Facebook Page

I am pleased to announce that I have also created a FB page. Please take a moment and like!

 

facebook.com/VeggarsCanBeChoosers

 

Thank you!!

 

5 Foods that potentially have animal products in it when you eat out

5 Foods that potentially have animal products in it when you eat out are:

1. Rice - Often made with chicken broth
2. Black Beans - Often made with lard
3. Flour Tortillas - Sometimes made with lard
4. Pasta - Often made with eggs or milk
5. Bloody Mary's - The mix typically has anchovies

VNation - Social Networking

The past year has been made easier through the support of my friends on VNation. VNation is a social networking app (on IPhone) for Vegans and Vegetarians. It is a great support system and way to share recipes, experiences, and restaurant picks. Check it out: To download PAVLOV LLC’s V Nation, you need to have iTunes.

My LOGO

Keep Calm and...

Love Vegan Beer. This is Stone Brewery. It's always important to check your alcohol to see if it's Vegan friendly. Believe it or not sometimes they use animal products to filter the alcohol. I use barnivore.com or the IPhone app: Vegaholic.

Vegan BBQ Sandwich

 

 

Orange Julius

This is an Orange Julius I made today with my new NutraBullet. Love it! So tasty!

2 Oranges
Coconut milk filled up to the max point on the NutraBullet
2 Tsp. of vanilla
Pinch of salt

Simple Salad

I was looking for a way to use up some of my veggies in the fridge and came up with this salad. Not too bad. This salad has spinach, red cabbage, red onions, avocado, tomatillo salsa, broccoli, radish, and green bell pepper.

Farm Animals

Aren't farm animals great? Aren't animals great in general? When I look into the eyes of an animal, I don't see a piece of meat, I don't see an object, I don't see property....I see a living being who feels pain the same way I do. When I think about that, it breaks my heart knowing that so many animals out there are treated this way. It is archaic to think that our society can continue down this path or that it will continue to be acceptable in future generations.

 

 

Vegan Pizza

I recently made this pizza that turned out to be so yummy.  Pizza, bell peppers, and mangos! I got the pizza crust at Whole Foods in the bread area. I love Whole Foods because they are so great at labeling vegan foods. I topped it with a bunch of veggies and used grated cashews as parmesan.

 

 

 

 

This is my fridge as a Vegan. Lots and lots of veggies and fruits. :)))

 

Is being Vegan really possible?

When I think of being Vegan, I think of someone who is doing the most good by doing the best they can to cut out all animal products. When others judge me as a Vegan, I can come across as a hypocrite. Why a hypocrite? Because our society has done a phenomenal job of sneaking animal products into EVERYTHING. When I say everything, I mean everything. This includes plastic, cardboard, body soap, cleaning products, paints and the big one was medications! Not only is there animal products in medications but the FDA requires animal testing.

I really hope one day our society realizes that animal testing is so archaic given the era we live in today. Surely it is not necessary anymore. If we can put a man on the moon, are we not that intelligent to figure out alternative ways of testing?

This was very hard for me to accept. I even tore off my bumper sticker that reads I think therefore I am Vegan. It was just all in all discouraging for me.

The only sane way I could see this situation is I am saving many animals by being a dietary vegan and I am doing my best to filter out products with animal ingredients or animal testing but while I am doing my best, I cannot cut out animal products completely.

Call me a hypocrite if you may but I am still saving more animals then you.

Teacher of the grocery store

Today was so awesome. My friend from school said I'm rubbing off on her and she wants to try out being a Vegan for 3 weeks. Today we went to Whole Foods and I walked her down every isle, giving her advice on what and what not to eat, how to read labels, and she got to try some food. I really think she had a great time. I hope it took the overwhelming feeling away. At the end, my advice was listen to your body and let your body and your conscience be your guide.

Weight loss

My journey as a Vegan was never originally about losing weight. I started off at 174 and last time I checked I was about 163. So I've lost about 10lbs. I really thought with cutting out the meat and dairy, I would inevitably end up losing something. Only problem is I have replaced those things with alcohol. I can feel my body wearing down easy. So because of this, I'm feeling a little discouraged today. I had to go try on and get fitted for a dress for my sister-in-law's wedding and it absolutely looked hideous on me! I think the next phase in my diet overhaul is going to be eliminating alcohol and incorporating a good exercise plan. Hopefully at least.

The inevitable is happening - Thanksgiving is tomorrow!

Its happening whether I like it or not! I am just really having the Thanksgiving blues this year. First off I miss my family being together. My mom passed away over 6 years ago, grandpa passed away this year, my siblings are in California, and my Dad has been invited to many places for Thanksgiving. However, I am thankful this year that my Husband and I will have our first Thanksgiving of our own. Just us two and our doggies. The day is going to be full of football and Christmas movies.

