Poetry Reading!

Hello again, my lovelies!  I wanted to share a poem with you guys that I was invited to submit in the World Poetry Movement contest on Facebook.

I know it might be a bit "darkish" for some, but it is truly from my heart and a reflection of a part of my experience here on earth. Truthfully, it is how I came to be here, and I think it reveals how and why I have so much determination to succeed, love, and support others in this life. See? Everything can be turned around and used for good!

I'll leave the link to the poem entry at the bottom if you feel so inclined to vote for me, and/or comment. Take a deep breath...and enjoy.

Dysfunctional Womb

By: Nikki Thomas

The darkness of its shelter
prepared me for a lifetime
An absence of warmth, a presence of resentment
Nothing nourished me, her voice never spoke my name
I don't remember a visit from love
I don't remember a visit from joy
I don't remember asking for much
Yet, her womb rejected me; I wasn't welcome


It trapped me with scorn and made me afraid
But my pulse was my lullaby and it often sang out my name
Otherwise alone, I had no sanity
No passersby smiled at my bulging intrusiveness
She never invited them to touch her new girth
She had no glow
Her mind was ticking
What would she do?
How would her existence mimic what it was
before...before I was planted and morphed into a life
she could no longer ignore?


Maybe it was time for me to surrender
Yes! I planned to search for air I could breathe
Life I could live
Love I could feel
I twisted and turned and happily brought her pain
The journey from the bitter blackness filled me with hope
She looked away and gave me up with a bloody push
and never embraced me, no not once


I didn't care
I was here
And the darkness of its shelter had prepared me
for this...

Whew...emotions, huh? Lawd! Well, here's the link I promised.

Unfortunately, you have to click on it from a laptop/desktop vs your smartphone or it will just redirect you to the World Poetry Movement page on Facebook (which is ok, too!) I'll also put up a vid on YouTube of me reading it later today, as well as discussing the meaning behind this a little bit more in depth. My second YouTube site is http://www.youtube.com/veganfashionista

Hope to see you there.

The universe allowed me the chance to do for my baby what my mother couldn't with me. Love unconditionally.


Until next time,

Love and Happiness!

Nikki <3

Curried Chickpeas and Rice

Hello again, my lovelies! I was sitting around chilling yesterday (Saturday), when I suddenly had a craving for something "curried". Blame it on my Trini bloodline.

The wheels in my head started turning like it was my job! I decided on curried chickpeas and had everything I needed to make some (minus fresh ginger, but since there was ginger listed in my curry powder mix, I valiantly fought the urge to run to the store).

You can watch my stellar prep and performance in the vid below, but I want to warn you that I'm the type of cook who doesn't use exact measurements. However, I did pretty well in letting you know roughly how much of each ingredient was used.

I usually make a larger amount, but since it was just for myself and the manchild this time, I only made enough for two. Use 2 cans of chickpeas if you want to serve 4 people as a main dish, and roughly double the remaining ingredients.

So for this episode, you'll need:

(1) 15.5 oz can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (reserve about 3/4 can of the liquid)

1 small to med onion

2 cloves of garlic

3-4 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbs fresh thyme (or cilantro if you prefer)

curry powder (to taste)

cayenne pepper (to taste)

 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

3 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves 

1 cup water

cooked white rice (or brown if you prefer..I only eat white rice when I'm eating curry)

You can also eat with couscous, quinoa, bread...whatever grain you feel like. Shoot, it's all about what you feel like!

Optional:

Some people also chop 1-2 small potatoes and add to pan while onions and garlic are cooking, then finish cooking, covered with chickpeas.

This vid can also be found on my new YouTube channel www.youtube.com/veganfashionista

Hope you enjoyed my fancy-pants cooking vid! If you try the recipe, let me know what you think. Add your own twist and see what you come up with. Vegan cooking is simply the bomb!!!


Until next time,

Love and Happiness,


Nikki <3

Two Cent Tuesday!

Hello again my lovelies! It's a beautiful day to review some of the products I've been using for the past month. Some I've used for a shorter period, so I've decided to do a bi-weekly review on Tuesdays of vegan/eco friendly products I've tried.

Remember a while back when I blogged about starting my friend Petra Cleary's Arbonne skin care products? Well, it was March 20th to be exact, and I've been using them daily since. So let's start off there...

1. Arbonne FC5 Complexion Revitalizing Set
arbonne.com

I decided to try Arbonne products because I wanted to get back to regular skin care regimen for my face. I liked the fact that the company touts their products are safe, eco/animal friendly, and pure. See their ingredient policy for yourself here. I also trusted Petra in recommending the right line for my skin type, which is normal to dry. This product line uses cell phytonutrient formulas to hydrate and protect the skin. Formulated in Switzerland and made in the USA, I like that the line contains the following extracts: kiwi, strawberry, mango, carrot, and pumpkin. Each has its own properties. Check out the science here! I used the hydrating cleanser twice daily, and it left my skin clean without being overly dry. I followed that with daytime moisturizer, which includes an SPF 20 sunscreen (important!), and then at night I used the moisturizing night creme. Both moisturizers felt great when applied; not too heavy or greasy. The night creme is my favorite though-it felt very luxurious and has a nice scent to it.

FC5 Hydrating Cleanser and Freshener (contains strawberry extract)

FC5 Nurturing Day Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 20 (contains kiwi extract)

FC5 Moisturizing Night Creme

There is also the Complexion Perfecting Set if you have oily skin.

