Thursday, May 1, 2014

The Love Affair Continues

I really love shopping at Trader Joe's, and I shop there despite the closest one being pretty far from my apartment and I have to haul all that stuff back home in multiple backpacks and tote bags (they do have delivery, I've just never used it).

ANYWAY!  I wrote to them the other day:

"I LOVE your unscented cruelty free skincare products (Nourish oil free antioxidant facial moisturizer and Nourish All-in-one facial cleanser)! Thank you so much for making those and clearly labeling them with the no-bunnies logo, it so easy to check if it can go in my basket or not! I often buy Tom's unscented deodorant when I am at your store, but am curious about your Trader Joe's Unscented Deodorant with Cotton - is that tested on animals? There is no indication. 
Thanks and keep up the great work! Please introduce more unscented, cruelty free products!"

And they responded super fast with the following exciting information!

"Our HABA (health and beauty aid) products are ALL cruelty free - no animal testing. This includes our deodorants."

YES!  So my husband switched from the Tom's deodorant to Trader Joe's Unscented Deodorant with Cotton and he likes it a lot better!  He uses it on a daily basis and it has even held up through his martial arts classes (he comes home literally DRIPPING with sweat and his clothes are soaked with sweat, but he does not smell!)

So I also discovered that they also list all their vegan products online which makes it super easy to pick what you want to buy ahead of time!




Sunday, April 20, 2014

"Goodbye, Easter Bunny"

Above: Tully, available for adoption in Chicago

Aww! I didn't realize this is STILL a problem in this day and age!  People buy baby rabbits for Easter, and then the kids don't want them after a few days, the parents don't want to deal with caring for them, and then the most innocent party in this whole ordeal (the rabbit) gets abandoned :((((((.  NYTimes article here.

Things I didn't realize and learned from the article:
  • Rabbits require as much care and maintenance as dogs(!)
  • Once the rabbits hit puberty...male rabbits spray urine everywhere, while females grow territorial
  • It can cost $300 to spay or neuter a rabbit
  • Because determining a young rabbit’s sex is difficult, owners who thought they had two female rabbits can suddenly find themselves with litter after litter of bunnies
  • A rabbit can live more than a decade


Above: Ty, also available for adoption in Chicago

My cousin and his wife are huge rabbit lovers and have had three (that I know of) over the years, so I've seen how rabbits can be really great and beloved pets. They are REALLY into their rabbits, they even made a rabbit room in their house, and they spend a lot time of caring for them. Rabbits are awesome but you really have to be prepared to handle the work and responsibility that comes with along with them.  If you are ready and live in the Chicago area, check out the rescue where my cousin got his most recent rabbit: Red Door Animal Shelter. (That's also where I got the pics of the bunnies I put in this post.)  Here's the bun they adopted from Red Door:

BONUS: Rabbits are authentic, for-real 100% vegans (not just wannabegans!). I think they are popular pets with vegan humans because you can feed your leftover vegetable bits and scraps to the rabbits and they love it.

Friday, April 18, 2014

East Side Eating

I am firmly rooted on the West Side of Manhattan, but I do occasionally venture across Broadway and spend time on the East Side!  Last weekend, I wanted to check out an exhibit on Museum Mile (Masterpieces & Curiosities: Diane Arbus's Jewish Giant at the Jewish Museum), and of course all the walking around made me hongray so my husband and I wandered around in a totally new neighborhood in search of food.  

Right around the corner was a lovely spot that reminded me of my neighborhood favorite, Juice Generation.  It was called Juice Press!  

Vegetarian / Vegan Restaurant and Juice Bar
1296 Madison Ave. (at 92nd St.), New York, NY 10128

They had similar pre-prepared vegan raw/dishes, and they were delish!  I found everything to be a tad bit pricy, but it's all organic, and according to the cashier, also raw, kosher, and vegan. We followed up our raw falafel and hummus wrap with a juice, I forget which one 

In other East Side dining news, I actually missed the Vegan Meetup at Organic Grill, but there is another NYC Vegan meetup coming up, and it's on the Upper East Side! 
When: Wednesday, May 7, 2014, 7:00 PM
Where: Ayurveda Cafe
706 Amsterdam Ave. (bet. East 94th & 95th Sts.)
New York, NY 10025
For complete information and to RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/nycvegans/events/177101402/
I already RSVPed, hope to see you there! 

