Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 118

Celebrating A Kind Hanukkah

[image error]

Hanukkah starts tomorrow! I love the story of Hanukkah. To me, it is about making the most of the resources you have. I like to think of this holiday as a reminder to turn off lights when you don’t need them and practice using less energy in your daily life at home and at work. 

Hanukkah is also a great time to eat delicious, kind food. As a little girl, I remember making the best challah at Hebrew school. This recipe for vegan challah isn’t the same as the one I made as a kid, but it looks like the perfect treat to make for Hanukkah. Even if you don’t celebrate the holiday, try it and tell me how it turns out!

If you’re looking for Hanukkah recipe inspiration, you’ll find a ton here on The Kind Life. Last year, I posted eight days of Hanukkah recipes. I’ll be tweeting links to each of those recipes starting tomorrow, so be sure to follow me @AliciaSilv if you don’t already. You can also browse the recipe gallery for more holiday dishes. Happy cooking!

What are some other kind ways to honor Hanukkah?
Share your ideas in the comments below.

Photo source: Flickr.com / Slgckgc

My Post-Thanksgiving Detox Soup

[image error]

During Thanksgiving, my family ate a lot of naughty vegan treats. We had sugary desserts and other veg dishes that are yummy but not very healing or nourishing. At the end of the week, we crashed, and said, no more! So, what did I make to bring us back to our superhero ways?

Alicia’s Post-Thanksgiving Detox Soup 

I made miso soup from ingredients I had in the house: celery, bok choy, light and dark miso, carrots, leeks, dried shiitake mushrooms soaked and sliced (very healing), scallions, and cilantro. I had pre-chopped the scallions and cilantro. I keep them in a little glass jar to use whenever I need a garnish. It saves time! We also had some sweet rice mixed with short grain rice. It was nice with a little homemade gomasio. This is all I ate all day, and I felt so much better. It tasted so good and healing. 

Introducing Bear to Almond Butter 

I gave Bear some leftover tempeh and an apple. I also made him a rice cake (without salt). I added some almond butter and a tiny bit of brown rice syrup. He loved it. He kept saying mmmm! We just introduced him to almond butter at 1.5 years old. I think it’s good to wait until then for nut butters. Tahini is okay earlier on. I also made him some nori rolls with almond butter and rice. He had that along with some bok choy sautéed in sesame oil. 

That’s it! We had a day of healing, simple superhero food to get back to normal and heal from the sugar devil!

What’s your favorite way to detox after the holidays?

Tell me in the comments below.

Photo source: flickr.com / Stu_spivack

Contribute Your Story to The Kind Mama

 

[image error]

As I write my next book The Kind Mama, I’m looking for anecdotes to feature from members of The Kind Life! You guys are so important to me, especially because I started TheKindLife.com at the same time my book The Kind Diet was published. 

I know not all of you are kind mamas, but I’d love to hear from those of you who have had a kind pregnancy…and for those of you who don’t have kids yet, hopefully this info will be helpful!

Last time, I asked you about your kind pregnancy experiences. Today, I’m asking about your birthing experience! You can answer the questions here in the comments below, in The Kind Mama forum thread, or you can send me a message (just click to the right where it says “Contact Alicia”).

My editors and I will look at all your responses and we may select a few to include in The Kind Mama. We’ll reach out on an individual basis for permission from those of you who wish to contribute stories. With that, here is my second round of questions:

Share Your Natural Birth Story

1.  Did you have a home birth? Did you have a midwife or doula? Share your successes and advice! 
2.  Were you scared of birth and then had a beautiful one? What gave you peace of mind? 
3.  What advice would you share with expecting mamas? 
4.  What made your birth experience that much more transcendent? 
5.  How did you decide who to include at your birth? Were there any preparations you did in advance that made the experience more special? 

Again, you can answer in the comments below, by contacting me directly, or you can post your answers in this forum thread.

Do you have questions about natural birth? I’d love to answer them in my upcoming book. Send me your natural birth questions by clicking Contact Alicia in the sidebar to the right, or you can post them in the comments below.

Thank you, kind lifers!!!

Photo source:  flickr.com / Weird Beard 

Our Thanksgiving in New York

I have always been accustomed to working hard, but the last five months have been filled with deadlines and insane pressure. I did a movie and we moved out of our home of sixteen years. We moved to New York and I did a play on Broadway, all while being an attuned mother and continuing to breastfeed. I’m sooooo ready for more balance! Thanksgiving week was a great opportunity to unwind and kickstart my more balanced future for now. Here is how I spent it:

Hanging With the Cast of The Performers

Dinner with Ari, Jenni, Daniel, Cheyenne, Henry, the writer David West Read (hugging me in the top picture), and our director Evan Cabnet. Ari in the bottom left photo. The bottom right photo is Evan with Cheyenne.

