If you are in need of some great quality business cards and want to go eco, then check out Green Printer. They offer a variety of green papers to choose from and vegetable based inks. They can print anything from brochures and business cards to posters and postcards.
I recently ordered a brand new batch of newly designed business cards and used one of my own photos on the card and it came out great!
I just HAVE to write about H & M's new Conscious Collection, I am so excited! Eco-fashion going mainstream and being easily accessible by so many people, while also being affordable is so beyond awesome. Not only are the designs for this collection super cute, they are white, which make them perfect for the new Spring and Summertime weather. This collection uses recycled fabrics, organic cotton, and tencel. Tencel is a natural and renewable resource.
Here is a cute perfect-for-spring top I got:
Many of their pieces from this collections are very versatile. You can layer tops like this one with other more relaxed slouchy pieces for a comfortable chic look, or pair it with a more structured cardigan or jacket and statement jewelry for a more polished-put-together look.
H & M has put together a whole website all about their Conscious Collection, which includes information about corporate responsibility, a 2009 Sustainability Report, and information about them using greener goods. I love it.
What a pleasure it is to take a quick trip somewhere new and interesting! There is nothing like travelling and exploring to bring a fresh perspective into your life. I recently took a quick trip to Palo Alto, California and had the pleasure of heading to San Francisco for a day to go to my all-time favorite eco-event, Green Festival!!!
There is so much green-ness in California, I have a lot to share with you about all the cool things and people I saw there. Not only was it inspiring to meet amazing people who change the world everyday by doing good, caring about the environment and about people, but I got to see my sister-in-law and my brother build their own eco-home, piece by piece, (more about that later).
The first thing that I am most excited about is From War to Peace. They create affordable, beautiful and artful jewelry by recycling copper from disarmed nuclear missile systems. They truly take something that is totally destructive and harmful and make something amazing, inspiring and usable. They are a green company and also donate 20% of their proceeds to peace and social justice organizations. How awesome is that?? When I met them at the San Francisco Green Festival I was so amazed at all of the incredible good that they do, I almost cried!
I bought myself this cute blue heart pendant. I love it!
On the website they only currently sell pendants with the chains as well, and that can be a bit pricey. I bought just the pendant, since I already had a chain. They should be adding the ability to buy just a pendant to their online store soon. If you want one right away, just email them and they will sell it to you!
They also make mezuzahs. Here are some they had at the Green Festival table. They are so cute!
Looking for a fun, healthy and vegan way to cool off in this new warm weather? Well, now you can enjoy getting your 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day because Jamba Juice has Fruit & Veggie Smoothies!
These smooth and delicious beverages are sure to cool you off and keep you feeling great because you are getting 3 full servings of fruits and veggies in each smoothie. My favorite is Berry UpBEET. All that is in this smoothie is vegetable juices, fruit and ice.
I love finding awesome companies that produce outstanding products and services AND are eco. I think it is so important to not have to settle when it comes to quality in order to be good to the environment. I say, "Can't we have both?" Well the answer is a definite "YES!" when it comes to marketing, advertising and web design. Ranch7 Creative does all that and so much more. They also do branding, identity and graphic design.
I had the pleasure of working with the Ranch7 team a few years ago on designing an event brochure and magazine advertisement for a large event. The results were beautiful, easy to read, interesting and creative (just like their name!). They were also really flexible, timely, easy to work with and professional. I heard about Ranch7 because they are the official designers for amazing eco-events such as Green Festival.
If you are ever in need of a fun shopping experience and great quality food and health products in the Santa Monica area, check out the Santa Monica Co-op. They have a wonderful selection of organic and natural foods, eco-living products, as well as a well stocked and varied natural body care department.
Since they are a co-op, they are owned by their customer members, instead of a corporation. As it says on their website, "Every true co-op operates according to the Seven Cooperative Principles." These principles are: voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, members' economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and information and cooperation among cooperatives. Check out their website to learn more about co-ops in general or to find out about the Santa Monica Co-op.
Erewhon Natural Foods Market has an great selection of all kinds of healthy food to stock your kitchen. It is also a "one-stop source for macrobiotic staples." They feature excellent brands of miso (over 30 varieties), seaweed, soy sauce, umeboshi plum products, teas and Japanese foods. They even have a macrobiotic consultant available to provide you with recipes and advice and on site cooking classes. You can even check out their website for more free recipes.
If you are already feeling hungry when you get there, you can check out their full service deli, salad and soup, sushi bar, and another prepared foods section.
Erewhon is located close to so many great things in LA, such as The Grove and Farmer's Market for outdoor strolling and shopping, and CBS Television City, where you could check out the live taping of shows like "So You Think You Can Dance."
I caught up with Natural Healing & Healthy Living Chef, Consultant and Educator, Hideki Kawai in Los Angeles, California recently and he gave me this easy and delicious recipe for Refreshing Cold Noodle Salad- perfect for the hot summer weather! I wanted to share it with you, since his cooking inspires me to try new and different things. Hideki uses many cool cooking tricks that give his cooking an extra punch and added interest. The picture above is from when I tried out the recipe- it was awesome!
Also, if you are looking for excellent macrobiotic cooking services, health advice, or a little extra inspiration in the kitchen, then contact Hideki. He has 23 years of experiences and training from some of the foremost macrobiotic pioneers in the United States. He has cooked and taught all over the world, including Japan, Portugal and throughout the United States. He served as a Head Chef and Menu Planner at Kushi Institute in Becket, Massachusetts for 22 years and has worked in six macrobiotic or Japanese restaurants.
To learn more about what Hideki does or to set up a cooking class, contact him at hijikihawaii@yahoo.com or call #310-692-5144.
