it's all about the cupcakes

This Weekend: Poplar Springs, Thanksgiving with the Turkeys

This coming weeked is Poplar Spring’s Annual Thanksgiving with the Turkeys. Join their eight friendly turkeys and all their friends in celebrating a cruelty-free Thanksgiving potluck. Please bring a vegan (no meat, dairy, or eggs) dinner or dessert item to serve 8. $10.00 suggested donation to benefit the animals. No charge for children under 16. The event is from 12pm-4pm on Saturday November 22nd.

Click here for directions to Poplar Spring’s

See you there!!!

November 17, 2008 | Filed Under Animals, Benefit, Events, Farming, Food, Kids | Leave a Comment 

not fair

I’ve had several people tell me that it’s “not fair” that my son won’t have the opportunity to eat meat in his early years. “Why doesn’t he have a choice?” They beg indignantly.

I then ask them whether they had a choice when they were born and growing up. “Did your mom ask you whether or not you wanted to eat meat?” Truth is, when faced with the reality of what they are actually putting in their mouths (not just “pork” or “beef” but “pigs” and “cows”) most tender hearted kidd-os would opt out of meat altogether.

People view veganism as a sacrificial way of life. We are “sacrificing” our taste buds for the sake of the greater good. I think, however, that it is a way of living in which one finds new ways to enjoy life.

Yep, since I was born and raised a carnivore, sometimes it’s hard to find replacements for some of the things I used to use. But hey, it’s fun to go to the store and search for alternatives. It’s fun to taste the results of some new and unusual recipe.

We used to go to McDonald’s almost every day when I was growing up. Instead, my son will go to places like Sticky Fingers and Java Green, even Cake Love for his treats. An added bonus is after eating at those places he won’t feel like he ingested a large greasy hunk of, well, meat.

That seems like a pretty fair exchange to me.

November 7, 2008 | Filed Under Food, Kids, Rambling | 2 Comments 

Vegan Trick or Treating

So this is our first year as parents and even though our little one is to young to eat candy, I know that there are some of you out there who have little vegan ones that are, so what do you do on Halloween?

UPDATE

  • Kid’s Dress Up Day! Bring your little goblin, princess, or ghoul dressed in-costume for a free, sweet (vegan) treat on Halloween Day, October 31st! (Adults are encouraged to come in-costume as well!) http://great-sage.com
  • check out the list of vegan candy here
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October 23, 2008 | Filed Under Food, Kids | Leave a Comment 

VegDC.com “Best Vegetarian Food” Contest!

This is VegDc’s 2nd Anual Best Vegetarian Food Contest. Vote for your top picks in 14 categories, including “Best Vegan Brunch,” “Best Vegan Cheese Pizza,” “Best Mock Meat Menu,” and, of course, “Best Vegetarian Restaurant.” Hurry-the polls close on September 30, 2008!

VOTE HERE!

September 3, 2008 | Filed Under Food, Kids, Poll | Leave a Comment 

Blog Love :: Vegan Lunch Box

Vegan Lunch Box

If you’re like me and just had a kid you might find this blog helpful.

August 1, 2008 | Filed Under Kids | Leave a Comment 

Hope

Benjamin and I attended the Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary’s Farm Tour and Yard Sale yesterday.

Despite my idea that it would be a rough drive up there and back, the baby boy slept both ways–the entire 45 minute drive! Very nice. I was quite happy to not have to pull over in the back country with no cell phone service to feed the little guy.

Tim and I are committed to raising Benjamin vegan–no doubts. The fact that he will be challenged by some people, ostracized by others (not only children but parents of friends and teachers as well) is something that makes me sad–but he will be stronger for it, and I believe that for every child who misunderstands him, there will be another who learns from him about animals being our friends.

As cheesy (or cheezly, or another dairy-free brand of cheese–what have you) as it is, this song popped into my head at Poplar Springs yesterday–”I believe the children are our future…” you know the rest. I think it had something to do with the fact that at work 97.1 (sing it: wash eeefff eeeemmmm) is always on and they feel the need to play that song once every two hours or so. But it also had to do with the fact that there are just so many families at Poplar Springs events. Whether or not they are vegan or vegetarian when they go home–when they are at the beautiful, sprawling sanctuary they are learning about the animals that live there, interacting with the pigs and cows and sheep, and most importantly, subtly learning that the animals were rescued from places that didn’t treat them well–which makes kids ask questions. Case in point: the little girl who went with us, she’s seven, asked her dad why the animals need a sanctuary. I didn’t hear his answer–but I know that when I was seven I had no idea that a human could possibly treat an animal in any other way than nicely, and I blindly shuffled the chicken nuggets from (shudder) good ‘ole Mickey D’s into my mouth on a daily basis.

