Baby Boomer Vegan

Green Smoothies

2010-07-20T20:19:00.008-04:00

Lately my husband, Bill, and I attended Vegetarian Summerfest, always an inspiring and motivating event that vegetarians and vegans look forward to attending every year. One of the sessions we enjoyed was a demonstration by a delightful couple, Rae Sikora and Jim Corcoran, educators who make presentations to schools and other groups on health, compassionate living, non-violence and ethical consumerism, among other things. At Summerfest they demonstrated how to make a green smoothie in the blender.

Did you know that kale is the very best thing you can eat? Second to that is collard greens. How many times do we cook these veggies? Usually I just see kale as a garnish to be thrown away, and collard greens have never been a part of my diet. So because of that presentation, I now am beginning to make smoothies highlighting those two highly nutritious veggies. Drinking one of these smoothies each day will ensure that your body will benefit from these healthful foods. Here is how Rae and Jim did it:

Instead of water, use watermelon and/or other melons as the liquid. Then remove the stems from the kale and collard greens and put only the leaves into the blender. Add about a half a lemon and/or other citrus fruits (rinds removed but leave the white part on), and as many other fruits and veggies you can fit into the blender. The lemon adds a nice flavor. Make the kale the "star of the show," but if the blended smoothie is too bitter for you, add some pineapple juice or some other sweeter fruits.

Jim told us that each veggie has its own unique set of phytonutrients, but when you combine the veggies, the combination makes even more phytonutrients. For example, for demonstration purposes, let's say that each veggie has one phytonutrient. When you put two veggies together, you don't just get two phytonutrients, but you actually get three because of combining the two together. Isn't that interesting?

Anyway, back to the green smoothie -- pour the blended fruit/veggie combination into canning jars and screw the lids on. You can freeze these (leave a little space in the jars) or take them with you to work.

There you go! This is a really great way to get some good nutrition for the day and it's easy and fun too!

Rae and Jim were so delightful together as they had fun creating their concoction at Vegetarian Summerfest. By the way, this was their one year anniversary, because they met four years earlier (at Summerfest) and they got married last year (again, at Summerfest!) What a romance!

Here is Rae and Jim's website: www.PlantPeaceDaily.org, and here is a link to the fantastic Vegetarian Summerfest, sponsored by the North American Vegetarian Society: http://www.vegetariansummerfest.org

Let me know if you give green smoothies a try, dear readers.

Until next time, best wishes, Bonnie

Substituting on Restaurant Menus to Accomodate Vegan Diet

2010-07-06T22:21:00.003-04:00

It is getting easier and easier to be a vegan and go to almost any restaurant! All you have to do is read the menu carefully and come up with your own creative solutions.

For example, if the restaurant has nothing on the menu that is vegan (and in many cases a restaurant's vegetarian food is loaded with cream or cheese), just carefully look at everything they do have on the menu. Choose some of the ingredients that would work for your diet (items that are more healthy) and ask them to substitute "this for that."

For example, they might feature broccoli or asparagus in a meat dish but not on their vegetarian menu, and for vegetarians they offer pasta "Alfredo." Ask the waiter if the cook would eliminate the cream and cheese from the Alfredo dish, add some olive oil, broccoli and asparagus.

Lately I have been ordering salads without the Feta cheese, pizzas without the cheese, etc. When asking to eliminate the cheese, why not ask if something else (healthy) could be added? For example, if you see artichokes on the menu, ask if you could have artichokes on your pizza instead of cheese.

It just gets easier and easier .......

Best wishes, dear friends. Bonnie

Response to Sarah Martin with Suggestions for Cooking for a Meat Eating Husband

2010-06-14T19:41:00.004-04:00

Sarah Martin commented:

I have been slowly eliminating meat from my diet, but it's been difficult because my husband loves the stuff and I'm still researching the importance of meat relating to children's diet. I saw on your blog that your children were vegan but went back to meat. How about your husband, is he on the vegan bandwagon? I would like to try some meat free meals that would be tasty and nutritious, can you recommend any good cookbooks I might try.

I'd appreciate your suggestions on both the husband and the cookbooks.

***

Sarah, I'm sorry you had a difficult time posting. I was traveling, visiting libraries, for a while and didn't see your email.

It is so good to hear that you have been slowly eliminating meat from your diet. I understand that your husband loves to eat meat (some call it "dead animals" - sorry). My husband at times says he became a vegan (especially after reading "The China Study" and another time after reading the book that I sent him about the macho fire fighters who became vegans) but then goes back to eating meat, saying he "needs his strength." Currently he eats fish when given the chance.

