10 Childhood Favorites Made Cruelty-Free

Many of Nature's Path cereals are cruelty-free, like this "kid" cereal, Amazon Flakes, which is reminiscent of the childhood flake cereals aimed at kids. Envirokidz is their cereal line specifically for kids--and kids at heart!

Kids love simple--but not always healthy--foods. Plus, many of those old foods are not cruelty-free, which is a problem when you’re reminiscing and you want to take a bite of your past. Check out this website of 10 childhood favorites made cruelty-free: 

10 Childhood Favorites Made Vegan

Bite Size Food for Thought

3 terrific insights about what people eat:

Humans vs. Carnivores

Humane, Free-Range and Cruelty-Free

Is Honey Vegan? Healthy?

Philanthropic Things You Can Do to Help Animals

Here are some fabulous philanthropic things you can do to help animals.


Garage and Yard Sales

You can find some treasures for your animal local shelter(s) by going to garage and yard sales. Pet and wildlife rescues use baby toys to entertain their animals; blankets and most standard pet supplies (aquariums, cat scratching posts, pet bowls) are always welcome donations. Even throwaways like cardboard boxes and plastic bags are useful for bedding and to pick up waste. You could also hold your own yard sale and donate the profits to your favorite shelter.


Knitting Party!

Shelters constantly need blankets to comfort and warm their animals, but many don’t have the means to provide soft, clean bedding. Hold a knitting party to make blankets (or other warm garments) for a needy shelter. Collect some yarn, fabric, and knitting equipment and gather with friends in a cafe or living room for a relaxed evening of friendly chit-chat or TV viewing while your hands keep busy making blankets.


Make Your Own Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

We all know the horrors of animal testing...but products that don’t test can be expensive and/or hard to find. This applies to items required for basic hygiene--toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant--as well as purely cosmetic beauty aids. To save money, you can have fun making your own cosmetic concoctions with all-natural vegan ingredients available at most health food stores. Recipes for vegan soap, vegan lotion, vegan shampoo, and other vegan necessities are readily available on the Internet, and can be left plain or scented with your own special blend of essential oils.


Build a Backyard Mini-Sanctuary

Depending on your funds and acreage, you could do any number of things to invite wildlife to your backyard. Something as simple as installing a small feeder could prevent birds from going hungry over the winter (make sure to research your favorite birds to learn what foods and feeder types attract them). You could even have a bat house for your sanctuary. If you have the space, plant native shrubs and wildflowers to attract native insects and animals, and install a birdbath or pond to keep animals clean and hydrate. Don't forget to keep cats inside and remove any lawn chemicals and chemical pesticides or your nice new sanctuary will become an animal death trap. 


Have an Animal Themed Fundraiser

Recently for her birthday, actress Doris Day had an auction and tribute dinner to benefit her animal foundation. You can do the same with your upcoming birthday, wedding or any special day. Doris Day’s bash included a doggie fashion show, but if that sort of thing is too gimmicky to fit in your plans, you can simply ask guests to donate to your favorite charity instead of bringing a gift. A menu of tasty vegan entree dishes and snacks would help set the right mood for the occasion!

(source: One Green Planet)

Three Cruelty-Free Soaps

I just came back from grocery shopping and bought these 3 cruelty-free soaps.

Unfortunately, the companies that sell the vegan soaps are not vegan companies overall, so be careful, please read the ingredients before purchasing soaps from these companies to make sure it's 100% cruelty-free vegan like the ones above.

Cruelty-Free Women Polka Dot Newsboy Hats w/ Metallic Accents & Bow!

I purchased these 3 cool and very feminine hats from Amazon! It arrived quickly and best of all, they are cruelty-free! I'll wear them especially when I go to church.

• 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester
• Best Fit From 21 1/2"-22 1/2" Head Circumference (Hat Size 6 7/8 - 7 1/8)
• 3" x 2 1/4" Bow on the Left Side of the Hat
• 2" Wide Visor

Vegan Mini Mall and Veggie Grill for My Birthday!

My birthday was on Sunday. I had a terrific time celebrating it!

On Saturday, I went to the Vegan Mini Mall, and bought these delicious goodies below from Food Fight! Grocery and Sweetpea Baking Co. The peanut butter square (which tastes exactly like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) is what I got from Sweetpea, and the rest from Food Fight! 

It's always comforting knowing I don't have to pay much attention to ingredients when I shop at the Vegan Mall, since everything is cruelty-free.

On Sunday, I went to Veggie Grill, and had my usual, which is below. I should order more different entrees--I did once--but I love the vegan cheeseburger with fries, and carrot cake (and lemonade) too much to get something different. It's SO delicious!!








