Vegan Advent Calendars

As a vegan family that celebrates Christmas, we've felt left out in the fun chocolate advent calendars that we see in all the stores this time of year. Those cute little windows with chocolates hiding behind them are SO fun. Unfortunately, we just haven't been able to find any that are vegan (and I've been seriously looking every year for five years). I've been given the advice by well meaning people that I should just purchase a non-vegan version, empty it, then refill it with vegan chocolate. I'm not willing to do this.

Last year, I made up a strand of mini construction paper cornucopias, and with a bunch of little candies from Vegan Essentials I was able to construct fun calendars for my daughters. Vegan Essentials carries fun little chocolates, toffees, and suckers that can be nicely tucked into handmade calendars. I've seen much fancier homemade versions, but I'd been holding out until the last minute on getting something that was premade. This past Halloween season, I was able to find little boxes of individually wrapped Endangered Species chocolates (our favorite vegan chocolate) at our local Target stores (in the candy section, not the seasonal section). I'm hoping that these are a permanently stocked item. They would be perfect for advent calendars. Maybe Endangered Species will even come out with a vegan advent calendar some year! That would be fantastic!

The year before last, we tried two different Lego Advent Calendars. I've wanted to try one of the Playmobil or Polly Pocket ones, but my daughters haven't been interested. Here is a list of a bunch of potentially fun toy advent calendars. We've done them once, and so my daughters aren't interested in getting them again.

Our homemade versions and toy versions have been fun, but I want my kids to have a *pop* of excitement with their calendars every year. I've tried to get their input several times, but they always want the final advent calendar decision to be a surprise... Oh, the dilemma.

Stop reading now if you are a daughter of mine. :)

This year, after another extensive search, I narrowed down our choices to:

• Another homemade version with candies
• A slightly better reusable sewn handmade version with candies and/or toys
• One of these from Chinaberry
• An empty fabric, wood, or sticker calendar from Strictly Christmas
• The "Christmas Countdown Chest of Drawers" from Signals Catalog (complete with mini decorations in each drawer and a mini tree to put them on)
  
• An empty fabric or wood one from Target.com (the wood ones are actually quite nice for the price)
• An empty fabric or wood one from The Company Store
  

I've made the decision to get little packets of candy (probably some Endangered Species chocolate for the regular days and a chocolate Santa or chocolate trees from Vegan Essentials or Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe for the last day) and put them into a drawer type calendar for my daughters to share. They've always had their own calendar in the past, but I think they'll like this for a change. If not, we'll try something new next year.

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If you happen to live in the UK, I've found several vegan advent calendars with the little windows with chocolate behind them. These are seasonal, so if they aren't in stock now, check back again soon. Check out these companies if you haven't already (I've never ordered from any):

• Montezuma's
• A lot of Chocolate
• Dietary Needs Direct
  

Whatever you decide to use for your advent adventure this year, be sure and have a fun holiday season. It's not too early to start figuring out your Holiday menu. Pretty much all recipes can be easily veganized, even ones with ham, fish and steak! Vegan Essentials sells fantastic vegan scallops.

Don't Get Sick This Thanksgiving!

Did you know that many people with the "flu" actually have food poisoning? The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has tips on "How to Ensure a Safe Thanksgiving".

What are some alternatives to turkey as a main course for your Thanksgiving day meal? If you must have some sort of turkey, try one of these (or make your own!):
Tofurky
Un-Turkey
Celebration Field Roast
Garden Protein's Veggie Turkey

Don't have time to shop around for a faux turkey? Try making something a bit less traditional, but still with all the fall flavors you love. Try butternut squash lasagna or casserole, meatless loaf (mushroom, nut, grain, or TVP), more traditional casserole (Shepherd's pie, pot pie), stuffed veggies, soup, or even stuffed breads (like runzas). Any of these make nice main courses.

Do Life Right's Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe:
1 package of whole wheat lasagna
1 large butternut squash
1-2 cups (or so) pecans
1-2 packages of your favorite vegan cheddar
(or your own homemade version)

Cook squash in oven for about an hour at 350F, allow to cool.
Peel (it practically falls off if the squash is cooked completely)
and get rid of the seeds.
Cook pasta according to package, allow to cool.
Layer pasta, squash, pecans, and vegan cheese.
Make sure there is a lot of the cheese on the top.
Cook for about 30 minutes or so at 350F+.
Once it is slightly browned, it is perfect.

Don't spend your holidays feeling ill; eat safe! Bonuses include: no gristle or bones to pick around, no unwanted extra fat, and no lethargic after meal feeling!

Honestly, there are so many (thousands) of vegan Thanksgiving recipes on the internet, I can't pick which ones to share. My suggestion is to decide what your favorite nonnegotiable meal items are, then adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Want a cute Thanksgiving book for a child in your life? Check out this sweet one:



Also see my blog on "Preparing for a Vegan Thanksgiving".

Vegan Athletes -- No Meat Necessary

To be strong, as well as healthy, a proper diet is important. Today's athletes should know this more than anyone. They want their bodies to perform at their highest potential; they want to be their ultimate best. The best diet possible for a professional athlete in any sport, professional firefighter, amateur athlete, or even us regular every day dabbling athletes, is a conscious vegan diet.

Carl Lewis, world class Olympic athlete, became a vegan in 1990. My favorite quote from him is, "I ate no dairy products. And I had my best year as an athlete ever!" Of course, there is more to his success than merely cutting out dairy. He also cut out meats and eggs (and continued his training). Mr. Lewis had met Dr. McDougall and McDougall convinced him to change his diet to a lowfat vegan diet.

Check out these sites for more information on how you can become faster, leaner, stronger, more agile, and more fit just by changing your diet:

• Dr. McDougall's "Building Your Own High-Performance Athletic Body"
• PCRM's "How Will a Vegetarian Diet Affect My Athletic Performance?"
  
• Vegan Athlete
• Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness
  
• Brendan Brazier's (vegan triathlete), "Ask the Vegan Athlete"
  
• Toronto Vegetarian Association's articles on vegetarian athletes
• Team Vegan (vegan cycling team)
  

Preparing for a Vegan Thanksgiving

With only two weeks until Thanksgiving, it isn't too early to start planning what you and your family are going to eat.

