Alice Valentine

Food Inc.

Watch this movie. It has nothing to do with being vegan. It's a brilliant documentary about knowing where your food is coming from. Love it.

The Vegan 100

1) Copy this list into your blog or social networking site profile, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out or italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment on this post linking to your results.

The Vegan Hundred:

1. Molasses
2. Cactus/Nopales
3. Scrambled Tofu
4. Grilled Portobella Caps
5. Fresh Ground Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits
7. Arepa
8. Vegan Coleslaw
9. Ginger Carrot Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Elephant Garlic
12. Umeboshi
13. Almond Butter Toast
14. Aloe Vera
15. H and H Bagel NYC
16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash
17. White truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Freshly ground wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Orchard-fresh pressed apple cider
23. Organic California Mango (in season Sept-Oct only)
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya Smoothie
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet or Habañero pepper
27. Goji Berry Tea
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
30. Radishes and Vegan Buttery Spread
31. Starfruit
32. Oven fresh Sourdough bread
33. Sangria made with premium fruit and juices
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai Smoothie
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcake from Babycakes nyc (But I will in January!)
38. Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh combo
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Pumpkin Edamame Ginger Dumplings
44. Hemp Milk
45. Rose Champagne
46. Fuyu
47. Raw Avocado-Coconut Soup
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne fresh-pressed juice...with Extra Ginger
50. Grilled Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Fresh Pressed Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes off the vine
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water fresh from a young coconut
56. Organic Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Sampler of organic produce from Diamond Organics
59. Honeycrisp Apple
60. Poi
61. Vegan Campfire-toasted Smores
62. Grape seed Oil
63. Farm fresh-picked Peach
64. Freshly-made pita bread with freshly-made hummus
65. Chestnut Snack Packs
66. Fresh Guava
67. Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
68. Raw Mallomar from One Lucky Duck, NYC
69. Fried plantains
70. Mache
71. Golden Beets
72. Barrel-Fresh Pickles
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna
77. Kombucha
78. Homemade Soy Milk
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lychee Bellini
81. Tempeh Bacon
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tempeh
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrot you pulled out of the ground yourself
87. Vegan In-Season Fruit Pie
88. Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. High Quality Vegan Raw Chocolate
91. Yellow fuzz-free Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. Harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Homemade Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Seedless 'Pixie' Tangerine
99. Gourmet Sorbet, not store bought
100. Fresh Plucked English Peas

48 out of 100 : (

Bad Alice.

Hello darlings... my apologies for the lack of posts lately! School is crazy and makes me want to do nothing but sleep when I get home.

I've been rocking my new diet (no soy or gluten), taking all of my pills, and have even started exercising every day! 

My art nook is all set up and I've snapped some pics of it - just need to find the time to post them! I can't wait for this weekend when I can make some crafty things!

I'm also getting really excited for January when my class goes on a trip to New York! I can't wait to go to my dream bakery, Babycakes NYC. I have the cookbook and it's magical!

Alright... need to get back to class but I'll post pics of pretty things soon!

XOX Alice

Food Allergies

For the past two years I have been dealing with really bad stomach pains and ridiculous bloating. For the first year or so I thought it was related to my endometriosis, but I eventually realized it was probably food-related. After seeing several regular doctors and not getting much help I decided to see a naturopath. She recommended I take an allergy test, and yesterday I found out the results.

Being vegan, I currently don't eat the following foods for ethical reasons:

All Meat
Fish/Seafood
Dairy
Eggs
Gelatin

Eliminating the above foods from your diet can seem difficult at first, but you soon realize that there are still plenty of options for yummy meals without animal products. 

According to the test I am supposed to avoid all foods that showed up in zones 4-6. I am also going to try to avoid foods in zone 3 to help my belly heal even more:

Zone 6: Extremely Allergic

• Soybeans

Zone 5: Very High

• Gluten
• Rye
• Whole Wheat

Zone 4: High

• Gliadin Wheat
• Spelt 
• Asparagus
• All Dairy (I don't eat it anyways)

Zone 3: Moderate

• Almond
• Cashew Nuts
• Lentil
• Green Pea
• Pistachio Nuts
• Kamut
• Egg Whites (I don't eat them anyways)

So when I combine the above items with the foods I already don't eat the list of food's I can eat suddenly becomes quite limited. Luckily I can still eat almost all fruits and veggies, quinoa, rice, and corn. Unfortunately most fake dairy products are made with soy or gluten, so I can no longer have any fake butter, mayo, cheese, etc. Tamari (like soy-sauce) is also used in lots of vegan foods so I have to watch out for that too. 

