Anyway, my mother-in-law will be visiting us here in Germany for a week starting tomorrow. We pick her up at the airport tomorrow morning at 8am! So I won't be blogging for a while. I'm sure I will have plenty to talk about when I return though!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Roasted Red Pepper Hommus
My new obsession is Roasted Red Pepper Hommus. It's seriously beyond delicious. It's funny because I have never even tried hommus. I honestly didn't even know what it was made out of. My mother recommended that I give it a shot, so I went grocery shopping last week and came upon some hommus. My options were regular or roasted red pepper, I tried the pepper. I still don't know what regular hommus tastes like...but the red pepper is OMG ORGASMIC. I seriously look forward to eating lunch every day now because I make a roasted red pepper hommus wrap filled with red onions, green peppers, and cucumbers. I know I'll get more creative with wraps but for now this one is to die for. Red Pepper Hommus = AWESOME. Oh and by the way, since my new love for hommus, my husband has been calling me Zohan. How romantic of him.
Anyway, my mother-in-law will be visiting us here in Germany for a week starting tomorrow. We pick her up at the airport tomorrow morning at 8am! So I won't be blogging for a while. I'm sure I will have plenty to talk about when I return though!
Anyway, my mother-in-law will be visiting us here in Germany for a week starting tomorrow. We pick her up at the airport tomorrow morning at 8am! So I won't be blogging for a while. I'm sure I will have plenty to talk about when I return though!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Randoms of Spring
The weather has been so nice lately here in Germany. We have been getting tons of sunshine, beautiful white fluffy clouds, and just enough wind to make the weather perfect outside. We did get a little rain yesterday, but I actually like rainy days every now and then.
Last weekend, my husband and I took our dogs, Meesha and Sammy, to this huge open field about 8 minutes from our house. We love taking them here because there usually aren't any other people around, so it's nice to just have this big field to ourselves for the afternoon. We let the dogs off leash so they run around chasing each other while my husband and I just sit on the grass soaking up the sun.
My husband walking the big open field.
Sammy with a tennis ball in his mouth, what a cutie!
Meesha, smiling because she loves being outside.
I love being outdoors. Especially when it's so nice outside. There is also a rather long trail right by that field that a lot of locals like to walk. It was fun to just be outside, walking a scenic trail, and just spending time with my family. While at the field, I decided to walk around picking up random little flowers to make myself a pretty bouquet. Isn't it just so cute?
My pretty bouquet =)
So last week for Earth Day, my husband bought me an awesome little house plant! I was so excited because this is my first plant ever. He always wanted to buy house plants, but I told him I didn't want any because I was scared I'd kill them. Knowing me I'd forget to water them... but anyway, I like this little guy too much to neglect him.
My house plant.
Me being the proud new mommy to a house plant, I googled some info on him. This plant is called Euphorbia Lactea, it is used medicinally in India as a hot jam to treat rheumatism. WOOOO INTERESTING ISN'T IT?
So funny story... I was so into taking care of this plant that yesterday it was so sunny outside when I was cleaning the house, that I put my little plant outside to soak up some sun. Not even thinking, I place the plant on top of our large garbage cans out front. I could have just placed the plant by the front door on the ground, but for some reason I put the plant high up. With that said, it was so windy that the wind knocked it off the garbage can and the cute little clay vase it came in totally shattered =(. Seriously? I almost cried, not gonna lie. I felt so shot down. Here I was trying to take care of this guy and instead I almost killed it.
I picked up all the pieces and placed the plant in a red vase I already had and put new soil in. Let's just hope this plant survives in a more narrow vase than the one it came in. Let us pray for Spikey the plant....
Last weekend, my husband and I took our dogs, Meesha and Sammy, to this huge open field about 8 minutes from our house. We love taking them here because there usually aren't any other people around, so it's nice to just have this big field to ourselves for the afternoon. We let the dogs off leash so they run around chasing each other while my husband and I just sit on the grass soaking up the sun.
My husband walking the big open field.
