An Oldie, But a Goodie: The Top Fifteen Kiss-Worthy Reasons To Put The Mozzarella Cheese Stick Down And Finally Kick Your Dairy Habit!


Okay, this may be hands down one of my FAVORITE blog posts. Mostly because cows are extremely close to my heart. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I enjoyed crafting it back in January. Give that cashew cheese recipe a try too - it's enough to make you smile for the rest of the week!

The Top Fifteen Kiss-Worthy Reasons To Put The Mozzarella Cheese Stick Down And Finally Kick Your Dairy Habit!  (January 29, 2011)

Okay - if you're a regular reader of this blog, you probably know the truth about dairy and have happily adopted a vegan lifestyle. For everyone else out there, here are some reasons to make your new resolution this year to cut dairy out of your life like it's a bad boyfriend!


2. This recipe I came up with - and it's raw to boot!

Lindsay's Cashew Cheesy Cheese

Great on top of crackers, added to a sauce to make it creamy, or enjoyed plainly with a very large spoon!

1 1/2 c. raw cashews
1/4 c. water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. nutritional yeast (or more if you like!)
2-3 garlic cloves
Splash of salt

Start with 1 c. of cashews and place all of the ingredients in a Vitamix or Food Processor and mix until completely smooth. Add more water if it's too thick, and add more cashews if it's too thin. 




3. This kiss-worthy fact (from PetaKiDS.com): 

"Cows are excellent mothers who are very loving and protective of their calves—they even take turns babysitting for each other! And despite their size, cows have been known to jump fences to search for lost calves."

4. This not-so-kiss-worthy fact: Female cows on dairy farms are continuously made pregnant so that they can produce milk for us, even though their babies are the ones who need their mama's milk. So if you think about it, we are stealing milk from a baby. There's something so wrong about that picture...

5. Loving your cheese or ice cream is actually an addiction, folks, much like being addicted to caffeine or alcohol. Don't believe me? Pick up a copy of Skinny Bitch (or Skinny Bastard) and learn more for yourself.

6. Coconut Bliss, Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream, and all the other deeeeelicious vegan ice creams out there on the market.

7. Speaking of coconuts, homemade coconut milk whipped cream with a little vanilla extract mixed in. On top of vegan pumpkin pie. Pure joy.

8.  Dairy, like all animal-based foods, is filled with heart-clogging cholesterol. Yuck!

9. You know what's not filled with heart-clogging cholesterol? Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Rice Milk, Hemp Milk. Even Hazelnut Milk!




Photo courtesy of Compassionate Cooks
10. “The very saddest sound in all my memory was burned into my awareness at age five on my uncle’s dairy farm in Wisconsin. A cow had given birth to a beautiful male calf… On the second day after birth, my uncle took the calf from the mother and placed him in the veal pen in the barn—only ten yards away, in plain view of his mother. The mother cow could see her infant, smell him, hear him, but could not touch him, comfort him, or nurse him. The heartrending bellows that she poured forth—minute after minute, hour after hour, for five long days—were excruciating to listen to. They are the most poignant and painful auditory memories I carry in my brain.” - Michael Klaper M.D 

 11. We're the only species on Earth who continues consuming milk past being a baby and from another species. Crazy, but true - and definitely not necessary!

12. You CAN live a life of joy without cow's - or goat's, or any other animal's - milk! This blog is living proof of that.

13. This kick-butt list of plant foods that contain mucho amounts of calcium:

Almonds!
Collard Greens!
Rhubarb!
Spinach!
Figs!
Sesame Seeds!
Tofu!
Kale! 
Fortified non-dairy milk!
The list goes on and on...

Need more convincing? Click here to check out more calcium-dense plant foods.

14. Once you kick dairy to the curb, your taste buds will come alive. Which means even brussel sprouts will taste yummy!




Photo courtesy of Moo Pig Blog
15. When you tell people you love animals, you can really mean it now.  

Okay friends - I know how difficult a process eliminating dairy from your diet can be. But it is possible. I've done it, many of my friends and family have done it, celebrities have done it, doctors have done it, athletes too - the list goes on. So you - yes, YOU! - can do it too. Chooseveg.com is a great place to start your journey. And of course, you can always email me if you feel really stuck. Now, get going on your dairy-free journey, and celebrate this awesome, empowering change!

A Reason to Smile Today.





“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.”

- Joanna Macy,
Author and Environmental Activist


What are YOUR reasons to smile today?

Forks Over Knives Now Available to Buy!


Forks Over Knives - a movie that can and will change the way you think about food's connection to disease - is now available for purchase and immediate shipping. This is a HUGE reason to smile today folks!  

FOK's website provides a kiss-worthy synopsis of the film:
What has happened to us? Despite the most advanced medical technology in the world, we are sicker than ever by nearly every measure.
Two out of every three of us are overweight. Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst our younger population. About half of us are taking at least one prescription drug. Major medical operations have become routine, helping to drive health care costs to astronomical levels. Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the country’s three leading causes of death, even though billions are spent each year to "battle" these very conditions. Millions suffer from a host of other degenerative diseases.
Could it be there’s a single solution to all of these problems? A solution so comprehensive but so straightforward, that it’s mind-boggling that more of us haven’t taken it seriously?
FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.
Here’s the trailer, in case you’ve never seen it. Please watch, then immediately head to the FOK’s store to purchase this film. This is the perfect holiday gift too, so make sure to get copies for loved ones! This movie definitely altered my view of how to take control of my own health, and I know it has helped countless others. To those who have already seen and supported, let's share the love with our family and friends, and for newcomers to the movie, enjoy!

To learn more, visit www.forksoverknives.com.

My All Natural Medicine. And Yes, It's Vegan!

Hello beautiful KMIV-ers! Happiest of Fridays to you lovelies!
Below, enjoy two photographs from my hike this morning (thank you, iPhone!). Clouds were hanging low in Los Angeles around 6AM, so much so that it looked like we were at the top of the tallest mountain in the world... but we were really just halfway up Runyon Canyon in Hollywood. 


This photograph nearly took my breath away as I snapped it, as the beauty of nature often does. It really gave me pause - I felt so full of gratitude and hope as I looked off the edge and into the mass of clouds in front of me. 
It also made me realize that every person should have, at the very least, the time, space, and resources to enjoy nature on a daily basis. Nature has proved to be a strong medicine when my activist's bones are sore from speaking up so much for animals. It reminds me of how small I really am - that I'm a mere speck of dust in the entire universe's makeup. It reminds me to take a long, deep breath and think joyful, abundant thoughts, as the work I do for and with animals is so much larger than myself. It restores me. 
What restores you?


A sunrise?

Quiet cuddle time with your companion animals?
A hot mug of your favorite tea or coffee with nondairy milk?
A walk around your block?
A hug?
A day at your local animal sanctuary?
I would love to know, so please feel free to share in the comments below! 


One more thing: 
AVAAZ.org has a wonderful petition online that's being sent to The United Nations Security Council demanding immediate aid in Somalia. As I'm sure many of you know, Somalia has been hit with a terrible drought and famine, resulting in 2000+ human deaths a day. I always look to action when I'm feeling overwhelmed by the world's tragedies, so I encourage you to do the same and take a moment today to sign their petition. You can find it here: 
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