The New Forks Over Knives Magazine

Forks over Knives is a really good documentary about the health benefits of a plant based whole foods diet. If you haven't watched it yet, you can watch it on iTunes, Amazon or on Netflix. Recently the creators of the award-winning documentary Cowspiracy released a documentary called 'What The Health' that uncovers more facts about how massive the impact of vegan food on our health is. You can watch it here. 

My intention was to add in as many vegan documentaries as possible into a post, that is about a magazine. Sorry, not Sorry. 

However, this magazine earns some serious credits. Its 96 colored pictures are full of interviews, success stories, expert tips and other interesting stories. For me, the craziest fact is, that there are over 70 delicious vegan and healthy recipes in this single magazine. You might think, US$ 9.99 is expensive? With that many recipes, I can call it a cookbook. Also its not financed by advertisements because its completely ad-free. Forks over knives calls it a "Bookazine"

I attached you a recipe down below, which shows how to prepare the burrito bowl from the front cover. Copyright Forks over knives. 

Get your copy before June 26th! You can order it online and the shipping is worldwide. I don't get paid for this, haha.
If you live in the States or in Canada you can also check out Save On, Walmart, Safeway or other grocery shops that sell magazines, or bookstores.

I can totally recommend it. BTW: Imagine the world was vegan. Impossible? And here comes a free tip: Watch this movie about it. 

Valentines Day?

We are now at that time of the year again when people go crazy in proclaiming their love for their loved ones on Valentine’s Day. But putting aside all the commercial hype, just what is really going on here?

If you are in a relationship, is it what you always dreamed about? And why should you only celebrate and demonstrate your love on just one day of the year?

The problem is, that after a while, you take each other for granted. It doesn't mean that your love for your partner is fading, it simply means, that there is a lack of effort that can have consequences.

And - it doesn't mean that your partner has to fulfill all of your needs and the other way round; be realistic - no one will ever be able to do that. 

A day like valentines day is a reminder of how important it is to show each other how precious the time is, you spent together. It gives us a chance to be proactive and show gratitude, and of course this can be any day, not only a random day in february. 

Here are some short and simple ways to do so. In my opinion they are very important.

1. Accept your partner just as they are.

He or she is a special being, with their own wonderful traits and unique gifts. Learn to appreciate the full package. Whatever they do, think, say or make, it ultimately makes them who they are. They are entitled to their own decisions.

2. Always be in integrity.
Tell your partner the truth, unconditionally, because honesty is the key of a good conversation. Trust can build a zone of safety and comfort with each other.

3. Get clear on what you want from the relationship.
Make the fulfillment of your short term and long term needs the criteria for choosing a partner and being in a relationship. Create and share a vision of your dream life together.

4. Resolve your differences as soon as they happen.
Conflict gets difficult when it doesn't get solved right away. The sooner you stop blaming and start talking, the better you feel. Never go sleep with an unresolved issue.

5. Let go of the past.
All relationships have their difficulties. Remember only the lessons learnt and forget the details. Weather the stormy moments, and savour the memory of sunny days. Remember what brought the two of you together in the first place. What attracted you to each other? What do you admire about your partner’s personality?

6. Have fun dating your partner regularly.
At this special date, putting each other first helps a lot. It will water your relationship like a plant, so it can grow.

Loverope - a simple individual positive reminder

Dear Readers,

I am very pleased to finally start this english blog! Besides some technical issues I was dealing with a full schedule so I just couldn't really get myself to write and post.
But I really want this blog to be filled with quality, with things I want to share and thoughts I have at the moment, than just being all about creating content and promoting things to make money.
Or, to say it in a positive way, I want to be who I am and I want to share whats happening in my mind. Be who you are is a message that we should all remind ourselves - everyday.
One way to do so, is Loverope.
I found Loverope on Instagram. Loverope, is a customized simple individually handcrafted bracelet, that reminds you of exactly what you want to be reminded of. 
Whenever you look on your hands, you can read the words on your Loverope - and yes, thats a good way of reminding yourself. Lucky as I am, I won a Loverope thanks to a Giveaway, and mine says now the words Vegan, Love and Namaste. These are three little reminders, that are very important to me.
Vegan: Veganism is not only my way of eating food. I don't need to be reminded to eat vegan food instead of non-vegan food. ;-) The word Vegan is a daily reminder of being active, and spreading the vegan message.

