Safe Skin Stocking Stuffers

Beautiful skin is always a great gift! Just make sure to avoid any "treatment" products, because that might come across as an insult to your recipient. These are a few Boston Green Blog approved, ethical, safe skin products that will make great stocking stuffers this holiday season.

1. Organic Bath Drenched, $29
EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated.
ThinkDirty: 0 (best rating available)
GoodGuide: Not yet rated.

Made right here in Boston from fairly traded USDA organic ingredients. Drenched has quickly become Boston's favorite body moisturizer. It is rich and luxurious, and totally non-toxic! Bonus: Organic Bath Co. partners with 1% for the Planet and the Global Soap Project - so using their products is both healthy for you, people in need, and the earth.

2. Glossier Balm Dotcom, $12
EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated.
ThinkDirty:  Not yet rated.
GoodGuide: Not yet rated.

Glossier is a brand new skincare company by Emily Weiss, author of Into the Gloss. Her products are designed for the busy modern girl and use awesome natural ingredients like beeswax, rice bran and rosemary leaf extracts. The balm is free if parabens and fragrances, making it a healthy choice.

3. All Good Organic Coconut Oil Skin Food, $14.99
EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated.
ThinkDirty: Not yet rated.
GoodGuide: 10, Health (best rating available)

This USDA organic coconut oil balm is super nourishing and is scented with calming lavender essential oil. In fact, coconut oil and lavender essential oil are the only two ingredients - it doesn't get more pure than that! Your skin will love this simple, but highly effective moisture this winter.

4. Belli All Day Moisture, $17.00
EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated.
ThinkDirty: Not yet rated.
GoodGuide: 5.6 (average)

Belli All Day Moisture cream fully moisturizing, but also refreshing with lemon oil and chamomile. This product is safe for the whole body since it does not contain parabens, phthalates, or artificial fragrances!

5. 100% Pure Body Butter, $22
EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated.
ThinkDirty: 1 (Excellent rating)
GoodGuide: 6.2 (slightly above average)

This rich body butter is perfect for sensitive skin since it does not contain sulfates, chemical preservatives, or artificial fragrances. The blood orange scent is deliciously revitalizing and great for the winter!

6. Mad Hippie Face Cream, 25.99
EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated.
ThinkDirty: Not yet rated.
GoodGuide: Not yet rated.

A fun, nontoxic face cream packaged in a BPA-free, recycled bottle. It was recently awarded Best Facial Moisturizer in Natural Solutions Magazine’s Beauty with a Conscience Awards. It is one of the best day creams for winter!

Spotlight: SnapTop Market

Now that your Thanksgiving turkey has digested, it is a great time to recommit to your health by eating a locally grown plant-based diet! SnapTop Market is a super-easy and convenient way to do so. SnapTop is a small food market based in Boston's south end, specializing in locally grown produced, baked goods, dairy, and dry ingredients. The best thing about SnapTop is that they have plenty of healthy made-to-order meals, including salads, vegetable pasta, and wraps - this totally takes the effort and angst out of healthy cooking! SnapTop is a BIG time saver, especially during the busy holiday season!

The Dirty Dozen for Skincare

Image courtesy of Safe Cosmetics

The Dirty Dozen was a term coined for a list of twelve fruits and vegetables that are contaminated by the most pesticides and herbacides - the list is a handy guide for consumers so they know what to buy organic. However, toxic chemicals aren't only found in our food. Harmful chemicals can be found in all sorts of consumer products - including the soaps, moisturizers, and makeup we put on our skin everyday. So, health experts have created a Dirty Dozen list for skincare! Print this list and keep it with you when you shop for cosmetics and make sure to read ingredient lists and avoid all of the above chemicals. Or, download an app to do the work for you. I love the EWG SkinDeep app and the ThinkDirty app. both of which have great information on the safety of skincare products. 

