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Archive for the ‘eco kitchen’ Category

Satsuma Tangerine Candle

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

My daughter Lucie sent me the information on how to make my own Satsuma candle at home. Thank you Lucie This is very easy to make and so lovely, besides being inexpensive and all natural/non-toxic. I bought four thick skinned Satsumas, even though I only needed one, just in case I made a mistake. All you need to make this candle is a small serrated knife, a small spoon, matches and olive oil.

You will need to make a cut about a 1/3 down from the opposite end of the stem. You need to keep the stem side intact because it holds the wick. The wick is very important…

Tangerine cut 1/3 down…and carefully remove the skin

Using a small spoon, gently pry the fruit from the skin, working your wall slowly around the inside and being careful to keep the middle stem intact because this will be your wick.

Add a little bit of olive to the inside, about 1 to 2 tbsp, keeping the wick from being covered up in oil.

Here is the beautiful, all natural, clean burning candle you will be in awe of because it’s so gorgeous and amazing.

Note: The olive oil might leave a mark where you set your candle down, so be mindful where you put it. I put mine in a small dish…

Posted in art project, eco kitchen, eco living, uncategorized | 4 Comments »

New Non-Toxic Home care and Personal Care Products

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Yesterday, I went to the very lively Natural Products Expo West and I came home with many samples of non-toxic home care products I’ll be trying out over the next week. The only one I am familiar with is the Mrs.Meyers liquid dish soap, which is lovely. Several of the other products aren’t available yet in stores, but will be in the next 6 months, I reckon. Here are the ones I photographed:

* Seventh Generation’s natural laundry detergent has new fabulous packaging and scent: geranium blossoms and vanilla.

*Handmade vegan and eco-friendly Soap by Wembe’ made in Paraguay.

*Alabu skin soap made with pasteurized goat milk, olive oil, cocoa butter and essential oils.

*Vaska herbatergent laundry detergent is allergen and scent free.

*Bravo’s paper towel is made with 40% post consumer recycled fiber.

*Thayers natural dry mouth lozenge is made with slippery elm.

*Mountain Rose Herbs maitake mushroom is cool looking (most likely use: tea)

*Hugo Naturals have a lip balm in pineapple coconut.

*Pre-fence, an alcohol free hand sanitizer.

*Fatwood 100% natural fire starters are chemical and additive free.

*Earth Science stick deodorant is aluminum free and made with liken plant.
Preliminary Test: The Bravo paper towel feels thick and soft and I will definitely buy some and the Pre-fence hand sanitizer, great for traveling, is a foam that is alcohol free and feels wonderful on my hands, leaving them soft after use.

Non-Toxic Products Pre-Testing

Tags: non-toxic home care products, non-toxic personal care products
Posted in eco kitchen, eco living, eco products | 4 Comments »

Artichokes

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Globe Artichokes are in season! Buy several if you can at a time from your local Farmer’s Market and if you can’t cook them right away, they are good for 5 days in the fridge.

YUMMY ARTICHOKES

Cooking Artichokes is very easy and steaming them is the healthiest way. You need a large enough pot to fit at least two, bringing 2 cups of water to a boil, then adding the artichokes with their stems cut off. Cook the Artichokes for about 30 minutes. I usually poke the underneath with a fork to test if they are done, and soft to the touch. Depending what kind of pot and steamer you are using, you can either pour the pot with Artichokes into a large colander in your sink or remove them carefully with tongs and place upside down in a bowl, to drain the water. Serve warm or cold with one of your favorite light dressings. Mine is with Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, a teaspoon of Dijon Mustard, salt and pepper. Adding a teaspoon of chopped Tarragon to the dressing is also very yummy.

Did you know…that Artichokes are originally from the Mediterranean region and are high in anti oxidants, so very good for your liver. Artichokes also have no fat and one medium one has more fiber than a cup of prunes! Go Artichokes!

Here is a great multi use Stainless Steel steaming pot similar to the one I use. It comes with 2 different size steamers, so also good for steaming asparagus and broccoli.

