Kitty Litter Cake

Need a last minute show stopper for your Halloween party? Kitty Litter Cake HERE.

Be safe and have fun!

NAOmni

Spooky Little Cupcakes

Stumbled upon these the other day! So cute!

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Busken Presidential Cookie Poll

Read a jam packed political article HERE, but the main reason for posting is to introduce you to the Busken family run bakery in Cincinnati, Ohio a.k.a a sort of presidential litmus test. Every election since 1984 the bakery has sold ice cookies with images of the candidates faces. Currently, Obama cookies are outselling McCain, which is not good news for the McCain camp; no Republican has ever taken the presidency without taking Ohio.

Read on.

Enjoy!

NAOmi

Tear Down Tuesday: Pumpkins

For this Tear Down Tuesday, I thought it only fitting (okay, actually I'm working by suggestion) to do pumpkins since Halloween is this Friday.

I'm finding tons of random nutrition facts and this, that, and the what not, but I would say for the pumpkin stuff, have fun...it's not one of those foods we really eat year round, and it's good for you...so maybe don't over focus on the calories on this one.

However...if you are watching your waist line...watch some of those calories in pumpkin desserts. Delicious? Always. Nutritious? Often. Lite? Highly variable.

I managed to find this information:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup (1 cubes) (116.0 g)
Amount per Serving
Calories 30
Calories from Fat 1
Total Fat 0.1g
Saturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 1mg
Potassium 394mg
Total Carbohydrate 7.5g
Dietary Fiber 0.6g
Sugars 1.6g
Protein 1.16g
Vitamin A 171%
Vitamin C 17%
Calcium 24%
Iron 5%
Vitamin D 0%
Vitamin E 4.1%
Thiamin (B1) 0.058mg
Riboflavin (B2) 0.128mg
Niacin (B3) 0.696mg
Vitamin B6 3.5%
Vitamin B12 0%
Phosphorus 51mg
Magnesium 14mg
Panthothenic Acid 0.336mg
Zinc 2.46666666
Manganese 0.139mg

Do with that what you will. HERE and HERE are links to calorieking.com for further reading. Just remember, pumpkins are a good source of vitamin A, a fat soluble vitamin the health benefits of which are skimmed HERE and HERE, and, due to antioxidant properties, could help you ward of cancer. The more color the better. Check out some American Dietetic Association links HERE and HERE.

Now, the best part about pumpkins aren't so much just biting into them, but rather baking those seeds and putting pumpkin into recipes.

For the past several years, I have been in charge of baking our seeds after we carve. I wish I could tell you exact measurements, times, and temperatures, but I can't. I've lived in crappy apartments with crazy ovens and I just wing it. But the gist of what I do is I melt a bunch of butter in a bowl, this varies with how many seeds I need to coat, I dump the seeds in and make sure they're coated, I spread the seeds out on the pan, I dump a bunch of garlic on them, pop them in the oven at some temperature, and stir them and check on them periodically. They always turn out fabulous.

However, I realize this is incredibly imprecise. HERE is at least one formal recipe to get you going and HERE are my google search results.

Don't stop at the pumpkin seeds though. Pumpkin pie is delicious, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies...especially pumpkin cookies...the list is endless. Google, search cookbooks, create your own. Below I have posted some links to get you started.

http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/search?page=0&query=pumpkin

http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=pumpkin&fnSearchType=site

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Yogurt Pepsi

This makes me a little...apprehensive I guess. Find the full article HERE.

Enjoy?

NAOmni

13th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival

If you happen to be in Boston this weekend, check this out:

Who: Everyone cool and lucky enough to be in Boston this weekend (this unfortunately is not me)
What: 13th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival
Where: Reggie Lewis Athletic Center
When: November 1, 2008 starting at 10am ending at 6pm
Why: It's vegetarian awareness month and food is awesome

More official info HERE

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Pumpkin Art

Pumpkins. Too cute. Check out the entire article at TreeHugger HERE.

Enjoying the season!

NAOmni

More Green Halloween

For those of you waiting for more help in making this Halloween as green and ethical as possible, TreeHugger recently had a great article on just that. Check it out HERE. You'll get lost in the plethora of Earth friendly Halloween ideas and links.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

The Ambassador in Houghton, MI

To stick with the travel theme of this blog, a theme that comes and goes a little more than the persistent vegetarian/environmental theme only due to monetary constraints, I figured I would blog about one of my all time favorite restaurants...The Ambassador.

To start, the above images are, in order: the back of The Ambassador which you would see if you approached by boat, the Houghton-Hancock bridge which you can see from The Ambassador but is significant for reasons beyond this, a map of MI since we are up in the Keweenaw, the inside of The Ambassador, and the front of the restaurant.

So, today I have had the pleasure of being in the Upper Peninsula. A place I love for many reasons. One of them being that located in Houghton, MI...HERE for the scoop...is the Ambassador and it is amazing. Great atmosphere, great food, accessible by boat or car. I've yet to be disappointed. Maybe it's because I'm in the Keweenaw which I love in general, but I'm pretty sure the foods as awesome as I think it is.

