Food Not Bombs Hamilton!

If you're interested in food security, hunger relief in Hamilton, anti-war movements, volunteering and making connections within the community, and of course veganism or vegetarianism, check Food Not Bombs Hamilton and help restart the movement in our city!

Join the facebook page for more info!

Our first meeting is next week, time and location are still to be determined.

There is a doodle poll available to help schedule the meeting at the most convenient time for all interested. Click here to input your availability.

Mac Veggie Club Food Inc Screening

From the facebook page

"Attention all Veg-heads! We have finally established the location for our Movie Night on Monday November 5th! We will be showing Food Inc. in HTH SCI 1A3 at 8:30pm. Vegan snacks will be served! We are asking $2 for admission to help cover the cost of snacks. So come out, chill with some cool people, and learn more about the food industry (because knowledge is power). Hope to see you all there!"

http://www.facebook.com/groups/macveggieclub/

Mac Veggie Club Outing to Go Tempura

Meet up for the outing in front of Compass at 5:30pm on Thursday September 27th.

Then eat lots of sushi! 

Keep up to date on Mac Veggie Club stuff through their fb and website.

Mac Veggie Club BBQ

This Wednesday, September 12th! Facebook page has all the info.

Sarcoa: home of Hamilton's worst and most expensive vegan entree?

So I went to Sarcoa with friends and tried the "Veg Bib Lettuce Wraps" which was described as "Pickles Vegetables, Spicy Relish".  When the plate came I was surprised to see that I was paying $14 for 7 pieces of iceberg lettuce, raw julienned red and yellow peppers, some red onion and mango and a little cup of relish, which was not spicy (at all!). 

Here is a horrible photo of it to show the portion size 

Though I was happy to see they had a vegan option I was pretty disappointed by how boring and unsatisfying it was.  I feel like the chef was trying to provide something that would work for all of us with picky diets (raw, vegan, gluten-free, allergen- free) but they seemed to simply forget that people with these diets still like food with flavor and substance! 

Anyway, I had a good time laughing at the balls that Sarcoa has to serve this $14 glorified salad. 

The place is fairly is new so hopefully they can work out kinks like this and come back with something as impressive as their location on the bay-front. 

Sarcoa website

Sestres Coffeeshop, so vegan, so delightful!

Cranberry Swirl, Queen, Triple Pleasure, Coconut Beehive

Try the ALL the pastries. They are cute and fancy and delicious! My favorites so far are the Queen (very decadent) and the Triple Pleasure which is surprisingly light, but everything is very yummy and there is always a great assortment of treats to choose from.

Some of the treats from a ready-made vegan box:
baklava, queens, triple pleasure, strawberry squares (?) and some swirls and walnut bites

Sestres also serves tea, organic coffee and more coffee things. They have soymilk available too.

This place is definitely worth checking out. The owner has all of the vegan goodies lined up on their own shelf in the storefront so it's clear what is vegan. She also has ready made mixed treat boxes to grab and go, and even does catering and will make full sized cakes on request.

 The shop itself is adorable and cheery. It has a couple little tables and is a really nice place to sit with some goodies and a coffee. I'm so happy to have it in Hamilton!



Monday-Saturday 8am-5pm 
Sundays 10am-4pm

 191 Ottawa Street North
 905 545 5040  

Website  

facebook 

                                                      

GSB is taste-test approved

I tried quite a few of the flavors during their grand opening tonight.


Every smoothie I tasted was so fresh tasting-but despite the colour of them,  none had a distinct vegetable taste to me. 

The Lime Parsley was super fresh with an intense blast of lime taste.
Kiwi really tasted kiwi-y!
Strawberry Banana and Peach Mango were both nice blends, a bit sweeter than the two above.
Cherry Chocolate was definitely my favorite! The cocoa  made it feel like a treat even though its so healthy.

This place is definitely worth a try, even if you're normally a vegetable hater.

The Green Smoothie Bar
236 James St. North
(289) 396-2288
 website
facebook
twitter

Vegan Bakesale & BBQ For Animal Freedom Day

Proceeds going to 3 great animal sanctuaries. More deets here!

Behold! Hamilton's first all vegan establishment: The Green Smoothie Bar

I stumbled upon this place during artcrawl, and I'm so excited that it opened in Hamilton!   I will definitely be back and do a taste-test post, but for now a brief intro.

