I’m big on preventing cold and flu and treating it as naturally as possible if I do end up with one of them.  I have had the flu twice in the last 10+ years so I never really worry about that but I do get colds.  I found this article interesting and a good source of info for preventing these winter problems.

Top 10 Easy Diet & Lifestyle Choices to Boost Your Immune System Naturally This Winter

Written by Rachel Venokur-Clark

I think these Ecopods are the coolest things – if only they had a kitchen and/or bathroom.  They’re a little rustic for me to use as a vacation home – a once a year camping trip yes, but probably not much more than that   If you’re the type of person to enjoy the more rustic vacationing these are for you!  – WAIT!  there is a chance they do have some sort of kitchen or bathroom as I just read on their site something about a refrigerator and a composting toilet.  It is possible there is a toilet but not a shower and a refrigerator but no stove.  They’re $27,000 Canadian and can be put anywhere – so if you have a piece of property in a beautiful area and want something a little more substantial than a tent the Ecopod is perfect.  The floors are made of recycled car tires and the one side of the shipping container folds down and becomes the deck.  So – if you really could have a toilet and some kitchen amenities I really might enjoy it after all!

I know I talked about ordering my Toms Shoes but I don’t think I ever got around to showing them to you!

I absolutely LOVE them!  The main reason I purchased them was because I love the idea behind the company.  For every pair of shoes purchased they give a pair to a child who doesn’t have shoes.  Isn’t that sweet?  So I paid $44 and bought a pair of shoes for myself and for a child in need – definitely made me feel good

The other thing I love about Toms is they make some vegan shoes.  This means they’re made without animal by-products such as leather and have a micro-fiber insole.  This is great for the environment as animals raised for their leather and/or meat make a huge negative impact on the earth.

Finally they’re insanely COMFORTABLE!!!!  I could live in them – they’re like wearing slippers!

I found this on Meatless Monday and liked what a good job they did summarizing the benefits of going Meatless on Mondays!

Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

Read about these benefits below. But keep in mind that just going meatless is not enough. That’s why we give you the information you need to add healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives to your diet each week.

  Health Benefits

• REDUCE RISK OF HEART DISEASE. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds contain little to no saturated fats. Reducing your intake of saturated fats can help keep your cholesterol low and reduce your risk of heart disease.
• MAINTAIN HEALTHY WEIGHT. A plant-based diet is a great source of fiber, which is absent in animal products. Foods rich in fiber make you feel full with fewer calories, resulting in lower calorie intake and less overeating. On average, Americans get less than half the recommended daily quantity of fiber.[1]
• IMPROVE OVERALL QUALITY OF DIET. Consuming dry beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.[2]

Environmental Benefits

• REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide . . . far more than transportation.[3] And annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.
• MINIMIZE WATER USAGE. The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef.[4] Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound.[5]
• HELP REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE. On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S.[6] Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein.[7] Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.

Notes:

1. Moshfegh, Alanna; Goldman, Joseph; and Cleveland, Linda. 2005. What We Eat in America, NHANES 2001-2002: Usual Nutrient Intakes from Food Compared to Dietary Reference Intakes. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
2. Mitchell DC, Lawrence FR, et al. Consumption of dry beans, peas, and lentils could improve diet quality in the US population. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 May;109(5):909-13.
3. Steinfeld, H., et al., Livestock’s long shadow: Environmental issues and options. 2006, Food and
   Agriculture Oganization of the United Nations: Rome, Italy
4. Kreith, M., Water Inputs in California Food Production. 1991, Water Education Foundation: Sacramento,
   CA.
5. Kreith, M., Water Inputs in California Food Production. 1991, Water Education Foundation: Sacramento,
   CA.
6. Pimentel, D. and M. Pimentel, Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment.
   American Joural of Clinical Nutrition, 2003. 78: p. 66S-3S.
7. Pimentel, D. and M. Pimentel, Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets and the environment.
   American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2003. 78: p. 1.

This is so exciting!  You all know I don’t eat meat but I don’t like to be preachy about it (hopefully I don’t come off that way!).  I do love the Meatless Monday movement though and don’t have a problem pushing it.  Going meatless on Mondays is a simple way to lessen your impact on the environment and improve your health.  Push your school system to follow suit and try adopting Meatless Mondays in your own home.

(from Meatless Monday)

The Baltimore City Public School system is about to become the first fully Meatless Monday school system in the U.S. They’re joining a growing international movement of individuals, organizations, communities and cities making the commitment to lower meat consumption and enjoy a plant-based diet on Mondays.

The 80,000 young people BCPS serves will begin each week with a Meatless Monday menu. And that’s not all. The school system has introduced a wide variety of projects to ensure its students eat and learn about healthy, environmentally friendly choices. BCPS has teemed up with local farmers and distributors to provide students fresh, locally raised fruits, vegetables and milk. They’ve also introduced Great Kids Farm, a 33-acre teaching farm, home to chickens, goats and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Educators on the farm teach kids and adults how to produce home-grown fresh food, even in an urban setting. BCPS is also in the process of developing gardens for each of the system’s 200 schools.

