Worth Burning My Tongue On...

What I made for dinner last night:
A "meaty meal" of green lentils, pan fried mushrooms, leeks, zucchini, and celery with thyme and cayenne pepper, lemon juice and lots of garlic wrapped together with cold pickled red beets in home made spelt and flax seed wraps. This was absolutely amazing and so filling! Eating easy and cheap tastes good...

Day One of the Master Cleanse!

Check out the tab at the top of this page to follow my Master Cleanse experience! I made it 10 days without food and only drinking laxative tea, water, and lemonade from fresh lemons, quality maple syrup, and cayenne pepper-- all for cleansing purposes.

Do Vegetarians Really Make Better Lovers?

While I was in Berlin, Germany last year I went to The Erotic Museum. Among everything there (and you can just imagine what was there!) I was most interested in the display of aphrodisiac foods believed to get the blood flowing South of the waistline. There was asparagus, artichokes, honey, pomegranates, and bananas, just to name a few. So it got me thinking about what the top 10 aphrodisiac foods are?
A quick Google search and these seem to be the most commonly agreed upon aphrodisiacs: Avocados, Asparagus, Almonds, Bananas, Honey, Basil, Garlic, Figs, Chocolate, and Oysters. Nine out of ten of these are vegetarian foods. So the next time you see a guy wolfing down a steak and liver pie with french fries and a beer, remember this article! Or, remember that the Erotic Museum is in Berlin.

Here are some interesting things I read about these foods:
Avocados- voluminous like a female, but shaped like a testicle, this fruit is associated with the male sexuality. The Aztecs called the avocado tree the "Ahuacuatl", meaning "testicle tree". Apparently the Spanish found the fruit to be too sexy that Catholic priests ban its use to their parishioners.

Almonds- Fellas, listen up! The aroma of almonds is said to arouse passion in females and almonds were considered the fertility symbol throughout antiquity.

Bananas- According to Islamic myth, Adam and Eve covered themselves with banana leaves, not fig leaves, in the Garden of Eden. Due to bananas minerals and vitamins, they are thought to arouse the male libido. And if you want to send a clever hint that a marriage will soon take place, place a banana at the doorstep.

Basil- Basil promotes circulation and in some parts of Italy is regarded as a love-token.

Chocolate- Need I say more? Enjoy the dark, good quality, and of course, Fair Trade kind to get the chemical, serotonin (the happy hormone), swirling in your brain. But remember, exercise also produces serotonin, so don't go too crazy!

Figs- Ripe figs are wildly sexy, so it's no wonder why they are associated with female sexuality. Lush, pink, soft, and bursting with seeds and sweet fruit, it is said to be Cleopatra's favorite fruit. To the ancient Greeks, figs were considered to be more precious than gold!

In Greece lettuce is considered an anti-aphrodisiac! and that is why traditional Greek salad is served without lettuce.
Not only are these food loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but they will get your love life burning with passion! Definitely a very happy chew!

"HOME" Film Link

Check out this beautiful film about our planet! Wait for a rainy Sunday afternoon, make a smoothie, and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

Tofu in Denmark

Over the weekend I ventured out doing what I love to do the most: shop for food. I was on a mission to find tofu (since it is not commonly sold in stores here) so I could experiment making sauces and dressings like vegan fetuccini sauce and tofu mayonnaise for vegan potatoe salad. I went to a Japanese food store that was extremely over priced. Chop sticks, a set of six and very simple, were $13. Next time I'm eating sushi I'm going to take home my chop sticks with me. When I brought my small, non-organic, therefore probably GMO tofu to the counter I asked in my best danish how much it cost. When he responded saying it was $8 I naturally said, "Hvad!" (what)? He said it again in English thinking I didn't understand danish. I said, "oh, I heard you- but that's ridiculous!" I put it back on the shelf and immediately started to think about alternatives to tofu until I get back to Canada where Whole Foods sells non-GMO, organic, fresh tofu for about $2-3.. and double the amount in one pack than what I was going to spend $8 on.

Bravo to tofu for still having a niche market somewhere!

Fair Trade: It's a Happy Chew Indeed

Just in time for Easter! Did you know cocoa beans to make chocolate is one of the worlds most unfairly traded commodities?
What labels do you read when you buy food? The nutrition label? The ingredients label? How about labels that indicate sustainable farming practices, fair wages, community growth, and fairness? Check out this video about Fair Trade and start reading labels!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZpUwCfINh8

Pizza in the Park

Today I ate a pizza while sitting in the park. Oozing with cheese, loaded with pineapple, artichokes, and pepper, and perfectly baked Italian style crust-- it was delicious! Just two weeks ago I decided to limit my dairy intake and eliminate eating meat at all, and there I was in the park starring at a hot cheesy slice of pizza. I bit into the crispy crust, creamy cheese, and sweet vegetables while a little danish boy, blond hair and blue-eyed, stares at me and says, "Pizza". I wondered if he would have done the same thing if I were eating an apple, or a cucumber-- would he call out those things that I was eating? I could see the toddler instantly salivate and I nodded my slice at him as both a kind gesture, and for a 'good luck kid' in this world loaded with bad-for-you food products. Not that I think the particular pizza I was eating was terribly bad for me, but unfortunately I think if I had been eating McDonalds that boy would have been able to call that out too.
On to my second piece, a man rides by on his bike and says, "Velbekomme", which is a danish gesture best translated into the commonly known french phrase, "bon appetit". I again raise my slice to him and kindly say, "tak!" (thanks).
After taking in the scenery of the park, the towers in the distance, and the old European buildings, admiring their architecture and style, I glance down at the top of the pizza box and take note of the picture on it. An old, fat, Italian man grinning from ear to ear as he shoves a pizza into the oven. Go figure he's fat and happy.
Unfortunately, I am also feeling fat, but not happy. I can feel the cheese thick and dense in my stomach and my breath will likely do to my toothbrush as would toxic fumes. What I thought was a wonderfully happy chew in the park eating that pizza was not a complete happy chew. A compete and honest happy chew leaves us greatly satisfied while we eat, and also after we eat. There is no stomach-ache remorse, bloated bellies, or feelings of guilt. So what I desire and think is a real happy chew, is the day we can easily find pizza made with whole grain and flax crust, plenty of fresh local vegetables for toppings, and soy cheese or fresh olive oils. Now that's a happy chew!