By John Chappell •
November 22, 2009
In N Out is a burger chain on the West Coast with locations in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. They’ve been around since 1948 and have long prided themselves on good, fresh food. Their menu is delectably simple - hamburger, cheeseburger, fries, and shakes. That’s it.
If you’re a conscientious food consumer, eating fast food probably isn’t even on your radar, but at In N Out fast food isn’t synonymous with bad food or huge portions. The USDA recommends consuming no more than 6 ounces of meat a day (see website), and in an age when fast food joints are routinely putting half a pound or more of meat in their burgers, In N Out hamburger patties are a refreshingly small 2 ounces.
At In N Out, a meal of a cheeseburger and french fries is only 880 calories (800 total if you omit the Thousand Island-esque spread from the burger), significantly less than the 1000+ calorie combo meals pitched by other fast food franchises. You can look at the Nutritional Information for In N Outs’ various products. And not only is the above meal short on calories, but also on price. A cheeseburger, fries, and beverage will run you just $5.
By Gina Munsey •
November 21, 2009
Life flies past us so quickly, and sometimes I’m certain the sound of the wind is actually the sound of life flying by. That’s the way it’s felt lately; a whirling blur, a constant hum, non-stop motion. Since my last post in August, I’ve gone on a 14-state road trip, moved from the East Coast back to my beautiful California, and re-entered the corporate world after a year-long hiatus. My husband quit his job to launch a graphic design business, we found a goat living on our new property, summer faded away into the brilliance of autumn, and I discovered almond flour.
Yes, that’s it. I discovered almond flour. Extraordinary, delicious, versatile almond flour.
It’s not cheap — I paid about $35 for 5 pounds from my local co-op — but I’ve never enjoyed gluten-free baked goods more. A single cup of almond flour provides the following nutrients:
- 140% of the RDA for vitamin E
- 80% of the RDA for magnesium
- 60% of the RDA for phosphorus
- 48% of the RDA for protein
- 32% of the RDA of calcium
- 16% of the RDA for folic acid
There’s more. Almond flour also makes the best banana-nut bread/muffins ever.
By Keith Rockmael •
November 16, 2009
As some of my colleagues and I wondered Friday (with less people) then Saturday (bobbed and weaved through the packed crowds) through the San Francisco Green Festival 2009 and we put aside any thoughts of the outside the green world bubble with the economic woes, with so many downtrodden uncreative businesses sticking to the old game plan. Here we viewed, tasted and discussed fresh innovative and mostly sustainable ideas.
We have
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By John Ivanko •
November 4, 2009
Some people say you eat with our eyes. At Passionfish restaurant in Pacific Grove, California, you do so with your heart — at a place where the local is celebrated, showcased, and conserved. Sometimes, savoring a meal can nurture our body while helping preserve or restore the planet. One day, every meal will be consumed this way.
While my family and I make every effort to eat local and lower on the food chain – mostly vegetarian – when we travel, we occasionally become “flexitarians” and enjoy a seafood dish or two when we’re at the edge of a vast ocean, perhaps with a wharf at the end of the street. At Passionfish, a restaurant nestled in the scenic Monterey Peninsula just a mile from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we connected with the Pacific Ocean by both its salty breeze and through the food we savored.
Opening in 1997, Passionfish is the brainchild of Chef Ted Walter and his wife Cindy Walter. Besides being restaurateurs, the Walters’ might as well be called “marine activists.” This dynamic duo have ambitions of changing the world by educating people about what they eat, especially if what they eat comes from the sea. Using their restaurant as the alluring (and delicious) platform, the couple promotes sustainable seafood as well as locally sourced, fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. Even their meat products are pasture-raised.
By Becky Striepe •
November 2, 2009
One of my friends recently attended the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco and texted me about their awesome green initiatives. From the show. Yes, I’m sort of a nerd for this kind of thing.
We’re all about musicians lightening their footprints around here. According to the folks at Live Earth: “A single concert event can produce as little as 9,000 kilos (close 20,000 lbs) to as much as 90,000 kilos (197,000 lbs) of solid waste in a single day.” That’s a ridiculous amount of waste and doesn’t even take into account things like CO2 emissions from concertgoers driving to the venue or indirect emissions from the food and whatnot.
The folks at Treasure Island Fest set out to do things a little differently. Not only did they have a kickass lineup that’s making me more than a little bit jealous, they implemented all sorts of impressive green initiatives. Check our their greening and sustainability statement:
By Zachary Shahan •
October 31, 2009
SOLARIG, a company based in Spain that incorporated about four years ago, just began construction of eight photovoltaic parks in Italy this month. The parks will provide 8 MW of energy in total. Over the next few months, it plans to construct photovoltaic projects producing 30 MW throughout different regions of Italy.
But this is just the beginning. SOLARIG has a more global vision.
Earlier this week, an ocean survey vessel reported feeling a “shudder underneath the ship” in the waters of northern California. Soon after, a whale was spotted “bleeding profusely.” A few hours later, an endangered blue whale washed ashore in a rocky cove in California. According to reports, the apparent strike probably occurred about 7 miles from shore.
By Zachary Shahan •
October 14, 2009
Governor Schwarzenegger just gave solar power a boost in California, especially for relatively small-scale solar generators.
Taking notes from Europe, perhaps, Schwarzenegger signed legislation for a “feed-in tariff” earlier this week that requires Calfornia utilities buy solar power from relatively small generators and at higher than market-value prices.
