Buying an eco-friendly, plant-based laundry detergent is definitely the way to go. To make your money go further, buy detergent in the largest container possible, and only use 1/2 of the recommended amount. I have found that using 1/2 the amount gets clothes just as clean and if I am dealing with stains, I pre-treat the stain with a diluted eco-friendly detergent or if it is a greasy stain, an eco-friendly dish soap then I wash it with my favorite detergent, Biokleen!Â
Do you use eco-friendly detergents? What brand do you love?
Summer is over! Say it isn’t so, I am NOT ready. It is, however, the perfect time to throw an outdoor cocktail party is fall! Invite your friends, mix a few great drinks with fab garnishes, set a simple spread, and enjoy. If you aren’t a fan of alcohol, you can make great mocktails. Need some mocktail recipes? Leave me a comment.
Choose the drinks: Grab your favorite cocktail book or borrow one for the library and choose 2-4 different cocktails that are fun and out of the ordinary. My favorite cocktail book is Margaritas, Mojitos, and More because it has delicious recipes with beautiful pictures and well, those are my favorite drinks. I highly suggest the Cantaloupe Mojito and Mango Margarita.
Set the Mood: Any outdoor area will do, if you are working with a patio or deck, remove everything and lay down a simple area rug, and place all of your chairs and end tables in great conversation sets. You can also use large pillows and cushions for seating. Arrange potted plants around the seating areas and create an ambiance with great Eco-friendly candles or solar-powered lanterns. Don’t forget to turn on the sound dock with some light and fun music.
Set the Table: Fab your patio table with a beautiful reusable tablecloth, then set up the cocktail station. Use an assortment of bowls to house lemon, orange, and lime slices, cocktail onions, cherries, olives {my fav are blue cheese stuffed green olives} and don’t forget sugar and salt to rim the glasses. A small vase full of colorful licorice sticks makes fun stir sticks and straws. Make your guests feel welcome with lots of munchies to nosh on. Try fresh breadsticks, (standing vertically in a vase), hummus with assorted colorful veggies (straight from the garden), fancy nuts, and chocolate pieces.
This is a simple party to put together but is a lot of fun.
This is the time of year when the garden is full of tons of yummy veggies. It is the perfect time to make salsa since most, if not all of the ingredients that you will need are in your own garden. Salsa is also fab to take to a back to school BBQ or just to nosh on while lounging by the pool. Try my husband, Jayson’s, Organic Garden Salsa. This recipe is great to make in bulk because by cooking it, it can be stored by freezing, canning, or bottling, whereas fresh salsa can not be stored for long periods of time. You can freeze for up to 3 months in your kitchen freezer or up to 1 year in a deep freezer. {This is the perfect recipe if you have tons of goodies in the garden but aren’t sure what to do with them.}
Ingredients:
6 cups organic yellow onions (diced)
6 cups organic fresh raw tomatoes (diced)
1/2 bunch organic cilantro (chopped, stems and all)
1o cloves organic garlic (chopped)
3 organic Serrano peppers (for medium to spicy, do not seed.For mild,
remove seeds)
4 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
3/4 organic white vinegar
1 tablespoon organic dried oregano
15 ounces organic tomato sauce
1/2 tablespoon organic cumin
1/2 tablespoon organic salt
Preparation:
Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until softened. Add all other ingredients and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let cool and puree in a blender until you reach the desired consistency.
Yield: 5 large bowls.
Enjoy. If you try this, let me know what you think.
It’s fair to say that there is more pressure than ever on the different food resources around the world. One of the ways to alleviate the pressure is to grow your own produce in your garden. Here are some other benefits of exploring this option.Â
Get The Kids Outside
An overlooked benefit of growing your own produce is that it does give you a reason to get the kids outside. There’s no reason why you can’t get the whole family involved in this idea. Your kids might love exploring how to prepare their own meals from scratch, including growing their own ingredients. This is a cool skill to teach them, even from a very young age.
Explore New Recipes
One of the best and brightest benefits of growing your own fruit and veg is that you will be able to use the produce to explore different recipes and meal possibilities. These could be a big hit with your family and ensure that you do get tremendous benefits from options like this. For instance, you could take a look at a vegan chili recipe from The Mediterranean Dish. Going vegan can be difficult because it’s a massive change to your diet. Growing your own veg will make this a lot easier.
Save Money
Or, if you are struggling with your monthly budget, then it might interest you to learn that growing your own fruit and veg could save you a lot of money. It will help ensure that you don’t have to spend a fortune on different products in the superstore. It’s true to say that eating healthy can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be when you live off your own plot of land.
Help The Planet
Of course one of the best reasons to grow your own veg and set up a little plot in your back garden is that you will be helping to save the planet. Particularly, if you take the right steps. Various research shows that composting – which will help your fruit and veg grow – you also help the planet. You can even ensure that more carbon dioxide is trapped underneath the ground rather than spreading into the atmosphere. So, while simple, this is definitely going to ensure that you’re doing your part to save the planet.
Be Healthier
Finally, one of the most important reasons to grow your own fruit and veg in your garden is that it is going to allow you to eat a healthier diet and ensure that your family is following the same diet too. Unfortunately, a lot of farmers are now using a wide range of chemicals in their produce while livestock is being pumped full of drugs. Experts believe that the impact these chemicals have on our body could be wide stretching and even lead to processes such as oxygenation.
We hope this helps you understand why it is beneficial to grow your own fruit and veg rather than constantly relying on the products that you can buy in the superstore. If you take the right steps here, then you’ll be amazed by the incredible results that you’ll witness.
Baking is one of my all-time favorite activities to do with Eben. No matter what we are whipping up in the kitchen, we always have fun. In addition to entertainment, baking with your children is a wonderful opportunity to teach them math and science skills, without them even knowing they are learning valuable lessons.
Here I share a divine recipe for one of Eben’s favorite homemade treats: vegan, organic, whole-wheat oatmeal cookies. He loves that they’re sweet — and I love that they include wholesome ingredients that are good for him, such as whole wheat and fruit.
Read on to learn how to bake my simple vegan oatmeal cookies.
What you will need:
1 1/2 organic bananas
1/2 organic apple
1 cup organic whole wheat flour
1 cup organic vegan carob chips
3/4 cup organic oatmeal
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
2 tsp organic vanilla or almond extract
1/2 tsp organic cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of salt
Step 1: Blend It!
Add the bananas, apple, and vanilla extract to a blender and blend well.
Step 2: Get Mixing!
Add all of the dry ingredients to the banana-apple mixture and mix well.
Step 3: Get Baking!
Scoop large tablespoon-sized dollops of the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Step 4: Enjoy!
Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet to cool. Then, enjoy with organic almond milk!
