I actually have two subjects to report on in this post. Let’s start with the Farms2Forks adventure:
A few weekends ago, I took an awesome trip with my parents to the amazing Austin, TX, for a two-day immersion conference on a whole foods, plant-based diet! It was a weekend of amazing speakers, delicious food, and beautiful scenery! The conference was held outdoors at Boggy Creek Farms, and was run by members of the Engine 2 Diet and the documentary Forks Over Knives.
We ate extremely healthy, and were basically eating the whole time. That’s how I like it — GOOD healthy food, and lots of it! I believe all of the food was made and prepared by Natural Epicurean of Austin.
So fresh!
So green!
I completely fell in love with this simple dessert.. Brownie bites! I believe they’re just walnuts, dates, and cacao blended together.
Oh, and they were rolled in coconut. YUM!
Another simple favorite.. the breakfast. We had breakfast tacos each morning — grilled veggie or potato and mushroom — and oatmeal with green tea or decaf coffee. The best.
And these little delights are simply strawberries stuffed with a blend of banana and cocoa powder, topped with mint! (Can you tell I have an obsession with desserts?)
Gah, I miss that food. But that wasn’t the only great part of the weekend; in fact, the people there were what made it truly amazing. I was super excited to get pictures with a couple of them:
Rip Esselstyn, firefighter and author of the Engine 2 Diet book (which I highly recommend, especially if you are still getting the hang of a plant-based diet), Rip was busy pretty much leading this whole conference so I had to get this picture quickly. I was glad I did, though!
Rip’s father, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. This man is so impressive and he has made a difference in so many lives. His book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, is a must-read. As I stood in line waiting to shake his hand and have him sign my book, I noticed how kind and patient he was, answering people’s health questions. A humble man, indeed.
The other people there who I didn’t manage to get a good picture of:
Brendan Brazier – vegan Ironman triathlete, bestselling author, and creator of Vega
Dr. Doug Lisle – psychotherapist and author of The Pleasure Trap (hilarious guy, by the way! I love his dry humor)
Jeff Novick, MS, RD, LD, LN – plant-based dietician and nutritionist. This guy makes you wanna give him and huge hug and be his best friend! He’s awesome!
So yeah, I’d say the whole weekend was one of the best times of my life.
I missed those people, the food, and the farm (and Austin) the moment we left. Plant strong for life, baby!
And now for my second bit of info — and I’ll make this short because this post is long enough already — but I’m excited to announce that this summer…
I’ll be interning at Farm Sanctuary in New York!! AAHH!
I’m going to be a communications department intern, and I’m SO SO excited to meet all the animals and people, and to experience New York for the first time!
College Vegan 