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Author Archive | Jennie Lyon

Exciting News – I am Going to Cascadian Farm

September 16, 2010 0

I spoke with my editor at Cascadian Farm several weeks ago about an upcoming trip to Cascadian Farm that he was trying to arrange for me. I am excited to announce that I will be visiting the Farm October 1-3. I have been to Seattle in the past visiting fantastic friends, however I have not been to the Skagit Valley where Cascadian Farm started. I am excited to meet some of the other Cascadian Farm team members, including Craig, my editor and Janice Croze, a fellow Cascadian Farm blogger. I am also excited to visit and explore the farm and learn about organic farming from Cascadian Farm’s head farmer, Jim.

Note: I have to admit when I was first approached to fly clear across the country to visit Cascadian Farm for the weekend – I declined. I felt guilty about the prospect of traveling all the way across the country by airplane, especially for such a short trip. My editor talked to me about the importance of visiting the farm and how much they wanted me to be a part of the trip. How lovely. Who could say no to that? I will be visiting Cascadian Farm and I will also be offsetting the carbon emissions with my TerraPass.

Popcorn: To Microware or Air Pop?

September 15, 2010 4

We love family movie night! It usually involves making your own pizza followed by a big bowl of popcorn to share. In fact, I just don’t think that movie night would be the same without our huge antique cabbage shaped bowl full of popcorn.

However, if your movie time snack is the microwavable version, then beware! It may contain a dirty little pop secret. Some microwave popcorn contains chemicals that can cause major health problems. We have all heard of popcorn lung, right?

The chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PTOA) has been found to cause both cancer and lung disease and Diacetyl is responsible for popcorn lung disease.

So, next time your family decides to snuggle on the sofa for movie night, pop your own popcorn. It is easy, simple and very affordable. All that you need is a large deep pot, a few tablespoons of organic canola oil and a cup of organic popcorn kernels. When the popcorn starts to pop, just shake the pot gently so that the unpopped kernels fall to the bottom – continue until you can count slowly to five in between pops.

If popping your own popcorn sounds more like work than fun, consider purchasing an electric popcorn maker. My lovely mother gave my family this one a couple of years ago and we enjoy it weekly.

Does your family enjoy popcorn?
Do you make your own? Or do you chance it with the microwave version?

photo via Janice Croze

Nuts and Seeds – Not Only for Squirrels and Birds

September 15, 2010 0

nuts-and-seeds

Do nuts and seeds make it into your daily meal plan? Just a small handful of these amino acid packed snacks can have a huge impact on your health. Nuts and seeds can help fight heard disease and high blood pressure. They are also known to slow the symptoms of aging by fighting the decrease in muscle mass and cognitive and sexual decline.

At Casa de Sweet Greens, we each nuts and seeds everyday in our dinner salad. Mr. Sweet Greens tops our salads with a mixture of nuts (usually almonds), seeds (sunflower and pumpkin) as well as dried cranberries and soy beans. It is a fantastic way to incorporate these little goodies into your daily meals – while tasting delicious at the same time.

Do you eat nuts and seeds? Which are your favorites?
Do you add them to your salads or other dishes? Which ones?

Bonsai at The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

September 14, 2010 4
Have you ever visited a Bonsai exhibit? When we were at The Morikami Musuem and Japanese Gardens on Friday evening, we spent some time at the Bonsai exhibit. It is always fun to see miniatures trees that are up to 400 years old. I have to admit, they are very captivating to me – the thought that someone has loved each and every one of these trees and spent countless hours training and pruning them is fantastic.

I could spend an entire afternoon, just imagining the tiny people who could live there.

Want to see all of the pictures that I shot of the Bonsai? click here.

Earth Friendly Etsy: Fused Plastic Clutch Giveaway!

September 14, 2010 24

Did you have fun learning to fuse plastic yesterday? I know I did.

Today I am featuring one of my favorite Etsy artists – Brooke Bennett of So She Sews. Brooke is a fabulous fused plastic artist. She has an amazing talent for making adorable wallets and billfolds from leftover plastic bags. She also makes beautiful bangle bracelets from scrap craft pieces. Brooke only uses recycled, upcycled and repurposed materials in all of her crafts.

Brooke has been so nice to provide one of her fabulous clutches to one of my lucky readers.

To Enter:

Contest ends March 18th @ Midnight EST. Winner will be chosen at random.

Good Luck!

* Update: Winner:: Dina! Congratulations.

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