Friday, June 21, 2013
If you’re like me then you’ll jump on almost any excuse to get outside
and soak up some vitamin D while it lasts. In my opinion, there’s absolutely nothing
better than parking yourself on a sunny patio and enjoying a cold one with a
few good friends. But as we all know, if one beverage leads to more than a few
it will most likely make for an unpleasant morning the next day.
As far as I know, there is no steadfast cure for this predicament but
one of my favourite pick-me-ups when I’m feeling a little under the weather is
a nice big glass of green juice. If you’ve never tried juicing before this
might sound a bit scary, but I assure you that this recipe is delicious
and nutritious. It’s packed with vitamin C and will help flush out those toxins
in no time.
I sometimes modify the proportions a little, but if you follow these general
guidelines you should wind up with enough juice for one tall glass and
maybe a bit left over for later in the day.
To make, simply throw the following ingredients in your juicer (organic
is best!):
- 1 to 2 apples (I prefer Granny Smith but you can use whatever you like)
- 1 cucumber
- 1 hand-full of fresh kale
- 4 stalks of celery
- 1 thumb of fresh ginger
Whether you’re looking to detoxify or just start your day off on a
healthy note this juice will give you the boost you need. Give it a try and let me
know what you think!
Photo credit: Arnold Gatilao
StylishOrganicFamilyLiving.com is your one-stop online shopping destination for fashionable organic clothing & accessories, sustainable furniture, & home décor. Go green in 2013!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
With Mother’s Day just around the
corner, it’s got me thinking about just how lucky I am to have a
mom like mine. She's taught me countless lessons over the years that
have served me well in my life, but three things in particular stand
out as I look back on my childhood.
Just by being herself, my mom was able
to teach me about the fundamentals of living a healthy and balanced
lifestyle. In fact, I'm sure that I learned more from her example
than I ever did from any text book or university lecture. In one way
or another all moms have something to bring to the table when it
comes to teaching their kids, but today I want to share with you the
three lessons that my mom taught me that will forever make her
awesome!
Lesson #1 – Eat Real Food
When I was a kid I used to beg my mom
to buy me store-bought granola bars, cookies, fruit roll-ups, you
name it, for my lunches at school. You see, my mom always went to the
trouble of making everything from scratch and flat out refused to
feed me anything that came from a package. At the time I wasn't
always appreciative of her home cooking, but as an adult I'm now
fully aware of I just how lucky I really was.
Although it was sometimes a struggle
for her, I'm sure, my mom never wavered in her commitment to feed her
family what I like to call 'real food'. I spent countless hours in
the kitchen with her learning how to cook and about proper nutrition.
In my opinion, this life skill is simply invaluable, and for that I
am forever grateful.
Lesson #2 – Respect the Earth
Yup! My mom is probably one of the main
reasons why I turned out to be the earth loving creature that I am
today. By teaching me the basics of gardening when I was a little
girl she also taught me about the importance of preserving and
respecting the delicate balance of our eco-systems. We also talked a
lot about the environment when I was growing up. I think these
conversations coupled with the gardening really helped me to understand our impact on the earth
as a species and why we need to protect it.
Lesson #3 – Stay Fit & Stay
Healthy
My mom must have spent countless hours
trucking me around from one arena to the next when I was a kid. I was
an avid figure skater from the time I was about five to fifteen years
old, and she never missed a single performance in all those years.
I don’t think anyone ever believed I would be the next Michelle
Kwan or Nancy Kerrigan, but my mom recognized the importance of
physical fitness and made every effort to keep me active when I was
growing up.
Of course I'm my own individual, but in
many ways I owe my mother for guiding me in the right direction and for
setting such a prime example in these three areas. This Mother's Day
I'm hoping to spend some quality time with her and to let her know
just how much I appreciate everything she's done over the years. Thanks Mom!
If you're looking to treat your mother to
something special on the 12th, check out our selection of organic bamboo and organic cotton towels. These make a lovely gift for almost
any occasion and come in variety of beautiful colours. When in doubt,
you can also go for a gift certificate and let her choose for
herself!
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Spring has finally sprung which means
that it's time to break out the patio furniture and get started on
the yard clean up after a long and cold winter. If you're like me,
then you're looking forward to spending as much time outside as
possible during the oncoming warmer months.