At least this is just for three months while we try to let my belly heal. We will then slowly add foods back in and see if I react to them. I have a ton of supplements & vitamins to take every day, including:

1 tsp of apple cider vinegar 15-20 min. before each meal
HMF Forte - 1 capsule twice a day with meals
Vegan DHA- 1000 mg per day
Multi Vitamin - 1 pill a day
Folic Acid - 1 pill a day
Spa Tone (iron-rich water) - 1 sachet a day
Vitamin B12 - 1 pill a day (until I start getting my B12 injections)
Zyme-Aid Carbo Fort - 1 capsule with every meal
Herbal GI - 2 capsules twice a day in between meals
Protein Shake - 1 shake daily
Effexor - 1 pill daily

I also need to start exercising 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week; drinking lots of water; eating 75g. protein a day; eating low glycemic carbohydrates only; eating 8 servings of vegetables a day; and taking 100 deep breaths every day to help with my stress. I'm also going to be getting Vitamin B12 injections (Jarod was taught how to give them to me). 

It all seems like a ton of work, but if I end up feeling good at the end, it will be so worth it. 

* * * I shouldn't have to say this, but please remember that this treatment plan is specific to my health problems - do not copy it. If you are having health or diet problems see a naturopath or doctor for yourself.

 

 

Vegan Cupcake Stand

Isn't this cupcake stand the cutest? I love it! It's by artist Jeanette Zeis of Vegan Dish. Buy it here at Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe.

My Wedding.

I have been meaning to do this since the day I returned from my honeymoon, but finally had some free time today to work on it. Here are all the things (and people!) that made my wedding day perfect.

My photographers were brilliant, fun, amazing.... I could go on and on. They are Kasia and Anna from Gucio Photography. I hired them about a year before the big day. They were the fourth photographers I had considered and I am thrilled I was able to book them. They also did an amazing engagement shoot, and I had them do a special boudoir session as a wedding gift for Jarod. Best. Photographers. Ever. 

I had originally planned on having a floor length dress. I tried on one that was beautiful at a bridal store but it's price tag was about $1200.00. While I was considering it I popped in to a Betsey Johnson store one day with Jarod and my friend Stacey and I saw my dress. Someone said I should wear it as a wedding dress since I love polka dots. I laughed it off, and left. I kept thinking about that dress though, so a week or so later I went and picked it up (it was less than 1/2 the price of the other dress). The guy at the counter asked if it was for a special occasion. I told him yes, for a wedding. I don't think he realized it was for my wedding.

I spent a long time looking for the perfect pair of heels. I knew that they had to be non-leather since I'm vegan, so that was the first challenge. I also wasn't going to spend a fortune on them, although I briefly considered splurging on a $200.00 pair of beauties. Since my dress was short the shoes had to be amazing. I had a hard time deciding between red and white. My heart said red, but my head said white. I went with my heart and couldn't be happier with the final shoes. Tip: Try your wedding shoes on before the big day (which I did) and go for a walk in them (which I didn't do). I was a bit late for the ceremony because we had to figure out how to punch new holes in my straps so my shoes would stay on!

I bought my cute garter from the talented Inka Finland's Etsy shop. A button broke in shipping, so I stitched on a new blue button (something blue: check!). My sister's boyfriend ended up catching the garter... do I hear wedding bells?

I bought my beautiful birdcage veil from q g designs etsy shop. It was even customized with little beads that matched my wedding colours... the perfect touch! Bonus: the flower is removable!

Jarod's mom recommended the makeup artist Chrissy from Makeup Infusion because she worked with her, and then Chrissy recommended the hair stylist Vanessa. They were a perfect team and managed to crank out two moms, three bridesmaids and one bride with full hair and makeup in under three hours.

