PinnedMember-onlyTen Common Features of Successful Longtime VegansA couple of years ago, I posted this question to my Facebook friends: “I’m curious: for those who have been vegan for more than five years, what factors do you attribute to your longevity as a vegan? There are many things that tempt people away from veganism, from a desire…Vegan10 min readVegan10 min read
PinnedMember-onlyThirty Days of New Vegan Tips for World Vegan MonthHere are fresh tips for each day in November to celebrate World Vegan Day (November 1) and World Vegan Month. With so many benefits and so much at stake, there has never been a better time to embrace your inner-herbivore. November 1/Day 1 There are so many amazing resources for new and transitioning…Vegan15 min readVegan15 min read
Jan 18Member-onlyOf Pecking and Poking: The Moments that Change Us for a LifetimeIt’s probably that new year, short-days/long-nights rumination mode happening, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about a crossroads moment in my life. Do you ever think about those watershed experiences in your life? Defining, though perhaps outwardly humdrum, incidents that reordered your life, altered your perspective, changed your trajectory…Compassion8 min readCompassion8 min read
Dec 16, 2022Member-only25 Vegan Hanukkah Recipes to Light Up Your LifeThis year, Hanukkah officially starts Sunday, December 18 and ends Monday, December 26, totally overlapping with this other lesser-known holiday that a few people celebrate on December 25. Whatever! Hanukkah’s food traditions are often centered around the symbols of miracles, specifically with how the oil used in the menorah to…Recipe2 min readRecipe2 min read
Dec 9, 2022Member-onlyA Little Bit Naughty and a Little Bit Nice: 12 Days of Vegan Christmas Recipes from Eggnog to Yule LogsThere is no reason you have to give up the food traditions that you remember fondly. With an open mind and a willingness to experiment a little, you can find perfect vegan alternatives to treasured food memories. I have collected vegan versions of 12 classic Christmas drinks and dishes for…Vegan1 min readVegan1 min read
Oct 7, 2022Member-onlyVegan Kitchen MagicHow my grandmother’s spirit infused me with a love of kitchen witchery I got my introduction to kitchen witchery at my grandmother’s little table. This sounds more mysterious and wild than it was, but it was still essential to my development. My grandmother was not a witch, at least not…Vegan5 min readVegan5 min read
Sep 7, 2022Member-onlyBack to School (or Any Time) Vegan Lunch Roundup: 20 Fun and Easy Meals for Every LunchboxIt’s September: Let’s get those lunches planned. When my son was in elementary school, I started out making cute lunches inspired by the ol’ Vegan Lunch Box blog in the aughts but quickly discovered that both my son and I liked quick and easy meals more than we did visually…Vegan2 min readVegan2 min read
Aug 5, 2022Member-onlyWhat We Mean When We Talk About GriefI am one of those people who keeps a paper calendar on the wall near my desk. I’m not so old school that I don’t also keep electronic reminders of upcoming meetings and important dates, but I have never quite been able to kick the habit of having an actual…Pets5 min readPets5 min read
Jul 13, 2022Member-onlyBack-to-the-Basics Veganism: Six Ways to Make it Easier and Less ExpensiveNo, I am not going to tell you to eat more silken tofu, don’t worry. — Even though in many ways, it’s easier than ever to be vegan today, a lot of times I think I could benefit to go back to the basics of living as a vegan in the 1990s. Not only is simplifying in this way better for my wallet and probably my…Vegan5 min readVegan5 min read
Jul 5, 2022Member-onlyA Tale of Two Illinois Towns and Two July 4 ParadesThey were 30 miles apart but the lack of gun safety laws means everything is in our own backyard — In 1976, novelist, memoirist and essayist Joan Didion wrestled to the ground what compelled her to write in a piece called “Why I Write,” which was excerpted from a collection of hers and published in the New York Times. It’s a great essay. You can find it online. …Guns6 min readGuns6 min read
