sarah's sustainable life

to all those who doubt that san antonio is going to be the first green city in the united states (which has been stated as a goal by local officials), take a look at green star! green star is the largest recycling facility in texas; though it is a chain throughout the state, the largest branch is located in san antonio. check out their website to see what innovative technology they are bringing to the recycling industry. the facility is about 7miles from our apartment, but it is worth the drive a few times a month to be part of such an exciting endeavor in the greening of san antonio!

as i was feeding my son lunch today, i couldn’t help but look forward to spending the rest of the day with him. not that i don’t always enjoy spending time with my son, but i knew that the food he was scarfing down with both hands was loaded with vitamins that would put him in a great mood for hours (and they did, by the way). ever wonder if eating certain foods really makes you feel better? it’s true, they can! here i give you a small list of healthy foods that will lift your mood (sorry, chocolate and french fries not included here):

1) nutritional yeast flakes – this was the component of my son’s lunch that i knew was a sure fire winner on the good mood list. these are pretty much multiple b-vitamins in flake form, which are unofficially referred to as “happy pills.” nutritional yeast flakes are not new to vegetarians and health foodies, as they are an essential component to cheese replacement. for those of you who may be a little out of the loop, nutritional yeast flakes are available in the bulk section of most health food stores. this friday i intend to supply you with my favorite recipe for these nummy flakes, so keep reading!

2) salmon - though i don’t like to encourage meat eating, there is no getting around it – eating fish makes you happy! the omega-3 fatty acids work wonders for the mood, and they are found in amazing concentration in salmon. walnuts and flax seeds do contain healthy omega-3s, but they are a different type of omega-3s not as easily absorbed by the body.

3)cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, all those veggies that stink when you cook ‘em, but taste great when you eat ‘em. in addition to a healthy dose of fiber (which makes everyone feel great), these veg also contain a special cancer fighting phytochemical, liver cleansing properties, and folic acid, which is a b-vitamin (happy times!)

i think you’ll find that most other mood lifting foods are labeled so because they share some of these same properties (b-vitamins, fiber, omega-3s, and phytochemicals). there are many foods that crash and burn your mood as well, but we’ll talk about that another time…

coffee beans, water, what else could there be? wired magazine dissected the common cup of joe to let us know what we are really taking in when we indulge. from the obvious (caffeine) to the weird (quinic acid, used to make tamiflu), scary (2-Ethylphenol, a cockroach alarm pheromone), and even wonderful (Trigonelline, which helps prevent cavities), this article is a must read for anyone who really enjoys coffee. it certainly made me think more upon the goods that i peddle to the people of san antonio. i know i’ll be thinking about the cockroach pheromone every time i sell someone a cup of coffee from now on!

espresso shot at ruta maya

today’s recipe: ritzy dump cake . oh my goodness, people. when i went marketing last week i saw that they have introduced brown sugar cinnamon ritz crackers. why? why have i gone 29 years of my life without these? immediately my brain began scanning recipes in which i could substitute these yummies for one of the normal ingredients. here is the first one that came to mind, hope you like it!

28oz can dark cherries in syrup, drained
28oz can pineapple chunks in syrup, drained
2sleeves brown sugar cinnamon ritz
1stick margarine or salted butter, melted (1/2cup)

mix the drained fruit in a square baking dish. cover with crushed ritz, then drizzle with melted butter. bake at 350degrees for about 20minutes, until the the top is lightly browned and the fruit filling is bubbly. eat cake and love life!!

kiplinger.com did some useful research to let us all know some of the most common “green” myths. don’t be fooled and don’t waste your time/money! i know you all think that because i do an environmentally conscious blog (and consequently do lots of research), that nothing surprises me. well, here are my top two highlights from that list that DID surprise me:

1) if you have switched to CFLs, it is better to leave the lights on when you leave the room (as long as you will be gone less than 10minutes).

2) biodegradables don’t really decompose in a landfill! because modern landfills are set up to keep all light, air, and moisture out, even biodegradable products will stick around for a long, long time. the better solution? reduce, reuse, and recycle.

take the time to read this article; maybe you will learn something new, too!