Tips for a Vegan Holiday with Non-Vegan Family Members

Though I feel the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, it can be daunting celebrating your first holiday as a vegan. I went vegan the beginning of December 2014, so Christmas was my first holiday as a vegan. Since then, I have had many more years experiencing vegan holiday’s with the family, not only Christmas, but Fourth of July and Thanksgiving as well. Of course there are more holidays to be celebrated, but these are the three our family gets together for the most involving food. In this post, I will be giving you some tips on how to celebrate the holidays with non-vegan family members and sharing some recipes that I really enjoy and think you might too.

But first, everyone knows what basic non-vegan ingredients are like meat, dairy, and eggs, but there are some not-so obvious ingredients to look out for. Here are two helpful links for vegans to check out: 

Sneaky Non-Vegan Ingredients

Food Additives

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are my tips to celebrating the holidays with non-vegan family members!

TIP #1: LET YOUR FAMILY KNOW YOU’RE VEGAN

My first tip is letting your family, friends, or whoever you’re celebrating the holidays with, know that you’re a vegan. We always celebrate with family, and if your family is like mine, it is always one person (the host) preparing the feast for the whole family. This is so important for everyone to know, especially the host, because the host probably woke up that morning at an ungodly hour to prepare the feast for everyone, and maybe even started prepping things the night before getting everything ready, only to have you show up and not eat anything. Yes, other people will be there to partake in the feast, but it may cause hurt feelings between you and the host because they may feel insulted, attacked, unappreciated, that they’re cooking isn’t good enough for you, and so on. It’s just better to establish that you’re vegan ahead of time to avoid conflict. I went vegan in December 2014, weeks before Christmas, so it was important for the family to know. My older sister, the host, said I need to figure out food for myself because she’s not going to make a big feast for everyone, then an entire separate vegan meal for me, which is totally understandable and I wasn’t expecting her to think or do that at all. So this brings me to my next tip.

TIP #2: PREPARE AND BRING YOUR OWN FOOD

The last thing your host needs is the stress to figure out how to make a vegan feast, so hop in the kitchen and make the vegan version of what everyone else is going to be eating. This is also a great time to show others that veganism isn’t such a weird thing and that you can eat the same dishes that taste the same, just no cruelty to animals involved. I wake up early myself, prepare a vegan feast for me and my boyfriend, then pack it into paper bags and bring to the hosts’ house. My youngest sister is a former vegan, now a vegetarian, so she eats both what I make and what my older sister makes and sometimes my mom will try the vegan versions of what I had made, so I think that’s really cool. As I mentioned before, the three holidays my family celebrates involving a big feast are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July. Below is a general meal plan of what I would make on these occasions:

Thanksgiving and Christmas: 

Tofurky 

Cranberry sauce: Make your own or from a can

Mashed potatoes: Mash potatoes with unsweetend almond milk and earth balance butter, salt, and pepper

Gravy 

Green Bean Cassseroles: One, Two, and Three

Dinner rolls: We use Kroger brand frozen dinner rolls

Sweet Potato Casseroles: One, Two, and Three

Or make how you usually would but instead use earth balance butter and Dandies vegan marshmallows

Desserts: Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Fourth of July:

Burgers: Use Beyond Meat burgers, vegan buns of choice, onions, lettuce, tomato, vegan mayonnaise, and daiya or chao cheese to make cheeseburger. 

Corn with vegan butter

Potato Salad: Make how you usually would but without eggs and use vegan mayonnaise like Vegenaise or Just Mayo 

These are recipes I like, but of course you can look up your own recipes on Google or Pinterest to find what appeals to you and create your own meal plan.

TIP #3: BE PREPARED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

My last tip in having a vegan holiday with non-vegan family members is be prepared to answer some questions that anyone may have. Because let’s face it, if situations arise that need to be discussed or there’s questions to be answered, a family gathering is usually the place people are going to do it. As mentioned earlier, I had gone vegan weeks before Christmas, so me being vegan and veganism in general was a new concept to everyone and something no one really could understand. Be prepared to be questioned the standard “why are you vegan” and “where do you get your B12, protein, calcium, etc”. These questions may have gotten old by now, but it’s important to be able to answer kindly and respectfully and in a way that doesn’t make the other person feel attacked by your responses. Talking about veganism can be as heated as discussing politics.

With all that in mind, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and that these tips helped any vegan out there on how to celebrate with non-vegan family. I also made a video version discussing this topic on my YouTube channel here.

