Can you give one of the most important pieces of advice you think can help someone remain healthy, kind, and vegan during the summer months when there is a lot of temptation to not eat this way surrounding them?
Can you give one of the most important pieces of advice you think can help someone remain healthy, kind, and vegan during the summer months when there is a lot of temptation to not eat this way surrounding them?
That was fun Alicia! Thank you!
I know you just had your live chat...but for a possible future post can you give some toddler and preschooler staple food ideas? well rounded snack and meal ideas, that would be so awesome :) they are kind of picky at this age :( right now i find i feed my kids quite a bit of brown rice, whole grain pastas, sandwhiches with veg meat and spinach, salads(with ranch, they still eat a very little amount of dairy, some cheese every now and again in grilled cheese sandwhiches), toast with jam and peanut butter(not vegan), cucumber, mushrooms, corn on cob, peas/green beans, honeydew melon (quite a bit of fruit actually, so i won't name it all), red peppers, veg burgers, and veg hot dogs....i haven't got them onto much beans or lentils yet, any ideas how?! anyone??!! lol thanks!!
another question, how do i get beans and lentils into my babys diets too(9 months)? she is very easy to feed, but the outer skin tends to throw her off...
Hey Crystal--this is just my 2 cents, but my 2-year-old also had some trouble with textures when I switched him to a full-on vegan diet at about 9 months. Mashing things can make them better for them to eat. If it is the same consistency as their baby food they are familiar with you may have a better chance getting them to eat it. Just last night, my now 30-month old was REQUESTING that beans be added to a side dish section of his meal, so I think it will just come with time :) He loves quinoa dishes with onions and peppers too. They will eat what they are use to and if it is whole food that they eat, it is what they eventually WILL request!
Was wondering if someone, maybe you Alicia, or someone else knowledgable, could let me know about this Arsenic / Brown Rice thing going on. Is this a real problem, or is it another case of someone making a small contained problem with Organic food into a huge over stated problem?
I eat a lot of brown rice, so it is important to me.
Thanks much.
thank you very much!! ^ thats a good question!
i have been vegan since January, and so far the kids are doing well, thank you for the suggestions i very much appreciate it. i guess i just have to start serving up the beans! tonight i made a fried rice with onion, grn peppers and mushrooms, and for some reason my kids would not swallow their food ugh...some days they do like to test me, but i remain persistent bc i know how i would like them to learn to eat ;) tomatoes are another thing they will not touch, and my boys food likes are pretty much opposite, go figure!
another question if anyone feels up for answering...i have a 9 month old, eat vegan, quite little somedays as i do not really have the time to eat with the three kiddos lol and for some reason i can not lose weight! i need/want to lose approx. 15-20 more pounds and i am not sure how to go about doing this. most days i am running around all day long, so its not like i just sit on my butt all day, and not every day i have energy to excercise. i am super exhausted lately (stay up late-my own fault). i have had eating disorders in my past and switching to veganism was a very natural progression for me, but in some ways it has helped the urge to go back to 'those ways'...and not losing weight is getting stressful, making me miserable, i just want to go back to being skinny and able to wear all my clothes in my closet. i think it is making me depressed, i don't do anything other than the running around for my childrens activities...
holy rant, sorry.

I want to remind you all to come meet me back here at 5 pm PST / 8 pm EST for my live chat. You have submitted some great questions already about all things warm weather-related: sunscreen, swimwear, weight loss—so keep your questions coming, and I’ll answer as many as I can today during our live chat.
To participate, all you have to do is logon to The Kind Life when the chat starts. If you don't already have a profile on The Kind Life, make sure to sign up for one so you'll receive an email notification when the live chat begins.
I look forward to talking to ya'll!
Share your questions below and I'll try to answer as many as I can during the live chat!
More kind discussions...
ANNOUNCING: My Next Live Chat!
My Live Chat About Pregnancy
Love Chatting With You All
Ask a Superhero: What's Up With Wheatgrass?

