Vegetarianism. It's All The Rage.

So it seems there has been a surge of vegetarianism lately. With everyone becoming more eco-aware, people are realizing that the meat and poultry industry isn't exactly green.

I have always tried to maintain a healthy diet but that has always included meat of all kinds. It's high in protein and protein burns fat so in that sense it's better to eat meat than all veggies. Over the past year or so I've almost completely cut out red meat. I will eat it on the rare occasion I'm at someone else's house and that's what they made for dinner (I don't want to be rude). That is, up until now.

Recently, the idea of eating any red meat under any circumstances has grossed me out and actually made me feel a bit queasy. I never in a million years thought I'd get a weak stomach over the idea of eating something but here I am. Live and learn. It's just so bad for you and for the earth, so why eat it?

Maybe for the protein? Turns out there are lots of hidden sources of protein out there and not just the usual nuts and beans. Tofu, tempeh, seitan, soy nuts and other soy products are all high in protein and healthy.

Starting this week I'm beginning to cut out pork and poultry. I may even (try to) forgo the tradition of eating turkey at Thanksgiving. **GASP**

Here is a picture of the yummy vegetarian dinner I made tonight. It's roasted butternut squash pureed with soya powder, cinnamon and brown sugar then topped with soya granules; sweet potatoes with butter and my own concoction of diced red onion, apple and cranberries sauteed in pumpkin seed oil. It was delish!

And if you know me then you know I'm obsessed with magazines. Especially food magazines. Now that the wedding is over and I have put my bridal magazine obsession to rest, my latest addiction is Vegetarian Times.

Yes, I am rockin' a side ponytail.

Election Day - One Week Away

I don't care what your political views are (well, okay, I do care and hope they are the same as mine) please get out and vote next Tuesday. If you never leave your house for any other reason, this is the big one. This is not a political blog but unfortunately, politics affect everything. EVERYTHING. I'd like to someday raise a child in a happy country that sits in the middle of a happy world with no enemies. Now I know that may sound like a lofty dream but we have to start somewhere. EVERY vote counts. For those of you who say your vote doesn't matter you have no idea what you're talking about.

PUH-LEASE VOTE!

PS- Since this is a green blog I will just say that one of them will do more to help our environment than the other.

October is Fair Trade Month

I JUST found out that October is Fair Trade Month. With just one week left, we can still learn about fair trade practices and why they are important.

Fair trade means that farmers are paid a fair price for their goods and services. Don't we just love getting that mass market grocery store sale? Well many times that sale is offered to you at the farmer's expense. Coffee, tea, fruits, vegetables, chocolate, honey, grains, flowers, cotton and wine are just a few items that farmers suffer for at our benefit.

When shopping, look for the Fair Trade label to tell you a fair price was paid and appropriate working conditions were maintained for the farmers harvesting your products.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy one month anniversary to my wonderful husband, Patrick. I can't believe it's been a month since we tied the knot. Time has flown and will continue to fly, I'm sure. I'm just so happy that I have you to spend it with.

Please, Please, PLEASE Recycle

I am a huge recycler. Let me be clear. I don't do it for fun or as a trend. I fully understand why we ALL should be recycling to reduce waste and energy usage. It baffles me when people just don't get it. A friend recently asked me why we should recycle an aluminum can when more energy will be used to turn it into another aluminum can. The answer - Because although energy will be used to create the new aluminum can, it will be made out of recycled aluminum so instead of having one in a landfill and a new can at the same time, we will just have one new can. I didn't think that was a hard concept to get but apparently a lot of people don't get it.

A while back I blogged about "Human Footprint", the National Geographic Channel's documentary on consumption and waste. Here is a video excerpt on how many soda cans Americans waste.




Please don't contribute to that pile. Recycle your aluminum cans and everything else that your local waste management company will collect. If you can't put something out for curbside pickup, there is probably another nearby facility that will take it. Check Earth 911 for local recycling facilities.

Martha Stewart also has a helpful recycling guide.

Keep Halloween Safe and Healthy

With all the recent news about melamine (plastic) being in baby formula and chocolate, please be careful what you choose to give trick-or-treaters this Halloween.

I received an email this morning from our school nurse about some chocolate coins called Pirate's Gold that have tested positive for melamine. Nothing is guaranteed lately but please, try to stay away from the cheap novelty-type stuff. Yes, it is economical but so are Hershey's and M&M Mars products. At this time of year the snack size bags are on sale everywhere you turn. Plus the real stuff tastes better. Please consider the health of your neighborhood children, even if they are not your own.