I don't get to go often so I always opt for my favorite: the three cheese sub made on crusty bread with cheddar, swiss, colby, lettuce, tomato, onion and a little miracle whip. To die for. Calorie count? High. Worth it? Every bite. I'll tone down the eating when the Ambassador isn't an option.

Additionally, today you would have thought the family and I were recovering from a several day fast as we quickly decided more was better and leftovers were welcome. Besides several of us getting our own sandwiches, we also decided to branch out and split a greek pizza. Excellent decision. A little oily, but like I said, I don't think anyone was watching their waist line today. The greek pizza comes complete with feta, spinach, and green and black olives...just to graze the ingredients. A few minutes ago I had a cold slice as a night cap. My stomach is still thanking me.

Click HERE, HERE, or HERE for some reviews, but in all honesty just google "Ambassador Restaurant Houghton, MI" and you'll find all the positive feedback you need.

Make the trip, and enjoy!

NAOmni

More Bananas

So I did Tear Down Tuesday this week about bananas, and then I'm sitting at my wonderful Granny's house reading the latest issue of Health and I run across an article on page 22 entitled The Anti-Aging Benefits of Vitamin B...bananas are a good source of vitamin B6 and were the chosen picture to go along with the article. Yay bananas! Read the article HERE.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Blue Raspberry is So Good

If you have any affection towards me, if you even just like chocolate on my background because it makes you happy, go HERE and vote for blue raspberry. Best thing to happen to me...today.

Thanks! 

NAOmni

Tear Down Tuesday: Bananas

Alright, so I think I'm going to start a new segment called "Tear Down Tuesdays." Every Tuesday I am going to post a food, break down its nutritional content, and give you some links to recipes involving said food.

Week one: bananas

As you can see, bananas have around 110 calories for a medium size banana. They are naturally fat free and a good source of fiber. According to the American Dietetic Association, HERE, Americans eat about 84 bananas a year. It's probably doing us some good.

Bananas are a good a source of potassium which helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke, helps with muscle contractions and can relieve muscle cramps, and helps regulate fluid and mineral balance in and out of body cells.

Bananas are also a good source of vitamin C which is an antioxidant, B6, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, and fiber which is linked to reduced risk of cancer and heart disease.

They also have a tough skin so they are a great grab and go snack, as well as being a compact source of carbohydrates for those who need them, such as athletes.

HERE is a link to the cookthink recipes.

And don't forget banana splits!

Sources:

GOING BANANAS

POTASSIUM: AN ALL-STAR

GO BANANAS FOR BANANAS

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Becoming Vegan

In honor of October being vegetarian awareness month, check out this awesome post HERE, from Vegan Soapbox. It's meant to get those of those converting over to the vegan lifestyle on the road to practicing, but it's also really informative for those not planning to follow the vegan way.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Exceptional Ingredient Quinoa

Today, my life has been attacked on several very important fronts. I'm feeling...I'm close to falling apart. If I had money I would go off and spend away my sorrows on

1. Cute tote bags, HERE, that I ran across while reading The Discerning Brute blog, HERE, and then

2. I would take my new cute totes and buy tons of delicious food such as the ingredients for Spinach Soup with Asparagus and Quinoa found HERE compliments of Vegan Soapbox found HERE and eat my sorrows away while reading other people's food blogs...

Unfortunately, I have found the cure for emotional eating...be poor!

Just kidding...kind of...but really, the recipe sounds delicious. To learn more about Quinoa and find more amazing sounding recipes, go to the following links:

http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/search?page=0&query=quinoa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

http://chetday.com/quinoa.html

http://www.fatfree.com/foodweb/food/quinoa.html

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Cookie Update

About a month ago I did a post with some tips for chocolate chip cookie making. Well I recently ran across this jam packed post from Foodieview Blog, HERE. Not only does it contain a link to the NYT article on the perfect chocolate chip cookie, HERE, it also mentions snickerdoodles, HERE, which are one of my all time favorites...although I don't think I'll be adding blueberries to mine anytime soon...

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Fruits and Veggies Storage

For those not born with incredible domestic skills, HERE is a link to a post on Divine Caroline all about keeping your fruits and veggies fresh. Quite helpful with the nice table that's been made. Article originally found on life hacker HERE.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Lisa Ling on Oprah

Tomorrow, Tuesday, on Oprah, HERE, Lisa Ling Reports: How We Treat the Animals We Eat. Should be good.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Animal Friendly Candy

In anticipation of Halloween I figure it's time to start doing candy and or creepy/gooly posts. Vegan Soapbox, HERE, did a post on vegan Halloween candy HERE. It's extensive, it has great links within links, it's interesting. You would be surprised at how vegetarian your Halloween may already be. There's tons of great information on the web revolving around vegetarian/vegan candy and treats and I'll try to post more direct links in the near future.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Amy's Spinach Pizza

I've had a lot of delicious vegetarian food lately. Yes, everything I eat is vegetarian, but that doesn't mean it is always good or good for me. But lately, I have been overheard saying, "This is so good!" more times than is really tolerable.

