Blueberries

I got some really great blueberries the other day. The best I ever had were wild and purchased at a roadside stand in Maine on our way home from the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockport. Wild blueberries are usually much smaller than this, but so delicious.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, blueberries are great for your eyes and stomach, and are packed with antioxidants. For more information on heath benefits, click here.

Some of my favorite ways to enjoy blueberries are:

• On Greek yogurt, with Agave and walnuts
• On salad (I had a great one the other night with romaine, cucumber, tomato, marinated chicken breast, feta, and sliced almonds)
• On steel cut oats or in cold cereal
• In buckwheat pancakes
• In a smoothie with protein powder and soy milk
• In Heidi Swanson's crisp recipe
• Like I just ate them... naked (the blueberries, not me) in a bowl after I took this picture

I'm all about blueberries with banana, so I think I'm going to try this recipe soon. I'll post pics and give a review if it turns out well.

What's your favorite way to eat blueberries?

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10 Most Romantic Ecotourism Destinations

There was a show on the Travel Channel called EcoLuxe that I was totally hooked on for a while. It didn't run that long, but it was great. Jayms Ramirez was the host. He's an amazing photographer and travel guide. His blog can be found here. The show focused on sustainable vacations in beautiful places. It was really cool and it made me think about the way we take vacations.

I found this article this morning on The Daily Green about the 10 most Romantic Ecotourism Destinations. It's an interesting read and shows you that you can have a luxurious vacation without using up all kinds of energy and resources.

Volunteer vacations are also a great idea...budget friendly ways to see different parts of the world.

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Less Chemicals for Pets, Too

We went down to Narragansett today. Bob got a hankering for Iggy's that couldn't be denied and we ate too much chowder and clamcakes. Our plans to have dinner at Antonio's had to be rescheduled. After that lunch, there's no way we would have been able to do both!

After lunch we went to the Point Judith lighthouse with Grux. He had so much fun down by the water... but his hound instinct is intense. He was all about the birds. He's not ready to be off leash so that was kind of a bummer for him :(

On our way home, we stopped at Psychic Kitty holistic pet center in South Kingstown. The owners are sisters and they are dedicated to offering different brands of organic pet food and treats, as well as leashes, collars, toys, topical treatments and gifts.

So after poking around for a little while, we got Gruxy a cool new hemp collar from The Good Dog Company and some toothpaste and a toothbrush. I love the little guy... but his breath is fierce. So as we're checking out we mentioned to Carolyn, one of the owners, that we're trying to help him with his "situation". Carolyn made a couple of suggestions - one of which kept Gruxy occupied for the better part of an hour.

Bully sticks. Any idea what this is? It's a frickin' dried bull penis. I'm not kidding. Google it if you don't believe me. Carolyn said dogs love them and they really help with teeth cleaning. The normal size is about 3 feet long. Again... not kidding. We got a smaller one for Gruxy, obviously. The dog could not be distracted from it. He ATE the whole thing. I would have loved to have been able to take it away from him half way through but he wasn't having it. Lesson learned - get the big one and give him smaller pieces. I can't even believe I'm trying to figure out the best way to serve my dog his bull penis.

Apparently, I'll be making monthly trips to see Carolyn.

For more info on Psychic Kitty, click here for an article in the Narragansett Times.

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We Have Tomatoes!!!!

Bob told me the good news this morning. We grew something! We totally have tomatoes on one of our plants. Aren't they pretty?

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LARABAR

One of my favorite snacks. All Larabars are made of 6 or fewer ingredients. My latest obsession, banana is made from: almonds, dates and bananas. Seriously, that's it. They're sweet, chewy and satisfying. Flavors include:

• Peanutbutter Cookie
• Cinnamon Roll
• Cocoa Mole
• Chocolate Coconut
• Cherry Pie
• Cashew Cookie
• Pecan Pie
• Banana Bread
• Lemon Bar
• Key Lime Pie
• Apple Pie
• Pistachio
• Ginger Snap

And you know what all the ingredients are. In fact, you could probably make a version of these pretty easily at home. Hmm... maybe I'll try that.

And for my gluten free friends... Larabars are GF!!!