  [image error]

Monday night, the cast, writer, and director of The Performers got together for a dinner party at Ari Graynor’s house. It was just eight of us. I made the Leek and Mushroom Pesto Crostini from my book. It was a big hit! Daniel Breaker made a delicious beet couscous dish and a bean cassoulet. Ari made a stacked eggplant and tomato dish and Jenny made a nice salad with veggies. There was a lot of not-so-friendly food too.  This is a very meat-friendly cast. I hope not for long!

Pre-Feasting At Candle Café 

On Wednesday, Christopher, Bear and I took the subway to the Upper Westside Candle Café (the new one). It’s a very nice location with a cool bar. We just popped in quickly, so we sat at the bar with Bear between us in a highchair. He couldn’t see the bar…it was so high and the chair was so low. Very funny and cute! It looked like delicious cocktails were being freshly made. Christopher had his seitan picatta. I had the Mezze plate, and the quesadilla, which is great with avocado and salsa.

During The Performers, the cast ordered from Candle Café with me quite a few times. Henry Winkler loved the seitan picatta and the spaghetti and meatballs. Daniel Breaker did too. Well, the whole cast did! Anywho, after dinner at Candle Café, we went home, and I had a nice long bath with Bear.

Thanksgiving Times Two

 

Thanksgiving Day was great! I woke up to a little naked baby who gets on top of mommy every morning for breakfast boobies. I’m so lucky to have this precious time. Afterward, Bear usually tells me he needs to go potty. So, we do that. I love elimination communication. It’s the sweetest thing ever, and Bear gets to stay naked a lot, which he loves. We love it too – babies are soooo cute naked! For breakfast, we normally have mochi and greens, or steel cut oats and greens. On Thanksgiving morning, we had steel cut oats.

[image error]

After breakfast, we all got ready to go to have a Thanksgiving meal with Leanne from Vaute Couture and her BFF Joshua Katcher from the Discerning Brute. Bear rode in the Ergo with me. This is one of my favorite times, when he in the Ergo with me - I love it so much! We took the train to Joshua’s house in Brooklyn. On the train, we talked to some nice people and a cute little 9 year-old girl.

 

We knew Joshua’s boyfriend from Real Food Daily. He used to work there. Anywho, this was such a lovely apartment, filled with lovely, warm vegans…yay! Everyone made different dishes. Joshua made a delicious bundt cake (Joshua’s Basic Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe). It was so yum and moist. We also had “cheese” from Dr. Cow with grapes and a plate of red pepper hummus and yum crackers. There were some guys who own a vegan donut shop in Brooklyn called Dun-Well Doughnuts. Their shop recently won best doughnut in the city. It wasn’t a “vegan doughnut” award; it was an award for the best doughnuts, period. And they happen to be vegan. Yay! I love that, and I want to try them.

Joshua showed me some eco, cruelty-free suits he designed. So stylish and lovely. What I’m most excited to report about is his men’s shoes line. Stop the press!! These are the best men’s shoes I have ever seen. The line is a collaboration between Brave Gentleman x Novacas. Run to get them. I’m taking my man to Moo Shoes ASAP to get them. He really needs some shoes, and these are lovely! Oh my gosh, they were amazing. I’ll post more about them soon.

Thanksgiving Dinner

After our Thanksgiving lunch with Leanne, we went home for a nap. Bear fell asleep on me in bed with his little arm around my shoulder. It was so sweet. Later, we went out again to another friend’s house for dinner, Rene Lou. She made a huge feast. Her quinoa was so good (see instructions for making it below). She also made a delicious, spicy pumpkin sauce, a huge, yum salad, and roasted little potatoes and spinach, which was divine. She served a big baked butternut squash, cut in half, lengthwise. It would make a great centerpiece instead of a dead animal - for any holiday meal. Everything was delicious.

Rene’s Hearty Quinoa Salad

[image error]

Cook the quinoa in half veggie stock and half water (two parts liquid, to one part grain), then added an extra salt-free organic bouillon cube. After cooking, add some chopped parsley and scallions, a little olive oil and salt. Finish by adding cranberries and toasted nuts. You can add walnuts or almonds, or both. 

