beholdnormalcy

[beholdnormalcy]

Why have strict religious regulation on clothing when the Creator made man naked?

Obviously I am not a religious scholar. But I had this sudden thought. All my amature knowledge on a wide range of religions distille down into this bizarre concept. In the Judo-Christian-Islamic traditions, the God created Man and Woman in the Garden of Eden and they were both naked. The Original Sin is Eve disobeying and eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The first realization she and Adam have are that they are naked.

Conclusion: God doesn't care what humans wear. Humans were naked until this Original Sin incident. Only other humans care about clothing.

Yet we exist in a world where there are strict rules about what men and women are supposed to wear. Be it in their daily wear or for religious activities.

The most conservative religious sects require extremely conservative clothing which covers nearly all exposed skin. The most obvious is the burkas required by strict Islamic sects. But all Judo-Christian-Islamic have sects that have similar requirements. Women are usually the most subjugated. Special hats, long sleeves, long skirts, loose and non-formfitting clothing of any sort.

Conclusion: Organized Religions use clothing as a means to control their adherents and to villainize those who do not comply.

I remember growing up in the Church of Christ and the preacher angrily demonizing the cheerleader for the skimpy attire that is their uniform.

While I agreed that the cheerleader uniforms are unnecessarily small and expose a great deal of a prepubescent girl, I disagreed with the preacher villianizing the girls who are wearing these uniforms and not the adults who assign the uniform in the first place.

This disconnect among others of similar veins of thought fueled my distrust of organized religions telling women in particular that they are evil for their choice of clothing.

It is the patriarchy assuming control and asserting dominance over half of the population.

Which is why the most conservative sects of religion force women into a second class, not even a citizen in some sects. Those women have no freedom of choice.

It is dangerous to these women. They are not allowed to go to school, not allowed to drive, not allowed medical care unless the man is making the decisions.

Conclusion: Conservative Religions only exist to empower a small group of men and to subjugate the rest.

What truly worries me is the legislation being enacted by conservative religions are trying to legitimize their existance by refusing agency to others.

If some of these opinions become law, I will not be allowed to choose my own reproductive health. I will not be able to wear the clothing I enjoy. I will not be able to be independent.

These are the very choices the Women's Rights activitist have granted us and it terrifies the conservative right. They are loosing their power and their dominance.

#opinion #essay #religion #unpopular opinion #controversial #christianity #judaism #islam #conservatives #conservative men #god created humans naked #religion uses clothing as a means of control #religion is a cult #organized religion #control #cult #women's rights #pro life #pro choice #conservative right #independence #choice #reclaiming pro life tag for true pro life for all

[beholdnormalcy]

Sugar withdrawal

So I had a low grade headache for the past couple of days without relief from medication or sleep. At first I thought it was eye strain (which might still contribute. I really do need to go to the eye doctor). Or a very bad tension headache because my jaw is super tight from stress. 

And then I had some ice cream with my homemade apple pie and that headache started to disappear. 

I have not had a sugar withdrawal headache before and I do not like it. But I went nearly 5 days without sugar, so it can be done. I just need to time that headache for days off rather than right before I have to work three nights in a row.

#sugar withdrawal #journal

[beholdnormalcy]

This was an interesting experiment in translating foods into a vegan variety. I will need to keep playing with ingredients

Finally got around to trying Reaper’s Breakfast Quesadilla. Made it vegan friendly. Tastes as spicy or mild as the ingredients used. This one is much more mild than I might otherwise create, but since my hot sauce of choice is Sriracha I thought to try more Mexican inspired flavors first.

Since I made this vegan, I ignored the eggs. Used Tex-Mex flavored jackfruit instead. If you’re not familiar with jackfruit, it is kinda like shredded pork and takes the taste of whatever it is flavored with. It’s presence is growing in American supermarkets. My sister even said there was chorizo jackfruit at Trader Joe’s, but that was too far for me to travel. If you don’t have jackfruit, try a tofu scramble.

Couple of things to be aware of. Use a sturdy tortilla. Mine is super thin and flimsy, obvious not paying attention to what I was about to put on it when I bought it. Also most tortilla I found were 4 in, 6 in or 12 in. Similar assembly instructions would apply to all sizes.

The vegan cheddar ended up turning soft and soupy faster than regular cheddar. Still tasted great, but my quesadilla fell apart easily between the super melted cheese and flimsy tortilla. Hard to say if more cheese would have helped or hurt in this. Will let you know when I try again.

I topped it with fresh pico de gallo. My preference over salsa. 

Best thing about this recipe is the adaptability. Don’t have something, don’t like something? Use what tastes good. I know I’m going to pull out my Sriracha next time. Besides what can go wrong with a quesadilla?

#quesadilla #vegan #vegetarian #food #photo

[beholdnormalcy]

Mercy’s Alpine Cheese Soup. Warm, creamy, with a stick to your ribs quality that works perfectly for a chill winter night. Made with alterations to make this dairy free. 

I used the measurements as guidelines and came up with closer to 4 ½ two cup servings. 

Being a lazy cook, I also do not peal my potatoes as that is where most of the nutrients are, but if you want this to look pretty for a party or family gathering it is definitely the way to go.