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I Wish I Could Think of Stuff Like This

Rocker, personal chef and food blogger Shirlé Hale-Koslowski is a genius. She has been making shopping bags from vinyl banners she gets from Whole Foods. The story of how she came up with the idea is here, as well as how you can reach her to order one.

Shirle kinda rocks my skull.

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I'm Not Really a Casserole Kinda Gal...

...but this, and shepherd's pie are where I make exceptions. I wish I could remember where I first saw this recipe, so I could give them credit. I don't think this version varies that much from the original. It doesn't look like much, but it really is tasty and easy.

1 cup of brown rice, cooked in vegetable broth (does a ton to add flavor)

1 can of beans (I usually use kidney beans)

Turkey chourice (I had about a link and half left over from breakfast the other day)

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup walnuts

Sprinkle the top with about another 1/2 cup of shredded cheese

Put it in a baking dish and throw it in the oven (I think I do 350 for about 20-25 minutes).

I made this tons of times in my veggie days, too. Just skip the chourice and it's just as yummy. :)

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Less Negativity

My continuing quest to live a life less complicated includes living with less toxicity - both physically and mentally.

I want to share this post by Wendie at Mommytopia.com about ending toxic relationships. Since Wendie and I are old friends, I've had the benefit of her good advice for years. She's right... taking yourself out of the game is the key.

Take Yourself Out of the Game

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Bob's Famous Turkey Burgers

Bob made my favorite turkey burger last night. It's the most simple recipe but it's so fantastic. Unfortunately I don't have exact measurements, and if you're anything like me, you NEED measurements. I can try to get him to estimate, if anyone wants the recipe. But I know this stuff is in it:

Greek yogurt

Panko breadcrumbs

Whatever spices you like - if you're feeling lazy, a packet of Italian dressing will work well.

We usually top it with Havarti cheese, and an avocado mayo - which is just 1 avocado and about a teaspoon of mayo. And we usually have sweet potato fries and a salad, too. No picture of the salad here, but I swear I ate my greens Julie! :)

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The Small Stuff

As we were walking Gruxy the other day, I spotted these two ladybugs... getting to know each other. Ah... spring love...

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My Favorite Salad

My friend Julie ordered a salad one day for lunch from this restaurant near our office and ever since then, we've both created versions of it and fondy dubbed it "The World's Best Salad" or "The WBS" for short. Here's my favorite:

Romaine
Cucumber
Tomato
Mango
Avocado
Garbanzo Beans
Feta
Walnuts

Julie's tip for garbanzo beans - rinse them, then heat them up a little bit first. Makes them softer.

It's so good... lots of different textures and flavors. The sweetness of the mango, the crunch of the cucumber and the saltiness of the feta... and it's definitely a meal type salad. Don't think you'll have room for a sandwich or something, too.

Other suggestions/variations:
Fruit - strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, melon
Veggies - zucchini, summer squash, artichokes
Protein - grilled chicken, shrimp or tofu, edamame, sliced almonds

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Eco-Conscious Purchases of the Week

My latest eco-conscious purchases!

We don't make coffee at home too often, but now when we do we won't be using paper filters. Enter the permanent filter. I think it was about $6.00 or so and it's made to be washed between uses. Supposedly, the coffee is supposed to taste better too. And no more buying and throwing away paper coffee filters!

It's about time Reynold's Wrap came up with a foil made from 100% recycled materials. I was excited to see this in the store. It's also 100% recyclable, so the chain isn't broken as long as you recycle rather than throw away. And the packaging is even made from recycled materials, and the ink on the package is water-based. Good for you, Reynold's Wrap!

And finally... the BioBag for dogs. Dog waste is compostable, and traditional plastic bags are not. Gruxy likes his walks and he's not too choosy about where he does his business. When we use BioBags, which are 100% biodegradable, we're being responsible dog owners and when we start our composting pile, we can even throw them in it! BioBag also makes kitchen bags and other products.

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I'm Dizzy from All This Spinning

I know I haven't written much lately… it’s because I’ve been so busy! Bob and I had a big weekend. We got engaged AND brought home our new puppy!