Cold Noodle Salad:
6 Medium sized red radish, sliced in wedges
1 Ear of fresh corn, taken off the cob OR 1/4 bag of organic frozen corn
1 Package of seitan (store bought), sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 Cup sauerkraut
1 Cup apple juice
2 Teaspoons of brown rice miso
1/2 Package organic angel hair pasta (whole wheat or artichoke)
2 Leaves of romaine lettuce, sliced in 1/2 inch strips
1/2 Cucumber, sliced in rounds
2 Teaspoon umeboshi vinegar
2 Teaspoons olive oil
2 Teaspoon soy sauce
Sea Salt
Noodles:
Boil 6 cups of water in a pot with 2 teaspoons of sea salt.
Put pasta into boiling water and let it boil until cooked, approximately 8-10 minutes.
Drain pasta in a strainer and put noodles in a bowl with cold water. Drain noodles and place in refrigerator.
Vegetables and Seitan:
Saute radish slices in a small fry pan on medium to medium low heat with 2 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a bowl.
Saute corn- first heat the pan on medium heat, add the corn, add 2 teaspoon of water and put the lid on. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 1 additional minute with the lid. Set aside in a bowl in the refrigerator.
Saute seitan in 1 teaspoon in olive oil for 1 minute on a medium high flame, then add 2 teaspoon of soy sauce and saute for 30 seconds.
Sauce:
To make the sauce: put the sauerkraut, apple juice, miso and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Assemble:
Put noodles on a plate or in a bowl.
Drizzle the sauce onto the noodles.
Place the lettuce, cucumbers, radish, corn and seitan in sections on top of the noodles. Drizzle again with sauce.
Optional: Garnish with sliced fresh basil, scallions, parsley or chives.
Feeling hungry in LA? Then drop by M Cafe. This place is fun, fresh and a nice place to grab a delicious and healthy bite to eat. This place is actually a macrobiotic cafe and is always busy with people who love to eat good and healthy food.
My favorite things here are the The M Chopped, hearts of romaine & mixed greens, avocado, cucumber, chickpeas, herb-baked tofu, scallions, umeboshi pickled radishes, carrots, beets, tamari-roasted almonds, crumbled tempeh“bacon” & tofu-peppercorn ranch dressing. I also loved the Ginger Snap Cookie, which was a soft and chewy, and perfectly sweet and gingery.
I also enjoyed the Strawberry Kanten, which was a mild and light dessert that was creamy, sweet and left me feeling satisfied but not heavy.
Check their website for more locations, hours and menus.
Babycakes is an all-natural and organic vegan kosher bakery with kitch appeal and delectable adorable baked goods. That's a mouthful- and so are their creamy frosted cupcakes... A friend of mine turned me on to this place when I lived in New York 2 years ago. They now have a location in Los Angeles- so you can get Babycakes on either coast!
They make sinful (but not too sinful, because they are naturally sweetened) sweet bread loaves, cookies and cookie sandwiches, brownies, buns and pies, many of which contained unrefined sugar, and are gluten and soy-free. They use mostly agave syrup for sweetener, which is a healthier alternative to refined white sugar.
So, next time you are craving homemade goodies and want to go healthier, check them out! They also have a great cookbook for sale so you can make your own Babycakes at home.
I just got back from my first visit to LA's famed vegan organic restaurant, Real Food Daily. My friend and I went to grab a bite to eat and possibly sight some celebrities- Ellen DeGeneres mentioned she likes to eat there a lot. (I love Ellen!) The hype and celebrity status of this place did not disappoint- we had a great time eating delicious Mexican food and dessert, talking to the friendly wait staff and people watching the interesting variety of clientele. This place also happens to be kosher, which makes it convenient for all types of people to eat healthier.
I ordered the Supreme Burrito, which was a huge burrito filled with Spanish rice, black beans, tempeh bacon, cashew cheese, vegetables, avocado, tofu sour cream and ranchero sauce and served with salad. I could only eat half of it- it was so filling! I also ordered the Dream Chocolate Pudding, a thick, rich, creamy and smooth cold pudding that was heavenly.
My friend ordered the El Bandito Rojo, which was pretty much like vegan enchiladas full of richness and flavor, without the cheesy, over-oily heaviness of real enchiladas. It was delicious!
I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for fun and delicious healthy food and desserts. They also have a nice cookbook.
Hungry for some super-fun delicious vegan food that feels like a party in your mouth? Vegan Glory gives you just that. Located in Los Angeles, California, Vegan Glory is a great casual place to go get a meal. They have a huge menu and lots of variety, so you can get Japanese, Mexican, Thai, OR Chinese food- all from the same restaurant! I went with some friends recently and we all ordered different things to share. Everything we ordered was awesome. I definitely recommend this place!
Green Festival is a fun and exciting weekend festival featuring 125 renowned authors, leader and educators, 350 eco-businesses (offering giveaways, discounts and free samples), workshops, kid's activities, entertainment, and an organic, vegetarian food court.
It is now being held in 4 different places in the United States every year and is the largest sustainability event in the world. It is the only green event that screens all exhibitors for their commitment to sustainability, ecological balance and social justice using Green America’s green business standards. It also offsets 100% of its electricity emissions with clean, renewable energy and each year, gets closer and closer to being a zero-waste event.
This is definitely one eco-event I never miss!
Check it out online:
http://www.greenfestivals.org/
Wanna meet interesting people who are passionate about eco-ness, find a green job, or tell people about your green business? If so, then check out Green Drinks! Green Drinks is a fun way to network and connect with others who work or would like to work in environmentally respectful jobs. See their websites to get more info, attend an event, or set up a Green Drinks in your area.
