Happy World Vegan Day!

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy World Vegan Day!

I got this image from: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/why-vegans-avoid-honey/

Happy (vegan) Halloween

While searching the Internet, I found these great tips for those of you with vegan children who are going trick-or-treating tomorrow.

 "Trick-or-Treating Tricks:

• Warn your children not to eat any candy until they bring it home for sorting.
• Decide in advance with your children how they will dispose of their non-vegan candy so there are no surprises and no arguments. Options include homeless shelters, non-vegan friends, the trashcan, or businesses.
• Often people give out several different candies (chocolate and non-chocolate items). Show your kids the list of vegan candy in advance and advise them to select the vegan candies at houses that offer such a choice.
• Go trick-or-treating with a group of vegan kids and parents so that your kids aren't the only ones in the group with dietary restrictions.
• Create a special, all-vegan goodie bag for your kids and swap it for the candy they bring home in their pillow case or bucket.

Trick-or treating isn't the only way to spend Halloween. Older kids often have Halloween parties. If your vegan child is attending a non-vegan Halloween party, find out what they're serving and try to send the vegan equivalent. Be sure to send your child with a goodie bag so he or she doesn't feel left out. Alternatively, you can throw your own Halloween party and invite the neighborhood kids, your child's friends, or the kids from your vegan family group. Here are some tips for having a fun and successful vegan Halloween party. "

 

You can read the full article here: Vegan Trick or Treat Tips

Also, here are some general Halloween safety tips.
http://www.halloween-safety.com/

Have a happy, safe vegan Halloween!

For the ladies: vegan menstrual products

This post is for the ladies (but you men are welcome to read it as well and pass the info on to the women you know). Today I will be talking about vegan menstrual products. For years, I used what most other women I know use: disposable pads and tampons. I would wear them once and toss them out, not thinking about how much waste I was putting into the landfill or what chemicals my vagina was absorbing. I also didn't realize that some of the major brands of pads and tampons, like Always, Stayfree, and Tampax, are made by companies which still use animal testing! As I got older, I began to notice that when I wore pads the moisture and friction would cause me to chafe very badly. It got to the point where it was painful to walk. At about the same time, I became aware of enviromental issues and how we humans are destroying the planet. My goal ever since I was a young teenager has been to become a midwife, and I read everything that I can about women's health. So I began to look into alternative menstrual products. That was when I made a wonderful discovery. I found out about menstrual cups. Menstrual cups are made of either rubber or silicone. They sit up in the vagina like a tampon, but instead of absorbing the fluid, they collect it. Best of all, they are reusable (I've had my cup for almost two years and many women have had their cup for a decade or more!), have NEVER caused TSS, and are vegan. Menstrual cups provide great protection and you can wear it during all your activities. I've worn my cup while swimming, running, dancing, doing yoga and even karate.

There are several types of menstrual cups out there, but since the majority of this blogs readers are in the USA and Canada, I will highlight the brands that are available (and best of all, made in) North America.
The first is the one I use, the Keeper/Moon Cup

The Keeper/Moon Cup

Don't be intimidated by how it looks. This menstrual cup is super flexible and very comfortable. You can't even tell it's in there. This is a Moon Cup. It is made of 100% silicone and is made in the USA. It is approved by the FDA. It comes in two sizes: Size A for after childbirth and size B for women who have never given birth. The Keeper is made by the same company as the Moon Cup and looks exactly the same. The difference is that it is made out of rubber. The cup costs $37 (including shipping). That may seem steep at first, but when you consider that you can use one cup to take care of your entire menstrual cycle for a decade, it more than pays for itself!

The Diva Cup

The Diva Cup is very much like the Moon Cup. It is made in Canada and approved by the FDA and Health Canada. It also comes in two sizes and is made of silicone. It costs about $40.

You can buy these menstrual cups both online and in many local health food stores. For more info, please visit these websites:
The Moon Cup/ Keeper
Moon Cup/Keeper offical website

The Diva Cup
http://www.divacup.com/

http://www.menstrualcups.org/
This site has a ton of info about menstrual cups. Great for newbies!

If you don't want to use menstrual cups, you still have plenty of green, vegan protection options. Many women have started home buisnesses making and selling cloth menstrual pads. These are great because they are vegan, enviromentally friendly, and support small businesses. I have a few cloth panty liners that I use as backup for my cup on heavy days, and they work great! I also have a cloth menstrual pad that I keep in my purse in case I am "suprised" and without my cup. That is a rare occurance, but it did happen last month. The pad was much more comfortable than my old disposable ones! Here are some of the many handmade cloth pads available on Etsy!

