One of my new favorite things on the Whole Foods Bar!

This salad was outstanding - it kind of reminded me of Cucumber Tomato Salad!

I'm attempting to make it tonight - we'll see how it turns out!

UPDATE:  I think I got it close. Here's what I did:

• 1 large raw eggplant (peeled and cubed)
• 3 heirloom tomatoes, chopped (an orange, a yellow and a red)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley
• S&P to taste
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic (minced)

Combine last 5 ingredients and whisk. Add in the raw veggies until evenly covered with dressing and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Tell Congress: No Free Pass for Monsanto!

Please take a few moments to read the information on this site and watch the video. They're adding more and more genetically modified crops everyday. Do your part and take action against GMOs!

http://www.capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=61552966&type=TA

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_25809.cfm

STOP - Read These Very Compelling Statistics!

The Facts About Eating Animal Products
These were too good not to share... I put the most interesting ones in BLUE.

The Hunger Argument:
Number of People worldwide who will die of starvation this year: 60 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced meat intake by 10%: 60 million
Human beings in America: 296 million
Number of people who could be fed with grain and soybeans now eaten by US livestock: 1.3 billion

Most Common Genetically Modified Foods

Curious about which foods are most commonly genetically modified?  Find out by reviewing
Step 1 of the WikiHow - how to avoid Genetically modified foods

Here's a link to the USDA Organic website for consumers which answered a lot of the questions I had.  For example, in order for a product to be labeled "Organic", the product must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients.  Happy reading!

USDA Organic Website for Consumers

Edamame Salad with Mint

I found this recipe on the "What did you eat" blog - it was adapted from a recipe in Sunset Magazine.

This stuff is delicious, quick and perfect as a side or just a healthy snack.

Fast Plant-Based Meal - Vegan Maffe

On a recent shopping trip to Whole Foods, they were sampling some food and to our surprise, it was something Vegan!  It was a local company that sells yummy bottled sauces that make a quick Vegan meal.  It was super delicious when we tried it at the store and couldn't wait to make it at home! 

Plastics, BPA, Phthalates... what you should know

We recently watched the"Bag It" documentary and it was super interesting.  The documentary explained that plastic bags are really not disposable and they're terrible for the environment.  I'm sure a lot of people already know this. 

The documentary evolved  into researching BPA and phthalates and what he found was extremely interesting.  His wife was pregnant during the documentary so they were very interested in trying to figure out how much BPA and phthalates were getting into their bodies.  Now, most of us know that it's important to avoid heating up food in plastic containers, re-using plastic water bottles, etc.  But, did you know that there are phthalates in your shampoo, deodorant, perfume, cosmetics, hair products, etc?  Pretty much any products that list "Fragrance/Parfum" as an ingredient means there could be phthalates as well as a whole slew of other chemicals in it.  Phthalates are the ingredients that help the scent bond to something, like your skin.