Tomorrow is the last day you can enter your beloved companion animal into the Humane Society’s Spay Day Pet Photo Contest. I just entered my lil’ fluffball into the runnings. Here she is looking all majestic and zen. If you are feeling giving, Sophia would love to accept your votes and donations. You could also enter your own best buddy, if you like! It’s a fun, cute, charitable contest. You can even add your entry to your facebook page. I did Here are the details:

It’s free to enter, and there are two easy ways to win:

1) Once you enter your pet’s photo, you’re automatically eligible to win our Judged Category. The celebrity judges will pick a Grand Prize Winner, 10 Finalists, and 25 Honorable Mentions, based on your pet’s photo and story.

2)  You can also choose to participate in our Fundraisers Category — all you have to do is donate to vote for your pet and ask friends and family to vote, too.

Every dollar donated in honor of your pet will help spay and neuter animals around the world — AND give your pet another vote, bringing you closer to winning the Grand Prize in the Fundraisers Category!

Go here if you wish to enter your pet. OR go here if you wish to vote for Sophia.

I must admit, I was pretty sad to leave Este Pizzaria back in Salt Lake City. They make a mean vegan pizza. Mmmmm. I didn’t know if I’d ever find another pizza place that could match such a magically mouthwatering slice of New York style soy cheese. That is, until I discovered Pizza Lucé.

Pizza Lucé is a small chain with locations in uptown and downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and the Seaward/University area. I’ve been to the downtown and uptown locations and love them both. The downtown location is a bigger, cooler looking bar/restaurant and the uptown location is smaller with more of the “your local pizza joint” vibe. Since we live in uptown, Emory and I go to that location more often to indulge in savory pizza at an affordable price. And I’ll probably make it around to the other locations eventually to check out their unique atmospheres.

One thing not too many pizza places offer is a menu filled with vegan options like Mock Sausage Parmigiana, Mock Muffeleta, vegan garlic cheese toast, and vegan Foccacia. I must admit, I haven’t tried anything besides the pizza. I’m simply hooked on the pizza. But they have several vegan and vegetarian dishes, and even vegan chocolate peanut butter bars for dessert. Yum! And if soy cheese isn’t your thing, try their rinotta cheese. It’s a nice nut cheese with a grainier texture, but I’m still a sucker for the soy above all else.

This is one chain I would love to see expand. All major cities (and minor ones) should have a pizza place this delicious to show the world that vegan pizza is not such a scary concept. In fact, people might actually enjoy soy cheese on their pizza. A lot!

I FINALLY started watching the show Weeds recently. I am enjoying it. And I gotta say, Kevin Nealon is still a funny guy. And guess what else? He’s vegan. Way to go, Kev. Actually, he refers to himself as a “cheatin’ vegan” and says he does splurge into vegetarianism occasionally. He even admits to eating fish sometimes. Woops. So I’ll leave it up to the critics to call him a fake-egan, or what have you. But I do still admire that he does the vegan thing, even if it’s not a full-time gig. Because, hey, he’s still doing far more for those animals than most. In addition, he has done promos for PETA. You can see one of his TV ads here:

If we want to delve into the six degrees of Weeds, I would like to also mention that Zooey Deschanel, who plays a kind of eccentric psychotic on the show, is a vegetarian. And her sister, Emily Deschanel, the star of Bones, is a vegan. YAY!! And has been for about 16 years now! Emily is a great activist for veganism and the environment. She stresses how closely linked veganism and environmentalism really are. Here’s a nice clip she has on Sprig.com in which she talks about veganism, being green, and her love of thrifty fashion.

Not all candles are vegan, unfortunately. Which may be disheartening and surprising to hear. There are the more obvious non-vegan candles, like those made of beeswax. If you’re against buying honey, you’d probably be against buying beeswax candles as well. There are also candles that contain stearic acid. This is an additive in candles derived from animal fat. The more old-fashioned way of making candles includes tallow, which comes from the “fatty leftover bits of butchered meats.” Tallow candles are less common now because of the glycerin they contain, which smells bad.

Candles that ARE vegan include soy, hemp, vegetable, and paraffin wax candles. Vegetable wax is thought to be the best because, not only is it a renewable resource, like hemp and soy, but it burns about 50% longer than most candles. So you get more for your money.

For my wedding, which will be on a lake in the Fall, candles will play a big role in the warm, Autumn-colored atmosphere we’re going for. I’m working on finding inexpensive jelly/mason jars, which I will be painting warm, coppery colors, then placing candles inside. I was inspired by this picture.

