Where there's a will...

It's my last weekend before I head back into the office, so wanted to write a post to share some really great news! You know that old expression - where there's a will there's a way? Well, I'm amending it to - where there's a will, Amazon has a way! I'm not saying we can shop away all our troubles, but when you're addicted to your instant foamy milk drink and said foamy milk drink contains dairy and you need a way to create a foamy milk drink at home that is both instant and dairy free -- well my dears, look no further than Amazon.

I don't know if I've ever shared this, but I have a tiny kitchen. I mean to tell you it's the size of a postage stamp. It's so small you have to leave it to have the space to change your mind, you hear what I'm saying. You know the beautiful vegan feast I made over the holidays? That was possible because I was staying in a rental cottage that had a palace of a kitchen. Mine? Not so palatial. In fact I think the bathroom in a palace would put my kitchen to shame. In fact I know it would.

So anyway... I have been oooohing and awing over getting an espresso machine that has a foamy milk maker attached to it but as I was doing all the research, I found out a couple of things. The really good ones cost you an arm and a leg - both of which I need for work on Monday -- and even the crappy ones take up a boat-load of space - which if you've been reading - you know I do not have! In my desperation {frustration} I googled milk frother because I wondered if there was such a thing as just the foamy milk maker. Ha!! Turns out there is. Who knew?

Did you know? If you knew, why didn't you friggin' tell me. I've been dying over here. Compassion - that's my virtue for January so I guess this means I can't hold a grudge so you're forgiven. {This time. But don't let it happen again, you gotta tell me shit, I don't get out much}

After a bit more research -- BAM! I was ordering and having a foamy milk maker delivered by Prime so of course it came the very next morning and voila! Look look look!

Isn't she gorgeous! And she's only knee-high to the base of my vitamix, so petite, so pretty, yet so powerful! Omigod it's love. I've been experimenting and she froths soy the best. Almond is a close second. Cashew milk? Not so much. Yuck. I've made cappuccinos and chai tea lattes for He Who Shall Not Be Named. So quick and easy and no muss no fuss.

Don't give up. If you have a favorite food or beverage that you fear going vegan will make you sacrifice, think again my beauties. There is always a way to veganize everything. So do me a favor will ya? Get your butts over to Veganuary and sign your ass up if you haven't done so already. This movement is growing.

Speaking of growing, that's the other bit of amazing news I have to share. We spent the Christmas holiday with He Who Shall Not Be Named's mom, my mother in law. She came over from England and spent the whole holiday being my fabulous sous chef in the kitchen. And she did confess before she came, she was really worried about being holed up in a cottage in the woods for two weeks with a coupla plant-eaters. We did tell her she could have chicken or fish or whatever she felt she needed. But once here, she decided to go with the flow.

She did so well. The only thing she had that wasn't vegan was cheese. The woman lives on a dairy farm for crying out loud, cut her some slack. In any case, that isn't the news. The news is that once she got back to England, she went to spend a couple of days with her daughter, my sister in law. On her second day there, her daughter offered to cook her up a roast lamb dinner for the following day {I even find that hard to type as I have never ever eaten lamb - except for one accidental and very unfortunate incident that I rarely like to talk about} My MIL said she thought that would be okay.

On the day in question, she woke up, went to her daughter and asked: Would it be okay if I had a vegetarian meal instead? What? Whaaaaat?! When she shared this with me I burst into tears of joy. Mary's little buddy was safe for another day. She of course told me that she was in no way going to become a vegan {Sure Jane, it's just a matter of time love} and that she wasn't even sure she could be vegetarian because she'd still like to cook her roast dinners for the family on Sundays. To me, this was a massive victory for the little animals. If someone like my Mother in Law could find it in her heart to make better choices, so can the rest of the world. If you can't be a vegan, try vegetarianism. If that seems too hard still, then do it a couple of times a week, or one meal a day. You choose. But the sooner we lighten the load off animal agriculture - the better off our whole world will be.

Enjoy your weekend.
Loads of love,
Shan

And PS I adopted a pig.
Well, I didn't adopt so much as sponsor - it already has a home on a cozy farm sanctuary - I'm just chipping in to help pay for food and stuff. Cool right? You can too - check out the directory to find a sanctuary near you and pick an animal that you can help.