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Green Tea Tuesday is getting a cheerful makeover. Green Tea Tuesday is getting a cheerful makeover. Here are some ✨good✨ eco and vegan news headlines to brighten your week! 🐾 1st up. California has become the first US state to ban chemical testing on cats and dogs for consumer products. According to the Humane Society, this will save the lives of about 60,000 dogs per year who are used in cruel lab experiments. (source: @totallyveganbuzz) 🚘 The car industry is finally moving away from outdated animal leather interiors and starting to replace it with sustainable alternatives. Tesla did it several years ago and now BMW has announced that it will launch fully vegan car interiors for BMW and MINI models beginning in 2023. (source: @peta) 💋 Black-owned vegan beauty company @thelipbar Inc just raised $6.7 million dollars in funding. And the fact that the founder @melissarbutler was rejected by Shark Tank makes her success even sweeter. (source: @beautymatterofficial) 🍪 Black-owned vegan cookie company @partakefoods just raised $11.5 million dollars from a group of Black, brown, and female investors to expand their brand. (source @vegnews) 🥙 And lastly, good news for my fellow plant-based vegans, a new study has come out that confirms a plant-based diet can protect against a variety of cancers affecting the digestive system. (source: published in the medical journal Frontiers of Public Health). Which headline made you the happiest? 🌿
Eco + Vegan Swap Idea 01 💡Swap out plastic tube Eco + Vegan Swap Idea 01 💡Swap out plastic tube toothpaste for refillable vegan toothpaste tablets! I’ve been doing this for several years now. The one I use comes in a glass jar for the first order and then every order after that is delivered in a compostable refill pouch. Why swap? 🌱 Over a billion plastic toothpaste tubes are thrown out globally each year 🌱 Plastic toothpaste tubes often end up in landfills, waterways, and oceans 🌱 Unless specified as vegan, I usually avoid b/c there are many toothpaste brands that test on animals and have vague ingredients labled as “flavor” that are propietary so they aren’t required to disclose what’s in it (which means it could be animal-derived). Also, glycerin is a common ingredient that could either be plant or animal derived. 🌱 The one I trust is by @bite (have used for years) What do you brush your teeth with? 😄 Lemme know what my next #ecoswap idea should be! I’m feeling this eco ASMR vibe.
Due to cultural and historical factors, 64% of Bla Due to cultural and historical factors, 64% of Black American children can’t swim (according to a US study) 🥺 A history of racial barriers, lack of representation in professional swim sports, and generational trauma passed down from parents with their own fears of swimming - all contribute to this issue and it’s why pages like @afroswimmers exist. I have family members, including my husband, who had near-drowning experiences as kids. So it was important to us to make sure Beyond grows up, not only loving water, but also knowing how to protect himself in water. Do you have a kid or know someone with kids? Let them know that swimming and floating are skills that could save their life one day. And no matter your age, you are never too old to learn - adults included! 💚
It’s EPISODE 24 of “What My Vegan Toddler Eats It’s EPISODE 24 of “What My Vegan Toddler Eats in A Day!” Peep what your nephew ate so you can #EatLikeBeyond 😋 Y’all Beyond was on 10 in this one! Send help, his appetite for food is unmatched 😂 This is what a full day of eating looks like for a plant-based vegan toddler: AGE: 20 months old MENU: ✨Breakfast: Sweet potato hash, half a banana, blue spirulina chia plant-based yogurt (I mixed his multi-vitamin and Omega 3 DHA drop in this) ✨ Morning snack: @moonshotsnacks crackers w/ chickpea “not tuna” salad and mango chunks ✨ Lunch: Mushroom penne pasta, broccoli, tofu bites ✨ Afternoon snack: French toast sticks & avocado slices ✨ Dinner: Spicy Korean ramen, tomato crostini, Indian Butter Tofu (no not actual butter), and green beans & carrots And he REALLY loved the ramen, so he went and harassed dad for HIS ramen - it was his first time eating with chopsticks too 😂 ✨ Beverage: Breastfeeding 2x a day, fortified pea milk 2x a day, and lots of water Hope you enjoyed seeing #WhatBeyondEats! #healthykidsfood
