The Edgy Vegan Beer Guide
You wouldn’t think it was something to be concerned about. At first glance beer seems to pass the vegan test without much dispute. Beer in its purest form is made from water, malt, hops, and yeast. Depending on the brand and type, other ingredients find their way in giving you a fruit beer,…
The Science Behind Your Hangover: Video
I like science first thing in the morning. Want to know why you feel like shit after that bottle of wine? Let the power of science tell you!
Science Rules!
Hangover Cure : this one’s a doozy
Today i will not be sharing any sort of magical, secret remedy. No pill, drink or food. Nope, I’m too hungover, so Instead we will discuss Sleep. Because sleep is exactly what I am doing.
If you are hungover you should save yourself the pain, and others the sight by just staying in bed. Rest is your best friend at this point to give your body a chance to recover. So take advantage of this day.
If you work, call in sick. You sound like shit so they will believe you. And technically you are in fact sick, so it’s not like you’re lying. That’s called cheating the system.
Get up only to pee, drink water, or get yourself a puke bucket. Do everything you can in bed. Eat, drink, watch tv, give yourself a baby wipe shower. Just don’t get up. You have committed yourself, and you my friend are no quitter. Are bed pans still a legitimate means of urine disposal?
If you have a personal butler at your disposal use this to your full advantage today. Have him bring you magical hangover food every two hours until it stays down. If you do not have this luxury, stockpile the right side of your bed with essential hangover food items. I recommend almond butter, dates, cashews, olives, cookies, crackers, pita bread and your favorite dip. Pick at this smorgasbord of finger foods all day. Don’t be ashamed. Can any of your friends brag about their bed Picnic? Nope.
You’re welcome.
25 Things That Are Hard To Accept In 2012
1. The fact that midnight is the official start of a new day, instead of whenever you wake up.
2. Mothers and fathers only receive one day of celebration per year, while sharks get an entire week.
3. Cell phones have essentially wiped out the option of pushing someone into the pool.
4. Not knowing how to spell something, and realizing that you may just have to replace it with another word.
5. Blackberries are done. They’ve failed to provide sufficient technological improvements, and are the cell phone equivalent of Myspace.
6. Getting cozy in bed, then realizing you have to get up to do something.
7. As important as your call to a company is, you’ll still probably be forced to listen to fifteen minutes of smooth jazz while you hold for the next available representative.
8. Many relationships nowadays don’t feel genuinely official, until it says it on Facebook.
9. Having your voice recorded and hearing it played back. You’ll cringe and wonder if you really sound that way all the time.
10. Non-alcoholic beer and decaffeinated coffee are actual products sold in stores.
11. Fixing things is rarely ever as easy as blowing into videogame cartridges was throughout the 90s.
12. Multiple trips to bring groceries inside of the house. Instead, we’ll struggle with 20 bags in each hand, as long as it means one journey.
13. Friends who eat brownies, washed down with Mountain Dew, and other awful sh-t — but remain outrageously skinny or in-shape.
14. The unspoken fact that a text message stating nothing but the phrase, “LOL,” means the conversation is entirely over.
15. Boredom and hunger being basically indistinguishable.
16. Being in the middle of telling a great story, and realizing that nobody is paying attention.
17. Tyler Perry is going to continue making movies, and Nickelback is going to continue making music. (And they’ll probably continue to be highly successful — so if you don’t enjoy ‘em, don’t watch or listen.)
18. Your cell phone falling to the ground will almost always draw more concern from others than you tripping or slipping, and going for a tumble.
19. When you are strongly attracted to a person but they don’t reciprocate those feelings, and they’re just not going to — no matter what you do.
20. LeBron James is currently the greatest basketball player in the world, and he’s got a championship ring to back it up.
21. Continuously high gas prices.
22. Even higher orange juice prices. I mean, seriously, the vitamin C can’t help our bodies out too much if we lose an arm and a leg every time we buy a carton.
