Sunny With A Chance of Bacon Cheeseburger Hash-YUM!

Today, Joe & I are making foods again! It's been too long (vegan MOFO awhile ago!) so Joe & I are back and making hash, bacon cheeseburger hash in fact. It's from "Betty Goes Vegan" by Annie & Dan Shannon and we LOVE it! We've made a few recipes but this is the first we are blogging about. So let's get to it!

 The Recipe:
 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 dashes liquid smoke
1 cup vegan ground beef, crumbled
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 lb frozen frozen home fries
2 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian Seasoning
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar Daiya cheese
Vegan bacon bits

 In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat. Once the olive oil is hot, add the vegan ground beef and a dash of liquid smoke. Fry the vegan ground beef until lightly browned and crispy. Transfer the vegan ground beef to a small bowl. To the heated skillet, add another tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion, home fries and liquid smoke. Brown those for around 5 minutes. Once they start to get little crispy edges, toss the vegan burger back in. Add the Bragg's, tomatoes, parsley and Creole seasoning. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, flipping occasionally. Turn the heat down to a simmer and toss vegan cheese on top. Don't mix it in and allow too melt, around 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, sprinkle some vegan bacon bits and serve with pickles!  

The Reviews:  

From Joe: "Pretty good! I couldn't find home fries and so I used hash-browns instead. Next time I would add some spinach when I put in the onions & hash-browns. The recipe says to add liquid smoke to the oil but all that did for me was result in splattering hot oil over everything. An easy and delicious dinner (or breakfast)!"  

From Alex: "Pretty great! I'm not a huge tomato person so I would have used smaller dices (it's a texture thing for me) but other than that I really liked it. This is something you could easily add more veggies to if you wanted like spinach or artichokes or something for more texture and different flavors. It was a very comfort food kind of meal and I enjoyed it!" So there you have it folks, some delicious vegan comfort food for your plate and tummies! Here is some food pics for you to enjoy and thanks to the Shannons for a delicious recipe from their amazing cookbook! :D

Also I forgot to mention in my last post I got my parents' old VCR and some of my family's old VHS tapes so check out what I watched:

Jealous a bit? You should definitely be! Alright have a great day chickens :D


 

Rainy With a Chance of Self-Butt-Kicking

Okay, I have been way busy but I've also been way easy on letting myself make excuses for not "having the time" to do something and that needs to stop. In particular with regards to this blog, my acting career, and exercise. I need to kick my own butt into gear. But I also want to be honest about it all so here goes.

I am super duper busy. Crazy busy. I am working 40 hours a week, going to Improv class Monday nights, Interning Wednesday nights, Stage Managing a play Friday & Saturday nights as well as Sunday early afternoon, actor group meeting every other week, swimming 1-4 a week, etc. That's a lot, so sometimes I let myself take the easy way outta doing stuff and I need to stop!

This blog. I love it, I do. And I want to pour more time into it but at the end of the day when I'm tired I just don't. Instead I go lay in bed watch something on Netflix instant and fall asleep. I need to give myself 30 minutes to this blog a day. MINIMUM. No excuses. I love the weekly schedule. I might even jazz it up a little because I had SO much fun doing recipes during vegan MoFo in October I want a day for vegan foods! This is a must in my schedule and I need to treat it as such!

My acting career. I have joined an actor group to help me hold me accountable for my goals (setting them accomplishing them). I think this will help a lot but I need to make sure that I am doing something every day to get out of this "pay the bills" job and into my acting CAREER. Notice the difference. One is a job, the other a career. I need to make it the most important thing and I haven't been because well I've been too stressed about finances. Instead of putting my dream first I've been putting money first. And while, yes, I need money to survive and to pay for the apartment, car, insurances, food, etc. I need to be giving my career weight too. And I haven't been. So no more of that my lord, no more of that!

