The Weekend Send-Off

September 9th, 2011 - filed under: Furthermore » Feedback

Um, really rad picture is here!


Happy Friday! Oi Oi Oi, it’s the weeeekend! Even though it was a short week here in the states, and the days seemed to fly by, the weekend just couldn’t get here fast enough. Thank Goober It’s Friday! I actually have a ton of work to get done this weekend, but once it’s completed I can close the door and move on, and MAN that’s gonna feel good!

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Do you remember a few months back, I put a call out looking for writers to contribute to a new series I’m planning, called “My Vegan City”? The idea is to feature a series of city guides, with restaurant write-ups and insider tips and veg-friendly businesses and of course, lots of pictures! So if you live in a mid-sized or bigger metropolis, and if you’d like to see your writing featured on Bonzai Aphrodite, send me an email! info AT bonzaiaphrodite DOT com. I’m trying to build up a good-sized pool of posts before I begin. Hit me up!

~~~

And now, the good stuff . . .


Le Love List

1. SHRED!    Dear o dear, I’m sore. My arms is aching, my legs is heavy, and my buns is burning! Oh yeah, and Oi, me poor abs! I’ve been doing the shred every other day this week, and I’m feeling it! And I love that.

What about you, have you been working on your mission? Feelin’ good?

2. My Food Processor.    Seriously! See, Waits spends a lot of time with me in the kitchen, and he’s at that age where he wants to do everything that the big people do. I’d given him mixing bowls and measuring spoons and ladles and salad spinners, but he was OVER IT. He wanted the big guns, and finally, in a moment of weakness, I gave in.

Well. That food processor (sans blade) became the most beloved, most prized toy in all the world. The lid clicks on and off! The feeder piece comes in and out! The plunger inside the feeder piece comes in and out! Oh boy, you’d have thought the thing was made of gold. Baby boy was in HEAVEN, “plunging” his socks or bouncy balls or anything else he could get his hands on (with sound effects of course), and “processing” it all together.

Well, long story short, a few days ago the feeder piece disappeared. Just in time for me to have a major homemade sunbutter craving hit. And you know what? I love my Vitamix with an unholy passion, but there’s a few things – like nut butters – that the ol’ food processor just does better. Sunbutter in the Vita was a major fail, and I was major sad face.

This long story has no chance of being short. ANYWAYS. This morning I found the missing piece. It was hiding inside one of my backup purses, laying at the bottom of the stairs. OH OF COURSE IT WAS!

As I write this, I’m eating raw millet cereal smothered in almond milk . . . and sunbutter. Mmmmm.

3. Vegan Comedy.    I for-reals laughed out loud at this video profiling vegan comedian Myq Kaplan, featured on Our Hen House last week. Finally, veganism is legitimate enough that we can poke all sorts of fun at ourselves!

“I’m always happy to be in front of a majority vegan audience, which happens . . . twice. Ever.”

“Because finally I can talk about RAW vegans – and what assholes they are!”

Okay, maybe it doesn’t translate well to the written word. But he’s funny, I promise! (he made it to the final five on Last Comic Standing). Check it out!


Also! Fresh flowers from my garden, and I love that I never get homegrown tomatoes because Waits eats them all right off the vine the second they’re ripe, doing underdogs on the swingset and the raucous baby laughs they bring, Gena’s raw juice pulp crackers rock my world, I hate to say it but I’m getting excited for fall fashion, speaking of which OH MY GOD the Vaute Couture lookbook is OUT OF THIS WORLD, oof I just sneezed and my abs are hurrrrting . . .

~~~

Alright guys, now it’s your turn – tell me what you’re loving this week!


My darlings, this happy little post will stay at the top of the page all weekend, so stop by any time to leave your Love List, ask a question, or offer some feedback! Or if you’re new, please introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’! This is your community, so get involved!

May the Weekend Fairy bestow on you a blessed break with much love and merriment!

Newer Comments →
  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Alexander-Samons/100000246484494 Alexander Samons

    Oh, this isn’t going to be easy. My week sucked but I’ll give it a try anyway.
    1. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World – I checked it out from the library and my sister is going to make me Chai Latte Cupcakes later because we coincidentally have all the stuff anyway.
    2. KALE! I tried kale for the first time just recently and IT WAS SO GOOD. I want some more now but I don’t have any and can’t go get any. (I had it in the roasted portobello salad with mustard dressing from Veganomicon.)
    3. Pigs Peace Sanctuary – I found a link to it the other day and there are pictures of piggies and videos and so very much cuteness!