10 Tips for Planning a Babymoon

Although pregnancy is an amazing and joyous time in you and your partner’s lives, it can also be one of the most stressful and hectic. That’s where a babymoon comes in. A babymoon in a trip taken before the baby is born and gives you and your partner a getaway from all the baby-related business. It’s also so nice and refreshing to focus on yourselves and bond as a couple, something that often gets put on the back-burner once the baby is born. My partner and I went on a babymoon during my 8^th month of pregnancy, and it was one of our favorite trips we’ve ever taken together. Below are some of my tips and things to think about when planning your babymoon.

CHOOSING YOUR DESTINATION

Firstly think of what kind of a trip you would like to go on. Some people may like to stay closer to home like maybe a few hour drive, but I would say most people would like to venture out and go someplace they have never been to before, like a different country or state. When choosing our babymoon, my boyfriend and I chose New Orleans. We chose it for a few reasons: 1) We had never been before, 2) We’ve always wanted to go, and 3) We wanted to go someplace it would be hard to travel to once our baby girl was born. New Orleans is a 9 hour drive from where we live so we knew we wouldn’t be taking that long of a drive anytime soon after our daughter was born. And plus, New Orleans is not a very kid friendly place so we also wouldn’t be going anytime soon because it wouldn’t be very exciting for our daughter. So a babymoon just seemed like the best time to go to New Orleans while it was still just the two of us. We also were thinking of a different country for our babymoon since traveling by plane with a baby can get tricky, but considering our pregnancy was high risk from the beginning, plus travelling to a different country would be more expensive, and all the travel arrangements like vaccines, passports, visas, and all that take some time to sort out, we thought it would be best to stay within the United States. But if you would like to travel outside of your country, keep in mind that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women should avoid traveling to any destination where there has been a Zika outbreak. The Zika virus can cause severe birth defects in babies whose mothers are infected, so be sure to check that your destination is Zika-free on the CDC’s website.

TIME YOUR TRAVEL WISELY

Choose a time when it’s not so early in the pregnancy when you’re suffering from morning sickness and fatigue but not so late when you feel heavy, sluggish, and in pain. That’s why the time suggested for a babymoon is during the second trimester (weeks 14 through 27), when you’re past the sickness but not too big to get around easily. But of course you can have your babymoon in whatever stage of pregnancy you feel comfortable with. We took ours in the third trimester since that was the only time we could take off work together.

FOR FLYING: Some airlines have restrictions about flying in the third trimester. So if you’re planning on traveling by plane, check your carrier’s policy before you book your tickets. Another tip for air travel is to request an aisle seat to make those frequent bathroom trips easier.

FOR A ROAD TRIP: Choose a babymoon spot within a reasonable driving radius. What’s considered “reasonable” is different from person to person, but this probably won’t be the best time to be road tripping across the country. Make sure to also factor in time you’ll be taking for frequent bathroom stops, food breaks, and a chance to stretch your legs.

FOR A CRUISE: A cruise may seem like such a luxury, but it may not be the best time for a babymoon, especially if you suffer from morning sickness. The rocking of the boat may make you seasick and you’ll be stuck with no escape. Also a cruise in the late stages of pregnancy may not be a good option in case anything we’re to happen and you need a hospital right away (like say your baby decided to come early!). You’ll be stuck out on the sea with no help readily available.

MAKING YOUR STAY MORE COMFORTABLE

Sleeping during pregnancy can be hard enough at home in your own bed, so sleeping in someone else’s bed may be even harder. There’s no way you can know what they hotel’s beds will be like beforehand, so for extra comfort bring extra pillows and maybe your own blanket. On our babymoon, I brought my body pillow with me to sleep with. Also when making your reservations, make sure to get a king-sized bed for lots of space to toss and turn (sleep during pregnancy is hard!). Also note that the closer you are to the action, the busier the hotel and hotel’s perimeters will be. So keep in mind that if you want to get a good night’s rest, pick a hotel out just outside the happenings, but if you want to stay within the action for easier getting to and from activities, you might have to sacrifice a good night’s sleep.

SKIP THE LANGUAGE BARRIER

A medical emergency is a lot easier to deal with when there’s no language barrier. So unless you’re fluent in that countries language, be sure to book your babymoon in a country where everyone, or almost everyone, speaks English. Also, a babymoon taken at a place where you can understand the language makes for a stress-less vacation.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

Find out what medical services are available at the nearest hospital or birthing center to your hotel. Once you’ve found a center that suits your needs, run your plans past your midwife or ob-gyn and give them the clinic’s name and office numbers (this is more so to let your OB know you’ve got everything under control, especially if they are skeptical about you traveling in the first place). Make sure to have your insurance information with you at all times.

FINANCIALLY

If you feel like you won’t have enough money to be going on a trip with all the money you’ll be shelling out for baby gear, start saving and setting money aside starting the beginning of the pregnancy to ensure you and your partner can take one in the later stages of pregnancy. If you decided you want to go on a babymoon late and money is an issue, you can even stay at your own home, but take time to pamper yourselves and do things together as a couple. Play games, watch movies, take relaxing baths, sleep in late, do whatever you usually couldn’t do otherwise. Only you know your financial situation and what you can afford so make the most of whatever decision you and your partner make.