Exercise. I hate it. Well not really. I love having done it. And most times even during the process I enjoy myself. But I loathe going to exercise. It is like pulling teeth to get me to the pool or the gym or the pilates studio. It really is. If I'm tired I rationalize that sleep is better than working out. If I'm not feeling well then I should just lay down & sleep instead of working out. Basically it all comes down to sleep or exercise and I ALWAYS choose sleep. I thought I helped myself out a little by joining a Master Swimmers team and paying for it and then a friend joined and we were swimming together. But some days our schedules don't match and this week things came up and I had 2 scheduled swim times with her and didn't swim either! I need to stop with this, my health NEEDS to be important to me. I have an f-ed up back that needs attention, I have weight that I want to lose to help with that, I have family history of diabetes and high blood pressure. I do not want to allow myself to make excuses for not working out. So hopefully by saying this out loud (well out loud on this blog) I am helping kick my own butt into gear on this. I am also planning to schedule swim times & find a buddy to be accountable to on the East Coast so they can call my ass and wake me up (7am here is 10am there so it'll be easy on them time wise since they will already be up). I need to make this happen. I no longer want to allow myself to be physically lazy. I think I want to have Joe, Colonel Mustard and I go hiking too on the weekends so all 3 of us can get outdoors and work out together which will make it more fun than a chore.


So my dear chickens I am sorry that there was no CM Monday or TCM Tuesday post. But this is a Good for MY world Wednesday post. Perhaps these goal setting adventures of mine will help you set some G.F.Your.W goals as well. :D

Sunny With a Chance of Blerg!

Blerg! I have been sucking it up lately friends by not posting. Unfortunately for me life was kicking my butt this round. I've been uber busy lately: stage managing a play, working, applying for certain things, Improv class, interning, helping my sister with her wedding, swimming, thinking about Joe & I getting married, a new group my friend is starting here in LA for actors, dealing with my sister needing ovarian surgery, and still sick to boot! Needless to say it's been a bit of a busy time and I've been thrown a few curve balls like my tire popping on the highway, some finance issues, and very trouble-seeking 2 year old pup! Please bear with me through these, er, growing pains. I am still trying to wrap my head around some things and get my schedule working. Here is some brief stuff to catch up our schedule:

Colonel Mustard Monday:
"I'm still living the good life! I turned 2 in January and mom says I can be "terrible 2" sometimes but I like to think of it as "terrific 2"! Like today, I chewed and chewed and played and slept and had some treats and snuggles and now am back to chewing my dental dino. Can't beat that!"





TCM Tuesday:
To satisfy your need of classic film I give you...


It's showing tonight on TCM at 11:45pm. Here be your quickie synopsis:
Set in July 1912, a traveling salesman, "Professor" Harold Hill (Robert Preston), arrives in River City, Iowa, via train. Intrigued by the challenge of swindling the famously stubborn natives of Iowa as talked about by fellow traveling salesmen. He is a traveling "band instructor". Professor Hill plans to con the citizens of River City into paying him to create a boys' marching band, including instruments, uniforms, and music instruction. Once he has collected the money and the instruments and uniforms have arrived, he will hop the next train out of town leaving them without their money or a band.

With help from his associate Marcellus Washburn (Buddy Hackett), who is now living in River City and is the only one who knows Hill's real name, "Gregory"; Hill incites mass concern among the citizens of River City that their young boys are being seduced into a world of sin and vice by the new pool table in town. Hill convinces them that a boys' marching band is the only way to keep the boys of the town pure and out of trouble, and begins collecting their money.

Hill anticipates the town's librarian and piano instructor Marian (Shirley Jones), will attempt to discredit him, so he sets out to seduce her into silence. Also in opposition to Hill is the town's Mayor Shinn (Paul Ford) & his wife Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn (Hermione Gingold). Meanwhile, Hill attempts to win the heart of Marian, who has an extreme distrust of men and him in particular. His charms have little effect upon her until he wins the admiration of both her mother (Pert Kelton) and her withdrawn and unhappy younger brother Winthrop (Ron Howard). Marian falls in love with Hill, and hides evidence she has that proves he is a fraud.

