When you meet Carol Clark, the first thing you will observe is the sense of peace and calm that exudes from her. From her spiritual studies to her new clean-eating diet, Carol is investing the work to make herself the best that she can be–and hopefully inspire a few people to join her on her journey.
Carol believes that people need to turn away from violence and negativity and be part of a loving energy. This change in our world can happen, but it’s done one person at a time. If you find a connection within yourself and live a life that supports unity and compassion, then someone else will want to change to have that as well. By working through a higher power, you give the still small voice someone to work through. Carol has been participating in the Course in Miracles online and has found a lot of spiritual wisdom through the lessons, reflections, and activities. She highly recommends it to anyone who wants to dive more deeply into finding love and peace in their lives.
Carol has committed herself to eating organic, non-animal, non-dairy foods in a whole-foods, plant-based diet. While many people would find this diet restricting, Carol sees endless culinary possibilities. She generously showed me her giant stack of vegan recipes and shared so many suggestions for how to make small diet changes to incorporate less meat in easy and tasty ways. She hasn’t eaten beef or pork for decades because of the way it made her feel. However, in addition to the physical change not eating meat has caused for her, she also believes that animals have a right to live and die more humanely.
Carol says, “Plant-based diets have websites with delicious recipes that don’t ask for strange ingredients, but you need to be careful to make your diet tasty. The inside of my body doesn’t feel heavy anymore since there is no meat or dairy. There’s a real lightness about the way it
feels.”
She further elaborated that there are many recipes that would make carnivores happy like meatloaf made with beans, grains, and mushrooms. She does warn that you can’t expect plant-based to taste the same as the original, but if you keep an open mind, you might enjoy the alternative products. Plant-based cream cheese, for example, tastes different from dairy cream cheese but it’s not unpleasant. She says dates and molasses are staples to sweeten food in a plant-based diet. Cashews have been used to make “cheese,” “mayo,” and “sour cream” and almond milk and soy milk are easy alternatives to dairy milk. To replace eggs in her baking, she uses water and flaxseeds instead. Soy curls can be used to make an imitation beef stew, and if you press your tofu and use a marinade with it, it will be quite tasty. If you are looking for a variety of vegan recipes, Carol recommends https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/.
Carol’s husband was a 36 year veteran of the Marines and Navy and, alongside their son, was Carol’s best teacher. “John was military down to the marrow in his bones. He would have been an amazing officer because he was a natural leader,” Carol reminisced. John became a truck driver in his retirement and tragically died in April 2021 in a one vehicle wreck. Carols reflected that “it’s been quite a journey, but I’m very thankful.” Her son, Erik, also tragically passed away at a young age in a truck wreck. Carol emotionally detailed the long journey Erik went through to become the best version of himself. Erik struggled with drugs, but he woke up one day and decided that there was a better way to live. He reached out and helped others. Carol lovingly remembered that Erik never knew a stranger and would have given the shirt off his back to help someone. When Erik was struggling with addiction, Carol asked herself if she would turn her back on him or open her heart, and she ultimately decided to open her heart and continue to love her son as he struggled through the difficult period of his life. “There’s something more beautiful and holy inside because that’s the part God made,” Carol said.