After a morning yoga session I brewed a cup of Yogi green tea and took a few minutes to chill with the November issue of Whole Living. And what did I uncover? Aside from their usual array of scrumptious looking recipes (this month they feature the oft neglected “sides” – from corn bread to sweet potato, green beans and a tempting acorn squash with quinoa and pistachios) …

• Rachel Meltzer Warren’s Too Much of a Good Thing (7 common eating habits that may be sabotaging your health – dried fruit alert)
• Jolene Hart’s Ancient Skin Wisdom (According to Ayuervedic principles, are you predominantly vata, pitta or kapha? Know your dosha and learn how to care for your skin)
• how to make a refreshing do-it-yourself facial mask based on in-season clementines
• the benefits of a quick juice cleanse (give your liver a break).

Here’s looking forward to more good things in November, a time to reflect and reconnect. What are you looking forward to? If you’ve lost power in the northeast due to that surprise snowstorm yesterday, let me guess … power, heat and a good night’s sleep.

Halloween is all about costumes and treats (what happened to the tricks?) … we’re all about having fun but we don’t need to lack eco consciousness while having a blast. Here are a few green tricks of the trade when it comes to doling out the treats:

• rather than candy … individually wrapped prunes (I know, sounds weird but they’re delicious), Fig Newtons, granola snack bars, pretzels, trail mix, mini boxes of raisins, shelled peanuts or pumpkin seeds.

• Annie’s Bunny Fruit Snacks, available at Whole Foods, Target and others, check Store Locator on site for details

• Bare Fruit Snacks – low calorie, high fiber 100% organic chips

• tasty, healthy mini bars from Nature’s Path – choose EnviroKidz treats, they’re: gluten-free, low-fat, contain no artificial preservatives and are made with certified organic ingredients. Try the Organic Koala Crispy Rice Chocolate Bars – they’re quite good.
• Terra Chips – dried veggie chips in 1 oz. trial size, 24-packs (more…)

A Tried and True Green Product Review … one complimentary bag of EnviroKidz Crispy Rice Bars treats was provided us for the purposes of this review. In short – they’re fun, tasty and crunchy.

Don’t be afraid … bag in hand and ready to dole out samples, we made our way to our 12-year-old nephew’s soccer game. Adults and kids alike gave these eco-friendly and healthy treats a try and everyone thought they were “good!” After sampling 4 (it was a 2-hour game), 7-year-old brother Austin stuffed 2 more in his pockets to have later – presumably, the moment he got home.

The texture of these treats is on the order of a classic Rice Krispies marshmallow treat … flavor-wise, they’re milk chocolatey with a hint of vanilla and without a trace of overly sweet marshmallow goo. The fine print on this fine treat: (more…)

Honeydrop Beverages is a healthy line of teas and juices powered by honey. The Brooklyn, NY-based company is a leading producer of natural teas and juices made with a spoonful of pure wildflower honey, domestically sourced from regional beekeepers across the U.S..

Honeydrop recently announced their “Buy a Bottle – Save a Bee” initiative where a percentage of the profits from each bottle sold are donated to local beekeepers throughout the country to help battle Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), an epidemic threatening the global bee population. (more…)

Take that hot lunch on the road in a classy reusable container. This nifty food container system is part of Black+Blum’s updated product line. Each container of the two-pot canister has a watertight locking seal so liquids don’t leak. When empty, the smaller pot fits into the larger pot for compact storage. The whole deal is lightweight, BPA-free, and microwave and dishwasher safe. Includes a handy spork and carry strap. The containers also come in white with green trim, or black.

$22 @ A+R Store

The Atlanta Botanical Garden has created a beautiful area of colorful landscape gardens and a green wall (below) constructed entirely of edible vegetables, fruits and herbs. The Edible Garden, which first opened in 2010, was created to demonstrate that fruits and vegetables are not only healthy, but make beautiful landscape plants.

The garden includes an outdoor kitchen where Atlanta’s top chefs present cooking classes and weekend cooking events. Any harvested food not used in educational programs is donated to local charities. (more…)

Although there is no miracle cure that can completely stop aging from taking a toll on you, there still are some natural superfoods that can help you age gracefully, and look and feel youthful inside out. While you may not be able to be your sweet sixteen again, being proactive about anti-aging can definitely help you cut down one or two decades from your actual age.

Listed below are top 9 great superfoods that are marveled for their anti-aging properties:
1.  Blueberries – Any food rich in antioxidants is your best bet when it comes to anti-aging endeavors. They rebuild the damaged body cells and postpones the aging process. Blueberries enjoy the reputation of being the most antioxidant-rich food on Earth.

2.  Orange Juice – Kick-start your day with a glass of orange juice to reap the benefits of vitamin C, body beta, and other such elements of anti-aging contained in orange juice. It also serves as a great energy booster.

3.  Fish – A rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, fresh salmon is especially loaded with benefits for adults who wish to stay mentally quick with age.

4.  Green Tea – Green tea has been known to be associated with lowering the risk for breast cancer. The scientific justification suggests that green tea reduces the estrogen levels in the body, which otherwise increases the possibility of breast cancer. (more…)

Top priority for most of us is maintaining good health. We try to make smart food choices and exercise, but many of us seek products that provide some extra oomph. Just look at the nutritional supplement business – it’s booming. According to an article in Sunday’s NY Times, Ingredients of Shady Origins, Posing as Supplements:

“Even though there is little evidence that many dietary supplements provide real health benefits, legal supplements, from multivitamins to ginkgo biloba, are a big and growing business. Americans spent $28.1 billion on them last year, up from $21.3 billion five years ago, according to estimates from Nutrition Business Journal, a market research firm.”  (more…)

Wouldn’t it be great to have access to locally grown, organic lettuce in your market all the time – no matter where you live? And I mean, really local … grown, say, right in or near your urban center, without the use of arable land — and without the need to ship lettuce from California to the east coast — saving natural resources, shipping, time … while providing fresh organic lettuce on a steady basis.

Matt Liotta, founder of Atlanta-based start-up, PodPonics, aims to offer the ability to grow organic hydroponic lettuce locally in specially outfitted recycled shipping containers.

These computer-controlled environmental systems have a bunch of great features: (more…)