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1. Design to maximize natural daylight & passive ventilation.

2. Choose deconstruction and construction site recycling instead of demolition.

3. Weatherize to save energy.

4. Buy energy-efficient appliances.

5. Choose water-efficient fixtures, (i.e shower heads, and low-flow toilets).

6. Use low-or no-VOC paints.

7. Choose formaldehyde-free products.

8. Buy used, recycled or certified or registered wood products.

9. Harvest your rainwater for irrigation & toilet flushing.

10. Landscape using native plants and permeable materials.

(Small things count just as much as the big things!)

Get more green tips at The Eath and Me Go Green!



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• Flax Fried Rice:
Serves 4 to 5

2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
6 slices fresh garlic, cut thinly into matchsticks
1 red onion, cut thinly into half moons
Soy sauce to taste
Generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 carrot, cut thinly into matchsticks
5-6 fresh scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
2 heads baby bok Choy, sliced thinly lengthwise
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup flaxseeds

1. Place oil in skillet over medium heat and add garlic, ginger and onion. When the onion begins to sizzle, add a splash of soy sauce, then red pepper flakes, and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in scallions; sauté for another minute.

2. Arrange the tofu cubes on top of the veggies, then top with cooked rice and finally with bok Choy. Season with soy sauce. Add about 1/2 cup water, cover, reduce heat to low, and steam for 5 to 7 minutes, until bok Choy is cooked and liquid has absorbed into the rice. Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice and flaxseeds. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.

(per serving: 294 cal. , 37% fat (13g; 1.4 g sat. fat), 49% carbs (38g), 14% protein (11g), 8g fiber, 311 mg calcium, 249 mg iron, 155 mg sodium.)

• Lentil & Flax Soup:
Serves 6

2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 small red onion, diced
Sea salt to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
16 ounces canned diced tomatoes
1 cup spring or filtered water
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup orzo (or other small pasta)
1/3 cup ground flaxseeds
Flaxseed oil
5-6 leaves fresh basil, shredded

1. Place olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat; add garlic and onion. When the onion begins to sizzle, add a pinch of salt, then red pepper flakes; sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the celery and carrot; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and sauté for 1 minute.

2. Add lentils, water, and bay leaf; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until lentils are soft. 45 minutes to 1 hour should do it.

3. Stir in orzo, add salt, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve garnished with a sprinkle of flaxseed, a drizzle of flax oil, and fresh basil.

(per serving: 268 calories, 33% fat (10g; 1g sat. fat.), 49% carbs (34g), 18% protein (13g), 9g fiber, 58mg calcium, 4mg iron, 127mg sodium.)

• Orange Flax Seed Muffins:
Makes 12 standard muffins

1 cup oat bran
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
Generous pinch of sea salt
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 cup avocado oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup honey or brown rice syrup
1 tsp. brown rice vinegar
1-2 cups vanilla soymilk
2 navel oranges, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 12-cup standard (or 24 cup mini muffin tin).

2. Combine bran, flours, salt, flax seed, and baking powder in a mixing bowl, whisking well. Mix in oil, vanilla, honey or brown rice syrup, and brown rice vinegar; slowly add just enough soymilk to create a spoon able batter.

3. Fold in chopped oranges, walnut pieces, and raisins. Spoon the batter into muffin tins and bake until the tops of the muffins spring back to the touch, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin before transferring to a cooling rack.

(per serving: 394 calories, 36% fat (17g; 1.8g sat. fat), 57% carbs (60g), 7% protein (7g), 7g fiber, 153 mg calcium, 2.7 mg iron, 142 mg sodium.)


**To get more Flax in your diet try these tips**

1. Sprinkle ground seeds onto hot or cold cereal.

2. Add a pinch of seeds to muffin, cookie, or bread recipes.

3. Pump up breakfast smoothies with 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil.

4. Dust cooked veggies with ground seeds. (Add flax after cooking to prevent its soluble fiber from thickening.)

• The facts on Flax. For digestibility and nutritional value, flaxseeds are best eaten after they’ve been ground up. You can purchase ground flax meal, but whole flaxseeds last longer, and are easy to prepare in coffee or seed grinder. Refrigerate leftovers to preserve freshness.
Flax oil has a sweet, nutty flavor, but it’s perishable and must be kept refrigerated. Heating undermines the omega-3 content, so add flaxseed oil to foods after they’ve been cooked.
(Source: Cook Light Magazine)



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This evergreen tree, called a “village pharmacy,” is a mainstay in Eastern medicine and should be a main ingredient all over.

