Drink your greens!

Drinking your greens is an easy way to fit in some of those seven to eight daily servings of fruits and vegetables. I will admit that finding the perfect blend of fruits and veggies takes trial and error. Too much green and your bevvie takes on the taste of a freshly mown lawn! Adding fruit such as pineapple, berries, mangoes, tart apples, and citrus helps balance the flavor. Even herbs like mint and parsley add to the green without the grassiness.

My favorite greens drink of the moment is a dairy-free, blend of spinach, kale, mangoes, and green apple in a coconut water base, with or without ice. So refreshing, it's the perfect morning or post-lunch pick-me-up! 

More:

Dr. Oz's Green Drink This is the first greens smoothie I ever tried (sans orange). It's ingredient rich, but the combination of fruits and veg co-mingle to make a fresh and fortifying drink!

Green Ginger-Peach Smoothie I haven't tried this recipe yet, but tend not to add sweeteners to my smoothies. My suggestion is to make the smoothie without the honey, taste, then slowly add honey if you feel it needs it.

Blueberry Spinach Smoothie A greens drink that isn't green! A friend of mine uses berries to sneak greens into her son who doesn't care for veggies. This isn't her recipe (which is pretty much blueberries and spinach), but it sure sounds yum!

Greens drinks for grown ups Details Magazine featured restaurant/bars that make green bevvies with a kick.

What is your favorite green smoothie recipe?

Echinacea

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Homemade

Green and clean

While catching up on my blog reading, I came across these tips from EWG (Environmental Working Group). Time to spring clean!

Green, spring cleaning What's the point of cleaning the house if the cleaning product is more dangerous than the dirt and the dust? more >>

Seven ingredients to avoid Not all of the cleaners you find in the store have their ingredients listed on the bottle. You may have to do a bit of detective work, but once you know what's inside, here's a list of things to look out for. more >>

Spring clean your body! Start from the outside, by tossing out those harsh and possibly toxic soaps and shampoos. more >>

Go Green, Indiana!

Here I go, slacking on my posts again. It's been over a month since my last entry, so I'm borrowing from the INANP (Indiana Association of Naturopathic Physicians) website some info I compiled on living green and sustainable in Indiana.

1. Earth Eats a weekly podcast, public radio program and blog based in Bloomington, Indiana that features news and recipes inspired by local food and sustainable agriculture

2. Indiana Living Green an online magazine that is a fount of information, including calendars of events and farmer's markets and lists of CSAs (community supported agriculture) and local food resources.

3. Going Local includes guides to local farms and seasonal eating, food festivals, CSAs, and delicious, easy (and healthy) recipes.

4. Sustainable Indiana 2016 a Wiki that anyone can edit, listing green and sustainable businesses, job opportunities, and ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

5. Indiana Department of Environmental Management , since 1986, IDEM provides environmental oversight and technical assistance in communities and throughout the state

6. Michiana Green Pages a directory of socially and environmentally responsible efforts in the area that provide green products and services, and resources for community building, recreation, health, and healthy eating.

Don't forget Earth Day is just one month away!

Backward Prints - Earth friendly notes that bloom!

Laguna Beach artist Brynne Corgono creates earth-friendly notecards from tree-free paper made of fiber, cotton, and embeds them with wildflower seeds. The cards are then blockprinted with one of her whimsical illustrations. Biodegradable and adorable, and only on Etsy!

Each card comes with planting instructions. Yes, that's right. Plant the card and grow a bouquet of flowers, in your garden or in a flower pot. Say "Thank You" or "Happy Birthday" to that special someone with a card that keeps on giving!

The Little Seed - Tree Hugging with Style

Through the magic of Twitter, I discovered a wonderful store featuring environmentally friendly products for children. The Little Seed carries furniture, toys, books, and more, all organic or eco-conscious and incredibly stylish. The boutique is located in Los Angeles, but the website allows you to browse through the merchandise and shop online. The wooden toys are gorgeous, the polar bear rocker makes me want to be a kid again, and the soft toys...100% Egyptian cotton veggies? Too cute.

Be sure to check out the blog with essays, photos, and craft ideas, as well as articles to help prepare for a healthy pregnancy and a simple guideline to shopping for toys. There is even a link to become a fan on Facebook!