To end the day, although I canceled my TV service last year, I was still able to watch the Oscars live last night! I love watching the Academy Awards; it's my "Super Bowl". 

Dairy-Free New Year's Eve Recipes

Most New Year's Eve recipes contain some sort of dairy. The link below has a recipe collection of cruelty-free dairy-free renditions of the classics that are sure to bring in the New Year right!

Cruelty-Free New Year's Eve Recipes

Cruelty-Free Shea Butter Soaps

I bought this cruelty-free soap above about a week ago and it smells so great! There are two kinds so if shopping for it, make sure it's cruelty-free.

I'm becoming sort of a Shea Butter freak as my lip balms' main ingredient is Shea Butter, and on Sunday, I just bought below, another cruelty-free Shea Butter soap:

The smell rocks! I want all my body care items to have Shea Butter in it!

Cruelty-Free Thanksgiving Meal Recipes

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.

Since there is such a plethera of cruelty-free holiday recipes on the Internet and in books, I thought I'd mention two of the best websites for your Thanksgiving holiday menu:

The links below are your premier source for Thanksgiving recipes and menus to create a memorable dinner! Create mix-and match menus from the following recipes, from soup to dessert, complete with vegan stuffings and main dishes—all the holiday traditions you adore, updated for a compassionate plant-based feast for even more recipes and menus for Thanksgiving and other major holidays.

VEGAN THANKSGIVING DINNER

For more cruelty-free recipe ideas, check out this site:

Healthy Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes: From Brunch to Dinner to Dessert

Have a kind Thanksgiving.

My (Cruelty-Free) 3rd Susan Nichole Bag!

My 3rd Susan Nichole vegan handbag just arrived today; fast delivery--as usual. It's so smooth and soft. Awesome quality! I loves it!

The Girl Who Loved Animals

 

The Girl Who Loved Animals (and who is still alive and still loves animals!), is a 2013 documentary about a former homeless teen who educates people about veganism/animal rights.

"Once upon a time Kitty Jones dreamed of being a dairy farmer. However, after discovering the cruel reality of animal agriculture and job shadowing at a "local, organic, family" dairy farm, Kitty has realized that animals do not exist for humans to use and has dedicated her life to animal and environmental advocacy. A recent graduate of Shorecrest High School in Seattle, Kitty has been profiled on the blogs of Vegan Score, the ASPCA, Rainforest Action Network, and the Humane Society. She won the President's Volunteer Service Award for volunteering over 1,000 community service hours, and was the founder and president of her school's Animal Rights Club. Jones aims to teach people that animals are not ours to eat, wear, test on or abuse, and that in exploiting them, we are harming not only our own health but the environment. She is now studying Conservation and Resource Studies at UC Berkeley and will forever continue to promote a peaceful, cruelty-free, plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle.

In the fall of 2011, production went into this full length documentary film, The Girl Who Loved Animals: Kitty Jones and the Fight For Animal Rights which follows Kitty for almost a year as she advocates for animals at her high school, hands out leaflets at farmer's markets, volunteers at a cat neutering clinic, and spends time with all the different animals at the Precious Life Animal Sanctuary where abused and neglected animals have been given a safe haven to live out their lives. Additional footage for the film was also supplied by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and The Humane Society of the United States."

Check the film out if it comes to a theatre near you.

Here is the trailer:

The Girl Who Loved Animals

All Things Vegan!

In the past 2 weekends, I made it a point to go to 5 places where all products are 100% vegan. It was a fun experience!

My first stop was on Sunday, February 10. I had brunch at 10:30am at the Veggie Grill restaurant. I ordered their cheese veganburger, sweet fries carrot cake and lemonade. It was so delicious! I've never had sweet fries that good! The cheeseburger was one of the best I've ever had, and the carrot cake was fantastic--I loved the icing on it! The lemonade was fresh and good! The atmosphere is nice and quiet (but I guess it would be at that time), and very clean. The staff are very polite and asked me would I mention their restaurant to others--YES! Veggie Grill is national so if there is one near you, please stop by and order anything on their menu, knowing everything is cruelty-free.

After feeling very well fed and satisfied, I want to add I did go to Voodoo Doughnut afterward; it is not a vegan bakery, but they sell at least a dozen vegan doughnuts. I stopped there to pick up my favorite, their vegan Cock-N-Balls! That is the name!

The line was remarkably short as I was only about the 30th person in line. If you are familiar with both Portland, Oregon's own Voodoo Doughnut bakeries, you know being the 30th person in line is a pretty good spot! The lines at both places are ALWAYS long--and I'm not exaggerating, although I've heard if you stop by after midnight, there's no line (they are open 24 hrs.). The staff is always happy so I figure they must be paid with all the vegan doughnuts they want! =)

My vegan Cock-N-Balls was extremely good, which I had for my dinner dessert.





