Food, Inc.

So I just finished watching the recently released movie, "Food, Inc."

Wow, what an eye opener. I mean, there are more and more books, news stories, and movies coming out that are opening our eyes to the food industry and how we get the food that we eat. But man, it is tough to watch! I told you in earlier posts that I had read Skinny Bitch, and there is only a single chapter (a few pages) that touches on the meat industry and slaughterhouses.

Food, Inc. goes into a lot more detail regarding the POWER involved in this industry. Power abused by the FDA and multi-national companies...but also the power that we have as consumers! I encourage anyone to watch this...even though it is hard to get through...and it really makes you cringe inside when watching/listening to various stories and encounters. BUT, it is also another tool that is helping to educate us about what we are eating and where it is coming from.

The movie even featured Chipotle (one of my favorite restaurants) and their motto, "Food With Integrity". Over the years, they have moved closer and closer to only choosing naturally raised (no antibiotics & vegetarian-fed) meat products. It makes me love this place even more!!

It definitely reaffirms my decision to quit eating beef, chicken, and pork...which is going well, I might add. I am starting to collect many good vegetarian recipes and talk with a lot more vegetarians about their transition to vegetarianland. :) And I discovered a new Morning Star product that I love:

I'm not kidding...these things are yummy!! Just give them a try :)

Well, I think I will get on with my Saturday of resting, relaxing, and maybe a little knitting (I finished the carrot and am now onto the cucumber...pics will come later). Happy Saturday!

And the Garden Gets Bigger...

The newest addition...let me present, the garlic:

Hehe...I can't help it, I just think these little vegetables are so cute! A trip to the yarn shop is a must tomorrow...gotta get more yarn for my carrot, cucumber, and pea pod! And then the collection will be complete! Muuaaahhh! :)

Oh, and I also joined a knitting Meet-Up group which I'm pretty excited about. I was a little hesitant at first, but I figured it'd be a good way to meet some more people here and at the same time, get to do something that I love. Plus, they do a lot of knitting for charity (knitting scarves/blankets for local homeless shelters), which is something I am really interested in doing. So, stay tuned for "As the Garden Grows..."

The Movie Fanatic that I Am

These are the movies I am most excited about this Spring...













Also, Sex and the City 2 & Eclipse!! The movie theaters should send me a "thank you" for all the money they get from me! Ha :)

Meat, It's What's (Not) For Dinner

So I told you I would continue to post on my venture towards semi-vegetarianism. Starting in January I swore off red meat...now, it hasn't been difficult to not eat it. I didn't really eat a lot of burgers or steaks before...just every once in awhile. However, it is difficult to remember sometimes, since I have eaten red meat for my entire life. It just comes natural, to be at a restaurant and begin looking at all of the options (including the ones with red meat) and then think "Oh! Look away! Look away!" Haha...it's like re-teaching yourself where to look on the menu.

When Cody and I went to San Francisco for the day, on the way home I was like "Hey, let's get 'In N' Out!" (It's an awesome burger joint only in the west) and then 2 minutes later I thought "Wait, I don't eat burgers anymore! Nevermind!"

So, it's not really something I'd say that I miss, but I am constantly thinking about what I am going to eat whether at home or out. Which I think is a good thing...I have been eating a lot more fish/shrimp and salads and pastas. I actually have only eaten chicken once...and truthfully, it was because I wasn't really thinking about what I was ordering. Otherwise, I probably would have ordered my dish w/o chicken...no biggie.

I had my first veggie burger the other day...honestly, not too bad! It was loaded with some stuff ;) but still, it definitely doesn't taste near as "off" from a regular burger than I thought. And for some time now, I've been in love with these puppies:

Morning Star's Chik Patties (made out of vegetables)

But honestly, they taste delicious! So close to actual chicken! I haven't branched out yet to the other Morning Star options (sausage, bacon, etc.) but I plan on it...

The only other thing that I think is hard when becoming a vegetarian/semi-vegetarian is making others aware of it. We went to a dinner at a neighbor's house and I hadn't mentioned that I wasn't eating red meat anymore so I had to sneakily place my ham onto Cody's plate when the host wasn't looking! :o Ahh, I felt so bad...it's just something that I definitely need to be more vocal about if we are eating at someone's house. I think most people that I've told think I'm crazy for giving up meat...but I have my reasons and it's going well. So, here's to a healthier me! :)

Veggie Tales

I got this new knitting book on sale after Christmas called Amigurumi Knits...

"Amigurumi", derived from the Japanese, literally means encompassing knit. It has basically come to include any knitted, or crocheted, plush creation that can be described as cute! So the book contains mini-creations such as veggies, underwater creatures, and backyard critters.

Check out the cute veggies I have made so far...

