How To | 8th Continent Soy Milk Blog

DIY Love Lotto Scratch-Off Ticket

Within the past couple of days we have heard over and over again: “Oh Valentine’s Day is almost here! I still need to buy a card!”

At 8^th Continent Soymilk we do fully believe that it is the thought that counts, so why not put a little more effort and creativity into it than grabbing a witty/touching card at the store?

A handmade craft for Valentine’s Day is not only one of the easiest ways to say you care, but since you are making it; you can make it say whatever you want! With this simple DIY Love Lotto Ticket tutorial you will be ready to impress your Valentine and say exactly what you mean.

Supplies:

Colored Card Stock
Paper with your Lotto reveal message on it.
Contact paper
Scissors
Silver Colored Acrylic paint
Glue stick
Dish washing soap

Directions:

First and foremost, think of what you want your message to say! You can print this out on regular paper and cut down to size.
Using the glue stick, adhere the paper with your Lotto Reveal Message onto your choice of decorative card stock paper and cut that down to size as well.
Cut a square of contact paper and stick it over your Lotto Reveal message.
Mix 2 parts paint to one part Dish Washing soap and paint over the contact paper and your Lotto Reveal Message.
Let the paint dry.

Give your Love Lotto Ticket to your Valentine, hand them a penny and watch their faces light up as your unique message is revealed by them scratching away the paint.

Do you smell that? Oh yeah. Love is in the air! For more crafts, recipes, coupons and tips to living a happy healthy life, make sure to add us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Related Articles:

DIY Heart-Warming Hand Warmers

In most parts of the country right now, not only is it cold… but it is bitter cold! Winter storms are hitting a lot of the US and it is a daunting thought to even anticipate going out there into the frozen tundra.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, and the frigid weather outside, we figured that these DIY Heart-Warming Hand Warmers made from recycled material might just be what the doctor ordered.

Supplies:

All-natural material (We used a 100% cotton flannel shirt from a thrift store)
100% cotton thread
Uncooked long grain white rice
Scissors
Needle
(Optional) Dried Lavender or Essential Oils to put into the rice

Directions:

First and foremost, if you are using a recycled shirt like we did, wash it and make sure it is clean.

Cut square of fabric from your shirt and fold it in half.

Cut the shape of a heart out of your square ensuring you are allowing part of the fold to stay intact. (this just makes it easier to line up when sewing)

You can sew the edges of your heart together by hand or by machine but you must make sure if you are sewing by hand that the stitches are close enough to not allow any of the rice to fall out when finished.

Leave a gap when sewing so that you may turn your heart right side out and fill it with rice.

Once you have put your rice in, stitch the open gap closed by hand.

Heating time depends on the size of your hand warmer and the strength of your microwave.

You can make one heart for each pocket! My Heart-Warming Hand Warmer only takes 30 seconds to heat up. Make sure to be careful when removing your hand warmer from the microwave in case it is hot and also keep an eye on it when you are microwaving.

You can reuse these hand warmers time and time again!

Did you make a pair of Heart-Warming Hand Warmers? Post a picture on our Facebook or share with us on Twitter! And keep checking back for more awesome ideas, recipes and crafts.

Related Articles:

Yoga Made Easy- Pose 9

Article by: Megan Stremick

Pose: Plank

All I have to do to motivate myself to work on toning and building arm strength is play one of the many home movies that captures my grandmother wearing a sleeveless top and waving at the camera. Oh the humanity of the dreaded arm jiggles! Even with all of her hard work in the kitchen, kneading dough to make fresh pasta and rolling a million Italian meatballs her arms could not escape the flab.

While you may not create cut biceps by pounding out chicken picata, you don’t have to look foolish trying to lift weights next to the 300 pound gorilla at the gym either. Just begin with Plank and come back next week to check out how to move from plank into a full Push-up (Caturanga Dandasana) and really make those arm muscles work harder.

Plank Benefits:

Tone, Tone, Tone

Builds strength and tones your abs, arms, wrists, and back (especially when you keep your back straight and engage your core).

