Vegan Halloween Candy, Recipes & More!

 

Looking to celebrate Halloween with a Vegan spin?

Check out these spooky resources for some Vegoween inspirations:

Candy:
Amazon
Endangered Species Chocolates (vegan options)
NaturalCandyStore.com
Sjaaks Organic Chocolates

Candy Guides:

Peta Kids
VegNews

Cooking Show:
The Vegan Zombie

Recipes:
365 Halloween
AllRecipes.com
ChooseVeg.com
Forks & Beans
Happy Cow
No-Bake
Oh She Glows
One Green Planet
Peta
Pinterest
Vegetarians in Paradise
Vegan Halloween Round-up!
Veganosity

Thought Starters:
About.com
Pinterest
The Spooky Vegan


Happy Halloween!!!

Naked Food Magazine...Tricky, Very Tricky

On the surface this looks like your typical magazine, but what lies beneath the cheeky name and sometimes racy covers is a wealth of whole-food, plant-based information aimed at preventing and reversing disease.

As I peeled back the cover and started reading some of the non-typical magazine articles (even for a vegan magazine) an air of familiarity washed over me.  I felt like I had been exposed to this information before, like I knew the authors and so I did...McDougall, Esselstyn, Campbell, Popper and the list goes on.

Disguised as the typical entertainment piece - coffee table literature was in fact a wealth of fact-based, plant-based knowledge; but not written in the typical medical blah, blah jargon, but rather in language that the average Joe can comprehend, absorb, relate to.  Quick hits of info as only a magazine format could deliver paired with the rich, glossy, eye candy photos.  Clever, Naked Food, very clever...

Still not convinced this is not your typical fluff magazine?

Check out the advisory board:

• T. Colin Campbell PhD
• Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. M.D.
• John Robbins
• John McDougall M.D.
• Michael Greger M.D.
• David Katz M.D.
• Michael Kalper M.D.
• Brian Clement PH.D
• Anne Maria Clement PhD

These are some of the heaviest hitters in whole-food, plant-based movement.


The Winter 2016 addition featured such articles as:

• The Ultimate Weight Loss Guide by PCRM
• How To Really Read A Label by Amy Lucariello, BS, CNTP
• Low Carb vs. High Carb by John McDougall M.D.
• How To Fix Panic Disorder by Douglas Lisle, PhD 
• Meat and Cancer by David Katz M.D.

Tasty, simple recipes accompany these easy to digest nuggets of information so you can put the plant-based lifestyle into practice ASAP.

As for the name, it actually stands for New American Kind and Enlightened Diet (Naked) to support the magazine's mission of switching people off the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.).  Not so cheeky after all...

Check it out!

The Healthy Hoff Cookbook!

Hot Off The Presses!

Cooking With The Healthy Hoff: Quick, Easy Meals, Fueled by Plant-Based, Oil-free Whole Foods!

 

Cookbook now available on Amazon!!!

This fun, easy & sometimes funny, cookbook features 21 of my favorite plant-strong recipes!  

From breakfast to dessert, I've got something awesome for all your meals.  I'll show you how to make old school oatmeal super quick & tasty.  Put a new spin on the traditional salad, with my 5 Day Salad.  Blow you away with my OMG! Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  I didn't forget that vegans love Mac & Cheese too!  And I don't even know which is better; the Pretzel Bark or I Can't Believe It's Not Dairy Chocolate Shake!"  All this and many more will have your friends & family taking back what they said about vegan food being tasteless & boring!

Even Morticia makes a guest appearance in the book!

Available now on Amazon!

Check it Out!

The Healthy & Humane Observer Is Here!!!

The Healthy & Humane Observer 

is now available!!!

What is it?

Think of Healthy & Humane as your one-stop local vegan resource!

Part of the Observer successful series of publications, this local paper focuses on being VEGAN & loving animals - dedicated to promoting a healthier, more compassionate way of living through diet & lifestyle choices.

This paper provides not only information on the whole food, plant-based lifestyle, it also promotes vegan & vegetarian friendly restaurants and activities in the area.

Healthy & Humane also aims to be a forum for dedicated, hardworking animal advocacy groups within Cleveland and the surrounding areas.

Look to this paper to feature many “rescue & foster” organizations located throughout Northeast Ohio.  You could find your next best friend...


Sounds expensive...

Nope - it's free!


I want one!

Look for the paper at vendors, restaurants, libraries and various other locations throughout Northeast Ohio.  Or check out the online version!


Want to get in on the action? 

Consider being a sponsor!  The Healthy and Humane Observer presently has openings for ad sales.  It's crucial that these get filled as the ads are footing the bill for the paper.  If you've got a business, event or anything to promote, send an email to healthyandhumaneobserver@gmail.com, for flexible ad pricing!