Yes, it is possible to have a filling, delicious, and fabulous Thanksgiving dinner that is vegan. My friends and family have been having one for years. We eat many traditional Thanksgiving foods, we just veganize the recipes. To me, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without green bean casserole, stuffing, and a pecan pie. My husband and oldest daughter expect a pumpkin pie. We've learned (quite easily) how to make these foods healthier, tastier, and vegan.

veganize (Do Life Right's definition): To change a nonvegan recipe into a vegan recipe by substituting and/or replacing animal products with vegan items. Examples include using soy or rice milks instead of cow milks, using tofu instead of eggs, and using tempeh bacon instead of pig bacon.

Out of curiosity, I plugged "vegan Thanksgiving" into google.com and found hundred of recipes and how-tos on how to hold a vegan Thanksgiving meal. It isn't hard and it is humane. Consider checking your local vegetarian restaurants to see if any are serving a special meal. Lovin' Spoonfuls, in Tucson, is having their yearly "by reservation only" Thanksgiving dinner. Friendly Feast is also offering a class on how to cook a vegan Thanksgiving that satisfies everyone, including the meat eaters in your family. If you really want to have an easy meal, try buying a Tofurky kit.

Why do we not eat turkey? The better question is: Why would we?

For more information check out these great sites:

• GentleThanksgiving.org (they have their own top 10 list)
• GoVeg.com's Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Turkeys
  

Our Vegan Halloween 2007

I first wrote about "Vegan and Ethical Trick-or-Treating" in September. Here is an update.

We had an absolutely excellent Halloween! My oldest daughter dressed as a Borg (from Star Trek) and my youngest was an astronaut. Note the space theme. :)

We went to two parties: A Vegan one (a potluck), and a Homeschooler's one (with a mini-carnival atmosphere -- we had a "Candy Toss"). Both were very fun, in drastically different ways.

We went out Trick-or-Treating with a friend of my oldest daughter's (and her mom) for two hours last night. We hit 82 houses and filled two huge bags (and later a gigantic bowl) with candy. After sorting the candy out, we estimated that a good 50% of the loot we brought home was vegan (we're counting the non-food items in this figure). Of the non-vegan foods we received, at least 40% were vegetarian! For non-food items, we received: pencils, yo-yos, and a toy watch. We were quite impressed. The biggest disappointment was finding that Nerds now have crushed beetles in them.

What are our plans for the non-vegan candy? First we'll give some to non-vegetarian friends (which is just about everyone we know), then we'll either use the rest for Gingerbread house decorating or take to my husband's office. We don't encourage food waste and never throw away foods that are still edible (we take non-vegan food presents to food banks and other food donation sites, or give to friends). While we, personally, won't eat the non-vegan foods, we feel that the animals the foods are made out of are best served by not getting thrown away. Our Halloween candy is much better off in the hands of people that were going to eat those foods anyway, rather than in a dumpster.

On a different fun note, today is the first day of November, so adopt your Webkinz black bear this month (the black bear is November's "Webkinz Pet of the Month"). We adopted two today (a girl named "Juniper" and a girl named "Ursa"). Our special gifts were the coveted Flying Saucer and the really exciting donut seed. We can't wait to harvest our very own farm fresh donuts. Of course, ours are vegan. :) Prepackaged vegan donuts can be purchased here.

Vegan Recipe Websites

I've been asked for my favorite sites with great vegan recipes. Here they are:

• Fatfree Vegan Site
• McDougall Recipes (you have to use their search to find specific recipes in their archives)
• Fatfree.com Site (both vegetarian and vegan recipes)
• Vegweb.com site (both vegetarian and vegan recipes)
  

However, when I really want to make a particular meal (and don't already know how), one of the first things I do is go to Google and type in "Vegan" and whatever the meal is (I also often add "lowfat" or "fat free" to my search). I've read a variety of awesome advice this way, including finding tips and suggestions on how to prepare various foods (like tofu, which I originally hated and now love since I know how to use it correctly).

Most vegans I know still use all of their regular cookbooks. They just veganize the recipes.

I also often use premade ingredients, such as jarred pasta sauce and Boca products. Here is an example of a super easy "Vegan Chicken Parmesan" I made last week (we cut out a piece so the layers could be seen):


2 packages Boca "Chicken" Patties
1 jar of your favorite fatfree vegan pasta sauce
2-3 chopped tomatoes (optional)
1/2 chopped onion (optional)
misc. chopped up veggies (optional)
1 package of WHOLE WHEAT pasta (I used spaghetti here)
1 package vegan Mozzarella cheese (shred for best results)
few sprinkles of vegan Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of your favorite spice (we used oregano)

Cook pasta as directed, heat patties in oven (not necessary, but I like them very crisp). Assemble in this order: pasta, sauce, veggies, patties, vegan Mozzarella, vegan Parmesan, spices. Bake at 400F or so for about 30 minutes. Actual preparing time is very minimal (less than 5 minutes, not counting boiling time). Makes 8 servings, tastes delicious, and is only 5 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving.

Kitt Peak and Tohono O'odham Diet

My family and I spent yesterday afternoon exploring Kitt Peak and the Tohono O'odham reservation area (just west of Tucson, Arizona). It is GORGEOUS there! This is not to be underrated. It didn't hurt that the weather was perfect (although it usually is with its 300+ sunny days per year), of course, but the photographs of the area in inclement weather proved that it is spectacular then, too.

My children are incredibly interested in space. They were delighted to see the telescopes at Kitt Peak. With 26 huge telescopes in work, we were only able to see a couple up close and personal. I was the most fascinated to find out that there are currently 895 potentially dangerous meteors hurling themselves toward/near the Earth right now. It is amazing what all we can discover about space today. We loved hearing about the process in place for getting time on the telescopes for research. We can't wait to attend one of their overnight sessions that are open to the public (all attendants must now be 9 or older).

