Fridays with Friends: JL Goes Vegan!
So there’s this amazing woman named JL who I’d like you to meet. JL had me at KALE (see her photo below). Then, I learned that she went vegan in her 40s, runs triathlons for fun and encourages women to love their bodies at any size. She is a living, blogging example of how to take the idea of compassionate living to an even more personal level. Welcome JL!
Allison Rivers Samson: You write two blogs: JL Goes Vegan and Stop Chasing Skinny. Tell us about them.
JL Fields: After being vegetarian for eight years I went vegan two years ago. I read many, many blogs to help me along on my plant-based journey. They were immensely helpful but I did feel a bit like the odd-woman out, as someone approaching my mid-forties. I decided to start JL Goes Vegan: Food & Fitness with a Side of Kale as a way to chronicle my experience as a new vegan and to encourage other 40+ folks to consider life changes, regardless of age. I started writing about my love and appreciation for vegan cooking and how it shifted my relationship with food. While I have not experienced an eating disorder, I had certainly bought into the cultural phenomena that thin = beautiful and found myself yo-yo dieting for about six years leading into my 40s. Going vegan liberated me from dieting and I decided to embrace a larger, rounder me. I wrote the post January diet? Nope, I bought bigger clothes and readers really connected to it. I felt the topic was worthy of its own blog so I started Stop Chasing Skinny: Find Happiness Beyond the Scale, a community blog, last year.
ARS: Our relationship with food is such an important one to heal. You went vegan after 40! How did that come about?
JLF: Initially, I went vegetarian in my 30s. I was in Kenya for work in a small village in the Rift Valley. There was a celebration held for an auspicious occasion and my colleagues and I were guests of honor. 
Early in the day an elder from the community brought a goat to the site of the celebration – a true demonstration of generosity. The goat was presented and subsequently killed and boiled. That evening, we were offered the goat for dinner. To refuse it would have been an affront (or so I told myself?). Essentially I met a goat, shook his hand then ate him. I became a vegetarian. Years later, never intending to go vegan, I did a nutritional cleanse and discovered after two weeks that I had removed all animal products from my diet, except for one hard-boiled egg. I realized I was an egg away from being a vegan so I just decided to do it.
ARS: Way to go for it! Do you notice a big difference in going from vegetarian to vegan on your health?
JLF: Yes! As a vegetarian I really bought into the “what about protein?” myth and consumed incredible amounts of dairy (yogurt, milk and cheese). My body felt completely different when I removed it from my diet. My emotional health improved, too. It didn’t take me long to shift from a dietary vegan to an ethical one. The more I learned the more I could not ignore what we are doing to animals. I feel physically and emotionally healthy living a life based on compassion for all living beings.
ARS: I have seen time and again that the best blend is a marriage of both the healthful and ethical aspects of being vegan. You’re a hardcore athlete doing marathons and triathlons. How has the transition to a vegan diet impacted your performance?
JLF: Well, I was a hardcore athlete. Part of my body image journey was to become honest with myself. In my late 30s and early 40s I ran two full marathons, seventeen half-marathons, and eight or ten triathlons in six years. 
It was pretty excessive and I now realize I was doing it to keep weight off. I worked out like mad but was unable to eat like an endurance athlete. Once I embraced a larger size I became less interested in working out so hard. I now prefer moderate exercise – slow running, road cycling, yoga, walking, easy gym workouts, etc. I do love the sport of triathlon and plan to do more of them. For fun. As for vegan nutrition, I have no problem fueling my body before, during and after hard workouts. Plants are amazing! One of my favorite energy bites, during a long run, is my Medjool Date for the Runner.
ARS: I couldn’t agree with you more about plants. In fact it’s a topic I’m a touch obsessed with. What do you think is one of the most common misconceptions about the vegan diet? Why?
JLF: I think non-vegans believe we are “deprived” and sometimes I think we vegans can perpetuate that misconception. I just returned from vacation in Florida. 
I found myself whining at restaurants. No beans? No tofu? Boo-hoo. I was offered vibrant, colorful vegetables and, yes, if I had been back in New York I would have had an amazing seitan dish with them, but vegetables are awesome and I need to remember that I am, as Colleen Patrick-Goudreau would say, an “ambassador of compassion.” As a vegan I eat a wider variety of foods than I ever did when consuming animal products. Quinoa and kale were not a part of my vocabulary or diet before. And seitan? Never heard of it, but now I make my own! Vegan foods can be simple, complex, flavorful, nourishing and delicious!
