Week 42: Personal Confessions ~ Don't compare

Hi there and welcome to another round of my personal confessions. Today's confession is based on my current thoughts and what I am trying to get rid of in my thought process but as you may well know it's not easy. Last night I decided to check out a few close friends and some long time friends as well as family friends. In the process of doing that I found myself comparing my self to all these people and not once did I think I was better than them by circumstance or by position I felt really lacking in so many areas.

I have always spoken about the plan that I had growing up in Zambia as a child. I remember telling my mother the following:

1) I will finish school and do a nursing diploma (back home it's diploma not degree)

2) I will get married right after finishing my nursing course and by

3) age 23 I will have my first child just like you did mummy ( forgot to factor in that by that time she owned her home and had great income plus back then things were different).

I wanted and still do want to follow in my mother's footsteps but of my three promises above I did only one. I

1) Finished school, went to university and became a pharmacologist (not a nurse can't stand needles)

2) I haven't gotten married (yet) but am not rushing.

3) I am 27 and no where near having kids (by choice).

I realised back then those were my options and my goals and they ain't bad goals either but when we moved to the UK the play ground changed and so did my goals.

So if I understand this and have no regrets why then do (or did) I feel very inadequate when I went on fb and saw what I saw. Yes I would very much like to get married and yes I would very much like to have kids but one thing I really have to keep reminding myself of is " it's all in good time, God's time". I will not lie to you, I do have moments were even though I am a preachers child and a child of God I still have my moments of doubt of confliction of sorrow and at times I do feel defeated but one thing I do have in abundance is hope. 

I do not know if God has a husband and kids in my future but I do know whatever he has for me I will have a blast with it. My advice to my readers and friends: don't compare or wish you had what your friends have "you do not know what they gave up to have what they have" " you do not know the pain and suffering beyond that smile". I know it's easy to say be happy with what you have but I also know it's hard. All we can ever do in this life is trust in God and try your best at this thing called life. 

Week 41 Personal Confessions ~ I am only HUMAN

(Source)

Hi there and welcome to my personal confessions, my personal confessions are that ‘personal’ and I find it quite therapeutic to have everything off my chest. Some people might call it ‘airing my dirty laundry’ and that’s ok by me so long as I don’t suffocate in secret am good because you know these days people who hide it all ends up doing something shocking to say the least but I will not dwell on that.

I am one person who can smile at you whilst I am dying inside but you will never know because I choose happiness over self-pity. If I was to sit down with you and tell you the shit that hit the fun this year you wouldn’t believe it, it took me months and months before I decided to tell my family and close friends because well what’s the point if I cannot share with my nearest and dearest. My loyal readers know I posted a couple of crypt posts around February and March, though crypt to some open book to others.

I experienced two life changing events no more than a month apart; I had not had the chance to recover from the first event before the second one hit me. I couldn’t seem to catch a breath and I felt like there was no point in living anymore, I can honestly say that was my lowest point in my 27years on this planet. I had never contemplated accelerating the time till I will meet the heavenly father but at that point I felt like it was better to be with him above than down here on earth. But something stopped me in my thoughts, would he above receive me gracefully if my meeting him was via my own accord and not because it was my time? I decided it’s best to live and enjoy the life I have been afforded and be grateful for my loving parents and siblings.

I have always told my friends that I am too selfish when it comes to my life that I would never no matter what want to accelerate (end) my life whilst here on this planet. I have always said I want to enjoy it to the fullest and not have so much self-pity to contemplate the extremes and there I was all by myself with no family or friends nearby to run to; just me and my thoughts. I have also always claimed I am a self-motivated person and one who has said ‘happiness is a choice – one which I choose 100%’ so then why after these claims did I find myself in this situation? My answer I AM ONLY HUMAN.

I have been battling so many things for so long alone and it’s scary. I recently told my little sister that I am done living life for other people, I am done being the one that has to be considerate and be the one that feels other people’s pain. No one asked me to be like this this is how I was born this is how I was brought up this is how I am. I do not want to lose my human empathy but at present I just want to be me with no care in the world. Is this too much to ask? Is it wrong for me to be selfish and not care about what’s happening around me? I am hurting so much and all I want is to run away but that’s not how I was raised but then again I do not want to face my problems I just want to be happy all by myself and if the lord sees it fit for me to share this with another human being so be it.