 

I had a custom order done for the three great bridesmaids' dresses. The were made by Jiminie of My black Dress on Etsy. She was really friendly and helpful, and even searched for the perfect fabric for me. 

We had the ceremony and reception at the Scottish Cultural Centre in Vancouver, BC. It was a nice venue with a big stage. The managers were really helpful and answered several annoying e-mails from me quickly and kindly. 

I wanted to display pictures of our relative's on their wedding days, so I printed them at the drug store and put them in simple white frames that I bought from IKEA. They were put out on the guestbook table and looked beautiful. 

I designed and printed our wedding invitations and included RSVP postcards with each invite. I left one side blank and on the other side requested that the invitee write a note or draw a picture for us. We received some wonderful letters and adorable drawings. I put all of the RSVP's in a album I picked up from Michaels and displayed it on the guestbook table.

With my mom's help, I made each guest a magnetic button with their name on it to wear. I rented the button maker from Blim in Vancouver for a reasonable price. Sadly, the magnets I bought weren't very strong so the buttons didn't stay on very well. I should have used pin backs. I'll remember that for my next wedding (Joking!).

The band was amazing. I hired Blue Morris and he brought along two wonderful musicians, including a spectacular singer. Everyone loved the swing music and it made the day so much more perfect than a DJ would have. I highly recommend him.

The food, oh my gosh the food. I hardly had time to eat any, but from what I saw it was amazing! The brilliant Shanna from Out To Lunch Catering created an entirely vegan menu for us - even killer cupcakes! She also talked with the rental company (A&B Partytime Rentals) to make everything come together perfectly. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

One of the best ideas I had was to rent a photo-booth. It was so much fun and helped keep the guests entertained. Plus, it doubled as our favours. I put a box of props outside the booth to keep things interesting. I rented the photo-booth from Photobooth Vancouver and was really pleased with their service (I dealt with Angela and she was awesome). They were friendly and even let me design what would be printed on the bottom of each photo.

I handmade all of the flowers for the wedding using felt, wire, and buttons. It took a ton of work, even with a few helpers along the way, but it turned out great. My mom found white teapots at thrift stores to use as the base of the centerpieces, as well as doilies to go under them. Jarod's grandma bleached and starched all of them so they would be pretty. We also placed teacups full of candy around the centre pieces. 

Incase my shoulders got chilly, I bought an adorable red shrug from Anthropologie. It has the cutest buttons on one shoulder. 

I bought four beautiful purses off of Etsy. One for each of my bridesmaids as a thank you gift, and one for myself to keep my wedding day necessities in. They were made by the fabulous madebyhank.

I had Leigh-Ann of Freckled Nest make a custom guestbook for us. At the wedding I asked the guests to write their names on strips of paper and drop them in a jar, and then get their picture taken in the photo-booth. Later on I received a disk of all the pictures from the photo-booth, so I had them printed, matched up the names with the photo's and put them in the book! Phewph! 

Groceries.

I love to know little details about other people. I like to see what other people have in their fridge or keep in their wallets. When I was putting away our groceries last night from our weekly shop I came across the receipt and thought it might be neat to post what we buy on a typical shopping trip. If you care to play along, write your purchases on your blog and post a comment with the link!

Natural Leg Wax Kit
Aunt Jemima Syrup (Jarod wont put real maple syrup on his waffles)
Avacados x4
Almond Milk (When you're vegan with a soy allergy you don't have many milk options)
Baby Romaine Lettuce
Broccoli
Organic Bunch Carrots (Me - for steaming and eating)
Regular Carrots (Jarod - for stir-fries, etc.)
Spaghettini Noodles
Cilantro (Yuck!)
Pasta Sauce x 2
Golden Delicious Apples (Jarod - for snacks)
Granny Smith Apples (Me - for apple crisp)
Green Onions
Organic Potato Chips
Canned Baked Beans x 2
Huy Fong Chili Sauce (Jarod)
Organic Maple Syrup (Me - for baking and waffles)
Large BC Peaches x 3 (My current obsession)
Cucumber
Lemons x 8
Tofu
Broccoli Slaw
Onions
Organic Brown Rice Cereal (For Rice Crispy Treats!)
Organic Dried Mango
Organic Polenta
Organic Quinoa
Portabella Mushrooms
New Potatoes
Red Onion (Yuck)
Guacamole x 2 (Jarod has an obsession)
Tetley Green Tea (Jarod)
Brown Rice Pasta
Tomatoes
Tortilla Chips
Twizzler Nibs Red Licorice (Jarod)    
Canned Veggie Chili x 2
Canned Diced Tomatoes
Yam  

This is why you're...

