Animal Testing and Cruelty-Free Beauty

I think most of us are aware of the cruel animal testing that has been around since the 70s. Here is a little history. In 1962 the Kefauver-Harris act passed to mandate animal testing for drugs. There is no requirement for animal testing on household products or cosmetics, but the passing of this act made it commonplace. In reality, cosmetic and household items simply need to be “adequately tested for safety.” So why do we test on animals? The only reason I can think of: because we can.

We are not talking about putting lipstick on rabbits or mascara on a monkey. We are talking about so much worse, but I won't get into the gruesome details. Because this post is about what you can do to help stop the testing... don't buy products that are tested on animals or contain animal ingredients.

Look for the the bunny with the pink ears for cruelty-free products. The leaping bunny logo indicates that there was no animal testing of the product or the ingredients, but there could still be animal by-products. There is another symbol that certifies products as vegan, and then one for no animal testing. Keep in mind that these symbols are not on all products that are vegan, it will take time to get there. 

Some specific products/companies that are cruelty-free are:

Arbonne (skin care)

Preserve (sustainable household items)

Crazy Rumors (cute and tasty lip balm)

Urban Decay (check out the vegan eye shadow palette)

Sevi (makeup line)

Unite (I use their amazing shampoo and conditioner)

Eco Bella (I use their mascara, available at Sephora)

There are also lots of online resources for vegan products:

Alternative Outfitters

Vegan Essentials

Sephora

Beauty Without Cruelty

April Turns 13

Happy birthday April! It's hard to believe that our little pooch is 13. She is such a happy and healthy dog and we love her so much.

April was adopted from the Boulder Humane Society back in 1999 and hasn't left Chris' side ever since. Of course, she needed a mom, which is where I came in.

April is a true mountain dog... she loves to hike, climb and camp. She will never turn down a walk, but is also happy at home being pet and loved.

April is simply the best dog in the world.

Monday Munchies: Carrot and Cranberry Muffins

Enjoy these breakfast muffins all week long... from Vegetarian Tastebuds.

All Purpose Flour- 1 1/2 Cup

Rolled Oats- 1/2 Cup ground into fine flour

Carrots- 2 Medium Grated

Dried Cranberries- 1/3 Cup

Orange Juice- 1/3 Cup

Orange Rind- 2 tsp

Oil- 1/3 Cup+2 tbsp

Raw Sugar- 1 Cup

Flax Seed- 1tbsp ground

Baking Powder- 2 1/2 tsp

salt-1/4 tsp

Water- 1/4 Cup warm

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven at 350 Degrees. Grease 12 cup muffin pan with oil or line with muffin liners and keep aside.
• Combine all purpose flour, oats flour,flax seed, salt and baking powder together. 
• In another bowl combine oil, sugar,orange juice,orange rind and warm water together, mix well till sugar dissolves.
• Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold in carrot and cranberries. 
• Pour the mix into muffin tray up to 3/4th level and let it bake for 35-40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin come out clean.

A Happy Thanksgiving

This year, we stayed in Colorado for Thanksgiving… not able to make it out to the Outer Banks with the Webb/Robertson clan. We missed that reunion quite a bit, but were able to skype with family and enjoy our own little feast.

I prepared a delicious vegan Thanksgiving feast that we all managed to devour. We celebrated with our good friend Erin... who made the desserts. Yum.

The menu:

Balsamic Maple Glazed Tempeh

Miso Kale Salad with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds

Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Cranberry Walnut Bread

Apple Crisp Pie and Pumpkin Cupcakes

Vegan Bailey’s

We are so thankful for our loving family and friends, for our fur children, for our health and happiness, for finding each other, for our home in beautiful Colorado, and for adventures past, present and future. We hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas

Thanksgiving is a special occasion. Time to be with family (we will miss ours this year) and friends, time to reflect on the things we are thankful for and time to eat dessert and not feel guilty. And because all my dessert ideas are vegan, they are automatically healthier, which can never be bad... especially since they are just as delicious!

So here are some scrumptious dessert ideas. Now you just have to choose 1... or 2. :)

Swirled Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie Pars

Apple Tart

Pom-Berry Mini Cupcakes

Pound Cake with Cherries and Chocolate

Apple Pie with Pecan Crust

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie

Apricot Crumble Pie

Thanksgiving Recipes Ideas

I am sure everyone is excited for a happy holiday season and looking forward to seeing family. This year we are making Thanksgiving dinner at our place… but will be back in the Midwest for Christmas and New Years.

