip’s shoulder, maybe a bit harder than necessary but not exactly aggressive and still with that weirdly handsome and utterly terrifying smile.
“Er… yeah. Okay.”
Lip looks from the tattooed knuckles that make him want to roll his eyes every time he sees them to Mickey’s face, his eyebrows raised in his usual sardonic manner.
Mickey’s smile tightens at the corners as Lip makes his appraisal but doesn’t shift and Lip wonders what the fuck is going on before noticing an identical pair of blue eyes watching them intently from the top of the slide. Of course. They’re playing nice for their audience, no doubt at Ian’s order.
Lip might not be the biggest fan of Mickey but he does like his kid and essentially, Yevgeny is Ian’s son too so fine! Lip lets himself smile back and nods happily
“Hey, yeah, I’m sorry about before. My bad, man.”
He raises his voice to be sure that Yev will hear this and offers Mickey his hand. The handshake is brusque but solid enough. Mickey glances across at Ian who is stretching and standing up, strolling over to them with a smirk on his face.
Lip returns his laconic smile. He can’t help thinking of nature programs on the Discovery Channel about wolves and how the Alpha of the pack will take control and assume command naturally. That’s his little brother now. Pure fucking Alpha and Lip never even noticed the change happening. He wonders if Mickey noticed the power shift as it happened or whether it surprised him too … and how the Hell did Ian manage to tame a Milkovich anyway… actually, Lip doesn’t want to know.
*
“You brought coffee?”
“Peace offering. I got Soy Cappuccino, Strawberry Frappe for Yev, gingerbread latte and a mocha flat.”
Lip nods to Mickey who is tonguing his lip self-consciously. It isn’t that he can’t afford Starbucks, though once upon a time that would have bothered him, it isn’t even that the iconic little cups make him think of middle-class soccer mom’s desperate for an affair with the coach, it is that Lip is holding the tray so damn casually, like he has been doing it his whole life, whilst Mickey isn’t entirely sure what three of those things are.
“Which ones mine?”
Ian asks, plucking Yevgeny’s drink out.
“Whatever you want. I don’t mind.”
“Mick? What do you want?”
Mickey wants Yev’s drink because it looks fucking awesome, all cream and … cookie? Shit. He glances back to the less interesting looking cups and shrugs nonchalantly
“I’ll have the … ginger one.”
Lip snorts and Mickey gives him the finger before accepting the cup Ian passes him. He would have had the mocha if he know what it was or the cappuccino but what the fuck is soy sauce doing in coffee? Gross fuckin’ hipster bullshit.
Yev is handed his drink and the three men go sit on the bench while Yev goes back to play. Mickey is sipping cautiously at his latte, which is annoyingly delicious.
Lip and Ian, less enthused with the novelty, are studying each other and trying to work out how to begin the conversation.
“So why do you look like shit?”
Lip asks finally and Ian grins at him. There was a time that Lip knew everything about Ian. It wasn’t until Ian realised that he was gay that he had a secret from Lip. But it had been a big secret to keep and had changed things between them a little, forcing Lip to see Ian as a person separate to their bond.
“I wanna tell you, but you need to listen. Quietly. And you can’t tell Fiona.”
“Okay.”
Lip balances his cup on his knee and produces a pack of cigarettes, lighting up smoothly and offering the packet round. Ian takes one but Mickey doesn’t.
“You want me to stay or …?”
Mickey is looking at Ian with a small frown between his brows.
“Up to you.”
Mickey licks his lip, he very clearly wants to leave but Ian is here so Mickey is staying put. Lip rolls his eyes and ignores the small stab of jealousy that tucks under his ribs.
Ian does all the talking and Lip listens carefully, his expression darkening with shock and then utter hatred. Ian gets past the worst of it, skimming over the details and letting Lip put the pieces together himself which he does with absolute horror.
“Jesus, Ian! That’s … I …”
“I’m okay, it was fucked up but Mickey got me out ...”
Ian threads his fingers through Mickey’s as his boyfriend jerks, shocked to hear his name. Lip snorts angrily and shakes his head
“Got you out? It’s his fault you were there!”
Lip turns his attention to Mickey, upper-lip curling snarl.
“You know this is your fault, right? You literally brought this shit to your doorstep because your Dad fucking hates you and you’re too stupid to see it.”
Mickey squints off to the side and cricks his neck, resolutely silent. He doesn’t disagree with any of that. Not really. But this conversation is between Ian and his brother and Mickey doesn’t need to justify anything to Lip, not even if he thinks it’s true.
“Hey!”
Ian shoves his brother’s shoulder, hard, pushing him backwards out of Mickey’s space.
“Do not put this on him. Mickey did nothing wrong,”
Turning to Mickey, Ian repeats clearly and confidently, gripping his leg hard until Mickey flicks his gaze briefly in Ian’s direction.
“You did nothing wrong.”
Lip doesn’t have the patience to watch Ian coaxing Mickey out of what is clearly a shame-spiral of sorts. The stupidity of leaving his brother alone with Terry on the loose … Jesus!
“So where the fuck is Terry now?”
“The asshole is fuckin’ dead.”
Mickey says bluntly, not trusting himself to say more but not willing to hide in his silence either. He doesn’t look at either of the Gallagher brother’s but his fingers touch Ian’s knee lightly as he stands and walks over to Yevgeny, throwing his coffee cup into a nearby trash can so hard that the dregs explode upwards in a shower of creamy droplets.
Ian gives his brother his best ‘what the fuck?’ look and Lip shrugs.
“What part of what I said was wrong?”
“All of it! Mickey isn’t responsible for his father any more than we’re responsible for Frank.”
Lip sniffs heavily, as he always done when out argued and not wanting to admit it.
“So who killed Terry then? Won’t have been him.”
Lip jerks his chin toward Mickey’s retreating form and Ian frowns but tells Lip the rest. Lip nods and folds his arms defensively.
“He deserved to fuckin’ die long before someone finally offed him.”
Lip drains his coffee cup, nodding to himself. Ian hesitates and then asks the question that has been bugging him.
“Why did you say it wouldn’t have been Mickey?”
Lip shrugs and looks over to the playground where Mickey is now watching Yevgeny play, obediently following the little boy’s instructions to watch him do this and that.
“Cause Mickey loved the old bastard. Honestly, Ian, I know you think the Milkovich’s are no more fucked up than we are, but trust me, they are. Mickey used to worship the ground Terry walked on, like fucking Stockholm Syndrome or something, that doesn’t go away easily.”
Ian shuffles uncomfortably on the bench and shakes his head
“No, man. I mean after Mickey came out and his Dad got sent down again, he was done with Terry. Never visited him, never wrote to him...”
“Doesn’t mean he stopped caring. Listen, I just figured it wouldn’t have been him who pulled the trigger. Not even for you. Turns out, I was right, it was Svetlana. Tough fuckin’ bitch!”
Lip grins as he lights another cigarette, offering Ian one and then lighting them both up. Ian smokes quietly mulling over what Lip has said. Did Mickey still love Terry? Ian cannot imagine it. He’s hated Frank since he was a teenager, wouldn’t give a fuck if he died and would probably not really think much about it and compared to Terry, Frank has been a passable excuse of a father.
Ian watches as Yev charges away from the swings, Mickey calling out to him to watch his step and then picking up Yev’s discarded sweater from the ground, dusting it off and trailing after their son.
Ian knows that Mickey hasn’t been sleeping well, he knows that he feels vulnerable, they both do! But he hadn’t really considered that Mickey might actually be grieving. Not really.
The thought makes Ian’s skin feel a little tight and clammy, like he is stuck on a crowded train with the heating on full blast and he doesn’t have room to shrug his coat off. He doesn’t want Mickey to be grieving for Terry but worse would be if he were doing it silently and alone because he thinks he can’t tell Ian.
