It’s time for the big game, the Super Bowl! Whether your team made it or you just want to watch the commercials and have a good time with friends, don’t forget your eco-ness! Check out some of these fun and simple tips that can help save you money, as well as the earth this coming Super Bowl Sunday!

• Decorate in your team’s colors with items you already have. Fruit and veggies are great in glass bowls (strawberries and blueberries for the Pats or oranges and blueberries for the Giants, etc.) Don’t purchase single use, disposable decor as they are toxic, wasteful of both money and resources and fill up landfills. Besides, you can eat the edible decor at the party!
• Opt for reusable dishware. You can even ask guests to bring their own plates, utensils and glasses! But if you’re not in the dish washing mood and want to conserve water, opt for eco-friendly, 100% compostable dishes, napkins and utensils instead.
• Buy local, organic produce for your salads, snacks and grillin’!
• Recycle! Beer bottles, soda cans, etc – be wise and have a well labeled recycle bin placed in a convenient location at your party.
• Grill green! A solar powered grill is the most eco-friendly way to grill, but if that’s not an option for, opt for a natural gas grill instead of a charcoal one as it burns cleaner. And if you don’t have an outdoor space or it’s too cold, invest in an indoor grill or a nice grill pan!
• Make smarter drinking choices like juices with organic liquor, organic wines and beers and most of all, drink responsibly.
• Opt to make a healthy dish to bring to the festivities. Pre-packaged sides and snacks are full of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients as well as yucky plastic packaging that fills up our landfills. If you can’t cook, bring organic bagged lettuce, organic dressing, a big bowl and you’ve brought a healthy side everyone will appreciate ; )

Good luck!!!

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You want to give your baby the very best and organic
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Check out my video review below of their crib bedding!

Written by Logan B.

Who doesn’t want to go to Hawaii and hop an air charter through the 8 islands?  If you feel like you need to justify flying to and around paradise, join in with thousands of runners and compete in one of over a dozen marathons held every year in the Aloha State.  With so many different running events to choose from, there is something for everyone including family, holiday, and charity runs.  Vacations don’t have to be about overindulgence of food and sloth, running in Hawaii can be a perfect way to incorporate health and travel.

Even if it’s just to do a short race, join 5,000 participants for the Honolulu 5-K.  You can opt to do a 1-mile fun run/walk in gorgeous downtown Honolulu if you or not everyone in your party can make the 5-K.  Proceeds benefit the athletic programs in Hawaii public schools.

Even the more hardcore Maui Marathon offers 1 mile, 5-K, half-marathon and full marathon options to suit its over 3,500 runners.  Take the kids with you and walk the mile together while mom or dad do a longer portion of the race.

For partiers this year, St. Paddy’s Day ‘Run til You’re Green’ race will be held in Kahului in the early evening.  Followed by drinking, music and other festivities, this holiday run will at least get you off your rear for 3 miles.

If you think you can handle a little altitude challenge go for the Volcano Rain Forest Run.  At 4,000 feet of elevation take your chances with 5-K, 10-K or half-marathon distances just outside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where Kilauea is still an active volcano.

Check out Runner’s World for a full listing of racing events in Hawaii and plan your next vacation to these beautiful islands guilt-free by participating in an event this year.

The holidays are behind us but an all American tradition is coming up quick, Super Bowl Sunday! No matter if you actually watch the game or are just there for the commercials, the best part (at least for me) is the food!  It’s the centerpiece of the party and a bottomless pit of mindless eating for about 4 hours. So why not make the food awesome and on the healthier side? Vegans or not, check out this year’s menu so whether you’re a sports fan or not, you’ll be looking forward to the food!

Game Day Guac

• 3 avocados, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 2 ears corn, grilled and kernels removed
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1-2 clove(s) garlic, finely crushed and minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the avocados, corn, jalapeno, onions, cilantro, lime juice and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with organic tortilla chips, such as Corazonas Lightly Salted Tortillas, or crudite.

Kick Off Popcorn

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup popping corn kernels
• 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspooncayenne pepper

Heat oil in deep pot over medium high heat. Add corn. Cover pot and pop the corn, shaking pan often. Remove from heat. Drizzle with melted butter. Combine spices in a small dish and sprinkle the blend over hot corn. Serve.