Love: Love reminds me of loving myself. For me, its always easier to give Love to others than receiving it from myself. In this case, my biggest challenge is to think positive about myself. 
Namaste: Namaste is a word I really got to know in my Yoga Teacher Training. Translated it means: 'I see the Light in you.' It helps me realize that there is the same light in everyone of us, and it helps me being less judgmental. It's also a good proof that there are things, words, and sayings that I know for a very long time, but it takes some time to really get the full understanding of what it means (to myself).
If you are interested to create and order your own Loverope, check it out here
(worldwide shipping, $20.95)
__________________________________________________________________________
HERE IS YOUR DISCOUNT CODE - 20% OFF YOUR ORDER: JULIALECHNER20

What I personally really appreciate is the use of Vegan Leather. 
I also want to thank Chris from Loverope, he answered some questions for my blog. You can read the full interview here. Just a quick spoiler: You can feel his wisdom in his answers!

1. Before we get into this, could you introduce yourself and give one fact about yourself that you really love.
Hey I’m Christian and one fact about me is that i put Love above anything else.

2. Can you tell us what the idea behind LoveRope.bracelet is and how this project has started? Sure, I grew up in an entrepreneurial family (my parents have a family business selling mushrooms & berries - importing and exporting them) and my dad overtook that business from my grandfather, but he was never really happy with it although it brought good financial returns - sooo I thought to myself: “Well no matter what I do in the future it will be something that will make me happy despite of the money I earn and things I do." So i went out into the world and created myself through post-its sought out to make the world a happier place through a 12.000 mile road trip and now I am creating my own bracelet that shall spread the love. 

3. Do you believe in the power of mantras? Do you think we need a daily reminder of being positive? 
Thoughts = Words = Actions = Reality
So if you ask me if Mantras are power I would say Mantras = Reality
We all need a daily positive reminder to love ourselves everyday a little more - this can come in form of a person/situation oooor a little bracelet in my case :)

4. Do you think meditation is important? Does it help us to manifest what we want to experience in life?
Meditation creates space for your divine vessel to receive (informations, manifestations, guidance)
Manifestation is an essential tool for our human experience - many things can be experienced so much better and richer when they are manifested - like how it is to be an entrepreneur and have your own company or startup or blog or prodcut

5. How important is gratitude in your opinion? 
Gratitude = Start of all Abundance
If we don’t foster Gratitude daily we are walking a way of these abundant mentality and you know where we end up when we don’t direct our thoughts in a positive direction (thoughts = reality)

6. Are you vegan? (if yes, when and why did you make the transition?)
I am not vegan, I am vegetarian. I was vegan for 3 months but then gave it up due to social settings and frequent travelling/non-availability to get pure vegan choices - that might change in the future. India is a great country to eat 100% Vegetarian all the time.

7. Is there anything you want to say? 
Yes, follow your dreams. They are all possible. Take baby-steps and leave. your. mark. You are unique just like everyone else. Thank you soso much for your time & effort to read that.
You can reach me via:
www.chrisitianmauerer.com - www.loverope.net - www.instagram.com/christianmauerer - www.instagram.com/loverope.bracelet
Eternal Love & Blessings
Christian
♡

Intentions for 2017

We all know the following situation: By the end of the year we think about some good intentions that we can integrate as soon as the new year starts.

But why do we always end up whispering the same intentions into our Champagne Glass  year after year? Because we failed. Every year. That sucks.

So I thought about why we don't reach our goals and why we have to repeat them...

Seriously? Nothing is more frustrating than setting a goal, visualizing something that we want to work toward, but ending up getting not even a little closer to becoming who we want to become or reaching our goal. 

First of all, we loose focus. And that can have several different reasons. The main problem I figured, is that my goal is a very big goal because I like to think big. But instead of focusing on the little steps I have to take to reach my main goal, I want too much too soon and that's where I loose myself. Even the enthusiasm I feel in the beginning doesn't last very long. The focus is gone. And once I realize that things don't work out the way I want them to be, I get frustrated and give up. Or I distract myself. The next time I remember having that goal is New Year's Eve and I start to repeat myself.

