St Patrick’s Day is my favourite holiday of the year, because the whole world goes green!

So, I thought I would share a few quick, easy, healthy, green plant based St. Patrick’s Day recipes that can make going green FUN! Here is a green dip, green salad, green soup, and green side, so you have all your bases covered during the festivities.

First off, this raw vegan edamame spinach dip is so quick and easy. You just throw everything into your high-speed blender or food processor and puree until thick and creamy. This is fantastic served with raw vegetables or crackers, and is sensational on sandwiches or in wraps.

Raw Vegan Edamame Spinch Dip

Next, this raw vegan tabouli salad that utlitzes cauliflower instead of cracked wheat or quinoa. Just throw the cauliflower florets in your food processor and pulse until the consistency of bread crumbs. Toss through your finely chopped mint, tomatoes, green onions, and cucumbers, and then add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and you have a refreshing dish that is bursting with flavour, and loaded with nutrients and live enzymes.

Raw Vegan Cauliflower Tabouli

This vegan cream of spinach soup is a SHOW STOPPER. Do not miss out on making this simple soup that is SUPER EASY and absolutely delicious. The secret is the addition of the raw cashews or raw almonds at the end. YUMMO! The best thing about this soup is that is only takes 20 minutes to make. Too easy!

Vegan Cream Of Spinch Soup

Finally, this gloriously green quinoa pilaf with spinach and nori is a quick easy dish that tastes quite exotic thanks to a little bit of turmeric. This turns the simple into the sublime. Just throw everything in the pot and bake in the oven. Anybody can make this, and it is dressed to impress.

Vegan Green Quinoa Pilaf with Spinach and Nori

Gluten Free, Green Quinoa Pilaf with Spinach and Nori

• 4 Tbsp cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups vegetable broth/stock
• 2 cups (about 2 medium) brown onions chopped finely
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1/8 cup finely minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 cups baby spinach leaves chopped finely
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro / coriander
• 2 large sheets of nori chopped up

1. Preheat your oven to 180 / 350 / moderate
2. Heat the olive oil in large saucepan and gently cook the garlic and brown onions with a pinch of Celtic sea salt until soft and translucent.
3. Add in the quinoa until it is well coated with the onion mixture.
4. Stir in the turmeric and nutmeg and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to a mild simmer and add in the spinach, herbs and green onions.
6. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish and cover with a lid or foil.
7. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy.
8. Fluff with a fork and gently fold through the nori sheets and top with nor to serve
9. Serves 8

Happy St Patrick’s Day.

Tess Masters, AKA “The Blender Girl”  writes a quirky blog called Healthy Blender Recipes, sharing super quick and easy allergy friendly vegetarian, vegan, and raw recipes using a blender, mixer or food processor. All of her healthy recipes are gluten free, and utilise whole foods and natural flavourings and sweeteners. Many of the recipes are also dairy free, egg free, nut free, and soy free. You can search for recipes for specific diets or food allergies by using the handy clickable icons on her website.

The post “Go Green” with these Healthy St Patrick’s Day Recipes appeared first on Go Green America TV.

Valentines Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Nutella Shake

It is Valentine’s Day this week, and if you are looking for a vegan valentine’s treat that will make your sweetheart weak at the knees, this simple recipe will ROCK YOUR WORLD.

The post Valentine’s Day Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Nutella Shake appeared first on Go Green America TV.

Happy New Year. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season full of love, laughs, and lots of wonderful food. Most of us tend to overindulge during the “silly season”, leaving us desperate for a healthy start to the new year.

We make New Year’s resolutions, set workout goals, decide to be more healthy, manifest what we would like to achieve in the new year and so on. For New Year’s Detox Ideas check out my Healthy Holiday Detox Board on Pinterest.

A wonderful way to clear out the old, and welcome in the new is to participate in a cleanse. There are all kinds guided cleanses offered at wellness retreats, spas, and on the internet. One of my favourite ways to cleanse is to do a juice fast, which really helps to detoxify the system in a gentle way that leaves energy for cleansing and renewal.

You may ask about “juicing versus blending.” Which is better? The whole fibre contained in green smoothies is hugely beneficial to health on an regular basis. However, during periods of detoxification, cleansing, and illness, I drink pulp free strained juices, to allow a more gentle digestive process, which leaves energy for detoxification and regeneration.

There is a place for both blending and juicing in any healthy eating regime. I blend every day, and juice every week. I also do a juice fast/cleanse one day of each week to empty and strengthen my system, along with regular colonics. 

