Easy Pizza







brush with olive oil and sprinkle on Italian seasonings
Bake at 450, for 10 minutes or until crisp



for sauce use all natural Bruschetta
it's perfect for pizza

saute some veggies in 1tsp vegan butter and 1tsp of olive oil

top crust with bruschetta, veggies and your choice of cheese,
 bake until cheese melts

slice and eat



What the Buddha Said About Eating Meat

Ajahn Brahmavamso

Since the very beginning of Buddhism over 2500 years ago, Buddhist monks and nuns have depended on almsfood. They were, and still are, prohibited from growing their own food, storing their own provisions or cooking their own meals. Instead, every morning they would make their day's meal out of whatever was freely given to them by lay supporters. Whether it was rich food or coarse food, delicious or awful tasting it was to be accepted with gratitude and eaten regarding it as medicine. The Buddha laid down several rules forbidding monks from asking for the food that they liked. As a result, they would receive just the sort of meals that ordinary people ate - and that was often meat.

Once, a rich and influential general by the name of Siha (meaning 'Lion') went to visit the Buddha. Siha had been a famous lay supporter of the Jain monks but he was so impressed and inspired by the Teachings he heard from the Buddha that he took refuge in the Triple Gem (i.e. he became a Buddhist). General Siha then invited the Buddha, together with the large number of monks accompanying Him, to a meal at his house in the city the following morning. In preparation for the meal, Siha told one of his servants to buy some meat from the market for the feast. When the Jain monks heard of their erstwhile patron's conversion to Buddhism and the meal that he was preparing for the Buddha and the monks, they were somewhat peeved:

"Now at the time many Niganthas (Jain monks), waving their arms, were moaning from carriage road to carriage road, from cross road to cross road in the city: 'Today a fat beast, killed by Siha the general, is made into a meal for the recluse Gotama (the Buddha), the recluse Gotama makes use of this meat knowing that it was killed on purpose for him, that the deed was done for his sake'..." [1].

Siha was making the ethical distinction between buying meat already prepared for sale and ordering a certain animal to be killed, a distinction which is not obvious to many westerners but which recurs throughout the Buddha's own teachings. Then, to clarify the position on meat eating to the monks, the Buddha said:

"Monks, I allow you fish and meat that are quite pure in three respects: if they are not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk. But, you should not knowingly make use of meat killed on purpose for you." [2]

There are many places in the Buddhist scriptures which tell of the Buddha and his monks being offered meat and eating it. One of the most interesting of these passages occurs in the introductory story to a totally unrelated rule (Nissaggiya Pacittiya 5) and the observation that the meat is purely incidental to the main theme of the story emphasizes the authenticity of the passage:

Uppalavanna (meaning 'she of the lotus-like complexion') was one of the two chief female disciples of the Buddha. She was ordained as a nun while still a young woman and soon became fully enlightened. As well as being an arahant (enlightened) she also possessed various psychic powers to the extent that the Buddha declared her to be foremost among all the women in this field. Once, while Uppalavanna was meditating alone in the afternoon in the 'Blind-Men's Grove', a secluded forest outside of the city of Savatthi, some thieves passed by. The thieves had just stolen a cow, butchered it and were escaping with the meat. Seeing the composed and serene nun, the chief of the thieves quickly put some of the meat in a leaf-bag and left it for her. Uppalavanna picked up the meat and resolved to give it to the Buddha. Early next morning, having had the meat prepared, she rose into the air and flew to where the Buddha was staying, in the Bamboo Grove outside of Rajagaha, over 200 kilometres as the crow (or nun?) flies! Though there is no specific mention of the Buddha actually consuming this meat, obviously a nun of such high attainments would certainly have known what the Buddha ate.

However there are some meats which are specifically prohibited for monks to eat: human meat, for obvious reasons; meat from elephants and horses as these were then considered royal animals; dog meat - as this was considered by ordinary people to be disgusting; and meat from snakes, lions, tigers, panthers, bears and hyenas - because one who had just eaten the flesh of such dangerous jungle animals was thought to give forth such a smell as to draw forth revenge from the same species!

Towards the end of the Buddha's life, his cousin Devadatta attempted to usurp the leadership of the Order of monks. In order to win support from other monks, Devadatta tried to be more strict than the Buddha and show Him up as indulgent. Devadatta proposed to the Buddha that all the monks should henceforth be vegetarians. The Buddha refused and repeated once again the regulation that he had established years before, that monks and nuns may eat fish or meat as long as it is not from an animal whose meat is specifically forbidden, and as long as they had no reason to believe that the animal was slaughtered specifically for them.