    (Oh, I am doing the monthly mission but I don’t feel any particular way so far. I knew that if I started right off with it being tough enough to make me feel sore after the first day, I’d never do it again, so, I started slow and am working up to it being challenging.)

  • http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

    1. Nina *might* do her first mud run tomorrow morning!! She watched me do a warrior dash a couple of weeks ago and did she think it looked tough? No. Did it look scary? No. Does she want to get mud in her pretty long curls? Sadly – no! But she said she’ll watch other kids do it and maybe, just maybe she’ll change her mind…

    2. We’re finally able to plant our next round of mini-crops! My neighbor came over and cover cropped one of our fields, and I’ve been madly preparing two big plots for cold weather yumminess.

    3. We’re going to a costume party next month! It’s a Hallowe’en/autumn festival out on the coast and I’ve already got my costume picked out and have been working on pattern ideas all day and zomg can you tell I’m excited?! I haven’t been to a costume party in ages and it’s high time I get my alter ego on. Squeeeeee!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=692392402 Joselle Palacios

    You know what I don’t love? That I haven’t sent you My Vegan City yet, even though I did work on it furiously last week. Oy vey. Back to school is killer. But I have not forgotten. My to do list is like: 12 hours at the hospital, 10 hours of doing modules, Bonzai post, renovate house, bake cookies…

    :)

  • http://www.ohladycakes.com Ashlae Warner

    I’M EATING MILLET CEREAL, TOO! Except smothered in yogurt and bananas. This week, I’m really loving puffed millet cereal, brown rice pasta and peanut butter cookies – all food, yes.

    PS – I’m happy I’m not the only one who thinks a food processor *sometimes* gets the job done better than the Vitamix – I’ve been scolded by quite a few Vitalovers for saying such a thing. But, it’s the truth.

  • Meghan

    Thanks for the reminder about the MMM. I haven’t done anything yet… I haven’t even commented on the post yet! But since I’m pregnant and lazy I think that for the mission I am going to make it my goal to go for for a good walk at least 3 times a week and do some yoga at least 3 times a week. And do kegels every day! I know it doesn’t seem like much, but I’m hungry enough as it is without burning extra calories. ;-) But I know that my lack of inshapeitiude is one of my biggest weaknesses. Gotta get on that!

    Loves:

    1. BABY! So, we weren’t sure if we were going to get an ultrasound (’cause, you know, I’m a crunchy birth hippie… planned birth center water birth, bradley classes, midwives, you know the deal) but we decided to go ahead and to the one anatomy scan. OMG COOL! THERE IS FOR REAL A BABY IN THERE! WITH FINGERS! AND TOES! AND A STOMACH! DUDE!

    2. My schedule. I know a lot of people aren’t as lucky in this regard as I am… my husband works, and I don’t aside from my 10 hour a week grad assistantship (which will end next semester when I’m on leave from my program) I’m also not in a huge rush to finish my masters (as long as I finish in the required 5-year time frame) so I’m only taking 2 classes a semester. While I definitely still get some stressed-busy-grad-student feelings going on, I’m really happy with my ability to have a greater degree of work/family/school balance than a lot of grad students. I’m not braggin’ or nothin’, just being thankful for what I have. :-)

    3. The sun is out again! After a stupidly dry summer we’ve had a stupidly wet week here in the mid atlantic. While my fruit trees are probably thankful to finally get some moisture, my sanity is thankful that I got to see the sun today, even if only briefly. :-)

    4. *looks around, whispers* shampoo… I don’t know if I have posted this as a love yet but uh… yeah! I was happily no-poo for over a year. I enjoyed it. One day, I just really felt likes some shampoo. And I LOVED it. For the past… I dunno, 3 or 4 months I’ve been back to using (an SLS, ‘cone, and cruelty free) shampoo once a week. A bit of a guilty pleasure I guess. :-) My hair looked better with no-poo than it did before… and now it looks EVEN BETTER with my once-a-week poo plan. :-)

  • Meghan

    I highly recommend the almond apricot cupcakes if you aren’t allergic to nuts. OMG SO GOOD.

  • Meghan

    OH I FORGOT. I also loved your Bonzai Facebook Chat. It was fun reading everyone else’s questions. :-)

  • http://dietplaid.wordpress.com/ Jen

    Feel the burn!

  • Farmingtheburbs

    1. 20 week ultrasound, this coming week, to ensure my little wiggle worm is healthy.

