What does being healthy mean to you?

I chose to write about this because there are so many out there who need to put a label on things to feel like they are legitimate. I would prefer not to even use the word 'vegan' or 'vegetarian'. The only reason I do use those words is because they are familiar. Whether or not you eat meat, vegetables, dairy products or anything else, it is a personal choice and usually comes with quite a personal explanation/story. This journey and this blog to me is just about sharing my ideas/thoughts, recipes etc. It's not about proving anything to myself except that I love to cook and that I'm taking on a new challenge!
Being healthy for me means being strong both mentally and physically. It means having a healthy relationship with food and the earth as well as an appreciation for all things living.
I grew up with a single mother in a household with three kids. My mother was/is an incredible chef therefore I grew up loving helping her prep vegetables, cook and create anything food related. Us kids grew up with such a deep respect for food and an absolute passion for cooking. For as long as I can remember, my sister has been a vegetarian. I remember her strong will, even back then, to choose not to eat meat. I love that it is ultimately our decision and we have power over what we eat (in most cases) Growing up seeing my sister's strong passion opened my eyes to the other side of things. Instead of just assuming that I should eat what was put in front of me, I was given the tools to question it and wonder if it was what was best for me. I'm so grateful to have grown up with such choices and the luxury of being fed such wonderful food.
What I want to do is lessen my impact on living beings and the earth as a whole. I want animals to be treated well and I want the consumption of them, to not be abused. Consume with appreciation and an understanding of why you are choosing to eat what you are.
Whether you are 100% vegan, ovo-vegetarian, lacto-ovo or whatever else it may be, try to sit for a minute each day and think about the animal, plant, grain etc that you are eating and think about where it came from, where it's going (haha) and how appreciative you are of what it is doing for your body.

With that said, please enjoy this yummy recipe for a roasted red pepper butter (fake butter) sauce. I made it over pasta with veggies on the side. The recipe does call for a decent amount of fake butter and oil so it is a once in awhile treat! :)

Roasted Red Pepper Butter (Earth Balance) Sauce:
-1/4 cup of olive oil (I consider the oil as an 'as needed' type of thing-you can always put less)
-6 cloves of garlic
-1/2 cup of Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread
-1 cup of roasted red peppers
-1 tablespoon of lemon juice
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-2 tablespoons of fresh dill or basil (or both!)

Warm oil and add garlic and cook 3 minutes until garlic is golden.
In a blender on medium, blend butter, peppers, lemon juice and salt. Slowly add olive oil and garlic. Blend until smooth. Add lemon juice and salt as needed. Stir basil/herbs in by hand (do not blend them)
Serve over pasta and enjoy!