Happy Friday, cats and kittens! I hope you had a beautiful, fulfilling week and are gearing up for an amazing weekend. Amidst the chaos of my life and doing things like starting my own business and decorating my office, I have stumbled across some things that I have fallen head over heels for. You could call it obsessive, but I just call it adoration. Here some amazing things that have recently made me crazy happy.

Coconut
I love coconut! Coconut ice cream, coconut water, coconut milk, coconut oil. If it comes from a coconut, I’ve happily ingested it. Did you know that coconut milk makes your coffee taste like a cappuccino? Fascinating!

Pinterest
Pinterest is a new site that allows you to create digital inspiration boards from any online image with a simple click! I have a million random photos on my desktop and I can hardly remember where they came from or what they are inspiring me to do. Pinterest helps keep my OCD in check by allowing me save each image to a specific board, tag it and also link back to the original source. Although i’m super busy right now, I keep daydreaming about when I will have a few hours to wreak havoc on my Pinterest boards. Here’s what I got so far.

Uncalendar
Oh…my..god. I already know that this is my favorite purchase of 2011. It is the ultimate organizational tool. When it comes to scheduling and planning I am very much a hands-on type of girl. I don’t do well with digital calendars and planners, I need to sink my pen into it.   My Uncalendar leaves room for all of my insanity. I can write dates in, prioritize, take notes, brainstorm, keep track of habits and plan my goals for the day, week, month and year. I used to carry 3 separate notebooks in my bag to keep track of my goals, but now I don’t need them. The only problem with Uncalendar is – it is not very pretty! It only comes in lame colors and the tabs and typography are all in primary colors. However the functionality of this thing more than makes up its lack of aesthetics. Nothing a little glue and glitter can’t fix!

Forks Over Knives
I was lucky enough to catch a screening of Forks Over Knives a few weeks ago in downtown Portland. It was only supposed to run for a week but is still going strong THREE weeks later!  This movie impressed me with it’s straight to the point facts and statistical analysis from Dr. Colin T. Campbell (The China Study). You can watch people suffering from diabetes and heart disease turn it around and head towards recovery via a plant based diet!  The cold hard facts on the screen are hard to ignore and the movie was very well done. If you haven’t had a chance to catch it yet, don’t worry! Forks Over Knives makes its wide release on March 11.

Electroswing
My new musical fascination! Its electronic music mixed with swing and the result is pure fun. Check out Parov Stelar, Caravan Palace and Waldeck. I’m brand new to this genre – does anybody have a recommendation?

Crazy Sexy Diet
I don’t know if this officially counts, because I haven’t read it yet. But I can’t stop thinking about this book. I love Kris Carr and all that she does. Her blog is amazing. She is terribly cute. She  does wonderful things for people suffering from disease and ailments by providing them with the knowledge that there is an alternative (or at least a supplement) to modern medicine.  I’ve been wanting to up my healthy eating ante and I think this book will be the perfect catalyst.

So what about you? What are you totally, absolutely, heads over heels in love with right now?

—-

Guess what? Chic Vegan is currently looking for regular contributors to add to the dynamic and community of the site! Ideal candidates would already have their own established blog, be passionate about saving animals and be willing and able to contribute 2+ times a month. Sound like you? Go here for more info!

The post Happy Friday! Stuff I Love Right Now appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Want some free hemp goodies? Living Harvest, a Portland-based company that makes delicious and nutritious products from hemp, has asked Chic Vegan to give away an awesome little package of their Tempt products including hemp milk, a coupon for free ice cream and protein powder – all in the flavors of your choice! They are also including a tote bag and t-shirt made from hemp. (The tee is so soft and comfy – I wear it to bed regularly.) All in all, an awesome little package. Living Harvest makes the only hemp products I ever buy. True story!

So, I’m not going to make you jump through too many hoops for this. All you have to do to enter is:

– “Like” Living Harvest on Facebook

– Tweet “Enter to win the Tempt hemp giveaway at @chic_vegan http://bit.ly/ctnL8W ”

-Leave a comment below, letting me know you did both.

Bonus: If you sign up for The Sunday Spectacular I’ll enter you twice! (new sign ups only!)

The deadline is next Friday, the 29th!

Happy Friday!

It has been ridiculously long since I have done a Happy Friday post. So much has happened in the past few weeks that I feel as if 3 years have passed. Time is a strange and tricky beast!

