May, 2009

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State of Mind Water

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

    I recently tried a new kind of bottled water: State of Mind Water.  The bottles caught my eye because of their inspirational words: Believe, Love, Compassion and Peace.

    I generally avoid using plastic bottles, but these I could feel pretty good about.  The water is fancily filtered to be very safe and pure and has a balanced pH.  Plus, the bottles are 100% oxo-biodegradable.

    State of Mind’s founder, Laura Thereza, says, “If you are going to carry a bottle of water, why not carry something positive?!”  Good point.

    What’s more, if you passed someone on the sidewalk who was being obnoxious you could kindly remind them to exhibit good behavior by pointing to your water bottle.


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Book Club: Bringing Nature Home

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Well, haven’t I been a busy little reader lately? Or should I say busy little bee?

Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy describes the steps we need to take to restore backyard biodiversity and to keep plant and animal species from extinction.  There are colorful photographs on every page, many of bugs and plants.  Cute bugs and exotic plants!

There is a website that goes along with the book: www.PlantANative.com

This is helpful for those who don’t like books like to review online what they learned in the book.  There’s even an electronic map that makes suggestions on what to plant based on your geographic aone.  What’s more, the website has answers to tough questions.  (You know you want to check those out.)

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Evergreen Candleworks Green Organic Soy Candles

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

I love lighting a candle or two in the evening but I’ve heard that many candles release toxins into the air and can be bad for our health and air quality.

I was thrilled to learn about Evergreen Candleworks, an Evergreen, Colorado-based candle company that makes candles that are better for the environment and healthier for people.  They use soy wax which is safer than parrafin wax, and they use no fillers, colors, lead, tin, zinc or anything else that could be harmful.  Evergreen Candleworks is powered 100% by windpower.

Alpineglow candles come in distinctive glassware (above left) which makes it beautiful to display at home or to give as a gift.  Plus, the containers are reusable which of course I love.  The burn time is 65-80 hours which is a lot better than those little tea lights I’m always tempted to buy at IKEA!

Silky Soy candles and lotion bars (above right) is especially for our skin- how cool.  You melt them on the warmer, which is sold as part of the kit, and then apply to your skin.  (A hot oil treatment like this is probably $295.00 at the hotel spa!)

Companies like Evergreen Candleworks restore my faith that the world is full of good people doing good things.

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Wave Gel by Earth Friendly Products

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Earth Friendly Products has a new phosphate-free Wave Gel dish detergent.

It’s twice the potency of regular dishwasher gels, so I only need to put in half what I normally would.

And, get this: Earth Friendly Products was the recipient of the 2007 PETA Proggy Award for Best Line of Cruelty-Free Products.

I didn’t know that PETA liked anyone (in the human world, at least), so this is quite a testimony.

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Pub-Corn: Alcohol-flavored popcorn

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Here’s a fun new snack to try: Pub-Corn.  It’s beer- and cocktail-flavored popcorn!  How cool is that?

I served three flavors the last time our friends Ted and Tracy were over.  I made them guess the flavors.  They got “Pina Colada” and “Irish Creme” right away.  Then I had to give them a few hints (“a different category of alcohol…”) before they nailed “Beer.”

All three are very sweet and a good munching food.  Snacks that get people talking make for a fun get-together.

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Living Well HealthMaster!

Friday, May 1st, 2009

A couple of weeks ago I got Montel Williams’ Living Well HealthMaster, and since then I’ve been making almost everything in it.  Salad dressing, soups, sauces, fruit smoothies and vegetable juices all by just pressing the button.  It doesn’t leave behind a stringy mess like a blender, yet retains all of the fiber and nutrients instead of discarding the way juicers do.

It comes with several recipe books.  That’s where I got this cucumber soup recipe.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 seedless cucumber
1/2 red onion, peeled
1/2 garlic clove, peeled
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients into the HealthMaster.  Secure the lid.  Turn on the speed control to 1 (low).  Turn on the machine.  Increase the speed to 8 (high) until blended.  Serve chilled.

I loved not having to chop the vegetables beforehand.  So easy.  I served this soup with a sprig of fresh mint and crumbled queso blanco.  Refreshing and nutritious!

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