 

Rene’s Crispy Roasted Potatoes

[image error]

Mix cut up potatoes with olive oil in a baking dish. Add salt, pepper, dried thyme and rosemary. Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes (if cut small), then jack up the heat to 450F to make the potatoes nice and crispy.

 

Easy Cucumber Appetizer
Peel and slice cucumbers and season slices with salt and pepper. Arrange in a nice round pattern. Easy, yum finger food!

 

Unwinding With My Family

After dinner, we walked home with Bear in the Ergo. It was the best! We took another bath together, then off to bed. A perfect Thanksgiving in New York. 

Ah, it’s nice to have some time to relax and have some fun!

 

Now, I want to hear how you spent your Thanksgiving!

Tell me in the comments below. 

Win a “Vegan Vegas” Getaway in the Annual Vegan Bake-Off

[image error]

Are you a secret patissier? Here’s your chance to get some recognition for those baking skills. Get your baking supplies out, put your chef hat on and start greasing those pans because the 3rd Annual Earth Balance Holiday Bake-Off Recipe contest is up and running, and calling for entries. Submit your best vegan dessert recipe and you could win a “Vegan Vegas” getaway for two!

Ready to enter? Here’s how it works: Your recipes should be your own original creation and contain one or more Earth Balance products, such as any of their buttery spreads, nut butters or soy beverages. The recipes must be vegan, as in plant-based, and free of any animal products (no dairy, eggs, meat or honey). You can submit as many recipes as you like in one of the three categories below:

1. CAKES: Dec 3 – Dec 9
2. CUPCAKES: Dec 10 – Dec 16
3. COOKIES AND BARS: Dec 17 – Dec 23

The contest will be judged by Chloe Coscarelli and Doron Petersan, who won last year’s Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. These judges know their cakes, so do your best! The grand prize winner will receive round-trip airfare for two to Las Vegas and a two-night stay at the vegan friendly Wynn Hotel*. This includes upscale dining at the Country Club, one of Wynn’s finest restaurants with a full vegan menu. Plus, the grand prize winner will also receive tickets to see “O” by Cirque du Soleil and $1,000 in spending money.

Additionally, 8 weekly winners will receive a $100 Whole Foods Market gift card, a year’s supply of Earth Balance products, Earth Balance t-shirts, magnets and a copy of Doron Petersan’s book, Sticky Fingers, and Chloe Coscarelli’s book, Chloe’s Kitchen.

 

[image error]

Enter NOW and click HERE for the Official Rules.

*Wynn Hotel, Country Club restaurant and Cirque du Soleil are not sponsors or participants in this promotion.

Today’s post is proudly sponsored by

A Manly Man’s Vegan Diet

 

 

[image error]

Here’s what some of you had to say about Rip Esselystyn’s take on veganism: 

From kind lifer Patrick:

“My oldest son, who has been vegan almost two years now and is a nationally ranked competitive sabre fencer, loved the part in FOK where Rip climbs the fire pole, arms only, chanting "Real men eat plants!" Living in Texas, with Texas palates, we love this book and have been using it for almost three years now (which is how long I've been vegan). A lot of simple recipes and quick fix meal ideas make it great, but more intensive ones like the veggie enchilada casserole are our favorites.”

From kind lifer Joy:

“This is a great book. He's so right on, on many issues too. I have tried and enjoyed many of his recipes. Loved his ultimate bowl of cereal. His SNACK is a manly meal (for a lady), but I did the mix in a small bowl size and it is really sustaining and quite tasty. I had to try it cause it was so different than my regular bowl of two or three mix-ins. I truly recommend this book!”

From kind lifer Ali:

"My husband had been wanting to lose weight, and I knew that going vegan had been life-changing for me. So I left this book lying around the house where I knew he would pick it up. Guess what? He's now vegan and healthy and loving it! Rip is such a great example - especially for men who want to get healthy and go vegan while retaining that oh-so-important masculine identity."

Hooray! I’m so glad you kind lifers liked this book.

What should we read next?
Share in the comments below.

Photo source: engine2diet.com

Bear’s 12 Favorite Foods

 

 

[image error]

Bear is 18 months now, and he loves eating superhero foods! Here are twelve of his favorite foods right now:

 
1.     Beans - Bear loves them plain – no salt. He also loves tofu.

2.     Mochi - Oh my god, Bear goes crazy for mochi! Like a crazy lunatic. wrapped in nori or drizzled with brown rice syrup.

3.     Greens - He loves any kind: kale, bok choy, Swiss chard, you name it. If I have greens on my plate, he will lose it until I give him some.

