Review: The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

Long before I stopped eating meat (a year ago this past weekend), I started thinking a lot about how what I eat affects me and the world around me. It started with a desire to eat more locally grown and sourced foods, but it evolved into something bigger. As I read books like The Omnivore's Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I started to realize that I could choose the impact my meals have on the environment, as well as on my body.

The next logical step for me was, to the best of my ability, to eat meat that was sustainably, organically, and locally raised. And as the cost of this decision weighed on my budget, I decided that eating less and less meat might be a good idea. Eventually, meat dropped off my menu radar, and I've been OK with that for a year now. Especially after watching Food, Inc.

When I heard about Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet, I figured it was right up my alley. In it, she shares the information and arguments that eventually convinced her to shift from a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet and then to what she calls The Superhero diet, her personalized version of a macrobiotic diet.

Part I of The Kind Diet is the rhyme and reason of eating a diet that is kind both to your body and to the earth. As I started reading Part I, I felt like Silverstone was preaching to the choir. I knew much of what she was telling me: that eating meat and animal products affects not only animals, but ultimately the environment, soil quality, fossil fuel consumption and more. But as I read more, I learned (or was reminded of) more. Silverstone isn't preachy. Her opinion on the subject is very clear, but she gives you the facts and plenty of information so that you can make your own educated decision. Throughout this first section, I found myself nodding along with her friendly encouragement, and even (*gasp*) considering trying a vegan diet for a month. (No Greek yogurt? No cheese? Yikes!)

Part II describes how you can begin "Living The Kind Life". Unlike other "diet" books, Silverstone doesn't encourage readers to jump into an extreme diet from the get-go. Instead, she describes how readers can "Flirt" with eating a kinder diet, begin going vegan, and then become a "superhero". She suggests you choose the plan that fits where you are now and give it a try. Then, as you get used to eating in a new way, you can increase your commitment, until eventually you're a Superhero. She makes giving up meat, fish, dairy products and processed foods seem simple, gradual, almost painless. Of course, she also encourages adding foods that are pleasing to your palate so that you don't miss those foods nearly as much. And she gives suggestions on ways that you can begin to make the shift toward kind eating if you're not ready to go all the way, and still see some of the positive effects.

Part III is a rather impressive collection of Vegan and Superhero recipes. I have to admit that I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but I am looking forward to it. Who could resist the allure of vegan Peanut Butter Pie and Mixed Berry "Cheese"cake? And then there's the Risotto with Oyster Mushrooms, Leeks and Peas, and Rice Pilaf with Caramelized Onions. I'll be sure to share them with you once I get around to making them.

In the meantime, I'd recommend you check out The Kind Diet if you're interested in eating a more sustainable, healthier and, well, kinder diet.

Get It While It's Green

If you're a regular reader around here, you know I'm working on living a greener life in whatever ways I can. That's why I couldn't wait to enter my friend Erin's third Go Green Giveaway over at The Mother Load. She's giving a way a set of reusable produce bags to go along with those reusable grocery totes I know you're all carrying around with you these days.

If you'd like to get in on the fun and enter to win some great products to help you live a little greener, head over there now.

CSA Report - Vegetables Make Me Happy

My first CSA report for the season covers weeks one and two since: 1) I was too busy last week to get a post up; and 2) the shares have been pretty small so far. I decided to purchase a half-share again for this year, and I'm so excited for another great harvest.

The season got off to a late start, which I'm assuming is because of all the rain we've been getting lately. The first pick-up was strawberries-only, but I wasn't around for that one. Last week's share included:

• herbs
• garlic scapes
• 1 pint strawberries

This week's share was:

• 2 heads of leaf lettuce (including an additional half-share)
• a couple handfuls of loose lettuce
• garlic scapes
• 1 bunch of scallions
• a handful of snow peas
• a few sprigs of mint
  

Looking forward to what next week brings!

Have You Ever Seen the Grand Canyon?

Have you? I'm not talking about in pictures or on television or even from the air as you fly from one coast to the other. Have you stood on the edge of the huge Canyon and felt the wind swoop down and then back up again blasting you in the face with dust from thousands of feet below? Have you looked out across miles of rock that have been carved away by centuries? Have you?

