It’s time for VeganMoFo 2019!

It’s August 1, which means it’s time for VeganMoFo (Vegan Month of Food)!

This is my second year participating in VeganMoFo. I had so much fun doing this last year (start here if you want to check out last year’s contributions), sharing all about Zero Waste Vegan and food preservation techniques that I thought I’d do it again! This year I’m following the prompts, which has been super fun! I’ve got a whole month of great recipes, super ideas, and, of course, ways to incorporate whole, plant-based food and zero waste.

Welcome to VeganMoFo 2019!

If you’re new to me by way of the VeganMoFo link, allow me to introduce myself! I am a Vegan Health and Lifestyle Coach in the Seattle, Washington area with my business, Trimazing! Vegan Health and Lifestyle Coaching. I started health and wellness coaching during my 20-year firefighting career, leading the Wellness/Fitness program at my fire department as part of the International Association of Firefighters/International Association of Fire Chiefs Wellness Fitness Initiative until I retired in 2014. I am a certified Health Coach through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and WellStart Health; ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist and Peer Fitness Trainer; Main Street Vegan Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator; Rouxbe Culinary School Plant-Based Professional; licensed paramedic; 5 Gyres Ambassador; and hold a Master’s degree in Leadership, with focused study on servant leadership and coaching.

I was here…

I live in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley, just East of Seattle, Washington, where I enjoy all the beauty and bounty this region has to offer! When I am not busy coaching or working with clients, you can find me gardening, cycling, open water swimming, hiking, volunteering in my community, or spending time with our large family.

Chased down by a little girl on a half-Ironman course!

I became vegan in 2009. I was struggling with being overweight and was really unhealthy. And I was scared I was going to die of cancer. My dad and his mom had both died of blood cancers and the governor of the state where I worked had enacted a law adding 12 types of cancer to occupational disease presumptions for firefighters, including the blood cancers my relatives had; this meant that being a firefighter exposed me to substances that could cause cancer. I couldn’t change my genetics and I didn’t want to stop being a firefighter, so I started to research cancer risk reduction. I found study after study pointing toward decreased incidence of all types of cancer with significant reduction or elimination of animal protein consumption. But more than that, a whole foods, plant-based diet was also found to reduce, even reverse Type II (adult onset) diabetes, and the cardiovascular benefits were extremely compelling, too. So I decided to try it. Without going on a diet and just putting better fuel (plant-based nutrition) into my body, that year I dropped 60 pounds, 7 uniform pants sizes, 3 uniform shirt sizes, and dropped my cholesterol and blood pressure readings. Beyond looking better, my fitness level soared, and gave me new energy I could not contain. I became an adult-onset athlete at the age of 39! Ten years later, I still maintain great health and fitness without ever dieting.

Firefigher Stairclimb Competition. I raced in memory of my dad and grandmother, with their photos tucked in my helmet.

I started this blog in 2010 not necessarily to chronicle my transition to veganism, but to share my journey into my new-found love of athletics. I’d never been an athlete and was really excited to share everything I was learning about triathlon and how being whole food plant-based contributed to it. What started out as a personal campaign to improve my health and prevent disease led me to examine all areas of my life and develop incredible stewardship for animals and the environment—veganism truly opened my eyes. Now, not only does my blog look at triathlon, but whole food plant-based food, and the environmental impact of being an ethical, zero waste vegan as well.

“The greatest gift you can give yourself is joy, not only because of the feeling that goes with it at the moment, but because of the magnificent experience it will draw to you. It will produce wonders in your life.” ~Jack Boland

Thank you so much for following me on this journey! This month I will share vegan food-based tips, tricks, lessons learned, recipes, resources, and more on zero waste. Please join me this throughout August, and beyond, to learn simple steps to a better life and world, and be #Trimazing!

And don’t forget my new giveaway!

Fast & Easy Vegan Cookbook Giveaway

I’ll draw one winner August 21, 2019 for JL Fields’ new , before you can even buy it online or in stores!

You want this cookbook! It brings a new selection of fresh meals to your table, pronto! From one-pot to pressure cooker, choose your favorite cooking method―without being held hostage for hours in your kitchen. It includes 100 quick and tasty vegan recipes, plus tips for ingredient substitution and other easy customizations, and handy labels for gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, or soy-free diets.

So hurry and enter by August 20th. Open to U.S. residents only.

JL Fields Fast and Easy Cookbook Giveaway

You can also pre-order the book or order it after the contest is over on Amazon.