Welcome Lilliput Snoopy Gauss!

Lily at 3 years with a well-loved toy

Lily's Story

While on a visit to northern Mexico in 2009, a family from Southern California came across "miniature poodle" puppies for sale on the street. The mother and daughter convinced the father to buy one. Sadly, once back home they neglected the puppy to the point of abuse.

When Lily (not original name) was 7 months of age the father begged a relative (Susan*) to take the "stinky", matted dog away. Being an animal lover, Susan agreed to find Lily a new home. Her mother was willing to adopt Lily and raised her with love and tenderness.

Imagine waking up to this face every day!

Unfortunately the story doesn't end there. Susan's mother was diagnosed with cancer, which ended her life in May of 2012.

Lily went to live with Susan's family (including other pets) in a rural town in Southern California. Before long, Susan found that Lily was being attacked by larger dogs or coyotes when roaming in the backyard. This animal-loving home was ultimately not the right fit for Lily either.

Susan was committed to rehoming Lily with a trusted friend or family member. After a few months of fruitless searching, she mentioned Lily in a Facebook comment on her friend Amy's page. This is where I come in.

Amy is a friend of mine who recently adopted a dog. I saw a photo she'd posted on Facebook with her dog, with Susan's comment below it. I immediately contacted Susan and within two days determined that Lily might be the perfect pup to clinch my decision to get a dog!

Lily coming home with me

My mother offered to drive with me from San Francisco to meet and retrieve Lily over a 4-day weekend. Susan and her family greeted us with open arms and sweet Lily was happy to meet us as well. I was pleased to see that unlike many people's online dating profiles, Lily was even cuter in person than in her photos.

Nothing is perfect, however; my mom's 60lb male standard poodle's idea of play was intimidating to Lily. This was a concern because my mom and I are each other's go-to dog sitters. I decided to take Lily home nonetheless, as I knew I could separate them if needed.

While my mother took the driver's seat of her Prius, Lily made herself at home on my lap. She seemed to bond with me in no time flat, as if she knew I would keep her safe.

The next day we made it home to San Francisco to begin Lily's next chapter. I can confidently say that Lily loves my (our!) home and neighborhood, and we plan to live happily ever after!

*Name changed

-Ilana

P.S. It took weeks but thankfully Lily grew to tolerate and even play with my mom's dog Rafi.

Winter squash with balsamic caramelized onions and brown sugar

This was such a yummy and (fairly) easy dish to make! It does take a while, however.
How to:
Google "How to cook acorn squash" and pick a recipe that includes brown sugar.
Google "How to carmelize onions" and be sure to add a dash of balsamic vinegar at the end.
Voila!

Ch-ch-ch-Chia!

Have you heard the buzz around CHIA being the new superfood? I've finally decided to try it. It has tons of protein, fiber, omega 3s, etc.

You can put chia seeds in or on lots of other foods, like on a salad. One of the more common ways is to drink it, first letting the seeds soak in your beverage of choice for a few minutes until they soak up some liquid and start to get gelatinous. You can wait longer til they are very gelatinous.

So far I have put it in orange juice, and other than a bit of tiny crunch I didn't really notice them. I used a teaspoon or 2 of the seeds.

My latest experiment is the following: 1 cup soy milk, 1 scoop of protein shake powder, some chia seeds, some peanut butter and some chocolate syrup. Blend and stick in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Results to come!

I look forward to seeing health results and potentially weight loss, if I can stick with it and consume chia in drinks rather than eating less healthy snacks.

Local urban farming organizations

I recently received an inquiry about "urban farming grass roots organizations" in San Francisco. I thought my blog readers would like to know who's out there, too!

My answer:
My friend runs an org called Feel the Earth that may be up your alley. I also like Hayes Valley Farm and Alemany Farm. My organization EcoJews has done events at Hayes and Alemany, and with Feel the Earth.

I will add that there is a new urban farm in Berkeley called Urban Adamah. The executive director is someone I've known for years as a leader in the Jewish environmental movement, and the project is very exciting!

I also encourage my readers to search online for other public/urban farms and community gardens in your area.

What really went into making that soy product?

I recently learned that hexane is used to process soy to make yummy, low fat veggie burgers and other "health" foods. Hexane is a toxic petroleum solvent and is not safe for humans or the environment. So why do soy food companies poison their workers, the environment and possibly their customers?

These companies know that their consumers want low fat foods. A hexane "bath" is used to separate fat from the protein, resulting in a low fat product. One somewhat positive aspect of this issue is that hexane processing is not allowed for organic soy. Organic soy is also non-GMO (genetically modified organisms). Non-organic products containing soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, or texturized vegetable protein are the ones to avoid.

A 2009 report by the Cornucopia Institute revealed this shocking information to the public. Pertinent details including a list of brands that use hexane can be found in this article: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2010/04/enjoying_that_v.php.

So far I haven't found any information stating that soy product companies have changed their chemical process since this report came out.

What can you do?
1. Buy organic
2. Make your own veggie burgers. I'm accepting submittals of recipes!
3. Write to Gardenburger, Trader Joes, Morningstar Farms and the other companies asking them to clean up their act.

EcoJews of the Bay

If you like me or what you read on this blog, please support my nonprofit EcoJews of the Bay. Thank you!

Green Crusader Introduction

Welcome to my blog! I enjoy writing, all things green (including my career) and creativity, so I decided to write a blog. I have worked in the environmental field for over ten years. I'll post hot tips and new developments in sustainability here. I also run a Jewish environmental organization, EcoJews of the Bay. http://www.ecojews.org/