It’s #NationalChocolateMilkDay - and vegans don’t have to sit this one out anymore. That’s b/c there is now a whey for vegans to drink dairy milk and still be vegan! Thanks to innovations from companies like @tryboredcow who make real dairy without animals. It’s a new food category called “Animal-Free” Dairy Milk. The whey protein is made from microflora, not cows. No animal exploitation/harm = #vegan! Then they add vitamins and minerals found in traditional cow’s milk like Vit D, B12, calcium, etc. *Fun fact - Vitamin D is not naturally found in cow’s milk. It’s added in manufacturing* Also, it has 10-11g of protein, NO lactose, NO cholesterol, and NO added sugar which is dope. That means if you are lactose intolerant, you can drink it. But if you have an allergy to milk protein, you cannot. One of my goals as an environmental & animal advocate is to invest in startups that can help change destructive, oppressive systems harming POC, the planet, and animals (like the meat & dairy industry). So Bored Cow is the 1st company I made a small angel investment in! I believe in them and wanted to support in my own little way (S/O to @farmernick for teaching me about them!). ✨MY THOUGHTS: Cutting edge food tech solutions like this can help make a vegan food system possible in the future. There are still many people who would rather drink dairy milk than plant-based milk, despite there being so many amazing plant-based options. So if you can’t get people to change, then you change the system itself. Give ‘em the dairy, but without the cruelty involved. Both sides win. Animal-free dairy is the future of dairy. And I’m here for it.
What I Ate Traveling in Washington DC as a Breastf What I Ate Traveling in Washington DC as a Breastfeeding Vegan Mom! 🍓 BREAKFAST: I used the @happycow app to find the closest vegan spot to where I was, and it led me to @fruitive. While I waited on my order, I browsed their vegan books (S/O to @byanygreens!). I ordered the antioxidant super berry bowl, which is packed with nutrients that a a breastfeeding mom needs. And a delicious chocolate chip muffin…because YUM. 🥖 LUNCH: I asked for recs via my stories and y’all recommended @HipCityVeg! I headed there and ordered a fudge bro. It hit the spot! 🍜 DINNER: y’all recommended @StickyRiceDC. They have a vegan menu, so I ordered the “Dirty Vegan” with tofu, noodles, and veggies in a peanut coconut sauce. All women, including pregnant and breastfeeding, need 1,000 mg of calcium a day per US recommendations, and tofu is an excellent source of calcium. ✨ EXTRAS: I packed my @ritual postnatal vitamins, Vega protein bars, and @tryboredcow animal-free dairy milk. It’s real dairy but no animals are used or exploited to make it, which makes it vegan-friendly! It doesn’t need to be refrigerated so it’s easy to travel with and has 510 mg of calcium which which is great for this breastfeeding mama. Go Bored Cow! 🐮💚 Have you been to DC? What other restaurant recs do you have?
How do we handle eating out as a vegan family? Her How do we handle eating out as a vegan family? Here’s what Beyond had for brunch on my husband’s birthday. Ps. Happy b-day to any Virgos watching this! 🌻 WHERE we ate: We live in a place where vegan spots are easily accessible to us, so when we eat out, we only eat at vegan restaurants. For my hubby’s birthday, we went to @cafesunflower. 🌱 WHY we only go to vegan spots: It’s just nice eating somewhere that doesn’t make you feel isolated, is designed with you in mind, doesn’t limit your options, and aligns with your values. It’s unavoidable during social/business outings, so when I’m with my family it’s an opportunity to just be ourselves and have the dining experience we want. 🍽️ HOW we order: We don’t eat out a lot, but when we do, we don’t do kids menus. We order different meals and sides and share amongst the 3 of us. Vegan spots usually have soooo many amazing options that it’s hard to just order one thing 😂 We share so we can taste multiple foods. 🧇 WHAT we ate for brunch: We ordered seitan “chicken” & waffles, blueberry pancakes, a vegan chicken biscuit, scrambled tofu, breakfast potatoes, kale, and a side of fruit. 👦🏾 For Beyond, we took the small plate that the fruit came on and used that to build his meal. On the plate, we put 1/4 a waffle, a seitan “chicken” strip, 1 slice of the blueberry pancake, a spoonful of scrambled tofu, and we cut up some of the strawberries and pineapples into bite sized pieces. Additional tips: - We brought his water bottle so he could comfortably drink water with his meal. - We kept him entertained while waiting on our food simply by interacting with him. Peek-a-boo, pointing at things we saw, etc. - We eat together at home a lot, and I think that has helped prepare him for how to eat out together in public. - Any leftovers, we pack and take back home. You can turn it into another meal! - The Happy Cow app can help you find all the closest vegan restaurants to you. Do you have any tips for dining out as a vegan or vegan family? 🌱
