new fave drink + a major compliment!

Today I stumbled upon an article about secret fast-food menu items that I find interesting {and partly disturbing}, and decided to share it with you. 

The reporter only shares a handful of the following six big-name food stops' secret offerings:

• In-N-Out Burger
• McDonald's
• Taco Bell
• Jamba Juice
• Dairy Queen
• Starbucks

I'll warn you now that if you are reading my blog, I am assuming you are a healthy eater and possibly even vegan, you will not be excited to learn many of these secret menu items.  I am also assuming you will, like me, find McDonald's Land, Sea, and Air Burger completely revolting.  It's called that because, you guessed it, it contains three kinds of animals--one beef patty, one McChicken patty, and one Filet-O-Fish--all sandwiched between a single bun.  :::All together now::: gross!

And if we weren't already inundated with options at the Starbucks counter, the reporter shares twelve secret drinks, one less healthy than the next.  I'm the chick who simply orders a regular drip coffee, which I can order and receive in the time it takes the person next to me in line to finish spouting off their order.  Venti 190° extra shot double pump sweetened...blah blah blah ?! 

However, I recently overheard a customer order an Earl Grey latte, which is not on the menu, and I was intrigued.  So, the next time I found myself in a Starbucks {not that often believe it or not} I ordered an Earl Grey latte with soymilk, unsweetened.  Lemme tell ya, it was so yummy!  The barista told me to next time try the same drink, but with vanilla rooibos tea rather than Earl Grey.  I did, and I loved it even more. 

I recommend trying the vanilla rooibos tea latte with soymilk the next time you are at Starbucks, then tell me what you think.  It might be my new favorite 'anytime' drink!  I love that rooibos is caffeine-free, and according to wikipedia, full of other healthful properties like antioxidants and allergy- and even acne-fighters...

...Which brings me to the major compliment I received!  Last weekend at a friend's annual holiday party, a girl I went to high school with and whom I don't see but maybe twice a year, told me my skin looked exceptionally great!  She surveyed my face somewhat closely and complimented on its clarity.  That made my millennium, you don't even know.  You see, before adopting a vegan diet, my skin decided to be that of my fifteen-year-old-self, and we all know how unattractive adult acne is.  The problem wasn't with my beauty regime, but rather with my diet.  I know this because, after about three months of eating vegan, my skin really is clear, tight, glowing, and well, beautiful!  I was told that my skin would improve after a while, but seeing is believing.  I'm a believer. 

I'm also proud to report that I have never, not once in my twenty-six years, tried a McDonald's Big Mac.  This is a fact that I can confidently proclaim and take to the grave. 

Happy hump day, friends!  Go get yourselves a tea latte w/ soymilk.  ;)

makeup links

I have been MIA from Blogland as of late, planning and prepping for our annual Halloween party, which is this Friday. I've got some vegan treats on the menu that I promise to share afterward.  In the meantime, I wanted to share some fun links I've come across in the past week or so. 

Cassi shares her story...no, I'm not writing in the third person

Gas is not only a natural part of life, it is definitely part of a plant-based diet...all those beans...one natural cure: peppermint tea

Find other vegans in your area...become friends...swap ideas + stories...meetup! I did.

Sixteen miles is not too far to drive for an all-vegan-menu...might not make the round-trip during my short lunch hour though

This dude knows his stuff...a really great resource, especially for us beginners

Halloween is by far my favorite time of year.  Gabriel and I go all-out: DIY decorations, costumes, party menu, gifts + favors, etc.  DIY is so much more rewarding any way you look at it.

HaPpY HaLlOwEen, everyone!

Grubbing on some homemade kale chips while assembling the party favors...I promise to explain the TP rolls in the next post.

i am a crazy list-maker

And yes, I often create a pros + cons list for every significant decision I make.  It works for me.  Especially when I am flooded with ideas on a particular subject matter, I need to get everything down on paper and out of my brain before I suffer an aneurysm.  So, when the idea struck me to adopt Alicia's the kind diet, I grabbed a notepad and began scribbling.  Here's what I filled the page with before returning to the day's duties.

Super-lucky for me, I can cross off that first listed potential roadblock.  Gabe is just as excited as I am to embark on this vegan voyage!  Last night I took him to a local veg restaurant, Andy Nguyen's, and "presented" my plan to him over an incredibly delicious meal.  We swapped ideas, supportive words, and agreed this was not an overnight transformation, all while devouring Andy's Ultimate Buddha Nature and Awakening Mind Chow Fun dishes, sipping two pots of hot tea, then finishing with the Banana Mochi dessert.  Oh yeah. I could eat like this every day.

We discussed the best immediate plan of action for dealing with the foods we currently have in our fridge and pantry.  We knew there was no meat/poultry in our fridge or freezer, so already we were off to a great start.  We do, however, have butter, eggs, milk, half + half, milk chocolate, flour tortillas, honey, white sugar, white pasta, white flour, and a few more things with which we still need to deal.  After dinner, it was too late to do any grocery shopping, so when we got home we surveyed our stock and decided for breakfast we would have oatmeal made with water and seasoned only with cinnamon.  

This morning, he handed me a warm bowl with a mound of steaming oatmeal bronzed by the ground cinnamon, and we dug in.  Hmm. Kinda bland, we thought.  So, Gabe checked our pantry again and found a pouch of dried wild blueberries. They added the perfect natural sweetness and texture the oatmeal had been lacking.  It was now yummy.  We did, admittedly, have half + half in our coffee because, well, we didn't want the rest of the carton to go to waste.  This is going to be a transition that will take patience and flexibility.  

Let the journey begin!