Lip watches thoughts flicker across his little brother’s face and sighs. Ian has always been the odd one out. The third child, the middle son, the cuckoo in the nest with his flaming hair and quiet nature and even something as horrible as this, he is dealing with it quietly and in his own way.
“You good? I mean, not actually good, but coping?””
“Yeah I’m fine.”
Ian nods and accepts Lip’s embrace.
“If you need anything, call me. I’ll be here. And I’m sorry for causing shit this morning. I was an asshole.”
“Yeah but that’s not exactly new territory for you.”
Ian smirks and Lip grins back, nodding
“You think I should say bye to Mickey and Yev?”
Ian glances over to the climbing frame Yev is dangling upside down from, giggling at Mickey who is clearly trying to coax him down.
“Nah, at least one of them is royally pissed at you.”
“The little one or the kid?”
“Fuck off, Lip.”
*
#shameless#shameless us#shameless fanfiction#ian gallagher#ian x mickey#lip gallagher#mickey milkovich#yevgeny milkovich#Bridge Chapter
22 notes
·
View notes
Link
There’s a famous Gandhi aphorism about how movements progress: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” That was actually written by the Workshop on Nonviolence Institute as a summary of Gandhi’s philosophy, but regardless, it’s remarkable how often it accurately describes the evolution of causes, from legal cannabis to gay marriage. I’ve been thinking about that quote since I wrote my first piece about plant-based meat (or alt meat, as I like to call it) for Outside in 2014. Back then, we were firmly in the “laugh at you” stage. Beyond Meat, the first of the Silicon Valley startups to use advanced technology to produce extremely meat-like burgers, had been ignored for its first few years, but in 2014, it released its Beast Burger, which was treated by the press and public as a slightly off-putting curiosity. What was this stuff? Would anyone actually eat it? Ewwww.
That product wasn’t very good—I compared it to Salisbury steak—and when Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat’s founder, announced his intention to end livestock production, you could almost hear the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association laughing in the background.
But I didn’t laugh. I knew it would keep getting better and beef wouldn’t. And I thought the bar was pretty low. Sure, steak is great, but ground beef makes up 60 percent of beef sales, and most of it is more Salisbury than salutary, a greasy vehicle for the yummy stuff: ketchup, mushrooms, pickles, bacon, sriracha mayo. I knew I wouldn’t object if my central puck came from a plant, as long as it chewed right and tasted right. I suspected others might feel the same.
In the following years, Beyond Meat was joined by Impossible Foods, a more sophisticated startup with even more venture capital. Its Impossible Burger was way better than Salisbury steak. All the cool cats started serving it, from David Chang in New York to Traci Des Jardins in San Francisco. My conviction grew.
Part of the appeal of the new burgers is their smaller environmental footprint. Beef is the most wasteful food on the planet. Cows are not optimized to make meat; they’re optimized to be cows. It takes 36,000 calories of feed to produce 1,000 calories of beef. In the process, it uses more than 430 gallons of water and 1,500 square feet of land, and it generates nearly ten kilograms of greenhouse-gas emissions. In comparison, an Impossible Burger uses 87 percent less water, 96 percent less land, and produces 89 percent fewer greenhouse-gas emissions. Beyond Meat’s footprint is similarly svelte.
Yes, a good argument can be made that small-farm, grass-fed beef production (in places that can grow abundant grass) has a very different ethical and environmental landscape, but unfortunately, that’s just not a significant factor. America gets 97 percent of its beef from feedlots. And feedlots are irredeemable.
By 2018, sales of both the Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger were surging, and the companies began to ink deals with restaurant chains. Beyond Meat got Carl’s Jr. and A&W (as well as supermarket chains like Food Lion and Safeway), while Impossible got White Castle.
I tracked down a White Castle shortly after the Impossible Slider arrived in the spring of 2018. I’d never been to a White Castle, so I ordered an Impossible Slider and a regular slider. The Impossible was...fine. About what you’d expect. White Castle steams all its meat, which is hard to get past, but with plenty of cheese, it went down easy.
The regular slider, on the other hand, was horrific. I peeled back the pasty bun and stared at the fetid shingle inside. It was appallingly thin and grimy. It made the Impossible Slider look lush and juicy. The bar for fast-food burgers is even lower than I thought. Nobody will miss these shitty little brown things when they’re gone.
Perhaps this explains why the chains are latching on to plant-based burgers as if they were life rings. White Castle initially tested its Impossible Slider in just a few locations in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago in April 2018. It was such a hit that the company quickly expanded the program to all 380 outlets. “People are coming back for it again and again,” White Castle’s vice president, Jamie Richardson, said with a touch of astonishment.
They’re coming back at Del Taco, too, which launched a Beyond Meat taco in April. Within two months, it had sold two million, one of the most successful product launches in its history, so it decided to add Beyond Meat burritos as well.
And then there’s Burger King. The second-largest fast-food chain in the world rattled big beef’s cage by testing an Impossible Whopper in St. Louis in April. Resulting foot traffic was so strong that Burger King decided to serve the Impossible Whopper in all 7,200 restaurants, marking the moment when alt meat stopped being alt.
That was enough to get the meat industry to snap to attention. “About a year and a half ago, this wasn’t on my radar whatsoever,” said Mark Dopp, head of regulatory affairs for the North American Meat Association, to The New York Times. “All of a sudden, this is getting closer.”
The strategy, predictably yet pathetically, was to engage in an ontological battle over the term meat itself. Big beef successfully lobbied for a labeling law in Missouri banning any products from identifying themselves as meat unless they are “derived from harvested production livestock or poultry.” (But this is wrong; the word simply meant sustenance for the first thousand years of its existence.) Similar labeling laws have passed or are pending in a dozen more states, most of them big ranching ones.
Obviously, none of this has stemmed the rise of alt meat. But it did make me think again of Gandhi (a staunch vegetarian, FYI). They ignored, they laughed, and now they were fighting.
This stuff, I thought, just might win.
This year is shaping up to be the inflection point when this becomes obvious to everybody else. Beyond Meat’s products are in 15,000 grocery stores in the U.S., and its sales have more than doubled each year. On May 2, it held its IPO, offering stock at $25, which turned out to be a wild underestimation of what investors thought the company was worth. It immediately leaped to $46 and closed the day at $65.75. That one-day pop of 163 percent was one of the best in decades, putting to shame such 2019 IPOs as Lyft (21 percent) and Pinterest (25 percent), to say nothing of Uber (negative 3 percent). In the following days, it kept ripping, climbing above $150, where it has stayed. The market currently estimates Beyond Meat’s worth at close to $10 billion.
Not to be outdone, that same month, Impossible Foods raised an additional $300 million dollars from private investors (for a running total of $740 million and a valuation of $2 billion) and announced it would be joining Beyond Meat in America’s grocery stores later this year. These companies are no longer little mammals scurrying around the feet of the big-beef dinosaurs. And they are gearing up for an epic head-to-head battle.
Both Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods recently released new, improved versions of their meat. For the past week, I’ve subsisted on little else. It feels great. Both have the same amount of protein as ground beef (about 20 grams per quarter-pound serving) and less fat. Being plant-based, they also provide a healthy shot of fiber. Both get their unctuousness from coconut oil.
But the core of each formula is very different. Beyond uses pea protein, while Impossible uses soy. Beyond gets its bloody color from beet juice; Impossible uses heme—the same molecule that makes our blood red—to achieve its meaty color and flavor. This is its killer app. Beef gets its beefiness from heme. When you cook heme, it produces the distinctive savory, metallic flavor of meat. Since heme is normally found in blood, no veggie concoction has ever used it. Soy plants do make microscopic amounts of it, but not enough to ever use. Impossible Foods’ breakthrough was to genetically engineer yeast to produce soy heme in a tank, like beer. This GMO process is a deal breaker for some people, but it makes all the difference. The Impossible Burger is incredible, the Beyond Burger merely passable.
