A Very Vegan Easter Basket

For those of us who celebrate Easter with little ones, we have to prepare for the very important annual visit from the Easter Bunny. Easter baskets usually create visions of tons of candy and eggs - which, for a vegan, can be a daunting proposition! Fortunately, there are many great ways to put together a veg-friendly Easter basket for the little chick in your life.

This year, Baby M's Easter is pretty straightforward. We will be setting out her Easter basket (passed from Grandma to Daddy to her!) and leaving carrots for the Easter Bunny, naturally! Since she (thankfully) has no interest in things like candy, the Easter Bunny will be bringing her a book:

And these adorable eggs:

I have heard wonderful things about these eggs and that they are fun toy even beyond the holiday season because you can use them as a shape sorter, enjoy the squeaky "yolks," learn about colors, etc., so I was pretty excited about this find!

When Baby M is older, or if you have a toddler, you can add things like stickers, pencils, coloring books, or even a small stuffed animal to the basket if you would like to keep the candy at bay. 

Of course, when Baby M is older, she will likely want to decorate eggs and get candy from the Easter Bunny. The good news is I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve that I think will work when the time comes! I should preface this by saying I am NOT at all craftsy or talented with this type of thing, so chances are if even I can pull this off, you will likely do an even more amazing job. :)

For decorating eggs, there's no need to hard boil eggs. Instead, you can pick up a pack of ceramic or wooden eggs and decorate those instead. You can dye them, paint on them, use markers, stickers - wherever your imagination takes you! And the nice thing about those eggs is you can keep them for posterity (and they don't stink!). For an Easter egg hunt, you can use your new fancy decorated eggs or else buy plastic eggs and fill them with stickers or little candies.

But what about candy? The good news is that accidentally vegan Easter candy abounds. We have been a fan of decorating with Starburst jelly beans or Jolly Ranchers hard candies or jelly beans. Skittles are also vegan (something I've leaned on during many a road trip!), as are Justin's dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

Or, if you are looking for something extra special (or just want to the traditional chocolate rabbit), look no further than Farm Sanctuary for their vegan Easter bunny and basket. It's delicious AND you're supporting a great cause, all at once!

So don't despair! Easter doesn't mean leaving tradition at the curb. In fact, you can continue to celebrate and show compassion for the wonderful animals that come to mind this time of the year, too. :)

The Best Dollar You'll Ever Spend: Support the 30-Day Vegan Challenge!

It's no secret: I'm a huge fan of the 30-Day Vegan Challenge; I even posted about it here. I rave about it constantly because it makes becoming vegan incredibly easy, and I am a huge fan of the approach, support, and ethics of its author, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

The 30-Day Vegan Challenge is now out of print. You can still take advantage of its amazing benefits by signing up for Colleen's program online.

There is wonderful news, though - Colleen is revising the book and plans to publish again! I can't tell you how exciting this is! Not only have I been personally touched by this book, but I have had the honor of serving as a recipe tester for the new recipes in the book - and I can tell you, they are AMAZING. Plus, it has been an honor to work with Colleen; she is just as wonderful as you would guess from reading her books and listening to her podcasts.

In order for the book to come to fruition, however, Colleen needs your help. She is raising $31,000 at IndieGoGo in order to publish her revised version. I hope you will consider contributing - and you can do so by clicking here. I know firsthand what an amazing resource this book has been and how incredible the new book will be.

So why should you contribute? The answers are easy. If you aren't but have been trying to transition, I am confident this book will get you well on your way - but it can't help you unless it's published! If you are already vegan, one of the single best ways you can make an impact to share veganism with others is to get this book on the market - and, if you get a copy of the book, you can take advantage of the amazing recipes inside!

Plus, Colleen has fantastic incentives at all different price points:
- For $1 (Yes, ONE DOLLAR), you can contribute and receive an exclusive, beautifully designed recipe from the book!
- For $5, you get a personal thank you note from Colleen AND a digital download of her book On Being Vegan. What a great value!
- For $35, you get a hardcover copy of the book.

And there are a ton of other great items to redeem, too - check out the page to learn more!

So don't wait any longer! Contribute today, take advantage of the great incentives, and share the link widely with your friends!

Let 7-11 Cater Your Road Trip

August has officially started, which means you may be trying to squeeze in that last road trip. If you need a snack on the go, put faith in the local 7-11 to come to your aid - no joke! Huffington Post has an article on the vegan offerings at these convenience stores. Although my first reaction was to laugh, I think it's actually pretty great there are more options on the road than I assumed (and that there are apparently vegan versions of Girl Scout cookies...).

Click here to check it out!

A Call to Arms: Help Popeye Win $10,000 and Raise Awareness about Disabled Pets

It's no secret how strongly I feel about shelter dogs and cats. One special spot in my heart will always be for the paraplegic animals, though; they make astounding pets just like any other dog or cat you may find, but sadly, they tend to be overlooked.

Let's change that! One of my favorites is Popeye, from Walkin' the Bark Rescue. Popeye was rescued from Taiwan and is now a spunky, adorable foster dog living the good life in Northern California; please read his amazing story here, and think about adopting him! And seriously, who wouldn't want that face?


My friends have had to talk me off the ledge multiple times when it comes to Popeye (and by the ledge, I mean hopping on the next plane to San Fran to bring him home. If only we didn't have a million stairs and if only I knew whether or not he wouldn't mind being tormented by three dog sisters...).

Anyway, if you can't adopt a guy like Popeye, let's raise his profile to help him find a home! His foster mom, Judy, has been nominated as an outstanding foster parent on Petfinder, and if she wins, Walkin' the Bark gets $10,000! It's very easy to do, and you are allowed to vote multiple times. The link is here:http://www.petfinder.com/best-pet-parent-contest/gallery/finalists?entry_index=0&offset=48&limit=16

So let's get down to business and raise money for Judy and her work while helping more people learn about Popeye, and hopefully, speeding up his chances to get a forever home!

