Chic Vegan

Are you guys tired of hearing about my month of raw yet? Well, this is the last post about it, I promise!

Yesterday was officially my last day of eating raw and guess what I ate for breakfast today?  Tempt Ice Cream! I am a complete maniac. Needless to say my stomach hurt for a good portion of the day. What is wrong with me? (By the way, the ice cream was delicious.)

What I Learned

30 days of raw food taught me to really value persistence and willpower. Every single day I was tortured with the possibility of warm hearty food.( Burritos… I heard you calling my name.)  I literally took one day at a time and sometimes even one hour at a time. This made me realize the power that I let food have over me.

Needless to say, food is an important part of my life. I cherish it and enjoy it’s nurturing goodness. I relish in the occasional goodie or not-so-good-for-you meal. But never did I realize how much I let food and the idea of it control me. Sadly enough, in 30 days my willpower failed me a few times, but all in all I am proud of my accomplishment and would endorse a raw diet to just about everyone.

The Benefits

Weight loss – My intention of doing a raw food adventure was not to lose weight, but it was an added bonus! I lost a great deal of weight the first 2 weeks – 8 lbs to be exact. I was kind of nervous because I didn’t want to shed too much weight. I love my muscles and curves! But my body knew exactly what to do and after I lost those initial pounds everything regulated and I remained (and still remain) at this ideal weight. This was quite amazing considering the fact that I was consuming at least 2,000 + calories a day.

Mental clarity – My thoughts were extra clear and I felt an increased sense of well-being. I would fade in and out of “zen” moments. This was all very nice and unexpected. I didn’t realize how scattered my thoughts were until they were calm and collected.

Energy – I had tons of energy! I kicked ass at the gym and in aerial class. I didn’t have bouts of sleepiness or “crashes” during the day anymore. I also needed less sleep. Unfortunately this was not a constant occurance during the end of the month. (See: “the pitfalls”)

Lightness – It might have been the weight loss or the extra energy, but I felt incredibly light during my time eating raw. I’m not really sure how else to explain it, but my body and mind felt light and airy.

Bye bye PCOS – Remember when I said that something really exciting was happening? Well, almost all of my PCOS symptoms disappeared during the last month. For those of you unfamiliar, PCOS (short for Polcystic Ovarian Syndrome ) is an endocrine disorder. It is closely related to female infertility, diabetes, obesity and a long list of other symptoms and side effects. I initially cut gluten out of my diet to control the symptoms of PCOS and that worked really, really well. However during this month I noticed that many of my annoying symptoms like hair growth, cramps, and breakouts completely disappeared.  I really believe that if I keep eating gluten free and high raw that I can naturally get my period again! (I haven’t had my period naturally in a few years… don’t be jealous, you actually start to miss it at a certain point.)

Bye Bye Migraines – I typically get 6-7 migraines a month. The type of migraines I get leave me in bed for hours and sometimes whole days. This past month I had 2. And I was able to take an Excedrin, a nap and get on with my day. This fact alone makes me want to be raw all the time!

The pitfalls

Weakness – Towards the end of the month I started to have “funky spells” where I would feel light-headed and weak. Some people suggested that I might have been detoxing. It also may have been completely irrelevant to my raw diet.  I’m not sure what it was, but it was not fun!

Constant cravings – {insert KD Lang joke here} I was constantly craving non-raw foods. Even food that I didn’t typically eat anyway. These cravings continued for the whole…entire…month.  This was totally due to my personal food addictions/obsessions.

Not enough diversity - After a while, everything started to taste the same. After two weeks my tastebuds started to get a little bored.  It might be because I was not exploring enough diverse foods or recipe But is could also be because there is only so much you can do with veggies and nuts!

Future Plans

I am so happy I completed The Raw Food Adventure. I think that it helped me grow and come to grips with my food hang-ups and obsessions. It also helped me become more in tune with my body and what it needs. I am now able to easily feel my blood sugar rise and fall and then eat accordingly. Pretty cool!

From here on out I am planning on eating high raw, gluten free and alkaline (80/20). I would like to avoid refined/processed foods, soy, sugar, and caffeine. My main goal is to eat to cure my PCOS and get the hormones in my body regulated on their own. I really feel like I am on the right path. However, I do know that I am human and really love food (and sweets!). I am not going to beat myself up about slipping up and having unhealthy food once in a while. What is the point of eating crap unless you can enjoy it?

