Fat Sick and Nearly Dead - The Movie

Follow one man's journey as he travels Fat Sick and Nearly Dead across America.

Juiced every morning to detox after numerous surgeries and it was truly amazing how great I felt - inside and out.  I'm inspired to dust it off and get back to it.

Watch the movie for free through the Fat Sick and Nearly Dead web page.

p.s. Certainly a new perspective on the old adage: An apple a day helps keep the doctor away. - Ben Franklin

Is Stevia Sweetener really natural?

Yep!  We consumers have been duped once again, and the manufacturer (Cargill*) of Stevia Sweetener will pay a fine.

Full post at: Fooducate

Does anyone else find it strange that America and her children have never been fatter, sicker, and malnourished and we can't seem to figure out why.

Check out the "ingredients" in water

p.s. Have a former work colleague (a nurse) that swore she got migraines from diet sodas.

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. 

Common Cathedral: Sharing Lunch and the Eucharist on Boston Common

This past Sunday was a spectacular day. At 6:00AM the rain was pouring.  By 8:00AM, it was still raining and chilly.   Our church's confirmation class (approximately 8 young men and women) were scheduled to make sandwiches and deliver them to Boston Common.  We would participate in the worship service with Common Cathedral that would be held outside (rain or shine/snow or sleet).*  Knowing that we most likely would prepare and provide processed foods,  I made homemade chocolate chip cookies to share.  Recipe below:

Chewy Mini Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies 

(minus the butter)

makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup Earth Balance, softened (non dairy buttery spread) no hydrogenated oils here

3/4 granulated sugar

3/4 cup backed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour (unbleached)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate mini chunks (or semi sweet chocolate chips) - semi sweet contain contain zero milk

Heat oven to 375°.  Mix softened Earth Balance, sugars, egg and vanilla.  Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff).  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons on to cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, slightly golden brown on the bottom and you can smell them in the oven.  Let cool on cookie sheet.  

(To create bars prepare as noted above and place in glass 13x9 baking dish - or spray other baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Approximately 15- 20 minutes.)

*Those of us from New England can appreciate that the weather broke, and the day turned in to a fantastic fall day filled with brilliant sunshine and 70 degrees.   We shared lunch, prayers, hope, faith and community.  As my mom says, "there but by the grace of God."

On a side note:  the phrase, "Good Bye" comes from the old English: "God be with ye."

Pear (or Apple) Crisp for that Fall New England Morning (Dairy-Free)

Four pears (or apples) - or a combination of the two (about 3-4 cups)

1 and 1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup unbleached flour

This smells delicious baking on a cool, fall morning.

1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup Earth Balance (vegan buttery stick)

Preheat oven to 375°

Rub baking dish with Earth Balance (or any vegan buttery spread)
Slice pears with skin on is fine, especially if they are way over ripe (peel apples) and place in shallow baking dish 

Mix rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg
Melt Earth Balance and stir in to mixture until coated

Sprinkle mixture over pears (apples)

Bake for 20 minutes or until fruit is easy to pierce and sides are bubbling.  (Apples will take longer to bake than overripe pears.)

Update:  friend just shared with me that pears are a terrific Fall food for those individuals that have a "hot" stomach.  (That is they may experience indigestion and crave foods that will "cool" their stomaches.)  Fall is also the season for lungs and pears are good for the lungs.  

The Food Project - Serve & Grow

"Our mission is to grow a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. We produce healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs and provide youth leadership opportunities. Most importantly, we strive to inspire and support others to create change in their own communities."

What We Do

Young People at the Lynn FarmSince 1991, The Food Project has built a national model of engaging young people in personal and social change through sustainable agriculture. Each year, we work with over 150 teenagers andthousands of volunteers to farm on 40 acres in eastern Massachusetts in the towns and cities of Beverly, Boston, Lincoln, and Lynn. We consider our hallmark to be our focus on identifying and transforming a new generation of leaders by placing teens in unusually responsible roles, with deeply meaningful work.

Food from our farms is distributed through our community supported agriculture programs and farmers' markets, and donated to local hunger relief organizations. The young people working in our programs participate in all of these distribution streams, giving them valuable job experiences and a personal connection to our food system and issues of food justice.

In addition to producing and distributing food, we help others grow their own food through our community programs and provide training resources based on all we have learned since 1991.

Purchased a Naked Juice Lately? You might have $45 bucks coming your way...

Seems Naked Juice (a PepsiCo Company) has been using the term "all Natural" when (ahem) that might not be the case...

Link to Naked Juice class action lawsuit to claim your $45 bucks (and $75 with receipts).  

p.s. Thanks to Fooducate for spreading the word.

Cliff Diving - Boston Harbor - roof of the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art)

Way...way... cool....

Video

For more information

p.s. disappointed to see "candy-in-a-can" advertisement.

p.s.s. Had the opportunity to attend the event - it was incredible.  The "candy-in-a-can" company that sponsored the event made an announcement that a certain percentage of sales goes to the American Diabetes Association.  My husband and I thought that was (sadly) hysterical.