Eco18 debuts today—a collective of creative writing individuals with a common goal—to live a healthier more natural lifestyle. From diverse backgrounds, cultures and interests, their combined expertise, humor and opinions will explore green and sustainable in a practical, fun way. What began with one mom’s voice has evolved into many conversations, which will include a universe of voices all looking to connect, share and learn.

And why Eco18…well, we wanted something that’s easy to remember and has embodied our purpose. Eco—that’s pretty self explanatory and 18—apart from being the age of majority in many countries (the coming of age), the Hebrew word for “life” has a numerical value of 18. There’s a lot of interesting trivia about the number 18, but the fact that life itself is totally connected to and dependent on a thriving, green, clean ecosystem was enough for us.

There’s a lot we can do together…. Join us as often as you can…We love company!

http://eco18.com

Homemade LaraBars

Written By: Elizabeth Gordon

http://www.myallergyfreelifestyle.com/

http://twitter.com/allergyFreeLife

Although it is summer, I found myself thinking about our January ski trip last week.  Perhaps this was a desperate attempt at mind over matter, for I am so hot, that anything, even visualizing snow, seems to help me cool off.  I mention this trip not to tell on my private thoughts, but to admit that I wasn’t really thinking about the snow. Indeed, I was thinking about the LaraBars that we stashed in our pockets to tide us over until we could stop for lunch or dinner.  I love LaraBars, which brings me back to the fact that at this time of the year real fruit is everywhere, and I probably shouldn’t be eating them.  However, with back to school next month, I thought a gluten, dairy, soy, nut and egg-free version of a LaraBar the perfect thing to make and save for lunch box treats. Even if school isn’t starting for awhile in your neck of the woods, these tasty, albeit ugly, treats are great to throw in your beach bag for a quick pick me up at the pool or at the beach.  Enjoy these last dog days of summer with a sweet and healthy treat that is relevant all year ‘round.

Chocolate Cherry Cookie LaraBars

12 pitted Medjool dates (about 6.5 ounces)

1/4 c unsalted sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

pinch salt

6 ounces dried cherries

Place the dates, sunflower seeds, cocoa powder, salt and dried cherries in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the dates are smooth and a thick paste has formed.  I like to leave the cherries and sunflower seeds somewhat chunky, but you may continue pulsing until they are completely smooth.  Lightly grease your hands and form the paste into 3 2.5 ounce bars or roll it into smaller, bite-sized balls.  Tightly wrap the bars in plastic wrap and then store them in an airtight container, refrigerated, until you are ready to eat.

Serves 3-6

I love the Fourth of July with all the fun festivities – but because fireworks shows spray out a toxic mix of chemicals into our environment and waterways…I’m even more excited about all the red, white and blue treats!

“Fireworks get their flamboyance from a variety of chemicals, many of which are toxic to humans. From the gunpowder that fuels their flight to the metallic compounds that color their explosions, fireworks often contain carcinogenic or hormone-disrupting substances that can seep into soil and water, not to mention the lung-clogging smoke they release and plastic debris they scatter” (mnn.com).

This recipe is such a pleaser..and incredibly healthy ta-boot! Oh all the yum-alicious berries and sweet apples! It’s refreshing and the perfect side to any Fourth of July picnic!

Tossed in fresh lime juice and garnished with mint, this combination of juicy strawberries, diced apples, and fresh blueberries makes a refreshing treat on its own. Spoon it over vanilla ice cream, and you’ve got an instant and irresistible dessert.

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3 cups fresh blueberries

1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

3 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, and mint. Add all of the fruit and toss to combine. Let the fruit salad set for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serves about 8.

Recipe From familyfun.go.com

Image:

http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/moldy-fruit-nightmare-resolved/

Wanna Know Why We Were The Hit of The Potluck?

We brought our Herb- Roasted Potatoes!

As registered dietitians, we always feel an added pressure at potlucks, barbecues and picnics.  Our friends and family feel confident that we would never bring a food that would sabotage their bathing suit season, and they count on us to bring something healthy for them and their kids and that’s also waistline- friendly. It’s our obligation to deliver.  After all, we enjoy providing our friends with a food they can dive into without guilt.   At the same time, we pride ourselves on eating delicious food, so we feel pressure to make sure that we bring something that makes taste buds sing with happiness.

