A Vegan's Life

Vegan Clothing Line?

2011-05-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

I love Leona! I named my cat after her...is that weird? Anyway, I stumbled across this video. I really hope this is true! I also hope that in the event that it is true, prices aren't sky high. Stella McCartney is amazing, but the prices are through the roof. "Please please" for sexy and affordable. Please!

"FORKS OVER KNIVES"-BENEFITS OF A PLANT BASED DIET

2011-04-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

Forks Over Knives is a documentary based on "The China Study" that will begin playing on May 6th in select theaters. The China Study focuses on the plant based diet's ability to prevent and even reverse health afflictions. The film includes interviews from a variety of experts on the advantages of a plant based diet, one of which, is Dr. Pam Popper. Listen to Dr. Popper (Executive Director of the Ohio-based Wellness Forum) talk about the film.

Patty Satalia Interviews Dr. Pam Popper

I plan on watching this film when it's released in Los Angeles! I'll let you know my personal opinion on the film post-viewing. :-)

ATLANTA, GA (Begins May 20)
Midtown Art Cinema (Landmark), 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30308

AUSTIN, TX (Begins May 13)
Arbor Cinema (Regal), 9828 Great Hills Trail, Austin, TX 78759

BOSTON, MA (Begins May 13)
Kendall Square Cinema (Landmark), 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139

CHICAGO, IL (Begins May 13)
Webster Place 11 (Regal), 1471 W. Webster Ave., Chicago, IL 60614

Century Theaters (Cinemark), 1715 Maple Ave., Evanston, IL 60201

DALLAS, TX (Begins May 13)
The Magnolia (Landmark), 3699 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX 75204

DENVER, CO (Begins May 20)
Chez Artiste (Landmark), 2800 South Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80222

DETROIT, MI (Begins May 20)
Main Art Theater (Landmark), 118 N. Main St., Royal Oak, MI 48067

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (Begins May 13)
Sunrise Cinema at Sunrise 11, 4321 Northwest 88th Avenue, Sunrise, FL 33351

HOUSTON, TX (Begins May 13)
Edwards Greenway Palace 24 (Regal), 3839 Weslayan, Houston, TX 77027

LOS ANGELES, CA including Pasadena & Orange County (Begins May 6)
Sunset 5 (Laemmle), 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046

Regent (Landmark), 1045 Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Monica 4 (Laemmle), 1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Playhouse 7 (Laemmle), 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101

Edwards University Town Center 6 (Regal), 4245 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92612

MIAMI BEACH, FL (Begins May 13)
South Beach Cinema 18 (Regal), 1120 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach, FL 33139

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (Begins May 20)
Lagoon Cinema (Landmark), 1320 Lagoon Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55408

NEW YORK, NY (Begins May 6)
Sunshine Cinema (Landmark), 143 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002
BUY TICKETS (Note: Select showdate on or after May 6)

PHILADELPHIA, PA (Begins May 20)
Ritz at the Bourse (Landmark), 400 Ranstead Street. Philadelphia, PA 19106

Ritz Center, 900 Haddonfield-Berlin Road, Voorhees, NJ 08043

PHOENIX, AZ (Begins May 13)
Camelview 5, 7001 E. Highland Ave., Scottsdale, AZ 85251

SAN DIEGO, CA (Begins May 20)
Hillcrest Cinemas (Landmark), 3965 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103

SAN FRANCISCO, CA including Marin County & Pleasant Hill (Begins May 13 & 20)
Bridge (Landmark), 3010 Geary Blvd. at Blake, San Francisco, CA 94118 (Beg. May 13)

Shattuck Cinemas (Landmark), 2230 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 (Beg. May 13)

Regency 6 (Cinemark), 280 Smith Ranch Rd, San Rafael, CA 94903 (Beg. May 20)

Cinearts @ Pleasant Hill (Cinemark), 2314 Monument, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 (May 20)

SAN JOSE, CA (Begins May 13)
Santana Row (Cinemark), 3088 Olsen Drive, San Jose, CA 95128

SEATTLE, WA (Begins May 13)
Varsity Theater (Landmark), 4329 University Way, N.E., Seattle, WA 98104

ST. LOUIS, MO (Begins May 27)
Plaza Frontenac Cinema (Landmark), 210 Plaza Frontenac, St. Louis, MO 63131

TORONTO, ON (Begins May 20)
Cumberland 4 (Alliance Cinemas), 159 Cumberland Street, Toronto, ON, Canada