I was very excited to randomly discover some soy tealights on sale at Target that were just the right colors and smelled lovely. I guess that’s a benefit of soy candles– they have a very powerful smell so you don’t have to be sticking your nose in the flame to get the scent. Of course, since we’ll be outside, they’ll probably still be hard to smell. But hopefully, with the right wind, the guests will pick up on some of the vanilla, brown sugar, melon, mango, and lemon scents wafting through the air…

Another fun, crafty project is making your own candles. I found this on CaringConsumer.com. It teaches you how to make your own soy candles. Could be fun!

Even though it’s a bummer realizing not all candles are vegan, finding alternatives can be fun, educational, and even better than expected. Renewable recources that smell better and burn longer? I don’t mind if I do!

If you work in the hospitality industry, it is often required that you get slip resistant shoes. You know, so you don’t slip on something wet, fall on your tushie, and injure yourself. Unfortunately, slip resistant shoes are almost always leather. It is difficult to find a decent pair of non-slip shoes that:

1. aren’t leather
2. don’t follow the fashion trends of a 90 year old woman’s orthopedic shoes
3. don’t break your bank.

Is that too much to ask for? I don’t think so.

Ragazzi vegan has a couple of options, but they are more expensive and horribly unattractive. I don’t know how they can sell so many awesome shoes, and then get away with selling slip-resistant shoes that are totally boring and ugly Definitely a bummer.

Shoes For Crews, one of the main sellers of slip-resistant footwear also has a couple of options. But again, really?? Your options are basically less attractive Croc knock-offs, steel towed gollashes, and some boots that come straight out of a futuristic video game.

Maybe I’m being too picky. But if a person is going to be wearing these shoes all the time for work, doesn’t that person deserve a pair of shoes they LIKE? Lets move on to the not TECHNICALLY slip-resistant– but known for having great grips– shoes. These shoes from Alternative Outfitters are pretty cute (and I own them). The soles are designed by Jeep®, they are eco-friendly, made out of partially recycled rubber, and have “Superior Traction and Durability.” But I can tell you firsthand: though they may keep you safe on the rocky mountain terrains, they are no match for a puddle of water on the floor. You’ll be slip-sliding away in no time. I think it’s because of the “Signature Translucent Map” on the bottom.

Another route to consider is skate shoes. Assuming the job you have doesn’t care about the slip-resistant seal of approval, skate shoes are certainly a hip route to go. Macbeth makes some pretty cool vegan skate shoes. Like these and these.

But really, the only somewhat decent, officially slip-resistant, non-leather shoes on the market that I’ve found are Crocs. I never thought I’d say it, but thank goodness for Crocs. They sell shoes designed specifially for people who work in hospitality. They’re called Specialist shoes. Sure, they may make your feet look like little boats, but they’re still better than granny shoes. And they’re very affordable.

So there you have it. If you plan on purchasing vegan slip-resistant shoes, you’re in for a bummer of a ride. Hopefully that will change eventually. If any of you out there know of some options I may have missed in my frustrating hours of Googling, please do share.

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Brookfield, Wisconsin recently opened a new gem of a restaurant called Café Manna. I’ve had the pleasure of dining there twice since they opened, and both times I had a euphoric meal paired with excellent service. It’s a somewhat hidden, modest little restaurant with a modern, earthy vibe, and it’s 100% vegetarian. The FIRST 100% vegetarian restaurant in Southeast Wisconsin.

One thing I really love about this restaurant is that they label each dish, indicating if it’s gluten free, vegan, raw, or all of the above! My mom raves about the great food. And even my dad, a hardcore meat eater, loves this restaurant. So that tells you something. If you have non-believers that think vegan dishes can’t possibly be tasty, take them to Café Manna. In addition to great food, they serve organic sulfite-free wines, organic beers, green drinks, almond milk, several flavours of tea, and much more. And if that’s not enough, they use 95% organic ingredients, support sustainable farms, and use eco-friendly building materials. AND they’re the ONLY restaurant in Wisconsin that’s certified by the Green Restaurant Association. Can you hear the angels singing?

So, if you’re in the area, or are willing to head there, I strongly encourage you to stop by and support this lovely little café. You shant be disappointed. And your belly shant be, either.

Café Manna
262-790-2340
3815 N. Brookfield Rd.
Brookfield, Wisconsin 53045