23. Christian Bale’s Batman voice. It’s tragic that Batman himself is the worst aspect of Batman movies.
24. When it’s 8:01 and you’re scheduled to be at work at 8:00, so you should probably get out of bed.
25. Season finales with epic cliffhangers or brilliant storylines that leave us wanting more… Yeah, I’m looking at you, Walking Dead.
I Brought Juice to a Beer Party
Remember that time I did an 8 Day Juice Cleanse… Did I stay away from parties and social gatherings? Hells No! I brought my health with me, and still ended up dancing on a table! Just be awesome….
Hangover Cure: Green Mimosa
You smell like dumpster and your mouth tastes like the carpet at a strip club. You look down at your arm and notice 5 stamps. Fuck. You get up to wash your face and when you get to the bathroom you notice the 3 stamps on your forehead. Your immediate reaction is to make sure you are wearing pants… you’re not. In fact, you have somehow managed to keep your shoes on as you removed your pants AND underwear at some point early this morning…
YOU NEED A DRINK.. STAT … Let me introduce to you the GREEN MIMOSA
1 part green juice ( Spinach, cucumber, apple, kale, lemon, ginger is my favorite)
1 part Organic Raw Kombucha
Mix in a glass and enjoy.
Kombucha is an all natural health beverage full of probiotics and other healthy amino acids. Probiotics are said to boost immunity, enhance mood, regulate pH, and detoxify the body. Quadruple win!
***DO NOT SHAKE YOUR KOMBUCHA. You will end up wearing it.
The ABC of Hangover Vitamins
Alcohol makes you piss like a race horse. Not only are you losing fluids but you are also depleting your body of necessary vitamins! ACK! Vitamins will help to get your ass out of bed after a night of partying; and will also offer a host of other health benefits!!
Vitamin A– Vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy skin, teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin. You are going to need help with allllll of those if you are staying up until 4am. Carrots pal! CARROTS, drink it in juice, eat a couple stalks, or just take a tbsp of spirulina!
Vitamin B – Bloodshot eyes and an unbalanced nervous system come together with a hangover headache. Vitamin B1 calms nerves while B2 helps with bloodshot eyes among other overall positive effects on your body. No one neeeeds to know how shitty you feel by looking into your eyes.
Vitamin C – Vitamin C will help stimulate the liver, and help it break down the alcohol that is still in your system. Alcohol also depresses the immune system, so consider taking vitamin C to help ward off the cold or flu after drinking. So drink a glass or orange juice or make a smoothie with acai berries!
Vitamin D – Your nervous system is in shreds during an alcohol hangover, so vitamin D helps soothe shaky nerves. It also helps heal any broken bones you might have sustained from falling down steps when drunk. Trust me… I know.
Simply eat something delicious that contains these vitamins will do the trick of hangover relief nicely. Or Juice… The answer to all questions is freshly juiced fruits and vegetables!
Chicks and Laptops
Photo taken with Instagram by @casiestewart
Some times things happen… you don’t know why, or how but it just does. Things like having the rain stop just as you are about to step off the street car, or going to pay the parking meter and realizing that there is still 1/2 hr left (SCORE!), or finding the perfect gift for something without even trying. OR it can happen on your leisurely walk to yoga…
As a blogger, I have been keeping tabs on all of the major writers in this blogosphere we call the internet. Some local, some not, some vegan some not… WELL there are a few in Toronto that I follow because I like their energy, or style, or can relate to them, or I just find them all around Fucking fantastic… whatever the reason.
Casie Stewart, lifestyle blogger and information DJ is one of those women. I have been following her interweb career for a few years and think she is simply fan-fucking-tastic. I had a bit of an online girl crush on her… something that I was told was brought to her attention by two men that shall remain nameless (sheepish embarrassed face). When I found out she would also have a show on Coral I was pretty pumped. The tweets started happening and an online friendship was created.
