Eco-Smoothies: Berry Green Recipe

Today's recipe caps off our week of budget friendly smoothie recipes. The ingredients for these healthy, green drinks shouldn't cost more than $15.

Recipe #4: Berry Green Smoothie

Give your body a break with this Berry Green Smoothie. At about 177 calories this high fiber, low calorie, and antioxidant rich smoothie, makes sure the body barely does any work to break down these essential nutrients.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 cup of blackberries
• ½ cup pineapples
• ½ cup orange juice

Directions:

Eco-Smoothies: Not-So-Mellow-Yellow Recipe

This week on the Green Life, we're highlighting refreshing smoothie recipes and daily action tips to help you feel fit and energized.

Recipe #3: Not-So-Mellow-Yellow Smoothie

 Looking for something to satiate that sweet tooth? This refreshing smoothie is sure to do the trick. It also has some key ingredients, like apples and bananas that will give you an all-natural energy boost.

Ingredients:

Eco-Smoothies: Berry Bliss Recipe

This week, we're pairing healthy eco-smoothie recipes with easy exercises to help you kick off a healthier, greener 2013.

Recipe #2: Berry Bliss Smoothie

Just can’t wrap your mind around spinach in your smoothie? Well there are some great alternatives that will still provide you with plenty of fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. The measurements of raspberries and blackberries in this Go Green Smoothie offer you 60 percent of your daily value of fiber and up to 88 percent of you daily value of manganese. Opt for local and organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

4 Eco-Smoothies to Boost Your Metabolism

Still carrying around a few extra pounds from those sinful holiday food splurges? Don't worry, we'll help you get back on track. This week, pair our four eco-smoothie recipes with our daily Healthy Action Tips to kick those post-holiday pounds to the curb and jump-start a healthier, greener 2013. Best of all, you only need eight ingredients, all of which you can find at your local grocery store for under $15!

Recipe #1: Go Green or Go Home Smoothie

With powerhouse vegetable spinach as the leading ingredient, it is hard to go wrong with this flavorful smoothie. Packed with iron, fiber, antioxidants, vitamin A & C and potassium, this low-fat, vegan drink will give you the energy boost you need to start your day while kicking your metabolism into high gear. Pair it with our Healthy Action Tip of the Day below to burn a few extra calories while barely breaking a sweat.

Ingredients:

10 Ways to Give Back on MLK Day

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was more than a monumental figure for social change, he was also a man dedicated to service. In memory of his life and legacy, it is important that we all ask ourselves what he believed to be life's most urgent question,"What are you doing for others?" With this in mind, we encourage you to take the time to give back to your community and make MLK day a day on, not a day off. Below are a list of ten activities taking place in major cities around the country.

Volunteer at Golden Gate National Parks (San Francisco and Marin County,CA)

Looking for a way to serve your community while enjoying beautiful scenery? Commemorate MLK Day by volunteering with Golden Gate National Parks. There are volunteer opportunities at the following locations: Alcatraz, Fort Baker, Marin County, Mori Point, Muir Beach, Ocean Beach, Presidio of San Francisco, San Francisco, San Mateo County. Whether you are restoring garden on Alcatraz or assisting with grounds maintenance at Fort Baker, these activities are sure to enhance the community. All ages are welcome.

Volunteer with Truly Living Well (Atlanta, GA)

Help create a more sustainable community by joining Truly Living Well in their day of service event. Volunteers will be installing bed gardens for low-income housing divisions, families, community centers, and schools while encouraging people to grow their own food and eat healthy. This event will begin at 9:00 am at the Wheat Street Garden at 75 Hilliard St NE, Atlanta, GA.

10 Ways to Kick the Cold

Ooh baby it's cold outside! But what to do to fight off that icy weather that's got you shivering and shaking? Whether you love to be outdoors or long to hibernate during the wintery months, we've got some suggestions to help you keep that chill out of your bones. 

Go on a hike: The best way to warm up is to get your blood pumping, and going for a hike is the best way to do that if you’re looking for a cheap and invigorating form of entertainment. Hike the JMT or the Appalachian Trail for a bigger challenge, or head to the closest trail near you for an impromptu adventure.

Go to a movie: After a couple days of lounging around the house, sometimes you just have to get out, no matter how cold it is outside. Movies are a great way to escape from the cold and get rid of that cabin fever. You could check out the latest blockbusters, but why not take the opportunity to educate yourself. We recommend Chasing Ice for a profound look at the effects of climate change.