As a completely random and happy surprise, we saw a shocking and wonderful billboard in this Indian Nation. It read:
"Diabetes is Preventable"
with subtext stating that a change in diet is all that is necessary to rid people of the disease (I sadly did not get a photograph). I was VERY impressed with the message and the gorgeous vegetables on the sign! The Tohono O'odham people are taking back their health. They've discovered that the people in their nation that have changed from a native diet to a SAD (Standard American Diet) are falling prey to the wide variety of diseases that the rest of America is riddled with. Changing back to a diet high in vegetables, whole grains, and fruit completely reverses the diseases. Diabetes in particular has been proven to be completely preventable amongst the Tohono O'odham people, which is an amazing thing since eating a poor diet causes four times as many Native American people to develop diabetes as in the U.S. population at large. Before this study, between 50 and 75% of the Tohono O'odham people had diabetes. I look forward to hearing the new statistics as dietary changes are sweeping the area.

What is the most surprising to me in all of this information is not that it is true -- it definitely is; what surprises me is that this hasn't become common knowledge. This dietary information should be on the news and in the newspapers. This is the stuff that will change the world! Can you imagine a disease free world, or even just a world free of diabetes? It's a glorious thought.

Think you have to change your diet to a Tohono O'odham native diet of prickly pear pads, chia seeds, tepary bean, and other Sonoran Desert plants? You don't. I live here and I have no idea how to prepare any of these plants (although I'd like to learn). Any lowfat whole foods vegan diet will work in the prevention and reversal of diabetes. Native people around the entire globe have been showing us their healthy diets -- all will work at keeping all people disease free. It isn't until a group of people change their diet to include huge amounts of meat and/or dairy that they develop the killing diseases of today (like heart disease and diabetes). Try one style of food and stick to it only, or mix it up from day to day. You don't have to have a boring, uninteresting, tasteless or difficult diet in order to eat healthy.

Here are a couple of of the many sites that talk more about this tremendous information, with specific information regarding diet and the Tohono O'odham people:
TOCA: Tohono O'odham Community Action
CBS News: 60 Minutes: "Why is America So Fat?"
W.K. Kellogg Foundation: "Fighting Diabetes with Native Foods"

I left the Tohono O'odham Nation with a sense of peace. It is a beautiful nation with amazingly beautiful people that are talented, artistic (their baskets are amazing!), and intelligent. Their culture is strong with a rich and and fascinating history. I can't wait to learn more.

Healthy and Hearty School Lunch Choices Needed

When I was a child, I was taught the four basic food groups (the Meat Group, the Dairy Group, the Fruit and Vegetable Group, and the Cereals and Grains Group). Seems as though the Federal Health Guidelines haven't changed very much. Public and private school children are still being fed an unhealthy diet that causes diseases, although it is now officially called "The Food Pyramid". The USDA still calls what should be called the Calcium category, the "Milk" group. Even more shocking is that even their mediocre recommendations aren't being met by a huge percentage of schools. Their details on their "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" should be researched better and should be replaced with PCRM's "The New Four Food Groups" (Fruit, Legumes, Whole Grains, Vegetables); PCRM's easy to read illustrated handout can be found here. Our schools should be required to live up to PCRM's standards, with severe penalties for noncompliance. The present and future health of our nation is dependent on them.

The Hawkeye (a Burlington, Iowa, newspaper) had an article last week about a vegetarian high school senior that is not being offered proper vegan options for her daily school lunch (plain iceberg lettuce is NOT a good option). This reminded me, again, of the changes that need to be made in the quality of foods that are served to the youth of America. Dietary guidelines should be based on actual researched and proven facts, not on old wives' tales from decades ago.

Diet directly affects learning. We should be giving our children the very best foods, not the second rate foods that the schools are cooking. While as an Unschooler I don't believe in testing children as an accurate indicator of their true knowledge, I still find the results of diet on actual learning to be astounding.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has this recent news release on the school lunch program. The "report card" made for various schools regarding the actual healthiness of the foods that they offer to their students is very enlightening!

What can you do? Demand that your children are being offered healthy food choices. Stand up for their health. Write to your state representatives. Don't support the school lunch program until it is changed. Pack your children's lunches every day. Be aware of your own diet and talk to your children about your own food choices. You could even ultimately make the same decision as my family made and keep your children home.

My Food Gave Me Headaches

Dr. McDougall is famous for saying, "Sick people take medicine. Healthy people don't take medicine."

I LOVE THIS! It was an epiphany for me the first time I read it. Astounding! Did this mean that I shouldn't be taking regular over the counter headache medicines, as well as vitamins and prescription drugs? Yes. Any and all pills and liquid medicines are drugs. I didn't want to be a sick person any longer. I didn't want to be a person that needed drugs to get by any longer. I wanted to be a healthy person -- then and forever.

The biggest step for becoming a healthy person was changing my diet. I did it as a trial; I was a skeptic. I'd read that minimal results could be seen in a mere three days, and major results could be seen in two to three weeks. I didn't think it would work, but I was desperate to feel good and willing to try just about anything. (I'd already tried dozens of other lifestyle and diet changes over the years. They either minimally improved my health temporarily, or had no visible effect on my health.) After only three days of being dairy-free, I was headache free, acne free, and free from the severe stomach and intestinal woes that had previously plagued me daily since I was very young. I had never, ever before felt so healthy before in my entire life -- ever. It was a shocking surprise!

No doctor in real life (of the dozens that I had went to) had ever told me that my health was directly related to the foods that I consumed. I'd asked, too. I was told time and time again that there was no correlation whatsoever. It wasn't until I was learning how to take back my own health (by doing my own research) that I found out that medical doctors receive less than three hours of nutrition education in their entire schooling (many receive less than one hour). Three hours! I'd already studied for probably a thousand hours or more on nutrition, yet my doctor had less than three behind her? How was this possible?

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is working on changing this shocking fact. They have created an absolutely amazing book, the "Nutrition Guide for Clinicians" that they are giving out FOR FREE to all medical students in the United States. Contact PCRM for more details on how to support this huge undertaking.