The Beyond Burger comes as two premade four-ounce patties (packaged in a plastic tray wrapped in more plastic—strike one). They don’t quite pass as hamburgers. They’re too wet and too pink. They almost resemble finely ground salmon burgers. They cook to a satisfying toothiness on either a grill or a griddle, but there’s an inexplicable cellulose quality to the texture. (This is even more pronounced in the Beyond Sausage.) The flavor is also slightly off. There’s a hint of fake smoke and an earthiness I’m guessing comes from the beet juice. (My wife would argue that it’s more than slightly off; she has to leave the room when the Beyond Burger is cooking. But she also hates beets.) It’s not an unpleasant experience, just don’t expect the burgergasm you get from a quarter pound of USDA prime.
Impossible Foods, on the other hand, has delivered burgergasm after burgergasm. It’s shine-up-the-Nobel-Prize good. Not only does it taste like ground beef, it looks and acts like it, too. It’s truly plug and play.
That wasn’t true for the previous version. When I first wrote about Impossible Foods three years ago, I had to beg the company to send me one patty. It was hesitant. Back then, the burger was fussy. It didn’t work well on a grill, so you had to pan-fry it just right. The company made me do a Skype tutorial first, and when the micropatty arrived in a refrigerated box, with a special bun and special sauce, it was accompanied by pages of printed instructions. The burger was good, certainly the most meat-like plant patty up to that point, but it still tasted like a lite product—a little cleaner, a little less decadent, a little bit like filler.
This time, when I asked the company to send me a burger, a five-pound block of meat—clearly what it normally ships to food-service companies—arrived on my doorstep. No instructions, no hand-holding. It looked identical to ground beef, so that’s how I treated it. And that’s how it performed. I made sliders, kebabs, nachos, chili, Bolognese sauce, even a little tartare (note: the company frowns hard on this).
If I’m being honest, I find that I slightly prefer it to real beef. It’s rich and juicy, more savory, but still somehow cleaner and less cloying. Now when I go back to regular beef, I notice a whiff of the charnel house in it, something musty and gray that I don’t like and don’t need.
In the coming years, expect a lot of other omnivores to have similar epiphanies. Impossible Foods has performed more than 26,000 blind taste tests on its burger, which is on track to surpass ground beef in those tests in the near future. What happens then? Impossible has been laser focused on creating the perfect simulacrum of ground beef. But why? The cow never had a lock on gastronomic perfection. It was just the best we could do given the limitations of the natural material. Firelight was fine until electricity came along. Then things got really interesting.
Look for something similar to happen with alt meat. For now, it’s necessary to make people comfortable with the familiar, the way Steve Jobs loaded the early iPhones with faux felt and wood grain. But once people stop expecting burgers to refer to a hunk of flesh, the brakes on deliciousness will be released.
This will be generational. All change is. Most Baby Boomers are going to stick with their beef, right up to the point where their dentures can’t take it anymore. But Gen Z will find the stuff as embarrassing as Def Leppard and dad jeans.
As this shift accelerates, the beef industry will lose its last advantage—price. Most offerings made with Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are about a buck a burger more expensive. But it’s inherently cheaper to make a burger directly out of plants than it is to feed those plants to an animal first. Beef is currently cheaper because of scale. Big food companies can negotiate tremendously reduced prices for feed, and gigantic factories and supply chains are much more efficient to run.
But the playing field is leveling fast. Last week, Dunkin’ announced a new Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich that will be just 14 cents more than the meat version. But more than anything Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods has accomplished, the true death knell for the cattlemen is how the mainstream food industry has embraced alt meat. Whole Foods just announced it will start selling burgers from the UK-based startup the Meatless Farm in all of its stores. Nestlé is launching its Awesome Burger this fall. Tyson Foods, America’s largest meat producer, just debuted its own plant-based nuggets, with more products to come. Tyson CEO Noel White said he expects Tyson “to be a market leader in alternative protein, which is experiencing double-digit growth and could someday be a billion-dollar business for our company.”
If that quote isn’t enough to send chills down the spine of any meat producer, try this one from Perdue Farms chairman Jim Perdue: “Our vision is to be the most trusted name in premium protein. It doesn’t say premium meat protein, just premium protein. That’s where consumers are going.”
And that’s where these companies will go. Beef is a headache. It comes with a lot of baggage to worry about: antibiotic resistance, E. coli outbreaks, animal welfare, climate change. It’s the kind of icky biological variable that corporate America would love to leave behind—and as soon as beef becomes less profitable, it will.
Recent projections suggest that 60 percent of the meat eaten in 2040 will be alt, a figure I think may actually be too conservative. An estimated 95 percent of the people buying alt burgers are meat-eaters. This is not about making vegetarians happy. It’s not even about climate change. This is a battle for America’s flame-broiled soul. Meat is about to break free from its animal past. As traditional meat companies embrace alt meat with the fervor of the just converted, making it cheap and ubiquitious, it’s unclear if Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods can survive the feeding frenzy (though Impossible’s patents on its core IP may help), but at least they’ll be able to comfort themselves with a modern take on Gandhi’s wisdom:
First they ignore you.
Then they laugh at you.
Then they sue you.
Then they try to buy you.
Then they copy you.
Then they steal your shelf space.
Then they put you out of business.
Then you’ve won.
via Outside Magazine: Nutrition
0 notes
Text
elements- the balance
Balancing the Elements
I see this come up quite a bit in various Wiccan and Pagan groups so I thought I'd throw my twenty cents in(since two cents aren't worth a damn hehe). I see people, both new and those who've been around for a while, asking about what their element is supposed to be. Questions like "According to my astrological sign, earth is my main element, so should I only work with that?", "My sign says I connect with water most but I really don't feel an affinity to that, I feel more attracted to air, so am I missing something?" "I love fire so is that my element?" . These questions are quite common and I can understand why. You read books, you check websites and they tell you in a nice neat description that if you're born on such and such a day or month, that THIS is your element that you connect with automatically or should. The truth is though, it's much more complicated than that.
Almost everyone connects with an element of some kind more than the others so it's only natural to think "This is the element I'm meant to work with." I'll give you an example. I'm capricorn born on the cusp of aquarius so you'd think I'd have a natural affinity with earth or water more than any of the other elements right? Couldn't be more wrong. I actually connect more with fire than either of those; I use candle magic a lot in my work; however, I also use herbs, veggies and fruits, crystals, oils in my work so as you can see that'd lend more credence to my having a natural affinity and connection with fire and earth. However, this is also incorrect and I'll explain why.
You see, everything in this life is about balance; too much of any one thing and you're out of balance and you will feel off. You might feel drained of energy, tired, listless, you might feel depressed, uninspired, you might not give a damn at times. You might have health problems coming out of the blue or hitting you often, you might have a lack of appetite and so on. These are all signs that you are out of balance on some level. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to use what I'm writing here as an excuse to keep you from seeking professional medical help because as a caregiver, I'd NEVER do that. I always and I do mean ALWAYS recommend using these sorts of things in conjunction with your doctor, therapist and so forth.
Many of these things when they're minor can be attributed to being out of balance, with the elements, with your time, energy and so on. When the elements are out of balance within us, when we work with one element for example, fire, to the exclusion of all the others, our ability to use magick to help ourselves and those we love can be severely hindered and even completely messed up, to the point where no matter what we do or work on magickally speaking, it won't work. This doesn't just include the magick side of ourselves but also the mundane because the energy that is within us, that each of us possesses, is now out of kilter and that sets off a domino effect- knock one over and all the rest tumble in turn.
