TORONTO ON A SHOESTRING

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PEACE OUT.

As I continue to build my new life and rebuild my “old” self, I’ve realized that The Frugal Vegan is now part of my past and no longer relevant to my future nor who I am anymore. This blog has certainly helped me grow and also share a lot of information with you including a lot of rants while going through some very bad times.

Truth is, I have felt that this blog hasn’t been “me” for awhile now.

Since moving to Toronto, I’ve also realized that I need to let go of many things from the past 10 years so I can now look forward and build a new happier life. In many ways, this blog has been very therapeutic and has helped me focus on something meaningful while living in a place which was very difficult and suffocating for me and my soul.

I am truly grateful for all the support & love I have received from my readers over the past 10 years and I wouldn’t have kept at it if it wasn’t for all of you.

Now that I am much happier and also in a better place both physically and in spirit, I would like to leave this blog behind and move forward with my new life.

@TheFrugalVegan Twitter Account will be closed. The blog will remain online for awhile as I still get many hits but will shut it down when I get around to downloading the content.

All this being said, I am creating a new blog which is more relevant to my current life and I will share it with you soon. The announcement of the new blog will be my last post and should be revealed this week.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS! HERE’S TO A NEW LIFE!

Here is what I came up with.

1 cup brown rice (cook, then cool in the fridge) – I used short grain

1 medium raw beet root (grated, 1 cup)

1 cup chopped raw broccoli

2 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds (unsalted)

Mix these 4 ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Dressing:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp oil (I used half olive, half canola as I ran out of olive)

1 green onion (chopped)

Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar and shake until well blended.

Add dressing to rice and vegetables and stir until well blended. Chill and serve.

Enjoy!

Lately, I’ve been taking advantage of a few things this city has to offer. I’ve put myself on a very tight budget just to see how much I could do and I am very much enjoying the challenge, saving a lot of money AND doing a lot of awesome free and cheap activities!

FREE CONCERTS AT THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY

Twice a week, the COC offers free lunchtime concerts. This isn’t just opera but also jazz, world music, theater, orchestras…I attended two concerts in the past 2 weeks. ALL FREE. I attended a Sérenade Francaise (Opera), String Quartet (Debussy & Mendelssohn). So far, the performances have been incredibly good, I’m truly impressed! I’ll be going once a week until they finish up the first week of June. The free concerts will resume in September. I will be attending a Strauss Sérenade (Orchestra) this week.

FREE COFFEE CUPPINGS

As you know, I am not a booze drinker at all (though I occasionally have a few drinks from time to time) but I am a serious coffee nerd. Coffee cuppings are basically like wine tastings for coffee geeks like me. There is an espresso bar about 40mins walk from my place which offers them weekly (Lit Espresso Bar). I’ve been to two of them. I get to taste free delicious coffee and I”m always learning something new!! We don’t just taste coffee but we also learn about what is going on with the coffee industry in different countries, different types of roasting and other interesting facts. There is another free coffee cupping this week at an espresso bar a little further east, where I took my Barista course but since I am going to a concert at the COC, I can’t make it. Perhaps next week!

FREE ACUPUNCTURE AND CHAIR MASSAGE

The community acupuncture clinic I used to go to before I moved further west was offering a day of free acupuncture and chair massage. I received 30mins of acupuncture and 10 minutes of chair massage. Wow, you wouldn’t believe how much good a 10min chair massage can do for your body. Try it if you get the chance. Amazing!!

CHEAP EATS

I’m not eating out as much now but like to “splurge” on super cheap eats once or twice a week (Has to be under $5 in total). After the Canadian Opera Company concerts, I usually buy a veggie dog ($3) from the hot dog vendor across the street. Veggie dogs in the city can be as low as $2.50 but since the COC is in a pricier area, it’s three bucks. Still a cheap lunch. I also always bring a piece of fruit with me to eat with it.

I found another Vietnamese Bahn-Mi place about a 20 minute walk from the loft. I pay a little more for it than the other spot I go to ($3 instead of $2) but I actually prefer the taste of this one. The Bahn Mi is not as dry, definitely saucier with some kind of tomato flavour and the tofu isn’t dry either. She also put a lot of cilantro in it, which I love. The bread was better too. When I walked in, I loved the vibe; it smelled like incense and noticed she was burning some by a Buddhist type shrine that was set up. The place was really small but super zen. I am definitely going back there. Wanna go? It’s called LE S’SANDWICH and is at 1119 College Street (near Dufferin).

We also checked out Sneaky Dee’s for brunch one morning a few weekends ago. I hadn’t been there since I lived here in the early 90′s! My partner had never been as he has never lived here before and he loved it. And it hasn’t really changed in 20 years! I love the graffiti all over the walls and inside the bathrooms! They have a lot of vegan & veggie fare and it’s cheap for the large portions you get. I had a ginormous scrambled tofu wrap with roasted potatoes. I was only able to eat half the wrap (it was huge!!) so my partner ate the other half for me. If you have a large appetite and not much cash, go there.

