Health Cafe Journey

Tip: Want to increase your efficiency? Add a live plant to your desk or work area. Plants in the work environment increase productivity by 15% study found.

I visited a high school friend recently and we took a  memory-lane  drive down Pacific Coast Highway to Laguna Beach. We walked around town reminiscing about the times we rented little cottages at the beach in the summer time. Lathered our bodies with baby oil. Baked in the sun for hours. Ate hamburgers and smoothies. And stayed up late. Geting hungry for some dinner, I quizzed Siri about vegan restaurants and found one a couple of short blocks from us. She came up with  Zinc Cafe and Market —a deli style cafe. I ordered three sides from the deli case. Kathy ordered the same dishes I got. "I should eat healthier," she said. One of the salads, a Thai-style cabbage salad with peanuts, tasted delicious. Loved it. I studied the ingredients and flavor. "I must recreate this," I said. So here it is... Thai Cabbage & Peanut Salad from  Chris Pedersen yield  8 servings category  Salad cuisine  Vegan ingredients 1 1/2 C sliced red cabbage 1 1/2  C...

Happy Valentine's Day, Dear Readers! Valentine's Day is a day to show our sweethearts we care with gushing cards and gifts of chocolates, roses, teddy bears and even pajama's (or a sexy equivalent). But what about the rest of the days of the year? I'm always amused when I happen to visit the grocery store on Valentine's Day and see those well-meaning, yet befuddled guys, standing in the quick-check line with the leftover offerings for Valentine's Day. Yeah... I know. It's the thought that counts. I'm more of a realist than a romantic. My husband is the romantic. However, I'm more impressed when I see him donning a tool belt to go fix the fence that started leaning after the last rainfall. That kind of action (not in his nature) means more to me than anything he could bring home for Valentine's Day. I like to think he appreciates that I really don't like to plan, shop and cook meals (yup... that's right!), yet I know he works hard and de...

Without your help, the entire campaign to label genetically engineered food could be at risk! Rep. Mike Pompeo is expected to re-introduce the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act any day now. This biotech industry-backed bill would not only preempt state efforts to label GMOs, it would make voluntary labeling the law of the land – permanently. In other words, if the DARK Act passes, the fight for mandatory GMO labeling is over. That’s why this week Just Label It is participating in a national week of action to call on Congress to oppose the DARK Act and support mandatory GE labeling. Click here to join the movement, contact your representatives in Congress today and push them to reject the DARK Act! For the past 13 years, the food industry’s voluntary labeling system has failed us. With the exception of Chipotle Mexican Grill , not a single company has disclosed whether its products contain GMO ingredients. Pompeo’s “DARK Act” would lock in this shocking, anti-consumer approac...

I can't believe that it has been three years since The Prisoner of Carrot Castle hit the App Store for the iPad. Since then Aiden's adventures have been read to children around the world from Brazil and China to Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Through an interactive story, kids learn that eating vegetables is an action-packed adventure. Today through the use of iPads in the classroom, The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is enjoyed on a richer level. Schools across the US are using the story with a curriculum that supports Common Core Standards. Find out how eSpark is using The Prisoner of Carrot Castle  and other educational kid's apps on their platform to accentuate learning and track student progress. If you are a teacher and wish to learn more, you can download the free curriculum at Purple Carrot Books . For educational discounts, please contact Apple about their Volume Purchase Program . Meanwhile if you don't have your copy of The Prisoner of Carrot Castle , you can d...

Shopping list in hand, I flashed my Costco card and made a beeline for the back of the warehouse.  I searched the racks of fresh-baked breads. Hmmmm? "This one's still warm," said one shopper as she picked up a loaf. Yup. That's what I was hoping for— picking up my favorite fresh baked bread to find it still warm from the oven. Something very appealing about that. After my second pass by the two short rows of bread, I proceeded to the baking area where employees worked like busy bees to place freshly-baked breads on the waiting shelves. "I was looking for the double-loaf of whole-grain bread in the paper-wrap." "It's been discontinued. We stopped making that bread two weeks ago," said the soft-spoken woman. Subliminal message— where have you been the past two weeks? Whaaaaa! That can't be! I've been buying that bread for years. I send my readers to buy that bread at Costco. How could this be? That lovely loaf of whole-grain bread was ...