Since my husband is Chinese, he likes various ethnic foods - my favorites too, so I can make things like curries, which he likes. Just this weekend I made a vegetable curry with potatoes, soy crumbles, green beans and carrots over brown rice. It's like a hearty stew. Another day I made vegetarian fried rice and served it with corn on the cob.

Whenever I cook, I start with the grain. A hearty grain is filling and satisfying. So you could start by cooking a whole wheat pasta, brown or white rice, quinea, couscous or another grain. Then decide if you want to go Italian, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican or something else. Then cook the veggies (stir fried, baked, or stewed) with the appropriate seasonings to match the ethnicity of the dish. Finally throw in a bean into the mix. Between the hearty grain and the bean (black, pinto, brown, lima, or tofu) your husband will think he is eating meat. Another idea is to add a hearty mushroom, as that has a meaty flavor too. Costco is selling some excellent fancy dried mushrooms that can be reconstituted.

I hope these ideas help you. Hopefully he isn't a "meat and potatoes kind of guy." That has to be a little trickier. In that case, maybe he will eat a "stew" that has seitan as the meat substitute.

As for cookbooks, why not try "Vegan Planet" by Robin Robertson,"Alternative Vegan" by Dino Sarma, "Everyday Greens" by Annie Somerville, "Three Bowls: Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery" by Seppo Ed Farrey and "The Complete Tassajara Cookbook" by Edward Espe Brown. I love all of these, for different reasons. Some may be vegetarian, rather than all totally vegan, but for those recipes, just do some substitutions.

Thank you for writing to me, Sarah, and best wishes to you. Please let me know how your cooking goes for your husband. Bonnie

Do you have vegan friends?

2010-03-06T07:12:00.003-05:00

If you are a baby boomer vegan, like I am, do you have any vegan friends? Although I am finding other vegans about my age in other states or areas (that I am interviewing for my book), I am finding it difficult to find even one locally.

How I wish for friends with similar interests! Lately, I am really getting to adore yoga as well, and likewise, I have not even one friend who is my age and interested in yoga. My other interests include Asian Art and fashion.

This is getting to be very frustrating - and lonely at times, I must admit!

Well, friends or not, I am on a path for my own self. I am on a path that makes me happy inside even if I am the only one in the state of Pennsylvania! Being vegan has changed my life and now yoga is transforming me as well, from the inside out.

Still, it would be so great to have someone to do things with that have similar interests.

Best wishes to you all, and I hope you have better luck than I have in this area. Let me know what you think, fellow baby boomer vegans!

Bonnie

Need to Interview Fellow Vegan Baby Boomers

2010-01-03T06:21:00.005-05:00

Are you a baby boomer (born between 1944 and 1964)? Did you become a vegan during middle age? If so, I would like to interview you for a book I am writing on the subject of Baby Boomers who are vegams. Would you consider being interviewed for the book?

The book will feature success stories and a photo of each vegan Baby Boomer. The purpose of the book is to provide inspiration and to encourage other middle aged foks like us to join the lifestyle.

I would appreciate hearing from any volunteers who might be willing to answer my interview questions. Please write to me at youngbon@gmail.com if you are interested.

With my sincere thanks, Bonnie Young

Global Warming and Veganism

2009-12-18T06:50:00.004-05:00

World Bank scientists conclude that eating meat causes more than half of global warming (conservatively).
http://crazysexylife.com/2009/top-ten-fresh-vegan-victories/?utm_source=Crazy+Sexy+Life+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=5f907482bf-Weekly_Tune_Up_10_16_200910_16_2009&utm_medium=email

Favorite Video Blogger

2009-11-15T09:58:00.002-05:00

Elaine is my favorite vegan who faithfully produces videos on YouTube about being a vegan:

http://

Vegan Chick Party 2 - Dancing

2009-11-07T07:26:00.001-05:00

Here is the video of the dancing at the Vegan Chick Halloween Party.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn9PXaFfVn4

Vegan Chick Party

2009-11-07T07:21:00.002-05:00

We had a Halloween party with vegan food and dancing. I am attaching two videos of the fun time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QWJVf13POM

Vegetarian Summerfest

2009-07-19T06:47:00.002-04:00

I recently attended Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA. I learned so much and enjoyed the company of over 600 vegetarians during this five day event. People stayed overnight, ate together and attended a great selection of classes on the various aspects of being a vegetarian.

