Spray & Go
I’m typically a soap and water type of gal, but I always like to keep hand sanitizer in my car for those moments when a sudsy solution isn’t available. The two issues I had with the generic hand sanitizer available at most places was that one, the small sizes resulted in so much waste, and two, the ingredients were far from natural.
That being said, I was very eager to pick up this hand sanitizer from CleanWell from a nearby natural health store (it’s also available at Target and Whole Foods). The formula is all natural, biodegradable and cruelty-free. And the spray bottle (which is recyclable) makes the small bottle last a long, LONG time.
So, if you like are like me and like to have something sanitizing on hand for sudden sticky situations, pick up some CleanWell hand sanitizer for an easy-to-use and environmentally-friendly solution.
Santa Cruz Organic: A Win-Win Drink Choice
Fair Trade and Organic? Tea and Juice? Sweet and healthy? Yes and yes. Santa Cruz Organic offers fair trade and organic tea juice blends that rely on natural flavors for a light and sweet taste. Furthermore, 100% of the energy used to product their products is offset via renewable energy certificates. Try their Lemon, Mango, Peppermint or Raspberry Tea for a refreshing way to quench your thirst with an antioxidant kick.
About Fair Trade Certified Teas
Tea, like coffee, can make a weighty social impact on the way from the plant to your cup. Fair Trade Certified teas guarantee fair wages for employees in a work environment that is safe and sustainable. Fair Trade premiums encourage workers to help themselves and their community through democratic participation.
About Organic Teas
For the same reason that you want to choose organic fruits and veggies, there are also some strong reasons for choosing organic teas. The absence of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in growing the teas also keep the soils and waters surrounding them free of all of these chemicals as well.
What’s Your Cup of Tea?
How you make your tea has as much to do with the flavor and overall experience of the tea as the variety of tea you start with. And since this is “Tea Week” at Green-Lemonade, we wanted to start by giving a brief introduction to the most common varieties of tea and the best way to brew each.
Tea is a product of the Camellia sinensis plant and the variety of tea is determined by the level of processing it undergoes as described below. The most common varieties of tea, as outlined below, include black, green, oolong, white and herbal, but keep in mind that there are a number of different blends within each variety as well.
And before you brew your perfect cup, it’s important to note that while sometimes less convenient and more expensive, loose leaf tea is usually more flavorful and fresh than the bagged variety found in boxes at the grocery. Investing in a nice tea infuser, brew basket, or some paper filters will get you on your way to making the most of your tea.
Common Varieties of Tea:
Black Tea - Black tea requires the most processing, undergoing a full oxidation process that produces stronger more robust tea with the most caffeine content of all varieties. Some of the most common blends of black tea that you may have already tried include Earl Grey and English Breakfast. Black tea should be brewed using freshly boiled water (212 degrees) and steeped for 3-4 minutes.
Green Tea - Green tea known for its health benefits because of its high concentration of antioxidant power in the form of polyphenols. More delicate than black, green tea is dried, not “fermented,” and is often described as having a light, green, or even slightly grassy taste. Because of it’s delicate nature, when brewing green tea it’s important to note that the water should not reach a full boil (around 180 degrees) and it should only be steeped for about 1-2 minutes. For more scientific information about green tea check out this article.
Oolong Tea - Oolong tea falls somewhere in-between black and green teas on the oxidation scale. Oolong tea should be brewed using water heated to just below boiling and steeped for 2-3 minutes.
White Tea - White tea is the least processed of all tea. For white tea, the tea buds are plucked very early and then dried. This tea is therefore the most delicate and has a much lighter, slightly sweet, flavor without the “grassy” undertones of green tea. White tea should be brewed with water with a temperature at just below boiling and should be steeped for 2-3 minutes.
Herbal Tea - Not necessarily a true “tea” as I’ve listed here, herbal tea does not come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis. Herbal tea is the result of an herbal infusion created by pouring boiling water over fresh or dried flowers, dried fruit or herbs and letting it steep for 5-7 minutes.  As you can imagine, there are countless blends of herbal teas, check out this list or make your own.
Good for U (and green too!)
I have always been a Kashi Crunch fan, but I recently tried the new Kashi U cereal and may have to start crunching to a different Kashi beat. Kashi U was created to promote the vitality of the five body systems (heart, immunity, bone, digestion and mind). I love the fact that they didn’t go the route of the red berries that are popping up in a lot of mainstream cereals and choose to use black currants to give their cereal a berry twist. Those plus walnuts, granola and flakes help keep you full until your mid-morning snack or lunch.
Last but not least, you can’t buy the cereal in bulk, but the packaging is manufactured with windpower and made from 100% recycled paper and printed with soy inks, so they encourage you to toss it in the compost when you are done! (or of course, recycle it.)
Mochi - A Wholesome Treat
Ever heard of Mochi? I hadn’t either until a friend of mine from the co-op pointed it out to me as a great healthy dessert. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of whole grain brown rice which is pounded into a paste and then molded into a flat shape. Then, when baked for about 10 minutes, the mochi puffs up into a chewy, pastry-like snack.