I while ago I came across the This is why you're fat blog which shows pictures of meals that are pretty ridiculous. I was amazed at just how many ways you can eat bacon. Although it makes me ill to look at most of the pictures, I still can't help but check up on the blog every now and then to see the newest creations people are putting in to their bodies. 

 

I was pleased to discover a similar blog called This is why you're thin! Instead of showing images of food crimes, they show pictures of delicious and healthy meals like these. Yum!

How-To: Get Rid of Fruit Flies (Without Killing Them!)

Recently I let some bananas get ripe so I could make banana bread. Unfortunately by the time I went to use them I discovered they had gotten a bit too ripe and had caused a family of fruit flies to move in to my kitchen. And bathroom. And entry hall. Although they were annoying I tried cleaning up any thing that they may have been attracted to and let them be. 

Then on the weekend Jarod and I were hanging out watching a movie when he got up to get some water and discovered a large spider in the middle of the kitchen floor. It's not a secret that I am terrified of large spiders (smaller than a dime and I can deal). I started freaking out as Jarod covered it with a glass and slid a piece of paper under it to take it outside. Because he was using both of his hands he asked me to walk past him through the kitchen to open the door to the mud room and then the door to outside. It took everything in me to get up the courage to walk so close to him and the beast to get to the door (I know it's silly but I can't control the fear!). Then, when I opened up the first door I turned on the light and saw an even BIGGER spider beside the next door!!! Well that was freak out time for me.

And that also brings me to the reason that I decided to get rid of the fruit flies. The spiders were probably in the house because of them.

After looking online and finding many cruel ways to kill the flies, I finally discovered a way to trap them and then release them later outside. 

1. Take a piece of paper and roll it into a cone and tape. Leave a gap at the bottom the size of a pea. 

2. Put paper cone in a glass or bottle with some fruit in it. I used a strawberry cut in half and it worked great. 

3. Tape rim of glass to cone so the flies can't escape. 

4. Place near problem area and wait several hours. I left mine over night and found dozens in it the next morning.

5. Take glass outside, far from your house and remove the cone. The fruit flies should fly away.

Apparently the flies can find their way in to the glass because they follow the scent of the sugar, but then to get out they don't have anything to smell so they get confused by the cone. 

Worked like a charm for me, and I haven't seen any spiders since... although I did wake up the next morning with three large bites on my leg!

Bike Riding & the Pride Parade.

Today Jarod and I put our bikes on the back of the car and drove to Science World to park and start our ride. It started off lovely as we cruised along the seawall. Here's a pic of my hubby on his fancy bike.

And one of me looking a bit grumpy from the heat! (Do you like my pretty bike?!)

Then we started coming across tons of people walking on the bike path and a crowd of people lined up along the street. Apparently we missed the posters saying that today was the Gay Pride Parade in Vancouver. I had actually never been before, so we stopped for a few minutes to take a look at the parade. Yesterday we were walking down Commercial Avenue to go to Black Dog Video (they have the best selection of old films) and to an antique store when we noticed a large amount of women around us. We had accidently stumbled on the Vancouver Dyke March and Festival. I didn't have my camera around yesterday, but I did for today's parade!

We eventually continued on our way. We had planned to ride around Stanley Park but by the time we made it through the crowds of people taking up the bike path we ended up getting a bit lost and decided to head back to the car. We'll try and do the full ride another day. I was wearing all black except for my purple shoes, which I suppose were perfect for the festivities. 

And then on the way home we stopped at Starbucks to grab my favourite drink to cool us down: a black, unsweetened, iced tea lemonade.