Body Cream

The Date: Friday, October 29

The Delivery: CDs, homeopathic remedies, and some body cream.

Staff Pick: Maya Essentials Plum Blossom & amber essential body cream.

The DL: It's Friday and almost Halloween, and we're all a little bit giggly with excitement, so it's fitting that today's deliveries were of the soothing sort. We're especially excited to try this uniquely-scented vegan body cream from Maya Essentials, perfect for some weekend pampering, after we prepare Saturday morning brunch inspired by Editorial Assistant Brooke Still's Quick Breakfast Fixes. Happy weekend!

Colorful Veganism

The Date: Thursday, October 28

The Delivery: A cookbook, Dark Angell vegan candy bars, and Purely Elizabeth vegan baking mixes. In other words, a great day for deliveries!

Staff Pick: Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

The DL: It takes a great

—nay, AMAZING

—

book for us to be able to pick it when it is competing with new vegan candy bars and cookie mixes, but VegNews columnist Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has produced just that with what looks like a stunning book featuring vegan recipes containing antioxidant-rich colorful ingredients packed with flavor.

Pop this baby on your Christmas list people, it looks like a winner! In the meantime, come schmooze with San Franciscan vegans including the VegNews staffers tonights at SF Vegan Drinks. Cheers!

Books and Yogurt

The Date: Wednesday, October 27

The Delivery: Non-dairy yogurts from Nogürt and a book.

Staff Pick: Other Nations: Animals in Modern Literature edited by Tom Regan & Andrew Linzey

The DL: Though it was tough to choose between vegan soy-free yogurts and a scintillating read, our love for literature solidified this staff pick. Other Nations is a compilation of stories and excerpts by authors such as Hemingway, Orwell, and Walker, organized by two academics in sections that show human beings' changing relationship with animals—as companions, food, entertainment, and science. The compilation sounds very thought-provoking, which is just what the world needs this World Go Vegan week.

Wholesome Cake

The Date: Tuesday, October 26

The Delivery: Wholesome Chow Cake Mixes

Staff Pick: It's CAKE. So, the cake, obviously!

The DL: The only thing that could make this delivery better is if it were fresh-out-of-the-oven cake ready to devour, though maybe we're just hedonists that way. But seriously, Wholesome Chow makes killer vegan cake mixes you can whip up in no time, and all you need is non-dairy milk and oil. With newly gluten-free flavors such as Chocolate Lavender and Chocolate Chai Spice, you can bet these guys will be rising in our ovens in no time.

Halloween Treats

The Date: Monday, October 25

The Delivery: Halloween Chocolate Bites from Sjaak's

Staff Pick: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

The DL: What's better than peanut butter and chocolate? Peanut butter and chocolate that arrives on a Monday, from our BFFs at Sjaak's. Oh, and look at that, it's in the form of adorable bite-sized Halloween treats, black and orange, with grinning Jack-O-Lanterns on the package. We'll take chocolate anytime, but no one can deny that All Hallows' is one of our favorite holidays. Check out our guide to cute handmade Halloween crafts, and for more sweet treats, our indispensable guide to vegan candy.

Street Smart Vegan

The Date: Friday, October 22

The Delivery: A book

Staff Pick: Street Smart Vegan by Jay Wesley Anderson

The DL: Street Smart Vegan appears to be a slim, easy-to-digest, savvy guide to veganism, including advice concerning diet, social, nutrition, companion animal, travel, and more, which sounds like a great little book for both aspiring and established vegans. And since it just so happens that next week is Emily Deschanel-endorsed Go Vegan Week, this book's arrival at VNHQ is aptly timed. Happy weekend!

Pudding and a Book

The Date: Thursday, October 21

The Delivery: Puddings and a book

Staff Pick: Vegan puddings from Comfy House Foods

The DL: Yesterday we were dying for an afternoon snack, but we at least had Honest Tea to tide us over. Today, however, we are the happy recipients of snack-tastic new vegan puddings from Comfy House Foods. With varieties such as Quinoa & Blueberry and Banana & Coconut, we don't see why these treats can't be served for breakfast, snack-time, or afternoon dessert-time (which, by the way, is one of the most important meals of the day). Comfy House recommend eating these puddings warmed, which sounds like the perfect antidote to a brisk San Francisco fall day, much like today's lunch on Café VegNews.