Last but not least, I found this noodle spot about 2 weeks ago in Roncesvalles Village called NoodleHolic. I paid $5.75 for this awesome Veggie Pad Thai (Daily Special). Second best I’ve had in the city so far. (Baan Thai further on Dundas still takes first place). I haven’t had much luck with good Pad Thai in the city apart from these two places. I’m picky!

MORE FREE STUFF

We had set money aside to purchase an inexpensive LED television so we could watch films on Netflix. We purchased it this weekend. We discovered that if we plugged in the TV into the cable plug in the wall, we have access to 9 FREE channels!!! Neither of us like to watch TV but we know that when our parents visit, they like to do that. My mom needs to watch the news and it turns out we have French and English CBC and Global for FREE.

I have more planned adventures for you in the next few weeks and will be sharing it all with you. I am continuing to take in some very cheap and free activities as well as food.

Looking forward to sharing more with you!  Now that it’s quite warm here (it has been 22-23C and sunny for most of the week and this weather will continue!), I will be walking and exploring a lot more than usual and may very well find more treasures. Stay tuned!

WHAT CULTURAL ACTIVITIES DO YOU TAKE IN FOR FREE? ANY SUPER CHEAP EATS IN YOUR AREA?

The key to healthy clean eating is to get as much fresh produce & real food as possible. Also, foods with no chemicals and few ingredients in them.

As an experiment, I took $20 and bought groceries with it from various places around the city, mostly close to where I live. I wanted to see how much healthy food I could purchase for this amount. If you live in a larger city, this will be relatively easy to do as there are so many independent grocery and ethnic stores around.

CHEAP HEALTHY GROCERIES ADVENTURE – WHAT I PURCHASED FOR $20

CHEAP PRODUCE FROM A WEIRD FRUIT & VEGGIE PLACE (TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT: $3.50)

I’ve walked buy this weird discount fruit and veggie store many times but hadn’t gone in until recently. I love exploring sketchy places! Every day, they have entire baskets of “almost expired” produce for $1 outside. Although I didn’t take advantage of buying those 20 “practically expired”red peppers for $1 (chances are, I would have thrown most of them out), I did take advantage of the VERY cheap produce prices inside. Now mind you, this produce is likely riddled with chemical pesticides but I will tell you how to get rid of them easily!! And no, it’s not local either. But sometimes you have to do the best you can with the very tight budget you may have, right? I want to show you that you don’t need to buy processed, boxed or canned foods to eat well on very little cash.

Here is a picture of what I purchased for $3.50!!!! IN TOTAL! 

*Strawberries (USA): 0.50

*Bunch of Green Onions (USA): 0.30

*Brussels Sprouts (Unknown -this can’t be good!): 0.35

*4 Bananas (Columbia): 0.60

*Artisan Lettuce (USA): 1.00

*1 Lemon (Unknown): 0.30

*2 Red Peppers (USA): 0.45

How to get rid of MOST of the chemical pesticides in your produce: Fill up a sink with 1 gallon of water and add 1/2 cup vinegar. If you have less to soak, use 2 cups per 2 Tbsp of vinegar. Soak all fruits and veggies for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse with water. I usually soak them in fresh water after rinsing as well. I had to toss 3 of the strawberries, they didn’t quite survive the veggie wash! But doing this will also make your produce last longer, so if you see a good deal on something, buy a bit more! Since the strawberries weren’t that perfect, I cut them up and froze them so I could use them in smoothies.

BAKERY FRESH BREAD (TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT: $2.00)

There is a Portuguese Bakery near my place that sells fresh bread for $2. It’s TOTALLY worth it and lasts me the week, although I do have to refrigerate after a couple of days or else it will go bad. No chemicals in there and perfect for toast. It’s a basic white bread but much better for you than that nasty chemical stuff you can buy at the dollar store or grocery store. Please, don’t buy that stuff. There are tons of bakeries around selling cheap bread. Also, try getting day olds, even cheaper. Here is my loaf.

WHAT I BOUGHT AT THE CHEAP GROCERY STORE (TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT: $5.00)

Another thing to do is to check grocery store flyers. Again, only look for fresh produce and ingredients. The grocery store near my place had a really good sale this week for produce and I ended up spending $5 in total here on the following:

*Frozen Minute Maid (to use to make smoothies with the cheap berries I bought!) – $1.00

*Cantaloupe (Guatemala): $1 (also good for smoothies or eat fresh)

*Bunch of Spinach (USA): $1 (iron is good for you!)

