Lifestyle

Love to prepare food at home but hate draining your time? Raw, Quick & Delicious is a great solution for you. I recently tried out a few recipes during a dinner gathering with a friend. Locavore Dinner Party A Twitter match made in heaven happened when I became friends with Kristy, an up-and-coming food blogger. Lucky for us, Kristy loves to cook and I love to eat. Kristy hosted me at her place to discuss KEEN Digital Summit (co-founded by one of my favorite bloggers, Kristin Luna of Camels & Chocolate) which we're psyched to attend in October. (Bonus: I even won a pair of passes to the conference!) This girl doesn't mess around while cooking. Seriously, just look at this Dill-salmon that was the main course along with an asparagus-based purée. Raw, Quick & Delicious: My creations My first experiment was the Salmon side, Green Beans Amandine. A simple recipe consisting of raw almonds, sea salt, green beans, olive oil & lemon juice (I left out the nutritional yeast...) was easy and a great pairing to our meal. (See recipe below!) Find out more about our dinner party and Raw, Quick & Delicious after the jump!

The toilet flushes... and that's when it gets me. As I'm washing my hands in the bathroom, I see the pile of paper towels overflowing the trashcan. Many places don't have those electronic dryers and with a wave of the motion detector, a magna carter-sized cluster of paper towels comes spitting out. I hate disposables. It haunts me to carelessly use tissues, napkins and paper towels, although my OCD cleanliness sometimes gets the best of me. Where can you find reusable towels while on the go? It's a perfect question for Where Can I Wednesday... So when I found the Jimmy Pocket Towel, I knew I found a hidden gem. Why Jimmy Towel?

Ever feel a little overwhelmed? As I paddleboarded into the massive lake, I felt it: the anxious feeling. Often I have anxiety about upcoming events – although sometimes nothing in particular, I often feel on edge. As I paddled into the lake, I was alone. Although I knew how to balance myself on the board and wasn't worried about falling, I couldn't kick the feeling. Find out how I kicked myself back to serenity, after the jump....

Want to save money on your electric bill? The simple stuff goes a long way.

Being environmentally conscious isn’t just about waste reduction and carbon offsets. Admiring our planet’s aesthetic beauty and complexity plays an important role as well – it gives us a reason to keep it intact. Today, ecotourism in Costa Rica is thriving. Ecotourism continues to be Costa Rica’s largest foreign exchange earner, surpassing other exports such as pineapples, bananas, and coffee. Tourists from around the world travel to Costa Rica to visit the country's many national parks and beaches. It's no wonder – Costa Rica has the largest percentage of protected land in the world. Find out more about Alex's trip (And see the GORGEOUS pics) - after the jump!

One of my FAVORITE things that I used to buy (but now realize) but is a waste of money is salad dressing. They pull you in with fancy labels and delicious-sounding names, but with organic dressings in the upwards of $3-5, the price can add up too fast.

Mason jars made a huge comeback over the past few years. You see them on many a foodie blog, they are all over pinterest, and cafes & gastro-pubs alike often serve whimsical cocktails in these glass jars. A few things that make mason jars so great: 1. They're easy to clean 2. Portability 3. High versatility (see below) 4. They're reusable! With proper care these babies could last for decades. Click through for five fun ways to use mason jars.

First a disclaimer: I won't stray too far from the 'green' theme on today's blog post. Just let me take a minute to get there. Yesterday, my Facebook news feed was filled with Miley Cyrus updates. At lunch, I dropped off a huge bag of donations at Goodwill and then went inside to peruse. (Did I mention I scored a $3 unused french press?!?) As I was enjoying the thrift shop like Macklemore, I overheard one shopper’s tirade about how Cyrus’ ‘career is RUINED” and she is an absolute terrible human being. This morning on the Today Show, Matt Lauer & others once again discussed if “just being Miley” crossed the line yet again. OK, I understand that Miley was performing the “song of the summer”, which is essentially about getting laid. (In the ‘equal rights’ category, does anyone blame Thicke for his lyrics? Did everyone block their memories of Britney Spears wearing a snake or the Janet Jackson/JT superbowl moments?) I won’t get into my full opinion on this issue, although I can’t quite understand why anyone over the age of 15 watches the MTV music/VMA/movie awards. But there is something more disturbing here. The Onion summed it up pretty well: as the day journalism was overtaken by Miley Cyrus. CNN’s top headline was twerking. I now would like to bring in the important question: Why? (Find out how I related Miley's latest scandal to the environment, after the jump.)

Dear Non-Recycler, This morning I was in a fabulous mood. Nothing extraordinary happened, minus the fact I was able to do some cleaning and throw the ball around with my cat for a few minutes before work. Then, I saw it. A plastic bag. In. The. Trashcan.