Degustabox ~ August Box Impressions

Hi there and welcome to my August review of my favourite and only foodie box ‘DegustaboxUK’. Unless you are new to this these parts. You will know I subscribe to this foodie box which I receive every month-end roughly the 28^th or there abouts. To subscribe it is easy and its very affordable and the charge £12.99 which included the delivery charge and what you get is worth more than the price of the subscription so I think this is a win in my book. Last month’s box I got a lot of items that required me to be in the kitchen to use them, I am not complaining just saying how it is and most of you know I hardly cook where I live (psst! am moving so cooking will commence – more on this later). So though I loved the content of the July box I hardly used it plus there was an issue with the first box – the delivery company didn’t handle the boxes well so my bottles came broken and everything was soaking wet. I did contact Degusta who quickly arranged for a new box with everything re-sent to me within 2 days I was very impressed and happy to say this month’s box everything has come as it should. Anyway onto the contents;

Mexican Dave’s tortilla chips

I am not a tortilla chips person but boy do I love these, they taste great and they are very very affordable (£1 only). They are available in Tesco from the 25^th August, for me why I love these so much is they have no MSG or anything artificial plus they were cooked in sunflower oil. These get a recommendation from me.

Berry White organic drinks

These drinks are really delicious and it does what it says on the bottle, I got the berries/peaches and it is absolutely delicious. The Berry White drinks come in different flavors and can be purchased from Waitrose or online at Ocado for £1.59 each and I think this is really reasonable. I happily recommend this drink to all.

Schwartz

I do not know if I have ever used flavor shots before (does chicken/beef stock cubes count?), these flavor shots look really interesting and cannot wait to try them out. They are priced at £1.39 for 2, isn’t that just fantastic? I mean what more can you ask for? They come in 8 different flavors, and can be bought at any UK leading supermarket. I got Mexican fajitas and Spanish smoked paprika chicken, these too I am recommending to all.

Caribbean Twist

Ok I have a confession to make I LOVE COCKTAILS Hahaha, my friends and I are familiar with this little baby and similar ones when we were at university a few moons ago. I am yet to try this out but since I am going out next week to celebrate my friend’s birthday in London so will take this so thanks Degusta it came at the right time. The price is reasonable (£2.50) since in clubs they charge anything from £5 upwards for a decent cocktail I think I am happy to buy this myself. I do not have to recommend because it’s a no-brainer that this will be drunk and enjoyed.

LINDT

Another confession I LOVE LINDT CHOCOLATE, actually all chocolate (excluding dark chocolate) and when I saw this I shed a beautiful happiness tear. Firstly I love the packaging for me it really helps when buying something from chocolate to makeup. Y’all know Lindt is quality and pricey but that’s ok because this good chocolate is £3.49 which I think isn’t too bad. This comes highly recommended.

Cawston Press

What I love about Degusta is that there is always something for everyone in the family, this kids drink is super cute and I drunk it quickly and happily like a kid (don’t judge). I got the Apple & Pear flavor and I love 100%, the price is more than ok its £1.89 for 3 of these. Best part is there is no added sugar to them or any artificial anything.

Brioche Pasquier – 8 pains au lait

Well what can I say, firstly I was super surprised to find this product in the box then I was super happy because that meant I didn’t have to go buy any rolls – Degusta great timing and saving me money. They are so soft and so yummy it hurts, they are so moist and just yummy. They are priced at £1.69 which I do not think is actually bad even for frugal me.

Brioche Pasquier – 6 pains au chocolate

This is similar to the above but it contains chocolate and it just as tasteful but 10 pence pricey (£1.79).

Dr.Oetker

I finally got the edible wafer cases – when I was a kid I was always annoyed that I lost some of the cupcake to the cover and wondered why no one thought of making cases that I can eat (don’t judge). I am so happy and since my little since has got the baking bug I am taking this home with me this weekend so we can use them.