Plank How To:

Begin in Downward Facing Dog.
Move the torso forward while keeping the hands and feet stationary—the shoulders are now in line with the wrists.
If you’ve ever seen someone doing a push up or you’ve done them yourself, this would be the starting position.
Stay long in the spine by looking straight down, not letting your pelvis drop, and keeping your stomach and thighs engaged.
Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute then push back into down dog.
Hold in down dog for five deep breaths and repeat. Sit back in child’s pose at any time to take a break by placing your knees on the mat, resting your tailbone on your heels, tops of the feet flat on the mat, arms down by your side and forehead resting on the mat.

Diva Plank Caution:

Those with carpal tunnel syndrome should do this pose on their knees or disregard completely and work on holding down dog for 5 deep breaths at a time.

Make sure to also check out our Facebook and Twitter for great recipes and Halloween ideas!

Yoga Made Easy- Pose 8

Article by: Megan Stremick

Pose: Cobra

Your on the floor playing with the kids, lying on your belly while they push around the blocks or show you how well they can open and close their favorite pop up book (for the millionth time), so why not do a little something good to strengthen your back and your arms while you’re there. This pose is simple enough in the execution but delivers big results from repeated use.

Cobra Benefits:

Promotes blood circulation and strengthens the spine

Opens the heart and lungs and stimulates the abdominal organs

Tones upper arms and buttocks

Stretches the chest, shoulders and abs

Cobra How To:

Lie flat on your stomach, top of your feet flat on the mat and your hands at the sides of your chest right next to your front ribs.
Keep your elbows in the frame of the body (imagine there is a string attached to each elbow holding them in next to your body)
Push through the hands, lifting the chest, and pressing the pubic bone into the earth.
Keep a soft bend in your elbows (elbows pointing straight back not out to the sides) and look straight ahead
Hold here for three deep breaths then push back to child’s pose.

Cobra Caution:

Pregnant women should avoid this pose as well as any women who have serious back pain or carpal tunnel syndrome or suffer from a hernia.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook for more Yoga Made Easy poses!

Create Something Saturday’s- DIY Stencil Art

If you are a fan of graffiti or any type of street art, chances are you have come across an artist named Banksy who does impeccable stencil art installations and is now a world-renowned artist, even though he keeps his identity a secret. You may not be an aspiring Banksy, but would like to make some stencil art yourself.

If you follow these directions you will be able to easily make stencil art of your own all by doing a quick picture edit, printing it out, cutting it out, and then painting!

What you will need:

A printer with black ink
Xacto Knife
Paints
Card Stock Weight Paper
Canvas
Regular Paint Brush
Sponge Paint Brush
Bright Colored Marker

Directions:

The first thing you want to do is find a picture that you would like to make into a stencil. Pictures that have lots of different shades and tiny details may not work as well for stencil art. Silhouettes are usually good candidates for stencils.
Import the chosen picture into your favorite editing software and open up the picture editing options.

Recolor the picture to grayscale.

Turn the contrast all the way up to 100%.

Adjust the brightness level keeping in mind that you will be cutting out the black sections of the picture.
Once you have adjusted the picture, resize it and print it out on Card Stock Weight Paper.

After you have printed the picture, take a bright marker and trace the parts that you will be cutting out. Take note that some of the white spots are encompassed by black, which would cut out that detail. (For example, Marilyn’s pupil) To avoid this, create a small pathway from the white space to another white space to make sure that detail is not lost.

Using the Xacto knife, cut out all of the black areas.
Paint the background of your canvas whatever color you would like and allow to sit for about 3 minutes.
Once the canvas is nearly, but not completely dry, press your stencil on top of it allowing the paper to stick to the nearly dry paint.

Take your sponge brush and dab the areas that you have cut out of the stencil. Don’t apply too much paint so it won’t bleed over.
Carefully peel your stencil away from the canvas as soon as you have applied the black paint to the stencil and allow your creation to dry.

Now the most important part, figure out where to hang your awesome new stencil art.

WARNING! Be prepared for conversations like the following:

“Oh cool stencil art?!? Who made that?”

“Me.”

“Nuh uh! Come on, tell me the truth. Who made that???”

“I did.”

“NO WAY!”

etc. etc. etc.

