Looking for a Vegan Holiday Gift? Try PawJ Boots!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! With the holidays coming up fast, you might be looking for some special gifts for friends and family members. What better way enjoy the  wintery season than by buying a pair of cruelty-free boots!

I discovered PawJ after my aunt bought a pair of their Ugg-like boots and fell in love with them! For those of you who didn't know, most Uggs aren't vegan and are actually made with either leather, sheepskin, or animal fur. Although there are a few vegans who won't be deterred by this, most will as part of being a true vegan means that you don't buy or wear anything made from an animal. If you are looking for, or missing, that warm, fuzzy feel of a good boot PawJ has got you covered!

My Very Vegan Thanksgiving ❤️

Hello friends and fellow animals lovers! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and a happy Thanksgiving. As I mentioned in my Vegan Guide to Thanksgiving post, my family had a fully vegan Thanksgiving this year, and I thought I would share my experience with you!

My mom, aunt, and I spent the afternoon cooking up a storm in my grandfather's kitchen and we had a great time! It was so nice to spend time with family in the kitchen and to try out these amazing vegan recipes. I have listed the recipes that we tried below, and if you are ever looking for holiday recipes, may they be vegan or otherwise, I would 100% recommend trying these!

Vegan Sausage and Apple Stuffing by Plant Based Jane
Garlic Chive Cream Cheese Vegan Mashed Potatoes by Rabbit and Wolves 
Cashew Mac 'n Cheese by The Compassionate Dreamer (Hey, that's me!) 
The Best Damn Vegan Biscuits by Minimalist Baker
The Best Easy Vegan Cranberry Sauce by Sam Turnbull (It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Blog)
The Best Vegan Gravy by This Savory Vegan
Five Minute Vegan Creamed Spinach by Spruce Eats

My aunt also made steamed green beans, and my grandma put together an autumnal salad. It's safe to say, we had a lot of leftovers!

In addition to making these recipes, we also ordered two vegan turkeys that we prepared.  One was from The Herbivorous Butcher, and the other from The Uncreamery. Both of which were delicious, but the one from The Herbivorous Butcher was the favorite!

Promote Compassion: Adopt a Turkey!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! Today is Thanksgiving! Although this holiday is a lovely opportunity to spend time with friends and family and share your love for them, every year millions of animal lives are lost in the process. Every year over 46 million turkeys lose their lives so that we can have a "traditional Thanksgiving". Turkeys are highly intelligent and emotional animals that bond strongly with their family members, and as all living beings, deserve to live. Did you know that turkeys purr like cats and that they enjoy listening to music?

This Thanksgiving, my mom surprised me with the wonderful gift of adopting a turkey through Farm Sanctuary in my name. Her name is Elsa and she is a beautiful turkey with an easygoing and somewhat shy nature. I already love her! My three-year-old cousin had a turkey named Anna adopted for her as well, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this holiday. And let me say, my inner Frozen Fanatic was quite pleased as well.

Farm Sanctuary runs many programs that allow us, humans, to sponsor animals. If you are looking for a way this Thanksgiving to spread kindness and save lives, then this is a wonderful way to do it! I hope you have a wonderful holiday and that you do something for the animals. Whether it be serving a vegan turkey, or adopting an animal every little thing counts and the animals will thank you for it! Enjoy your holiday!

Yours,
The Compassionate Dreamer

*Take the Vegan Pledge* 

Vegan Guide to Thanksgiving

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! With
Thanksgiving on its way, you may be wondering how on earth you are going to survive the holiday. Being vegetarian or vegan during this holiday can be hard, what with the interactions with family members and all the turkey being served. Today's post will hopefully help you to have a happy, stress-free Thanksgiving with as little animal suffering as possible! Even if you aren't vegan or vegetarian, this post is here for you to learn more about what you can do on this holiday to make it as cruelty-free and plant-based friendly as possible! Enjoy!