So this year, I set myself smaller goals, that are easier to reach and therefore better to achieve "the big goal". For example, I want to be more productive in the next year. I want to catch myself in moments that I just do pointless things because I am bored. These are the moments when I loose precious time that I should invest in myself, in my projects. And I don't want to say that distractions are a bad thing, everyone needs to chill and relax every once in a while, but if that's the case, I want to do it consciously. 

The next point that keeps me from reaching my goals is life. Sometimes life just has different plans. And then we have to adapt to these changes and redefine our intentions or set new goals, adjust them to the new circumstances. In these moments that can be either positive or negative, we have to look forward, we have to do the very best we can do in that situation. It's so important not to give up. Not to loose yourself in excuses. 

There are no such perfect moments. In the end we don't need to start living the way we want to live after a certain date, event or when the new year starts. In the end the first day of the new year is just another day. We can start now.

My goals for this new year are simple, but I list them below. Maybe you feel inspired.

- Write more blogposts

- Keep my Instagram up to date

- Write down my thoughts and beliefs

- Working on my yoga skills

- Working on my minimalism, less is more

- Less distractions and more focus

- More quality time with my friends and family

- More gratitude, less complaints

Before the Flood - Full Movie

Leonardo DiCaprio and National Geographic created this wonderful movie, that I can highly recommend. It is more than important to watch this and learn about the environment, the planet and the change.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie / Thanksgiving

This Vegan Pumpkin Pie that we had for Thanksgiving was so delicious. Im going to share the recipe here. As it is not created by me, you can find the source down at the bottom.
The crust is perfect, the filling is moist and delicious. It was my first ever vegan pumpkin pie but also my first pumpkin pie! I definitely want to eat this again and I can highly recommend it to you!

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 tablespoon vegan granulated sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Fine salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (packed)
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
8 ounces silken tofu
2/3 cup vegan sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fine salt


Directions
For the crust: 
Put the flour, sugar, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor, and pulse to combine. Add the coconut oil in small spoonfuls, and pulse until the largest pieces are pea-sized. Add 4 tablespoons ice water, and pulse until evenly combined. Squeeze a handful of the dough together; it should just hold its shape. If the mixture is too powdery, pulse in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap, pat into a 1/2-inch-thick disc and chill for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
To make rolling easier, let the dough soften up a bit-it should be slightly soft when pressed-at room temperature (this may take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Roll the disc into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of floured parchment paper. If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate it to firm it up. Ease the crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself, and crimp the edge as desired. Chill for 30 minutes.
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line the chilled pie crust with a large coffee filter or foil, and fill with pie weights. Bake until the edges are lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the coffee filter or foil and weights, and continue baking until the crust is lightly golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a rack, and let cool completely.
For the filling: Process the pumpkin puree, tofu, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour the filling into the parbaked pie shell, and bake until firm and set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Chill for at least 2 hours up to overnight. Slice and serve.

INSPIRED BY: Foodnetwork.com

Breakfast Idea: Oatmeal

Many foods fall in and out of favor. Health trends come and go. Not oatmeal. This whole-grain powerhouse has been packing serious nutrition and hearty flavor into breakfast for generations. It’s one of the few comfort foods that are as good for you as they are just plain good.

To get the most out of this super food, be a bit particular.

Some packets of instant oatmeal, for example, are loaded with sugar -- as much as 8 teaspoons per serving -- and high in sodium. Always check the label to see what you're getting.

Oatmeal is a classic breakfast, I enjoy it every day. The good thing is, it can be made different every time: Add pineapple and coconut in the summer for a refreshing sweet and sour version. Add cinnamon and dates

Its a quick breakfast, made like this: Boil water and soy milk in a pot, add the oats, toss around until the water is gone. 

Reasons why you should have Oatmeal every day:
1. Oats contain a lot of fiber. Fiber helps to stabilize the digestion, but also lowers cholesterol. It also balances blood glucose levels, so you don't have a sugar drop.
2. Oats provide important minerals (e.g. thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium and iron) and vitamins (especially b-vitamins).
3. Oatmeal fits perfectly to fresh or frozen fruit. Fruit is full of antioxidants!
4. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top, that is a secret fat burner!