Sammy with a tennis ball in his mouth, what a cutie!
Meesha, smiling because she loves being outside.
I love being outdoors. Especially when it's so nice outside. There is also a rather long trail right by that field that a lot of locals like to walk. It was fun to just be outside, walking a scenic trail, and just spending time with my family. While at the field, I decided to walk around picking up random little flowers to make myself a pretty bouquet. Isn't it just so cute?
My pretty bouquet =)
So last week for Earth Day, my husband bought me an awesome little house plant! I was so excited because this is my first plant ever. He always wanted to buy house plants, but I told him I didn't want any because I was scared I'd kill them. Knowing me I'd forget to water them... but anyway, I like this little guy too much to neglect him.
My house plant.
Me being the proud new mommy to a house plant, I googled some info on him. This plant is called Euphorbia Lactea, it is used medicinally in India as a hot jam to treat rheumatism. WOOOO INTERESTING ISN'T IT?
So funny story... I was so into taking care of this plant that yesterday it was so sunny outside when I was cleaning the house, that I put my little plant outside to soak up some sun. Not even thinking, I place the plant on top of our large garbage cans out front. I could have just placed the plant by the front door on the ground, but for some reason I put the plant high up. With that said, it was so windy that the wind knocked it off the garbage can and the cute little clay vase it came in totally shattered =(. Seriously? I almost cried, not gonna lie. I felt so shot down. Here I was trying to take care of this guy and instead I almost killed it.
I picked up all the pieces and placed the plant in a red vase I already had and put new soil in. Let's just hope this plant survives in a more narrow vase than the one it came in. Let us pray for Spikey the plant....
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Carla Crocker - Gaia's Black Bean Salad
My husband recently had a work BBQ. The wives were asked to bring side dishes if possible. I knew I probably should since in their email they said "We will provide the meat". To me that says "AKA Carla you better bring something for yourself to eat!" So I was a little stumped as to what I could bring as a side dish for other people but as a main dish for myself.
I joined a vegan forum a while back and someone suggested to me to make this amazing bean salad! I recently started following Brigit Gaia's blog after I saw this bean salad and I've seen quite a few delicious looking recipes! I'm so glad someone suggested her recipe to me so I would like to share it with anyone who reads my blog!
I think the one thing that made me decide this would be the recipe I would make is the picture. It is just so colorful...I would totally eat that if it was in front of my face!
With that, here is Gaia's Black Bean Salad....
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked corn, or more, to taste
- 1/2 of a green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 of a red bell pepper, finely diced
- 4 to 6 green onions, finely chopped (or finely diced red onion; I used the green)
- 1/3 cup (or more) of green stuffed olives, sliced
- Black olives, sliced (optional, I didn't use them)
- Fresh parsley, chopped (unfortunately I didn't use parsley since I didn't have it on hand)
- Salt & pepper
- Lemon juice, to taste
- The tiniest bit of olive oil
Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients together and let the flavors meld, in the fridge, before serving.
This salad really is sooo good! I added probably a little more olive oil than the ingredients called for, but it was still amazing. Or I just love olive oil too much...hmm...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earth Day 2010!
Today is Earth Day, April 22 2010. This marks Earth Day's 40th anniversary!
I'm going to be honest. This is only the second Earth Day I have ever "celebrated". My first Earth Day, I was 8 years old. I took a bunch of my neighborhood friends and a red wagon all around the block and we picked up a ton of trash and recyclables to help save our Earth. I was so cute wasn't I?
I am not ashamed to admit after that I never cared. It's amazing how much a few books have changed my entire way of thinking! Now I love the idea of Earth day.
With that said, I am going to make a list of how I am celebrating Earth Day this year, and how I have celebrated this day everyday for the past 3 months...
1. I officially have not eaten any meat, dairy, or eggs since February 19 of this year. Which means I have helped cut CO2 emissions into our air. If you didn't know, the meat industry is one of the leading sources of the greenhouse gases that lead to global warming.