To celebrate my Omega Juicer Giveaway, where I have partnered with my favourite juicing company, Omega Juicers to give away FIVE Omega Vert VRT350 Masticating Juicers, I am sharing a 3 DAY JUICE CLEANSE led by my dear friend Karen Kipp from Power Your Journey.

Karen is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and has worked as both a Holistic Health Care Practitioner and Reflexologist for over 18 years, and leads juice-fasting retreats all year round. She has shared one of her 3 DAY Winter Juice Fasts, which I have shared here.

All of the recipes and full instructions are listed there. You can participate at your leisure in your own time. Or, you join our free guided cleanse and private Facebook Support Group January 18-20, 2013. You can sign up for free here. There will be daily live chat sessions and full support.

I am also posting more exotic juice recipes every day during the month of January. So, if you are looking for juice recipes, come on over.

I hope you join us

Tess Masters, AKA “The Blender Girl”  writes a quirky blog called Healthy Blender Recipes, sharing super quick and easy allergy friendly vegetarian, vegan, and raw recipes using a blender, mixer or food processor. All of her healthy recipes are gluten free, and utilise whole foods and natural flavourings and sweeteners. Many of the recipes are also dairy free, egg free, nut free, and soy free. You can search for recipes for specific diets or food allergies by using the handy clickable icons on her website.

Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and You Tube.

The post 3 DAY JUICE FAST – A Healthy Start For The New Year appeared first on Go Green America TV.

Thanksgiving is in two days, and as we are all planning our holiday menus, I wanted to share some of my favourite healthy, green, holiday recipes. All of these recipes are gluten free, vegan, and absolutely delicious! Whether you are catering for omnivores, vegetarians, those on special diets, or discerning foodies, these dishes are dressed to impress, without the need to coat check your colon at the Thanksgiving table!

I like to start the meal off with a delicious bowl of seasonal soup. This roasted butternut squash soup is super easy, and filled with sweet, earthy, and robust flavours. What a gorgeous starter

Creamy Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Creamy Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

No vegan holiday feast is complete without an amazing stuffing. I love to use ground cauliflower for raw couscous and risotto recipes, and it also makes a fantastic base in gluten free stuffing recipes. I used Way Better Snacks Blue Sprouted Tortilla Chips as a base booster in this recipe, and mixed with some veggies, herbs, and sliced almonds, the results were spectacular.

Way Better Gluten Free Vegan Cauliflower Sage Stuffing 

Way Better Gluten Free Vegan Cauliflower Sage Stuffing

Next, some delicious mashed potatoes. Instead of using cream and butter, I like to use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and vegetable broth to bring flavour to potatoes. I also like to leave the skins on the potatoes for a more rustic consistency. You could also add in some vegan milk for a creamier texture. I like to add garlic and fresh herbs. But you could also add in red chili flakes or wasabi for an extra kick, or try coconut milk and coconut flakes! YUMMO!

Olive Oil Garlic Mashed Potato with Chives

Olive Oil Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Chives

These Orange Cinnamon Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Candied Maple Pecans are SENSATIONAL. Guaranteed to be the standout dish at any thanksgiving party, these almost taste like dessert! YUMMO!

Orange Cinnamon Mashed Sweet Potato with Candied Maple Pecans

Orange Cinnamon Mashed Sweet Potato with Candied Maple Pecans

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE green beans. But many of the holiday green bean dishes are loaded with unhealthy fats drowning overcooked beans that almost look brown. This quick easy dish is zesty and refreshing using lemons, zest, garlic, and blanched almonds. This dish is a winner!

Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Sliced Raw Almonds

Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Sliced Raw Almonds

Now for the cornbread! This rosemary chili cornbread has a beautiful rustic texture and is full of flavour. You would never guess it was gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, and soy free! Vegan, and SOOO good!

Gluten Free Vegan Rosemary and Chili Cornbread

Gluten Free Vegan Rosemary and Chili Cornbread

I can’t throw a holiday celebration without a gorgeous bowl of homemade cranberry sauce. This simple orange ginger recipe is super tasty, without any refined sugar. I like to keep the consistency really rough and chunky. I eat the leftovers with ice cream every year! YUMMO!

Homemade Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce 

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Now for dessert! I LOVE this simple raw, vegan lemon cranberry cheesecake, because you can make it days in advance and keep it in the freezer. It is also a bit different from traditional pies. You just blend, pour, and freeze, Too easy!

Raw Vegan Lemon Cranberry C heesecake

Raw Vegan Lemon Cranberry Cheesecake

If you are in a hurry, and don’t have time to prepare dessert, serve up this quick easy “pecan pie in a glass!” This smoothie tastes just like a melted pecan pie! Everybody loves a decadent smoothie, and this one is packed full of holiday spirit.