In this month’s box I got an extra coupon (£3) which I can use to purchase a 4 pack of Bircher Muesli (MOMA), I am well pleased and cant not wait to run to Sainsbury’s and grab me these wonderful yoghurts. I will say with 100% confidence that I am very pleased with this Month’s box and I have enjoyed it more than any other box have received since I subscribed.

{Book Review} Vegetarian Quick & Easy meals ~ Under 15 minutes

Hi there and welcome to yet another book review on all things vegetarian. I am having such a ball trying out all the different recipes, the greatest part is they are so easy to make and they are healthy. I never thought I would actually enjoy vegetarian anything until I started reading Jonathan Vine's books. On Wednesday I went out for a work lunch and all I could think about was the vegetarian assorted bean salad I had in the fridge. So when we got to the restaurant I went straight for the salad menu and I couldn't believe it me of all people looking at the salads instead of burgers. I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of this salad (sad face) but I can share the contents

• Salmon
• Cray fish
• Avocado 
• The usual salad contents; lettuce! tomatoes!onions!cucumber
• The dressing was olive oil and vinegar.

Again, this isn't something I would have taken as first choice but since my read go the vegetarian books I am now well informed.

Book Review

Well written, gives you enough knowledge but doesn't overload you with too much Information. Grammar was on point and it actually has pictures. The recipes are easy to follow and they is enough for everyone, what I love is they are all essentially under 15 minutes to make. There is something for busy mummies even date night. I would recommend this to everyone and I have really enjoyed my read.

If you would like to purchase this book please use this LINK. If you would like to check out my other reviews of vegetarian books please click HERE and HERE.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR

My name is Jonathan Vine, and I was caught up in the vegetarian lifestyle a few years back. I have to say that giving up on meat did not struck me in a single moment, nor it was a swift decision, but an inner journey that evolved within a few months. Eventually I took a final decision that the suffering of animals is my grief and my motivation.
I was always enthusiastic about cooking. For me this is absolutely one of the greatest joys life can offer. With my vegetarian cooking style, I never feel deprived of what I eat, but rather satisfied and exhilarated with each bite.
My goal is to publish books that will empower readers to improve their health and well-being through simple everyday ingredients and low fat recipes that make eating affordable, realistic and delicious.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

{Recipe} Healthier and Easy to make Salad

Hi there and welcome to my first ever recipe post on “The Myrabev Life”, for the last two months I have been sharing with you all the lovely vegetarian books I have been reading and reviewing but I am yet to share with you some recipes that I either came up with or got the idea from the books. Today’s recipe I whipped up myself at work and it actually tastes really really good. This is the 2^nd most ‘Greens or produce’ containing food I have ever consumed in my adult life, like I mentioned in my last book review post – I grew up with a vegetarian lifestyle one not by choice but by necessity. I remember growing up back home and we used avocado (mashed up and added some sugar for taste) only on bread like you would peanut butter or butter so I was very surprised and shocked to see avocado used in salads, since then I have been on a mission to find a way I can have avocado in my salad. Today I am sharing with you my one little creation I am proud of and so excited to share.

Ingredients:

·         Assortment of beans plus herbs (red kidney beans, borlotti beans, cannellini beans, fresh spring onions, red onions, parsley, mint, sliced black olives) I used Three Bean Salad by Delphi which was marinated in olive oil and herbs.

·         Avocado

·         Tomatoes

·         Salt & black pepper

·         Assortment of salad leaves à I bought the Sainsbury assorted salad

·         Optional – German sausages 

Preparation time: under 5 minutes

1.       Cut up the tomatoes to your desired side and sauté with salt/pepper

2.       I prefer my salad leaves really small so I cut mine up and mix with the tomatoes

3.       Microwave the sausages for 1 minute, cut into small desired pieces

4.       Cut up the avocado, I had a whole one (was not too big)

5.       Lastly mix-up everything with the assortment of beans and add a little salt/pepper if you want.

 This is how I made my healthy salad (also vegetarian), it contains all the good stuff I need and the best part I still get my piece of meat (even if it’s just small German sausages). Let me know what you think of my little creation, I am just starting out with trying new things so am very excited for the exploring that I can do.