Loss of a Companion Animal

 

 

I found two great articles that deals with having a loss of a companion animal:

Pet Loss - 10 Tips to Help Soothe Heartbreak

 

This one below is specifically about dogs, but you can use it as a guideline for other companion animals as well.

Helping Your Dog Cope With the Loss of a Canine Companion

 

 

*Note: I'm not sure why the size and color of text came out that way! 

 **Dedicated in memory of Nicklas Hubert Naked (4/25/97-5/18/13)

People Who Can't Handle Opposing Views

 


As I continue with my animal ministry, I expect to see my share of people closing off when I give my opposing views regarding veganism/animal rights to non-vegans. But what I didn't expect at the start of my ministry (but later, saw examples of) were some people in my own community--animal rights people--closing off to me as well. Everyone will not always agree with others in any group--fine, understandable and even healthy--but to close off opposing views for no apparent good reason is not a wise way of relating to others.

Examples of what I mean by closing off is by blocking someone online (I got blocked yesterday on Twitter as I politely chatted with a person called, The Vegan List), censoring comments online, or by just walking away from someone, ignoring them. If you want to end a conversation, it should be done in a respectful manner, especially when the other person is being polite toward you.

Mind you, it doesn't bother me personally, but psychology is a huge interest of mine, so I find it very interesting as to why some people react in such childish behavior, which is especially sad in the vegan community because we need to listen to other views in order to effectively help animals. I wanted to write out my theories, but found the link below, by author Faceless39 (Kate) that perfectly describes what I am seeing how some people react towards me as well, even with what Faceless39 stated in the beginning of her article echoes my own experience almost perfectly when I commented on other people's blogs recently.

I totally agree with this article 100%. Please read:

Why Can't Some People Handle Opposing Viewpoints?

Vegan Lunch Box Books

Vegan Lunch Box: 130 Amazing, Animal-Free Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love!  and Vegan Lunch Box Around the World: 125 Easy, International Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love! by Jennifer McCain, are two vegan recipe books designed especially for vegan kids:

 

 

Vegan Lunch Box offers an amazing array of meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free meals and snacks. All the recipes are organized into menus to help parents pack quick, nutritious, and irresistible vegan lunches. Ideal for everyday and special occasions, Vegan Lunch Box features tips for feeding even the most finicky kids. It includes handy allergen-free indexes identifying wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free recipes, and product recommendations. 

 

Vegan Lunch Box Around the World offers a delicious array of meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free lunches that will take you on an adventure across the globe. The book includes balanced international and regional American menus with 100 recipes from Ratatouille to Moroccan Tagine, New England Chowder to a Japanese Bento Box. Fruit and veggie ideas for even the pickiest eaters, and an allergen-free index, Vegan Lunch Box Around the World is essential for every family raising healthy kids—and for anyone who packs a lunch.

Vegan Teen Nutrition

Many teenagers have become vegan. If you are a Vegan teen (or are planning to become one), there are some things to consider. Since adolescents eat lots of meals as snacks and while they are on the go, it’s important to focus on foods that don’t require a lot of preparation. Teenagers can build a pretty healthy diet around veggie burgers and other non-flesh meats, peanut butter, hummus, calcium-fortified soymilk, instant soups, trail mix, protein bars, instant oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereals, fruits, salads and vegetables.

Other basic nutrition rules are teens should make sure they take vitamins and dietary supplements on a regular basis, like taking a regular vitamin B12 supplement and using calcium and vitamin D-fortified foods or taking supplements for these nutrients.  

But it’s possible to get plenty of calcium from foods alone, like drinking one cup of soymilk fortified with vitamin B12, calcium, and vitamin D each day can go a long way towards giving you the nutrition you need. Drinking two cups of soymilk would be even better. Other good nutritional vegan foods to eat regularly for calcium are rice and almond "milks". You can use soy, almond or rice milks to make smoothies and shakes as well. Tofu and orange juice are also good as well as yellow and dark green leafy vegetables daily make excellent calcium rich vegan foods.

