I found this recipe in Fitness Magazine. I tweaked it just a little using almond milk instead of soy milk because I prefer it. It was delicious. It tasted like banana bread. Even my wife liked it and she's not vegan. Of course my daughter had to eat seconds and thirds. :)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups soy milk (or almond)
1 cup rolled oats
2 bananas chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Direction:
In a blender, puree your non dairy milk and oats until smooth then add in bananas, flour, salt and baking powder. Puree for a few seconds then let rest for 10 minutes. These pancakes will stick to the pan so cooking spray is needed. Brown on each side (about 5 minutes.) Top with slice bananas if you like and pure maple syrup. Enjoy!
This recipe makes 8 pancakes.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Vegan Jalepeno Poppers
I have loved jalepeno poppers for as long as I can remember. I loved the combination of hot jalepons with cream cheese. MmmmmMMmmmmm... Well since I became vegan I hadn't been able to enjoy that combination...until NOW. Of course I have a pinterest and I am always seeing delicious looking recipes involving cream cheese and jalepenos. Usually I skip over them because I am vegan now so I thought I couldn't indulge in their deliciousness. That is, until I realized that I could use vegan cream cheese! DUH! So I found one post that I used for inspiration and I tweaked it a little. Here is the recipe I used.
Veganized Jalepeno Poppers
ingredients:
6 oz vegan cream cheese softened (the original calls for 8 but I didnt need that much)
1/2 a small can of minced or diced jalepenos ( I actually used a little more than half)
1 tube of vegan crescent roll dough (beware of hidden milk ingredients)
directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Grease a cookie sheet. Combine your softened vegan cream cheese with the jalepenos in a bowl. Mix well enough that you will have cream cheese and jalepenos in every bite. Open your crescent roll dough and separate into 2 sheets. Pinch the seams together and lightly flatten the dough so you are left with 2 rectangular sheets of dough instead of 8 individual crescents. Spoon the mixture onto the dough and roll up cinnamon roll style. You should now have 2 long rolls. Cut them in equal pieces. I ended up with 8 per roll, 16 total. Place on the cookie sheet with cut sides down. Bake 11 to 13 minutes (mine took the full 13 minutes.) Let cool and enjoy!
Veganized Jalepeno Poppers
ingredients:
6 oz vegan cream cheese softened (the original calls for 8 but I didnt need that much)
1/2 a small can of minced or diced jalepenos ( I actually used a little more than half)
1 tube of vegan crescent roll dough (beware of hidden milk ingredients)
directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Grease a cookie sheet. Combine your softened vegan cream cheese with the jalepenos in a bowl. Mix well enough that you will have cream cheese and jalepenos in every bite. Open your crescent roll dough and separate into 2 sheets. Pinch the seams together and lightly flatten the dough so you are left with 2 rectangular sheets of dough instead of 8 individual crescents. Spoon the mixture onto the dough and roll up cinnamon roll style. You should now have 2 long rolls. Cut them in equal pieces. I ended up with 8 per roll, 16 total. Place on the cookie sheet with cut sides down. Bake 11 to 13 minutes (mine took the full 13 minutes.) Let cool and enjoy!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Delicious Kale Smoothie (even the kids will love it)
I had some kale on hand that needed to be used up so I decided to make a smoothie with it. I
first blended the kale and a tiny bit of plain almond milk in a
blender. I added just a little bit at a time to make it easier to blend.
Then I added in a banana, frozen strawberries and some orange juice. It
looks pretty delicious to me but alot of what I make lately is green.
Green no longer means gross in this household. Anyways, MacKenzie
couldn't wait for her smoothie. She was squealing with delight the whole
time she waited for me to finish the smoothie. She said it was like
having dessert in the middle of the day. She took a sip and exclaimed,
"OH. MY. GOSH. THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!" I sure do love my girl.
Quick Organization Tip: Sunglasses/eyewear
Monday, September 10, 2012
Reviews to come!