2. I have switched all my house hold cleaning products to ECO friendly brands. I use Seventh Generation and Green Works for cleaning my kitchen, bathroom, my dishes including the dishwasher, and anything else that needs cleaning. Everyday cleaning products contain a lot of toxic chemicals that just aren't natural for our bodies or our environment. These chemicals get under our skin, can irritate our eyes, and we breathe them in which can irritate our respiratory system.
3. I recycle every little thing I can. Even if I just cut open a bit of plastic, I will recycle it. It really isn't hard to recycle. I was SO LAZY just a few months ago. If I drank a can of soda, I would just throw away the can instead of walking a few more steps outside to my recycling bin. Same with plastic. We had so much garbage because my husband and I never recycled. Since realizing how important recycling is, my husband and I now recycle everything. It took my husband a little longer than myself, but now he's so used to it and it's amazing how supportive he is.
4. I also do not buy paper plates anymore. Again, I was SO LAZY. Last Summer, we would invite people over to our home for a BBQ every weekend. To make things easier on myself, I would always buy paper plates and plastic forks and knives. And I can't think of any other reason why I did that besides I was a lazy lazy person. Why is it so hard to stick a few extra plates and silverware in the dishwasher? It's not. I was just lazy. Now I use all my plates if I have to and I have no problem washing them...which leads to number 5....
5. I only use my dishwasher if it is completely full. I stuff that baby sometimes. But by doing so, I save a ton of water.
6. Every time I brush my teeth, wash my face, or wash my hands, I turn off the water until I need to use it. I never realized how much water is just running down the drain when I'm not even using it. I also try to take quicker showers.
7. I turn off the lights if I don't use them. By doing so, I'm saving a ton of energy.
Those are all the little easy things I have been doing to help out our planet. Before I never cared about any of these things, but now I feel like I am really making a difference. Some people may not see it that way, but when you get into the habit of doing these things, it just feels right. I know for sure I can do a lot more than I am doing now, but I still feel very awesome knowing what I have accomplished so far. I'm sure I will better myself by next year's Earth Day.
I would like to end this blog entry with one of my favorite songs as a kid from one of my favorite TV shows back in the day... ENJOY AND HAPPY EARTH DAY!
I'm going to be honest. This is only the second Earth Day I have ever "celebrated". My first Earth Day, I was 8 years old. I took a bunch of my neighborhood friends and a red wagon all around the block and we picked up a ton of trash and recyclables to help save our Earth. I was so cute wasn't I?
I am not ashamed to admit after that I never cared. It's amazing how much a few books have changed my entire way of thinking! Now I love the idea of Earth day.
With that said, I am going to make a list of how I am celebrating Earth Day this year, and how I have celebrated this day everyday for the past 3 months...
1. I officially have not eaten any meat, dairy, or eggs since February 19 of this year. Which means I have helped cut CO2 emissions into our air. If you didn't know, the meat industry is one of the leading sources of the greenhouse gases that lead to global warming.
2. I have switched all my house hold cleaning products to ECO friendly brands. I use Seventh Generation and Green Works for cleaning my kitchen, bathroom, my dishes including the dishwasher, and anything else that needs cleaning. Everyday cleaning products contain a lot of toxic chemicals that just aren't natural for our bodies or our environment. These chemicals get under our skin, can irritate our eyes, and we breathe them in which can irritate our respiratory system.
3. I recycle every little thing I can. Even if I just cut open a bit of plastic, I will recycle it. It really isn't hard to recycle. I was SO LAZY just a few months ago. If I drank a can of soda, I would just throw away the can instead of walking a few more steps outside to my recycling bin. Same with plastic. We had so much garbage because my husband and I never recycled. Since realizing how important recycling is, my husband and I now recycle everything. It took my husband a little longer than myself, but now he's so used to it and it's amazing how supportive he is.