Ingestion of melamine can cause reproductive problems and kidney and bladder stones, which can lead to cancer. Why do manufacturers use melamine? When they want to get the highest volume at the lowest cost, they water down milk. There are protein requirements that must be met before milk can be distributed. Melamine has a chemical in it that tricks the test to show adequate levels of protein.

Below is the email I received this morning relaying this important information.


With Halloween rapidly approaching, make sure everyone has heard about the dangers in

Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold milk chocolate coins imported from China.
The candy is being recalled after testing positive for the industrial chemical melamine, a substance at the center of the tainted milk controversy in China that has been implicated in the deaths of four infants and the sickening of 54,000 others. These coins are being sold at Costco, Target, CVS, and other places. Please check all of the candy your children receive this Halloween.

Stay safe.

Brothers & Sisters and Bees

Patrick and I are fans of the ABC television show, Brothers & Sisters but we were bothered by something we saw on last week's episode. Kitty and Robert have new neighbors who raise bees in hives and Robert isn't happy about it. He claims it's a health issue. Whatever! Time and time again I hear people say they don't want to live next door to bees. Why? Well, they claim the bees are dangerous. Listen, you may be allergic to bee stings and yes, the sting may be dangerous but your chances of being stung by a honey bee (which is what people raise) are very low. The bees aren't interested in you. They are only interested in doing their job of making honey. If you get in their way then they will do what they can to protect their hive. However, they die after they sting you. They don't want to die so to them, stinging you is a last resort to protect their hive.

Honey bees are in trouble. Colony Collapse Disorder has drastically depleted the amount of honey bees around the world in recent years. Honey bees pollinate one third of all the food we eat so without them, we won't have many of the crops we rely on. So those "annoying" neighbors who raise bees are doing us all a favor.

Check out the Haagen-Dazs website for more info and what you can do to help.

Please, if someone you know is raising honey bees, thank them. We need the bees!

Kiss My Face Giveaway

Everyday Mommy has a green giveaway. Kiss My Face products are organic and gentle skin care products. They have a line for adults and one for children. Everyday Mommy is giving away one set of children's Kiss My Face products. Head over there to enter for your chance.



Here's what you'll get:

PS - Tell her Beth from EasyEcoLiving sent you.

Back from Down Under

Patrick and I are back from our Australian honeymoon. We took tons of pictures that I will be sure to post soon. We saw some interesting stuff and did some fun things. We were disappointed to not see kangaroos in the wild but it turns out we weren't in the right area of Australia for that. We were mostly in urban areas with the exception of the Blue Mountains and the rainforest and kangaroos don't hang out in the rainforest. We saw a bunch in captivity and even got to pet and feed some. We pet a koala, too!! We did see a Cassowary in the wild. It ran right across the road in front of us. It's like an ostrich only smarter and stronger. They are considered to be the most dangerous bird the world because of its size and strength. We heard stories of cassowaries headbutting humans that approach them. I'm glad we didn't approach the one we saw. We saw some snakes, some huge spiders, lots of different frogs and other bugs, parrots in the wild and tons more birds that Patrick will be happy to tell you about. We took a rainforest river cruise at night and then again in the morning and we saw crocodiles, which was exciting.

We had a great time and would love to go back someday to explore other areas of Australia but right now we're happy to be back home, close to our family and friends.

Australian Toilets

We're on our honeymoon in Australia. Of course the very first thing I have to write about is the bathrooms. Only here they don't call it a bathroom. Nor do they refer to it as a restroom or a loo. It's a toilet. "Where is the toilet?" is not a phrase I can get used to saying. I feel like I'm saying something derogatory. However, toilet it is.

Australia has the cleanest "toilets". I haven't had to step in water or someone else's pee. I haven't had to wipe the toilet before I use it. The locks always work and there is always ample toilet paper. A clean "toilet" is a happy me. I normally avoid public restrooms at all costs but that isn't possible when traveling abroad for two weeks. It has made life a lot easier to not have to worry about encountering a gross bathroom experience.

Since this is a green blog, I feel it necessary to mention that all the toilets here have a dual flush option. Button one is for when you do number one and button two is for when you do a doo. (Patrick dared me to write that)

So we're off to Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow.

I'll write more when I can.