Oh, A-Riding We Will Go

There's always been a part of me that has wanted to be a fantastic horseback rider. Unfortunately, this dream has never had an opportunity to manifest itself. Soon enough, I realized that what I was really drawn to were the boots. (I kid you not, I went through the same thing with tennis...Turns out, I just wanted the skirt and the cute racket case) One of my favorite fall staples is the riding boot. A good boot can pull an outfit together and looks effortlessly chic.

Frye Dorado Inside Zip Riding Boot

These boots are everything a riding boot should be. The construction is flawless, the shaft height is just right, and the little details - the inside zipper, the low heel, and the little buckle at the top of the shaft - all make for my dream boot. The only thing that doesn't fit the dream is the price. This pair retails for $458, not good for a student on a budget!

Ciao Bella Toni Riding Boot

A whole lot more wallet-friendly are these boots from Ciao Bella. The silhouette and color are similar to the pair from Frye, but at $138 on Bluefly (as opposed to $198 retail), this pair might be a bit more convenient for many.

Hunter Regent Boot

Before today I only thought of Hunters as the Original Tall Rain Boot, and nothing else. And then I saw the Regent Boot. A rain boot disguised as a riding boot. It's delightfully sneaky, and perfect for rainy days when you don't want your leather boots being ruined. They're only a little more than the Original Tall boots at $150.

Bamboo Tiara Riding Boots

Another alternative to leather boots, these over-the-knee boots from Lulu's are made from animal-free vegan leather. Lookswise, nothing is sacrificed, and the boots can be worn over the knee or cuffed. Super wallet-friendly at only $46!

XO

North Shore Prep

J.Crew-Fall Line

Firstly I just want to shoot out a quick update on the Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes I made the other day. So.Yummy. They turned out so much better than I expected and everyone at the bake sale loved them! The only change I made to the recipe was adding in a bit more chocolate and margarine to the frosting to thicken it up a bit. The texture of the cupcakes themselves is a little unexpected -- it feels more like a muffin than a cupcake -- but they were delicious nonetheless!

And now for the main event. J.Crew's Fall Line. I love it. Absolutely love it. Here are a few of my favorite pieces.

I really like these chinos, and it's about time I got a proper pair of pants.

However, I'm having a bit of a dilemma deciding between the chinos and the Minnie pant in twill. Advice anyone?

You could say that I like sweaters...

And skirts. I like me my skirts.

Can you say love?

Is it weird that I really like red pants?

XO

North Shore Prep

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes!

Yesterday I posted about my decision to go vegan. And today I realized that I have to whip up something completely delicious for my dance team's bakesale tomorrow. The following is a delicious-looking vegan recipe for chocolate cupcakes that I found on vegancupcakerecipes.com. Go figure.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes Ingredients

                                                     3 c Sifted flour

1 1/2 c Organic Unbleached Sugar

1/3 c Cocoa

2 1/4 t Baking powder

1 1/4 t Baking soda

1 1/2 c Vegenaise Mayonnaise

1 1/2 c Water

1 1/2 t Vanilla

Vegan Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

                                          T margarine (80% fat is best)

2 oz non-dairy chocolate

2 c organic unbleached sugar

1/8 t Salt

2 T plain unsweetened soy milk (make sure soybeans and water are the ONLY ingredients) (or double this amt.) – hot

1/2 t Vanilla

Chopped nuts or nut halves – (optional)

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes Directions

Resift flour with organic unbleached sugar, cocoa, baking powder and soda into bowl. Gradually stir in Vegenaise mayonnaise. Stir in water and 1 1/2 t vanilla. Fill 2 dozen greased or paper-lined muffin pans 1/2 full with batter. Bake at 350F 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes.

Remove from pans and cool on rack.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes Frosting Directions

Melt margarine and chocolate in top of double boiler over hot water. Sift organic unbleached sugar with salt. Add chocolate mixture and blend. Beat in enough soy milk to make spreadable. Beat in 1/2 t vanilla. Use to frost cupcakes.

Garnish tops with nuts, if desired.

I'm so excited to make these, and I'll definitely let y'all know if they work out as well as I'm hoping!

XO

North Shore Prep

Let's Go Vegan

I'm already a vegetarian. Pescetarian if you really want to get picky, but whatever. I went vegetarian in late February and loved it. I've still been having some dairy products, I eat things that contain eggs, and, for the past two days, I've actually eaten poached eggs for the first time in my life. Can't say I was really a fan.

Lately I've been reading some quite eye-opening literature on food, animal products mostly. First on my list was Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation.

I like to say that Fast Food Nation is like the literary equivalent of Super Size Me.

Yeah, remember this one? The 2004 documentary that showed us what we already knew: FAST FOOD IS AWFUL FOR YOU. Well now we have Eric Schlosser telling us again, and not only does he tell us how terrible the food itself is, he informs us on the awful working conditions in fast food restaurants and slaughterhouses and the meatpacking practices that are even worse. As if we weren't already turned off to fast food just from the simple fact that it makes you fat, we now are aware that the meals that millions of Americans can cause deadly diseases (read: CANCER), the slaughterhouses seek out illegal immigrants who barely speak English and exploit them with horrendous working conditions, and the methods of slaughter aren't even humane. Because guess what? After a cow is "stunned" (with a metal bolt to the head) it isn't dead. It might be unconscious (in the best cases, sometimes the people operating these things miss), but it's still alive. And these live animals are skinned, dismembered, and sent to be processed (all while covered in their own feces, which --newsflash! -- aren't being cleaned off sufficiently), packaged and presented on a plate for your consumption! Tasty, right?

I know it seems like I'm just ranting right now, but give me a minute. I swear I have a point.

Now, I'll be perfectly honest. I didn't go vegetarian six months ago because I was on an animal rights crusade. I was as blind to all of that as you are. I wanted to lose weight. And it worked. I lost ten pounds in the first week of cutting meat from my diet.

Which brings me to today. An hour and a half ago, I started reading Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin's Skinny Bitch.

I'm already halfway through, and I've had an epiphany. Every woman in America, no the world, needs to read this book. It's like a slap upside the head from your best friend telling you that no, you cannot eat another Oreo and expect to lose weight. A few chapters in, Freedman and Barnouin prompt readers to go vegan. And here I am, sitting in a club chair at my local library and thinking, hey! Why not? I'm already a vegetarian, so what would I be cutting out really? Fish, eggs, dairy. Yep, that's pretty much it. I think I can do it.

Of course, I don't plan on going it alone. My next read will be Kathy Freston's Veganist.

Warning: Not a cookbook. I saw Freston on Oprah around the time I decided to go vegetarian. Yeah, she was on the same episode that did a slaughterhouse expose and let yours truly see cows being stunned. Coincidence? Absolutely not.

I'll also be frequenting the archives of The Preppy Vegan for delicious vegan recipes. And of course I'll post some in the near future.

XO

North Shore Prep