Hi, I’m Lekshmi!
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Welcome! I am so thrilled you are here! I live in the Seattle area with my family. We’ve been a vegan household for over a decade now, and Smart n Compassionate was created shortly after we went vegan, as a way to share our journey.
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I am originally from a sliver of land on the southwestern coast of India called Kerala. The traditional vegetarian cuisine there is almost entirely plant-based, and that includes desserts too! So we were very fortunate to have a decent base to jump off into this new journey.
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In addition, I was reading voraciously about topics pertaining to our exciting new lifestyle and I was cooking up a storm in the kitchen exploring and experimenting with new ingredients and learning mind-blowing new ways to use seemingly boring everyday ingredients! Recreating our favorite dishes from around the world using entirely plant-based ingredients became one of my full-time hobbies. We also love traveling and were so pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to travel as a vegan with a little bit of research and planning.
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It was a remarkable period of learning, self-discovery, and growth, and I was bursting at the seams wanting to share everything I was learning. And so Smart n Compassionate was born!
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My educational background is in psychology and social justice, and I’ve also attained a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition. Some of my favorite activities include hiking, backpacking, biking, camping, stargazing, gardening, cooking, and photography. I hope to use this platform to share the things that my family and I’ve learned and continue to learn on our path to a more compassionate, healthier, and sustainable life, and I hope to learn from you through your comments and participation simultaneously.
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As Charles Darwin said, “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind too), those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” I hope you will join me in my quest to learn, understand, and optimize our lifestyle with minimum impact on our biosphere. Here’s to critical thinking and compassion!