The band's instruments arrive and Hill tells the boys to learn to play via the "Think System," in which they simply have to think of a tune over and over and will know how to play it without ever touching their instruments. In the meantime, Marian is falling more in love with Harold. Hill's con is nearly complete; all he has to do is collect the rest of the instrument and uniform money, and he can disappear.

He is about to leave town when a disgruntled anvil salesman who had been run out of Brighton, Illinois in a backlash to Hill's having conned the townspeople there comes to River City and exposes Hill and his plans. Chased by an angry mob of River City citizens (and pressed to leave town by Marcellus and Marian) Hill realizes that he is in love with Marian and can't leave. He is captured by the mob and brought before a town meeting to be tarred and feathered. Hill is saved by the boys' band who "play" their own instruments (very poorly). Hill remains in River City and there is a huge parade and fanfare!

Enjoy this delightful musical tonight! :)

Good for the World Wednesdays:
I want to introduce you all to 2 things today. The first being my new favorite go to quick lunch--salad wraps! I know, so simple and everyone knows how to make their own version of one but I am currently obsessed so deal with it. Joe made me blackened tempeh and it's wrapped up with baby greens, scallion, carrot, mushroom, chickpeas, and a hummus salad dressing. We've been snacking on this like whoa! The second thing I want to share is one of my very favorite advocacy groups Farm Sanctuary. They constantly have ways of adopting a farm animal that's been rescued, educational articles, petitions to stand up for animal rights, everything really to help provide an actual sanctuary for farm animals everywhere. I want to adopt everything (I specifically loved their turkeys at "Friendsgiving" and wanted to adopt all of those lil guys) and hope you join me in loving everything they do!

Okay tomorrow I shall try and post about the theatre I am involved with for your Thursday enjoyment! Thanks chickens and see you soon. Promise!

Sunny With a Chance of Friendsgiving!!!

Oh friends! I am so sorry for not posting in quite some time. It has been a month. I have so many pictures from the weddings last month that I want to share with you & loads to catch you up on (some great things & some trials/tribulations). But today I just want to give thanks.

So thank you to all of you who do read this little blog & to those who follow it publicly super thank you! I promise I will get my butt in gear and get back to posting on the regs!! Thank you to all my friends for being friends, to all those friends I have parted ways with (good and bad partings) thank you for making me who I am today and being my friend at the time you were. You all have helped me learn who I am & who I am not. To my family thank you for being bat-shit crazy and so loyal and supportive. Though we don't always get along you are always there for me. Thank you to my boyfriend. I LOVE YOU!!! Thanks for being "home", my safe place, my best friend, my sweetie, and my MoneyPenny! LOVE LOVE LOVE you! Thank you to my puppy Colonel Mustard for all your puppy kisses, snuggles, pounces, prancing, keeping my feet warm, and your soft ears! You're are the best fur baby a rescue mama could ask for & I am so lucky that Kari found you that 14th of August & that we got there one day before they were going to euthanize you! Thank you to all my doctors-my back is literally a huge pain in the ass but I am so thankful to the doctors, my pilates/rehab instructor & friend Dionna, my acupuncturist Oscar, my new Swim instructors at SCAQ, and everyone who is helping keep me healthy!

Basically I am thankful for all the people in my life, for the ability to live each day in a city always showing me new things, the ability to pursue my acting dreams whilst still paying the bills, the fact that I've stayed out of surgery for 6 years, the fact that I have a honey who loves me as fiercely as he did almost 6 years ago (AHHH! February is rapidly approaching), and that tomorrow I get to host our 2nd annual Friendsgiving! I am so excited y'all!

Joe & I have meticulously planned out this menu & here is what we are making for dinner (eat your hearts out):

Appetizers (to be served with homemade bread):
-Sun-dried Tomato Dip
-Savory Tofu Dip

Salads:
-Warm Spinach Salad
-Pressed Salad

Main Dish:
-Lemon-Thyme-Agave Braised Vegan Short Ribs and Seared Tofu Scallops in a Mineola Tangelo-Saffron Sauce!