Happy thanksgiving to you and your family.
I hope your day is filled with love, laughter, and tons of delicious food!

The post The Blender Girl’s Healthy Gluten Free Vegan Holiday Menu appeared first on Go Green America TV.

Homemade Vegan Pizza and Pasta Sauce

Today I thought I would share my favourite homemade vegan pasta and pizza sauce recipe. Not only is this recipe super delicious and easy, but it is absolutely LOADED with hidden vegetables. Because the sauce is pureed, it is a fantastic way to sneak extra veggies into your kids and add a burst of flavour to pasta and pizza too.

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Raw Vegan Key Lime Mousse

Looking for fabulous Vitamix recipes? For the next couple of month, I am going to share a series of quick easy Summer recipes you can make in a Vitamix in minutes. It seemed only fitting that I share one of the most popular recipes on my blog – this raw vegan key lime mousse. This recipe is a winner on every level, because it can literally be made in under 5 minutes; chilled and devoured in under an hour; and requires absolutely no skill whatsoever. Just blend and devour! Best of all, it is made with healthy ingredients. If you are looking for delicious allergy free recipes this one will be a Summer lifesaver! This easy healthy recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, soy free and refined sugar free.

Everybody I have served this mousse to loves it. But, will say, that not everybody likes it as tart as I do. Just add a little bit more sweetener if you are one of those sweety pies. heart. You can also make all kinds of variations of this citrus mousse and they have all been amazing. I have a mousse with just lemon juice, just lime juice, and have also left out the rind. This recipe is fail safe as long as you stick to the ratios of juice. But I find that the lemon and lime juice with the rind gives this mousse a delicious depth of flavour that is hard to beat.

Trust me, this quick easy dessert recipe is a KEEPER!

Raw Vegan Key Lime Mousse

• The flesh of 2 ripe organic avocados
• 2 ripe organic bananas peeled
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 1/4 cup raw agave nectar or more to taste
• 2 tsps lemon rind (about 2 lemons)
• 2 tsps lime rind (about 4 limes)
• pinch of Celtic sea salt

1. Throw all of the ingredients in your blender (I use a Vitamix), and puree until creamy.
2. Chill, serve and devour! Yum Yum Yum!
3. Serves 4

Check out my favourite healthy gluten free vegetarian recipes at Healthy Blender Recipes. 

Follow me on Twitter @theblendergirl and @tessmasters. 

Join the healthy food conversation on my Facebook Page.

Check out my Pinterest boards. 

The post Raw Vegan Key Lime Mousse – Quick Easy Vitamix Recipes. appeared first on Go Green America TV.

The Blender Girl’s Raw Vegan Sweet Kale Pistchio Ice Cream Smoothie

Hey everyone!

Today I am going to share one of the most surprisingly fabulous recipes I have ever tasted in my life! This raw vegan sweet kale smoothie is my absolute favourite way to introduce people to the joys of green smoothies. You will not believe this until you try it. But, this sweet kale smoothie tastes exactly pistachio ice cream. It is absolutely unbelievable. You would never guess there was no dairy in it; and you would certainly never suspect there was kale in it! All of the ingredients come together in just the right quantities to create a healthy green magic!

I posted this raw vegan pistachio ice cream kale smoothie in January this year during my Vitamix giveaway, and it has quickly become the most visited page on my site attracting over 25,000 visits. I have been overwhelmed with blog comments, emails, tweets, and facebook messages of gratitude about this smoothie, and so I had to share it on GGATV so that you could all enjoy it as well!

The comments went something like, “this is the most delicious smoothie I have ever tasted. You can’t taste the kale and it DOES taste just like pistachio ice cream!” But my favourite comments were from people who gave it to their children, friends, or spouses who didn’t “like” greens, and then scoffed this smoothie and asked for more! LOL!

I must admit this smoothie was inspired by the Sunpower Café sweet kale shake that won “Best Smoothie in L.A.” I swore I had died and gone to “Green Smoothie” Heaven when I tasted that smoothie. I recreated it when I came home and have been sharing my delight every since!

This is not the most “low calorie” smoothie I make! For healthier green smoothies check out my website. I have a mixture of sugar free vegetable green smoothies, and fruit green smoothies. This “pistachio ice cream” smoothie  is all about the fun! If you want to reduce the natural sugar content in this smoothie you could use a date or some stevia instead of the agave nectar, and reduce the amount of banana.  There are also some other great variations from readers on the recipe page.