Everything they serve is raw & vegan. They have a selection of superfoods as add-ins to make your smoothie nice and nutrient dense.

Here is a blurb from their facebook page:

"1. Our Mission is to contribute to a thriving community by serving organic fruits and vegetables in an easy way
2. We are 100% organic
3. We use only the most nutrient dense wholesome natural foods.
4. Our foods benefits are backed by science
5. We use compostable cups and packaging
6. We have a low carbon footprint
7. Our smoothies taste great
8. We use 100% spring water
9. We believe healthy eating is fun and rewarding
10. We believe smoothies are the easiest way to eat your fruit and veggies
11. We add no processed sugar
12. We believe prevention is the best medicine

We want everyone to get in their daily nutrients to live optimally and to eat at least 8 fruits and vegetables a day!"



 
Make sure to come to their grand opening this Tuesday (July 17th) from 5-9 to learn more about GSB and try some samples!


The Green Smoothie Bar
236 James St. North
(289) 396-2288
 website
facebook
twitter

Donkey Sanctuary in Guelph

Thanks to a handy reader comment I just added the Donkey Sanctuary to the list of animal sanctuaries not so far from Hamilton. Check it out

I'm in.

 

Tammuz Middle Eastern Market

5 Foundry Street (Downtown Dundas)

  (905) 627-8742

Kindfood (/GFV Bakery Co.) NOT Moving to Hamilton

Though it was originally announced that Kindfood (an all vegan cafe and bakery in Burlington) was moving their bakery to Locke Street in Hamilton, they have now officially announced that it is actually opening on Brant St. in Burlington.

It's super official now because it's on a cake. Sigh. Oh Hamilton, someday we will get ourselves an all vegan bakery.  Right?

Animal Sanctuaries Not So Far From Hamilton

This post is focused on sanctuaries mainly for animals that aren’t conventionally seen as “pets” because, while there is a fair bit of attention on saving animals like cats and dogs, often times other animals' welfare is treated as less valuable. That being said, there are a lot of amazing people in the area that commit so much money, time and energy  to create homes for all kinds of animals. If you want to support a sanctuary you can help by donating or volunteering. Many sanctuaries even welcome visitors, so you can have the very rewarding experience of meeting the lucky animals. 

I would love to make this a growing resource so if you know of other animal sanctuaries in the area please let me know!   

But without further a due here is a rough round-up of some animal sanctuaries near Hamilton.

A happy pig in the sun at Ruby Ranch

The (Vegan!) Hot Dog Season Begins

And thanks to Weenies  Hamilton now has TWO new vegan doggie options: the greenie weenie: marinated tofu served up in a green pepper or a good ol' tofurky sausage (I checked and the buns are vegan too).

Go find that weenie man!

 twitter
 facebook page

	(905) 807-6328
	weenieshotdogs@gmail.com

Love Letter to the HPL

Dear Hamilton public library,

 I adore you for your incredible selection of vegan bookstuffs.

Not only do you have a huge collection of vegan recipe books but you have books on vegan nutrition (Vegan For Life) and the whys (Eating Animals) and hows (Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World) of veganism. You even have some vegan-y movies like Forks Over Knives!

With a title search of "vegan" on the hpl catalogue wielding 89 titles, I'm so glad to know I still have much of you to explore because having a free source of constant inspiration at my fingertips is just peachy.


May your collection of vegan books grow faster than my sandwich sprouts,
Lovingly yours, 

Vegan Hamilton. 

Vegan Baksale!

On May 12th (rain date May 19th), with all proceeds going to Snooters animal sanctuary.

 It will be from 10 AM-3 in front of Simply Zen 141 Locke St. South.

Some of the treats from last year to entice you

There will be lots of treats (all vegan) including some raw and gluten free ones. And lemonade! And raffles!

Come drop by, or comment on the facebook event wall if you are willing to help out.

Sweet Ice

So I finally tried a Sweet Ice snow cone, and I've come to the conclusion that if you haven't tried a sweet ice snow cone, you are really missing out!