*2/1 local Cucumbers (Local- ONTARIO): $1 (great as a snack or for salads)

*1lb of firm tofu (made locally): $1

RANDOM FINDS (TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT: $3.25)

I walked into an independent small grocery store looking to buy an apple to snack on and noticed these organic brown rice vermicelli noodles on sale as they were expiring in 5 days. 50 cents!!! So I bought one. How could I not? I’m using them to make some Pad Thai this weekend. I also purchased 1 cup of lentils to make sprouts for my salads (see below for instructions), natural peanut butter and a handful of unsalted peanuts  (for Pad Thai) at an independent bulk store (All for: $2.75).

THE KOREAN GROCERY STORE (TOTAL SPENT: $4.50)

A large Korean grocery store in Korea Town sells tubs of yummy Kimchi for $3!! I buy the one without fish sauce in it. It’s very good for the digestive system and contains vitamins such as B, A and C and also has what is called “healthy bacteria” which is also found in other foods such as yoghurt. I love eating Kimchi along with some brown rice. Yummy! I also bought some mung bean sprouts here. ($1.19) and some baby Bok Choi (8) ($1.29)

I have $1.75 left from my $20 and will likely go grab two avocados with it.

What can be made from my purchases: I eat a lot of salads, so I can make great ones with the produce I purchased and by adding the lentil sprouts I will make for extra protein. I can also make smoothies with the fruit or just cut them up and make a fruit salad. I can make peanut butter and banana sandwiches as well as avocado sandwiches. I will make a pad Thai using the soba noodles , some peanut butter and some of the sprouts, bok choi and some tofu. I can also make stir fry with some of the veggies and tofu. Will eat some of that Kimchi with brown rice. Also, if you mash the strawberries and add a little sweetener, you can spread this on toast!

HERE IS WHAT $20 WORTH OF CHEAP HEALTHY GROCERIES LOOKS LIKE (minus the 2 avocados)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

They key to clean eating is to stay away from canned, processed and foods with chemicals in them. I don’t care how cheap it is, don’t buy it. As you can see above, you can eat a cleaner diet and avoid all of these things.

*Fresh Produce

*Plain Tofu, Dried Beans & Legumes, Natural Peanut Butter

*Brown Rice (I saw a 500gr bag for $1.29 at the store), Whole Grain Pasta, Noodles (Udon. Brown Vermicelli, Rice, Soba), Quinoa, Millet, Oatmeal…

*Fresh Bread: Stay away from the “fresh” bread at grocery stores!!!! This is made from a mix and although it is baked in store and sold as “fresh”, it’s not. Try to stick to independent local bakeries for your bread.

WHAT TO STAY AWAY FROM

*Anything canned, boxed or jarred (unless it’s organic, even then). Also, processed foods which have more than a couple of ingredients listed on the packaging.

*White Rice (Jasmine is ok though), Ramen Noodles or Regular Pasta. (no nutrition in any of these)

*Processed breads or any baked items you find in the grocery store.

*Sodium Filled Foods: If you see anything that has more than 10% sodium listed, stay away from it if possible

LEAVE MOST OF THE FOODS AT THE DOLLARAMA BEHIND

I went to the Dollarama as I was curious if they had anything interesting to buy. I’d stay away from 98% of the foods there. The oatmeal, vermicelli noodles, soy milk, raw almonds and cashews and Sriracha Sauce would be o.k. to buy. Sriracha is a GREAT spicy sauce that can add flavour to a lot of meals, they sell a large bottle of it for $2. I’ve seen Udon noodles there before but I can get them cheaper at my cheap grocery store and even cheaper in China Town. For the rest, don’t buy it as none of it is good for you. I was pretty horrified as to what was in that bread they sold for $1, it was scary.

***The more you fill yourself up with empty calories and foods that will not give you proper nutrition, the more you will eat. If you stick to clean REAL foods, you’ll notice that you’ll eat a lot less and you’ll feel a lot better.***

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LENTIL SPROUTS

Watch this short YouTube video, I find that this is the easiest way to sprout. You can also do this with raw sunflower seeds and chick peas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvPJvxxfJps

If you don’t have as many ethnic stores or cheap grocery stores where you are, try to get discounted produce where possible. Funky apples can be used to make apple sauce, overly ripe bananas can be used in pancakes or to make muffins and even smoothies. I’d stay away from discounted avocados, anytime I tried to buy them most were mostly brown and yucky and I’d end up having to throw them out. Bags of avocados are a better deal than buying them individually.

GOOD LUCK!

Here are a few items I will not compromise on because I want the quality and can not get these items cheaply.

COFFEE: It’s no secret that I love my coffee. Obsessed is more like it. I only buy the good stuff and it’s usually locally roasted. That being said, just because it’s locally roasted it doesn’t mean it’s good. There are 20+ local coffee roasters in the city but I only love a few of them. Here is one of my favorites. Pilot Coffee Roasters ($13/12oz)

CHOCOLATE: I love good chocolate almost as much as I love good coffee. There are several places I love to purchase my chocolate. There are many wonderful chocolatiers around the city but there is one close to the loft (I can walk there in about 15mins) called STUBBE.