PREPARE FOR THE WEATHER

When planning your babymoon, especially if going out of state or country, check to see what the weather will be like where you will be staying because it may be the opposite to the weather you’re having where you live. In New Orleans where we took our babymoon, it was raining the entire trip, so we had to be sure to bring warm clothes and an umbrella. If it will be sunny where you’ll be travelling, make sure to bring sunscreen, cooler clothes, and the like.

A babymoon is something I think every couple should take. Your life as you know it is soon about to change dramatically and you won’t be able to travel or do something for yourself whenever you like. Take advantage of this freedom! Once the baby arrives, he or she will become the center of attention and take up most, if not all your time, which can sometimes put a strain on couples. By taking a babymoon and investing time to be together with your partner, you’ll be entering parenthood more connected than ever. Don’t forget your camera to capture the moments!

See our babymoon in action here!

Middle Names for Amelia | Baby Girl Names

One of the most important things to discuss with your partner before your baby arrives is what the baby's name will be. When my boyfriend and I found out we were having a baby girl, we knew we wanted to name her Amelia, but wasn't sure what the middle name would be. I wanted it to be 'Colette', which is what it ended up being, but initially my boyfriend was skeptical on the middle name and we decided to create a list together. Below is a list of the middle names we came up with. I hope anyone who reads can benefit from this list and will give you some ideas! You can also watch the video version on my YouTube channel!

♥ Elise

♥ Elizabeth

♥ Jade

♥ Blake

♥ Aria

♥ Nevaeh

♥ Celeste

♥ Madison

♥ Harlyn

♥ Everly

♥ Quinn

♥ Zemira

FALL FASHION | OOTD

I've always loved the atmosphere that autumn creates: leaves changing colors, weather getting colder, eating comfort foods like warm drinks and hot soups, sweaters coming out, holiday's coming up, and it seems that the closer we get to the winter months, the friendlier the people appear to be. My favorite of these, though, is the fashion. I love fall fashion. It's cold enough to bring out the sweaters and skinny jeans but not so cold you have to completely bundle yourself up, which is what I have done here. I am in the midst of the autumn leaves wearing my mom's Peanut's sweater from the 80's that says "BOO", paired with black skinny jeans, and my favorite black faux leather heels. Happy fall everyone and have a wonderful holiday season!

What's in My Hospital Bag + What I Actually Used

About halfway through my pregnancy, I was already researching and starting to make a list of all the things I would need to bring with me to the hospital. I read blogs and watched videos of so many other mom’s hospital bag checklists and there was so many things I came across that seemed pointless to me: like house slippers, bath robe, makeup, 3 separate hospital bags for mommy, baby, and daddy, hairdryer, curling iron, lotion, socks, shoes, a bunch of different pairs of clothes, and so on. Of course I am not making fun of or arguing with how other mother’s decide to do things. This is their own, unique, experience and they should pack what makes them most comfortable. But for me personally, I kept in mind that I wouldn’t even be at the hospital for more than a day or two and, as a minimalist, I wanted to pack lightly with everything in one bag and bring only the absolute necessities. I chose to bring what seemed the most practical to me and the things I thought I would actually be needing and using for my stay. But of course, even I ended up bringing more than I should have and used less than half of it. In today’s post, I am going to be sharing with you everything I packed in my hospital bag, indicating what I used and what I ended up not using.

WHAT’S IN MY HOSPITAL BAG - EVERYTHING I USED

HEALTHY SNACKS

As a vegan, this was important for me since there were only fruit cups and fries at our hospital cafeteria and junk food in the vending machines. In my bag, I packed things like nuts, juice, raisins, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and kale chips. My boyfriend would also go out and pick up extra produce and would bring meals from restaurants as needed.

                                                          LOOSE CHANGE OF CLOTHES

I wanted to bring a loose change of clothes so it would be easy access if they needed to hook me up to the monitor or take my blood pressure or anything of the sort. Also wearing tight clothes after giving birth would have been uncomfortable.

CELL PHONE AND CHARGER

Having a phone on hand was a must so I could keep in touch with family and friends and we also used it to play soft music at night when we went to bed.

CAMERA AND CHARGER

Having a camera was also a must to capture moments and take never-ending pictures of our little one.

WALLET WITH ID AND INSURANCE CARD

A wallet with everything in it is always handy to bring with you everywhere you go. You may need to present your driver’s license and insurance card to the hospital staff. I also needed my insurance card so I could use the number on the back to call the insurance company to add my daughter to my insurance.