It all started about 3 weeks ago when I embarked on my journey to the East Coast. I headed up to Albany NY where I spent some time with Kristin Lajuenesse and after a series of stressful events emceed the Vegetarian Expo’s first ever vegan fashion show! The show went well, all the models were stunning and of course the clothing was gorgeous,  but I discovered something important that I pretty much already knew.. public speaking is not for me. I’ll stick to hiding in the shadows and then suspending myself from the ceiling in the spotlight. A special nod of respect to those that can effortlessly entertain a crowd with witty remarks and confident poise. You are awesome!

Next, I took the train from Albany to NYC. If you ever get a chance to do this, I highly recommend it. The drive along the Hudson was absolutely stunning. From there I headed down to Philadelphia to pay a surprise visit to my family! I had a wonderfully relaxing week with my parents and my nieces (how can children grow so much in 6 months?). Doodlebug and I spent a lot of time reading, going for walks and visiting with friends. It was all very nice, but I was beyond ecstatic to get back to Portland. I love my new home!

My brother flew back to Portland with us and spent a week on our couch! I missed him so much and was glad to spend a week showing him around all of the goodies Portland has to offer. We headed to Cannon Beach to visit Haystack Rock, saw random sea lions (and the Goonies house!) in Astoria, hiked some genuine Oregon trails at the Gorge, visited Multnomah falls, went to every comic book and zine shop in the city and ate like kings! All in all, a good week. My brother left on Saturday, and although I was sad to see him go, I was happy to get back to a normal schedule after almost 3 weeks of travel and adventure. I am now slowly getting back to exercising, working  and eating like a human.

Things that made me squeal with delight:

– See everything above!

– Launching The Ethical Girl’s Guide to Being Vegan and Fabulous and getting amazing feedback from all kinds of wonderful people.

– My new digi camera! I just ordered it and haven’t received it yet, but I am just so excited to get a new camera. I have had the same point and shoot for embarassingly long and most camera phones have a better resolution! *hangs head in shame*

– My amazingly supportive, adorable and kind man who put his life on hold for 3 weeks to be with me and be the assertive counterpart that I sometimes need.

– October! Isn’t it the best? The colors. The weather. The food. Nothing beats it.

-Wearing my badass 70’s lion outfit to go see Die Antwoord right down the street!

Have a glorious weekend! Show your family some love, make something new and relax for a bit. Oh and go download my free eBook. It’s awesome.

The post Happy Friday! Catching Up and A Tempt Giveaway! appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Oh my, is it Friday again already? I’m happy to say I have been keeping up the habit of writing in my Happy Notebook everyday. Right now I am just using a Moleskine Cahier notebook but it is almost all used up. I want to switch to something more fun and functional like Ecosystem or Filofax. I have an unhealthy addiction to notebooks and stationary: The design, the endless ideas that can be written upon them.. its just fascinating! Ok enough of my geekiness, lets move on to the happies for this week.

• Surprises! Doodles snuck out and bought me this amazing fish necklace that I was eyeing up at a vintage store last week. He pulled the old “can you get something out of the glove box for me” routine. So cute!  And the necklace is beautiful. <3
• The Oatmeal. I’ve been following The Oatmeal’s brilliant cartoons/info-graphics/quizzes forever, but I spent hours the other day looking through the site and cracking up. Such brilliance!
• All of the beautiful, inspiring and intelligent ladies in the world. It seems like after a long time of women being caddy, conniving and unsupportive with each other, there is finally a resurgence of women who love and respect themselves and other women. The sense of community is beautiful!
• Feeling better. I’m back to a regular workout routine and feeling good! My cough is almost gone too. Hooray!
• Art In The Dark. Nothing like a spectacular late-night aerial show right smack in the middle of downtown Portland on a beautiful summer night. Thanks A-wol!

What topped your list of happies this week?

Raw Food Adventure Recap

So I am over 5 days into the Raw Food Adventure and feeling lovely! To be quite honest it has been a little hard because I was getting some crazy cravings earlier in the week. I wanted rice noodles and burritos like crazy. This timely article on Crazy Sexy Life about overcoming your cravings really helped me out. However, they seem to have mostly subsided and everything is resuming normally. Mostly,  I feel slightly more energetic and an overall sense of better health. Since I eat a (mostly) high raw diet anyway the results have not been profound…yet. Some highlights and food staples of the past week have been:

• Green Juice. Apple, ginger, lemon, kale. Spinach, kale, apple, ginger. All delicious. All so good for you. If possible, one green juice a day will have you feeling marvelous.
• Blossoming Lotus. Some of you may know that I work here part time, so I have a slight advantage when it comes to readily available raw foods. My faves are the Live Falafel Wrap, Live Taco Salad and the random amazing raw cheesecakes from Freshly Wild. If you are in the Portland area, stop by and say hello!
• Big-ass salads. I’m having fun concocting huge salads made from random local organic produce I am picking up at the abundance of farmer’s markets around town. I’m experimenting with different dressings like tahini-dill, vinaigrettes and cashew cream.
• Livin’ Spoonful crackers. Seriously – these are the best raw-sprouted crackers I have ever had.  Sunny Garden Herb?  To die for!  This is a local company so I’m not sure if they are available everywhere, but you can buy them online.