This week I will be covering fashion for the endlessly busy and broke college chick!  But first I want to add some afterthoughts about last week’s post on eating vegan for cheap, on (and off) campus.

Thrifty Grocery Shopping Addendum

There were some wonderful comments on part one of this article which made me realize I missed a key budget shopping point!  Comparison shopping is probably the best way to save money while grocery shopping.  Check out your weekly circulars or email updates from your favorite stores. You can also only buy produce that is on sale and flex your culinary muscles by developing new recipes with the random items you have bought.  And did you know that there are these magical places called salvage grocery stores? They are kind of like food outlets and you can find some wonderful bargains.  (A special thanks to Miss Molly Horn for these additions. )

Now, on to some fabulous  fashion tips for all of you busy (and broke) collegiate ladies!

Reduce, Re-use, Up-cycle!

Before you toss the clothes you haven’t worn in years, stop and evaluate them closely. Why are you going to get rid of this?  Is it too big for you? Too small? Is there a rip, burn or stain? If there is some aspect of this piece that you still love, be it the fabric, the cut, or the buttons – Save it and turn it into something else. Turn an old pair of jeans into a skirt, a sweater into a tote bag.. use your imagination and learn some crafty skills along the way!

Go to a thrift store and consider what the clothing can become instead of what it is. $30 and a bit of time can give you a whole new season of clothes. Plus you’ll be known as “that cool indie chick”.  Check out this girl who is making totally adorable clothing from $1 thrift dresses that most people would typically turn up their noses.

If you are not the crafty, sew-y type, just learn to embrace the amazing world of vintage shopping. And I’m not talking about buying a tacky 80′s prom dress on Ebay for $200. I’m talking about down and dirty second-hand shopping. The frustrations! The endless searches! The questionable odors!  But working for that perfect (super cheap!) item is worth the feeling of satisfaction you get when you find it.

Adventures In Shopping

Evaluate every purchase -  Every time you go to make a purchase ask your self – “Do I really need this?”  Most of the time you don’t.  An easy way to  squash impulse buying is by doing the 48 hour test. Wait 48 hours after finding something you “have to have” and see if you still want it badly.

Buy off season - A $300 winter coat for $60? Yes, please! At the end of each season, every store has a blowout sale. This is when you should buy your clothes. I have solemnly promised myself to never purchase anything at full price (unless it is from an indie business, but that is a story for another time). If you have the patience to let new items sit in your closet for a few months, you will save loads of money!

Don’t buy trendy nonsense - Don’t buy any trends that you know will only last a season. Sometimes these trends are obvious (trucker hats, ponchos) and sometimes they are not, but just try to use your best judgement. If it is a trend that is popping up in every teen boutique.. it probably wont last too long. The best way to save time and money is to develop your own unique and timeless style. That way you are not heading out to stores every season to stock back up on clothes.

Buy quality staple pieces – You should probably fork over a good amount of cash to purchase staple components of your wardrobe, like blazers, the little black dress, white button up, and jeans. This may seem counter-intuitive, but these timeless pieces should remain just that – timeless. They should be quality items that will last for years to come. The initial investment will be worth avoiding the stress of purchasing these same items over and over.

Budget! - You shouldn’t be buying anything unless you have it budgeted in every month. When I was in college, I had all of my expenses planned out except for clothing purchases. I would then randomly go on shopping excursions and blow my whole budget! Or I would put it on a credit card. Bad news. Don’t ever put anything other than emergencies on a credit card. Ever. You will regret it.

Quick Dress Tips

Did you know Einstein wore the same outfit everyday so he wouldn’t waste his precious mental energy deciding what to wear? You may not be developing the Theory of Relativity but you have a lot going on!  Getting dressed every day should not be stressful or time consuming.

Opt for comfort - Everything you own should be comfortable.  I personally cannot concentrate on anything if I am wearing something that is uncomfortable or restricting. When trying on clothing, be sure to move around a lot – sit down, bend over, do jumping jacks.. whatever. And only buy shoes you can comfortably walk in….even heels, ladies.

