Genni Lee Hester

“7.5 million Syrian children, inside and outside the country, are in need of humanitarian aid, and millions have borne witness to unrelenting violence from the brutal conflict that began more than four years ago. 2.6 million children are no longer in school and 2 million are living as refugees in neighboring countries or on the run in search of safety, helping to fuel a global migrant crisis. Syria is now the world’s biggest producer of both internally displaced people and refugees,” (UNICEF, 2015).

Charitable donations can be overwhelming. Should I donate? Where ought the money go? The reality is even a few dollars can go a long way.  Make sure the organization is accredited and see how much per dollar is spent on the cause you wish to support. There is a real crisis going on, don’t live in what Gore Vidal famously coined “The United States of Amnesia”; rather, take a brief moment to help. 

Hello,

Smoothies are sometimes seen as healthy milkshakes, yet are often made with some questionable ingredients (e.g., powered proteins). Why not go au naturel? As the days become colder try replacing some of the tropical fruits with seasonal items. Finally, don’t rely on too much ice for a textured smoothie; ice slows down agni (the digestive energy or fire in Ayurvedic Medicine). Yes, as the titles elude, these smoothies are kid tested and friendly!
(1) Green Monster Smoothie: banana, apple, lemon, kale, spinach, avocado, and filtered water.
(2) Very Berry Soy Fairy: silken tofu, pomegranate seeds, blueberries, raspberries, soy milk, and stevia to taste.
(3) Nutty Professor: flax seed, almond milk, almond butter, rawtella, vegan almond yogurt, and filtered water.

Green Monster Smoothie

Fresh Kale & Lemon

Green Monster Avec Soy Fairy

Flax Seeds/Protein Shake

The Nutty Professor 

Photos courtesy of Michelle Heimerman

Light gives us the capacity,
Not only to see human misery,
But beyond this society.

The light of the soul illuminates as much as the sun,
And grows much more.

Look within.

There you will find light,
There you will find sense,
There you will find sight.

Start your weekend off in the cutest way possible; checkout this Emmy nominated short by Jeffrey Blintz for The New York Times. “For the magazine’s fall Food issue, we treated six second graders from P.S. 295 in Brooklyn to dinner at Daniel, where the seven-course tasting menu goes for $220 a person.”