Late last week, a new friend and co-worker, Luisa, came to my office to ask me to talk her out of getting a new puppy. Seems her friend is an animal control officer and Luisa had told her to let her know if any dachshunds arrived, because she loves them… well, one did. I said “wow, that’s the kind of dog we want, too!” And that was it… we were off. Luisa told me we should take him, and I told her SHE had dibs! But she insisted that the time just isn’t right for her with her schedule and that we should adopt him. After a few days of discussion, Bob and I decided to go meet him on Saturday morning. We immediately fell in love and made plans to bring him home on Monday.

We spent the day in Boston. The Dave Matthews Band was playing at Fenway Park and of course we had tickets. DMB brought Bob and I together… we bonded immediately when we met over this band – I had been to about 7 concerts when we met, to Bob’s 13 I think… I could make this whole post about that alone, but I won’t :)

The concert was fantastic. They played tons of songs from their new CD “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” which was dedicated to their founding member and saxophone player, Leroi Moore who passed away last year. “Grux” was his nickname.

Six songs into the show, Bob proposed! It was a very special moment, during one of the songs that means a lot to us. And somehow, even with all those people around, it managed to be a very private moment… like it was just the two of us. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way for us to get engaged. We’re very happy and excited to finally make it official!

We spent Sunday sharing our big news, getting the house ready and shopping for stuff for our new boy. We spent a lot of time at Whole Foods inspecting treats. It’s important to us that we get treats that are grain free. I’ll write a separate post about what we decided, and what we feed our animals for those interested.

We picked up the new puppy on Monday… and 4 days later, we are starting to settle into a routine. He’s a joy… so smart and sweet. We got so lucky….

Meet Grux! :)

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Friendship

I love my friends. I've learned so much from each of them and I'm so grateful that they've come into my life. They're all so different from each other, but at the same time, every one of them share these very same traits - they're all funny, intelligent, inspiring, loving, compassionate, supportive, creative. All things I admire and wish to be. These are people that have been with me through family crises, job promotions, bad relationships, heartbreak, new love, health scares, pipe dreams...

There's the one who inspires me to explore my creative side and introduces me to things, ideas and people I may not have been blessed to meet otherwise.

The one who lets me sit in her cuddle chair, covers me with a blanket and feeds me tea and cookies while I cry, then offers me the wisdom of someone twice her age.

There's the one that moved to Vegas and I've lost touch with, that I know I could call right this minute and it would be like we saw each other yesterday.

There's the hilarious, kind, banjo playing one who warms my heart with her little Irish smile.

There's the one who teaches me about how to be a healthier person, without preaching. And who will do ANYTHING to make me laugh.

Then there's the one... when I didn't think I could get out of bed, who tells me to get my ass in the shower and get dressed because I'm leaving the house whether I like it or not.

There's the one with the huge heart who listens compassionately and cries with me and then is my cheerleader and tells me she admires my courage to try something new.

There are the new friends; the ones I'm just getting to know, who make me laugh and think. And the old, lost friendships, which are being rekindled thanks to Facebook.

There's my Love, the one who makes me cry with laughter, who I have the most fun with, who holds me when I'm sad, who thinks I'm the funniest person in the world, who listens, takes care of my heart.

...and I realize how very blessed I am to know that I have such support and love surrounding me. These are the things that matter...

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Green Goal of the Month - June

B and I like to go to dinner. Though we do it a lot less these days, we still eat an average of 2 meals out each week. B says he loves going out to eat with me because a) My sparkling personality always contributes to fascinating dinner conversation, and b) If I order an entree, I rarely finish it.

But sometimes, the man just can't eat it all. And because I am trying to be a less wasteful human being, I always take the leftovers home. So far, so good, right?

Here's the problem: Lots of places are still using styrofoam containers for leftovers. This website explains why styrofoam is bad for the environment.

Here's my goal for June: This month, I will purchase and begin using my own container for such occasions. To-Go Ware sells some cool stainless steel containers that would work perfectly. Easy to keep in the trunk, next to our shopping bags.

I think just with any new habit, it will take some time to remember. We still forget to bring our shopping bags in to the store sometimes. But I'm hopeful that this one will stick. Wish me luck!

