Another Meatless Monday

One of the best ways Mike and I have found to promote veganism is to make delicious vegan dishes for folks and share them. We both make it a habit of bringing in wonderful vegan creations to work and our home is typically filled with people on holidays, not all of whom are vegan. Mike's Thanksgiving dinners have become so popular with friends who are not vegan that we have seen them incorporate more vegan dishes into their world.

And it doesn't have to stop there. All over the world organizations, charities and now even towns and cities promote veganism by supporting Meatless Mondays. We have had a lot of fun with this by asking our readers to support Meatless Mondays wherever they live. Some have had dinner parties where they only invited friends who are not vegan, some have asked their local restaurant to create Meatless Monday vegan specials and some have created potlucks to invite friends and neighbors.

The premise is simple: ask people who are not vegan to not consume meat and animal products for one day. It's a simple request, and we have learned that it becomes much easier when followed by lots of support and options.

Imagine if everyone who read this blog post created some type of Meatless Monday event, whether it was small dinner party at home or a community-wide event? One of my dreams is to have our city (Lakewood, CO) promote Meatless Mondays and have dozens and dozens of restaurants in the city create Meatless Monday specials. Monday is typically a slower night for restaurants so this whole idea could not only benefit those trying a vegan meal but also benefit the local economy by having more and more people visit their local restaurant to enjoy a vegan special.

The Meatless Monday is certainly taking off. Last year I read a New York Times article which was about the town of Aspen, Colorado supporting the Meatless Monday idea! Social media is filled with groups promoting the idea, and also offering great recipes for those wanting to try something at home. My Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with several delicious recipe options on Mondays!

Let's do it. I invite all of you to think of a great idea to promote Meatless Monday. We will keep you posted on our ideas, as well as what we hear from readers. Let us know how it goes. If a restaurant supports your efforts, tell us. If you tried a new recipe and invited friends for dinner, what was it?

Thank you so much for reading!

Why we ask you to vote for President Obama

Mike and I voted today!

I am starting this post with a line from within the post. It's towards the end and I want to make sure that anyone who even browses this post will read it:

The simple reality is that for gay people and women (especially poor women), life will be much different under a Romney/Ryan administration than under President Obama.

I clearly remember the day Mike and I went to vote in 2008. I was ecstatic to vote for Barack Obama. Election night was a thrill.

There were a lot of promises. I have heard them before. People have been talking about ending the ban on gays in the military for a long time. That's just one example.

I believed that he would close Guantanamo. I believed he would work for equality. I believed that the economy would get better.

It all hasn't come to be. And I am once again ecstatic to go vote for President Obama. Because we have a ton of readers in several of the "toss up" states, I wanted to write a blog asking you to vote for President Obama.

There is a huge difference between the President and Mitt Romney, more so with social issues. There are many reasons why I am voting for President Obama and not Mitt Romney:

I believe the economy will get better with the President's continued leadership.

I believe we will not get involved with wars we cannot afford with President Obama.

I believe that President Obama honestly wants to make our education system stronger, that he believes in strong, vibrant, innovative public schools.

President Obama believes in equality and will not attack my family or my marriage.

I believe President Obama (and his wife!) truly are concerned for veterans and the care they receive after military service.

President Obama ended the ban on gays and lesbians in the military.

A vote for President Obama is a vote for tolerance (in many forms). A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for intolerance (in many forms).

I believe Mitt Romney is anti gay. His desire is to attack to my marriage by making it unconstitutional.

I believe Mitt Romney has no regard for women in regards to their own health and choices.

I believe Mitt Romney would cave to the religious zealots in our country.

Mitt Romney has said (when he was asked in Colorado) that he does not believe in civil unions for gays and lesbians if they (the civil unions) are "too close" to marriage.

Most of Mitt Romney's charitable giving was to the Mormon Church. The same church that funded Proposition 8 in California.

I believe that Mitt Romney seriously believes in what he said about the 47%.

I understand that many people support Mitt Romney for a variety of reasons and I also understand that many will disagree with my reasons. The simple reality is that for gay people and women (especially poor women), life will be much different under a Romney/Ryan administration than under President Obama. Not just different, Progress made towards equality will falter and the level of freedom for gay and lesbian people and for women will decrease.

I have heard from many people we know who want to vote for Romney, a third-party candidate or who will not vote at all. Please reconsider, and vote for President Obama. Your vote could mean the difference between an administration that fully supports equality and one that fully believes that gay people should not have equal rights (and that's putting it nicely).

Meanwhile, as we count down to election day, if we disagree let's disagree with love and kindness. There is a huge amount of vitriol out there and I know that me, Mike and our readers do not need to be a part of that.

Thank you for reading!