After a long, but sunny and fabulous shoot for CoralTV I decided it was time to head to yoga. I sent out some tweets (one was sent to Casie), put in my ipod and started walking. After 3o mins of sunshine , and mad beats, I look up and see a little short-haired blonde chick sitting on a patio. No Fucking Way! It’s Casie… I wander over… she see’s me, freaks, and we embrace in a screaming, laughing, I CANT FUCKING BELIEVE IT type of typical white girl hug.
We had some drinks, chatted about everything interweb, and decided, yup this is the start of one fun ass blonde friendship.
The short of the long is this… work hard, make sacrifices and cultivate fun, like-minded friendships with hawt babes.
Check out Casie’s Blog: This is My Life, here!
IM DOINNNN NUTTIN’ TODAYYY MUTHAAAFFFFFFF
Days off for someone like myself are few and far between. I treat each day off as if it were the last day alive. I wake up early, and do some yoga. This prepares me for the day ahead, it clears my mind of lingering worries and stagnant stresses. It also allows me to enjoy the next 12 hours of worry free adventure. And beer, I drink beer as I meditate… don’t hate.
After an hour of downward dogs and attempted handstands followed by properly executed arm balances I found myself hungry … Now many my regular readers will go ahead and assume that I blended up one of my many random, but delicious smoothies. FALSE!!! on Saturdays I eat cake! ( also yummy in a smoothie btw) yesterday I baked a gluten free vegan chocolate cake for a friend. I had leftover dough….
After my well deserved cake fiesta I visited my stylist at Blonde Salon. I am horrible at maintaining an Elegant coiff so obviously I was reprimanded on arrival. But I made up for it in inappropriate jokes and X rated story time. Personally I believe I should get a “Most inappropriate client” award or something… Just sayin’ …
They were nice enough to let me eat my Belmonte Raw salad on the rooftop
Now I realize this may not be for everyone, but I personally believe that antiquing is not just a sport for the elderly. I have been on a hunt for a 1920s style crystal bar set for quite some time. And so, on my walk from the east side to the west side I just had to stop in every vintage shop I could. No success today… I did find this though… A old school peeping tom pervert machine! AND ITS ALL MINE!!!!!
I have a reputation for cultivating random friendships from all of my experiences, both exciting and not so exciting. One of these encounters was at the Bang On tshirt store on queen. I wandered in to say hello and found @brandon_jftd and his multiple packed lunches. A man after my own heart. I, myself keep a plethora of snacks and meals in my purse at all times. Sweet appetite bro.
and sweet cat shirt.. I want that, give it me right MEOW!!!!!!
No day off would be complete without my daily two hours of blog writing. Today I spent that time on the Tequila Bookworm patio with a pint of Denisons and lush green surroundings. I had the whole place to myself. I was THIS close to taking my pants off… But stopped myself just as the kind server man came to check on me… Next time waiter man, next time.
After 3 hours on the patio alone and blogging all I gots on the brain is TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO… so I’m going to fill that craving now … HAPPY DAY OFF FRIENDS!
Hangover Cure : Sushi Edition
Soak in Wasabi To Stimulate Detoxification… until next weekend.
Did you know that as much as a third of toxic body waste is cleared through the skin. That is why, no matter how often you brush your teeth after a night out your boss will still smell that booze off you.
Now, doesn’t it suddenly make complete sense to soak in a tub of toxin-purging wasabi? Don’t dismiss the hot stuff as a mere smear on your sushi! Turns out that at the root of this go-to miracle tonic’s power, wasabi (which is actually a member of the cabbage family) has the ability to increase blood circulation through the organs and promote oxygenation of the cellular tissue, helping to clear cells of metabolic waste. When infused into the bath, wasabi’s stimulating nature has been known to help ease a hangover. Food really is incredible isn’t it?
I’ve used the Body Systems Bath Treatment, but then decided to make it myself by combining ginger for nausea & indigestion, mustard for increased circulation, stimulating sweat glands, & opening pores, epsom salts for relieving aching muscles and internal re-balancing, and peppermint oil to loosen phlegm, sooth nerves, and stimulating pain relief. I mix all ingredients together and sit in my tub. What else are you going to hungover?