Kind Lifer Kathy made some big changes and her life is better than ever!
“In the hope of inspiring others to make a change, I'd like to share my story. The power of a year can be underestimated. Last year I was unhappily working for a large corporation, using anti-depressants and red wine to pass the days. I knew I needed a change, that there was something I was missing out of life.
My first step was to nix the pharmaceuticals and change my diet. In May, I read The Kind Diet and Eating Animals and it was then that I made the decision to be a vegetarian. From there, I was inspired to make other major changes. I quit smoking and quit my toxic job and quit red wine (not necessarily in that order). I started volunteering as a server at a Buddhist vegetarian organic restaurant, bringing people healthier, more nourishing food and educating them on GMO's and the importance of organic.
Back in November, I tried out different diets including a Superhero, Macrobiotic, and Raw diet for 30 days. After that, I never looked back on eating dairy and have never felt better. And yes, like other vegans gone wild, I lost that annoying 10 pounds that's hard to get rid of!
Now, I'm embarking on an organic farming internship for nine months in the hopes of eventually managing an organic farm of my own and working with the surrounding community. If you had told me last year that all this would happen, I'd tell you to get out! I made the changes, some harder than others, and have lived to tell about it. More than that, I feel more alive now than ever! If you're thinking about making changes just know that you can and it's worth it...you're worth it.”
Congratulations Kathy!
If any of you kind lifers have a success story to share, private message me or upload your story to your profile and “like” it. I may feature you on the homepage of The Kind Life!
More kind cures...
Kind Cures: Kelly Banishes Eczema
Kind Cures: Carol Heals Her Baby's Eczema
Kind Cures: Kayla Gets Back on the Wagon
Kind Cures: Spunky Loses 114 Pounds and Quits Smoking
Last week on Suburgatory, Noah got a little personal… If you missed it, you can watch the full episode on abc.com.
Tomorrow's episode is the season finale and might be the last time you'll see Eden so don't forget to tune in to ABC at 8:30/7:30C!
More on Suburgatory:
Did You Catch Suburgatory?
Bear on the Set of Suburgatory
Behind the Scenes of Suburgatory
On the Set of “Suburgatory”

I’m so excited to tell you about my new Juice Beauty line (available exclusively at Ulta and Juice Beauty). I worked really hard to make this collection as eco-friendly and yummy as possible, so I’m thrilled it’s finally here!
Every item in the collection is organic and 100% vegan, containing nourishing ingredients like passion fruit, champagne grape, shea butter, avocado, aloe, and fresh juices. The packaging is made from 95% post-consumer recycled materials and the makeup items have over 90% recycled paper components.
The ink used in the packaging is soy-based, and once you’ve used up the products, all the packaging is recyclable…yahoo! So, not only can you recycle them (and you must!), but they're made from products that have already been recycled—plastic water bottles! How great is that?
Here’s a video about the new line from “Entertainment Tonight”:
Win My Complete Juice Beauty Collection!
I’m giving away one complete collection to one lucky winner! That includes one of each of the following:
To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment below telling me which product you want to try most and why. Good luck!
Warm weather usually means cooking out. And for many people, that might mean attending events where meat is on the menu. Here are some recipes for dishes you can bring to a BBQ, or even better…throw your own kind summer BBQ! Nothing can inspire or motivate change better than a belly of delicious food.
Here are some yum BBQ ideas I shared last year:
I haven’t tried this one, but I love me some potato salad! I rarely eat it, but it’s such a nice treat for a pool party or BBQ. And it’s so easy to make a healthier version... And sooo much yummier!
I would personally leave out the peppers (and I think it would be way yummier that way), but if you are someone who loves peppers, leave them in!
Summer Potato Salad
Ingredients
Steps
What would your perfect BBQ look like?
More kind treats...
Delicious Sunday Dinners
Artichokes with Roast Capsicum and Sun-Dried Sauce
Kind Chocolate Cake
My Warm, Spicy Wine
Every spring, I pull out all the weeds from my garden and put some nice compost into the soil. Then I plant my spring crop! Last year was more compact and a little less wild than the year before to get action-packed results in a small space. 
Last year, I planted:
This year was a complete surprise! I planted in the winter time and forgot about it. Then all of a sudden I looked and there were veggies everywhere! We had fava beans, kale, and onions…that I had forgotten about.That's the exciting thing about planting food in the winter that doesn't need maintenance.
We had really tapped out the nutrients from the soil for a few years, so we grew the fava beans to nourish the soil. Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International explains that all members of the legume family, including beans, peas, and lentils, replenish the nitrogen compounds that other plants need to grow. When I first discovered the fava beans, I ate some of them raw and they were delicious. To cook them, we peel away the outer pod and steam the beans for about five minutes. Then the inner beans pop out easily from the little bean shells. I tossed some onto a fresh boiled salad and I give them to Bear to eat. He loves them! He picks them up with his little fingers and pops them in his mouth.
We also have volunteer nasturtiums, which are edible flowers, and wild arugula that also volunteers. A volunteer crop is one that we didn't deliberately plant. It grows from the seed of an old crop and keeps coming back year after year.

This is my surprise winter garden!
The bulb of a spring onion eventually gets more round and white. Spring onions have more of a bite than green onions, and can be used raw or cooked and are yum in salads or sautéed. I love to pick them early and slice up the bulb a few at a time to save in a jar to sprinkle on my soups. Then the green part I use like scallions—crunchy and delicious. Yum!

Growing your own food is fun, I love eating from my garden!
What’s in your garden right now?
Related Stories:
Seed Bomb Machines!
My Garden in the Summertime!
Action ALert: Support a Kind Teacher
Flowers from My Garden

I love chatting with all of you, so I’m going to do my best to make it happen at least once a month!
Since summer is almost here, I thought we should make May’s live chat all about enjoying the warm weather kind-style: that means dishing about everything from kind BBQ recipes to the best kind sunscreens, beauty products, beach reading and eco-friendly vacation ideas.
Our live chat will be happening Wednesday, May 16 at 5pm PST / 8pm EST, so mark your calendars!
What would you like to ask me about having a kind summer? Submit your questions in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to answer them during our live chat!
Related Stories:
My Live Chat About Pregnancy
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My Favorite Beauty Products and the Best Facial in LA!