There's something heart-stopping and, dare I say, spiritual about experiencing a sight like the Grand Canyon. It's awe-inspiring and humbling to walk to the ledge and look over the side of history into the depths of our world. From where you stand at the heights of Canyon, the rushing Colorado River looks like a tiny trickling stream and the clouds look like they're napping on the flat tops of the rock formations. Ravens play on the wind, swooping into protective nooks and crannies and then swooping back out to dance and swirl around.

The Canyon is so big, so vast, that it's hard not to recognize how small we really are. And yet, before We were even on this planet, time and water and wind were shaping and forming this land by doing nothing more than what they were created to do. And I wonder: can I have an impact like that, too? One of adjusted proportions, of course. But if I do those things that I was created to do, if I am me and nothing else, can I create beauty like that?

I believe I can.

I hope I am right.

Ditching the Disposables Challenge: Upping the Ante

Two weeks ago I signed up for a little challenge over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess. All I had to do was pick a disposable that I wanted to ditch and replace it with something reusable. Crunchy is hard-core and she's given up disposable menstrual products. I'm not so brave and went with something a little less radical. Since I've been lazily using paper plates, reasoning that I won't have to wash so many dishes, I decided to ditch my paper plate habit for two months. How much washing could I really be saving, anyway? I'm estimating maybe 11 plates a week at the most, and that's if I eat dinner at home every night and three meals at home on the weekends.

I've managed to go two weeks without using a single paper plate, at home or at work. In fact, it's been pretty easy, and now I'm beginning to think I was a little lazy with my choice for the challenge. My first thought when I heard about the challenge was to give up paper towels. I dismissed that thought quickly, because...well, I use a lot of paper towels and napkins, at home and at work. I couldn't imagine NOT using them. At work they're the only option for drying my hands in the bathroom, and honestly, if there were other options I'm not sure I'd use them for sanitary reasons. But they're not really necessary when I eat lunch or wipe up a mess on the counter. They're just more convenient. I could probably switch to cloth towels or napkins. My only excuse is that I'm a messy person and I'd be doing a lot more laundry (not to mention having to buy more towels and cloth napkins).

Of course, just like the paper plates, I think once I make that switch I'll realize its not as bad as I thought it would be. So I'm pushing myself a bit more this week and I'm committing to getting rid of the paper towels and napkins everywhere but the bathroom at work. And maybe one day I'll be brave enough to try getting rid of toilet paper like some of the other challenge participants.

Another Week at the CSA

I know I've said similar things before, but it really is nice to be bringing home fresh fruit and veggies that are grown where I can actually watch them mature before they're picked. This week's pickup included:

• 0.65 lb. Swiss chard
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 head garlic
• 1 small bunch scallions
• 0.9 lb. red potatoes
• 0.9 lb. tomatoes (1 large)
  
• 0.85 lb. zucchini (1 large)
• 2 small beets (1 donated by an anonymous beet-hater)
  
• 2 sprigs basil, 1 sprig sage, 2 sprigs oregano
• a little more than a pint of blackberries

I got to pick my own blackberries again, and on my way to the patch I passed flowering zucchini plants (it was all I could do not to pick some of the blossoms for stuffing, frying, or stuffing and frying), ripening tomatoes, a raspberry patch, and various as-yet unidentifiable plants that haven't started producing their fruits. So much is still to come: cucumbers, peppers, beans, more berries, sweet potatoes, and yes, more kale. Each week I wait with bated breath to find out what I'll be taking home. And even when the haul is a little smaller than I expected, it's still exciting to put my bag of produce in my car and slowly drive past the fields where it all grew.

All Over the Blogsphere

It seems I just can't help myself when the request for guest posts goes out. I can't stop volunteering. Last week there was my guest post for Confident Writing and this week I'm a guest blogger over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess. If you're interested in my journey toward local eating (as if you don't get enough of that here), feel free to head on over. A little comment love wouldn't hurt, either.