Oh, and my headaches (migraines, actually): they're gone. Dairy was the cause of my migraines! Be forewarned that even the tiniest slightest bit of animal products in your diet can cause severe body reactions such as migraines. Check your foods (even the soy products and cereals); there might be hidden animal ingredients in them. Read here for specific details on how to eliminate migraines from your life. I dream of the day when all people can live the pain free, healthy life, that I believe all people are meant to live.

Cholesterol Free Diet

I keep hearing (and reading) about cholesterol lowering drugs. Random strangers at parks, checkout lines, and luncheon meetings tell me their woes about having high cholesterol. It makes me feel like climbing on a rooftop and screaming at the top of my lungs, "A VEGAN DIET IS A CHOLESTEROL FREE DIET."

As my friend Peggy from Lovin' Spoonfuls says, "Heart Disease is a Meat Disease." This is a proven fact.

If you don't eat cholesterol, you don't have high cholesterol. It just isn't physically possible.

Would you rather be burdened with drugs and constant worry over your diet and the quantity you consume, or would you rather be drug-free and eat a virtually unlimited McDougall style lowfat vegan diet that is full of all the flavor you are used to and MORE? It's a non-question to me. It doesn't surprise me that the people with the most bodily health complaints are the ones with their plates full of the most meat and dairy.

I hear it all the time: "But, I love flavor. I could never eat a bland vegan diet." This is another silly myth about vegan diets!

I love food. I love a wide variety of flavors and textures and I demand to eat only food that is high quality and tastes fantastic. No mediocre foods for me and my family, yet we always have more delicious food in our house than we could possibly eat in one sitting. We seldom have problems eating out, either. We've just learned HOW to order and HOW to prepare food. It really isn't that hard once you are used to it. We've actually found that all of our previous foods' flavors actually came from the toppings and sauces anyway. We still eat those toppings and sauces (some needed to be "veganized"), we just now put them on vegetables, grains, seitan, and tempeh instead of cholesterol laden meats.

Try it for a month. Get your cholesterol tested today, then eat according to PCRM's guidelines for a month, then get your cholesterol tested again. You just might be shocked with delight at how a simple change in diet can improve your health so drastically!

Arizona Pumpkin Patch

My daughters and I visited Agua Linda Farms pumpkin patch this afternoon with one of our local homeschooling groups. While clearly the patch (and the other vegetables growing on the farm) needed irrigation, we still found the farm beautiful. We love the scenic mountains in the background, although I personally miss Iowa's silos. The typical Midwestern corn maze (or soybean maze) were replaced with a hay maze [although it has been pointed out to me that at least one corn maze does exist each fall in Arizona, I just haven't seen any yet]. The whole experience was a lot of fun. My youngest especially appreciated the petting zoo. If you haven't had a chance to visit one of your local pumpkin patches this fall, try and find the time to do it! Connecting with where your food comes from is always a rewarding experience.

World Go Vegan Days

In honor of my upcoming birthday (next Sunday, the 28th), I'd like to tell everyone about World Go Vegan Days. If this blog has helped you or annoyed you, please make the commitment to eat a vegan diet from October 26-28th. Telling everyone today should give everyone plenty of time to decide what meals to have for this special event.

Try veganism for a mere three days and see how you feel. You just might be surprised at how much more energy and health you have! Thank you for your support!

Vegan Perspective on Heifer International

With the Holidays right around the corner, I've been seeing more and more ads for Heifer International again (whose link I am consciously not putting on my site). I've also been hearing more and more people say that this is the gift they are giving friends and family this year. This makes many of my vegan friends and me very sad! Please consider this carefully before you pay money to this organization; your friends and family just might not agree with Heifer International's premise.

To be brief, Heifer International is an organization that allows givers to purchase a variety of animals (for different fees) that are then given to individuals, families, or villages. The animals are then raised by these people and either sold, raised for milk and eggs and wool, or outright eaten. I believe the organization's goal is to help end world hunger, clearly an admirable goal, but also clearly not possible in the manner they are attempting.

To share why this isn't possible, here are links to just two of the many articles that give voice to a vegan's discontent:

• Unitarian Universalists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals's Article on "What's Wrong with the Heifer Project?" [Note for those concerned: UFETA is not affiliated with PETA]
  
• The Independent's Andrew Tyler's article "Don't follow the herd and give a cow for Christmas"
  

So you like the idea of giving to a charity that can help starving people, rather than spending your money on gifts that may or may not be appreciated? Consider these humane alternatives that are doing a lot of good:

• Food for Life Global
• Sustainable Harvest International
  
• Fruit Tree Planting Foundation

Still not convinced that a vegan diet is the only way that world hunger can be ended? Consider these facts:

• The average number of lives saved [per year] by being a vegetarian is 95 (being vegan saves even more)
• GoVeg's "Meat and the Environment" page
• The Human Farming Association's "Factory Farming" page
• Vegetarian USA's Food "Choices & the Planet" page
  

My last words for today are actually The New York Times words from their "Reasons To Be A Vegetarian" article dated June 20, 1989.

Breast Cancer Prevention -- It is possible!

With October being "Breast Cancer Awareness" month, I've been asked at just about every check-out counter I've been to whether I'd like to donate to breast cancer research or not. I've always said no and I've been made to feel like an ogre for this. I'm not. With Do Life Right, I am promoting a true healthy diet (low fat pure vegetarian -- vegan) that prevents diseases from occurring. This is a much better use of my time, energy, and money than donating to these organizations or participating in a walk for the cure. If you check out the various awareness sites, you'll find no mention of how a vegan diet can cure diseases and little information on food at all. You'll mostly find information on drugs and other "therapies" with a little information thrown in about moderate exercise and getting more fiber. This is not enough!

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has this to say: "Breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in countries where diets are typically plant-based. When people from those countries adopt a Western, meat-based diet, their rates of breast cancer soar. "

This isn't new information, although it isn't well publicized. Doctors such as Dr. John McDougall have been telling their patients and the world about this information for over thirty years, check out his information on breast cancer (there are a bunch of wonderful articles listed on this page!). While you are reading, check out The Cancer Project's information on Cancer Prevention and Survival for Breast Cancer, too.

