Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 155

bite-sized inspiration to carry you through each day

Yogamint offers a way to get your daily inspiration in "mint-size" bites…just right for today's busy world. Our website and newsletters bring you yogic teachings mouth-watering vegan recipes and uplifting lifestyle tips to help you to move through your day with greater ease and clarity. Yogamint features articles by expert contributors plus joyful thought-provoking "mints" to help you to Eat Move Think and Elevate your life.

Yogamint is a virtual "mini-spa" for the senses offering articles on gemstones astrology holistic parenting and more—all created to elevate your being and uplift the planet. You'll love our inspiring and instructional videos featuring vegan recipes yoga postures meditations music and universal wisdom. Whatever the subject matter it's always delivered with a fresh and friendly attitude.

Yogamint…take a bite and let inspiration carry you through each day.

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Yogamint wants to help you to change your diet to a more healthful and balanced way of eating. Sign up today for your FREE e-Mint newsletter through Yogamint's Facebook Sweepstakes and you'll automatically be entered to win a 30-Day Vital Life Cleanse with Vegan Chef Melissa Costello host of Yogamint's Food & Flow videos. Her Vital Life Cleanse offers a perfect way to shift away from processed foods and bring in the greens fruits and whole grains that will energize heal and cleanse your body.

The Vital Life Cleanse can help you to lose weight eliminate cravings sleep deeper increase your energy and improve your digestion. Since it's all done through email and phone you can live anywhere in the world to participate. Enter Yogamint's Facebook Sweepstakes today and start receiving your twice-weekly e-Mints to freshen your day and enrich your life PLUS get a chance to win a 30-Day Vital Life Vegan Cleanse!

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Melissa Costello Yogamint's Food & Flow Vegan Chef and Vital Life Cleanse Coach

Today's post is proudly sponsored by:

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dreamy pear trifle

Here is a nice looking recipe adapted from the version by London-based macrobiotic chef James Trevena. I haven't tried this veg take on the classic English dessert but if you try it let me know how you like it! It's not superhero but it looks like a yummy treat!

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Pear Trifle with Cashew Nut Dream Cream

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup apple juice
4 teaspoons agar agar
6-8 organic biscuits try Earth's Best Organic "Letter of the Day" Cookies in Very Vanilla
2 soft pears chopped
7 oz cooked cashew nuts boil nuts for 30 minutes; drain and rinse
1 cup white grape juice approximate
For garnish: pistachio nuts rice malt mint leaves

Steps

Heat the apple juice and whisk in the agar agar
Simmer until agar agar dissolves
Crush the biscuits and place in a dessert glass
Layer the chopped pears over the biscuits
Pour the apple juice jelly over the pears slowly and put in the fridge to set
Meanwhile blend the cashew nuts and grape juice adding the juice slowly until the mixture becomes thick and creamy
Pour cashew cream over the top of the trifle and garnish with mint leaves and pistachio nuts toasted with rice malt

Have you veganized any traditional desserts? Share your recipes on your profile and I'll feature them in the Kind Recipe Gallery!

More Kind Recipes:

Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Blood Orange Quinoa
Mac 'N "Cheese"
Chayote Ceviche

where do you get eco undies and tanks?

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I'm looking for new underwear!

What is your favorite line of natural 100 organic cotton or other all-natural eco material undies?

I'm also on the hunt for eco tanks with a light bra inside think yoga tanks. Not an underwire bra but those ones that just have some support almost like a built-in sports bra. Do you know of any great tanks with built-in bras that are eco and comfy? Let me know in the comments below!

Related Stories:

are bras with an underwire bad for you?
my thoughts on fur
nola singer's kind jewelry
my appearance in Vogue

kind classics: beware of plastic water bottles!

Here's another one from the archives...enjoy!

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A new study by the Environmental Working Group EWG reveals that of the ten most popular brands of bottled water all but one Nestle's Pure Life Purified Water fail to provide answers to the three most important questions you should ask before drinking water:

Where does water come from?
Is it purified? How?
Have tests found any contaminants?

Furthermore these bottled water companies are breaking the law. In 2007 California passed a law SB 220 requiring that water bottle labels list the source of the water and two ways for consumers to contact the company to obtain a quality report. EWG found that only 24 of water bottle companies are in compliance with this law. Companies hiding data about their bottled water include Aquafina Gerber Graduates Lil' Water Naya Bristol Farms Archer Farms Volvic Alhambra Trader Joe's Pure New Zealand Artesian Water Fiji and many more see full list here.
 
So where does EWG think bottled water actually comes from? Tap water.
 