What's the bottom line? Recommended

I really like the way this skin care line makes my face feel and look. The only thing I felt like I missed was a separate exfoliating wash, just because I like the way my face feels after I exfoliate. However, overall, it's a pretty simple routine and easy to stick to. It may be a bit pricey for some. I bought the set, which is $98 (valued at $108). But, I still have some left, which has lasted about 3 months. At roughly $30 per month or less for the set, it's a pretty good value for quality, natural ingredients. You can purchase separately as well. Arbonne has lots of other products, including health and wellness items. Click on the link above to explore the site!

2. TRESemme Naturals Aloe Vera and Avocado Conditioner

http://www.tresemme.com/Products/Naturals/

I first heard about TRESemme's line of natural products from fellow YouTuber MahoganyCurls. Her hair is gorgeously healthy, so I decided to give it a try. The collection claims to have low sulfate shampoos and silicone-free conditioners which are formulated with USDA certified organic ingredients. They also claim to leave your hair 10x stronger after just one use. Read more here.

Since I'm always on the search for natural hair care products, I decided to give this a try. As you may already know, I cowash about twice weekly depending on how intense my workouts are. There are several Naturals conditioners including Vibrantly Smooth with coconut oil and jojoba, but I purchased the Aloe Vera and Avocado Nourishing Moisture. I found it at K-Mart for $5.99.

I detangled my hair with water and aloe vera juice as usual, and then applied the conditioner in the shower, working through my hair and leaving on for about 5 minutes. After rinsing out, my hair felt amazingly soft and the curls were even more defined than when I used my home made banana conditioner =/

It definitely was shiny, and there was very little shedding afterwards. As stated previously, my hair is very curly and tends to be dry, but this conditioner made a big difference it how it felt. It also smells sooo good!

What's the bottom line? Highly Recommended

I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised with this product and would recommend it to any natural girl no matter what hair "type", but especially if you want to focus on moisturizing and strength. I will definitely be purchasing again when this bottle is finished!

If you have any comments, or have used any of the products above and want to comment-please do! If you have a natural product that you would like me to review, send me a message with the details and I'll get back to you asap! I'll be back in two weeks with more reviews.

Until next time,

Love and Happiness,

Nikki

He Goes Either Way

Hello again, my lovelies! Welcome to halfway through 2012...yep. Hopefully, you have kept up with the promises, aka "resolutions" that you made yourselves back in January. If not, get it together please!

So I'm sure you're thinking 'what the heezy is she talking about in this post's title?' Well...read on. I assure you it's not what your sullied minds were thinking. I don't typically talk/blog about my personal life unless I think it might help someone, or it is just really cathartic for me.

Since I broke off an engagement earlier this year (for the best; I promise all is well), I have opened up myself spiritually and emotionally to a wider array of experiences that I may not have been so open to in the past. I like to put things in boxes...they need to have labels so I know what the hell they are there for. However, one person who is so close to my heart refused to allow me to put him in a box. In fact, he tore the box up and lit it on fire. Figuratively speaking...ain't no Waiting To Exhale bonfire ish going on here.

He was so adamant that he could be friend, confidant, family, teacher, spiritual partner, provider of love...pretty much everything to me. Yet, he didn't fit my idea of what I thought my ideal mate should be. He wasn't a bad boy, big guy, swagalicious hottie. Sigh. He said I was setting myself up for failure. I disagreed. He went against the man grain and I didn't like it.Years and years later, it turns out he was right. I just let go of my 15-item perfect-man wish list...well some of it. I realized I was happy around him. That's what mattered. He likes seafood, but genuinely enjoys my vegan/vegetarian cooking. He's very opinionated, but lets me speak my mind also; he listens. He meditates and prays with me. He defies traditional, conformist thought. He eschews material things, but adores my love of shoes and fashion. He goes either way. He enjoys being in my world without letting go of his.

That being said, because I'm hard-headed and tough-skinned when it comes to affairs of the heart, we'll see what happens. Moral of the story? Ladies, don't send a man to Cast Away Island because he's so unlike what you deem as your 'type'. Those past relationships left a bad taste in your mouth so stop going back for seconds! It's so very cliche, but the man that's right for you might be right in front of your nose. Keep an open mind.

As I leave you with that food for thought, here's some food for eating! Last week, I was in the mood for some spicy Asian stir fry and this is what I made for our dinner date:

I stir fried in sesame oil:
1 small onion, cut in quarters
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1  medium head of broccoli
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise and then halved
1 cup of snow peas
1/2 cup or so water chestnuts
grilled and seasoned soy burgers/veggie crumbles, about 2 cups
chopped peanuts, about 1/2 cup
salt and pepper to taste

I combined in a bowl:
soy sauce, water, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and Fiery 5 spice pepper by McCormick
(did I mention I like spicy?)
This was added to the vegetables and stir fried for another couple of minutes. The broccoli was crisp-tender. I detest soggy vegetables!

Meanwhile, I cooked about 3-4 cups of rice noodles and spread on a platter. I covered it with the stir fry combo and served with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon...which he showed up with, along with flowers and raspberry dark chocolate by the way. Ow!
I know this is not an exact recipe because it was spur of the moment, but it came out FANTASTIC!
I thought I was eating food from a restaurant if I do say so myself.

He agreed...of course.

Until next time,

Love and Happiness,

Nikki