Green Options

This picture reminds me of a little cherry convention. I’ve been asked to review a new cherry drink, but I thought I would indulge in a little cherry 101 first.

Did you know . . .

Cherries are related to apricots
Cultivation of cherries dates back to 300 b.c.
Prunus avium, the common cherry tree is related to the rose bush!
The name originates from Greek (of course) and in Latin means ‘of or for the birds’
While America produces 90% of cherries today, the varieties we know and love were originally brought here by our European settlers
The popular Bing cherry was named after the farm foreman, who happened to be Manchurian, of the farm in Oregon that developed it

The Little Healer
These little buggers offer a potent dose of antioxidants, but beyond that it is a type of antioxidant not found in most other fruit. Research shows that cherries contain anthocyanins, which protect against heart disease, cancer, and inhibit enzymes that cause inflammation.

There are a few ‘nutritious’ chocolate bars and candies appearing on the health food store shelves touting the benefits of calcium and various vitamins and minerals combined with lovely dark chocolate. I’ve tried a few of them with mixed results.

When GD (that’s Green Diva folks) Jen brought me a goody bag for my birthday, among the treats which included a box of my favorite organic earl grey tea, I immediately gravitated to the large candy bar with the words, ‘Nutritious Chocolate’ on it. It was all VERY well timed. Let’s face it, for women, there are times of the month when chocolate saves lives - keeping raging hormones at a dull roar and the homicidal outbursts to a minimum.

Having tried some ‘nutritious’ chocolate, I didn’t expect much, but I tucked it into my work bag and figured it would make a sweet treat after lunch.

Brown rice has always been a staple in our household. From fall to spring, we cook at least one pot of brown rice per week. My kids have come to regard it is the basis of a quick and delicious meal and have since they started eating solid food and I mashed it up for them, which was a fairly long time ago, since my baby is 16 and my oldest is 24. So, as I ate my 12,526th bowl of left-over brown rice for lunch, I was inspired to consider a wee bit more on this potent grain.

Roses are Red . . .
Are those roses fair trade? How far did they travel? Are they grown organically, sustainably responsibly? If you don’t have a honey to send you flowers (or are unlikely to get them from your own honey), send yourself your favorite flowers!
                  Buy ‘green’ roses from Colombian Florverde growers (not local, but for a good cause).

Skip the Card . . .
Can we get creative electronically? Or write love poems on our bodies or something? Lots of ways to send the message w/out killing trees. If you don’t have anyone to send a love message to, take some time to imagine you are your own lover and send yourself a wonderful love note and appreciate who you are!
                  Care2 has some great FREE eCards that also help highlight important causes

Keep it Local . . .

One of the best parts of this job is that we get to test and review a lot of products. Jenifer usually does all the kid stuff, but we both have fuzzy family members, and honestly, a lot of the toys offered by West Paw Design are kid-safe grade too!

West Paw Deisgn, is creating durable products for pets from environmentally sustainable manufacturing materials and processes.

I’ve gotten cool pet products before, but as soon as I opened these, I saw that one was for Woody (the golden retriever boy), and one was for Spooky (cool black cat). It took them all of 30 seconds to get into action . . .

I’m sure there is catnip in this one!

We’re back to my desk again. Hey, a lot happens here! Photographed here is my new favorite reusable lunch container, which according to green living products provider, New Wave Enviro Products, is ’seriously safe’. We’ll get to that in a minute. This sassy little container immediately evoked a sense of traditional Indian to-go food storage containers called tiffins. This one may be a simplified version, but simple is good!

I’ve been bringing breakfast, which is either yogurt, fruit and ground flaxseeds or oat bran, in this container for more than a week now and I have to say it is lighter than the glass containers I usually use. As promoted, this container does not offer any additional chemical or metallic taste to my food and it is very easy to clean.

This delicious wintry salad/slaw was concocted by committee - myself, Dorothy Mullen and Cynthia Mutterperl - a couple of Sundays ago. We were all in Dor’s kitchen on a very snowy Sunday for her monthly Suppers dinner. Usually there is a larger group, but Cindy and I were the only silly (and fortunate because we had an awesome dinner!) souls that didn’t stay home because of the weather.

We had a great discussion about blood sugar issues and the benefits of being gluten free. We are all working on eliminating wheat and gluten from our lives. Dor has developed some fascinating curriculum about her work with nutrition and blood sugar among other health concerns. Go to the Suppers website to learn more about what she is up to.

The rest of the meal consisted of delicious jazzed up rice and beans and roasted butternut squash with roasted onions and garlic - yum. But, here’s the recipe for:

Sunday Supper’s January Root Veggie Slaw Recipe

This is a picture of my ‘day job’ desk. Among the clutter of items, you will see my two favorite fluids and their favored respective containers - my tea mug with a caption that reads ‘tips for dieting: if you can’t lose it, decorate it!’ I find this strangely encouraging. The other fluid container is my new favorite stainless steel water bearer. This awesome insulated container is a Thermos. This hip update on a classic is called the Intak Fashion Vacuum Insulated Hydration Bottle - that’s a mouthful, huh? I’ve never liked the plastic straw containers, but this one is flexible AND it is BPA free!
“1.1 billion people on this planet lack adequate hydration due to a shortage of clean and safe drinking water”
- according to the HydrationForAll website.

My dear friend, co-host of Green Divas Radio Show and foodie mentor, Jenifer O’Neill turned me on to the Silver Palate recipe for Chicken Marbella last year. I’ve had this cookbook forever, but I am not a huge fan of chicken, so I never tried this one.

Okay, every recipe as a story, right? I have to give a hearty blog shout-out to Jenifer’s Aunt Elaine, who introduced this staple into their family’s regular feast rotation years ago. I love Aunt Elaine for many reasons, but for introducing this recipe to Jen, I’m very grateful. Thanks Aunt Elaine.

After customizing the recipe (more garlic - of course - less wine, added dried cherries and sundried tomatoes), I made it with the chicken last year and my family loved it. This recipe has a full and robust blend of flavors from a mess of garlic and oregano to the capers, prunes, wine and vinegar. I LOVE the sauce. I just wasn’t in love with the chicken.

I started fantasizing about converting this for some type of fish. Here’s what I came up with . . . so far . . .

GD Meg’s Salmon Marbella Recipe

Anyone who spends any time with me knows I don’t go for more than an hour during daylight hours without a cup of tea. So, any opportunity to test new tea-related products is very welcome.

I received this beautiful blue mug from Terra Keramik, a socially and environmentally responsible ceramics manufacturer that uses renewable energy and energy efficient clays. Everything is designed and produced by Felix Volger, founder and creative director, who personally signs every piece in platinum. Apparently, the production of tableware can be seriously detrimental to the environment. Terra Keramik has gone to great lengths to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about Terra Keramik’s sustainable manufacturing practices.

More about GD Meg’s Tea Time . . .