Advice from The Compassionate Dreamer

• Let the host know. If you are going over to someone else's house for Thanksgiving, make sure to let your host know beforehand of your dietary restrictions, preferences, and needs. 
• Bring a dish! Bring a meat-free or plant-based version of your Thanksgiving favorites! Whether buying something from the grocery store, following an online recipe, or coming up with something of your own, it is bound to be fantastic! Make sure to bring enough for everyone to enjoy! Show off those cooking skills!
• Prepare for the questions. Chances are, other guests are going to be curious about your dietary choices. Hopefully you won't be facing a full-on interrogation, but it is always best to make sure you are up to date, and well-informed about your diet and news in the veg world beforehand!
• Be enthusiastic of others efforts. Although it may not always be perfect, your friends and family members are going to do their best to understand you and your diet. Be enthusiastic and receptive to their efforts. The last thing you want is for them to form an unrealistic snap judgement about veganism. That will only cause you more pain in the future so remember to be patient!
• Host your own dinner! If this all sounds like absolute garbage to you and you really aren't in the mood to intrude, host your own gathering! This year, my family is having an all-vegan Thanksgiving extravaganza (more on that to come), and the best part is, you can too! There are so many amazing, and simple, vegan Thanksgiving and party recipes out there on the interwebs and in plant-based cookbooks.
• Keep the focus on family. No matter what happens, remember why you are gathered together; to celebrate and spend time with family. Keep the unnecessary "vegan talk" to a minimum and focus on spending time with your loved ones. Most of all, enjoy the holiday!

I hope that this post wasn't too overwhelming and that it leaves you feeling confident going into the holidays. If you have any questions about my personal experiences, surviving this Thanksgiving, or anything else you feel I didn't address, I would be more than happy to help you out in the comments! I am always here for tips and advice, so don't hesitate to reach out!

Yours,
The Compassionate Dreamer

Resources for you!

7 Tips for Surviving Thanksgiving from One Green Planet 

7 Tricks for Surviving Thanksgiving as a Vegan from VegNews

How to Have a Vegan Thanksgiving from Live Kindly

5 Steps to Surviving Thanksgiving from Peta2 
A Vegan Guide to Surviving a Carnivorous Thanksgiving from Selva Beat
How to Survive the Holidays as a Vegan from ItDoesn'tTasteLikeChicken Blog

*Take the Vegan Pledge*

Lola Rosa in Montréal, QC

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! I know that it's been a little while, but today I am coming back at you with another amazing restaurant recommendation in Montréal called Lola Rosa! I hope you enjoy!

Lola Rosa is local chain of all-vegetarian cafés in Montréal, Quebec. Their mission is to provide their customers with delicious vegetarian and vegan food, that will help to encourage people to reduce their meat consumption for the future of our planet. Lola Rosa provides a unique variety of comfort foods with flavors inspired by many different cuisines! They serve burgers, samosas, and burritos as well as a classic veg-friendly poutine, among SO much more!

It's World Vegan Month!!!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! For those of you who didn't know, November is World Vegan Month and November first (today!!!) is World Vegan Day! The day marks the 75th year of wonderful The Vegan Society, and celebrates how far that the vegan movement has come in that time. It is a day that encourages everyone curious about veganism to transition to a plant-based diet, and work towards creating a cruelty-free society!

Are you wondering how can you celebrate World Vegan Month? Here are some ideas: 

• Try out a vegan cookbook 
• Go out to a vegan restaurant near you
• Commit to having one plant-base meal a day or take the 30 Day Vegan Pledge
• Hold a vegan potluck or social
• Donate to a vegan charity or animal sanctuary (maybe even take a visit to one!)
• Attend a vegetariran or vegan event 
• Learn more about veganism and what you can do to make our planet a happier, healthier place

Happy Birthday to My Cat, Katnip!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! Today my family is celebrating my cat's second birthday!  We have three cats (one of which I have written about in his very own birthday post!) and today is the birthday of our youngest! Her name is Katnip Everdeen (yes, it is a Hunger Games pun), and you may remember me writing about her in the past!

Katnip can be one naughty nugget sometimes, and she is filled with so much energy! She is a tortie and therefore tends to be very chatty, often enabling you to have full on conversations with her! We like to refer to Katnip as a "Halloween kitty" since her fur is black and orange and she was born so close to the eve of Halloween! Katnip's favorite pastimes are jumping on furniture, burrowing under blankets, terrorizing her chipmunk nemesis from her window perch, chasing imaginary bugs, and keeping tabs on our eldest cat, Hiro, who she loves more than anything in the world!

Vegan Guide to Halloween

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! It is around this time of year that I get a lot of questions surrounding Halloween and veganism. Like, "Can you eat chocolate?" and "Is this candy vegan?" and "Do vegans even trick-or-treat?". Today's post will hopefully answer any and all of your questions surrounding how to have the best Halloween, vegan style! 

Lov in Montréal, QC

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! Today I am back with another restaurant recommendation! I am going to be writing about a second amazing place to get vegan food in Montréal! (Previous recommendation: Bowhead Pub) Get excited, because today's recommendation is for a super cute, 100% plant-based eatery called Lov.

Lov is a local chain that serves delicious and nourishing vegan meals with an emphasis on fun! Lov currently has five locations across Canada, with their newest location just recently opening in Toronto. I cannot explain enough how pretty the interior of the restaurant was! Filled with lush plant life and beautiful decor, the design of the restaurant was extremely pleasing to the eyes, heart and soul. 

