First of all, thank you for all of your amazing comments and heartfelt support on yesterday’s vlog post. If you’re at all struggling with binge eating or feeling a lack of control around food, I encourage you to open your heart to a new way of thinking and watch it! We are all here to support and love you every step of the way. Remember that we are never weak. What makes us weak is an illusion inside of our heads – an illusion that is blocking the innate strength inside of us. Don’t be afraid to unleash what’s already there, baby!
Every morning, I receive an email from Mastin Kipp and his team over at The Daily Love. As part of my morning spiritual practice, after my morning meditation, I open my inbox and click on my new Daily Love email. There’s always so much inspiration and good vibrations coming from it. Such an ideal way to start the day! It’s perfect balance between gaining my own perspective (meditation) and receiving inspiration from others (The Daily Love). Anyways, coming off of yesterday’s post, I was so happy to see this quote in my inbox:
Can I get an AMEN?
One of my personal triumphs was learning to say “thank you” to my eating disorder – beating it with love. It has allowed me to pursue so many paths and has helped me realize my passion for helping others find self-love through spirituality of their own understanding and through eating #plantPOWERed food. Those dark times allowed me to, eventually, come to my knees and surrender myself to a power greater than myself to guide me in the direction the Universe wanted me to go. I have learned not to desire to erase the dark times but to embrace them, knowing there is a lesson and a divine intervention occurring at that very moment. Don’t erase it – embrace it! What was your surrender moment? I’d love to read about it!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
One of my favorite things is making a menu work for me. Yeah, I know, I’m a waiter’s dream customer.
Once in awhile, though, I love going to a restaurant that is not seemingly vegan-friendly. I love chatting with the waiter and figuring out what can be modified. Fact: there’s almost always avocado available. If there isn’t avocado available, there are usually nuts, seeds, or beans lurking around somewhere. You just gotta ask!
Yesterday, I went out to dinner with Matty and his family to Skipjacks, a local fancy-schmancy seafood restauarant. While perusing the menu, I was thinking of my seafood mavens: Meg, Cait, Lori, Michelle, Sara, and Lindsay. They would have been in heaven! I was so inspired by them that I eventually caved decided to try some of my own.
…NOT! That will never happen. Ever. 
Unfortuantely, there were no beans, nuts, seeds, or tofu to be found at Skipjacks. There was, however, a bibb lettuce salad with avocado, radish, and lemon-thyme vinaigrette. I also ordered a side of roasted potatoes in an olive oil and herb blend. Nutrition fact of the day: Did you know that white potatoes are one of the richest food in potassium? It’s true! And, aside from vitamin A, their nutritional properties are very similar to sweet potatoes. So, don’t fear the white potato just because it’s white. Okay? Okay.
The above meal was incredibly fresh and delicious, though I was missing my protein. Regardless, the company was beautiful and it was so nice to chat with everyone. I was a bad blogger and didn’t take any pictures – too wrapped up in the fun. Next time!
In terms of snacks, as of late, I’ve been favoring veggies and nuts. Just using Mother Nature’s finest ingredients!
These are the best nuts on the planet (that’s what she said?). It is so difficult to find raw mixed nuts that are not insanely expensive and/or loaded with peanuts. This Trader Joe’s blend has no peanuts and it chock full of cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and pecans. I like to purchase additional raw walnuts and make a homemade nut mix with the TJ’s nuts. My favorites are the cashews and Brazil nuts!
Roasted veggies with nooch sauce are another go-to snack of mine lately. I love roasting butternut squash and Brussels sprouts and drizzling nooch sauce (2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, 2 Tbsp water, lots of garlic powder, and 1 tsp. dijon mustard) over them. So divine. It’s like veggie alfredo!
I’ve just realized how random this post has been. Bless you if you’ve finished it and your head is not spinning. Just keepin’ it real.
Stay lovely,
Heather
P.S. – Tomorrow is the last week of #jadorelavie4sandy! Make sure that you get your email submissions in by tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m.! Keep tweeting and Instagramming with #jadorelavie. Those small moments of joy are worth mentioning for your spirit!
Love this Heather! You always have the best words to say what is on my mind! I swear. Such an important message to embrace our past and not regret those choices we made! I’ve learnt now to be thankful for all the things my ED gave me, without it I wouldn’t have all this awareness about my body and mind and I think I’d still be in a deep depression because I wouldn’t know how to deal with my feelings properly. Ha, loved your seafood comment. I’m the same. I just can’t get into seafood. At all. Yours is obviously for better reason than mine. I’m seriously a waiters worst nightmare, I always feel so bad.
I’m so glad that you see the light, Lisa! Because you are light.
I pretty much want to say how much I love you and your attitude every single post. It’s definitely contagious – I love it! ;D Avocado and/or nuts = loveeeee <3
I pretty much LOVE YOU.
i love your nooch sauce!! so good!! and i’m totally signing up for the daily love… i loved your vlog yesterday and it has helped me reflected when i begin mindless eating xoxo
I’m so so happy that you love the nooch sauce, Linz! It’s a good one.
And thrilled to hear that you’re applying those principles to your life. Amazing!
I had no idea how nutritious white potatoes are! I’ve always heard they’re a “bad vegetable” because they’re white and a starch. I love them, though! And now my choice in eating them feels validated
Yes, they’re healthy for us! It’s true they are high on the glycemic index, though, so to prevent an energy spike I’d stick to a 1/2 baked potato serving. Pairing it with a nice nutrient dense salad will aid in preventing the energy spike too.
Heather I can relate to you in more ways than you know! What a beautiful quote too! Going to sign up to get some daily love too
Woo hoo! You’re going to love it!
My head ain’t spinnin! I love random posts because my mind sometimes likes to bounce around to a different topic. I love the idea of beating ED with love! After all, ED is so mean, all that love will be a powerful weapon against it. And it has been for me too! I wouldn’t be where I am right now, so much stronger, if not for going through an ED and fighting this recovery battle.
So honored to hear the seafood made you think of me ;D the white taters look great. You know I love my white potatoes!
One world: HOLLA.
I love your beautiful mindset! I am learning to embrace and forgive my past so that I can dance into my future.
Also – me and my Irish mama love our white potatoes – whoop!
LOVE THAT. Dance into my future. SO GENIUS!
Your snack looks amazing, I’m a pumpkin nut; we’re one of the only places in Ireland that sell kabocha and mini orange pumpkins all year round and we make use of them in the restaurant almost every day! Love em! If you ever visit Ireland be sure to check us out!
You’re so fortunate to be able to serve those amazing squashes to your guests every day! xo
I do love and enjoy all of your blogs. This one raises a question for me though. Have you looked up white potatoes on the glycemic index?
Yes, I have looked up white potatoes on the glycemic index and, to your point, they’re definitely higher up. My point is simply that we don’t have to avoid potatoes because they’re white. There are a bunch of other benefits to them.
Love what you are doing with this!!
I love your tips for finding ways to be vegan and still eat out at seemingly non vegan restaurants. I’m still kind of terrified to go out to eat now that I’m vegetarian and usually just stick with places I know will have veggie burgers, roasted vegetable dishes, or something similar. You’re inspiring me to branch out and be adventurous!
[...] For the Love of Kale~ Don’t Erase it Embrace it [...]
Love and good vibrations always come to me form reading your blog.
Thank-you for being such a wonderful inspiration.
Thanks so much Laura! xo