Helping you/Helping me in the New Year

Okay this will be a short post my vegetarian/vegan family.

This is the last day of the year 2008 and I could not let it go without one final post. I have used this blog to share some things that I found interesting and helpful during my new experience as a vegan. I will continue to do that but with a little more flair and powerful information. I realize that health is very important as well as all of the other benefits associated with being a vegetarian/vegan, and I want to concentrate and focus more on some of the nutritional content of foods as well as how to prepare certain items. I am going to be exploring foods that I have never tried (or even thought about trying) before so that together we can make an amazing lifestyle even that much more. I will be adding video and audio content as well. I will be adding recipe's as well as links to others blogs and websites that I have and am finding valuable resources to move us to our best lives yet.

I am so excited that you have decided to join me in enjoying what life has to offer us! I look forward to an incredible and unbelievably amazing 2009! I wish the same to you as well!

Love ya my Vegetarian/Vegan family!

Nettrea ;-)

Before the New Year begins....

I have had so many people say to me that they are going to try being vegan after the New Year so that they can get on the right track. To this I say..... WHY WAIT???? Your "New Year" can start today! I love that people are interested in the benefits of a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle but the time that you choose to move on that interest doesn't have to wait until January 1st. Why not try to have a vegetarian/vegan new years eve party complete with trays of all your favorite veggies. Maybe platters of "faux meats" of different varieties? How about a showcase of dairy free desserts? It is all about choice of course but you don't have to make it a resolution. You are changing your life. Starting today does have its benefits...

Happy New Year my Vegetarian/Vegan family!
Love ya!



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Getting back to what I love

Hello my vegan family,

I have had a lot of things going on in my life and I am so sorry for not blogging like a good girl should . Well, I am back to doing what I love and that is informing you about our new vegetarian/vegan lifestyle! While having an awesome bowl of oatmeal, I am writing to you and compiling some great things that I am anxious to tell you about.

Just an update on my brother-in-law...his first week going vegetarian he lost 17 pounds!!! Yeah, you heard it right....SEVENTEEN POUNDS! Congratulations to you Pat! Cant wait to hear the remaining progress.

I have a number of things to blog about so I will keep this particular post sweet and simple so thatg I can get to the good stuff. I hope that you are enjoying your holidays!

Nettrea Robinson
A.K.A. The New Vegetarian

THE SCOOP ON NUTRITIONAL YEAST

As a new vegetarian/vegan you may from time to time have a craving for something cheesy or at least for me I have it sometimes daily. Well, you are in luck! I came across this AWESOME vegan staple called nutritional yeast. I have never, ever heard of it before until I became vegan and now it seems that I can not shut up talking about it. This flaky goldmine has taken my palate to new levels of dining. I eat it on virtually anything that I want to have some taste of cheese. I sprinkle it on popcorn, on salads, in soups, on my Italian dishes (almost like Parmesan cheese). I mean this stuff is incredible. I know that I just made serious hype on the taste of the nutritional yeast but here is where I want to tell you something awesome about it. Nutritional yeast also boasts some very healthy benefits to it as well. It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins.It is also naturally low in fat and sodium. Some of the nutritional yeast are fortified with vitamin B-12. The brand I use which is "Red Star" is fortified with the B-12 vitamin. Can you believe that! So I say...sprinkle away and enjoy the feeling that being cheesy can be easy!

HELLO wonderful vegan/vegetarian family!!

Hello my Vegan/Vegetarian Family,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was supposed to be posting quite a bit right before the holidays but I had an aunt pass right before and had to go to memphis quickly. I am back and ready to continue with sharing the latest on our new lifestyle. I am excited to inform you of how awesome I feel right now. I would love to hear how you are doing with your transformation or journey. Now that I am able to blog, I have so many new and interesting things to tell you about. For those of you who are not vegetarian/vegan but are thinking about trying it, how about commiting to do it for thirty days? When I became serious about being a vegan, I went to the PETA website to learn about the treatment of animals as well as how to incorporate eating healthy. On their website was a pledge that you could sign up for to "go vegetarian" for thirty days. I was ready to do it and their website helped to catapult me to what is now a stable foundation upon which to build upon. If you are interested in signing up just go to: http://www.goveg.com/ .

