California Rocks!!

The decision to either buy or adopt a cat or dog just got a lot easier in Irvine, California — you don’t really have an option! The Irvine City Council has voted to ban the sale of dogs and cats in retail stores. And as if that wasn’t cool enough, they also banned rodeos and circuses that feature exotic animals.

“It’s just a win for animals all around,” said resident Wendy Fears, one of a small local group that helped organize supporters of the ban.

The effort to try to shut down retail pet sellers of dogs and cats comes as part of a larger effort to reduce the number of animals bought from puppy mills, and to encourage pet adoption.

According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 50 public speakers presented arguments to the council citing inhumane conditions found in puppy mills and buyers’ lack of knowledge about them and the associated health risks.

The city is also considering a campaign urging residents to spay and neuter their pets.

I think that would be an amazing thing for us to accomplish here in South FL!!

Any ideas?

Enjoy the weekend & maybe adopt a dog!!!

Second Chance Rescue..... we found Buddy Miles Davis through them!!!

xoxo

bits

Marisa on a Harley in front of Stuart Recycling.

Mod Rockstar!

My newest batch of Alfalfa sprouts!

Over floweth!

The Easy Sprouter makes doing this fool proof.

Find it on my Favorite Finds page.

How about the FULL moon last night! Pretty amazing......even though the dogs were crazy!

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REBORN HIGHWAY

This Saturday night @ Swamp Grass Willy's in PGA.
10:30pm

rock it out boys!!
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xoxo

yum & yum

I often day dream of spending hours upon hours in our kitchen making amazing food!!

Until those days arrive I will collect my most favorite recipes and share them with you!

This is a recipe that I came across today. I don't usually post a recipe unless I have tried it myself, but, this one looks very promising!

TEMPEH PICATTA

Ingredients:

• ¼ Cup celery small diced
• ¼ Cup onion Small dice
• 3 Cloves garlic pressed
• 2 Teaspoons fresh thyme
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 Teaspoons rubbed sage
• ½ Cup low sodium soy sauce (braggs or nama shoyu)
• ¼ Cup cider vinegar
• ¼ Cup water
• Salt to taste
• 1 8oz package tempeh
• 1 Cup All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 6 Tablespoons earth balance buttery spread
• 3 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1/3 Cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ Cup vegetable stock
• ¼ Cup brined capers, rinsed
• 2 Tablespoons Extra virgin Olive Oil
• 1/3 Cup fresh parsley chopped

Preparation:

Step 1: To make marinade combine herbs and liquids in a mixing bowl marinade Tempeh for 20 minutes (careful not let it go longer.) While that is marinating cut Tempeh in to fillets 3×4 inches and a half inch thick and set aside. Once done remove tempeh and dredge in flour and shake off excess.

Step 2: In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of "butter" with 3 tablespoons canola oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of tempeh and cook for 3 minutes. When tempeh is browned, using spatula, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Repeat until all Tempeh is cooked.

Step 3: Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Add 2 tablespoons of your marinade to the pan. Return all the tempeh to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tempeh to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over tempeh and garnish with parsley.

Thank you Ayinde Howell, vegan chef

I would pair this with any marinated or steamed green & a citrus salad.

I'm so excited to try this out and all of the ingredients are awesome.

Tempeh is the only "meat substitute" that is recommended my raw foodies.

Enjoy!

xoxo

lengthy but worth the read!!

