Turby and John » vegan

Foody Friday: Bangin’ Blueberry Banana Bread

Dawn — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:00:28 +0000

Baking is not what I do best, and this is probably because I frequently alter recipes. If I want a sweet treat but am lacking the right kind of flour/sweetener/fruit, then I’ll substitute and rearrange ingredients until things inevitably go awry. Yesterday, however, was a rare and lovely day. I spotted a recipe for vegan blueberry banana bread over at Six One Seven, and I discovered that I actually had almost everything I needed to make it happen! With a little help from Google, I found a substitute for the only ingredient I was missing: Ener-G Egg Replacer. Vinegar and baking soda seemed to work just fine in its place, and I was pleasantly surprised when the bread came out of the oven smelling and tasting delicious. You guys need to try this recipe ASAP!

The Ingredients

By stirring very gently, I managed to avoid turning the batter blue (for the most part).

Tastytown USA

Five Finds

Dawn — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:00:51 +0000

1) My sad little cuticles could really use this hand salve, and I’m comforted by the short list of familiar ingredients.

2) A silk and organic cotton eye mask would make me feel extra fancy while I sleep.

3) This professional set of vegan makeup brushes would be a real upgrade from my current incomplete set.

4) I could fill these BPA-free, #2 recyclable spray bottles with my own homemade household cleaner & fruit and veggie wash!

5) Clementine and Winston are in serious need of some new collars, and these bamboo ones by Wagging Green are eco-friendly and especially stylish.

Sources: Hand Salve, Sleep Mask, Makeup Brushes, Spray Bottles, Dog Collars.

Lavera Volume Mascara in Black Review

Dawn — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:00:21 +0000

Yesterday I reviewed my current party time mascara, and today I’ll be reviewing my current everyday mascara, which is Lavera Volume Mascara in Black.

Ingredients (provided at lavera.com)- “Water, Grain Alcohol*, Sorbitol, Castor Oil*, Grain Alcohol, Jojoba Oil*, Tricaprylin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Hectorite, Lysolecithin, Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Xanthan Gum, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines (Cl 77007)

* indicates ingredients from
Certified Organic agriculture”

I couldn’t find this product in the Cosmetic Safety Database, so I searched the ingredients individually. I’ve linked to the only ingredient that has a hazard score higher than a three, which is grain alcohol. It’s also listed twice, and I can only assume this is because some of it’s organic and some is not…?

Some great things about this product:

1. It’s formulated without Parabens.

2. It’s vegan.

3. It contains organic ingredients.

Product Description (provided at lavera.com)- ”Lavera Volume Mascara with Advanced Shaping Brush adds lasting volume & length to lashes for beautiful, bright eyes! Nourishing extracts of Organic Jojoba & Wild Rose Oils deeply hydrate allowing flake-free volume throughout the whole day. This pure, paraben-free and heavy-metal-free formula rinses off with a mild cleanser and is ideal even for very sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Your personal assistant for tired looking eyes.”

Price- $17.98-$20.00 for 0.21 oz.

Performance- My favorite aspect of this mascara is that it doesn’t clump, even after several coats. Sometimes I go a little mascara crazy, so having a mascara that doesn’t clump is nice. It’s lightweight and subtle, and it successfully gives my lashes volume, definition, and color without making me look like I’m in a beauty pageant.

Scent- It smells a little less like dirt and a little more like brownies than Light, Camera, Lashes! Honestly, though, who ever has a mascara wand close enough to their nose for a long enough period of time for it to matter?

Rating- I have no complaints, so 10/10.

Would I purchase this item again?- I’m sure that I will, eventually. Since I can purchase it at Target, it’s one of my most convenient options.

Click the link to purchase your own tube of Lavera Volume Mascara!

I am not a baby cow, or why veganism isn’t stupid

Dawn — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:33:52 +0000

As a new year’s resolution, I decided to cut dairy out of my diet.Why on earth would I do that? To make a long story short, I am not a baby cow. To make a short story long, milk is completely unnecessary. I can just as easily get calcium from almonds, oatmeal, wholemeal bread, dried figs, parsley, or kale (and the list goes on). Protein can be found in bread, pasta, brown rice, sunflower/sesame/pumpkin seeds, peas, beans lentils, tofu (among other things). Vitamin B12, a vitamin found in milk, can be incorporated into a dairy-free diet with certain cereals, soya milks or other fortified soy products, fortified yeast extracts, or a vegan B12 supplement. Riboflavin is not found in milk alone. You can also get a healthy dose of it by eating mushrooms, almonds, whole grains, and cruciferous vegetables ( such as collard greens, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and rutabaga). Phosphorus, another nutrient in milk, is also found in artichokes (one of the tastiest foods ever), asparagus, broccoli, butternut squash, corn, and lima beans.

My reason for giving up cheese is simple. Not only is it made from milk, an unhealthy part of any diet, but it also makes my bowel movements irregular… and I want no part of anything that interferes with something as natural and important as a bowel movement.

I still eat fish, eggs, and honey. This means that I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian. Regardless, I have no doubt that if done correctly…a vegan diet is an ideal diet.