Monday, October 26, 2009

Do: Should we TALK about this?

GO GREEN.CHRISTIANS.
http://www.sbredcross.org/whatsnew/newsletter/current/2009-01/images/greenenergy.jpg
Dear Friends,

The program is called Is God Green? and it's about Christian's responsibilities to take care of our planet. Its really interesting to think about the impact Christians could have on policy and the environmental movement, if we all realized that it is our responsibility and moved together. Christians are an incredible political force and an obviously large voting population. We could really change what's happening. This program is really inspiring and very well articulated. Hope your having a great day.

-KR

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/green/

Check this out! If any of you want to get together and talk about this, lets plan it! Maybe Katie can lead the discussion. Please comment!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Go: Composting Class

The image “http://www.mytinyplot.co.uk/photos/compost.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
Composting
October 25 (sun), 3-5pm

This class is being held at a little eco-shop in Santa Ana called, The Road Less Traveled. I see this a perfect and easy way to learn about Mother Earth and visit a new place! Please come with me, it will be a blast!
Class: Learn the how, what, where and what of vermiculture, composting with earthworms, our hungry and efficient friends! Everything you need know plus product to buy to be successful at home!
$15, $10 w/friend
***Class fee can be applied to product!

The Road Less Traveled, it's worth checking out. www.roadlesstraveledstore.com

The Road Less Traveled Store
2204 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92706
714.836.8727

Be: Daily Encouragment: Calm

"To be calm is the highest achievement of the self."

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."


Experiment: Take these two small thoughts/verses with you as you walk through your day. Repeat them as your work or drive or just live. Share them with others without using any words- just by being patient and thoughtful. Be aware of what you worry about and how it effects your attitude, combat your worry with deliberate calmness. Make yourself take a moment (even if its 5 seconds) to be calm, to stop and think through your worry. Talk about what could change within yourself and your life before blaming work, friends, money, husbands, wives, lovers, teachers, homework... Worry turns into stress if not dealt with.

Have a wonderful day! I think about all you every time I see the follower list. Thank you!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Get: STEVIA, seed of the week!

http://herbalmusings.com/herb_chart.jpg

Stevia Seeds (Stevia rebaudiana)
$4.95

Buy at moutainroseherbs.com and grow your own! Better than sugar and fun to grow. Get tons of certified organic seeds from mountain rose herbs and enjoy a medicinal herb garden all year. They can be small, lovely and easy to care for.
Stevia Details:
Tender perennial shrub. Heat-dependent germinator. Sow in summer or in warm greenhouse(make a cold frame.) The plants thrive in rich garden soil, full sun to part shade, high temperature and humidity and plenty of water. The dried leaf is used for sweetening drinks and is 250 times sweeter than sugar. Medicinally, Stevia is a flavoring agent, a wound healer, a treatment for hypoglycemia and a digestive aid.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Read: The Asian Diet NEWS!

http://www.positivehealth.com/image-review/87bee-asian_diet_cover.jpg

Great news! I passed my copy of, The Asian Diet, onto a wonderful (M.D.) friend of mine. He is willing to read the book and share his opinion/thoughts with us. I am always curious to hear what a western Doctor has to say about these types of books/Asian theories (truths). We must have moderation and balance even while reading about it! I will continue to summarize the "hot topics" for you to enjoy and hopefully learn from. I really encourage you to buy the book. The chapters are simple and easy to read, some of them are 2-4 pages and the book is very relaxing to read. I just purchased a new copy for $9.00 on half.com

Friday, October 9, 2009

Do: Garden Group Event

http://tipnut.com/projectpics/coldframe.jpg

Long Beach Garden Group Meeting.
Goals: To learn and explore together, how to grow organic produce.
Meeting will cover: The basics of organic gardening, getting started and cold frame building. Please research on your own about these topics and come with ideas and thoughts to share.
Expectations: My desire for this group- is for all of us to have a great time and learn from one another. This is a very low commitment group and open to suggestions. The emphasis of this group is more about the gardening and less about the group. I truly believe that being in harmony with the earth is part of our human make up, it will be nice to tap into that with you wonderful people.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 17th
Time: 11 am-12:15pm
Place: Kristinas
4244 E. Vermont Ave.
Bring: Gloves, sun hat, egg carton (recyclable), and please research the veggies that you would like to grow. Make sure that this is the right season for them and be willing to share your thoughts with the group.
Last words: Cant wait to see you all! I am going to make some really wonderful food and special drinks for our time together. There is one member spot left! Please contact me if you would like it, hope to hear from you! If you are a member, please RSVP by commenting.