Mochi makes a wholesome snack or dessert which is gluten, wheat, and dairy-free and, most importantly, easy to prepare. My husband and I love to bake up a few squares of the cinnamon raisin flavor, stuff them with a local shredded cheddar cheese (by cutting a little slit in the sides after baking), and top them off with a little drizzle of honey. Here are a few other recipe ideas to get you started.
Print out a coupon and find it in the refrigerated areas of natural food stores and co-ops. Make sure to check out the other delicious flavors too.
Frost Tea
As summer creeps in and we enjoy the warm (sometimes even hot!) weather this time of year, I have found the perfect alternative to those sticky, sugary, brightly colored popsicles of the past - Wise Acre Frost Bites and Frost Tea frozen treats.
Made from freshly brewed organic teas and naturally sweetened with only honey or organic Maine maple syrup, they are also low in calories but big on flavor. I love the “Cool Your Jets Herbal” and “Maine Maple Lemon” flavors, but all of them are a must try!
I get my Frost Tea fix at the local co-op but it looks like they are available at Whole Foods (east coast storse) and online too.
Dogs and Suds
Bathtime for Skyler is no day at the spa. It involves the bathtub, some shampoo, and one very wet & furry dog (see photo above). But when it comes to my pets, I try to be conscious of what they eat and even what they breathe. However, in all honesty, the main reason I concern myself so much with our dog’s shampoo is less about her and more about our cat, who has allergies and sensitive skin. That being said, I was happy to see that they did carry one brand of all natural pet shampoo at our local Petco. (Stay tuned for an article next week about another place to get your eco-friendly pet products.)
EarthBath products all-natural, bio-degradable and cruelty-free. For Skyler, we opted for the Oatmeal & Aloe Shampoo. It not only got the job done (of a cleaner dog) but the smell was pleasant without being over-powering. The bath (along with a good brushing) left Skyler so soft that she even got a compliments on her coat from another dog owner who visited us for the weekend!
*Reader’s Tip* PerioBrite
After Liz’s post on a better toothbrush, we got an email from Tiffany in Florida about her favorite natural toothpaste, Nature’s Answer PerioBrite. (We love getting tips from our readers!) As Tiff put it: “I feel it is much better than all the other toothpastes at our health food store. There are no LSL’s or other gross ingredients and it has lots of really great ingredients! You’ll have to give up all the fancy colors as it is a lovely shade of beige but it leave one’s mouth fresh and clean.”
Liz still has a full tube of her Tom’s, so I was happy to pick some up at Winding Way Farms. (Truthfully, I have still been using the mainstream brands… tsk tsk.) I’ve had natural toothpaste before and have to agree with Tiff that despite the bland color, this toothpaste has a very minty kick. As for those great ingredients she mentioned, some examples are black walnut green hulls, grapefruit seed, Green Tea leaf and Echinacea. For more about their ingredients (and other products), visit the Nature’s Answer web site.
Do you have a great tip or recipe you would like to share? Go ahead and send it our way!
A word about kick-backs and endorsements
We do a lot of product reviews here at Green-Lemonade.com, but we want you (our readers) to know that we, in no way, get any money for endorsing them. While we get a lot of emails suggesting products that may interest our buyers, we always “test drive” them first (unless specifically noted) and do not receive any profit from our posts about them. If we ever do advertise a product for profit in the future, we will certainly make sure that our readers know it, loud and clear.
Honeybee Lips
The local co-op recently started carrying this fun line of Lip Gloss from HoneyBee Gardens and I just had to give them a try since I’ve been on the look-out for more natural “beauty” products.  So I picked up the “Glam I Am,” a nuetral plum tone with just a hint of mango flavor and scent.  The verdict? I love it! It’s moisturizing, but not sticky and the color is a perfect light shade for a gloss. Â
The company was started in 1995 by herbalist and author Melissa Hertzler who was experimenting daily on her husband trying to come up with a shaving formula that agreed with his skin.  After eventually finding the perfect combination, she knew she was on to something and Honeybee Gardens was born. They are committed to using 100% all natural ingredients (that you can actually pronounce), no animal testing and complete customer satisfaction. Not to mention, their prices are pretty reasonable.
I can’t wait to try the nail polish next! Â
A Side Of Rice
Yesterday’s post was partly inspired by my weekend spent in Las Vegas for a friend’s wedding. Admittedly, one of hardest things for me to avoid when I travel is picking up unnecessary souvenirs for myself, family and friends. Unfortunately, when those souvenirs are mass-produced in other countries, it probably isn’t supporting the economy of the city you are visiting. However, on my trip this past weekend I did purchase something made in another country, and I couldn’t feel less guilty about it.
I’ve had my eye on these Gecko Trader Bags for over a year, but I knew that I didn’t need another tote. However, when I saw these small ones for sale in the gift shop at Springs Preserve, I immediately picked up a pack. They are bright and colorful and perfect for carrying everything from credit cards to cosmetics.
Gecko Traders (a Fair Trade Federation member) employs disabled and disadvantaged workers in Cambodia to make these 100% recycled rice and feed bags. Furthermore, I was glad that I could get them at a place that promotes sustainability, and even has LEED Certified Buildings on site.
So one last tip for when your travel: Don’t be tempted by touristy trinkets. Instead seek out ones that are either made by local manufactures or artists, or look for ones that are made from recycled materials or are fair trade.
