Introduction Post!

Let me introduce myself. I am Jenni. 24, lady, vegan. I am a makeup artist and hair stylist but I have always loved to cook though I don't have the patience to work in the food industry. I tried when I was 15, I don't think I could handle it again. I moved to Toronto, Ontario two years ago to attend school at the world renowned Complections, International School of Makeup Arts. After graduation I worked at one of Toronto's top 15 salons, Fuss Hair Studio as well as the makeup artist on Band Foto, a behind-the-scenes TV show about bands having photo shoots, aired on AUX TV. Due to some poor life choices (credit card debt, a marriage that shouldn't have been, etc) I ran out of money and couldn't afford to keep myself in Canada. After I moved back in with my mother and got divorced (don't worry, ex and I are still good friends and I am dating the man I should have married years ago, but due to us both being too young, it never happened...it seems to have been a blessing in disguise, as our relationship now is incredible, and much more mature than it had been previously) I got into a car accident on New Years Eve and on New Years Day my darling Boston Terrier Owen, who was living with my ex husband though we decided on joint custody, was hit by a car and passed away. I had only been back in NJ for a week at that point. And then, my wonderful boyfriend discovered a large lump on my neck. Surprise, cancer! Thankfully I was able to undergo surgery and I am currently recovering. I have been back in NJ since Christmas Eve and have had a very difficult time finding work. I applied everywhere- even Wal*Mart and Best Buy, every single salon in the area, no one was hiring. I finally got a job in NYC at the prestigious Red Market Salon, but it was only on Mondays and Saturdays. Once I found out I had cancer I decided I couldn't commute the hour into NYC, and needed to find work closer to home. I absolutely adore Red Market, but the strain was just too much. It's been one month since my surgery and I am still healing. My body is taking forever to recover, but as soon as I do, I will start working at Zanya Spa Salon in Lambertville, NJ. Six months of chaos later, it seems things are finally settling down and while it's going to be rough financially for a while, I will slowly put the pieces back together and be able to pay off my debt and return to Toronto sometime in the future.

I decided to become vegan one year ago. I never liked meat, and had been on-off pescetarian for several years, then started eating meat again because that's all my ex ate. At that point in my life I became more health conscious I wanted to get ride of all toxins in my body, so I quit smoking and decided to stop taking birth control. After stopping birth control, which I had been on for over 9 years, any bouts of depression that I had previously been suffering were gone. Realizing that I shouldn't eat something I don't like just for mere convenience, and that I could cut my carbon footprint in half by becoming vegan, as well as my many issues with the industrial farming industry and animal rights, I decided to become vegan. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I am not sure why I didn't make this switch years ago.

Living in a city like Toronto being vegan is a breeze. Most restaurants have something on the menu, or vegan options can be requested, and specialty stores are on every corner. Living in the middle of nowhere, NJ it's not so easy. Luckily, I love to cook so the only problems I have are if I decide to eat out but thankfully I have found a few places willing to cater to my dining needs.

I have a livejournal which I use to blog about my daily life, so this journal will be kept mainly for my food ventures! Some of the recipes will be my own, and others will be variations of recipes I have found from other blogs or cookbooks that I love. Most will be my own, but if I find something that was incredible good food should be shared, so I will blog it here. With pictures!

Thanks so much for reading! If anyone has any suggestions for things I should try, or your favorite recipes, please, let me know!