Ok so I am planning to review some eco friendly, chemical free, energy efficient, cruelty free type products and items in upcoming blog entries. Leave me a comment and let me know what products or things you would like me to review and I will see if I can get my hands on some. Any products to compare? Anything you just want to know more about? Or trying to find a certain kind of product that will leave your hair shiny, clean your toilet or that just smells really nice? Let me know!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Factory Farms and the Environment
Factory Farms and the Environment
Industry not only revolutionized the manufacture of goods but also made farms more efficient and cost saving. This cost savings is what consumers demand but it comes at a high cost when the product is a living creature. Factory farms are not only harmful to animals but also to the environment and ultimately to people too.
So what exactly is a factory farm? Well, a factory farm is large-scale industrial operation that houses hundreds or thousands of animals in extremely cramped conditions that are bred to be slaughtered for mass production of meat for grocery stores. In these factory farms cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys are crowded into tiny cages with no room to walk or move. They are crowded with one another, wounded with no veterinary care, kicked and thrown around by workers. Their lives are not valued and they are given no gentle care at all because they are seen as beneath humans and only there to serve a purpose to humans as food. Their throats are cut while fully conscious and often dunked in scalding hot water all while still alive. Chickens have their feathers pulled, their beaks cut and are scalded while still alive. Piglets are castrated with no pain medication. These are only some of the things that happen to animals in factory farms. The animals in factory farms are bred for the sole purpose to be killed so humans can eat.
The dairy industry is even worse than the meat industry. Female cows are forcefully impregnated so that they can continue to produce milk. Their infants are taken from them. The male calves are kept in individual crates in the dark and fed a milk replacer that is low in iron so that they become anemic. In their crates they are unable to move so that they experience muscle atrophy. This happens so that their meat stays tender. Eventually they are sent to slaughter to be sold as "veal." Dairy cows are kept pregnant until they become too sick or no longer can get pregnant or produce milk. Then they are also sent to be slaughtered.
The factory farms have a very negative impact on the environment. Rainforests are cut down to make room to raise more cattle but rainforests are vital to life on Earth. Rainforests regulate the global climate and the water cycle, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide humans with medicines, food and much more. According to www.happycow.net "every second, one football field of rainforest is destroyed in order to produce 257 hamburgers."
Factory farms create pollution in land and water and produce carbon dioxide. Happycow also states that eating one pound of hamburger does the same damage as driving your car for three weeks. Eating a vegan diet reduces waste and devastation of Earth's precious resources. It takes up to 5,000 gallons of water to raise one pound of beef. According to the US Department of Agriculture statistics, one acre of land can grow 20,000 pounds of potatoes but the same acre of land when used to grow cattle feed, can produce less than 165 lbs of edible cow flesh.
People who live in close proximity to factory farms often complain of high incidents of illness. California officials identify agriculture, including cows, as the major source of nitrate pollution in more than 100,000 square miles of polluted groundwater. High levels of nitrates in drinking water also increase the risk of methemoglobinemia, or "blue-baby syndrome," which can kill infants. Animal waste contains disease-causing pathogens, such as Salmonella, E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and fecal coliform, which can be 10 to 100 times more concentrated than in human waste. More than 40 diseases can be transferred to humans through manure. The facts are scary enough to make a horror movie.
In the U.S. alone, roughly 29 million pounds of antibiotics, about 80 percent of the nation's antibiotics use in total, are added to animal feed every year to speed livestock growth. This widespread use of antibiotics on animals contributes to the rise of resistant bacteria, making it harder to treat human illnesses. Large hog farms emit hydrogen sulfide, a gas that most often causes flu-like symptoms in humans, but at high concentrations can lead to brain damage.