Instead of looking for an element you connect with strongest, focus first on connecting with EACH of the elements. We have examples of this all areas of our lives. Let's use plants for example. You work with plants, you love them dearly and they're important in your practice and in your well-being so naturally you think something along these lines , "hey, I love plants, I love crystals so my element must be earth." There's no shame in this thought because it's absolutely what comes to your mind first and foremost right? Or you might use candles a ton in your work, you burn paper a lot, you cook a lot (which uses fire obviously) so you naturally think "Fire is my element, the others aren't as important to me."
However, let's take a much closer look for a moment. Let's start with plants since that's the example I gave first. On the surface of it , yes plants are connected with earth but they're also connected equally with all the other elements. Think about it - without the sun(fire) majority of plants won't grow at all, without the water element, most plants will die or not even germinate, without air, many plants won't propagate because many plants have their pollen spread through the help of wind. Even plants that have their pollen spead out by insects, bats and birds also require air element because without air, none of those creatures would be able to be airborn.
Next, let's use the fire example. Yes, candles are a classic symbol of fire but again, when we look closer, we see all the other elements working together. Candles are often a petroleum product, a soy product or bee's wax. All of these things come from the earth- petroleum comes from oil underground, soy comes from plants which we already discussed. Bee's wax is made when the bees collect pollen from plants. Then we have the element of air because without it, fire won't work- you can't light a fire without oxygen. The water element comes into play because no matter what kind of candle you're using, water had to be used either in extracting the petroleum to help lubricate the giant machinery that gets oil out of the ground, bees need water as we all need water and soy plants need water to grow. So as you can see, even when we work with something as simple as a candle, all four elements come into play.
It's perfectly ok to look for something you connect with; we all do it. It's part of the human experience and we all love to compartmentalize things into nice little categories. In truth, it's important to connect with each element as equally as possible. Does this mean you have to work with each one constantly all the time? No, you will work with one element more often than others at times but the trick is to not use that one element to the exclusion of all the others. It's important, at least in my own opinion, to take a moment to reflect occasionally how all the elements are working to help with your path. This doesn't mean that everytime you do something, you have to take time out to consider how each element works in that particular instance but it's cool to stop and think about it once in a while, to remember it's all much greater than we think and nothing is quite as simple as our lists might make them out to be.
I hope that this has shown you that in order for things to work to the fullest ability, it's best to have all the elements working together and that goes for ourselves as well. Without fire, we can't cook our food, keep warm; without air we can't breathe and plants can't pollinate; without water we die, plain and simple on that one since our body is mostly water; without earth we can't grow our food, not to mention, when you break our bodies down, we are elements found in the earth.
:) Mike Sexton
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Yes, Vegetarians Can Get Food Poisoning, Too
There has been a trend in the way certain people think, and I think it is time to set the record straight. Before I get into the heart of the matter, I want to make it abundantly clear that I am in no way attacking the way people want to live their lives. What I want is to clear the air of incorrect thinking. Now. that I have you scratching your head, let me explain. There are many vegetarians and vegetarian articles claiming that the vegetarian lifestyle keeps one safe from food poisoning. And taking it a step farther that these types of habits are healthier. No. Vegetarian food poisoning is still a thing.
I want us to discuss, backed by research from the professionals, the pros and cons of eating vegetarian and look at the facts concerning food poisoning so we can dispel some myths. As with any research, you must decide for yourself what you want to do; but facts are always hard to ignore.
Mythbusting Vegetarian Food Poisoning Myths
A recent letter to the editor of a small newspaper, written by a vegetarian, claimed that “healthful, delicious plant-based veggie burgers, veggie dogs, and soy nuggets” mean that food poisoning is a thing of the past; as long as you eat these foods. It is a shame that people who want to have a voice have their facts so wrong.
Myth: You cannot get food poisoning from vegetable or plant-based foods.
Fact: According to the CDC: “While certain foods are more likely to make you sick, any food can get contaminated in the field, during processing, or during other stages in the food production chain, including through cross-contamination with raw meat in kitchens.” (source)
The false argument that plant-based or tofu-based foods cannot carry bacteria is dangerous. Giving people a sense of security in what they eat can lead to food poisoning or worse. This is where taking the time to become informed from the correct sources can keep us from making mistakes.
Myth: Vegan food is safer than normal food.
Truth: Vegan foods that have little or no preparation time fall into the category of high-risk. These foods can be a breeding ground for bacteria the same as non-vegan foods:
Fruits and vegetables
Cooked rice
Unpasteurized juices
Raw sprouts
Bread
Tofu
Bacteria do not discriminate when it comes to where it lives. And for those of us who have had the pleasure of food poisoning’s company, we know it does not discriminate on how sick we can be. This is especially true when it comes to unpasteurized juices.
What is Food Poisoning?
Before we go any further, I want to take a moment and refresh our memories on what food poisoning is, what the symptoms are, and how we get it. For those of you who have not experienced food poisoning, count yourself lucky.
Food poisoning is when we ingest food that has been contaminated with a wide range of pathogens that cause an ill and sometimes violent reaction. Due to the unseen nature of bacteria, it is difficult to know what foods are contaminated, therefore we have in place certain practices and procedures to help keep us safe.
These guidelines, while simple to look at, are vital to food safety:
Clean – Wash your hands and surfaces before preparing meals
Separate – Keep cross-contamination to a minimum by cleaning surfaces in between food items
Cook – Follow proper cooking guidelines to kill off bacteria
Chill – Place leftovers in containers, and in the refrigerator, to keep bacteria from growing
When one of these steeped in food preparation falls down, the risk of contaminated food rises. Following every step can ensure a risk free food experience.
Signs and Symptoms
You feel that something isn’t right. Your skin tingles as you go over in your mind if you might be getting the flu, who you have been around, or what you ate. The gurgling in your stomach tells you that the first two thoughts are not what your body is telling you as your temperature spikes. In a panic, you race for the bathroom, barely making it before your body tells you loud and clear there is a problem: you have food poisoning.
While everyone is different and everyone reacts differently to food poisoning, there are a few constants we can watch out for:
Nausea
Stomach cramps
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fever
It is important to seek medical attention if any or all of these symptoms appear. And as difficult as it may be, keeping hydrated will go a long way to ensure your recovery is speedy.
Taking this a step further, I wanted to give you all the information you can in order to make more decisions. I know, thanks right? But the more you know the better equipped you are to eat healthier and safer.
I wanted to briefly touch on the debate of if these types of foods are healthier for you. As with any debate, for every 100 people who will agree there are 100 others who will not; so the choice is yours.
Dietitians are claiming that while veggie burgers are healthy to eat due to the ingredients, they are not healthier than meat burgers. Again, I am not trying to cause division or force an opinion; I want to simply state facts and have you decide. Here are a some links to the debate to get you started. I encourage you to take the time to read them over and decide for yourself:
Whole Foods view via CNN
Plant-based burger debate via FOX News
Understanding what food poisoning is and how to prevent it is the first step to not becoming ill. Sure, you could do everything right and somehow bacteria will still find its way onto your food. The takeaway is that it doesn’t matter if it is meat or a meat substitute; food poisoning is a real threat to both kinds of food.
After we have read through all of the information (and ventured out to look for more on our own) it is easier to make informed decisions instead of listening blindly to someone who doesn’t know all the facts.
However you decide to eat, it is important to use healthy practices in order to stay safe.
By: Dwight Spencer
The post Yes, Vegetarians Can Get Food Poisoning, Too appeared first on The Lange Law Firm.
0 notes
Text
How To Meal Prep 12 Easy Vegan Recipes In 90 Minutes For A Beginner
How To Meal Prep 12 Easy Vegan Recipes In 90 Minutes For A Beginner
youtube
– All these things are found at your local grocery store.
99 cent store, honey.
You can even go to Dollar Tree and get spices, okay?
(laughing)
Hey y'all, I'm Tabitha Brown
and I'm here with my friend Destiny.
– Hello, hey girl. – Hey!
– And I'm gonna show her
how to prep 12 vegan meals in 90 minutes.