Still, taking supplements, like a good quality multi-vitamin for teens is great insurance during the growing years. 

Teens should get some omega-3s in their daily diet too. A teaspoon of flaxseed oil on some bread is a good way, and walnuts are also a good source.

Legumes are great for protein, zinc, and folate. Other excellent protein sources are tofu, beans and nuts.

Getting enough iron is extremely important too. Iron deficiency is most common in teenage girls and younger women. A vegan diet that includes a good variety and amount of fruits, vegetables and grains should be enough iron. To improve the body's ability to absorb the iron from foods, nutritionists recommend cooking food in cast-iron skillets, adding beans and legumes to the meal.

Some quick and easy menu ideas: 

Bean burritos with vegan sour cream and soy cheese 

Tacos with a meatless ground beef substitute 

Pasta with marinara sauce

Homemade or bought vegan pizza with lots of vegetables on top and vegan sausage

And for summer menus/picnics, families can put veggie burgers on the grill and make their own potato salad with a vegan mayonnaise for example.

Vegan Shavuot Recipes

Shavuot, to celebrate on May 15, was originally an ancient harvest festival celebrating the grain crop. In Hebrew, Shavuot means "weeks" and the holiday is celebrated seven weeks after Passover begins. But Shavuot is also recognized as the anniversary of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai and most Shavuot celebrations are centered on Torah study and other Jewish learning. On the first night of the holiday many people stay up all night studying Jewish texts.

There is a custom of eating dairy foods--especially cheesecakes and blintzes--on Shavuot. The reason for this tradition is not entirely clear, but one popular explanation is that immediately after the Israelites received the Torah and learned about the laws of keeping kosher, it was too complicated for them to begin butchering and preparing fresh kosher meat. So they stuck with eating dairy.

But upset by the suffering of cows, angry with milk producers who celebrate on their behalf, more and more Israelis do not join the so-called "white products" celebration over the Shavuot (Festival of Weeks) holiday. So instead, you can celebrate Shavuot vegan style:

Basic Vegan Blintzes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
mix well.
add 4 tbsp canola oil
2 cups soy milk
1 cup water

Mix well. It should be pourable, but medium thick. Don't worry about over mixing this as there is no baking soda or powder to deflate.

You can a ladle to pour into a cast iron frying pan on medium heat and then the bottom of the ladle to help spread the mix a little thinner. No oil is needed if the pan is well seasoned. A few minutes on the first side until the gloss on top turns dull and bubbles don't pop. A minute on the other side.

Fill with fresh fruit and soy yogurt for sweet. Soy cream cheese or tofu and veggies for savory.

Here is another recipe:
 
Vegan Cheese Blinzes with Blueberry Sauce




 


Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

Crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
zest of one lemon
6 Tablespoons vegan butter, melted

Filling

1 14-oz package silken tofu
1 8-oz package vegan cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Combine graham cracker crumbs, lemon zest, and margarine and stir to evenly coat the crumbs. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan and refrigerate while making the filling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place silken tofu and vegan cream cheese in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add sugar and process until well combined, approximately 3 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice, vanilla, and ginger. Whisk in cornstarch, then pour mixture into food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into crust and bake for 45 minutes until set (the center will still be slightly wobbly). Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or ideally over night.

JazzKats Coffee Bar Reopens--YESSSS!!

One of my favorite coffee bars in Portland Oregon, JazzKats, has now reopened for business and it looks to be better than ever!

I stopped by on Thursday and met the new owners Natasha (who is also the owner of the food cart Da-Pressed) and her partner Adam. They are vegans and plan on having only veg*n food, plus their own coffee roast, in the coffee bar.

For all you Portland locals and visitors to the vegan capital of world, JazzKats is located in the Hollywood District of Portland at 1925 N.E. 42nd Ave.

Go check them out.

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican heritage with a wealth of color, flavor and flair, and there are lots of ways to celebrate May 5 vegan-style! 


 Cinco de Mayo Vegan Recipes

 Vegan Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Sizzling Cinco de Mayo Recipes