Nutrients in animal waste cause algal blooms, which use up oxygen in the water, contributing to a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico where there's not enough oxygen to support aquatic life. The dead zone fluctuates in size each year, extending a record 8,500 square miles during the summer of 2002 and stretching over 7,700 square miles during the summer of 2010. I don't think I am wrong when I say that is insane!
So we have determined that factory farms are destructive and harmful to animals, people and the environment but what can we do about it? I personally think that factory farms should be outlawed. The only reason they exist is to make greedy people a lot of money. These people have a hand in the pocket books of the goverment and lawmakers so I don't see that ever happening. The best thing we can do is to not eat meat at all. We can adopt a vegan lifestyle, buy local fresh organic produce and not purchase animal products that come from factory farms. If the demand for the meat and dairy produced in these factory farms is reduced then the people running them will no longer be making a profit and will eventually shut down.
Factory farms are unnatural and not healthy for anyone or anything. We need to stop supporting these destructive facilities and begin to repair the damage they have caused. Those who say "change begins with you" are right. Decide today to make that change.
Industry not only revolutionized the manufacture of goods but also made farms more efficient and cost saving. This cost savings is what consumers demand but it comes at a high cost when the product is a living creature. Factory farms are not only harmful to animals but also to the environment and ultimately to people too.
So what exactly is a factory farm? Well, a factory farm is large-scale industrial operation that houses hundreds or thousands of animals in extremely cramped conditions that are bred to be slaughtered for mass production of meat for grocery stores. In these factory farms cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys are crowded into tiny cages with no room to walk or move. They are crowded with one another, wounded with no veterinary care, kicked and thrown around by workers. Their lives are not valued and they are given no gentle care at all because they are seen as beneath humans and only there to serve a purpose to humans as food. Their throats are cut while fully conscious and often dunked in scalding hot water all while still alive. Chickens have their feathers pulled, their beaks cut and are scalded while still alive. Piglets are castrated with no pain medication. These are only some of the things that happen to animals in factory farms. The animals in factory farms are bred for the sole purpose to be killed so humans can eat.
The dairy industry is even worse than the meat industry. Female cows are forcefully impregnated so that they can continue to produce milk. Their infants are taken from them. The male calves are kept in individual crates in the dark and fed a milk replacer that is low in iron so that they become anemic. In their crates they are unable to move so that they experience muscle atrophy. This happens so that their meat stays tender. Eventually they are sent to slaughter to be sold as "veal." Dairy cows are kept pregnant until they become too sick or no longer can get pregnant or produce milk. Then they are also sent to be slaughtered.
The factory farms have a very negative impact on the environment. Rainforests are cut down to make room to raise more cattle but rainforests are vital to life on Earth. Rainforests regulate the global climate and the water cycle, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide humans with medicines, food and much more. According to www.happycow.net "every second, one football field of rainforest is destroyed in order to produce 257 hamburgers."
Factory farms create pollution in land and water and produce carbon dioxide. Happycow also states that eating one pound of hamburger does the same damage as driving your car for three weeks. Eating a vegan diet reduces waste and devastation of Earth's precious resources. It takes up to 5,000 gallons of water to raise one pound of beef. According to the US Department of Agriculture statistics, one acre of land can grow 20,000 pounds of potatoes but the same acre of land when used to grow cattle feed, can produce less than 165 lbs of edible cow flesh.
People who live in close proximity to factory farms often complain of high incidents of illness. California officials identify agriculture, including cows, as the major source of nitrate pollution in more than 100,000 square miles of polluted groundwater. High levels of nitrates in drinking water also increase the risk of methemoglobinemia, or "blue-baby syndrome," which can kill infants. Animal waste contains disease-causing pathogens, such as Salmonella, E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and fecal coliform, which can be 10 to 100 times more concentrated than in human waste. More than 40 diseases can be transferred to humans through manure. The facts are scary enough to make a horror movie.
