Natural Me Part Two - My Blog Feature!!

Earlier this summer, before my one year BC anniversary, I started thinking about what I wanted to do to celebrate. I decided on two things: I wanted to try a new hair style (faux-hawk to be exact) and I wanted to be featured on a blog I found (Newly Natural). I am exicted to report that one of those dreams came true! My "We are the Yearlings" feature is below. Maybe one day soon I will attempt the faux-hawk...

http://newlynatural.com/blog/2011/07/we-are-the-yearlings-stacy/

Since then, I have twisted my own hair three times, which is an amazing feat if you know me at all! That's one of my favorite things about being natural - it has given me the courage to try new things and stretch myself. The first time I twisted my hair was during the hurricane (I know, strange time to try that!). I twisted it while it was dry, and in retrospect that wasn't the best method. The goal was just to twist it overnight and wear a twist out the following day. Each time I learned something new to try. So far I've realized that shampooing, conditioning, and using Paul Mitchell's The Detangler helped make my hair more manageable for the twists. The last two times I have also used Shea Moisture's Organic Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie, which worked wonders on my hair.

Next stop: press out!!

Vegetarian 5

Greetings! This past week I embarked upon 5 days of no meat from Monday to Friday. Overall, it was a great experience. It was interesting to go grocery shopping this week - I saw the store with entirely new eyes. I needed to make sure I stayed away from all meat products, when usually I just pick up anything I want/need. It was so exciting to try something new! I almost bought everything vegetarian in the Harris Teeter because I was so excited! I realized that there are a lot of food options for vegetarians, which is comforting. While talking to a friend, he helped me realize that just because you are a vegetarian, it does not mean that you eat healthily. We talked about how carbohydrates and cheese can dominate a diet. I also learned that the B12 vitamin is the only vitamin in meat that you can't get from other food, so a supplement is needed if I want to do this long-term. Some of the food items I tried were: Morning Star Maple Flavored Sausage, Stouffer's Vegetarian Lasagna, and one of my favorite recipes - Cheesy Lentils, Spinach, and Rice Casserole. I definitely enjoyed all of the food, though the "sausage" took some getting used to. I made a pizza with vegetarian pepperoni slices. It was decent but I probably won't make that a staple. The foods I liked best were the items that weren't imitating meat. I didn't crave meat until the moment of truth--the Wash U WU WILD happy hour with free wings. I am proud to say that I resisted the urge! Go me!!

This is something I have secretly thought about trying before but never had the guts to do. I'm glad I finally gave it a chance! I think in the future I would like to intentionally arrange for a couple of weeks or meals without meat. As far as results go, for one, I passed the challenge! For two, one day out of the week I definitely felt more awake and energized, but that could have been a result of the extra hour of sleep. I think for more definitive results I would need to give up meat for longer than five days....maybe a challenge for the near future!!!