The Edgy Vegan Beer Guide
You wouldn’t think it was something to be concerned about. At first glance beer seems to pass the vegan test without much dispute. Beer in its purest form is made from water, malt, hops, and yeast. Depending on the brand and type, other ingredients find their way in giving you a fruit beer, or a cream ale, and giving you that distinct color and taste of a red compared to a blonde.
Further down the process line, past the main cooking tanks, beer often becomes a vegan faux-pas. Many breweries use animal products in the brewing process. Their most common use is as clarifying agents, but animal parts are also used for head retention, flavor, and coloring. Because there is no law requiring disclosure of non-vegan ingredients, beer labels rarely mention their use. Some animal products are the main ingredients in a beer and are easy to spot. These are usually indicated on the label and can easily be avoided. Honey is a common example. You can also just assume that anything using the word cream has a milk product of some sort in it. The animal products used in smaller proportions that don’t make it to the labels are those that you need to be aware of.
When I first discovered that beer had the potential to not be vegan, my initial thought was, “BUT I F**KING LOVE BEER!” …followed by “I wonder how many other vegans didn’t know this???” and topped off with a fantastic idea… “This calls for a Vegan Beer drink off! Fuck Yeah!”
Naturally I called my dear friend Cory and we made it happen. It involved 8 different types of beer, a handwritten chart, a pizza break, and a lot of serious conversations involving terms like hops, and fizziness and “…it’s coming out my nose!”
Top 5 Vegan Beers (Thus Far):
1. Erdinger Weissbier
Taste: Smooth wheat beer, full of flavour with citrus undertones. Great for sipping and pairing with summer inspired meals aka: BBQ-ing. It is brewed using fine yeast according to a traditional recipe a in strict accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law.
Prost!!
2. Mill St. Organic
Light, crisp refreshing flavour. We found Mill st. to be great, reliable summer beer that goes down like water. Ontario’s first certified organic lager! Oh Canada!
Halfway through , we both decided that it was absolutely unacceptable to drink beer without pizza. And so, we called Magic Oven… and ordered the most epic $45 vegan, spelt pizza… and ate the whole damn thing… BUT we weren’t full yet, as we had more beer to taste test!
3. Sapporo
A barley, malt smell with little hop presence. Nice rice taste with good balance; has a good aftertaste and is very refreshing. Kanpai!
4. Muskoka Dark
Tastes like chocolate! Thin, dark beer with a slight bitter taste, combined with caramel and a faint hint of coffee. We like this as a light alternative to Guiness.
5. Creemore Springs
Not overly sweet and not overly bitter. We found the citrus to be a bit more present in the taste than expected. This beer is great for sipping after a long workday.
After way too much beer and pizza, I started a dance party and we decided to make our own beer creations… it wasn’t as epic of an idea as we thought. But it was delicious nonetheless.
Here is a list of the most common animal products that are used in brewing:
Isinglass – Clarifier that is very common in brewing. Comes from the dried swim bladders of fish. Almost all cask conditioned ale uses isinglass as a clarifier, although it is more common in England than the U.S.
Gelatin – Clarifier obtained from the skin, connective tissue, and bones of animals. Typically taken from cattle and frozen pigskin.
Casein/Potassium Caseinate – Protein found in cow milk used as a clarifier.
Charcoal – Used for filtering. A portion is usually produced from animal bones.
Diatomaceous earth – Used in filtering. Comes from fossils or sea shells.
Insects – Made into dyes and used for coloring.
Glyceryl monostearate – Animal derived substance used to control foam.
Pepsin – Also used to control foam; it is sometimes derived from pork.
White sugar – Flavor additive often whitened using bone charcoal.
Albium – Refers to any protein that is water soluble. Most common type in brewing is serum albumin, which is taken from animal blood.
