day 44. july 14. 2010. July 14, 2010

Through my ecojunkie research I happened upon a great organization based in the US called Women’s Voices for the Earth. I have had a couple of conversations with Cassidy Randall, the Program and Outreach Coordinator for WVE. Last week, Cassidy asked me to be one of the first “Actionistas” for WVE. I sent out the following email as my first “Actionista Action!”

Hi all

An organization I’m involved with called Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) just put out a new report on fragrance chemicals in household cleaners linked to respiratory disorders, hormone disruption, reduced fertility and birth defects-and these chemicals are showing up in blood, breast milk, and even in newborns! The worst part is that cleaning product companies don’t have to tell us what’s in their products; they are legally allowed to keep these ingredients a secret from us! But WVE and I are working to change this.

If you are willing, please click on the link below to take a quick minute to send cleaning product manufacturers an email telling them to come clean on fragrance chemicals? Here’s the link:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2708/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4109

Scroll to the bottom, fill in your info and click “Send Your Message”.

Thanks all!!

Heather

day 28. june 28. 2010. June 28, 2010

My juicer.

I LOVE my juicer. It was a recommendation from my dear friend and spirit-sister Becca. She has the same one. This thing will juice anything. The week it arrived via a very convoluted journey from the USA (long story) I started a juice fast. And I did a nine day cleansing juice fast and let me tell you I am darn proud of myself because I didn’t think I would last two days. Remember I LOVE FOOD.

This is my juicer.

I’ve been experimenting with lots of different juices, everything from cabbage to kale to ginger… all my favourite fruits, apples, lemons, limes, strawberries (they don’t juice very well) to herbs; parsley and mint, my two favourites.

A glorious way to start the morning:

• carrot
• apple
• cabbage
• mint
• lemon
• parsley
• ginger

A glass of this juice and a glass of water before my yoga in the morning sun and I am so good to go for the day!

day 23. june 23. 2010. June 23, 2010

Pots and Pans.

Teflon. Nasty stuff. The chemical used to make non-stick pans is found in over 95% of our bloodstreams (and 100% of umbilical cords). PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is extremely persistent, stick to our tissues indefinitely, and is considered toxic and carcinogenic to humans. Not only is it found in the non-stick coating in your frying pan, but also in industrial waste, stain resistant carpets, carpet cleaning liquids, house dust, microwave popcorn bags, water, food, and and other sources of PTFE.

As a part of my packing and “stuff reduction plan” I am getting rid of all my old Teflon cookware. I am on the hunt for a non stick eco friendly replacement that my new roommate and I can agree on!

day 22. june 22. 2010. June 22, 2010

The Vegan Food Pyramid.

day 21. june 21. 2010. June 21, 2010

Cooking.

Have I mentioned I love to cook? I also love to eat. And I really love to eat good food. Really good food. Complex flavours and unexpected combinations. So going vegan was a challenge I was really excited about! It meant that there was a whole new world of cooking opening up for me. I started researching new ingredients and started pouring over recipes online – purchasing new recipe books – adding new iPhone apps – my typical all out reaction to something “new” in my life!

Jumping! In! With! Both! Feet!

Two books I’d like to mention that really helped with the transition:

Becoming Vegan – by Brenda Davis | I was a little apprehensive that I would be able to maintain a very healthy diet as a vegan. Not whether or not it was possible, but only whether or not I could maintain it. This was the most comprehensive book I could find on the subject. It really goes in depth on vegan health, how to get enough protein, eating a balanced diet and the vegan food guide (a new pyramid!). It’s a fantastic reference and I find myself referencing it regularly.

refresh – by Ruth Tal | To be quite honest, if we didn’t have FRESH RESTAURANTS in Toronto I would have been a lot more apprehensive about going vegan and LIKING it. Their food is phenomenal, without a doubt one of my favourite lunch spots in the city, and I absolutely cannot get enough of their Mega Life Salad with Green Dressing. The refresh cookbook is all of their best recipes with gorgeous photos of each dish. They also dedicate an entire section to juicing. More on juicing later.

day 20. june 20. 2010. June 20, 2010

Yoga.

