Blog Archives

The Power Veganism Pt. 2

1/22/2015

Work hard, work smart. Take care of others, animals and our environment. Do what is good and right for you. Exercise your body, mind and soul everyday. In the end, we are still human, we are not perfect, and we will continue to make mistakes. My blog, it ain't purrfect either. Learn from your mistakes and make it right. Do rest but NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Thank you for your time and see you on my next post! ALOHA!

The training of the body, mind & soul
The body~

In a nutshell~

I am a crazy cook, working in a sweltering hot kitchen, lifting heavy stock pots and working with hot woks...barely any breaks, susceptible to cuts, burns and repetitive movements, putting my body in strained conditions... ending up with achy joints, pulled muscles, and the common: shoulder, neck and back pain.

Intense hardcore physical work, day in and day out is not limited to physically active workers...Office workers for example, who sit in front of a computer for prolonged hours face a number of physical problems too. Achy joints, strained muscles, stiff neck and shoulders, lower back pain and fatigued wrists.

To combat this problem, I started a workout regimen that supports my muscles and joints. Simple basics... Mondays: chest and triceps; Tuesdays: biceps and abs; Wednesdays: back and stretching; Thursdays: legs, abs and cardio; Fridays: shoulders and yoga; Saturdays: mix it up and cardio or stretching; Sundays: relax, rest, meditate and eat whatever I want. This has lessened my injuries greatly and lesson here is to exercise as much as possible to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. Stretching before and after intense training is very, very important to reduce workout injuries.

"My newly vegan diet to sustain my muscles during intense exercise and at work."

I do not eat large meals to bulk up. I eat when I'm hungry, meaning small meals or grazing throughout the day. This puts less strain on my organs in having to digest what I ingest. I think of my body as a car... you know... drive it, work it and when I need to refill the tank, I fill it with good foods that will aid my body in optimal performance, filling up until I'm satisfied... many times stopping while I am 80% full. Again this is my way of being kind to my organs and not having them overwork in the digesting process.

On any given day... Breakfast: oatmeal with peanut butter, fruits, nuts and almond milk. Lunch: avocado veggie sandwich and mixed fruits. Dinner: rice, coconut veggie curry with a variety of vegetables and fruits for dessert. Snacking throughout the day on fruits, nuts and veggies. Checkout TLCVegan on instagram for our home-cooked food pics.

As a chef, who has worked in many kitchens, I truly believe home cooking to be one of the best things one can do for their health and well-being. I cook at home... ALWAYS. I can't remember the last time we ate at a restaurant nor can I remember the last time we ordered take-out. Okay we did go to Portland last August but that doesn't count since we were on vacation.

Yes, I'm a vegan chef and that may give me an edge creatively but that is no excuse for anyone not to cook at home. For those that do not know where to begin or maybe you are in need of new ideas, we will be coming out with an e-book very soon, filled with delicious, simple and easy recipes.

*****************************

Supplements: I take one tablet of Deva Vegan Multivitamin per day.

The mind & the soul~

Honestly, I'm not a guru at this subject but I do know is this, rest your head. Rest your mind from the day's frustrations. Understand your dislikes, your worries, your sadness, anger and pain, never excuse it or trying to forget it as the problems will arise again.

Flush this negativity out with daily exercise, prayer, and meditation. By doing so, positive solutions will fill your head. If you have a pet, any pet, such as a cat, bird, dog, mice, even a fish, talk to them. They will listen to you and you will feel much better. Unconditional love is very powerful and effective! Making sure you give back your "unconditional" love to your little loved one.

Life is never easy. It starts with positive thinking. Even for me, it's still really hard to do but it works, trust me. Here's my list.

Master: What you don't enjoy doing at your work, your job, your daily life will give you positive strength both mentally and physically.

- Focus: On helping, healing, showing act of kindness towards people and animals. Creating a work or business that will benefit people, the planet and animals.

- Exercise: The mind: Read, educate yourself, learn something new, stop watching junk TV programs.

- The body: Walking, jogging, swimming, weight training, yoga and more does the body good to detox and gain energy.

- The soul: Pray for the animals, our planet, our families and friends, and most importantly our vehicle(body).

Respect: Mother nature, don't litter. Our elders, they have decades of experience over you. Your loved ones, pets, soul mate, families and friends.

Embrace: Pain, sadness, heart aches, loss, love, and happiness.

Success: Success is not how much money you've made, it's how much you have enriched someone else's life. You can't put a price on that one.

