The English Mademoiselle Diaries: lifestyle

Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts

//The China Study// 2.5/5 //

Let start with this I wanted to love this book, I wanted to be educated further through scientific evidence about the benefits of a vegan diet, I wanted to have something to refer people to when I am asked questions about my lifestyle choice. Instead, I have conflicting views about this incredibly popular non-fiction book within the vegan community.

For me, the best thing about this book was the writing style, it allowed the scientific bits more accessible to someone who hasn't read a scientific report or review for 3 or so years. By allowing the science to be more accessible it made it possible for me to form my own views on the evidence presented and whether it could help in explaining my lifestyle choice, and in working out how I should eat as a vegan to remain healthy.

This for me is where the problems lie, I felt as though some of the information was being manipulated or not included in order for the authors to further their own viewpoints. While I believe this book was in part written for this reason it felt forced, everything seemed to add up in their favour which for me at least felt a little bit off. I have since read other reviews of the book and I'm not the only one who has felt this way, by no means am I trying to say that the evidence that the book puts forward is wrong or has been misinterpreted but it does leave out some possible counter-arguments which I believe should have been considered. Having said that I don't know all that much about science and the way it should be conveyed to the public.

My overall conclusion on this book is to dip in and out of it, and only read the sections that interest you and affect your life personally and will help you educate those around you about a plant based diet.

XO, Miriam

Breakfast:

So I have recently rediscovered cereal, nothing special I know but you can definitely blame on watching too much Bonny Rebecca and Steph (AKA HappyHealthy96) lately. I mixed several different types of cereal together firstly to bulk up my more expensive cereal and secondly to get a bunch of different textures. Today I mixed up cornflakes, puffed rice and strawberry granola. And of course I have to get my fruit in, in the morning so I topped it with passionfruit and blueberries as well as the normal chia seeds, cacao nibs and coconut. I ate this all with rice milk today, but I normally prefer almond milk in the morning because it is sweeter.

Lunch:

My flatmate and I made a small stir-fry using some leftover mix and bulked it out a bit using Thai rice crackers, and some veggie sausages. We used a pre-made sweet chilli sauce and I added some sriracha. I don't eat that much for lunch because it doesn't normally suit my schedule very well, so I generally eat more in the mornings and the evenings.

Dinner:

This photo isn't actually from today but basically had the same thing. I made a bean chilli using kidney beans, black beans and sweetcorn. The recipe I used is here... I ate it with potatoes baked with no oil or salt and some mixed salad with a lil' olive oil on. You may have noticed quite a lot of carbs in my diet which is just how I feel good, I mean don't get me wrong I love vegan ice cream and avocados but on most days eating a lot of starchy carbs is the most practical way for me to eat and to feel good. More on that in a later post.

XO, Miriam

Since going vegan back in January there have been a few meals that I have missed, the main one being chilli as my mum always used to make with Quorn or I would have it with turkey mince when cooking for myself at uni last year. And because I can't even imagine eating meat anymore let alone believe the idea that it is 'healthy' I decided to make a less processed version using whole plant based foods and fresh ingredients that my body will thrive on.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of canned or soaked kidney beans
1/2 cup of canned or soaked black beans
1/4 cup pearl barley (optional)
1 small can of sweetcorn
2 cups of whole cherry tomatoes
1 can of canned tomatoes
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 pieces of dark chocolate
1 onion finely chopped
1 bell pepper
1 clove of garlic crushed

Method:

1. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat, and soften the onion and garlic in a small amount of water.

2. Add the bell pepper and the cherry tomatoes, allow to heat up for about 5mins.

3. Stir in the chilli powder and cumin powder.

4. Pop the now soft cherry tomatoes and stir in the beans and canned tomatoes.

5. Leave to simmer for about 5 minutes, then stir in the dark chocolate (I used dark chilli chocolate this time but it doesn't make much of a difference) and add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Turn down to a low heat and stir in the pearl barley if you are using any.

7. Allow to cook for about 30 mins on a low heat.

8. Serve with rice and tortillas or potatoes.

9. Eat.

I also add nutritional yeast and sriracha to mine because I add them to everything...

