WYCD talks with Pet Blogs United

To all of you pet lovers out there, there’s a blog you may already know of and love, and if you don’t yet, it’s one you must check out!

Pam, an animal enthusiast, along with her faithful and handsome miniature schnauzer Oskar, started Pet Blogs United. Serving as a mecca for pet bloggers, Pet Blogs United links pet lovers to countless pet inspired blogs, and encourages the community to follow bloggers, leave comments, and even become bloggers themselves.

Pam and Oskar were kind enough to help promote our You Can Do This Campaign, and the warm-hearted community of animal enthusiasts that visit the blog helped us to reach, and surpass, our goal of raising $50,000 for shelter animals around the country.

From all of us here at What You Can Do, we’d like to say thank you to Pam for showing us what she can do in one minute to change the world! If you love animals as much as we do, visit Pet Blogs United, and get involved in the pet blogging community!  It’s a great way to find new blogs and meet new friends.

Read my interview with Pam to learn more about her and Oskar, and Pet Blog United.  Make sure you also follow her on twitter and facebook at:

@PetBlogsUnited

Facebook.com/PetBlogsUnited

What inspired you to start Pets Blog United?

There were a lot of pet bloggers out there feeling like they were in their own little world.  I wanted to create a place where not only can you find hundreds of other pet blogs in our blogroll, but also a place to have your pet blog featured for more visibility.

Why do you think pet bloggers are some of the kindest people you’ve come across?

I would say because anyone who takes the time out of their life to blog for, or about their pet, must be really plugged in to that pet.  And those people have hearts a little bigger.

What’s your favorite part of the pet/pet blogging community, on and offline.

My favorite part of the pet blogging community is seeing all of the fundraising, quilt making, auctions, etc. that happen when a pet blogger has an emergence.

Offline, I love the pet blogging conferences.  I’ve attended 2 BlogPaws & will be going to my first BarkWorld this October.

If someone who’s reading this is thinking of adopting a pet what advice would you give them?

Do research.  Then do more research.  You need to find the right kind of pet for your home, for your family.

Make sure you’re willing to make at least an hour a day commitment to that pet.

Make sure you’re willing to make a 10-15 year commitment to that pet.

Our mission is to help change the world in just one minute. Could you share some quick and easy ways people can help animals?

Pick up some extra food at the store & donate it to your shelter.  Often shelters are in need of things that we can supply them with cheaply and easily, like old towels & inexpensive bleach

And one last thing…can you tell me about Oskar, and your favorite Oskar story?

Well Oskar is a 7 year old, excessively handsome, miniature schnauzer.  He feels that he is in charge around here & gets quite upset when we don’t all listen to him.

My favorite Oskar story would have to be when he ate the stuffing out of one of his toys.  We couldn’t find any stuffing until a couple of days later when he was outside and having difficulty going to the bathroom. 

I went outside & it looked like he had a little white cotton tail (Oskar is all black).  It was the missing stuffing that I had to “help” remove.  It wasn’t either one of our finest moments!

Pam Hoerauf created & maintains The Daily Oskar (www.Oskarsblog.com) and Pet Blogs United (www.PetBlogsUnited.com).  She is owned by Oskar, an excessively handsome miniature schnauzer & 2 cats, Chloe & Moe.

Missy's Homestead: Storing up for Winter

Missy's Homestead: Storing up for winter

As I knowingly predicted several blog posts back I am now sitting on a TON of tomatoes.  I love tomatoes and I can put them in everything but I can only eat so many at a time and  I can only chop so many of them into the salad or put on my eggs.  That being said I don't want to waste any.  So where does that leave me?  In a pickle.  What do I do with all these tomatoes?!?   In my case....you break them down and you store them for later use.  

Homegrown tomatoes chopped up on my homemade pesto sauce! 

Last week marked my first exploration into making tomato sauce from actual tomatoes.  I didn't know were to begin or how the heck one would do such a thing.   So I turned to my trusty friend the "interweb" and googled my heart out.  After reading many websites and several different recipes for creating said sauce I decide to combined some of the advice I had red and do my own thing.  