In the U.S. alone, roughly 29 million pounds of antibiotics, about 80 percent of the nation's antibiotics use in total, are added to animal feed every year to speed livestock growth. This widespread use of antibiotics on animals contributes to the rise of resistant bacteria, making it harder to treat human illnesses. Large hog farms emit hydrogen sulfide, a gas that most often causes flu-like symptoms in humans, but at high concentrations can lead to brain damage.
Nutrients in animal waste cause algal blooms, which use up oxygen in the water, contributing to a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico where there's not enough oxygen to support aquatic life. The dead zone fluctuates in size each year, extending a record 8,500 square miles during the summer of 2002 and stretching over 7,700 square miles during the summer of 2010. I don't think I am wrong when I say that is insane!
So we have determined that factory farms are destructive and harmful to animals, people and the environment but what can we do about it? I personally think that factory farms should be outlawed. The only reason they exist is to make greedy people a lot of money. These people have a hand in the pocket books of the goverment and lawmakers so I don't see that ever happening. The best thing we can do is to not eat meat at all. We can adopt a vegan lifestyle, buy local fresh organic produce and not purchase animal products that come from factory farms. If the demand for the meat and dairy produced in these factory farms is reduced then the people running them will no longer be making a profit and will eventually shut down.
Factory farms are unnatural and not healthy for anyone or anything. We need to stop supporting these destructive facilities and begin to repair the damage they have caused. Those who say "change begins with you" are right. Decide today to make that change.
Shock collars for behavior control of infants and children
Controlling Children's Behavior in Public
Have you ever been out in public with your children and they made a fool out of you in front of other people? Have you been to a restaurant or movie theater and could not enjoy your date because of another person's children? Well, I have a solution for this problem. When children misbehave or they are unruly in public, the simple solution would be the use of shock collars.
Shock collars can be worn by children or even infants to control their bad behavior or crying. The parent or caretaker would have a wireless remote control with different settings on it. When a child begins to cry or acts up, one can press the buttons, causing the child to be shocked. This would be ideal for situations when adults have the most problems with controlling their children's behavior such as at the grocery store, at a restaurant, at the movies or on vacation.
Have you ever been out in public with your children and they made a fool out of you in front of other people? Have you been to a restaurant or movie theater and could not enjoy your date because of another person's children? Well, I have a solution for this problem. When children misbehave or they are unruly in public, the simple solution would be the use of shock collars.
Shock collars can be worn by children or even infants to control their bad behavior or crying. The parent or caretaker would have a wireless remote control with different settings on it. When a child begins to cry or acts up, one can press the buttons, causing the child to be shocked. This would be ideal for situations when adults have the most problems with controlling their children's behavior such as at the grocery store, at a restaurant, at the movies or on vacation.
Adults would be able to bring their children with them to once inappropriate places because children would no longer be running a muck. Children would remain quiet and sit still for the duration of the outing. Parents would no longer have to worry about their children talking continuously and spilling the beans on their private lives. There would be no more sibling rivalry! The shock collar can really be used anywhere. It can be used at home to keep kids quiet while you make dinner, clean the house or watch the game with your buddies. You can even use the shock collar to help your kids keep up with their chores. When Junior starts slacking, a turn of the knob or press of the button will send a shock that will remind him his chores are not finished.
Teachers and faculty can find great use of the shock collar, keeping students in line and quiet, ready to listen to today's lesson. This will improve test scores and grades, increase productivity and keep our schools safe. There is really no down side to the use of shock collars. Let's make shock collars a staple in raising children today!
Teachers and faculty can find great use of the shock collar, keeping students in line and quiet, ready to listen to today's lesson. This will improve test scores and grades, increase productivity and keep our schools safe. There is really no down side to the use of shock collars. Let's make shock collars a staple in raising children today!
I wrote this ironical essay for my Advanced Composition class last semester. Of course I got an A, but if the thought of children wearing shock collars is upsetting to you then why is it ok to use on pets? Animals feel pain and suffer too. Click HERE to read a very informative article about the dangers of using shock collars.
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