Go:Fuego restaurant in Long Beach, What?!

Gyenari1

"Latin coastal" in Long Beach: Fuego restaurant is now open in the new Hotel Maya in Long Beach, with a menu that's "coastal Latin American." The executive chef is Jesse Perez. The indoor-outdoor dining room overlooks the waterfront of Long Beach, with 360-degree views. On the menu: shrimp ceviche with chile roja; duck al pastor tacos; chile relleño with pork carnitas; Yucatan-style pork “two ways"; and ancho chile grilled rib eye. Tequila tastings are delivered on a vintage dumb waiter to guests seated in the lower bar area (where there are leather and mohair tequila chairs). Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hotel Maya, 700 Queensway Drive, Long Beach, (562) 481-3910, www.fuegolongbeach.com.

Review: $$

Nathan and I made a night of going to Fruego. In order to get the full experience we invited three wonderful friends, who have a history of good taste. In my opinion I order the most flavorful entree, White Corn Sopes, Masa 'Boats' with Black Beans, Summer Squash, Guacamole, Romaine, Lime Vinaigrette, Queso Fresco & Mexican Crema and as a side their Spicy Green Rice. To translate; two small corn-meal pancakes (in the shape of rubber boats) filled with a variety of lightly sautéed veggies and black beans, topped with fresh salsa, avo, and chopped red and white cabbage. I nearly cried, every flavor was perfect and I could taste every ingredient. Everyone was very impressed.
Our table was packed with the, Guacamole Trio and White Corn Chips and their Mexican Shrimp Ceviche w/ Chile Roja and Plantain Chips. Nathan ordered the Mexican Shrimp Brochettes w/ Guajillo and Chile Chorizo-Potato Enchiladas (die for this!), one of our friends chose the, Bone-In Chicken Poblano served with Saffron Arroz & Poblano Mole de Oaxaca.
The service was excellent and the environment- just begs you to sit and enjoy your evening. I was shocked when I walked up the stairs and saw a blazing fire roaring on the patio and the Queen Mary and all her glory starring at the Sea and me. Talk about a vacation! For Long Beach, the decor is nothing less than decadent, so lavish that I laughed out loud. Please go! I need others to see this place and believe that it exists. You will be shocked!




Go: Seed in Venice

ORGANIC. VEGAN. MACROBIOTIC.
www.seedkitchen.com
http://seedkitchen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/tiramisu.jpg

Seed Kitchen - New Vegan Café in Venice

Eric Lechasseur and Sanae Suzuki opened a new restaurant named Seed Kitchen which they describe as Vegan, Organic, Macrobiotic, Japanese, American, Fusion, Take-out.

The varied menu features sandwiches and paninis, hot bowls, salads, pastries, Japanese teas, and more.

seed venice beach

Seed Kitchen
1604 Pacific Ave, Venice, California (at Windward)
310-396-1604
10am-9pm


Go, go ,go! Lets go together!

Be: Daily Encouragment

"A kindhearted women [person] earns respect."

Today's Experiment:
-Go out of your way to be kindhearted.
-Think: To be kind and to have a kind heart- are two different things. Define a kind heart? What type of heart do you have? Anxious heart? Sad heart? Patient heart and motives?
-Meditate on: The concept of, a kind heart earning respect vs. a great job earning respect or a perfect marriage earning respect or having a clear life path earning respect. Its about what type of heart and motives that we have as we live life and interact with our boyfriends, classmates, co-workers, other drivers, husbands and moms...etc.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Do: Lean Arms and Tight Onion


$30.00
I know, I know that picture is silly. But this workout method/DVD is really good. The workout is broken up into 6, 5-7 mins workouts. They each work a different part of your body, which I love because I don't have to do the whole DVD. Most days I do 5 mins of abs and 7 mins of arms. She is a dancer so her moves are very catchy and I feel like I am dancing rather than working out. This is a great workout to add to your daily cardio routine. I can already see a difference in my arms and abs. TA is all about lean arms and legs.
Make sure to visit TracyAndersonconnect.com to purchase Tracy’s new webisodes that benefit Raising Malawi! You can get a webisode to see if you vibe with her before purchasing the DVD.
To get more of Tracy visit Amazon.

