The Gist: Happy MLK Day VegNews Book Clubbers! We are now in the third week of our discussion of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott. I'm personally very excited about the holiday, because it gives me time to catch up on my reading. Don't forget that we will be reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer in February, so get a copy! We're actually selling the book over at the VN Store, so you don't even have to make a trip to the bookstore.We read chapters four to six for our conversation this week. Chapter four covers non-food shopping, such as clothing, makeup, feminine hygiene, natural cleaning supplies, and even sex products. Elliott lists an array of brands for each area, giving a great guide for your cruelty-free purchases!
Chapter five talks food, and Elliott gives a detailed guide on how to stock your vegan kitchen. She includes canned food, dried food, baking ingredients, frozen foods, spices, tools, and other various staples. She also provides a sample menu, a list of non-vegan ingredients to look out for, and talks about what and what not to feed a non-vegan. If you are new to veganism, this is definitely the chapter for you.
Finally, chapter six contains recipes, and a lot of them! From breakfast to dessert, these recipes look to be a good start to help your vegan cooking take off. I personally want to make the Portobello Banh Mi Sandwiches, because I love everything sandwich.
The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!
1. What are your favorite cruelty-free clothing and makeup brands?
2. Have you tried any of the recipes listed in chapter six? If so, which one, and how was it?
The Assignment: Please read the rest of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life for our discussion on January 24.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
I love The Herbivore Clothing Company! My 4 year old daughter wants to get the one with the Elephant that says "I am a vegan and I love you." She calls it the Elephant Shirt. Alternative Outfitters is also a great company. As for makeup I really don't wear any. Everyday I wear lip balm and Crazy Rumors Lip Balm is my choice. The Lemon Flavor is my favorite. To keep my tattoos looking good I use Merry Hempsters Tattoo Balm which has sunscreen in it. Your not supposed this balm until after your tattoo has healed though.(On Saturday I got a cupcake and stars on my forearm. For the healing process I'm using Stay True Organics Tatto Aftercare Set. The tattoo is healing up nicely and quickly.)
ReplyDeleteThe Pasta with Asparagus in Lemon Cream Sauce is great. Instead of fresh asparagus I had to use canned since I couldn't find any fresh. If you use the canned make sure to rinse the asparagus first before cooking. I also added more garlic to the recipe since we love garlic in our house. It goes great with freshly baked garlic bread. I can't wait to try some more recipes from this book, they all look yummy!
You can't go wrong with Happy Herbivore. They had a booth at the DC VegFest and I was finding it difficult to pry myself away from the table without buying one of everything. As for makeup I'm not a huge makeup person but I do love me some Urban Decay.
ReplyDeleteI have not tried any of the recipes from the book, but I cannot wait to make the Broccoli Miso Chowder and the Spinach Strawberry Salad. Yummm.
I don't really have a favorite veg clothing company. I tend to buy mostly second-hand and vintage, but the coats at Vaute Couture are just dreamy. I'm also not a big fan of make-up, but when I do wear it I use mostly urban decay as well. Their colors are awesome.
ReplyDeleteI've got some friends that own a soap company, and they make vegan, fair trade, organic beauty supplies. I pretty much use their stuff exclusively now: shampoo, body wash, soap, face cream, etc. Their Save Face moisturizer really does save my poor winter skin. They're called the Fanciful Fox and you can order their stuff online if anyone is interested. www.fancifulfox.com
I've tried a couple of the recipes from the book: Two bean confetti hash, Tempeh Sloppy Joes, and the Moroccan Kale and Chickpea Tagine with Quinoa. The hash and sloppy joes were pretty good, but the tagine is amazing. It's got lots of fragrant spices and it's full of good-for-you stuff. It's the perfect winter-blues dish and I highly recommend making it! I posted pictures of my version last week on my blog. www.sweetswallowsbaking.com
I do not own any actualy "cruelty free" clothing tho I do not own fur or leather or wool so I think my clothes are animal free at least! Havent quite transitioned all the way and make up and such yet either. I do use Crazy Rumors and I wish they had a plain flavor. I like Jason's toothepaste and Avalon Face cream. I think thats about all that I have found I liked so far. Tried some soap and shampoo but did not like either of them. Not really sure what recipes I will try from the book. I will have to look again and see what sounds yummy! I actually read Eating Animals over the summer and it took me forever to read it! I am hoping I remember enough about the book to make comments because I loaned it to a friend and never got it back and my friend moved!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi everyone! Thanks for the comments so far—you guys have some great suggestions. You definitely have to test natural products out for yourself to see which ones you like the best. I'm a fan of Earth Science for face wash and lotion. Urban Decay is also a great makeup line.