I created a video during one of the dinner meals but it was too long, so I split it in half. Here is the second half of the video, the part where I interview a few folks that I see as I walk around the room. I hope it gives you an impression of the fun the attendees had, including me! Here is the video:

Giving Up Cheese

2009-06-26T22:18:00.003-04:00

After a while, giving up cheese is not so difficult. At first it may seem extremely hard. But the interesting thing is that in time, you may even grow to dislike the taste of cheese. I feel that way now, after one year.

Not so difficult after all, and the wonderful aspect is that you are also giving up the yucky hormones that are certainly terrible for you! (You are also saving a cow from a life of continual pregnancies and ultimate slaughter.)

Here is a video I created with a dinner suggestion:

Vegan Website Links

2009-06-14T08:28:00.003-04:00

Here is a good list of weblinks that I found:

http://www.vegansecret.com/Links.cfm

While on it, I discovered some interesting vegan forums. One had a question: Do you have any vegan friends?

Meeting Up

2009-06-12T21:09:00.003-04:00

Has anyone gone to a Meet Up? I may go to a vegan meet up in a week or so. This will be the first time that I join a group of "strangers" to meet fellow vegans. Has anyone else done this? What has been your experience?

vegan, for the animals for health, for the earth

2009-06-03T21:00:00.003-04:00

This is a really well done video about choices connected to our values:

Green Tea

2009-05-25T13:31:00.002-04:00

This is a fun hobby for a vegan who wants to live a healthy lifestyle. Watch this to see my see the second youtube video I ever made - a description of the teas I have been enjoying and a quick tour of my house and the Zarafina Tea Maker.

Vegan Musicians

2009-05-22T21:50:00.000-04:00

Reasons to be a Vegan

2009-05-18T20:38:00.002-04:00

YouTube Video What Do I Eat

2009-05-15T07:53:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to the first youtube video I created. It is a tour of my refrigerator and pantry and shows the delicious food you can eat as a vegan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA5NAc8paKQ

Hope You Are Doing Well

2009-04-29T20:25:00.002-04:00

I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have written anything on this blog. I noticed that I have four "followers" and now I am extra sorry!

I do hope you are all well and happy and following your vegan diet. After a while it just gets easy and seems just a part of life. Still, I want to encourage others.

Lately it is also easier to just "come out with it" and tell people I am vegan - and be proud of it - even if once in a great while there is hostility about it. I don't care, though.

It feels so good to be healthy and I can smile to myself thinking about the animals.

Take care, dear ones. Bonnie

Eco Vegan Gal

2009-04-29T20:14:00.002-04:00

I really like the eco vegan gal's YouTube videos.

Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EcoVeganGal

Needs in Life

2008-12-14T14:02:00.003-05:00

Maria Rose wrote in her interesting blog, "Little Things are Big"
(http://maria-rose.blogspot.com/)
what she really needs in life. Her needs listed in the December 12 post are:

1. Food, water shelter
2. Healthy relationships
3. Creative output

Nothing else! How about that! Now I would totally agree with that - but I think meaningful work would have to be added to my list. However, you might say that meaningful work and creative output are the same thing. In that case, creative output would absolutely suffice!

All of this simplifying and organizing I am doing lately would also fall into the creative output category. It's not exactly fun work, (and not exactly creative) but will be so satisfying and such a joy when it it done.

Of course, under the food, water and shelter category, "healthy" could also be included as a good descriptor.

Then again, I would want to add art, books, poetry and beautiful visual aesthetics. Oh dear, my needs are not that simple.

Enjoy the day dear friends, and some simple, delicious vegan food!

The Animals

2008-12-09T19:37:00.002-05:00

I haven't written for quite a while. For that I apologize. However, I was just reading Brandi's blog (http://allthingsbrandi.blogspot.com/) and her latest blog post is a comment about her emotional reaction about killing animals. This posting prompts me to mention something I do not comment on much (if at all so far) in my blog.

At first I became a vegetarian for health reasons. After a while something changed within me. As time progressed, I began to feel a tenderness toward the animals that I never had before. I realized that all animals have emotions (just like we realize our pets do). In my reading I learned that many are also very smart (such as pigs, especially) and we can connect with all animals just as we do with people. (I heard that this inner transformation often happens to others who become vegetarian too.) Now I am a vegan and I feel at peace with the idea that I have made that choice.

