Rainbow Grocery Vegan Haul

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Michelle Taylor

Happy New Year!

What better was to launch the new year than by taking the 2012 Veg Pledge? I encourage you to take the pledge to eat consciously, compassionately, and healthfully this year. I’ll keep the videos coming with tips, products, recipes, and more to help you stay on track! Now…on to the video!

I couldn’t resist making a quick video about all the delicious goodies I brought home from Rainbow Grocery, a humongous vegetarian co-op grocery store in San Francisco. If you don’t live in the Bay Area, I hope this will inspire you to start requesting more vegan options at your own local grocery stores and businesses. The more stores and restaurants hear requests for vegan options, the sooner they’ll start incorporating them!

Want to learn more about some of the products I mentioned? Links below!

  • Sparkle birthday cake and gluten-free mocha brownie cupcake from Sugar Plum Vegan Bakery in Sacramento, California.
  • Cinnamon Caramel soy ice cream from Double Rainbow.
  • So Delicious coconut chocolate milk (love this!) and Pacific Natural Foods chocolate hazelnut milk (not my favorite).
  • Daiya vegan cheese (perfect for mac ‘n’ cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese pizza, and more!)
  • Eli’s Earth Bars made by Sjaak’s (vegan candy bars)
  • Alive and Radiant Cheezy Kale Chips
  • Cocoa Kissed SaviSeeds by Sequel Naturals (most delicious way to get your Omega 3′s)
  • Bulk items: dried dates and mulberries (great to add to cereal for a tasty and healthy twist)
  • Agave Nectar (use as a sweetner instead of honey)
  • Numi organic Chai tea

PS. Don’t forget that anything you buy through the Amazon.com links on VeganBreak.com generates referral proceeds, and I donate 100% of those proceeds to animal organizations (Mercy for Animals, Vegan Outreach, and Farm Sanctuary). Please bookmark this site so your Amazon.com shopping can benefit animals!

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Farewell to Foie Gras

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

On July 1, 2012, a ban on the sale and production of foie gras will take effect in California. Foie gras is the diseased fatty liver of a duck who was force-fed three times a day for four weeks until his liver swelled to ten times it’s normal size.  This video is dedicated to Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary for their education and rescue work, and celebrates the end of this cruel “delicacy” in California. Please take a moment to watch this video…the happy ending will make it worth your time!

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My Favorite Vegan Things (Part II)

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

Back by popular demand, I’m here with another video featuring 10 of my favorite vegan things! I hope you like the video, and if anything catches your eye as particularly awesome (::cough:: everything!), you can see the details about each item below.

1.   “Veg Out” iPhone application powered by HappyCow.net. You can get this application for just $2.99 here (it’s worth every penny!). There is also a Happy Cow application available for the Android.
2.  Reusable Mesh Produce Bags. Here is the brand I bought, but it is only available at select stores. You can order other brands on Amazon here.
3.  Vegan necklace from PETACatalog.com is available here. There are also several cute vegan necklaces on etsy, and of course many stamped varieties made by Christy Robinson. Every compassionate gal needs a vegan necklace!
4.   B-12 Supplements. Pick some up right now here, or next time you visit a health food store. Don’t put your health at risk and make sure you take these regularly!
5.  Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet by Jack Norris (founder of Vegan Outreach) and Ginny Messina. Pick it up on Amazon.com for $11 (free super saver shipping).
6.   So Delicious’ Coconut Chocolate Milk in to-go containers. These fun boxes of chocolate milk bring me back to my childhood. They are great to pack for work, and even better to pack in lunches for kids! Also available on Amazon.
7.  Delicious smelling hand-made soaps from DaisyWares etsy shop! I also love the incredible soaps from Strawberry Hedgehog (recommended by Sunny from Vegan Beauty Review) and this Veganu soap sold at Food Fight (Vegan) Grocery which smells luscious (and you can’t beat the price: $1.50!). You can ever have too much soap, right?
8.  You won’t miss your old leather wallet when you pick up one of these stylish Vegan Wallets made by Lavishy!
9.  Flip Video Camera. I just heard that Flip will be discontinuing Flip cameras because there are video capabilities in so many smart phones and cameras these days. That’s very sad news to me, because I love my Flip Cam and can’t imagine a cell phone taking it’s place. Either way – I hope you’ll get your paws on any video camera and start making your own vegan videos to post on Youtube! If you want a Flip Cam, go get it now before they sell out and are gone forever!
10.  The Tofu Monster T-Shirt I’m wearing in this video comes from Roots of Compassion in Germany. I recently discovered this online shop and ordered several items, including this expressive vegan shirt for a friend and some gelatin-free gummies. The shirts are organic and fair trade, and very high quality. Go get yo’self some, or add them to your holiday wish list!