Sides:
-Kabocha Squash with Creminis & Herbs
-Sweet Potato & Banana Casserole
-Polish Dill Mashed Potatoes
-Garlic Glazed Green Beans
-Kale with Pine Nuts & Currants
-Chestnut Stuffing
-Cranberry Chutney

Desserts:
-Chocolate Pumpkin Tart
-Apple Crisp
-Pumpkin-Cranberry Scones
-Almond-Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Isn't your mouth just watering right now?! Mine is (Colonel's too)...mmmm! Hope you all have wonderful Thanksgivings full of love & traditions. Cannot wait to hear all about them & tell you how ours goes! See you soon chickens! :D

Partly Sunny With a Chance of Pampering

So dear chickens here are some of my very favorite eco-friendly beauty products for you to help yourself pamper with & save the planet with:

Kiss My Face Active Enzyme Deodorant. This deodorant does not contain aluminum, artificial colors, or animal ingredients. It is not tested on animals. It contains baking soda, clay, and a vegetable enzyme that neutralize and absorb odor. It is a solid deodorant stick that goes on clear & smells like vanilla if you get this one:



Kiss My Face Shampoo & Conditioner the Whenever type. It is amazing on these tresses and doesn't contain any parabens, sls, etc.



I love the following for my face lotion (Avalon Organics with SPF) & eye cream to prevent wrinkles (Burt's Bees Ageless):





To tame my fro I use the following gel (Giovanni LA Style Organic gel) & hair mist (John Masters Sea Mist with Lavender):





For make-up I keep it pretty simple with just a little eye shadow (Physicians Formula for blue eyes), mascara (Physicians Formula Organic Wear mascara) & Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer (mine is the second from the left):







And I always use these:



What are some of your favorite eco-friendly products?

Sunny With a Chance of RECIPE!!!

So I am going to post a little recipe that is good for you & the planet (hello using up all those random items in your fridge/pantry here you come)!

So this is good for you because 1) it's vegan, 2) it's homemade, 3) it's seasonal (& if you're me local & organic), 4) it's cheap cuz it's all left over stuff you already have!

This is good for the planet because 1) you're not wasting (food, gas to go to a grocery store, packaging from fast food, etc.), 2) you're supporting the seasonal foods in your area & your farmers & local economy.

Now on to the yummy stuff-the food!!! I call this my "Everything but the Kitchen Sink Pasta". It started with a puttanesca recipe that I LOVE (and still make all the time) and evolved as I had or did not have ingredients. It's different every time and a great way to use up old food items hanging around in your fridge or pantry.

Here is what I used last night for my dinner:
1 lb. pasta (I used spaghetti), boil in salted water until pasta is soft (or al dente if you prefer).

in skillet or wok make your sauce:
-swirl of olive oil
-1/2 an onion chopped
-3-6 cloves garlic (make it as garlicky as you want it)
-handful shredded carrots
-1 can squished plum tomatoes
-1 can artichoke hearts roughly chopped
-1 handful of olives roughly chopped
-1-3 spoonfuls of capers
-pinch of dried oregano
-pinch of dried basil
-pinch of dried parsley
-pinch of red pepper flakes
-2 spoonfuls of sundried tomatoes in oil
-freshly ground pepper to taste
-pinch of sea salt to taste
-pinch of brown sugar

Heat pan on high, swirl in oil, when oil is heated (it'll smell like olives) toss in onions & carrots. When onions are translucent toss in garlic. Keep it moving with a wooden spoon. Once everything is soft add your tomatoes first followed by all other veggies. Stir a few times. Add your spices & stir to combine. Once all ingredients are combined allow to cook for a few minutes on high then lower heat to alllow sauce to thicken. Keep stirring so as nothing burns. Drain pasta & throw into skillet/wok. Turn off heat & mix pasta & sauce. Serve in bowl with your favorite vegan parmesan or mozzarella cheese topping (we used the recipe from Veganize This! made entirely from nuts!).