Slicing the bottoms of my Tomatoes
with X's on the bottom

First things first I decided that I was going to remove the skins from my tomatoes.  I scored the bottoms of the the fruit with a little x, sliced away the stem tops and plopped them into a big pot of boiling water for a few minutes.  After they had been boiling for a bit I strained them all out and put them in an ice bath to cool them down quickly.  This made the skins almost fall off.  I pulled each skin off and by the time I was done I had a huge bowl full of skin tomatoes.  Now some people recommended that you remove the seeds but since I was going to blend this all together together I didn't feel like taking the time out to do that too.  

After all the tomatoes were ready I kind of mashed all the fruit together with my hands creating a soupy tomato pulp.  I put all the liquid and pulp together in a very large stock pot and brought it up to a boil.  I turned the heat down to med/low and let it cook for an hour or so.  After it had reduced down quite a bit I turned off the heat and let the liquid cool.  Once the liquid cooled I ran the whole thing through the blender rendering everything equally smooth.  I pulled the top off that blender and you know what I tasted?  Liquid Tomato!! Amazing.  

Now there was no other taste in this juice besides the fruit.  I only had tomatoes so when I get to the point where I want to use this for soup or a tomato based sauce I will need to season the liquid up and possibly add some tomato paste to thicken but other wise I created my very own homegrown tomato sauce!  I was so proud of myself for using up all those tomatoes.  And at the rate the garden is still going I  think I will be doing several more batches to put in my freezer.  

When I lived in NYC I never really felt the need to keep a lot of items in the freezer.  I hardly had any back up foods or homemade sauces.  It feels so good to have a freezer full of home grown tomato sauce.  And now I not only have homemade tomato sauce but I also have several batches of Zucchini soup also grown from my garden.  I have 3 very large freezer bags of cubed squashes, also from my garden and a couple batches of frozen pesto that I made from my garden basil!  I also have a very large amount of homemade chicken stock that I cooked up last winter when I made several roasted chickens.    My little homestead is moving along. 

Okay until next time think good thoughts that I am not overrun by my plants.

xoxo

Freezer Sauce!

Missy

Inside SCOOP: Unmasking the Superfoods

Hey fellow health nuts - and health nuts in the making :) - ever feel like you have an idea of what foods are good for you, but then get fuzzy as to WHY they’re so awesome?

I had a moment in the produce section the other day. I just had to have this chocolate & acai berry drink. Then the “superfood” label caught my eye.  Huh! I paused to ponder as acai fiends elbowed around me – Excuse me! – grasping at the bottles.

Paired with cocoa, the fruit juice is a smooth and delicious alternative to chocolate covered nougat… but I wondered why acai was so great as to be called a superfood. Was I just buying into some pervasive food marketing? Should I have just waited for the Bourne Legacy to come out on Netflix instead?

"Coulda had a V8..."

I had questions…. Questions that would have to wait until I was home, and not standing in the middle of a crowded grocery aisle.

In finding the most-balanced, healthy lifestyle for me, I’ve discovered that while I have better idea of what foods are good for me, I could do with a bit more research. I’d like to share with you as I learn more about super foods, and hope you will chime in with your insights too.

 Superfoods are…

Natural foods that are dense in nutrients and low on calories.

High sources of disease-fighting anti-oxidants and essential nutrients

*(for more background on anti-oxidants and how they work, click here)

Five types of superfoods

Green superfoods

Fruit and nut superfoods

Bee superfoods

Seaweed superfoods

Herb superfoods

GREEN SUPERFOODS

These luscious greens have the highest concentrations of easily digestible nutrients, so they’re easy on the eye as well as on the body. 

They’re also most rich in fat-burning compounds, vitamins, and minerals that protect and heal.  Plus, green superfoods contain proteins, and healthy bacteria that help us build healthier muscles and tissues; improve digestive function and fight off disease.

Their coloring comes from chlorophyll, which (you’ll remember from biology class) is what makes plants green.  Studies show that chlorophyll is similar in structure to human blood and that when we eat more of it, we get increased oxygen flow in the bloodstream.

Examples of green superfoods:

Wheat grass: the spouted grass of a wheat seed

Since it’s already sprouted, wheat grass does not contain gluten or other allergens found in whole grain. This superfood lowers acidity and promotes healthy blood. High in enzymes that promote cleansing and weight loss.

Barley Grass

Looks can be deceiving: Barley had 11 x more calcium than cows milk and 5 x more iron than spinach.

