It's simple!

What I have to share with you today are some very simple, no fuss, (mostly) healthy choices! Sometimes that's just what you need...

When it's almost 80 degrees when you wake up, what better breakfast can there be than a lovely smoothie?


This one's one of my favorites--blueberries, blackberries, a banana, raw almond butter, cinnamon and ginger, vanilla, soy milk, and flax meal. I like the almond butter--it helps smooth out the texture, and it provides some healthy fat and a good dose of calcium. I like to grind the flax meal and then blend it with the milk before I add everything else. It improves the texture, I think.


This idea came from stonielove's gorgeous blog. A nice RAW lunch with sprouts, red peppers, carrots, green onions, and raw pepitas with a little drizzle of vinaigrette, all wrapped up in collard green leaves. Fabulous, healthy, quick, and all-around perfect.


These don't taste quick and easy, but believe me, they are! Fudgy Brownies from Vive! are only the best brownies I've ever put in my mouth... and fudgy is definitely the proper description for them. The best part is, it took me all of five minutes to whip up the batter. If you're feeling really frisky, have one of these à la mode--it just doesn't get much better than that. If you are still not convinced of the greatness that is Dreena's fudgy brownies, well, I happen to know that someone else recently made them too, and I'm sure she will vouch for them as well!

On a more serious note, here is another simple thing you can do--and it will make a great difference. Our excellent administration is now proposing to remove the protections afforded under the Endangered Species Act to the gray wolf. About 12 years ago, wolves were reintroduced into the Northern Rockies after becoming severely endangered--and upon reintroduction, their impact on the ecosystem was dramatic. The aspen population rose sharply, which in turn allowed the beaver population to grow. Beavers are a keystone species to any ecosystem in which they dwell, creating wetlands that improve the overall health and biodiversity of the area. Removing just one species from an ecosystem can have any number of unforeseen consequences... and removing the gray wolves from their habitat did once, and assuredly will again, have a stagnating effect on the ecosystem. Yet, the governments of Idaho and Wyoming are prepared to legalize drastic wolf killing programs as soon as the ESA protections are lifted.


You can visit Save America's Wolves for more information and a chance to send a message to the federal government urging them not to de-list the gray wolf until proper protections are in place to prevent people like the governors of Idaho and Wyoming from opening fire on them. I took a class this semester on endangered species conservation and management, and one of the animals we studied in some depth was the gray wolf. I was amazed by the complexity and sophistication of these animals' social interactions. They really are beautiful creatures, and it angers me that people can so vehemently advocate their eradication on the grounds that they are a threat to livestock and to the elk-hunting industry. Just once, I would like to see our government put its priorities in order.


Have you read Aldo Leopold's wonderful essay, "Thinking Like a Mountain"? It's a beautifully written reminder that the ways and interests of human beings rarely line up with those of the natural world... and a clear challenge for the reader to discover which one's ways serve the higher purpose.