Posts tagged: family

Raising healthy vegan children (Part 1)

By laviyah, August 24, 2010 12:47 PM

As the mother of four healthy vegan children I get asked a lot of questions. The questions are often specific to what my children eat. If you are a vegan and want your children to be too, its actually quite simple. I will let you in on a little secret. Make good food. I have an 11 and 9 year old who will eat almost anything I make. The reason for this is a)they have no choice b)they have been eating this way since infancy.

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Love Always Wins

By laviyah, August 11, 2010 3:01 PM

This photo was taken over a year ago, when my daughter was just a wee one. I was sifting through the recipe folder, looking for a recipe to post and finding none, I came across this photo. So much has happened in this year. Our small business has grown and we have celebrated birthdays and cried over the passing of my beloved Grandpa. I want everyone who comes across this to be happy in knowing that love is such an infinite force. It cannot be contained, bottled or canned. I spent two weeks in Georgia with my grandma who had just lost her partner of 65 years. I am so amazed by her strength and her foresight. She was prepared to lose her husband, I wasn’t prepared to lose the man who had stepped in as my father for the past 30 years.

When my grandparents still lived in NYC, they took me everywhere with them. I went on countless road trips from NYC to Georgia. I remember my grandmother always making more food than we could eat and my grandfather always impeccably dressed. He was a proud man and he was always loving, affectionate and proud of me. I was their first grandchild and the only grandchild for ten years. My father being their only child, they welcomed me, an unexpected gift as their daughter. As I write this, the love and positive example that he showed me is engraved permanently in my heart and my soul.

Like my grandfather, I am quiet, choosy even with the folks that I share my life with. However, “I love you” should never be left unsaid. I am grateful that I have the loving memories of the times that I spent with my grandpa. He could always make me laugh. He didn’t miss much and often had colorful observations to share.

As you read this, you must know that love is a powerful choice and it feels so good to have it in your life. If you are out there seeking it, stop, for it is first found within. Everything is already there, just open your eyes. If you are going through a hard time, if there are troubles in your midst, remember to love. Give love freely in kindness to others and receive love through forgiveness.

I am just sharing with you a portion of my journey because I have found that love always wins, the spirit lives on and we are all magnificent beings with an amazing capacity for love.

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Pitter Pat

By laviyah, March 1, 2010 2:39 AM

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This is just a ploy to get you to ignore the fact that this is not a recipe post. Don’t worry, we didn’t run out of vegan recipes that will make your inner thighs touch (unfortunately I know this as fact). This month went by so quickly. Where does the time go?

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Mercy For Animals

By laviyah, December 3, 2009 11:34 AM

This Friday, December 4th is the Mercy For Animals’ 2nd annual Celebrating Compassion Gala. Ste Martaen cheese will be there! We’re excited to be one of the vegan businesses involved in helping to honor the vegan change makers in our local community.

We’d like to take this time to thank Delicious for being awesome and so supportive of us!  We’d also like to thank Vegan Chicago for allowing us to debut our cheese and it’s been crazy ever since!  We’re so thankful for the positive feedback and amazing support from the vegan community at large.  Let’s continue to support one another.

Choose Joy!

Laviyah

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Thai Curry Orange Lentil Soup

By nahum, October 21, 2009 8:14 PM

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The erratic weather here in Chicago has been a welcome reprieve from the imminent winter doom that lingers but now my family is feeling the sick blues. It started with the middle boy, worked it’s way to the little prince and now Momma is down for the count. And I mean down…she hasn’t moved out of bed all day :-( So, looks like a nice batch of a warm and spicy soup to zap the ickies away and tantalize the taste buds as well. What soup can handle this responsibility?…well, the Thai Curry Orange Lentil Soup has answered the challenge. This soup is velvety smooth & nutrient packed with a hint of citrus and a bite of heat. The perfect man for the job.

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3-Grain Veggie Burgers

By nahum, October 18, 2009 11:14 PM

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Back in the recesses of my mind is a memory of a Broccoli Burger served by Whole World Natural Bakery & Restaurant that I can still taste. I haven’t been there since the early 90′s when I was a much darker haired, newly turned vegan, college student. However, unlike my brown hair, the taste has stayed with me all these years. Since I’m not going to be in Columbus, OH anytime soon, I decided to tap into my creative side and see if I could concoct a recipe of my own. And you know what? I think I nailed it! This 3-Grain Veggie Burger has a light, fresh taste yet very filling…just like I remember. So let’s give this a whirl and let me know how they turn out for you.

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Milestones

By laviyah, July 17, 2009 8:16 PM

Milestones

A major milestone was reached yesterday.  My baby younger sister Azania  turned 30.  July is a very interesting month for me because all three of my biological sisters are born in the month of July and I stand alone in the month of August.  My other sister Emily turns 21 this month and that is yet another milestone among birthdays. 

Milestones

Anyway, my sister had a wonderful surprise party yesterday with friends and family in attendance.  I wasn’t in attendance for obvious reasons and my mother well she has become a slave.  She’ll deny it, but these days I have to drag her away so she can enjoy life.

My sister had a marvelous time and she will never ever forget this birthday.  She even got to wear a couture dress!  Her boyfriend and best-friend planned the soiree and she told me this morning that her day was just perfect!

I’m not a middle child, so I have less of a hankering than my middle sister to be the center of attention.  When we were growing up, I never imagined that we could be such good friends, and that we would need each other so much, that we would call each other every other day or every day or every hour if need be or that I would cry when she surprised me at my wedding. 

Milestones

There were many days I wanted to push her down the stairs, ring her neck.  As little sisters go, she was probably on the naughty list for a very long time.  She wore my clothes without asking, she purposely embarrassed me in front of my boyfriends, she was a tattletale, a showoff, a knowitall a busybody!  That was the shortlist!  As a woman, she is strong, resilient, talented, intelligent, opinionated, beautiful and intuitive.

Milestones

Angola, our baby sister was in on the surprise and made her amazing lasagna.  People talk about her lasagna for days!  Angola celebrated her birthday on the 5th and as a single mom, she is most like our mother.  She is finding her way in the world and raising a child all on her own.  Angola wasn’t half as annoying as Azania growing up.  I always had a soft spot for her anyway, she was always my gorgeous chinky eyed scrawny baby sister.  Scrawny no longer and curvy as ever, she is the most giving, sweetest woman you will ever know, did I mention that she is beautiful too!  We all are.  I must say mom, that you did good!

Anyway, my baby sister Emily will turn 21 very shortly and she is the only sister that I don’t know very well.  Unfortunately, my biological father, although he has fathered three children, has only raised two.  To the annoyance of my grandmother (my father’s mother), he has not been very involved in my life, nor has he had me involved in his.  This past May I promised my grandmother that I would reach out to my sister Emily and bring her in to the fold.  We have done OK communicating online, it’s just that yesterday reminded me how swiftly time passes by, so I think I will write my sister a note and invite her to the big city when I make my next trip to NYC.  We’ll see what happens.

Happy Birthday to all of my little sisters!

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