Next stop that day, I went to Portland's Mini Mall. My first store at the mall and the second 100% vegan shop I went to was Food Fight! grocery store. The grocery store is very small, about the size of one of those gas station food stores, or corner market stores. But there is a lot of merchandise: pre-packaged food on shelf and frozen, including ice creamy desserts, cooking/baking items, health, beauty and cosmetic products, etc., all 100% vegan. I needed some new lip balm so I bought their lip balm by Crazy Rumors.

Next door to Food Fight!, I went to Herbivore Clothing Company. They sell a lot of unique clothing and accessory items and books as well. They also sell jewelry, buttons, stickers and magnets with the vegan message. It's a fun store to check out. I got another different vegan lip balm there from Booda Butter. I'll compare the two and see which one is better.

My last stop on that Sunday was next door to Herbivore Clothing Company. It's Sweetpea Baking Company. It was indeed a very sweet day for me in more ways than one as I got my 3rd sweet vegan item of the day: a peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookie! I've had their cookies before and this is the best in their bunch! I saved that cookie for Monday's dessert as 2 desserts is more than I usually have in one day.

A week later, today February 17th, I went to my 4th 100% vegan place, Loving Hut. It's a very pretty, clean restaurant with very good food too! I ordered  their Hawaiian vegan burger with french fries. I had their "Orange Joy" drink which tastes like a tangerine smoothie. For dessert, I had my very first vegan cheese cake--so delicious!!

I plan to stop by all the places I mentioned here. The customer service at all places (including Voodoo Doughnut) are excellent! It was such a joy visiting 4 totally vegan places, and I hope to go to more in the future.

Wearing the Vegan Message

 I have been trying to think of another way to spread the vegan/cruelty-free message when I'm out and about. I don't own a car so bumper stickers are out. The message would have to be on my body or at least my handbag.

I checked out various jewelry but I think messages on jewelry--even a necklace--are too small to always notice. Plus, I always wear a necklace watch, and Unitarian Universalist, Wicca and Saint Dymphna charms around my neck in a necklace which could cover the vegan jewelry in moving around.

Patches can't been moved easily when I change handbags or clothing. I thought seriously about a cap but I don't always wear a cap.

So, I decided on a button! I can easily take it off and put it anywhere--clothing or bag. Average size buttons are large enough to be easily read (most are 2 inches around), and an added bonus is buttons are very cheap!

I went online and found two amazing websites with over a thousand vegan buttons here and here. Boy, did I have fun reading so many buttons!

Many were cute--so cute I felt the message was not taken seriously enough. Others were so in-your-face blatant to the point of sounding rude (true but  rude!), and a lot were spot on perfect. One of my favorites is the button above but I decided to get this one below, as it best represents my ministry:

National Vodou Day

Today is National Vodou Day. A holiday which takes place each year since 1996. Every year, thousands of adepts "vodounsi" gather in several locations. In Comè, a small town about a hundred kilometers west of Cotonou, hundreds of vodou adepts gathered to sing, dance and offer prayers and sacrifices to gods and ancestors. In the country of Benin, His Excellency Houngué Towakon Guédéhoungué II, president of the vodou in Benin, leads the ceremonies. Of Benin's seven million citizens, 65% believe in Vodou.

Followers acknowledge the existence of both a supreme being and many smaller gods which can intercede with the supreme being on behalf of humans. Vodou followers believe that all life is driven by spiritual forces of natural phenomena such as water, fire, earth and air and that these should be honoured through rituals like animal sacrifices.

But fortunately not all vodou practitioners believe in using animals in sacrifices.

In her book, Vodou Visions, Vodou mambo, Sallie Ann Glassman, discusses a cruelty-free alternative way of practicing this religion. Glassman, who is a vegan, does not believe in animal sacrifices. She explains in wonderful detail of how one is able to be a genuine practitioner of Vodou but still practice a cruelty-free life.

Cruelty-Free Runway Show and Clothing Gift Ideas

Check out this San Francisco Vegan Fashion Show, held on Oct 2, 2010 in Golden Gate Park:

These are some fantastic places to get vegan clothing, shoes, bags, and accessory gifts for someone--or for yourself!

http://www.herbivoreclothing.com/

http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/

Also, check out PETA's page for a plethora of sites to shop for more vegan clothing, shoes, bags and other accessories:

http://www.peta.org/living/fashion/cruelty-free-clothing-guide-vegan-companies.aspx