Trusty Bullets - A Week in Summary

I've been busy with freelance work in the evenings, so there hasn't been a lot of time for blogging this week. I made my OLS Meal #3 last night, and I'll try to post a description and the recipe tonight or tomorrow, but for now, here's one of those trusty bulleted lists we all love so much:

• Katy and I spent Tuesday evening together eating, talking, eating, talking, crying, and drinking coffee. Four hours went by before we knew it. While we got together under the guise of research for my book, we ended up having an amazing evening of bonding and girl talk. We committed to making more of an effort to hang out with each other. Turns out you have to be deliberate about these things or they just don't happen.
• Feed the Soul got a bit of a face lift. Check out the new banner and color scheme, and read the blog for some tips on staying cool this summer. If you haven't subscribed to the RSS feed for this blog, I highly recommend it. More recipes and health tips are on the way.
  
• Lisa Spahr, a personal coach I met back in May at the MWA Conference, has named me her "Favorite Person of the Week" on her website. Lisa's a great motivator. I sat in on her session at the conference and spoke to her for about 10 minutes afterward, and she left a lasting impression on me. If she can do that for me in a little over an hour, imagine what a few one-on-one sessions with her could do! If you need a little kick in the pants, like someone else I know (pointing at myself), head on over and visit her, check out her services and subscribe to her blog.
  
• It's term paper and thesis season, and I spent my evenings this week proofreading an architecture student's final project. The topic? Creating an effective, convenient High-Speed Rail Transit Center in San Diego. Now that's the kind of forward thinking creativity that we need to start supporting. Forget offshore drilling. Let's invest in revamping our public transportation, improving city and community planning and ramping up community safety efforts. What happened to that good-ol' American ingenuity and innovation that got us to this point?
• I got some great stuff at the CSA this week. Katy actually came with me and, as luck would have it, there were several "chips in the bags." (When members don't want a share of something, they can leave it for someone else by leaving a poker chip in a bag by the bin for that item.) Apparently people are getting sick of all the peas, but I say, "Bring 'em on!" I mean, that's what the freezer is for. I'll be eating fresh frozen peas all winter. I got a full share in addition to my normal half-share of both snap peas (1.4 lb) and snow peas (1.4 lb), an additional head of lettuce, and a full share of oregano (.02 lb) instead of my half-share's worth. There were also beet greens (.04 lb) and scallions (1 small bunch). I shared a bit with Katy, but still have plenty to eat and freeze for the week on top of what I purchased at the farmer's market over the weekend.
  

I think that's all for now. It's been a dull but busy week. I'm ready for the weekend!

OLS Week 2 - Asparagus Omlet with Red Potato Homefries

I'm not sure why, but this year I'm having a little bit of trouble getting excited about local eating. Last year I couldn't get enough of the farmer's market. Finding new veggies to try and experimenting with recipes was so much fun. But this year it all seems like so much...well, work. Maybe it's that last year I was just doing my best, trying out the "local thing" but not making a big deal about my non-local choices. Now I'm feeling pressured, by my own environmentally-conscious leanings as well as the cost of everything, to be more strict about my food and the places it comes from.

Now that the market options are becoming more varied--I was starting to get sick of all the greens, and lettuce is no longer my friend--things are starting to look up a little. This morning at the market, I found something to get excited about. Locally grown tomatoes! With all the scary news about salmonella, I can rest assured that these first tomatoes of the season won't make me sick. Now what to do with them? I'm sure I'll come up with something. In the mean time, brunch today is my second One Local Summer meal for the season. You might remember a similar meal I whipped up last year around this time. Since I don't know of any local rice or pasta, and my budget is making me hesitant to pay about $4 per pound for local chicken, I'm sticking to mostly vegetarian meals these days, especially when it comes to OLS. This is not easy.

I got lucky at the market and thought to pick up a dozen eggs from The Hen's Nest stand, so an OLS omelet and homefries it is:

Asparagus Omelet and Red New Potato Homefries
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil, divided
3 spears asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 small spring onion, chopped, green and white parts separated
1 TBSP garlic scape, chopped and separated
2 red new potatoes, diced
1 TBSP shredded cheese
fresh dill and parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a small, microwave-safe dish, microwave the potatoes for 1-2 minutes until fork-tender. In a small non-stick skillet, heat 1/2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add 1/2 the white parts of the spring onion and 1/2 TBSP of the garlic scape. Cook for a few seconds, until aromatic, and then add the potatoes. Sauté until browned. Place on a plate and cover to keep warm.

Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining 1/2 tsp oil. Place over medium heat and add the remaining garlic scape and whites of the spring onion, as well as the asparagus. Sauté until the asparagus is bright green and tender. Set aside.

Wipe out the skillet again and spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, whip two eggs until slightly frothy. Heat the skillet for a few seconds and then add the egg. Sprinkle with chopped dill and parsley and cook until no longer runny, scraping the sides every few minutes to allow the liquid egg to reach the bottom of the pan.

Slide the omelet onto the plate. Place the asparagus mixture on one side of the omelet. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and a bit more chopped dill and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.

---

OLS Breakdown: Eggs, asparagus, spring onion, new potatoes and raw milk sharp cheddar cheese from the local farmer's market. Garlic scape from the CSA. Parsley and dill from my back yard. Oil, salt and pepper from my pantry (not local, but on hand). I also served this with a side of local strawberries. They won't be around much longer...*sigh*

Measuring in Gallons

Is it just me, or is everyone else measuring everything in gallons of gas these days?

That latte? That'll set you back 1 gallon of gas.
The free-range, natural chicken I considered buying for a millisecond? A whopping 2 gallons of gas. Per. Pound.
Those shoes? Better start saving, because they're a full tank.
And a pound of strawberries? At about a half-gallon, they seem like a steal.

Get used to it, I tell myself. Europeans have been paying this much for gas for years. While this is the reality, it doesn't make it any easier to swallow. But it could be worse; I could be a truck driver in Spain. Or an Ethiopian. Or a citizen of some other poor, developing country. Maybe now that gas prices are starting to strain our purses we Americans will collectively start making more conservation-minded choices.

Or maybe we'll continue to do what we've always done: Thank God for our freedom to live however we choose, and as well as we can afford, without considering the consequences of our actions on our communities, our country or our world. Isn't that what being an American is all about?

I know I sound all judgmental and cynical, but all the doom and gloom, all the natural disasters and economic hardship, are making me wonder if we really can make a difference. I mean, for every person who is conscious of their own impact on the collective financial, environmental, medical and mental health of the world, it seems there are a dozen more who, for whatever reason, can't see beyond their own noses.

And sometimes, I'm not sure which group I fall into. I'm trying to make a difference, be more other-centered, do my part. I just don't know if it's making a difference. And if I forget to unplug my electronics today, have I negated all the efforts I made yesterday? How might my life measure out in gallons of gas? Would it turn out that I'm just as much to blame for the state of the world as the person down the street driving that Hummer? I'm not sure I want to know.

OLS Week 1 - Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Today is the first day of One Local Summer. I got up early and headed to the Farmer's Market to find some fresh local ingredients for my first OLS meal. The options were pretty good considering how early in the season we are. I got two bunches of aparagus, several stalks of rhubarb, two quarts of strawberries, a half-pound of baby spinach, a pound of spring peas, a bunch of radishes, some red spring onions, cilantro, swiss chard and a few more herb plants for my garden (cinnamon basil, purple basil and rosemary). It was difficult for me to decide what to make, particularly because I had to make sure I didn't add any non-local ingredients.

Here's what I created:

Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Makes 2 dinner-sized or 4 side-sized servings.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strawberries, halved
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves

6 cups baby spinach
1 large radish, chopped
1 small spring onion, chopped, whites and greens separated
3/4 cup strawberries, quartered or cut in eighths
fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

For the dressing, mix the first four ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a large bowl, toss the spinach, radishes and onion to mix. Evenly split the salad into the number of servings you'd like. Top each salad with equal amounts of strawberries and add a few mint leaves. Drizzle with about 1-2 Tbsp. dressing immediately before serving.

* This salad would also be great with local feta or goat cheese and/or local walnuts. Unfortunately, I didn't have either of those. It was delicious just the same.

I can't wait to experiment this week with all my other market finds!