Spotlight: The Juicery

source image courtesy of Handbag

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and many of us are going to eat....A LOT. Luckily, there is a new way to get on track after Thanksgiving and stay feeling good during the holiday season. The Juicery just opened in the North End and offers lots of smoothies, juices and superfoods like chia pudding, quinoa salad, and Harmless Harvest coconut water. We all know that fruits and veggies are good for us, but eating a plant based diet is also better for the planet as the meat industry is behind a lot of methane emissions and water consumption. The Juicery makes it super easy - and delicious - to go vegan or vegetarian after Thanksgiving! I highly recommend the Pine Ango Beet Tango.

Spotlight: Team J+A Whole Detox

WHO ARE THEY?
Jody and Ashley are certified nutritionists and health coaches that host seasonal detox programs for busy, young professionals. Detoxing helps program participants eliminate chronic headaches, digestive discomfort, and excess weight. It also helps clear up skin and balance moods!

WHAT IS A WHOLE FOOD DETOX?
The Whole Food Detox is a 14 day program guided by Jody and Ashley, that asks participants to only eat whole foods (i.e. no processed foods) and avoid gluten, corn, soy, caffeine, alcohol, red meat, and sugar.

HOW DOES THIS HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?
By eating only whole foods, you are reducing the amount of energy required to make your foods - most "processed foods" are processed by electrical means - using fossil fuels and a high amount of transportation to get from the field, to the factory, to you. By eliminating that middle step, you're not only getting cleaner food, but food with a smaller carbon footprint. Plus, the J+A program is largely plant based and non-meat proteins are encouraged!

DIY Organic Fair Trade Pops

source image

A great way to reduce food packaging waste in the summer is to use a popsicle mold instead of buying premade pops. Of course, the question is, once you have a mold, what are you going to put in it? For a green twist on this summer favorite, try using your favorite Honest Tea beverage!

Why?

• All of their flavors are USDA certified organic
• Most of their products are Fair Trade
• You'll have the choice between sweet, fruity flavors and subtle tea flavors. 
• They have delicious, unique flavors that would make great pops like pomegranate ade, berry hibiscus, and mint lemonade. 
• The end product will have less sugar and no artificial ingredients!

The 4 Best Face Masks with Organic Ingredients

source image courtesy of ENT Wellbeing

1. Clairvoyant Beauty Cooling Cucumber Mask, $30

EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated

Think Dirty: Not yet rated

Good Guide: Not yet rated

My results: This refreshing mask left my face moisturized without any residue. This is a great treatment for sunburned, summer skin.

2. Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Treatment Mask, $18

EWG SkinDeep: 6 (moderate hazard)

Think Dirty: 8 (dirty)

Good Guide: 5.5

My results: This mask is great for changing seasons when skin needs some TLC - especially for sensitive skin types.

3. Kora Organics Clay Purifying Mask, $53

EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated

Think Dirty: Not yet rated

Good Guide: Not yet rated

My results: Great for acne-prone skin, this mask is deeply cleansing. 

4. Shamanuti Pumpkin Enzyme Masque, $42

EWG SkinDeep: Not yet rated

Think Dirty: Not yet rated

Good Guide: Not yet rated

My results: This mask is perfect for combination skin because it both exfoliates and moisturizes. 

5 Reasons to Go Vegetarian

image courtesy of Adventures in Cooking

• Eating a plant-based diet significantly reduces your carbon footprint. Roughly, a vegetarian diet produces half as much greenhouse gases as a typical American omnivore diet. 
• A recent study shows that vegetarians live 20% longer than their meat-eating counterparts.
• Non-meat protein sources are delicious too!
• Its easy to grow your own veggies and/or buy local in-season veggies, which reduces your carbon footprint even further.
• You no longer have to worry about the horrors of factory farming and living conditions for animals. 

Think Dirty App Simplifies Makeup Shopping

I am obsessed with this *free* phone app. Simply type in a cosmetic product you use and the app will instantly tell you if it is safe or not and why. It is as if you have the entire Skin Deep Database at your fingertips! Think Dirty also has a mechanism for favoriting products so you already have a list of safe products handy next time you hit the drug store!