0 Comments

The Power of Veganism Pt. 1

1/15/2015

4 Comments

1.1 Year journey of an ethical vegan
The first step~

I turned vegan on November 24, 2013. What a positive life changing experience. First of all, within one month, I've lost over 15 pounds of total body weight. Friends and families were concerned and worried about my health as a vegan. I told them that this is natural for a newly vegan as the "animal protein" and toxins are being flushed out of my body.

I remained positive that this is what I wanted to do, to be a compassionate human being doing what is right for our planet, our health and most importantly our animal families and friends.

As a former omnivore chef, I struggled to cook even the simplest vegan meal. I rushed over to a local vegan/vegetarian market to restock my fridge. The basics: vegan mayo, bread, veggies, Daiya cheese, etc. Pretty much ate sandwiches, noodles, vegan burgers for a while.

Avocado Veggie Sandwich

The Ultimate Vegan Buger

Natto Macha Soba

Yakiudon

The walk~

I have been exercising, weight training for years now. The vegan lifestyle and plant based diet has improved my intense regimen by ten folds. Lost the "cool" muscle bulk but it doesn't matter as I have gained a pure, defined ripped muscles. More energy to last throughout the day.

I searched ways to bulk up on a vegan diet so I loaded up on process foods and soy protein powders that contained high amounts of proteins. The idea worked very well gaining body mass once again. My vegan diet: 70% processed, 30% whole foods.

My first ventures at veganizing my favorite meals, foods: Burritos, pastas, chili, and curries.

Baked Pasta

The Present~

Getting sick of working as an omnivore chef, I took chef position at a vegan restaurant in March of 2013. What a great move! A cleaner, smell of fresh veggies, and non-existence of dead meats. A kitchen to work for, a dream come true.

Learned so much about cooking fresh, sauces to flavor both cooked and raw veggies.

Being bloated and my system being backed up from eating too much process food, my body started to reject the "processed" foods.

After the Portland veg food experience, I began cooking more with whole foods. Replacing the "process" stuff with veggies. Here's and example: Crumbled vegan burger patty to make a vegan chili. Replace it with portobello mushrooms or adding another high protein packed beans. My beefless bourguignon, soups and stews are all done the same way. As much as possible, delete the processed stuff a little at a time. Your body will thank you :)

As of August till this day, my cooking as evolved no longer resorting to just sandwiches although, I still love my sandwiches.

My current vegan diet: 80% whole foods, 20% processed.

Veggie Coconut Curry

Country Fried Tempeh

Miso Nabe

Beefless Bourguigon

See you on the next post! The Power of Veganism Pt. 2

4 Comments

"Leave the Cannoli, Take the Sub"

1/13/2015

0 Comments

Italian Grilled Veggie Sub!

Grilled zucchini, eggplant, red & green bell peppers, mushrooms, red onion, garlic in olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Slapped it together with bread, lots of vegan mayo and Daiya cheddar cheese! This sub will fix you up...... for an energizing day!

0 Comments

The Burgerman Strikes Again!

1/12/2015

0 Comments

~ Featuring Sweet Earth Veggie Flamed Broiled Burger ~

Ate a very light breakfast anticipating on making this exciting vegan burger for lunch. This is my first try at Sweet Earth vegan non-gmo verified products. First of all, the burger, full of flavor, perfect textures of various grains, beans, seeds, vegetables and natural seasonings packed into a big patty. The final product: Veggie burger with homemade remoulade sauce, sauteed mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and a can of vegan baked beans to give it the comfort effect. Sublime! Chow, Ciao!

0 Comments

cooking Is
Love
Made Visible

The Power Veganism Pt. 2

The training of the body, mind & soul
The body~

In a nutshell~

The mind & the soul~

The Power of Veganism Pt. 1

1.1 Year journey of an ethical vegan
The first step~

The walk~

The Present~

See you on the next post! The Power of Veganism Pt. 2

"Leave the Cannoli, Take the Sub"

Italian Grilled Veggie Sub!

The Burgerman Strikes Again!

~ Featuring Sweet Earth Veggie Flamed Broiled Burger ~

Author

Archives

cooking Is​Love​Made Visible

The Power Veganism Pt. 2

The training of the body, mind & soulThe body~

In a nutshell~

The mind & the soul~

The Power of Veganism Pt. 1

1.1 Year journey of an ethical veganThe first step~

The walk~

The Present~

See you on the next post! The Power of Veganism Pt. 2

"Leave the Cannoli, Take the Sub"

Italian Grilled Veggie Sub!

The Burgerman Strikes Again!

~ Featuring Sweet Earth Veggie Flamed Broiled Burger ~

Author

Archives

cooking Is
Love
Made Visible

The training of the body, mind & soul
The body~

1.1 Year journey of an ethical vegan
The first step~