Moonthly Pantyliners $14 for 6.

I have ordered several pantyliners similar to these from this seller and they are great! You can get them here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Pixadoodles?section_id=6554770

Cloth Menstrual Pads $44 for 2. This seller also has single pads for $15.

These pads are meant for very heavy flow. They are made from vegan fleece, vegan flannel, terry cloth, cotton, and nylon. Plus, they have Hello Kitty. Can't get any better. Get 'em here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/VulvaLoveLovely?section_id=5445381

That's all for now!

A few of my favorite things continued: Jewelry

Here are some of my favorite vegan jewelry items!

1. Vegan flaming heart necklace $9.75.

I like this for several reasons. 1) It has a cool, retro tattoo style. 2) you have an option of a round or square shape. 3) You receive a free chain. 4) The seller uses the word "hippie" in her shop name, so you know her stuff is cool! You can buy it at Hippie Chic Boutique

2. Vegan Scrabble Pendant. $7 on Etsy

It's a vegan pendant on a recycled scrabble title. Can't get much better than that! You can buy it at Sweet Whimsy Fl

3. Woven Vegan bracelets $8

All proceeds from the sale of these bracelets are donated to pro-animal charities. You can pick them up at thedryad

How survive being damned to vegan hell (aka how to survive a trip to Cracker Barrel).

If you've ever been on a road trip (especially in the South) you've more than likely eaten in, or have at least seen a Cracker Barrel Restaurant/store. They are everywhere! For those of you who haven't been in one, Cracker Barrel is part store and part restaurant. When you first walk in, you'll see the store, which is set up to look like a little mom and pop country store. They sell candy, toys, jewelry, candle, soap, clothes, ect. I must admit, I love to shop in the store. They sell some unique and beautiful things. Cracker Barrel is also generally a safe and clean place to stop and take a bathroom break on the road, so they do have some positive things going for them. The back half is the restaurant. This is where things get very tricky for us vegans. Almost everything on the menu has milk, butter, or meat in it. The really scary part is that if you read the fine print on the menu, it says this:

 "We want to make sure you know that some of our offerings, like turnip greens, green beans, corn muffins, hashbrown casserole and pinto beans, are made the old-fashioned way using meat seasonings and are not strictly vegetarian. Please ask your server about any particular dish if you have any questions. " (emphasis mine) Click here to see this statement for yourself. Yeah, you read that right. Now you can see why I call this place vegan hell!

Unfortunately, I am the only vegan in a family of omnivores and Cracker Barrel is my mom's favorite restaurant. So occasionally I get roped into going there. On Monday my mom, dad, and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner to celebrate her birthday. We asked the server if they had anything vegan on the menu. The server checked with the kitchen and they said that the only vegan options that they had to offer were a salad, plain applesauce, baked potato, steamed carrots, and corn. I was hoping to get oatmeal, but they only offer that until 10:30 am. I ended up getting the salad,applesauce, carrots, and corn. They were pretty good, but I later found out that the carrots and corn are made with margarine (which may or may not be vegan). Needless to say I left the restaurant fairly hungry.

If you find yourself on the road with your omni family who are insisting on eating at Cracker Barrel, I suggest you take a look at this website . It's called Vegan Eating Out and they have posted an E-mail from Cracker Barrel outlining which items are vegan and which are vegetarian. As you can see, the options are limited.

Overall, if you are a vegan on the road and you need a safe place to take a break, then Cracker Barrel is great. But I'd highly advise avoiding the food if possible (unless you really want oatmeal or a plain potato).

Favorite Vegan Snacks

I work at nights as a sitter for an elderly woman who has dementia and lives in an assisted living facility (ALF). I am basically there to make sure she doesn't fall out of the bed at night. Of course, the ALF doesn't serve food at night and the snacks that they have aren't vegan. Therefore, I must bring my own food. Here are some of my favorite vegan snacks.

1. Applesauce
Since becoming vegan, I have been choosing much healthier snacks than before, and it has been great for my waistline. My mom tells me that the first 'real' food I ever had was applesauce. She said my grandfather gave me a taste and I immediately demanded more. Since then it's been one of my favorite foods. The kind that I like the best is the individual cups of cinnamon applesauce. Yummy!