It's Wednesday Already

Where in the world did the last week go. I have a lot of things I wanted to talk about this week, but time has gotten away from me. Here's a list of bullets about things that have been rolling around in my head since Thursday:

• Apparently Freeganism is Oprah-worthy. Reading about Lisa Ling's report got me thinking about how much I waste. It did not, however, make me want to go dumpster diving.
• A subdivision in my state was set on fire in protest because it's apparently being built on a plot of land that many people think should be protected. A group known as the Earth Liberation Front (E.L.F), a recognized eco-terrorism organization, is claiming responsibility. While I'm all for environmental protection and activism, how in the world does this help things? Just another case of extremists giving the larger group bad name.
• It's National Nutrition Month. I wrote a post at Feed the Soul on this today. You can read it but if you don't feel like it, here's the gist: The American Dietetic Association wants you to stop fretting about the bad stuff and focus on the good stuff. If you're making healthy changes, but you have an occasional treat, don't worry. You're still making progress toward a healthy lifestyle.
  
• I'm considering becoming a vegetarian for a while. I don't eat much meat anyway, and it might be an interesting experience. Plus, I just ordered How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, so at least I'll have plenty of ideas.
• It's almost spring, so that means it's time to decide if I want to participate in Community Supported Agriculture this year. I've been meaning to do this for four years now and every year I've let the deadlines slip by. After my experience last summer of trying to live locally, I figure this is the next logical step. Has anyone else ever participated in CSA?

Ok, that's all I've got time for now. Enjoy!

Where Is My Beloved Autumn?

Last October I wrote about my love of Autumn over at my old blog. This year, I find myself wondering where my dear love has gone.

It's October 23 and the high for today is expected to be 75 degrees. This is not normal for my area. The average high in Baltimore for the month of October is supposed to be 68 degrees. Where are my cool, crisp mornings? Where is the smell of decaying leaves and the feeling of calm and preparation that fall always brings to me? Where is my beloved Autumn, with his colorful leaves and moderate weather?

It's just not normal to wake up at 5:30AM with my windows wide open and not feel a bit of cool air blowing through. It's unacceptable that this morning I wore a sleeveless shirt and didn't need a jacket or sweater when I walked out my front door. It's OCTOBER, people! I hate to think that winter may hit me like a ton of bricks in December because I haven't had my wonderful Autumn here to help me transition.

Please, Autumn, if you're out there please come back. I want you. I miss you. I need you.

Training the Baggers

I've been getting better at taking reusable bags to the grocery store. But the baggers aren't getting any better at dealing with it. You'd think with all the talk of going green and being more environmentally conscious, grocery store cashiers and baggers would get used to being handed a canvas bag in which to place my groceries.

They're not. In fact, they generally look at the bags blankly until I explain that I'd like my groceries to go into them. Even the cashiers at the grocery store where I bought a few of my reusable bags are confused when I hand the bags over. Some practically insist on bagging things in plastic bags and then putting them in my canvas bag while my back is turned. And don't get me started on the cashiers at Wal-Mart, who have twice tried to charge me for the bags I brought in.

Maybe an open letter will help.

---

Dear Cashiers and Baggers of the World,

When a customer hands you a canvas bag that doesn't have a tag on it and doesn't look like anything you've ever sold in your store before, you can assume that the customer wants you to place her purchases inside the bag. She does not want you to first bag the purchases in plastic and then place the plastic bags inside the canvas bag. She also does not want you to place one or two things in the canvas bag and then move on to plastic bags. This defeats the purpose of the canvas bag, which is to REDUCE the number of plastic bags the customer uses, therefore reducing the number of plastic bags that need to be produced. Her canvas bag is big and strong, and if all of her things won't fit into one bag, trust me, she has another one to handle the overflow.

Also, please note that your huffing and puffing, sighing and rolling your eyes when a customer presents you with a canvas bag does not deter her from bringing them again next time. In fact, it just makes her want to seek you out again the next time she's at the store so that you can learn by practice. A better approach would be to smile kindly, thank the customer for caring about her environment, take the canvas bag, and neatly pack her purchases into it. It'll make your day, and hers, much better.

Sincerely,

Earth-Friendly Shopper