15 Resolutions You Can Cross Off Your List Today

The New Year is here, and what better way to celebrate than by doing some good! Whether you made resolutions or not, the start of a new year is a clean slate. You may not know what the next 12 months have in store, but you can guarantee that you jump-started 2013 on a positive note by accomplishing any (or all!) of the following eco-actions.

1. Keep the TV off. It's the first week of the New Year, do you really want to waste it sitting in front of the television? We thought not. You could get so much done today if you spend less time watching reruns — and you could cut down electricity usage too. 

2. Make dinner tonight. Why waste the gas and money to go out for dinner, when you can make a nice, hot meal right at home? Go with local, organic ingredients to step it up a notch. Not only will you be saving money, and help out the local economy, you'll have leftovers for later. 

3. Take a shorter shower. In general, it'd be good to cut back on excess water usage. You can install low-flow showerheads and fix leaky faucets for other inexpensive and easy conservation moves, but if you shave a minute or two off of your shower today that's a step in the right direction. Do that for a whole month and you could save 150 gallons of water and be one step closer to being a Water Sentinel. 

DIY Natural Soap: Stank Dog Soap

Heidi Corley Barto began to experiment with soap-making when her younger daughter started to experience skin issues. The Natural Soap Chef is the product of those experiments. Homemade soap allows you to control what goes into your soap, so that you can get clean while keeping nasty chemicals out of the environment and away from your skin. This recipe from The Natural Soap Chef is perfect for pet lovers.

Soap Recipe: Stank Dog Soap

This bar will deodorize anyone, canine or human! The idea for the soap came from my Vizsla dog, Penelope. Vizslas are known as Velcro dogs—they like to stick with their humans all the time. Penelope has been known to hop in while a family member is showering. Having a soap that serves double duty—what a brilliant idea!

Ingredients:

Green Your Holiday Spread

Now that you’ve got the decorations and partyware green themed, the food is the next essential ingredient to an eco-friendly party. Whether you decide to make the food yourself, have a potluck, or go with a caterer here are some tips for a spread that will keep your impact to a minimum.

Tip: Buy local, organic food for your holiday party.

Organic

Organic food isn’t just about putting the cleanest food into your own body; it’s about the entire process it went through before getting to you. By using organic food at your festivities, you’re helping to keep chemicals out of your body, but in the process you are keeping the environment and the workers who harvest your food chemical-free as well. While you may not be able to afford to make your whole spread organic, buying organic fruits and veggies is a great place to start.

Local

Not only is it helpful to your own community to buy local, it is also helpful to the environment in general. By buying local in the winter, your food will generally be fresher because it was harvested more recently before making it to your dinner table. This also cuts back on climate-change impacts on the environment because your food isn’t traveling thousands of miles before reaching the table. The best places to look for local foods would be at a farmers' market or even through local CSA’s (community supported agriculture), so make sure you do your research before the party.

Compost

Don't forget to use those recycling and compost bins that you've set out for the party. By composting what you don't eat, you are helping that next batch of holiday food to be grown. This way instead of your leftovers going to a landfill, they will go back into the soil to aid new crops to grow or livestock to eat well themselves. 

--Jess Krager

--Photos courtesy of iStock/manleyaudio

Read More:

Worth a Shot: Eco-Liquors

Sierra Club: Food and Drink Tips

4 Reasons Organic Foods are Healthier

 

Green Your Gifting: Party Favor Ideas

Whether you choose to do party favors or a gift exchange, a party always has more pizzazz if the guests don’t go home empty-handed. You could prepare a small token or give them the tools to make their own favors, but setting up a little something extra will go a long way toward making your guests feel appreciated.

Tip: Give green party favors or presents.

Party favors can be a great little takeaway for your holiday party. Depending on your time limit and budget, there are a couple different ways to go. 

Get crafty

Sometimes something handmade will impress your guests more than spending some cash. If you have spare time, you could individual gifts. A cute idea for individually made treasures are creating homemade ornaments  out of items around your house. Clothespins make great reindeer or toy soldier ornatments; and lightbulbs are pefect for Santas or penguins. Grab some paint and any extra bits of flair your can think of and craft something special for your coworkers. 

If you're short on time, set up a "photo booth" at your holiday party. Use old gift wrapping paper to create the backdrop. Next, use old boxes and paint/markers to make designs such as antlers, beards, santa hats, holiday scarves, elf hats, etc. Stick the cardboard to some wooden skewers and you have props for slightly cheesing yet memorable photos. Have a designated photographer for the evening and at the end of the party, upload them to a website, email them to guests, or print them out yourself if you have the materials.