One Year Since Graduating | My Life Since Uni + Graduate Tips

It feels crazy that nearly a whole year has gone by since I left university. Nothing will beat living in a city and being surrounded by your friends (AKA actually having a social life). Even though I could have stayed in Glasgow and gotten a job to tie me over whilst I made some decisions about my future, I decided to come back home for a bit. To be honest, I never thought I'd move back here - where I'm from is quite the opposite from city life. University was an amazing period of my life but mentally it drained me a lot. I thought it was important to cool myself off from stress for a year before venturing into adult life, and oh boy am I now ready to get back into a fast-paced routine!

As the high from finishing exams finally started to dwindle, I found myself twiddling my thumbs thinking, “right, what the f*ck do I do now?”. It was frustrating me that I was potentially not going to use the knowledge from my degree in order to give myself an income. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I would become a tutor. With hindsight, this was such a great decision. Not only was I going to be using my knowledge from my degree to tutor biology and chemistry, I was also pushing myself out of my comfort zone which has massively boosted my confidence. Now believe I can do almost anything! 

Onto my second year post-uni plans (yikes that sounds old). I have dreamed of travelling Australia for a while now... so thats what I've decided to do! In January-March 2019 I am planning to travel the East coast of Oz with my boyfriend. I am so excited to make happy memories that I can look back on in the tough years to come. Plus, my seasonal affective disorder would probably thank me for it (long dark days are my biggest enemy). I have always wanted to explore the world - I’m a bit of a travelling noob - but a) my anxiety of flying stopped me and b) I was missing a travel buddy. Though, this does mean I am going to have to save save save this year... But I'm hoping long hours of working will be all worth it!

After my time travelling I have my sights set on doing a master’s degree in nutrition, an area I am very passionate about. It may take me two years post-pharmacology degree to get my butt back in education, but I'm hoping that this time out will give me a much better mindset for the next chapter.

My tips for newbie graduates…

• You don’t need to know what you want to do next. Trust me, I had many mini meltdowns stressing about the fact I didn’t want to go into the pharmaceutical industry. I think taking a gap year post-university is nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, I would encourage it for anyone feeling that final year PTSD - you don't want to burn yourself out.
• Don’t be afraid to change you path. My new journey into nutrition isn’t completely far fetched from my degree in pharmacology, but any degree is a one way ticket into a lot of jobs. Many companies look at skills you would have gained from your degree - especially if it’s an analytical one such as a science of some sort. You might think university was a "waste of time" but you'll be surprised how many places it can take you. Consider using your universities career service - I did, and I was really inspired. Plus, they'll probably put your mind at ease and tell you that most people don't stick to their degree area post-uni.
• Focus on yourself, not what you think everyone else thinks you should do. It’s hard for families to not have an influence on your thoughts about what the next steps are. Take advice, but don’t let others impact YOUR decisions. This is your future after all and if it takes you a little bit longer than everyone else to have your lightbulb moment, then don’t worry!

Megan.

Photocredit: @michael_d_beckwith on Flickr (labelled to allow reuse + modification).

Weekend In Oxford | Tips for Eating Out as a Vegan

Last weekend I went on a trip to Oxford to visit family. My mum, sister and I flew to Bristol (fun fact: I hate flying) where my dad picked us up to drive to the town of Abingdon. We took a detour on our journey to get food supplies from Tesco for breakfast, lunch and snacks. I also picked up some pasta and sauce just incase I could not get a decent meal whilst we were out at a restaurant (always be prepared). Funnily enough, this pasta did not get eaten the entire time we were there, as the whole weekend I ate just as much as everyone else when we went out for a meal. In this post I am going to share my experience eating at non-vegan restaurants in Oxford, with some additional tips on eating out as a vegan.

The first night we got there we had a table booked at a pub called The Nags Head in Abingdon. This was a last minute arrangement and I did not expect to have a full meal there, so I ate some hobnobs and vegan nutella before going. FYI this is the most amazing combo ever and you have to try it. Unknown to me, my Grandad had notified the restaurant that a vegan would be attending and asked them if they could cater for me. 

When we were sat at our table, the waitress came over to chat to me about what the chef could make and she told me there was a vegan in earlier that night! I am not a fussy eater at all so I had no fear just letting them know I would be happy for them to make me anything, plus chips (incase they decide some leaves on the plate are a substantial meal). I was very wrong. 

They brought me out a plate full of Mediterranean roasted vegetables, olives and potatoes in the most delicious tomato sauce I have ever tasted, with fresh herbs to top it off. It may not sound spectacular but trust me, it was. My dad and sister also had a taste (as I kept raving about how good it was) and they were just as amazed as me. Seriously, what was in that sauce? Unfortunately I do not have a photo to show you but just trust me when I say it was a 10/10 meal.

The next day we headed to Guildford and whilst we were waiting for the rest of our family to arrive, we headed to Giraffe for a drink. My sister got this green smoothie called the Green Canyon which is made up of kale, banana, spinach and apple juice - healthy AF, whilst I decided to stick with water. The coffee's looked tempting but I had already had my caffeine fix that day in the form of a soya latte from Costa (too much caffeine makes me feel AWFUL). I know I could have asked for decaf but I have serious trust issues - Costa have let me down before and I thought I was having a heart attack.

