I've never really thought much about being a Vegan.  I think its incredibly honourable for any person to be one though.  I have been vegetarian on and off but I've found that every time I have been my lifestyle has lead to me to have health problems which has always brought me back to eating meat.  This honestly makes me sad as a true lover of animals I go on and off being able to stomach eating them.    

But this year with everyone going Veganary mad it has pulled up some really interesting articles and foods on social media which has made me think again whether I should give it another go.  

Since having my third child, yet again I have been forced through breastfeeding to go completely dairy and egg free, essentially vegan but whilst eating meat.  So its been a while since I've had a decent lump of real cheese or a pudding for that matter.  So having denied myself for so long I began to look into some vegan food to make my life happier and I have to say that I'm bloody delighted!  

With a Pizza issue that I found really difficult to eat, and I tried every kinda milk cheese that I could, thinking I could feed it to my child, I found that nothing would work, she was not happy at all.  Until I found at some Vegan cheese on Ocardo.  This has changed PIZZA AND MY LIFE!!!  It tastes like a mild cheddar which I was surprised at but I'm really pleased.  Not only that but I can also give my baby a decent piece of pizza considering that she really likes it, and now it has some cheese on it.  

(I know I've added a photo of said cheese on this blog, this is not an ad, this is my own personal experience as Editor of this magazine and a person in this universe.  This stuff is good.  Thumbs up.)  

But the thing that really kicked me in the heart was a video I found on Facebook one evening last week.  This guy makes a bloody good point and its shaken my world.  I'm going to be honest, I'm finding it really hard to eat any meat at the moment.  I actually feel sick.

I'm not sure that I'll be turning full Vegan any time soon regardless, but the last year I have cut back on the amount of meat that I'm eating for the environment mainly if I'm honest.  Its not always a meat free monday but theres more than day in the week where I don't eat it, and I'm actively always looking for new ways to ingest protein and iron rich foods.  I will admit that this video has given me a big push to eat even less meat, and so far so good. This is weighing heavy on my mind.  So much so that more veggie and vegan recipes will be filling the magazines from now on and if anyone really loves to cook simple vegetarian or vegan recipes and would love to be in our magazine please get in touch Id love to hear from you.  

I hope you watch this video and it give you some vegan food for thought. 
​Thank you. 

Its been a long time since I wrote a blog as I've been pregnant and having a baby, but seen as its her first birthday today it seems fitting to tell you my thoughts on this New Year New Me stuff.  
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I'lll be honest, I don't get it.  Just because everyone goes completely nuts stuffing themselves at Christmas and getting completely wasted on New Years Eve which I honestly say 'Enjoy!' to I don't see why we have to all rush out and change immediately.  And does this all really work?

I don't think it does.  
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This last year has been very hard for me personally.  I know that breastfeeding my child is supposed to make me loose all the weight that I have gained through pregnancy, but I'm afraid that my body just isn't made that way so I carry every last bit of weight till I stop feeding.  So really I still look pregnant, which I find PANTS!!!  And although I've just had my third child I still find this really difficult to cope with.  Not because I feel pressured or feel I need to get 'summer ready', but I don't look like myself and feel that it sure would be nice to not have to wear those maternity jeans still. 

This might all seem very personal and not exactly food related.  But I feel that I need to give something back to all those mums that work their asses off and their asses just grow bigger!  One day is as good as the next to either loose it or say 'what the hell I need a latte today and no one is going to stop me!'

Personally I'm going to work in bite size steps to not just loose it but to feel more like my old self again, or at least like who is looking back at me in the mirror.  When I'm ready I'll cut out that nasty sugar.  I've already started to, but with lack of sleep going cold turkey just doesn't work.  
Also I'll be getting those all important walks in as much as I can do a week, to get those steps we all need up, then we will see.  When I'm ready some running and yoga.  I think as you get older you realise what you can bare to do when you have that golden time to yourself and those are my two and they make me feel really good.  

​But you know what lets see.  ​
I honestly think that you need to be ready to make changes to your life and no first day of the year is going to make me have a better nights sleep or entice me to cut out the carbs, or whatever.  
But every day I will try my best to make healthy food decisions to nourish my body and mind and baby.  What more can I do?  Honestly I'm so sleep deprived I've no idea.  

Beer Photo credit belongs to Jon Moore.  Our amazing Beer writer, so check him out in our current issue of Cibare.