New Zealand legally recognises animals as sentient beings!

 A few weeks ago when I had my daily morning scroll through Instagram, I saw this post from Swedish animal rights organization, Djurens Ratt, saying that New Zealand legally recognises animals as sentient beings!

This is definately a step in the right direction. (A bit funny that I heard the news via a Swedish channel, when I am in the country where the positive change has been made)

Even though this is a fact that I and probably the majority of every other vegan and vegetarian feel is very obvious, it's a bit like - EH YEAH, THANKS FOR THE UPDATE SHERLOCK! I mean of course animals are sentient beings. It is a fact that animals has feelings and personalities.

But the reason why I think this decision is such a big deal is because it is putting the lives and rights of animals on the agenda, from a level that will reach more people. 

I do believe that to make a change happen, we have to change the way we speak about things because that is how we change the way we culturally think about things. If now, for instance, animals are legally recognised as sentient beings, if people start to talk about animals as sentient beings and not just as things for us humans to use, this will hopefully change the way a lot of people see animals. Because wouldn't it be way harder to eat something that you know has had feelings? 

If the word is now put out there in the spotlight, saying that animals can FEEL, I think it is going to be more difficult for meat eating people to justify their meat eating, or dairy drinking or cheese eating. You get the point. 

So go New Zealand for starting to climb the latter to a more vegan friendly mind set! I really hope other countries follow in its direction.

Go to Hell, eat some pizza!

I can't emphasise it enough - (sorry to brag) I have the best colleagues in the world! My lovely team leader Brenna bought the team a pizza (!!!!) each as a thank you for doing a great job while she was away. It was so yummy!!!

We ordered from the pizza chain Hells Pizza (delivery straight to the office,.. I felt sorry for everyone else who had to stand the delicious pizza smell for the rest of the day without even having a piece!) - they have a vegetarian friendly menu and one of the pizzas is even vegan, hurray!

The vegan pizza comes with refried beans, avokado, salsa and other veggies, I changed the beans for mushrooms instead and it was soooo good! It didn't even matter that it came without cheese.

The downside is that Hell of course does alot of meaty pizzas. Just recently I heard that they started with duck meat on one of their pizzas.. yum? Eh, no.

Kumara, sweet potato, sötpotatis - a loved child has many names

My dinner tonight was awesome. I was starving and didn't feel like cooking at all. But I did it anyway and did a happy dance for myself when I ate it:

Jacket sweet potato (just made a cut in it, put it in the oven on 200 degrees for about an hour), with home made chickpea sauce (chickpeas from a can, mixed in a blender along with fried onion, garlic and some chill and salt), fried tofu and a spinach salad - hallelujah sweet potato, I love you!

Does anyone know if there is a difference between Kumara and Sweet potato by the way? Or is the the same thing? I'm so confused!

Why you will never ever need to use egg again, ever.

I came across this awesome egg substitute guide the other day that I have to share with you all. We've been having this vegan, gluten free cake mix in the kitchen cupboard for ages and everytime I see it I think I'm gonna my that egg replacer powder to be able to actually bake the cake, but I never get to it as I'm always thinking "Naah, it's too expensive, I don't really NEED a mud cake today" .. And then a few hours later, back home, with chocolate craving sky high, I hate myself for it.

So, anyway. I found that a ripe banana worked really good as egg substitute in the yummy choclaty mud cake - so point is: check out the guide, it's sooo helpful for vegan cooking/baking!

Never use egg again - use this instead! 

A better Tuesday evening

Pumpkin curry served with barley, Swedish party leader debate from svt play and some Greenpeace values in the corner of my eye is what is making my Tuesday evening tonight. The only thing missing is Gudrun Schyman from Feminist Initiative, of course.

Winter weekend fun

This weekend has been a true house-mate-bound-weekend. Me and Guy went out with our german roomie Florian in a sunny Saturday. Our first stop was at Shakys, where we had our weekly soy latte treat and then we walked a few seconds down New North Road, to the cool Burger place Handmade. Rumor says that this place makes insanely good veggie burgers, so we felt as if we just HAD to try it out.

They had about five vegetarian options and three vegan ones, falafel, tofu and tempeh. Since I hadn't had tempeh since we left Bali, my mouth was watering just of the thought of it so I tried that one - and it was delicious! Although, it is not at all as good as the tofu burger from Burgerfuel..

Afterwards we catched the bus to the CBD and went to K road, where all the cool second hand shops, cafes, bars and other cool places are. We found the cutest little vegan store "Cruelty Free Shop" where they had everything from vegan food products, to books and stickers. 

We went along Kroad, popped into a few second hand stores and made som good bargains, and ended up at the very vegan friendly, cool cafe Revel. If I still wasn't full from the burger earlier, I would've ordered all the vegan cakes they had.. (and if I had all the money in the world..)

Speaking of cakes. Instead of a Sunday Roast I'm gonna go make a chocolate cake now - wish me luck, I will need it 😘

My new greener life

When having a 9-5, Mon-Fri job, time just flies.. I don't understand how it's already weekend tomorrow. But I don't think I'm very unique in having that feeling.

I always keep thinking of how much time I have after work until I go to bed. How much time I have to do useful stuff, you know like learning Spanish on the app DuoLingo, going for a run, do yoga, go climbing, read about important stuff.. but then that time comes. That time when I come home after work. Exhausted. Hungry. Suddenly four hours has passed and I'm laying knocked out in my bed, with a dirty plate with some left over food beside me, half-watching House of Cards and realize it's time to go to sleep, tomorrow's an early start. "I'll just do the things I told myself to do tomorrow" And suddenly it's Friday. 

How lucky am I to work at a place that I love. If almost a whole lifetime should be centered around it, it feels pretty darned good that I'm so happy every early morning when I take my long walk to the office. I love my new, greener, life.

(Green)Peace out! 

Salty liquorice - how I've missed you

Today was a good day at work. Ellen realized we had the classic Swedish candy polkagris-sticks, tucked away in a drawer that our boss brought back when he was in Sweden. Now, this must've been a long time ago and the poor polka sticks must have been in that drawer for ages cause they all soften, almost melted so it was more of a soft creamy substance (which it definitely not should be like) but boooooy it was good to eat some salty liquorice again!

Oh my falafel

Yesterday me and my better half went down on Dominion Road to go second hand shopping in the Red Cross & Salvation Army opt shops. On the way there we encountered the cutest little dog, who was just sitting there, chilling with no worry in the world, in the middle of the street. Definitely the "aaawwww" moment of the day!

We found a lot of cool stuff for our room in both shops. Especially in the Salvation Army shop where they have plenty of furnitures and other cool house stuff. So we made a bargain when we bought a little table for our window seating, some cushions, laundry basket and some vinyl covers that we put up on the wall. Finally our room doesn't feel like an empty storage area anymore.

There's still some more stuff that we want to fix until it feels completely done though, so this is just a tease pic for now ;)

Later on we cooked the best Sarurday dinner, falafel burgers with sweet potato fries, nomnomnon!

Super good falafel like this has never been easier to make now that I found Lisa's ready to roll falafel mix at Countdown. All you have to do is roll the mixture into balls or patties and then just fry them and then it's done! Sooooo yummy aswell!

With that food choma we continued the night and went to a birthday party hosted by a friend from work. So yeah. Pretty darned tired today. But that's a Sunday in a nutshell I guess, love to just have chill Sundays doing nothing, when you know you have a week of work to start tomorrow. I'm ready to rock again!