Greenwich Satchel

I just love this handbag.
It's so ladylike.
And the silver lock detail is classic chic.
I'm not the only one who thinks so...
it was just featured in Life & Style magazine.


It's on sale (hooray!) so I decided to make it mine.
I can't wait for it to arrive.


How easy will it be to channel Jackie O.
with this little number on your arm?
And since it's faux leather, you can
channel your love for animals too!

The shoe for the gentle man

While this blog is mostly dedicated to the ladies, 

I don't want to completely ignore the fellas!

I just discovered that Gucci has a vegan shoe for men -

a slick, patent rubber moccasin. 

Blue and black are available in the US and the 

more fashion-forward green in France. 

195€ / $245 at gucci.com

Inspiration: French Flair

French flair by princessandthepeace featuring denim skinny jeans

No animals were harmed to bring you 

this little dose of casual French chic!

Sunday Meditation

"The truth is: you don't have a life, you are life."

- Eckhart Tolle

Suds with soul

Keep it clean by princessandthepeace on Polyvore.com

MeSoap is certified organic and doesn't bother with all the additives

and chemicals found in many other soaps.

Even better, for every bar of MeSoap purchased, 

they will donate one to a child in need.

It's their way of helping communities 

improve hygiene and ultimately save lives.

So you can work up a lather for good!

A classic beauty

These shoes are classics with attitude.
Shiny patent faux leather with a perfect platform.

Slip these on when you want to dress to impress.

And sashay down the boulevard with a happy heart

knowing that no animals were harmed to make them
(and they're only $49).

Inspiration: Ladylike

Lady like by princessandthepeace featuring a flared dress

(A real lady would never hurt animals, so of course the items here are all cruelty-free!)

Just the facts, m'am

We are bombarded with nutrition "information" every day. And we all know that some of those "facts" are actually just expensive PR and packaging paid for by agriculture, food and beverage lobbies. So what to believe? Who to trust? Well, now you have an unbiased (yes!) source to help you separate the legitimate from the not-so-much so you can make informed decisions about what you put in your body.

Nutritionfacts.org is a non-commercial (not funded by interested parties who have products to sell), science-based source of good nutrition information. It sorts through the thousands of new studies that are published every year and makes the best ones available via short videos. You can also subscribe to the daily video feed (http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/feed/) 


I've listed this link, along with some others I think are useful, on my blog page.

Inspiration: Fall is in the air

I just figured out how to make collages...this will be fun!

Inspiration: Fall in the air by princessandthepeace featuring a stacked heel

Radicchio Pizza with Truffle Oil

Oh, the simplicity!

This pizza is really as easy as pie to make. 

I found the recipe in Alicia Silverstone's 

cookbook, The Kind Diet.

If you like truffle oil, you'll love this!

Radicchio Pizza with Truffle Oil

1 large head radicchio

Olive oil

Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

White truffle-infused oil, to taste

1 whole grain pizza crust

• Cut the radicchio in half, then slice each half crosswise into thin ribbons (as thin as possible).
• Dress with olive oil, salt, pepper and a few dashes of white truffle oil to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. If using a fresh pizza crust, toast in the oven for 7 minutes or until it is heated through and slightly golden but not crunchy; if using a frozen crust, bake according to package directions.
• Scatter the dressed radicchio over the pizza crust and return to the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the radicchio is warm and just starting to wilt.
• Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Sunday Meditation

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, 

but a means by which we arrive at that goal."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why I am vegan

I get asked a lot why I decided to go vegan.  Honestly, one day I read something that I couldn't un-read. I couldn't get the image out of my mind.  I kept reading and the more I learned, the more troubled I became. 

I think because my decision was coming from somewhere deep inside, making the switch to vegan was surprisingly easy. I didn't feel deprived. In fact, I felt empowered. And relieved. And peaceful. Finally, my daily choices were directly aligned with my values. How great is that?!

And, interestingly, I find I enjoy food now more than ever.  I appreciate it in a whole new way. And, of course, I feel great! 

In a small nutshell, here are the three main reasons I am vegan:

1) Compassion - factory farming (where 99% of our meat/dairy comes from) is unbelievably cruel and highly unregulated; profit is king and as a result, billions of animals suffer horrifically daily. Who wants to be a part of that?

