"Me gusta"

Thank God for Jonathan and Travis. They keep me so motivated to be veggie! (noun into an adjective....YES)

So Jonathan always keeps me in check about my protein (i.e. with cheese [which I'm shying away from] and with Odwalla shakes. In particular, I had their pumpkin protein shake recently, and decided to make it at home!

3/4 cup pumpkin
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup ice

1 dash of cinnamon

blend well...delicious!

Little known fact is that coffee mugs also make good containers for smoothies on the go! (Especially the stainless steel kind) MY Gevalia mug (with way too much use, the top is broken past the point of convenient use) came from a free deal from the Gevalia coffee company. I'm not so big on their coffee, but a free coffee maker was particularly a plus when I moved into my first apartment.
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Now I've already posted about my vegan chili, but I had to go again!

I always add a ton of carrots, as I feel that they take away from having "too much spice." Almost like a break. My dad used to always tell me to eat yogurt/ drink milk, but I find that anything OTHER than water works, too. I was with my friend Joty, celebrating Duwali, the festival of lights, with the Hindu Club at school, and I couldn't get enough of the curry! I used to think that I hated curry, but turns out, it was just thai curry...something about the tart doesn't jive with my tastebuds....

Anyway, so I needed to include some Trader Joe's products, because they're amazing. Basically, tomatoes, beans, chili spice, carrots....it was all organic and under 7 dollars. Travis and I had about 2 servings each, and I still had some leftover. DELISH! (as an aside, I hope my Dad's proud that I used my auto-settings on my digital camera to get that steam coming off of the chili....awesome!)




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Trader Joe's also makes college vegan shopping CHEAP.

Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese is about $2.50, and veggie burgers are always under $3.00.
(Not to mention that they have Tofutti cuties and Soy "Ice Cream" in a chocolate flavor where you can actually TASTE the chocolate....amazing!)

I've been using the term "nosh" quite a bit, because I feel as though I graze like a cow most days....KIND Bars in particular are amazing (and give to the Peaceworks foundation) and raw nuts help me get through my work shifts/ class without having an audible stomach! A pound of almonds for less than $5? Sign me the fuck up.


Time for delish veggie burgers. I went a week or so without a few in my freezer, and it was so sad. It just seems like a nice base to have, especially since I am a meat-eater at heart. The meat that I miss is made up by the "patty-ness" and good spices in the veggie burgers (in this case, Morningstar, but I like just about any kind). In this photo I feature avocado (as my phrase goes, "avocados make any day a good one") , Tofutti cream cheese, and sourdough bread. The burger in the picture is NOT vegan, but there are many other varieties that are. Needless to say, it was amazing.

Next up:
Amanda, soapstress of the stars (like Travis and myself!) has begun another blog entitled "Broke Ass Beauty," and details her experiences with cheap cosmetics and bath and beauty products. I trust her opinion on just about everything, so I think you should, too. Check it out!

http://brokeassbeautyblog.blogspot.com/


I think that about sums it up.

For Lady Gaga critics, all I gotta say is that she references Alfred Hitchcock in her new song "Bad Romance"....awesome.

Until later, let me know if you guys have any veggie faves. Wish me luck on grad apps! OY! :)

Les Perfumes

I have a serious problem....I can't leave the house without a spritz of perfume....

Although, since the holidays are approaching, Christmas shopping downtown is a surreal experience that is usually accompanied by a quick dash through the Macy's or Lord & Taylor, usually just for me to look for the newest scent that catches my nose!

And so, a brief list of some of my faves.....Who knows which one I'm wearing now?! :)

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Oh the Chanel no 5....everyone's favorite! Marilyn Monroe is said to have worn it. A word of warning to those who want this cheap: Don't buy it on eBay! I got it and proudly stated to my choir friends that I had found it on eBay for $30.....not my best purchase. It just wasn't the same! Hopefully there is a way that I could access this scent in some authentic, yet not purse breaking fashion, but until then I'll simply take a waft whenever I'm in the dept. stores... (and hopefully channel Audrey Tautou in the French Chanel biopic...stupid Chicago movie theaters)
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Marc Jacobs! I was able to go to the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in NYC and could afford some stuff there! How about that?! And so with our American-Apparel-coolness, Scotters and I both entered and saw the interesting fashions that were coming up...but my favorite was always the perfumes :) Marc Jacobs just came out with Lola, and it also smells as cool as the advertisements. He's just a swingin' dude.