2. Raisins.
I love them because they are nutritious, taste great, and are very easy to take along me.

3. Carrots.
I love snacking on baby carrots because I love their texture and taste.

Dole Fruit n' Gel Bowls

These gel snacks are great for three reasons: 1). they are made without gelatin, 2) They contain chunks of fruit, and 3) Most flavors are completely vegan! I say most because the ones with the red coloring use cochineal, which is derived from a dead insect of the same name. Depending on your level of strictness you may want to avoid those flavors. The pineapple in lime flavor is vegan, and it is wonderful.

Nutrigrain Peanut Butter Granola Bars.
Not all Nutrigrain products are vegan, however I read the label on these bars and could not find any dairy or egg products. I like them because they are a source of whole grains and protein. They are a great source of energy on the go!

Now for the not so healthy snacks.

Oreos.

Yes, Oreos are vegan! My favorite is the double stuffed vanilla cookies. They are LOADED with calories, but they are GOOD. I only eat these occasionally.

Twizzlers.

I love chewing licorice.

Those are my favorite vegan snacks. What are yours?

Vegan iPhone apps review

I recently got an iPod Touch and I love it! I love the fact that it can store all my music and browse the Web much faster and easier than my Blackberry phone (I definitely understand why many people are trading in their Blackberrys for iPhones and Androids. I plan to do so as soon as I can). When I finally managed to take my eyes off of "Angry Birds" (that game is damn addicting!) I found 4 sweet vegan apps that are 100% FREE! Here they are:

21 Day Vegan KickStart:
This app is great for new vegans. It gives you a full meal plan including breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner for 21 days. It also gives you the recipe for each dish that requires one and gives full nutritional info. While I have yet to try any of the recipes, it looks like it'll be a very handy app to have.

VeganYumYum:
This app provides a ton of recipes from the blog of the same name. No need to bring a written grocery list to the store anymore! Just tap the screen and you're ready to shop!

Cruelty-Free:
Part of CaringConsumer.com's Leaping Bunny program, this app provides a list of companies that have pledged not to use animal testing in their products or ingredients. While this list is not inclusive of all cruelty-free companies, it's a great resource for shoppers.

PETA:
The PETA app provides you with all of their current action alerts. With this app you can send an email expressing your displeasure to the offending company with a single tap. You can also let your friends know about the problem via  Facebook or Twitter post without leaving the app. It's not the best app out there, but it's free and informative.

What is your favorite vegan/vegetarian iPhone app? Please share it with us in the comment section. I love learning about useful apps!

Vegans on TV

One of my pet peeves is how TV shows usually portray veg*an (vegan and vegetarian) characters in a negative light. We are often shown to be pushy, unhealthy freaks. Fortunately, there have been a couple of shows which take a pro-veg*an stance. Let’s look at a five popular TV shows and how they treat(ed) veg*ans.
The anti-veg shows:

"Are We There Yet?" (TBS).  This is actually one of my favorite shows. It is based on the movie of the same name that starred Ice Cube and follows Nick and Suzanne as they try to bring their newly blended family together. My favorite actress of all time, Telma Hopkins plays the character Marilyn (Nick's mom). While she's not a regular, she appears fairly frequently (about every other episode). It's a funny show that's great for all ages. The one episode that I don't like is called "Lindsey Goes Vegan". In this episode, the oldest child Lindsey announces that she has decided to become a vegan. Unfortunately, she goes about it all wrong. She constantly lectures her family about their meat eating and tries to force them to go vegan with her (not a good way to win people over). In one scene she tries to throw away everything in the house that contains leather and fur, even things that don't belong to her like her father's football. When her mother asks her what scent she is wearing, Lindsey tells her that she has stopped using soap and is only showering with tea tree oil because soap contains animal fat. It is true that many commercially made soaps have animal fats, but the writers completely ignored the fact that many types of vegan soaps ARE available. The worst thing about the episode was when her family found out that the only reason Lindsey had decided to become vegan was to impress a vegan boy that she had a crush on. She had never actually been committed to animal rights like she claimed. By the end of the episode she has broken up with the boy and is back to eating meat. The one saving grace about this episode was that at at the end, her step father Nick makes a vegan chili that the family loves. At least they were willing to show viewers that vegan food is tasty. But the episode still gave people the impression that vegans are pushy and that we will eventually get over our "phase" and go back to eating meat.

"Boy Meets World" I used to watch this show every day as a teenager when it was on the Disney Channel. This show follows a boy named Cory Matthews and his friends as they go through middle school, high school, and eventually college. It's a great coming of age show. In the early episodes one of the main characters, Topanga Lawrence is a vegetarian. However, she is also a very weird character whom the other kids make fun of. She is seen as a new ager whose ideas are unrealistic. As the seasons went on, Topanga gradually becomes a regular teenager and marries the main character Cory. However, she also gives up on her vegetarianism. Once again, we veg*ans are made to look like freaks who are not really committed to our beliefs.