A luscious eggplant and a ripe tomato

I mean, come on...how cute are they?? Harley seems to think that they are toys, so I keep having to make sure he doesn't start chewing on them. :) I plan on giving them to one of my friends who has kids...they would be great for children to play with while they are learning to talk and identify objects. If anyone wants dibs on them, just let me know!!

*Stay tuned for more veggies...a carrot, cucumber, pea pod and garlic

I Left My Heart in San Francisco!

So, one of our goals before Cody leaves Monterey was to take a trip to San Francisco...so we did just that! We took a day trip yesterday and really enjoyed ourselves...we did just enough but didn't feel like our day was too jam-packed.

First off, we had lunch reservations at this amazing restaurant called The Stinkin' Rose!

My friend Joel introduced me to this place when I was at a conference in SF about a year and a half ago. It is a restaurant whose slogan is "We season our garlic with food!" So, as you can imagine...everything on the menu is garlic, garlic, garlic! But delicious!


We ordered the famous appetizer "Bagna Calda" which translates as "hot bath" in Italian and is described on the menu as "garlic soaking in a hot tub!" Hahah (there's even a little picture of little cloves of garlic soaking in a little hot tub in the moonlight with glasses of wine). How cute?!

I ordered the ravioli stuffed with potato and cheese smothered in garlic basil Alfredo sauce...

And Cody ordered the pork chop (topped with garlic), garlic mashed potatoes, and caramelized apples (no garlic in these I don't think)! I just couldn't resist taking pictures of our food...it was all so yummy and we were so full by the time we were done.

We decided to walk off our meal through Chinatown which was close by:

We even stopped into one of the local Chinatown bars and had my favorite...

Tsingtao

Then, we headed back to Pier 33 where we boarded a ferry for the final portion of our trip. A night tour of Alcatraz!! This was probably the highlight of our day...and definitely worth the trip. The ferry took us all around the island, included a 45-minute audio tour which featured commentary by actual correctional officers and prisoners of Alcatraz, and allowed us to walk around Alcatraz at night (which, yes, definitely added to the spookiness)!

Listening to our audio tour in the cell-house

I look pretty happy for being jailed up :)

View of beautiful San Francisco all lit up! Successful trip indeed!

meet.Mark

So, I am super excited...I have decided to become a mark Representative and I just got my Starter Kit in the mail today!! :)


For those of you who don't know what Mark is, it is a line of products sold by Avon (makeup, skincare, haircare...the "works"). It's a bit more tailored to a younger crowd and over the years has started selling clothes, bags and jewelry too. Fun stuff! I started buying Mark a few years back and have never bought anything that I wasn't completely satisfied with. It seems as though this brand really takes an interest in what they are putting out there as their products! Anyway, I have wanted to sell it for quite some time and have finally signed up to be a Rep.

Now, okay, I know what you're thinking...I am realistic here, in that, I don't expect to become a millionaire off selling Mark. I am actually really just doing it for fun. I believe in their products and I have turned a few people onto Mark...so doing that while earning a little bit of money couldn't hurt, right? Plus, their Starter Kit (and Rep discount) rocks:

I got all of these awesome products just to get started...love it!

And isn't this mini brush set the cutest...perfect to fit into a purse/clutch?!

Alright, well, just in case you all want to shop around and purchase some Mark products from me...here's my Mark shop

Stay tuned for more posts and updates on Mark promos, products, and my business!

Salsa Lessons!

Harley thought that I should post a delicious recipe for salsa. It is easy, can be spiced up or spiced down and is quite tasty!

Ingredients:

3-4 jalapenos*
1 lg can of stewed tomatoes
1/4 of an onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves (or you can use substitute garlic powder)
1/4 cup of cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. pepper

Recipe:

• Boil jalapenos for 20 minutes (their color will change a bit). Let cool and chop up (getting rid of stems).

• In a blender or food processor, add jalapeno pieces, can of stewed tomatoes, onions, garlic and all spices. Blend well for 1-2 minutes.

• Serve with chips or add to tacos/burritos/salads/etc.

*Go with 4 peppers if you prefer spice, 2-3 if you like your salsa more mild! 4 jalapenos will knock your socks off!

As you can see, Harley likes it with chips! ;)

~Recipe: Compliments of my good friend, Marion~
~Enjoy~

Look Out! It's a Giant Tower of Movies

Yeah, so no need to go the movie store to rent a movie...just ask us and we probably own it. Most of you know how much Cody and I love going to the movies, but did you know how many movies we actually own?? Actually, I don't even have an accurate count at the moment, but I know it's over 250. It's getting a little ridiculous!! I always told Cody that I wanted the DVD collection that Cameron Diaz's character has in The Holiday (I think we're getting there).

We always take advantage of Blockbuster's 4 for $20 deal or Target's $5 movies. Basically, we can pretty much always find a movie that we desperately need to own! ;) Tonight, we found out that the Hollywood Video near by is closing and they are having major deals! So, um, yeah we had to go and add to our collection.