IMAGE BORROWED WITHOUT PERMISSION http://thelittleseed.com IT WAS JUST SOOOO CUTE.

Surfin' the 'net: What I'm Reading

Are we too clean? Is there a connection between our obsession with killing germs and the rise in allergies and autoimmune diseases? From the New York Times, Babies Know, A Little Dirt is Good for You.

Chelsea Green: The Politics and Practice of Sustainable Living. Get green living tips by following GreenTweet on Twitter.

Be safe, be seen. By way of Treehugger.com, a New York Times review of the best bike lights.

Paper or plastic? What exactly is meant by "recycled?" Calculate your carbon footprint. Also on Treehugger, a green living primer.

Wear Your Music Guitar String Jewelry, as seen on Skirt.com. Keith, Eric, and Pete's strings seem to be worth the most. Not only are the strings recycled, 100% of the profits go to charities chosen by the artist.

Recycle, reuse: Dish scrub

Image by hownowdesign via FlickrImageI wish I could remember where first I saw this idea so I could give credit where it is due. A quick and easy way to make a dish scrubber is to take a sponge and slip it into a plastic mesh bag, the type onions come in. Tie the excess into a knot and cut the mesh. Instant dish scrubber!

Watch out Martha, here I come. Oh...I think I got my idea from Martha.

For the advanced DIYer, Girl on the Rocks knitted a dish scrubber. You can check it out here.

Green Gifts that Keep on Giving

There are some of us who would find a year's membership to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program the perfect holiday gift (hint, hint), but thinking beyond the kitchen can be a challenge when it comes to eco-gift giving.

The Green Guide offers tips on green gift giving. Be sure to explore the How to Go Green links for tips on shopping for gifts such as clothing, high tech gadgets, and toys.

The Daily Muse email from Skirt.com lead me to Global Girlfriend, an online, fair-trade boutique featuring eco-friendly gifts made by women, providing them with economic opportunities they might not have otherwise. Whether it's Thistle Farms Moisturizing Body Balm or a yoga mat bag made from recycled rice bags, artisans from all over the world learn craft and business skills while creating unique gifts benefiting themselves and others.

Bike Commute Challenge 2008

It's back! Register now for the 2008 Bike Commute Challenge. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance, which promotes bicycling in Oregon and SW Washington, organizes this challenge and has extensive resources on their site for anyone interested in biking, whether you're a commuter or just a weekend rider.

The challenge begins September 1st, so organize your co-workers, form a team, and sign up today! Why should I join, you ask? Well, check out their benefits page and learn how biking to work is not only good for you, but good for your employer!

Commuter workshops are available for new riders, and they're free! Topics covered include (as listed on their site):
* Safe and legal riding
* What you need to know about lights and rain gear
* Carrying stuff - including clothes, groceries and kids
* What to do about your hair
* Route planning and maps

Don't live in the OR/SW WA area? Your workplace can still register and use the BCC website, but will not be included in the final rankings or in the awards at the end of the month.

And as a side note, my alma mater and current employer, The National College of Natural Medicine, has won the bike challenge for the past two years. Way to go, NCNM!

PHOTO CREDIT: bikeportland.org

Surfin' the 'net

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network offers information for those who are diagnosed with just that...food allergies. Not the same as food sensitivities or intolerances, an allergic reaction produces almost immediate symptoms such as a rash, difficulty breathing, swelling of throat or tongue, even death. The FAAN even allows readers to sign up for alerts that inform of any possible allergen contamination of food, such as undeclared soy found in certain chicken products. Another good food allergy resource can be found here.   Healthy Houseplants I have terrible luck with growing houseplants, but perhaps I should give it another go. Every once in a while I come across articles that extol the virtues of houseplants, how they clean the air of common indoor toxins such as toluene and formaldehyde. The Green Guide (one of my favorite websites brought to you by one of the greatest magazines ever) ran an article last year that discusses just this topic. Discovery Channel's Planet Green has a guide to green cleaning. I haven't had a chance to see if we get Planet Green on our tv, but even if it's not part of our (very basic) cable plan, the website provides some great information on green living, including travel!