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LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

I found LUSH about a year ago, and I fell in love. Here's why the company is awesome:

• They don't test on animals


• Their products are handmade using fresh ingredients


• They use little or no packaging - and when they do need to package, it's using 89% recycled content

Now the good stuff...

My favorite product so far is the Silky Underwear Dusting Powder. This stuff is so yummy. It's this delicious jasmine scented powder, but it has little beads of cocoa butter in it to moisturize. It makes your skin feel so soft and smell so good. Sometimes I'll even sprinkle it on the sheets before bed. At $11. 25 for 3.5 oz, it's not a steal but not completely unreasonable either, since a little goes a long way.

Other LUSH products I love:

• Honey I Washed the Kids soap


• Coalface Cleanser


• Imperialis Moisturizer


• Soft Coeur (The Honeymooner) Massage Bar

Honorable Mention: B likes the "Karma" scent, but I find it a little too strong.

LUSH has a new "Vanilla" line that I'm excited to try... feels like a mall field trip is in order. LUSH is one of the only stores that will get me to the mall.

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TerraCycle

I'm so excited. B and I are growing our first ever tomatoes. We're starting with some good, organic plants, purchased at The Good Earth Organic Gardening Center here in Rhode Island. We also picked up some other plants - basil, sage and lavender. We've had basil plants before, but this will be our first attempt at keeping a fruit bearing plant - and isn't that so much more exciting? We pulled our fig plant out of hiding, too. Figgie was picked up at the Scituate Farmer's Market at the end of last summer, and Alfred told us if we kept it in the garage for the winter, it would be ready for us this summer. It already has a little green bud!

Since I have no idea what I'm doing, I've spent the last half hour online doing research about natural fertilizers and pesticides. I've even got a message out to my herbalist friend Jone, who knows everything there is to know about herbs. I can't wait to pick her brain about lavender.

As I was researching, I realized I totally forgot about TerraCycle! When I first learned about TerraCycle a couple of years ago, the thing that I thought was coolest was that they package their products in re-used soda bottles. At the time, I had no use for plant fertilizer, so I never made a purchase. But as I revisit their website, I realize now that they have created many more products using "waste".

So what's so great about their fertilizer? It's worm poop. Yup. Worm. Poop. They compost solid waste (food scraps, coffee grounds, etc.) using worms, and the result is a fertilizer that's natural and effective. Lots of people compost at home now, since it's so easy to do. I'm proud of the fact that we have reduced our trash dramatically by recycling, and I wonder how much more we could reduce if we composted.

I'm not quite ready for a composter, so for now I'll let TerraCycle do my poop harvesting for me. Maybe next year I'll have some worms of my own... one step at a time.

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Love Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

Love doesn’t have to be so complicated!

One of my best friends is so good at giving love advice. Lots of other kinds of advice, too but… in my opinion, relationships are her specialty. She’s given me two pieces that have really stuck with me over the years.

The First: I was in a 5 year relationship with Nice Guy. Everyone liked him. I liked him. We just were not right for each other. In the 5 years we were together, I never wanted to marry him. I never considered having children with him. I guess I just knew it wasn’t going to work out. We had some major personality differences - and without placing blame too much but in an effort to be concise… he was not very motivated or ambitious, didn’t really have much interest in seeing the world, and he tended to be passive aggressive. But he had a huge heart, lots of compassion, loved his family very intensely. It just seemed like we were always trying to wait for some crisis in our relationship to pass. And there was always some crisis. Constant couples counseling did nothing.

One day, I was on the phone with Wendie, telling her yet again how upset I was about something that had happened or not happened. She said to me, “Melissa. You two have been dealing with the same issues for years. Are things any different today than they were a year ago?” “No,” I replied. “And… honestly, do you see them being any different a year from now than they are today?” And that was it. She was absolutely right. What was I doing? That night, I broke up with him. And it was such a relief. That was 5 years ago, and I have passed this advice on to other friends since then. Granted, if you’re not really ready to hear it - you may not. Or it may stick with you and 6 months later… when you’re ready, you’ll remember.