All-Clad Stainless Steamer Basket

Here are some super useful Tongs:

Tongs with Silicone Heads

Tags: Farmer's Market, healthy eating, vegetables, vegeterian
Posted in eco food, eco kitchen | 1 Comment »

Juicing

Monday, February 21st, 2011

I love Juicing! It’s just the best and I can’t believe it took me so long to finally start doing it. Every morning, I make my veggie juice, and it makes me feel so good. I’m telling you, I have more energy than I have had in a long time, my skin looks amazing and my hair feels healthier and softer. By the way, the Juice tastes delicious! What I also really like is when I clean my juicer, all the veggie waste goes straight into my Valentina composter (http://www.priscillawoolworth.com/Valentina-Composter-p/vc251.htm), which then makes nutrient rich material, that I then dig into my vegetable garden beds, where I am growing the vegetables for my juice. Coming full circle is a great feeling on many levels: Reducing waste by not adding more to my weekly trash output, improving the nutrient deprived soil in my garden without using chemical fertilizers, growing my own vegetables which nourishes the soul and putting something in my body that is so naturally healthy.

New tip I just learned: When you are almost finished putting your vegetables in your juicer, add the Celery last, because it picks up any stray veggie bits because of it’s high water content. I recommended Juicing in the January issue of my Almanac, and here is a link to buy the same wonderful juicer that I use:

Breville Ikon Juice Extractor

Before

After

Tags: composting, Juicing, Valentina composter
Posted in eco food, eco health, eco kitchen, eco living | 1 Comment »

Jamie Oliver

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

” If change can be made in this country, beautiful things will happen around the world. If America does it other people will follow.”

-Jamie Oliver-

Jamie Oliver aka The Naked Chef, is the uber British food revolutionary extraordinaire. In his quote I posted above, he is referring to the food revolution that needs to happen in the USA.

He is currently in Los Angeles, filming his show “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” and according to the news: “Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef turned food activist, was forced to halt the filming of his ABC show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution at West Adams Preparatory High School in South LA last week after he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t make the district look bad on TV.”

Food Revolutionary

Tags: Food Revolutionary, Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef
Posted in eco food, eco health, eco kitchen, eco living, general, uncategorized | 1 Comment »

February Foods

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

I thought this was quite interesting, in the spirit of following the natural rhythms of nature by eating as much as you can what is in season: “Traditional Chinese medicine advocates changing your diet the first week of February and start eating more springtime foods like sprouts, fresh young leafy greens, asparagus, young veggies, young beets, young carrots, sprouted legumes, sprouted seeds and sprouted grains.”

-Dr Mao Ni-

Scattered here are a few images of some of those veggies we should be eating :

CARROTS: good for your eyes, your skin, your immune and digestive system, and lowers cholesterol

BEETS: provide antioxidants, detoxes your liver, and the iron in it improves your blood flow

SPROUTED KAMUT: low in gluten, good substitute for those who are allergic to wheat and a great source of amino acid

My daughter Arielle is allergic to wheat/gluten, so I will be sharing with her the health benefits of Kamut!

Posted in eco food, eco health, eco kitchen, uncategorized | No Comments »

Mighty Hazelnut

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

I was in Paris early fall last year, and chanced upon a cache of fresh Hazelnuts at a little marche’, which I scooped up into a paper bag. Three days later, I was still eating them for breakfast, mid morning snack or really anytime snack. I loved that they were still in their natural Hazelnut wrapping, which I had to peel back to the hard shell, which I cracked open to reveal the raw and pure Hazelnut inside. Hazelnuts have many health benefits, such as being rich in folic acid, enriching red blood cells ( essential for oxygen transport throughout the body), and provide the body with proteins, which are considered the building blocks for the formation of tissues and muscle mass. Hazelnuts are so delicious too!

Mighty Hazelnuts

Tags: hazelnuts
Posted in eco food, eco health, eco kitchen, general | No Comments »

Love Cuixmala Mexico

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Being the immense nature lover that I am and have been since I was a child, when it’s time for me to take some time off from work, there is a place I go to that nourishes, heals and restores me: Cuixmala Mexico. Owned and run by two of my closest and very beloved friends, who have beautifully preserved the property’s 26,000 acres, as well as making it wonderfully livable. The vibe is very cool, authentic, and relaxed. What I love about going there is that you are completely surrounded by its natural beauty, so much so, that I forget my other life and easily immerse myself in nature walks through the palm tree groves, bike along the fragrant dirt roads and stroll the beaches for natural treasures. It’s heaven. I’ve been taking my children as well for many years, so they are as attached as I am to Cuixmala.