McDougall also dispels the myth of mammograms. Have you been lead to believe that these are a necessary part of a woman's health care? They shouldn't be! The unpopular truth is that mammography fails. (Be sure to read the mammography links on the McDougall website.)

For in-depth information on diet and how it affects our health, check out The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I strongly believe that in another thirty years this information will be well known. People will be saying, "I wish someone would have told me the benefits of a vegan diet all those years ago. It would have saved me so much suffering." I'm here, telling you now in 2007. Please do the research yourself! The information and proof exists. Take back your health today! It is never too late to become a healthier you.

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I will give credit where credit is due. The American Breast Cancer Foundation, the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research, the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, and the United Cancer Research Society have all passed PCRM's "Humane Charity Seal of Approval". None do testing on animals (which is a very good thing!). I still strongly believe that if you are wanting to donate money to a worthy organization, your best bet is PCRM. Dollar for dollar, they are doing the best to actually help and prevent diseases.

Baby Steps to a Better Life?

I became a vegan over a period of about five years. First, I cut out beef, pork and exotic meats. Next, chicken and seafood. Finally, eggs and dairy and leather/silk goods. This was the order that I clearly needed to go through.

Was this good? No. My body didn't appreciate it (and neither did the animals!). Yet, I had a thousand excuses why I had to eat various things. It most often came down to cravings of foods that I was used to. In today's grocery world, this can no longer be a justifiable excuse. There are so many mock meats and vegan cheeses available that tastes can not only be mimicked, but flavors can be surpassed. I love seitan, tempeh, and properly prepared tofu (don't eat this stuff plain; yuck!). The best tasting vegan cheeses available today are made by Follow Your Heart.

While it is true that every meatless meal will help your health and the environment, your body and soul will thank you if you make all of your meals with no animal products. World Vegetarian Day was October 1st. October is World Vegetarian Month. It is not too late to eat a vegetarian diet for the rest of the month!

Your body and conscience will thank you if you make the switch to a healthier lifestyle in one giant step, rather than baby steps. However, for each vegan meal you eat, you bring your health up a notch and you save the lives of animals. The food you eat really is the food you wear. Remember this at the beginning of every meal and snack and you will certainly be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

Unschooled Vegan Children? Yes, They Can Exist!

My two daughters, ages 7 and 11, are vegan. They've both been vegetarians their whole lives and vegan for the last couple of years. I'm often poo-pooed in Unschooling circles, since many Unschoolers are Radical Unschoolers and believe that children should be allowed to eat what they want when they want it (and not forced to eat anything, nor disallowed from eating other things). I find this interesting. These people make a lot of assumptions about our dietary decisions based on the fact that I am the mother in this family. They are forgetting that we, too, are Radical Unschoolers and did not take on the decision to become a vegan family lightly nor without a lot of thought, research and time.

These Radically Unschooled Vegan children of mine are healthy, strong, and brilliant. Their bodies and minds are healthy and pure. They don't get sick often and are growing at a healthy rate. While their genetics make it appear that they should have a variety of ailments and maladies by their ages, neither does. While it is still possible for them to have something physically wrong with them later in life, their chances are significantly reduced by their diets.

Do I leave this decision up to them, as Radical Unschooling dictates? Yes. My children are allowed to eat whatever they want, whenever they want it. They have, individually, decided to become vegan on separate occasions with no pressure from any other member of our family or anyone else. If anything, I pressured them not to become vegan even as their hearts and minds encouraged them to. I didn't want to make this decision for them, yet honestly told them the facts as they asked (many questions over years). My children can, at any time, eat whatever they want (I always do point out what ingredients are in various food items when we are at potlucks, etc., as many of our personal vegan foods do not look vegan and could easily be confused with their meat/dairy counterparts). While we do have a completely vegan kitchen at this point, I would drive them to a restaurant and purchase non-vegan food for them if they asked me to -- they know this. With all the incredible vegan choices available today, they've never made that choice. They know that they can though; control of their bodies and what to consume are their decisions. Their lives are theirs. They listen to their bodies' wisdom and always make the right decision for them. And, they always know that whatever their decisions are, I will never be disappointed in them. Veganism is a very big decision and I've left it up to them to make it.

From the moment my oldest daughter was born, she showed that she was not going to consume anything unless she knew EXACTLY what it was. At the time, my husband and I were omnivores, eating meat and/or dairy with every meal. Our baby refused to eat anything except breastmilk until she was nearly a year and a half old. Considering that both her father and I had had serious dietary caused ailments by that age and she had none, her baby wisdom was a lot smarter than what doctors were telling us.

It wasn't until she was three or four that she asked to possibly eat a bit of meat that was on my plate. She wondered what it was. We said chicken. She wondered if the word chicken we were using was the same word chicken that was the bird that we saw in books and in chicken coops. She first thought we were kidding when we said yes and she laughed and laughed. When she saw that we were serious, she was flabbergasted, then appauled, then very upset with us. She made us seriously consider our own personal food choices. She led us on our journey to veganism. She was our leader, our teacher, our guide. In an Unschooling family, the learning goes in all directions -- Not just from the older people down. We are on this journey together, learning every day -- together.

All four members of my family are introverts. We relish in our time alone in the solitude of our own home. However, several years ago my oldest daughter wanted to become a vegan activist. She led our way on that journey, too, and it is her that I thank every day for broadening my mind and my world so much. I wouldn't be who am I today without her wisdom. Without her, I never would have wondered if it was my diet that was causing all of my ailments. Without her, I never would have attempted an elimination diet. Cutting out all animal products from my diet has been the best health decision I have ever made. I am presently disease-free and that is something that could not be said about me my entire life before I became a vegan. Without my daughter, I never would have started this very site.

Are you interested in vegetarianism or veganism, but aren't sure it is a healthy decision for growing children? Here are a few fabulous resources for you to start your own research with:

• Keeping Kids Healthy article on "Raising Vegan Children"
• VegFamily site
• Dr. McDougall's site (do a search for "children" on this site -- there is a lot of great information there)
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's take on what children should eat
• Do Life Right's aStore on Healthy Diets
• The very best book on this topic is: Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right by Joel Fuhrman
  

As with all topics and subjects in my family's life, we are open and honest and factual with our children. They asked the questions about food and diet, and together we explored and researched to find the answers. We did not hide the truth about food from our children, just as we do not hide the truth about anything from them. We tell them what we know and we research the rest. Kids are smart and can come to decisions and conclusions on their own if they know the facts. It is up to us, as their parents, to keep our minds open as we explore the world together.