– I am new to this whole vegan thing.
I don't really know where to start with my meal prepping.
– I can help you out with this.
– Okay!
– So for breakfast we're gonna do tofu scramble
with a little sweet potatoes in there,
that's one of my favorites. – Yum.
– Then for lunch, we gonna create a couple
of grain bowls, you can do all kind of things with those.
And then for dinner, we'll have a little bolognese
as y'all call it, I just call it spaghetti growing up.
But I'm also gonna show you how
to like mix and match it,
so it doesn't get boring and you get a variety.
– Awesome, I love that.
Well I'm really excited to see like
if we can get all this done in 90 minutes.
_ Girl, I'm up for the challenge.
It's very possible.
– All right, I trust you.
Let's do it.
– Okay, so we got our rice cooker here.
And this is for our quinoa.
And we're gonna use a rice cooker
because you pretty much cook it the same way.
And the great thing about this
is it's got a little button that say rice.
Hello.
You just push it and it do all the work for you.
– Okay. – All right,
so we'll add our bowl of quinoa, okay?
And then a salt.
We're only gon' add a pinch.
Then we're gonna add the water.
Make you feel like you're doing something.
Child, but this is the only part you're doing.
And then we gon' add on the top.
And then we just hit the rice button.
(beep)
– That so simple.
You can just put it in and walk away.
– So now we got our veggies.
– All right.
– Okay, this is what we gon' use for our grain bowls.
To save time, we leave the skin on the potatoes.
We just make sure you scrub 'em,
clean 'em real good because the skin actually has
so many nutrients in it and it's so great for it.
– Awesome.
– So tell me a little bit more about why you decided,
I'ma go vegan.
– In my family there's a lot of diabetes,
heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure.
And so I kinda was trying to figure out
what's a way that we can like help with these things,
and so I did my research and kind of found
that eating more plant based is better for that.
I recently also had kind of like a pre-diabetes scare.
– Oh, wow. – Yeah.
And that really put everything into perspective for me.
So I was like, let's try this.
I've tried every diet in the book,
but being vegan or plant based
is something I haven't tried, so.
– Well good for you! – Thank you.
You know I had this resting headache
in the back of my head for one year and seven months.
– Oh my goodness.
– Every single day I would be dizzy,
I had chronic fatigue.
I tried all kind of drugs that the doctors, you know,
prescribed, because they couldn't even figure out
why I was having this. – Right.
– And when I did a 30 day challenge,
after 10 days my headache went away.
– [Destiny] Wow!
– And then after like 20 days or so,
I started getting energy again,
I started feeling better,
and I was like wait a minute.
Honey, this thing seem to be working!
– Yeah, wow. – I'ma stick with this.
– Love that. – And it literally
changed my whole life. – Wow.
– Absolutely.
– So inspiring. – Yeah, girl!
Okay, so we gon' put our yams here, or sweet potatoes,
whichever you wanna call them, okay?
And then our peppers and broccoli, and our chickpeas,
and then we gon' season 'em up
– Awesome – so then we can get ready.
Okay, so everything gets a little bit of garlic powder.
– Awesome.
– I love garlic powder because, you know,
you can use as much as you like.
– Oh! – If that's your business.
Okay.
(laughing)
And then a little bit of salt.
And then we got chili powder for our chickpeas here.
And then paprika for the yams.
So now they all seasoned up,
we gon' put a little bit of oil,
I prefer grape seed oil, yes.
Very good.
Girl, yes, you doin' great.
Go on ahead.
Now we gon' roast them for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Set a timer, but baby check it 'bout half way through.
Okay?
You know when you get doing' stuff
and you forget that you got stuff roasting,
you don't want burnt veggies.
Here we have five cloves of garlic.
So we're gonna use three of these for our bolognese,
and then we'll use two of them later when we make our pesto.
– Great.
– Now the great thing about this is a little trick.
All right, if you shake this really hard,
the peeling off of the garlic cloves with come off.
– Really?
– You go ahead and give it a try, girl.
– Okay.
– Shaking hard enough? – Yeah!
Yeah!
– Oh my god!
– You see that?
– Look at that!
– You see that?
– That is so cool.
– So another great way to like save time
when you're prepping, is to use a food processor.
Okay, so we gave our veggies here like a rough chop.
We let the food processor mince 'em up real good.
So we gon' go ahead and take our celery.
Carrots in there.
Some onion.
And then let's put the garlic too.
(food processor whirring)
All right, so now we have these all minced up.
Okay, and then we'll just at them to the pot.
So now we'll take the walnuts.
Nuts in general are great on a plant based diet
for a meat substitute.
And honey, ain't no need of you cleaning it out,
'cause it's all one together.
– [Destiny] That's true.
(food processor whirring)
That looks like ground beef.
– Very good, very meaty.
And then we gon' set it aside.
So now what we're gonna do is we're gonna add
a little bit of our grape seed oil into our veggie base.
We got a little bit of our dried basil, dried parsley here,
and our good friend oregano.
This is gonna be our good base for our bolognese.
One of the great things about meal prepping, honey,
is multi-tasking.
So while I am stirring these veggies,
I want you to make us a little dressing for our grain bowls.
All right, so this will be like you by yourself
imagining in your kitchen that I'm there with you.
– Okay! – You too.
So we're gonna take so basil.
Some arugula.
We got a little sea salt here.
Some lemon juice.
Some water.
Our garlic cloves that we had
and a little bit of walnuts.
Then olive oil.
We gon' blend it up and make a good old sauce.
(food processor whirring)
– Yeah! – Oh!
– We're gonna take this
and we're gonna transfer it into a mason jar.
So we got a little bit of tahini,
some water, lemon juice, salt
and some maple syrup.
And you know, we could've just kept the one dressing,
the pesto sauce or whatever, but we don't wanna get bored.
– [Destiny] Keep it interesting.
– [Tabitha] Yes!
– This is like one of the first times
I've been really excited about like changing the way I eat.
Like I've never been excited, but I love this.
– Yes!
– I'm so excited. – That make me excited.
– Wow, look at that.
That was easy.
– Girl, you'd a made pesto and a dressing.
– I'm a chef now.
– Honey!
So see how our veggies are soft, they look good.
Okay so now we gon' add a little bit of tomato paste.
All right, we stir it on in.
Let it get brown.
Smooth it on around.
Let it get brown, okay?
So now we gon' add everything else that we need.
So we got our veggie stock,
the walnuts that we minced earlier,
we got our tomatoes,
a little bit of salt, and some lentils.
– [Destiny] Awesome.
– Stir it up til it gets all mixed in together.
We gon' cover it, reduce the heat
and let it simmer for about 35 minutes.
So now are bolognese is simmering right now.
I also put on a pot of boiling water
for some pasta that we're gonna make later.
While of all that is happening,
we're gonna go ahead and make our tofu scramble.
Make it taste like some good old scrambled eggs.
Ooh, I see your face now.
Tell me how you feel about tofu.
– The times I've had tofu – Ooh!
– It just was like spongy and just kinda like no flavor.
– I don't like nothing bland myself,
so I ain't gon' feed it to you, all right?
I put it in a towel just to kind of pat it dry.
You don't have to worry about pressing it.
I know tofu gives you a lot of water,
but this will be fine once you break it up.
It'll absorb all the other flavors right and nice.
– Little oil. – Feels weird!
– I know it does feel right weird, child.
But it's all right.
There you go.
– [Destiny] Okay, looking like eggs.
– So we got a little bit of low-sodium soy sauce
and then we got nutritional yeast,
garlic powder because you know we love garlic
– Sure do.
– And it makes everything better.
Now this is the black salt. – Oh!
– You only need just a couple of pinches of it.
And the black salt it to give it a egg flavor.
Now we adding turmeric 'cause that actually
gives us a little bit of the color
so it looks like we got some real eggs going on.