Palm tree grove

Beautifully fragrant biking road

I can’t forget to mention the zebras, elans and antelopes lolling about, utterly unthreatening and just a joy to watch, free from the confines of a zoo. And the food is delicious and magically restorative; must be because it’s organic and they grow it all right there, next to the mango trees. Even the various cheeses are homemade, along with butter and bread.

Natural treasures found on the beach

Zebras and Elans lolling about

My latest obsession is this sauce ‘salsa verde’ that is served with many dishes and is an exquisitely yummy and healthy companion to salad, most vegetables, fish or chicken. Since I got back home, I’m living off of it, eating it with anything I can but best with cold chicken and sliced tomatoes. The salsa verde is good for at least 5 days in the fridge, so make extra, so you won’t run out after one meal. Also, I add a little extra extra virgin olive oil and a tbsp of vinegar to loosen it up a bit once its been chilled.

Salsa Verde

Recipe for Salsa Verde:

1 handful of Cilantro

1 handful of Basil

½ handful of Parsley

¼ Green Jalapeno Chile Pepper

2 cloves Garlic

¼ Onion

pinch of Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

and

Put everything in a blender.

The Salsa Verde should be smooth in texture. Add more olive oil if too pasty but don’t let it be too liquidy either.

(I wrote the recipe exactly how I was given it, which I though was charming and it’s perfect.)

Posted in eco kitchen, travel | No Comments »

Foe of Earth: Plastic Bags and Water Bottles

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

We all know by now that plastics are polluting the Earth. I grew up using plastic bags, drinking countless water bottles and throwing away so many plastic ‘things.’ I had no idea where all that plastic was ending up and I didn’t even think about it. Then, a few years ago, with my environmental awareness growing, I came across photos of beaches in countries far away, covered with trash and it was an ugly and very sad sight. This was followed by my discovery of the North Pacific Gyre, a massive swirling toxic horror show of plastic bottles, styrofoam and mini bits of plastic waste, swirling around the Pacific ocean. I wish a big boat could come along and suck it all out of the water…

Recently, I reconnected with an artist friend I had lost touch with many years ago, Dianna Cohen. I was thrilled to see her and find out that she is also anti plastic (especially bags and water bottles) and is one of the founding members of The Plastic Pollution Coalition, a non profit that “provides a platform for strategic planning and coherent communications; increases awareness and understanding of the problem and sustainable solutions; and empowers action to eliminate the negative impacts of plastics on the environment, wildlife, marine life, and human health.” The mission of Plastic Pollution Coalition and mine too, is to stop plastic pollution and its toxic impact on humans, the environment and wildlife worldwide. Please show your support by joining such an invaluable foundation: Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Art work done by Dianna Cohen using recycled plastic bags

You can also make changes in your own life that are effortless: bring your own market bags whenever you go shopping and if you go to the market, use reusable produce bags for all your vegetables and fruit. Keep glass bottles full of lovely free tap water in your fridge, instead of buying plastic water bottles, and use reusable water bottles for school lunches, or whenever you leave the house. If you don’t know where to find the things I am suggesting, I offer them in my store.

Blue cotton market bag

Organic cotton reusable produce bag

Large and small reusable glass water bottles

Reusable Bird water bottle

Reusable Flower water bottle

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The Many Lives of an Orange

Friday, March 26th, 2010

A few weeks, I picked a bunch of lovely oranges from an orange tree in my garden. Just picking them off the tree was enjoyable.

freshly picked oranges

I brought them into my kitchen, sliced them in half and made the most delicious glass of orange juice.

a most delicious glass of orange juice

Afterwards, I put the orange halves on my windowsill to dry.

sliced oranges drying on the windowsill

Once they are dry, which takes anywhere from one week to two, depending on the weather, I bundle them in comic strips from the Sunday papers and use them as kindling in my fireplace. They smell great and burn slower than newspaper.

dried orange peels

oranges reborn as natural fire starter

Oranges are among the top 20 foods in which pesticide residues are most frequently found, so buy organic whenever possible.

Tags: dried orange peels, natural fire starter, oranges
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