Vegan Christmas Cookies

I only made three kinds of cookies this year. (gasp!!) Time is valuable to me and besides, I find that as the month goes on everyone loses interest in goodies anyways. People tend to overinduldge at holiday gatherings and eventually the blahs start to set in from too many sweets. Sooooo, I thought I would keep it simple. What you see here is a reusuable christmas tin filled to the brim with all three kinds: starting from the left - Vive le Vegan's Carob-Coconut-Pecan Cookies. I used walnuts instead of pecans and these are my favourite out of the three. Next, Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan's Jam Print Cookies - I used walnuts instead of hemp nut seeds, strawberry jam (made by yours truly) instead of raspberry and refined white flour instead of barley flour. Lastly, ED&BV's Tickled Pink Vanilla Sprinkle Cookies - I used a green sprinkle and omitted the beet powder. All three have a 'festive' taste/look to them.

I made up several of these christmas tins and will bring one as a hostess gift to each of the holiday parties we are attending Christmas Eve through New Years. As well, we are having company over a few nights so will keep a tin for us too!

Spaghetti and Bean Balls - Oh My!!!

I haven't posted anything about vegan num nums in awhile. We're suckers for eating the same 10 meals over and over and over again. We like what we like....what can I say. But once in awhile I dare to try something new. Last night I made, for the second time, Spaghetti and Bean Balls from Veganomican. That first time I made them the kids thought they were too sour due to the lemon juice in them, so this time I omitted the lemon juice and they were fine to eat them. Although I thought they were 'missing something'. (obviously the lemon juice). ha Tonight with the leftover balls, I'm going to bake some homemade buns and do Beanball Subs!!

Wind Energy - Powering Canada's Future Naturally

My city - Sault Ste. Marie is the home to the Prince Wind Farm - Canada's largest wind installation. The McGuinty Government has worked to help create new sources of energy in Ontario which are more environmentally friendly. The renewable energy strategy developed by the province has made it possible for Brookfield Power to make a massive investment in the development of 126 wind turbines. In return, the Ontario government has agreed to purchase power from Brookfield and agreed to allow a portion of the wind farm on 50 hectares of Crown land. Brookfield Power is helping to make Ontario more self-sufficient and less reliant on fossil fuels. The new wind farm created hundreds of construction jobs and generates enough power for 40,000 homes. This is a huge positive for this community - but we still have those who wish to complain about the 'unsightliness' of the turbines along with the noise. When I hear people complain about such things, my blood boils!!

In addition to this wind farm we are poised to become the location of Canada's largest solar farm, thanks to the latest contracts signed under the McGuinty government’s Standard Offer Program. This builds on the McGuinty government’s solar power strategy which includes: Setting a target of installing 100,000 solar roofs across the province Launching “Go Solar” – a one stop information shop for Ontarians interested in installing solar energy systems to heat water or generate electricity. Extending the retail sales tax rebate on qualifying solar equipment, as well as wind, micro-hydro, and geothermal systems, to January 1, 2010. These are great incentives for all of us to put on solar roofs in the coming years!!

Why soy candles make scents!!.

Some facts about soy candles:

1. Soy candles produce about 90% less soot than paraffin wax candles and have no known carcinogens, thus help to maintain air quality and are less likely to trigger allergies. Paraffin candles emit 11 known toxins while burning.

2. They last up to 50% longer than most paraffin candles. They burn evenly all the way to the bottom so there isn't any unused wax left when finished.

3. Soy wax lowers the melting point of the candle, which translates into cooler burning candles and faster scent dispersion.

4. Soy wax spills can easily be cleaned up with hot soapy water unlike paraffin wax.

I can buy soy candles locally here in SSM due to a couple women who make them in their home. I won't ever buy a paraffin wax candle again!

Organic Christmas Tree

We managed to get an organic christmas tree this year!! We bought it from Mockingbird Hill Farm. The Farm depicts a typical horse-drawn homestead farm with the pioneer's menagerie of animals - a few pigs, sheep, goats, cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, cats and dogs. The Farm is open year round to the public. Farmer Bob sells christmas trees in the winter and we got this scraggly looking one for a mere $20! Can't beat that since some tree farms sell them for $50+. All our lights are LED and all our ornaments are hand-me-downs - which means I saved them from spending eternity in the landfill.
Talking about stuff like this just makes me giddy!

Tea Totalin'

Tea anyone??? I've got 7 kinds of tea on top of my stove right now. Sometimes I have more, sometimes I have less. What you see here are my favourite kinds and I always keep these flavours in the house at all times. I'll try a new variety here and there too though.

Starting from the left:

1. Tetley Organic Green Tea: Usually I buy a flavoured green tea as green tea by itself doesn't do it for me. But when I bought this Tetley tea it was on sale and didn't have any flavoured ones. Most days I cut up lots of ginger root and put it in my tea pot. That makes it flavoured AND gives me a boost in immunity.
2. MC Peppermint: I like peppermint tea and its good for late afternoons and evenings when I don't want any caffeine. Also, I keep it in the house for my daddy when he comes to visit.

3. Stash Organic chai black & green tea: love the combo of black and green tea here. Because the green tea is mixed in there I don't have to add milk and sugar like I would if it was just a black chai tea. I love chai tea with a cookie or muffin or something sweet.4. Black Tea: I don't drink black tea by itself. My mom gave me this tin because they didn't like it. My hubbie will drink black tea and his family does when they come over.
5. Camomile Tea: love this in the evenings or if I'm having a particular stressful day.

6. Stash Organic Merry Mint: I just bought this one and I LOVE it! It is a green tea with peppermint, ginger, lemongrass, and spearmint. It has a very mild spearmint flavour (reminds me of gum). It is a nice change from regular peppermint tea. It is a holiday tea made by Stash so I won't be able to get it any other time of the year so I'm going back to buy lots more! ha ha

7. Choice organic rooibos tea: I have to admit it took me a long time to get used to rooibos tea. At first I didn't like it at all. And the varieties that make vanilla rooibos teas are gross. If rooibos wasn't so damn good for us, I probably wouldn't bother to make it. But, it is good for me, so I do drink it most days. Because it doesn't have any caffeine in it, I usually drink it in the afternoons or evenings.

Reflexology

According to the Wikipedia, Reflexology, or zone therapy, is the practice of massaging, squeezing, or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health.

I was mentioning in my previous post about rubbing Olba Salve on our feet when we have a cold. I target certain areas of our feet in accordance with this chart. I will rub the areas corresponding to the lungs, throat, nose, and sinuses. It probaby doesn't hurt to rub the areas for the brain either. ha

Whether or not this works is up for debate. The fact of the matter is when my kids are feeling icky, a foot rub is soothing for them - and if that is the only thing that makes them feel better - I'm sold on the idea of Reflexology!