Now I use any random items I have hanging around like the pasta & cans of veggies in my pantry. I used onions and garlic from the farmer's market. I used left over carrots from a "cool slaw" recipe we made last week. I usually love to use fresh herbs but I didn't have any & had a plethora of dried spices in my spice cabinet so I went to town. I will even use up the caper brine sometimes instead of salt. Anything that you have laying around left over, anything fresh from the farmer's market, anything really-use it! Make yourself some delicioso pasta & go to town. It'll make you tummy & tongue happy campers (your wallet too)!

Now go eat!! :D

Sunny With a Chance of Recycled

One of the most Good for the World items to feature here on GFTW Wednesdays is recycling. But seriously recycle EVERYTHING! Bottles, electronics, clothes, tires, paper, wire, string, EVERYTHING! There is a way to recycle nearly everything you use & you should! Save this planet by not contributing to more landfills.

Let me tell you how crazy weird recycle lady I am... I buy recycled toilet paper, paper towels (if we are even going to buy them at all that is), recycled clothes, etc. So many of my "new" purchases are really just recycled items. And I recycle pretty much everything I use (again-bottles, clothes, Styrofoam [it's a hazardous material so be sure to look up where to drop in your area], electronics, boxes, bags, rubber, plastic, etc.). Every little thing you use can probably be cleaned and put into the recycling bin (or COMPOSTED!)-so why aren't you doing it?

Here are the top reasons I hear from people:

1)there is no recycling system in my building/office/neighborhood, etc.
*My answer: So Start One! Seriously, if you are serious about saving the planet then start it up yourself, jump on the good old interweb and research where the nearest recycling plants are to you, nearest drop off zones, how to set up your space as a pick up are, the rules for recycling in your city/neighborhood/state. Just do it. $5 says the people around you will be impressed and jump on board. Pl;us how great will you feel encouraging others to save the planet a little too!

2)the rules are too annoying, I don't have time to wash everything, leave off bottle tops, etc.
*My answer: does that extra few seconds to a minute really keep you from recycling? People let's stop being so gosh darn lazy, especially when it comes to saving this planet for future generations. If you find you don't have enough time in your day to take a minute to wash out a used can of soup/soda/beans then maybe shave that minute off of watching t.v. or from your shower routine or from even (gasp) playing on the internet. I said it, even I am guilty of this. You have time-just make it a priority.

These "reasons" are just excuses (excuses I've used too-so no judgement.) I am just trying to point out that we can move past those and do something that is actually quite easy. I've turned our home into a green recycling machine & I am starting to convert my office space as well. I now have a bin for us, we only use recycled paper for all our copying (and t.p. uses). It makes me feel great to know I am making a difference and my bosses are slowly starting to remember to use the recycling bin instead of the trash too. It's always great to see them stop themselves from throwing something in the trash that can be recycled into new!

So go out there and recycle EVERYTHING! And enjoy it chickens! :D

Hot With a Chance of Shopping...

Shopping the Farmer's Market that is! My Good for the World Wednesday tip today is hitting up that local farmer's market with zeal! :D

Here in LA every Sunday is the most fabulous thing ever: The Hollywood Farmers' Market! I love going on Sundays and supporting my local farmers as well as helping out my pocket book. It's great for your health (and family's health) too! Not only are you eating seasonal produce (which helps your body function the way it's supposed to within any given season), you are eating local (and lots of times organic) produce. Local is good because it helps boost your immune system as it applies to what's going on in your community-allergens, colds/flus, etc. Plus you are helping to support your local economy and your local farmers who can a lot of times get lost in the shuffle of we want things now that don't normally grow now [i.e. papaya in December, pumpkin in May].