PS- She is Madonnas and G. Paltrows trainer. They swear by her workouts. One funny thing, TA only plays Madonnas music while she works out! love it.

Be: Daily Encouragment

Quote:
"Always be pure, simple and honest."

Todays Experiment:
Spend some time during your day to relax and think about being an honest person. What does that mean? What would my life look like, if I was always striving to be honest with myself and the people that I love? Would my actions change?
So many of us have a hard time realizing how our actions effect others and how our pride or lack of awareness for what we are going through can hurt others. Be honest, let people go, let people in, take advice, give advice willing, admit our expectations, admit if you have been mean or selfish and apologize. In your heart, if you have any type of small grudge or stand off with a friend- face it and move on. I have been miserable at this, I allow my desire to get into school to over take me, I call it ambition and drive but when it gets in the way of being kind or taking time for others, I have failed to be honest.

Get: Yogi Kombucha Green Tea

Yogi Tea Organic Green Tea Blends

Yogi Tea



Yogi says, "Our Green Tea Kombucha was inspired by a remedy that dates back to ancient Russia. Updated for today’s lifestyle, Yogi’s special formula of kombucha with organic green tea is designed to support your immune system, fight fatigue and detoxify your body. Spearmint naturally aids digestion, and plum and lemongrass combine to create a fragrant tea with a light, fruity flavor.* Once the steeping process has released the benefits of these ingredients, you are ready to enjoy a delicious, delightful and soothing cup of tea—one that is naturally rich in antioxidants and other health boosters."

Personal Review: Never... have I tasted a better tea. I love it with a splash of Rice milk and cinnamon. Please try this tea, just pop by Whole Foods and buy a box. It is refreshing and cozy! You can taste each ingredient and enjoy the benefits of green tea all day. It will change your mornings!

Ingreds:
Green Tea Leaf
Lemongrass
Spearmint Leaf
Kombucha
Natural Flavors

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Read: Green Tea after every meal

Review 3: The Asian Diet, Beverages.
Main points in this chapter:
1. Your first and most important fluid intake should be water. Use only Spring or filtered water if possible. Most municipal water supplies use chemicals, some are intentional and some just end up in our water supply due to pollution or inappropriate disposal. Soft drinks, will make you soft.
2. Coffee is a fine occasional drink. The energy of coffee is unbalanced. Overexposure to coffee can make people anxious, irritable and impede attention level and sleep. Be careful and wise with the amount of coffee that you are drinking.
3. The good news, Green Tea is the greatest beverage in the World! The worst green tea is still better than the best coffee. The author suggests that we should drink GT after every meal, it helps dissolve fat and can dissolve cholesterol in the stomach before it even enters the blood stream. Please visit the link that I provided and read about the benefits of green tea. http://healthmad.com/alternative/10-great-benefits-of-drinking-green-tea.
4. Remember everything is OK in moderation. Fruit juice, soft drinks, energy drinks, etc; contain too may concentrates to be moderate in way.

http://www.theasiandiet.com

Make:Replace Maple Syrup and make this!

Its hard to find a sweet sub for any type of syrup or dessert sauce. I love this little number! I use it over rice flour pancakes, muffins, in my tea, over yams, on baked apples and fruit. It's especially good if you have taken to a wheat free, gluten free and sugar free lifestyle. Nathan thinks its "to die for" and I have tested it time and time again with real syrup lovers and its always a winner!
Agave, Vanilla Extract, Olive Oil, Lemon or Lavender Extract (optional) Syrup:
If you need more double the recipe or triple it!
1. Use any bowl and make sure you have a whisk, much better if its whisked! Add all ingreds in one bowl
2. 1/2 tbs of olive oil
3. 1/2 tbs agave
4. 1 tsp of any type of extract (vanilla, lemon, lav)
5. 1 tsp of water
6. whisk away, if the syrup is too thick and clumps, add water...just a little
7. optional: if you a lemon laying around, grade a bit of the lemon and toss that in. Enjoy with everything and anything!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Get: Skin:Sun Screen

Winter is coming, but please do not forget to wear your sunscreen! I know we are all young and wild now... but the years will march across our faces in no time and the rays from the sun are glad to help! From years of seeing sun damaged skin and having clients beg for help, I learned that, rain or shine I never walk out of the house without sunscreen on.