BABY BOOK

To pass the time, I filled out my daughter’s baby book when she was sleeping. In her baby book, there is a section all about her birth: name, date of birth, place of birth, time of birth, hair color, eye color, weight, length, etc. There is also a section for her hand and feet prints.

 TWO GOING HOME OUTFITS FOR BABY

You never know what size your baby will be at birth, so having two or more outfit options is a good idea incase one is too big or too small. I brought a newborn and a 0-3 month size outfit. Then again, our daughter was a preemie size, coming out at 6lbs 6.1oz, so what we brought was still too big for her anyway. We ended up going for the smallest option, the newborn outfit, which was special because it was my going-home outfit as a baby.

EVERYTHING I DID NOT USE

SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, AND A LOOFAH

Birth is a messy process, so I thought one of the first things I would want to do was take a shower. Boy was I wrong. With how heavy I was bleeding and still getting blood on the bed, trying to breastfeed, etc, a shower was the last thing on my mind. I knew if I took a shower I would still end up feeling gross. I ended up just taking a shower once I got home. We were only at the hospital for a day anyway.

                                                                             LONG, THICK PADS

I brought so many of these knowing I was going to be bleeding postpartum. However, the staff provided them for me so I ended up using theirs rather than my own.

MATERNITY UNDERWEAR

This was a must for me. I didn’t want to get my pretty Victoria’s Secret underwear all dirty and messed up so I chose to keep those looking nice and brought a few pairs of my maternity underwear. Yet, I still did not use my maternity underwear because the hospital staff kept some disposable mesh underwear for me in the bathroom. So again, I used theirs rather than my own.

NURSING PADS AND NIPPLE CREAM

Knowing I wanted to breastfeed, I thought these were a must. However, we couldn’t get my daughter to latch on the entire time we were there, leaving no reason to put on nipple cream as they were never cracked. As for the nursing pads, since we could never get my daughter to latch on, my breasts were never stimulated and not enough milk was produced for them to even leak. I ended up not using either one of these.

                      
                     

                                BABY RATTLE TOY

I thought at least one baby toy would be a good idea to bring. I thought she might like looking at or cuddling with one of her stuffed giraffe rattles, but of course, she took no interest. A toy is really of no use to bring as they will be sleeping most of the time and a few hour old baby is not going to care or know what to do with such a thing.

DIAPERS AND WIPES

Yes, diapers and wipes are important but, again, these were also items that our hospital staff provided for us inside the drawers of the table my daughter slept on.

BABY BLANKET

My daughter was born in the middle of winter, so I thought she might get cold. However, she was kept warm from the person’s body heat of whoever was holding her and from her being swaddled. The only time we used her blanket was when we were going home. We draped it over her in the car seat. We could have saved space in my bag if we just left the blanket in the car.

So that is it for my hospital bag list of everything I brought and didn’t use! I would have used most everything in my bag, like diapers, wipes, pads, etc. The only reason why I didn’t was because I would rather use theirs first rather than my own. A tip for you is to check with your birthing center and ask them what all they will be providing for you during your stay so you know what needs to be packed or not. If I had done this, I could have used a smaller bag, like a purse, rather than my travel carry-on suitcase. I hope you enjoyed this post and don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel where I also posted a video version of this topic. I am assuming those of you who are reading this are most likely women nearing the end of their pregnancies trying to get an idea of what to pack in their hospital bags. If you are one of those women, I wish you the best of luck, a smooth delivery, a healthy baby, and an overall wonderful birthing experience. Giving birth is so euphoric!

Why Our Child Was Not Put in Daycare

Amongst all the things that needed discussing between my boyfriend and I during pregnancy, one of the biggest was deciding childcare options for our daughter once I was off maternity leave and back to work. We knew we did not want to hire a babysitter or put her in daycare, which is what a lot, if not most, parents end up doing. I try to always keep an open mind, but after thinking it through, there are just so many reasons why I did not want to put my child in daycare, which is what I felt like sharing online today considering I have had so many people, especially pregnant women and new moms, asking me my viewpoint on this topic. Be sure to also check out my video version on YouTube here.