Wild blue-green algae

Old school: Algae was the first form of life on Earth! And wild blue-green algae contains almost every nutrient, including a 60% protein content. The phyto-plankton has been shown to rev– up brain function, and bolster the immune system against viruses.

Spirulina

This algae is one of the highest known protein sources on Earth. With 70% complete protein, spirulina dwarfs steak, which is only 25% protein once cooked. Spirulina has also been shown to help control blood sugar levels and food cravings which helps with diabetes and weight loss.

Chlorella

Chorella is high in all the B vitamins, vitamin C and E and many minerals. The algae helps reduce cholesterol and the hardening of arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke.

Green leafy vegetables

These are easier to come by than the other green superfoods: Kale, watercress, parsley, lettuce are as close as the neighborhood food market.

Leafy greens supply proteins, enzymes, vitamins and minerals that improve bodily functions across the board!

Next week, back to acai and the fruit & nut superfoods!

A wheatgrass shot to your continued health!

- C.

Missy's Homestead - Sonoma County Bicycle Expo

Missy's Homestead - Sonoma County Bicycle Expo

This past sunday my husband greg, his brother tim and I all participated in the Sonoma County Bike Expo in downtown santa Rosa.  Sonoma county is a very bike friendly place and there a lot of avid bike riders, bike shops and bike enthusiast all around the various little towns.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the event but we decided to participate since both Greg and Tim are really into biking and I have started to get into the sport.  We started out early fin the morning at around 8:30am for the bike around town.  There was a group of about 100 people including a couple town mayor's, county officials etc.  We were led about town by the Sonoma County Bike Coalition for a fun 10 mile ride around some of the streets of Santa Rosa.  Our bike leader spoke about proper hand signaling, proper use of the bike lanes and proper bike etiquette.    It was nice to have those reminders set forth before we embarked on the ride through the streets.  We stayed mostly in the bike lanes give or take a few blocks here and there and it was a very family friendly ride as there were several small children on cute little bikes leading the pack.  (On a side note I was very impressed that these little kids were able to do the ride with no complaints.)

After the ride about town we ended up downtown in a parking lot that had been blocked off and had 20 or so bike oriented booths set up.  All the bike shops had a booth showcasing bikes and products, many of them offering deep discounts on stuff they were selling. There were some local food vendors, of course New Belgium Brewery (which is employee owned and all about bikes) were there selling beer and doing fun silk screens etc. There were bike ramps set up for racing, there were young guys doing tricks on tiny bikes.  There we a bunch of old school bikes that had been restored for sale.  There were also a lot of swap meet type booths where you could get used bike parts on the cheap if you were looking for something specific.  I ended up buying a new seat for me old school cruiser that my brother in law bought me at a yard sale.  (I can't wait till it is all fixed up so I can ride it around town with Lola in the front basket)

We spent a couple hours down there just wandering around, having lunch, chatting with other local bike owners and having a very nice Sunday afternoon in our community.  I was impressed at how many people showed up with their own bikes and were wandering around checking out what the community had to offer.  Overall it was a super fun, low key time and it inspired me to get out more and ride my bike which is something i have been working hard to do since I moved here.  Hopefully this will continue to keep me motivated in this green activity which is so good for me and so good for the environment.  Write in and lets us know how often do you use your bike?  

Until next time, Consume More and Buy Less.

And don't forget to check out our  " You Can Do This" Campaign if you have not already.  Please help us save shelter animals buy donating $5.  We are so close to reaching our goal of 50K.  You can check our latest update video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2HO7StZpA&feature=youtu.be

Melissa

INSIDE SCOOP: Heart Healthy & Tasty Too…

When it comes to healthy foods, there’s a tendency to think that the more bland the dish, the better it is for you.

Mushy green peas! ... yum...

But eating foods lower in sugar, salt and fat content does not mean a ban on flavor.  You can decrease risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes and high -cholesterol and high blood pressure, by choosing leaner, whole-foods options -  without punishing your palate.

Skeptical?

If you’re crazy about salmon, you’re already onto something good. A nice piece of grilled salmon is rich in the good fats: Omega-3 fatty acids.

You don’t need a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.  But the adage does have a point: sometimes it’s easier to choose fiber-rich foods when it’s mixed in and out of sight.  Ground flaxseed, is loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and phytoestrogens that help lower cholesterol.  Plus, it’s virtually undetectable in yogurt parfaits, cereal, and these cookies! Banana-Peanut-Butter Flaxeed? Yes, please!