2) Environment - factory farming is the #1 cause of global warming (documented by the U.N.). You can drastically reduce your environmental impact by eating vegan. And you thought switching out your lightbulbs felt good!

3) Health - a vegan diet is the healthiest thing you can do for your body in terms of gaining energy and preventing disease (documented by the American Dietetic Association). Studies have even shown that vegan diets can reverse disease. 

If you want more information and some tasty recipes to try, Ellen Degeneres has a great online vegan "starter kit"! Be sure to check out all the celebrities who are vegan! 

Wedges that roar

Animal prints are hot, hot, hot.

But harming animals is so not, not, not.

These shoes give you a spot of leopard

and a full dose of style

in luxurious faux-suede that will

make you feel like queen of the forest.

Working girl

These stylish shoes have a mid-height heel

that let you dash from a meeting on the 12th floor

to drinks with the girls seven blocks away

without missing a step or twisting an ankle.

And the man-made leather means no

animals were harmed either!

Cuff Love

A great piece of jewelry can make an outfit sing.

I think cuffs are particularly good at this.

They are both modern and classic and

they can be dressed up or down.

This cuff is particularly worthy of your love 

because it was hand made by women artisans

outside of New Delhi, India.

You can look good, feel good and DO good!

Ready for rain!

I've started receiving the September issues

of my magazines in the mail, 
which is a sure sign
that summer is almost over.

While I don't want to rush these last
lovely weeks of sun, these sassy boots almost 

have me looking forward to rain!

No animals were harmed to keep your feet chic and dry.
 Available at Zappos!

Nude Ballerinas

I've been looking for a pair of nude-colored flats and just ran 

across these little lovelies.

They are shiny, patent, vegan leather

with a sweet rounded toe

and ballerina shape.

I love nude shoes because they go with Everything.

And at $18.00 they are super affordable!

(One of the nice benefits of not buying leather

is a cheaper price tag!)

Sunday Meditation

"The conventional view serves to protect us from the 
painful job of thinking."

-John Kenneth Galbraith

Shrubs

I've been hearing a lot about Shrubs lately. Not the garden variety. The beverage variety. And my curiosity was piqued...

The word Shrub comes from the Arabic word sharab, which literally means to drink. In the dictionary, Shrub is defined as an acid fruit drink that is made with fresh fruit vinegars and cane sugar (and sometimes spices). 

These little concoctions were popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  And now thanks to the designer cocktail movement, they seem to be making a comeback.  And the non-alcoholic varieties are becoming popular alternatives to lemonade and iced tea.

I tried the recipe below and it's actually quite tasty! The syrup can be mixed with sparkling water, champagne or vodka so you can decide how amped up you want your drink to be!

Raspberry Shrub (Non-Alcoholic)

4 cups fresh, organic raspberries, about 16 ounces 

2 cups cider vinegar

2 cups evaporated cane sugar (or granulated sugar) 

cold water

ice

• Place berries in a non-metal bowl or pitcher; add vinegar
• Cover with plastic wrap or lid; refrigerate for 3 to 4 days
• Strain mixture into a saucepan, pressing blackberries to extract all liquid; discard solids then stir in sugar
• Boil 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat and let cool
• Refrigerate in a tightly covered jar or pitcher 

For each serving, combine 1/4 cup of the raspberry concentrate with 1 cup cold water (I used sparkling water); pour over ice in glasses.

Makes enough concentrate for about 12 servings.

This recipe will work with almost any fruit you can find. You can also experiment with adding vanilla bean, basil or thyme.

Enjoy!

From what I've read, his recipe will work for most any fruit you can find. You can also adjust the sugar to meet your needs.

Olsenhaus

Look at these yummy shoes from Olsenhaus.

All cruelty-free vegan leather.

This is just a sampling, so be sure to

 take a peek at their website for more.

Apparently I'm not the only one who's smitten.

This brand is a regular on the pages

of high-fashion magazines, and you can

even pick up a pair at your neighborhood Nordstrom.

I'm looking forward to seeing their fall line!