Wow – an amazing winter sunset tonight.
Winter Sunset
Category: Green Living
“On the Side” Casual Dining
With New Year’s visiting and celebrations just around the corner – how do you put together a fun meal that takes various diet considerations into account? Why, “on the side” of course!
Byerly’s Real Food magazine (Winter 2011) offered some terrific chili recipes, but in every case, the Chorizo sausage, turkey or seasoned, cooked ground beef is served on the side. This is an excellent idea for many reasons:
1. It encourages guests to stop and think about how they will incorporate meat into their meal, or even if they will add it.
2. The meat is used as a flavoring, rather than the main course. This is a very healthy and planet-friendly way to eat.
3. It’s respectful of those who don’t eat meat or would rather not eat meat at the moment.
4. Guests can control the amount of meat so there is less waste and overall less meat consumed.
This can be done with chilis, with casseroles like chili mac or tuna casserole, fajitas, burritos, Asian stir-fried dinners and with salads.
Allowing guests to create their own meal combination means less work for the host. Simply place the ingredients on the coffee table or buffet – ready to go. Guests grab a low bowl or plate and take what they need. You enjoy your guests. Everyone wins.
For other fun and easy meal ideas you may also like Another Fabulous Friday, Chocolate Eclair Dessert, Super Easy Crock Pot Lasagna and No Cook Marinara & Pasta.
Decorating Without a Tree
De-stress this holiday. Enjoy the season, including the scents and tradtions but in new ways. Check out these scented and spirited decorations – no tree required.
Creative holiday tree options – without the tree.
You may also like After Christmas Tree Hangover.
Gift Ideas that Do More
Most of us don’t need (and do not even want) one more CD, T-shirt or pair of slippers. Would you like to give a thoughtful gift, spend your money wisel and have it do something good for the world? My friend T sent me these fun gift ideas:
Try giving an experience of delectable dark truffle hot chocolate from The Ticket Kitchen – using sustainable ingredients and packaging.
Another interesting idea is altruette.com making jewelry out of recycled sterling silver. They make charms and bracelets. 50% of the net profit from their products goest to the organization the item symbolizes and they have many to choose from.
Thanks T!
Certainly don’t forget donating in someone’s name as a gift option. Mary’s Pence is always my first choice. Their ESPERA Funds help women become empowered to lift their families and entire communities out of poverty.
Also, churches can always use gift cards for local grocery stores, local gas stations, and pharmacies. One year when I was a pastoral associate, a parishioner dropped off a stack of grocery gift cards. When I exclaimed “How wonderful!” he replied, “Last year I was someone who needed groceries from the food shelf.”
Before buying toys to donate – consider gift cards for gas, groceries and prescriptions that make it possible for parents to free up resources to buy the gifts they know their children really want.
You may also like Malls of Justice, Christmas Tree Hangover and Christmas Craziness or Christmas Spirit?
Journey of the Universe
Recently I had the good luck to preview the upcoming film – Journey of the Universe. While it was a bit anthropocentric (human-centered) because we are afterall, not the center of creation only one strand in its web, the film was engaging and informative. From emergence, creativity, complexity to the earth’s story and our own human story, beautiful photography mesmarizes the viewer.
From the film’s website:
JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE invites us to become fellow travelers on a journey no previous generation could have fully imagined. Through the astonishing achievements of science, we now know more about the history of the universe and the unfolding of life on Earth then ever before. We have a detailed account of how galaxies and stars, planets and living organisms, human beings and human consciousness came to be. But what role do humans play in this 14-billion year history of the universe? And how do we connect with the intricate web of life?
Eco-theologian, Brianne Swimme is the narrator of this remarkable film. Check the film’s website here to find out when it will air on your local PBS station.
You may also like End of the World, Lunar Eclipse and Winter Solstice.