Look mom, I've been published!

This paper is written by its readers for its readers -  if you've got stories, events, notices, recipes, rescues - anything related to the vegan lifestyle or rescuing our furry little friends, submit to healthyandhumaneobserver@gmail.com for consideration in upcoming publications!  Photos are welcomed too!

Keep it Healthy & Local!
The Hoff

Valentine Sweets For Your Vegan Sweetie!

Um yeah, it's not Valentine's Day without chocolate!  But, if the love of your life goes sans animal products, that can be a tall order to fill.

Don't worry, I hunted down some resources for you...you can thank me later.  :)

Check out these rockin' sites offering special Vegan Valentine's!

Amazon
Allison's Gourmet
Chocolate Decadence
cigy
Endangered Species Chocolates
Etsy
Farm Santuary
Lagusta's Luscious
Natural Candy Store
Rescue Chocolate
Rose City Chocolatier
Sjaak's Organic Chocolates
The Vegan Store
Vegan Essentials


If you're more the hands on type, make some super easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

And for those of you going solo this V Day - find the love of your little veggie life at Veggie Connection!


XOXO!
The Hoff

Gobble Green: Vegan/Vegetarian Food Delivery

Struggling to eat healthy but don't have the time or desire to cook?  Tired of eating out?  Gobble Green may be able to help you with that.

Gobble Green is a gourmet vegan meal delivery service, providing healthy frozen meals throughout the United States, Canada and the UK.

Complete meal plans start at $500 a month for 3 meals a day.  There are six plans to choose from.

The Fit For Life platinum plan, for example, is offered in weekly increments for either individuals or couples and supplements three pre-planned meals and a daily dessert with unlimited access to a Gobble Green nutritionist, as well as to an online virtual fitness page to keep tabs on your personal goals and progress. This plan starts at $750.

You can expect meals such as vegetable paella with faux chicken and ginger thai salad, spaghetti and meatballs or a burger with mango salsa.  They even have pizza!  For dessert they offer things like peanut-butter-chocolate-chip bars or chocolate chip cookies.

Too much?  Try their a la carte options and Kits.

And for those of you who have a love/hate relationship with gluten, they've got you covered with gluten-free options as well.

Each box is packed with dry ice in an environmentally friendly container.  Meals are frozen and vacuum sealed and labeled with their ingredients and nutritional value.

Healthy Hoff Disclaimer: I haven't tried this service and cannot attest to whether or not it's good.  I did come across a few blogs that sang their praises, but on the comments section of The Token Fat Girl review of this service, folks slaughtered Gobble Green.  My advice, do your homework and go with your gut.

An alternative to this type of service would be to team up with a local personal chef, in which you could get exactly what you want based on your dietary preferences/needs.  One chef that I am familiar with offering this service in Northeastern Ohio is Chef Robin of Cooking with C.A.R.E. who will create weekly or bi-weekly prepared meals just for you.  I know for a fact that she is open to preparing vegan meals without oil.  Prices for this service start at $140 per week.

Check it Out!
The Hoff

Chickpea Magazine: Support a Start-up & Be Rewarded!

Check out Chickpea Magazine, a quarterly Vegan, lifestyle publication looking to published it's first paper version this Fall.

Chickpea brings Vegan bloggers and artists together for a unique cooking experience and much, much more!

While Chickpea has blown away their $1,000 goal to publish their first print edition of the magazine, you can still be a part of this unique start-up opportunity.

A donation of $22 will score you a copy of their Fall 2011 edition.  There are additional donation packages as well with goodies galore - check them out!

Take a peak at the online version of Chickpea - the photography is AMAZING!

Don't hesitate, the funding drive will end in six days on October 13, 2011.

Check out Chickpea's funding request video and meet the creators - Bob & Cara! 

The Healthy Hoff Graduates!

I couldn't wait to be done with college, but for some reason since I graduated, I just can't seem to stop taking classes!

My latest endeavor has earned me a certification in a program called, Wellness 101 from The Wellness Forum in Columbus, Ohio.

"Wellness 101 takes a thorough look at the science of diet and health and the skills needed to adopt a program of dietary excellence (tm) and optimal habits."  In other words, you won't get opinionated information with this course, what you will get is scientific based facts and it's hard to dispute science.

I found this course very interesting and picked up a lot of great tips to work into my lifestyle.  The book was an easy read and the accompanying DVDs of live class lectures helped to reinforce what was being taught.  I also enjoyed the weekly lecture calls that give you an opportunity to speak directly with Dr. Popper, who by the way, teaches the course.