The Vinaya, then, is quite clear on this matter. Monks and nuns may eat meat. Even the Buddha ate meat. Unfortunately, meat eating is often seen by westerners as an indulgence on the part of the monks. Nothing could be further from the truth - I was a strict vegetarian for three years before I became a monk. In my first years as a monk in North-East Thailand, when I bravely faced many a meal of sticky rice and boiled frog (the whole body bones and all), or rubbery snails, red-ant curry or fried grasshoppers - I would have given ANYTHING to be a vegetarian again! On my first Christmas in N.E. Thailand an American came to visit the monastery a week or so before the 25th. It seemed too good to be true, he had a turkey farm and yes, he quickly understood how we lived and promised us a turkey for Christmas. He said that he would choose a nice fat one especially for us... and my heart sank. We cannot accept meat knowing it was killed especially for monks. We refused his offer. So I had to settle for part of the villager's meal - frogs again.

Monks may not exercise choice when it comes to food and that is much harder than being a vegetarian. Nonetheless, we may encourage vegetarianism and if our lay supporters brought only vegetarian food and no meat, well... monks may not complain either!

May you take the hint and be kind to animals.

References:

[1] Book of the Discipline, Vol. 4, p. 324
[2] ibid, p. 325

more on this subject-http://http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/meat.html

The Perfect Portion

I am all about individual desserts, Cupcakes vs. a whole cake and single serving pies vs. a whole pie.  You eat it, it's gone, and there is no temptation calling you to the kitchen later that night.  My boys requested something with apples this week, so this is what I came up with.

Individual Apple Pies

filling:

• 5-7 whole apples, peeled and sliced
• 3/4 cup of light brown sugar
• 2 tsp of lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp of apple pie seasoning (nutmeg and cinnamon)
• 2 tsp flour (for thickening)
• 1 Tsp of Butter

Saute apples in butter, add brown sugar, lemon juice, seasoning and flour.  Cook at a low temp until apples are soft.  I used single serving puffed pastries (bake according to directions on package) while the pastry is still hot  put in your filling. Top with a dollop of low fat or fat free whipped cream.

*not a vegan recipe

Glass vs. Plastic

my water bottle, it works great

Glass Water Storage Bottles vs. Plastic

By now, a bottle of water has become such a common accessory that few of us give any thought to the impact that that bottle has on the environment once we are done with it. In an effort to make healthier beverage choices, people the whole world over purchase water packaged in plastic bottles and the market has grown larger than any beverage company�s wildest dreams. But this convenience has come at a steep price for us and our environment. Here are some numbers:

• Worldwide, bottled water consumption surged to 154 billion liters (41 billion gallons) in 2004, up 57 percent from 98 billion liters in 1999.
• At up to $2.50 per liter ($10 per gallon), bottled water costs more than gasoline in the United States.
• Fossil fuels are used in packaging and transporting the water. Most water bottles are made with polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic derived from crude oil. Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water alone requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.
• According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. We are unnecessarily adding millions of plastic bottles to our landfills each week, week after week.
• The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) issued a report in 1999 that stated that around 40% of the bottled water sold in this country comes from the same municipal water systems that provide the tap water for our homes.

Many of us have purchased water filtration equipment for our homes in recent years to further purify the water that we get from our taps. To save money and lessen our impact on the environment, lots of us like the convenience of bringing our own home-filtered water with us in reusable plastic bottles as we run errands and go about our daily lives. But these plastic bottles may introduce some health hazards of their own.

Plastic Water Bottles

According to several recent studies, polycarbonate plastic gradually leaches a chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) into foods and liquids that are stored in containers made from this material. BPA has been identified as an endocrine disrupting chemical, or a chemical that easily mimics hormones when absorbed by the human body.
Additionally, a University of Missouri study, as reported in the July 2003 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, found that the BPA leaching problem isn�t restricted to older polycarbonate bottles. Instead, researchers found detectable levels of BPA leaching out of brand new bottles at room temperature. This new finding calls into question the safety of any kind of polycarbonate plastic container, new or used, for food or beverage use.
A study conducted by Dr. Patricia Hunt of Case Western University in Ohio on the health effects of BPA in food and beverages concluded that BPAs may impair reproductive organs and have additional adverse effects by fostering the creation of tumors, and impeding breast tissue development and prostate development by reducing sperm count.
As more and more of us become aware of the impact that plastic bottles have on our health and our environment, reusable bottles made of glass are becoming increasingly popular with folks that want to take their filtered water with them wherever they go.