I have thankfully gotten back to exercising after a brief hiatus when I was sick. My body is so thankful for this! It is proving difficult for me to plan a regular workout regimen since my current work schedule is really scattered. I haven’t committed to everyday meditation yet, but I am taking time aside everyday to rest and reflect.

Are you doing your own Raw Adventure this month?  How is it going?  Tell me about your ups and downs and yummy food finds in the comments!

*I don’t remember where the top photo came from! If you know then email me please.

The post Happy Friday! Raw Food Recap! appeared first on Chic Vegan.

• The triumphant return of the Happy Notebook. I have been neglecting my own much-touted advice of keeping a gratitude notebook. I have now rescued it from the depths of my bag!  Welcome back Happy Notebook! I promise I’ll never leave you again.
• Exploring the Columbia River Gorge. This includes waterfalls, crystal clear swimming holes, islands, Indian burial grounds, and endless hiking trails.  The gorge seems so secluded and vast that everywhere you go, you feel like you are the first person to ever discover it! It is fun to pretend you are spending the day in your own private sanctuary.
• My Alice In Wonderland mug with disappearing Cheshire Cat (and visible grin!)! I got the mug from a cute little shop in Seaside. It was an impulse buy, but totally worth it because it makes my morning maté so special!
• The Stereomood melancholy channel. Sometimes it is wonderful to just embrace your mood with music. This play list hit the spot.
• Feeling my creative energy bubbling. Have you ever felt something big growing inside of you, although you had no idea what it was? Lately I’ve had this lovely feeling of burgeoning creativity. I can’t wait until it arrives.
• Being walking distance to over 5 incredibly unique and independent movie theaters. I take way more impromptu “movie breaks” to watch indie flicks than I probably should.

What made you mind-numbingly happy this week? What about a little bit giddy? Share your happies with me, I needs them!

So, are you guys excited to be embarking on the Raw Food Adventure? Or maybe just start eating a bit healthier? Lets do this!

The post Happy Friday List of Happies! appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Happy Friday! I hope everyone is enjoying their peak summer and relaxing in sunbeams every chance they get. As another week comes to a close, lets reflect on what has made us happy and thankful to be alive these past 7 days! My list:

• Spending an absolutely gorgeous summer day on the top of an extinct volcano, reading a book in the nook of a tree.
• Meeting tons of amazing and like-minded people online and off.
• Getting the news that I will be emceeing the Vegan Fashion Show at the Veg Expo ! !!! ! (More details coming soon!)
• Listening to Warpaint.
• Summer in Portland, which is apparently the world’s best kept secret.
• Getting a much needed makeover. (New hair! pics soon…)
• Finding out I’ll be doing my first PDX aerial performance next month!

What is your happy list? Please share! Your happies make me happy!

Raw Food Prep!

The Raw Food Adventure is only 2 weeks away! Are you ready? I’m not! Lets start now, shall we?

Starting today I will be cutting out refined sugar, caffeine and processed foods to prepare my body for the cleanse that will occur from eating raw foods for a month.  I don’t eat much of those things now, but I need to say goodbye to my morning coffee and random sugary treats. If you need to cut out caffeine too, try switching to green tea or mate to help ease crashes.

I’m also going to start exercising more, namely cardio. This is so I will sweat more and get my pre-detox on. I’m not sure if this is scientifically accurate,  but it works for me! Sweating is my favorite thing to do, but then again, I’m a weirdo.

This week I’ll be planning out and writing down my meal plan for the whole entire month. I will be including a prep schedule in this too, because it’s just easier that way. I will be sharing my plan with you, but you may want to create your own to fit your specific needs, goals and preferences.

Blog Love

• The Absolute Best All-Natural Deodorants
• The Art of Finding Truly Ethical Clothing on a Budget
• Simply Satisfying: Carrot Almond Salad
• A Raw Food Adventure: Join Me!
• What Is The True Price of Cheap Clothing? (Part 1)
• 5 Deliciously Addicting Snack Recipes

Don’t forget! I’m still doing free consulting. I’ve gotten so many wonderful emails so far. I’d love to hear from you and help you out.

image from yay!everyday

The post Happy Friday! Sharing Happies and Raw Food Prep! appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Just to let you know, our newsletter is now being sent out once a week and is called the “Sunday Spectacular!”. If you are not signed up yet, make sure you do (look up and to the right)! There are  many, many more changes and exciting things happening with Chic vegan, I don’t even know where to start. So, I guess I’ll just leave you in anticipation!

