2016 Lift Off in 3..2..1..

     Well here we are! 2015 is just about to come to an end and I can whole heartedly say that it was one of the best years I've had thus far in my life. I could go on for hours and hours talking about all of the insane things that have happened, and how every month was completely different from each other in its own little way, but I'll just keep it to a minimum.
   First off, finishing off high school in 2015 was a huge deal! It's insane to think that one of the biggest, most remembered years of my life is ending. I looked forward to 2015 all of my adolescence, and I was always in awe at how far away it seemed to be. Although Kyle and I met and started dating in 2014, I feel that it was 2015 when I truly started to really fall in love with him. I remember a year ago today when the world was saying it's last goodbyes to 2014 I had absolutely no clue what would be in store for me. Especially after my dad passing, I've felt like a lot of aspects of my life have been pretty spontaneous because my whole entire life altered from what it was prior to him being ill. My house going up for sale, struggling with mental illness, and fighting my own demons are just a few of the many battles I fought this year that I didn't think I'd be winning. A few months ago I couldn't have cared less if I was here to see today, but now that I'm here, alive, happy, and healthy, i'm insanely glad that I am.
   From being at the beach more times than I want to count, to camping out in tents and cars with Kyle, to exploring Germany, Austria, and Switzerland all in 10 days, to creating insanely close bonds with long times friends, to nearly dying way too many times than I want to say, to really, really growing into the person I know I want to continue being forever, this year was insanity in a nutshell and I loved every second of it. I've learned a few things that I know carrying with me forever will be the smart thing to do. I've discovered to be as nice as I can to people, even if they're being totally rude back. I've realized that people are not the same as I am, and no two brains and hearts are alike. This helped me to get over the fact that people will not always say the right things, or the things I necessarily want to hear. And that's perfectly okay. This year I found my own little style and altered myself into the person I always wanted to be. 2015 was a year of self growth and realization to say the least.
   So, as 2016 is about to start up and you realize 2015 may have not been your ideal year, I 100% recommend you take this as an opportunity to change your life to how you want it. I know it's so much easier said than done, but if you know there are things in your life that you're itching to change, CHANGE THEM!!!! I'm so grateful for the friendships I have kept and gained, the new places I have been lucky enough to see, and the amazing experiences that have touched my heart and made me a better person. I have realized that whatever you give to the world will come straight back to you, and what flows back into your life, whether it be positivity or negativity, is completely up to you. 2015 was a big year of blogging, photography, and documenting and I couldn't be anymore grateful that I have these things to look back on and reflect. This was definitely the year that my passions took flight. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my loved ones who made this year completely one of a kind. I'm so pumped to be going into 2016 with great friends, an incredible boyfriend, and a motivated head and heart. I have a lot of great ideas for this next year that I can't wait to put into action and show to the world. Get ready everyone!!!! Great things will be in store. I hope everyone has the happiest and safest New Years Eve they possibly can. Happy 2016 my loves!!!!!

"So...What DO You Eat?!?!"

Hey guys!!! I'm super happy to share that I've reached over 6,000 views on my blog which is kindaaaa crazy to hear when you're someone who's never really gotten much recognition for their writing before this. Recently I've been thinking about how grateful I am to have started this blog. From this I've made so many new connections and friends and have heard so much positive feedback, and I've also grown so much as a person myself since doing this. It's absolutely amazing how much power words have! They can make you feel a dozen different emotions you never even knew you were capable of having. So, I just wanted to start off by saying thank you to everyone who has continuously supported me through this and have motivated me to keep up with it. I'm kinda running out of ideas when it comes to what to write. I know over the summer I talked a lot about what I was doing because my life was constantly active, but now that winter's approaching, I could go food shopping and call it an exciting day. There are a few days a week where Kyle and I are motivated to go outside and do something, but most of the time this weather just doesn't seem to appeal to me. I must say though, December has been oddly warm thus far (GLOBAL WARMING?!??!!?) so that's been pretty sweet, besides ya know, the whole global warming part. Going back to food, I always have a lot of friends asking me what I eat since my diet is meat and dairy free. Every time I get this I wanna answer with a smart ass response like "anything without meat or dairy..duh".. but it's so true! I still pig out like everyone else, the process has just become a little more difficult. And now, I present you with a list of sweets and treats you probably had NO clue were vegan...

• Oreos (all flavors!!!)
• Most Duncan Hines cake mixes & frostings
• Ritz Crackers
• Strawberry Unfrosted Poptarts
• Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix
• Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars (peanut butter)
• Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
• Clif Bars (all flavors!!!)
• Cracker Jacks

