Whoa Buddy

I cannot wait until our vegan Thanksgiving!! Yum yum yum. Putting together the recipe list made my mouth water.

On another note. My brother is in town from CT! Hoping to see him soon!

Vegan Celebrities

I came across this list of vegan celebrities and wanted to share. It's so neat to see just how many there are out there! I'm sure there are even more that are missing.

Vegan Actors, Actresses, Comedians, and Producers


•Alicia Silverstone
•Alyssa Milano
•Carrie Anne Moss
•Casey Affleck
•Casey Kasem
•Daryl Hannah
•Demi Moore
•Daniel Negreanu (professional poker player)
•Elijah Wood
•Ellen DeGeneres
•Emily Deschanel
•Gillian Anderson
•Ginnifer Goodwin
•Heather Mills
•Jennifer Connelly
•Joaquin Phoenix
•Keenan Ivory Wayens
•Kevin Nealon
•Mutt Lange
•Natalie Portman
•Pamela Anderson
•Portia de Rossi
•River Phoenix
•Sandra Oh
•Tea Leoni
•The Artist, formerly known as Prince
•Toby Maguire
•Vanessa A. Williams
•Weird Al Yankovic
•Woody Harrelson
•Zooey Deschanel






Vegan Athletes

•Brendan Brazier (ironman triathlete)
•Carl Lewis (Olympic Track Star)
•Ed Templeton (pro skateboarder)
•George Laraque (NHL)
•Jack LaLaine (fitness guru)
•John Salley (former NBA player)
•Lucy Stephens (triathlete)
•Mac Danzig (Ultimate fighting)
•Martina Navratilova (tennis)
•Pat Neshek (Minnesota Twins pitcher)
•Ronda Rousey (judo)
•Sally Eastall (marathoner)
•Scott Jurek (marathoner) •Tony Gonzalez (American football)



Vegan Leaders

•Benjamin Spock, M.D.
•Coretta Scott King (Martin L.K., Jr's wife)
•Dennis Kucinich (US Congressman)
•Ingrid Newkirk
•Leonardo Da Vinci
•Mohandas Ghandi




Vegan Musicians


•Alanis Morissette
•Andy Hurley
•Anoushka Shankar
•Anthony Kiedis
•Barry White
•Brandy
•Brian Bell
•Bryan Adams
•Erykah Badu
•Fiona Apple
•Jason Mraz <--- love this guy.
•Joan Jett
•K.D. Lang
•Michael Franti
•Moby
•Morrissey
•Phil Collins
•Shania Twain
•Sinead O'Connor

Ellen & Portia Celebrate B-Days

Ellen and Portia had a Vegan Birthday Bash! I think they are so cute together. I bet the food was terrific!

Ellen & Portia Celebrate B-Days

By Pernilla Cedenheim


Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi know how to double their fun!

The couple celebrated their birthdays with a joint bash at their Beverly Hills house Saturday, PEOPLE has learned.

DeGeneres turned 51 on Jan. 26. Five days later on Jan. 31, de Rossi celebrated her 36th birthday.

The party kicked off around 8 p.m., with many guests partying in the backyard, where deejay Samantha Ronson, who brought along girlfriend Lindsay Lohan, spun her own mix for the birthday pair.

According to a partygoer, "This is their first big party together as a married couple. [Ellen] and Portia seem very excited to have all their friends here."

Those pals included Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette and husband David Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Guest were served a vegan dinner. Mindy Weiss, who also planned DeGeneres and de Rossi's wedding, coordinated the party.

Earlier in the week, the happy couple celebrated DeGeneres's 51st birthday at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood.
*Source*

Alanis Morissette Goes Vegan

I love to hear such good news! And I love me some Alanis. You can read all about it here .

The Best Sugar Cookies

My favorite cookies of all time are sugar cookies. I use to love eating my Grandma's on Christmas Eve before I went vegan and decided to find a vegan recipe. I found this one called Just Like Granny B's on Vegweb and let me tell you...I think they are the best I've ever had! I took them to my my families holiday party and everyone loved them. Of course everyone is always hesitant to try any of our vegan food, even though they are always pleasantly surprised! I loved the look on their faces after taking a bite and asking about the recipe and I informed them that tofu is in them,haha.
My brother jokingly asked "there isn't any meat or anything in here is there?" being smart, of course. He took a bite, and I said "nope, just tofu" lol.
They are really soft too, which I love. I think I'll be making some again soon. The only problem is that I can't seem to stop eating them because they are so yummy!