The Second: I was in a 3 month relationship the summer after Nice Guy. Insecure Guy was the opposite of Nice Guy. He was interested in seeing the world, had a great job, was ambitious. But he was kind of a jerk. Have you ever met the insecure guy who tries to make you feel insecure so that he can feel better about himself? Without boring you with details, I’ll just say he was very vague about women in his recent past, and would say things -- or not say things, knowing it would upset me. I couldn’t see any of this. All I could see was that he was SO different from Nice Guy… I thought I better hold on to him tight. When the inevitable break up happened, it was one of those long, drawn out things where he totally kept me hanging for months. The whole thing was ridiculous… he fed me lines like “I just can’t be with you right now”…. “I can’t have my heart broken by you again”. Ugh. So Wendie said “Melissa. It shouldn’t be this hard. When two people want to be together, they just are.” Oh.

Fast forward to today. I’ve been with The One for a little over 3 years. I can count on one hand the number of substantial fights we’ve had. We met, we liked each other, we dated, we moved in together. That’s it. We’re honest with each other, we’re kind and respectful to each other, we laugh all the time, we enjoy the same things and have the same sort of dreams for the future. This relationship is not riddled with drama. When two people want to be together, they just are. It’s not that complicated.

You can find more advice from Wendie here.

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A Greener Cookout

Last year, my best guy posted on his blog about ways to "green" your Fourth of July cookout. It had some great tips, which are obviously relevant for any cookout.

We're headed to a family cookout tomorrow, and our assignment is to bring a rice dish. I love how vague that is... it gives me room to be creative! Wouldn't it be funny if I showed up with rice pudding or risotto? Heh.

So I'm making wild rice salad with pecans and cranberries. Sounds good, right? I got the idea from the Whole Foods website. They have some great recipes there and I definitely recommend checking it out for ideas.

Another favorite recipe website of mine is 101 Cookbooks. Heidi Swanson is kinda my hero. I received her cookbook "Super Natural Cooking" for Christmas last year and I've probably tried 2/3 of the recipes by now. She's so inventive, and the ingredients she uses are top notch. Oh... and her photography. Gorgeous.

I wish you a safe holiday weekend, complete with lots of fun moments and picture taking with people that you love.

This is someone I love

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Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken

This was dinner tonight. B had some late appointments so I was on my own. It's the first Kashi frozen dinner that I've tried, though I have tried many of the other products. SO good. Fresh tasting, filling, lots of different flavors and textures. Delicious.

Kashi products - get familiar. It's all natural, good ingredients. No additives or preservatives.

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Soy Candles by Phebes

I'm so happy that I found Scented Soy Candles by Phebes. I'm a girl who likes the room to smell good. I was a Yankee Candle girl for years. I just loved the yummy scents and how long lasting they were. But after a while I started really thinking about the soot that I was cleaning off my TV screen. Why didn't it occur to me that I might be breathing that in?

So the search began for a great smelling soy candle that would really throw a scent. I've tried many, but either they weren't strong enough or the smell wasn't so great once I lit it.

Then came Soy Candles by Phebes. I ordered my first one from their website. I went with Green Tea and I can see why it's a best seller. I also tried Butt Naked, which I also loved but not as much. All candles are made to order and natural in color.

A few months ago, B and I were in Newport for the Winter Festival and came across Rachel Lessne's store, Green Envy. Rachel stocks them, and I think I'm due for another trip to Newport...

FIRST RUNNER UP: PACIFICA SOY CANDLES

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No Stuff Involved

I was sick all weekend. I watched a lot of tv. And I found myself envious....

The first show was about a couple on House Hunters International, who were moving to Nicaragua. All they wanted was to live near the beach. That's it. They didn't want a McMansion. They didn't want an infinity pool or a huge kitchen. They just wanted to surf. They led a simple life.

The second was a young guy who owns a bakery in upstate New York. He bakes bread and plays the fiddle. That's it. That's all he needs. He leads a simple life.

I am not someone who can be happy just baking bread and playing the fiddle.

But it's the concept that I love... the idea of simple things making us happy, finding joy in everyday moments instead of constantly searching for that "thing" that will do it for us. Walking through a farmer's market with my guy, sampling cheese and fruit... dancing with my 5 year old nephew in the kitchen... sharing a homemade meal with my brothers... visiting friends for lunch, and getting the best hugs ever from their kids... researching our next hike... these things make me happy. No "stuff" involved.

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