Welcome to the Veggie Society, a Whole Foods, Plant Based Lifestyle Blog!
I’m Florentina, the voice behind the recipes and articles you’ll find here. Pull up a chair, kick your feet up and stay a while. We are family so don’t be afraid to chime in with your questions or simply just say hi.
The Recipes:
- We feature easy plant-based recipes focusing on nutritious whole foods: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes and tubers.
- I do my best to limit the use of oil and it can always be replaced with a splash of vegetable stock, wine or water in the recipe.
- 100% Vegan ~ No animal products ever!
What About Protein Though ?
All protein comes from plants! So we get more than enough of it from the same place all other animals do: Plants!
Slaying the protein myth, read this!
The Mission:
To help bring awareness about that which is on our plate and inspire humanity to embrace a healthy plant-based lifestyle, thrive and live in harmony with all life. We are all one and the same, animals are not food, we all love and hurt the same!
The Story:
Almost 7 years ago I stumbled upon a photo of a mop looking dog at one of the high kill shelters here in Los Angeles. I was intrigued for some reason, and before I knew it I was talking to the front desk lady at the shelter. She informed me that this dog is unadoptable, as a matter of fact he is quarantined and I was not even gonna be able to see him. According to her story he was an aggressive bad dog who was returned to them three times and they were done with him. End of story!
So I wondered through the kennel confused, trying to make sense of it all when I ran into a volunteer who went against the grain, let me see this damned dog and made sure I could take him out of death row. But not before I signed a waiver about his medical condition “ lameness in his left leg “. Whatever people, I used the last few dollars I had in my checking account and for better and for worse, the mop looking thing and I will ride into the sunset living on a prayer.
And so we did! 7 years later we are still together, our family has since quadrupled and of course we aren’t done yet. Remember that “lameness in the left leg “ ? Never happened, I had him checked right away by a vet and trust me when I tell you: this one is a fast little booger, no lameness at all. He is most definitely not aggressive, and sweet as could be to both other dogs and humans.
What happened after that is what made me questioned everything I believed about Life, Love, Right and Wrong. I started a food blog and struggled so much with the idea of eating animals in spite of everything I’ve been programmed to believe.
The Common Question: Why Eat One and Not the Other ?
In spite of all my justifications my soul felt tormented and nothing made sense, except that it was an excuse for me to keep living this way since it was perfectly acceptable in our society. But wait, it is socially acceptable in other countries to cook and eat dogs, as a matter of fact they have festivals much like we do here in the U.S. for lobster and crab… Now that is disturbing on so may levels, and you don’t wanna know what would happen If anyone so much as attempted to eat my dogs.
So I Became a Vegetarian!
But I still ate cheese and eggs, because those are good for you, right ? And they do no harm to the animals. Or at least so we’ve been taught. Until I started doing some real research that will shock me to my core.
And so, long story short: on Labor Day 2017 our family made a decision to completely stop consuming all animal products and embrace a whole food, plant-based lifestyle out of love and respect for that which is sacred and has been entrusted to us:
- the Animals
- the Planet
- our Health
I ran out of all excuses and couldn’t stand looking myself in the mirror one more time If I didn’t stop contributing to the problem.
And so I put the breaks on my food blog, the one paying my bills you guys, and trusted the Universe will catch me as i made this risky leap into the space where my soul was aligned with all that is, where life is sacred and where I’d find tranquility.
Instantaneously I Felt a Deep Sense of Freedom!
And so I created the “ Veggie Society” – a space for all the people to find real vegetarian recipe inspiration and support navigating and thriving on plants.
Feeling amazing all the time, powered by real nutritious food, not hurting others in the process and without depriving ourselves of delicious meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert!
I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that a plant-based lifestyle is the only sustainable way to live and thrive in harmony with all life on Planet Earth!
Life Changing Educational Resources:
- The China Study – a book based on the 20 year study: the China-Cornell-Oxford Project!
- Before the Flood – Leonardo DiCaprio’s three year journey exploring the subject of climate change! You can watch the full movie for free here!
- What the Health Documentary – the health film that health organization DON’T want you to see.
- Food Choices (Netflix)
- Plant Pure Nation
- Forks Over Knives – the Film
- Fed Up
- Live and Let Live (Netflix documentary)
- Forks Over Knives – the Diet.
Favorite Inspirational Quotes to Live By:
“ Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. “ ~ Hippocrates
“ Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. “ ~ Thomas A. Edison
“ Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends “ ~ George Bernard Shaw
“ Nothing will benefit healthier increase chances of survival on earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. “ ~ Albert Einstein
“ A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, If he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.” ~ Leo Tolstoy
“ I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they look upon the murder of men. “ ~ Leonardo da Vinci