But also it's great for the inflammation,
especially when we add the black pepper
'cause this activates the turmeric.
– I did not know that. – Okay.
– We don't have time to be inflamed.
– No.
– [Destiny] Wow, like this looks like scrambled egg!
– It is lookin' like a little scrambled egg, right?
Ans we're gonna add a little bit of spinach.
And you know like right here is tons of protein.
Your tofu is protein, – Ooh!
– Your greens is protein.
So when the people be like "Oh my god,
"you're gonna go vegan, how you gon' get your protein?"
Message.
(laughing)
Give me a wrap with some guacamole and salsa, baby.
– Ooh, yum! – Oh, honey.
– We eating' big girl.
So we have our bolognese still simmering.
We always need a fresh green salad.
So we have some mixed greens here,
a little spring mix, with some arugula already in here.
And a little fun fact,
when you have 'em in your container
in the refrigerator to keep them fresh,
just put your little paper towel like that.
And that just kina helps soak up the moisture.
– Right. – I throw away
so much spring mix, it's like shameful.
– Right! – So that's good to know.
– Let's go ahead and chop these up.
– So something that I really like about
everything we've bene cooking today
is that these are all ingredients that I've heard of,
or like can find at any grocery store.
So that's really exciting
– Right!
I think that's the misconception, right?
A lot of times, people here the word vegan
and they freak out first and foremost.
– I did.
– Especially people in our community.
Listen, I ain't even gon' lie to you,
when I would hear the word vegan,
I really thought "Oh, that's for white people that do yoga."
Me, I'm from a little small town,
it was never even mentioned.
Now, it's like a movement but really in the black community,
which makes me excited because need it.
– We do.
– We are the high percentage in all of the like, you know,
diabetes and high blood pressure.
And this is so great for us.
Right? – Yeah, I agree.
– So it doesn't have to be expensive.
All of these things are found at your local grocery store
99 cent store honey, you can even go to Dollar Tree
and get spices, okay?
(laughing)
Now we're gonna add it in, aint that pretty?
– [Destiny] It's so pretty.
– Ooh, I get excited about a good colorful salad, child.
So the hemp seeds are great because
they have fatty acids in them which is like Omega-3s,
and it's so good for us.
This is a life bowl.
Ooh, look at that honey! – Yum!
– It has simmered on down.
– So now what we'll do it add a little bit
of our red wine.
Then a little bit of salt just for taste.
Let's go ahead and stir it up.
And then what we'll do is we'll leave this uncovered
and let the wine kind of cook down
in there for about 10 minutes.
And now, it's been enough time that our boiling water,
it's time to add the pasta.
– Let's do it.
– Voilà!
Okay.
So let's start with our breakfast.
So we have our breakfast scramble
with our sweet potatoes.
You can have it just like this, or you can get fancy,
and make a breakfast burrito. – Yum!
– And we add a little bit of
our roasted red peppers in there,
you know, that add a little flavor.
– You see that? – That's really good!
Wow!
– We have these amazing grain bowls,
under the bottom we have our quinoa
– Yum. – We just mix up our dressings
so we have our pesto, and then we got our tahini dressing
which you made.
And then if you noticed you see we have
half with the sweet potato
and then half with the red peppers
'cause we mixed it with out breakfast burrito.
That way we won't get so bored.
Try it out.
– Mm!
– Girl, you did that.
– That pesto's good.
– Who made it?
– Me! – Go ahead, girl!
For breakfast and lunch these are using bowls
that you take on the go with you.
So you individualize them in containers.
But with dinner, I keep the bolognese sauce
in the pan and like our big salad
we keep that in a container
because we make our dinner at home.
So we have our standard way
with our noodles and our bolognese on the top.
And then if you say "you know what,
"I'm trying to do right with my life."
You can use some zucchini noodles,
or whatever veggies noodles you wanna use.
And then if you get to the point
and you say "Honey, I am bolognesed out."
– No more. – I don't want no more.
Put that thing on in the freezer.
And freeze it until you ready for it again.
You still got your pesto sauce that you know,
you had in your little mason jar.
– That's right.
– Put that on your pasta, whip that up honey.
Now you got a little pesto pasta.
– I love that.
– And then you pair it with just salad.
And you can have that salad with every meal.
And you can also take some salad to work,
if that's what you wanna do. – It's your business.
It tastes like a meat sauce.
– That the lentils and, you know, the walnuts
and all the veggies.
So say you wanna switch it up, right?
Some days you may just wanna do your pasta
like how you have your pesto pasta.
Use some of your veg.
– Ooh, okay. – Mix it up in there.
Okay, your peppers and broccoli and chickpeas.
Baby that's a pasta salad.
– Yeah, options.
I love this. – Yeah, you got options.
– Well I cannot believe we were able to make
12 meals in 90 minutes. – Yes we did.
– And all this food is vegan and easy to find
and healthy and good for you and feels good.
– I'm so proud of you! – Thank you!
– You know, 'cause the first step
is being open to just trying something new.
And plant based living can be super easy.
If you want me to come back, comment below say
"Y'all bring Tab back to the room."
– Yes.
– We'll come back and do some more meal prepping ideas
and have some fun in the process.
– I'd love it.
– High five! – Love that.
– So proud of you.
(gentle music)
from WordPress http://sweetly.site/how-to-meal-prep-12-easy-vegan-recipes-in-90-minutes-for-a-beginner/
0 notes
Quote
I wake up next to sunflower seeds
full of protein without salt conveying
his honesty so with calm convenience
I consign to a hastily selected eternal object
it took me more than a decade
to allow my bare shoulders the touch of sunlight
my composed wrongdoings trace a language
whose sounds I know though hardly its meanings
I lie in the young river naked arms
folded across my chest my heart opening
the first breath is for a hyphened
identity which insists on their recognition
after I breathe towards embracing my bloodline
I am learning to play sao trúc
distanced sisters find each other
an intimacy rooted in parenthetical legs
in two lines sleeping together their corresponding
fingers carve out a space inciting altered litanies
she leans against me
I want her to lean against me
we forgive our parents everything
attune to the violent emotion necessitating
the naming of things the elliptical naivety
the interstices of leaving ancestral soil
I make the first wolf
he opens me up to more oxygen
at the scene of gathering mountains
sink into each other he treasures me
so openly offers me hibiscus flowers
he sings the words until I can sing them
I am growing my hair again finally
it shall be woven into a plait tied around
my head affixed with a golden pin once
held by the hands of a grandmother
I fold rituals into my day I choose
my most unwavering red silk dress
I repeat his last sentences to myself
our motif may face any direction
Honey
I howl at you I adore you
they fancy us to be forgetful their
cage is crystalline built at the expense
of the women they hire they expect
us to memorize their tragedies
sacrificing clean water clinging to black gold
they act as if they share an enterprise
fencing air was enticing enough the police
are already there or they are coming
in my left hand I carry a knife lavishly
I realize processed foods are exhausting
name this conflicted energy name
the one who exploits you even a
slight convulsion of our conflict generous
as a ghost infiltrates their institutions
with tiger balm on our painful joints we falsely
save ourselves our evidence of grief our lack of
iron we swallow their post-political self-evidencies
even suffer from traces of overheard conversations
there are several ways of coping with the reality at hand
a false estimate: he cut off my hair
rather than only annihilating texts
we extend the same river without really
referencing or crediting a mythical homeland
practically white we confess their relevance
my lilac everything do I still feed you
remember I am not tied to the unrest around us
he looks at me and wants me to sing
this is your living mud he said now dig into it
dig into reconciled strivings while the others
painstakingly pretend that we are all in the wrong
the Vietnamese diaspora is actually a thing?
