Have a Lovely Weekend + A Few Green Things

Hello, Friends! How was your week? Mine seemed to fly by and I can’t wait to kick off the weekend. The mister now gets home from work at 3 p.m. on Fridays! Hooray! The weekend have to be the most wonderful time of the week.

We are going to pick Eben up from school and spend the afternoon bike riding. One of the stops on our adventure this afternoon will have to be Whole Foods – we need a pumpkin or two. The mister was teasing me this morning saying that we will have to get pumpkins that are small enough to fit in our bike baskets or we will have to try to juggle them home. Ha!

While I get the bikes ready for our adventure, here are a few green things for you to enjoy this weekend.

– Students shun all beef burgers, demand 26 ingredient processed meat patties.
– Old entertainment center turned new toy storage – this is fantastic!
– Grass-grazed Cinderella Pumpkin Ice-cream. Yes, please.
– Will you March Against Monsanto tomorrow?
– If you are heading to the beach this weekend, stay alert coastal sharks are migrating right now.
– Why, yes – you can grow your own furniture.

I hope you have a amazing, cool fall weekend with your loved ones and enjoy a spiced pumpkin latte for me.

xo,
Sweet Greens

P.S. You are always welcome to follow along on our adventures via Instagram

photo credit

Family Stand Up Paddleboarding [SUP] Adventure with a Florida Manatee

Lately, we can’t get enough paddleboarding! We usually spend at least one full weekend day on our boards. Last weekend, we decided to hit the intracoastal waters off John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. I love to paddle this area, because there is no boat access, which means you are definitely more likely to observe wildlife – and it makes the adventure so much more peaceful too.

As usual we saw a large variety of Florida birds and fish which is always amazing – we have the best birds here! Hello, Pelicans!

We decided to paddle along the shore of a small cove that we came across and right as we turned in, we were greeted by a small manatee. We immediately stopped paddling and quietly hung out. She was very curious and wanted to check us out too – she would swim around us, poke her snout out, then swim under our boards. We just sat in quiet amazement until she was finished and went back to her day. They are really amazing creatures! Sorry for the photo quality, I took all of the photos on my iPhone – I really need a instead. (It’s on my holiday wish list.)

Sidenote: If you live in Florida or are visiting Florida, please do not bother, pester, follow, touch, feed or ride the manatees – these are beautiful, kind, senstive, inquisitive creatures that should be enjoyed from a far, please give them their space. They are also very senstivie to loud noises, so please be quiet as to not spook or upset them. (Thank you for listening to my public service announcement.) 🙂

 Of course, we had to stop at a little island beach we can across to cool off! Overall, it was an amazing day – this is why we live in Florida.

What kind of adventure have you been on lately?

10 Eco-Friendly Halloween Crafts for Green Kids

Halloween is on the horizon, and it’s time to start decorating your home to create that playful ambiance that makes this holiday so much fun for kids. Since little ones are often spooked by Halloween decorations, we’ve rounded up ten crafts that will help tots get into the spirit of Halloween, without all the scary stuff. These quirky Halloween crafts provide a great opportunity for you to bond with your children, and they may all be made using eco-friendly and recycled materials — many of which you probably already have on hand. Jump over to Inhabitots for 10 of my favorite eco-friendly crafts for green kids and get ready for some not-so-frightfully good fun!

photo credit A Grande Life 

Great Organic Foods at West Palm Beach Florida GreenMarket

Last Sunday was the kickoff of our farmer’s market season – or as they call them in South Florida, GreenMarket. As usual, it was the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning – we had a blast. Here are some shots from our day. 

Eben insisted that we pick up a local Star Fruit from our favorite farm – Kai Kai Farm, this is also where we get our CSA from. If you live in South Florida – it is a must. Tell Diane and Carl that Sweet Greens sent you! 

We tasted some fantastic and local oyster mushrooms – love the color too!

 I love the real, unbleached Lufa Sponge – have you tried one?

It was a super hot day – Eben NEEDED a frozen local lemonade!

Do you have a fall farmer’s market where you live?

10 Delicious Vegan Slow Cook Dishes

A slow cooker can be a busy parent’s best friend — especially on busy school nights when you want to serve your family a hot meal, but have no prep time whatsoever. Slow cookers are capable of doing a lot more than just slow-cooking meat. There are delicious vegan meals you can make in your Crockpot or slow-cooker as well. The best part is, you can toss in all of the ingredients, set the timer and forget it, at least until dinner time. And after long school and work days, dishing up a home cooked, vegan meal that is ready and waiting is the perfect way to savor the evening without having to rush around trying to throw a last-minute meal together. Jump over to Inhabitots for ten delicious, vegan slow-cooker dishes (including desserts!) to add to your family’s menu. These dishes are perfect for fall and will warm up your family on all of those cool autumn nights.

photo credit Shutterfly via Inhabitots