My biggest problem with having a non-family member watching my child is that most likely they are not going to treat your child with the best intentions. Any random person is not going to care too much about having a relationship or strong bond with your child and is probably just doing it for the money. As far as daycare goes, most daycare centers only have maybe two caretakers handling a large group of kids of all different ages. Which means while my baby is crying wanting to be fed and paid attention to, one of those caretakers is feeding another baby and the other one is breaking up a fight between two five year olds, leaving my child and a few others left alone. While some kids are taken care of, others aren’t, and there is little to zero one-on-one with your child, and I want someone very hands-on with my child. With a babysitter, they are in charge of watching your child only, but even then, how well are they really watching them? Years ago, a family friend of mine had a babysitter (who was a close friend of theirs) watch their three-year old daughter who was disabled and in a wheelchair. I will never forget that devastating phone call phone call saying the babysitter wasn’t watching her and their three year old baby died. The babysitter had taken her out in the backyard and rolled away from her in her wheelchair and drowned. The wheelchair weighed her down and she was found at the bottom of the pool. To this day I am scarred from that. How did the babysitter not know that she was rolling away from her? How did she not hear the splash to go save her? I know that may not be the case for everyone, but I feel like when money is involved, anyone is going to want to watch your child and they're going to only half-ass it.

Another issue I have, with daycare specifically, is the amount of germs spread. It’s almost impossible for your child to not get sick in daycare. I feel like daycare is a germ house. Children may be sent to daycare sick, and you don’t know how many kids are putting their hands in their mouths and touching other things and sneezing and coughing and picking their noses and not washing their hands. Then your child takes these germs home, gets sick, and then everyone else in the house gets sick. Some of the worst illnesses my brother and I got were from being in daycare. It’s hard to even remember a time when we weren’t sick. My brother was always catching weird colds and getting temperatures as high as 108°F. My brother caught a cold from daycare once, gave it to me when I was about six weeks old, I got RSV from it and almost died in the hospital. I would rather not put my child in a germful environment and keep her and the family as sick-free and healthy as possible.

With my family being vegan, and no one else around us is, we also worry if a daycare caretaker would feed our daughter anything we did not send with her with or anything we would have told them not to. When my brother was eight months old, the caretaker in daycare fed him a hamburger and another time a different caretaker had given him someone else’s breast milk. So it just leaves me thinking something like that would happen with my child. After all, we’re not there, so how would we know what goes on unless they tell us or we catch them when we come to pick our daughter up?

Besides all the horror stories and things I feel like can go wrong at daycare, there’s the financial aspect. It is so expensive to hire a babysitter or put a child in daycare. The going rate for caretakers these days is about $10 per hour, which is more than what I make an hour. So it makes no sense for me to give away all the money I’m making, plus having to take some money from my boyfriend’s paycheck, for someone in daycare to watch my child when I can just stay at home and take care of my own child. Either way, I’m making no money, and if we were to put our daughter in daycare we’d be losing money since we’d have to use both incomes to pay for it.

So that may be leaving you guys wondering: "who watches your child while you’re at work?" My boyfriend and I made our schedule to where we wouldn’t have the same days off from work. So that leaves us with four days out of the week (my two days off plus his two days off) for one of us to be home with her. The other three days of the week is when we might need someone to watch her. Some weeks we only need someone for one day of the week and we’ve had weeks before where we didn’t need anyone at all. Sometimes it works out that way because my boyfriend gets off from work usually at 12:30pm and sometimes I don’t have to go in until 2 or 3 pm, so he’s usually off before I even have to go in. When we do have someone watch our daughter though, it’s a close family member, usually my mom but sometimes my boyfriend’s sister. We also do not pay for them to watch her. I feel like you should not have to pay family to take care of family, and also, as I stated before, when money’s involved anyone is going to watch your child. It may sound selfish to some, especially since the babysitter/caretaker is doing you a favor, but by not including payment, it ensures that the person watching our daughter actually wants to, that they have the time for her, and that they want to spend time with her, creating a more loving, fun, and safer environment for our daughter.

I hope this answered everyone’s question as to why we chose to not put our child in daycare and that it had helpful deciding factors for you (if you’re in that stage where you need to decide who will watch your child when you go off to work) rather than just leaving you feeling like you read a biased mom’s blog post! Thank you though for reading and let me know in the comments your thoughts on this topic.

5 Ways I've Eliminated My Plastic Use

Reducing plastic use wherever possible is so important to our environment. Plastic not only uses so much energy during production, but afterwards makes its way to the nearest landfill and ends up later making its way to the oceans, which then pollutes the ocean and animal life has to suffer and pay the price. Plastic can take hundreds and sometimes thousands of years to degrade, so a plastic bottle you use today will stick around and outlive you, your child, your grandchild, your great-grandchild, and so on. The production of plastic is also such a big waste because most of the plastic we use is only used once before it is thrown away. Examples are plastic grocery bags, plastic water bottles, plastic soda bottles, plastic packaging for food, etc.

For a little while I had been thinking about reducing my plastic waste but didn’t really know where to start. So while I was on maternity leave and had some free time on my hands, I would watch documentaries on YouTube and do some reading up online about why reducing our plastic waste is so important and the ways to do it. This year I finally started taking action and over the past four months there have been many ways and areas in my life that I have not only reduced my plastic use (which I will talk about in another post), but have completely eliminated it (which is what today's post is about). So I now present the five ways I have eliminated my plastic use.

