Self Workout in the Park recently came to San Francisco April 30 2011. Part of Gratitude Gourmet's philosophy is that you can eat sustainably, do good for the world, and have fun! Great exercise instructors inspired the large crowd, and I was on the Marina lawn for at least 3 hours straight enjoying some Cardio Tai Box and a variety of other cardio exercises. What are your favorite gym exercises? Here are a few short videos below which I hope you'll enjoy and perhaps even dance to! :-) 1. Masala Bhangra 2. Cardio Tai Box I used to be a Cadette Girl Scout, and I wanted to share this recent Wall Street Journal Article with you regarding the link between the Thin Mints Cookies, Palm Oil, and Orangutans.
Here's an excerpt below, and the full article is here. "To earn their Girl Scout Bronze Award four years ago, Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva set out to study orangutans. Instead, they wound up investigating Thin Mints, Trefoils and Samoas. What they uncovered soured them on the sweets and has put the Michigan teens at odds with Girl Scouts of the USA. Now they're on a march to change the recipe for Girl Scout cookies. Their target: palm oil, which can come from places the primates live." Harmony Valley, a Colorado company, has introduced a NEW contest with its NEW vegetarian mixes to kick-off grilling season 2011. Through Memorial Day, Harmony Valley fans are invited to participate in a recipe challenge. Who will create the world’s next best veggie burger? Participants can say goodbye to pre-formed frozen veggie burgers, and create the burger of their dreams, bringing their own flavor and style to the creation. The Great Grilling Challenge was announced on Earth Day, paying tribute to the company’s social responsibility and wind-powered facility. Contestants have until Memorial Day weekend, a historically grill-filled weekend, to submit their burger masterpiece, and the grand prizewinner will be presented with a Big Green Egg® Grill, valued at $700. Contestants simply upload their recipe and photo to the Harmony Valley Facebook page to enter and Harmony Valley will award one grand prizewinner and three semi-finalists, who will be rewarded with great grilling gadgets and Harmony Valley Products. Harmony Valley Vegetarian Mixes are available in natural food grocers, located in the dry foods aisle- near boxed whole grains, and they are also sold online at www.harmonyvalleyfoods.com . To learn more about the Great Grilling Challenge, visit http://www.harmonyvalleyfoods.com/veggie-burger Rachel Carson Here's an eBook just in time for Rachel Carson's Birthday May 27. Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us is now available in eBook format. Award-winning author Rachel Carson (1907–1964) is considered one of the greatest American natural history writers of the twentieth century. In addition to her environmental classic Silent Spring, her books include The Sense of Wonder, Under the Sea Wind, and The Sea Around Us—which has sold more than one million copies, been translated into twenty-eight languages, and won the National Book Award and John Burroughs Award. One of the Statements in the book on Page 71 says: "We live in an age of rising seas." We know this is happening. Environmentalists of all generations cite Carson as a source of inspiration and guidance; her work helped shape the modern environmental movement. The eBook contains a special illustrated biography, including rare photographs and documents from Carson’s archive illuminating her life and distinguished career. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book. Republic of Tea The Republic of Tea has a great CUPPA CHOCOLATE TEA collection, and I've been telling many people about it. This caffeine-free line includes the following teas: RED VELVET CHOCOLATE, PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE, STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE and COCONUT COCOA. Each all-natural CUPPA CHOCOLATE TEA is made from a base of pure South African rooibos, blended with all-natural cocoa powder, chocolate, fruit, herbs and spices. More details are below: * STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE – strawberries and bourbon vanilla beans. * COCONUT COCOA - roasted carob, roasted chicory, dates and coconut. * RED VELVET CHOCOLATE - beet root bits, vanilla and sweet blackberry leaves. * PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE - sweet blackberry leaves, peppermint leaves, mint and vanilla. They are available nationwide at natural and specialty food stores, cafes and through the company Web site, (www.REPUBLICofTEA.com). All varieties of CUPPA CHOCOLATE TEA are available now. STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE is a limited edition, subject to availability from January to around May 2011. Choice Organic Teas has 5 new teas – Oothu Garden Green, Wild Forest Black, Decaffeinated English Breakfast, Yerba Maté Mint and Rooibos Superfruit. These teas are sourced from four different continents and supports the Jane Goodall Institute. Sales from each purchase benefit the Jane Goodall Institute, a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. The Institute is also recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation programs in Africa, as well as Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, its international environmental and humanitarian youth program. Choice Organic Teas is also offering a 15% discount on any mail or online order placed between June 1 and August 31, 2011 when they use the promo code “ICED.” www.choiceorganicteas.com Zola Acai is a brazilian super fruit juice made fom 100% unfiltered pulp of the Acai berry. Acai is among the highest fruits containing antioxidants and has 60% more antioxidants than Pomegranate and 500% more than Blueberries. In addition, it has Omega fatty acids, has Guarana added (24mg natural caffiene), and is available in 3 great flavors; Acai, Acai + Blueberry & Acai + Pineapple. Project Zola also returns money to the Acaimu community where the berries are harvested in the Brazilian Rainforest. Miles O'Riley (Photo Leslie Lum) Last week's Music Fest was a hit with the San Francisco crowd on a foggy and rainy day. There were Veggie Oysters (See the Video of Mike below describing his Veggie Oyster Booth), Fries, and several varieties of Irish Beer, including Guinness of course. The Rodrigo and Gabriela's San Francisco Sunset Performances were FANTASTIC along with the Irish Dancers, and I have several pictures and videos below I think you would LOVE to see and listen to! Gabriella's guitar-playing was award-winning. Please note that for the music videos, they are dark because it was Sunset, and you may need to turn down your computer volume since I was right next to the Stage Speaker. These videos are still worth it though....Enjoy!! Kudos to my friend Juliet for telling me about the Festival - we didn't have any real Oysters btw. You would have liked the Veggie Oysters. Here's a great Reuters article describing several International Case Studies where ecological farming has raised crop yields. i.e. Cuba had shown that such a change was possible after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 cut off supplies of cheap pesticides and fertilizers. Yields had risen after a downturn in the 1990s as farmers adopted more eco-friendly methods.
Annie Chuns recently announced the launch of Ramen House soup singles, the first and only packaged ramen noodle products made from authentic ingredients including real gourmet sauce and freshly cooked noodles. Ready in five minutes, Ramen House offers consumers a vegan and dairy-free restaurant quality noodle option without added MSG or preservatives. Soy Ginger Ramen (SRP: $1.99/4.9 oz) and Spring Vegetable Ramen (SRP: $1.99/4.9 oz) are my favorites and are available in traditional grocery and natural specialty stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Target, Safeway, Kroger and Walmart.
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