Meg & Linds of Sweet Ice Snow Cones have been selling these tasty cones all around town for awhile now and they really bring snow cones to a whole new level! I had the apple cider snow cone and I couldn't believe how dynamic the taste was ...not overly sweet, but deliciously apple-y and cinnamon-y. My friends and I were doing a cone swap so we could taste all the flavors and we all agreed that the Apple Cider flavor is just like apple pie. Except refreshing and in a conveniently portable little cup.

 Photos & graphics stolen from  Sweet Ice Website. With permission.

Siam Dish on Locke

Siam Dish, a Thai restaurant out of Burlington just opened a new location on Locke Street! I went a couple weeks ago and I think it became my favorite Thai place in Hamilton. It fits well on Locke St. too. 

Great decor, cozy feel, and really yummy food. 

[Edit] I forgot to add the following paragraph into the original post but it is one of the reasons I love this place!

A big plus that my vegan dining partner and I  noticed right away was that their menu prices up if you want to add meat to the dish. This is a great alternative to what a lot of restaurants do: which is allow diners to omit meat but still charge full price for the dish. It prevents people from having to pay for the meat (what is usually one of the most expensive ingredients in the dish) which definitely makes the whole menu more vegan/vegetarian friendly!


As far as vegan-ability, you can definitely find vegan dishes there but you do have to look- nothing is marked as vegan. They have a lot of vegetarian noodle dishes and curries that are almost vegan- you just have to ask to hold the fish sauce or egg.

Vegan Food Reviews in Incite Magazine

Online here, or you can pick up a print copy around campus at Mcmaster.

Free Vegan Food Samples on March 31rst!

As a Meatout and there will be volunteers talking about some of the reasoning behind veganism and giving out pamphlets in front of Simply Zen on Locke St. The food will be samples of Tofurky and Gardein and there will even be some cartons of almond milk "to share"

More info on the facebook event page.

Upcoming Potluck

Open to the public of course. There is also going to be a sprouting demonstration there. Eat & learn! More info on the facebook event page here!

GFV Bakery brings awesome stuff to East Meets West Bistro @ Mac!

GFV bakery (part of Kindfood vegan restaurant in Burlington) posted this on the Kindfood facebook page:

"McMaster University WATCH OUT!!!! Our delivery vehicle is on it's way with our first shipment to EAST MEETS WEST BISTRO!!! Cupcakes, Brownies and Cookies!! All Gluten Free and Vegan...hurry while they last!"

Hurray!

I'd tell you how delicious their treats are and how excited I am to have them on hand at Mac, but anything I say will be an understatement.

Kind Food

!!!!!

Definitely worth checking out

New Additions to Map

Recently added:

Ya Man Caribbean Cuisine
Thai Memory
Tahn Tan SuperMarket
B&T Food

There are also itsy bitsy new icons replacing the pinpoints- cutlery for restaurants, burger ones for fast food, a basket for grocery shopping, shopping bags for stores...I'm sure you could have figured it out.I just wanted to point it out because hopefully it makes the map look more organized and help find specific places.



Take a looksie!

Homegrown Hamilton has tempting facebook updates.

They coordinate their chalk colours with their baked goods...I want vegan mocha banana bread.

Vegan Cooking Lessons from Mac Veggie Club

Mac Veggie Club is holding a second vegan cooking lesson! It's $5 and is being held next Wednesday (Feb 15th) between 4-7.

The last cooking class was awesome! We made a strawberry & greens salad with a vinaigrette dressing, garlic bread, pineapple stir fry and ginger-molasses cookies: ALL delicious.

I highly recommend checking these out, even if you "know how to cook" its a nice relaxed atmosphere to make (and stuff yourself with) yummy vegan food amongst good company. You might even get a few recipe ideas.

Go to the Mac Veggie Club Facebook Page for more info. 

Weenies on Locke!

According to Happening Hamilton an "escalated hotdog stand"  opened in Hamilton this August.

From what I gather Weenie's Hotdog Stand is usually hanging around 140 Locke St South but does travel. It's open according to weather. It has been mild though...weenie hunting anyone?

They have vegan options of course (or else why would I be talking about them!)   Notably the "'greenie weenie"' outlined on Happening Hamilton, which is "marinated tofu in peppers". It's gluten free to boot.
They also mention the "tofurkey sausage" which is potentially vegan as well, though it's not clarified.

Check out their facebook page  for more info.

I so excited to try a Weenie! Hamilton could do with more street meat.

Potluck Approaching

Next Sunday! More info on the facebook event page here.

