Over the weekend, a couple of my cousins came to visit us in Colorado. I was looking forward to seeing them, of course, but also excited to dazzle them with healthy, plant-based food. (Oh how I love to serve skeptical omnivores!)

I was 5:5 all weekend (they loved and raved about everything I made) and my youngest cousin decided by the end of the trip that she was going to go plant-based!

I couldn't be more thrilled -- or proud! …

This Minimalist Monday you're in for a treat -- I met Jeanine via email and was inspired by her lifestyle -- namely she lives freely in an RV. I imagine RV living takes "minimalism" to a whole new level, so I asked Jeanine if she'd guest post. I love her message here about happiness, I hope you're as inspired by her as I am!

HAPPINESS IS.... the SIMPLE things in life, the GOOD THINGS in life!

My name is Jeanine …

Welcome back to our online book club, last week we started reading Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink.

This Week's Thought Questions (based on chapters 1-3):

1. What surprised you most about the North Dakota wine study? 

(side note: I am a long time practicer of "I'm not hungry but I'm going to teat this anyway.")

2. Do you agree that volume trumps calories and our stomachs are bad at math?

3. Did you test out the optical drinking illusions? (I …

You've got questions, I've got answers!

1. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for me on how to pop seeds without oil? I usually put some mustard and cumin seeds in a small amount of oil in a frying pan till they pop. They won't pop with broth and will burn, I think, with no oil. I don't want to eat oil anymore, but I'm not sure if there is any other way to make the seeds pop. …

A big welcome to Kathy Freston! Kathy and I were both speakers at McDougall weekend and after watching her fabulous interview at McDougall, I couldn’t have been more excited to interview her on Happy Herbivore.

If you’re unfamiliar with Kathy, she’s the author of Veganist and the Quantum Wellness Cleanse. You may also recognize her from the vegan episode on Oprah last year. Busy as a bee, Kathy has just released a new book, The Lean, a …