I also am excited about the pledge because my brother-in-law just decided to take the step to going vegan for thirty days. His official start date was yesterday and he did well for his first day. I will keep you posted on his success! Here he is looking ready to give it a try....

THE HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US!! YEA!!!!

Hell0 My Vegetarian/Vegan family!!

It is such a glorious day here in Phoenix Arizona. I just sent the kids off to school and daycare, and kissed my awesome hubby (AH) goodbye as he headed off to work. The weather will get to 82 degrees today, which is great weather, (sorry to those in colder weather) to plan the holiday menu for Thanksgiving and to try my hand at making it totally vegan! I will be testing some great recipes today. I will let you know (as you already know) how they turn out. A little nervous you ask? Yes, because I have never had a vegan Thanksgiving before BUT I am so grateful for the way I feel (both physically and mentally), the way my skin looks, and the way my family is adapting to this way of life. I am grateful for being able to help the environment by incorporating living green and above all the lives of animals and their welfare.

NEWS ALERT! NEWS ALERT! My AH just informed me last night that he was thinking of giving up meat slowly (starting with pork) and that he eventually will try to transition to a vegetarian lifestyle. This, from the man who told me that he was a meatatarian and there was no way he was going to stop eating meat. I am so excited! So you see why I have to put on a great spread for the holiday. On top of all of that, we will be with his ENTIRE family for Thanksgiving and I am sure that they will be sampling some of my vegan fare (they will have the usual Holiday meal there as well). I am under some intense pressure here but I am up for the challenge! YES, I CAN!

Now back to our regularly scheduled program: I will be posting quite a bit within these next few days because I want to make sure that you also have some wonderful recipes for the holidays as well as the fact that I may not be able to post anything the day before Thanksgiving (we shall see). If I don’t get a chance to, I want to wish you the most INCREDIBLE Thanksgiving ever! I am very grateful to have you all as family and my support! Thank you for all the great emails I have gotten to encourage me to do what I already love to do, EAT, COOK, and WRITE!

Here's to Living Life!

"IT'S ALL GOOD!!" Veggie Chicken Breasts?

Okay fellow vegetarian/vegan family, I have another incredible product review! Just when you

thought life couldn’t get any better, I came across another great product and “It’s All Good”! I really mean it…actually, that is the name of the company that produces this product. Are you ready??? It is veggie chicken breasts! Yes, you are hearing me right VEGETABLE chicken breast.

The company “It’s All Good”, boasts about its wonderful combination of vegetable proteins called “Gardien”. This combination of pea protein, carrot, and beet root fiber gives this incredible food its meat-like texture. Who could complain about a meal giving you what is good for you as well as tastes great? I sound like that old Miller Lite beer commercial “less filling, taste great”! They have many great products other than chicken. They even have a substitute for beef (I have not tried the beef strips yet). The variety of products that they make consist of the “veggie chick’n strips lightly seasoned, veggie beef strips lightly seasoned, veggie chick’n filets in a Mediterranean herb & spice rub, veggie chick’n filets in a zesty lemon herb rub, veggie chick’n breasts in a herb Dijon marinade, and the one that I tried and will become a family favorite in my home, the veggie chick’n breasts in a Tuscan tomato marinade. I had these faux chicken breast served over a bed of brown rice with a side steamed green beans, talk about a quick and wonderful meal. The “chick’n breasts only take about a couple of minutes to cook, which saves a lot of time in the kitchen during the week (I thought I would give you a quick tip for those week night meals). I highly recommend this product and I am looking forward to many more awesome items from this company. Enjoy Life!

This item might be a little hard to obtain. I found this item at the “Fresh and Easy” store. If you can’t locate this product you can go to their website at www.itsallgoodfoods.com.