Be Discerning - Know the Best Flowers to Give and Receive

It was recently brought to my attention that even fresh cut flowers can be, literally and figuratively, greener than others. The floral industry is huge in our country ( because really, who doesn't like flowers) and I guess It shouldn't be surprising that conventional growers can be very harmful to the environment for the same reasons as other agriculture where pesticides are used extensively. Species are forced to grow all year round before being shipped across the world just so we can be guaranteed a large, predictable selection wherever and whenever stopping to buy a bouquet.

Even though I have been enlightened to these facts, having the 
occasional arrangement welcome me into a living room, somehow gives me so much pleasure and makes me love the space I'm in that much more. So, as with anything else, I don't plan to give my occasional floral indulgence up completely or suggest that anyone else do the same. If you are thinking about putting the finishing touches on your holiday decor with fresh floral arrangements to invite guests into your home, or possibly have a holiday host you were planning to give flowers to for the event, it is still possible to do all of that with beautiful flowers you'll appreciate even more.

The rule of thumb (no matter how green your thumb is) is to follow the same guidelines as you do when buying fresh produce. By shopping locally, in season, and fair trade organic  when possible you will end up with great fresh flowers that will last longer and are just better for any bouquet or arrangement.

Be Green-Homemade Christmas Gifts!

My name is Carol. Ange ask me to blog about a memorable green Christmas activity. The photo coaster project immediately came to mind. I hope you enjoy it! My sister, Susan a fellow Be Lister, and I set out to make a special Christmas gift for my brother and his wife with a couple of purposes in mind. We wanted to:

1) Be Green. We achieved this by designing a gift idea that used a minimum number of raw materials and in addition, we vowed to use our existing craft supplies, buying very little new. This meant that we needed to coordinate and pool what we already had.

2) Be Connected. We wanted to meaningfully connect with my brother and his family by making a gift that shortens the distance by conveying our deep love. This family will be celebrating Christmas 1500 miles away.

Using extra scrap booking paper, extra photos, a glue stick, sand paper and some stain, we were able to achieve our goals. All we purchased was a pressed board coaster set from Whimsadoodle, a wonderfully eclectic shop in downtown St. Pete, Florida. If you are ever in St. Pete, stop by. When I step into Whimsadoodle, my creative juices are stirred and I get so inspired by their many project ideas. 

We traced the shape of the coaster onto different pieces of scrapbook paper. My sister, Susan, picked out the most fun patterns to give the project a whimsical feel. She has a great eye for patterns and colors. After tracing the pattern, we cut out the paper to fit the back of the coaster.  We then selected black and white photos to contrast with the colorful patterns on the back.  It gave us the look and feel we wanted, playful but well designed.  We traced the coaster pattern onto the photos. My sister has a practiced graphic design eye and cropped the photos well. We glued the back of the pictures, the paper and the coasters and pressed them onto the coasters, front and back. We sanded the edges of the coasters. Last step, we stained the base and the edges of the coasters. As to the success of the project, I need to mention-- It does help that children are absolutely adorable and photograph wonderfully.  This was a key ingredient! 

Anyhow, I think it will be an "awww" moment when this gift is opened. What are your thoughts? 

We packed into a box and off it went. For $8.00 plus shipping of $5.00, I think we achieved our purposes and gave a fun gift for the parents and kids to handle and enjoy. We felt very green knowing that we did not add to the consumption factor and did not just add another possession to this household.  Green is good! Be Better, Carol

Be Fiberful-Easy One Pot Lentil Meal

Lentils make for a tasty, nutritious meal that you can make ahead of time and be very creative with your additions. But first, let me introduce myself. I am Carol, Jen's and Ange's partner at TheBeList. Jen invited me to blog today about this fantastic recipe. During the joyful, but hectic nature  of the holiday season, it makes so much sense to plan ahead for dinner! One pot meals are a favorite of mine because, I can cook early in the morning (when I am full of energy and creativity) and have a delicious meal ready when I walk in the door no matter how late.

 Planning ahead allows me to be disciplined with my budget and helps me avoid eating away from home or, worse yet, rushing through an unhealthy dinner meal simply because it was easy to use processed ingredients or prepared foods. I am nearly fifty and love the way I feel and look when I consistently follow Jen's advice and guidance, eating in a healthy way that suits my body type, metabolism, and specific age needs.