Cities are required to provide all of this information about tap water to consumers and you can find answers to all of your questions about your local tap water here. By opting out of bottled water and drinking filtered tap water you will know exactly what you are drinking. On top of that you will be helping the environment instead of contributing to plastic waste much of which ends up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
 
Every blue moon if you're stranded without a reusable water bottle it's okay to buy bottled water. Ninety-nine percent of the time I have my little glass bottle with me pictured above that I refill at home everyday. The other one percent of the time I have to opt for water in a plastic bottle. I usually try to stubbornly refuse water if it's in plastic - even when I'm super thirsty. But I'm just saying sometimes you can't - so don't beat yourself up if you're in a situation where the only water available is bottled water. Just take your reusable bottle with you everyday and do the best you can. Don't give up if you mess up - just try again! You can read more about bottled water in my book page 134.
 
I'll be posting a series of blogs on water filtration soon so stay tuned. How do you stay hydrated at home and on the go?

Related Stories:

have you seen the documentary Tapped?
ed begley sets the record straight
a california high school goes green
eBay's easy electronics recycling program

sponsored post: a vegan cleanse you dont want to miss!

If any of you kind lifers are looking for an affordable cleanse to try Kaeng Raeng's vegan detox program is an all-natural easy option. They taste good and are easy to use.

As you may remember Kaeng Raeng is a 100 vegan all-natural meal replacement detox program sustainably made in Palo Alto CA with only local ingredients. That means no artificial colors flavors sweeteners or preservatives and no harsh chemicals or impossible-to-pronounce ingredients. Plus each shake is packed with a full serving of fruit and fiber lean protein probiotic replenishment and daily vitamins. Delish!

You won't be able to get enough of it.

It's GENTLE. You have no need to worry! There are no laxatives stimulants or caffeine in Kaeng Raeng. Enjoy your daily kind life without interruption.
It's EASY. Just drink one meal replacement pouch per meal for 3 to 6 days. Mix each pouch with 24-32 oz of water juice or non-dairy milk and you've got a delicious and nutritious fruit smoothie. You can also find delicious recipes on kaengraeng.com.
It's FILLING. There's no need for deprivation. Each serving of KR is packed with a full serving of fruit fiber lean protein probiotics and 100 of your daily vitamin needs. But best of all you can eat as many raw fruits and veggies as your heart desires.
It's VEGAN & SUSTAINABLE. Kaeng Raeng is completely animal free gluten free peanut free eco friendly and sustainably made in California with only local ingredients. This vegan company donates a portion of every sale to the American Humane Society America's largest animal protection organization.
It's AFFORDABLE. Other luxury juice cleanses can cost 100/day. Kaeng Raeng starts at just 16/day!

Kaeng Raeng also comes in three delicious flavors blueberry blackberry banana; mango peach pineapple; strawberry raspberry pineapple and three different levels designed specifically to fit your lifestyle and goals: our Beginner level for first-time detoxers also great for new moms! our Veteran level for vegetarians or those who have done at least one cleanse and our Master level for experienced detoxers.

Don't know which one to try? Use the nifty detox quiz online to pick your timeline and level.

Still not sure? Read this endorsement from CNN's Health and Fitness expert Melina Jampolis as she dishes on how she lost and kept off her baby weight in First magazine.
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WIN IT!

We're giving away a 3-Day Beginner detox program to one lucky Kind Life reader. Just comment below why YOU want to try a vegan cleanse. Can't wait? Receive 15 off a KR detox program with coupon code KINDLIFE15 at www.kaengraeng.com. Want to try it first? Individual trial packets make 32 fl oz and cost 7.

pedal power

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Check out this amazing pedal-powered school bus from the Netherlands! This is so cute and cool! How's that for teaching fitness to kids? I wish I could have ridden on this when I was little. Heck even now it looks fun!

What do you think is this something American schools should consider?

success story: how margie quit smoking

Kind Lifer Margie recently shared how adopting a kind diet helped her to ditch cigarettes. Check it out:

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"My name is Margie Perez and I am currently 25 years old. I began smoking at the age of 18 and didn't really see an end in sight. I used smoking as a way to relieve stress and at one point I was smoking up to a pack a day...I was addicted. I was never health conscious and figured I was too young to get sick. However I was getting sick multiple times a year sometimes every two to three months. I saw you on 'Oprah' talking about your vegan lifestyle and I must admit I thought you were crazy at first. Who doesn't like meat!?! I was intrigued though by your lifestyle and I went out and bought your book never thinking of changing the way I ate.

After reading your book I kept the idea of being a vegetarian at the back of my mind for a couple of months. This was a slow transition for me. I slowly began watching documentaries on food and reading other books on vegetarian/vegan lifestyles. I gradually made the transition. I started out vegetarian and started to slowly care about my health. I noticed small changes. I felt like my skin was glowing. My hair was softer. It was easier for me to maintain the weight I wanted to be. Being a vegetarian eventually got me to care more about my lifestyle and give up smoking. I began cutting down the amount that I smoked until I finally gave it up.

