Meet Amanda McQuade Crawford On Veria TV Facebook Today See Below

Earth Day

     Earth Day began in 1970 to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.  It is celebrated annually by over 175 countries every year.  It was founded by United States Senator (Wisconsin) Gaylord Nelson after an oil spill of the coast of Santa Barbara, California in 1969.  He recruited Denis Hayes as the national coordinator.  And he was also able to get support from Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey who served as his co-chair.  This day has been celebrated every year and support grows stronger. This is a day all people can feel a part of as it is a chance to make a difference in our own way to make the Earth a safer, happier place to live.  We still face the same problems (as we have experienced the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico most recently, as well as the radiation leaking from the Japan nuclear disaster) and we still have the same desires to keep the Earth a safe place for generations to come.  It's a similar to a birthday celebration for our planet.  Happy Earth Day!

    I'm attaching an interesting news clip from 1970 which shows the first Earth Day celebrations (demonstrations as they were called in 1970) and some interesting historical footage.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Earth Day April 22 that carries over to every other day as well. 


Note you can mute my blog music on the lower right hand side before watching the video.

Tip of the Week - Walking for Exercise

     Walking is a great way to get exercise.  Even if the weather is bad, you can still walk in your home.  And if you aren't sure about some more advanced exercising, walking is a good way to keep you in shape and keep you moving.  I'm attaching a link to a video with walking sequences to help keep you on track with your walking routines no matter what the weather is like outside.

click here: Walking Video

Easy and Healthy Tostada Recipe

Tostadas with a side of avocado.

   If you are in a hurry but don't want to eat fast food or take the family out to a restaurant you can still make a tasty, healthy and cost effective meal that everyone will enjoy.  I usually have a bowl of the pico de gallo in my refrigerator (see my post dated March 12, 2011 for the recipe) and I buy some corn tortillas from a local Mexican food market.  I get them there because they are made fresh daily and taste so much better than the corn tortillas you buy at the grocery store and they don't have all the preservatives that the ones in the grocery store have either.   If you are in a big hurry, you can also buy fresh pico de gallo and salsa there as well. You will need 1 can of black beans (or pinto beans), corn tortillas, grated cheese (I usually use Colby Jack or Monterey Jack cheese) pico de gallo, and salsa.


    You can fry up your corn tortillas in a skillet under medium/high heat with some extra virgin olive oil until they are crispy and no longer pliable.  Then sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on them when you first pull them out of the skillet.  I usually fry up two per person. Then you can open your can of beans and rinse them thoroughly (to take off any extra sodium) then warm them in a sauce pan.  Once they are warm you can smash them with a potato masher until they are creamy.  I sometimes add some water and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to make them smooth.  Once the beans are done you can smooth them on the fried shells, add your pico de gallo and cheese and your favorite salsa. I usually make my salsa but you can use your favorite brand from the store or buy some at your local Mexican food market.  Sometimes I also serve tostadas with a side of sliced avocado or with chopped cucumbers.  My husband likes them without cheese.  The good thing about this dish is you can make the tostadas to suit different tastes so no one is unhappy. 

Tostadas without cheese plus salsa.

 

   This is a quick meal to make and healthier than fast food.  Your family will enjoy it and it will look like you spent much more time on it than you actually did.  You can feel good knowing you have fresh ingredients and you've cut out many of the preservatives and much of the sodium.  Enjoy!

MakeOver from Self Magazine

   Today I'm attaching a virtual makeover from Self Magazine. You can upload your own picture to try new hairstyles, lip colors, hair colors and other neat features. If you want to see what you'd look like with Jennifer Aniston's hairstyle this will show you what you'd look like.   This one is just for fun!


Click below:
My new MakeOver from Self