The Advantages of Reusable Glass Water Bottles

Protecting the health of you and your family may the be best reason to recycle your reusable plastic water bottles and replace them with reusable glass bottles but here are a few more:

• Cleaning reusable plastic bottles with detergents will cause the plastic to cloud and may increase the amount of BPAs that leach into the water. Glass bottles are much easier to clean and will retain their clarity after hundreds of washings.
• Glass is made from heated sand and lime, not from crude oil derivates, which decreases our dependence on non-renewable, foreign oil sources.
• Glass imparts no unpleasant plastic off-taste to water and other beverages like plastic can. Even days or weeks after filling up a glass bottle and putting it in your fridge, you can enjoy the clean, crisp taste of filtered water with no worries about BPAs and other chemicals leaching into your water.
• For those that like to flavor their water with citrus fruits and other flavors, the acids in fresh oranges, limes, lemons, and other fruits often cause a plastic bottle to become cloudy and unsightly. These acids have no effect on glass so you can flavor your filtered water with whatever you�d like and your glass water bottle will remain crystal clear.
• A portable glass water bottle that you bring to work, class, the gym, or wherever is a statement to everyone that you are actively taking steps to reduce your impact on the environment and sets a fine example to those who wish to reduce their contributions to landfills.

Any reason that you switch from plastic to glass is a good reason for you, your family, and the environment and with the rising popularity of reusable glass bottles, it appears that many people are making this choice. These bottles are available in many styles, sizes, and colors so you can have clean drinking water, convenience and environmental responsibility all in one!

http://www.waterfiltering.com/bottled-water/glass-water-bottles.html

Beginner Yoga with Shiva Rea

Yoga

So I said all along that this was going to be a lifestyle blog, I really want all of you to make this journey of self discovery with me.  I am slowly learning to make healthy choices, these choices are not just  limited to the  food I eat they also include incorporating a fitness plan that I can live with and enjoy pursuing.  I am not a gym person, I like my exercise to evolve a little more organically, more spontaneous. Walking is my favorite, I have three furry children who need exercise also, so everyday we make our way through the neighborhood.  I am also a student at a local university, I have classes on the third and fourth floors of the science and math building, I reluctantly take the stairs everyday...ugh!  I have recently started incorporating  about a half an hour of yoga each morning.  It is by far the best choice in my fitness regimen, I feel great and ready for the day.  Here are some health benefits for this ancient practice.

Article taken from The Mayo Clinic

Written by: ljpasion

What most people refer to as simply "yoga" is actually Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a yogic sage in the 15th century in India. This particular system of yoga is the most popular one, and it is from which several other Styles of Yoga originated including Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and Kundalini Yoga. The word "hatha" comes from the Sanskrit terms "ha" meaning "sun" and "tha" meaning "moon". Thus, Hatha Yoga is known as the branch of Yoga that unites pairs of opposites referring to the positive (sun) and negative (moon) currents in the system. It concentrates on the third (Asana) and fourth (Pranayama) steps in the Eight Limbs of Yoga

Hatha Yoga tries to achieve balance between body and mind, as well as attempts to free the more subtle spiritual elements of the mind through physical poses or Asanas, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation.

§  Asanas are various body positions designed to improve health and remove diseases in the physical, causal, and subtle bodies. The word "asana" is Sanskrit for "seat", which refers not only to the physical position of the body but also to the position of the body in relation to divinity. They were originally meant for Meditation, as the postures can make you feel relaxed for a long period of time. The regular practice of Asanas will grant the practitioner muscle flexibility and bone strength, as well as non-physical rewards such as the development of will power, concentration, and self-withdrawal.

§  Pranayama is derived from the words "prana" (life-force or energy source) and "ayama" (to control). It is the science of breath control. This is an important part of Hatha Yoga because the yogis of old times believed that the secret to controlling one's mind can be unlocked by controlling one's breath. The practice of Pranayama can also help unleash the dormant energies inside our body.

Fall Comfort Food

Vegetarian Minestrone
I made a huge pot of this on Halloween and we munched on it all day.  It's healthful, satisfying and extremely low fat.

start with : 

• 2 12 oz cans of stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 small white onion, diced
• 1 small potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup of shredded carrots
• 1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies
• 1 zucchini, cubed
• 1 handful of Italian seasoning
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of white beans
• a handful of mini pasta
• 2 cubes of vegetable bouillon
• 2 tbs of a good, fruity extra virgin olive oil
• 6 cups of water

 Cut up the onions, slice zucchini and mince garlic.

Pour about a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a big soup pot over med-high heat. Toss in the onion, zucchini and potatoes. Saute until onion becomes almost translucent. Add the Italian seasoning with salt & pepper. Add the minced garlic and saute another few moments do not brown garlic.

Put the Vegetable Bouillon into the pot, smash it with a wooden spoon while the garlic is cooking and then pour in the 5 cups water ad vegetable bouillons.  Add the stewed tomatoes bring to a low boil, then turn it down right away to a simmer.

Add the beans and let it cook on low to combine the ingredients. At least 10 minutes, but not too long, watch that the zucchini doesn't get too mushy.  After the soup is finished cooking, turn off the heat and toss in the pasta, the past will cook in the hot soup, but not become mushy.  top with a little oil and your choice of cheese, feta is good or parmesan.