I am happy to say that it has been nine months since my last cigarette and almost two years since I last ate meat. I am still flirting with the idea of becoming vegan but I try to eat as much vegan as possible. Thank you for being an inspiration and helping me get my health back!"

This story thrills me truly. I'm so happy for you - this is just the best news ever! Keep us updated on how you're doing! If anyone else has a success story to share private message me or post a note to your profile and "like" it. I may feature your story on the homepage of The Kind Life!

sponsored post: love animals eat vegetables wear minerals

Can you believe that in this day and age the average makeup brush is still made with animal hair? Neither can we! It's not good for animals it's far more likely to cause an allergic reaction and it's not the best way to apply makeup!

If you've made the switch to mineral makeup like Alima Pure's powders which contain no carmine or bismuth oxychloride you need the right brushes to go with it.

Now is the time to buy excellent cruelty-free Alima Pure brushes because not only will Kind Lifers receive a 10 discount on selected face brushes – Alima Pure will donate 5 for each face brush sold to PETA.

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If you haven't used an Alima Pure brush you are in for a treat. All Alima Pure brushes are incredibly soft and each one was designed by a makeup artist to provide specific application results:

Foundation Brushes

The extremely popular 25 Foundation Brush is gently domed to slip easily around the curves of your face. High-quality taklon bristles are densely packed making it easy to pick up the right amount of powder for sheer buildable coverage.

The 15 Flat Top Foundation Brush has a smaller head with short cropped bristles.  This design gives heavier coverage of foundation with just one layer.

Finishing Powder Bronzer and Shimmer Powder Brushes

Created for Finishing Powders Bronzers and Shimmer Powders the 21 Buff Brush and 23 Kitten Brush serve similar purposes but with different results.

The 21 Buff Brush distributes a heavier layer of product with a soft touch. The 23 Kitten Brush is ideal when you want just a sheer bit of product like a bronzer or shimmer powder. The longer white bristles pick up roughly half as much product as the Buff Brush bristles but the shorter black bristles work with the white bristles to seamlessly blend anything even the darkest bronzer!

Half Moon Brush

The 7 Half Moon Brush is an adorable little purse-sized brush that is ideal for touching up foundation or finishing powder on the go.

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From now until October 7 order any of our foundation or finishing powder brushes 7 Half Moon Brush 15 Flat Top Foundation Brush 21 Buff Brush 23 Kitten Brush or 25 Foundation Brush and not only will we take 10 off your brush price but we will donate 5 to PETA.

Just enter the code KindPeta when you checkout at AlimaPure.com now through October 7.

vegan oktoberfest!

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Traditionally Oktoberfest is celebrated during the last week of September through the first weekend in October. And although beer is center stage food is a big part of the fun too! Here are a few ideas for veganizing Oktoberfest for your friends and family.

Have a vegan beer tasting! PETA has an exhaustive list of vegan beers including lots of familiar brand names. You may want to try Sprecher Brewing Company which makes traditional vegan European beers and actually sells a beer called Oktoberfest pictured above. Of course organic is always best. Some of my favorite beers are Samuel Smith Organic Ale and Lager and Pinkus beers from Merchant du Vin. Not exactly traditional Oktoberfest beers but they're really good!

For your menu start with Field Roast Sausages the smoked apple ones are my fav and sauerkraut. Pickled foods like sauerkraut are an important part of the superhero diet so dig in! But if you want to be super healthy the best kind of sauerkraut has nothing in it but cabbage and salt. This variety lives in the refrigerated section of the store and is very pure.

Other traditional dishes that you can easily veganize include knodel potato or bread dumplings kasspatzn cheese noodles – does anyone have a vegan recipe for this? and reiberdatschi potato pancakes. You can also get creative and veganize other traditional dishes.

Are there any vegan Oktoberfest events happening near you? Share them in the comments below and tell me how you plan to celebrate!

action alert: support a kind teacher

A Memphis teacher named Adam Guerrero has planted a vegetable garden in his front yard to teach students about gardening. A local judge recently declared the garden a "nuisance" and Adam has a court date tomorrow.

Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International made me aware of this issue and I wanted to share so we can all help. Let's support Adam and let Judge Larry Potter know that banning Adam's garden would hurt the community.

Here's how you can help:

Write to Judge Larry Potter at larry.pottershelbycountytn.gov in support of Adam Guerrero's garden. Please be respectful. You are an ambassador for the kitchen garden cause.
Join the Facebook page called "Save Adam Guerrero's Garden" where you can show your support and receive updates about his case.
Show your outrage on Twitter using the WarOnGardens hashtag.
Sign an online petition at change.org in support of the garden which will be sent to the judge hearing Guerrero's case.
Watch and share the video on YouTube and embedded above.

Why do you think communities resist good works like this and how can we teach more kids about gardening?