Size Beautiful AND Healthy

So, I feel like I need to write a post on what this blog is really about. I write a lot about internal and personal beauty and that how you feel about yourself is very very important. However, I think I need to redefine the line between viewing yourself as truly beautiful and viewing yourself beautiful by someone else's standards. Gal's we're not going for beautiful by other people's standards; we're going for beauty by your standards and feeling completely comfortable and confident in your own skin. 

Granted it has taken me a little while to get to this feeling. Good gravy, I am lying I am still not completely to this point; I still sometimes feel the need for outside confirmation that I am looking pretty each day. I do have it easy, having a boyfriend and all, but that doesn't give me the excuse to depend solely on his kind words to have a great day. Each and every one of us has to find a happy place, a place inside where we feel genuinely pleased about how we look in the mirror. We need to be okay with ourselves through thick and thin; not cave under the heavy pressures of magazines, TV shows, and other girls. 

So, I could rant about this for three or four more paragraphs but for your benefit I will cut myself short and give you a quick tip that I learned from the great Angela Liddon that helped me turn my focus in the right direction. I strongly encourage you to run to your closet right now! YES! That means now! Go and grab all of the pants you own; whether it be jeans, yoga pants, (yes, even the Victoria Secret one's with the sequins!), corduroys, and gym shorts and Sharpie out the number. Then, in it's place right the word "healthy." The size you are right now, whether it be a low, high, or middle weight, is what you weigh and it's just a number, like your pant size. We are not labeled by the number inside our pants (that no one but us sees!) we are labeled by how our body is functioning and if it is functioning healthily. I know this post probably seems like a quick jumble of thoughts that I half-heartedly shared with you guys, but it is, in fact, something I feel very strongly about. So, seriously, run to your closet! Now! Run, Forrest! RUN! 

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Mushroom Marsala

After a day of studying away wit Prince Charming I finally made it home to help my mom cook dinner. Now, dinner is always a huge controversy at the Troxel house; my brother, will never eat anything my mother makes, so he stays content with frozen foods. My father, dabbles in and out of vegetarianism with my mom, and I am a hard core vegan. (And proud of it!) However, my parents are slowly migrating my way and have discovered that mushrooms are a wonderful and filling meat substitute. Needless to say, after a few bickering moments my mom and I decided to give Chloe Coscarelli's "Marsala Mushroom Ragout" our own little twist! 

Mushroom Marsala

Ingredients: 


1 tablespoon of olive oil (to heat pan) 
1 whole onion finely chopped
16 ounces of shiitake mushrooms (cut into bite size pieces) 
A hardy shake of Montreal Steak Seasoning (our personal favorite)
1/4 Marsala Wine
2 tablespoons of minced garlic (we like our garlic)
1 cup of organic vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro 

The Process: 

Heat the oil on medium to high heat in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic and sauté until soft. Add Montreal Steak Seasoning, a pinch of salt, and garlic and stir until mixed. Then add Marsala Wine and vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil, then let simmer for approximately 20 minutes. 

*Note: While the Marsala was simmering my mom and I decided that we need something more, so we again took Chloe's idea and added Polenta. Chloe insists on frying the Polenta but my mom and I simply bought some organic Polenta from the store, sliced it, and baked it in the oven until crispy. (In my opinion, it was just as good.) 

This is a quick easy, fine restaurant, tasting dish that I highly recommend for not only vegans but everyone. Enjoy! 

  

Pass It On

A few weeks ago my parents were at a Starbucks Coffee shop not far from our house, they were going to buy not only a afternoon "pick-me-up," but a bag of coffee for the week as well. (At the Troxel household there are three very serious coffee consumers, my mother, father, and brother, all of whom prefer lots and lots of creamer!) As they slowly made their way up the line to the register they gave their orders and waited to pay, not paying much attention to their surroundings. However, when they got to the front and gave their card to purchase their goodies the smiling cashier she said, "The man in front of you has already taken care of it for you." 

My parents, quite taken aback at this random act of kindness, preceded to thank the elderly man gracefully for paying for their $17.00 bill. However, the man, instead of willingly taking the thanks, told my parents that it was a usual thing for him. Once a week this man buys coffee for one person or couple behind him in line, it is his random act of kindness, and he strongly encouraged my parents to pass it along. Needless to say, my parents and I now both buy coffee for one person behind us when we stop at Starbucks. This act isn't to be recognized or to gain attention, but simply to pass along the idea of doing "nice" and kind things. I know society and the media have shed light on these random acts before, but again, that is defeating the whole purpose of the act. It's simple, sweet, and genuine. Pass it on.