Have a gorgeous holiday weekend… filled with BBQ tempeh and abundant relaxation.

CV love <3

• The Delusion of Dairy
• MuiChic: Unique and Sustainable Jewelry
• Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Punching Fear In The Face
• Detox Your Spring Cleaning
• Creating Perfect Eyes and Lips

Around the Interwebs

Guess What? I am a Portland Health & Beauty Examiner now! Check out my first Article: Get a Clear Complexion From The Inside Out

Sign this petition to shut down Conklin Dairy Farms NOW!

What you should know about buying a bike.

Papaya Doughnuts, Lime Agave, Sunflower Sprinkles!

Seven tips to help your garden flourish

Lentil Stuffed Romano Peppers with Vegan Cheese Sauce!

The 13 Most RIDICULOUS tweets from fake BP Twitter account

Cri De Coeur shoes for under $100!! Squee!

Tanning without the toxins! Because everyone looks better bronze and toxin-free!

The drumbrella! Want!

Good news! Dark chocolate contains more iron than beef!

The post Happy Friday! appeared first on Chic Vegan.

My week was filled with brand new experiences, as well as a whole lot of gratitude for life and what it brings. I hope yours was filled with magic and adventure. What really made you happy this week? My list:

– Linchpin by Seth Godin
-Bubble Baths
-Portland’s Bizarrely bi-polar spring
-Starting an inspiration folder
-Vegan bake sales
– Sweet emails from friends back home

Chic Vegan Love

• Give Your Feet A Makeover! – Gross feet? Nothing a pedicure and some hot shoes can’t fix.
• The Ultimate Veggie Burger – Super easy veggie burger sans the neuro-toxins.
• Foundation: Creating The Perfect Base – featuring some amazing good-for-you products.
• Get social! Finding and Friending the Veg-minded -Your vegan guide to the social web!
• Etsy Love: Flirty Springtime Dresses – Adorable, handmade dresses <3
• Every Day Is Earth Day! -Celebrate the Earth in all of it’s wonder.
• Neatball Bowls: For Busy People on a Budget – Delicious, and versatile!
• Beautiful Bare Skin: Inside and Out – Create perfect skin with a healthy lifestyle, diet, and great products!
• Newsletter: Retro Styles Recreated, and Raw Macaroons – You should probably sign up for our newsletter now.

Around the Veggie-webs

• Ethical sneakers for you sporty types. I heart Jingas so much!
• They’re called Vegetables – get over it. – An awesome open-letter written by an omnivore to other omnivores that hate on vegan food.
• Today’s mission: Love the earth and all of it’s overwhelming beauty.
• Show Off Your Vintage Eco Style with HUMANWEAR – I love the “Human being” shirt!
• Short film.. by an octopus.
• Cherry Berry handbags.. so cute!
• Raw veggie stir fry. Mmm parsnip rice!
• Manufacturing Content -AKA: You Can’t Buy Happiness.
• Win some LUSH stuff from ecosalon
• Gluten-Free Quinoa Breakfast Bars with Blueberries
• 7 incredible Natural Phenomenons

Please share the highlights/findings of your week!!

Photo by Eskil Olsen

The post Happy Friday! Link Party! appeared first on Chic Vegan.

– Mark Ryden
– Elderly couples that hold hands
– impromptu (vegan) doughnut runs at 11pm.
– finally working out on a regular basis again.
– aerialists in Pioneer Square
– funemployment
– Washington state and its profound beauty
– Thrifting! (a post on my finds, coming soon)
– Tight-knit communities

From Chic Vegan:

• 6 Delightfully Springy Salads
• A Tale of Two Diets: The Truth About Interdietary Relationships
• Retro Style Series: The Naughty 90’s
• Fast and Easy Alfredo Primavera
• Our Recent Newsletter! Fabulous Faces, Natural Allergy Cures, and Glam Business Advice <- like it? Sign up for that bad boy on your right.

Its Friday! Lets get our Link Party on!