Thank you so much for watching! Remember, anything you buy from Amazon.com through the links on VeganBreak.com generates referral proceeds, 100% of which are donated to charity! So far the VeganBreak.com Amazon proceeds have supported Vegan Outreach and Mercy for Animals. I encourage you to bookmark this page and click through here any time you have Amazon shopping to do, so a portion can go to support animals and vegan awareness without any extra cost to you! Thanks everyone!

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Cafe Gratitude: Healthy Vegan Paradise

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

In this video I take you inside Cafe Gratitude and give you a peek at their heathy and fulfilling menu. Café Gratitude serves a menu of 100% organic, vegan, local fare. They have an extensive menu of raw foods and have recently expanded to serve cooked foods as well. They create all of their own food, from the produce bin to your plate. They have locations in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and now Los Angeles. Enjoy!

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One Man’s Way: A Peter Singer Documentary About Henry Spira

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

I am excited to announce that One Man’s Way, a 1996 documentary where Peter Singer documents the efforts and philosophies of animal rights activist Henry Spira, is finally available for all to watch on youtube! Henry Spira is often remembered as the most effective animal activist of the 20th century, and is most notably known for his tireless efforts to expose the the cruel animal experimentation that goes on behind doors, especially in the cosmetic industry. Peter Singer is a philosopher and bioethics professor at Princeton, and is the author of the 1975 book Animal Liberation (just one of the many books he authored), which is what led me to go vegan nearly five years ago. As Erik Marcus said in his review of the film, “No serious animal advocate can afford to miss this film. Please set aside an hour this weekend to watch this film—it will very likely dramatically increase your effectiveness as an animal advocate.”

This video was released by Peter Singer under the Creative Commons License. Special thanks to Erik Marcus from Vegan.com for connecting me with this video!

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Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

With summer behind us and cool weather settling in, there’s no better time to start getting your fall and winter soup recipes  in order! Watch and learn as my mom and I show you how to made vegan mock-chicken noodle soup that is guaranteed to wow any soup lover who takes a slurp. The Vegan Bouillon Cubes make this a quick recipe for even the most novice chefs.

The recipe comes from the colorful cookbook Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas. It’s on sale on Amazon.com with free shipping, and it is well worth every penny! Now sit back and watch, enjoy, and please do try this at home! I’d love to hear what you think.

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My Sweet Vegan Cupcakes

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

Hi everyone! I’m back with another baking video. Watch and learn how to make cruelty-free chocolate peanut butter self-frosting cupcakes that are out of this world! These cupcakes are guaranteed to impress even the most carnivorous friends, and are a perfect treat to bring to parties or bake sales–or gobble up yourself.

This recipe is from Hannah Kaminsky’s My Sweet Vegan baking book, which is one of my faves. I encourage you to check out her BitterSweet blog where you’ll find mouthwatering pictures with recipes to go with them. Hannah’s artistic talent can be seen in her food, which tastes as heavenly as it looks. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more from her in the coming years!

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PCRM’s Vegan Nutrition and Cooking Instructor

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

In this video I talk with vegan nutrition and cooking instructor Emily Webber who works for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). We talk about the four new food groups promoted by PCRM (legumes, grains, fruit and vegetables), how to eat healthy as a vegan, great resources for anyone interested in learning about nutrition, and more! Check out Emily’s website at EmilyWebber.com and the PCRM website at PCRM.org.

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Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness with Robert Cheeke

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

At the 2011 Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down, I had the opportunity to chat with vegan bodybuilding and fitness guru Robert Cheeke.  In this video, Robert shares a few words about his new book, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, as well as Forks Over Knives, an important new documentary that is playing in theaters now. Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that we can prevent, and in many cases reverse many of our most debilitating diseases by rejecting our current menu of animal and processed foods by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. Enjoy!

You can pick up a copy of Robert’s book over at Amazon.com.

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My Favorite Vegan Things

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Michelle Taylor

From LaVanilla deodorant to nut milk bags, the Urban Decay vegan palate to Mercy for Animals’ “Why love one but eat the other” leaflet, this video highlights just a few of my favorite vegan things.  Enjoy!

The List (in no particular order):

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