Eat (Food)
Let's face it, even though being vegan and eco-friendly encompasses your entire life, you're most interested in the food. But finding and making delicious healthy, compassionate and ethical meals can be challenging, especially if you're brand new to this way of living. Eco-Vegan Gal is here to help you navigate the water, sharing her favorite finds and best resources in the following sections.
Two Guys in Vermont Soup Review: Veggie Basil Goodness and Hearty Curried Apple Butternut Squash
Review by EvG team member Amanda Shea:
I love soup all year round, and during the chilly seasons nothing compares to a warm bowl of it! Soup is lovely when full of nutrients, however the average processed soup is high in sodium and has a long shelf life due to all the preservatives it contains - I stay away from canned soup for that reason. Two Guys in Vermont’s sodium count ranges from 6%-12%, a quarter of comparable canned soups. It’s a great value at $6 dollars for each jar: it contains two servings, which amounts to $3 for each serving. It may cost more than canned soup but you are buying soup that contains real ingredients, with no preservatives.
Palatable Explosion with Bhakti Chai, A Review
Product review by EvG team member Kelly O’Brien:
You are all in for a treat today! Are your taste buds ready to be stimulated? When I was asked to do a product review of Bhakti Chai my first thought was ‘What in the world is Bhakti Chai’?! I headed over to the website to learn more about the product and discovered a plethora of super inspirational information on this special tea. And after receiving samples, I have been drinking the Unsweetened Bhakti Chai with fresh pressed ginger & fiery spices each morning this week!
Crunchies Freeze Dried Fruits and Veggies Make for a Nutritious Snack
Product review by EvG team member Rachel Curit:
Sometimes you just gotta have something crispy and crunchy, a little salty or a little sweet, but this is tricky when you’re trying to stay away from junk food. For those moments when you need your fix, there are always Crunchies Food Company’s freeze dried snacks. They are portable and nutritious, making them a great snack for on the go.
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The Daily Good by Aloha: Green Juice In Your Pocket
If you drink green juice on a daily basis or have been wanting to incorporate it into your lifestyle, The Daily Good by Aloha may be the perfect addition to your health regiment. It’s especially wonderful for busy people who don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen or shop for ingredients. Appropriately dubbed "green juice in your pocket", The Daily Good is full of amazing organic superfoods such as spirulina for detoxification, wild berries for emotional health, oyster mushrooms for energy and Hawaiian ginger for digestion. The individual packaging makes it easy to slip it into your purse, pocket or leave at your desk for a mid-day superfood, energy boost!
Farm to Vending Machine: Grab 'n Go Healthy, Green Meals & Snacks
Sustainability & Healthy Living Sweeps Chicago with Luke Saunder’s Passion Project, ‘Farmer’s Fridge’
EvG team member Kelly O’Brien met with Farmer’s Fridge creator & owner, Luke Saunders and shared what she learned about the innovative new concept.
As their website indicates, Farmer’s Fridge is a ‘fresh twist on an old concept’ of healthy sustainable salads and snacks….at your finger tips in a kiosk - aka...a vending machine. This kiosk is unlike any you have seen before though! Healthy primarily organic salads and fresh daily made snacks in eco-sustainable packaging is yours with the touch of a screen. The concept is absolutely brilliant and the very first thought to go through my mind was ‘What took you so long’? In Chicago, there is absolutely nothing like it!
Guilt Free, Inexpensive Gourmet Snacks from Wonderfully Raw
With all my dietary preferences, it can be challenging to find crunchy snacks that really satisfy. Potato chips are tasty yet have no nutritonal value and are full of oil. I'm sensitive to gluten and corn, so chips made from those ingredients are out of the question. Bean chips are a great alternative, but they often upset my stomach. Kale chips have been the answer for years, however I crave variety. That's why I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered Wonderfully Raw's Snip Chips and Brussel Bytes - in addition to being raw, they're:
Durian Tropical Fruit Smoothie Recipe: Vegan MoFo
In honor of Vegan MoFo (Month of Food) I'm doing a video every day of September on the What A Vegan Eats YouTube channel. Yesterday I made one of my new favorite treats: a durian smoothie. If you've never tried durian this is a great introduction - it's not only easy to make, but it's sweet and creamy. It makes for a filling breakfast and a healthy snack!
Healing Raw Vegan Cookbook: Annelie’s Raw Food Power
Guest post by Emily Heikes:
Even if you don't plan to switch to a raw vegan diet anytime soon, Raw Food Power is a great resource on incorporating more healing foods into your diet. Former stuntwoman turned naturopath, Annelie Whitfield has created flavorful recipes and remedies based on her experience healing herself.
Vegan Raw Chocolate Almond Butter Cup Review
Guest post from EvG team member Kylie:
It’s no secret that I have a major sweet tooth. When I decided to become vegan I really missed a lot of those classic candy bars I would indulge in occasionally, especially Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. There was something about those overly sugary little cups of joy that had me craving them every few months or so. It’s probably a good thing they aren’t vegan because let’s be honest here, they really aren’t good for (or your waistline). Enter Buddha Cups - Raw Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups. Lovingly made in Brooklyn, NY these chocolates are dairy free, gluten free, soy free, vegan, fair trade and free of refined sugar. Sounds pretty awesome right?!
The Scoop on The Low Carb Diet
The word "diet" has a bad connotation these days: it conjures up themes of deprivation, malnutrition and low success rates. Many diets are started because of social pressure from friends, family and the media, and when that's the driving force there's a higher chance of failing since there's less emphasis on a healthy structure. I experienced this first hand as a teenager - I thought I was chubby so I tried all sorts of fad diets and none of them worked long term. It wasn't until I educated myself on nutrition and payed attention to the signs my body was telling me about food sensitivities that I got to a healthy weight and stayed there.
Vegan Recipes: Plum Bistro Restaurant Cookbook
Guest post by Kylie Bennett
Lifelong vegan Makini Howell left the bustling streets of New York City in 2005 to open up Plum Bistro in Seattle, WA. Her vision for Plum was to have a place where vegans and omnivores could come together in one community and leave feeling completely satisfied. Out of this restaurant came the cookbook Plum, full of inventive vegan dishes that are bursting flavor and fun to make.