Destination Peach

Where Reality and Inspiration Meet

Black History Month: Inspiration Series…Vegan Influencers

Hey- Heyy Beautiful People,

To close out Black History Month, I wanted to share vegan influencers who inspire my vegan journey. As a one-year vegan, I am constantly seeking new knowledge. Some days I spend hours searching for new recipes and products. As plant-based eating becomes less taboo its honorable to see Black people taking up space in the vegan community. Seeing Black people recreate the very meals we love in our culture out of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains… I am in awe knowing that plant-based living isn’t as challenging as people assume it to be.

The vegan influencers who inspire me are listed below along with a brief sample of their digital content. If your curious to learn more about these vegan influencers, they can be found online using the names mentioned below. If your considering going vegan or want to minimize your meat consumption, I highly recommend checking out these dope vegans.

  • Tabitha Brown
  • Turnip Vegan
  • Surviving Vegan

Until next time,

-Peach

Eating Vegan during the Holidays

This year will mark my first year as being a vegan during the Holidays. The last few years I have been vegetarian, which was easy during the holidays. My method during the holidays was simple…eat the side dishes not the meat.

For this holiday season, not going to lie I have been nervous. As a first-time vegan during the holiday season I didn’t know where to start. So, I researched and did my Googles. I made it through my first vegan Thanksgiving, successfully. My meal was amazing! Shout out to Everythang Vegan for my holiday plate.

For those who might be unsure or nervous about eating plant based during the holidays, I wanted to share some tips on how to best navigate the holiday season.

Vegan holiday eating tips:

  1. Research vegan restaurants where you live. Many vegan restaurants are creating vegan holiday meals for purchase.
  2. Go on Instagram! You’d be surprised how many vegan companies and vendors are on Instagram. I purchased my vegan Thanksgiving meal thanks to Instagram. Also, search vegan hashtags in your city to see what your local vegan community is doing.
  3. Watch YouTube cooking videos. Any meal you want to veganize, there is a 99% chance someone on YouTube has made a tutorial video.
  4. Go to grocery stores with options- Trader joe’s, Sprouts, and Wholefoods have some amazing vegan options for the holiday season.

Eating vegan can be easy during the holiday season, if we set the intention to make it easy. The same holiday meals we enjoy can be done in a meat-less way. As a vegan, there are a ton of options during the holidays. Eat good and be merry!

Also, don’t let people make you feel guilty for your eating choices.

Until next time,

-Peach

20 Days of Peach: Day Nine… Bali Food

Hey Heyyy,

Happy day nine!

Hope you’re not tired of these Bali posts. I’m clearly not. Let’s talk food. What’s a holiday/vacation without food. Bali’s food tasted good and was well-seasoned. I appreciate good seasoned food. What I loved about Bali food was the mixture of salty, spicy, and sweetness all in one bite. Salty, spicy, and sweet in one bite… is a Godly combination.

In Bali, I had some of the most amazing food. Finding plant based food was not hard. Every place we ate had options. I lived my best plant based life in Bali. My new challenge will be recreating the delicious food I ate. Also, for those wondering I did not get Bali belly. Bali belly is basically, travelers’ diarrhea. Moment’s where I felt like my stomach might not hold up, I took medicine before eating.

My favorites in Bali were:

  • Nasi goreng- Nasi goreng me please… for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
  • Rice chips- The perfect way to eat/scoop a nasi goreng meal.
  • Fruit/fruit juice- Divinely sweet but the biggest applause goes to snake fruit.
  • Fried tempeh- Dipped in Bali’s sweet ketchup or sweet soy sauce, perfection!
  • Fried tofu- Hits different in Bali.
  • Sweet soy sauce- I took a bottle of this sauce home.
  • Hot chili sauce- Took home a bottle of this sauce too.

Honorable mention:

  • Bali lemongrass and ginger tea
  • Bali salsa
  • Bali coconut pancakes
  • Acai bowls
  • Cooked food in a bamboo leaf

I’m craving Bali food right now. Thankfully, the cooking class I attended gave me a recipe book, so I can continue living life the Bali way,

Until Next Time,

-Peach

Health In 2020: Going Plant Based

In 2017, I went vegetarian. Fast forward, almost three years later I still don’t eat meat. Every now and then I crave fish. Being honest, I can’t bring myself to eat fish. Every time, I attempt to eat fish, I think about a fish’s eyes and chicken out.

Becoming a vegetarian was never a part of my plan. It started as a challenge and I never looked back. I don’t regret not eating meat. I don’t really see myself eating meat again. However, I will say this… if I wake up the next day and crave/eat meat, I won’t beat myself up about it.

Now on my health journey…I have gone plant based. Plant based focuses on eating fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts/seeds, and legumes. I have cut out dairy from my diet. I noticed by body was not responding well to dairy. I have been lactose intolerant since I was a child. All the dairy I had consumed for 30 plus years, finally caught up with me.

