I made Coconut Cream Cupcakes! Nummy <3
I made Coconut Cream Cupcakes! Nummy <3
I finally made biscotti!! Some of them are covered in a homemade royal icing glaze, others are covered in chocolate, and the rest are left plain.. but they’re not as pretty!
Perfect for tea time <3
Company: Tofurky
Product: Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon
Verdict: 2/5
For the longest time I’ve been craving a BLT. I’m talking, pile on the mayo, add a bunch of crunchy lettuce, and topped off with a thousand pieces of crispy soy bacon, BLT! The problem is, I haven’t been able to find any vegetarian bacon products near me. That is until the hopeful day (or so I thought at the time) my local health food store brought in Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon!
For $4.00 you get a decent amount of bacon strips, I’d say around 12 pieces altogether (however, they are quite small, approximately the length of your pointer finger). The directions say to fry the bacon strips in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. So I did. I followed the directions to a T, cooking them until crispy. One thing that was bugging me while cooking them was that some of the strips were falling apart- they were quite thin, so flipping them became a chore.
But, because my stomach was grumbling and my craving for soy bacon was getting stronger, I carried on. I placed 3 pieces of the bacon on my sandwich.
The first bite wasn’t any more than decent. Just OK- nothing special, but it slightly curbed my craving. However, bite number two definitely gave me the true taste. I can honestly say, that these bacon strips were not meant for me. They were gritty, and un-like real bacon, dry. To me, they actually tasted like the grit at the bottom of the real, extra greasy, bacon pan. NOT what I was going for. And to top it all off, after eating my sandwich out of pure hunger anyways, I began to feel nauseous. I literally could not stand the smell, which by the way did NOT smell like delicious smoky maple, but more like 4-day old grease and grit.
All in all, not impressed at all. The reason it did receive a 2/5 was the fact it was at least vegetarian. However, I think it needs to take an extra step or two to receive the “delicious” label!
The Verdict
Pros
Cons
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was created to help raise awareness for animal abuse. But have they lost sight of their cause and gone to far with their skimpy ads and celebrity endorsements? Do you think they should go about animal cruelty in a completely different way?
Lets hear the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Eating out as a vegetarian can seem a little bit intimidating at first, especially if you live somewhere that has little to no veggie-based restaurants kickin’ around! One of my biggest pet peeves is getting dolled up to go eat at a fancy restaurant and realizing that the only thing that I can eat is salad. Salad is the LAST thing that I want to pay for when I go eat out! However, it can be scary when you don’t know what ingredient is in what, if the soup is beef-based, or if the noodles are cooked in chicken broth. So, after learning the hard way several times, I finally mastered the technique in eating out.
Ask. It’s as simple as that. Don’t be afraid to ask your waitress/waiter if something has any trace of meat in it before you order. And if they aren’t sure, ask them if they could check for you.
DON’T FEEL BAD. If the restaurant wasn’t clear on veggie items, or in the more likely fact, doesn’t even accommodate vegetarians, then its best that you ask, and let them know that vegetarians need to be provided with at least some sort of accommodation there or else they will lose yours, and I’m sure many others, business.
So go; eat out and be merry, and ask your waiter about vegetarian options ;)
As a request from my Tofu post, check out this delectable recipe on how to make delicous baked tofu!
Happy cooking :)
Before I became a vegetarian I never even had a thought about tofu, so when I tried my first piece it was a bit of a surprise, also known as, ick! However, after mastering a few techniques to make it actually edible, it has become another delicious variety of ‘faux-meat’ for me.
What about you, is tofu the bane of your existence or does it play the leading role in your culinary expertise?
Company: Lip-Ink
Products: Semi-permanent Lip Color
Verdict: 4/5
Don’t let it come as too much of a surprise when I tell you sometimes I like to get a little dolled-up. Hair, makeup, the whole she-bang! One thing that I’ve never been able to get into the groove of is lipstick. All I can ever picture is me, attempting to drink oh-so femininely, and there goes my all of my lipstick, rubbing all over my lips and my glass like a sticky mess. It does not seem to paint the picture of elegancy to me!
I have, in fact, also been clever enough to check out some lip-stains in stores, but as I’m sure a lot of you cruelty free shoppers know, picking are few and far between. Thats where Lip-Ink comes in- a vegan and organic innovative lip-stain company made to keep women confident in their lip-color.