you want to give me a new sin
are you trying to seduce me
with your angelic voice I am a witness
half asleep and longing for an intense proximity
I want you to lick my knees
there’s a conjuring going on
we have had enough of the cut
we have been force fed white sugars
devotedly consume rice for the bones still
exercising the advantages of a model minority
we are just shooting for assimilation
severed from ancestral lovely nutrients
we spend our time indecisively while
obsessing over something untrue in my palm
I carry wild rice grains and a newly sprouted plant
a spectral quality slashes into bare life
we are committed to reviving lost medicines
reprised relations the inheritance of shame
we are drawn to the communal premise
he points out my magnesium deficiency
now elicit the fatal flaw
we animate our we our sick
sensitive sidelined bodies we fake
worker militancy the popular phrases
tacitly fasten to another cause to our fists
we can no longer afford to be cynical
we must ask a stone
they may profit from a slow acidic ache
for us to shed new meaning may comprise
injuries of un-homing and communal howls
many are already bored
we languish listlessly misfiring our efforts
with a chant that went wrong the revolt
suspended delicately moistened until
there is no one left to go to work
I honor my silent mother send her
lavender energy turmeric prayers I talk to her
I give my sisters first preference saving them
with the dark precursor that I have gained
akin to not hearing them as complaining
this grounding is the call
I desire a life with jade bracelets
of taking pristine care of our bloodline
the dragon the fairy my hands reach to
the ground smiling I heave back and forth
my divine wolf are we experiencing a kind of tragedy
more grace more meaning my jaw is hurting
I will weave you a cilantro crown
make sure you never consume
any soy lecithin again I will lay
my long hair over your face at night
I’m picking thistles with my fingers the sun
makes me sleepy we want the nectar
the land we summon healthy hymns
celebrating the uprising itself
our erotic connotations are growing wings
we find new layers of resonance recall
acts of grace the red is not in the atoms
it’s in the way the atoms come together
I promise I will await you
and if you let go I’ll keep singing until
I Fell in Love With a Wolf by Nguyễn Nam Chi
0 notes
Text
Power Biscotti from Blissful Basil
“…I’ve finally learned to greet anxiety with gratitude, because it is not my enemy but my teacher. And it’s taught me one of the greatest lessons of all: When faced with a problem, you can choose to avoid it, you can walk around it, and you can pretend that it doesn’t exist, but you will repeatedly run into its pain until you open your heart to its purpose.” Ashley Melillo, Blissful Basil
It’s no secret I’m a quote fan (and I love to include one in each issue of In the Glow), but lately I’ve been looking to them more and more for inspiration. I don’t know if it’s the dreary, sunless winter days of late or simply the phase that I seem to be in, but I’m craving new perspectives, some external sources of wisdom to reframe my thought patterns. The above quote from Ashley really spoke to me, so I thought I’d share it with you today!
I’ve been talking a lot with friends lately about how labels—both those we are given and those we give ourselves—can hold us back. We all have them, don’t we? Ways of thinking about ourselves can become an invisible boundary (conscious or subconscious) we never attempt to grow beyond because we actually believe that we can’t. It’s when you tell yourself NOPE before even giving yourself a chance. It’s a self-imposed personal growth ceiling. It’s thinking, I’m too this, or not enough that. Or how about, I don’t have that skill set; I’m not that type of person. Before long, a single label can start to represent our whole selves, rather than just a PART of what makes us who we are (and who we are is pretty awesome, by the way).
I often use the anxiety label as a reason for why I can’t do something. But what if I viewed my struggles with anxiety as something that makes me stronger? Something that if talked about openly could lift me (and maybe others) up, and take away its power to hold me back? Having shame about something and burying it deep below the surface seems to only give it more leverage. Our struggles are what make us human and relatable and we shouldn’t be embarrassed by them, ya know?
Think about something you have long thought of as a personal disadvantage or weakness. Now, try to picture yourself taking small steps to overcome it, and imagine that feeling of personal strength that you’d get from doing so. It feels good, right? Scary too, perhaps, but good. It won’t be an overnight success story, but the fight will be worth it.
For many of you, the author of the lovely quote at the top of this post needs no introduction; Ashley, the author, photographer, and recipe creator of Blissful Basil, has been blogging for a little over 6 years now. Her quest for inner peace led her to discover the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle, and she never looked back. The quote is an excerpt from the introduction of her beautiful new cookbook, Blissful Basil. Just like on her blog, Ashley’s voice and vulnerability are so beautifully intertwined throughout this book. Her passion for creating feel-good recipes just leaps from the pages, and I think it’ll inspire you, too.
A few recipes you’ll find within these pages are: Simple Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze, Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini-Cilantro Vinaigrette, Sloppy Shiitakes with Tangy Rainbow Slaw, and Baked Yellow Split Pea Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce. I’m thrilled to share Ashley’s Power Biscotti recipe with you today. (Many of you asked for this recipe when Ashley did an OSG Instagram Takeover last year, so it’s coming full circle!) Made with a base of ground sunflower seeds (grain-free biscotti, what!?) and very lightly sweetened with maple syrup, it’s about as healthy as biscotti gets. Upon first bite, I wasn’t too sure about the subtle flavour, but as my taste buds adjusted for the reduced sweetness (compared to traditional biscotti) I came to love this healthified version and found myself reaching for it non-stop.
Power Biscotti
Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
These crunchy snacks were specially designed to be nutrient-rich down to their last grain-free bite. Rather than grain-based flour, these biscotti are made with homemade sunflower seed flour. Dried fruit, pepitas, and cacao nibs are folded in to offer pops of texture, while pure maple syrup provides subtle sweetness. These biscotti make a fantastic energizing snack or breakfast that you can grab on your way out the door. Don't forget to decrease the oven temperature to 275°F (135°C) after the first bake time or you'll risk burning the biscotti during the second and third baking rounds. Shared from Blissful Basil by arrangement with BenBella Books. Copyright © 2016, Ashley Melillo. The recipe below is lightly edited to reflect my own testing process.
Yield
12 to 14 biscotti
Prep Time
15 Minutes
Cook time
55 Minutes
Total Time
1 Hour, 10 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (7 g) ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons (30 mL) filtered water
2 cups (300 g) raw shelled sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon (8 g) arrowroot starch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (60 g) dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup (53 g) raw pepitas
2 tablespoons (18 g) cacao nibs (optional)
1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseed and water. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
Meanwhile, add the sunflower seeds to a food processor and process for 45–60 seconds, or until you have a coarse flour or fine meal, stopping to pulse several times to ensure even processing. The texture should be flour-like; be careful not to overprocess or you’ll end up with sunflower butter.
Transfer the sunflower flour to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the arrowroot and sea salt. Stir in the dried fruit, pepitas, and cacao nibs (if using).
Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract to the small mixing bowl with the flaxseed mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. Pour over the dry sunflower mixture, and use a large wooden spoon to mix well for about 30 seconds. At first it will seem like there isn’t enough liquid, but keep stirring until the liquid is evenly dispersed and you have a damp dough.
Turn the dough out onto the lined baking sheet, and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Use lightly wet hands to shape and compact the dough into 2 tightly packed rectangles. Each rectangle should be approximately 4 × 6 inches, and just shy of 1 inch thick.
Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown and each rectangle feels well set, yet retains a soft indentation when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and cool for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, decrease the oven temperature to 275°F (135°C).
Once the biscotti rectangles are mostly cool, use a sharp knife to cut them widthwise into 1-inch-thick slices, pressing straight down and rocking the knife back and forth to slice rather than using a sawing motion. You should have a total of 12–14 biscotti, 6–7 from each rectangle.
Carefully return the biscotti to the lined baking sheet, sliced-side down. Bake for 16–18 minutes. Then, carefully flip each biscotti, and bake for another 16–18 minutes, or until a light golden brown and crisp to the touch. They’ll continue to crisp as they cool, so keep that in mind when testing for doneness.