Reusable Shopping Bags

When thinking of all the areas in my life that I can reduce my plastic use, it had never occurred to me before just how much plastic I had actually been using in my day to day life. Plastic grocery bags was one of the biggest areas in my life contributing to plastic waste, so I knew that had to be the first step. I ordered this reusable shopping bag online at Vegan Supply CO and I love it! On it it says “Eat fruit, not animals”. I’m not only helping the environment by not using a plastic bag, but I’m also spreading the vegan message while shopping for my groceries. As of now I only have one reusable shopping bag, so whenever I need to use more bags, I use paper bags and I will reuse those until they rip or get wet and fall apart from produce or frozen items.

Cloth Produce Bags

The next thing I had done to cut plastic out of my life was cloth produce bags. I ordered the Earthwise Reusable Produce Bags on Amazon and use them every time I buy produce or bulk items such as beans, oats, and nuts. They’re also a lot stronger and can hold more than those thin produce bags they have provided for you at the store that rip and tear easily. And when the cloth produce bags gets dirty or has stains, I’m able to wash and reuse them forever and ever.

Bring My Own Utensils

When I leave the house and go places, such as work, I always bring my own utensils. I don’t have a travel case for them. I just take a sterling silver fork or spoon, throw it in my bag, use it, take it home, and wash it. This way I am not wasting single-use plastic. That plastic fork I can get in the deli will only be used once and stick around for another thousand years. I’d rather avoid that.

Reusable Water Bottle

One thing I always carry with me is my Swell Insulated Stainless Steel Marble Bottle. I love having my own stylish water bottle that keeps my drinks cold wherever I go. I like to fill mine with water or homemade juice, which leads me to my next and last step.

Make My Own Juice

I used to buy those bottled juices, like Bolthouse, Naked, Odwalla, Suja, etc. that you’ll see in the produce section. They’re made with simple, natural ingredients and so good for you, but that’s just the point. The juices I buy anyway are made with 100% fruits and vegetables so why not just make my own juice at home and fill it with whatever fruits and vegetables I want. I can even make the same thing as what I buy from the store and I get to save money and a plastic bottle. I make a large batch of juice at home with my boyfriend, put it in a large pitcher, and drink it until its gone and time to make a new one. My favorite juice contains carrots, celery, apples, pineapple, oranges, kale, and spinach in it.

Like I stated earlier, there are other things I do to REDUCE my plastic waste, which I will talk about in another post. These are just the five ways I have actually ELIMINATED plastic use from my life. Whether you’re reducing or eliminating plastic use, any step taken, no matter how big or small, will be beneficial to us, the animals, and our planet by saving energy and helping keep our land and oceans clean. What do you do to reduce your plastic waste? Let me know in the comments! Also be sure to check out my YouTube channel where you can also see the video version on this topic.

Baby Must Haves | 0-6 Months

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When my boyfriend and I were newly pregnant and shopping for baby supplies, we were very realistic and minimal in the things that we would need. We would shop around and we would come across bottle warmers for $40 when you can do the same thing at home for free and formula makers when you can just hand mix it yourself. Then there were the “essentials” that we didn’t want like a wipe warmer and pacifiers. Among all the baby items we saw that we found pointless, we did find some that we thought we would be in need of, and we were right.

Today I am going to share with you my own list of baby essentials and baby items I love. Every mom/dad/parent has their own view of what they would like for their child and what they think they should have, so this is not a go-to set guide for everyone. I’m just a mom sharing my own perspective and putting it out there for anyone who wishes to read. So let’s get started!

                                                                    Nail Filer 

One thing for sure is baby nails are a lot longer and sharper than you might think, so it is important to have a way of cutting them. I’ve had people recommend to me to bite them off. To me that is not sanitary when they put their hands near their face and in their mouth. And also the thought of chewing on my child sounds weird, so that was out. We bought baby nail clippers but with her fingers being so little we were clipping her skin and causing her to bleed, so we’re saving those clippers for later. Baby mittens covering her hands never stayed on her, so the only other route was a nail filer, which I think is the best and safest way to go.

Diaper Rash Cream

There are of course ways to prevent diaper rash, such as frequent diaper changes and keeping your baby dry down there. But sometimes accidents happen and it is nice to have diaper rash ointment of some sort on hand for when the time arises. My daughter has been sleeping through the night ever since she was six weeks old, so she goes 10-12 hours not being changed during the night. Luckily in her seven months of living, we’ve only had to deal with diaper rash on 3 accounts. We use Earth’s Best Organic Diaper Relief Ointment and it starts working at the first use and clears it up completely within a few days. You don’t have to get a big bottle of your diaper rash cream of choice, but like I said, it’s nice to just have some on hand so that way you don’t have to run to the store really quick when it does happen.