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My dear friend Anne and I are big fans of Sex and the City...and gay people! :) We write letters of our version of "Poof!" magazine, based on a certain favorite show of mine. She, however, is a particularly big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker, and introduced me to her signature perfume, Lovely. I was able to get Covet: Pure Bloom, for a rather not-so-pricey price, and loved it! So, although I think that her acting abilities are at times questionable, she knows how to franchise a nice and *light* scent.
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A very memorable scent, indeed. I got this a few summers ago, shopping with my then, boss, now soapstress, Amanda. Other than being a huge fan of Scarlett Johansson (again, not due to acting abilities), I love basically anything that Calvin Klein makes. Although it is not readily made available in Calvin Klein stores, some perfumeries usually have it. I associated scents with many feelings and memories, and with this particular one, it's the feeling of giving into inhibition with a fleeting romance....but maybe that's just the commercial for it...
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My darling old freshman Resident Adviser told me that sometimes men were just for giving you perfume, and allowed me to sample Amazing Grace. I've been a fan ever since! She bought a set for me for the following Christmas, and I can't even begin to say what a funny experience it was to try to squeeze the last of the lotion out, and twist off the top of the glass bottle just to get the last of it....phew! Although Baby Grace confuses me a tad....

As a scent, Amazing Grace just makes me feel graceful.
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Malachite, named after the color of green. A shade of green that, if I may be so bold, looks really good with my olive skin tone. I liked the color, heard of the perfume, and once again fell in love. It's definitely not as light as some of the others, but it's just...pretty. I guess my scent association with this one is mature.

For those going on the cheap or who maybe don't wear perfume as often, Banana Republic has minis available of their perfumes (good for presents, too!)

I'm thinking this may be my next one for once I'm done with the current scent, but with the coming season, who knows? After all, this was just a sampling of the ones I like, certainly not an exhaustive list.

Now if f only I could reproduce green tea lattes into a perfume.....

My not-so-celebrity crushes

So...

I'm a bit of a flirt. In fact, my friend Annette and I always laugh about a phone call I had with my current boyfriend when I was in her company when she overheard me say the following:

"Hey! So I really want to talk to you now, but I'm at my friend Annette's place eating ice cream. I'll call you later though and we'll flirt! It'll be awesome!"

We'd probably only been dating about a month, but whatever, it was a "disgustingly cute" moment. Now we're much meaner on the phone :)

So anyway, I have a tendency to like moderately famous people that most of my girl friends respond with..."ummm who?"

I thought after a grueling awful week of nothing but exams and papers, I'd put up a fun post!

Israel Nebeker, lead singer of Blind Pilot (pictured left)
What else can I say about a wonderful man who plays guitar well, HAS to have some kind of Jewish heritage (always a good thing!), and he bikes....everywhere. He's got the whole broad shoulder thing going on, super laid back warmth, and a wonderful voice.

IN ADDITION: Blind Pilot is coming to Chicago! The day prior to Thanksgiving, they'll be playing at Lincoln Hall, and although I'm not sure if I can make it myself, I know that I'll definitely be spreading the word.

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Steve McQueen (still a celebrity, but still!)


The prince/king/whatever of coolness. The days that I'm dressed in all black for work, my co-worker Brittany calls me a beatnik....and I immediately think of Mr. Hipster and my imagined gibberish-spoken love poems....just kidding!

Anyway, as an avid Natalie Wood fan, I actually found out about Mr. Handsome from the film Love With a Proper Stranger, a film that my friend Ally and I decided needs to come out on DVD about 10 years ago...Ms. Wood, after all, did receive an Oscar nomination for her acting as a first generation Italian immigrant unsure of whether or not she wanted to go through with an abortion in the 1960s....guess who plays the jazz musician/father of the child?


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Joseph Fiennes

The only time that I saw any version of Romeo and Juliet that didn't make me want to throw up.
Rumour has it that's not only playing Vivaldi in a movie, but Darwin, too. Smart. Dudes.

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My future fiance'...kind of :)

Sondre Lerche!

I found out about Sondre Lerche from Mr. Scottland, when we did one of our infamous CD mixes. However, this one featured Sondre's "It's Over" at the end of the CD. It had particular significance, as Scott was leaving for college (a year older than myself), and we were a little apprehensive about the state of our friendship as he embarked on musical genius school.

As you might imagine, the lyrics actually say /it's not over at all/, and I was completely happy to hear Scott's new "indie" sound.

