Indoor Air Quality - What Does it Mean?

How’s your IAQ?

What in the world is IAQ...and why should you be concerned about it?  It stands for Indoor Air Quality, and it impacts your home and family every single day. But how do we know if its a problem at our house, and what can we do about it?

Green is Good – for Indoor Air Quality

Houseplants are beautiful and bring life to the indoors, but did you know they are also excellent for your Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)?

The Naked Cookbook

What I love the most in the kitchen is the purity of it all.  The feel of the fresh produce, the crunch of the veggies as the knife cuts across their leaves.  The sizzle of olive oil heating in a pan...

Happy baby, healthy lungs

Wiggly little bundle, cuddled in cozy muslin wrap.  Just a few days old, his sleepy tiny eyes peek out to say hello.

Thinking Twice about Baby Wipes

Bringing home a baby opens up a whole new world, in so many ways!  Their little minds, and bodies, absorb so much of what is around them as they quickly grow.  

Try a2 Milk®...and win a trip to Australia!

 In France, they say that you tell exactly where a cow is from, based on the flavor of its milk.  Depending on the climate and grazing pastures, each region's cows are influenced by the environment and give the milk its own variation on flavors.  I love that attention to the origin of foods, and the connection between the earth and our own bodies.

Heirloom Milk for Happier Tummies

We love dairy products at our house.  Over our cereal at breakfast, warmed with chocolate for a cold-weather treat, as an ingredient in dinner or dessert...we use it all day long.  

Rinse your Rice

One of the very first days after I moved to China, at the grocery store, I was staring at the most extensive rice aisle that I'd ever seen.  Overwhelmed, I took some time to check out all the options.  An older lady came up next to me, very concerned.  This was before I understood the language, so an elaborate game of charades ensued.  What was her message that was so worthy of all the song and dance:  Rinse your rice!

Cooking with Bee Pollen

Wait...you can eat bee pollen??

Those were my thoughts as I first thumbed through a cookbook I'd received (more on that here).  How could that be a good thing?  And it sounds like way more work than it could possibly be worth...

So when I saw the beekeeper selling honey at the farmers market the next morning, I was filled with questions.  How is the pollen collected?  Does it hurt the bees?  How long does it stay fresh?  How much is it?

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

We became absolutely addicted to Green Tea Ice Cream while living in Asia, and I'm thrilled to share with you this recipe to make it at home!

Making green tea ice cream at home couldn't be simpler!  It is so delicious - the perfect ending to a heavy meal - and is filled with all the great health benefits of Matcha Green Tea like:

Spirulina Broccolini: Recipe for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

When it comes to Breast Cancer prevention, every step we can take is worthwhile!

Research is being done on hundreds of fronts about what might help to prevent or cure breast cancer, and one that is showing definite promise is the addition of sea vegetables to our diets.  

VB6: What is a Flexitarian Vegan?

"Oh! Are you a vegetarian?"  It is amazing how often I get asked this question at restaurants, and the answer is a simple "No".  I just really enjoy vegetables!  When did vegetables become exclusive to vegetarians?

Plant-based diets, filled with delicious vegetable dishes, are a great option and entirely accessible to everyone looking for a more sustainable lifestyle.

Beet Greens - The Next Superfood!

Chia seeds, quinoa, kale, coconut water...they've all hit the spotlight as trendy superfoods thanks to their antioxidant and vitamin content.  I'm predicting that beet greens are going to be one of the up-and-comers on the super food list!

I used to just cut off the greens, toss them into the compost bin, and eat the beets.  Then one day I started to wonder...are they edible??  It turns out they not only are edible, they are overflowing with healthy goodness - what great news!  When I buy beets, now its like a BOGO sale:  Buy the beets and get another meal with the beet greens for free!