Change The World Wednesday

Are you ready to change the world?

Here's this week's challenge from Reduce Footprints:

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If you eat animal products, then for one full day eat only meatless meals ... go vegetarian. Dairy products & eggs are permissible ... but no other animal products. Or, if you are vegetarian full time ... then, for one full day, eat only vegan meals. No animal products whatsoever. And finally, if you are vegan, full time, write an article about why meatless meals are good for the planet and perhaps include your favorite recipe.
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I just watched Fast Food Nation, so this is a timely challenge for me. I eat ZERO fast food. NONE. AT ALL. (Except Subway veggie delight sandwiches every now and then, but I don't consider a sandwich deli fast food, even though it is classifed as such.) I would add to this challenge that if you are an eater of fast food, forgo it for an entire week. All seven of these days.

We have been following a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet for several years, though, as I have mentioned previously, a little fish creeps in now and then. I do it more for health reasons than animal rights reasons, but I also believe in animal rights. I like to say I gave up mad cow, bird flu, and our friend, E. Coli. I believe that a more sustainable and animal friendly manner of animal rearing should be employed. After seeing Fast Food Nation, I am even more satisfied with this choice to forgo meat.

Organically fed, free range, grass happy animals treated well in life and killed in a kosher manner by small farmers would yield much healthier meat than any large conglomerate could manage. I believe raw milk is better and healthier than processed corporate milk. I believe in small batch, local cheese by artisanal cheese makers. And I believe that the best possible sweetener on earth is raw honey.

Corporate greed and laboratory created Frankenfood are ruining our collective health, and if we engage in Food Renegade challenges and practices, we can make a difference. So, this week, I will go Vegan for one full day. I have a garden, and I can do it.

Can you?

Saturdays are for Eating!

First, let me say that this is not a paid post, and I have not been asked to review the recommended site. I am speaking from my own experience. Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite links to free recipes, information, and cooking tips on the web. When I need a recipe for something and I am not sure exactly what I want and my books here at home have failed me, I often end up at All Recipes. All Recipes (allrecipes.com) is a social food network of individuals sharing cooking tips, tricks, and recipes. There is a recipe exchange, a recommended blog list, and a section of daily recommended recipes. I see from my visit there today that they are currently having a $10,000.00 giveaway contest opportunity. Couldn't hurt!

The Mother's Day section has suggestions for brunch, dinner, and easy desserts for kids to make. Of course, they also include the ever popular mimosa recipe. What brunch on Mother's Day would be complete without a mimosa? Which reminds me, I need to stock up on indredients!

One of my favorite sections to visit is the Healthy Cooking section. Since my family lives a lacto-ovo vegetarian lifestyle, we often use keyword search or look in the Healthy Cooking section. It has a great collection of recipes and information about the Super Foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans). There is also a specifically vegetarian section, and it has some really tasty offerings such as avocado tacos and pesto pizza.

Often, I end up adding my own flair to the recipe, like black beans to the avocado tacos and making my own pizza dough for the pizza. I also cook with all organic and non-GMO ingredients. I call this practice "recipe rescue" because I take the basic recipe and then change it so that it is acceptable to my eating requirements. I attempt to avoid pre-packaged, processed foods to the greatest extent possible. I believe it is better for our bodies to avoid chemicals, laboratory created additives, artificial colors, and preservatives. I also do not purchase anything that says "natural flavors" added, because that usually means MSG. Visit MSGtruth.org for further information.

I wish you safe and happy eating today,
tomorrow, and always.