Develop a core wardrobe -  Most of your closet should contain items that can easily be worn with each other. This is another post in itself, and thankfully Megan over at Charade has covered this beautifully.

Mis-match – I randomly go through phases where I will throw on random things in my closet without giving it much thought or consideration. Those are the days I get the most comments. Have fun and play!

Plan out your outfits for the week -  Or at least the night before. There is nothing better than getting dressed and going! This is also a great time management tip if you find yourself getting lost in your closet every morning and then getting to class late.

Stay tuned next week for Part Three of A Thrifty guide For College Bound Vegans covering cruelty free  beauty and makeup!

Photo Cred : This stunning lady.

This week I proudly concocted this raw “pasta salad” with basil cream sauce. It has been a while since I have broken out the mandoline to pasta-fy my veggies!  The marinated mushrooms in this recipe are good for pretty much anything. I’ve added them in salads, on top of pizza and in wraps. Right now Doodlebug is obsessed with them and we constantly have a batch marinading.

So below is how you can make this delectable dish for yourself. You can pretty much just use any veggies you have lying around. If you make enough zucchini noodles, mushrooms and sauce to last a few days, you can make this dish in under 2 minutes!

Ingredients

• 2  large Kale leaves, ripped into bite sized pieces
• 1 spiralized zucchini (if you don’t have a spiralizer, a mandoline works fine.. and so does a vegetable peeler.. which gives you “fettuccine”! )
• Marinated mushrooms (see below)
• Chopped veggies of your choice. I used:
  Avocado
  Tomato
  Red pepper
  Summer squash
  Broccoli
• Basil cream sauce (see below)

Marinated Mushrooms

• 1 cup of mushrooms (any kind)
• 1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tb Apple cider vinegar
• 2Tb Olive oil
• 1Tb Oregano

Mix all ingredients together and let mushrooms soak, covered, overnight, stirring once or twice.

Basil Cream Sauce

• 2 cups of basil
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 4 Tb olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp  black pepper
• 2 Tb nutritional yeast
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 Tb water

Mix all ingredients together in blender or processor. Add more water if you need it creamier.

Put it all together!

• Place kale on plate to make a “bed”
• Pile Zuchinni “noodles” on top
• Throw chopped veggies and mushrooms on top of that
• Add Basil Cream Sauce
• Enjoy!

As The Raw Food Adventure draws to a close I have realized how my gratitude and diet have been so closely intertwined. Without having such readily available and delicious raw food, supportive friends and loved ones, and a wonderful community of like-minded people (you guys!) I would have never been able to do this. And for that I am grateful. Lets see what else deserves props this week:

Vegan Las Vegas - My last visit to Las Vegas was filled with disappointing meals and mornings crying over the fact that fruit was my only option at the expansive breakfast buffet. I would like to give a huge thank you to (supposed) new vegan, Steve Wynn and his decision to make it mandatory for all of his restaurants to have a few vegan choices on the menu.

Fall Fashion -What is more exciting than fall fashion? Nothing! The layers. The patterns. The possibilities!

Mini Notebooks – I recently bought myself a set of cute striped mini notebooks to harbor my various obsessions. So Far I have the following notebooks designated: Happies (gratitude), Inspiration/Ideas, Words (word I like or don’t know the meaning of), Dreams (for my lucid dreaming project).

Trapeze Boots – Look at these things. They are boots.. for aerials. Problem is I can only find them in leather (boo!). Any of you crafty hotties want to make me a vegan pair? PLEASE!

Raw Food Adventure Recap: Week 4

I’m almost there!  There is officially only a few days left of The Raw Food Adventure and I am already planning out all of the non-raw food I want to eat. Eating raw has been incredibly beneficial to me and my health and I plan on eating high-raw from here on out.. but sometimes a girl needs her quinoa.

This week I made an incredible dish: Raw pasta salad with basil cream sauce. Recipe coming next week! I have been religiously drinking smoothies with hemp seeds, blueberries and banana. I have eaten enough kale and avocados to feed a small tribe for a year.

Next week I will be doing a special recap of the whole entire month! I know you are excited!