Carefully transfer the biscotti to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in an airtight glass container to maintain crispness. They’ll keep for up to 1 week at room temperature, or you can store them in the freezer for a bit longer.
Tips:
Oven temperatures may vary greatly, so be sure to keep an eye on the biscotti during all three stages of baking to avoid burning it.
Before I go, I want to let you know about a fun interview I did with Anna and Nia from Vegan Creative. They’ve shared their review of Oh She Glows Every Day, too, so be sure to check out their post!
Comments (1) | //<![CDATA[ function fbs_click() {u=location.href;t=document.title;window.open('//www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent(u)+'&t='+encodeURIComponent(t),'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=626,height=436'); return false;} //]]> Share on Facebook | Tweet | Pin It | Snapchat
© copyright 2017 Oh She Glows. All Rights Reserved.
from Blogger http://corneliussteinbeck.blogspot.com/2017/01/power-biscotti-from-blissful-basil.html
0 notes
Text
Power Biscotti from Blissful Basil
“…I’ve finally learned to greet anxiety with gratitude, because it is not my enemy but my teacher. And it’s taught me one of the greatest lessons of all: When faced with a problem, you can choose to avoid it, you can walk around it, and you can pretend that it doesn’t exist, but you will repeatedly run into its pain until you open your heart to its purpose.” Ashley Melillo, Blissful Basil
It’s no secret I’m a quote fan (and I love to include one in each issue of In the Glow), but lately I’ve been looking to them more and more for inspiration. I don’t know if it’s the dreary, sunless winter days of late or simply the phase that I seem to be in, but I’m craving new perspectives, some external sources of wisdom to reframe my thought patterns. The above quote from Ashley really spoke to me, so I thought I’d share it with you today!
I’ve been talking a lot with friends lately about how labels—both those we are given and those we give ourselves—can hold us back. We all have them, don’t we? Ways of thinking about ourselves can become an invisible boundary (conscious or subconscious) we never attempt to grow beyond because we actually believe that we can’t. It’s when you tell yourself NOPE before even giving yourself a chance. It’s a self-imposed personal growth ceiling. It’s thinking, I’m too this, or not enough that. Or how about, I don’t have that skill set; I’m not that type of person. Before long, a single label can start to represent our whole selves, rather than just a PART of what makes us who we are (and who we are is pretty awesome, by the way).
I often use the anxiety label as a reason for why I can’t do something. But what if I viewed my struggles with anxiety as something that makes me stronger? Something that if talked about openly could lift me (and maybe others) up, and take away its power to hold me back? Having shame about something and burying it deep below the surface seems to only give it more leverage. Our struggles are what make us human and relatable and we shouldn’t be embarrassed by them, ya know?
Think about something you have long thought of as a personal disadvantage or weakness. Now, try to picture yourself taking small steps to overcome it, and imagine that feeling of personal strength that you’d get from doing so. It feels good, right? Scary too, perhaps, but good. It won’t be an overnight success story, but the fight will be worth it.
For many of you, the author of the lovely quote at the top of this post needs no introduction; Ashley, the author, photographer, and recipe creator of Blissful Basil, has been blogging for a little over 6 years now. Her quest for inner peace led her to discover the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle, and she never looked back. The quote is an excerpt from the introduction of her beautiful new cookbook, Blissful Basil. Just like on her blog, Ashley’s voice and vulnerability are so beautifully intertwined throughout this book. Her passion for creating feel-good recipes just leaps from the pages, and I think it’ll inspire you, too.
A few recipes you’ll find within these pages are: Simple Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze, Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Tahini-Cilantro Vinaigrette, Sloppy Shiitakes with Tangy Rainbow Slaw, and Baked Yellow Split Pea Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce. I’m thrilled to share Ashley’s Power Biscotti recipe with you today. (Many of you asked for this recipe when Ashley did an OSG Instagram Takeover last year, so it’s coming full circle!) Made with a base of ground sunflower seeds (grain-free biscotti, what!?) and very lightly sweetened with maple syrup, it’s about as healthy as biscotti gets. Upon first bite, I wasn’t too sure about the subtle flavour, but as my taste buds adjusted for the reduced sweetness (compared to traditional biscotti) I came to love this healthified version and found myself reaching for it non-stop.
Power Biscotti
Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
These crunchy snacks were specially designed to be nutrient-rich down to their last grain-free bite. Rather than grain-based flour, these biscotti are made with homemade sunflower seed flour. Dried fruit, pepitas, and cacao nibs are folded in to offer pops of texture, while pure maple syrup provides subtle sweetness. These biscotti make a fantastic energizing snack or breakfast that you can grab on your way out the door. Don't forget to decrease the oven temperature to 275°F (135°C) after the first bake time or you'll risk burning the biscotti during the second and third baking rounds. Shared from Blissful Basil by arrangement with BenBella Books. Copyright © 2016, Ashley Melillo. The recipe below is lightly edited to reflect my own testing process.
Yield
12 to 14 biscotti
Prep Time
15 Minutes
Cook time
55 Minutes
Total Time
1 Hour, 10 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (7 g) ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons (30 mL) filtered water
2 cups (300 g) raw shelled sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon (8 g) arrowroot starch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (60 g) dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup (53 g) raw pepitas
2 tablespoons (18 g) cacao nibs (optional)
1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseed and water. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
Meanwhile, add the sunflower seeds to a food processor and process for 45–60 seconds, or until you have a coarse flour or fine meal, stopping to pulse several times to ensure even processing. The texture should be flour-like; be careful not to overprocess or you’ll end up with sunflower butter.
Transfer the sunflower flour to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the arrowroot and sea salt. Stir in the dried fruit, pepitas, and cacao nibs (if using).
Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract to the small mixing bowl with the flaxseed mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. Pour over the dry sunflower mixture, and use a large wooden spoon to mix well for about 30 seconds. At first it will seem like there isn’t enough liquid, but keep stirring until the liquid is evenly dispersed and you have a damp dough.
Turn the dough out onto the lined baking sheet, and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Use lightly wet hands to shape and compact the dough into 2 tightly packed rectangles. Each rectangle should be approximately 4 × 6 inches, and just shy of 1 inch thick.
Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown and each rectangle feels well set, yet retains a soft indentation when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and cool for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, decrease the oven temperature to 275°F (135°C).
Once the biscotti rectangles are mostly cool, use a sharp knife to cut them widthwise into 1-inch-thick slices, pressing straight down and rocking the knife back and forth to slice rather than using a sawing motion. You should have a total of 12–14 biscotti, 6–7 from each rectangle.
Carefully return the biscotti to the lined baking sheet, sliced-side down. Bake for 16–18 minutes. Then, carefully flip each biscotti, and bake for another 16–18 minutes, or until a light golden brown and crisp to the touch. They’ll continue to crisp as they cool, so keep that in mind when testing for doneness.
Carefully transfer the biscotti to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in an airtight glass container to maintain crispness. They’ll keep for up to 1 week at room temperature, or you can store them in the freezer for a bit longer.
Tips:
Oven temperatures may vary greatly, so be sure to keep an eye on the biscotti during all three stages of baking to avoid burning it.
Before I go, I want to let you know about a fun interview I did with Anna and Nia from Vegan Creative. They’ve shared their review of Oh She Glows Every Day, too, so be sure to check out their post!
Comments (0) | function fbs_click() {u=location.href;t=document.title;window.open('//www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent(u)+'&t='+encodeURIComponent(t),'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=626,height=436'); return false;}Share on Facebook | Tweet | Pin It | Snapchat
© copyright 2017 Oh She Glows. All Rights Reserved.
from Oh She Glows http://ift.tt/2kLwDAb
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
esperandoavidaperfeita-blog
Esperando pela vida perfeita *-*
fklmtour-blog
Untitled
maskedrider5-blog
MaskedRider5
greencore
i could die twice for you
arurulite
Aruru art