Proudly represented as the worlds first multi-patented 3-step process to waterproof, smearless and ultra-durable lip wear! They offer a wide range of beautifully pigmented colors, from Red to Maplewood, picking the color you want to try first is going to be a tough feat. I tried out Blush (#16) a beautiful beigey-pink color. Once you’ve ooh’d and ahh’d over each and every color, and you’re sure that you’re set on your decision, check out the directions on the back of the box. The first step tells you to wipe the tip of your brush on a paper towel before first application. THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you’re stubborn like me, and you don’t follow the directions properly you will be in for a fun (or not so fun) surprise.
Next, use the OFF towelette that comes with your Lip-Ink color and gently wipe it across your lips to clean the surface for an even application. Then, hydrate and protect your lips from sun-damage using the Shine Moisturizer that is also included in the box. Now last, but not least, shake the Lip-Ink bottle and apply evenly upon your lips. One of my favorite parts of Lip-Ink is the tingling! It gives off such a cool, refreshing feel, which is a fun bonus opposed to boring old regular lipstick. I found that the color applied super well and really even over-top of the Shine Moisturizer, which is such a change from attempting to even out a color of a regular, dry lip-stain!
Now, feel free to marvel over the beautiful color that your lips, and delight over the refreshing tingling that is probably making you giggle a little bit. The color looks natural and clean, and it wasn’t to ‘in your face’ like some cream-based lipsticks can be. Well that is of course IF you listen to the directions like a good little girl. Because I enjoy trial and error (which is a nice way to say I’m stubborn and I know it) I did not wipe the tip of the applicator before applying it for my first use. Thus, my lips turned a beautiful dark purple.
Moral of the story? Listen to the directions and go check out Lip-Ink’s website! There’s a color for everyone!
The Lowdown;
Pros
Cons
Company: Solay Wellness
Products: Gentle Face Scrub, Detoxifying Mud Mask, and Organic Face Lotion
Verdict: 5/5!
Do you ever look longingly at those commercials made for those beautiful, expensive spas (what an understatement..) where a beautiful lady is getting a facial, with creams that look as smooth as butter and exfoliators that seem like they were made fresh just for her? Yeah, me too. However, lucky for us beautiful ladies who just can’t afford their own signature exfoliator, there is a luxurious solution waiting to be discovered.
Solay Wellness. A beautiful company made for beautiful women just like you! Their affordable spa-experience products are vegan, natural and handcrafted in small batches to help give you the healthy, happy skin you deserve. Because of their wide range of products, you’re able to come up with the perfect formula of a relaxing, at-home spa day.
One of my favorite ways to relax in a tub full of bubbles starts off with the Gentle Face Scrub. Mixed with the most luxurious ingredients of small organic jojoba beads, calcium bentonite clay, and a moisture enriched organic base, gives this luxury a beautifully rich, earthy scent. I massage this gentle blend in a small circular motion to already cleansed, warm skin (to help open up your pores). After about 3 or so minutes of gentle scrubbing I wash it off with a few splashes of warm water. My skin instantly feels refreshed and revitalized, like I have a whole new set of skin on!
Next, I grab my Detoxifying Mud Mask- a product that is enough to make me swoon. It has a deep, natural scent that instantly puts me into relaxation mode. I gently rub this creamy mask all over my face and mask, not missing a single spot. The texture is so creamy and smooth, I swear I could just keep applying, re-applying, applying, re-applying… you get the picture. I like to leave this on for about 10-15 minutes- if I could I would live with it on, but that would just be silly (and a little unsanitary).
After rinsing thoroughly I’m quick to grab the Organic Face Lotion. You thought those lotions on the commercials looked creamy? This is utterly divine. It smells fresh and feels even fresher. I gently massage this buttery delight (theoretical vegan butter of course) all over my face. I specifically love this lotion because of its light feel- it doesn’t make your skin appear or feel like grease (and I don’t mean the good John Travolta variety)
All in all, Solay Wellness is a company of virtue. Their products are high quality, and their values of natural, vegan organic, and handmade assets are a huge bonus! I really recommend checking out their website, and taking a snoop through their other luxurious products!
The Lowdown;
Pros
Cons