I currently have a few consults who have the same exact problem: They are vegan, in college and broke. The general consensus is that these 3 factors lead to dinners of freezer burnt Morning Star patties, a wardrobe that hasn’t changed since 11th grade and quite a bit of nights out, staring in admiration at your friend’s food. Darlings – I have been there!

Whether you are at the University of Oregon (vegan options galore) or community college  in the middle of Nebraska, it is VERY possible to eat vegan and healthy on a minimal budget. While your at it, you can dress like the compassionate hipster you long to be and show all of the naysayers how fabulous being vegan really is.

While these tips are targeted at college students, they can be incredibly useful to anyone who lives on a strict budget or who is looking to save some money. I use most of these tips every day!

I broke this post into two parts. This first part is about eating vegan and healthy, even when it seems like all odds are against you. The second will be about staying fashionable and fabulous even if you are beyond broke and have 2 minutes to get to class.

Eating Out

Only eat out twice a week, tops. I understand that in college it is almost impossible to have every meal at home. Going out to eat with friends is a huge social event, and sometimes you just don’t have time to eat and then you get stuck in the middle of your bustling day, starving.  Try to plan out your weeks so you can have the majority of your meals at home (or take them with you).  However, when you do go out to eat try to make your meal under $10 and healthy. How do you do this? Research and trial and error. You can find menus online to almost every eating establishment in existence. Research what is offered on your campus and go try it out. Make a list of each business and what they offer. You could even put your list online and share it with other vegans on your campus! Eating out is actually not so bad once you do your research.  Here is a list of vegan items at chain restaurants and Happy Cow allows you to search out veg and veg-friendly places in your area.

Eating at Home or in a Dorm

Not many people have the option to  cook big elaborate meals everyday. While in college, you may be able to do this once in 4 years. If you are lucky enough to have an apartment or still live at home, your task is relatively easy.  To save time and money, make things in bulk. Make a huge pot of chili, soup or stew and store in the fridge or freezer. Now you have at least one meal a day covered for 7-10 days, for relatively cheap. Chop up veggies and store in bags or containers in the fridge so you can quickly make salads if needed. If you like big fancy meals, cook one once a week and invite some friends over. Or even throw a monthly potluck. It is much cheaper than going out to dinner.

If you live in a dorm, things can get tricky depending on how your building is set up. If you have a “floor kitchen” then you can just try out the ideas listed above.  If you do not, then your task just got a bit harder! You can purchase a portable stove top and a small refrigerator (with your college logo on it!) for cheap on Amazon. If you feel like getting really gourmet you can get a George Foreman Grill.  But please, please, please try not to burn your dorm down! For some easy and dorm-friendly recipes check out The Vegan College Cookbook.

If you purchased a meal card and your college does not offer sufficient vegan options, then you need to make a huge deal about it. Petition, write letters, and perhaps talk to the person in charge of your school’s meal plans about how important it is that EVERYONE has something healthy to eat. If they know the demand is there, they will deliver. Another option is to tell them you have serious food allergies.. if it is something that might lead to a potential emergency situation, they will probably go out of their way to accommodate you.

Grocery Shopping

Do not buy prepared and pre-packaged foods. Buy limited processed food. (You should actually not buy any processed food, but I’m thinking about what I ate when I was in college and I’m being realistic here.) Pre-packaged food is WAY too expensive for what you get. I know, it’s quick and easy, but if you cut it out of your shopping list, you will save loads of money.  Processed food is at times, a bargain but not worth it for the nutritional content. A bag of chips may be 99 cents and a bag of spinach may be $3, but the bag of chips has absolutely zero nutritional value and you will just end up being hungry again, soon after. Try to buy primarily produce, grains, beans, legumes and nuts. Grains, beans and nuts in bulk are typically the cheapest. You don’t have to buy all organic produce as long as the dirty dozen always is. Only buy enough produce to last you a week.

Figure out a budget and calculate exactly how much you can spend a week on food. Make sure you stick to this figure. After a few weeks of shopping you will be able to figure out how to get the most bang for your buck. Farmers markets are a great place to find cheap produce. You could also sign up for a CSA share and split it with a roommate or friend.

Do you have any tips for eating vegan and healthy on a college student’s budget? Let me know if there is anything else you would like covered and I’ll add it in part 2!!