ARS: Variety indeed! Like me, you are utterly smitten with kale. What’s the most unusual kale-containing dish you’ve made or eaten?
JLF: I recently found kale granola at Lifethyme Natural Market in Manahattan. It had me at hello.
ARS: Ooohhh… I am so gonna make that! What’s your go-to quick-fix meal?
JLF: The food bowl! I bulk cook on the weekends and therefore always have home cooked grains and beans on hand. During the week I simply reheat a bowl of beans, greens and grains – like this Flageolet Bean & Millet Stew - and my heart swoons!
ARS: Do you have a favorite Allison’s Gourmet goodie?
JLF: Girl, your Salted Vanilla Caramels rock my world!
Thanks so much, JL, for your compassionate, self-adoring, food-loving point of view! 
Mother’s Day is Coming Soon: Order Now!
We’ve spent the last couple of weeks recovering from the Easter rush and enjoying the warmth of Spring. I’ve been so busy in the kitchen and in my garden and that I hardly noticed the month slipping away. 
Now, April’s almost over and Mother’s Day is just two weeks away which means that it’s time to order your vegan Mother’s Day gifts now!
I know I say it every year, but I’ll say it again because I think it’s important to remember to celebrate all the strong and inspirational women in our lives every day, and especially on Mother’s Day. Whether it’s your actual mom or the other amazing mother(s) in your life (aunt, wife, sister, grandmother or mentor) we want to help you express your appreciation with sweets. Traditionally moms love chocolate, and we have plenty of that for you to choose from including Artisan Chocolates and organic Brownies. We also offer chocolate in some non-traditional flavors like Chipotle Cinnamon Fudge and Springtime Salted Almond Bark for slightly more adventurous mamas. 
Mothers with less of a sweet tooth, or those watching their waistlines will appreciate our excellent selection of fair-trade coffee and tea including superb sampler sets and two outstanding gourmet coffee gift baskets.
To complete the package and convey your message of love more clearly we’re also pleased to offer optional hand-written gift cards included for free with any order. Look for the “Click here to enter a free hand-written gift card message” box during checkout.
Fridays with Friends: Gettin’ Vegucated (and a DVD Giveaway!) with Marisa Miller Wolfson
Marisa Miller Wolfson is the powerhouse writer and director behind the newly released documentary film Vegucated that follows three New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Amid the madness of a national promotional tour and sold-out screenings across the country, we caught up with Marisa to get the inside scoop. In honor of Earth Day this weekend, Marisa has offered to give away a DVD of the movie to one of our readers, so read on!
Allison Rivers Samson: I love your inspiring and award-winning film! Rightfully so, Vegucated has been exuberantly-received by various audiences. How different was the end result compared to the intention you originally set?
Photo by Stephen de las Heras
Marisa Miller Wolfson: From the very beginning, executive producer Mary Max, producer Frank Mataska, and I set out to make a grassroots educational tool that people could feel really good about sharing with their families and their communities, knowing they’ll laugh as much as they’ll cry and hopefully walk away feeling inspired to make more plant-based choices. The feedback we’ve gotten has been so lovely, from people across the omnivore spectrum who’ve said they’ve really appreciated how accessible the film is for all audiences and have shared it with friends, families, coworkers, students, etc. either by sharing the DVD individually or by hosting a community screening. So, so many people have reported back that friends, family, and colleagues have watched and been inspired to go vegetarian or vegan.
Executive director Mary Max, producers Frank Mataska and Demetrius Bagley, and writer-director Marisa Miller Wolfson at the sold-out US premiere of Vegucated in NYC.
In terms of audience reach, the smartest thing I did was bring producer Demetrius Bagley on board for the release. He thinks bigger than I do and masterminded our 12-city national tour last fall and secured wonderful sponsors for us. Without that tour, we obviously wouldn’t have reached nearly as many people or created as much buzz. He’s also managing community screenings beautifully. Back when I started the filmmaking process, digital distribution wasn’t even an option, so now it feels amazing knowing that with just a couple of clicks, so many people are watching the film via digital portals in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and even Australia. We won’t get digital viewer stats for a while yet, but we’re a bestseller on iTunes and Amazon Instant, and I’m dying to know what that means in terms of our exposure.