So, when we were invited to a potluck this past weekend and we were both asked to bring a potato dish, we argued over which one of us would bring our favorite recipe.  Our Mom made a very similar dish when we were growing up and we always requested it when our friends came to our house for dinner because we knew the other kids would love it.  And when we found this recipe, we’ve been using it ever since—it’s always a party pleaser!

After almost duking it out, we realized neither of us was giving up on it, so we ended up bringing this dish together (although I, Lyssie, used my oven to make it.  So, in theory, I brought our Herb-Roasted Potatoes) with a plate of vegetable crudité on the side as well.

Here’s our delicious recipe, we can’t wait for you to make this recipe and let us know what you think!  Yum!

The Company:

At BOBBY D’s®, our sauce is micro-produced utilizing a painstaking process that gives us greater control over the final product. We have taken the time to source the highest quality ingredients – vine-ripened whole peeled tomatoes that are packed fresh within 6 hours of picking, fresh garlic, fresh onions and extra virgin olive oil.

The finest, freshest Ingredients are sautéed in extra virgin olive oil to infuse their full flavor. Our micro-batch open kettles are used to create a homemade quality sauce that is simmered to perfection. This uncompromising passion to produce an Italian red sauce that is 100% natural, no artificial ingredients, no artificial flavors and no added sugar is what truly separates BOBBY D’s® from other jarred sauces. The result is a healthy and delicious product with endless possibilities.

In 1985 as BOBBY D was heading off to college, Ma came running out of the house screaming with a blender in her hand,

“Yu needa dis to maka da sauce!”

The Story:

As a first-generation Italian-American, I learned the traditional art of Italian cooking and the value of family dinners. Creating homemade, delicious food at home and at my family’s restaurants was a fundamental part of my childhood. I spent countless hours chopping onions, peeling garlic and straining tomatoes for the sole purpose of making my mother’s red sauce. I continued this tradition as an adult, taking every opportunity to share her love of Italian cooking with family and friends.

Four generations after the red sauce was first made by my great-grandmother sauces while creating wonderful memories through the simple act of sharing a meal.

Buon Appetito!
Robert DeChellis
a.k.a. “BOBBY D”

The Products:

Ma’s Red Sauce

Ma’s Angry Sauce – my ABSOLUTE hands-down favorite!

Ma’s Green Thumb

Ma’s Great Catch

The Review:

Perfecto Italiano *muah*

Okay so I may not be good at speaking Italian but I do a great Joey from Friends impersonation….How YOU doin?

Well let me just tell you that I was DOIN fine fine fine after trying Bobby D’s! I could live on pasta and sauce. I love it so much I ate my favorite of these sauces “Ma’s Angry Sauce” for breakfast! Yup.

It is THAT good.

It is full of flavor – as they all are plus it had this little pizazz to it too! The Angry sauce was excellent but so was Ma’s Great Catch! This, I assure you, does not *have* to go on seafood as is suggested (I do NOT like seafood  at all, blagh). Instead I used it, and all of the sauces on pasta with chicken and this one has a special little something that made me quite happy too – Kalamata Olives!!!!

Oh the glory of olives.

The others were just as yummy and so incredibly pretty too in a lovely glass jar! I am so happy they chose glass – we try to avoid anything with plastic anytime we can. What I love about Bobby D’s is the rich bold flavor and that they care about using the finest, high-quality ingredients….vine-ripened whole peeled tomatoes that are packed fresh within 6 hours of picking, fresh garlic, fresh onions and extra virgin olive oil.  They are also 100% natural, no artificial ingredients, no artificial flavors and no added sugar!

Recipe:

Rigatoni with Sausage and Spinach

• 1 1/2 jars BOBBY D’S® MA’S ANGRY SAUCE®
• 1 1/2lbs Mild Italian Sausage
• 6oz Fresh Spinach
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1lb Rigatoni
• 2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Step 1: Remove Italian Sausage from casing and sauté in Olive Oil for 15-20 minutes until nearly done.

