'Make your plate look like a Christmas tree,' I tell people, 'mostly green with splashes of other bright colors.'

I need a spiritual connection - I can make changes, but I can't make miracles - and I need people around me who'll support me and believe in me and tell me the truth and not let me deceive myself into avoiding the what's scary and hard and necessary.

The idea that everything is purposeful really changes the way you live. To think that everything that you do has a ripple effect, that every word that you speak, every action that you make affects other people and the planet.

The Christmas tree is like a candy store where everything is free and the sound of the crackling fire going in the fireplace is the sound of music. There’s a steaming mug in my hands, warming my fingers. Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of red and green.

Vegetarian is like raising a kid Mennonite. It's difficult but not that different. Raising your kid vegan is like being Amish. A totally different world.

Enjoy your food, enjoy your life.