As I mentioned in one of my videos, I can no longer eat regular chocolate because it just tastes like sugar to me now! Yuck. Real dark chocolate (70%+) sweetened with some cane sugar is actually quite good for you, you only need a square or two to be satisfied as well. We don’t eat desserts, usually this is what we eat when we want sweets after dinner. I also purchase my chocolate chips from them ($5 for 250gr) for when I bake.

ORGANIC FRUIT AND VEGETABLE BIN (with add ons!): As I mentioned in an earlier post, I splurge every two weeks on this lovely assortment of organic fruits and vegetables. It gets delivered right to our door every second Thursday. Buying organic and/or local produce is VERY important to me. The regular fruits and veggies box cost $35 and we usually add on some local tofu to our order. Last week, I added on some local organic eggs (my partner eats them) and local spelt flour on top of our order. Sure, if I were to buy the same produce (but not local or organic) at a local independent cheap fruit/veggie store I could spend a third of what this costs but the extra money is worth it to me. Good food should be a priority and you do get A LOT more nutrients out of produce that is local/seasonal and also from produce that has not traveled too far. They also offer a smaller $25 bin but we eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables so the regular bin is better for us. I buy this from Mama Earth Organics.

RAW LOCAL HONEY AND APPLE BUTTER: Not all vegans eat honey but I do if it comes from hobbyists such as the Urban Bee Keepers. The honey you see below is from a hive in one of the neighbourhoods in my city. Did you know that one hive can produce 40lbs of honey!? The one who owns and controls that hive actually lives down the street from me so it’s easy for me to buy it, I go to his house. I definitely pay more for this honey but it tastes better and the bees are taken care of because there  is only one hive and these guys love bees! Also, there are many health benefits to purchasing Local Raw Honey. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT IT.

Those of you who have seasonal allergies should look into eating raw local honey if you want to stop taking anti-histamines.

I also buy local organic apple butter for $8 or $6 for a smaller tub if I can get to the farmer’s market. What I love about the apple butters I purchase is that none of them have added sugar, only fruit! It’s so yummy.

Other items we splurge on: Organic Local Butter (My partner loves butter. and I‘ve stopped eating any form of margarine, even Earth Balance which is not good for you – don’t eat margarine, WHATEVER you do.  But soon, I’ll be making my own VEGAN BUTTER), Real maple syrup (As a Quebecker, I refuse to buy that nasty sugar syrup, no one needs that stuff),  Local Preserves, Organic Salad Dressings (chemical preservative free), Local and/or Organic Condiments (Ketchup, Salsa, Mustard…), Organic Non-GMO Popcorn (not letting Monsanto feed me, nope)

We all have different priorities as far as what we want to spend money on. Most people I know like to splurge on some good wine and liquors but we don’t drink at home (and even only a few times a year while being out) so we splurge on these foods instead.

WHAT FOODS DO YOU SPLURGE ON?

For other things and staples, I shop in a cheap grocery store down the street.

This grocery store has TONS of Ethnic Foods available and nothing is expensive. I try to take advantage of those items, which I prefer anyway.

I took $25 and decided to purchase some healthy foods with it to show you how much I can buy for that amount (though I actually paid $23.78 for what you see here – there was no tax because I bought real food. ). I try to buy a little of everything and avoid foods with chemical preservatives. This is about double the amount of what my grocery stash looks like on the “off” week but I added a few extra items to get to the $23 total so I can show you how much I can buy.

HERE IT IS!

Of course, you can spend the same amount and buy a lot of bad unhealthy processed foods but unfortunately, you’ll be wasting your money. You’ll actually eat less if you buy more nutritious foods.

HERE IS THE BREAKDOWN:

*Thai Jasmine Rice (2KG): $4.49 – Although I also eat brown rice, I also started buying jasmine as it is a good source of: Iron (1.9mg), Selenium (11.8mcg), Thiamine (0.26mg), and Niacin (2.3mg).

*Aloo Paratha (2): 1.29 – This is kind of an Indian pancake filled with potatoes and herbs. There are two in this package. Mmmm!

*Blackberries (170gr): 0.99: These were on sale this week so I purchased them for smoothies and a batch of muffins.

*TVP Cunks (340gr): $1.49 – I LOVE TVP and use it weekly in dishes. I used to pay A LOT more for this amount where I lived before. Yikes!

*Frozen Chili Tofu (454gr) – locally made: $2.49: This is good to add to stir fry. Great in a pinch. No chemical preservatives in this.

*Whole Wheat Pasta (454gr): $1.99 – Although regular pasta is half the price, there is no nutritional value in it. Still a good deal for good quality whole wheat pasta.

*Large Bunch of Celery: $0.99: This is not local but I do buy a little bit of cheaper produce at times when I need it and it’s cheap.

*Chipotle Refried Beans (425ml): $1.49 I LOVE this stuff. It’s spicy and we use it for our quesadillas. I buy local fresh tortillas for $2 (12-15 of them!) and use this to make them.

