After a jump into the 60s last week, today’s 40 degree weather felt very chilly. It’s time for cold weather comfort foods! Soup, roasted vegetables, creamed kale, indulgent breakfast, and vegan grilled cheese are all on my “to make” list this winter. All recipes are dairy and egg free. Visit my Vegan Recipes & Foods Pinterest board for more cooking inspiration!
1. Creamed Kale by Quiche-a-Week view recipe
—->Kale’s nutritional benefits: iron, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and antioxidants!
2. Smoked Tofu Benedict by The Pear & the Purple Peach view recipe
—->Nutritonal yeast is loaded with B vitamins and this recipe also uses my favorite superfood: kale.
3. French Onion Soup & Vegan Grilled Cheese by Olives for Dinner view recipe
—->Onions are known for their anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties in addition to many other health benefits!
4. Bell Pepper Corn Soup by Eating Richly view recipe
—->Bell pepper nutritional benefits: tons of vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoids, and antioxidants.
5. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Balsamic Syrup by Lauren’s Latest view recipe
—->Brussels sprouts nutritional benefits: vitamin A, vitamin C, folacin, potassium, calcium, phytochemicals, and protein!
Happy Birthday, Maria Callas! Maria, one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of all time, would have turned 90 years old today. She was born Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos in NYC to parents George and Evangelia Kalogeropoulos. Her parents had just emigrated from Greece to New York in August of that year! Her father shortened her last name to Callas when she was 6 years old. She began piano lessons at 9 years old and before she was even 16 years old she was accepted into the National Conservatory in Athens. At age 18, she made her professional operatic debut as Beatrice in Boccacio!
Here are 2 incredible Maria Callas videos to watch in her honor today:
Happy December! Can you think of 10 songs with “December” in the title or lyrics? It’s not as easy as I thought it would be! Below are my top 10 December songs.
These gift ideas are perfect if you’re looking for a way to give to charity while giving to your loved ones!
1. Superfruit Lip Balm by Peacekeeper Cause-Metics (view online) “Peacekeeper Cause-Metics is the first cosmetics line to donate all of its after-tax, distributable profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues.”
2. Youth Hoot Beanie by Krochet Kids Intl. (view online) “With every product you purchase, you are helping Krochet Kids provide women in Uganda or Peru with fair and consistent income, skills training and mentorship.”
3. Beech Wood Troubadour Headphones by LSTN (view online) “For every pair sold, LSTN helps restore hearing to a person in need through the Starkey Hearing Foundation.”
4. Species Adoption by World Wildlife Fun (view online) “Your symbolic adoption supports WWF’s global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats.” Choose from over 100 species to adopt! For a $50 donation, you’ll receive a plush animal, adoption certificate, photo, and species info card!
5. Hope Soy Candle by Juara (view online) “10% of proceeds from this candle will be donated to Walubi charity relief organization dedicated to aiding Indonesian disaster relief efforts.”
6. Gold + Silver Dust Set by SAME SKY (view online) “SAME SKY provides jobs globally for women struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. Instead of a handout, we believe in giving a hand-up and the tools to become self-sufficient. Trained as artisans, SAME SKY women earn 15 to 20 times the average wage in Sub Saharan Africa. 100% of net proceeds are reinvested to train and employ more artisans in need.”
7. Navy Navia Throw by JADEtribe (view online) “With every item you purchase, you are helping JADETribe provide financial opportunity for women in Southeast Asia and support the artisitic and cultural tradition of textile weaving.”
8. Just Like You by the Just Like You Foundation (view online) 100% of the profits of this amazing book go to charity. You can choose which charity you would like to donate to at checkout!
9. Charity Pot Hand & Body Lotion by LUSH Cosmetics (view online) “Every penny (yes, every single penny) that you pay for a pot, excluding the tax, goes to fund and support grassroots charities all around the world.”
10. Earthwise Rust Men’s Vegan Classics by TOMS (view online) “With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for One.”
11. Grey Ikat Women’s Vegan Classics by TOMS (view online)
12. Earthwise Cranberry Bimini Tiny Vegan Classics by TOMS (view online)
This weekend, when looking into adopting a turkey for this Thanksgiving via Farm Sanctuary, I realized I’d never really learned much about turkeys! So… I did a little research about the bird and created this “Turkey Fun Facts” sheet for kids.