ARS: People come to the veg lifestyle by many avenues. In your film, you highlight all the reasons, including human health and reduction in suffering for both animals and the planet. Do you find that people more readily make this lifestyle change for one reason over another? Any thoughts on why that might be the case?
Dagan went vegan right after seeing Vegucated with his mom at the Albuquerque premiere in January. Now he's a full-blown 9-year-old advocate for all beings.
MMW: In my ten years of vegan advocacy, I’ve noticed a bit of a shift in the original motivating factor for people going vegan. When I started out, I was told that statistically speaking, more people went vegetarian for health reasons and vegan for ethical reasons. My personal experience bore that out. Things have shifted since then, and I’m running into a lot more health vegans now than ever before. I think books like The China Study and films like Forks Over Knives have helped with that. Anecdotally, I’ve noticed that people are much more inclined to stick with a vegetarian or vegan diet, though, if they’ve been exposed to and care about the ethical reasons on top of the health reasons. Otherwise, it can fall more into the category of diet du jour rather than a lasting lifestyle change.
Vegan experimentees/film co-stars Ellen, Brian, and Tesla looking good and feeling great at the L.A. premiere.
ARS: Without any spoilers, what’s the biggest takeaway you hope viewers receive from Vegucated?
MMW: Oh, I hope they see the three film stars–Tesla, Brian, and Ellen–overcoming initial challenges with plant-based living and feel inspired to make changes in their own lives despite the challenges they face. Whether you’re a single mom, you don’t cook, or you don’t like a lot of vegan foods (yet), you can still make changes in a more plant-based direction, and it’s very, very rewarding physically, psychologically, and even emotionally as you can feel really great about your everyday contribution to the world.
ARS: Did the process change anything for you personally about your diet, food ethics or otherwise?
MMW: Since I started shooting, I’ve gone more in a whole foods-based direction with my diet, but that’s not from filmmaking. That’s just what happens naturally, I think, the longer you’re vegan and the more you learn. The biggest personal change I’ve made is psychological. I have so much more respect for feature filmmakers and people who take on big, long-term projects. It tests you in ways you’ve never been tested before, and you rely on completely different skills and attitudes. It’s like the difference between training for a sprint and a marathon. I feel like I’ve just run the longest marathon of my life, but I also feel proud and much stronger for having seen it through.
This peanut sauce has only a few simple ingredients: peanut butter, ginger powder, garlic, cayenne pepper, water, and tamari. So easy!
ARS: What are your go-to quick meals to prepare at home?
MMW: I tend to rely a lot on delicious sauces that I can make in my blender then pour onto something yummy. Right now I have pesto in the fridge that I mix with whole wheat pasta, cannelini beans, steamed spinach or kale, and sundried tomatoes. I also do a delicious peanut sauce that’s good drizzled over steamed greens, green beans or broccoli, black beans, and quinoa. For lunch today I’m about to dig into a spinach tortilla wrap with hummus, tomatoes, and kale–doesn’t get easier than that!
ARS: Delicious! What’s your most-preferred vegetable? Bean?
MMW: I love good “hand food.” In other words, things that are so good you can eat ‘em plain, right out of your hand. To me it doesn’t get any better than a ripe summer cherry tomato or a perfectly cooked chickpea. I pop ‘em like candy.
ARS: Do you have a favorite Allison’s Gourmet goodie?
MMW: When I checked your website for a refresher to make this very important decision, I was literally slurping the saliva back into my mouth. (Sorry to be so graphic!) 
I’m going to have to go with the chocolate almond toffee. I’ve had the pleasure of receiving some as a gift, and as much as I want to save (and savour) it over a few days, I have no willpower around your vegan toffee. It’s amazing, and I’m toast.
Thanks so much, Marisa! Vegucated is celebrating Earth Day this weekend by holding screenings all over the country. Find one near you! And, enter to win your own copy of the Vegucated DVD by leave a comment with your answers to these questions:
• If you’re veg, did you have a particular “a-ha” moment? What was it?
• Even if you’re not yet veg, which vegucational tools (books, movies, friends, resources) have been the most informative to you in your journey into conscious eating?
We’ll pick a winner Thursday, April 26th. You must be a resident of the US or Canada to win. Good luck, and Happy Earth Day!
This Giveaway is now closed. See the winner here.
