Our hairy, four-legged children.

Growing up, we always had larger breed dogs, and small dogs weren't really my thing, UNTIL this yummy dog entered my life in 2008. She was homeless, dirty, filled with fleas, and yet, I was so in love; the connection was immediate. For the first time I would be taking a lot of responsibility for a dog. First thing I did was research on more natural and healthier approaches to taking care of a dog. I went to the library and I got a DVD by Gary Null about Holistic pet care. One of the things mentioned that really stuck, was the use of BHT, which you will see in some (namely larger "name brand") dog food. BHT is used as a preservative, but that same preservative is also used on tires. Can someone say, yuck? I also noticed one day while looking at a cereal box for humans that BHT was used for the box. No bueno. Gary cooks all the food for his pets, which is wonderful, however I tried it for a couple weeks and found it to be too time consuming to cook a small amount of food everyday. Since then I look for healthier dog food such as Newman's, Halo, etc. She gets a mix of dry and canned foods. Also, something I learned on the video was the benefit of flax oil for the dogs heart and coat.
Recently it hit me that I can make a larger amount of food, pack it individually and freeze it. I came up with this recipe and she loves it. I take out one serving and thaw it out the night before so it can be ready the next morning. Also, once I serve it, I pour a good teaspoon of organic flax oil on top of it (she loves it on it's own, but doing this makes one step less.) By the way, cats are carnivores not dogs, which I thought them to be; still giving dogs meat is o.k. but not completely necessary if it's something you don't agree with.

Nana's homemade dog food
1 cup organic barley
Water (check barley package for amount)
2 organic carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled, chopped into chunks
1 yam, peeled chopped into chunks
3-5 slices turkey bacon, cooked and cut into smaller pieces (I prefer Applegate Organic Turkey bacon)

In a pot I add the water and barley and cook for about 15 minutes before throwing in the carrots, sweet potato and yam. I cook everything for the remaining time together (see barley package instructions for length of time of cooking.) Once cooked, I mash all together till in small chunks. Lastly, I mix in the turkey bacon pieces. And voila!

I then divide the servings into BPA-free containers and put in the freezer until ready to use. If you will be using all of the food within a few days, it should stay good in the refrigerator, but freeze if it will be longer than that. You can also double this recipe easily.

Wonderful Mini-Documentary

Shadeism from Shadeism on Vimeo.

Giving thanks...

I find the word gratitude a pleasant one. Even the way it sounds. It's a word that floats around but I've been hearing it alot this past week and I suspect it's due to Thanksgiving being around the corner. Ah yes, the one day where being thankful is emphasized. But wouldn't it be nice to practice gratitude on a daily basis? It can be difficult, especially since complaining, feeling negative and living life in constant motion is so darn easy.
Here are some tips I have come across:
For every bad thing that happens, think of 2-3 good ones. I had an experience a couple months ago where my car had a problem that a few mechanics couldn't detect. I do take responsibility for still driving around my car in such condition, and then one day it literally stopped, overheated, a mess. Deep in my soul I could've cried with all this happening, but the way everything went down I really could not help but laugh, laugh so hard I had tears in my eyes. I thought, I have 2 other people in the car and we are all safe and I managed to get my car home. It didn't mean that I was pleased as punch that all this occured but I really felt so much more calm and overall better.
Think and appreciate the journey your food took to get to you. Something as simple as an apple just didn't show up. It took soil and sun for the tree, the person that picked it, the person that delivered it to either a farmers market, a warehouse or grocery store and then you to get/purchase it. Whew! I believe if we could appreciate our food's journey we could have a better relationship with what nourishes us and pleases our palate.
Keeping a gratitude journal. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, a piece of paper or a notebook. Jot dot things that you are thankful for (preferably daily). It's the little things that make life so great and you can be thankful for something as simple as the person that held the door open for you.

Give thanks and celebrate your beautiful life!

Beyond Eden Art Show

The Beyond Eden Art Show took place on October 9th at Barnsall Park in the LAMAG. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was held in a huge space with so many artists represented. (There is a smaller gallery right behind it that I have visited prior to). Here are some of the pieces I really enjoyed.
I really liked the bee representation of this artist.

How can you not love a fish with that face? Well... atleast stare for a bit.

I loved this piece, especially since it was a PAINTING, looks like a picture right?

A saint for today? Major corporations like Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Pepsi represented here. Say word.

Mierda means shit in Spanish, so I just had to...

I grew up with a paleta man in my neighborhood. This was one of a two part painting. Which was titled "Mexican-American". The first one was an Aztec with the words "Mexican" on it and this was the second piece, with the words "American" on it. I found the visual to be pretty deep.

Fresh graf piece, this artist uses newspaper comics in the background; and can definitely be appreciated more in person due to detail.

Nazi gnomes, what the hell? I love gnomes and found it pretty hilarious.

Give alittle bit of yourself why don't you?

LA Free Store

This Saturday there will be a very cool community event where everything will be free. Yes, free. You bring stuff you no longer need or want, and take from what you may want that others have brought. It may not be new, but it will be new to you... enjoy.

Info:
You can go to their site here
Location: Casa Princessa Cafe 4527 York Blvd. Los Angeles, Ca
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

"Can Urban Gardens Create Community?"

From American Friends Services Committee:

Urban gardening has grown in popularity in Los Angeles. But is this phenomenon a passing trend or a sustainable reality? Hear various expert speakers working in the community, in schools, co-ops, and other publc spaces use urban gardens as a way to rebuild community. AFSC Los Angeles will also share its work in creating two gardens at local high schools as a form of peacebuilding. Following the dialogue will be a freereception for the opening of our art gallery exhibit, "Cultivating Spirited Land."
Speakers include: Mud Baron, the Green Policy Director for the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education; Connie DePaepe-Layton, Master Gardner and a leading advocate for greening Los Angeles; and Megan Hobza, a noted community leader in the field of time banking.

When:

Thursday, November 11, 2010 7:00 pm to 8:00 p.m.

Where:
AFSC Los Angeles Office 3rd Floor
634 S. Spring St.Los Angeles, CA 90014
(recommend parking at Joe's Parking Lot on 530 S. Spring St.)

Contact Information:
For more information contact: Anthony Marsh, Los Angeles Area Program Director 213.489.1900 x119 or amarsh@afsc.org

when in highland park...

Highland Park is definitely a place I have yet to explore, and going to Milagro-Allegro Community Garden was a great opportunity to take a look around (even if brief).
I had a new GPS and I'm the type of gal that reads manuals later. Like. Way later. I didn't know why it was taking me on a Tour de France Highland Park, and then hello! I realized it was on the "bicycle path" setting. The good thing about all that was driving by the Good Girl Dinette. It was so cute and it's simplicity is what actually made it stand out to me. I had set it in my dome that I would be returning back to eat there at some point.
At the garden the Good Girl was mentioned as they give their scraps to the garden to use for compost. They also mentioned that they use local and sustainable ingredients; already this place was sounding quite alright to me. Sis and I returned the following day, and boy was it yum to the tum. They serve Vietnamese food. I had the chicken baguette with spicy fries, sis had the vegetarian pho, we both shared the coffee brownie dessert and coconut pudding. The food was great. And will I return? Too late, I already have. If you're in the area I suggest you check it out too, even if you have to purposely drive there, this is a great spot to support, which in turn supports the community.

Good Girl Dinette

110 N. Avenue 56

Los Angeles, CA 90042

(323) 257-8980