Spotlight: Veggie Planet

source image courtesy of Zagat

I don't think I quite understood how easy being a vegetarian is until visiting Veggie Planet in Harvard Square for the first time. New vegetarians often feel like they're "giving something up," - trust me, you won't get that feeling at Veggie Planet. Their vegetarian and vegan pizzas are satisfying, delicious, and unique (Peanut Curry Pizza, anyone?). Plus, Veggie Planet is a member of Cambridge Local First, a network of locally owned, independently run businesses that share a commitment to building a strong local economy and a vibrant, distinct community. Finally, you can truly feel good about chowing down on pizza!!!!

Spring Greening

source image courtesy of EatBoutique

Traditional household cleaners contain a lot of potentially hazardous chemicals. Bleach, artificial fragrances, diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA), preservatives and more are all fairly common ingredients. But are these chemicals necessary for cleaning? Unless your home is REALLY messy, there arae much safer, effective, and great smelling alternatives. 

Below are the best DIY healthy home cleaning recipes: 

• Oven Cleaner
• Bathtub/Sink Cleaner
• Hardwood Floor Cleaner
• Silver Polish
• All Purpose Cleaner

Have you tried any other DIY cleaning recipes? Did they work? Share your story in the comments section!

March Meeting of BASG will Tackle Food Systems

source image courtesy of Marion Luttenberger

WHEN: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM 

WHERE: The Venture Cafe - Cambridge Innovation Center, One Broadway, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142

WHAT: Our food system is extraordinarily complex with a myriad of stakeholders motivated by varying concerns of climate change, personal health, local economic development, social justice, financial returns, and other factors. What does the local landscape of food look like for us in New England and what does the future hold in terms of innovative partnerships and disruptive supply chain solutions?

Come hear from leaders, who will share a broad perspective of the food system, touching on diverse levers of change and influence including production capacity, regional collaboration, municipal regulation, industry advocacy, institutional procurement strategy, and investment in entrepreneurial food ventures.

Our program this evening will be introduced and moderated by Holly Fowler, drawing on her experience of developing and implementing international, sustainable food procurement standards for more than 6500 institutional clients and her most recent consulting work with diverse regional food system stakeholders. Panelists include:

• Holly Fowler, Co-founder & Managing Director, Northbound Ventures, LLC
• Alex Linkow, Program Director, Fair Food Fund
• Edith Murnane, Director of the Office of Food Initiatives, City of Boston 
• Tim Griffin, Associate Professor and Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program, Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy, Tufts University

Register here!

Cocobeet brings organic juices to Government Center

Yep, I am super into the green smoothie craze. Smoothies packed with kale, spinach, carrots, and beets are a great way to get a full day's nutrition in one sitting. And now there are a bunch of juice shops around Boston that can make smoothies to order and also offer ready-made beverages. One such business is newly-opened Cocobeet in City Hall Plaza. Cocobeet serves "organic, locally sourced, pure food meals and juices of the highest nutritional power." Cocobeet’s juices are raw and fresh. No pesticides or GMOs - and all of their juices are vegan! The only downside to Cocobeet is its prices - juices are $8 - $10, but I have to admit, they are totally worth the occasional splurge!

How to Make the Healthiest Food Choices

image source

In the last decade, countless buzzwords have emerged to describe the food. With numerous labels and signs promoting “organically grown”, “locally sourced”, “grass fed”, “artisan”, “fresh”, “all natural”, and others, it’s hard to keep track of what they all mean. While many of us strive to make the best decisions we can when it comes to what we put in our cart and on our dinner plates, what exactly does this entail? Let’s discuss some of those words and find out what they really mean.

Natural is used to describe many types of food - from meat to vegetables to packaged potato chips. For many people, the term "natural" conjures images of wide, open fields, a single farmer working fifteen hours a day, and everything done by hand, and of course with no chemicals. Packaging certainly plays a large role in this, with green being widely used, and smiling cows, chickens and other farm animals showing just how happy the organic life is. But is it, really? Technically, the term natural simply means derived from natural matter. Therefore, if you trace anything far enough back, it is certainly natural. Instead, look for organic products that have the USDA organic label.

While it is good to choose organic where possible, organic isn’t the be all and end all of ethical eating. For example, if you are concerned about the companies behind your food, organic isn’t necessarily the way to go. Many large corporations now have an organic line, so it is important not to be fooled into thinking that you are supporting a small family when you buy organic.