4.     Green peas – If you use the frozen kind, you can give them to your baby to keep him calm while the rest are cooking. Of course, as long as your baby has teeth and isn’t going to swallow the peas whole and choke. Use your best judgment. We don’t have this worry with Bear as he is 1.5 with lots of teeth and a good little chewer.

5.     Corn – Bear likes corn, but he likes peas a lot better I think.

6.     Nori - Not the snacky, salty kind – I give Bear a regular strip of roasted seaweed and he loves it. He freaks if he sees it! Wants it soooo bad.

7.     Rice Pasta – Bear loves it.

8.     Miso Soup - We put 2-3 tablespoons mixed with water in a bottle and he really enjoys that. and very good for him.

9.     Mama’s milk – Bear still nurses and gets lots of important nutrients from my milk. He just loves his babies…what he calls boobies.

10. Blueberries – Bear loves blueberries. I probably shouldn’t even say the word in front of him. If there are blueberries around, he will eat them until there are none left.

11. Juice - Bear loves his juice! We give him a little bit of organic apple juice and diluted with water, or we’ll give him a tiny bit of soy or rice milk with the diluted with water, usually around 1 part juice or soy milk to 4-8 parts water, but not more than that.

12. Avocado – Bear loves it! i also try to go easy on this...a few times a week. the more fruit they have the less interested in veggies they are.
 

A Word About Fruit
 
Bear also loves blackberries, raspberries, and apples. His new favorite word is apple. He says it a million times a day. He also likes to say “nana” for banana. In desperate situations when there is nothing for him to eat, we will give him a banana, if he finds one. I try not to have him eat them often. Bananas are a tropical fruit. They don’t grow anywhere near us, so they’re not ideal for my little superhero. But boy, does Bear love them! He ate three whole banana the other day. How can someone so little fit three bananas inside his body? Crazy. Let’s just say the poop situation is not so awesome after three bananas. That said, bananas were better than what the other kids and people around us were eating that day, believe me.
 
The good news is, Bear thinks any fruit is basically candy. We try to limit his fruit intake to one cup a day. That’s his "treat." It’s special, and we plan to keep it that way as long as possible. 

That’s it for now! What are your kids’ favorite foods?
Tell me in the comments below.

Photo source: flickr.com/brx0, flickr.com/Stevendepolo, flickr.com/Tillwe, wikipedia.org

RECIPE: Cinnamon Raisin Mochi French Toast

This is a much healthier “French toast” you can have as a breakfast, snack or dessert.

 

[image error]

Ingredients:

1 package of raisin-cinnamon flavored mochi (Grainaissance makes a nice version), cut into 1” x 2” pieces
1-2 tsp sesame or olive oil
Brown rice syrup (about 1 Tbsp per serving). The maple-flavored brown rice syrup is even better for this, but the regular kind is good too.

Directions:
Put the oil in a cast-iron or stainless steel frying pan over low heat. Place the mochi pieces into the pan, making sure they don’t touch. Cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Flip the mochi, cover, and cook for another 3-4 minutes. It’s done when the mochi puffs up or softens.

Serve the pieces onto a plate, then top with brown rice syrup. If you want to get really fancy, you can use Suzanne’s Maple Brown Rice Syrup. Delicious!

How do you like your mochi?
Add your recipe to your profile and submit it to the recipe gallery. We just might feature it on the home page!

Photo Credits: Grainaissance, Flickr / QUOI Media, Simply-Natural.biz

Post Thanksgiving Cleanse and Metabolism Boost

[image error]

Did you eat way too much this Thanksgiving? It’s easy to get carried away with all that amazing food around. Besides, Thanksgiving only comes around once a year, so we naturally tend to let ourselves go and indulge. That doesn’t mean you should lose sight of your health and fitness goals while celebrating your thanks.

Did you know that a vegan cleanse is a great way to get back on track?

RawJuvenate is an Organic Vegan Detox System that gently cleanses with nutrients from Super Green Food, proteins from vegetarian Pea Protein and supplements consisting of probiotics, fiber and aloe. RawJuvenate recently released their Metabolism Raw Fitness 3 Pack, which boosts metabolism so your body can convert food into energy much faster.

RawJuvenate is designed as a 5-product system. The program comes in a 14-day or 30-day detox and can be maintained as part of a long-term, healthy lifestyle. Beginners should start by replacing one solid meal a day with one liquid meal a day. Advanced users should use all 5-products with the 30-day program.

So if you’re feeling a little off key, don’t use that as an excuse to lose sight of your health and fitness. Get back on a healthy track after your Thanksgiving celebration with RawJuvenate. 