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day, which kicks off October as Vegetarian Awareness Month. Many vegetarian and vegan groups host potlucks, cook-offs, and free cooking classes/tasting displays this month. If you have considered vegetarianism, this is the perfect time to try it out. Many people find that they are so amazed with the results, they never eat meat again.

Try doing a google search with your town's name and the word vegetarian or vegan. Your town might even have its own vegetarian group! Despite the reputation many vegetarian groups have, I've found every group that I've personally interacted with to be full of extremely kind and tolerant people. Whether you are a vegetarian already or not, you can use the month of October to learn how to improve your health and cure the diseases that your body currently has. In seeking out local groups in your area that promote healthy living, you can surround yourself with others that want to improve their own lives. This is inspiring. In addition to the myriad health benefits of a strict vegetarian diet, there are even more moral and ethical reasons for not eating meat and other animal products. If you aren't sure what they are, consider ordering a Free Vegetarian Starter Guide.

If you are in the greater Tucson area check out the Vegetarian Group of Tucson and then, try eating a meal at our favorite restaurant, Lovin' Spoonfuls Café, sometime this month. I've also made a quick list of where in Tucson/Green Valley to purchase various meat and dairy analogs since these are the foods that people often think are not replaceable.

Looking for a good vegetarian restaurant in your own area to try out? Check out HappyCow's Vegetarian Guide to Restaurants and Health Food Stores. Be sure to add your own reviews, also.

Happy World Vegetarian Day! Try a new recipe this month! It might become a new family staple.

Vegan and Ethical Trick-or-Treating

With Halloween just over a month away, I've been having people tell me they feel sorry for my kids. They think that because we are vegan, we don't eat candy or go trick or treating. We happen to do both. :)

To have an ethical Halloween, consider what you purchase for your Halloween handouts.

• Do you really need to pass out candy?
  
• Have you considered passing out glow sticks, Play-Doh, small stuffed animals (my girls received cute little TY ghosts two Halloweens ago), stickers, little notebooks, polished rocks, hair clips, small toys (like balls or cars), or even pencils and erasers? Maybe nice bright brand-new shiny pennies, nickels, dimes, or even quarters? My girls would love this!
• Many cracker, nut, cereal, and pretzel companies make snack sized bags that would be perfect for passing out. Don't forget fruit leathers and raisins, too.
  
• If you must pass out candy, have you checked all the ingredients? Do you know what they are?
  
• Do you know where and how the candy was made? Besides the harm to your body, did you know that nearly half of the world's chocolate comes from West Africa, where children are being forced to farm it? If chocolate is a must for you (it is for us), try purchasing ethical chocolates from companies such as Dagoba, Endangered Species, and Equal Exchange. Yes, these cost more, but they are worth it. They even sell bags of mini-sized ones! I've seen these at surprising places, including Wal-Mart!
  
• Don't feel obligated into keeping your light on all night. Spend your regular alloted amount on candy, then turn your porch light off when you run out. You aren't obligated to give candy to every kid in town.
• Still aren't sure what to do? Check out this Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit.
  

VegFamily Magazine wrote a great article titled "Vegan Halloween - Tricks and Treats". Be sure to check out the PETA list of Vegan Candy. This is a very thorough list that also has a short list of some of the most common candy ingredients that make candy not vegan. Be sure to read ingredients before you buy (even if the candy is on the PETA list) since companies can change their recipes (or have different ingredients depending on what country you live in; e.g. Skittles in Europe are currently vegan, they are not in the United States).

Once you go Trick-or-Treating, what can you do with all of your non-vegan loot? Here are our favorite ideas:

• Use it for gingerbread house decorating.
• Donate to a food shelter.
• Take it to work and leave it in the break room.
  

VegFamily Magazine has a fun little "Top 10 Things to do with Non-Vegan Halloween Candy" article.

Above all, enjoy this festive holiday with your children. They can only dress up and go Trick or Treating for so many years, enjoy every second of the fun. And, of course, don't forget to take photographs.

What about protein?

This is probably the most frequent question I receive when I tell people that I am vegan.

"Don't you just feel weak all the time?" the questions continue... [They are usually asked by an extremely unhealthy looking person, too. One that has just spent the previous 30 minutes talking about his/her ailments and plans to continue to talk about their ailments for the duration of our conversation.]

I'm not trying to preach to the choir here, and clearly this question is considered a real question by many, so I will answer it here:

Emphatically, NO. I really don't know how to say it more plainly. I, and countless other vegans, have never felt stronger and healthier in our lives. The idea that people need to consume animal protein in order to be strong is a sad myth. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a lot to say about the Protein Myth. I had the opportunity to meet Neal D. Barnard, M.D. last year. He, and the other PCRM people definitely practice what they preach. They glow with health.

Think you can't be a good athlete without eating meat? Think again! There are many successful and extremely healthy topnotch vegan athletes around the world that prove their strength and agility every day.

Dr. McDougall has a lot of information on his site regarding the protein myth, also.

And, of course, I can't forget to mention The China Study again. This book by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. is the book to read if you are interested in reading real studies regarding protein in diets. His conclusions are irrefutable.

Eating Vegan While Traveling

My daughters and I are currently on a road trip, checking out famous (and not so famous) space exhibits and sites in New Mexico (more on this later). We knew from the get-go that eating a healthy vegan diet whilst traveling was probably going to be challenging. It is, but we've got some suggestions on how to make it easier:

1. Take as much food with you as you can manage. Many things don't have to be refrigerated, such as pb&j, Clif bars, pretzels, and misc. snack items. Things that do have to be refrigerated can often be carried for a few hours and eaten as your first trip meal.
   
