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Green Your Beauty Routine: Organic Wear Mascara

October 20, 2011 0

When you make the decision to live a greener lifestyle, it is easiest to start by taking baby steps. One of the first steps that I took on my green journey was completely greening my beauty routine. I don’t use a lot of beauty products, however the ones that I do use have to be organic, affordable, free from all toxins, can’t irritate my sensitive skin, and they have to work! Since I have tried a lot of different organic beauty products over the years, I thought I would share my picks for the best beauty products that are also organic, good for you and good for the planet.

First up, mascara – because a girl just has to wear mascara, right? Mascara can be a tough one for me because I need one that won’t irritate my eyes [I wear contacts] and it can’t flake or smudge, for obvious reasons and it has to be reasonably priced. [I have a family to raise!]

My pick for the best organic mascara is Physician Formula 100% Natural Origin Mascara. It doesn’t flake or smudge, is great for adding volume to my lashes, doesn’t irritate my eyes and has no harsh chemicals, preservatives, dyes or parabens.This is the mascara that I have been using for the past couple of years, you can pick it up at any local drugstore or Target for less than $10. Deal.

The eco-brush and product packaging is recyclable, but the mascara tube is not. That is the only down-side that I can see with this product.

Do you have a favorite organic mascara? I would love to hear about it.

+ Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara $9.95
+ PHYSICIAN’S FORMULA

6 Ways To Have Eco-Friendly Fun This Fall + Our Fall Family Trip Plans

October 18, 2011 1

Every October, we take our annual Fall Family Trip to the North Carolina mountains. It is the closest place that we have found to South Florida that really gets Autumn. Our itinerary includes all of the fall activities that we miss from living in the west. I thought it would be fun to share some of the activities that we did on our trip last year, as well as plans for our trip this week. These 6 fall activities are eco-friendly fun for the entire family, and can be done anywhere, read on to get started.

#1: Fall Foliage
This is hands-down my favorite part of our Fall Family Trips – fall foliage. There is just something about spending a cool, crisp day, hiking through beautiful brightly, colored fall leaves. We like to take time to collect some of the beautiful hued leaves to bring home to press and preserve. And I can’t forget the Woolly Worms – they are a fun addition to our fall hikes, along with picnic lunches every day. Mr. Sweet Greens has several hikes planned for our trip, I can’t wait! 

#2: Pumpkin Picking
This has to be Eben’s favorite part of our trip – the day at the pumpkin patch. There is a particular pumpkin patch – well off the beaten path that we visit every year. In fact, I don’t even know the name of it, but Mr. Sweet Greens knows the way – so we are good. Many of the pumpkins are a pumpkin-gourd hybrid so the shapes, colors and textures are fantastic and these pumpkins last forever. We had ours on our front porch past Christmas last year.

#3: Get Spooked
Another fun family activity is the corn maze, I think this year we will attempt it at dusk, I think this would add a spooky element that would be tons of fun. Other options that we are considering is a spooky hay ride in the countryside or a ghost tour through one of the old towns.

#4: Farmer’s Market
Boone, North Carolina has a fantastic farmer’s market that is very large with a fantastic selection of goods. Last year, we arrived too late in the day, so we visited a much smaller farmer’s market in a nearby town. It worked out well because the smaller farmer’s market was more quaint – there were a lot of artisans selling their handmade goods. I bought all of the boys in my family, handmade slingshots as holiday gifts.

#5: Spooky Stories by the Fire
This year when booking our log cabin for our Fall Family Trip, Mr. Sweet Greens made sure the cabin had a large working fireplace in the family room. [Last year, it was in the kitchen] This way we could continue our spooky story tradition while snuggled up on the sofa. Plus, spooky stories told in a cabin deep in the woods seems even spookier, right?

#6: Carmel Apples
Every year, we always remember to pick up a caramel apple or two as we stroll around in the evening. A trip to a small candy shoppe is always fun for everyone, and I try to remember to pick up a treat or two for the holidays.

Is there anything else we should do on our trip to North Carolina? I would love your suggestions.

photo credits

First Farmer’s Market Of The Season

October 17, 2011 0

Hello, Friends. How was your weekend? I almost forgot that our Farmer’s Market started on Saturday. Luckily, Mr. Sweet Greens reminded me in time – so we didn’t miss the fun! The Farmer’s Market season in Florida starts in October and runs through May – which is fantastic because we get to enjoy local, fresh foods all fall, winter and spring. There was a great selection this year and I was happy to see that almost all of our favorite vendors came back for another year.

There were a few vendors selling local vegetables and fruit – which was great considering it is early in the season. Mr. Sweet Greens was excited to see all of the different fruits and vegetables that were available.

There is always a fantastic selection of fresh, organic herbs, spices and teas – the aroma is amazing!

And the baked goods were unbelievable – it was hard to decide what goody to choose. Breads? Sweets? Both? Eben had to get his usual – hand squeezed lemonade and homemade cider donuts.

We couldn’t resist picking up a bottle of local Florida honey for our tea. Fantastic.

Does your community have a fall farmer’s market?

Have a Lovely Green Weekend + A Few Green Things

October 14, 2011 0

Hello, Friends. How was your week? Are you looking forward to the weekend? I am spending the better part of the weekend, putting the finishing touches on Eben’s pirate costume for Halloween. [We have had so much fun making it!] Then, I will be packing for our North Carolina Fall Family Trip, we leave next week! I am so excited, I can’t wait to get my fill of hiking, pumpkin picking, leaf collecting, giggling and caramel apples. Do you have any fun fall plans on your calendar?

While I start making a list of everything we will need for our trip, here are a few green things you might enjoy:

– Are you one of the 87% of Americans who want genetically modified foods labeled?
– Your family could dress up as a family of Penguins for Halloween.
– Night Owl Paper Goods has holiday cards, hot off the press!
– If you are in the Half Moon Bay area, check out the Pumpkin Festival.
– Organic shortbread cookies + coffee would be perfect for the weekend. 
– Want to be featured in Sweet Greens’ Holiday Giveaway Week? Let’s chat.
– Green Toys has a new Sandwich Shop toy – perfect for the holidays.
– I find albino animals amazing and beautiful. Don’t you?

I hope you have a sunny weekend, full of fun – I will see you back here on Monday.

xo,
Sweet Greens

HOW TO: Bake Organic Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

October 14, 2011 0

With the fall season, comes pumpkins, but they’re not just great for carving, they’re great for baking with, too. Pumpkins provide a healthy dose of vitamins A, C, K, and E, along with beta-carotene, magnesium, potassium, and iron. And, you can pick up a pumpkin right now at your local farmer’s market. You can bake everything from pie to pasta with pumpkins, but here I share a recipe for a fall twist on traditional whoopie pies. Check out how to make these miniature organic pumpkin whoopie pies for your next holiday get together.

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