Our adorable, newly-engaged friends, Matt and Darcie, just bought a fantastic home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The hubs and I stopped by to see their new digs over the weekend. They took us out to brunch at a super cool restaurant called Honeypie. Several of the menu items can be made vegan, and all dishes are home-made and mid-western inspired. And guess what else? They make their own VEGAN CUPCAKES!! I wanted one so bad. They looked absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, I had canker sores in my mouth that were staunchly advising me against having any sugar. So, reluctantly, I obliged them. But next time I go to Milwaukee, you can bet I’ll be getting one! See their vegan dessert menu here.

Instead, I had a lovely curry tofu salad sandwich. Num-num! See brunch menu here.

The restaurant itself is hip, stylish, and bustling! It has a great outdoor seating area in the back that smells of cedar. My friend Darcie, who had a huge hand in Wisconsin going smoke-free, pointed out that even their outdoor seating is non-smoking

On the inside, the walls are adorned with some eerie old black and white photos and… there may be a few taxidermied animals on the walls as well. What can I say? It’s traditional mid-western decor. A little off-putting, but they DO make some amazing vegan food, so I think that makes up for it.

If you’re in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend it.

HONEYPIE
2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Milwaukee WI 53207
(414) 489-PIES (7437)

photo by tunnelarmr

Well, I haven’t posted in a little while, and since I’m not doing the work I need to get done this evening anyway, I thought I’d say hello.

I’d venture to say this is the busiest summer I’ve ever had. I am taking three classes (one online), working about 25 hours a week, trying to study for my GREs ( I need to take the general one and the psychology subject test) and I’m getting outside whenever I can because it’s summer and it’s great! On my long days, I get to school at 9:30am and get home around 9pm (yikes!). On my shorter days, I get to school around 10am and get home around 4pm. On these shorter days, I like to walk home. When I walk home, I’ve calculated I walk at least 3 miles a day. I’ve managed to get pretty tan already this summer. Hooray!

Though I’m busy, I must say, I’m pretty darn happy. I’m in school, which I love. I’m working in the psychology department as a research assistant, which will look good on my grad school application. I’m making money (hello, old friend) and I actually like my job!

With such a wacky schedule, I generally pack a Zip-lock lunch every day. Unfortunately, my lunches are lacking in…zest. My go-to meal is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a thermos of coffee. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of the ol’ PB&J. Sometimes I switch it up and do a little bag of trail mix or maybe a granola bar and a thermos of coffee (I like my coffee). If I’m being naughty, my lunch is a vegan cookie by Alternative Baking Company from the Gopher Express quick mart. That place has a surprising number of vegan options for how small it is. And, yet, I consistently pick the item with the most sugar. Is a sweet tooth genetic?

Needless to say, my lunches are pretty shameful these days. But don’t worry, I take multivitamins every morning, and make sure to eat fruits and veggies when I’m at home.

I guess what I’d love to know is: what do you guys eat for lunch? What’s your favorite go-to meal? Even if you think it’s less exciting than mine, please, do share Lets pool our ideas together and jazz up our lunches! Hooray!!

If you’re in the Minneapolis area, you should know there is going to be a week-long “Nerd Party” at 2441 Lyndale Ave. S. from June 15th – June 21st with all sorts of fun/nerdy events going on (my personal favorite being a Freaks & Geeks marathon). Thanks to Boneshaker Books’ Storefront-in-a-box summer rental, people get to rent the bookstore space for a week at a time for only $200 to do with as they please. And “do with as they please” = nerd party.

What does this have to do with veganism, you ask? Well, there must be a positive correlation between vegans and nerds, because they’re having a week-long vegan bake sale!! How often do you hear “vegan” and “bake sale” in the same sentence? Other than in sentences like, “Boy, I sure wish more bake sales had vegan items.”

So come on down to get a little nerdy and a lot of vegan baked goods (or vice versa).

Thanks to my dear friend, Poot (who lives in Boston, not Minneapolis) for telling me about this amazing opportunity.

Édouard Manet’s The Dead Toreador, 1864

You may have heard about the recent news of bullfighter Julio Aparicio getting gored in the throat during a fight. If you ask me, he had it coming. Bullfighting is an absolutely horrid blood sport. Don’t torture animals and expect them not to defend themselves. Of course, immediately after the incident, the bull was killed. Aparicio’s life was saved. Here’s a link to the Huffington Post article complete with graphic photos and video. The photos are a bit hard to swallow (I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it), but it’s also pretty miraculous. I mean, the horn went up through his chin, then through his tongue, and came out through his mouth. And Aparicio was able to get up and walk away from the incident. It’s almost as miraculous as the case of Phineas Gage.

photo by EJP

I was out with some friends on Friday, enjoying some drinks and engaging in deep existential conversation. Well, not really. But good convo, nonetheless. Anyway, as the night progressed, the inevitable happened: it was time to start taking shots. Now, I suffer from acid reflux, and have learned that I simply cannot stomach shots like I used to. So, I decided that would be the end of the line for me. As the rest of the group took their shots and attempted to gently nudge me into taking a shot with them, I held my ground. And then one of my friends said, “If you take a shot, I will go vegetarian for a whole week!” And another friend chimed in, “Me, too!”, and then a third!

My decision was simple. I gladly accepted the free shot of alcohol in exchange for 3 people going vegetarian for a week.

I’m excited! I can’t wait to hear how it goes for them. My friend, Amanda, said she’s been bored with her usual fare, and thought this would be a great way to change things up a bit. I think it will be a fun challenge for them all. So, yesterday I gave them a bunch of veggie resources for recipes, and restaurants, etc. (shamelessly linking to my blog whenever possible). Let the fun begin!!

To be continued…

My sister, a hardcore runner, sent me this link. Anna Finn is a vegan runner who holds the world record for being the youngest woman to complete 100 marathons! WOW! And she shows no signs of stopping. She recently completed 10 marathons in 10 days!! And received a world record for her time!  Now, you know you have to get proper nutrition in order to even consider accomplishing that. It just goes to show, yet again, that a vegan diet can work, even for extreme athletes.

Check out her long list of  2009 races. It’s pretty jaw-dropping.

Also check out her blog to see her latest, and longest, race of 145 miles in which she actually had to walk 110 of those miles because of a knee injury. But she was determined to finish! Pretty incredible.  Heed caution: she shows pics of some pretty incredible blisters.