VANCOUVER, BC (Begins May 20)
International Village Cinemas, 88 West Pender, Vancouver, BC, Canada

WASHINGTON DC (Begins May 13)
E Street Cinema (Landmark), 555 11th St NW. Washington, DC 20004

Shirlington 7 (AMC), 2772 South Randolph St., Arlington, VA 22206

I pulled these showtimes from the movie's webpage: www.forksoverknives.com/showtimes/

Be sure to visit the movie's official website: www.forksoverknives.com

BABYCAKES NYC(LA)

2011-04-27T05:03:00.000-07:00

My sweet tooth is not a joking matter. Transitioning to a macrobiotic diet has forced me to keep sugar excluded from my diet as often as possible (though I haven't quite mastered it yet.) However, the conscience decision I've made to exclude sugar hasn't prevented me from fantasizing. I have sincerely, more than once, sat down and daydreamed about the desserts I crave. (Yes, I do think about food so often as to have dessert specific fantasies.) So you can imagine my pleasure in discovering REFINED SUGAR FREE-GLUTEN FEE-WHEAT FREE-SOY FREE-CASEIN FREE-EGG FREE-VEGAN-KOSHER CUPCAKES IN LOS ANGELES (And New York, hence the name) AND IN DELICIOUS MOUTH WATERING FLAVORS! at Babycakes NYCLA. :-) And the shop is just as sexy as it's babies.

My favorite is the strawberry banana cupcake. It is banana cake or bread (not sure) with bananas cooked into the cake. The frosting is strawberry, with bits of strawberries in the frosting. I must admit, though, Sprinkles wins as far as Red Velvet is concerned. Still, I was so excited/focused on eating my new found treats that I carelessly swung open my car door on my driver's side and hit a parking meter which left a huge dent in my car. Momentos

They also have other baked goods. I tried the brownies and loved them.

Check out their website:

www.babycakesnyc.com

And for location specific updates:

www.twitter.com/babycakesnycla

www.twitter.com/babycakesnyc

Make sure to check out the twitter pages! They have a lot of fun day-specific updates. One time they posted waffles. That was extremely exciting to me.

BIRTHDAY BRUNCH

2011-04-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm 21, darlings. I turned 21 on April 3rd, which happened to fall on a Sunday this year. I was initially bummed that my 21st fell on a Sunday. I spent the day with my beautiful mother-she came and helped me clean my apartment, made me dinner, brought me my favorite flowers, brought me my favorite snack (which I have only been able to find in ONE grocery store, which is located in San Diego), and went to brunch with me the next morning.

Ok so before we get into this, I should tell you that this was a vegan event, not a macrobiotic one. But delicious, and very healthy nonetheless!

Now for "my favorite snack" I was referring to "Just Great Stuff-Organic Fruit & Veggie" bars by Betty Lou's. I love bars because I can often be lazy, but this bar is my favorite! It has a healthy dose of fruits and veggies, and has a clean sweet taste. I love it because it has vegetables in it and doesn't taste awful. Most veggie food bars either taste, well, awful, or are doused in chocolate or some other kind of coating.

Betty Lou's makes a lot of other great products as well, but I'll save that for another post :-)

The dinner my mom made me was a dish she always makes me when I come home. It's one of my favorites because it reminds me of home. It's basically vegan spaghetti or pasta, depending on what type of pasta you prefer. You can have fun with the kind of vegetables you put into it, but here's one variation of it.

In the morning, we headed to one of my favorite restaurants, Real Food Daily, in Santa Monica, for brunch. This brunch m a d e l o v e to my tastebuds.

While a full menu can be viewed here, I ordered the Sea Cake Benedict (dish nearest to the bottom of the picture) and my mom ordered The Weekender (dish nearest to the top of the picture) which is a mixture of french toast, tempeh bacon, scrambled tofu and hash browns. Even my mom enjoyed it, and she's not a fan of vegan food! I dabbled in both dishes, so I can say first hand that they were both incredible. And to celebrate, I topped it off with a mimosa pictured above. This restaurant is entirely organic, and located in:

LOCATIONS:

RFD – SaMo

…combines light wood, a clean, modern design and natural textures to create a soothing and comfortable dining retreat in Santa Monica. With its multi-leveled table seating and beckoning counter, Real Food Daily is the perfect ambiance in which to experience innovative cuisine that is both delicious and life-enhancing.

Click here to view a printable, interactive map.