We need to get over a few myths 1) foundation with sunscreen is all we need 2) the sun helps keep your skin clear from acne 3) sunscreen is only necessary when we go to the beach or spending the day outside. All not true, sunscreen should be worn under your make up and a good sunscreen can be your daily moisturizer. Here are a few wonderful products that I know you will love and can safely use. The first is made by Epicuren. (http://store.skincarelab.com)



Epicuren Zinc Sunscreen SPF 20 (2.5 fl oz)

Price: $34
A zinc sunscreen that is formulated with no toxins, chemicals or oils and works to heal, soothe and diminish the signs of aging. Will not clog pores. (Size: 2.5 fl oz)

Epicuren, is the like the mother of holistic skin care and products. If you have free time please research and read up on Epicuren. They are a fascinating company and have paved the way for health and beauty to be one.

Green Tea & Ginkgo Moisturizer SPF 15

Green Tea & Ginkgo Moisturizer SPF 15 4oz

Price $16.28
Light daytime moisturizer protects skin from sun, pollution and the skin’s natural aging process and restores softness and elasticity. Wear it under or in place of makeup to keep skin healthy and well-hydrated. I buy it at whole foods. This is an incredible skin care line and the company has so much integrity when it comes to their ingredients. Please visit the site and read how skin care should be, www.aubrey-organics.com.

Make:Smoothie for days

This is a perfect before dinner smoothie. It is delightful and light (just like a good friend) and doesnt feel like a meal in a cup. Nathan loves this little ditty and it cuts down on the time it takes me to make dinner, consider it a creative appetizer.

Coconut milk (light), Papaya, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Nutmeg Smoothie with crushed Almonds:
Ingreds- listed above. I prefer TJ's frozen pap and light coconut milk.You can omit or add whatever you like but make sure to blend for 3 mins, you really get a smooth milky texture.
How to:Here are my tricks and i am telling you they count...
1. 1-1 1/2 cup frozen papaya in blender
2. add 1 cup coconut milk and 1/3 cup water. Let papaya soak and thaw in the milk for 5 mins or more. This allows the papaya to soften up and really makes a difference when it comes to texture.
3. add 1/2 tbs vanilla extract
4. cinna to your liking
5. pinch of nutmeg
6. (optional) honey or agave
7. 3 ice cubes. blend for 3 mins, if you see that more liquid is needed, slowly add some water while smoothie is still blending.
8. (if time permits) sprinkle 10 crushed almonds over the top.

You can win a heart with this drink! I love serving it before a light soup and salad dinner!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Make:Onion,Garlic,Sesame seed & Coconut Puree

This recipe takes 6 mins and it will knock your socks off you! If you need to impress or just de-stress, then this is the extra love that you need! Nathan adores this sauce and almost ask me to marry him all over again when I painted our veggie/yam dinner with it.

I suggest mixing or pouring this puree over coconut rice, baked yams, potatoes or mixed steamed veggies.
Indreds: 1 can of Coconut milk, make sure it has no additives or sugar ( I love the Trader Joes kind.) 1 white or red onion, 5 fresh garlic gloves and salted sesame seeds.
How to: You can double or reduce this recipe, be free and creative with it!
1. Use any small fryer/pan. Olive oil the pan and add a pinch of salt.
2. 1/2 cup diced onions, toss them into the heat and enjoy the smell of onion and olive oil.
3. smash or press garlic gloves and toss that into the pan.
4. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
at this point the smell should be making you light headed with excitement! allow the ingreds to bathe one another and continue to stir.
5. add 1/2 cup or a handful of salted sesame seeds to the mix
6. allow the onions to slightly brown and the sesame seeds to fully warm
7. in a blender, blend 1/2-3/4 cup of coconut milk and your sauté for 3 mins. it must be 3 mins. (if you see that more liquid is needed, add a small amount of coco milk mixed with water.)
8. add salt if you need to. I dont.

Pour this sauce over anything. I love it with rice and black beans and yams!