Blog

The 40-Year-Old Vegan
04.25.17
Want to get the inside scoop on how to eat vegan in a super tasty way? Sandra and Susan Sellani, 57-year-old fraternal twins, grew up like most Italian families — eating! They now live on different coasts — Sandra in Newport Beach, and Susan in Pennsylvania--and while they still love to eat, they’ve just switched to healthier recipes now that they are over 40.
“Growing up, we always loved to be in the kitchen, watching our mother and grandmothers cook their famous Sellani Italian recipes,” says Sandra, the West Coast vegan who coincidentally is also the Chief Marketing Officer for See Jane Go, a rideshare App for women by women. “A year ago, Susan and I thought, why don’t we turn these family recipes into a cookbook for the way we both eat today — vegan or plant-based. But like most Italian families, no one had written down the recipes! Lucky for me, Susan is the one with the memory and remembered most of the ingredients. So began our journey to writing and publishing, The 40-Year-Old Vegan: 75 Recipes to Make You Leaner, Cleaner & Greener in the Second Half of Life.
“The 40-Year-Old Vegan includes a fifty-two-week meal plan to help easily transition to a plant-based lifestyle with old-fashioned, recognizable recipes and a realistic vision for looking and feeling good in the second half of life — without having to squeeze into a pair of size-two Spanx!” says Susan, an East Coast omnivore who enjoys meat on occasion.
In addition to the 75 vegan recipes in the cookbook, the authors have included inspirational stories from other “40-year-old vegans” who have turned to plant-based living in their second half of life. Those featured come from all walks of life, from a certified personal trainer and marathon coach in New York, to an Illinois financial planner. It is the authors’ hope that these stories will shatter any myths or stereotypes people have about vegans.
To learn more about the authors and The 40-Year-Old Vegan, visit 40yov.com.
Mercy for Animals, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies, is the beneficiary of ten percent of author proceeds from the sale of the book.
The 40-Year-Old Vegan is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, select book stores nationwide and at the authors’ website.
Blog

Dining Discounts During NB Film Fest at The Triangle
04.25.17
Throughout the Newport Beach Film Festival, which closes Thursday night, select restaurants at The Triangle in Costa Mesa are offering special discounts to guests dining before or after a show at Starlight Triangle Cinemas, when they present their movie stubs or proof of purchase of movie tickets on their phone.
La Vida Cantina will offer guests 15% off their bill if they show their NBFF tickets or proof of movie ticket purchase. Perfect for al fresco dining with this week’s warm weather, La Vida Cantina has a spacious patio with inviting palapas where visitors feel like they have been transported to a vacation along the Mexican Riviera.
Delicious new menu items that have quickly become favorites, include Elote (traditional Mexican street corn with paprika, mayo, cotija cheese, and lime), and the Flight of Guacamole (grilled corn and black beans, pomegrante, and mango pineapple) to start the meal
Located on the second level of The Triangle, La Vida Cantina is open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and open until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. For reservations, please call 949.612.2349.
Tavern + Bowl will also offer 15% off for NBFF patrons when showing their tickets or proof of purchase of tickets. Specialties at this fun restaurant with a scratch kitchen include BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders with beerbeque sauce; Crispy Chicken Sandwich (crispy chicken with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and pickles, served with garlic aioli on a brioche bun); and Bacon Jam Burger (angus chuck patties, bacon jam, fried egg, arugula, tomato, and garlic aioli).
Complete your meal with a Tavern+Bowl signature dessert of Triple Threat Chocolate Brownie (warmed cookie dough center with vanilla bean ice cream, topped with burnt bourbon caramel sauce) or Donuts in a Bag (served warm with caramel sauce.)
If you catch and early movie and head to Tavern+Bowl for dinner, you can enjoy a round or two of bowling to finish the evening. Tavern + Bowl is located on the lower level of The Triangle, and is open Sunday through Thursday until midnight, and Friday and Saturday until 2am. Reservations can be made by calling 949.438.2320.
H20 Sushi & Izakaya is also offering a 15% discount on its menu, except on Happy Hour pricing and All You Can Eat Sushi. H20 features fresh sushi and delicious entrees such as Chicken and Beef Teriyaki, Miso Marinated Black Cod, Seared Tuna Tataki, Wagyu Beef Tataki With Goma Sauce, Salmon Miso Yaki and more.