Lactose – Beers labeled as sweet, milk, or cream stouts may or may not contain lactose. Sometimes the description refers to the texture and not the ingredient. It’s best to double check these to be sure. Milk chocolate is common in certain styles, but some so-called “chocolate” porters or stouts actually contain no real chocolate at all. Some malted barley is called “chocolate malt” simply to describe the flavor the roasting imparts.
Hangover Cure: Sex
Have sex. I know, I know: easier said than done hungover. This state usually comes with a full course of headache, thirst, stomach aches and depressive spirits that may also provoke suicide. We have all had that weak moment when we beg our roommate or significant other to just kill us so we may sleep: perchance to dream: ay, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come… We all get a bit Shakespearean-dramatic when our veins are filled with last night’s jager.
The low spirits accompanying your hangover are connected to a temporary imbalance of hormones that generate positive emotions. So naturally, I’m leaning towards an activity that makes me feel verrrrrrry positive. ZING!! Your organism (assuming he gave you one), will release endorphins and oxytocins which increases your threshold for pain and just makes you feel good. Plus, you’ll get to work off some of last nights calories… so, in the words of Nike, JUST DO IT!
Hangover Shmangover
You did it again, you swore you wouldn’t, but one drink turned into 15 and now, here you are, on your ass with your head in the toilet. After thousands of years, we are still in search of the perfect remedy to rid us of that head spinning, gut rotting, body aching, feeling. We could just stop poisoning ourselves… but let’s face it– thats not going to happen any time soon.
In the mean time, here are some helpful ingredients to include in your post-bender menu…
- Milk Thistle: Commonly prescribed for people with liver problems. It is known to help the liver function properly, and may help the liver process alcohol better.
- Gingerroot: Often brewed and consumed as a tea, gingerroot is known for its ability to settle an upset stomach.
- Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Juices: Juices help to replenish lost nutrients and they help re-hydrate your body.
- Lemon Water: The lemon will help to raise your blood sugar levels, and the water will re hydrate your body.
- Soup: Soup is a common hangover remedy because it soothes the stomach and helps re-hydrate the body.
This is my Brain on Heat : Coachella
For the past ten days I have been a vegan on the road. Planes, trains and a Ford Focus took us to two countries and 2 states, too many cities to count, with enough water and granola bars to feed a small country. The heat was, well –hot and the beer was, well–warm. But the music was sonic wonder and the dancing, uncontrollable.
First Stop: LA, There’s nothing like a hike up the Hollywood Hills as soon as you step off a plane.
A hike up the Hollywood Hills deserves a meal right? Right! We hit up the famous raw and vegan Cafe Gratitude thanks to a recommendation made by my friend Lyndsy Fonseca. You are right girl! That place was the bomb diggity! One round of Raw Tacos, one Mushroom Veggie Burger, and one Raw Coconut Cream Pie a la mode later…
Second Stop: VEGAS and not pronounced like most normal humans beings do, no here in Cando & Saralicious land we pronounced it with a hard “a” and “g” …. VAGas. Yup juuuust to be vulgar.
The trip started out as most do, with some Queen, air guitar and really poor singing…
After a hard day of travelling we decided the pool and some larger than life tequila’s were in order. If you’ve ever wondered what $50 in tequila looks like, there you have it! Thanks for the highway robbery Aria !
After a little sight seeing, drinks, unsuccessful gambling, burnt tits, a huge trip to Walmart, and one horrible, debilitating hangover, we hop back in the Focus and make our way to Indio, California.
Third Stop: COACHELLA Indio, California –110 degrees. 36 bands, 3 bottles of sun screen, 4 hats, five cases of beer, 2 cases of water, a baby pool, 2 meals, and no sleep — This is Coachella.
Like any other roadtrip we take, we like to keep ourselves occupied with car tunes, air drums and made up songs about absolutely nothing…
It’s hard to give a top 5 in terms of performances as they were all so different and I had such different experiences at each but here is my loose list of top 5′s, in no particular order (most likely to change again by tomorrow).