Address:
514 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Bakery Address:
516 Santa Monica Blvd.
Next door the RFD-Samo

Phone:
(310) 451-7544
(310) 451-7154 fax

Hours:
Open seven days a week: 11:30 a.m. -10:00 p.m.
SUNDAY BRUNCH 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Delivery Hours:
Monday – Friday 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Monday – Sunday 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Call 310-451-7544 ext 3
Delivery is provided by Gogh Delivery Artists

Parking:
Metered street parking available until 6:00 P.M. After 6:00 p.m., free street parking available. Paid lot on the Southeast corner of 5th and Santa Monica Boulevard, enter on 5th street. Can use valet on south/east corner of 5th street and Santa Monica Boulevard.

RFD – WeHo

… has an organic modern interior that is hip and stylish. Warm nurturing colors and fabrics and refurbished wood salvaged from Indonesia make beautiful table tops and an inviting bar. Perfect for a casual lunch, business meeting or a romantic dinner. Real Food Daily West Hollywood seats 70 people inside plus 14 on our outdoor patio.

Click here to view a printable, interactive map.

Address:
414 N. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Phone:
(310) 289-9910
(310) 289-9911 fax

Hours:
Open seven days a week: 11:30 a.m. -10:00 p.m.
SUNDAY BRUNCH 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Delivery Hours:
Monday – Friday 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Monday – Sunday 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Call 310-289-9910 ext. 3
Delivery is provided by Gogh Delivery Artists

Parking:
Valet parking is available after 6 p.m., and there is two hour free parking on the side streets during the day.

They also have an amazing dessert collection. Go go! Asap

Xxx

MACROBIOTIC RANT

2011-04-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

It's-so-hard! Between trying to kick sugar, reduce salt and minimize fruit...and still not overeat...I can't even tell you. I've relapsed about 50 different times. But I will say that I don't like the taste of sugar. Veird. Anyway....I've been less than diligent in posting so....

Alicia's Morning Porridge (The Kind Life)

1 cup of cooked brown rice
4 dried apricots
Parsley
Sunflower Seeds
1/3 Umeboshi plum

You put the rice in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and the 4 dried apricots. Bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, cover, and bring to a simmer until the water has absorbed. Once it has finished cooking, you add the parsley and the umeboshi plum. Cut the umeboshi into pieces and distribute it and the parsley evenly throughout the meal. It's good!

It's a great way to start the morning. I prefer half a cup of rice and half an umeboshi plum (and 1 cup of water). But to each his/her own, it just depends on how hungry you are.

Why does this recipe call for re-cooked brown rice?
Since this is a morning meal, the softness of the rice once re-cooked is valuable because our bodies (specifically our digestive systems) require a gentle awakening.

:-)

NORI ROLLS

2011-02-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased The Kind Diet and it's something I'm trying out! The book focuses on veganism and a macrobiotic diet. I'm trying to transition to a macrobiotic diet and the transition is not an easy one. The biggest difficulty for me is eliminating white sugar from my diet completely. I'm not supposed to be having as many sweets period actually, including desserts sweetened with agave, brown sugar and maple syrup. Actually, a large amount of fruit isn't really recommended in this diet either. Howeverrrr I am a dessert fiend so all of that is notttttt going to happen right away. Today was the first day I got by with no white sugar, though :-)

Anyways, I made a really easy recipe from her book and (even easy as it is) it's really good! It's called a Nori Roll; basically a burrito but with a sheet of toasted nori instead of a tortilla. Anyone can put whatever they'd like in it, but mine had: apples, lettuce, avocado, umeboshi plums, brown rice, spinach, cilantro and edible flowers.

After you chop up all the ingredients, you just put brown rice onto on half of the nori sheet, throw the ingredients on top, and wrap it up like a sushi hand roll. Easy!

And for anybody wondering what umeboshi plums look like:

Ok, just in case someone is taking a look at this and has never had an umeboshi plum-it's kind of an acquired taste. It's a pickled ume plum to be specific. The first time I tasted it, I was kind of freaked out because I thought it was supposed to taste like fruit. It sort of does, but it's salted and tastes, well, pickled. I started reading recipes with umeboshi included in it, and tried it out (3 recipes so far). It gets really addicting! It's a cool flavor once you get over the newness of it. In addition to that, it's great for you. Here are some of the...