*Sindi Biryani Mix: $0.99 I no longer buy spices and instead I purchase these wonderful mixes to make dishes. Delicious!

*Bunch of Cilantro: $0.67: This is one thing I buy here all the time because the most expensive I’ve seen it has been for 0.79. I place the stems in water to make it last longer.

*Local Bavarian Multi Grain Bread:  $1.99 My partner and I LOVE this bread and it is locally made, no junk in it and lots of grains. Delicious!

*Can of Water Chestnuts: $0.59 I use these in stir fry or just with rice and vegetables. Yummy.

*Bag of 5 Avocados: $3.49 – Although I often see these being sold for $2.99 on sale, this is the regular price. Still a good deal.

*1 medium Red Bell Pepper: $0.83- I love red pepper and use it mostly raw in salads.

This is a typical chain grocery store, so I don’t shop here for most of my foods because I generally do not purchase pre-made items unless they are local and/or freshly made. This place is great for staples such as rice, pasta, some cheap produce and inexpensive ethnic foods.

Most of my produce & certain foods come from the organic bin, such as salad mix and locally made tofu. I can also buy inexpensive organic quinoa (500gr for $3.99 elsewhere).

WHAT DOES YOUR $24 HEALTHY GROCERY STASH LOOK LIKE?

So sit back, pour yourself a glass or cup of something. Enjoy.

MOVING FROM INSANITY TO SANITY

Although I lived in Halifax for over a decade and have been back in Toronto now for only 4 months, almost everything and most people I met over there are becoming a distant memory. Somehow, it feels like most of it was a bad dream.

My memory is blurry and I am slowly forgetting many things and events which happened there. I am remembering the positive things and though there weren’t many, at least I am recognizing them now. In some ways, it also seems like it all happened a very long time ago.

Living here now, I’ve come to a lot of realizations by being surrounded by people and an environment that supports and encourages the person I am and the things I am interested in.

In retrospect, it felt as if I was insane for 10 years. Institutionalized, locked up and medicated. Acting and behaving in such a way that was not recognizable to my sane self or the people who knew the real me. Then I moved here and in one day I was normal again; my old self from years ago. Just like that. In one day.

It’s a crazy mind trip, let me tell you.

Though I wasn’t actually medicated or locked up, it sure felt like it.

You see, when your sanity is back,  you start seeing things and people for what and who they are. Unfortunately, you are also being reminded of things you said and did during your insane years. You are not only horrified by what you hear but also very sad and shocked.

During the insane years, I engaged and befriended people who I never would have had been my normal self. The worst part is that there is concrete proof of all my wrong doings and verbal assaults and there are dozens of witnesses who have a full recollection as to what has transpired during that crazy time. It’s scary.

Luckily, I didn’t do anything completely nuts such as committing crimes, injuring people or myself but there are many things I did and said that I am not proud of. Because I couldn’t find the people, places or experiences I wanted there, I belittled and offended many people around me because I tried to make them and the environment fit myself and what I wanted. It was futile and pointless. I am trying to forgive myself for those things as the real me wouldn’t have acted this way.

It’s a wonder that I have any friends left at all after all of this has happened and I am truly thankful for those of you who stuck by me.

DEPRESSION CAN BE FIXED BY CHANGING YOUR LIFE

My extended family is riddled with depression and on several occasions, I was told that maybe I will need medication myself because perhaps I have also been tainted with the same faulty genes.

I refused to listen (because that is in my nature) and was convinced that all I needed to do was leave that place in order to get better. Despite my strong convictions, some still tried to tell me that maybe when I move, I will still be a disaster and depressed. Well, guess what? Moving out of there is ALL I needed to do to fix the insanity (I knew it!). I didn’t need pharmaceuticals then and still don’t now.

And guess what else? I am not depressed, anxious, crazy or mentally unstable (I was actually tested for this recently by a psychologist, just to make sure all my marbles were still there). In terms of my mental health I am 100% fine now. The only thing that I need to do now is grieve over the 10 years I lost myself and precious time I could have spent being happy and doing the things I wanted to do.

Of course, chronic clinical depression does exist and a selected few do need to be medicated, I also think that a lot of depression can be cured for the MOST part without prescription medication. It’s a lot of work and MUCH harder than popping a pill but it is proven that we can alter our brain chemistry by changing things. (if depression hits you because of Peri-menopause and hormonal imbalances, check out a post from my other blog about that HERE)

FINDING MY PEOPLE AND PLACES

Since I feel as if I wasted 10 years of my life, I no longer have the patience or tolerance to surround myself with people who don’t get it, or me. Nor do I have the patience to explain myself to people who will misinterpret my behavior and actions. I dealt with that for a decade and I am no longer going to deal with any judgements regarding who I am now.  I am done holding back my true self. I want to be able to share my views, interests and adventures with those who fully support and understand them.

