Jorge Garcia and I would like to wish you a very Happy Halloween!

Happiest of Halloweens to you my dears! 

In honor of the holiday, please enjoy a Halloween themed short I co-wrote with my dear friend and vegetarian, Jorge Garcia (yes, Hurley from LOST!). Many thanks to Jordan Epstein, Ian Woods, and Diego Giovanni Tovar for helping to make this a reality.

 May today be filled for each of you with yummy vegan goodies, costumes galore, and the childlike wonder that makes Halloween so special. :-)

A Thought As You Go Through Your Day.

My husband posted this passage of a story on his facebook wall this week. A FB friend of his had posted about a recent experience he had, and it definitely bears repeating. An absolutely lovely summation of the slow, but steady progress our movement of compassion is making. Read on:

"A beautiful moment occurred today. While standing outside my art gallery in California eating a sandwich, the elderly Brazilian landlord of my building stopped and asked what kind of sandwich I was eating. "Veggie patty and avocado," I said. He asked me if I ate animals. I said no. He said, "Neither do I." I said to him, "Really? Why not?" He said "Because I hate to see them suffer." Meanwhile a third person stepped up, overhearing our conversation - an Italian artist from Rhode Island, he said to both of us, "I can't believe people still eat animals." I said, "Are you vegan too?" He said, "Hell yeah." 

So there we stood, three men who barely know each other: an old Brazilian man, an artist from Rhode Island, and me, a California former stoner/skater - all with one thing in common: compassion for the oppressed. I thought to myself, is this really happening? I thought it was only on FB that three vegans would randomly intersect. Is the world changing? Maybe it is. At least in small moments here and there. Like the moment I experienced today." 

- Al Jackson, vegan activist

Farm Sanctuary's LA Walk for Farm Animals!

It's that time of year again! In fact, it's been that time of year for a little over a month now!  It's time to Walk for Farm Animals!

Every year, the leading farmed animal protection organization in the United States, Farm Sanctuary, leads Walks all over the country to help raise awareness about the plight of the millions of farmed animals who are abused, confined, and lose their lives every day for the food and clothing industry.  The Walk becomes a rally, a force of good, a massive community gathering to provide a voice for these voiceless beings and help others connect more closely with their values & beliefs (especially when 97% of Americans oppose cruelty to animals).  The Walk allows an opportunity to bring a visual of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, sheep, goats, horses all in an open, free natural environment - living, breathing, playing, thriving.  The Walk opens up opportunities to raise funds that go to rescuing farmed animals, providing urgent care and lifelong refuge, and education and advocacy efforts.

We've been a part of three Walks so far, in Rehoboth Beach, DE, New York, NY, and Santa Monica, LA, CA, and are excited for the possibility of our fourth!  Overall, we're excited to raise money for such a powerful, valuable cause close to our hearts.  The Walks started at the beginning of September and will continue through the beginning of November.  Our Los Angeles Walk is coming up just next week (yeeps!)                                      on Saturday, October 27th in Pasadena.

Team Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!/Ahimsa Life Coaching asks you, our lovely KMIV family, for your support and to please help us contribute to the animals. A sponsorship donation as little as $1 or $5 is amazing, and anything beyond is absolutely tremendous.  

You can check out our Walk sponsorship page here.  Please leave a note if you contribute so we can say thank you (or not, if you like the whole anonymous benefactor thing).

If you live in or around the LA/Pasadena area, maybe we'll get to see you!  As of this post, there are still Walks happening in Louisville, KY, Atlanta, GA, New York City, NY, Sacramento, CA, Phoeniz, AZ, Austin, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Philadelphia, PA, and Tampa Bay, FL.  If you don't have one in a city near you or you just can't make it, there's an even easier way to get involved with the Sleep In for Farm Animals on November 3rd.

Since its inception in 1986, Farm Sanctuary, headed by founder Gene Baur, has paved the way for opening the hearts and minds of millions of people to true compassion.  This year, Peter Dinklage, of Boardwalk Empire and other television/films, is the WfFA Spokesperson.  Please join Gene, Peter, the thousands of people walking around the country, and, of course, us!, in support and celebration of our beloved farmed                                        animals. 

Oh my gosh... it's been 4 years. And I almost missed it.

I've been out of touch. 

Winnie has forgiven me. Can you?

I've been really  ridiculously, shamefully, what's wrong with her? out of touch.

I know that some of your favorite posts on here are the personal ones, and they've been few and far between the last couple of months. Life has been a beautiful whirlwind this past year - of acting (check out my episode on HBO's Enlightened in January!), singing (yay open mics), working my butt off (i heart vegan kids), and enjoying family time whenever i get the chance (thank you iPhones and understanding husbands). All of this has made one of my favorite pastimes - blogging - nearly obsolete. With the exception of my hubby's stellar posts about vegan nutrition and food giveaways, I've been distant with you guys. Until today. Because today, I will share some stuff, hit "publish" and you, my kiss-worthy readers, will be able to enjoy a personal post from yours truly. And hopefully a little balance will be restored. 

So, what have I been doing with my little vegan self since I last shared? Well,I...

Farmer John's = obscene cruelty.

Visited Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres and snuggled with Winnie the goose.

Attended a protest at Farmer John's slaughterhouse (aka hell on Earth for pigs and piglets alike, unlike the mural to the right suggests). 

Helped a friend with some non-dairy alternatives so he could cut back on his cow's milk consumption (yay!).

Got interviewed for an upcoming article in Bazaar about vegan women.