Join the Facebook Discussion!

Hi everyone!

I've added a badge so you can link into VBJD's Facebook page. I hope you join the group! By request, I've opened a new discussion line where people can ask questions about their own journey to vegetarianism or veganism, or just for curious omnivores to check out what this whole veggie thing is about.

If you have questions or answers you want to share, please do so on the board! Just remember to stay constructive and positive; if anyone does any bashing, they'll have to deal with me. Which basically just means I'll delete you. :)

Introducing Face of the Month - July 2010

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Since today is about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, I wanted to introduce my new segment on VBJD: Face of the Month. As my loyal readers know, Greg and I are huge fans of PAWS Chicago. Obviously they took wonderful care of our three girls before we adopted them, and they continue to run an impressive cage free shelter that adopted out over 3400 cats and dogs last year. I think they are extra special, though, because they are also taking a systemic approach to fighting the pet overpopulation problem, doing such things as having a spay/neuter clinic, creating programs to help families keep their pets instead of relinquishing them (including a pet food bank), sponsoring pet legislation, and working with Chicago's Animal Care and Control to save homeless pets.

In that spirit, VBJD wanted to do something special to support PAWS and their wonderful efforts, and so I'm starting the Face of the Month. (I use this term because I've noticed that when people go to shelters, they fall in love with the faces first.) Each month, I will feature a pet from PAWS that would be a wonderful addition to a home. If you adopt the cat or dog, shoot me an email. I will follow up with you after your two week foster period, and if you decided to keep the pet, I will mail you two dozen cookies! For real!

In honor of Thursday's post, I thought it was only appropriate to feature a dog that is close to the heart of our family: Red.
Red came from a loving home, where he was very well cared for by his owner. Unfortunately, last summer, robbers broke into his home, so naturally Red tried to protect his owner. He was successful, but the robbers shot this poor pup in the back, leaving his hind legs paralyzed. Because his elderly owner lives in a fourth floor walk-up, he very tearfully had to relinquish Red.

Red is a sweet boy who loves to be around people, and he's playful at the same time. Please don't let Red's paralysis deter you from considering him for adoption. Greg and I did try to bring him to our home (and in our hearts, he will always feel like our fourth dog), but after he was attacked, Red needs to be in a home that is dog-free, something we couldn't offer him.

Besides, if you adopt Red, you'll be living with a celebrity! He recently won a contest hosted by Dog-a-Holics and is now the featured spokesperson for his own line of treats. He was featured in his own news story in Chicago. And most importantly, he has shown that he is a brave boy and deserving of a family who can return that love and more. I hope it's one of my readers!

If you have any questions, you can contact me at vegbakerjd@gmail.com or PAWS directly at adoptions@pawschicago.org. And remember to keep me posted - if you become the lucky doggy parent of Red, I will happily spoil you with treats!

Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti!

Vegans Unite for Haiti!

The Post Punk Kitchen has listed a wonderful resource online for vegan bake sales across the country, with the funds going to help those who have suffered devastation in Haiti.

When I heard about this effort, I knew I wanted to help out, and with the wonderful help of Marla from Vegan Street, I learned how to donate for the following two events in Chicago:

Bake Sale for Haiti #1:
Greenheart
1911 W. Division, in Chicago
Sunday, January 31st, from 12-5

Bake Sale for Haiti #2:
Renegade Handmade
1924 W. Division, in Chicago
Sunday, February 7th, from 11-5

Please stop by and enjoy some goodies for a good cause from Veg Baker, J.D. and other local vegan bakers; if you're not in Chicago, check out your own local bake sale! If you're interested in volunteering baked goods or time, drop me a line and I'll get you in touch with the fabulous organizers.

CookEatShare

Hi everyone! I am pleased to announce that I have been invited to join the CookEatShare network! Please check out all of the great bloggers and chefs they have to offer!

A Veg Baker, J.D. Honor!

I am very excited to announce that I just learned that Veg Baker, J.D. was just listed as one of the top blogs to check out by Dog Health Problems and it is currently the featured blog! Thank you, I'm honored!

I checked out their website, and they have a lot of great information. I am including them in my links, but their main page is here: I hope you'll check them out! Thank you again; it's truly a privilege!

Two Posts in One Day for Charity

I've decided to go crazy and post two entries today (this is post number two, so please make sure you read my post on pumpkin bread, which immediately follows!).

I thought two posts was appropriate because this entry does not have a recipe that follows. I decided to buck my rules, though, because this second post is for a good cause: Misericordia.

If you love to bake, are looking for a different way to give back this holiday season, and you live in the Chicago area, please consider volunteering at Misericordia's Hearts and Flour Bakery.

Misericordia is a great organization that runs an incredible number of programs to help developmentally disabled individuals of all ages and abilities. One way they do so is through the Hearts and Flour Bakery, which produces amazing goodies, baked by both volunteers and Misericordia beneficiaries, sold at Chicago area Farmers' Markets. You may have tasted their goodies and been so preoccupied with the yumminess you were eating, you didn't even know you were supporting a good cause!

Hearts and Flour is very busy during the holidays, and they are currently looking for volunteers who can come (and you don't even have to make a continuous commitment) to come volunteer in a three-hour shift during 9AM-9PM, with flexible days and times. If you are interested, please contact them with more information. I am thinking about doing it, and I hope you will consider it, too!

General information on the bakery is here: http://www.misericordia.com/bakery/
Information on volunteering opportunities (including with the bakery; scroll down to "Holiday Bakery") are here: http://www.misericordia.com/gettinginvolved/volunteer.asp