I Met The Vegan Roadie!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! As you know from my post on Friday the Boston Veg Food Fest was this weekend! I went to the festival this morning and had an amazing time! I got to see so many cool vendors, and sample some delicious food! The highlight of my day would have to have been getting to meet Dustin Harder, AKA The Vegan Roadie!

Dustin Harder is the author of Epic Vegan and The Simply Vegan Cookbook. He is also the creator and host of The Vegan Roadie, a three-season web series that explores cities throughout North America (and eventually in Italy!) to find the best plant-based eats!

Epic Vegan is Dustin's newest cookbook. While The Simply Vegan Cookbook focused on easy vegan recipes that are fun to make and delicious to eat, Epic Vegan takes it a step up with it's more "choose-your-own-adventure" style approach to plant-based eating. His cookbook features all the foods you thought you would miss when going vegan. It's got crazy recipes such as Mac and Cheese Pretzel Bites, Pizza Burrito Supreme, Triple Decker Breakfast Sammy, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Latte Shake, Pad Thai Cupcakes and so much more! The recipes are fun, filled with creativity, and dare I say EPIC!

Boston Veg Food Fest This Weekend!!!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! For those of you who may not know, Boston Vegetarian Society is holding their 24th annual Boston Veg Food Fest this weekend! Hooray! The festival is being held in the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center on Saturday October 19th from 11am-6pm and on Sunday October 20th from 10am-4pm. There is free admission, parking AND food sampling! What's not to love? 

My mom and I have gone to this festival in previous years and we have loved it! We have gotten to see so many cool speakers and vendors, meet amazing people, and eat DELICIOUS food! This festival is for food lovers of all sorts, not just vegetarians and vegans, and if you are around I recommend going, even if it is just to show your support! You are free to stay as long as you like, but are of course welcome to just stop by for a quick visit! 

Festively Fall Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Dog Treats (VEGAN!)

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! Ah... October! Falling leaves, long walks, Halloween! Fall is my favorite season and October my favorite month of the year so it's safe to say that I am SUPER hyped right now! So today's post is for all you dog loving fall enthusiasts out there, because I am going to be writing about making Pumpkin and Peanut Butter dog treats(courtesy of the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Blog)! 

I got the idea to try making these dog treats while reading the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Blog one day. I am SO obsessed with this blog and I am both a fan of the AMAZING recipes and the author of the blog, Sam Turnbull. She has such an infectious personality (both on her blog and youtube channel) and she really inspires me!

Bowhead Pub in Montréal, QC

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! Over this long weekend, my mom and I decided to take a somewhat spontaneous road trip to Montréal! Very exciting, I know! While we were there we ate a bunch of GREAT vegetarian/vegan restaurants that I can't wait to recommend to you all! So here we go, because today I am going to be writing about an ALL-vegan restaurant called Bowhead Pub!

Bowhead Pub is Montréal's first ever all-vegan pub! It opened this past June and has been a HUGE success so far! The restaurant has a really cool interior with a super cute bar which we got to sit at while waiting for our food. 

Green Elephant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend! Yesterday my family and I spent the day in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire which is one of our abolsute favorite spots for a weekend getaway! Great things to do, cute shops, and most of all amazing food! For lunch my mom and I went to one of our all-time favorite restaurants called Green Elephant and had a spectacular time!

My mom and I love Green Elephant's food so much that one time when we were craving it, we got very close to spontaneously hopping in the car and making the 90 minute drive to Portsmouth just to get a taste their food! 

Green Elephant serves vegetarian and vegan food with ingredients and flavors fused together from all over Asia. With dishes inspired by food from Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, China, and India there is something for everyone! For our appetizer, we got Chive Dumplings, and for entrees I got the Tofu Tikka Masala (S0 YUMMY!), and my mom got the Siamese Dream Curry Noodle. The Siamese Dream Curry Noodle is my mom's absolute FAVORITE and she loves it so much! It is actually not available on their lunch menu, but, even so, the chefs were willing to make it especially for her!

More Vegan Food Coming Soon to Disney!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! I hope you are having a fabulous Saturday! Wow! It feels like such a long time since I have posted something new! The school year has been SUPER busy so far, and although I have a lot of fun posts planned, it is been hard to find time to write them! But today, you are in luck, because not only am I going to be writing about veganism and delicious food, but I am also going to be writing about The Happiest Place on Earth: DISNEY!!!