The same goes for carrots.  These are among  the colorful fruits and veggies prized for carotenoids: heart- protective anti-oxidants. Baby carrots are a great snack on the go, but you might also try mixing them into your favorite spaghetti sauce of muffin batter.

Sundried tomatoes brought life and color to my otherwise boring salad today.  That's one way to add flavor but also Vitamin C and potassium to your meal.

Papaya salsa!

It’s no secret that fruits are good for you.  Eat an apple to get over the post-lunch hump.  Keep variety by switching the rotation.  Papaya is one fruit I don’t eat often. You can enjoy it sliced for breakfast or diced for this simple salsa idea: Mix papaya, pineapple, scallions, garlic, fresh lime juice, salt and black pepper.

And for dessert?

It’s amazing how the powers that be reward you for sticking to a healthier lifestyle – and not diets, which for me, at least, have been flashes in the pan, quickly abandoned because they set impossible standards to be achieved in a fraction of time, and ultimately yield no results.  Getting off my little soapbox now…

Back to the matter at hand, delicious treats! Bet you didn’t think truffles would be on this list of healthy foods!  But it is – a truffle a day helps lower blood pressure, but the trick here, as with all chocolate treats is to go dark. Opt for dark chocolate with 70 % or higher cocoa content.

Last but not least, make time for tea! Soothing and rich in antioxidants as well as flavor.

Cheers! My next cup of rooibos tea is to you and to continued health!

C.

Click for the entire list of heart-healthy foods.  Enjoy!

Missy's Homestead - A Watched Tomato Never Ripens

Missy's Homestead - A Watched Tomato Never Ripens

Patience has never been my thing and living for six years in NYC did not help my sense of "go go go," "hurry up, hurry up, faster, faster," and "I wanted that done five minutes ago."   My little homestead is not only about trying to live a simpler and more sustainable life, but it is also about personal growth and change on top of doing my part to contribute to society and to help make the world a better place.  I love my current practice of growing some of my own food and my garden has been there for me over the last several months during a time that I really needed a distraction from all the change that was whirling around me.  As seen in my previous posts I built my garden boxes, grew a lot of my seeds indoors early on and shoveled all the dirt myself into my bins.  My garden gave me projects that made me feel successful.    Currently things are moving along very nicely in the garden butt of course I always want things to move faster.  Every morning and often in the evening before the sun sets I go out and water the garden, remove weeds, clear out dead leaves, check on the fruit production etc. etc.  And every time I go out there I tend to think...why is this not ready?  When will this get bigger?  Why don't I have any of those things yet?  I tend to focus more on how slow things are going and not  on how well they are growing and how delicious the product will be when it is finally ready to be picked off the plants.  

Greg and I went away for over a week and when I returned I couldn't believe how much progress there had been.  Just how many tomatoes had ripened and how many squash blossoms there still are.  I went out and picked 30 tomatoes, 7 peppers, 3 zuchhini, 2 cucumbers, 2 lemon cucumbers and a few beets.    There was something so wonderful about being able to go out to the garden and pick and pick.  

After I got all the veggies out of the garden I sat back and looked at the two giant bowls I had filled.  I was beaming.  And it made me realize that maybe I should learn to  ignore my garden a little bit more.  Now I don't mean not go out and water and clean up but maybe I need to stop obsessing over that one tomato that is kinda ripe.  Because as I have found out it won't be ripe for days and if I sit and stare at it everyday it won't get ripe any faster.  Maybe I need to sit back and enjoy the task of the garden and the joy I get from learning about gardening than being so obsessed with how much my garden will produce.  I need to ignore the day to day of each tomato and learn pick it when it comes right off the vine when touched.  I am going to try this tactic for the rest of the summer and into the early fall.  The rate we are going with weather and plant wise things should be blooming way into October this year.  The rest of the summer is about learning to sit back, relax and ignore the growing tomatoes.  I never imagined that my little place would change and teach me so much about living a healthier and more sustainable life.  

Happy Summer,

Missy 

INSIDE SCOOP: Snack Smart (pt. 2)

Hey What You Can Doers, hope this finds you well and having a great week.

Last time, we talked about why snacking is good for you and some steps to making healthier snack choices. Shopping after you’ve eaten, for example, is a good trick for warding off junk food temptation.