Secondly, this is my first year to be Vegan. It's difficult because I have wonderful traditions that were made when my mother was alive and that I have tried to hold onto dearly over the years. It's my way to feel close to her. While I won't be cooking my famous dressing and loaded mash potatoes, I will get to have a Vegan version of Thanksgiving which won't be the same but will be be tasty I'm sure. I imagine I will look back on this post a year from now and would have moved on to a happier state and ready to dhow my Vegan Thanksgiving who's boss! My Husband told me that he's having a Chinese dinner for a Thanksgiving since the next day he can go to his sisters and eat a Thanksgiving meal. He knows tgat I will not allow a turkey to be cooked in my household. I have secured an order of Vegan Thanksgiving prepared by Whole Foods. Looking forward to trying it, I pick it up today. 

Thirdly , it kills me how many animals are killed for tomorrow. Millions! This just makes me a hot mess when I think about it. How can someone be so compassionate-less?

We did adopt Tom the Turkey for Thanksgiving. He is so stinking handsome! He fell off a truck on the way to slaughter. I have invluded a picture of him. We adopted him through Farm Sanctuary and I just love that place and all it stands for. 

I was hoping that by me adopting a turkey, it would resonate something within for my family (Husbsnd included) but it hasn't and I am so sad for that. Poor animals!

Thanksgiving Blues

Traditionally speaking, Thanksgiving has been a deep rooted Holiday for me because of all the wonderful memories and little traditions I shared with my family when my Mom was alive. Also, since my birthday falls right around and sometimes on Thanksgiving, it has always been my favorite Holiday.

This is the first year to spend Thanksgiving as a Vegan. This means that I have a choice to turn past traditions into new ones, however, I struggle with integrating my Vegan values in with the standard Thanksgiving dinner that my family participates in. So I have really put up a fight this year because I just don't want to be around or affiliated with the mass need to kill a turkey in order to have a Thanksgiving dinner.

Turkey's suffer a horrific death for Thanksgiving and either people don't care or they are not educated. In talking to people I know and in general, I have noticed a complete lack of compassion and that in itself is giving me the Thanksgiving Blues.

Vegan Thanksgiving

This year is going to be really difficult on me as I am a big cooker on Thanksgiving. However just because I'm Diggin doesn't mean I have to give up cooking altogether. As we get closer to Thanksgiving I'm going to start posting recipes on here that I might be interested in making or on also or in addition to I guess places that have vegan desserts or vegan gravy or just vegan items for Thanksgiving in general. Note to self all the fruit pies at whole foods is vegan friendly. There is one pie though that they said they get in the holidays that I need to check on because it is not vegan friendly so this is a reminder to ask them. Also I noticed today that they have a vegan gravy. 

Shopping Vegan

I went today to try an buy boots, what a bust. Not only do you have to worry about not getting the leather shoes but you also have to worry about the glue being used to make the shoes. Since it is my first year of being a vegan I haven't really had to buy shoes until now. And I got to say it was not easy I got very very very very frustrated and overwhelmed. I guess I'll just have to buy everything online.

Vegan Starter Kit

www.vegankit.com

My Mission Statement

The success of a Vegan: 

Success is not defined by monetary advancement but instead by pursuing a passion that is intensely meaningful to you as a person. The intense passion means your alive and catapults you to a feeling of utopia while shielding the creatures of this earth in all its glory from all the harms and disappointments of our world.

Vegan Hair Dye

Found this Vegan hair dye today that I am going to try. It is time in my journey to make the change! :) hope it works out, the hair dye I mean...

My doggie and me...

Exploring the city...

Staying active and exploring the city of Ft. Worth with my Hubby!

Colorful Plant Based Dinner

 

Because I will always be honest...

Today was difficult, I had cheese. Damn morphine in cheese....back on track tomorrow. 

Concentration Camps

Slaughter houses are modern day concentration camps that prey on the weak, powerless and voiceless; ran and justified by modern day Nazis.

Beans..Beans..the magical the magical fruit...

Oh the joys of being Vegan...LOL

Meat Meat Meat

At the lake today and my family is cooking out. If I hear them talk about meat one more time, I think I may scream! Ugh! Poor slaughtered animals. 

The smell...

The smell of dead and cooked flesh stinks so bad....

Grocery Store Favorites

I LOVE shopping at Sprouts! My two weeks worth of veggies and fruit is so cheap! Just sayin'! 

Now Whole Foods is awesome too. Everything that is Vegan in their Deli is labeled so. Sometimes it's nice to not have to cook. Also they provide a lot of Vegan packaged food options. Every time I shop there, I leave with a new product to try. 

What? Vegan marshmallows? No way! So good!

New Book, new to me at least

Downloaded the book Beg: A Radical New Way of Regarding Animals by Rory Freedman. She was one of the authors who wrote the clever, funny, and straight forward book Skinny Bitch. So looking forward to the read.

"I Have a Dream" MLK Week

Please take a moment this week to reflect on the 1964 “I Have a Dream” speech and the impact that had on our world as a whole. Blacks went through unnecessary oppression that could have continued had Dr. King not stood up against popular ideologies of the time.

To my Vegan and Animal Advocacy friends and community: Do not be afraid to take a stand against popular ideologies of today and please continue to speak out against the enslavement of animals for slaughter, fur trade, testing, and entertainment. Just like MLK, we MUST stand up for what is wrong and immoral or policies will not change.