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes @ Needa Pita in Mcmaster Very Much Approved

Yep, they good. Whole wheat & spelt flour and stuff too.

Mac Veggie Club Potluck this Friday!

From 6-8pm in University Hall Room 112!

The potluck is vegetarian, so not all the dishes will be vegan, but all those that are will be clearly labelled.  Check out the Mac Veggie Club facebook.

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes Just Spotted at Mac

@ Need a Pita (Mary E. Keyes building), who woulda thunk it?

I've yet to try them.

Come one, come all!

It's that wonderful time of year. The first Hamilton Vegan Potluck of 2012 is set for February 5th from 5-8pm. Here's the lowdown from the facebook event page:

"Share a delicious healthy, eco-conscious and compassionate meal and social time toether.

[...] Kid and family friendly- Feel free to invite friends & community members who may be intersted in coming.
Meet new & like-minded compassionate people. Learn & share knowledge about all the benefits of eating veg!"


Learn more (like the address: important stuff) by clicking "attending" on the facebook page.


So come and enjoy a wonderful array of tasty vegan bites and chat with some vegan or veg-interested Hamiltonians. 

Ps. To avoid confusion I don't organize these, but boy do I appreciate & enjoy them!

India Village Dundas Location Newly Opened!

So the incredibly delicious India Village Restaurant has just opened a second location at 100 King St. West in Dundas. They also just got a new menu that has even more vegan options including vegetable vindaloo, bhindi karahi (a vegetable medley featuring okra),  mushroom pilau rice and cauliflower pakoras. Exciting stuff!

Check out the location on the updated Vegan Hamilton Treasure Map. 

BYOB

Apparently Chuck's Burger Bar's buns contain egg, so just in case bring your own bun?

Treasure Map Updated

Thanks to some awesome suggestions there are a ton of new locations added to the Vegan Hamilton Treasure Map! There are almost 30 restaurants, bookstores and grocery stores to check out now so take a look, and be sure to report back if you find something fantastic.

Kasa Sushi

 Summary
Atmosphere: 10/10 Gorgeous!

Service: 8/10
Vegan Literacy: 7/10 There is a vegetarian section, but you have to pick out the vegan items (on your own) because some of the vegetarian options have cream cheese/mayo in them.
Selection: 7/10 Quite a few different sushi options, rice, fried banana.
Food: 9.5/10 Yum!

Pricing: 6.5/10 Pretty pricy (for a student budget), especially on weekends.
Overall:/8

Vegan Treasure Map

I proudly present you with the Vegan Hamilton Treasure map, marked with lots spots that have vegan goodies! This version is definitely incomplete though, I have a lot of investigating to do.
 
I recommend you view the  Vegan Hamilton Treasure Map larger on google maps and see all the marked places in a neat little list.


If you want to collaborate on the map or just suggest a new place for it this leave a comment here, or send an email to nickivarkevisser@yahoo.com

Mex-i-can

107 James Street North

(905) 527-1554

 Summary
Atmosphere: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Vegan Literacy: 10/10  The word vegan is on the menu and the servers know what they are talking about!
Selection: 9.5/10 You can veganize most of the dishes
Food: 8/10
Pricing: 9/10 Great hearty servings for your money
Overall: 8.5/10 
Perks: Very filling, cheap, pleases everyone (vegan, gluten-free, and meaty options)


After multiple reccomendations I finally went out to Mex-i-can. I was not dissapointed. My friend told me that they had a lot of vegan food but when I first looked at the menu I thought the selection was quite small- until I learned that they will veganize anything on their menu. I ended up having the burrito and it was fantastic- filling with a bit of a kick.So yum that I forgot to take a photo until partway through.

Maybe the photo doesn't do it justice...so just go and see and eat and be merry.

 I've heard the wait times can get pretty long when they are packed so if you do decide to dine there when they're full be ready to wait a bit. It's worth it; great food that's not  pricy.

Community Vegan Potluck This Thursday

Anyone can come! Check out the facebook event page for details.

Sestres Coffeeshop...Vegan Pastries?!

Apparently so (see! ) but let's not trust the internet, we must go!  Investigate, eat and report!

Their facebook says they're open	everyday except Sunday from 8am- 5pm.