• OMG! Ultimate RAW vegan nachos
• How To Move 3,000 Miles in 60 Days –  The story of how I quickly moved across the country!
• Win Neuaura shoes from Ecouterre!!
• A cure for your wanderlust: How to Plan a World Tour.
• Earth Day Events and Freebies
• Veggie burgers containing neurotoxins??
• Hearty and Healthy Apple Muffins. (Thanks @vegansalt)
• 20% off at Ascension with coup code: earthday
• Handy tools for techie ethical eaters
• 5 Ways to Combat Reactionary Workflow. I imagine I’m not the only one with this problem.
• Vegan on a budget!
• This is probably the most beautiful place on earth.
• Buy clothes for $1 and save wildlife – everyone wins!
• Celebrate the 2nd annual worldwide vegan bake sale!
• Stop being ridiculous, deer!
• Win an eco/vegan couture gown from GGA and Dalia MacPhee!
• The Dirty Secret About Organic Cosmetics (Thanks @NinaLee_CherryB )
• A book for men that consider eating meat “manly”.
• So cool! 8-bit takes over NYC.

Photos via yayeveryday! and quarrygirl

The post Happy Friday! Sharing Gratitude, Rawchos, and Earth Day Freebies! appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Help Chic Vegan be Awesomer!

In the latest newsletter (If you are not signed up yet, what are you waiting for?) I asked for reader input on important Chic Vegan matters. I got some great responses, but I need more!! I’m greedy! If you have not already please take a few moments (It will literally take you 3 minutes) to fill out our survey and help make Chic Vegan a better place for you, other vegans, and the animals. Take the survey!

On the Bloggage

• Skip the Fluffy Chicks. This Easter, Help an Animal in Need
• Restaurant Review: Horizons, Philadelphia
• Bunnies In The Bathroom – Veganizing your bathroom: tips from a newbie!
  
• Retro Style Series: The Psychedelic 70’s
• Recipe: The Happy Bowl!
• Get Spring Fever! Embrace Your Inner Flower Child – Hot floral fashions on the cheap!
• 7 Ways to Help Animals Everyday – For the new or veteran activist.
• Quick and Easy Cashew Curry

Around the Veggiewebs

• 10 ways to get your “me time” today – you deserve it!!
• Simple and yummy raw snack: Pea Pods with Sundried Tomato Spread
• Adorable green and vegan clutch, that’s not fake leather!
• Gluten free strawberry chocolate chip muffins … Oh hai delicious morsels!
• 5 ways to value a vegan!
• 25 Health Hazards Hidden in a Restaurant Near You. Ok , so i’m never eating out again! 
• Strawberry Avocado Black Bean Salad -YUM! 
• The benefits of going barefoot.
• Every Hero Begins a Fool. Embrace your foolishness and become something wonderful!
• 17 Surprising Sources of BPA and How to Avoid Them.

Delicious Photo by Gluten-Free Goddess

The post Happy Friday! Spring Fever, Recipes Galore, and Saving Animals appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Can you believe I am leaving in almost 2 weeks?  Packing up a whole house, and selling all of your belongings is an arduous task to complete in a month, but we are slowly getting it all together.  Regardless of the minor and MAJOR (anybody know how to get sugar gliders 3,000 miles  across the country?) hiccups, this whole mission will pay off immensely once I am in Portland nomming on vegan doughnuts and reading endless amounts of fiction in fair trade coffee shops. Right?

Oh hey guys, I need some

Guest Bloggers!

Chic Vegan is looking for some stellar bloggers to add some flava to our humble little blog here.  We are looking for posts pertaining to the vegan lifestyle (duh), fashion, food, health, self improvement, inspiration, eco living, environmental issues, or anything else your witty little brain can think up.  If you have a blog and are interested in writing a  guest post, then please email me at mandi (at) chicvegan (dot) com.

Blog Love

• Add Some Spring To Your Step: Shoes For Spring 2010
• Get Inspired: Resources to Fuel your Fire
• Retro Style Series: The Swingin’ 40’s
• Recipe: Polenta Lasagna with Portabellos and Kale
• Primal Strips: A Prehistoric Party In Your Mouth
• The Retro Style Series: The Glam 30’s

Link Party!

• Check out this new shop loaded with vegan friendly bags and shoes!
• Polenta with Lemony Asparagus and Chickpeas – Delish and Simple!
• Solar powered bags.. charge your stuff on the go!
• Crystalyn Kae bags are on sale!
• Redefining Success: A great post for workaholics.
• Awesomely obnoxious knitted headbands
• Coconut Muffins with Orange Glaze – Yum!
• This great article about the Sea World tragedy questions the supposed benefits keeping animals in captivity.
• Jean Paul Gaultier + Melissa = hawt vegan shoes!

Did you miss our last newsletter? Sign up beeotch!

The post Happy Friday! Guest Bloggers Needed and Link Love appeared first on Chic Vegan.