 

PRODUCT BREAKDOWN

[image error]

Super Green– The super green comes as a nutritious blend packed with vitamins and minerals. Add it to an energy power shake, smoothie, or even soup. For a full list of smoothie recipe suggestions, visit RawJuvenate on Pinterest. 

Pea Protein – Plant based protein. Mix it with water (1 tbsp to 8 oz) or blend it with vanilla almond milk.

Aloe - A natural laxative and wonderful stool softener that makes elimination fast and easy. Take 1-3 capsules daily.

Daily Probiotic - Bacteria that helps build a healthy gastrointestinal track. Take 1 capsule daily.

Fiber – Helps process foods naturally. Use it daily or a couple of times a week. 

 

WANT TO TRY RAWJUVENATE FOR FREE?

One lucky Kind Lifer will receive a 14-Day RawJuvenate Organic Detox System or the Metabolism 3 Pack! Enter by liking RawJuvenate on Facebook and commenting on this post. Hurry! This giveaway lasts 24 hours!

 

KIND DEAL

Kind Lifers get 45% OFF all 14-Day and 30-Day Detox Systems and Metabolism 3 Packs, plus FREE SHIPPNG! Use promo code TKLWINTER. Just add product(s) to cart and enter the coupon code at checkout to receive your discount. Hurry! Deal ends December 5th at 11:59PM PST.

 

KINDNESS CONTINUED

Get $10 OFF any $20 purchase or higher. Just use promo code TKL10.

Visit RawJuvenate on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.

*You must be a registered TheKindLife.com member to enter. Learn how to sign up by clicking here.
*This contest is open to US residents only.
•*Winners will be contacted via private message to their TheKindLife.com inbox and by email. If our team does not hear back within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected in your place.
•*Limit one comment per entry. Multiple comment entries will not be considered. 
 *This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on November 28, 2012. Today’s post is proudly sponsored by
 

Today’s post is proudly sponsored by

 

Around The World: Drought and Hunger In Niger

 
Part of living a kind life is being aware of what’s happening in parts of the world that typical news programs tend to ignore. I’ll be discussing environmental and humanitarian issues around the globe and sharing how we can all lend a hand in solving some serious problems our planet faces.

 

A bit ago on PBS, there was a segment about how global warming is causing a devastating drought in Niger. The drought has led to a food shortage that is especially impacting mothers and children.

 

 

It is common for Nigerien women to give birth to underweight babies who have not received adequate nutrition in the womb. More than three million Nigerien children are at risk for malnutrition, and many of them have been taken out of school so they can work and help their families put food on the table. Families are split up when fathers and children move from their villages to dangerous cities to find work. Girls younger than fifteen are routinely married off so their families can survive on the dowry traditionally given by the family of the husband-to-be. One in seven Nigerien children die before age five, meaning every mother in Niger is likely to suffer the loss of a child.

Recently, the problems in Niger have been made worse by a cholera epidemic and potential locust infestation. Because of all these issues, Niger lacks the infrastructure to absorb a recent influx of refugees from neighboring Mali. The President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou put it succinctly (through a translator):

“I remember the first big drought in 1973-74. Then again, in 1984, we had another one. Since then, the time between droughts has been getting shorter, and I believe this is attributable to climate change.”

All of these problems have compelled Save the Children to name Niger the worst place in the world to be a mother. To be sure, the crisis in Niger is complex, but the root seems to be climate change. So what can we do to help?

We can start by not contributing to the problem. That means eating locally as much as possible, and only buying what you plan to consume…being careful not to waste food. If you don’t finish a meal, your dogs can, or you can compost. We can’t  take our resources for granted.

As I discuss in my book, following a plant-based diet dials down our insane consumption of resources like fresh water, oil, coal, and the precious rain forest. Simply by eating kind, you can you can be part of the solution to global problems.

For more information about the crisis in Niger, check out PBS’s documentary series Food for 9 Billion. To get directly involved, you can sponsor a child through Save the Children. You can also host an event, raise money through the workplace, or auction off old items on eBay and donate the proceeds to charity.

Browse Save the Children for more ideas about how you can get involved. And, if none of these are an option, you are still helping the planet by making kind choices in your everyday life.

As a mother, and I think for anyone really, it’s heart-breaking to see A child suffering so and not getting what he needs to live. Let’s end this problem.

What global problem is most important to you right now?

Let me know what issues are on your mind, and I’ll discuss them in a future blog.