EWG’s 2013 Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen: A Guide to Pesticides in Produce

Posted on April 29, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

We all know that pesticides on fruits and vegetables are harmful, but knowing which are worse than others can be a challenge. A budget is on nearly everyone’s mind, including my own, and knowing when to go organic and when to skip it can benefit your health as well as your purse.

That’s one of the many reasons I am thankful for the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG’s) annual list of the most pesticide-contaminated produce. Alternatively, they also produce an annual list of the least contaminated produce! Together these guides provide the knowledge you need to determine when organic is a must … or not Continue reading →

3 Actions to Celebrate Earth Day (Hint: They are all food related)

Posted on April 22, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

Happy Earth Day! Did you do anything this weekend to celebrate our beautiful planet? While I think Earth Day really should be Every Day, birthdays cannot be, so we celebrate those in style. It just so happened that SoulDaddy’s special day fell over the weekend, so we made sure to let him know how special we think he is.

Think lunch downtown, homemade vegan lasagna for dinner, and this organic, vegan carrot cake for dessert. Continue reading →

Thrilled to Join the Ecocentric Blogger Team!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

Every now and then, we get news that makes our day. And let me tell you that a cranky, pregnant woman needs happy news more than anyone. So I was thrilled when Ecocentric Mom told me I’ve been chosen to join their fabulous team of bloggers!

I know many woman claim pregnancy is the most fabulous thing ever. Miracle, especially at my age, sure. But fabulous? In my book, not so much. Continue reading →

How to Tell if an Egg is Still Good

Posted on April 13, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

Eggs have always been a staple in our refrigerator, and getting through them before the question came up ”Are they still good?” was never an issue. Until now. With our new, mostly vegan diet, those dozen eggs I pick up occasionally for SoulDaddy are sitting in the fridge longer and longer.

This morning K-Bear surprised me by asking for a Bird’s Nest for breakfast. Since the eggs were dated “Sell by March 28,” I was a bit skeptical to use them but I hate to waste. So I turned to this handy test, one I’ve read about in the past here. It’s so easy I had to pass it along! Continue reading →

Avoiding Hexane-Extracted Soy in Meat Alternatives

Posted on April 8, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

Source.

As vegetarian, vegans and just plain health and environment conscious individuals, many of us opt for “meat alternatives” instead of that which came from a sad, factory-farmed, hormone and antibiotic laden animal. Think fake bacon, sausages and chicken from well-known brands such as Morningstar Farms, Boca, Tofurkey and Gardein.

Part of me thinks I’m lucky that I entered the plant-based diet well before many of these came onto the market – or at least before they blossomed into the mass retail lines they are today. Though they’ve never been a staple in my diet, I’d be lying if I said my guilty pleasure wasn’t a Tofurkey Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Italian Sausage hot off the grill drenched in pickles, onions and mustard. Or if I denied that my recent pregnancy craving was a BLT made with Morningstar Farms Bacon (extra veganaise, please!). Continue reading →

Roasted Red Pepper & Olive Bruschetta

Posted on April 1, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

With our recent jump into a full-on plant-based diet, I was in search of a new appetizer to bring to this year’s Easter weekend celebration. Since I gravitate towards uncomplicated and healthy, I settled on this simple but delicious bruschetta. that brings together some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors. It’s easy to prep and doing so a day ahead of time really allows the flavors to meld. Continue reading →

2013 Garden: Seed Starting

Posted on March 27, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

Yes, it’s that time of year! There’s something so totally awesome about putting seeds in dirt and watching an entire plant grow from it, soon-to-be full (hopefully!) with beautifully ripe fruits and veggies. Love!

Early in my gardening career, I opted to purchase my vegetable plants already well on their way and ready for the ground. These days, I prefer to start them from seed myself. In addition to saving a ton of money, I have more control over the plant varieties. That means knowing each seed is organic and/or heirloom in nature.

It also gives K-Bear and I a fun project. More importantly, it teaches her the basics of where our food comes from and how we grow it, a lesson I think is lost on too many kids these days. Continue reading →

My Spring into Square-Foot Gardening

Posted on March 20, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved playing in the dirt. Whether making forts in the woods with the boys across the street or weeding our family garden, I was happiest getting dirt under my finger nails.

Some things don’t change.

I’ve gardened in some capacity steadily since my late 20′s. It started with container gardening to various degrees of success and morphed into a real garden once we bought our first home (again, with success and failure via trial and error).

Last summer marked our first in our “forever” home, and I was thrilled to install three four-foot square raised beds. I’d long heard about the benefits of raised beds versus in-ground beds, and got my first taste with last year’s growing season. Continue reading →

Thinking Outside the School Lunchbox: It CAN be Done!

Posted on March 4, 2013 by The Soulicious Life

Source.

WOW! How excited was I when I came across this vegetarian school lunch program? Over. the. moon. Thank you Veggie Fitness for making my day! It almost makes me wish I could move to New Jersey. At the very least, it gives me great hope that I may find a school for K-Bear in my corner of the world with a similar philosophy.

You may have caught my rant about the SAD diet whilst I searched in vain for a new daycare for her last year. As a health conscious consumer, parent and real food advocate, nothing is more important to me than what I feed my family. And I’ll be damned (yes, I’m that passionate about this topic!) if I’ll send my child to a school or daycare only to be filled with the exact garbage I avoid at all costs at home. I’m talking about hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup, chemical additives, and otherwise processed foods which, unfortunately, are all too prevalent in schools and daycare centers across our country. Continue reading →

Wanderlust Summer 2013 Dates Announced

Posted on December 7, 2012 by The Soulicious Life

Have you heard of Wanderlust? I hadn’t either until I came across it in Body and Soul Magazine earlier this year and got all excited - until I saw the Colorado date had passed. Boo!

But alas, Wanderlust will be back at Copper Mountain July 4-7, 2013 - as well as in Vermont (June 20-23, 2013), California (July 18-21, 2013) and Whistler (August 1-4, 2013). Full lineups will be announced in early 2013, but you can be assured they will be loaded with mountainside fun, including yoga, music, hiking, paddle board yoga, organic food and wine events, the Speakeasy lecture series, the Wanderkind kid’s program and so much more. Continue reading →