Sustainable Living

Sustainable Living

New Years Eve Chocolate Lavender Tart

Happy New Year! I haven’t been blogging much this year, but as I sat down at the computer to unearth one of my favorite dessert recipes for a New Years Eve party tonight, I just had to come on over to share it with you too. The lavender in this recipe makes an otherwise ordinary chocolate pie something extraordinary that will surprise and delight!

I’m always looking for ways to use the lavender I harvest and dry each year from my herb garden. Hopefully you have a small bundle of lavender hanging around your kitchen or pantry just waiting to be turned into something wonderful!

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Photo by Muzammil Soorma on Unsplash
Sustainable Living

Eco-Friendly Chicago: Your Guide to a Sustainable Trip to the Windy City

Looking for a weekend getaway? Thinking about how to make travel more sustainable, in general? Here are a few tips to explore Chicago, Illinois in a more sustainable way. Chicago has made significant strides in recent years toward becoming an eco-friendly city. City officials have been prioritizing sustainability and environmental initiatives for decades, and you’ll find that an eco-friendly trip to Chicago is very doable.

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Slow Living, Sustainable Living

Dilly Beans and Sugar Snap Peas on Toast

This recipe was originally posted in 2020. It’s still a family favorite and at the top of our recipe pile these days. The bright, fresh flavors are everything I wish for in a summer dinner. And I love that I get to use the dill and chives from my herb garden too. I even find myself skipping the yogurt and using the bean/pea/dressing mixture on top of a fresh greens salad. If you’re lucky enough to still have peas in your garden or farmers market, here’s a great recipe for you!

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Slow Living, Sustainable Living, Waste Free Living

Reusable Gift Bags Tutorial

A few years ago, I sewed a bunch of reusable cloth gift bags in cheerful Christmas patterns and they continue to bring me such joy! I love wrapping presents in these gorgeous bags. I love giving them to people (and am so honored when friends and family want to keep the bag in addition to the gift… in fact, you’ll regularly find me sneaking around and gathering my bags up after gift opening is over at our family gatherings). I love reusing them year after year! AND they’re super easy to make! I swear, they’re a great project for beginner sewers because it doesn’t matter the size, shape, or even if they’re particularly square. The process is three simple steps: cut, sew, enjoy!

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Slow Living, Sustainable Living, Waste Free Living

The Great Christmas Tree Debate

Are you on Team Natural or Team Artificial when it comes to Christmas trees? Have you ever wondered which is more sustainable? Most of us firmly believe that one is “better” than the other, but there’s a really interesting debate about the sustainability aspects of this tradition. Here are a few pros and cons to consider when choosing the type of tree you use to celebrate the holidays.

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Slow Living, Sustainable Living

Hunting for our Christmas tree in the National Forest!

Did you know you can harvest a Christmas tree from the National Forest? You can! And in Michigan, the permit is only $5, making this a more affordable alternative to many traditional Christmas tree farms in addition to an amazing family adventure. This is one of my FAVORITE family holiday traditions! We love the adventure of hunting for our Christmas tree in the natural woods! We pack hot chocolate and marshmallows, and make an afternoon out of it!

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Sustainable Living

13 Tips for Green Apartment Living Directly From Experts

HAPPY BELATED EARTH DAY!!! To honor the holiday, I was thrilled to contribute to a blog on Redfin.com. The blog went live last week, but since every day is Earth Day around here, I’m sharing it with you now. Read on for some great tips from sustainability bloggers around the web, including yours truly. P.S. most of these tips are relevant for everyone, even if you don’t live in an apartment, so don’t let the title fool you into skipping this great read. 

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Slow Living, Sustainable Living, Waste Free Living

Roasted Red Pepper Curry Soup

Let me introduce you to my FAVORITE fall soup: Roasted Red Pepper Curry Soup. It’s easy to make, gluten free, dairy free, and EVERYONE in my family is happy to eat this meal! Sure you can buy roasted red peppers in a glass jar at the grocery store (and glass is definitely better than plastic), but have you ever roasted your own? Now is the time! Carpe diem! They freeze really easily so you can have home-roasted red peppers to cook with all winter.

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Sustainable Living

Top 5 Sustainability Swaps

There’s one thing I know for certain: we can’t consume our way to a life that doesn’t destroy the planet, so you won’t find a quick list of things to buy in any of my blog posts. That means my top five is a list of simple ways to change your mindset and habits that will help you tread lightly on the planet. Here’s my list of five great sustainability {mindset} swaps.

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