Later that day, we decided to go to Pizza Express with the whole family. My Grandad was worried there wouldn't be anything I could eat but little did he know there is actually a vegan pizza on their menu! For a starter I ordered the Superboost salad which consists of:

Black rice, edamame beans, red quinoa, mung beans, chickpeas, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, kale, rocket, roasted peppers and parsley.

This was probably one of the best salads I have ever had so it's a thumbs up from me! For my main I chose the Pianta pizza which is cheese-less and topped with spinach, mushrooms, pine kernels, artichoke, tomato, chilli flakes, garlic oil, olive oil, rocket and fresh parsley. There are other pizzas which can of course be veganised by choosing a vegetarian one and asking for no cheese, however I do recommend the Pianta if you like all the ingredients listed above! 

For Sunday lunch we went to my Grandad's favourite pub for a roast dinner - The Brewery Tap. We had already notified the chef weeks in advance that I (THE vegan - my second name for the weekend) was going to be coming as well, hoping that they could whip something together. Yet again I had no high hopes, I just wanted to enjoy the company of my family. 

To my surprise the chef had made me a mushroom and celeriac pie, with the addition of pearl barley inside as well. It was another successful meal which I absolutely loved. On the side I was also given broccoli and sauteed leaks (not photographed) to have with the roasted potatoes, carrot and parsnip - deeelicious!

All in all I was extremely lucky to have 3 amazing meals over the whole weekend. Especially when 2 of the restaurants didn't even have a single vegan meal on their menu - which they definitely should as they all tasted so good. Below I have listed some tips which I hope will give you some ideas about eating out as a vegan. It is a lot easier than you think!

Tips for eating vegan at a non-vegan restaurant:

1. Call up in advance. If you are booking a table a few weeks or days in advance then let them know that one (or more) of your guests are vegan. This will ensure the chef has the appropriate ingredients in to make the meal and hopefully they will have had enough time to think of something tasty to make.

2. Let them know if something can be veganised. Last summer I was attending a family meal at a restaurant and we had to pre-order our main meal weeks in advance. I asked for the spinach and chickpea burger on their menu to be veganised (no egg used as a binder and no cheese), which turned out to be really good!

3. If all else fails, make a meal out of sides. Ask for some chips (make sure these are not cooked in animal fat - they usually aren't), salad, vegetables or anything else to tie you over until you get home. If worst comes to worst then you can always grab yourself an orange juice or a gin and tonic.

Most chain restaurants have items on their menu which are vegan or can be veganised. If you are unsure, check on google beforehand or ask the waiter/waitress.

I hope you enjoyed this post and got some helpful tips about eating out as a vegan! I have had a couple of bad experiences eating out at non-vegan restaurants but most of the time people have been very accommodating and I ended up having a fantastic meal. Additionally, if you have good vegan restaurants nearby, why not take your friends there to try the food? They might just be surprised at how good vegan food can be...

Triple Chocolate Cookies | VEGAN BAKING

I have fallen in love with this triple chocolate cookie recipe. Soft on the inside with a slight crunch on the outside, cookies don't get much better than that! This vegan recipe is simple and very quick to make, with all the ingredients being available in your local supermarket. It's the perfect recipe for a rainy Sunday to make you feel better about Monday being right around the corner. 

These cookies remind me of the ones my family used to buy from the bakery section in the supermarket, except they are better! My sister said you would never be able to tell they were vegan (woo!). The best bit about vegan baking is that you can eat the cookie dough remains off the spoon without the fear of raw egg being in the mixture. Personally, I love making giant cookies but you can make smaller ones if you want...

This recipe makes 8 large cookies or 16 small cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 110g Vegan butter (I used the soya Pure butter)
• 200g Light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Ground flaxseeds, mixed with 2tbsp water
• 180g Plain Flour (this recipe works with gluten free flour too - I use Doves Farm)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 130g Dairy free chocolate (I used a mix of milk, white and dark - all purchased from Tesco) chunks, I simply chopped up the chocolate bars

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 190 C (or 375 F). Cover a baking tray or two with baking paper. I also put a little bit of coconut oil on the baking paper to give it extra protection from sticking but this is optional.
• First pre-make your flax "egg" by adding the ground flaxseeds and water into a small bowl. Leave for 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, add the vegan butter, sugar and vanilla extract and cream until smooth and fluffy. Then add the flax "egg" and combine the mix together.
• Next add the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, flour and salt to the wet ingredients and combine until it forms a dough.
• If you are using dairy free chocolate bars, chop them into chunks (make sure they aren't TOO big) and fold them into the mixture. 
• At this point if your dough is too sticky, put in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Shape the dough in your hands into balls (the size will depend on how many you want to make) and place on the baking tray (the cookies will expand A LOT so be careful to leave a good amount of space between them). If your mixture is too sticky still, have some flour to hand so you can add some more to the dough and you hands to prevent sticking. 
• Slightly flatten the dough balls with your hands (they will grow in width themselves too).
• If you are making 8 cookies bake for 18-20 minutes and if you are making 16 cookies bake for 10-12 minutes. 
• Once you take them out of the oven leave them to cool and harden slightly. When they are no longer really soft, you can put them on a cooling rack to cool down further. 

These cookies are perfect to share with friends and family, or for making ice cream cookie sandwiches! I really hope that you enjoy this recipe!