My wallet and backpack featured last year on The Everyday Minimalist's Minimalist Wallet series. That exercise showed me that I could downsize several items. But in the unstuffed wallet, the important cards get lonely and slip out of their...

How do you and your kids rate on the 4-Leaf scale?  Modern life can make it very hard to keep to a simple and healthy diet for your family. Once you're in the know, you can at least avoid...

Last time I reviewed an exciting book by this man’s son (Engine 2 Diet, Rip Esselstyn).  This book is more technical but in its way, just as exciting. Dr Esselstyn Jr doesn’t waste any time.  He starts with a...

2012 is the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.  Mad Like Tesla, by Tyler Hamilton, salutes people dedicated to finding cleaner alternative energy sources.Nikola Tesla was an extremely quirky inventor full of mad ideas about the world -...

The winner! Last year I was lucky enough to win a beautiful set of eco-friendly bamboo party ware from Friendlypak in New Zealand.  This substantial set arrived packed in their own compostable product - popstarch.  By the faint fragrance,...

I’m a vegan with two young vegan children.  We all love having parties and being invited to them, but of course it’s never a party without food.  So how do you keep the party spirit when not everybody in...

Save time and money in your vegan kitchen!  You know you don't want to forget your lurking leftovers - that means mess and waste.  You can munch them yourself for lunch or serve them at the end of the...

  This controversial story about model sizes is the news of the day on my social networks - opinions range from "I still prefer skinny women" to "it shouldn't matter what size you are as long as you're healthy" and...

Resolved to have a fitter New Year?  Here are some holiday workouts that leave you with more than just an endorphine rush. Caution:  Don't try all of these workouts in one day without medical advice. Try on all the...

My three (almost four) year old daughter loves to paint.  She brings her paintings home for me and tells me all about them. You get the picture.  She can draw people and things, but she's still a creative abstract...

Vegan specialty chocolates are expensive!  Making your own chocolates from molds is so easy I'm not sure I should share the secret.  Especially because we're trying to eat less sugar. In less than 1/2 hour you can have a...

The Real Food series helps you eat more real food in the real world.  In Part 1, we ate more whole grains.  Now let's learn how to do what we know we should - eat less sugar. What's so...

I'm still working on the last Use It Up challenge, (gluten free baking mix).  I missed a golden opportunity to use some of this baking mix when I baked 40 plus mini chocolate chocolate chip vegan cupcakes for the...

I grew up with turkeys on my dinner plate or as cartoon figures drawn around five little fingers.Like any animal, there's always so much more to learn!Like the Native Americans (Indians), turkeys are another victim of colonial naming confusion...

Just in time for Thanksgiving and early enough to plan for Christmas - my other easy "use it up" bread crusts recipe:  Yummy Vegan Stuffing.Not for the birds!  This is the dish to take to your family Thanksgiving so...

First, watch Dr John McDougall: Lowfat foods vs whole foods Whether you're seeking a healthy weight or just plain good health, you need to find your way to whole foods.Whole Grain HealthFats Your body needs some fat.  Not lots...

I like to cook with what I have.  And this healthy fruit pudding can be made with practically anything.  Of course, I used my garden-fresh organic rhubarb.  With this recipe, I also transformed the bread end collection from our...

The summer squash seeds love their free biodegradable planters and showed their appreciation with big green leaves.And the beans we planted at Small Poppies were going bonsai for lack of soil depth in that cute little decorated pink tub...unlike...

Our waffle maker had made its last wholewheat vegan waffle, but I got lucky with Freecycle with another waffle maker in great condition.  Guess who was pleased with herself?Try... But then I tried to use it.  This waffle maker was...

My winter parsley and kale are rapidly going to seed as the sunshine hits the garden.  I cleared the kale and made a whole crock pot of soup.  If I want juicy tomatoes, tender squash, lettuces, a cucumber or...