2. Check happycow.net for restaurants and health food stores at your destination (and on the way to your destination). This site is an excellent resource for finding vegetarian and vegan friendly stores and eateries. Be sure to write reviews of the places you check out. I always read reviews of places I am considering going to.
   
3. If you see a health food store, go into it, even if you aren't hungry. We found our supper today by stumbling upon a health food store. While most of the items were very much not vegan, we were able to find healthy choices.
4. Don't let yourself get dehydrated! Buy bottled water if you need to, it is worth it.
5. Don't let yourself get to the point that you are so hungry you are willing to eat anything you find. Seek out food well before you are starving.
6. Find meals at grocery stores and eat at parks. You don't have to eat all your meals at restaurants and fast food joints. We've found some fun fruit and dry cereal for breakfast. If you know that fast food places are going to be your only choice, figure out what you are going to order before you go in. Many meals can be veganized if you ask the right questions and make your needs made clear (politely, of course).
   
7. Don't hesitate to eat the "wrong meals" at the "wrong times". If you have access to delicious and nutritious vegan burritos, eat them even if it is breakfast time. Ditto on cereal for supper. My daughter highly recommends spaghetti for breakfast and peaches for lunch. I'm not actually a big cereal fan, but it does make for easy and quick trip food.
8. Have fun and try new things! You just might find new favorites.
   

Vegan Chocolate?

Yes, vegans can eat chocolate. Yes, it is delicious and real. Pure dark chocolate is vegan. It is when dairy and sugar filtered with bone char is added that chocolate turns unhealthy and is no longer vegan.

Where can you find vegan chocolate? Just about anywhere these days! I've been pleasantly surprised at the odd places I've spotted vegan chocolate. Although, it will likely cost more than a typical candy bar at a gas station. The satisfaction of high quality chocolate is about a thousand times more. I consider this well worth the extra expense. Healthy choices always are.

Here are a few brands to check out (be sure to read the ingredient labels since most of these companies do carry non-vegan chocolate, also):
Dagoba Chocolate
Endangered Species Chocolate -- these are our favorite
Denman Island Chocolates -- we love their chocolate mint frogs

If for some reason you can't find any locally (try your local health food stores, too!), Vegan Essentials always has a wonderful selection. They even sell chocolate Santas at Christmastime and chocolate eggs and bunnies at Easter!

Trader Joe's carries an excellent vegan chocolate chip cookie (other varieties, also, but the chocolate chip is our favorite). Their cookies are similar to Uncle Eddie's. Try a variety pack of Uncle Eddie's if you can't decide which your family might like best. Trader Joe's and Safeway both carry vegan chocolate chips in their baking section, if you prefer to make your own cookies. Just be sure to read the ingredients every time you make your purchases since recipes change over time.

Chocolate Blast

When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, over eleven years ago, I craved Baskin-Robbins "Chocolate Blasts". Being that I've become a much healthier person since then, I was afraid my chocolate blasts were doomed to the past (although I no longer craved them, I still enjoyed the flavor and texture of the icy chocolate drink).

I've since recreated that 800+ calorie treat into my favorite summer snack that isn't even 300 calories, yet twice the volume.

2 cups of light chocolate soymilk (your choice on brand)
1 tray of ice

Blend in a Vita-Mix, put in a HUGE cup, then enjoy for the next hour. It is a wonderfully tasty and healthy snack that is a mere 4 Weight Watchers POINTS. It fills me and gives me extra water. To make it extra special, a scoop of Ricemellow "Marshmallow" Crème (vegan marshmallow fluff) on the top is a very lovely treat.

I have to point out at this juncture that John Robbins, the heir to the Baskin-Robbins throne, states that he is a near vegan. Raw Vegan Radio interviewed Robbins in their podcast #23. As their blog states, he left the ice cream business to walk "away from his fortune to spend his life spreading the message on health, the environment, and peaceful living." Listen to this great podcast for more information or check out one of John Robbin's books. His best are Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples and Diet for a New America: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness, and the Future of Life on Earth. Robbins also has an interesting website: healthyat100.com

Creating the Perfect "Harry Potter" Magic School Party

My oldest daughter turns eleven on Sunday. If we lived in England, she'd be getting her letter to Hogwart's about now. But, alas, we live in Arizona, USA. Then, of course, there is the fact that we have chosen homeschooling, Radical Unschooling to be precise, as the form of education in our household... Still, the magic siren has been calling to us. Our solution? A "Welcome to Magic School" party.

Ingredients for this MAGIC SCHOOL party:

• Money from Gringott's (this site has lots of high quality Harry Potter merchandise)
• Yummy candy to sell to the arriving students -- most purchased from Vegan Essentials
• Plenty of new wizards and witches to invite
• Parent/Grandparent/Older Sibling Professors (we couldn't do this without them!)
• Magic Wands and a couple of Alivan's magic wands
  
• One good sorting hat (these say suede, but it is a polyester faux vegan suede)
• Spells for all the magic we are planning
  
• Enough materials for at least seven classes
• Good imaginations

Directions: Mix together and have fun.

A few of our specific classes (with notes on the magic behind the magic):
Care of Magical Creatures -- Glow in the Dark Squidies
Transfigurations -- three forms of magical paper 1, 2, 3
Charms -- buzz magnets, water suspension magic, and static lights
Potions -- Making slime and worms
Herbology -- Planting magical plants
Divination -- tea leaf reading, crystal ball reading, magic fish
Defense Against the Dark Arts -- Making air blasters to defend against dark creatures

Our Vegan Feast includes:
NOTE: Cynthia from Friendly Feast created the menu and all recipes are hers (thus we can't share them).

• Hagrid's Special Birthday Cake
• Three Broomsticks Inn Butterbeer
• Hogwart's Express Iced Pumpkin Juice
• Quidditch Player Shepherd's Pie
• Mrs. Weasley's Home-Baked Mini Pumpkin Pies
• Kreacher's Treacle Tartlets
• Cauldron Cakes
• Canary Creams
• Honeydukes Sweet Shop Chocolate Fudge

And, of course, we have a few more magical surprises up our sleeves...
We can't tell you everything, or the magic would be gone.

