Are you 'In the In-Club'...?

I am not usually what (we) marketing types call an 'early adopter' but I was just so excited about this that I had to become a member straight away!



Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks has launched her brand spanking new Membership Program which offers rewards such as superb recipe packets, regular and special discounts for Compassionate Cooks swag (and who doesn't need another t-shirt????), 'Soup to Nuts' a members-only newsletter and - maybe best of all? - the opportunity to be in touch with Colleen directly!

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm acting like a teen groupie, but I can't help it. I love the current newsletter she sends out and each new podcast episode just about makes my day, so I can't help but be excited.

So want to join me in the In-Club????
:)

Happy World Vegetarian Day, 2008!

I am off to a blazing start on this MoFo Challenge! Today, dear reader, as you probably know is World Vegetarian Day and, in anticipation thereof, I devised a cunning plan. It was breath-taking in its simplicity: offer great vegan baked goods and they will come!

Yeah, and when they showed up, I also had available some brochures from Vegan Outreach and some podcast sampler CDs from Compassionate Cooks. Let me explain....

Last night I spent most of the evening baking. I made scores of mini chocolate-orange cupcakes, battalions of carrot cake mini cupcakes, great troughs of chocolate-raspberry chewie cookies and hods of ginger sparkle cookies. The overall haul looked like this:



and these were my supplemental materials:



and



Devious, no?

So, I arrived super-early at work to set it all up. We have a central cafeteria where everyone comes to swipe in, so that seemed like a logical place to host this 'event'. 07:40 in the AM (yeah, I said 'super early!) saw me spreading leaflets and CDs on the table, uncovering cakes, pinning flyers to notice boards and generally having a great time. As you can see, this whole event was carefully orchestrated. I took these pix and stole quietly away.

The general scene:



...and a close up or two:







Anyways, it was not long before folks were happily tucking into the food and by mid morning there was - by all accounts - only a single, solitary choc-orange mini cupcake left. People were obviously too polite to take the last one, methinks! At lunchtime, however, I peeped into the cafeteria to take stock and beheld a scene of utter devastation. Not a single crumb remained!

But even better than that, approx. two thirds of the outreach materials had been picked up and 24 out of 30 podcast sampler CDs had also been accepted. Which means, I hope, that the whole experience provided not only a mid-week morale boost and a tempting, semi-healthy snack but also great Food for Thought.

Which is, of course, what it's all about.

A great day to be vegan, friends!
:)

Oprah Goes Vegan

Yes, I know that's a headline you are going to read on a million blogs, but I just had to jump on the bandwagon too! Yesterday, from 3 separate sources - and later also from my Dear Mama who is staying with us right now - I heard the excitement that Oprah was undertaking a 21-day cleanse that includes cutting all animal products out of her diet.

This is a great development for the vegan community as she is such a mega-star and can only do us good. I found a link to submit comments, questions and notes to Oprah's production team (no, I am not sufficiently naive to believe she reads these all herself, but no matter!) so I emailed the following:

*******************

Oprah!
I am a long-time fan, of course, and also a new vegan so am very proud of the steps you're taking. I truly hope the transition brings you what it has brought me: peace, integrity, renewed energy and hope. The vegan lifestyle is so very rewarding and life affirming - every day, in the simplest way, we are living our values of compassion and mercy for all creatures. Plus we are giving our bodies what they need to carry us through this remarkable adventure. One of my greatest inspirations as I move along this path is Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks and I wonder whether she could be a guest on your show? Eloquent, intelligent, engaging and dynamic, she is undoubtedly the most charming spokesperson for veganism I have ever met and you would just love her! She can be reached at www.compassionatecooks.com, I believe.
Have fun with your challenge!!
Best wishes,
Amanda

*******************

As a complete hero to me, I would love to see Colleen on Oprah! And if you feel the same, why not click on this link and suggest it too!!!!

Oh, and to follow Oprah's journey, bookmark this link.

Stay vegan, Friends!

Happy Birthday, Colleen!

A very special person has a birthday coming up, so this is a shout out to her - Happy Birthday, Colleen!

As you may know from previous posts, I am addicted to and inspired by the Vegetarian Food for Thought podcasts produced by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks. Colleen's work is consistently thoughtful, highly-researched, balanced without pulling punches, and above all each podcast embodies the compassion she advocates. She truly is a hero to me and I recommend her work to anyone with even the faintest interest in healthful, sustainable eating or animal welfare. To learn more, search for vegetarian podcasts in iTunes, or click here to visit her website.

My teacher, my guide, my friend - Happiest of Birthdays to you!

:)