Open Sunday through Wednesday until 11 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday until midnight, H20 Sushi is located on the lower level of The Triangle, and reservations can be made by calling 949.515.7400.
As a post-movie or dinner treat, Creamistry at The Triangle is offering a free topping with the purchase of an ice cream to customers who show their movie stubs or proof of purchase for Newport Beach Film Festival tickets. Creamistry is open until 11pm nightly.
For a complete list of movies showing as part of the NBFF and other event information, please visit newportbeachfilmfest.
The Triangle is conveniently located at the end of the 55 Freeway, where Newport Blvd., Harbor Blvd. and 19th Street intersect.
Follow Greer on Pinterest
from the blog
- 07.17.26 – Voluspa Brings Luxury Home Fragrance to Irvine Spectrum Center
- 07.16.26 – Alisal Ranch Marks 80 Years with a Summer of Celebration
- 07.14.26 – VIII by Selanne Unveils Summer Tasting Menu
- 07.14.26 – VEA Newport Beach Debuts Chef Angelo Sosa Summer Menu
- 07.13.26 – One Night, Five Courses, and a Top Chef Canada Champion at Balboa Bay Resort
- 07.13.26 – Amorelia Cocina Artesanal Brings the Flavors of Michoacán to Laguna Beach
- 07.13.26 – Via Lido Plaza Hosts Stars, Stripes & Summer Celebration July 17-18
- 07.12.26 – Casa Romantica’s Summer Lineup Features Concerts, Movies and Family Fun
- 07.08.26 – A True Full-Circle Moment: Artist Brothers Use ChatGPT to Help Create Bonita Canyon’s 50th Anniversary Mural
- 07.07.26 – IVI Vision Pops Up at Rails in Fashion Island
- 07.06.26 – Join Me at the Costa Mesa Historical Society Speakers Program
- 07.06.26 – Books We Loved: Ocean Adventures and an Imaginative Princess
- 07.01.26 – Pacific Symphony Unveils Star-Studded 2026-27 Pops Season
- 06.30.26 – What’s New at VOX Kitchen South Coast Plaza
- 06.29.26 – Selanne Steak Tavern Celebrates 10 Years of Wine Spectator Recognition
- 06.26.26 – Segerstrom Center’s Y2K-Inspired Movie Mondays Return This Summer
- 06.25.26 – Summer Nights on the Lawn at VEA Newport Beach
- 06.18.26 – Sushi Ii Pairs Up with Brooklyn Kura for a Sake-Focused Omakase Night
- 06.17.26 – Say “I Do” on a Working Avocado Farm in Temecula
- 06.16.26 – Willbo Opens at Lido Marina Village with a Summer Kick Off
More Daily Doses
- 07.19.26 – Inside Reecess, Newport Beach’s New Wellness Destination
- 07.16.26 – Good Together House: Laguna Beach’s Home for the Extraordinary and Unexpected
- 07.14.26 – Life Time Opens Resort-Style Athletic Club in Brea
- 07.14.26 – Flea Style Brings Its Hat Bar Concept Home to Laguna Beach
- 07.13.26 – Gordon Ramsay Opens The Carnaby at Downtown Disney
- 07.08.26 – Noble Ace Debuts in Laguna Beach’s Historic Heisler Building
- 07.05.26 – Pageant of the Masters Returns to Laguna Beach With ‘The Greatest of All Time’
- 07.05.26 – Earl of Sandwich Opens New Flagship at Downtown Disney
- 06.30.26 – A Blissful Japanese Head Spa Experience at Invita Costa Mesa
- 06.28.26 – Fourth of July in Orange County: Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday
- 06.26.26 – ‘Gala of the Stars’ Returns to Segerstrom for 17th Year
- 06.23.26 – Del Mar’s 2026 Summer Racing Season Opens July 17
- 06.19.26 – Sherman Library & Gardens Introduces Hazeltine’s and New Afternoon Tea Experience
- 06.17.26 – BURN Opens First OC Location in Newport Beach
- 06.14.26 – The Curated Life Brings French Charm to Laguna Beach
- 06.12.26 – Father’s Office Chef Sang Yoon Debuts Tiny’s Burger at South Coast Plaza
- 06.10.26 – Live on the Lawn Returns to Fashion Island This Summer
- 06.08.26 – SEASON Makes Dinner Planning Easy
- 06.07.26 – Wild Fork Hosts World Cuts Sampling Events in OC
- 06.03.26 – Shopbop Pop-Up Arrives at Lido Marina Village