ReplyDeleteThe recipes you've guys made so far sound super, and I want to go home right now and try them myself!
I look forward to reading more comments.
~VegNews Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
Lyndsay, totes make the portobello banh mi! <3
ReplyDeleteSince I'm still new to veg living, I haven't tried any of the clothing lines but I'm glad to have the sites listed so I can start shopping! I use avalon products and will be looking at the cruelty free cosmetics asap. In the past I just looked for not tested on animals label.
ReplyDeletePlanning on making the biscuits/gravy this weekend! looks yummy.
My favorite cruelty free make-up company is hairfix. The dry shampoo has been a lifesaver for me. I'm a massage therapist & always getting bits of oil in my hair. I use it regularally on myself as well as for my clients. I have been using their organic dry shampoo for several years and was very excited when they created their new soap (skin fix) and lip balm (lip fix). I absolutely love this company and ALL of their products....I'm always introducing them to others and especially love giving the soaps and lip fix as gifts! The soaps smell so great that everyone knew what was in the box before they were able to get them unwrapped. LOL. I started using the soap & lip fix just for myself as my own special treat, but now my three year old son insists on having his own.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested you can find these products at www.myhairfix.com.
Wow, hands2health, thanks for this tip. Definitely placing an order for all 3 items right now...
ReplyDeleteFor shoes, www.softstarshoes.com makes some great vegan alternatives. They are not a vegan company, but they make all their shoes handmade with love.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a fan of Moop handmade bags and purses. This is essentially a one woman company that started in 2007 making and selling handmade bags and selling them on etsy.com. Everything is vegan, stylish and durable. www.moopshop.com
For hair, I love to use braggs organice apple cider vinegar as a rinse/conditioner on my hair. Just dilute with water and you're good to go.
@ Kim--I haven't quite transitioned all the way either but I am very good with not buying any more leather fur or wool products..
ReplyDelete@ hands to health--I want to try hairfix now that you've mentioned you've tried it and it works well!
@ Crystal--I think the pasta with asparagus in lemon cream sauce sounds great (and easy!) to make. I am not that much of a cook so I need to start off with simple dishes.
QUESTION: Does anyone know a place online to buy vegan waterproof snow boots?! I have been looking just about EVERYWHERE with no luck :(
Since we are on the topic of Fashion I thought I'd share this event I found through facebook for anyone around the NYC area who may be interested in attending. It is open to the public and the details are below. This event is titled "Fashion & Animals" on facebook:
Please join Joshua Katcher for a pre-fashion-week presentation on "FASHION & ANIMALS: decoding & harnessing the dialect of fashion culture to help animals", with Q&A featuring renowned, award-winning fashion designer John Bartlett.
This talk will focus on the symbols and iconography of various forms of power communicated through dress, and utilized in the fashion industry, exploring how those symbols and icons create a dynamic that not only rationalizes and excuses violence towards animals, but encourages their consumption and the display of their skins as the primary method of showcasing one’s individual sexuality, power and worth.
By understanding why we respond to these visual cues the way we do, where our tactical shortcomings lie, why fashion iconography is so powerful in mainstream culture, we too can use this dialect to help animals.
Location: Jivamukti Yoga
841 Broadway, 2nd Floor
New York, NY
Time: 6-8pm