compost: Starting a compost bin is one of the best things you can do for the environment. 25% of everything Americans throw out is compostable, and 16% of methane emissions are from organics unable to decompose in landfills. Starting a backyard compost is easy. Even if you’re bad at composting, it’s better than not composting...
Spring has come early in the bay. All the flowers are blooming and pollen is rampaging through the streets dusting everything a nice shade of yellow. During this time, I try to sneak a teaspoon of bee pollen and/or local raw honey into our breakfasts. What are allergies? To fix allergies, we first need to...
Do you want to know my secret to having fab hair and extending to a weekly wash? Two words – Dry. Shampoo. Dry shampoo has been buzzing around for quite for some time. But, just in case you haven’t heard of this magical product, it helps keep your hair full of life and free of...
Composting is awesome! That might sound a little nerdy, but let’s use an apple as an example. You pick an apple from the tree, you eat the apple down to the core, you put the core in your compost pile which turns into a nutrient rich soil that you can use to grow more apple...
I’ve been experimenting with making a vegan king cake. While the cake itself is delicious, I just could not nail the dairy-free cream cheese filling. But, first a little history on the king cake. Most of you know I’m from the south – Texas and Arkansas to be precise. Arkansas is right above Louisiana and...
I am so happy to finally have visited Rainbow Grocery. I felt like a kid at disney world. I would love to go back and take more detailed notes, but I was too enamored to focus. If you’ve had difficulty finding anything, Rainbow probably has it. This is a list of things that stood out...
This past weekend I had the opportunity to hear Bea from Zero Waste Home speak. I thoroughly enjoyed the talk, but I disagreed with her on one point. I really enjoyed listening to her perspective, and loved visually seeing what works for her. But, I feel her view is unrealistic for life outside of the bay...
Funny story: I made this fabulous broccoli and cheese soup. It was a gloomy, gray day; so, I thought I’d pop outside to take a picture and absorb as much natural light as I could. After shooting outside, the soup got cold. And, no one wants cold soup on a chilly, grim day. Being at...
So, back in May I wrote about my deodorant. It worked SO well, until the full heat of summer hit in July. If you’re new to to world of natural deodorant, you’ll have to detox first. Your skin is so used to relying on unnatural chemicals that block your pores and the natural process – your...
Well, El Nino is definitely here which means rainboots, cozy sweaters, oversized scarfs, and soup. When you’re chilled to the bone nothing quite says “Let me warm you up,” like a big snuggly bowl of warm, creamy soup. And, fresh baked rolls. Mmmmm. While these creamy soups are delicious, they’re not exactly health food. I did...
How was your holiday season? I think we did really well for our first ZW Christmas. My grandma came out to visit and we had a lot of fun. I think she enjoyed delving into the ZW lifestyle for a week. She doesn’t like sending me checks; because, I save them instead of spend them....
Who doesn’t love waffles? It’s been difficult living sans Waffle House in California. Where else can you get waffles at 2 am? Chocolate Chip Waffles Recently, I’ve been eating pancakes, waffle’s flat cousin. Partly due to living with the Patron Saint of Pancakes, Rachel, my roommate in college. Her pancakes were majestic. Super thick, fluffy...
Upcycling is great. It diverts something from the waste stream and turns it into a new, useful object. I, however, find a lot of D.I.Y. upcycling projects to be kinda tacky. They take an extra crafty soul that isn’t, as much as I’d like for it to be, in me. I don’t have the patience,...
I know I promised a dessert recipe today, but we’ve been talking a lot about Thanksgiving. I’m sure by now you know it’s my favorite holiday. All the while, I’ve been ignoring my least favorite holiday – Black Friday. Picture from travelerstoday.com An entire day devoted to consumerism. Let that sink in. It’s devoted to...
Zero waste is becoming more main stream. With that, a slew of new people are looking for the line. And, I would like to address an issue that’s been popping up. Never, ever, ever let your ideals stand in the way of your health. Get the medicine. Buy the sunscreen. Prep for disasters. One of the main reasons...
So, I’ve been getting this question a lot. “What can I do as a college student?” I graduated 3 years ago – eek! But, I think I remember it well enough. I double majored in Musical Theatre and Mass Communications. So, I was around campus and involved a bit. Regrettably, I drank a lot of sweet...
This is the second post in our vegan, Thanksgiving sides series. I love mashed potatoes. It’s one of my top comfort foods. There’s really nothing better than eating a warm bowl of mashed potatoes and fried chicken or cauliflower. A couple of years ago I discovered tofutti sour cream which rocked my world. Being allergic...
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! It’s not about gifts, it’s not crazy commercialized. It’s a wonderful time to reflect on our blessings – and eat. And, eat some more. Turkey is a kinda integral part of Thanksgiving, but I want to make every other dish as kind and yummy as possible. So, this whole month...
Do you guys go to work? I spend roughly a 1/3 of my week in an office type setting. Then I spend about 1/4 of my time at the theatre, but I’m assuming most of you relate more to an office setting. I work at a print shop. There’s lots of machinery, an office up...
Vegetable stock is so easy and inexpensive. Really. There’s no excuse to ever, ever buy it in store ever again. You’ll be able to avoid unnecessary preservatives and those awful tetrapaks. I use it in soups, enchilada sauce, risotto, pastas, dog treats and really almost everything. If you want to amp up rice, cook it...
