♥ Easter Goodies! ♥

Who's getting all ready and excited for Easter? In the online shopping world it's never too early to get your Easter goodies--and better to be early than late and celebrating every holiday belatedly as I tend to do. 

Well, Easter is almost upon us so time for some Easter Bunnies and handmade cuteness!

This is my list of Easter Goodie recommendations, as well as some adorable ReLove Plan.et goodies I'd like to share with you to make your bunny-filled holiday happy and exciting for everyone. 

(p.s. please no buying real bunnies unless you are ready for the commitment of a high-need pet! See yesterday's blog post here)

Vegan Fair-trade Chocolate

Please please please, for the love of animals and people alike, choose fair-trade and vegan chocolate. It tastes just as amazing (in fact much better than crappy cheap bad for your chocolate from most grocery stores) and you'll be doing your body and the animals a world of good. 

Some of my suggestions? 

Veganessentials is always my go-to. They are packed full of yummy Easter specialized chocolate bunnies and eggs, as well as other amazing chocolates (like my favourite Go Max Go Foods bars). They basically have all the chocolatey goodies you could possibly need! 

And if you're still after those creme eggs, then check out "The Chocolate Wendy House" where they are for sale along with other vegan chocolates.

Or you could also make your own! Recipe here at VegWeb!

ReLove Plan.et!

ReLove Plan.et is all stocked with all sorts of cute bunny items, so be sure to grab your loved ones (and yourself) an adorable necklace, Easter Cards, plushies, and more! ;) 

Shop Now! 

Hope you all have a hip hoppity Easter! ;) 

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☆ Bunny Adoptions for Easter (& why you shouldn't Buy!) ☆

It's that time of year again, when cute wittle bunny wabbits start popping up everywhere… sadly that includes pet shops. Now, I'm not going to flat out tell you not to buy a bunny rabbit, on the contrary bunnies can be lovely companions, but I am going to advice you on a few things to do it Right. 

Rabbits require much more care and attention than most people suspect. Rabbits are like any other pet, they require work, attention, time, and your love and affection. The problem is most people think they can buy these little critters shove them in a little cage, feed them, and that's the end of it. People mistake rabbits as an easy pet. And since most pet stores aren't going to tell you otherwise, thousands of impulsive buyers go home with their new little bunnies as cute "easter" gifts for their children without having a clue what they're getting themselves into.  

Instead of impulsively buying, you should stop and think about this before committing to it. Ask yourself if you and your family are ready for a new family member, if you have the time for one, and if it's a good fit. 

If you are on thinking about adding a rabbit to your family for Easter, here are some things to consider…   

"Easter" bunnies usually end up being neglected, abandoned, sold, or left for adoption. Rabbits Are high-maintenance pets, and once people realize this (unfortunately After they've already bought one) then what happens to our little bunny friends? They join the other unwanted pets in animal shelters, or worse. The commitment to one is no smaller than that of bringing a puppy or kitten into your life. Rabbits live for around 10 years, or longer, so they aren't a short term pet and shouldn't be viewed as a disposable item. Pets are not disposable, but they are marketed as such by pet stores. They are living, breathing, heart-beating loveable creatures that want your love and attention. And you should make sure you have the time and energy for one. Any pet is a commitment, and rabbits are no exception. They are forever animals. You don't just have a child and then give it away after a couple years if you don't have the time for it anymore or have to move or change your mind, or anything like that now do you? Animals are family members. Period. 

Bunnies make wonderful additions to a family that is ready for that kind of 10-year commitment. They are quirky, rambunctious, and absolutely loveable… but they Are work and you can't neglect them. (here is an amazing guide on how to care for your rabbit)

Never buy from Breeders or Pet Stores! 

As with puppy and cat mills (that I wrote about here), rabbits are inbred, mistreated, abused, and sold to hasty buyers. I won't go through all the horrible details, you can check out the link to my previous post if you're interested in that. But most of these rabbits don't stay with one family, because pet stores promote this kind of impulse buying. And when there are hundreds of little bunnies already waiting for new homes in shelters, why on earth would you support a greedy breeder or shop that supports animal cruelty and treating animals like material objects instead of living creatures? 

Adopt!

Instead, if you decide that you are indeed ready for a new bunny family member, then adopt one instead from your local animal shelter or rescue group. They are bursting with unwanted bunnies that have been bought in that hasty easter rush, and are in desperate need of new homes. So best to wait a little bit after Easter. Bring your kids to the shelter and give them the joy of picking out your new family member with you. Get your new bunny spayed or neutered as well--there are already enough bunnies in need of homes, so don't take that chance away from a shelter rabbit by letting your new friend have a fresh litter of bunnies.  

(You can start by looking up your zip code on Petfinder.com for shelters to adopt from.) 