Health Benefits

There are many ways that umeboshi may be able to cure what ails you. For one, they are highly alkaline and are thought to combat nausea, indigestion and systemic toxicity, meaning they are a remedy for hangover. For another, they contain citric acid, which is an antibacterial agent, and the creators of old wives’ tales in Japan recommend them for the treatment of colds and influenza. In addition, eating umeboshi has historically been thought to combat fatigue, and for this reason they were part of a samurai’s rations and were carried by Japanese troops during the Sino-Japanese war. Finally, the most important health claim of all, although this is not proven, is that you will live longer if you eat umeboshi.

I got this source here

Ok bye!

CAFFEINE

2011-02-17T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hi internet!

Midterms have arrived...for me anyway. Now I don't know how many of you sleep well, eat nice wholesome morning meals, and study adequately and in moderation during testing weeks...but by nature I am from the completely other side of the spectrum. I have been known for staying up days at a time, eating when I remember to, and caffeined up on the strongest that loose leaf has to offer. Responsible, right?

Well, after years of putting my body through the wringer, I decided that no sleep, malnourishment, and cramming hours before walking into class is kind of lame. I made a sort of silent New Year's resolution that I was going to put my health and well being first this year. Have I been all nighter free? Hardly (Rome wasn't built in a day people), but I have been slowly and ever so surely making healthier transitions.

For the (rare, far, few and inbetween) all nighters:

1. CHEW ON ICE

How it works: I did this in class after I may or may not have pulled an all nighter :-) and the brain freeze was enough to snap me out of my sleepless stupor. Get a small cup and refill it frequently. It melts fast, hence the small cup, but you'll need to chew it constantly for however long you'd like to be awake (hence the refill).

2. DRINK WATER

How it works: Drink a lot of water, as much as you can stand. It works because it's sort of hard to sleep when you are constantly peeing. Buy it in bulk. (Recycle or ditch the extra material entirely by getting a reusable water bottle and make use of your nearest filtered water source)

But, because all nighters are hardly ever necessary:

SLEEP

How it works: You don't want to go to sleep because you already did. Plan ahead. Cut your to do list in half.

That sounds extremely simple because it is. Which is all the more reason to not drink caffeine! And sleep, if you're really feeling dangerous.

Xo

THE VEGGIE GRILL

2011-02-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so unlike my best friend and blog predecessor--I am NO professional in the kitchen. She's amazing! She can cook just about anything she puts her mind to. I am learning to be a little more handy in the kitchen, but I think it's fair to say that at heart, I'm an advocate for making reservations :-) For lunch today, I finally checked out a restaurant not too far from my apartment that a friend had recommended to me-The Veggie Grill

I went Sunday after my spin class, and enjoyed it so much that I went again today for lunch! It's really filling, and really really delicious. The first time I went I had the "Carne Asada" sandwich. The "Carne Asada" is not actual steak, of course! The picture I took of that dish wasn't so great, but it was a great sandwich and you can see a description of the sandwich (and everything else on the menu) if you can check out the restaurant's menu here: http://www.veggiegrill.com/menu.html

For today's visit, I ordered the All Hail Kale salad with blackened tempeh and sweet potato fries.
The meal was fantastic! It's a casual, comfortable spot and not terribly priced as far as vegan food goes. The menu has a great variety and includes a few desserts for anyone who has a huge sweet tooth like I do.

The Veggie Grill is a chain restaurant, and can be found at the following locations:

LOCATIONS & HOURS:

8000 Sunset - Los Angeles
8000 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Phone 323.822.7575 | hours 11am to 11pm
Plaza El Segundo
720 Allied Way, El Segundo, CA 90245
Phone 310-535-0025 | hours 11am to 10pm
University Center - Irvine
4213 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92612
Phone 949.509.0003 | hours 11am to 10pm
Irvine Spectrum Center
81 Fortune Drive, Irvine, CA 92618
Phone 949.727.9900 | hours 11am to 10pm
Santa Monica
2025 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Phone 310.829.1155 | hours 11am to 10pm

Feel free to check out any of them, but I went to the one in El Segundo for my meal! Great service, great atmosphere.

Xxx
Enjoy!

LET'S BEGIN!

2011-02-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays, even though I've never had a Valentine, I still think that love and celebrating it is extremely important. I think that remains true whether it's applied to loving your partner or loving yourself, so I try to do something new every holiday :-) This holiday, I wanted to kick off a blog! I'm not sure how many people will read this, but I think doing this will really challenge me to learn more about veganism. I also think it'd be a lot of fun :-). With that said--welcome welcome!

xxxo

HELLO!

2010-10-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

See you guys soon :-)