Flock Only: Giveaway of “Approaching the Natural: A Health Manifesto”

Dear Flock,
It’s approximately 220 degrees here in NYC. Well, 98, but same difference. #PRIVATE#Whenever temperatures are extreme, I think of animals who are outside — such as ferals, strays, and the countless farmed animals without any room to turn around. Sucks, right? I feel extremely lucky to be in a semi-air-conditioned apartment, with food to eat and water to drink. (That said, next time I decide to take the hottest day of the year and make a big pot of beans and another big pot of freekeh, kick me.)
This past weekend, I went to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and darling 3-year-old niece in Overland Park, KS — a suburb of Kansas City. It was an extremely quick trip (so if you live near there, please don’t yell at me for not visiting — I literally did not tell anyone I was going, because I wanted to focus solely on being with my niece). I’m going to talk about my Kansas culinary adventures on this weekend’s podcast episode, but let me just say that the three restaurants I visited while I was there — Fud, Cafe Gratitude, and Eden Alley — were quite possibly three of the most delicious restaurants I’ve ever been to. Now remember, I live in New York City — the Mecca of Veganism — and I have the New York snobbery to prove it. But I was truly blown away by the vegan grub in Kansas City, and the fact that the Midwest (the non-Chicago Midwest …) left my palate so pleased was enough to give this pessimistic chickadee some hope for what’s next.
And this coming weekend, Mariann and I — along with two of our friends — are headed to Catskill Animal Sanctuary, for the first time! I desperately need a belly rub — that is, to give one, preferably to a pig and not a human. We’re bringing sweet Rose, who undoubtedly will have her mind blown by all the animals around her. Our friends who are joining us are brand new vegans (well, one is — the other is still somewhere on the fence), and I’m looking forward to vicariously experiencing a sanctuary through new eyes.
Last week on our podcast, we had Sid Garza-Hillman, author of of Approaching the Natural: A Health Manifesto. Many of you emailed me telling me how much you appreciated what this nutritionist and do-gooder had to say, which is why we’ve decided to send one lucky flock member a copy of this book! To enter to win a copy of Approaching the Natural, send a tweet or post a Facebook message talking about the Our Hen House podcast! You can seriously say anything you’d like. Please make sure to tag us (on Twitter we’re @ourhenhouse and on Facebook you can find us at www.facebook.com/ourhenhouse). Link your post either to www.ourhenhouse.org or to our iTunes page, which has the handy shortened URL of OHH.to/19. Then, email contest [at] ourhenhouse [dot] org (no spaces), make the subject line “Approaching the Natural,” include your name and mailing address, verify that you tweeted or Facebooked about the OHH podcast, and you’re good to go!
We will randomly select a winner in one week — so you have until Thursday, July 25, 2013, at Midnight EDT, to enter. We’ll select a winner on July 26 and inform you via email. Only one entry per household, and this contest is only available to flock members.
On this week’s show, we have a completely fascinating discussion with Virginia Messina, R.D., and JL Fields, authors of the new book Vegan for Her: The Woman’s Guide to Being Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet. You can get this book through Our Hen House (along with an Our Hen House tote bag — for a total of a $50 tax-deductible donation). On our show this Saturday (Episode #184), Ginny and JL will give us all an important glimpse into health issues specific to women – including the latest about bone health, the skinny on fats, nutrient needs throughout a woman’s life-cycle; the relationship between veganism and  weight loss; and the role that community plays in becoming and staying vegan. They’ll also talk about veganism beyond the plate, favorite recipes and go-to simple foods to incorporate into your diet, whether eating disorders are higher in the vegan population, and what it’s like to cohabitate with an omnivore. I honestly found myself riveted. I know you’ll dig it.
Not to sound like every single person I have run into here in NYC these past few days, but I hope you are managing to stay cool. I know that OHHers are the coolest of the bunch, so for you that shouldn’t be a problem.
xo jasmin