1. Justice
2. St. Vincent
3. Beirut
4. Santigold
5. Kasabian
Even as I look at that I am recalling allllll the other incredible acts… but that list will have to do for now.
If you missed out, here is the full lineup … if you haven’t been to a festival get off your ass and go to at least one! And none of this Ottawa’s Bluesfest shit, a REAL music festival!
And with this I leave you a picture of my dirt stained feet (seriously, they’re still filthy!) and a clip of Sara playing air Metallica.
HOT SPOT: Magic Oven
Just because you are vegan or gluten free does not mean you have miss out on one of the worlds tastiest foods — Pizza! I will wholeheartedly admit that I LOVE pizza, it is probably my favorite food. I could eat pizza everyday and be okay with it. So one of the first things I sought out when I switched to a vegan lifestyle was an alternative to pizza. This was a make or break thing here people. Is a life without pizza worth living?!
Well now you don’t need to think about it, I have found the alternative. It lives in the Toronto Based Pizzaria with a love for the environment, local ingredients and is appropriatly titled MAGIC OVEN. And magical it is. They offer a diverse selection of healthy pizzas, pastas and sandwiches made to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions and concerns. Everything from organic spelt pizzas, gluten-free rice flour pizzas and the option of vegan or lactose-free cheese. You can go with your traditional favorite or try something wild and crazy like the Phytonutrient Pizza! If that wasn’t incentive enough, they also offer organic specialty wines and beer! We all know beer and pizza has been a match made in heaven even before Harold and Maude. Take a look at the Menu.
Here’s another fun fact, They are so enviromentally friendly that not only is their packaging Eco-friendly but their restaurant locations are all reclaimed sites, saved from demolition crews and featuring recycled furniture and fixtures. Cool right? So go, go now to one of their 4 locations! … and don’t forget to invite me!
Hang Over Heaven
Your current situation can be described as follows. It’s 10am, you find yourself struggling to open your eyes. They want to open, but there is a sticky film preventing you from actually completing the action. But eventually you figure it out; and when you do, you realize that your hand is covered in green barstar stamps and glitter. was I out for St Pats, or Mardi Gras? you wonder to yourself. As you attempt to smack yourself in the forehead you notice the beer your fingers are clutching for dear life… It’s official you are a hungover mess. Your mouth tastes like a homeless man urinated in it and you are familiar with the trail of clothes leading to your open bedroom door. It is about this time that you realize you are standing naked in your kitchen and your roommate is sure to wake up at any moment. Don’t worry girl, I’ve got your skanky ass covered, we are going to fix you up like Patch Adams.
Step one: Chug Water, no, no, not sip… You weren’t sipping last night were you?! Chug a liter of lemon water to cleanse yourself of the green beer your liver is swimming in. It might be tough, and you’ll probably gag, but you’ll thank me in an hour.
Step two: Fill your belly. The last thing you want to think about is food; I realize that but listen up; your body needs something to soak up all the shame you ingested and replenish all the nutrients you pissed away… So make the sOakmeal recipe below. Eat it all! Even if it takes you all day…
1/2 organic oats ( I like Bobs Mill)
1/4 tsp Himalayan rock salt ( this will replenish your body with minerals)
1 tbsp wheat germ (optional)
1/2 tbsp Maca (rebalances your horomones you dirty skank)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (flavour yums)
1 cup of mixed berries ( I like to use blueberries and strawberries, they are high in antioxidants and vitamin c)
1/2 a banana, sliced ( replenishes your potassium)
1/2 -1 cup almond milk
Cook the oatmeal according to the package. ( or soak it the night before if you are raw) Mix in spice and maca. Add remaining ingredients. And top with fruit.
Step three: shower the shame off your body… You smell like a dumpster baby.
Step four: sleep, sleep sleep
Step five: Drink green juices, all day. Especially with ginger, it will help with the detox. Make your own or buy some and keep them in your fridge. I get mine from Belmonte Raw in Leslieville.
You’re welcome dirty girl. Same time next weekend?