Being a vegan is like being on a journey. Sometimes it is not easy, depending upon the situation, and I am not "perfect." However, my heart tells me to keep on the road to being a vegan, and to become more committed every day.

Talk to you soon, dear friends.

Stuffed Pumpkin for Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

Libraries and Web 2.0

2008-09-01T07:29:00.001-04:00

I know this is basically a vegan blog, but I had to share this with my vegan librarian friends:

How to Eat Flax Seeds and Soy Milk When You Don't Really Like Them

2008-08-28T09:42:00.005-04:00

Here's the thing: Most people eat because things taste good. But what about this: What about eating because it's good for your health? Take flax seeds for example. They're not really that good! But boy, are they good for you!

Here's a way to eat crushed flax seeds: Buy a container of already crushed flax seeds and store them in the freezer. When you pour your cereal in the morning, put a tablespoon of the flax seed on one tiny corner of the bowl. Now when you eat your cereal, eat the flax seeds with a bit of cereal first. Then you can eat the rest of your cereal, without the seed. After doing this for a while, you will begin to like flax seeds better.

For soy milk, I prefer the unsweetened. Start by only moistening your cereal in the morning. Don't pour a lot on at first. Later, as you get accustomed to the taste, pour more soymilk on. When I first started doing this I didn't like the flavor compared to milk. Now I can drink the remaining soy milk left in the bowl. My next challenge, down the road, will be to drink a whole carton of soy milk. I know a colleague who took little boxes with her in hotels when at library conferences. I've got to get to that point, because it is on-the-go protein.

We are all on a road -- best wishes to you who are on that vegan road. Until next time, Bonnie

How to Be a Non-Cook and Still be Vegan

2008-08-25T13:11:00.003-04:00

Everyone I meet asks me about what I cook. I know -- I'm bad! I actually never cook! Yet I'm a vegan!

For my special diet, all you need is a bunch of frozen dinners by Amy's Kitchen (delicious, vegan ones) and some canned soup by Amy's Kitchen (some hearty ones with beans and rice in them). Canned beans are good to have handy too. With a variety, you can make a bean salad. Just combine some with celery and some tasty balsamic vinegar and oila! Bush's Vegetarian Beans are good too. My mom, a vegetarian, loves these just at room temperature. No cooking needed! A salad completes all of your tasty vegan meals.

I know there are a lot of vegan blogs that share recipes, but you don't even have to be a cook to be a vegan!

Waiting on the World to Change

2008-08-14T11:03:00.003-04:00

Guess what! The video I selected (below) was not the one that I really wanted to choose (that I felt was "moving", with quotes, etc.) but, nevertheless, the "Waiting for the World to Change" one is still very well done! Thank you, PeepChick101!

The one I really wanted to select, "Famous Vegetarians" begins with a black screen and a quotation. Whatever happened to that video? Does anyone know?

At least I know I now can put a video on my blog. I just learned that in a library workshop by Stephanie Zimmerman!

Take care, my vegan friends!

Famous Vegetarians

2008-08-11T15:08:00.001-04:00

This is a very moving video - great music too!

Vietamese Food and Poetry

2008-08-11T10:17:00.004-04:00

Hello friends! So much going on in my life right now. I let a bit of time go by since my last post.

Yesterday we went to a Vietnamese restaurant -- love Vietnamese food! It is probably the least fattening of all the types of Asian food in restaurants. For example, Chinese food is usually fattening because of all the oil they use in stir frying. All of that fried food is so yucky!

At the Vietnamese restaurant I had a dish with tofu and noodles and spices such as hot pepper, mint, lemon grass, ginger and garlic. How heavenly it was! There were plenty of salad items on the plate too, with a tasty sweet vinegar dressing on the side. The portion was large enough that I could save part of it to take along to the hotel I stayed at in Williamsport that evening.

Lately I have been reading some poetry books, to help get me through this transition period in my life. I especially love books by Roger Housden. Here is a link to his books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Roger+Housden&x=16&y=17. He writes a series that starts "ten poems." Right now I am reading http://www.amazon.com/Risking-Everything-Poems-Love-Revelation/dp/B000XUDFTU/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218465232&sr=8-14. "Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Revelation" includes some wonderfully passionate and moving poems. I would recommend any of Roger Housden's books on poetry. Some, the 10 poems series, has more of his commentary on the poems, and others such as "Risking Everything" has less commentary and more poems. Both types of books are superb!