Check out Weleda’s current deals and coupons on the SHOPPING DEALS! page

My Delicious Lunch at Lemonade - L.A.

Last weekend I went back to Los Angeles to visit friends, enjoy the warmer weather and eat at all of my old favorite restaurants.  I did however try a new spot and am so glad I did.

Lemonade has three locations – on Beverly in West Hollywood (where I went!), on Flower downtown, on Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach.  There will soon be another at the MOCA!

The restaurant is super eco-friendly from what I could tell.  I suppose they could be more eco-friendly by using real plates and flatware for inside diners but since they use disposable they are good about using utencils that are bio-degradable, recycled paper bowls and plates and recyclable/bio-degradable cups and take out containers.

OK – to the important part – the FOOD and DRINKS!

I have to start with the LEMONADE of course!  I had the Rosemary Watermelon Lemonade and it was the most amazing thing!  They also had Cucumber Mint, Ginger Peach and Blueberry Mint (which my girlfriend got – also amazing!).  The lemonades are all very colorful, full of flavor and very refreshing.

As far as the actual food goes – I don’t even know where to begin.  First off there are PLENTY of VEGGIE options – so many in fact that I had a very difficult time making my selections.  I opted for the Red Top Turnip Soup, Roast Cauliflower with Golden Raisins, Almonds and Curry, and Avocado & Cherry Tomatoes with Pine Nuts in a Lime Vinaigrette.  Turnip Soup may sound bland and boring but I assure you it was full of flavor.  I’m a huge curry fan so the cauliflower was amazing – the adition of raisings added a sweet touch to this savory dish.  I will definitely try to replicated these dishes at home.  My friend Lesli had Israeli Couscous with Wild Mushrooms, Parmesan and Truffle Vinaigrette and something with cubed sweet potatoes but I can’t find it on their menue now – I tried both and they were fantastic.  I think she may have had the seared ahi as well along with a couple of other sides that I can’t recall.  She loved them all but one which was too much like cole-slaw, which she doesn’t like.

I love that the food is set up deli-style so you can try a little of several different items.

For meat eaters they have tons of different pot roasts which look so cute in their colorful LeCrueset roasting dishes.

To complete my meal I had a small red velvet cupcake. The size was perfect – not a full cupcake but not a one bite mini.  It was moist and delicious – much better than the one I had the day prior at Toast (sorry L.A. friends, but I’ve decided theirs are always too done and not moist enough for my liking).

If you live in Los Angeles put this at the top of your list of places to try.  If you don’t live in L.A. nor are you going to be visiting soon, check out their menu for ideas.  They give enough detail for each of the their marketplace sides that you could have a go at replicating them.

Stella McCartney's Store in Los Angeles

I love Stella McCartney.  She loves the environment and uses innovative eco-friendly materials.  She is also a vegetarian/vegan (technically not sure which) so she doesn’t leather for any of her stuff – handbags, shoes, etc.  She also has a great botanical, organic, vegan, cruelty free skin care line.

When I was in L.A. over the weekend I stopped into her store for a peek around.  She has lots of great stuff – fabulous over the knee boots which are so in right now and some great handbags which I’m dying for (well one in particular!).

I think the outside of her store front is absolutely gorgeous.  The ivy and flowers all over and around the building are perfect for such an earthly conscious designer.  It also has that English cottage feel on the outside – perfect for a Brit

Since I’m a Michigan native I found this Time article interesting.  I’d love to see this happen!  Michigan is such a beautiful state.  These repurposed roads would ideally draw many more people to Michigan to enjoy our great summers on the lakeshore, fantastic fall colors and fun winter sports.

Off the Interstate: Turning ‘Blue Highways’ Green (Time)

Kim Gallagher has a plan for America’s “blue highways,” the thousands of miles of dusty, old, single-lane heritage routes that wend desolately through the countryside: turn them green. Superseded by high-speed interstates, many of these narrow byways have been long forgotten, along with the faded small towns they connect, says Gallagher, a project manager for the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission. But off-the-beaten-path America could be revived, she says, by transforming little-used roadways into “green highways” that cater specifically to electric-vehicle drivers and other slow-moving, eco-minded tourists traveling by bicycle or on foot.

“We need innovation in [Michigan]. We’ve got beautiful scenery. And we see the low-speed, low-range electric-car industry bringing them together,” says Gallagher, who is heading up a project to revitalize the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail in Michigan, her home state. She thinks green corridors could resuscitate Main Streets in Michigan and across the country. “This could be a small boon to local merchants, healthy-café owners, bed-and-breakfasts,” she says. “We just want everyone to slow down and enjoy the view; the road is like a destination itself.”

read the rest…

There are so many different labels on eggs now that it is difficult to figure out which ones you want to purchase.  I received this great Ideal Bite tip the other day and figured it was well worth sharing.

beak cutting is pretty nasty but is the case for all chickens unless otherwise said per labeling above – they literally clip their beaks so that they don’t peck at themselves – otherwise they’ll nearly peck themselves to death…wouldn’t you if you lived in a cage barely large enough to stand up and turn around in??