Green Options

Among all the huba-lo, we received some fabulous eco friendly gifts for Christmas. Hubs is learning well and spent a great deal of time searching for natural lotion, eco friendly packaging, and soy candles.

Here’s our favorites:

Kiss My Face Ultra Moisturizer in peaches & creme. Can I just say, “Yum!”. I’ve been on the search for a natural lotion that actually works. Husband did the work for me and brought this bottle home. It retailed just under $9.00 for 16 ounces. I’m slathering the kids with it post bath and my hands after every washing (I wash a lot, because its the best way to fight germs y’know?). This yummy lotion is paraben free, light and smells luscious.

EcoBags: Classic String Bag. This bag rocks! It stretches out so much I was able to haul our gifts around to family and friends. The kids can toss all their toys in for a day outing. It’s a lifesaver in the produce aisle. It also fits inside my purse so I will never again be without a bag!

Summer is my favorite time of year. The days are long and perfect for hiking, traveling, going to the beach, or just sitting on the porch. And summer is the season of my favorite fruits: berries, plums, and melons! I grew up picking huckleberries every summer in Idaho and am always on the lookout for wild berries. Free, fresh-picked fruit is always the tastiest, and wild blackberries and plums happen to be just ripening for the picking where I live on the Mendocino coast of California.

We took a walk to the beach the other day through an orchard overflowing with ripe plums. Further on, the path was lined with tall blackberry bushes. Needless to say, we had an excess of blackberries and plums for a while. Add to that the fact that a local organic wine was on sale this week, and I naturally just had to make sangria!

My sister lived in Spain for a semester last year, and I had some amazing sangria when I went there to visit her. Of course she knew a recipe for sangria, which the one below is based on. (Thanks sis!) So, with a little local foraging, some fresh-picked seasonal berries, and some local wine, I made a yummy summer drink that can be adapted for any kind of fruit that’s in season.