Baths Were Never So Much Fun

On Sweetest Day we went to the mall. We decided to go our separate ways for a short while and when we met back up, Josh surprised me with a gift! There is a store there called LUSH. I 1st heard of the place from my sister in-law who lived in Oregon for a while. She raved about it! I had always meant to order online, but just never got around to it. Then I found out that our mall just opened a Lush store! Yippee! That place is awesome. Most of the things they carry are vegan and have it listed. So this is what he got me...

Floating Island Bath Melt


Bathos Bubble Bar


Sex Bomb Bath Bomb


I just used the Sex Bomb and let me tell you...it is heavenly!

So of course I had to go and check the place out for myself. I needed shampoo anyway. ;)
So I got some shampoo bars. I was worried they wouldn't work well, but they work fantastically!


I also got some conditioner

They even gave me a couple free goodies. :)
I know what I want I want in my stocking for Christmas!

Vegan Hamburger Helper

I had a craving for Hamburger Helper last night. For what reason, I don't know. I haven't had it in so long that I don't think I even remember what it tastes like!
It's loaded with soy product, so it's not something to eat ALL the time, but it's a great comfort food. :) Here is the recipe I found.
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 package burger-style crumbles (Smart Ground brand recommended)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegan cheddar shreds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
dash of hot sauce
green onions for garnish

Directions:

Cook the macaroni, drain and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, mix together veggie burger crumbles, tomato sauce, hot sauce and spices. Add soy milk and veggie shreds, stirring until smooth.

Mix in macaroni, add a little salt and pepper, top with a handful of chopped green onions, cook until just thickened.

Makes a yummy, healthier version of the old school cheeseburger macaroni!

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 min


I changed a few things. I added more "cheese" than it called for, added some liquid Braggs and a can of diced tomatoes. I chose not to use hot sauce. It was pretty tasty and I had the left overs for lunch today. The whole family gobbled it up!

Vegan Boys Shoes

So I've always found it difficult to find non-leather shoes for Kieran. There seems to be an abundance for girls, woman and men, but for boys it's so hard! If I am lucky enough to find a pair they are so stiff that K can't walk good. We have a couple pair of canvas shoes, but in the winter I think it would be best to have something warmer. Here in Michigan we have some harsh winters and we are in for a good one! Last winter we stuck with the canvas ones and just doubled his socks. But he's 2 now and all over the place. I can order some vinyl squeaky shoes(he had some last year), but I'd love to get him some flexible tennis shoes. If anyone knows of any...please share with me!
This brings me to something I've had on my mind. A while back I read an article in VegNews. It was asking veg*n's if they would buy leather shoes if bought at a second hand store. A lot said yes and some said no. I can see the reasoning on both sides. I mean...if someone gave me a pair of used shoes and they were made of leather. Wouldn't it be a waste to just throw the out instead of putting them to good use? I wouldn't purposely go out to a regular store and buy them, but I think this is different. Then again, I think the thought of knowing I'm wearing "leather" might freak me out. I don't know. I was just considering finding some hand be downs or used shoes at the Salvation Army or something. Then it wouldn't be so bad?
A lot of people probably think it's silly that I'm struggling so much with this, but I'm sure some of you veg*ns out there understand! LOL.

Family Fun Day

On Sunday we went down to Ann Arbor on a whim and had a great time! We went to the book store and picked up a few books...Veganomicon, 5 Little Pumpkins Sitting On A Gate(for K), a star Wars book(for N)and a couple others and just walked around downtown and through some alleys looking at graffiti. After that we went to Seva( a vegetarian/vegan restaurant) for dinner. I LOVE this place! If only it weren't so expensive. It's just so nice not having to worry about anything or wondering if they will have something for us to eat. I didn't even think about taking pictures until we were almost finished...well they were, I'm a slow eater ;). Well here are some pics of our half eaten food. I had breakfast for dinner. Josh had Pasta Alla Bosca Nevin had a grilled Tofurkey sandwich Kieran had Penne Pasta with tomato sauce. Everyone was happy with what they got. Yum yum yum! After dinner the kids each got some sorbet to go and Josh and I split a piece of cake. While walking back to the car we heard Michael Jackson music playing. When we followed the sound we found this guy!

From what I found out...he regularly puts on these performances. We stayed and watched for a few songs and tipped him. Kieran was mesmerized and Nevin thought the guy was so cool(he use to be a huge Michael Jackson fan). It was a fun and adventurous day!