For the cheese, in order to go dairy free I used a smoked gouda, so it is a dramatic difference in taste than the gruyere cheese that is easily found in America. Smoked gouda is still a salty cheese with a strong flavor profile. I short changed myself with the amount, but the flavor is not lost. Expect a slight film to occur as the soup cools.

This is a delicious soup. Fairly simple to make. Choose your cheese for your tastes. With a salty cheese you will not have to add extra salt at the end. I was in the mood to use white pepper. It blends into the color palate better than black pepper. Again use what you have and like the taste of.

The recipe is adaptable. But because of the potatoes do not freeze it if prepping for the future. 

#vegetarian #dairy free #recipe review #overwatch

[beholdnormalcy]

First measurable improvement. Two point weight loss. A small gold star during a rough week of high stress and little sleep. Using it to stay motivated. 

#update

[beholdnormalcy]

I decided to meal prep today and chose recipes from the Overwatch Cookbook. With a few alterations. Presenting Ana’s Lentil Soup and Doomfist’s Jollof Rice. I used a heavy cream substitute of silken tofu and soy milk blended together for the soup. The Lentil Soup is creamy and mild. Next time I would add a bit more Za’atar spice. It is a great dish for winter. The Jollof Rice has extra firm tofu in place of chicken breasts. And brown rice as that was in my pantry. Because I don’t have access to the Scotch bonnet pepper there are two red bell peppers and hot curry powder. It is fantastically spicy. Hints for next time: A food processor works for blending the soup, but messy. I’ll invest in an immersion blender. And I messed up and used tomato sauce rather than tomato paste, but I don’t think I could tell the difference. The brown rice needed the extra water.

[beholdnormalcy]

I decided to meal prep today and chose recipes from the Overwatch Cookbook. With a few alterations. Presenting Ana’s Lentil Soup and Doomfist’s Jollof Rice. I used a heavy cream substitute of silken tofu and soy milk blended together for the soup. The Lentil Soup is creamy and mild. Next time I would add a bit more Za’atar spice. It is a great dish for winter. The Jollof Rice has extra firm tofu in place of chicken breasts. And brown rice as that was in my pantry. Because I don’t have access to the Scotch bonnet pepper there are two red bell peppers and hot curry powder. It is fantastically spicy. Hints for next time: A food processor works for blending the soup, but messy. I’ll invest in an immersion blender. And I messed up and used tomato sauce rather than tomato paste, but I don’t think I could tell the difference. The brown rice needed the extra water.

#overwatch #overwatch cookbook #caloric intake #calorie count

[beholdnormalcy]

Couple days in

So the good news is I’ve done two days with meditations and push ups. I was able to do 10 full push ups rather than the half ones from the knees. Only went about three inches deep, but hey, progress.

And the meal prep is working well. Don’t have to think too hard about food on workdays when I’m just exhausted from a 12 hour shift. Now to keep it up next week. Already trying to plan for next week. There is a cheese soup I want to try.

#update #progress

[beholdnormalcy]

Gravity s Grin via NASA https://ift.tt/2PkdyaR

[beholdnormalcy]

The Hunchback of Notre Dame storyboards to movie 

[beholdnormalcy]

I decided to meal prep today and chose recipes from the Overwatch Cookbook. With a few alterations.

Presenting Ana’s Lentil Soup and Doomfist’s Jollof Rice.

I used a heavy cream substitute of silken tofu and soy milk blended together for the soup. The Lentil Soup is creamy and mild. Next time I would add a bit more Za’atar spice. It is a great dish for winter.

The Jollof Rice has extra firm tofu in place of chicken breasts. And brown rice as that was in my pantry. Because I don’t have access to the Scotch bonnet pepper there are two red bell peppers and hot curry powder. It is fantastically spicy.

Hints for next time: A food processor works for blending the soup, but messy. I’ll invest in an immersion blender. And I messed up and used tomato sauce rather than tomato paste, but I don’t think I could tell the difference. The brown rice needed the extra water. 

#meal prep #overwatch

[beholdnormalcy]

Beginning a Life Changing Journey

Well here goes... I’m chosing to embark upon the transition to vegetarianism possibly even veganism. I’ve already tried to include more vegetarian options in my diet by way of the meal delivery sites. Namely Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, and Daily Harvest. These work well, but can be end up being expensive. So I’ve decided use recipes. Either pure vegetarian or altered to become vegetarian. 

At the moment I’m still fond of eggs and do not know a good substitute for omelets. But I’ll figure it out. Butter and creams will also be difficult to give up.

Accompanying me on this dietary journey is a exercise regime. I currently go to cardio kickboxing once a week, but I am trying to go more often. I enjoy lifting weights, but as I have started school again my budget hasn’t quite equaled out.

And daily meditations is a goal of mine. I use Insight Timer to track my days. I’ve not been very good at it. But between increasing yoga and meditation practices, I hope to find a routine.

The biggest barriers I face right now are being a night shift nurse, casual enjoyment of alcohol, and a cycle of mild self diagnosed (yeah I haven’t gone to a doctor) manic/depressive tendencies.

I’ll be sharing my progress and setbacks. But mostly I hope to share successes and how I overcome. I’m a writer and enjoy journaling. Yet I have not used my paper journals in sometime. This will be a replacement.

#life change #vegan #vegetarian #meditation #workout #weight training #meal prep #yoga #journal