I am grateful for:

Never having a shortage of reading material to spark the imagination.

Why oh why do I even browse the shelves at C.A.T.S. Resale Shop? Of course I found another intriguing book for just 50 cents.

My co-worker Kathy organizes a book club. From the library, our latest pick takes us to Italy. My stomach is already growling.


I can't imagine eBooks replacing some things.

Children's books are just so magical. This treasure was from the This-n-That Thrift Shop in Hillsdale, NJ, and awaits one very lucky young reader.


Random acts of kindness, like the weekly tea time started by Kathy. She suprised us with fresh fruit salad to accompany bluberry and cranberry orange scones. Lively conversation followed.


Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Think we don't need a revolution? The next time you are at a major supermarket, take a look what's in everyone's carts.

Each week, I laugh, I cry, I cheer on from my couch. The flashmob: bloody brilliant!



Saving money, and eating healthier, by making most of my meals at homes.

My latest picks, mostly from Old Hook Farm, a few things from Trader Joe's.

On the menu? Veggie fajitas (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, corn); vegan spinach florentine ravioli; fresh beetroot salad, wraps with avocado, hummus, roasted red and yellow peppers, and red leaf lettuce. For breakfast: granola with fresh strawberries and almond milk, and fresh grapefruit. A really yummy dessert: strawberry mango crisp.

Eating banana cake in my parents' kitchen with a glass of iced coffee after taking the dog to the park. Check out this easy vegan banana muffin recipe.

A pot of homemade roasted cauliflower soup. Roasted anything is usually amazing in my book. I adore soup year-round.

My mom made homemade croutons to add to the soup. Simply toast whole wheat bread, cut, sauté in Earth Balance and garlic powder. Done.

The guilty pleasure of an afternoon weekend nap. My friend Slyester at the C.A.T.S. Resale Shop is an enthusiastic a napper as I am. He is often in nap prose when I see him.

Weekend Rating? An "A"

Remember this planter from December? It was destined for a landfill. It is now filled with pansies from Old Hook Farm. One of many springtime weekend delights.


A dinner of a veggie burger with sauteed mushrooms and mesclun salad at my favorite Irish pub, PJ Finnegan's.



Followed by Friday night with Jamie. Follow the Food Revolution. I loved when he pointed out: carb, carb, protein, where are the veggies? Vegans and vegetarians are often asked where their protein comes from, but I often wonder about people's fruit and vegetable intake. And thank you Jamie, French fries as a vegetable? No.

Saturday thrifting...

I asked the thrift universe for a dress for an upcoming dinner dance I'm attending, and it delivered. A pleated Laundry dress, $22, from Revived Attire, a lovely consignment shop in Hillsdale, NJ.

I found a similar Laundry dress online, which was "on sale" for $240 from its $300 price. I think I got the better deal.


I admired this sweet little sailor dress, just $11. It was a small, not my size. I have too many dresses anyway!

I didn't try this on, $35. But how cute would this be on a hot August night with some strappy sandals?

Cute shoes! Just, $11, and vegan. Many people won't even consider second-hand shoes, but I don't have any qualms about it. Scarier to me? That people eat meat daily, many at every meal, from animals raised in factory farms.


I popped by C.A.T.S. Resale Shop to make a donation. I couldn't resist picking up a set of four little blue plates made in England, a steal at just $5 total. These types of plates bring me back to my childhood visiting my grandparents in Switzerland.



Outdoor reading weather is here! All their paperbacks are just 50 cents.

Much like my eyes are sometimes bigger than my stomach, my reading roster is pretty lofty. I can always pass it on to the book swap if I can't get to it.


Date night with my sweetie. We've been eating in - a lot. So we headed to Jersey Boys Grill, a local family restaurant. I love their thin crust grilled vegetable pizza, hold the cheese, $9.95.

We took an invigorating four-mile walk in sunny, mild weather. Spot the deer?

And of course, Easter. Isn't this crocheted chick adorable? A classmate in French brought them in for our class. I love random acts of kindness.


Vegan offerings on the Easter menu: Red leaf salad with beets, puff pastry shells with portabella mushrooms and tofu, and grilled asparagus and red peppers. To finish...

Strawberry rhubarb pie from Old Hook Farm. No dairy in my chick creamer - it's filled with Trader Joe's soy creamer.


I like to savor not just the weekends, but little joys each day. Check out Angela's "Continuous Small Treats" for a happy life on My Year Without Spending.

It Takes a British Chef...

to step up to the plate to reverse and revolutionize horrendous American eating habits. "This is the first generation of kids expected to live a shorter life than their parents," Jamie Oliver bemoans. Shame on us is right, Jamie.



“Immediately you get a really clear sense of do the kids know anything about where food comes from,” he observes. I don't think some adults know much more.



Learn more about Jamie's Food Revolution, debuting Friday, March 26th on ABC. You can sign his petition he plans to take to the White House.

Jamie's Fowl Dinners show enlightened the British public about the real cost behind their cheap eggs and chicken. Watch the show here.

I am a great admirer of Mr. Oliver. I've blogged about his efforts to educate about the horrors of the pork industry, and my disillusionment over why no major American chefs are as outraged over the source of their "ingredients."