I also want to be able to express myself fully in the manner I choose to and anyone who takes offense, doesn’t get it or me. I need confident people around me who are strong enough to not feel intimidated or insulted by my strong opinionated views. I also need intelligent people who have the knowledge and strength to debate with me and tell me when I am being over the top.

I’ve already noticed that even with strangers here, I can be full-on with my opinions and many have the strength and confidence to come back at me with their own strong opinions. I LOVE it! No one is afraid to argue or debate with me or discuss sensitive topics in public and the openness is just incredibly wonderful. I don’t have to be careful as to what I say or even how I say it. It’s all good, you know? It works for me. I don’t ever have to watch my big contraversial mouth, ever. People here love that shit, but I’m assuming they may have also been ousted from a place where they weren’t welcome either. I think all us weirdos flock to cities to find one another.

People who will now see me as arrogant, judgmental, self righteous and snobby because of my interests and strong opinionated views don’t belong in my life as this will indicate that they don’t understand me, and that’s o.k.

I also no longer want an audience to listen to my crazy stories for their entertainment purposes. I want allies, friends and loved ones to experience and share some of them with me. I don’t want to be the token circus freak who provides the villagers with a show. In this city, I am certainly the furthest thing from a circus freak, there are so many people WAY weirder than me and it’s really awesome to see.

Now that I am in a city where I can meet people who share my passions, views and sense of adventure, I can finally move on and make my mark in the world and explore my full potential.

It feels AWESOME, so much so that I’ve had several hard cries of joy over the fact that I’ve been finally set free and that I’m effortlessly flowing through life . I am no longer institutionalized, trapped and misunderstood. I can finally fly and breathe again. I wake up with a smile on my face every morning now because I have access to this large playground of endless possibilities and socially progressive people.

Another interesting fact: As of late, all of a sudden, the right people are quickly coming forward (some incredible people I knew from years ago are magically appearing again.  Some didn’t even know that I moved here) and the wrong ones are slowly backing away or have already left my life. Everything is starting to fall into place nicely. I know that some people will be sad that they don’t recognize me now, but the “Halifax Lisa” died and is never coming back.

On that note, I will say that most of my Airbnb & Couchsurfing guests did get to see most of the real me and this is one of the reasons I decided to host travelers. I love people from out of town/country and I was able to be myself around most of these awesome progressive and worldly guests. I want to personally and publicly thank them for this.

GOING BACK TO WORK

I realized fairly quickly that my first reaction was to go back to doing office contract work because that’s what I did before. I won’t get into details but I was in the process of doing that and a reputable very specialized agency found me and brought me in for testing. I passed with flying colours and they were looking forward to putting me to work.

Then a few things happened in the past few weeks and more clarity surfaced: I don’t want to work in an office. I DON’T! I am not going back to what is comfortable and secure because all that does in life is hold you back from growing and fulfilling your true dreams. I had to remind myself that I am no longer stuck in a place where I have to do this, as I am now in a city where I can finally explore my dreams and passions.

I found a quote which I thought was appropriate for me right now: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. This actually happened and when it did, I realized that office work is not something I ever want to do ever again if I can help it. I am 43 years old and already wasted 10 years of doing things I didn’t want to do. Now is not the time to go back to that but instead, taking the risks I need to take and removing all obstacles I need to remove in order to grow and become the person I truly am inside. And you know what? It feels liberating.

I will share more with you in time but I will say this: to achieve my dreams I need to start at the bottom but I am fine with that.

WHY COMFORT AND SECURITY IS DEBILITATING, HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS

I think most humans will resort to comfort and security because the fact is, it’s difficult to steer away from it for a multitude of reasons. But anyone who knows me, knows that security, monotony and comfort suffocate my inner being. I actually hate it because it doesn’t help me grow or learn.

By going back to comfort and what is familiar to you and by not facing fears or taking huge risks you are doing yourself a huge disservice. I’ve had discussions with people who gave me their valid reasons as to why they don’t take risks, why they are unable to tackle their dreams and also why security is needed. I do believe that we create our own obstacles and we will back them up with supposed valid arguments in order to convince ourselves that we’re doing the right thing.

I can come up with so many examples of people who had even more obstacles and difficulties but still managed to make things happen for themselves. I think at the end of the day, if you want something really badly, you will take the necessary steps to get there, no matter what. Sure, it might take awhile to achieve your goals but the first step has to be taken.

MANY people in society have achieved the “impossible” and when I hear people’s excuses (I’ve made them too), I often want to point them in the direction of those who achieved their dreams against all odds, despite all their obstacles and difficulties. And yes, sometimes it’s really hard to make things happen. Maybe you just have to really want it to do it. Maybe most people don’t truly want what they say they want. Perhaps that’s the problem.

I also think that most of us want an easy way out – makes sense, right? Though maybe our spoiled westernized society has become allergic to hard work and sacrifice. A lot of us prefer not to suffer to get to the finish line. Though most times, suffering is part of growing and changing as well as achieving goals.