The key to getting the most out of this
spring and summer season is to create an outdoor living space that is
both functional and aesthetically pleasing. In our family we spend
countless hours eating and lounging on the back deck when the weather
is nice so we work hard to make sure that it's comfortable and
inviting.
When you're setting up your patio this
season, consider adding one of our stylish outdoor rugs to your decor.
These eco friendly rugs resist water, mold and mildew and are very
easy to clean. Made from 100% all-weather polypropylene pile with a
100% natural jute warp, these rugs do wonders for a sparsely
decorated deck. They work great under your table set to protect your
deck from scuffs and scratches; or, you can even use your outdoor rug to cover up unsightly stains and scuff marks until
you're ready to refinish the patio.
Choose from 7 different attractive
designs, including: Ankara Crème/Green, Ankara Creme/Brown, Terme Creme/Green, Terme Creme/Brown, Murat Creme/Brown, Murat Creme/Blue, Murat Creme/Brown.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
In honour of Peter
Cottontail and the oncoming Easter season, I'm dedicating this post
to some of my favourite organic cotton items available right here
through Stylish Organic Family Living.
Cotton
is a great choice for clothing and many types of textile products
because it is soft, breathable and natural. It looks great, feels
great, and it can last for a very long time. But according to
the Organic Trade Association (2011), "cotton covers 2.5% of the
world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides".
That's more than any other single major crop!
The alternative is to buy organic
cotton, which has all the benefits of conventional cotton but without
the pesticides. In short, organic cotton is better for you and better for
the environment. So without further ado, here are my top three
Easter weekend organic cotton picks!
-
I recently treated myself to one of these robes, and I absolutely love it! The jersey knit cotton is just the right weight for the spring and summer season and it is extremely soft against my skin.
My organic cotton robe is the perfect thing to throw on after a relaxing bath or a nice hot shower because it absorbs excess moisture and keeps me nice and warm. If I had my way of ways, I would never take it off! So if you love to lounge, then this is the organic cotton item for you. -
I don't have any little ones myself but I adore our animal alphabet organic cotton onesies (only available in USA). These fun and colourful bodysuits are a guaranteed hit at baby showers and are a great way to show your support for the momma to be!
-
I'm cheating a bit with this one because it's a blend of organic cotton and organic bamboo but I'm including it anyway. I simply love the figure flattering and feminine design of this halter dress by Jonano. It makes me all that much more excited for the warmer weather so that I can take it for a spin!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
This blog post is the third in a
three part series that I'm dedicating to the topic of creating a
healthier home environment. In this series I will be covering (1)
Household Hazardous Waste Disposal, (2) Green Cleaning Techniques and
(3) Improving Indoor Air Quality.
My goal is to make my own home a
healthier place to live. In so doing, I would like to share the
information and resources that I come across in the hopes that it
might be of some use to you and your family. By the same token, I'm
sure that many of you reading this will have some knowledge of your
own in these areas. If you have any helpful hints, anecdotal evidence
or words of advice please share!
Here's to creating healthy homes and a healthy environment with healthy and happy people.
Here's to creating healthy homes and a healthy environment with healthy and happy people.
Did you know that
on average Canadians spend approximately 90% of their time indoors
(hc-sc.gc.ca)? Americans are right up there too with an average of
90% or more of their time spent inside (epa.gov).
I was shocked when
I first read this, but when you consider that most people spend a
good seven hours a day in front of a computer or some type of screen
and then another 6 to 8 hours a night sleeping, it all starts to add
up.
All that to say
that indoor air quality is an important topic for us Canadians and
Americans, and one that doesn't get nearly enough attention. We all
know that clean air is essential to our good health but how do we
prevent it from becoming polluted? I doubt whether 100% clean air is
a possibility but there are some steps we can take to ensure better
air quality in our homes.
According
to Health Canada, there are two major sources of indoor air
pollutants: (1) biological and (2) chemical. Biological pollutants
consist of living organisms such as mould. Chemical pollutants are
gases and particles emitted from things like combustion appliances,
tobacco smoke, household products like cleaners and air fresheners,
paints, and personal care products like perfume and hair spray.
The
list below addresses each one of these problem areas and provides a
brief solution for eliminating the potential hazard:
- MouldThe best way to prevent mould is avoid excessive humidity in your home. If you live in a climate where this might be a potential issue then consider a dehumidifier or perhaps some ceiling fans (especially in the bathroom).
