Thursday, February 26, 2009

One - Slide Show

Some people could not open the large version of the slide show that I posted not long ago, so I shrunk it and hosted it here on Blogger. Not all of the text is readable in this size, but you get the idea anyhow.

Watch through to the end, since it's a happy ending! :)



Song credit = "One" by Simple Plan
Most Images by Peta

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Nutritional Therapy

"You do not need to count calories if you make every calorie count."
~ John Robbins

I'm a huge fan of Eat to Live and I am frequently eating as if I am on ETL's 6-week plan. I have already done the entire 6-week plan and reached my goal weight, but as Dr. Furhman says, most people are still carrying extra pounds around even if they believe they are the correct weight. That may sound harsh, but if you think about what an extra 5 pounds adds to your heart, lungs, and all organs, why not try to remove the "excess" fat around them? Those 5 pounds may not be noticeable to you or friends, but your body is noticing and is working a little harder because of it. (Note that Dr. Furhman does not promote zero body fat!) So I remain on an ETL plan and focus on nutrient dense foods.

While blog hopping, I discovered another Nutrient-Dense Foods promoter, Dr. McDougall. His philosophy is similar to Dr. Furhman's, but he believes in a 100% vegan diet and also believes in a more carb-based diet. (Dr. Furhman's non-6-week plans do include minimal meat and dairy, so I skip all of that!) I like some of the recipes on the McDougall site, although I do not think I could eat as many carbs as he lists! Check out his philoposhy and his 12 weeks of recipes!

Dr. MsDougall's Free Program Info

or, just take a peek at all the recipes for his 12 week program for ideas:

Dr. McDougall 12 week recipe plan

Like I said, I could not eat that many carbs per day, but I do like the recipes. They are all vegan and use no oils! I like how he does not believe in using oil!

One last site I came across which I will post more on as I find out more, is:

Vegan Done Light by Erin Dame. He was mentioned on PCRM (see my "Veggie Links to the right for more info" and has an ebook of recipes that follow Eat to Live! I already subscribed to his free monthly newsletter. :) His blog is called ZenPawn and shows the current video clip of the Food For Life program which features his recipe: Cherry Hummus. yum!! Check it out! I'm happy I found the site!!

With all of these resources for eating well and focusing on Nutritional Therapy and nutritionally dense foods... low fat eating...eating to live... well, there's no excuse for feeling tired and fat again!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

One Project

Please click on the image or link below for a slide show we made. It is not too gruesome, but it does show a bit of reality. If you watch until the end, you will also be shown hope:


Turn on your speakers, and please watch until the end. :) Thank you!

VeganCandi - One Project.wmv

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Buddha Hut Vegan Restaurant

It was another late night at work, so Britty and I decided to pick up something good for dinner and eat it at the studio. We knew exactly where we'd go!

Buddha Hut Vegan Restaurant
415 Chandler Street
Worcester, MA
(508) 459-0367

We usually like to eat there, but since it was a work night, we didn't get to drink the tea and talk to the adorable husband and wife team who run the place. We did, however, choose some excellent dishes!

I started with soup and a salad:

The soup is a veggie (of course!) steamed wonton soup. The salad is a "chicken" salad with raw cabbage, carrots and fried onions.

Below, there is our favorite dish ever... "Chicken" and Cucumbers. (on the left side.) The restaurant calls it Heavenly Chicken, but we call it by our own name! It's my favorite, and also Britty and Jamie's favorite... so you know it's good!

On the right side is an order of steamed dumplings with a soy/ginger dipping sauce.

With my own green tea on the side, it was nearly as good as eating it at Buddha Hut. I do recommend going there and checking out their daily specials too! They even have desserts: vegan cake!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A Rescued Rio

I never knew how many horses were sent to auction/slaughter because they were no longer useful. Volunteering at a rescue opened our eyes to the ways that people use, abuse and neglect these beautiful animals. From carnival ponies to horse and carriage rides, these horses are not allowed to be free, in most cases. Other rescued horses were saved from neglect - standing in dirty stalls leading to permanent leg damage, or poor nutrition leading to blindness. We've seen some very sad stories of horses that could not be saved from past abuse.

One happy story, however, is Rio! Rio is a gorgeous paint horse who is only about 3 years old. He could not be ridden, possibly due to an injury by his previous owner. Our friend and Rio's hero has taken him in and we were lucky enough to visit.

After giving Rio a bath, his favorite thing to do is roll in the dirt. :)



He is one of the lucky ones! Just remember to look into areas where these animals could be abused. Carriage horses and amusement park "rides" should be avoided and researched. Horses (and all animals!) should not have to be 'saved.'

Friday, February 13, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

I shifted my blog over to this new address and wonder if anyone will find me!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and share some very fun vegan Valentine's gifts that I got!


I was so excited to see so many vegan items that included t-shirts, chocolates, and even some "lotions & potions!" Jamie knows what I like and picked out all of these things for me! :) One of my favorite things was this bowl:


!!!! I have been watching these pottery bowls on Etsy and other vegan sites and wished I had one. It's a great serving dish, and in this case... it's serving a Valentine's box of chocolate covered raisin clusters! Mmmm

Here is one of the shirts Jamie picked out for me. I love this one with the words, the design and the softness! Factory Farms *are* mean and nasty, so I will happily wear this!

CandiCane lip balm! Plum and Peppermint... I have not heard of this scent before and it's quickly becoming addicting! Great name too. ;)

Tofu Scrambler! Yay! Breakfast in bed! Also in this photo is some gummy "cola" flavored filling-ripper-outers. So worth it! The tiny green book is very funny; it's called "How I Get My Protein" and can be used when you get asked that same old question and you just get tired of answering! Take a peek through the book and it lists chickpeas, broccoli, soy milk, cashews, and many other foods to put people at ease that we will not become sickly from lack of protein! (Well, as long as you actually *eat* those foods and don't live on raisin clusters and cola gummies!)

This adorable shirt will be worn very soon! I love the vegan banner on it!

These heart-shaped chocolates have a hint of lavender in them! Pretty *and* good! All vegan... so hard to believe!

Hello my newest friend... the vegan raisin cluster. Although we have just met, I feel like we could spend the rest of our lives together. Or at least on holidays when Jamie spoils me.

Jamie knows I love my lotions and potions, so he picked out some awesome ones: a lavender hand & body cream, an oatmeal & aloe facial mask, and some BWC hairspray! I also have vegan body shimmer... hmmmmmm


One last look at this bowl! It's really great to see it in person after eyeing it online for about two years now! I may have to start a collection!


Happy Valentine's Day and thanks for stopping by!
Thank you JSB <3

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Full Nest



I had to share this photo I came across of a momma bird feeding her babies! I was about to photograph a bride on her wedding day, when I spotted this nest in the patio. I got a few shots because I could not resist!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Poke!

Hi! Thanks for stopping by!



Thanks to Britty for her photographic skills in creating this image for the blog! With the word "Vegan" written backwards on my monitor and while holding very still... the artist and her macro lens got a pretty cool shot!