The pro-veg shows:

"Braceface" This was a show that aired in re-runs on the Disney Channel years ago. This show introduced me to vegetarianism as a child years before I would actually become one myself. The show is about a teenager named Sharon who has to get braces that she hates. They do all sorts of crazy things like pick up on radio and walkie talkie signals, enabling Sharon and everyone near her to hear music and conversations from quite a distance. In one of the first season episodes called "The Meat of the Matter", Sharon gets a part time job at a meat packing plant. While she is at work, her braces pick up a signal from the walkie-talkies the employees of the slaughterhouse next door are using. She hears the cows wailing in the background and decides to go over to the slaughterhouse and see what's going on first hand. When she gets there, she sees the horrible conditions the cows must endure. She also meets with a vegetarian film maker who is doing an expose on the meat industry. She speaks with him and then goes home where her mother has made a meat dish for dinner. When she looks at it, she remembers the slaughterhouse and announces that she is now a vegetarian. Her family is skeptical at first, but learns to accept her decision. She joins a vegetarian group and starts to advocate for animal rights. Later when she and her friends are at a party where the only foods being served are beef burgers and hot dogs, she leaves discouraged. She decides to go meet up with her vegetarian friends who are at a booth at a supermarket giving away samples of veggie burgers. They convince her to go back to the party with some veggie burgers and show the other kids that vegetarian food can be tasty. She decides to do that and her friends at the party end up devouring the veggie burgers. This show is good because unlike most shows where a character decides to become a veg*an only to go back to eating meat, Sharon remains a vegetarian throughout the series. Her vegetarianism is central to the plot of several episodes and it's always portrayed as a good, compassionate decision. It would have been even better if Sharon had been a full vegan, but I'll take what I can get.

"Degrassi: The Next Generation": This is a Canadian teen drama that is a continuation of the 1980s/1990s series "Degrassi Junior High" and "Degrassi High". This show deals with the realities of being a teenager in the 2000s. It's episodes deal with topics like teen pregnancy and parenthood, abortion, adoption, gangs, drugs, racism, school violence and prejudice against homosexuals (the show has won awards from GLAAD). For eight years one of the main characters (the show has a large ensemble cast) was Emma Nelson. Emma is shown to be a devoted activist and vegetarian. While she can be a bit over the top at times, Emma is sincere about her beliefs and her vegetarianism is shown in a positive light.

"The Simpsons" I don't watch this show that often, but I do know that the character of Lisa has been a vegetarian for several seasons and from what I have seen her vegetarianism is treated as a good thing.

What do you think about the way that veg*ans are protrayed on TV? Can you give me more examples of shows that have positive veg*an characters?

These are a few of my favorite things!

One of my hobbies is making candles, soaps, and jewelry. I love being creative and being able to say "I did it myself"! I also love the fact that when you make something by hand, it is one of a kind. I have many earrings, bracelets, and necklaces (especially with the peace sign) that no one else has. A couple of other advantages to buying handmade items are: 1) you can be sure that at least the finished piece is sweat shop free, and 2) You can support the economy by buying items made by other Americans (or other citizens of your country).I love handmade items so much that if I'm wearing jewelry, 9 times out of 10 the items were handmade by me or another artisan. Many of the items that I buy come from a website called Etsy.com. Etsy allows individual crafters to open a shop and sell their handmade or vintage items for a very small fee. There are many, many vegan crafters and vegan friendly items listed on Etsy. Below you will find some of my favorite shops and items. Be sure to check them out!

1. The Dog Coat Lady: http://www.etsy.com/shop/thedogcoatlady

This shop is wonderful! The seller is a dedicated vegan who donates a portion of her profits to animal rights causes. She sells buttons, and most of those buttons have a vegan or animal rights message. I have bought three buttons from her, two of which are on my purse right now (my purse is covered with various feminist, vegan, and peace sign buttons). Her buttons are HUGE (most over 2 inches) so they will be seen. They are high quality, and at $3 each (including shipping in the USA) they are an affordable way to show off your vegan pride! Here are a few of the buttons that are available in her store:









#2 The Head Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHeadShop


As a vegan, feminist, and environmentalist, I think that this is one kick-ass tote. They also sell shirts with this saying in various colors.



















#3 The Radical Uprise: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheRadicalUprise


Vegan buttons + feminist buttons + self published vegan zine = one hell of a shop! I ordered a copy of the zine below earlier today.




