- Combustion Appliances (example: furnace)Make sure to have all combustion appliances checked once a year by a specialist. Without proper maintenance combustion appliances are at an increased risk of emitting carbon monoxide and other harmful pollutants. All houses should also be equipped with a working carbon monoxide detector.
- Tobacco SmokeThis one is an easy fix. No smoking inside!
- Household CleanersMany household cleaners give off harmful gases. For some green cleaning ideas that are both safe and effective, check out my earlier post here. If you must use chemical-based cleaners make sure you follow all the instructions on the packaging.
- PaintIt is now possible to buy VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) free paint. It might be a little more expensive but I personally feel that it is worth the extra cost. If you are using regular paint, make sure that you are working in a well ventilated area as many paints and varnishes will give off harmful gases, such as formaldehyde. It is also important to know that many furniture items are finished with varnishes and paints that can off gas even after they're dry. Click here for our selection of low VOC emission bamboo furniture.
- Personal Care ProductsAnything with artificial fragrances or scents in it is a no no. Lately I've been on a mission to rid my beauty regimen of all unnatural products. So far I've made my own body scrub, lip balm and facial cleanser and I'm on the look out for some natural perfumes to try out. Like with grocery shopping, the best way to go about buying personal care products is to read the ingredients list.
What did I miss?
Do you have any tips or recommendations on cleaning up indoor air
quality? If so, please share!
Friday, March 15, 2013
With Saint
Patrick's Day just a couple of sleeps away I'm sure many of you are
looking forward to a nice pint of beer (or two...) and some good, old
fashioned, toe tappin' Irish music. I know I am! But before the party
gets rolling, let's take a minute to think about how we can turn this
celebration into the greenest day of the year!
Here are my four
quick tips for a super fun and super eco-friendly St. Pat's:
Here are my four
quick tips for a super fun and super eco-friendly St. Pat's:
1. Wear Green
Wearing green on
St. Patrick's Day is a longstanding tradition, but this year why not
take it to the next level by donning something that is both green and
organic? There are plenty of reasons to wear organic clothing but the
long and the short of it is that organic farming is better for the
environment and better for people because it prevents harmful
chemicals from polluting our eco-systems. Check out my earlier post
on Three Good Reasons to Go for Organic for more info.
Another great way
to wear green this Saint Patrick's Day is to pick up something from
your local thrift or second hand store. After all, there's no sense
in letting good clothes go to waste.
2. Drink Green
Remember that nice
pint of beer we talked about? Well, here's a great opportunity to
support your local brewmaster and to do something good for the
environment too. Instead of ordering one of the big brand names that
likely had to travel many miles to get to your chosen watering hole,
ask your server if they have any local or organic beers on tap. Who
knows, you may just discover a new favourite!
3. Travel Green
If you're planning
on partying at home then you can go ahead and skip this one. But if
you're thinking about hitting the town make sure you take advantage
of whatever public transportation is available in your city. Public
transit helps cut back on carbon emissions and it's really the best
option if you're planning on having a couple drinks.
4. Eat Green
Some
of you aren't going to like this one, but if at all possible try to
stick to vegetarian cuisine. According to MNN.com, “the
average cattle ranch can produce as much sewage runoff as a small
city”. I don't know about you but the thought of that is enough to
put me off my burger entirely. But if you're still set on some
traditional Irish cuisine, look into whether you can get some organic
meat.
And there you have it! Four easy ways
to green your Saint Patrick's Day experience. Have you got any tips
of your own? If so, I would love to hear about them.
Have a happy and eco-friendly St. Pat's, everyone!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Refresh for spring with a set of
organic cotton or bamboo towels. On sale from now until Saturday
morning (sale ends 03/16/2013 at 9 AM ET), all towel sets have been
marked down to just $45! Available in a range of beautiful colours,
make sure you get your hue before supplies run out.
Each bath towel set includes one 13 x
13 wash cloth, one 15 x 30 hand towel, and one 30 x 56 bath towel.
Choose between 100% bamboo fiber or 100% organic cotton for the
ultimate in quality and luxury.
My personal preference is the bamboo
for its super absorbency and silky softness, but the organic cotton
is also divine.
Ready to take a look? Click HERE to view our fabulous selection!
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