This Thanksgiving craft for kids is so simple to make! All you need is the printable template, scissors, an empty toilet paper roll, and double-stick tape or glue. I printed my template on brochure paper for sturdier feathers but regular printer paper works as well. Click the link below to view, save, and print the “Create Your Own Turkey” PDF and click through for step by step instructions!
Create Your Own Turkey PDF {printable craft from The Bird Feed}
(Post No Bills-Variations on a Theme, NYC click to enlarge)
“Post No Bills” announcements cover NYC construction sites… always covered with bills and graffiti. This is my favorite finding of poetic defacement of a block full of those signs!
photo credit: Carina Zimmerman
American singer/songwriter and guitarist Jeff Buckley was born on November 17, 1966 in Anaheim, California and was raised as Scotty Moorhead. When he was only 8 years old, his biological father, Tim Buckley (a singer/songwriter) died of a drug overdose. After his father’s death, “Scotty” started using his real first name and father’s last name: Jeffrey Scott Buckley. In the 1990s, Jeff was part of the NYC music scene in Lower Manhattan. He was known for playing covers by a diverse mix of artists like Led Zepellin, Bob Dylan, Édith Piaf, Elton John, The Smiths, and Leonard Cohen. “Hallelujah”, his 1994 cover of the 1984 Leonard Cohen song, is probably his best-known. Watch the video below and share in his honor today!
It’s like a maternity fashion show on the Upper East Side of Manhattan! Gorgeous moms-to-be are flaunting their bodies in beautiful shape-conscious clothing, without compromising comfort. Lately, I’ve noticed more and more looks popping up from Isabella Oliver, the chicest maternity wear line out there. Celebrities like Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Gwen Stefani, and Halle Berry all have been spotted in Isabella Oliver. The best part about shopping Isabella Oliver is that they use a lettering system to let you know if the clothing can be worn post-pregnancy, and most of it can! Here’s what to look for when shopping on their site:
P- PREGNANT perfect during pregnancy
A- AFTER nursing or just after birth
F- FOREVER wear even when not pregnant
Here are some of my favorite new looks from the brand:
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-On the first day open, 51,694 vehicles passed through the tunnel! Cars paid 50 cents, motorcycles paid 25 cents, and trucks paid up to $2.00. (source/source)
-The tunnel cost $54,000,000- equivalent to around $700,000,000 today! (source)
-The tunnel took 7 years to complete, with construction beginning on February 1, 1920. (source)
-Number of ceiling tiles: 3.1 million | Number of wall tiles: 2.9 million (source)
Keep reading to view old photos of the tunnel under construction and its early days!
Last week, we hosted our first annual Halloween Costume Party at TLB Music! Our amazing staff teamed up to transform our music studio and playspace with giant cobwebs, bats, jack-o-lanterns, lights, balloons, LED candles, and more. We created a Trick-or-Treat table filled with yummy vegan sweets like YumEarth lollipops, Dandies Marshmallows, Newman’s Own Cookies, and fruit. I also baked almost 300 mini brownies! (Brownies are so easy to veganize: just substitute eggs with flax eggs in any brownie recipe.) Continue reading to see my photos from the party!
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[Spring Street Pigeon, NYC click to enlarge]
I have a thing for pigeons so I was excited when I spotted this Staple Design pigeon sticker on a building under construction on Spring and Thompson Streets. I love the colors on the image behind the sticker! Makes the pigeon look a bit like a red-feathered peacock, don’t you think?
photo credit: Carina Zimmerman
On November 1, 1946, the first NBA (then called the BAA) basketball game took place in Toronto. The game was The New York Knicks against the Toronto Raptors at Maple Leaf Gardens and the event drew in over 7000 spectators, most who knew very little about basketball! The Knicks won 68-66. Some fun facts I learned today:
-Basketball players salaries were around $5000 per season.*
-The first BAA teams paid a $10,000 franchise fee.*
-If you were taller than the tallest Raptors player (6 ft 8 in), you could attend the opening game for free!
*Source: “The First Game” by Sam Goldaper on the NBA Encyclopedia.
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