The Smoothie Vegetarians

We figured it out! Over this past weekend, my family and I went out to eat. Okay CJ, lot's of families go out to eat on a pretty regular basis. Who cares?? Well, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I live with my 2 kids and fiancé in a small town in the Texas hill country. There are no vegan restaurants out here, and the few restaurants we do have don't have vegan options. Asking a waiter about vegan options, it's normal to get a perplexed look and a "let me go check... no I'm sorry ma'am we don't have any of  that  here." Asking about vegetarian options do offer more suggestions, typically a cheese-smothered or cheese stuffed vegetable. Asking to take away the cheese would be asking for an almost-empty plate. Because of this, I have to do a little more research than my non-vegan family. I know that Mexican restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and Italian restaurants are favorites among the family, and luckily they are some of the easiest menus ...

We’ve had an exciting week, my sister, Sam turned 25 years old today! She has been my best friend since I can remember, and she's always been the most supportive of my vegan lifestyle. When I want to try a new vegan restaurant, she joins me. When I try to make a traditional comfort food vegan, she's my taste-tester. I take her opinions to heart and she always gives it to me straight. Sam is unique in every way. Even when she celebrates her birthday, she doesn't want a traditional birthday cake, she asks for pie. Apple pie. For about 3 or 4 years now I've baked her an apple pie, and my mom also brings a store bought one to the party. Sam isn't shy about her opinions (BRUTALLY honest is putting it lightly), and in past years my pies have been not sweet enough, too crusty, and had ugly lattice work.   Last year's pie... the bottom crust was too thick! Every year I try to perfect the recipe, so when she told me today that my apple pie recipe was ...

I have a confession to make. Before my transition to veganism opened my eyes, I worked for a local pizzeria as a full-time delivery driver and part-time manager. It was such a fun job, and at first I didn’t see any negatives. My boyfriend, Gavin, would stay at home with our children, and I could drive around all day, smoking cigarettes and collecting money. Added bonus: as a franchise rule, I could make myself a free large pizza to take home if I worked an 8 hour (or more) shift. The house would remain a mess, but this meant free dinner 6 nights a week, and who doesn’t love pizza? Well, after a few years, I didn’t love pizza. I didn’t even like it. I couldn’t stand that I was directly involved in delivering meaty, cheesy, heavy dinners to families around my hometown. The world felt like it was crashing down on me, because I was promoting morals that I didn’t believe in, just for an easy way to make a quick buck. I couldn’t see that there were other ways to live at the time. Th...