Springtime Adventuring
Spring is here, at least here in Northern California. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and all the oak trees are getting their first new green leaves. It’s warmer too, I even got a little sun working in the garden this weekend. 
Spring is my favorite season, but I always get a little restless this time of year, too. In April of 2007 my boyfriend and I set out on a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail from the Mexican border to Canada. We backpacked 2,400 miles in 5 1/2 months. It was the most amazing adventure of my life, and every year I wish I was doing it again. Unfortunately, whether it’s rural or urban adventures you seek, heading out into the backcountry (or urban wilderness as the case may be) doesn’t really combine well with real life most of the time. But that doesn’t mean we have to be starved for adventure all together. Although it may not be world travel, trying new things can be done right at home on a smaller scale. 
Take a weekend staycation at an Inn or B & B in your own town, explore places nearby that you’ve never been (they’re there, you just have to pretend you’re a tourist to find them), or try our new Artisan Truffles, Caramels and Vegan Milk Chocolate Bites bursting with enticing flavors. Even if a long backpacking trip is out of the question, getting moving outside whether it’s an urban walk in a new-to-you part of town or a rural jaunt on a previously undiscovered road or trail, breathing fresh spring air and enjoying the sights and sounds of the earth coming alive is my best medicine for spring fever.
That or chocolate, which is my go-to remedy for almost every malady. We even have some organic brownies and vegan gift baskets with seasonal flavors to complement the warmer weather. Springtime Salted Almond Bark is also available right now, and keep an eye out in a few weeks for some new truffle flavors we’re working on as part of our vegan Mother’s Day gifts collection.
Fridays with Friends: Kristin Lajeunesse
It’s Spring, which means that these next few months will see a flurry of Spring and Summer wedding activities all over the country. What better time of year, then, to interview one of my favorite vegan bloggers, Kristin Lajeunesse, who just happens to have a blog dedicated to vegan weddings, and another one about vegan food and travel too! She’s a dazzlingly bright, sweet woman, and just the kind of person you’d want helping to plan your vegan wedding. She’s also an amazing example of how to live exactly the life you want.
Allison Rivers Samson: You have two blogs: Rose Pedals Vegan Weddings and Will Travel for Vegan Food. Great topics! How did these ideas come about and are they connected in some way beyond the vegan theme?
Kristin Lajeunesse: Yes, thank you!
They actually both came about around the same time but are not directly connected outside of the vegan focus. Just before I started them both I had been reading a lot about following dreams, creating passive income, and learning to live a digital nomadic/minimalist lifestyle. I was ready for a change and had put a bit of time into thinking of creative business ideas to help me pursue a new life pattern.
I think the wedding site came to me super early one morning. It woke me up at 3 or 5am and I couldn’t stop thinking about it – a website dedicated to vegan weddings. I was aware of the wedding features that VegNews does yearly, but after some digging I quickly discovered that there was really nothing out there like this. Yet, a few weeks went by and I was still unable to formulate the entire concept. 
One day after work I was waiting for the T in Boston (Boylston stop, to be exact) and seemingly out of nowhere the name “Rose Pedals” popped into my mind. “Yeah, pedals like a bicycle because it’s eco-friendly. And Rose like the flower but also like the person.” I sprung to life, hurried back to my apartment, and began looking for vegan artists to bring my “Rose” to life. Once I had that piece of the puzzle the rest of the website started to come together. I launched Rose Pedals Vegan Weddings on February 14th, 2011.
The Will Travel For Vegan Food blog and life changing adventure came about a bit more organically. I found myself in a place in my life where I would say things like, “I’d love to travel but…” or “I really want to do x,y,z but…” I became tired of being an “excusitarian”
so I settled on the idea of a cross country, vegan food focused road trip, and started to take actionable steps toward making such an adventure possible. This included leaving a wonderful 9-5 job at the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), starting my own mobile social media business, launching a fund-raising campaign, and hitting the road! It took about a year of planning but I’ve been on the road for almost six months now and I’m having the time of my life.
ARS: It sounds like you have a creative and exciting lifestyle! Are vegan weddings on the rise these days? Do you know any stats on how many couples are having vegan weddings?
KL: As far as I can tell, yes. We seem to get more proposal and wedding stories every month. And in addition, I’ve noticed a trend where it’s not just the bride or groom who is vegan, but both typically are. This is notable since most of our early submissions, last year, came from couples of which only one was vegan. Very exciting stuff!
