ⓒ iStockPhoto - Knape

Terra Wellington has written a great guide for any mom (or dad) interested in going green. From energy savings to green vacations you’ll get information, tips and ideas to help green your family in this detailed and well written green family guide, The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green: Saving the Earth Begins at Home.

Wellington doesn’t preach, instead she offers useful advice, green ideas, helpful tips and much needed information that will break through all the confusion and greenwashing going on today. She even includes handy little icons that let you know how beneficial the green aspect is and how much it is going to cost. Icons include those for health benefits, time savings, money savings, free stuff, and expenses that range from under $50 to over $1,000. (continue reading…)

My husband I were recently discussing the fact that food has become boring, that we’re both sick of the same old stuff.

Perfect timing for me to receive a new cookbook.

Now my husband isn’t much for eating healthy, I have to trick him to get him to try new food- the last I tell him is that it’s healthy. But he loves seafood and coconut and wouldn’t you know it The Best of Clean Eating is full of recipes featuring one or the other. I’m not much for fish but I do love shrimp so there’s even recipes that both of us can enjoy. Especially the desserts.

The desserts are something hubby and I can both whole heartedly agree on - like on page 152, you get the healthy sweet snacks Power Yogurt for One and Coconut Balls- both recipes sound delicious. But it’s the real desserts that will make you crave healthy decadence. On page 232 I am seriously drooling over the Molten Lava Cakes made with cocoa powder. On page 230 I see a cake I am going to make for my chocolate and coconut loving husband- Coconut Chai Chocolate Cake. Wow it sounds so yummy my stomach is grumbling in sweet anticipation.

For those of you who love carrot cake you have to check out page 226 the recipe for Slow Cooker Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Honey Drizzle will make non carrot cake lovers drool. Then there’s Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Orange Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake…On page 214 I spy the ultimate apple pie recipe- it’s a pairing of two of my favorite things- vanilla and apples. The Vanilla Bean Spiked Autumn Apple Pie is going on my Thanksgiving menu.

After going through this cookbook you’ll never ever again think that eating healthy is eating bland.

The full color photos are enough to inspire you into exploring new culinary delights then you read through the ingredients and your mouth will start to water.

So far I’ve only spoken of sweet delights but there’s so much more in The Best of Clean Eating, for both die hard foodies and those who simply love food or are looking to try something new.

Throughout the book you’ll find a huge assortment of recipes- gingery roasted squash, roasted cauliflower leek and garlic soup, golden mashed potatoes, apple grilled cheese, yummy hummus, clean eating tortilla chips, sweet potato spread, garlic bruschetta…is your stomach growling yet? Because mine is.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts…you’ll find clean eating recipes for it in this book.

My husband and I are currently marking pages and making a shopping list for all the amazing recipes we are going to try. I can’t wait- I’m actually excited about food again.

©iStockphoto.com - VELEZGREENE

Anyone who has thought about ridding or lessening processed food from their menu should add Living in the Raw - Desserts by Rose Lee Calabro to their library. This cookbook provides a variety of recipes geared toward a raw desserts goal.

Desserts are usually the main treat that guests, even including the children, want to taste. Calabro provides simple recipes using no unhealthy additives or ingredients such as sugar, eggs or dairy. Instead, she uses natural or organic and raw ingredients such as coconut milk, seeds, dates, nuts and almonds. She explains organic food is, “produced without the use of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.” Organic food is rich in vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Another raw ingredient often used is carob, a chocolate substitute from a fruit. This means even with raw desserts the desire for that chocolate taste is possible. Ingredients for these naturally sweet desserts are available at farmers’ markets and natural food stores. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - PLAINVIEW

If you’ve ever wanted to reach inner peace or freedom, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself helps. Writer Michael A. Singer strives to provide readers with a method toward a better understanding of their inner self as well as relationship with their surroundings.

He writes that, “To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them. No solution can possibly exist while you’re lost in the energy of a problem.” Start the journey at the beginning by looking within yourself. No one knows you like you know yourself.

Readers can relate to his points as well as his writing style allowing a simple approach to help them reach their goal. Singer explains you and your thoughts are always together and are difficult to shut off sometimes. He points out, “There are two distinct aspects of your inner being. The first is you, the awareness, the witness, the center of your willful intentions; and the other is that which you watch. The problem is the part that you watch never shuts up. If you could get rid of that part, even for a moment, the peace and serenity would be the nicest vacation you’ve ever had.” (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - kate_sept2004

During a recent trip to the bookstore, I was admiring all the inspirational and helpful green lifestyle books available for adults, and I became curious about the publications available for children. Books are a fantastic way to educate children because they engage the children’s imagination and express complex ideas in terms that youngsters can understand. Wandering through the colorful children’s section, a discovered a number of books that introduce children of all ages to the concept of a green lifestyle and that use children’s lust for adventure to instill the powerful beliefs of conservationist. After reading several publications, I compiled a list of three books that are inspiring to both adults and children. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - David H. Lewis

After watching a recent episode of Oprah, I have become increasingly interested in knowing where my food comes from and knowing exactly what is in the products that I eat. Featured on that particular episode was Micheal Pollan, the author of several food-related books. As soon as the hour-long episode ended, I logged on to Amazon and ordered Pollan’s newest book, Food Rules. Since the day my order arrived in the mail, I have become more conscious of my eating and have improved the eating habits of some of my most stubborn family members. This slim, 139-page book has changed my life, and it has the power to improve the diets of any family willing to open the paperback.

Unlike many nutritional articles and books, Pollan’s Food Rules is written for the average person, not a scientist. The language is easy to understand, the reasoning makes sense, and the rules are realistic. The book is divided into three sections, each answering people’s most daunting dietary concerns: what to eat, what types of foods to eat, and how to eat. In each of these sections, Pollan provides practical policies to help people bypass the “edible foodlike substances” and eat real food. (continue reading…)