I found this recipe at Recipezaar, a favorite website of TheBeList.com.  The picture to the left is the finished recipe before any meat or poultry (optional) is added.  I modified the recipe to substitute fresh ingredients for the canned and processed ingredients.  I have a meat-eating husband and son, so with this recipe, it is easy (at the end, before serving) to add cooked andouille sausage, chopped grilled organic chicken or ground turkey. Actually, I can think of many more ideas and invite you to offer your thoughts. The picture below is the dish before adding the liquid and the lentils.

After adding the liquid and the lentils, this is how the dish looks.  If this your first time cooking with lentils, don't worry, the liquid absorbs and you have a hearty dish.

1 hour to prepare/  20 minutes prep

Serves 8

1/2 cup olive oil

4 medium onions, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

3 tsp of thyme (fresh)

1 tsp of marjoram

6 cups of vegetarian stock

2 cups dried lentils (wash first)

salt to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

8 plum tomatoes or 4 large tomatoes, chopped

1/2 dry sherry

Options:

grated cheese to top

1 lb of sauteed andouille sausage or

1 lb of grilled chopped boneless chicken or

1 lb cooked ground turkey

In a very large pot cook, heat the olive oil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Then in the same pot,

Saute the carrots and onions for 5-6 minutes over low to medium heat until onions are clear

Add the stock at once, bring to a boil

Add lentils, tomatoes, salt and parsley

Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered for 45 minutes

Add sherry, cook 10 minutes more

Stop here for a wonderful vegan meal or

Add shedded cheese to top (parmesan) and/ or add cooked meat or poultry prior to serving.

Serve with a chopped salad, sliced apples, and soft bread or rolls.

Another added benefit of cooking with lentils is there is no need to soak them ahead of time. Besides the normal fun that occurs with aging (hot flashes, memory issues, mid-section weight gain), I also have been instructed to eat more fiber. This dish does the trick. Lentils, besides all the other health benefits, are a terrific source of fiber.  Lentils are a healthy ingredient for all ages.

Zero fat, zero cholesterol and look at the potassium! Be Better, Carol

Be Resourceful - A New Way to Re-gift

How do you embrace the holiday season of shopping for everything shiny and new while maintaining your green and reuse efforts? Give all the special people in your life the perfect present, beautifully wrapped, without sacrificing the Eco-friendly lifestyle you strive for all year long. Here are a few tips and ideas to keep you on the right track during the holidays and if you still need an extra incentive during this hectic month, chances are if you aren't wasting then you must be saving - time and money!

First off, when you are shopping for all of the people on your list start by getting something that is actually useful for the person you are giving it to. Buying just anything for the sake of having a gift to wrap up and put under the tree (or where ever), is where wastefulness begins. That person, I'm sure, will appreciate the thought, but can't you communicate the same thing through a nice card and maybe something home-made, like out of the ordinary healthy treats for example (which I'm sure is an area we can help you with). The fact of the matter is, if you aren't positive that the person you are buying for will absolutely love and use what you are giving them, it will most likely end up in a give away or trash pile come spring.

Probably the best and easiest way to save in the whole gift exchanging tradition is to be creative with your wrapping. I am not one to skimp on the presentation and I have found my more unconventional take on gift wrap to be even more special and hardly compromising. Just as I save shopping bags to be reused as necessary, I also save pretty, high quality paper, tissue, ribbon and boxes from other gift-giving occasions throughout the year. I keep a small basket to collect all of these found objects to be reconstructed in ways to be used to wrap future gifts. This year I am wrapping my Christmas gifts in a replica antique map that I was able to snag a few copies of for free from a museum I visited. I plan to embellish the bows with an ornament (either an old one I already have or one I would plan to give them anyway) and use cut outs from Christmas cards as the tags. Last month, I wrapped a birthday gift for my sister in the paper bag it came in, used floral pins from an arrangement I got to give it new life and a little reused satin ribbon for the finishing touch and the first thing she said when I gave it to her was, "I love this paper!"...case in point. Wallpaper samples do great double duty, too. If you don't have a stash of paper yet, that's ok. Use the gifts you get this holiday to jump start your collection.