Field Goal Green Salad

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoonDijon mustard
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup almond oil
• Salt and pepper

For the salad:

• 12 ounces mixed field greens
• 1 bunch green asparagus, grilled then diced into 1-inch long pieces
• 1 sweet white onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup slivered almonds

For the dressing:

Whisk all ingredients except almond oil together. While whisking, slowly drizzle in hazelnut oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside until ready to serve salad.

For the salad:

When ready to serve toss greens, asparagus and vinaigrette together, seasoning with salt and pepper. Place a generous handful on each salad plate, top greens with onions and sprinkle with slivered almonds.

Winter Tailgate Chili

For the Roasted Garlic:

• 12 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Chili:

• 12 shallots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 chile peppers (chipotles a re great)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (gluten free if desired)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 7 cups vegan chicken broth made from vegan chicken bullion
• 4 cups shredded cooked vegan chicken (like Gardein) or cubed pan seared tofu
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 15-ounce can navy beans, undrained
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/3 cupvegan heavy cream ( 1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps )
• 1 cup grated vegan mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese

Make the roasted garlic: Toss the 12 cloves garlic with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover, leaving a vent, and microwave until soft, about 90 seconds. Let cool, covered.

Prepare the chili: Preheat the broiler. Cook the shallots in the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place the chiles on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil until charred on all sides, turning, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Peel the peppers with your fingers or a paring knife. Stem, seed and chop.

Add the minced garlic to the shallots and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the wine; simmer 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the roasted chiles, 6 cups broth, the chicken, chili powder, cayenne, beans, and salt and black pepper to taste. Return to a simmer.

Meanwhile, squeeze the soft pulp from the roasted garlic into a blender or food processor. Add the remaining 1 cup broth and process until smooth. Add to the chili and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes, adding the spinach during the last 5 minutes. Add the paprika and cream and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the cheese.

Punter’s Vegan Chicken Pizza

• 3/4 pound vegan chicken breast cutlets (1 package and a half of vegan chicken cutlets)
• Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning
• 1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite pizzeria (gluten free if desired)
• Cornmeal or flour, to handle dough
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce, spice level per your taste
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced olives
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat grill pan to high.

Place chicken on a plate and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the chicken then season with grill seasoning. When grill is hot, add chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side.

Stretch dough to form pizza using cornmeal or flour to help you handle it. If you let it rest and warm up a few minutes it will handle even easier. Set pizza on pizza pan to the side and clean board.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and stir in Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce.

Remove the chicken from grill and thinly slice it. Add chicken to sauce and coat. Cover the pizza dough with the saucy chicken, cheese, olives and scallions. Bake 18 minutes or until crisp.

Football Cake Pies

• 1 cupsugar
• 1 /2 cup vegan shortening
• 2 egg replacers
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoonsbaking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegan buttermilk ( 1 cup plain soy milk with 1 teaspoon of apple cider or coconut water vinegar, set aside to curdle for at least 15 minutes )
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 pound vegan cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks vegan butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets and set aside.

To make the cake pies, in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the sugar and 1/2 cup of the shortening. Add 2 egg replacers and mix well.

Onto a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.

Lay half of the cookies flat on a work surface. Divide the filling among the cookies, spreading out to the edges. Top with the remaining cookies to form sandwich pies. Cover tightly and refrigerate before serving. Pipe remaining icing over top of the pies in the design of football threads.

White Chocolate Maple Brownies

• 10 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 2 cupsall purpose flour (gluten free if desired)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3 egg replacers, mixed (EnerG is best)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 6 ounces vegan white chocolate

For the Topping:

• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 6 tablespoons vegan unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegan heavy cream( 1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps )
• Vegan vanilla ice cream, for serving
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces

Brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the foil. Pulse 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until almost fine (do not overprocess). Whisk the ground nuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat 10 tablespoons butter and thebrown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg replacers, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the brownies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.

Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel.

Use the foil to lift the blondies out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve warm topped with ice cream, the maple sauce and the walnuts.

Your Family Today: Parenting

De-stress Your Mornings

By Lisa Bova for Your Family Today

For most moms, mornings are a mad dash to get everyone up, dressed and out the door — hopefully with some breakfast in them. But the a.m. rush hour doesn’t have to be so hectic. Here, solutions for simpler, saner mornings:

Shower at night The more tasks you can knock off before bedtime, the better, says J. Lynn Cutts, Ph.D., author of Change One Habit, Change Your Life (Lynn Cutts). It’s a philosophy that Abena Foreman-Trice, mom of three from Waynesboro, Va., swears by. Her time-saver: She has her kids hit the shower in the evening. “In the morning, all my children have to do is get dressed, eat and brush their teeth,” she says. “They even have a little leisure time so that they don’t feel hurried when they are leaving the house.” If you really want to streamline the early-hour action, why not get your own shower out of the way too?

