Check out Soleil Moon Frye’s new web-based show, Her Say. It’s so much fun and features crazy stories, like the 4 year old having a solo art exhibit in NYC, and why Frances McCormand’s jean jacket has its own Twitter account!
Category Archives: Food & Drinks
Win a $200 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card
***GIVEAWAY EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 23rd!***
Stock your home with great green goodies from Williams-Sonoma
Are you registered at Williams-Sonoma yet? Well get to it, girl! We all know Williams-Sonoma is home to the most tempting and luxurious kitchenware known to man. And now, the Williams-Sonoma catalog includes enough eco-friendly items to fill a green gal’s registry. The very best part? If you register now (or add some new items to your existing W-S registry), you can win a $200 gift Williams-Sonoma card! (Scroll down for details)
Some of my recent faves from Williams-Sonoma include the cow-shaped cutting board above, made from sustainably harvested Vermont maple. (I’d use it for cheese too!) And the Zoku Quick Pop Maker, pictured below, is an absolute must-have for making your own popsicles with fresh, organic, local ingredients in minutes. You’ll save all the wasteful packaging and expense of frozen treats in the summer, and come up with inventive popsicle recipes like vanilla soy yogurt with fresh-squeezed limeade…yum!
The Zoku Quick Pop Maker lets you enjoy homemade frozen treats in minutes
Williams-Sonoma also has the brilliant Soda Stream machine, which I’ve been coveting for months now because of my ginger ale and Pellegrino addiction. This device lets you carbonate your own beverages right at home, in reusable glass containers. There are no wasteful bottles or cans, and no limit to the soda flavors you can create!
The Soda Stream Pure Sparkling Water Maker saves money and reduces your bottle and can consumption
Want to win these green goodies and more? Here’s how to enter the $200 Williams-Sonoma Registry Giveaway:
1. Click here to register or access your registry at Willams-Sonoma. You must be registered with Williams-Sonoma to enter the giveaway. If you’re already registered, just add another item to your registry to enter and include this item in your comment below.
2. Leave a comment below stating that you’ve registered, and tell us which is your favorite item on your registry.
3. You’ll receive an extra entry if you include a link to your registry in the comment.
4. The giveaway will end on September 7th (***EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 23rd!***), and a winner will be randomly chosen and notified that same day.
We can’t wait to read about your favorite Williams-Sonoma registry gifts. Good luck to all who enter!
Vegan Wedding Catering by Real Food Daily
When vegetarian Chelsea Clinton got married, there’s was much ado made about her choice to serve meat at her wedding. Chelsea’s not the only veggie devotee who’s opted to feed hungry guests the animal-based foods they’re accustomed to. Most brides and grooms want to please their guests with great food, and it’s not always easy to find a vegan caterer to prepare a sophisticated and satisfying meal. Unless you’re lucky enough to live here in Southern California, where the beloved organic kosher vegan restaurant Real Food Daily is now offering full-service catering for weddings and events. Yippee!!
Real Food Daily will bring organic vegan deliciousness to your wedding day. Cute server not included.
One of the most important elements of a green wedding is the food, and the factory farming of meat and processing of animal-based foods are damaging to the environment. When you choose to serve all-vegan food at your wedding, you’re reducing your carbon footprint tremendously, having the least possible impact on the environment. The folks at Real Food Daily understand your commitment to the environment, and so they source all of their ingredients from organic farms, use bio-compostable containers and recycled products, and participate in a program that recycles cooking oil to create bio-fuel.
For the cocktail hour:
Nori Maki vegetable sushi rolls with ginger tamari dipping sauce, fresh wasabi, and pickled ginger
Wabi Sabi rolls with julienned veggies, rice noodles, cilantro and mint, wrapped in rice paper with wasabi dipping sauce
Lentil Walnut Pate topped with tofu sour cream on sesame rice crackers
Salad: Choice of
Ceasar salad with romaine hearts, capers and wheat-free blue corn croutons
or
Farm Chop salad with a potpourri of seasonal chopped vegetables, avocado and seasonal field greens with choice of lime cilantro dressing or ranch dressing.
Entree:
Whole wheat penne pasta with roasted seasonal vegetables in an alfredo or herb tomato sauce with garlicky kale
or
Salisbury seitan with mashed potatoes and golden gravy
or
Enchiladas with Salsa roja, savory tempeh, spanish rice and black beans, accompanied by pico de gall, tofu sour cream and guacamole.
Dessert:
German chocolate wedding cake with coconut-pecan filling and vanilla frosting.
and
Groom’s cake – Tofu cheesecake with seasonal fresh berries
LATE NIGHT: Not-chos! Tortilla chips topped with black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, tofu sour cream and shredded cashew cheese, with extra guacamole and chips
KIDS:
Seitan Fingers – breaded and fried wheat meat strips with ranch dressing or barbecue sauce
Seitan steak, mashed potatoes, golden gravy, and fresh green beans - yum!