#4 Psychedelic Tara http://www.etsy.com/shop/psychedelictara

This shop sells a lot of funny and thought provoking buttons for those of us who lean towards the left side of the political aisle. They only have a few veggie themed buttons, but they are nice.

Favorite Vegan Recipes

I'll start this post by saying that I am fairly new to cooking. I've made a few things from scratch before, but I mostly use prepared foods and the microwave. However, I realize that this is not the healthiest, and every vegan I've spoken to said that learning to cook is a must once you go veggie. So I decided to look up some fast, easy vegan recipes. When researching vegan cooking, I noticed that one cookbook in particular was frequently mentioned as a must have. That book is "Vegan with a Vengeance" By Isa Moskowitz. So I decided to look up the book and found her official website, The Post Punk Kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she had several free recipes posted on the site. I looked through them and saw one called " Broccoli Curry Udon". It said that the total time was 30 minutes and their are only a few ingredients which are easy to find/ substitute. In fact, the only things that I couldn't find in my supermarket (Wal-Mart) were the udon noodles and coconut milk, so I used spaghetti noodles and cream of coconut instead. I decided to make this meal today and I LOVE IT! It truly is easy to make and tastes great! This would be a great dish to serve to skeptical meat-eaters who think that all vegan food is bland. You should know that this meal is quite hot, so if you don't like spicy food you should cut down on the curry. Anyway, I think that this is one of the best meals that I've had and I'll definitely make it again!

Click here to see the recipe: http://www.theppk.com/2011/01/broccoli-curry-udon/#comment-20244

If you like this recipe, I recommend that you check out her "Vegan With a Vengeance" cookbook. I bought it on Saturday and it is filled with recipes that you cannot find on the site. While I haven't made any of the dishes listed in it yet, I cannot wait to do so.

As a side note, I passed my NCLEX-PN (National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses)! So now I am officially a vegan nurse! I have wanted to be a nurse by whole life, so this is a dream come true for me.

That's all for now!

Dealing with non-vegans

As a vegetarian I had some very interesting experiences with meat eaters, and I have had even more as a new vegan. When I first announced to my mother that I was becoming a vegetarian, it seemed as if she took it as a personal insult. Whenever I'd mention being vegetarian, she'd roll her eyes and sigh loudly. She'd call my soy faux meats "fake food" and make snide little comments. I asked her to stop and eventually she did, so I thought that she would be okay with me going vegan. I assumed wrong. She has started doing those things again, and when I recently asked her to stop she said "I have to get it out of my system". I told her that I made up my mind and no amount of eye rolls is going to change that. I still don't understand why she seems to take my veganism as a personal insult. I love her very much and would never do anything to deliberately hurt her. I guess she just needs time to get used to it.

I just started reading "Vegan Freak" by Bob and Jenna Torres. In the third chapter entitled "Hell is Other People" they give some tips on how to deal with hostile non-vegans. I thought that I would list a few of the best ones here for you.

#1. Don't talk about animal rights over dinner! Doing this makes people both queasy and angry, and that turns them off of your arguments very fast. If someone asks me why I am not eating meat or dairy, I simply tell them that I am a vegan. If they ask me why I'm vegan I'll tell them that it's because I support animal rights and for my health. If they want to know more, I tell them I'll speak to them later.

#2 Don't be pushy. No one likes being made to feel like they are evil. Criticizing people for eating meat and going around with a "meat is murder" shirt will not win many converts (even though it's true). It'll just make people more determined to continue to eat meat.

#3 Turn the other cheek. This is much easier said than done, and I'm definitely guilty of not following this advice at times. However, you should try your best not to get angry with those who try to insult you. Instead, you should "kill them with kindness". People who resort to insults are bullies, and if you respond with anger you are just playing into their hands. However, if you respond in a kind manner, it will take the fun out of goading you and they will stop.

#4 Show people how yummy vegan food is! When I was in nursing school, my entire clinical group would eat together in the hospital cafeteria every day that we had clinical. We also ate together almost everyday that we were in class as well. I was lacto-ovo vegetarian at the time, but I would often get a vegan or near vegan lunch. I was the only vegetarian in the group. I would buy/bring my lunch and simply eat my food without drawing attention to the fact that I didn't have any meat or gelatin on my plate. There were several times that my classmates looked at my food and said "That looks delicious! I wish I had ordered that!" Sometimes the best way to convert someone is to show them that vegans eat more than salad. So invite your friends over to your place for a vegan feast!

That's all for now. Toodles!