I am not going to attempt to convince people to take risks or follow their dreams if they are not comfortable enough to let go of some security, take risks or remove difficult obstacles. It’s their life, they can do it or not do it. However, I am going to do this for myself because I don’t want to be on my death bed wondering why I didn’t do all the things I wanted to do. Life is too short for monotony and security. At least that’s how I see it.

Time flies folks…next thing you know, you’re 6o and you’re wondering why you didn’t do certain things. I don’t want to ever be one of those people with regrets. I don’t want to put off my progression & dreams for one more day. We’re always putting things off: “Oh, I’ll do it next week” “I’ll do it when such-and-such a thing happens, “I’ll do it when the kids grow up and move out”…you get my drift.

Something I learned from my psychologist: Most people stay inactive and don’t achieve their goals because they are waiting for motivation. Most of us are waiting to be motivated whether that be by waiting for more money, more energy, more time….but the fact is that this motivation never comes. We have to ACT first in order for motivation to kick in. That’s the key. If you’re finding excuses not to do something, you’re waiting for motivation to hit. It won’t come. Just DO IT!!! The rest will flow, trust me on that one. Of course this is a simplified explanation but I hope you get the idea.

As soon as I started doing things even though I had NO motivation or confidence, everything else just started flowing. I removed obstacles, I got rid of fears, I worked around the money stuff…things are just working out now because I did things without analyzing the shit out of it and putting up barriers as to why I couldn’t do it. Trust me, if you think too much, you will always find a reason not to do something. That was my problem. Oh, and fear of failing.

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
C.G. Jung

Many more things are happening and have happened and in due time, I will share some of it with you. This is only the beginning and I am finally in a place where I am excited about tomorrow and the rest of my life.

ARE YOU?

PEACE.

Here we go!

AUTHENTIC CHINESE

This place isn’t too far from where I live. It’s called New Saigon Gourmet. What you see here is a ginormous plate of Shanghai Noodles made with Udon. This cost a mere $7. I didn’t eat all of it, it was definitely too much food for me. This can easily feed two. It was quite tasty and I added some Sriracha sauce to make it spicier, then it was perfect!

 THAI

My partner and I decided to check out a cheap Thai place called Flip,Toss Thai Kitchen in The Annex area for dinner one night. This is a popular spot for students. Most people who walked through the door ordered their food to go. There are only 3 tables and a few spots with stools by the window. We decided to eat in to take in the full experience! Although it is probably best to take your food to go, we noticed that the service was consistently friendly and the staff thanked everyone for coming (accompanied by a big smile) as they walked out the door. The food came quickly as well. We paid $17 for what you see here: Sunshine Tofu & Siam Noodle (rice included with the tofu). Dinner for two for $17, how can you go wrong? Although I’ve had better Thai food (I’m picky), this was definitely worth the price and the portions were sufficient for us, not too large.

 SUSHI

One day, I was walking back from a coffee brew demo at Te Aro Cafe (Pilot Coffee Roasters) in Leslieville and was rather heavily caffeinated but hadn’t eaten lunch and it was already 2pm. I had the shakes and an empty stomach. I had a craving for sushi, as I have at least once a week! I walked in the first sushi place I saw (The Sushi Bar on Queen East) and took a chance. When inspecting the lunch menu, initially I was horrified by the $8.95 price for a lunch combo. I know, this isn’t overly expensive but considering that I can pay $6 for a great combo in The Annex, $8.95 seemed a little steep. I sat down and ordered a vegetarian combo. The server comes by 5 minutes later and gives me these 3 appetizers (Miso soup, Noodle Soup with tempura bits(?) & Mixed Salad with Ginger dressing).

Not but a minute later, she shows up with 2 more appetizers!! (Edamame and a piece of fried tofu)

I was scared to eat all of the appetizers as I knew there would not be room for the sushi. I left the miso soup and devoured the rest. I will say, the appetizers were delish!

Here is the sushi: Yam Roll and Avocado Cucumber Roll. The sushi was fairly bland, I was disappointed with it. It looked so tasty yet there was something missing here, not sure what. I didn’t eat all of it because I had stuffed my face with most of those yummy appetizers.

Just when I thought this whole food-bombardment was finally over, the server shows up with one more thing: Dessert! I felt so bad because I was already so stuffed but I ate a piece of this orange to clear my palette. Ok, it was worth the money but I don’t have the appetite for this kind of large lunch!

MORE THAI!

The next day, I was headed to another neighbourhood for other coffee related business. After that was done, I walked around the area looking for somewhere to eat lunch. There is just so much choice around that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to eat. I’ve been on the hunt for the best Pad Thai in Toronto. I’ve tried a few but after eating at Baan Thai in The Junction area, all other Thai food (especially Pad Thai) just paled in comparison. But I didn’t want to give up my search. I walked by a place called Mung-Kut Thai on the Danforth. Lunch specials are $7.95 which I felt was reasonable. I tried the Pad Thai here. The dish came with a spring roll, a side salad or a choice of two different soups. As you can see, I picked the salad.