But that’s just the icing on the vegan wedding cake. The best part about RFD is the FOOD! Their healthy green fare is so delicious that your guests won’t miss meat for a moment. It’s always exciting to serve a room full of meat eaters a truly top-notch vegan meal, because it opens them up to eating more plant-based foods. And a wedding is the perfect opportunity to introduce and indulge guests with gourmet vegan fare. Remember when I had a chat with Alicia Silverstone about her vegan wedding? Alicia served up an entire menu of local, seasonal, plant-based foods, and said that even her most devotedly carnivorous guests were raving about how delicious it was. (Alicia also happens to be a fan of Real Food Daily!)
RFD will even stock your bar with delicious all-natural beverages
To test my theory that Real Food Daily can satisfy even the hungriest meat-eater, I brought my burger-loving buddy Alison along for a tasting at the Santa Monica restaurant a few weeks ago. We got to sample tons of delicious foods from the catering menu (yes, I have a cool job!) and Alison said it was one of the most delicious meals she’d ever had. Period. It wasn’t just, “this is good for vegan food” good. It was “holy wowza this is the best enchilada I’ve ever eaten!” good. After our amazing tasting, I threw together this sample menu of what I would serve if RFD were catering my own wedding:
Real Food Daily can even make you a beautiful wedding cake like the one below, in flavors like gluten-free chocolate, carrot walnut, German chocolate raspberry, and more. And the best part? Healthy, earth-conscious food won’t cost you an arm and a leg! RFD’s prices are comparable to, and in many cases less expensive than a conventional caterer. Learn all about vegan catering in Los Angeles from Real Food Daily, or call their fantastic catering manager Elisha for details and special requests at 310.663.7351.
A vegan wedding cake that looks and tastes as good (or better!) than a conventional cake? It's true!
A Recycled Bridal Shower
An easy-peasy and affordable green celebration for the bride!
Whether you’re the bride, a ‘maid or a mom, throwing a bridal shower can be fun, eco-friendly, and inexpensive with a few easy tips and tricks.
Mix and match vintage china - Images via ZenadiaDesign.com
Start with mix and match vintage china from local thrift shops. I was recently able to create an entire dinner setting, complete with glasses and cutlery for 18 people, for under $30. That’s even less than disposables would cost, with none of the waste! And if you have some time to scavenge, you’ll find plenty of beautiful one-of-a-kind plates, bowls and glasses. After the shower, you can gift the entire set to the bride, or donate it back to a thrift shop that benefits a charity you like.
Want more great tips for creating an eco-classy bridal shower on the cheap? Check out the rest of this post on OneWed >>
Edible Petals
Delight your guests and glamorize you wedding menu with blooms you can eat
Guest post by Wedvert’s Tasha Teelucksingh. Learn more about Eco-Bride Fridays from Tasha and Wedvert >>
From salads to champagne, edible flowers add whimsy and surprise to dishes and drinks. Marigolds, lavender, pansies, violets and roses are some of the more popular floral garnishes.
You can buy edible flowers yourself and give them to your caterer to use for garnish. When shopping for blooms, be sure the vendor sells organic, pesticide-free produce. If you suspect the flowers have been sprayed with chemicals, don’t buy them. Even if the petals are purely eye-candy, chemically-laden blooms can contaminate your food. Foliage you do use should be gently washed in lukewarm water – then pat dry. Many plants are edible, but some are toxic, so make sure you check a poison database before serving a plant’s petals to your guests.
You can even grow edible florals yourself! Inspired by our petit tart with miniature roses? These tiny buds, while delicate in appearance, are surprisingly easy to grow. They thrive both indoors and outside, and you can control their quality by raising them yourself. It’s a fun and easy DIY project for the green bride…with a green thumb!
Check out some valuable tips for incorporating edible flowers into your wedding décor, or purchase your own edible flower seeds here!
Does The Word “Wedding” = Higher Prices?
A funny video illustrates the wedding pricing conspiracy theory
The Internets are brimming with anecdotal tales of caterers, florists, and limo services that gave higher quotes when asked about a “wedding” rather than a regular ”party”. The conspiracy theory goes something like this: Everyone knows that brides and grooms expect their weddings to be expensive, once-in-a-lifetime events, and therefore vendors can charge a boatload of cash for the same exact services they’d normally price way lower. The gentleman in the video below was particularly defensive about this potential rip-off. (Warning: Some NSFW profanity here — though it’s hardly offensive with a British accent.)
I know a lot of good folks in the wedding business, and they work really hard for what often amounts to pretty narrow margins (like this talented florist). And this concept about pricing conjures visions of greedy wedding vendors conspiring to rip off their innocent clients while sitting on piles of cash and laughing, all mwaah-ha-ha-ha-like. It’s a tempting theory to buy into, but it seems to me that most products and services provided for weddings actually are more labor-intensive or complex than a similar, non-wedding job. Your Uncle Marty might take amazing vacation pics, but would he be able to handle the grueling 12-hour days and intricate photo editing that real wedding photography pros do? I’d guess not. And wedding invitations and favors are usually more customized and of higher quality than their birthday party counterparts. Then again, there are certain things that just cost what they cost. Catering is about food and service, no matter what the occasion. And a limo is a limo is a limo, whether you’re going to a wedding, a nightclub, or a funeral.