Additionally, you are not necessarily supporting local farmers. Organic food can, and does, come from anywhere in the world. Depending on where you shop, it can often travel thousands of miles to get to your supermarket. Many people are aware that “food miles” matter when it comes to making ethical and environmentally friendly decisions. Choosing food that is grown overseas and imported doesn’t make much sense, and is often less fresh, but can still most certainly be organic.

Although organic produce is a step in the right direction, and it is important to be aware of the benefits that eating organic can deliver, it is equally important to realize that there are other factors to consider when making ethical choices regarding the food that you and your family eat.


Author: Kurt Jacobson is a surfing enthusiast with a background in real estate. Having moved 10 times in the past 7 years, he thrives on helping others learn from his experiences. When he's not out shredding waves he writes about rental homes for www.rentfinder.co.

Delicious Vegetarian Superbowl Snacks!

The superbowl is the ultimate binge-eating holiday, besides Thanksgiving of course! But that doesn't mean you have to eat un-sustainable foods. Try these delicious recipes for a more eco-friendly, snack fest!

Snacks:

Buffalo Chickpea Nachos

Caramelized Pecans with Blue Cheese Filling 

Fried Mushroom Bites

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Dinner:

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple Sour Cream

Dessert:

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Footballs

Sour Patch Grapes

Fried Honey Bananas

Get to Know Your Meat-Free Protein Sources

Lentils - Not only are lentils a great source of protein, they are vegan. Lentil soup is the perfect winter-weather protein-packed meal.

Greek Yogurt - greek yogurt is delicious and versatile. It can be used to replace mayo, sour cream, heavy cream, and even oil in some recipes. This makes it super-easy to add a few extra grams of protein to every meal.

Eggs - The classic breakfast protein is regaining popularity as people are reducing the amount of meat in their diets. Breakfast-for-dinner is a great post-workout meal.

Beans - Beans are another versatile protein source. They make a great side dish for almost any meal and are also a great salad topper. Black beans are also becoming a secret weapon for gluten-free bakers.

Almonds  - Almonds have always been a dieter's best friend because they pack just enough protein and crunch to keep you full until your next meal.

Tofu - Tofu gets a bad reputation from many meat-eaters, but if cooked properly, tofu is delicious and the perfect solution to the protein problem.

For more ideas and recipes, check out these 21 Meals with Tons of Protein and No Meat.

Green Goals for 2014

While I've conquered some of my 2013 resolutions, some have made it onto my list of green 2014 goals, and some new ideas fill out the list:

1. Avoid fast fashion.
2. Don't accept plastic shopping bags at any store.
3. Eat less meat and dairy.
4. Weatherize my apartment.
5. Use only aluminum-free deodorant.
6. Listen to every week's Living on Earth.
7. Compost food waste.

Unplug Your Workout with Bollyx

In the winter people tend to gain weight. The weather doesn't really invite outdoor activity, and holiday parties encourage over-indulgence. But I just discovered the best new workout in Boston that will keep you inspired all winter long: Bollyx. I attended a class with my Just Us Gals co-authors on Monday. Not only was it an awesome heart-pumping workout, but its also greener than going to a gym and using exercise machines. Even better, the dance studio is less than a 5 minute walk from the Central Square T stop! 

Spotlight: Sweetgreen

Founded in Washington DC in 2007, sweetgreen has become a favorite not only for its delicious and healthy fast food, but also for its commitment to local farmers, the community, and sustainability.

Each month, sweetgreen creates a special salad inspired by the season, using the freshest, local ingredients from nearby farms. And of course, the full menu also features locally sourced ingredients - all of which can be read about on the restaurant's blackboards.

Visit the new Back Bay location at 659 Boylston St. (and hopefully another location in the Seaport District will open soon!!!!)

To learn more about sweetgreen's mission (and to feel totally inspired) check out their story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2MNNPX_x1I

Resources for Choosing Your Turkey Responsibly

source image courtesy of Style Me Pretty

Mass.gov Reasons to Buy a Local Turkey

How to pick the most humane Turkey

Find a Local Turkey Guide