Honest Tea

The Date: Wednesday, October 20

The Delivery: Tea galore!

Staff Pick: New selections from our pals at Honest Tea

The DL: Full disclosure: this all came in on Friday, and we (and by we, I mean the official kombucha connoisseurs of the VNHQ, Gabrielle Pope and Lyndsay Orwig) have been hyped on Honest Tea's new kombucha varieties ever since. Honest Tea's local rep Zac Taylor is our new hero, gifting us with not only two full cases of kombucha, but also other Honest Tea delights such as Limeade and Cranberry Lemonade for those other crazy VegNews staffers who don't care for the 'bucha. One such staffer is Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria, who redeems herself with a enviable delicious Café VegNews lunch featuring both salad and an Amy's Kitchen pot pie.

Party Time

The Date: Tuesday, October 19

The Delivery: New products from Lush, and a book

Staff Pick: Party Vegan! Fabulous, Fun Food for Every Occasion by Robin Robertson

The DL: Who likes parties? We do! VegNews columnist Robin Robertson does! You do! Needless to say, we're all very happy that Robin Robertson's latest cookbook is party-themed, including fête favorites such as Seitan Enchiladas, Spinach-Potato Quesadillas, and Pecan-Pumpkin Pie. Love Robin as much as we do? Check out her recipes for DIY Sushi and Eggplant Kabayaki in our brand-new November+December 2o10 Veggie Awards issue. And then throw a party. We'll just be here, you know, waiting for our invitations.

Book and Face Products

The Date: Monday, October 18

The Delivery: Face products from Derma E, and a book.

Staff Pick: The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life

The DL: While Derma E's fantastic products are always very, very, welcome at VNHQ, we're on a book kick after all the amazing books we received last week such as Isa Chandra Moskowitz' new cookbook, Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet, and Asian Fusion. The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life is Urban Housewife and Sugar Beat Sweets founder Melisser Elliott's first book, filled with recipes, DIY, profiles of vegans worldwide, travel tips, and more. Elliott also recently launched a vegan beauty website, Cruelty Free Face. Need some new products for your own cruelty-free face? Enter the VegNews.Com Manic Panic Makeup giveaway, which features a prize palette of bold colors just in time for Halloween!

MAGAZINES!

The Date: Friday, October 15

The Delivery: Just some magazine you might have heard of, no big deal.

Staff Pick: Um, DUH. The VegNews November+December 2010 Veggie Awards Issue!

The DL: Happy Friday to us! And to our subscribers! And to all the winners of the VegNews 2010 Veggie Awards! Wouldn't YOU like to know who the winners are?! (Hint: One of them is the dashing man staring right at you.) We were beyond thrilled to receive our shipment of this fresh-off-the-press issue, which is only the best Veggie Awards issue ever, filled with the most amazing people, places, and products of the vegan year. Oh, and there are recipes galore, including your new holiday favorites, hard-cider taste-testing, Swiss escapes, and more! Like CARAMEL. Lucky subscribers should be finding their own Bob Harper staring at them any day now, and the issue will hit newsstands November 1. CARAMEL, PEOPLE! Subscribe today, and have the best weekend ever.

Crazy Sexy Diet

The Date: Thursday, October 14

The Delivery: Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It! by Kris Carr

Staff Pick: Crazy Sexy Diet

The DL: Continuing our week of books-we've-been-eagerly-anticipating comes Kris Carr's follow up to her first book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, wherein she inspired cancer sufferers and their loved ones all over the world with her refusal to let her cancerous diagnosis stop her from continuing to try to heal in many ways; among them with a plant-based diet, yoga, meditation, and an ultra-positive, playful attitude. Crazy Sexy Diet, which will be published in January, features Carr and her trademark sass, this time focussing completely on a healing veg diet, and including contributors such as Dr. Neal Barnard and Skinny Bitch's Rory Freedman. We expect to, once again, be crazy-sexy-inspired!

