This past weekend while we were visiting the Big Apple my hubby and I met up with some of my girlfriends for breakfast at ‘SNice in Chelsea. To our disappointment we were unable to get sandwiches (which all sounded amazing) until 11am and we were too hungry to wait an hour so we decided to start with some lattes. After sipping on our lattes for a while hubz and I decided to split the tofu scramble wrap which was not bad and pretty filling. The GF’s went with a bagel with cream cheese and the other granola with fruit, yogurt and honey.
Everything at ‘SNice is vegetarian and all vegan options are marked accordingly. The menu is mostly that of salads and sandwiches with bagels and breakfast sandwiches in the morning. The place was pretty quiet for the sit in crowd until around 11am however there was always a line at the counter for take out bagels and coffee. I really would like to return during lunch ours to try one of their yummy salads or sandwiches. There is also a location in Brooklyn which I understand has a similar menu.
Vegan lip gloss is one of those beauty items that I think most vegans have a hard time finding. I don’t know how many times i’ve read the ingredients list on the label of a tube of gloss and see that the only non-vegan ingredient is bees wax. Well vegans do not fret there are some great vegan lip balms out there and Crazy Rumors is one of them.
Crazy Rumors kindly sent me a variety of the all natural vegan lip balms in a variety of flavors and even colors. You can choose from 6 different types of flavors: HibisKiss- Hibiscus Inspired Lip Colors, Fresh Squeezed- Citrus Inspired Lip Balms, A La Mode- Ice Cream Inspired Lip Balms, Gumball- Bubble Gum Inspired Lip Balms, Perk- Coffee Inspired Lip Balms, Brew- Tea Inspired Lip Balms, and Candy Cane- Peppermint Infused Lip Balms. Crazy Rumors sent me four of their different flavors:
HibisKiss - Breeze: I really loved this lip balm as it gave my lips a nice tint and moisture but wasn't as heavy as a lip stick.
Brewed- Peppermint Lemongrass: this one was my favorite! The flavor is incredible and kept my lips moist for long periods.
A La Mode- Orange Creamsicle: This wasn't my favorite flavor but my husband sure took to it fast- yes this lip balm is great for me as well as women!
Fresh Squeezed- Limeade: this was my second favorite and it was a really nice refreshing flavor.
Blogger Disclaimer: Crazy Rumors provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.
Friday night my husband and I had one of the most amazing meals of our lives. It was one of those meals that not only had amazing food but was topped off with the best service and experience at a restaurant that we have ever had. Prior to our trip away I had contacted Bun the owner of Miya’s Sushi about the vegan options as well as what was included in a vegan platter. He quickly responded back to me to give him to tell him how much we would like to spend and that he would put together a great vegan spread for us. Before we left he followed up on our reservation and told me to just let one of the guys know when we got there that we had a special vegan meal waiting for us. Much to our delight we were seated, ordered our drinks and then the food just started to come out. It was the best feeling to just sit down and not have to worry about what we were going to order and it was an exciting adventure to see what dish would be coming out next. Below are photos with descriptions of all of our dishes we had (we had 8 samples of vegan sushi rolls and I can’t remember what they all were):
sweet mother’s milk: a whole steamed artichoke served with our sauce made from spicy homemade middle eastern pureed jalapeno makdoos.
Vegan version of Tokyo Fro: hip hop is the most popular music of japanese youth & has made the afro tokyo's most popular hairstyle; to have japanese hair processed into an afro costs over a thousand dollars at a trendy hair stylist. this recipe was inspired by the afro; it looks & tastes exactly like a japanese processed fro, drizzled with a delicious chef secret sauce.
Deep Fried Spinach
A tasting of 8 vegan sushi rolls
Overall the food was amazing, the atmosphere was fun and the staff were great. Although Bun was not he created a magical experience for the two of us and I can’t wait to return for some more sushi.
My first impression of this book was that it seemed slightly morbid for a children’s book, however as I began to think about it there really is no easy way to explain to children why it is that we don’t eat animals. Although this book is slightly morbid for children it depicts accurate images of life for animals on factory farms, in the sea or in the rainforest in a way that children will understand. I think that the graphics are amazing in this book and that they are the closest thing to real photos of factory farms without actually having to show children such graphic pictures.
This book starts by introducing the idea that we are all Earthlings and explains what a Vegetarian and a Vegan is. The book is set up in a way that starts with the most familiar animals to the least familiar to children. The first section is about pets which is a great place to start because pets are the animals that children have the most exposure to whether in their own house or at friends/families. Following pets are farm animals from birds to pigs and cows. These pages explain what life is like for the animals when they are free to roam on their own and how life is dramatically different for farm animals when they are placed in factory farms. The last sections of the book are dedicated to ocean and rainforest life. Both of the animals and other living organisms are the least familiar to the average child that would be reading this book (at least in North America).
One of my favorite features of this book is the very last page that list ideas on what you can do to make a difference and learn more. I think that this was a great addition to the book as it gives children and parents ideas on what else to do after the book is done. I also have to add that this book is not only a great tool for teaching your kids why they are vegetarian or vegan but also to teach adults and others why it is important not to eat meat.
Overall this is a must have book for any vegetarian or vegan bookshelf.
Blogger Disclaimer: The publishing house provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.
We had originally intended on having dinner at Pure Food and Wine for our Valentine’s Day dinner but after some time to think it over we decided that it’s a little too pricey for our budget right now. We were however on a mission to make our way to One Lucky Duck at the Chelsea Market . When I saw the Mallomar waiting in the cooler I made a bee-line to it. My husband also picked up one of their Valentine Truffles for me, it was good but not really worth the $3 for the tiny treat. However the $6 Mallomar was amazing and wish we had both got our own because it was that good.
The most delicious thing during our whole day in NYC the One Lucky Ducky Mallomar!
For years I have wanted to get myself a Matt & Nat bag but they aren’t really in my price range and the current bags that are out aren’t really my style. However, when we were in NYC this past weekend my hubby and I went to Century 21 to do some shopping and I bee-lined it to the bags section in search of Matt & Nat bags. I was slightly disappointed that although they were in my price range I couldn’t find a style that I liked. My hubby came over to see if I had found one that I wanted and I sadly said no. Then he looks next to the Matt & Nat and says “what about those Samsara bags, they are by Matt & Nat.” Feeling slightly embarrassed that my husband is more up on the vegan fashion than I am I glanced over and saw a bunch of bags that were much more my style and great prices.
Five Star Foodies generously sent me a few samples of their products to try out. Five Star Foodies sent me their Artichoke Burgers, Gourmet Meat-less Grillers, Vegetarian Sloppy Joe and Tofu Egg Salad. They also have a few other products that I have yet to try which include Vegetarian Harvest Roast, Vegetarian Gourmet Gravy, Save a Chicken Salad and Ginger Cider & Hibiscus Cider.
I ate the egg salad with some crackers and veggies and it was amazing. Honestly one of the best tofu egg salad I have ever had. I honestly was a bit skeptical at first since it came frozen but it thawed out fine and had amazing flavor.
These were my absolute favorite of all the items. There is no need to have a bun around this burger rather top with with some sautéed onions and mushrooms and a little mustard. These are amazing!
This was delicious, topped some toasted whole wheat bread with this and it was delicious.
I also loved these and with only 100 calories they are great. I are these with a bun, mushrooms, onions and mustard, so good. These had a grilled taste without have to get the grill out.
Blogger Disclaimer: Five Star Foodies provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.