THEN I saw him perform at Park West in Chicago, and got to meet him and tell him he was my favorite musician. The dialogue went as such:

Me: So, um.....yourmyfavoritemusicianeverohmygoodnessIcan'tbelieveI'mhere....sorry...
SL: Yeah, wow, thanks though!
Me: *superwide grin* Thanks! You're the best!

and then he signed my concert ticket. Yay! Good memories :)

I saw him again this year....still super sweet guy!

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Oh well, that's it for me on that, but there are plenty of other non- famousy men that I'll probably mention later...

Have a wonderful and safe Halloween! I might post pics of my costume....might ;)

"Kiss me, I'm Vegan!"

http://kissmyvegan.blogspot.com/

I already mentioned it on facebook, but this girl is just too cute! She ALSO loves the cupcake making :)

I'm trying to see if I can get to a petting zoo/ animal sanctuary by the beginning of winter (which, in Chicago is about, I don't know, yesterday?)

More exciting news for my veggi-ness:

• *Fakesgiving with friends!Mr. JZ and "As Gay as it Gets" writer are gonna do a fun Thanksgiving day...sans turkey! We'll see if I feel like trying the turkey alternatives ;)
• Bought Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet"- finally! I especially like the section on "flirting"....describes me so well! hehe!
• My involvement with Oxfam at school has been helping me meet so many people who are wanting to make wonderful change in the world. And none of them are super extreme! Other than in kindness of course...
• I bought a used black argyle sweater on ebay for $10. Hopefully it'll fit, and I can put up a post of the lovely gamine style that I love to support so much. I've pretty much decided that, excluding lingerie and workout clothes, I'm going to only buy used clothing- Chicago and Ebay make it was too easy!

Weeee! I have a ton of papers to write, but with the support of my puppy (aka my boyfriend, Andy) and my lovely friends, things are gonna get easier!

Much, much love

The Kind Diet

I'm a little obsessed.....

thekindlife.com

To cheat, or not to cheat?

So I've been a vegetarian since Spring Break of 2009. This came at a good time, as spring-y foods lend themselves to the "wow, I still have 10 lbs. from winter" bullshit that we all go through. In addition, my roommate and I were halfway through our Spring semester at school, and her sustainability class had inspired her to also eat less meat. I made the plunge, and gave up all meat cold turkey...


Which brings me to my next issue. My only meat-based holiday that I had passed through so far was Independence Day, and trading in peach-mango smoothies instead of burgers wasn't too hard. (After all, I always have BBQ sauce on my veggie patties anyway.....so it wasn't like I was missing out on too much) But NOW, my desire to induce much needed sleep during the last week of November puzzled me. I had primarily given up meat because I felt that it was the best thing for my body. Seeing as though a lean baked turkey would probably not send my body into detox mode (like the much-missed Billy Goat's burgers.....no fries, chips!), I wanted to take some time to reconsider this decision.

After some reading about veggie Turkey-Day alternatives, I had made the final decision not to have an extra-marital affair with the diet that has made me feel lighter and happier than ever before. As my dear, darling friend JZ was telling me, an important figure who factors into one third of my decision to be a vegetarian, not eating it will just leave more room for other stuff that I like....PUMPKIN PIE! I'm such a pumpkin fanatic, I'm going to have vitamin A coming out of my ears by the end of the year!

Above all, this had just better not mean that I have to eat onions.....


[For more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97137098
and http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/vegetarian-thanksgiving-recipes-recipe.html ]

Yupcakes begins!

So, I don't have pictures up (yet), but I have created "The Amanda," the new Yupcakes Carrot Cake! We're doing a bake sale at school, hoping to promote the LGBTQA Scholarship that the university organization wants to dole out to high school. As Gretchen from Mean Girls would say, "That is so fetch!"

Amanda has been absolutely amazing to me. When I first started working in the campus reservations office at school, I was down on my luck. No boyfriend, no social life, just wanting to stay in Chicago for as long as I could so I could avoid the ennui of the suburbs, she took me under her wing and made me feel like I was a valuable employee, and after working for her for a few years, like a valued younger sister. Regardless of how dramatic I would be, she was always there to listen, and always there to give an honest opinion.

I knew that I needed to dedicate my gluten-free yupcake to her, because she had battled with an almost on/off gluten intolerance. She is always an inspiration to me, and I can't thank her enough for her warm presence in my life :)

In other news, she's off to get married to the love of her life, and I couldn't be happier for her!

Cheer for Amanda and Nathan! May they live a life filled with references to drunken evenings, strict dietary restrictions, and ethical implications of Kant's Deontology. I love you both!



When she's back, check out Amanda's website! My favorite soap of hers is the Three Bears, Fair Trade and Organic! :)

And her blog....