We here at 8th Continent Soymilk think creating is an essential part of a healthy life! For more DIY crafts, recipes and coupons follow us on Twitter or hit us up on our Facebook Page!

Yoga Made Easy- Pose 7

Article By: Megan Stremick

Pose: Downward Facing Dog

Mommies, it’s time to down dog! Next to savasana, or corpse pose, where you lie on your back in relaxed meditation, down dog is one of the most widely recognized yoga poses. The mainstay in any yoga class, down dog is used as a warm-up pose, a pose to transition between poses, a strengthening pose, and much more. Recently I watched my one year old boy do a baby version of down dog and it was adorable. He had his hands and feet on the ground walking around like Mogley from The Jungle Book when he saw something between his legs that caught his eyes—so with his head down and butt up I couldn’t help but giggle at my little yoga boy in the making. This pose is great to do any time of day for a quick ‘all over’ stretch and energy boost.

Down Dog Benefits:

Energizes the whole body

Builds arm and leg strength

Beneficial in relieving symptoms of menopause or menstrual discomfort

Builds flexibility in the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands

Stimulates the nerves and calms the brain

Down Dog How-To:

Start with your hands and knees on the mat—wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Curl your toes under and straighten your legs. Be sure your feet are hips distance apart.
Your tailbone lifts up toward the sky then presses back. The top of your head reaches toward the earth as your chest reaches back toward your legs.
Rotate the arms outward—imagine you are turning your hands so that your thumbs would point straight forward—this helps to create space between the shoulder blades.
Engage the front of the thighs (quadriceps) as you draw the heels down to the mat. *For those with tighter hamstrings keep a slight bend in the knees but continue to work towards straightening the legs.
Hold here for 5 deep, even breaths then release back to the starting position or release further into child’s pose by resting the tailbone back on the heels, bringing the arms back by your side, palms up, and resting your forehead on the mat.

Down DogCaution:

For those with frequent headaches or high blood pressure be sure to rest your head on a block or folded blanket in down dog.

If you have shoulder issues, take care by not rotating the shoulders and arms outward.

And lastly, if you are in the latter stages of pregnancy do not practice

Make sure to join our Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date with all of the new Yoga Made Easy Poses brought to you by 8th Continent Soymilk.

Related Posts:

Vegetarian BBQ & Tailgating!

Summer is officially here and so are all of the sports that come along with it. Oh, and do I even need to mention the awesome barbeques? So let’s say you are planning a tailgating party or a 4^th of July cookout- but you want to make it vegetarian friendly. How is that even possible?!?
Rest easy my veggie loving amigo, I am here to help you plan the perfect Veggie friendly Tailgating/BBQ/relax on the lawn experience!

First of all, if you have both veggie and non-veggie guests, you should grill vegetarian dishes first to prevent meat particles from mixing with meatless dishes. Also keep in mind that some of your carnivorous friends may get a whiff of those amazing veggie entrees and foods and decide to go meatless for the day… so cook enough for your veggie friends and then some.

Veggie Delight
Brush vegetables with flavored oils, herbs or marinades before grilling to enhance the flavor. Also, cook small vegetables in a wire grid or basket to prevent food from falling into the fire.

If you have absolutely NO idea on how to grill vegetables, don’t you worry! Here is a link that explains practically step by step how to grill just about every vegetable you can think of.

But does grilling just not feel right without filling those burger buns? I hear ya!

There are tons of options in your grocery store for veggie burgers that taste phenomenal and you can put on whatever toppings you desire. You can also make your own! I would suggest making these the night before a party or BBQ because they do need some time in the fridge.

Backyard Black Bean Burgers

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

2 cans (15 ounces each) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup chunky salsa
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Hamburger buns

Place beans in food processor; process until fairly smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, salsa, cumin and garlic salt. Process until well combined. Spoon mixture into 6 balls on a large plate and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours before cooking.
Heat barbecue grill or ridged grill pan over medium heat. Coat grill or pan lightly with oil. Form each ball into a 4-inch patty about ½-inch thick. Place the patties on the grill or in pan and cook until browned and heated through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings.

Still want more options? How about these recipes from “In a Vegetarian Kitchen with Nava Atlas”?