ARS: What advice would you give to vegan couples getting pressured by family to include meat or dairy on their wedding menus?
KL: This is always a tricky question because everyone takes family input into consideration, in various ways. Some couples want to accommodate guests and others just want a celebration that reflects their own values. Personally, I’d say, it’s your day; if you are more comfortable serving only vegan food, then so be it. It doesn’t have to be a huge deal or even the focus of the event. Just be open and honest from the start, making it clear that you’ve made this choice and will stick by it. We’ve also had some couples who choose to not bring up the topic at all. They just promise that the food will be delicious but say nothing more, or make it a point to avoid the food discussion all together.
The bottom line is that, with food and every other aspect of a wedding, it’s up to the couple. Don’t let others pressure you into anything that you’re not 100% comfortable with. Remember, a wedding is a celebration of love. Everyone chooses to express this in different ways and I don’t believe that a wedding should conform to any one pattern. Go crazy with colors, invite only a few or maybe many, have cupcakes instead of cake! Follow your heart, and your friends and family should respect your decision and support you through this beautifully epic event.
ARS: Are there enough resources for a vegan wedding in most towns? By my count there are only a handful of vegan bakeries in the country, and those are in big cities like NY, LA, SF, DC etc. 
What options do you recommend for vegans getting married in the rest of the country?
KL: Honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Some towns have bakeries that are completely accommodating and in other places you’ve got to go digging or simply make the food/sweets yourself. If you’ve looked high and low and seriously can’t find a bakery that will make it happen for you, I’d say gather some close friends, dig up your favorite vegan recipes, and go to town. It can be super fun and result in amazing delicacies that may surprise even you! I know baking your own wedding cake may not seem like an ideal situation, but have fun with it, keep the energy positive, be confident in yourself, and you’ll surely create some amazing goodies!
ARS: I agree. David and I chose to make our own wedding cake and had a ton of fun with it. Because I knew it would be expected, we extravagantly offered four flavors and made sure there were enough servings for everyone to have at least two pieces. Some people even tried one of each flavor! It’s been my experience that with a good recipes, vegan baking isn’t any harder, or even that much different, that conventional baking. Tell us more about your Will Travel for Vegan Food project.
KL: Will Travel For Vegan Food is a year-long, vegan food focused road trip across the US. The goal is to attempt to eat at all of the 100% vegan restaurants in the country. 
I’m documenting the journey every step of the way, writing about every restaurant I go to, sharing my experiences of travel, adventure, mishap, and everything in between. You’ll also find other content on the travel blog including interviews with vegan business owners and entrepreneurs, volunteer opportunities with area veg groups and farm animal sanctuaries. The tentative end date is October 28, 2012 which is my 30th birthday. I’m hoping to have an over-the-top charity party dedicated to raising money for a farm animal sanctuary. This big bash will likely take place in NYC – I have to go back to finish eating through that city! I couldn’t do it in one week.
On a deeper level, the trip is so much more than food and travel.
I knew that it would be a unique, once-in-a-lifetime, life changing experience from the start, but I had no idea just how much it would make me a different person. I’m about six months in and I’ve learned so much about myself and I’ve grown in so many ways. Simply being open to dealing with obstacles, allowing for new opportunities, and taking time to get to know myself, how I work, and the person I want to be going forward has been an amazing lesson in self-awareness. My passions, my dreams, and my life are all here, in this little trip. I’m in love with this world I’ve created for myself and love even more that I get to share it with others.
ARS: Traveling and eating vegan food, that sounds like a perfect adventure! Why didn’t I think of doing that? 
If you had an Allison’s Gourmet wish list, what would be on it?
KL: Now THIS is a tough question! Everything I’ve ever had from AG has been wonderful. However, if you’re going to twist my arm, I’ll say that my AG wish list includes: chocolate almond toffee, salted chocolate peanut brittle, vegan peanut butter cups, and peppermint crème patties.
Mmmm… great choices! Thanks for chatting with me, Kristin. Happy travels!
If you or someone you know is having a vegan wedding this year, check out Rose Pedals Vegan Weddings to share your story, get help and advice, and connect with other vegan couples. And, even if you do end baking your own cake, AG would be honored to help by making vegan wedding favors customized just for you!