Step 2: Add Fresh Spinach and sauté until Spinach is wilted.

Step 3: Add 1 jar ofMA’S ANGRY SAUCE® and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.

Step 4: Cook Rigatoni in boiling water with salt until it is al dente. Drain, do not rinse and return to saucepan. Mix in the Sausage and Spinach Marinara, Heavy Whipping Cream and heat to a light simmer. Remove from heat.

Step 5: Serve in bowls with a dollop of Ricotta Cheese and grated Parmesan Cheese on top.

For more information on Bobby D’s, get social with them on Facebook, Twitter and check out their website for MANY great recipes and a store locator!

Full Disclosure:

I did receive free product from Bobby D’s in order to review their sauces. This is no way affected my opinion of the product. My opinions are mine alone!

It’s May, which means it is REALLY time to start thinking about all things Spring as well as Food Allergy Awareness Week which takes place from May 8- May 14, 2011.

These are the perfect gluten, dairy, soy, nut and egg-free treat!  Because these chocolate birds’ nests require no baking, they are also the ideal treat to make with your little ones.  Rich and chocolatey, bright and cheerful, everyone from Grandma down to your littlest ones will love these.  You’ll love that they only take about 5 minutes to make.

Chocolate Birds’ Nests

3 cups gluten-free corn flakes or gluten-free, crisped rice cereal

1 10-ounce bag gluten, dairy, soy, nut, egg-free chocolate chips

assorted soy and wheat-free jelly beans

Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.  These may also be made in paper cupcake liners for even less clean up.  If you are using corn flakes, pour them into a large mixing bowl and break them up slightly.  If using crisped rice, just pour into large mixing bowl.  Melt the chocolate over low heat (or in the microwave) until it is 2/3 of the way melted.  Remove the chocolate from the heat and stir it until it is smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the cereal and toss with a spatula to coat the cereal completely

Using a very small ice cream scoop, scoop out the chocolate and cereal mixture onto the sheet.  Place a divot in the center with your knuckle or thumb. Place the birds’ nests in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes- 1hour.  Remove from fridge and fill with the jelly beans of your choice.  Ta-da, birds’ nests!

Makes 18-24 (depending on the size of the scoop)

Written By: Elizabeth Gordon

Smiling Green Allergy-Free Desserts Expert

http://www.myallergyfreelifestyle.com/

http://twitter.com/allergyFreeLife

So here we have a sugary mass of junk food for the kids right? Well, not entirely! This compost cake recipe comes to you in honor of International Compost Awareness Week and can be wonderfully educational for the little greenies! As with anything green, I believe in full moderation and creating smiles. So a little bit of a treat really isn’t all that bad when you’re celebrating such an eco-fantastic cause right? (looking for reassurance).

Really though, cake can be loaded with ick or (as we have learned with our son’s food allergies), you can choose to use ingredients that might have a little nutritional edge!

Ex. white processed sugar vs Xylitol (dentist’s love this sugar substitute since it can help fight plaque and cavities), honey or agave syrup

By baking from scratch, you are in charge of the ingredients you use and have the “sneaky” opportunity to use applesauce in recipes, pureed carrots in carrot cake, raisin and dried fruits in chocolate cake etc – you get the idea! Another great cake option is one of the first brands I ever reviewed (seems like ages ago!) called Naturally Nora’s and it was really yummy.

Unfortunately our E could not eat it though due to processing in a facility that uses allergens – BOOOO! But for the rest of the non-allergic peeps, it is a great option. That said, check out this cool recipe for compost cake brought to you from Disney Family Fun!

*You can find organic gummy worms from my friends at http://www.yummyearth.com/ and read my full review here.

So have some fun, eat some “healthISH” cake and don’t forget to send me a slice!

Compost Happens!