To take the Wellness 101 course, you have to become a member of The Wellness Forum, but with that comes added benefits:

• Weekly Conference Calls and Workshops - topics ranging from sports nutrition to cancer prevention and treatment.
• Monthly "Conversations with Dr. Pam" - your chance to ask The Wellness Forum's founder questions about diet, health and medicine
• Monthly "Conversations with Chef Del" - get expert advice about food and cooking
• Members-Only Website - in addition to recipes and other helpful information, you'll have access to a growing library of workshops, Conversations with Dr. Pam and Conversations with Chef Del are posted for you to listen to any time!
• Special Prices on cooking classes and other events
• Free Shipping on orders over $250, within the continental U.S.
• Ongoing Support to help you in filtering and making sense out of the enormous amount of information about health you're exposed to every day!

The Wellness Forum was founded and is headed by Dr. Pamela Popper, whom I had the pleasure of meeting.

I found Dr. Popper to be quite knowledgeable and very straightforward in her approach to health and wellness.  It helps that she runs in the same social circle as Dr. John McDougall creator of the McDougall Health and Medical Center, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of The Cleveland Clinic and Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study - three medical professionals of whom I hold high regard for.

While classes are taught at their Columbus facilities, I was fortunate enough to take advantage of their distance learning program.  In other words, you don't have to live in Ohio to take this program. In fact, there were students from around the country in my class, including a few from Vegas.

The class lasts six weeks and covers a lot of material that can be directly applied to your life.

So, if you're interested in ways to make your lifestyle a little healthier or are just confused about all the conflicting health info out in the world today, check out The Wellness Forum, you won't be disappointed.

Keep Learning!
The Hoff

CSA Delivered!

Don't have a CSA near you or just don't want to commit to weekly pick-ups?

No worries, for as little as $32 a week, FruitGuys.com will deliver a case filled with seasonal, organic fruits and veggies to your door step!  You choose the size, variety and delivery schedule.

Another super, easy way to support small farmers, even if they're not in your backyard.

Healthy Eating!
The Hoff

Lazy Ox Farm

If you're looking to grow a garden this year and want well-established plants to start with, I highly recommend the Lazy Ox Farm!

I found this farm on Local Harvest, where I do all my online Farmer's Market shopping.

I had purchased strawberry plants from another farm (Destiny Farm) and they arrived well before I could plant them.  They also arrived in an unmarked box, with no packing material, no invoice and no care instructions.  No thank you for purchase!!!!  I enjoy the little hand written note, most farmers on this site provide, makes me feel like I'm in Mayberry.

The rather small plants looked as if they were pulled from the ground and were swimming in wood chips.  The plants were thrown into a ziplock bag.  Needless to say, all 20 plants died.

My experience with Lazy Ox Farm was the complete opposite.  While I had ordered the plants a month prior, the farmer informed me that they would not ship until May 16 (when it was feasible to plant - I like that).  Two days later, they were on my doorstep!

Plants arrived individually wrapped, each in their own planter box and all labeled.  Care instructions were also provided as well as individual descriptions of each plant variety.

Plants were well-established, all around 7" tall (that's more impressive than anything I've seen at a local greenhouse).

From the email correspondence through to the careful delivery, you get a genuine feeling that this farm takes great pride in their work and truly cares for their customers.

Lazy Ox offers a large variety of plants: from tomatoes, to peppers, to a variety of herbs, squash, eggplant...too many to mention.  I picked myself up some lemon basil (the smell is pure heaven), oregano, garlic chives and cherry tomatoes.  If you're wondering, they don't offer strawberry plants (sigh) - hence my unfortunate incident.

Not into plants?  They also sell seeds.

I am now a Lazy Ox Farm customer for life - I hope you consider them for your gardening needs as well.

Here's to the little farmer in all of us!
The Hoff

Cleaning for a Reason: Help for Woman Fighting Cancer

If you or any woman you know is currently undergoing chemotherapy, Cleaning for a Reason will provide FREE professional housecleaning services, once a month for four months while treatment is being undertaken.  All that needs to be done is to sign-up online and fax a doctor's note confirming treatment.

This incredible organization services the entire United States, so be sure to keep this in your back pocket, should you ever have a friend who could use a little helping hand.

Click here for more information.

May you never be in need.
The Hoff

Northeast Ohio CSA Farm Directory 2011

If reading my post about joining a CSA inspired you to look into your own CSA, the Cleveland Plain Dealer just released a Northeast Ohio CSA Directory to aid you in your search.  It lists over 50 farms delivering to the area.

Want to check out a CSA farm for yourself?  

The Blue Pike Farm is hosting their 5th Annual Open House.

When: May 7, 2011
Time: 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Where: East 72nd Street, Cleveland Ohio 44114

Email: carl@bluepikefarm.com for more info (he's a pretty cool guy)!

Check it out!