I am always searching for the latest and greatest research having to do with nutrition. This article has definitely shown some light onto this sometimes confusing topic.  Agave nectar is no longer the go-to sweetner and of course if it's too good to be true then........it is! It takes a little while but we CAN retrain ourselves to not need so much sugar......as well as salt. It's amazing how much you can actually taste when you aren't covering up the taste of a food.  Simplify & Enjoy! Why Most Unrefined Sweeteners Really Aren't That Healthy

Written by Whitney Lauritsen

Share18 No matter how clean your diet is, chances are you have a hard time resisting a decadent piece of chocolate or a homemade batch of organic cookies, but not without investigating the ingredients first. You know that refined sugars are a big health no-no and perhaps choose to consume alternatives like agave nectar and coconut sugar to get a guilt-free sweet fix. However, if you've ever thought these substances taste a little too good to be true, you're kinda right. While unrefined sweeteners are much better for you than refined, they still have some drawbacks. Here's the lowdown. Unrefined vs. Unprocessed Just because a sweetener is unrefined does not mean it's unprocessed. If it is in powder or liquid form, it is not a whole food; it has gone through some sort of process to get to that state and is highly concentrated. The fiber has been stripped away, which is responsible for making you feel full and helps your body slowly absorb sugar. Whole forms of sugar, such as fruit, are ideal because of the fiber content and lower calorie content, which will leave you feeling satisfied a lot faster. If you really want some cane sugar, chew on sugarcane! Nutrition Sugar (glucose) is a necessary fuel for our bodies and is found in most foods, namely starches, vegetables and fruits. Natural sweets - such as bananas, oranges and apples- are nutrient dense, so you're getting a lot more out of them than just a sugar rush. On the other hand, when sweet plants are processed they usually lose their sustenance and can actually inhibit the body's ability to absorb minerals, vitamins and enzymes. Most sweeteners are over 90% fructose, which researchers have linked to cancer cell development. Too much sugar of any variety can compromise your immune system, prevent weight loss, rot your teeth, cause inflammation, mess with your hormones and lead to diabetes - yikes! A Happy Medium It'd be unreasonable to ask you to stop eating sweet things - sometimes you just want something more stimulating than fruit (though the right strawberry can be ecstasy). Since sugar is especially addictive, if you deprive yourself of it you might crack one day and over do it. So, if you feel the need to indulge have some unrefined sweetener in moderation, aiming for 3-4 times a week max. FYI, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 5% of daily calories from processed sweeteners - for the average diet that means about 5 teaspoons (not a lot considering one can of cola contains 10 tsp!). Check out our 10 Tips for Reducing Sugar Intake. Your Best Bet If you're looking for a truly natural, unprocessed option, use dates (deglet variety is low cal) or grow your own stevia and use its leaves (the latter is even suitable for diabetics). Most health experts agree that you can have almost as much of these sweets as you'd like… well, as long as they're part of a balanced diet. If those sweeteners aren't an option when you're out and about, unrefined is the best way to go. Enjoy treats made with organic brown rice syrup, raw agave nectar, maple syrup or date sugar, which each have some nutritional value and are minimally processed. Image credit: Joana Petrova A little information about Dates: Health benefits of dates are uncountable, as this fruit is affluent in natural fibres. Dates are even rich in several vitamins and minerals. These natural products contain oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous,manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health. It is said that consumption of one date daily is necessary for a balanced and healthy diet. Dates help in fighting constipation, intestinal disorders, weight gain, heart problems, sexual weakness, diarrhoea and abdominal cancer. Health benefits of dates have made them the best nourishment for muscles development. People consume dates in several ways, like mixing the paste of the dates with milk, yoghurt or with bread or butter to make the food tasty and healthy. This paste is beneficial for both adults and children, especially during the time of recovery. According to the modern medicine survey, it is known that dates are useful in preventing abdominal cancer. It is also seen that many Muslims break their fast by eating dates andwater according to their traditions. Breaking fast with eating dates helps us to avoid overeating of the food after the fast. When the body absorbs the nutritional value of the dates, the feeling of hunger gets pacified. Although dates carry tremendous nutritional values, great care should be taken in their selection because they consists of sticky surface which attracts various impurities in them. Hence, you should consume only those dates that are processed and packed properly. Make sure to wash them thoroughly before consuming. This will help remove the impurities present in them. ORGANIC!! This is the perfect addition to nut milks as well.