Run away from irresponsibility.
Run away from laziness.
Run away from wasted time.

It’s the last day of August, so get out there and celebrate the “almost-end” of summer. Enjoy the day, enjoy your ability to move, and enjoy your opportunity to move.

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Yikes! With all the bad eggs in the news recently, we thought it would be good to remind you about a couple of options.

The first option is to get to know a farmer who has chickens for their eggs. Go to your local farmer’s market, and find someone (or more than one) selling eggs. Talk to them. Ask about their chickens – how they’re raised, what they’re fed, how often they go outside. Ask to visit the farm – this might be impractical for you, but chances are good that a farmer who is proud of her farm will be happy to show it off to you – plus it’s a great field trip for your family, if you’re city-dwellers. You’ll not only gain confidence in your very own food supplier, you’ll have a new friend.

If you want to avoid eggs altogether, check out this post on vegan substitutes for eggs.

Even if you continue to eat eggs from your new farmer friend, you may want to reduce the number of eggs you eat. Learn and use some subs, even if you still eat some eggs.

Some days we just want a sandwich. This is one of our favorites.

If you’re cutting back on nightshades (potatoes, peppers, eggplant) replace the pepper with thick strips of grilled zucchini or portabella mushroom (we like both of those best when marinated for 30 minutes or so in a simple vinaigrette, then grilled).

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Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich
Purple * Serves 1

2 slices flourless, whole-grain bread, lightly toasted (we like Food for Life’s Ezekial 4:9 bread)
Nayonnaise or Vegenaise
Dijon mustard
thin cucumber slices
alfalfa sprouts
red pepper

Spread thin layer of Nayonaise on one piece of toast and Dijon mustard on the other.
Arrange cucumber slices on one piece, top with roasted red pepper slices (see below) and sprouts. Top with
other toast slice. Press down on the sandwich a little with your hand, and cut in half.

To roast red pepper:

If you have a gas stove, skewer the red pepper with a metal skewer. Place washed red pepper directly on medium flame. Char pepper on all sides, using the skewer to turn the pepper. Remove from the flame and put in a paper bag. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes while the skins “sweat off”. Peel the loose skins from the pepper, remove seeds and ribs. Slice into strips.

Or, you can also roast in the oven or on a grill. Preheat oven to 400F, place pepper on a baking sheet, turning frequently until skin blisters on all sides. Place in paper bag as above.

“What Would Marilu Do?” is the next class at Marilu.com starting Wednesday, September 8th.

If you’ve ever been faced with a choice in your eating, exercise or lifestyle habits, and wondered What Would Marilu Do?, this is your chance to find out.

Marilu will be sharing the details of her life: her health and beauty routines, her food and exercise choices, the responsibilities of her career and her personal and family activities.

Do you think you could benefit by spending a few weeks following Marilu throughout her day? Be sure to be with us on September 8th for a look inside Marilu’s daily life…and an incredible opportunity to make positive changes in yours! This will be a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, kickass class. You’ll be challenged to amp up your commitment to healthy living in every area of your life. Are you up for it?

Members are automatically enrolled in online classes.
Not a member? Join now! Be part of this ALL NEW, EXCLUSIVE class with Marilu!

Practice gratitude * All we have has been given to us from the world, from God. We are the thanks-givers. Before this day is over, give thanks to the people within your reach, especially the one(s) you find difficult to thank. We can never thank enough.

Photo by Charlotte Na

We’re on a bunch of email distribution lists, and this is one we’ve never – not for a minute – regretted signing up for. The Vegan Culinary Experience is a monthly(-ish) downloadable magazine that includes a lot of recipes from Executive Chef Jason Wyrick. The recipes are always part of a theme, and they’re always extremely well-documented. If you’re new to cooking (or vegan cooking) you can learn a lot.

Check out the website to download the latest issue of the magazine and sign up for the mailing list. If you become a premium subscriber, you get more recipes and benefits, as well as the good karma that comes from being a financial supporter.

If you like the magazine, be sure to let Chef Jason know (and tell him we sent you).

It’s time to talk about Bringing Your Own Bag again.

Don’t leave the house without your reusable shopping bags. If you always put them on the doorknob of the door you leave from, you’ll always remember to take them along. We drive to the grocery store, so our bags hang on the door leading to the garage. And then they’re on the front seat of the car – because if we toss them in the back seat, we seem to forget them there.

If you have a bunch of extra plastic or paper shopping bags, fold them up – it only takes a few seconds – and donate them to your favorite vendor at the farmer’s market. There’s no reason for someone to be buying bags when we all have them to spare.

Keep your reusable bags clean. Seriously. Who wants groceries from a gunky, sticky, moldy bag? No one. In fact, the cashiers and baggers don’t want to touch dirty bags either. Member Summer reminded us once to clean our bags, and it made so much sense we want to repeat the message for you here.

• If you have wet or leaky grocery items, put them in plastic (hey, that’s one way to get an extra use from the plastic bag you took last week…if you were smart enough to stash it with your other bags after unloading it).
• If your canvas bags are stained, toss them in the wash with a load of kitchen towels.
• If you use plastic-coated tote bags, wipe them with a damp dishcloth and let them air dry.
• If you use a basket, scrub it out with an old toothbrush (dry) and then wipe it with a damp cloth.

Use this music to get up and get moving. Add it to your walking (or jogging) playlist. Use it for lunges and squats. Do your bicep curls and chest flys.

But listen to the lyrics, too. Yes, it’s got a lot of words about dying – but they’re in the context of how you live – and that how you live is what matters. You can live your life walking in a straight line, but it’s more than just A to B.

Your life is now. Don’t let it be about A to B – a simple line from beginning to end. Fill that line with adventure and fun. Cram it with experiences. Jam it full of people and love. Face your journey with joy and wonder.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy every moment. And don’t waste it on the couch or in front of some screen. Get moving!

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Reacquaint yourself with something that kept you fit in your childhood: a jump rope, hula hoop, pair of roller-skates, frisbee, unicycle, basketball, skateboard, stilts, inline skates.

Go easy at first if you’re a tad past your prime. It’s embarrassing for a middle-aged person to be waiting in an emergency room holding a pogo stick.

If you have kids, get them acquainted with these activities. They’re way more fun than video games.

We’ve read that PURPLE is the new signature color for fall. We’re pretty excited about that here at Marilu.com because purple is one of Marilu’s Rainbow Theory colors – you can read about it here.

• Purple has the enthusiasm and passion of a fresh start.
• Purple is for eating clean, whole, simple foods – so we naturally detox and cleanse our bodies just by the way we eat.
• Purple makes us feel committed and dedicated to our goals.
• Purple is for royalty, those in charge of their destiny.
• Purple makes us strong.

When you’re shopping for something new for fall, look for something purple. You can add bold accents at any price – try costume jewelry, a scarf, a blouse, a wallet, nail polish, even lingerie (sometimes you’re the only one who needs to know). Remember that trendy pieces can be lower quality (and therefore cheaper, hopefully) because you won’t be wearing them long.

Go for a shade of purple that flatters you – some people look better in blue-purple and others look better in red-purple. Some people look better in lavender (light), some look better in amethyst (jewel tone), and some look better in eggplant (dark).