The salad was rather bland but that’s ok. It consisted of some lettuce with one piece of tomato and a basic oil/vinegar dressing. The spring roll was nice, I enjoyed it. The Pad Thai itself was slightly sweet. There were a lot of vegetables in this and I was pleased with the amount of Bok Choy in this dish. I LOVE Bok Choy. Although I felt that the dish itself was slightly bland (I could just taste the sweetness), it did taste a little better once I blended in the chopped peanuts. No match for Baan Thai. I’ll keep looking. That being said, it was certainly edible and I did enjoy it. For $8, not a bad deal right? I may go back to try out their Red Curry Veggie Dish.

OTHER CHEAP PLACES TO CHECK OUT:

ROTI / WEST INDIAN

If you’re itching for a West Indian Roti or some Doubles, try this Trinidadian place at Queen/Lansdowne: Ali’s West Indian Roti Shop. I picked up a roti for my partner one night. He’s really picky with his rotis and prefers the East Indian style ones but said that this one was very good and tasty. He packed on the hot sauce! He ate a spinach potato roti which cost around $7. It’s huge.

I have my eye on an Indian/Tibetan spot not far away and plan to go there within the week. Stay tuned!

Have any suggestions for me for cheap vegetarian/vegan eats here in Toronto? Email me @ goddessfreya@gmail.com. I love discovering new places and reviewing them.

Truth is, everything in my life is very different. I am different.

I lost so much of myself where I lived before. I was so unhappy and miserable for such a long time. It rotted my spirit to the point that my soul was unrecognizable, even to myself . Right now, I am finally recognizing my old happy balanced self from years ago, that woman I was proud of. I am seeing sides of myself that I haven’t seen in years. It’s so amazing and beautiful but also extremely overwhelming and emotional.

In a way, I feel as if I am starting my life over completely. Though I suppose I am.

I won’t get into details as to what has transpired over the last few months because that’s when the post becomes sickeningly lengthy. Though I will say the following:

*The 3 people closest to me and my heart have become even closer. 

*I am much healthier in mind, body and spirit.

*Living a minimalistic life in the loft is so peaceful and feels wonderful.

*My taste buds and body are so much happier now that I have access to affordable quality food and coffee. Not to mention the plethora of cheap ethnic foods which I truly missed and love!

*My creative side is no longer malnourished and is finally being fed by this abundance of incredible rich city culture. I hear a multitude of languages constantly and there are so many amazing events happening around the city on a daily basis!

*People’s reactions to me here are so positive and welcoming! They engage me and I engage them. I have had such interesting and intelligent conversations with many strangers over the past few months. I don’t feel resistance from people either. No one is afraid of my strong, opinionated, individualistic personality.

*Because I am no longer angry and depressed, I treat everyone with a lot more respect and have become the giving, thoughtful, accepting and friendly person I was YEARS ago.

*My intellectual self is also a lot happier & fulfilled as I am finally in a city with many people & activities that can nurture and embrace it.

To sum it up, it feels like I moved from hell to paradise.

It’s amazing how much living in a different place can change your whole life & perspective. I’ll never be happy in a place where life and most people are simple. It is what it is. Some of us perform better in life while surrounded by chaos & complexity.

To top it all off, even though I am currently not working there is a lot more money leftover every month now. In general, life in a big city is A LOT cheaper if you know what you’re doing. We’re saving so much money living here, and everything is better too. And since I am not feeling deprived of anything anymore, I use my time and money for different things. I am no longer collecting possessions and prefer experiences instead…much of which are free or cheap.

That’s the Reader’s Digest version of what’s happening.

I’m still getting used to this new and incredible life and am trying to figure out what’s next for me. Perhaps I’ll share a little more as time goes on but I wanted to let you know how things have been going and why I have been M.I.A. for awhile.

***

Now, onto a simple frugal recipe!

I am receiving an organic box every 2 weeks from one of many companies who offer this service. In my last one, I received a nice bunch of swiss chard and am addicted to making it a certain way because it’s so simple and tasty.

Here is the recipe:

EASY SWISS CHARD (serves 2 as a side)

*1 Tbsp good quality olive oil
*Half a large bunch of local and/or organic swiss chard (chopped) – about 6-7 cups loosely packed

*2 medium garlic cloves (minced)
*Ground Pepper to taste

In a large pan, heat up the olive oil for a minute on medium heat. Add garlic cloves and cook for another minute. Add swiss chard and cook until it wilts, about 5-7 minutes. This will greatly reduce the volume! Serve as a side vegetable. Enjoy!

Please bare with me as I go though all of these new fun and exciting changes. I will be posting more recipes too!
Thanks for your continued support and I am truly hoping I will be able to post a lot more in the near future.

Peace.