And the list goes on!!!!Those are just a few examples of some not so healthy vegan foods, so to everyone who thinks there's no indulging while being a vegan, you are sooo wrong!! There are also soo many vegan friendly treats at stores like Trader Joe's (my personal fave), Whole Foods, and even a lot of normal grocery stores offer both vegan and organic foods. One thing I've learned is to ALWAYS read labels, because something you assumed to be vegan may not be and vice versa. A lot of people have asked what being a vegan even is, sooo let me clear that up for you. Being a vegan means no meat (obviously) or dairy products, so no milk, eggs, cheese, butter, or cream. I was a vegetarian for 2 years before becoming a vegan because a once steak-loving gal like me needed some time to adjust to a vegan diet rather than to just jump into it. A lot of you are probably REALLY wondering now, what DOES she eat?!?! Luckily for me and other vegans, there's a dairy free alternative for pretty much every dairy product out there! I use sweetened vanilla almond milk in place of milk and smart balance butter spread in place of butter. I still go to Dunkin about everyday and order a caramel iced coffee with almond milk. While baking, there are some interesting substitutes for eggs like applesauce (say whaaaa?!) or 1-1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil mixed with 1-1/2 tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 1 egg. There are also other products that go against the vegan diet rules, such as honey, white sugar (only some), jello and jelly, and marshmallows. The gelatin in jello, jelly, and marshmallows is a collagen obtained from various animal by-products, which basically means mashed up skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones mostly from cows and pigs (EWWWWW). Gelatin is also in tons of shampoo and cosmetic products, which is why I choose to only use vegan friendly and non-animal tested hair products and cosmetics. These go a little more deeper into the whole diet set up and usually people do or don't eat those depending on how strict they are with being a vegan. I personally stay away from those products. But for all of those there are vegan brands to substitute which makes the vegan life sooo much easier than expected! Since becoming a vegan I've felt so much healthier and more energetic. I get protein from beans and greens like kale, spinach, and escarole and loads of vitamins from tons of fruit! Tofu is another incredible source of protein, and if cooked the right way, tastes AMAZING! You can throw it in just about any dish and give it any flavoring and it'll soak it right up. You definitely have to like cooking and have the time for it to be a vegan. Cooking wasn't always something I was too big on, but now that my meals require a little extra time spent in the kitchen I've learned to love it! I still go out to eat with friends and Kyle, but ordering at restaurants is a bit difficult. I mostly try to go to Moe's, Chipotle, and other Mexican food places because alternating the dishes into vegan friendly meals is super easy, ya just choose whatever fixings you want and leave out the cheese and sour cream. Sayville's very own Super Bowls is my lord and savior!! There are some awesome vegan friendly restaurants on the island like Tula Kitchen in Bayshore, Tiger Lily Cafe in Port Jeff, and Live Island Cafe in Huntington. For Kyle and I's one year anniversary he took us to a restaurant in Port Jeff called The Fifth Season which was helllla expensive but vegan friendly and beyond delicious! Saying goodbye to dairy foods cuts out so many unnecessary fats and calories from my diet. Being basically forced to turn down so many foods that the people around me eat has helped me to become a much more fit and in shape person. Earlier in the day I made vegetable & bean fajitas (as shown in my instagram post before the whole fajita part came into play), which I found the recipe for online on youtube while binge watching vegan recipe videos. I'm just gonna flat out say this was probably one of the BEST vegan dishes I've made yet by far. I would say it probably took me 15-20 minutes to cook from the beginning of the process to the end. If any of you are willing to try it out (and I honestly am begging you to because it was so damn good) this is what you'll need (depending on serving about 2 people I'd say):

• green, red, and yellow bell peppers (1 of each)
• 1 red onion
• 1 zucchini
• 1 bunch of scallions
• canola/olive oil
• medium size flour or corn tortillas (probably only 3 or 4)
• 1 can of Goya refried pinto beans
• lemon pepper
• salt
• pepper
• vegan (or not vegan depending on your diet) butter

Seems pretty easy, right?! That's because it ISSSS!! So first start off by washing off and chopping up the peppers, onion, and zucchini into small square pieces. After doing so, throw it all into a mixing bowl and toss in some oil, lemon pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Once it's all mixed together, put the veggies onto a hot pan at a low/medium heat, and because there's already oil on the vegetables there's no need to put any oil or butter on the pan first. Let the vegetables sauté, and also take a moment to pause and smell how delicious the frying of the vegetables smell (mmmmm). While that's sautéing, chop up the scallions and throw them into the bowl that you used before. Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking, scrape them into the bowl where the scallions already are and mix 'em all together. You could use the stove to cook the beans, but I just put them in the microwave, so as those cook, put a separate pan on the stove at low heat and throw some butter on it and let it melt. Scoop out some of the mixed veggies onto the middle of the tortilla vertically as it lays flat. Put some spoonfuls of beans on top and fold the tortilla in half so it looks like a taco basically. Put the folded tortilla onto the pan and let it cook for 1 minute on each side to get a crispy and buttery tortilla! After removing the fajitas from the pan, definitely let them cool for a minute or so even though I know your taste buds will barely be able to handle the anticipation. So there ya have it, a perfect example of an easy, healthy, meat and dairy free meal! There are tons of thousands of amazing vegan recipes online so I would definitely recommend looking for some whether you are a vegan or not! If anyone was planning on getting me a Christmas present, vegan cookbooks are always welcomed!!! (wink wink Kyle). I try pretty hard to not force veganism onto people but I always do my best to at least motivate my friends to eat vegan once or twice a week! For the sake of all the animals out there and for your own body, going vegan definitely has its rewards!!