    2. Having 2 mornings a week with just my youngest while big brother is at preschool. My little guy is such a cool little dude.

    3. Having a very supportive, caring, and thoughtful husband. He rocks!

  • http://machawk1.myopenid.com/ M

    Hello,
    Would it be possible to get more original content instead of these perpetual series?

  • Natasja Balfour

    Hahah, that story about Waits & the food processor is hilarious! What a little foodie he is already :)
    This week, I love:
    My Midwife… she is awesome.
    My partner… he’s so supportive & lovely.
    Sewing. Just can’t get enough, making things for baby… seriously – in this tiny rural town I am running out of sewing supplies but I am using anything I can to my advantage (old blankets, off-cuts & bits of string!)
    Being Pregnant: as much as I despise the crazy mood-swings I have been having, I love looking down to see this big ol’ belly with a baby girl inside it and feeling her kick & squiz around inside. Pretty amazing feeling, I am baking a human!
    This blog. Love. Wednesdays with foodporn are BEST, wish my family were all vege/vegans. I feel guilty cooking meat.
    GARDENING. Dad brought home a whole bunch of seedlings last week, I set up a window-ledge corner with planks of wood to hold them all and have been giving them love and water every few days – now to look through Bonzai archives on when/how/where to plant them once baby is out of me (Sayward – is it safe to deal with compost/potting mix etc when you are Breastfeeding?)

    xx Tasj

  • Kate in SB

    Love list:
    1) Recently moving in with my BF who loves to cook and bake, and setting up our new apartment.
    2) Finally finishing and submitting 40 page research review paper that I had been working on for months. OMG. This was a huge weight off my shoulders.
    3) Riding my bike :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sara-Shumway-Thomas/1461588180 Sara Shumway Thomas

    1. kale chips. LOVE them! make my own with salt, pepper & nutritional yeast. oh man, so freaking good!
    2. i ordered saywards vegan pregnancy survival guide! SOOOOOO damn excited to get it! we are thinking of trying for baby 2 soon & i want to make sure i am prepared this time!
    3. my little sister, who is 13 (i am 31). we have gotten really close in this past year & she is one of my best friends now. she is such a beautiful person & i am so proud of who she is becoming.

  • Melisa

    I LOVE Myq Kaplan!!! I still laugh about his line that vegans live longer because no one ever invites them anyplace so they’re always safe at home.
    1)Going vegan. FINALLY. Could have done it a LOT sooner if I’d only admitted to myself that the key is MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF VEGAN JUNK FOOD. Eventually, I’ll move to a healthier diet, but allowing myself to eat as many pumpkin oatmeal cookies as I want has made this transition possible.
    2)My daughter’s 4th birthday party is tomorrow! It’s the first year we’re doing a party with friends, and I have busted my ass making plans, making adorable favors, ordering VEGAN cupcakes from a lovely gal whose dogs are patients at work…It’s gonna be grand!
    3)This stupid song–http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgX_X6lwjY–which we use in zumba class and with which I am now obsessed.
    Oh, and bonus #4: I got an email today that my Vegan Pregnancy Survival Guide has shipped!! Woohoo!!

  • Kory Rigler

    #1My hubby
    #2Documentary – ‘Forks over Knives’
    #3The amazing combination of 1 & 2… My hubby deciding- on his own- to go vegan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Almost 11 years in… I win, ;P

  • Sara J. Owen

    1. My short school sabbatical reminded me how much I LOVE to cook.
    2. Knowing that in 8 short weeks, I’ll have my Associate’s degree and time to cook again.
    3. Veggie-tofu smoothies on a grey September morning.

  • Anonymous

    so happy about this month’s mission…i gotta get moving more!

    1. renting awesome videos from the library. because not spending $4 on movie night gives me more money for green juice :)

    2. “a natural history of the senses”. i haven’t read it in many years and going through the journey of the senses again reminds me of how blessed we are to have them.

    3. roses. blossoming, fragrant + marvelous. my husband and i have been going to this little cafe with a rose garden lately and it melts all of my cares away.

    have a great week!

  • RK

    Congrats on the book yo, that’s fantastic!

    1. Warm weather still! Love the heat!
    2. Acupuncture. It changed.my.life.
    3. My brother. He’s in town visiting and he always makes me laugh till the point of tears. Pure Joy!