It's also great for your little ol' pocketbook (which is always good news to me!). You usually save a ton of money because you're getting from the farm to your plate without a middleman (the store). I just bought fresh dill, fresh cilantro, and a fresh bunch of radishes for $4, beat that-I dare you to try. It was fresh, delicious, and I have been eating them up a storm. I also got sundried tomatoes, garlic spread, jalapeno hummus, 6 bars of vegan homemade soap, a vegan breakfast sandwich and a mini coconut sno-cone (fresh not sugary fakeness) with my herbs/radishes for all under $60! It was great to spend so little and get so much. All of it was organic, all of it was homemade, and all of it was delicious (except the soap which SMELLS delicious: coconut, papaya, pumpkin spice, lavender-mint, mint, & vanilla-oatmeal).

It's good for you, your wallet, your health, your local farmers, your local economy, and the planet! You are saving the planet from all the fuel that is used to ship food across the country/world. Buying local means that little to no shipping fuel is used. Especially not from a plane which I always feel is so much worse because it is so much further up into the atmosphere doing damage. It makes me smile knowing that my food came from less than a 45 minute drive to my front door-plus I can walk there and save fuel that way too! See how good for the planet you're being. Hit the 'net and check out where your local market is and hit it up this week. I promise it'll be fun and good for the world! :D

Sunny With a Chance of Volcanoes...

Homemade volcanoes that is! Used for cleaning purposes too! This weeks Good For The World Wednesday is all about white vinegar & baking soda. This is seriously the green gals best friend!

So here are the benefits to these products:

1) again SUPER amazing for the ol' wallet. Super duper cheap and it'll last longer than most other cleaning products as you can buy it in bulk & use less product for the same results as other cleaners.

2) super fantastic for the environment because if this goes down the drain it isn't full of ammonia or other toxins into the sewers which can end up leaching into your water supply. It's also safe around your children and pets! Personally if it has a major warning about the dangers of contact with my eyes or ingestion I don't want it anywhere around where my puppy or future kiddos will be crawling.

3) it cleans just as well as the toxic stuff. I promise it really does. I just scrubbed the crap outta my bathroom this weekend with both and not only is it sparkling clean but it was fun to create little volcanoes in my tub/shower, sink, and toilet. Making cleaning fun is good in my book as then it doesn't feel so much like a chore but more like a fun 2nd grade science project!.

No for those who don't enjoy the smell of vinegar may I suggest lemon juice. Works just as well and has a more acceptable smell to most (plus you still get a little bit of a volcano-like reaction).

So go out & buy some baking soda & vinegar (or lemons) and play/clean up your house!! :D

Hot With a Chance of Sweaty!!

Hello my friends! Another installment of Good For The World Wednesday-HOORAY! Today, as suggested by my sweetie, we're going to talk homemade bread. Mmm, bread...*drool*

So here it is, making your own bread not only tastes DELICIOUS but it is also great for the planet and your wallet! Here's why it's amazing for the wallet:

1) buying the ingredients for bread is literally dirt cheap. It's all bulk items or water. Seriously-a bi ol' bag of flour runs $3-20. We just a bought a HUGE bag at Smart & Final for $.

2) the second most important ingredient is water. I'm pretty sure you all have a tap. And if you're very particular you have a brita (or similar brand) filter. Enjoy that y'all. Yay for water!!!

Here is why baking your own bread is good for the planet:

1) You are not buying useless plastic. You might not think that plastic or paper wrapped-loaf within a plastic bag is a big deal but it really adds up. And plastic bags like that take about 10-20 years to break down. Help mother nature out y'all!

2) You aren't buying something that was probably made many, many miles away that took quite a bit of fuel to ship it to your grocery store. Cut out all that needless waste!

Plus this is one of the easiest things in the world to make-promise!

Here is my honey's recipe for all things bread (including hot dog & hamburger buns!):

For 1 loaf, or 8 hamburger/hot dog buns
-3 cups flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tbsp earth balance buttery spread stick, cubed into 1/2 tbsp sizes.
-2 tsp dry yeast
-1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
-2 tsp sugar


Note: 2 tsp dry yeast is less than one package of yeast, which is 2.25 tsp. I doubt it makes any difference.