Let me know how your vegan path is going for you. Being vegan is a very happy feeling!

Easy Diet Dinners

2008-08-05T18:03:00.003-04:00

Here is my new idea for a great diet dinner. Buy cans of Amy's Kitchen soups or veggie chili and heat them up. Serve this with a salad with only balsamic vinegar - no oil.

Here is the very best vinegar, in my opinion - Oliver's 25-year barrel-aged balsamic vinegar, purchased at Williams Sonoma. All you need is some salt and pepper. The vinegar is very sweet and mellow.

Amy's Kitchen soups often have only 1.5 grams of fat per serving, or something like that. I usually eat the whole can rather than one-half a can, so I am eating two servings.

Now you can afford to have some wine with that and maybe a slice of bread toasted in the panini baker. If one could stay on that diet for a while, you will lose weight.

My problem is that I get side-tracked with too much hummus sometimes!

Oh well, I hope you are staying on the vegan path, my friends! Take care, Bonnie

Simplifying

2008-07-30T09:48:00.005-04:00

I am reading a new book: "When Organizing Isn't Enough: Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life" by Julie Morgenstern. Here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/When-Organizing-Isnt-Enough-Change/dp/0743250893/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217425927&sr=8-1
I have been drawn to read books about simplifying lately, but this one is so much better than the usual how-to-organize book. To begin with, Morgenstern asks you to think about the last major change in your life and name, in a word or two, what was the "theme" of that period of your life. Now name your new "theme." For example, perhaps your last theme was "ambition" and now it is "free to be me." Now, get rid of everything that does not align itself to your new theme. What an interesting concept! I am going to give it a try!

Reading is such a joy, because it takes you down a road of change. I love change!

Keep enjoying the vegan life, dear friends!

Flax Seed and B12

2008-07-27T13:01:00.005-04:00

One thing I learned at Summerfest (from Jeff Novick) is that most people do not get enough omega 3 in their diet and that the ratio between omega 3 and omega 6 oils is way out of wack. The remedy for this for vegans is to eat flax seed. Lately I purchased some crushed flax seed and I put a tablespoon on my cereal each morning. At first I didn't like it all that well, but now, one week later, I am okay with eating it.

This is an exciting time for doing what is best for the body and making the best decisions. I am also taking a B12 each day, dissolving it under the tongue. Those two things - B12 and flax seeds, are important for vegans to take. B12 is only found in meat, since today's soil is so depleted. Without B12 one could develop nerve problems.

I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful summer and the yummy summer berries and healthy fresh air. How lovely it is to be outdoors, enjoying the beauty of the sky this time of year.

Until next time, let me know if you are a new vegan and we can encourage each other. Bonnie

Wild Ginger

2008-07-24T08:11:00.010-04:00

I was able to go to Wild Ginger, the restaurant in Soho, NY, and the meal was heavenly. I enjoyed the ever so delicious Malaysian Curry Stew and a tasty fresh salad with yummy ginger dressing. A glass of Chardonnay completed the divine meal. My daughter loved it too!

I was just on the Pritikin Longevity Center website that has a perspective page that advocates a diet of only 10 percent oil. I am aiming for that but for me, it isn't that easy eliminating too much olive oil, as I loved going to Carrabbas http://www.carrabbas.com/
and eating a lot of the seasoned olive oil and bread. However, I am forcing myself to change. At Carrabbas the other day I requested a margurita pizza without the cheese and I only put a little of the herbs from the olive oil on the pizza. That is quite a change! It's not so bad having a pizza without cheese, especially at Carrabbas. Not as good - but worth it, and you can get used to anything. Besides the cheese gives the stomach a bad feeling afterward, and without it, you feel free and light! Love that!

Pritikin also had an article on whole grains and how that can make your stomach flatter than by eating white breads. Oh, that has to be the next step for me! Eliminate all white flour and only use whole grains. My downfall is pretzels, but I will look for the whole grain ones from now on.

Being vegan is a great road to be on. Until next time, Bonnie

New York Visit

2008-07-19T06:32:00.005-04:00

I am soon going to New York to visit my mother-in-law in Queens and we will be seeing a lot of our Chinese relatives (hubby is Chinese) and we will go out to a restaurant together. I am a bit apprehensive, because often when I go there is not much to eat. It's funny - you would think - that there would be a lot, but we often go to a Dim Sum restaurant, and all they serve, basically, is greasy meat dishes. There is one dish that has veggies, but sometimes there is a shrimp in the middle of it. Often my stomach hurts in New York, usually because of too much oil in the dishes. The wait staff are usually very ethnic, so you can't say to them "little or no oil."

