Take Action!

* So Delicious is donating $1 (up to $5000) to the Farm Sanctuary. for every UPC mailed in between now and September 30th. Farm Sanctuary does great work rescuing farm animals from cruel and inhospitable environments to instead live their lives on a peaceful farm in upstate New York or California. See kids, it's just like your parents told you- Daisy did go live on a farm! You can mail your UPC's to:

Farm Sanctuary Donation
Turtle Mountain, LLC
POB 21938
Eugene, OR 97402

* The Huffington Post offers some tips for those who "hate" cooking. You can also check out my beginner cooks larder (that's pantry for the rest of us) on The Art of Throwing Stones. You can also find my fledgling food writing there by clicking on "cooking" or "food".

* Dangers of soy. And more evidence from Scientific American

* Very exciting news: The USDA has approved new rules for the National Organic Program (NOP) called The Access to Pasture rule. It states:
"The Access to Pasture rule specifies that organic milk and meat products come from organically‐raised animals that are actively grazing on pasture. "

Basically, it requires organic livestock to have access to pasture throughout the grazing season and that that intake must account for at least 30% of the animals diet. Of course, organic livestock must still refrain from using GMO's, antibiotics/vaccinations, synthetic parasiticides, 100% organic feed with no animal by-products.

So, how is this different from what is currently labled "organic"? I had to look that up myself, and found a great side-by-side chart from the USDA website. Many of the changes have to do with verbage and further definition/inclusion of verbage (a crop is more than just the plant but also now includes the pasture, cover crop, catch crop, or any part of the plant used for food to either humans or animals or to feed the soil).

The point is, to be labled organic is now a more defined and policed process which protects the integrity of the product and the brand. Also, all those cows making your milk and chickens laying your eggs are now entitled to more time running around outside in pastures and enjoying their lives to the fullest!

Soy what?

I spent my Friday wandering around the new Whole Foods that just opened not far from my house. The news on the street (okay, from a girl who works there), is that it is bigger and better than ever. Having completed one week on my new diet lifestyle kick, it was definitely time to clean and restock the fridge.

Everything was beautiful! I'm trying to buy mostly what's in season and as local as I can get it. That's a pretty tall order at the grocery, even one like Whole Foods; so I'm looking forward to visiting the farmers market a little further into spring. So, what is in season now? It all depends on where you live and the season (obviously), but you can find a handy list Sustainable Table, one of my favorite websites for information on organic, local, and legislative information. From there, I made a list of what was in season that I liked: cabbage, celery, grapefruit, greens, herbs, onions, oranges, spinach, strawberries, and sweet potatoes. Yum!

Part of what got me into this was health reasons. I've been suffering from allergies a lot lately and it hasn't been pretty. I love milk and cheese and yogurt, but the mucus it causes/exacerbates has become a heavy price to pay. I heard about the brand Soy Delicious from The Kind Life, a vegan lifestyle website founded by Alicia Silverstone. It is a great source for recipes and knowledge. I've tried soy milk before but just couldn't get behind it. It does not taste like milk and has a consistency I found troubling. This is where Soy Delicious comes in. Not only do they make soy based products, but they also have a line of coconut milk products like ice cream and yogurt. Let me tell you, the yogurt is divine! I tried the Passionate Mango (love that name) coconut milk yogurt. On first glance, the consistency reminded me of baby food, but it went down smoothly and I finished the whole thing. I don't even normally finish my milk yogurt. It also didn't have chunks of fruit in it which I like as well. Their products are all vegan, kosher, and organic. You should definitely try them out. You can even print off a coupon from their website here.

Happy eating, and let me know what you think after you try it!