Baby Bath Tub

Many people say you don’t need a baby bath tub, but I found it really useful while giving my daughter a bath. I can lay her down while still keeping her a little upright, and I have the bathtub to support her so that way I can use both hands to wash her. I didn’t like the idea of just laying my child flat in a bathtub, so I just got a little $10-$15 bathtub. She’s seven months old and we still use it every bath time.

Nasal Aspirator

The first few weeks of her life, my daughter had the stuffiest nose and always had boogers. Why? I don’t know. She wouldn’t be sick, but it was nice to have a nasal aspirator to suck it out. We had to use a nasal aspirator almost every single day for the first two month of her life.

Flexible Thermometer

The most accurate way to take your baby’s temperature is rectally, so a flexible thermometer is more comfortable for your baby because it bends with them if they squirm around, rather than a regular, stiff one.

Gripe Water

Gripe water is something my boyfriend and I always used as a last resort, when we couldn’t find anything wrong among the list of: is she too hot or too cold, does she need a diaper change, is she sleepy and want to be put down for a nap, is she hungry, etc. We usually could find out what she was fussing or crying about, but if not, we turned to gripe water. With Mommy's Bliss Gripe Water, if she didn’t instantly calm down, it wouldn’t take her long to. One time she had a crying spell that lasted half the day and she wouldn’t go to sleep even if she was tired, she wasn’t eating, wouldn’t play, she would just be fussy. We gave her gripe water and she stopped crying while we gave it to her then about five minutes later she fell asleep then she was back to normal once she woke up. It’s just nice to have to save everyone’s sanity. It's good for colic, fussiness, stomach discomfort, and more.

Sound and Light Soother

My daughter uses a sound and light soother every night. We have Wyatt the Whale Storytelling Soother and I liked him better than all the others I had looked at because it plays good music that sounds like real instruments, fills the room with stars in the dark, plays nature sounds, and tells stories. You can also download the app to load your own songs and add more stories. This was something we wanted her to have because I find music so soothing and have fallen asleep to music ever since I can remember. My boyfriend and I play soft music in our bedroom for when we go to sleep and we wanted her to do the same. It’s really relaxing.

Diaper Bag

I originally thought I could get by with a purse or backpack that I already had, but nearing the end of my pregnancy and thinking about all the things we’d actually be taking with us for her on an outing, I decided we would need to invest in a diaper bag. I got the Skip Hop Chelsea Diaper Bag in Black because it’s a decent size, has many compartments, and it’s really chic. They have cheaper ones, but I invested in a more expensive one and one that I really liked because it’s also something I want to contine using even after my daughter is older and doesn’t need me carrying her stuff around anymore. I can use it as a carry-on bag while traveling in the future. It will serve me good and I will definitely get a good use out of it.

Changing Pad

One thing I also liked about the diaper bag is that it came with a changing pad, something I was going to buy anyway, so it was nice that it came together. I wanted a changing pad so that way when I’m out at the grocery store or a restaurant, I don’t have to lay my baby straight down on the fold-down baby changing station. They just don’t seem sanitary to me because everyone lays their baby on it to change them. A changing pad also protects the baby changing station or carpet from poop or pee accidents while changing your baby.

Baby Book

You will not believe how many people I have come across that say that they hate baby books! This can go either way. Yes, it is a waste of money if you’re not going to fill it out and just let it sit on the bookshelf taking up space and collecting dust, but it is so worth it if you’re going to actually put the time and effort into it. To us, this was an essential because it is something we wish our parents had done for us. My boyfriend and I have filled out the majority of everything we can at this point, we just need a few pictures put in. We got the C.R. Gibson Wish Upon a Star Memory Book and we love filling it out and putting pictures in it. It goes up to your child’s first five years of their life, obviously the majority of it will be during pregnancy and the baby’s first year, but I think it is something our daughter will treasure her whole life.

Dreft Stain Remover

This. Is. ESSENTIAL! Whether from spit ups or food, poop or pee, stains on your baby’s cloths, bibs, and bedding will be inevitable, and you need a way to remove them. I have never had a stain remover that removes stains as well as Dreft does. It’s like nothing even happened. I use this on my own clothes.

                                                                                        Swing

We really love her swing. She really loves her swing too. At seven months, she’s starting to outgrow it, but it definitely served us well. The first three months of her life, she slept in it about every other night because it was the only place we could get her to sleep, so the Fisher-Price Deluxe Cradle 'nSwing was our life saver during the first few months. We would also use it when we needed a safe place to put her in while we were making food, going to the bathroom, taking a shower, or getting groceries out of the car.