It’s medical spiritual texts, the Vedas, which called the tree sarva roga nivarini, or “one that cures all ailments.”

Neem oil has been quoted by some, “to be the next cure-all and may eventually benefit every person on the planet.”

It treats skin conditions: Because of its antibacterial and antifungal activity, the plant is an ingredient in about 75 percent of traditional ayurvedic medical formulas. Neem extracts and essential oils have been used for centuries to treat all manner of skin conditions, including acne, eczema, psoriasis, warts, athlete’s foot, and chicken pox. And oil from the seeds is commonly applied to the scalp to prevent or treat head lice.
It boosts oral health: Neem extract kills the bacteria that cause dental plaque, tooth decay, and gum disease. Neem oral products are available in health-food stores everywhere.

It heals ulcers: Neem as been shown to reduce the secretion of stomach acid and helps treat ulcers. Neem leaf extracts work as well as the drug Zantac® to some and helped relieve stomach pain in others.
It gets rid of pests: Neem oil has been used for years by some to help control pest problems on household and outdoor plants. Some pests it can rid plants of and is still widely used in most areas of the U.S. are cotton-infested boll weevils, citrus threatening Florida beetles.

Side Note: Neem may also help worldwide efforts in eradicating malaria, which kills more than 700,000 people a year. Korean researchers have discovered that neem oil can be used to kill the larvae of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease.

To find out more information on this “cure-all” herb, click here to vist the Neem Tree Farms website.



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With these and other recipes, be sure to use all-organic ingredients where you can. They are better for you and your family and better for the environment as well.

• Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients well and roll out into a 1/4 inch thick sheet.

For the filling:

1/2 pound chopped dates
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cook the filling into a paste and cool. Spread the paste filling onto the rolled dough sheet and then roll up into a round, jelly-roll style. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for about an hour. Grease a cookie sheet and cut dough into narrow cookies. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool on a cookie rack and serve.

• Peppermint Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
All-natural red food coloring (check health food stores)
Peppermint Candies
2 tbs. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the egg and the extracts. Combine dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture. Divide the dough in half. Add the coloring to one half of the dough and mix well. Roll small pieces of the dough, both colors into a 4-inch long rope.

Place two strips, one red one and one white one side by side and press together lightly, then twist. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and bend to make a candy cane shape. Moisten each cookie with a touch of water and then sprinkle with a mixtures of the crushed candies and a bit of sugar. Bake about 10 minutes and cool on a rack.

• White Pumpkin Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
1 16oz. can pumpkin
2 eggs

Stir together completely to combine, and then add:

4 cups flour
2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 12oz. bag of white chocolate chips

Mix together and drop evenly on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 16 minutes or until done. Cool on a rack before icing.

For the icing:

1 container of cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Combine together and drizzle over cooled cookies. Enjoy!

Happy Eating!



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Make a Smilebox slideshow

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The natural food aisle has gone tea crazy. What am I talking about? Kombucha pronounced kum-boo-cha is a fermented tea that, doesn’t have the backing of the Food and Drug Administration, but has been around for thousands of years and health nuts are crazy about it.

It is believed the tea is a cure-all. It detoxifies the body and its acids and bacteria known as probotics are helpful in digestion, suppress appetite and rejuvenate the skin.

Kombucha is made from a culture that is kept growing and alive similar to yogurts properties. Steve Lee, the founder of Kombucha Wonder Drink did an interview with the Albany Democrat-Herald and stated that “the fermentation process means the drink has a slight alcohol content, but generally less than .05 percent.” He also adds,” Kombucha Wonder Drink is pasteurized; a process that raw kombucha fans say kills the probiotics that give the drink its health benefits.”

But still some say the organic acids are enough to be a cure-all for them. This wonderful tea can be purchased at any health food or health conscious market. Pick some up and see what it does for you.

Happy Kombucha Drinking!

Learn more at




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Make yourself try one new thing a week, be it a new drink or a new activity. Even if it turns out to be gross or not your cup of tea, it was worth it to give it a go. Never short-change yourself the opportunity to try something you wouldn’t otherwise, who knows you might find your “new” regular drink or routine.




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