Sensible Foods for Sensible People

My family is vegan. We eat no animals and no animal products, including honey. Yet, we are modern vegans living in modern society. We don't garden (we tried for several years, but all the plants died even with hundreds of dollars of care and water); if you can garden -- WONDERFUL! I also don't enjoy cooking and only do it as necessary. This could cause a dilemma, but it doesn't. Yes, I want the absolute best nutrition for my family at all times. I am a strong believer that "You are what you eat". Our health reflects that.

You can "disease proof" yourself and your kids. Check out pcrm.org for more information on curing diseases with diet. The China Study gives an amazing account of how diet can change the health of a society. It is highly researched over many years.

Back to us, we want to eat with our friends and family, yet we never sway in our vegan ideals. So, we are always looking for snacks and foods that meet our needs, yet are so tasty that all the people around us want to steal our food. This actually happens a lot and we don't usually mind. :) Afterall, we want our friends and family to live long and healthy lives, too.

Here are some of our current "take to the park" snacks:

• Sensible Foods "Crunch Dried" Fruit and Vegetable snacks -- WOW, these are good! I usually buy them on amazon.com since their price is the best. The corn is our favorite.
• Primal Sticks These come in actual sticks (like Slim Jims) and jerky flat strips. I usually buy these from Food Fight Grocery, but Vegan Essentials has them and so do several of our local grocery stores. Check yours! You might be surprised.
  
• Organic Rice Krispies with Ricemellow “Marshmallow” Crème No need for vegan butter to make these treats. They are perfectly delicious with just the rice and fluff mixed together. I buy the fluff from Vegan Essentials. The Marshmallow tastes amazingly good in every form I've tried, including frozen, although I am partial to it in hot chocolate.
  
• Baked Tings These "vegan Cheetos" are delicious! The only place I can find the baked ones are at amazon.com and robscape.com. The regular ones can be found at many grocery stores.
• Eco-Planet's "cheese" crackers The only place I've found these are at Vegan Essentials. They are super cute and taste better than goldfish crackers. The best part is they are dairy-free and organic.
• Mary's Gone Crackers These are wonderful tasting crackers that are the healthiest I've ever seen. They taste great plain, or with toppings (such as Eggless Egg Salad). We usually buy them locally, but I've seen them on Vegan Essentials and amazon.com.
  
• And, of course, fresh fruits and vegetables (but these don't hold up well in 100+F summer heat over a few hours and you all know where to buy these).

Amazon.com has over 200 vegan foods in their grocery section with new ones added all the time!

Our other favorite online food sources are:

• veganessentials.com This shop sells many of the products that I've mentioned and thousands more!

• rightfoods.com Dr. McDougall's ready made vegan meals. Just add hot water and enjoy! These are super delicious, easy, quick, and affordable. If you don't know who Dr. McDougall is, check out his awesome site!
  

• foodfightgrocery.com Funky vegan shop that has many new items before anyone else.

• robscape.com Online source of Tings and Baked Tings (we also find these locally and on amazon.com).

I've just discovered the Go Dairy Free site. What a fantastic resource for finding out more about what to feed dairyless children.

Just say NO to added oils

I think I've read just about every vegan cookbook out there. One thing in common with most of them is that their recipes contain an abundance of oil. Should oil be a regular part of a healthy diet?

No! It should not. This is why I primarily promote only low fat vegan recipes (most raw vegan recipes have olive oil in them). All the McDougall books and other books that I recommend qualify. I'm frequently adding more recommendations to my aStore, so please check it frequently. My most recent finds are Skinny Bitch and The Vegan Diet As Chronic Disease Prevention: Evidence Supporting the New Four Food Groups and Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right.

Check out www.fatfree.com for an online listing of great lowfat vegetarian recipes (I only recommend the vegan ones).

Dr. McDougall's research and knowledge have changed my life. His information is a testament to how a healthy person should eat. If you aren't the healthiest person that you can be, try the McDougall diet for a few days (ideally for the rest of your life) and you will be shocked at the results. I certainly was; I was a completely different person after a mere three days. While I had tried a variety of other "diets" before, I'd still been plagued with migraines, ulcers, colitis, and so many other maladies that I'd bore you with the full list. I've now been pain free and symptom free of all diseases I had even been diagnosed with for four and a half years. Rather than spending money on medications and doctor bills, I use it on organic fruits, vegetables and grains. Yum!

Dr. McDougall writes an excellent monthly newsletter, complete with amazing recipes. I particularly love his most recent article on oil added to food. I highly recommend that everyone scour his website. There is even a section where you can put in your ailment and read about its cure. Yes, cure. Between the McDougall site and the PCRM site, I am excited about the future of medical care in the United States.

While my family and I eat a very strict vegan diet, I can tell a huge difference in my attitude, energy, and health when I am eating "McDougall style" instead of a typical high fat one. My personal balance comes from allowing higher fat foods into the house only for special events. When my kids crave brownies (I can't actually remember the last time this happened), we eat brownies from a mix (such as Dr. Oetker's Brownie mix) with either a can of pureed pumpkin or two cans of squished black beans with a little water instead of the eggs and oil the mixes recommend (if you want the best tasting brownie recipe, try the McDougall site or the fatfree site). We do not have any liquid oils in the house. You can't add them to your food if you don't have them in your house! It is very easy to cook without oil. Add extra water instead.

No, my children do not feel deprived. Anything they desire, we make. We just make it tastier and healthier. They haven't come up with a food desire yet that they couldn't have. For ready made snacks, check out veganessentials.com.

What do you eat?

Some of the questions I get asked most frequently, are: "What do you eat?", "What do you eat in groups of omnivores?", and "What does your family do with all that time with your children since they aren't in school?". With this blog, I am going to attempt to answer these questions over time and I'll mention our most recent great finds.

Check out Vegan Done Light's new cookbook. You can purchase it here. This cookbook is downloadable and can be purchased for only $9. You can see wonderful interviews of Dr. John McDougall and Dr. Neal Barnard, two of my ultimate favorite vegan advocates, on Vegan Done Light's website. While you are at it, be sure to check out the McDougall Program and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Both are life changing for a person that wants to live the healthiest life possible.