Watched the vegan hubby run a 10K Gladiator Run. Alongside Positively Bliss yoga teacher Ashley Platz. Go Team V!

Enjoyed wayyyyy too much yummy vegan food with my now - you guessed it - vegan! - brother when he came to Los Angeles recently with his lovely GF.

Discovered The Sexy Vegan. Check him out HERE. 

Gave a vegan cookbook to a non-vegan friend.

Signed and shared petitions like this one from PETA. Thank you PETA. 

And hugged my cats. A lot.

And then there's the reasons to smile list, which I am bringing back today. You know, the one I used to write a while back every few posts? Here's a refresher for those who have no idea what I'm talking about.

Today, I only have one thing to list. Because my biggest reason to smile is... 

YOU GUYS. 

Thank you so much for continuing on this kooky, smile-inducing, humbling journey with me. Because it's been 4 - count em, FOUR - blissful years of living 100% vegan. Yep, that's right. Four Octobers ago I got the idea to fully commit myself to a lifestyle I am still head over heels in love with. Check out my 2010 post about the "vegan glow" to get an idea of the magic I've experienced since.

Thank you for being accepting, for being supportive, for being patient, and for being understanding. Thank you for being like my own little vegan family!

I love you and am tremendously grateful to have you as a part of Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!. Here's to many more years of compassionate blogging! 

Beanfields Snacks Review & Giveaway!

We can do breakfast.  We can do lunch.  And we can do dinner.  But there's a bunch of time in between and after dinner - what do we eat then?!?!?

Let's face it: a healthy, delicious, and filling snack is sometimes exactly what we need.  We have our fruits, we have our veggies, and that's all good. Everyone loves their chips though, right?  Unfortunately, there's a myriad of chips out there that are high in sugar, salt, fat, and/or contain animal products.  So what if, during your snack-time, I offered you a vegan/cholesterol-free, gluten-free, trans fat-free, preservative-free, (top eight) allergen-free, corn-free, GMO-free, healthy, hearty, and flavorful/delicious/tasty chip selection.  I'm guessing you'd take me up on my offer.  And when I told you that you had your choice of five different flavors, I know you'd definitely take me up on the offer. 

I'm talking about Beanfields' Bean & Rice Chips. Beanfields popped onto the scene in January 2011 and has since racked up the awards for their high-quality snacks, culminating in the "Best of Show" award at Natural Products Expo West.  VegNews deemed their flagship Nacho chips "Vegan Doritos."

Beanfields' mission statement reads: 

"We're dedicated to making delicious all-natural snacks that are a wholesome and satisfying alternative to snacks made from corn, potato, and wheat.  Our mission is to make the world a healthier place to crunch.  We believe beans are good for our families, good for farmers, and good for our planet!"

Chock full of fiber and protein; lower in saturated fat, sodium, and calories than most other chips; Beanfields really represents the full package in a chip.  Seriously, their nutritional facts wowed me.  I had the scrumptious pleasure and privilege of sampling Beanfields' chip selection - and let me tell you, it was an excellent week of snacking. Not only did I get my fill of full flavor, but the chips also managed to fill me up, which allowed me to escape without downing whole bags at once (although, they are so tasty that you'll have to watch out to make sure you don't do it yourself).  There also was no "yucky" feeling afterward, which some salty/greasy/fatty snacks can often do to you.

My personal favorites were the esteemed Nacho and the Pico de Gallo (which may actually get my nod as #1). The other yummy flavors are: Sea Salt, Sea Salt & Pepper, and Unsalted. Simple, nutritious, packed with crispy, crunchy goodness, these chips earn a top spot on the snacking totem pole.

You can find your new favorite snack in most Whole Foods locations and natural markets near you.  If not, you can find more information on how to get them stocked up at your local markets from their Where To Buy page.

If Beanfields' "Crispyliciousness" isn't enough for you, you should know they are a family owned company who commits to helping food and business practices staying up-to-date, also contributing a portion of their profits to non-profit sustainable farming efforts.

They've won me over in taste and message.  And speaking of winning, are you ready to do so?

Beanfields and KMIV/Ahimsa Life Coaching are teaming up for another fun raffle!  Hopefully, you know how it goes by now.  If you haven't entered one yet, just check out the fun raffle widget below.  Follow the directions and earn yourself raffle entries.  The more you have, the better chance you have to win. At the end of the promotion, one winner will be chosen and that winner will have their choice of a variety pack of 6 Beanfields' bags of chips - your choice!  (Note: the winner MUST have actually fulfilled each of the entries they approve; if not, another winner will be chosen.)

Get your crunch on! Check out Beanfields' Facebook and Twitter pages and make sure to follow the chips!  You can stay up date with the latest with Beanfields' free news flash also.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maxine @ Streaming Hope.

What an amazing thing Streaming Hope is. I got to rock it out on Friday night at this beautiful, beautiful open mic experience in Los Angeles, produced by Anto Boghokian. Streaming Hope has been going on for almost a year now, and it's all about the developing artist, whether it's through poetry, song, or a little mix of both. I attended one before I joined in the ranks, and it's really unlike any other open mic experience I've come across. If you're in LA, you should totally check it out (and for more info, click here).

I've been toying with a song called "Maxine" I wrote a few years back for a Farm Sanctuary fundraiser I did in NYC. Well, I decided to take her for a walk at Streaming Hope and had really positive, supportive response. Enjoy the performance here, with Kurt Peterson on guitar.

To learn more about Maxine, check out her rescue video here.