Dishes

We've been slowly loosing our dishes. We've actually never bought dishes before. We are still using the ones that had been passed down to us. But over time with some breaking here and there and losing some...we are down to 2 plates and two bowls...I think that's right. So we are really needing some new ones.
I was browsing around Etsy and found these! Are they not the coolest? They are a bit pricey but I love that we'll be supporting another vegan and I love that the dishes say vegan on them! Awesome. We'll be getting these slowly over time though. If we do decide to get them. They are a little expensive for us. A little here and a little there. Until we have a whole set. All different colors. I can't wait! You can check everything out here.

Freaking Snow

So...it snowed last night! I really hope this is the last of it!

Josh made us a vegan chocolate pudding pie last night! It's soooo yummy! I think I'll have some for lunch today..hehe.

Our Florida Keys vacation is fast approaching! I've already started packing up Kieran's suitcase but I need to find out which summer clothes still fit Nevin and if we need to buy any. I also need to find another bathing suit that fits me well...I hate bathing suit shopping!

I just can't wait to finally see those palm trees....yay!!!!

Happy Friday!

Vegan Cup Cake Recipe

This is the recipe that I used for Kieran's birthday cupcakes and Nevin's birthday cake.

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 scant cups soy milk(plain or vanilla)
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1 1/8 cups sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw)
1/2 cup oil (they suggest canola but I used olive oil and it was fine)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray 22 muffin cups with non-stick spray or line with paper cupcake liners and spray the liners with non-stick spray(I just rubbed olive oil on the inside of paper liners..worked fine!). Set aside.

Place the apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup and fill the cup with soy milk to equal 1/12 cups. Stir well and set aside( the mixture will curdle).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl whisk together the soy milk mixture, canola oil, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth using a hand held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. -- ( I did not use a mixer...only a spoon ...worked just fine!)

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester (or in my case a fork lol) inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 15 min., then remove cupcakes from pan and place on a wire rack (we don't have one so we didn't do this). Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.

Chocolate Vegan Butter cream Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup non hydrogenated margarine (we used Earth Balance brand)
3 1/2 - 4 tablespoons rice milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a medium mixing bowl. Add margarine, rice milk, and vanilla, and beat well using a hand held mixer (again I just used a spoon ) until the frosting is smooth.

This frosting is the best stuff ever! I could have had this alone by the spoonful! Yum!

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Makes 22 cupcakes.

Oh, and I also have a recipe for pineapple frosting. I'll post that later if anyone wants it. It's so good! Josh made me the cake with this frosting for my birthday. :)

Birthday Party Extraordinaire

We finally had Nevin's birthday party...a month late. But it was well worth the wait! We had it at our local recreation center that has an awesome pool! It was soo fun! The water slide was a blast. Nevin and his friends had such a great time! Kieran wasn't sure what to think of so much water but he warmed up to it. We can't wait to go back! So without further adieu...here are the pictures. Notice the cool, made from scratch cake? It's totally vegan...shhh! :)







P.S. I got the recipe for the cake from The Vegan Lunch Box cook book. I love that book!

A Happy Vegan Thankgiving

Well, we decided to stay home this Thanksgiving and have our own yummy Thanksgiving dinner and visit family later on. What a great decision too! Just look at all this vegan yumminess!




We had Lentil loaf, salad, green bean casserole, yams, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce gravy and pumpkin pie!
I ate just about the whole pie on my own...no joke. It's not often we have vegan pie!
Yummmmmmy!!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful thankgiving!

Herbivore

I believe that humans are naturally meant to be herbivores. I found this on You Tube and thought it was cute and so true! Enjoy!

Well Hello!

Well, I'm back. I had a blog here years ago and forgot all about it. But, here I am once again!

You may see many typo's along the way...thats because I'm often breastfeeding my baby and typing one handed...often with my left hand (like right now lol).

Let me tell you a little about myself.
I'm a SAHM, homeschooling Mom to 9 year old Nevin and 6 mos old Kieran (both boys). I'm 29 years old (as of Jan 11th) married to my best friend, Josh (30) and love to scrapbook! My 2nd home is at Scrap Garden...hanging out with my garden girls! I'm vegan and live (to my best ability) a cruelty free life. I'm an Attachment parent and try to live a healthy, natural lifestyle.

Well, thats me in short! :)