Maybe if I had been exposed to a place like Poplar Springs I would have had more questions, inklings. Maybe I would have become a vegan at a younger age.

Poplar Springs, schools offering soymilk as an option and beginning the process of improving their menus–among other things, is so hopeful to me.

While I was waiting in line for my veggie hot dog, a little boy (maybe five years old) ran up to his mother (with whom I was chatting) and she asked him what he wanted on his “hamburger”. He looked at her and said “No, mom, VEGGIE-burger, not HAM-burger!”

Pretty cool.

Sing it, Whitney Houston.

-Megan Meinberg

July 27, 2008 | Filed Under Animals, Benefit, Events, Farming, Kids | Leave a Comment 

Weekend Events: July 26-27

COK / Stickyfingers Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest
In honor of National Veggie Hot Dog Month, COK has teamed up with Sticky Fingers Bakery to host D.C.’s first ever Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest. Enjoy all the Tofurky Franks you can eat and win fabulous prizes or watch others stuff their faces. Help us show others how easy, delicious and fun it is to choose vegetarian foods! Everyone is welcome and there is no entry fee.

Where: Sticky Fingers Bakery at 1370 Park Rd., N.W., D.C.
Metro: Columbia Heights Metro station (green line)
When: 6 pm
More Info: http://www.cok.net/feat/hotdog-contest/

Poplar Spring Farm Tour
Come on out and meet the animals and enjoy hay rides, ice cold lemonade, veggie burgers and veggie hot dogs. Shop for t-shirts, sweatshirts, and handmade crafts in our gift shop, and for hidden treasures at our giant yard sale in the carriage barn.

Where: Poplar Spring
When: Saturday, July 26, 2008
Time: 10 am to 4 pm
More Info: http://www.animalsanctuary.org/events/index.html

Vegan Meetup Group: Restaurant Visit to Lemon Tree
Lemon Tree is a cozy Middle Eastern café and market with a number of vegetarian and vegan options. It is located in Congressional Plaza near the Twinbrook Metro station. Ingredients are listed on the menu so one can tell whether or not they are vegan.

Where: Lemon Tree Cafe and Market
When: 6 pm
More Into: http://vegan.meetup.com/28/calendar/8303369/

Vegan Meetup Group: Potluck Picnic in Rock Creek Park
Join VSDC and the Washington, DC Area Vegan Meetup group this summer for food and fun in beautiful Rock Creek Park. Please bring a vegan dish to share (no animal products like meat, fish, fowl, eggs, dairy, honey, etc., and their derivatives) that serves four times the number in your party. You should bring the ingredient list/recipe and serving utensil. You are also encouraged to bring your own reusable plate, cup, and utensils to cut down on the use of disposable products. For more information, contact VSDC at 202-362-VEGY box #2 or vsdc@vsdc.org. For directions, visit www.nps.gov/rocr or call 202-895-6000.

Where: Rock Creek Park Grove 10
When: Sunday, July 27, 4:00 PM
More Info: http://vegan.meetup.com/28/calendar/7954829/?a=cv1c_grp

July 25, 2008 | Filed Under Animals, Events, Food, Kids | Leave a Comment 

Ramblings of A Vegan Mama

Will You Raise Your Child Vegan??

That, my friends, is the most asked question of a pregnant vegan. I can’t count how many times friends, strangers and relatives asked me THAT question, with eyebrows cocked. So my response was to raise my eyebrows right back and say “Why wouldn’t I?”

It is mind boggling to me that one can look at a perfectly healthy person whose strong sense of morality rules their diet and question the fact that they will “impose” their morals and habits on their children. My hackles rose at the mere question mentioned above–and I bit back my tongue from responding with “No–I plan on taking the child to McDonalds every day and basically shooting him up with antibiotics and hormones and insuring his future as a diabetic–also, I plan on ignoring my love of animals and my abhorance at their treatment by not teaching him that what most of society is mindlessly consuming was once a living, breathing creature.”
Read more

July 17, 2008 | Filed Under Kids, Rambling | 2 Comments