Stay tuned for Part Two of this post that covers staying fashionable and beautiful with $3 in your bank account and no extra time!

I know you love my stock photography

I have a confession to make: I love balls.  Now that you have a clear image in your head.. get your mind out of the gutter! Lets move on!  Balls are simply just a melange of goodness rolled up into one sweet, healthy and satisfying spherical concoction. I typically make huge batches of them and store in the freezer for random munchies throughout the day. Today I’m going to share with you a huge collection of recipes from the queen of balls herself, Averie from Love Veggies and Yoga. These are all a special gift for those super busy raw folks that love sweets!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Balls

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Almond Butter Cookies (flattened balls?)

Chocolate and Coconut Snowballs

Donut Holes

Chocolate-Peppermint Donut Holes

Bonus:

Caramels!

Happy Friday, cats and kittens! Lets kick off another fun-filled weekend with recapping our gratitude filled weeks.

Summer mornings. There is something extra special about early morning during summer. The crispness in the air. The emerging sun peaking over the top of buildings.  This is what is all about, people!

Having clear goals. Usually, I’m very vague and passive about the direction I am going in life. Having concise and achievable goals takes away a certain amount of underlying stress. Now that the hard part is over, finding out how to achieve those goals is the easy part. Figuring out my goals led me to write about it earlier this week. Now hopefully I follow my own advice.

Friendly coffee shops. I love spending time working on my laptop in coffee shops where employees and patrons alike are wonderfully nice and kind. It turns my time there into a big warm hug!

New Desert Essence. My absolute favorite beauty product brand in the world has re-branded and re-formulated itself into absolute perfection! Aesthetically pleasing packaging? Check. No more parabens and better quality ingredients? Check. Hooray!

What are you grateful for this week?

Raw Food Adventure! Week 3

My knight in shining armour

This week the whole raw thing became somewhat second nature and I didn’t have to think about it as much. I made some delicious wraps which consisted of tons of veggies and tahini dressing thrown inside a collared green “wrap”. I had a lot of salads and I have been giving my juicer a real workout.  However, I have a confession to make: I cheated!  Sometime during the beginning of the week I started to feel a little weak and woozy and started to crave rice and beans like no other. I’m not sure whether this was mental or physical but needless to say, I caved. And honestly, I felt much better after!  We are all human, right? Looking back I have a theory that my body might be too alkaline and was craving some healthy acidic food to keep a balance. Would anyone know if this is true? Is there a way to keep a healthy PH while remaining 100% raw? I’m new to this whole alkaline thing!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Fall is almost here and that means it is almost time for me to post gratuitous boot posts.  Every year it seems like more and more fashionable and sexy vegan boots are springing up on the market.  This is a good thing for my closet, and a bad thing for my wallet. But hey, it doesn’t hurt to look. Right? Right!

So lets have a brief sneak preview of some notable footwear for the colder months.

Olsen Haus

From left to right: Force, Innocence and Harmony. All made from recycled TV Screen Microfiber!
Check out the Fall ’10 Lookbook.

Cri De Coeur

Yes, I know I already covered this line, but seriously… look at those Dillon boots. From left to right: Ravishing Above-Knee Boot, Brilliance Platform Boot, and Dillon Over-Knee Wedge Boot.
All Fall ’10 shoes are ready for purchase.

Beyond Skin

For all you Euro- shoe lovers out there.. Beyond Skin has some sassy boots for the fall.  From left to right: Renee, Roxanne, and Romeo.

For those on a more realistic budget.. here are some affordable boots for your viewing pleasure.

Go Max, Shelby from LuLu’s. $56

Anne Michelle, Revenge Bootie from LuLu’s. $44

Boot from Vegan Chic. $48

Plaza Slouch Boot from Alternative Outfitters. $54

Wild Diva, Vernita Whicky from LuLu’s. $33

Hemet Boot from Bakers. $99

Goals. We all have them. Most of us have put our goals on the back burner because sometimes life just gets in the way. Others are actively trying to achieve their goals but are unsure of how to go about it or how to stay motivated.  Well kids, it is time to get to achieving because you are not getting any younger and the magical dream fairy is not on her way to grant you all of your wishes. Here are some great ideas to help you set and achieve any goal you would like.