Friday, April 11, 2014

April 26: Celebrate ASPCA Help a Horse Day



YES! It is the year of the horse, and they even have their own special DAY (April 26, 2014)!   Horse day in the horse year!  Why do I love horses so much?  Well, I had riding lessons when I was younger, and I loved that, but I think the real reason is because I loved playing with My Little Ponies when I was a child.

There are rescues all over the country that are holding special events where you can learn more about the work that they do.  Check out what is happening in your area!

http://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/equine-cruelty/national-help-horse-day-april-26

Reminder: Next Wednesday is the NYC Vegan Meetup @ Organic Grill!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Veggie Pride Parade

If you are between West Greenwich Village and Union Square Park today, try to catch the Veggie Pride Parade!

https://www.facebook.com/events/262998593863099/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Vegan Meetup @ Organic Grill!



Remember back in December I went to Organic Grill?  Well guess what, I was poking around on Meetup.com and the NYC Vegans group is getting together for a Vegan Dinner at The Organic Grill! The meetup is Wednesday, April 16, 2014 at 7:00 PM (That's a Wednesday night).

 The folks who have RSVPed yes to this event sound really welcoming, cool, diverse, and nice.  Maybe I'll see you there!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Back to the Start



I'm still alive!  I wasn't sure I would be at one point though, I was really sick (likely the flu, although I never tested positive for it).  Anyway, I was a hot hot mess, and I'm just now finally getting back to my full potential.  It's been hard with the cold, I think just being exposed to the elements really drains a lot of my energy.

So anyway, I just started another meditation course, so it means I'm back to the East Village once a week, which is chock full of great places for wannabegans to eat!

Last night was our first night of level 2 meditation class, and we went to the same place where we went on the first night of level 1 mediation class, ANGELIKA KITCHEN!  I have such affection for this place, because back when I was a wee young wannabegan (... let's just say over a DECADE AGO), I worked in the takeout/juice bar section of the restauruant (apologies to all the people that I messed up their orders).  I loved it though!  Actually, the reason why I applied for a job there was because I loved the food so much, but as a scrappy young thing I didn't have enough $$ to eat there as often as I wanted to.  When I worked there, I got a meal every shift!  I was SO HEALTHY and energetic and fit back then (partially due to youth), random people would comment that my skin looked amazing (true!) and overall I was probably the closest to ideal health I've ever been.

OK, enough reminiscing.  Last night was COLD, and I wanted nothing more to warm up with a hot meal!  To start off the meal, we ordered the CURRIED CASHEW SPREAD (all raw) and KOMBU VEGETABLE BOUILLON. I love that boulion - definitely warming. For entrees, my husband and I both ordered the DASHI AND NOODLES.  We almost never order the same thing because we like to sample as many things as possible from the menu then share, but we both wanted the exact same thing and it's so good, we did it even though it didn't make sense to. Also super warming, and we both love that dish so much!  We had finished our meal but we had a teeny bit of time to kill before our class started so we went ahead and also ordered my favorite, favorite tea which is nearly impossible to find in stores: MU 16 TEA!!  My husband has a sweet tooth so for a dessert we got a MAPLE TOFU WHIP, which is kind of like whipped cream or vanilla pudding, which Hubby loved.  I was pretty full, or else I would have gotten the Kanten Parfait, which is layered cookie bits, nut cream, and kind of a fruit pie filling.  For some reason I love the parfaits, and I generally love Angelika Kitchen, but I have to agree with my husband that their one weak spot is their cookies.  On their own, they just taste like what I imagine cookies taste like during war time or the great depression.  Mixed up in the parfait, they are great!

So anyway, it was another great meal at a place full of nostalgia for me.  I definitely recommend coming here if you want something hearty, warming, and comforting in the middle of winter.  (They also have juice and lighter fare, but we can talk about that once the trees have leaves on them again.) Also I love being able to order ANYTHING off the menu and not think about if it is vegan or not.

(Follow me on Foursquare if you want to know what and where I'm eating wannabegan!)