hello dearies!  it feels funny to not have written a shop help post yesterday, but just in case you missed the news- biz articles will only be posted occasionally, as this fall i’m offering a brand new e-course for online sellers called selling the handmade way- i hope to see you there!

ethiopian coffee travel bag

lately, i’ve been thinking a lot about shopping ethically.  every time i’m in the store and reach for an organic goody, the annoyingly cheaper alternative always seems to scream at me.  it’s for this reason why i constantly  have to remind myself why it’s important to shop with a conscience.

go green grocery market bag

you may say, why is it important to shop ethically? with every purchase you make, you vote for what you believe in, what you support, and what you want to see more of.  if we increase the demand for more organic, local, fair trade, sustainable products, then companies will respond and the prices will come down.  with every purchase, we send a message directly to the manufacturers about what we want and what we like to buy.  the products we purchase have a direct effect on our economy, our personal health, and the health of our planet.

ergonomic coffee sleeve pattern

how to do you begin? i like to start off by asking myself a few questions:

• - do i really need this?
• - will i be able to use this for long time, then recycle it?
• - how far did this have to travel to reach me?
• - who made it and how were they treated?
• - is it labeled honestly or with clever marketing?

organic lunch tote

so how do you shop ethically? there are a few guidelines that i try to adhere to anytime i can.  first, if there’s an organic option, i always try to support it!  if you can’t afford to buy everything organic, do some research on what is most important to buy organically.  for instance, (for health reasons) it’s more important to buy organic strawberries than it is to buy organic bananas, because the thicker skinned fruits aren’t as susceptible to absorbing pesticides.

next, always buy your fruits and veggies seasonally and try to buy them local if you can.  preserving seasonal foods while you can will save you from contributing to the thousands of miles these foods must travel out of season.  read more about our initiative to eat more seasonal and local foods here.

always read the labels. with statements like fresh, all natural, cage free, no added hormones and no added gmo- it’s hard to know what’s what!  often times there aren’t any regulations behind such statements, so it’s important to find out where it’s coming from- an agency, the government or the company itself?  be conscious of marketing efforts and don’t fall victim to thinking items are good for you just because they’re covered with green labels and leaves.  to find out more about what these statements mean and who’s behind them, read this article on making sense of food labels.

fair trade coffee

choose fair trade. fairly traded goods mean that the people who grew the food or produced the item are getting paid and treated fairly, meaning they’ll be able to stay in business!

purchase with a conscious. go beyond personal health and look for the most recycled, low packaging options available.  support recycled paper goods for your kitchen, bathrooms and office and always look for the products that have the lease amount of packaging.  instead of buying single use items, invest in melamine plates for picnics, cloth towels for napkins/paper towels and reusable grocery bags to shop with.

buy  handmade! that’s an easy one, right?! if you think there might be a handmade alternative, skip the big box store and support small businesses.  visit places like etsy, artfire or your favorite handmade blog to find alternatives.

check ME grocery list

it’s not always easy (or most affordable) to shop with a conscious, but don’t think that your efforts are wasted or go unnoticed. whether it’s one ethical purchase or a hundred-  you really do make a difference and your health as well as the health of the planet will benefit from every sustainable decision you make!

do you have any tips, advice or suggestions?

wrap up: {conscience} {eco} {local} {shop ethically} {simple living} {sustainable}

hello lovelies!  today i have two of my favorite veggie recipes to share with you! between the abundance of veggies at the local market and my small veggie garden, it’s been pretty easy to eat local around here.  how has it been for you?

the first recipe is for roasted veggies with fresh garden herbs.  this is such a hearty dish that it could be used as a main course! served with pepper fried eggs over top would  make this a meal of it’s own.

ingredients:

• - 2 medium potatoes
• - 1 beet
• - 1 medium zucchini
• - fresh herbs (i used sage, dill, rosemary and basil)
• - 2 tbs olive oil
• - salt and pepper

directions:

cube your veggies and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper.  place on a lightly greased baking pan in a single layer and add your herbs on top.  roast at 450 for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

i bought these heirloom purple green beans at our local market, aren’t they pretty?  this recipe is for my favorite way to prepare green beans- the flavors go so well together and they look beautiful as a side dish (any green bean will work, these turn green as you cook them)!

ingredients:

• - fresh, local green beans
• - 1/2 cup of almonds (whole or sliced)
• - 1 tbs of olive oil
• - 1 tsp of lemon juice
• - salt and pepper

directions:

thoroughly wash, cut and remove the ends (or string) your green beans.  boil in a pot of salted water until bright green, about 15 minutes.  meanwhile, head the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  add the almonds and stir until lightly browned (about 4 minutes).  add the green beans, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  toss until coated and serve!

want to learn more about eating locally?  check out the eating local page for seasonal veggies, recipes and tips on eating in season!

wrap up: {almods} {eat} {green beans} {local} {potatos} {recipes} {roasted} {seasonal} {veggies}

happy friday lovelies!  today marks the first recipe in our summer series, yeah! summer recipes are always the easiest, just about everything grows in the beautiful warmth of summer!  today’s recipe is easy, beautiful and delicious. i like to call it ‘pepper hole eggs’.

ingredients:

- 1 large sweet pepper (i used local purple heirlooms peppers here, but any kind will work)

- 3 eggs, local eggs are always easy to find!

- 1 tbs of butter

- salt and pepper to taste

directions:

slice your pepper sideways to create hollow rings about 1/3″ thick.  let your butter melt in a skillet over medium heat.  once butter has melted, place your pepper rings in a single layer in the pan.  crack one egg in each pepper hole.  depending on whether you like your eggs over easy, medium or hard you can remove them from the pan or flip them accordingly.  for over hard, let cook until the yellows are slightly firm then flip with a spatula.  let them cook a few more minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

these are delicious by themselves, over salads or as an easy meat replacement for dinner.  you can even sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over them to bring out a new rich flavor, enjoy!

wrap up: {eggs} {local} {pepper} {recipe} {seasonal} {summer}

it’s important to eat as local as you can, but what are you supposed to eat in february? when the only thing blooming is your desire for spring, it can be difficult to eat seasonally.  but, there are a few things that make deep winter delicious, and with this new column i’m naming ‘in season’, i hope give you lots of new ideas to eat locally- one season at a time!

with today’s recipes, i’m going to share with you my favorite way to eat brussel sprouts, and then what to do with the leftovers the next morning!  i made these sprouts earlier this week as a side with my dinner, and then yesterday morning made a delicious omelet from them!

i made the omelet with leftover sprouts, fresh local sliced apple and cheddar cheese. i’ve even made it before adding avocado and goat cheese- and it was so delicious!  since i didn’t have either of these yesterday, i left them out- but i encourage you to try it- yum yum yum!

here’s the recipe for fresh brussel sprouts & a delicious omelet!

wrap up: {apple} {brussel sprouts} {eat} {local} {omelet} {produce} {recipe} {seasonal} {vegetables}