Hello and Welcome!

Well I did it. After thinking and talking about it to others for a while, I finally took the leap. I am not the most tech savvy person even though I am a photographer, so I knew getting a polished, clean blog up and running was going to take some time. I never thought I would be a "blogger" but there seemed to be a demand from friends and family for my recipes. I went to culinary school in NM and photography school at the Art Institute of Charlotte in NC, so I have been trying to find a way to merry my two loves together for a while now.

The request for recipes seemed to really increase a couple of years ago after I started making the switch to living a vegan/plant based lifestyle.  More and more, the meals I would post on social media were not only getting likes, but people were reaching out asking how to make the meals. It seemed people (even meat eaters) were interested in getting the recipes, but also about why I decided to become vegan. The idea that my approach of just sharing the delicious meals I was making and products I was finding was making non-vegans want to know more, excited me. Small changes can make big differences, especially when it comes to animal agriculture and our consumption of their byproducts.

I am not one to judge anyone who eats or uses animal products, considering up until 2017, I did too. I think that if more people were given the proper information about the effect’s animal agriculture has on your body, the world, and the animals being used, they would be more willing to go vegan. I am not here to force facts on you or share disturbing images for shock value, but rather here to share delicious meals I have made and products I use that don't use animal products. If I do the research and make it easy for others, maybe they will be more inclined to try out using vegan items. With all the advances in not only vegan foods but products as well, it is so easy to find replacements of even small items to make a big difference overall. There are a lot of everyday items we have used forever that most people don’t know have animals’ parts in them like lipstick. Being able to find cheap and easy vegan options for all our favorite items is a passion for me since I started having to read all the labels on items I was using. I want to show others we can still have our everyday things without the use of animal products and not miss out on anything.

I have links to books and resources I find to be helpful for anyone interested in vegan living and how to make the switch on the Links and Resources page.  The book that really helped me make the decision to go vegan was The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It's not only very informative and full of resources on what is really happening with animal agriculture, but also makes the switch so easy with her many cheat sheets and tips.

In researching vegan living, I didn't realize there was a difference in vegan and plant based but there is. Being vegan is more of a lifestyle change where you cut out all animal products in food and in lifestyle choices.  Plant based is more about consuming whole, plant based foods in their natural form or as close to it as possible. They don't always cut out animal products in their clothing or everyday items like a vegan would. For me, I am finding I prefer to eat plant based most of the time and treat myself to the occasional vegan meal to help get my fix of "bad food". Oreos and Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are vegan but aren't necessarily the healthiest for you but are a good way to treat yo’ self.  Olive oil is not technically plant based because of its process, but it’s one of my regular go-to's I couldn't cut out. As far as cutting out animal products in other forms, I have been working on changing out everything in my home over the last couple of years. I started to take more notice of the labels on things like cleaning supplies or bath products. Do they test on animals, what are the ingredients, and now I look to see if it is vegan when shopping for everyday things. For me, it's about trying to take out all the extra chemicals and additives we started adding to everything over the last 30+ years and get back to eating/using whole products that work without harming animals to do it. There is something to be said for all the allergies and illnesses people have in relation to the things we are not only eating but using in our everyday life.

I know a lot of people think living this way can be expensive, but that's not always the case. Just like paying more for better quality meat or dairy products, you can always spend more if you want to. Thankfully, there are so many reasonably priced or even what you would call “cheap” items available anywhere nowadays, making it easy. I'll save you the trouble of store hopping and tell you that Trader Joe's needs to become your home away from home. Anyone who follows my personal Instagram can see my love for them is strong.  Whole Foods quality at a Walmart price?  Don't need to tell me twice. Almost all their items are all natural and/or organic and they know how to feed vegans as much as they do meat and dairy lovers. Not only that but I can buy everything I need for a week or two for under $100. I shop there exclusively apart from the occasional item they do not carry, like specialty vegan cheeses or some produce. They have gotten better with the excess plastic use on their produce, but it is still not great. If I am going to Sprouts anyways, I will get all my produce there because it is reasonably priced and comes package free. I could talk all day about all their great products, but I have a running list of new or favorite items from TJ's that I think you should try right here.

Thank you so much for coming by and hope what you have seen will bring you back here again. I look forward to sharing not only my favorite things but reviews of all things vegan and plant based I find. This is just the beginning of a much larger vision I have for the Plant Based Livin’ brand. Next up will be getting my podcast up and running, then YouTube. I’m excited to see where this all goes and I appreciate your support in advance. Leave a comment below or email me with recipes or topics you are interested in me posting about. I would love to hear what you are hoping to learn from coming here. 😊

Thanks for reading,

Jessica