saturday afternoon.

I am so fortunate to have an awesome farmer's market within biking distance to my house. With the husband out of town for the weekend celebrating his friend's upcoming wedding, I decided to ride my bike downtown to the farmer's market to see what goodies I could find. It is still a bit early in the season and they mostly had flowers, plants, and herbs, but I did manage to snag some fresh, local produce.

If I hadn't had limited space in my small backpack, I definitely would have come home with some very yummy-looking Michigan cherries, zucchini, and maybe some cilantro - which has become my favorite herb. Also, we got our first raspberries to bloom from our bush! One hundred million cheers to summer!!

heaven on earth.

I have recently learned about a farm animal sanctuary roughly 60 miles from my humble abode in Royal Oak - Santuary and Safe Haven for Animals (SASHA Farm), and is the midwest's largest farm animal sanctuary. I'm thinking that if I didn't have to make an income and could do anything I wanted, that working at an animal sanctuary would be one of the most rewarding jobs. It's definitely not glamorous, but spending time with rescued animals on sprawling lush pastures sounds pretty great. SASHA Farm has anything from cows to cats, and they provide a safe and comforting environment for unwanted, neglected and abused animals.

Perhaps one of the biggest heros on the farm is the infamous steer, Jefferson, who broke free while being loaded on a truck headed to the slaughterhouse. He touched the hearts of thousands by escaping his brutal fate and running through some of the busiest streets in Detroit. He was eventually captured, and then was lucky enough to start a new life at SASHA Farm after intense negotiations and public outcry. According to the website, Jefferson has "grown quite a bit since his arrival at the sanctuary, but remains a gentle, quiet soul."

Is that not the cutest face? Luckily, SASHA Farm runs a tour once a month, so I will have to find a buddy who will go with me to learn more about the farm and their adorable animals. And of course out of respect for the animals, they ask that you refrain from bringing any meat products onto the farm.

27.003

Yesterday was my birfday! I am now one year older... actually one day older, but who's counting. I had a great day, despite the very humid, cool, rainy weather. Lunch and shopping with mom, pizza and wine with husband, and lots of phone calls, cards, and messages from friends and family. Perfect.

I also L.O.V.E. this idea: reward people for purchasing local veggies! This is going on in Madison, WI, where people are getting rebates on healthcare for joining their local CSA (community supported agriculture). Genious!

product review: peanut butter

There are so many choices when it comes to peanut butter these days - crunchy, smooth, organic, salt-free, chunky, etc. I have finally ventured from the everyday, chock-full of hydrogenated oils peanut butter, to try and find the perfect no-fuss all natural peanut butter. Being a vegetarian, this smooth tasty treat is a great source of protein, and who doesn't love a classic pb & j sandwich for lunch? The two contenders are:

1. Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread

• $2.99 @ your local grocer for a 15 oz. jar
• 180 calories & 16 grams of fat for 2 Tablespoons
• Ingredients: roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, salt
• No need to stir

2. Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Peanut Butter from Unblanched Peanuts

• $1.79 @ your local TJ's for a 16 oz. jar
• 210 calories & 17 grams of fat for 2 Tablespoons
• Ingredients: dry roasted peanuts, salt
• Do need to stir & keep refrigerated

As far as taste goes, I would say they were pretty equal. I had them both on whole wheat bread with raspberry preserves, and both sandwiches were dee-lish. The TJ's peanut butter does require stirring, but once you get past that, the texture was very comparable. So I guess it all comes down to price per ounce ($0.20 compared to $0.11), and if you don't mind taking a moment to stir before spreading. Personally, I think I'll stick to Trader Joe's. The less ingredients, the better, and you certainly can't beat the price.

free trees

What's better than free trees? Nothin'. Visit Odwalla's Plant a Tree program, click on your state of choice, and they will donate $1 to that state's parks department to plant new trees! They also give awesome tree facts... my favorite being:

• Each average-size tree provides an estimated $7 savings in annual environmental benefits. With 1.2 billion trees in the U.S., that certainly adds up!
• Trees help to relax people, lower heart rates, reduce stress, and make people feel good.

I think the nickname "tree-hugger" should be a compliment! Happy tree planting!

the little veggies that could

Well, I've been quite worried about my fragile little seedlings that I planted over a week ago. I somewhat expected them to take off and grow quickly after planting them, but have yet to see such progress. Out of the 6 tomato plants, I'm hoping at least half make it. They've developed a few more leaves, but at this rate I'm expecting to finally have tomatoes around... let's see... Christmas? Mmmm.... a yummy Christmas tomato pie.

I was fortunate to receive a few onion bulbs from someone at work who had extras. The morning after planting them, one turned up on top of the soil, so I'm assuming a little neighborhood critter dug it up and decided onions weren't for them.

Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out, and hoping to have lots to harvest and share!

mid-week mantra

My dog, Bo, and I ran our first 5k together last night. It wasn't an organized event - just the two of us going out in the 'hood after work. I started with 2 miles and finally worked up to 3.1 because I didn't want to push him or go to fast. He's so stinking cute and I get the feeling he really enjoys himself when we're running. The interesting thing is that he runs behind me almost the whole time... with a big smile on his face. I need to find a way to take a picture of him running behind me, because every time I turn around to check on him it makes me laugh when I see the look on his face. Oh, how I love him.

In other news, I just wanted to give a shout-out to one of my favorite faux meat products out there - the Fantastic World Foods taco mix. It takes literally 5 minutes to prepare and is so yummy even my husband loves it. Just add beans, veggies, and cheese to a taco shell for a yummy mexican meal. Ole!