This week I was invited to The @whitehouse to cele This week I was invited to The @whitehouse to celebrate the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act and even got to meet with @potus @joebiden and @vp @kamalaharris! As a Black & South Indian woman myself, it was an indescribable feeling to meet VP Harris and see the kind of representation I didn’t have growing up. And as a vegan mom helping parents navigate raising this next generation of kids on a changing planet, I shared 3 things in this video that all parents should know about this historic bill! 🥰 Plus the beautiful thing about my visit was sharing this special moment with all these talented creators I admire: @carolinegleich @your.richbff @itsthegarbagequeen @browngirl_green @impact @greengirlleah @kahlil.greene @breakfastrant @queerbrownvegan @rolliewilliams @laysieee @monaswain @climatetown @underthedesknews @sharonsaysso @harry.sisson @jc.dombrowski @theseanmcgowan @iamlegallyhype @environment @meidastouch @meidasjordy @bmeiselas @e_wolf7 (Bidenswins on Twitter) BIG Thank You to @climatepower for making all this happen! What are you excited most about this new #InflationReductionAct? 🌎
Yall. I've been invited to THE @whitehouse to cele Yall. I've been invited to THE @whitehouse to celebrate the passing of the #InflationReductionAct! 🤯 What is happening. Tomorrow is the big event, so I flew into DC this afternoon and spent the evening watching the sunset behind the Washington Monument from the rooftop of @theexchangesaloondc with the @climatepower crew. Grateful to be on the board of an organization that is as passionate about implementing climate solution policies as I am. And we diiiid it! $369 billion in climate solutions and environmental justice. Whetttt?! 🥳 The Inflation Reduction Act is HISTORIC and a complete game changer for us as a nation. Like for real. As a worried mom, I have renewed hope for Baby Beyond and his generation. This bill will put us on a path to 40% emissions reduction by 2030 while restoring U.S. credibility to lead climate action on the global stage. We needed this. And it's happening. Tune into my stories to keep up with my White House adventures. Cuz I do feel like you are basically here with me right now 🥰 WE outcheaaaa! 💚 📷: thank you to @carolinegleich for the photo (and for hanging out with me tonight!)
Here’s EPISODE 26 of ✨Vegan Toddler Reacts✨ Here’s EPISODE 26 of ✨Vegan Toddler Reacts✨ Try this and show me how you #EatLikeBeyond! I got questions about Beyond’s chickpeas meatballs, so here’s how I made it: 1. Make a vegan replacement for 2 eggs. Mix 6 Tbsp water with 2 Tbsp chia seeds. Set aside for 10 mins and it will turn into the equivalent of 2 eggs. 2. In a food processor, blend together: - 1 can chickpeas - 1/2 cup sunflower seeds - Parsley - Italian seasoning - Smoked paprika - Nutritional yeast - Garlic powder (or fresh garlic) - Onion powder (or fresh onions) - Cumin powder - Black pepper - Iodized sea salt (iodine is an essential mineral we all need and cooking with iodized salt is the easiest way to get it) - The Chia egg you made 3. Bake in air fryer for about 14 minutes at 380 degrees. Turn the chickpea balls halfway so it cooks evenly. (You can also bake these in an oven) Thassit! It makes about 20-24 chickpea meatballs depending on the size you make them. It’s giving protein. It’s giving healthy fats. It’s giving zinc, iron, folate, fiber, the list goes on! Your turn! Try it and lemme know how it goes? 💚
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Ashley Renne

Live an adventurously green life

Tag: holiday

Posted on 2 Dec 201414 Feb 2020
Travel Guide: Christmas in Chicago

Blog, Destinations, Travel Guides

Travel Guide: Christmas in Chicago

Chicago is one of my favorite American cities; even when winter is coming. Nicknamed the ‘Windy City’ for a reason, Chicago can dish out some pretty frosty weather, making even the local pigeons gather around fires just to keep warm. The famous Chicago River turns to ice. And the beloved Chicago Bean gets completely snow-capped.

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