191 Ottawa Street North (905-545-5040)

Mac Veggie Club

Mcmaster has a vegan/vegetarian club. Seems fun! They meet today at 6:30 in the club space which is on the 2nd level of the Student Center.  Come by,  or check out their facebook group.

Union Market @ Mcmaster has Soymilk for your coffee!

TOMORROW: Choose your vegan adventure!

On Sunday September 4th, if you wanted, you could eat TWO vegan meals...for free!

Free vegan food from 4-7pm at Toronto's 27th Annual Vegetarian Festival at the Harbour Front Center

&

Free, open vegan potluck at Bayfront Park in Hamilton! Hurrah! Check out the facebook page. It goes from 5-8, don't forget to bring a plate! (And cup and cutlery)

PS. I'm sorry for the late notice with both of these events. 

Doesn't this scenery make you feel like eating and sharing?

Vegan Pizza, Flavoured Tempeh, Fake Bacon and Other Goodies at Main St. West Fortinoes

Fortinos provides all a vegan could want (minus nutritional yeast.) Okay, they have most of what a vegan can want. Today I found out how much the selection varies store to store. The Ancaster Fortinos is pretty good. It's always well stocked on vegan milk alternatives and icecreams and has a decent selection of fake meat and tofu but I've never seen a single vegan pizza there though. Or vegan bacon.(Edit: they totally re-organized the whole store and added a bunch of vegan-y things. PIZZAS even! All the time!) But they have it at the Fortinos on Main St. W, near Mcmaster!  No word on how often but they had a great selection of stuff.

Here is one of the types of vegan pizza offered at the Main St. W Fortinos.
It's $10, which isn't bad considering
a) it's made with Daiya cheese which can cost $5/bag
b) a regular take-out pizza can cost that much.

It doesn't look quite like cheese and it doesn't taste exactly like mozzarella. It's more like a softer, creamier cheese, but hey, it does melt. And tastes good. I wouldn't lie to you, it's actually good!

Anyway there are more than 5 Fortinos in the Hamilton area. Any tips on others' vegan selection?

News From the View

As a dedicated foodie & Hamiltonian I was flipping through the dining guide of The View. There was a lot of vegetarian friendly claims being made. Some of the restaurants boasted to accommodate vegans.  It's always a happy surprise to see the word vegan in mainstream media. I don't mean this in an advocate-y way either. It just feels like a "my existence is acknowledged in the world of eateries" moment of relief when you're assured that you can dine somewhere without explaining yourself as a vegan.


Anyway, the food!

Wass Ethiopian : I've heard multiple good reviews of this place. And they won most Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly in Hamilton's Best Food of 2011 I admit I haven't eaten there yet but it's reputed to be a unique experience and their vegetarian (vegan?) lunch special is only $7! I feel a review coming on.
207 James South (289-389-5294)

 Mex-i-can: Mixed reviews online.I've heard many good reviews through the grapevine though. A server there told me that they have a lot of vegan dishes. Also gluten-free if that perks your interest.
107 James Street North (905-527-1554)

Ole Gourmet : Also claims to have vegan options. Just by skimming the menu online I see 4 already vegan items and a lot of potential to veganize other dishes.
82 Locke St. (905-921-6502)

When hungry in Hamilton

Walk 10 paces and find a shwarma place and order a falafel.... no mayo please!

Toronto's Sadie's Diner

Okay, okay, so Toronto is clearly not in Hamilton and this blog is not about ogling all of Toronto's vegan spots but just in case you happen to be around those parts you should check out Sadie's Diner.

They have all day vegan brunch!

Vegan Bakesale

From now on you will be updated about any vegan bake sale under my radar. But for now I can only tease you with photos from previous bake sales. Pictured here are delicious chocolate cupcakes, chocolate peanut butter cookies and a vegan macaroon.  And the whole bake sale was done for charity to benefit Animal Freedom Day

Vegan Hamilton Networking, These People Love Potlucks!