Pasta and a Cookbook

The Date: Wednesday, October 13

The Delivery: Whole-grain pasta from Jovial, and a new cookbook.

Staff Pick: Asian Fusion by Chat Mingkwan

The DL: Today's deliveries bring much in the way of supper inspiration, with a cookbook filled with recipes from all over Asia, and a ton of pasta! Asian Fusion contains recipes inspired by places such as Burma, China, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and more, making it a nice addition to the great new vegan cookbooks being released of late (see yesterday's excitement over Appetite for Reduction for an idea about just how stoked we are for new cookbooks!). Oh, and it just so happens that Asian Fusion contains recipes inspired by countries VegNews is visiting in current and upcoming VegNews Vacations. Publishers Colleen Holland and Joseph Connelly are currently in India for the very first VegNews Vacation, the 2011 trips to India and Thailand are sold out, and there are still a few remaining spots if you'd care to join us in Laos. For now, we'll be following Joseph and Colleen's adventures as they post pictures on our Facebook page.

Appetite For Reduction

The Date: Tuesday, October 12

The Delivery: Advance copy of the upcoming weight-loss cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Staff Pick: Appetite For Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

The DL: Very few weight-loss cookbooks could manage to excite us as much as this one, but vegan cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz has earned our trust as an expert recipe developer. It was she, after all, who brought us Vegan Brunch, Vegan With A Vengeance, and, along with her partner in crime and VegNews columnist Terry Hope Romero, Veganomicon. And low-fat vegan recipes will provide a contrast to Isa and Terry's other not-so-low-fat gifts to vegans in the form of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. It's all about balance, people.

Chihuahuas

The Date: Monday, October 11

The Delivery: Workaholic Pups

Staff Pick: Are you crazy? We can't choose just one!

The DL: Today is Columbus Day as well as Canadian Thanksgiving, and the holiday has given the postal workers a much-deserved day off, meaning no new product deliveries. Luckily, VNHQ office mascots Khane and Cal took a break from their busy afternoons of 3-, 4-, and 5-o'clock naps to pose for This Just In. Whether you have the day off or are counting down the hours, check out the new episode of VegNews TV featuring Creamy Harvest Pasta courtesy of the lovely Katherine Lawrence.

Books and Bags

The Date: Friday, October 8

The Delivery: Books and eco-friendly bags

Staff Pick: Dogs and the Women Who Love Them by Allen and Linda Anderson

The DL: We're five women in the office today accompanied by three chihauhuas, so this book just kind of picked itself. Really though, who can deny the inevitable bond that develops between a dog and his/her biggest fan? The irresistible pup on the cover alone is going to sell this book. What's that? You also love stories about adorable animals? Well, you're in the right place, as the VegNews Book Club hosted by VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig is currently reading Animal Camp by Kathy Stevens, a book filled with heartwarming sanctuary success stories. Because everybody's Fridays should be filled with cute animals.

Books, Marshies, and CDs!

The Date: Thursday, October 7

The Delivery: Books, marshmallows, and a t-shirt.

Staff Pick: Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook by Kim Barnouin

The DL: The mail is picking up again and we're as pleased as can be. As happy as new veg books, CD's, t-shirts, and marshmallows make us, Kim Barnouin's new cookbook takes the cake. Literally, that is, since Editorial Assistants Brooke Still and Gabrielle Pope just returned from an amazing lunch at The Plant Cafe hosted by Kim Barnouin herself, along with Nasoya Tofu. Complimenting a beautiful salad, tofu tacos, and chocolate cake, were also tips from Barnouin on how to make the most of your tofu. The goodie bag from Nasoya included Barnouin's new book, which she told us even her mom has yet to see! Read all about the Nasoya lunch in tomorrow's Press Pass entry by Brooke Still.