Check out what we bought (I'm sure you can guess which ones I picked out and which ones Cody picked out):


They had so many to choose from...we could have probably bought 10 more. But I think the employees behind the counter were getting ready to cut us off. Here's hoping they never discontinue DVD players!!!

What's your favorite movie(s) of all time?

A Day on the Wharf

Well Cody is back to me safe and sound after his vacation over the holidays to see his family in IL. And so we (when I say we here, I mean I) decided that we would go out for breakfast this morning. We (and when I say we here, I mean he) also decided that if we went out for breakfast this morning, then we would not go out to eat all the rest of the week. Evidently, we spend too much money going out to eat...go figure.

I woke Cody up and we drove to our favorite little breakfast dive right on one of the wharfs/piers in downtown Monterey.


It is the cutest little place, called Lou Lou's: Griddle in the Middle...adorable! They have great breakfast (omelets = yum, pancakes bigger than your head) and their lunch is good too. It's great 'cause their seafood is so fresh, being right in the harbor. I was super excited....but low and behold, we get there and they were CLOSED!!

So disappointed. Luckily, there's a little place right below them (at water level) that was open for brunch that we had eaten at before. And the best part...

Sea otters and other marine life will just swim up to the window while guests are enjoying their meals. And, of course, I had my camera ready for such a moment! How cute!! ;)

After brunch, we decided to spend some time walking along the pier and taking some photos of beautiful Monterey. We hadn't seen the water that blue & clear before!

Marina full of gorgeous boats and yachts

The open waters

Some pelicans and birds just chillin' at the edge of the pier

I love it here! We are so blessed to be living in this beautiful area!
I'm going to miss it when we have to leave :(

Great Book!

Well, I just thought for a short post, I would recommend a book that I just got done reading. My previous boss (who also recommended that I read Skinny Bitch) is in a monthly book club. I definitely plan on becoming a part of one someday...they just seem like so much fun! Anyway, she and I have similar interest in books, so when I left my job, she bought me this book that she had been reading, The Help



It is such a great book...written about 3 women during the civil rights movement in Jackson, MS. It's all about breaking down personal boundaries, following dreams and friendship.

Read more here

Day 1 of No Red Meat!

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2010! Wow, that just sounds so weird. Here's to forgetting it's 2010 and still writing '09 on everything! I do that for at least a couple of weeks. ;)

I told you I would post more on my decision to become a vegetarian. Well, in all actuality, I will most likely be a semi-vegetarian. Semi- meaning that I plan on continuing to eat fish (I can't imagine my life w/o sushi!). This all started when I read:



My boss recommended it to me...and now, the book is written by vegans who basically just describe all of the bad (awful!) things that we put into our bodies. It's written in a very fun/sarcastic kind of tone; it makes you laugh, but it was also hard to get through at times. When I got done, I was just like..."Wow, I need to make some changes!" Now, it's easier said than done, especially if you've been eating the same way for your entire life. Originally, after reading it, I switched my sugar/sweetener...you should read all of the horrible things about Splenda! So, that was Step 1. I stopped drinking soda for a couple of months (yes, I currently am back to drinking it at the moment). At the end of the book, the authors said that if the best you can do is start taking steps towards healthier eating habits, then that is great! It doesn't suggest that you should just wake up one day and vow never to eat meat and dairy products again. It's like setting yourself up for failure right away.

So, starting today, I am giving up red meat. No more hamburgers, no more steaks, etc. I honestly don't think this will be too hard. Chicken might be a bit more difficult...and this will be given up after January.

Now, you ask why am I doing this? Well, one reason is for health benefits. By not eating meat, I think it will force me to branch out to healthier substitutes. And after reading the chapter about slaughterhouses in the book, it is really hard to see a piece of meat and not think about the torture that animals go through. Granted, I know this is a bit hypocritical...I mean if I was all about 'no cruelty to animals' I would go vegan. And I agree, it's hard to say, I won't eat meat from a cow but I will still eat cheese and drink milk made from that same cow. However, I am starting out slow with this stuff. Who knows, maybe someday it will lead me to become vegan. Baby steps...I mean, a little effort goes a long way.

That's the plan for 2010...definitely eat healthier. I have already begun a new love for Trader Joe's!! Look at all of the yummy stuff I got there the other day:



Soy Vanilla Ice Cream (um, yeah...it's yummy)
Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Margharita pizza (with fresh mozzarella and a package of basil for topping)
Clementines
Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Seeds (MMMmmmm)
Cranberry Apple Butter & Pumpkin Butter (to top on the Soy Ice Cream)
And, Swiss Beer Fondue (maybe not so healthy, but Cody and I love fondue)

In addition, I also got their Vegan frozen vegetable fried rice, frozen Orange Chicken, and Sweet Potato Frites! Overall, I would say it was a successful shopping trip.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing New Years Day!

What is everyone's New Year's Resolutions?