GRILLED EGGPLANT TERIYAKI

2 medium-large eggplants, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds total
Teriyaki Marinade (recipe follows) as needed
2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Slice the eggplants 1/2-inch thick and peel. Salt them and let stand in a colander for 30 minutes, then rinse well. Prepare grill. Brush the eggplant slices generously on both sides with Teriyaki Marinade. Grill on each side until nicely browned and tender (5 to 10 minutes on each side, depending on the heat of the coals). Remove and let cool slightly on a cutting surface. Cut into strips and place in a serving container. Stir in the scallions. Add enough additional Teriyaki Sauce to moisten and flavor the eggplant to taste. Sprinkle the top with the red pepper dice and sesame seeds.

GRILLED RATATOUILLE

1 medium eggplant, about 1 pound
2 medium onions
1 medium zucchini or 2 small zucchinis, about 1/2 pound total
1 large green or red bell pepper
Olive Oil-Lemon Marinade (recipe follows), as needed
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped black olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 pound crumbly goat cheese, optional

Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Salt them and place in a colander for 30 minutes, then rinse and drain.
Peel the onions and cut in half. Steam or microwave until just tender. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.
Prepare grill. Brush the vegetables lightly with the Olive Oil-Lemon Marinade. Grill the eggplant on both sides until nicely browned and quite tender, about 15 minutes total. Grill the onions and zucchini on both sides until marked with brown, and tender, about 10 to 15 minutes total. Place the bell pepper directly on the grill and turn frequently, allowing all sides to get charred. Remove and place in a paper bag to steam.
When all the vegetables are cool enough to handle, chop into fairly large chunks and combine in a serving bowl. Slip the skin off the pepper, then remove the core and seeds. Cut into small squares. Stir in the tomato, olives, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If desired, sprinkle the top with crumbled goat cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you are still uneasy about the recipes above, then go ahead and pick up some veggie burgers, or veggie hotdogs, or even veggie sausages and veggie bacon. They are all easy to grill and will please any veggie guests.

Now what’s left? Throw that sunblock on and get to grillin!

Are you Tailgating or BBQing soon and are going to use one of these recipes? Let me know on my Twitter or Facebook!

Recipes

Yoga Made Easy- Pose 5

Article By: Megan Stremick

Pose:

Warrior 1

Being the perfect, well rounded moms that we all are it’s part of our inherent makeup that we always strive to act in peaceful, non violent ways with everyone we encounter. This includes the times that we are confronted with a rude clerk at the store counter or that pushy woman at the department store, and yes, even when our children are acting like wild animals. It was hard for me to keep a straight face as I wrote that but let’s pretend for a moment that’s all true. No matter how calm we may try to stay in a particular situation, whether by taking deep breaths and finding our chi, or gritting our teeth and praying to everything holy to help keep us from exploding, we can be assured that there is a peaceful warrior that resides in us all. Warrior 1 is one of three warrior poses in yoga, all giving strength to the arms, back, chest, and thighs. So strike a pose, it’s time to be mommy warriors of peace and strength.

Warrior 1 Benefits:

Promotes flexibility in the back of the legs
Strengthens the thighs
Opens up and stretches the chest and lungs
Strengthens the arms and shoulders
Promotes flexibility in the hips and groin

Warrior 1 How To:

Begin standing in Mountain pose at the back of your mat.
Take a long stride forward with your right foot.
Set your back heel down so that your back toes are now angles to the front left corner of your mat.
Inhale and reach your arms up, palms facing each other, fingertips to the sky, biceps next to the ears and shoulders relaxed down.
Exhale and bend your front knee so that it sits above your ankle. Look down to make sure that you can see your front big toe and the knee is in line with the second toe (this alignment protects the knee and the hips).
The spine is straight with your torso above your hips.
Pull the right hip back and the left hip forward—this is a small movement.
Keep the back leg straight and strong by reaching down through the outer arch of the back foot.
If you’re comfortable with your balance and you do not have any issue in your neck, look up between your hands.
Hold for five deep breaths or as long as you can while breathing in through the nose and out through the nose
Repeat on the left side.