Among my many areas of geekery, Disney is one of my very strongest! Trips to Disney World have been some of the best times of my life, and my experience with the food there as a vegan has been amazing! Surprisingly, Disney has actually done a great job at providing delicious plant-based foods in their parks and resorts, and chefs are always willing to do their best to substitute and/or leave out ingredients to make a given menu item vegan. Some family favorites of ours are the Dole Whip at Aloha Isle, and LeFou's Brew from Gaston's Tavern, both of which are in Magic Kingdom. We also ate at two amazing Table-Service restaurants on our last trip to Disney. Rose and Crown Pub was in England in Epcot, and Sanaa was at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Both places had spectacular menus with tons of great vegan options!

Even though Disney is already being so accommodating to it's vegetarian and vegan theme park visitors, they have recently announced that they are taking the next step towards an even more cruelty-free menu!

Vegan News: Vegan World Alliance

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! I hope that you have had a fabulous day! I am here today to write to you about an amazing new group called
"Vegan World Alliance"!

Vegan World Alliance is a newly formed group that consists of four vegan organizations from The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The Dutch Association for Veganism, Vegan Australia, Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand, and Vegan Society of Canada have formed this group to work on addressing global issues and to share their resources with each other so that they can work on promoting veganism, animal rights, and saving our planet.

Caturday at Loyal Companion!!!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! Happy Caturday! Today my mom and I went to our local Loyal Companion (our FAVORITE pet care store) to get cat food and they were celebrating Caturday in their store!

I'm going to be honest, we had no idea that they were celebrating Caturday when we decided to go the store this morning, but we were thrilled when we saw the sign by the door announcing that the event was taking place from 10:00-2:00 today! Sadly the event is over now, but I still thought I would share my experience with all of you!

Caturday is all about the cats! From amazing new product displays, to a free cat bag giveaway, Loyal Companion went all out! We even earned 2X the Loyalty points for purchasing cat supplies! Plus, the people working at Loyal Companion today wore cat ear headbands in celebration of Caturday!

It Takes 2,400 Gallons of Water to Produce ONE Pound of Beef

Water is a precious resource, and we are running out of it. If people don't start reducing how much water they use, and soon, the world will only have 60% of the water that in needs in 2030. By the year 2050, it is predicted that nearly 52% of the world's projected population will be living in water-stressed regions. Over 2 billion people living on this planet today lack safe drinking water, and that number will only grow.

Did you know that you can save more water by skipping eating just one pound of meat, than you would by not showering for six whole months? You can! The despicable industry of animal agriculture uses up about 1/3 of the entire world's drinking water. You may be thinking: How is this possible? That makes absolutely no sense! But if you think about it, it really does. The animals that we breed and raise for slaughter need water to drink, as well as food, which needs water to grow, not to mention all of the water they use for hygiene purposes. By not supporting meat and dairy industries you are not only saving the animals (which is a great kindness itself), but you are helping to save water.

When people think of reducing how much water they use, most people think of the little things, like taking shorter showers, not watering their lawns, and fixing leaky taps, but those things are not going to save us. By one single person going vegan, you will be saving approximately 219,000 gallons of water per year! That is a BIG deal! One person, truly does make a difference, and it is up to you as an individual to decide whether you want to do your part in saving our planet, or if you want to push it off as a problem for future generations. You have an incredible opportunity to SAVE THE PLANET, and if you don't act now, it will be too late.

Vegan Society 30 Day Vegan Pledge

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! I hope your weekend is going wonderfully so far! Today I have decided to write a post about The Vegan Society's incredible 30 Day Vegan Pledge that can help ANYONE go vegan!

The Vegan Society has so many AMAZING resources, for vegans and non-vegans alike. From the truth about the dairy industry, to delicious vegan recipes, The Vegan Society has all the information and resources that you will need to start living a healthier, happier, and more compassionate lifestyle with little to no fuss!

Taking the Vegan Pledge is SUCH an easy way to switch to veganism, or even just try it out for a little while! Taking the Vegan Pledge is simple and is in no way binding, so if you decide that it really just isn't the thing for you, no worries! If you do decide to take the Pledge, however, you will receive emails containing information about every aspect of veganism, as well as tips, recipes, and SO much more! The 30 Day Vegan Pledge helps over 1,000 people every month go vegan, and STAY vegan. 

I'm Starting High school!!!

Hello friends and fellow animal lovers! It is time for me to go back to school. Goodbye summer, hello fall! 

This summer I worked really hard on this blog and tried to make posts about things that everyone, not just vegans, would want to read. I think (and hope!) that I accomplished that. Since I am about to be a freshman in high school (which seems really crazy to me!) I am definitely going to have more things on my plate than I am used to having. I want to try my best to keep up with my blog as much as possible, and to continue putting out content that my readers will care about.