XO, Miriam

I am starting a new lil' series over here on the blog to help celebrate my favourite smaller designers.
And I'm starting with BANA a sunglasses brand created in 2014 the French/ Lebanese designer Tanya Hayek. They showed the Spring So Cute Collection at the show I saw, and I want a pair of all of them. I have seen sunglasses like this before with the floral embellishments but none with this amount of attention to detail. The brand doesn't just use the cliché roses, they have picked different flowers, with different shades, and for me what really makes them stand out is the use of different tints on the lenses to either contrast or compliment the floral designs. Now, of course, the best way to get to know a brand is to talk to the owner, and that is what I have done. So here begins an interview with Tanya Hayek the owner of BANA.

How would you sum up your brand?

I would say that every pair of sunglasses has a personality so by wearing them you are adopting that personality. And with the flowers, I believe that everyone is so beautiful and so everyone deserves to have a bouquet of flowers to match their personality.

If you could only wear one pair of your sunglasses for the rest of your life which pair would it be?

I could never wear one pair of sunglasses for the rest of my life I'm always changing which ones are my favourite about every three months or so depending on the season. But if I had to choose right now I would go for the Ceaser pair because they are so different from the normal flowers and pastels I normally work with. That and I am currently in Cannes ready to release my new collection near the time of the film festival, so this pair makes me feel like I am dressed to the standard of everyone else living and staying here.

Tea or coffee and how do you like it?

I love both but prefer tea because you can get so many different flavours so I always have a new favourite type. I also prefer it because it is healthier.

If you could live and work in any city in the world where would it be?

Not really a city but I would love to live in Hawaii!

How did you create the Spring So Cute collection?

The basic concept was based on going to the beach, and that I was bored of seeing the same sunglasses everywhere. So I made customised an old pair of my own, then a few compliments later and a push from a friend I starting selling them as a business.

Do you think this sort of embellishment could work for normal glasses/would you ever design normal glasses frames?

Yes totally! I take private orders in the town where I live, and people give me either a pair of sunglasses or normal specs for me to customise. I don't think I would create a glasses frames collection just yet because you can play around with sunglasses so much more.

Who are your favourite designers or artists to draw inspiration from?

Most of my sunglasses draw inspiration from the people I see around me, and the round shape comes from the iconic John Lennon glasses.

What are your favourite colours to work with?

I love to work with the colours of the sunset, I currently have a paint that goes from orange to yellow depending on the light you're under which has been really fun to work with.

A massive thank you to Tanya for letting me interview her, and if you want a pair of glasses by her ready for the summer and festival season head over to the BANA website!

XO, Miriam

*disclaimer, I am in no way sponsored to do this post.

With so much going on in my life right now I'm struggling to find the space to just breathe.

In, out, in, out, in, out

And even when I do catch some time it is like watching time fall through my fingers like the way the sea moves past my body as I walk out into the surf. Where do you begin to look for the space to breathe?

I've found it in strange places: the utility room, on the swings, talking to the loveliest homeless woman on the way home from work, while sat drinking flat whites and green tea, just inside the front door. All of these places aren't new to me, they just happen to be the places I find the most peace. Where nothing reminds me of him, where I can breathe freely for a moment before my brain begins to start again.

XO, Miriam

There is so much I want to do right now, there are so many things I'm looking forward to doing. But there are also parts of me that don't want to do those things because if I do I leave things behind. Things I love, people I love and lost, memories I don't want to give up.

*listens to Audrey Hepburn sing Moonriver*

The thing is moving forward when there is so much to let go of is hard, harder than I expected. It means asking for help in unlikely places, and from unlikely people. It means cutting off, burning bridges, and not turning back. For me I know I need to move forward, and not once consider the alternative future that could've been.

*lets housemate into the house*

The problem with losing someone you care about is that you need to find you again. A you that doesn't co-exist alongside their values all the time any more, a you that stands alone to face the world and everything in it. A you that is the truest for of yourself in that moment.

Moving forward is as scary as it is freeing, as exciting as it is painful. Cause damn this will be hard, but I'm going to do my best.

XO, Miriam