Warrior 1 Caution:

If your neck bothers you at all in this position just look straight ahead instead of looking up between your hands.

Those with high blood pressure, severe back pain, and any heart problems should not do this pose.

If your shoulders bother you with your arms raised, lower them down by your side.

Any tips for us or which poses we should post in the future? Let us know on Facebook or on Twitter!

Related Posts:

Things You Need to Enjoy a Music Festival

So now that I have listed all of the amazing music festivals that are going on in 2010, I thought I would provide a list of “must-brings” so you don’t get caught enjoying the music without the right supplies!

Sunblock
With all of the dancing, laughing and hanging out that you will be doing, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that you’re getting scorched in the summer sun. I prefer to use spray sunblock, that way I can get the hard-to-reach places without asking anyone for help. Remember to use a sport or sweat proof sunblock and even then, re-apply every few hours.

Camera
You can’t go to a music festival without your camera! Some festivals have rules about what types of camera you can bring (no movie cameras, etc.), but every outdoor festival that I know of lets you take snapshots. If you’re worried about your expensive digital camera and you’re not a hotshot photographer anyway, bring a few disposable cameras and you’ll be set. Buy the super-cheap flashless cameras for daytime, and get the still-pretty-cheap flash cameras for the evening.

Baby Wipes
Not just for babies any more, wet wipes can keep you feeling fresh as a daisy even after a few days with no shower. Your hair will still be a rat’s nest, but at least you won’t smell.

First Aid Kit
Legally-run festivals (which are the only kind you should attend) are required by law to have first aid services available and an ambulance on call, so if something major happens, there will be people to take care of you. However, they often don’t dispense headache medicine, and sometimes it’s more hassle than it’s worth to get a simple band-aid put on, so make yourself a simple first-aid kit and save yourself some trouble.

Flashlight/Headlamp
A headlamp is by far one of the most underrated music festival necessities. If you can get past the dork-factor that is sometimes associated with a headlamp, you will find that finding things, making beds, and a late night trip to the port-o-potty just got a lot more manageable. If you can’t bring yourself to wear a headlamp, at least bring a flashlight- and then you will realize how much you want to bring a headlamp for next year’s festival.

Toilet Paper
Every attendee of a music festival knows the port-o-potties run out of TP very quickly. And even when they have some left, it is the equivalent to newspaper- not the most comfortable thing. Bring a couple rolls of TP from home and rest assured you will be comfortable, and not stranded yelling for assistance.

Blanket or Chairs
At some point, you’re probably going to want to sit down in one place and hear some music. Some festivals don’t let you bring chairs, but most do, and if you’re bringing them, the folding canvas chairs with carrying bags are the best, comfy and easy to carry. I personally prefer to sprawl, though, and I really like those ten-dollar woven wool Mexican-style blankets. They hold up and they’re easy to carry, but if they get lost or forgotten, they’re easy to replace.

Backpack
When I attended Burning Man I saw a poor girl walking through the sand of that dessert in heels and carrying an itty bitty Chanel purse on her shoulder. That’s a great outfit for the mall, or a fine dinner, etc., but not at a music festival! Find a comfortable backpack that can fit all of the essentials and won’t put too much strain on your back.

A Broken-In Pair of Shoes
Want to look super fly at a festival??? Right on! But don’t go out buying new shoes to show off that new swag. Chances are you’re going to get blisters. There is NOTHING worse than walking around for three days straight in the hot sun with a mind boggling blister on your foot. Bring dependable shoes that are broken in. Make sure you also bring awesome socks- they can make a world of difference.

Trash Bags
This can save you on so many levels! Depending on the weather, they can help keep your things dry, be made into a poncho to keep you dry, or be there for when you are cleaning up after yourself. They can be easily stored but really come in handy if unexpected rain rolls in.

Refillable bottle
Some Festivals allow you to bring drinks, some don’t. But having a refillable bottle can keep you hydrated which is a must with all of the partying, dancing, and walking you doing throughout the festival.

Last but not least remember your Festival Pass!
Make sure to have a blast and let me know which festival you went to and how it was!
Hit me up on Facebook or on Twitter and tell me who was your favorite group/band/performer!

Related Articles:

Sara Lopez