Oh well, maybe I will put some oatmeal bars in my purse. It will be worth it to see the relatives.

Sometimes, on the way, we stop in Soho and we eat at a terrific, quaint and inexpensive restaurant, Wild Ginger. In the windows, they have dried weeds and rocks encased in glass and it is really artistic. You could read about the restaurant in the 2008 "The Vegan Guide to New York City," written by Rynn Berry and Chris Abreu-Suzuki. I recently met Rynn Berry at the Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA. My sister and I sat with him for lunch. It's really neat how, at the summerfest, people just sit with "strangers" and get to know them. Loved that! We sat with several authors at the event.

Well, got to go. Here is a link to The Vegan Guide to New York City: http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Guide-York-City-2008/dp/0978813219/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216464356&sr=8-1

Until next time, Bonnie

Reading "No Bull: The Mad Cowboy Targets America's Worst Enemy: Our Diet"

2008-07-12T08:16:00.003-04:00

I am currently reading the book "No Bull: The Mad Cowboy Targets America's Worst Enemy: Our Diet." Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/No-More-Bull-Targets-Americas/dp/0743286987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218468741&sr=8-1. This book is very interesting. This previous cattle rancher is now a vegan and he speaks persuasively and passionately - it could move anyone to action!

One great idea that I should take to heart is this: he advocates eating not 5-6, but 15 or 20, fresh fruits and veggies every day. In his menu section, how he accomplishes this is usually to pile fruit on cereal in the morning (lots of fruit!), having a huge salad with perhaps a sandwich on whole grain bread for lunch and having a terrific veggie soup for dinner and fruit for dessert. I like his menu selections in the book. He has suggestions for two weeks worth and they sound easy and tasty!

He also advocates eating fresh fruit and veggies for about 50% of the diet. I've got to learn that! I have linked the title of this entry to an Amazon.com address, in case you are interested in checking out the book.

Lately I traveled to the Pittsburgh area, and I purchased great vegan food at Maggie's Merchantile. I got such yummy food there both ways, traveling back and forth on the PA Turnpike. Yea for Maggie's! Such nice people working there too! Here is a link to the vegan deli: http://www.maggiesmercantilepa.com/index.html

Life is good! It is such a joy to be committed to this lifestyle! I put two bumper stickers on my refrigerator: "Please be Kind to Animals: Don't Eat Them" and "Veg For Life: For Health, For the Animals, For the Earth." The first bumper sticker is from the Vegetarian Resource Group http://www.vrg.org/ and the second is from www.vegforlife.org.

Until next time my dear friends, Bonnie

Sister Becoming Vegan and BYOV

2008-07-03T20:41:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about this! My sister, Carol, has decided to become a vegan! She said that she didn't realize what an impact Vegetarian Summerfest had upon her until she made this decision a few days afterward.

Her reading, too, impacted her decision. I gave her a lot of books to read on the subject, and she bought some at the Summerfest too. Some books, about slaughterhouses, especially moved her to take action. In addition, she wanted to change for health reasons, as we see how our Mom is doing in her later years.

One of these days I will write down the titles of all of the books, but only after they are returned to me, so I have record of them. Many are quite remarkable.

Since becoming vegan, one colleague Carol works with said, "Carol, you are getting skinny." (By the way, have you read "Skinny Bitch"?) Carol has lost 5 pounds in a short amount of time. I forgot to say that she is eating not only vegan, but low fat vegan - my goal as well. She doesn't want to eat many processed foods, so she is cooking veggies like crazy and she also bought a juicer!

Victoria Moran (see my other post for info about her) says that she always makes herself veggie juice every morning that includes apples and kale, as two of the ingredients. Kale makes me so happy, because I know when I eat it I am doing something wonderful for my body.

One day I began eating kale off a veggie tray. It was supposed to be a garnish just to be pretty under other salads or fruit or something. But I found kale to be okay just eaten raw, and it is great torn up with some delicious balsamic vinegar (the best kind from Williams Sonoma), salt and pepper on it, and nothing else. You can make a big salad - in a company sized salad bowl - and just eat that and feel really good about it. Does that sound weird? Another thing that Victoria said was that sometimes people say to her "are you going to eat all of that salad?" And she says "yes, and I may also eat another one after this one!" She has a good attitude!