Combine water & sugar, then add yeast to proof for 5 minutes. A layer of foam should form, indicating the yeast is still active (alive that is!) Mix the remaining ingredients in food processor with dough blade attachment and pulse to incorporate the Earth Balance.

With machine running, slowly add water until the dough forms and peels away from the sides. Continue running to knead for 60 seconds. The dough should be slightly sticky still, but not unworkable.

Form into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel and let proof in a warm, draft free spot for 60 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and transfer to a lightly oiled 9" bread pan and cover again. This is the bench proofing. Let the dough proof for another 45 minutes or so, until the top overtakes the top of the pan and begins to resemble a loaf of bread. Place into a pre-heated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven and bake for at least 30 minutes, until the bread is a light golden brown.

Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then it should come out with no problem! Set aside to cool for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Notes: I found the bread begins to be inedible due to staleness after 3 days, despite my best efforts to keep wrapped.

To make buns, simply portion and shape into 8 pieces after the first rise. Hotdog buns are about three times as long as they are wide and hamburger buns are round of course! Bench-proof on a parchment lined baking sheet, covered with a towel as before.

That is straight from Joe (I really made him type it-you can tell by his silly side remarks, he prefers me to call them his "witty rejoinders"-NERD!). ;)

Now enjoy this deliciousness out of your own kitchen-just be sure you want to eat it up pretty quick! Have a great Wednesday chickens! :D

Sunny With a Chance of Pasta Salad

Good for the world Wednesday is here and I want to encourage all of you to eat locally and seasonally so I though I would share one of my favorite summer staples to eat in hot weather so that I am full but not over-heated by hot food. I give you my pasta salad recipe!

-1 lb. your favorite type & shape of pasta (I like rotini or farfalle wheat pasta for this)
-1-1 cucumbers peeled, sliced length wise, seeds scooped out, then cut into thin half moons.
-1 small red onion diced
-black olives sliced
-sliced green chilis
-1-3 carrots peeled & thinly sliced
-artichoke hearts
-handful of shredded green & purple cabbage
-salt & freshly ground pepper
-crushed red pepper flake
-basil, parsley, parika
-italian dressing (you can cheat and get store bought or make your own!)

cook the pasta in salted water, drain, let cool, toss into large mixing bowl. slice veggies up. toss all ingredients in the large bowl. allow to refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. EAT THAT UP!!!

It's so super quick and easy. You add whatever veggies you like that are local (we get ours from our local Hollywood Farmers Market) and in season for the summer. Bonus is that it is cold and filling. Plus it stores well and tastes great as left overs! Go and eat some "picnic" dinner as I like to call it! :D

Sunny With a Chance of Good for The World Wednesdays!!

Happy Hump Day Chickens! Here is to making the world a better place one day at a time. This first Wednesday I am going to start of easy by just saying ladies do yourself a favor and check out the following two books:

1) Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano.



It's a one stop shop for starting to green up your life while remaining the gorgeous gal that you are. It covers beauty products, cleaning products, food items, exercise, everything! Ms. Uliano not only lists all the bad non-green products you own but also the great green products to try & use. PLUS she lists a few tried and true home remedies you can make yourself with little muss or fuss. One of my fave beginner books to start greening up your life!

2) Clean Food by Terry Walters.



This book is perfect for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike! It is all about keeping your food as close to the source (a.k.a. the place it grows) as possible. Stop consuming all that processed junk and start eating healthy, fresh, local, and organic foods! Eat plentifully but healthily. The recipes are super easy and super tasty-and a hit with every person I've tried them on. From my vegan tummy, to my boyfriend's 80% vegan & 20% omnivore tummy, to my parents' Midwest meat & potatoes & milk tummy's. The food is delightful, usually not that hard to find, divided into seasons (so you can eat locally people!), and usually is just what your tummy was craving! I definitely recommend this for anyone. :)

So get out there, get your read on, and start greening up your life & household! Your body, mind, and soul will thank you-and bonus points is that so will the planet!!! Enjoy your Wednesday! :D