  • http://www.facebook.com/minnatoots Minna Toots

    Did you know about that? http://www.youtube.com/user/VeganBlackMetalChef — I love him! :D

  • Shamima

    Hi there,
    I am loving…
    1. My little guy, Marcus, has started sitting up on his own and is getting ready to crawl. I could spend hours watching him!!
    2. My friends and the wonderful meal we shared together last night.
    3. Bonzai Aphrodite -been a lurker for awhile but am so happy to have found this wonderful blog.

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    You’ll just have to trust that I’m always doing the very best I can. Because I really am.

  • Aimee

    I love your blog!! I hope you don’t change anything because it’s awesome, just how it is.

  • Melisa

    My husband informed me recently that he will never go vegan, just so I wasn’t getting my hopes up. (He’s vegetarian now.) So your victory keeps the dream alive for me. (;

  • Moira

    1. My husband. Cooked up a blow-your-socks-off meal for my birthday.
    2. My birthday. I made some terrible, retrospectively hilarious, errors in my last two weeks of my 28′s. I also worked up so much stress with school I was overwhelming myself to the point of a breakdown. The night of my birthday, I knocked down that stress 90% and treated myself to working from home and going to yoga the rest of the week. <3 First and foremost, take care of yourself.
    3. The wisdom of my Mom and good friend Maryanne. Learn to be patient with yourself, and stop being resistant and saying "I can't or not now"… positivity is key.

  • http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

    Well, now I know what I’ll be doing all morning (when I should be working). This is too freaking funny! My favorite bit: ” . . . seitan, accept these mushrooms to be your partner in sin . . .”

  • Meghan

    I am comforted by your perpetual series. While I always get excited by a brand new shiny blog post, I like the near certainty I have of finding what I expect at the beginnings and ends of months, on Wednesdays, and on Fridays. :-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/minnatoots Minna Toots

    THE HEAT OF SATAAAAN! :D

  • http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

    (AAGGHHRGGAHAAAROOHAGGARGG)

  • Meghan

    Ha. My husband is lacto-ovo and I have hopes that one day I’ll convince him. :-) It isn’t horrible likely though. Luckily he mostly just eats what I cook, so he generally only has non-vegan things in the form of cheese at home and whatever when we’re out and about!

  • Melisa

    We’ll get ‘em. (;

  • Kory Rigler

    Just keep at it guys, hehe. Actually I’ve found w/my hubby it’s best to not mention it much at all myself but make sure he hears it from sources other than me (like awesome documentaries). He’s going from full on omni so it’ll be interesting to see him transition, but once he makes his mind up to do something he sticks with it!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    NO WORRIES lady. Take your time. =)

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    I know, it’s like sacrilegious, but it’s true!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    So did you not find out the sex? I figure you would have said so if you did, but I had to ask because of course I want to know! If you guys aren’t finding out, then dang you have discipline. DO you have any names picked out?? ohmigodbabybabybabystuff!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Yes! I meant to add that! I had so much fun. =)

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Aw, thank you!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Thanks lady, that’s really good to hear. I like the regularity of it too!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    This is a great love list. Many blessings on the next 6 weeks!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    This is a great love list. Many blessings on the next 6 weeks!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    This is a great love list. Many blessings on the next 6 weeks!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Wow you’re so close to being done, that’s CRAZY!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Wow you’re so close to being done, that’s CRAZY!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Girl you weren’t supposed to order it!! I was going to send you one! =D

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Girl you weren’t supposed to order it!! I was going to send you one! =D

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Girl you weren’t supposed to order it!! I was going to send you one! =D

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Melisa this is SUCH a good point, and a great reminder for me. Because you’re so right, but I always forget to tell people this. Eating for maximum pleasure is an awesome way to transition. It’s how I did it, and how a lot of people I know did it. You can always mellow out and “clean” up later, but allowing yourself to get super excited about all the new wonderful treats you get to try, reframes it from what you *don’t* get to eat anymore, into all about what you *do* get to eat now. Great great advice.

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Melisa this is SUCH a good point, and a great reminder for me. Because you’re so right, but I always forget to tell people this. Eating for maximum pleasure is an awesome way to transition. It’s how I did it, and how a lot of people I know did it. You can always mellow out and “clean” up later, but allowing yourself to get super excited about all the new wonderful treats you get to try, reframes it from what you *don’t* get to eat anymore, into all about what you *do* get to eat now. Great great advice.

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    WIN! Congrats. that is super amazing and so exciting. I am so happy for you guys. Please let me know how it goes for him!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    WIN! Congrats. that is super amazing and so exciting. I am so happy for you guys. Please let me know how it goes for him!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/ Sayward Rebhal

    Haha, yes! Love him. =)

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