Here are some mouthwatering (and cruelty-free) recipes to try this year. Go veg for Thanksgiving! The turkeys, your body and the earth will thank you.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Leeks

Pumpkin Chickpea Fritters

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts

Maple Orange Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Cornbread

Veganized Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Butternut with Nut Sage Parmesan

Beet and Walnut Salad

Apple Sage ‘Sausage’ Chestnut Stuffing

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

Desserts coming soon!

Adopt a Turkey

Do something for the turkeys this Thanksgiving. Adopt one from Farm Sanctuary! We are making this a new Thanksgiving tradition. The Adopt-A-Turkey Project started in 1986 and has helped feed and shelter more than 1,000 rescued turkeys. We chose to sponsor Antoinette, "Let Them Eat Squash!"

Show compassion. Give to those in need. Open your heart to an animal who might not be as cute and cuddly, but it certainly as lovable and gentle.

Myth Busting: I Can’t Live Without Cheese

Some of us may find it hard to believe, but there is life after cheese. And this is coming from a girl who grew up in Wisconsin. And I know for a fact that I have said “I could never give up cheese.” Well, things change.

Cheese is made from milk. The purpose of milk is to nurse a tiny calf into a full grown cow. To ensure that the calf gets fat and wants to continue nursing, milk contains casein. When broken down, casein is incredibly similar to (and just as addictive as) morphine. So when you say you are addicted to cheese, you may not be kidding!

Casein has been proved to promote cancer development. According to The China Study “our work showed that casein is the most relevant cancer promoter ever discovered. Casein is the #1 carcinogen that people are coming in contact with on a daily basis.” Think about this for a minute. The cheese that you eat every day is literally causing cancer.

Most people don’t give up meat and dairy because they lose the taste for it, they give it up because eating it leaves a bad taste in their mouth and their heart. The animal suffering and health risks matter much more than any attachment to cheese. (And we have some serious emotional attachments to food!)

Eliminating cheese slashes massive amounts of calories and fat from your diet, unclogs your arteries and often clears your sinuses, and lessens the intensity of allergy symptoms. Woot! Cheese dulls our taste buds and we need to give our palettes time away from it to no longer crave it.

There are a few brands of commercial alternatives that are quite tasty. Daiya is a shredded option that's pretty awesome for pizzas and quesadillas. We Can't Say It's Cheese has some delicious spreads, and even a nacho cheese sauce. What I have found to be even better when I crave that cheesy goodness is vegan mac and cheese, pasta with vegan alfredo sauce or amazing dry-baked cashew cheese. 

Here are some cheesy recipes that correspond to the vegan photos above.

Grilled Cheese
Mac and Cheese
Ultimate Bagel
Cashew Cheese Bake

Cheese Spread

Monday Munchies: Tacos with Jicama, Cilantro and Grape Slaw

Taco night made better. This recipe is for corn tacos stuffed with beans, jicama and grape slaw, pico de gallo and much more. The flavors are really fresh and the tacos are loaded with nutrients from the veggies and beans. We made these a few weeks ago and they were awesome.

2 cups Cilantro Jicama, Red Grape Salad
4 corn tortillas, warmed in the oven
1 cup fresh chopped tomato salsa (pico de gallo)
1 can black beans, drained and warmed on stove top
1/2 cup vegan cheese (optional, I didn't use)
1 avocado, sliced (with fresh lime juice and salt & pepper)
2-3 Tbsp vegan sour cream
hot sauce

To Make: Assemble your tacos any way you'd like! Add a few sides for a more substantial feast.

Chitown Weekend

It was a great weekend in Chicago filled with family, sunshine and flowers. We spent the daytime strolling around the Lincoln Park Conservatory, shopping around Southport, and devouring some delicious vegan eats at Native Foods and Victory's Banner.

Meghan and Joel hosted a fabulous cocktail reception to celebrate their recent marriage. We enjoyed elderflower daiquiris and moscow mules, and ended the night at Mary's Attic... classic dance party.

We ended the weekend with a trip to the aquarium with the Webbs, and a yummy dinner at The Chicago Diner. What a great weekend!