I found two dairy-free homemade pretzel recipes that I was excited to try and this one from http://amberskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/04/pretzels-anyone.html had so many great comments from readers that I dove right in! Boy am I glad I did too – these pups were fab! I love a big fat warm pretzels dipped in cheese or tomato sauce – mmmm. I am on a mission to continue trying more “snackie” type recipes that are homemade with healthy ingredients and using whole wheat flour in this one made me sing fa-la-la-la-laaaa!

*mirrors cracking round the world*

a’hem, so if you want your kiddos to eat something yummy and healthy…I give these a thumbs up! I definitelly encourage you to make this a group-effort by involving your little greenies too. Our M and E had the best time mushing and squishing the dough, rolling it out into giant “snakes” and twisting into their very own pretzel creations.

Ingredients:

1/8 cup hot water

1 package active dry yeast

1 1/3 warm water

1/3 cup brown sugar

4+ cups flour (I used half whole wheat flour mixed

Coarse kosher salt

Baking soda

Butter or shortening (to generously grease cookie sheets) *I use Smart Balance since it’s dairy-free!

Directions:

In a large bowl mix together hot water and yeast until the yeast dissolves. Stir in the warm water and brown sugar and stir until the brown sugar dissolves.

Slowly add 4 cups of flour, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and does not stick to the sides of the bowl.

Lightly flour counter. Dip your hands into extra flour. Knead the dough until it is stretchy and smooth. (Push it down and away from you with the palms of your hands, turning the dough as you work)

Grease cookie sheets generously with butter or shortening. Sprinkle greased cookie sheet(s) with kosher salt. Preheat oven to 475. (It is very important that you grease the cookie sheets very well)

Using liquid measuring cup fill a large saucepan at least 1/2 full of water. For each 1 cup of water, add 1 TBSP baking soda.

Divide the dough into equal sized pieces.

Using the following 4 steps shape each dough ball into a pretzel shape…

1. Roll the dough into a rope 14″ long and as thick as your thumb. Bend the dough into a U shape. (if you have trouble rolling the dough into a rope slightly wet your hands and try again).

2. Cross one end of the rope over the other one. The ropes should cross about three inches from the tips.

3. Twist the crossed ends, making a full turn. Fold the ends back, towards the middle of the U.

4. Open the ends slightly to form a pretzel shape. Press the ends into the dough firmly.

Bring water into saucepan to a gentle boil (not to many bubbles) Use pancake turner to lower each pretzel into the saucepan. Count slowly to 30. Then lift the pretzel onto the greased and salted cookie sheet (shaking off excess water back into the saucepan). Repeat until all the pretzels are done.

Sprinkle some kosher salt on top of the pretzels and put them in preheated oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until the pretzels are golden.

Recipe notes

* You can make the dough up to 24 hours in advance, just cover the bowl and store in refrigerator.

* These also freeze very well. Just pop them into the microwave for a few seconds to reheat.

* This recipe will yield 20-24 shaped pretzels depending on the size you make them.

*You can also make pretzel sticks with this recipe. Instead of rolling dough into pretzel shapes just roll into 2-3″ long ropes a little thicker than your thumb.

“Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. We provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives. Our goal is to help you reduce your meat consumption by 15% in order to improve your personal health and the health of the planet”(MeatlessMonday.com).

MISSION: Earth Day 2011 –  my challenge to myself and to any of you willing to do it with me, is to eat meatless on the first Monday of every month between now and April 22, 2011 (Earth Day!!).

So to those of you who are participating, what meatless meal did you make that you just love? How did it feel to go meatless? Was it harder or easier than you thought? What motivates you to not eat meat?

Leave a comment below with your linky so we can all come say hi! PLUS…you will be automatically entered in our giveaway! At the end of each week, I will draw one person to WIN the ebook copy (paperless in honor of Earth Day!) of Pure Pleasures, “Live food recipes from the Glowing Temple Kitchen” written by my awesome chef friend Natalia

Rainbow Slaw with Chipotle Mayo!

Straight from The lovely and talented, Natalia’s Pure Pleasures! Who wants to win???

Leave me a comment and I will be drawing the winner this Friday 4/8/11 via random.org

Disclaimer: I did receive a copy of Pure Pleasures in order to do my review. This in no way affected my opinions.