About

Welcome to our new blog!

Who’s behind the blog?

Denise and Ashley. Mother and Daughter.

Introducing Ashley

My story:  My journey to veganism began in January 2011 when I stopped eating mostly dairy products from a lactose intolerance.  It wasn’t a big deal for me as I already didn’t drink cow’s milk and didn’t care for cheese.  I was still eating yogurt however, as the doctor said the good bacteria in it isn’t harmful for those who are lactose intolerant. In July 2011, after having awful stomach pains and reading about gluten intolerances, I decided to avoid  foods with gluten for two weeks as a test to see how I felt.  Thankfully, the stomach pains ended!  I have not purposefully eaten gluten since and have never felt better.  On the few occasions when I by accident ate something with gluten in it, I’ve gotten even worse stomach pains and felt very nauseous.

In August 2011, I became vegetarian.  I was never a big meat eater and my mom had been a vegetarian for almost a year at this point, as well.  Whenever I had the choice between meat or my mom’s vegetarian meal, I always wanted what she was eating (in my opinion it looked, smelled, and tasted so much better).  Finally, in February 2012, I began to transition into a vegan diet.  The only thing I was still eating that had animal products in it was Greek yogurt.  This was the hardest thing for me to give up.  But how could I keep eating yogurt for my pleasure when animals had to suffer for it!? Especially when there are so many tasty substitutes for different kinds of non-dairy yogurt. As you can see, I had started to become very knowledgeable about the way animals are treated at factory farms and did not want to support these factories in any way.  Thank you to my mom for introducing me to this information and helping me realize what I can do to help save animals.

Around May 2014, I began eating SOS free, which is foods with no salt, oil, or sugar.  I eat mostly raw fruits and salads and mix it up with different dinners at night. By eating these whole, plant based foods, I have never felt more energized and healthier! Hopefully, the recipes we post here will encourage you to find a love for cooking that can be healthy, tasty, and cruelty-free.  Trust me, you will live a much more compassionate life!

My passions: Living compassionately, eating healthy, staying active!

My favorite food: Bananas! and other fruits

Introducing Denise

My story:  I always considered myself an animal lover but continued to eat animals and their products. In 2009, the perfect storm of events happened that would eventually lead me to being 100% vegan and truly loving ALL animals. In October of 2009, a friend said to me as I was carrying a bug outside, “You save bugs but eat cows?” Like all other meat eaters, I defended the fact that I needed to eat to live; however, that comment really got me thinking and questioning myself. Then the week before Thanksgiving of 2009, I was watching Ellen when Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of “Eating Animals” came on. I listened to him talk about the condition of the animals on factory farms and was horrified. That Thanksgiving, I didn’t eat any turkey. On December 1, 2009, I announced to my husband and kids that I was no longer eating or cooking meat. They were free to buy, cook, and eat whatever they wanted or they could eat the vegetarian meals I was preparing. (They all ate the meals I was preparing and eventually both my husband and my daughter became vegan too!).

For 2½ years, I lived as a vegetarian and finally picked up the book “Eating Animals” to read. Learning about the dairy and egg industries was all it took for me to realize the only way to live was vegan. I learned that even on the best of farms the animals who produce milk and eggs still have horrible things done to them, baby cows and chicks are killed, and all the animals who produce milk and eggs are slaughtered after a year or two. Finally, on August 1, 2012, I became 100% vegan, 100% compassionate, and 100% an animal lover. I never felt so at peace.

I’m 100% vegan for the animals, but I soon met some fabulous people in a meetup group and learned that being vegan is also better for your health and the environment. WOW!

My hope is that others will realize that animals’ lives matter and make the transition to a healthier, more compassionate diet and lifestyle. Ashley and I feel this blog of our favorite, easy recipes can do just that.

My passions: Veganism, Dachshund rescue, Greyhound rescue, cat rescue.  My passion is helping ALL animals.

My favorite food: Potatoes…any kind and made any way!

Note:  This blog is simply a personal place to keep all our favorite recipes in one easily accessible spot and to help spread the word on how delicious vegan food can be.  We do our best to give credit to the author of the recipe if possible. Enjoy!