Miss January

What better way to bring the month of January to a close than to introduce you to Miss January! This Sexy Bad Ass Vegan is from California originally but no resides in Portland, Oregon. While this vegan beauty is an outstanding graphic designer… her true work is done through the love she shows to her bulldogs. Her compassion towards them as well as all other animals allows her to be a great example of how we can love all animals, not just the ones that bark! Even her dogs are vegan because she knows the torture that animals o through to become dog food. So without further delay I introduce you to Kristana (@bulldogstuff) Miss January!

Name: Kristina (@bulldogstuff)

Where do you live and where are you from? I was born and raised in San Diego, CA. But moved to Portland, OR three years ago.

Age? 23

What do you do for a living/profession? I am a brand strategist, specializing in graphic design and creative direction.

What do you like to do for fun? I love playing with my dogs, watching football with my family, going on hikes, coming up with new vegan recipes, and enjoying new vegan spots with my boyfriend, Kevin, and our friends.

How long have you been vegan? I have been vegetarian for three years. I started off vegan, but I missed cheese and baked goods that included cream and white sugar. I made plenty of excuses for eating eggs and dairy, until I finally dove into research and grossed myself out about what I was doing to my body, and the body of precious cows and chickens. I chose to be full vegan again this New Year and I feel great, inside and out.

Why did you become vegan? Living with dogs, cats, rats, and birds my whole life, I’ve always had a profound love for animals. I grew up with a professional athlete for a father, and “protein” was a requirement for every meal. Unfortunately, he was only educated about animal protein. I have never been able to eat red meat or pork (blood makes me sick to my stomach), but chicken and fish were somehow acceptable for me. I finally cut out all animal products after living on my own. Petting my dog and massaging him really disgusted me when I tried to think of the difference between a dog’s muscle and the muscle humans eat, and I couldn’t think of one.

I believe in karma and I believe that all animals deserve to be treated better than most humans.

How was your transition? It was so simple. Maybe it’s because I’m in the hippie capital of the World, where there’s a veg option at 99% of all places. But I think it was so easy because I knew it was the right thing to do for myself, for the animals, and for our beautiful Earth.

What is the funniest misconception(s) that you have heard about vegans? I do a lot of research, and I am stupid enough to read through people’s comments on studies and articles about veganism. Some guy had the balls to say, “When the cow can communicate it’s morals to me, I’ll think about not eating it.” It’s just so sad to think that we, as the highest intelligence (hard to believe) beings on this planet, need our fellow creatures to have the same capacity to speak just as we do. The thing is, they do! They have their own form of communication. They speak with their eyes, with their hearts, with their innocent existence, and they scream when they are in pain. Clearly our morals need to be scrutinized if we are holding sentient beings to higher standards than ourselves. In regards to making my dogs vegan, I get a lot of flack from people who think dogs “need meat” to survive. The best arguments are that they are descendants of “wild dogs”, yet they have been domesticated for the last 15,000 years. An have had nasty, processed “meat” for the last 100 years made from corporations who could give two shits about how healthy dogs are. I have seen too much improvement since changing their diet to ever go back.

What is your Favorite thing(s) about being a vegan? My favorite thing is not tasting, smelling, and causing death. Most humans fear death more than anything, but don’t have a fear of that feeling for innocent beings.
I love that I can be cruelty-free and share how tasty and healthy it is with my non-veg friends and family. I have successfully converted three of my friends and family to vegetarianism, and I hope to convert more!

What do you think makes a Sexy Bad Ass Vegan? I think being real, speaking up for our fellow Earthlings, and being healthy makes a Sexy Bad Ass Vegan!

What is the best vegan dish that you make in your kitchen?

My favorite vegan dish is some delicious shit I made up that I have no name for.
2 cups cooked quinoa

½ organic white onion, chopped

½ organic red onion, chopped

½ organic green pepper, julienned

¼ organic cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

4 organic garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp organic sesame seed

2 cups organic spinach

2 Field Roast Vegan Smoked Apple Sausage Links, sliced

In a large pan, sauté onions and peppers in organic coconut oil on med high for 5 minutes

In a separate pan, brown sausage in organic coconut oil on med high for 5 minutes

Add garlic and sun dried tomatoes to large pan and cook for another minute

Add spinach and toss ingredients for one minute

In a large bowl, add quinoa and fold in all ingredients, sprinkle sesame seeds

Enjoy!

What is the best Vegan Restaurant you have ever had the pleasure of eating at?

There is an incredible place in Portland, OR called Natural Selection. They source all of their ingredients from local, organic farms and create new menus every two weeks. The dining area can’t be bigger than 900 square feet and you can see the chefs creating each dish from every seat. The atmosphere is romantic, friendly, and dare I say, compassionate. You can choose to pair each of the four amazing courses with a wine, and you leave feeling full of love.

There are so many amazing places here that aren’t $100 for two people though, including Vegetarian House, Vege Thai, The Bye & Bye, Los Gorditos, Vita Café, and many more!

What advice do you have for those that are thinking of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle?

I’ll take Nike’s slogan and say, JUST DO IT! You’ll feel better in your mind, body and soul. There are so many resources to educate yourself about the benefits that you and the World will incur by making the decision. You can find infinite amounts of recipes and restaurants that share the lifestyle as well.

Do you have a website to share with the BAV nation?

My professional and personal lives share the domain http://KristinaPlummer.com. I’m just getting started blogging about veganism, dogs, fitness, and fashion. If you’re into any of that, check it out!

Instagram: BullDogStuff

Miss January

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