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” ~Henry Ford

Set a time frame. You can achieve anything you want to do as long as you give yourself a deadline. If your goal is large and somewhat vague, set a series of mini goals to achieve. For example, if you want to start your own business, choose a date when your business plan needs to be complete. Then set a date when your product development should be done. And so on and so forth.  Just make sure you are being realistic! You are probably not going to be able to write a novel in 6 months or lose 50lbs in 2 weeks. Make sure to give yourself ample time to achieve your goals, but always have an exact date planned out to help you stay on track.

Keep it visible. Write your goal on a piece of paper and hang it in your office, on your fridge or anywhere else it will constantly be seen. While your at it, write down your deadline date. It also helps to keep some inspirational quotes or visuals hung up with it.

One goal at a time. I am so guilty of this! I constantly try to achieve multiple goals at any given time. I am finally convinced that the only way to get anything done efficiently and effectively is to concentrate on one thing at a time. Too many goals can quickly get overwhelming. This makes it so much easier to give up! Working on one thing at a time allows us to completely commit to what we want to do, and do a good job at it. Once one goal is complete, move to the next, and keep going forever – you should always have a goal!

Focus for at least 2 hours a day. Some days it is really hard to find the time to do anything other than what you need to do (grocery shopping, work, appointments). It gets particularly hard if you have a full time job and/or a family. Figure out where  you can spare 2 hours during your day. It can be one hour in the morning, and one at night. Spend those 2 hours doing something for your goal. For example: If you want to lose weight, take that time to exercise, research healthy recipes or plan your meals for the week.

Do more. plan less. Many people have the problem of excessively planning out their goals but never actually doing anything to reach them. It is easy to get stuck in the rut of constantly aiming but never firing. Try to DO something everyday that will help out your goal. Even if it is something you are not even sure needs to be done. Get in the habit of working and leave the planning back in the goal-setting stage where it belongs.

Stay motivated. I know, I know.. easier said than done! I guess the key here would be to figure out what gets you motivated. Mine is looking up people online who are doing things I want to do, or who have had a very successful life. I also look up inspirational quotes or listen to music and watch movies that generally boost my creativity. Zen Habits has a wonderful list of 16 ways to get motivated when you are in a slump. Another way to get motivated: read blogs like Zen Habits.

All in all, just keep doing stuff that caters to your particular goal and stay positive. You can do anything you want, all you need is time and determination!

* Photo by Michel Omar Berrospè

The following recipe comes from one of my new favorite sites (with one of the greatest names ever),  Modern Hippie. Don’t let the long list of ingredients frighten you, these roll-ups are very easy to make! As always make extra pâté to go on crackers, zucchini pasta, or other wraps! Pâté always comes in handy.

If you head over to Modern Hippie you can find this whole recipe along with an instructional video.

Garden Herb Roll-ups

Serves 6

For the wraps:
6 large collard leaves
3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

For the Pumpkin Seed Pâté:
2 cloves of garlic
½ cup Brazil nuts
½ cup lemon juice
1½ cups pumpkin seeds, soaked for 4-6 hours, drained and rinsed
¼ cup olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup parsley
¼ cup basil
¼ cup dill

Place the garlic in your food processor fit with the s-blade.  Process to chop.  Add the Brazil nuts and process until they are finely chopped.  With the blade running, add the lemon juice until the mixture is creamy.  Add the pumpkin seeds, olive oil and salt to the processor and continue to purée.  Lastly add the parsley, basil and dill and pulse to finely chop the herbs.  Scrape into a bowl.

For the Marinated Veggies:
2 cups baby spinach
1½ cups shredded carrots
¼ cup onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine all of the flavors.

To assemble:
Lay a collard green on your cutting board with the darker side on the board.  Chop off the stem and trim off any very thick portions of the remaining center stem.  Place 6 tablespoons of the pâté on the collard leaf and spread out a bit, but leave plenty of room for wrapping up the leaf.  Top with a few slices of tomato.  Cover with ½ cup of the marinated veggies.  Roll up just like a burrito, folding up the top and bottom first and then rolling in the sides.  Enjoy!

Recipe and photo property of Modern Hippie and Natalia from Glowing Empire.