The Hoff

CSA Season is Upon Us!

What is a CSA, you say?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture

Buying into a CSA allows you to get a variety of local, seasonal, super fresh and usually organic produce directly from the farmer once a week - typically for about 20 weeks (the peak growing season for your area). 

You buy a share of the farmer's crops for around $600 (average), which should feed a family of four a few meals per week (you will still need to hit the grocery store).  It works out to about $30 a week. 

Typically you pick-up your box or bag of food at a Farmer's Market, although some farmers allow pick-up directly from the farm.

It's important to do your research, as there are several options to consider:

1. Do you want fruit?
2. Do you want free-range eggs?
3. Do you want a meat share?
4. What kinds of produce is the farmer specializing in?
5. Does the farmer offer a half share for couples at a reduced price?
6. Does the farmer offer bi-weekly pick-up?
7. Is the farmer delivering to a Farmer's Market near you?
8. Is the pick-up day and time convenient for you?
9. Does the farmer require volunteering?
10. How long has the farmer been offering a CSA?

I found my farmer through LocalHarvest.org.  This site is like an online countrywide Farmer's Market. I was able to narrow my search to my location and then read customer reviews on various farms.

By putting in a little time into researching various CSAs, I was able to find the perfect farmer for me.  My farmer happens to be on Facebook and sends out updates and recipes.  I like having a community to interact with because receiving a mystery box of produce once a week is scary enough, I need some ideas!

A CSA is not without risk, if your area has a drought or anything else that results in a bad harvest, you will not receive a refund and could receive less food than anticipated.  Instead of investing in the stock market, think of it as investing in your food health - there could be ups and downs depending on what Mother Nature has in store.  You also get what you get, there is no calling ahead and placing an order for this and that, these are farmers not grocery stores.

This is my first year participating in a CSA.  I'm taking it on as a challenge to expand my vegetable palette, eat in more and broaden my recipe arsenal.

To prepare for this uncharted territory, I have been embarking on a challenge over the last month of cooking one to two vegetables per week in which I have never prepared- I call them the Mystery Veggies of the Week.  I must say I have gotten very creative: Zucchini Quesadillas, Spaghetti Squash with Marinara, Kale Chips to name a few.

Most CSAs begin in May and many have limits as to how many shares they will sell in order to ensure their customers get their fair "share", so you better get on it if this is of interest for you.

Don't be afraid to email the farmer and ask questions - this gives you an opportunity to gauge the responsiveness and personality of the farmer and see if this is someone you want to conduct "business" with for the next 20 weeks.

Now go get your CSA on!
The Hoff

Awesome Blog Alert: Fooducate

I just stumbled upon one entertaining and informative blog, Fooducate!

Written by Hemi Weingarten from San Francisco, this blog is published daily and breaks down the nutritional labels of popular foods, marketing tricks and "health claims" so you know what you're really eating.

Hemi is very entertaining and gets right to the point, so these blogs are generally a quick read.  He also holds no punches, if something is bull shit he calls it, gotta love that.

Fooducate just launched an iPhone app, that enables you to scan the UPC code of a food item and get a nutrition summary of that product and potential alternatives.  An Android app is in the works and should be out very soon.  I can't wait to use it!

Happy Reading!
The Hoff

The Splendid Table

I'm addicted to NPR, so it was no surprise that when I got into the Ipod era that I would fall in love with Podcasts at well.

One particular Podcast that I follow regularly, is The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, which just happens to broadcast on Public Radio.  :)

Now the entire show is not healthy, it's a show about eating and eating well.  And we all deserve a treat now and again.  However, the show will get you excited to cook, explore local food and at times deliver some healthy tidbits.  Lynne is very entertaining, as are her guests and she delivers a lot of info in the span of about 50 minutes.  My favorite portion of the show is Jane and Michael Stern and their adventures across America looking for the best food in town - they've even been to Cleveland!

Enjoy!
                                                                       The Hoff

Got the facts on Milk?

I'm so excited!  I just took my first step in being active in the food movement by pledging money to help get funding to a documentary about Milk!  The project, featured on KickStarter, needed $25K in order to get the movie distributed and due to public interest raised over $50K in one week!

So why the excitement?  Well, creator Shira Lane has spent the past five years making this film (which has already won numerous festival awards) that takes a comical approach to questioning the well advertised benefits of milk.  I myself have questioned the consumption of cow's milk for many years as originally humans did not have the tolerance to digest it. Ahem, entire cultures (Japan and China) are still lactose intolerant.

Funding of the project has closed, so you can't donate to get your own DVD, but look for this documentary to be released soon, hopefully on Netflix!  I'll keep you posted.

Click here to view the movie's trailer!

Cheers!
The Hoff