Lay it all out To prevent that panicked search for the other shoe, have everyone — your kids, your spouse and you too — preselect entire outfits for the next day the night before. That means everything: clothes, accessories, socks and shoes. It won’t do you any good to have your clothes ready if you have to spend 20 minutes hunting for a missing earring.

Steal time for yourself You need to feel calm in order to set a calm tone for the rest of your gang. “Set your alarm clock 15 minutes early and make a point of having a few minutes of quiet time to breathe and meditate or just have a cup of coffee,” says Cutts. “That move gets you centered and ready to deal with what’s about to erupt.”

Save the dates Hang a big calendar in your kitchen or by the front door. Have your spouse and older kids write anything relevant in it; you can handle the job for you and your little ones. Having a big reminder that you have to pick up your 8-year-old at soccer practice, for example, or dress your preschooler in school colors will let you plan logistics in advance and will eliminate same-day surprises like, “By the way, I need to bring in brownies today!”

Make breakfast a no-brainer Put breakfast in front of your kids — the night before. Set the table — complete with cereal boxes, bowls and spoons. Professional organizer Elaine Bloom of Maplewood, N.J., suggests putting cereals in see-through containers: “That way you can see when you’re about to run out, and replenish so you don’t find there’s nothing to eat in the morning.”

Leave backpacks by the door Make sure your kids’ book bags are filled up, zipped and ready to go. “Before my kids turn in for the night, I check their backpacks to see that everything is in order, then put them by the front door so they aren’t forgotten on the way out,” says Laurie Hurley of Newbury Park, Calif. “We don’t have any panic attacks two minutes before leaving for school that homework is still sitting on the desk.”

Don’t try to be supermom Take a good look at your morning to-do list. If something doesn’t require immediate attention, try tackling it at a less stressful time. Maybe that means making the beds after lunch or doing the morning dishes in the evening when you get home from work. Don’t worry about being a slacker. The truth is: If you get everyone out the door with a smile on your face and remember that all-important kiss goodbye, you’re already off to a good start.

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Leave a comment telling us why you need Jenuinely Pure products!
Be sure to leave your email as well so that I may contact the winner. Winners will be chosen next Monday, February 6th by random.org.
Deadline for Entering is 11:59 PM PST, Sunday, February 5th.
Good luck!!
xoxo
**We do not share your email with anyone nor do we add you to our mailing list
**Only entries from the U.S. are eligible to win**

As a little treat, listen to my very first show where I chat about the benefits of laughter with plant based comedian, Leo Flowers!

Listen to the first Healthy Voyager Radio show by clicking here

Wouldn’t you like to know? This book is chock full of fabulous
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A few of my favorite tips are:

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2 lucky winners will win a free download of this awesome foodie lovers app!

How to enter our Trufflehead App giveaway:
Leave a comment telling us why you need the Trufflehead app!
Be sure to leave your email as well so that I may contact the winner. Winners will be chosen next Monday, January 30th by random.org.
Deadline for Entering is 11:59 PM PST, Sunday, January 29th.
Good luck!!
xoxo
**We do not share your email with anyone nor do we add you to our mailing list
**Only entries from the U.S. and Canada are eligible to win**

Tabbouleh is always a fabulous picnic or party side dish. Light and fresh and and healthy. But for those who are looking for an even healthier version, try substituting the Bulgar wheat and grains for cauliflower. My vogue veggie of the month, this is a fun, crunchy and tasty spin on a middle eastern favorite!

• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 3/4c finely diced tomatoes
• 3/4c finely diced cucumbers
• 2 green onions, very finely minced (use whites and greens)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of 1/4 to 1/2 of a lemon
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• salt and pepper, to taste

Chop cauliflower into florets – make the size fairly uniform.

Add cauliflower to food processor and chop for about a minute or so until the cauliflower begins to look like rice.

Transfer to a large bowl and add tomatoes, cucumbers and onion to the cauliflower.

Add olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside or refrigerate.