This was taken at Coachalla just a few weeks ago.

Most of these photos were taken when Bear was about six months old and he was chewing on everything—as you can see in the top left photo with the tooth brush in his mouth and the bottom with the tv remote. The most recent picture is the top middle where Bear is chewing on an icicle, taken about two months ago when he was ten months old.
Of course, I have my mom to thank for imparting her kind values to me at an early age, with her love of animals and her eco-conscious habits (see my post about how she squeezes the last drop out of every beauty product…go Mom!). My mom is also the inspiration for the English brunch recipe on page 198 in The Kind Diet.
Get the recipe here and make your mom breakfast in bed this year!
Here are some kind gift ideas you can give your mom for Mother’s Day:

Cookies and Crispy Bars by Pure Sweets
Vegan Divas Gluten Free Coconut Macaroons and Cookies in a Heart Tin
Flora Floppy Straw Hat by Greenpacha
Eco-Functional iPhone Case by Minimalist
Striped Sweatshirt by Threads 4 Thought
Hand-crafted Soaps from Estrella
Lip Balm by Salve Me
Woven Envelope Clutch by Daydreamer
If you haven’t already, be sure to follow me on OpenSky to be the first to find out about more great deals on kind goodies!
Want to give a gift on behalf of your mom? Check out these organizations:
And, for the mamas-to-be in your life, share Ricki Lake’s amazing documentaries The Business of Being Born and More Business of Being Born. I’ve also shared a bunch of great book recommendations for moms-to-be over the last year in our kind book club.
Like every holiday, this one is all about spending time with your family and appreciating each other.
How do you plan to celebrate Mother’s Day?
More stories for kind mamas:
Kind Book Club: What You Thought of “Diaper Free” by Ingrid Bauer
ANNOUNCING! winners of a signed copy of the kind diet
Link Love: Recapping the Month in Kind
Lil Kind Life: 10 Ways to Help Your Kids Go Green
Macrobiotic counselor Warren Kramer is coming to LA in June! You know him from my previous posts about his classes as well as my Q&A series about kind pregnancy with his lovely wife Fatim. If you live in or around LA and would like to know more about going superhero, check out Warren's classes! I love them and highly recommend them. They always have very interesting discussions and great information—life changing stuff! Get your butts there! Details below:
VEGAN/MACROBIOTIC CLASSES in LA
Warren Kramer in Los Angeles June 6-10, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Dinner/Lecture: Food and Lifestyle to Stay Young and Vital - The Real Fountain of Youth
$45 paid by 5/30; $60 thereafter
Our modern diet and lifestyle are causing people to age quickly and prematurely. We've become obsessed with our appearance and staying young. There is truly a way to keep our freshness, brightness and youthful appearance throughout our life. Warren explains how to use food, exercise and lifestyle to stay biologically young.
Thursday, June 7, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Cooking Class: How to Satisfy Cravings Through Cooking!
$60 paid by 5/30; $75 thereafter
Cravings can be our friend. They are there to help us strike balance with our activity and our environment, and they help us find satisfaction. We will look closely at what specific cravings are telling us and how to make the right dishes to satisfy without compromising health.
Friday, June 8, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
Dinner/Lecture: The Kidneys - Key to Our Vitality
$45 paid by 5/30; $60 thereafter
In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is said that the kidneys are "our seat to life".
They are our hereditary bank account. Our teeth, bones, nails, hair quality, will, physical and sexual vitality are all influenced by the strength and functioning of our kidneys. This essential lecture will focus on how to diagnose your kidneys, what harms and helps the kidneys with regard to food, remedies and lifestyle.
Lecture: Managing Your Condition to Manage Your Life
One of the goals of a macrobiotic practice is to learn how to guide one's life. To be able to make appropriate choices in diet and lifestyle greatly determine the quality of our life. Warren explores what it really means to manage our condition and how to start making the best choices for us.
To Register contact: Karen
Email: yogarv@aol.com Tel: 310-204-4867
Warren will be available for individual health consultations from June 7 to June 10.
Please Note: Your payment holds your reservation for all classes, as space is limited.
Wednesday and Friday classes are held in Culver City
Thursday and Saturday's classes and Consultations are held in West LA
Special Discount: Prepay for all classes by May 30 is $220.00
www.macrobioticsnewengland.com
What questions do you have about going superhero?
Related Stories:
My Friend Fatim's Natural Pregnancy
My Friend Fatim's Natural Birth…
Fatim's Superhero Baby!
Superhero Classes: Warren Kramer is Back in LA!
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