Does Yoga have anything to do with being an ecojunkie? I would suggest yes. Yoga helps you to become more aware, not only of your own spirit and soul, but also of how that soul is in tune with the rest of the world and the universe; the people, the plants, the soil, the water, the animals and God; the creator of everything. Awareness is one of the most difficult things (for me) to keep in the forefront of my mind.

I am easily distracted. I am easily swayed.  OH! LOOK! SHINY THINGS!

Seriously.

I have practiced yoga on and off for about twelve years. Mostly OFF of late, but lately I have taken to starting the day with sun salutations. I have a wonderful house down by the lake with a very unique layout that allows me to practice yoga in a large hardwood floored space while overlooking my park-like backyard.

I feel very lucky to have this space and have been taking advantage of it. Especially now that I know that I only have it for a few more months. And the loft is a wee bit smaller. I will have to find a good yoga studio.

day 17. june 17. 2010. June 17, 2010

So my first vegan meal after ‘THE VIDEO’ was the most delicious lentil burgers EVER. Homemade. From scratch. YUM. This recipe came to me via my “Whole Foods Market Recipes” iPhone App.

Ingredients

1 pound (1 1/2 cups) red lentils
5 cups water, salted
1 cup minced onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup minced carrot (1 large)
2 teaspoons (2 cloves) minced garlic  (I love garlic so I used MUCH more!)
Olive oil for the skillet
2 cups chopped crimini mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
10 ounces firm tofu, pureed in a blender

Method

In a large pot, simmer the lentils in salted water until tender. Drain and cool.

In a large skillet, sauté the onion, carrot and garlic in 1 teaspoon olive oil until tender, about 2 minutes

Add the mushrooms, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated, approximately 5 minutes, and allow to cool.

Add the bread crumbs, lemon juice, pureed tofu, 2 tablespoons olive oil and cooked lentils and mix to combine. Transfer to a large bowl. Chill for 30 minutes and then shape into 8 patties.

Pan fry in olive oil in a large skillet until each side is crisp and golden. Finish in a 350°F oven if necessary to heat through.

day 15. june 15. 2010. June 15, 2010

Vegan.

Often, eyebrows raise. “What….”, s/he paused, “um… brought that on?”

I know, I know. It seems an extreme position to take. Well, you tell me what you would do after watching this video:

narrated by Alec Baldwin. VERY convincing voice he has.

day 14. june 14. 2010. June 14, 2010

Ok. I have to admit. I have a “bit” of an obsession with reusable water bottles. I LOVE THEM. I have one for the gym. (Its an aluminum bottle by SIGG, its white with this really cool black graphic on it.) I have a stainless steel bottle that is always in my car. Its just plain steel. Silver.

Then I have a black SIGG for the office. And another green stainless steel that I bought at Chapters, but the paint started coming off all over my hands and that made me sort of nervous, so I recycled it.

And then, last week… I saw these:

Can you hear the music???  They are LifeFactory Glass Water Bottles with a silicone sleeve.

AHHHHHHH…. so pretty. So functional. So pretty. In Canada you can get them on the Lavish&Lime website (out of Vancouver).

To recap: (haha)

• BPA, phthalate, PVC, and polycarbonate free
• Silicone sleeve is free of plastics and 100% non-toxic
• All materials are FDA approved
• With glass there is no chemical leaching and no metallic taste
• Widemouth bottle make it easy to add ice, citrus slices, tea bags, etc
• Patent pending silicone sleeve provides a great gripping surface and helps to prevent breakage
• Bottle and sleeve can be put in the dishwasher together
• 22oz (650ml)

AND!!!! They make a baby version. Remember when babies drank out of perfectly PBA-free glass bottles? Yup, you can still get them! Actually, I think the baby bottle version came first, which makes sense, ‘cuz… oh never mind.

Anyway, I don’t want a baby, but IF I DID you can make a safe bet that these would be the bottles I’d be ordering. In, like, every colour.

day 13. june 13. 2010. June 13, 2010

BioSource Solutions. For those of you who would prefer NOT to support a major chemical conglomerate, perhaps BioSource Solutions would be a better fit? Canadian company, headquartered in Welland, Ontario (originally from NovaScotia) most of BioSource’s products are certified by the Government of Canada’s EcoLogo Program. A great choice and top marks for its Kitchen and Bath Spray Cleaner! Best of all products are available at Sears. And also at Walmart – but that is another post all together.