Pack N’ Play

I love her pack n’ play because we have used it on a regular basis as it comes in handy. My daughter slept in her pack n’ play the first few months of her life, apart from the swing, until we put her in her own crib. We now keep our Graco Pack 'n Play Playard at my grandmother’s house where my mom babysits her and she uses it there as a crib and is able to keep her in there if she needs to set her down for a minute to make food or go to the bathroom. When we go swimming, we are able to take it outside with us and she is in a safe spot while we’re laying out in the sun. We also take it travelling with us and use it as a crib while we’re in hotels. It’s good for so many different things and is lightweight and easy to pack up and put back together.

Waterproof Mattress Cover

These come in handy when your child has accidents in the night. Since my daughter has had a lot of them with her sleeping through the night, the mattress cover has kept the mattress itself clean and stain free. We just have to wash the cover, which is easier than trying to get stains out of the mattress.

Burp Cloths

Sometimes when you burp your baby, spit up will happen. No matter how big or small, I like burp cloths because the majority, if not all, spit up will be caught on the cloth rather than my outfit. And if it does get on anything else, like the couch, I have something right there I can wipe it off with.

So that’s it for my baby essentials list! I didn’t put the obvious, like a crib, clothes, and food, but these are some "non-essential" essentials that I found to make life easier for me and my baby. I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know if you used any of these things or what you found to be essentials for your baby!

Vegan Restaurants in New Orleans

Vegan cuisine isn't what comes to mind when I think of New Orleans. From crawfish étouffée to shrimp creole, and jambalaya to po boys, New Orleans isn't the most vegan-friendly city I have been to. But even though Louisiana signature cuisine is pretty much off limits to vegans, vegan food can still be found here. Here are my top 5 vegan-friendly restaurants in New Orleans!

The Gumbo Shop - 630 St Peter St, New Orleans, LA 70116

  You cannot visit New Orleans without trying some gumbo and po boys, vegan or not! So the Gumbo Shop, located in the French Quarter, was a must as that was the only place I knew of that had either one. The gumbo soup was seasoned with creole spices and filled with red beans, rice, and okra while the po boy was white sandwich bread filled with grilled vegetables. Both were light yet satisfying, perfect for lunch. The vegan/vegetarian menu is separate from the regular menu so ask for it upon arriving.

Dat Dog - 601 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Dat Dog is another vegan-friendly restaurant perfect for lunch, with three vegan dogs on the menu. With Spicy Chipotle, Field Roast Italian, and Smoked Apple Sage veggie dogs, they give vegans interesting options rather than a plain flavored hot dog. For toppings there is a long list to choose from, making every dog unique to your taste. Out of the Field Roast Italian and the Smoked Apple Sage veggie dogs, the Apple Sage was my favorite, topping them both with ketchup, mustard, pickles and onions. The veggie dogs pair great with the seasoned fries too!

Mid City Pizza - 4400 Banks St, New Orleans, LA 70119

Mid City Pizza was one of my favorite restaurants to eat at while in New Orleans. In my opinion they not only have the best pizza in NOLA, but the best pizza I've ever had. I got the 18 inch build your own 5 topping pizza with daiya cheese, artichokes, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and black olives, and it was so big it took my boyfriend and I three meals to finish it all. We still had some the next day. Definitely worth $20.

Sukhothai - 2200 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70117

Another one of my favorite restaurants, not only in New Orleans but in the world, is Sukhothai. It's a good thing I don't live in New Orleans as I would go broke here. They have an extensive list of vegan options so if you love Asian food this is the place to go. My boyfriend and I ordered the fried eggplant, glass noodles, and pad thai. If we hadn't discovered this restaurant on our last day in New Orleans, I would have loved to have eaten here more so I could try every vegan thing on their menu. Loved their large portions also. One thing to keep in mind is that they close in the middle of the day then open back up later, so check the times before you go to make sure they aren't closed.

Seed - 1330 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70130

The last restaurant is Seed. This is the only 100% vegan restaurant I know of in New Orleans. It makes it nice for vegans to go to a restaurant and not having to worry about if we can eat it or not. Here I tried the chili cheese fries, eggplant pomodoro which is basically fried eggplant over spaghetti, zucchini salad, and beignets. Yes, beignets! The only place in NOLA with vegan beignets, and is actually how I found out about this restaurant. My favorites were the salad and the beignets, funny because I don't like salad, but I loved the flavor the filling inside the zucchini rolls gave.

That is it for my top 5 vegan restaurants in New Orleans. It took my boyfriend and I forever to find vegan options so I hope this list helps hungry vegans in NOLA. Definitely give these restaurants a try for delicious vegan food! Also make sure to check out my New Orleans video on YouTube!