I'll blog about the restaurants later, but at home I had Amy's Spinach Pizza made with organic spinach and tomatoes, HERE. So good. As far as nutrition goes, it's a little lacking in fiber, but I'm a fiber fiend, and maybe a tad high in saturated fat...but there is no trans fat which is a plus and it is a fairly good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Calcium. If you paired a correct serving of this pizza, which is 1/3 of the pizza, with something like a side of vegetables then you would have an amazing and delicious meal on your hands.

For more information on Amy's click HERE, to go straight to the products page click HERE, or to check out their blog click HERE. I'm a fan of a ton of Amy's products, but I'll save some of them for later posts.

HERE is a link to the WorldPress round up of blogs about vegetable side dishes.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Delicious Vegan/Vegetarian/Healthy Cupcakes

These are meant to be examples of how delicious veganism can, at the very least, look. Get your mouthwatering going HERE.

And HERE we have a link to a very informative health cupcake post which should be checked out for its awesome links. My favorite is Sweet Avenue Bake Shop, HERE, with their gorgeous picture filled blog HERE.

NAOmni

Yay Vegetarianism

In no way converting, simply informing, here are a couple links for those interested in learning about the vegetarian lifestyle. I've tried to find a couple short links for easier reading...

Health benefits of a vegetarian diet: HERE

A guide to starting a vegetarian lifestyle: HERE. I HIGHLY recommend going and clicking on the PDF version. It is incredibly informative.

Health, animal cruelty, and the environment: HERE

21 reasons for being vegetarian: HERE

Alright, well these are generally links that anyone could find by simple google searches, but hopefully by putting them here in one place you will actually take a look at them.

Enjoy!

NAOmni

Economic Impacts on Health

NYT posted an interesting article, HERE, on the connections between the economy and health. No, it is not just about food, but food is a major component to overall health. That said, it's good to keep in mind all the outside things that affect your nutritional status and be proactive in countering them. Don't let the economic slump get you in a health slump as well.

NAOmni

Fueling Politics

Ever wonder what Barack Obama or John McCain eat for breakfast? Well, find their breakfast choices along with those of their fellow political roadies HERE.

Johnny Cupcakes

Walking down Newbury Street in Boston is wonderful. It is wonderful if you enjoy people watching, it is wonderful if you enjoy eating, it is wonderful if you enjoy walking, it is wonderful if you have an afternoon to waste, and it is especially wonderful if more than one of the above is true. And so on my last trip there, which was also my first, I found myself crazy in love with the place. I've already written about the champagne truffles we found, but I haven't mentioned the cupcakes...we didn't find. It turns out Johnny Cupcakes, HERE, was started as a joke by a clean-cut college drop out. If you drop by, you won't find the delicious cupcakes you may be hoping for, but you'll find cool clothes with a cult following. Different designs are constantly being made, and each is limited. Some more than others. It's like collecting art. It's fashion meeting food. It's Johnny Cupcakes and it's deceiving, but I kind of liked it.

Also, if you happen to find yourself along Newbury Street on a weekend, according to the website, you receive a cupcake with every purchase. Not such a bad deal. But HERE is a direct link to the online store if Boston isn't on your itinerary.

Enjoy!

Cake Quickie

I thought I would do an easy post on green vs. black labels for whiskey. It turns out my search has been a little more difficult than planned and I will need more time to sleuth than tonight will allow. So instead, we can have fun crazy cake day. I found a fun cake link for anyone a little geeky HERE. And one of the cakes was made by Ace of Cakes. In case anyone hasn't heard of Ace of Cakes, HERE, it is amazing. It is a show based on the Charm City Cakes, HERE. Their creations are marvelous. HERE is a direct link to their blog and you should also check out their links page where you can find many cool places on the web. I'm especially fond of Baltimore Cupcake Company, HERE.

But no cake update post would be complete if I didn't do a plug for ice cream cake. HERE is a link to Baskin-Robbins website, I'm not saying they have the best ice cream cakes, I'm just saying it's a good place to get used to the idea of getting off the batter if you will.

Enjoy!

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

Just my day! Read about it HERE. As you'll see on the website, it's also the start of Vegetarian Awareness Month. I don't want anyone to switch to a vegetarian diet unless they come to that decision completely on their own. I'm not big on people pushing their beliefs on me and so, despite my having this blog...I see the irony, I'm not big on forcing mine on other people. But I don't mind if people explain their beliefs to me or point out possible errors in mine, and that works the other way around as well. I think the only way you can come to hold and live the best beliefs for you is to learn about all the different aspects of things and create your own. So throughout October I will try to post several links about the benefits of being a vegetarian. I'm sure we will all learn something, and who knows, maybe I will decide I need to be vegan to really live what I believe, and maybe you, if you are a meat eater, will decide to at least eat one meat free meal a day for something like health benefits to really live what you believe. It could happen.

Enjoy!