The Jazzy Vegetarian: Living Green

: Buying, preparing, and serving your food in an eco-friendly manner will help to reduce your overall carbon footprint and start you on the path to LIVING GREEN. Buying locally grown, organic produce is the first step to creating and serving a more sustainable menu. A green meal focuses on locally bought, organic vegetables, fruits, and grains, whenever they are available.

Buying organic foods may help to lower your consumption of pesticides, while diminishing the negative impact they have by running off into our water supply, harming plant and wildlife along the way. Organic foods are appealing to health-conscious people who are seeking foods grown without synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or hormones. The slightly higher cost of organic produce may be considered, but each year this cost has become more competitive with non-organically grown vegetables and fruits. Organic produce is now available throughout the year at many local supermarkets.

The Jazzy Vegetarian’s TOP 10 Quick & Easy Diet Change tips:

WITH LITTLE OR NO EXTRA EFFORT YOU CAN…

1. If you are new to the vegetarian diet, start by serving at least one non-meat meal each week for dinner, preparing hardy favorites like veggie chili, vegetarian lasagna, or spaghetti with marinara sauce.

2. Buy locally grown, organic veggies and herbs wherever they are available. Or try growing some of your own produce (especially herbs) in containers on your deck, or in a small garden patch. Small pots of herbs grown on a sunny windowsill provide pleasant aromas in your kitchen while offering fresh cuttings to cook with.

3. Buy organic fruit wherever it is available. Try buying locally grown, seasonal varieties when they are in season in your area.

4. Use mashed bananas or mashed tofu to replace eggs in many baked goods recipes. This works especially well when making muffins, brownies and many cake recipes.

5. Use organic rice, soy, almond, or oat "milk" for topping cereals, or as a substitute for dairy milk in almost any recipe.

6. Consider buying only fair trade, vegan, organic, dark chocolate and organic, lower sugar snacks.

7. Buy organic whole grain pasta and grains (such as rice, quinoa, and millet), available at many supermarkets.

8. Buy organic, whole grain breads, tortillas, and crackers.

9. Buy natural, organic nut butters, made with no trans fats and no added sugar.

10. Overall, buy locally whenever possible. Shop at your local farmers market or consider joining a near by organic cooperative. Buy organic when it is available or affordable.
: ECO CLEANING with the JAZZY VEGETARIAN!

For many years I have been cleaning with non-toxic products that are biodegradable, phosphate free and earth friendly. Using these "greener" products may help to reduce the presence of un-wanted chemicals in your home, while helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

The star of my “Green Clean Team” is Baking Soda! Baking Soda is an earth friendly product that has numerous uses around your home. Inexpensive and easy to use, it is my favorite, “all purpose” cleaner.

MY TOP TEN uses for BAKING SODA...

1) Use Baking Soda to scrub your kitchen sink. (Baking Soda also helps to deodorize the drain.)
2) Use Baking Soda to clean your bathtub. Wet the surface, sprinkle liberally, let set for a few minutes, scrub clean and rinse thoroughly.
3) Use Baking Soda to scrub and deodorize the cat litter pan. (rinse thoroughly)
4) Use Baking Soda in your refrigerator and freezer to absorb un-pleasant odors, Open a small box, tear off the top and place in the back of a lower shelf. Replace box every few months.
5) Use Baking Soda as a cleanser for your pots and pans to remove stubborn stains and food particles.
6) Use Baking Soda to clean your oven.
7) Use Baking Soda in the bottom of your garbage pail to deodorize and absorb un-pleasant odors.
8) Use Baking Soda to remove stains on the kitchen counter top. Wet the area slightly, sprinkle with baking soda, let sit for a few minutes and scrub clean.
9) Use Baking Soda along with distilled white vinegar to help unclog a slow running drain. Pour in 1/2-cup baking soda and then pour in 1 cup vinegar. It will fizzle up. Let stand for about 30 minutes. Pour in about two cups very hot or boiling water. This will help to loosen dirt in your drain.
10) Use Baking Soda for baking! (it IS baking soda!)