My sister, Carol, has the right idea, though, trying to not eat processed foods. I, on the other hand, eat just about nothing but processed foods. I love beans, and they are readily available. Just open a can! Today I had Hormel Veggie Chili (one gram of fat) and Bush's Baked Beans (zero fat) and a veggie dog. Oh, I'm bad! It was good, though!

I will tell you one more funny thing -- my daughter, Holly, invited me to a July 4 cookout. She said it was BYOV -- do you know what that stands for? Bring your own veggie burger!

Until next time -- I hope to hear from you soon! Bonnie

ALA Book Cart Drill Team Championship

2008-06-30T21:18:00.001-04:00

I enjoyed the book cart drill team championship at the
ALA convention. One group presented an adorable routine to the song "I want to be a librarian."
What a great song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne_WXP7lUWM

Here is a link to a you tube video interpretation to accompany the song. What fun!
I hope you enjoy it too.

Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA

2008-06-28T20:13:00.001-04:00

My sister, Carol, and I attended Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown PA this year. I had been wanting to go for many years, and this was my first experience with it. What a remarkable event it was! How wonderful it was to hear the superb speakers talk on a variety of topics. Many of the speakers are authors and they had fine credentials as well.

My most life changing experience at the summerfest was the informative and persuasive session given by Jeff Novick (http://www.pritkin.com/articlelist/novik.shtm). This dietitian advocates adding no extra oil to your diet, as all vegetables have some oil in them already. He also proved to the audience that olive oil was not as good for you as we all believe.

And to think that I always thought slathering on the olive oil was a good thing!

Anyway, because of the summerfest, I have chosen to eat not only vegan, but low fat vegan - not an easy task, to be sure, especially when on the road.

Another terrific program was given by Victoria Moran, who spoke on staying youthful. Here is her website: http://www.victoriamoran.com/. Her book is called "Younger by the Day," and she not only spoke eloquently about the topic, but she is a stunning example of a beautiful vegan. In fact, after seeing many of the people at the event, it keeps me on the path in even a more dedicated way.

I would love to hear from any of you who are transitioning to becoming a vegan. Take care, Bonnie

Ithaca trip

2008-06-17T09:24:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed a lovely trip to Ithaca last weekend, including a trip (two days in a row!) to the fantastic Ithaca Farmer's Market. What a joy it was - so summery and relaxed! I love the organic vegetarian foods, (especially eating lunch), the impromptu music, the lake, the pottery and art, and the beautiful lotus pond. All the summery things to enjoy, in my opinion!

Ithaca is such a great place for vegetarians! I want to go back and back!

Until next time, Bonnie

a meeting with nothing substantial to eat

2008-06-05T22:53:00.000-04:00

I went to a meeting today, and for lunch they had a lot of wraps with meat and cheese, but for a vegan there was a banana, strawberries and a cabbage salad. They also had chips, which I did not take.

Then later, in the car, I was so hungry that I ate a sweet snack bar that had way too much sugar in it.

I really have to learn to pack my lunch, because it gets a little ridiculous when I go to meetings arranged by meat eaters.

Boo, hoo, I am feeling sorry for myself today.

So I made up for it by going to a Mexican restaurant this evening with my daughter in law and having a yummy bean burrito and a margarita!

First day of the blog

2008-06-04T21:51:00.001-04:00

Hi! I was a vegetarian for 8 years but now, for the last three months, I have decided to become a vegan. I don't know anyone my age who is a vegan, so I decided to create a blog for the purpose of encouraging other baby boomers to become a vegan or to relate to other older adults (kind of hate that term) who are already vegans.

Why become a vegan? Oh, there are so many reasons. Have you read the book "The China Study?" Or have you read the book "Diet for a New America?" The former will convince you to become a vegan for health reasons, and the latter will convince you to become a vegan for reasons of the cute little critters.

I love being a vegan! I am so excited about it!

However, sometimes it is a drag -- like when I was traveling the PA turnpike the other day and at two rest stops there is nothing for a vegan to eat except for a wilted salad! Sometimes in PA people don't know vegans exist -- but that is only my opinion! Of course it is my experience too.

Thank goodness for Taco Bell and Subway!

Well, enough for now. I am tired from a long trip doing a workshop on library programs in Clarion. Talk to you soon!

Best wishes to becoming a vegan! Let me know how it goes for you. Youngbon