OnlineShoes.com Contest Winner, new flavors from Purely Decadent, & a new blog!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

The recent contest for the OnlineShoes.com giveaway was a smashing success! Closing at 150 comments & many tales of the infamous jellies shoes of the 80's, I am glad I let Random.org do the decision making! Without further ado, the winner of the $100 gift certificate to OnlineShoes.com is..
#22- mamafabun, aka Honor! Here's what she had to say..
"Worst shoes? Hand-me-down cowboy boots that were about four sizes too big. I had to wear them to school one day because my other shoes were missing. Oh I was teased."
This is just one of the crazy stories contained in the comments, I encourage you all to go read the entries & have a laugh!

I recently had the chance to try some of the new ice cream flavors from Purely Decadent, which is just one of the many treats made by dairy free darlings, Turtle Mountain. Packed in a cooler filled with dry ice, 5 pints arrived on my doorstep, ready to be consumed. I decided to take them to share with my friends over at Vegansaurus.com, so we could all partake in the fun of taste testing!

Dark & creamy Belgian Chocolate, tangy Key Lime Pie, sweet & fruity Blueberry Cheesecake, cinnamon laced Snickerdoodle, & a coconut milk based Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough were all devoured & discussed by the group. While I favored the soft dough & cinnamon swirls of Snickerdoodle, many preferred the coconut milk concoction, declaring Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough their favorite. One thing that struck most everyone was the Blueberry Cheesecake would have been better received if named differently, as expectations of cheesecake bites were met with only firm crust-like chunks, luckily the blueberry pieces kept us happy.

The great news about many of the new flavors is they take those with allergies in to account. The cookie dough & pie crust additions are gluten free, while the coconut milk flavors are soy free, so no one should feel left out! Speaking of the coconut milk flavors, I recently had the So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt in Pina Colada & thoroughly enjoyed it! Go try some of the many new products from Turtle Mountain for yourself!


In other news, my 2 lbs of terror, Strummer the chihuahua, appears here from time to time. There's no denying she's a cute one, so to spread the chihuahua cheer, I've created Strummer Calling, a photo & video blog for "The Only Pup That Matters". It won't be heavy on text, but will be drenched in photos & videos for your viewing pleasure. Oh & she's vegan, so technically it's a vegan blog! Check it out at http://strummercalling.blogspot.com/

POM is not Wonderful & a $100 Giveaway!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

As bloggers, there are times when we are offered free products, typically in exchange for a review or writeup, which results in publicity for the company. While it can be hard to resist the lure of free, I try to consider all aspects of accepting these items, as there's always a chance I may not like them. Additionally, there is the ethical side of things, so research is always in order. When I was recently contacted by POM (cough) Wonderful with an offer of samples, I knew right away I would not be accepting them.

You see, POM has a history of animal testing. In the past, they would torture our dear rabbit & mice friends, so they could make claims about the health benefits of their juices. When I found out about this a few years ago, I jumped in to action & told all of my friends. Of course, PETA jumped in to action as well & the result was the agreement that POM would stop the deadly testing.

So, why am I still boycotting them? While I appreciate that they stopped the insane & inhumane misuse of animals, realistically, they went from a murderous juice company to a NORMAL juice company & therefore I believe they deserve no special treatment & certainly not my support. With all of the juice options out there, I cannot give my money a company that lacks ethics & likely would not have stopped testing had they not been called out. They have their results from the tests they've already done & therefore can make health claims, but innocent animals still died for their marketing. I will not be a part of their marketing & I hope other bloggers will refrain from giving them positive press & legitimizing POM to their readers, even if they did receive samples.

I know this is a heavy topic for a typically light hearted food blog, but I feel that is it important that my readers know about animal cruelty, so they can combat it. I am not only vegan, I am an activist as well, so this is an topic I cannot shy away from.

Now, as bloggers we also get FUN offers as well! When I was contacted by OnlineShoes.com & asked if I would like to give away a $100 gift certificate to my readers, I was more than thrilled. What a great way to give something back to my friends & possibly draw out the lurkers as well.

OnlineShoes.com has a nice selection of vegan friendly items, including a large selection of EARTH Shoes, many of which are labeled as vegan! While I may be more of a loud & proud boot kind of gal, or even a subdued boot kind of gal, there's likely something for everyone at OnlineShoes.com.

Want to win a $100 gift certificate from OnlineShoes.com? Comment & tell me about the WORST shoes you've ever owned! LA Gear with double neon laces (wait, those were awesome), squeaky soles, or downright uncomfortable? I want to hear about your footwear faux pas!
The winner will be drawn at random & must reside in the United States (or have a place to send them?). Don't forget to leave a way to be contacted & get your entry in by February 16th!