Now, as promised, here are a few snack ideas to help you along the way

 Who's a healthy snacker?... THIS guy!

Tame the Tummy Beast!  - Smart snack ideas

1 Hard –cooked egg with half a slice of toasted wheat bread

100 Calories

PLUS – Extra boost of protein

Veggie & Dip

1 cup baby carrots, celery and bell peppers with 2 Tbsp light dressing

100 Calories

PLUS – Good source of Vitamin A and Fiber

Baked apple treat

100 Calories

PLUS – Apples are sweet & packed with Vitamin C and fiber

Quick recipe: Make a fast-baked apple by microwaving 1 diced medium apple sprinkled with a pinch each of cinnamon and sugar for 1 minute. Stir; microwave 30 seconds more. Top with 1 tablespoon chopped almonds.

Edamame

3/4 cup edamame sprinkled with curry powder, garlic powder or sea salt

100 Calories

PLUS – Quick, savory and fiber-rich!

Chips & Dip

150 Calories

8 tortilla chips with 1/2 cup salsa and 1/4 cup diced avocado

PLUS -  Avocado is a vitamin E powerhouse and provides nearly 20 essential nutrients

One 8" flour tortilla with 2 oz sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato and balsamic vinegar

200 Calories

PLUS – Quick fill of protein and veggies

Banana Smoothie

200 Calories

PLUS – Delicious dose of Potassium, protein & cocoa :) 

Whip up a smoothie by blending 1 banana, 1/2 cup almond milk, 2 tbsp chocolate whey protein powder and a couple of ice cubes until smooth.

ENJOY!!!!

Missy's Homestead - Overrun by my Zucchini

Missy's Homstead - Overrun by my Zucchini

Here on my little homestead my current problem is too much zucchini.  I have zucs coming out of my ears.  As I mentioned in my last post I made the mistake of planting 5 zucchini plants and all 5 of them are competing for my affection in the amount that they can produce.   

Oh so many Zucs.

At first I was able to keep up. I could pick them early when they were small and sweet and grill them up with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  I would have one or two a week and that was great.  But now it is everyday.  Everyday I go out and find another zucchini that needs to be picked, eaten, stored or given away.  I have left several of my neighbors with zucchini and even yellow squash but i sense that this is something everyone is now currently doing in California.  Pawning off their extra squash on anyone who will look at them.  In fact several days ago a banana squash magically appeared in my garden, obviously abandon by my down the street neighbor.  I now finally understand the joke that "August is the only time you need to lock your cars because otherwise you will end up with a car full of squash."

Grill them up!

Now I am not complaining about all the fresh produce I have in my garden.  In fact I am so very grateful.  However, I am starting to run out of ideas for my zucchini and also feel like my mouth might reject eating the squash if I continue on the path I am moving on.  

Currently I have made the following:

1. Several large batches of zucchini Soup (Which I ate and also froze)
2.  Countless amounts of grilled zucchini
3.  One batch of very dry zucchini Muffins (I need to do this again and change the recipe)
4.  One batch of stuffed zucchini with sausage.  (Very good and tasted a lot like lasagna)
5.  Unfathomable amounts of zucchini Pasta.
6.  Several batches of stir fry with zucchini
7.  Many fresh zucchini sticks
8.  And three large freezer bags of chopped up zucchini for the winter

Next up on the agenda:
1.  Zucchini parm (Recipe sent by my friend Alicia)
2.  Fried zucchini strips
3.  Zucchini bread

More, More, More... 

Sometimes I feel like my face has turned into a zucchini.  My current goal is to make sure that I use or give away every single zucchini that comes out of my garden.  I want to make sure that none of the fresh produce that I grow goes to waste....even if I have to make up a stand and give them away for free on the street.  I don't want my garden to contribute to more waste in the world.  (Crossing my fingers I can accomplish this...think of my and the zucchini, especially since the tomatoes are about to start fighting the zucchini for my affections.)

Until next time Consume More, Buy Less and please remember to check out our You Can Do This campaign.  Help us raise 50K in 50 Days $5 at a time. Follow the link for more info. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QrnTbmkU_U&feature=youtu.be

And if you are so inclined you can come join us on Twitter.  @whatyoucando

Cheers from the homestead,

missy

I went away for a day....this is what I found when I got back.