I have been eating plant based for 30 days. I don’t miss eggs, but I do miss cheese. No vegan cheese on the market compares to regular cheese. If anyone knows of good vegan cheeses, please let me know. Cutting out dairy has done wonders. My skin glows. I have more energy. I have less mental fog. My anxiety has decreased.

The only drawback I’m experiencing is food options on the go. Before leaving home, I must be fully prepared with meals. Going plant based is something I wish I would have considered some time ago. I am still researching meals and figuring out what will work for me.

For those of you who are plant based or vegan, what tips do you suggest for us newbies on the journey?

Until Next Time…

-Peach

30 Day Vegetarian Challenge

For the past 30 days, I went on a vegetarian eating challenge. Today marks the end of my challenge. As I contemplate on what type of fish I want to devour, I know damn well that I am going to extend my challenge for another 30 days. The first 30 days was rough. I was not prepared! Researching proteins to eat (I’m allergic to nuts) and making meals that tasted horrible made me rethink my 30 day commitment.

I have been transitioning my eating habits since November, 2016. Since November, I have lost 30 pounds! With my weight loss, I stopped craving certain foods. It took me sometime to transition into plant-based eating habits. I still ate fish occasionally. Yet, I wanted to challenge myself to a 30 day vegetarian lifestyle.

When I originally started the 30 day challenge, I wanted to go vegan. Several hours into the challenge I decided that I needed to take baby steps and try vegetarianism first before going vegan. The past 30 days have not been easy, especially is social settings. But, I am optimistic about the next 30 days.

In 30 days…here’s what happened:

  • I felt physically weak
  • I craved fish
  • I learned new recipes
  • I amped up my vitamin intake
  • I had frequent bowl movement
  • I ate too much junk food
  • I released a lot of emotions
  • I was tired but had energy
  • My brain fog got cleared
  • My vibrational frequency raised
  • Chipotle saved me many times
  • I was more aware of meat being the focus of all meals
  • I was proud of myself for staying committed to the 30 day challenge

For the next 30 days, I am hoping to improve the meals I eat. After the next 30 days, I will determine if the vegetarian lifestyle is for me. If you know any good vegetarian/vegan meals. please share the recipe in the comments below.

Until next time…

– Peach

Self-Care Series: Flexin On Em’

In a few weeks I will be approaching my six month healthy eating milestone. Six months may not see like a lot of time to some…but to me six months is a great length of time. Hell six months is half a year! What inspired me to make conscious decisions about the food I ate was therapy. In therapy the more self-work I did, I was able to identify how my self-worth and perception of food was all interconnected! So…while growing through therapy and my spiritual awakening, I knew that I had to shift my eating habits. I couldn’t work on the mental/spiritual aspects without including the physical. The physical included food and exercise. Plus it was a wrap, once I learned food is a natural healer that heightens or descends our vibrational frequencies. Who doesn’t want to vibrate higher?

Currently, I am a flexitarian which means I am semi-vegetarian. When I say flexitarian the initial response I get from people is WTF! And to that I say, I am transitioning into becoming a vegetarian. In the transition process I am researching and learning more about food, to gain more confidence in my vegetarian cooking skills.

Right now my daily eating habits consist of plant based food items, fruit, and minimal complex carbs. When I do eat meat, my meat of choice is fish (lets save the fish debate for another time). I will admit, with changing my eating habits some days are challenging than others. The struggle gets real when I crave junk food, but a little portion of organic chips never hurt nobody (moderation is key). When I do crave junk food or feel tempted by old eating patterns, I am mindful by checking in with my body. A simple mindful check-in is asking;

  • What am I hungry for?
  • What do I currently feel?
  • What do I need at this present moment?

Mindful questions are wonderful in enabling us to appropriately identify our needs. When we are mindful of what we eat it is a loving self-care practice for the body. Never in my life did I think I would make such adjustments to my diet, but now I’m flexin on em’.

Until next time…

-Peach

City O’ City

city o city

Photo by City O’ City

Inspired by my hiking trip from this weekend, I wanted to keep the good vibes rolling. So, I met with friends to enjoy a meal at the vegan restaurant City O’ City in Denver, Colorado. I was a bit nervous about eating at a vegan restaurant because, the vegan food I tried in the past was horrible. Yet I visited the restaurant with good intentions. City O’ City did not disappoint! From the good vibes, abstract decor, and amazing food I was thoroughly impressed! Impressed to the point where I am actually considering going vegan. If food can taste that good without meat, then meat is not necessary right?

Photo of the Tempeh Bacon Hash

I highly recommend City O’ City for awesome vegan food. Here are my top five menu items you should try…

  1. Tempeh Bacon Hash
  2. The Omelette
  3. El Jefe
  4. Breakfast Burrito
  5. Libations

Until next time…

– Peach