4. I also do not buy paper plates anymore. Again, I was SO LAZY. Last Summer, we would invite people over to our home for a BBQ every weekend. To make things easier on myself, I would always buy paper plates and plastic forks and knives. And I can't think of any other reason why I did that besides I was a lazy lazy person. Why is it so hard to stick a few extra plates and silverware in the dishwasher? It's not. I was just lazy. Now I use all my plates if I have to and I have no problem washing them...which leads to number 5....
5. I only use my dishwasher if it is completely full. I stuff that baby sometimes. But by doing so, I save a ton of water.
6. Every time I brush my teeth, wash my face, or wash my hands, I turn off the water until I need to use it. I never realized how much water is just running down the drain when I'm not even using it. I also try to take quicker showers.
7. I turn off the lights if I don't use them. By doing so, I'm saving a ton of energy.
Those are all the little easy things I have been doing to help out our planet. Before I never cared about any of these things, but now I feel like I am really making a difference. Some people may not see it that way, but when you get into the habit of doing these things, it just feels right. I know for sure I can do a lot more than I am doing now, but I still feel very awesome knowing what I have accomplished so far. I'm sure I will better myself by next year's Earth Day.
I would like to end this blog entry with one of my favorite songs as a kid from one of my favorite TV shows back in the day... ENJOY AND HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Spring Time Trail Walks
I love all 4 seasons in this world. Some people hate snow, but I like to have a change from warm weather. I guess growing up around Chicago, I didn't have a choice! Once Winter is over however, I absolutely LOVE Spring!
Here is a nice picture showing where we live. Lots of open land, small towns everywhere. We are definitely in a more rural part of Germany!
I love the first time I notice that the grass is getting green again, the trees are awake and growing leaves, and of course the first time I hear the birds! However, my absolute favorite part about Spring is the warmer weather, which means we can start trail walking again!
Me on the trail! With my dogs behind me, Sammy and Meesha.
Even though we trail walk in the Winter, Spring time is always more fun. My dogs enjoy it more as well. Yesterday, my husband and I walked directly off post where there is a nice little trail. We took the dogs of course and let them frolic and play.
Sammy and Meesha looking for sticks. Meesha usually finds the biggest stick (or should I say tree branch?) and carries it with her the entire time. Sammy is the one usually trying to steal her sticks.
Living in Germany, we can find so many trail paths. This country is extremely dog friendly too.
Again, Sammy and Meesha. As long as they are outside they are always happy =)
It's water break time for the beasts! Here is my husband letting the dogs drink out of their water bottle.
They are a bit spoiled...
We passed a barn along the way. It was so cool to see farm animals. It's funny, ever since I gave up meat, I look at animals in a completely different way. It was exciting to see sheep grazing. There were even a few baby sheep and we got to witness their mother's nursing them. My dogs got a kick out of them too.
The barn that we pass.
The adorable sheep!
The sheep didn't even mind us. In fact, once they saw us, they came a little closer...as if they were saying hello.
Sitting patiently, watching the sheep!
There were a few in the barn and a few came outside to say hello.
After our trail walk, we came home and invited some friends over for a BBQ, where I got to eat my delicious Amy's Soy Burger I posted about in an earlier blog. I think I can eat her burger everyday! Oh how I love Spring...
Here is a nice picture showing where we live. Lots of open land, small towns everywhere. We are definitely in a more rural part of Germany!
I love the first time I notice that the grass is getting green again, the trees are awake and growing leaves, and of course the first time I hear the birds! However, my absolute favorite part about Spring is the warmer weather, which means we can start trail walking again!
Me on the trail! With my dogs behind me, Sammy and Meesha.
Even though we trail walk in the Winter, Spring time is always more fun. My dogs enjoy it more as well. Yesterday, my husband and I walked directly off post where there is a nice little trail. We took the dogs of course and let them frolic and play.
Sammy and Meesha looking for sticks. Meesha usually finds the biggest stick (or should I say tree branch?) and carries it with her the entire time. Sammy is the one usually trying to steal her sticks.
Living in Germany, we can find so many trail paths. This country is extremely dog friendly too.