Hamilton has a fairly present vegan community. For example there are (mostly) monthly community potlucks. I'll keep you filled in, as they are open to anyone who is capable of making, or bringing a vegan dish. Usually hosted at the Jamesville community they are on hold for awhile while the organizers are moving.  There is a Facebook Group to keep everyone in touch but it is a closed group. Leave me a comment or send me off a message on facebook or at nickivarkevisser@yahoo.com if you want in and come eat some grub with us. The attendees very pretty widely in age, diet, and level of activism and it's a very welcoming mix of people. We usually eat then have some tea and sometimes watch a movie. The organizers (I'm not stating their names as I don't know if they want it on the internet) are very dedicated animal rights activists and run tons of demos if you're into that scene. Either way potlucks are an awesome way to get some great vegan cooking ideas and to enjoy a plate filled with a variety of different dishes and treats made by a variety of different people. It truly demonstrates that veganism is what you make it, you can go raw and be a health nut, or you can delve into the world of wondrously fatty and sweet vegan treats, or both. Variety is the spice of life. Here is a sample photo of my fully loaded plate from a vegan potluck.

CLICK to enlarge the photo

Vegan Find #1 : Affinity Vegetarian Resturaunt

Affinity is pretty much Hamilton's vegan mecca. 

Website 
Facebook
87 John Street South in Hamilton
905-529-2598

Summary
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Vegan Literacy: 10/10  They have all the dishes coded with a little vegan symbol so you it feels like your on a treasure map for vegan booty, (and there is a lot of it).
Selection: 9.5/10 The majority of their dishes are vegan, just a few vegetarian exceptions.
Food: 10/10*
Pricing: 7/10 The entrees are well priced, but the appetizers are a bit pricy for their portions. Or at least pricy for a cheap student.
Overall: 8.5333333/10  This is an exact calculation folks. But honestly, when the food is a 10, does anything really matter?
Perks: No MSG, large menu, vegan ice cream, tons of tea!
*10 for everything I've tried in my 4 dining experiences at least

Their menu is large and has mostly Chinese style dishes. They have a great selection of appetizers, 5 different Asian soups, lots of noodle dishes and faux meats including soy ham, steak, beef and chicken. A big attraction seems to be their buffet which is available for lunch and dinner. At lunch the buffet is a bit smaller and costs $10.50. At dinner time it costs $15.99, or $17.99 on Fridays and weekends. They have kids and senior prices as well. Another plus is their amazing tea selection. They have over 40 different types of teas to enjoy in the restaurant or to buy in packets to take home. They even offer faux meat to bring home which is awesome because some of their faux meats are really incomparable to most of the supermarket stuff. Admittedly I haven't bought any yet so I can't attest to how easy to prepare it is.

Vegan Nuggets

I hope to get some more photos to add to this review because these are just from an iPhone, and because it gives me an excuse to come back for more! These are the vegan nuggets which are succulent on the inside and crispy on the outside. So, so delicious and so so tiny...if I recall correctly they cost $3.99.

They have a great selection of entrees. I had the Pan-Fried Sun-kissed Veggie Chicken a long time ago and it was memorably tasty. This venture I shared the Sweet and Sour Soy Chicken and it is a new favorite. It comes like a stir fry, with cooked veggies (peppers, baby corn,celery,snow peas), saucy tofu and  faux chicken that are both covered in perfectly tangy sweet and sour sauce. The soy chicken really makes it. My omnivorous dining partner agrees. It was surprisingly filling, we split the entree and nuggets and nothing else yet my food baby was busting out. It actually unbuttoned my rompers. I thought that only happened in cartoons. So satisfying. It was especially nice because even though I was full I didn't feel icky-full like I do if food is too heavy or oily.

Sweet and Sour Soy Chicken

They also offer soy ice cream, bubble tea and smoothies if you have room for it. The ice cream is pricy, but the best soy ice cream I have ever tasted. And vegan ice cream is always expensive. I had it years before I was vegan and remember my surprise at how ice-creamy it is. They have a lot of flavors: chocolate, mango, pistachio, and coconut are the ones I remember.

Overall this is a vegan haven. Especially, but not exclusively for Asian food lovers.

Why Vegan Hamilton?

For selfish reasons! I made this blog and appointed myself head investigator of vegan going-ons in Hamilton in order to motivate myself to go explore what vegan options my city holds. I know this blog is looking a little bit empty at the moment but I do promise to fill it with what ever findings I have.

Also I just wanted to share whatever vegan goodness we have in Hamilton with the internet masses. 

If you live in/near Hamilton Ontario and care to give any tips/guest blog email me at nickivarkevisser@yahoo.com I'd love to make this a community effort.