What do you think? Does the word “wedding” auto-inflate prices? Brides: Have you had any personal experiences with this? Vendors: Do you charge the same for weddings and non-wedding events? Sound off in the comments below.
Alicia Silverstone’s Kind Diet Interview & Giveaway
Get Alicia’s best green beauty and lifestyle tips & win a copy of her bestselling book
In Part 1 of Recycled Bride’s interview with Alicia Silverstone, we got the scoop on Alicia’s green wedding, how she cured her acne and lost weight with a plant-based diet, and how to eat lots of beans without becoming a stinker. Today, Alicia’s telling us about her favorite green beauty products, how she stays healthy in the cold winter months, and why she loves buying gently used clothes. And we’re giving away free copies of The Kind Diet, so you can be a glowing green Superhero like Alicia!
Alicia Silverstone with husband Christopher Jarecki at their 2005 green wedding
Alicia, congrations on the great reviews you’ve been getting for your performance in Time Stands Still on Broadway! Do you have a favorite cold weather dish to indulge in while living in New York this winter? And how do you handle exercise and self-care when it’s too chilly to be outdoors?
I like to get all bundled up and enjoy the weather outside. Winter can be tricky because of how early it gets dark and just how cold it is! If you are feeling depressed keep warm, and nourish your spirit with all the amazing healing foods in The Kind Diet that you can get your hands on. Relax and practice patience, as Spring is just around the corner. Let yourself go deep inside yourself. That’s what winter is for.
Okay, confession time: What’s your biggest un-Kind weakness? Do you ever indulge in a mocha latte, watch bad reality TV, or skip yoga to sleep in?
I often skip yoga. In fact, I have not exercised in two months, as my current schedule on Broadway has been insane. But that’s the beauty of The Kind Diet! You can “falafel off” as I like to say, and still look great and feel great if you eat well and get a walk in here and there.
We love your EcoTools earth-friendly cosmetics brushes and bags. What made you decide to launch the line?
I became a fan of EcoTools, and we collaborate really well. It’s such a great partnership. There is also such a need for these cosmetic products, as there really is nothing else like it out there. Our entire line, Eco tools by Alicia Silverstone, is cruelty free, earth friendly, inexpensive, and they’re completely gorgeous products.
Can you recommend some of your other favorite green beauty products, clothing labels, and household products?
There are so many…for face products, I love Tammy Fender, Suki, Weleda, Jurlique, and I like Kiss My Face, Giovanni, and Desert Essence shampoos and conditioners. For makeup, I like La Bella Donna mascara, and Josie Maran cosmetics, and Gabriel Organics. For cleaning supplies, I use Seventh Generation, Bon Ami, Ecover laundry soap, Mrs. Meyers hand soap. For clothes and shoes, it’s Stella McCartney, the organic line from Alternative Apparel, and jackets from The Battalion. But in general, I try to buy all my clothes used from cute vintage shops.
Hey, us too! And we think that buying and selling gently used wedding items on RecycledBride.com is another way of living The Kind Life. Do you have any other recommendations for Recycled Bride members about making consumer choices that will reduce their environmental impact?
Just buy most of your clothes used. That’s what I do. Also, use all recycled paper products, and get a water filter so that you don’t have to use any more plastic water bottles.
What about sustainable travel? Can you tell us your best honeymoons and vacation tips for couples who want to live The Kind Life?
I think that wherever you want to go can be kind. Just make sure that the menu has food ingredients that sound good. Also, call ahead and ask the chef if he’s willing to hook you up and get creative. Ask them what ingredients they have around. For example, we went to Fiji with friends recently, and called ahead and asked the hotel what ingredients they had in their kitchen, and what they brought in locally. It turned out that they had a local version of bok choy and lots of rice. So I brought some seeds with me, as well as some ume vinegar. I also brought some other tricks of mine. I ended up having rice and bok choy and salads the whole time, and they had really good home cooked food there as well. It was perfect! They let me put my own stuff in their fridge, and go into the kitchen and whip up meals. Our honeymoon was much more fancy. The chef would tell me what they had in the kitchen, and I could tell him what I felt like eating!
Thank you so much, Alicia! We appreciate you taking the time to chat with Recycled Bride.
My pleasure!
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Are you feeling as inspired as I am by Alicia’s healthy green lifestyle? Then you’ve just got to enter our Kind Diet giveaway to win a copy of her bestselling book! Whether you’re a bride who wants to get healthy for her wedding, a newlywed looking for ways to green your life, or a vegan who’s craving some delicious new recipes, Alicia’s book will get you charged up and motivated to become the best, healthiest, glowing-est you in 2010.
Tell us why you want a copy of The Kind Diet in the comments below, and you’ll be entered to win! We’re giving away three books to the people who post the most inspiring comments. Winners will be chosen this Friday, February 5th.
Still haven’t gotten your Alicia fix?
Read Part 1 of Alicia’s interview with Recycled Bride >>
Check out Alicia’s fast-growing online community The Kind Life >>
Watch Alicia talk about poop (!!) with Oprah >>
Go to Whole Foods in NYC for grocery shopping with Alicia >>