Again, Sammy and Meesha. As long as they are outside they are always happy =)
It's water break time for the beasts! Here is my husband letting the dogs drink out of their water bottle.
They are a bit spoiled...
We passed a barn along the way. It was so cool to see farm animals. It's funny, ever since I gave up meat, I look at animals in a completely different way. It was exciting to see sheep grazing. There were even a few baby sheep and we got to witness their mother's nursing them. My dogs got a kick out of them too.
The barn that we pass.
The adorable sheep!
The sheep didn't even mind us. In fact, once they saw us, they came a little closer...as if they were saying hello.
Sitting patiently, watching the sheep!
There were a few in the barn and a few came outside to say hello.
After our trail walk, we came home and invited some friends over for a BBQ, where I got to eat my delicious Amy's Soy Burger I posted about in an earlier blog. I think I can eat her burger everyday! Oh how I love Spring...
Friday, April 16, 2010
Courage the Amazing Dog
This story makes me so sad! I just learned about Courage's story yesterday.
This poor dog was chained up in the backyard and completely forgotten. No one had given him any food or water for WEEKS. Since he was chained up, he couldn't escape. Someone called him in finally and help came for Courage. When they brought him to a vet, he only weighed 37 pounds! I have a German Shepherd, and she weighs 80 lbs. 37 lbs is INCREDIBLY BAD! Courage couldn't even lift his head, let alone walk, he was so weak! What really upset me was when I read his fecal matter was completely dirt. Courage was so hungry he tried to eat dirt to survive!
Thankfully Courage has survived this horrible ordeal, and is doing much better. I've been following this site for updates...
http://www.firstgiving.com/germanshepherdrescueofoc
I just can't even wrap my head around this. How can someone tie a dog outside and just leave? It's disgusting to see how some people just don't give a shit about animals. Whoever did this to Courage, I just know they will get what is coming to them. I hope they find the person and prosecute them.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Starbucks Making A Difference!
I have a friend on facebook who linked this on her page.
http://www.starbucks.com/thebigpicture
I think it's great a huge corporation like Starbucks is promoting ways to help save trees. Today, they are even giving everyone who brings in their own reusable travel mug a free brewed coffee! I really wish there was a starbucks close to me right now... Plus, if you continue to bring in your reusable travel mug, Starbucks will give you 10 cents off any Starbucks beverage everytime. Yeah yeah, 10 cents doesn't seem like much, but even if the 10 cents was not offered, I think people should continue to bring in their travel mugs anyway.
Definitely watch the video from the link above. It's eye opening to see how many paper mugs are used everyday. If only we all switched to reusable mugs, imagine the difference we could make.
I calculated my impact on the link above as well. I do not drink 1 cup a day, but I wanted to see how many trees 1 cup equals to. Just one cup a day equals the amount of 7 trees. 7 TREES! By switching to reusable mugs, we can save so many trees...
One person can save trees, together we can save forests .
I really am happy to see Starbucks doing this. Hopefully a lot of people will take the pledge in switching.
http://www.starbucks.com/thebigpicture
I think it's great a huge corporation like Starbucks is promoting ways to help save trees. Today, they are even giving everyone who brings in their own reusable travel mug a free brewed coffee! I really wish there was a starbucks close to me right now... Plus, if you continue to bring in your reusable travel mug, Starbucks will give you 10 cents off any Starbucks beverage everytime. Yeah yeah, 10 cents doesn't seem like much, but even if the 10 cents was not offered, I think people should continue to bring in their travel mugs anyway.
Definitely watch the video from the link above. It's eye opening to see how many paper mugs are used everyday. If only we all switched to reusable mugs, imagine the difference we could make.
I calculated my impact on the link above as well. I do not drink 1 cup a day, but I wanted to see how many trees 1 cup equals to. Just one cup a day equals the amount of 7 trees. 7 TREES! By switching to reusable mugs, we can save so many trees...
One person can save trees, together we can save forests .
I really am happy to see Starbucks doing this. Hopefully a lot of people will take the pledge in switching.
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