So…

Don't impulsively buy. Ask if you're truly ready for another high-need animal companion. And if you are then adopt.

Make this Easter a happy one for your kids and the bunnies!

If you'd like to read more here is another informative and eye-opening article from Care2: http://www.care2.com/causes/easter-is-no-treat-for-pet-bunnies.html

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ New ReLove Plan.et goodies :) ♥

For this being my blog, I'm pretty bad at writing about new products in my shops. So I thought today I would share some of the adorable new goodies you can get in the new Etsy Shop (www.ReLovePlanet.Etsy.com)

First, I got necklaces up and absolutely adore them. The chains are lovely and hang beautifully as well and I love the quality. I will also have a limited amount of larger pendants coming to the shop this week and some on hemp necklaces! One for $20 or 2 for $30! :) 

Also available are my cute sassy characters on magnets. These are totally eco-friendly; the images (like the necklaces) are printed on 100% recycled mid-weight paper stock, on genuinely recycled bottle caps and have tiny (but super strong) earth magnets. They are available in various quantities--the more you buy the cheaper they are. ;) 

These next ones I definitely has fun with. I have to laugh because as I was drawing these out Cory looked at me and said "you know, normally kids are the ones drawing bunnies and colouring easter egg pictures" ha! Well, I'll always be a child at heart. 

Here are two new cards available, I'm looking to make some cute birthday cards and other inspiration cards as well. :) Also, if you don't want these mailed I could have them for download as a PDF. Leave me a comment or email me if this interests you.

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Tofu Balls Ⓥ

These are so absolutely ridiculously delicious! I've brought these to potlucks before and people just eat them right up, even the avid meat-eaters and tofu-weary folk! It is a fairly simple recipe, easy to make and only takes about 30 minutes total. They go great in spaghetti sauce, as a side dish, in subs and wraps, or as a great "turkey" replacement for all of those big festive dinners (like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and so on)--drizzle some vegan gravy over top and I'm in complete heaven!   

I snagged this recipe up from "La Dolce Vegan" cookbook and changed a few little things to my liking. So if you fall in love with this recipe, I highly recommend that you go pick yourself up their cookbooks, like immediately! ;) 

Tofu Balls:

1 cup Tofu (best if its firm but I often use regular and it works just as good), mashed or crumbled

1/2 cup Rice Flour (or other flour)

2 tbsp Tahini (or nut butter)

3 tbsp Tamari

1/8 cup Parsley

1/2 tsp dry Mustard

1/4 tsp ground Black Pepper

1/4 cup flour for coating

2 tbsp Olive Oil

In a large bowl, stir together the tofu, 1/2 cup flour, tahini, tamari, parsley, mustard, and pepper. Place 1/4 cup of flour onto a plate and roll 1/2 tbsp of tofu mixture into a ball and coat with the flour. In a frying pan on medium heat, fry tofu balls in oil until browned all over. Makes approx. 10-14 balls.  

~ my cheesy Tofu Ball "Sub" ...actually a wrap ;) ~

Enjoy!

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☺ Inspirational: Motivational Mondays!☺

So this Monday may be a holiday so many of us might not be feeling the usual Monday "blahs" ...that's FANTASTIC! Now keep that Happy Attitude all week long!! 

☺ Hug a Tree! Keep Earth Day going all year long, appreciate nature! Go on, Hug a tree, you'll feel awesome! I do it alllll the time. Sometimes I will see a tree and simply MUST stop to hug it. Spread the love ;)  

☺ Everything Happens for a Reason. Remember this and carry it with you always. Have faith. There is a lesson in everything that happens in life and a journey that keeps on moving.

☺ Got with the Flow... Don't resist life, just ease up and go with it. Life is much easier when you go with the flow instead of resisting everything.

☺ Spend Time with Family... It was a lovely Easter Weekend and so we are reminded to spend time with family and loved ones. It's important and often under-appreciated. Love your family, get close to them, enjoy their company and share the love.  

☺ Be the Bigger Person: Because you can. Everyone is going through something. All you can do is control what you do, so be the bigger person, lead by example. 

☺ Be Selfish. Do something entirely for yourself. We are too often told to not spend time on ourselves and to not be selfish, but it is important to do things for yourself. So go ahead, be selfish, do something for You!  

☺ Cherish the Small Things... They often go overlooked so remember to stop and appreciate all the little things in your day and in your life.  

☺ Go Green! In honor of Earth Day, try to green your home and life as much as possible. Consciously move towards a greener lifestyle, it will make you and the Earth feel better. I promise ;) 

☺ Plan Outside Activities. Get back in touch with Nature and get away from "nature deficit disorder." Spend as much time outside as possible. Reconnect with Nature, reconnect with your Self! :)

And, as always; SMILE!!!!! Have a fabulous Monday and make the most out of your Week!!! 

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.