I know some of you are thinking, “I am never going to try a kale smoothie!”. Well you would be missing out on the BEST sweet green smoothie on the planet!!! Yes! A big call. But this recipe delivers! Trust me, open up your mind, read the comments on my original blog post, and give this sweet kale shake a go. You will not be sorry.

Kale-skeptics far and wide agree: this recipe is a stunner, a winner, and not to be missed!

*Don’t Miss out on my Le Creuset Giveaway this month. Get your hands on an amazing round French oven and fry pan valued at $355! 

Check out my favourite healthy gluten free vegetarian recipes at Healthy Blender Recipes. 

Follow me on Twitter @theblendergirl and @tessmasters. 

Join the healthy food conversation on my Facebook Page.

The post A Green Smoothie That Tastes Like Pistachio Ice Cream? I’m IN! appeared first on Go Green America TV.

Go Green and Say NO to Bottled Water

We all know that keeping hydrated and drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day is good for our health. But the botted water industry has manufactured demand by scaring and seducing us into thinking we cannot live without bottled water. We see advertisements with pristine streams and glorious mountain ranges and think that expensive bottled water is better for our health.

This all started in the 1970’s when soda companies saw their projected sales declining. They had to get into another business. The water business! One bottled water executive was quoted as saying, “When we’re done with our campaign, tap water will be relegated to showers and washing dishes!”

Needless to say, they were successful in getting society addicted to bottled water, and it has become a costly, but popular exercise. Did you know that Americans buy over half a billion bottles of water every single week! That is just staggering, when installing water filtration systems in our homes and carrying reusable glass, ceramic or stainless steel water bottles to drink tap water is easy, convenient, and a LOT cheaper. The only people losing in that scenario are the corporations who are trying to privatize water!

Making the switch to drinking filtered water and using reusable water bottles is one of the quickest and easiest changes we can make to go green in our every day lifestyle. Best of all, it is a win- win situation. Not only are we reducing the pollution to our waterways and the waste in our landfill, we are also controlling the quality of our water, saving money, and looking cuter! Have you seen how stylish those stainless steel and glass bottles are?! Make a fashion statement and take a stand for the environment, and go pick out a gorgeous reusable water bottle that says something about your green personality and your right to fresh water!

Here are some of the top reasons why we should SAY NO to bottled water!

1. Bottled Water Uses Resources and Creates Huge Amounts of Waste.

The production and extraction process used to create the “plastic water bottle beast” gobbles up a staggering amount of resources.

It is estimated that it takes over 25 million gallons of petroleum to produce 1 billion plastic water bottles. To put that into perspective, Americans consume about 50 billion plastic water bottles every year, and that is not counting soda bottles!

Did you know that bottled water produces about 1.5 million tonnes of plastic waste every year?

Yes, the quality of the plastic is in high demand by recycling companies. However, it is estimated that less than a quarter of these bottles get recycled.

Plastic water bottles are one of the top causes of landfill in the United States. At least 80% ends up in landfills or is burnt in incinerators that release toxic chemicals into the air. In addition to this, a lot of plastic bottles get tossed in our waterways posing a devastating threat to marine life and birds, who mistake the bottles for food and ingest them.

Did you also know that it can take up to 700 years for a plastic water bottle to decompose? It is just tragic.

2. Bottled Water is Expensive!

Did you know that if you purchased 3 plastic water bottles a day that would be about $140 a month. That is almost $1700 a year that you could be saving! Estimated bottled water sales are anywhere between 50 and 100 billion each year!

To give you another perspective, let’s break that down even further. If you purchase a 20 oz water bottle at the cost of $1.00, that breaks down to about 5 cents per ounce. Compare that to drinking filtered tap water at home, where you would be paying about 1 cent a gallon!

Bottled water is estimated to cost up to 2000 times what tap water costs!

3. Municipal Water Is More Strictly Regulated Than Bottled Water

Yes, it is true that bottled water falls under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Food And Drug Administration (FDA). However, did you know that because the vast majority of bottled water in the United States never crosses state lines for sale, it is exempt from FDA oversight?

Conversely, public water systems in the United States are extremely well regulated. Municipal water systems are tested regularly by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for bacteria and toxic chemicals. You can look at your local water supplier’s scores on the National Tap Water Database.

Granted, the quality of water varies from region to region. However, in most cases, the quality of regular tap water after being filtered is very good, and there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that bottled water is any better. In fact, the famous Fiji Water vs Cleveland Water advertising screw up proved this point.

Did you know that over 1/3 of the bottled water (Dasana and Aquafina to name a couple) is just tap water that has been purified at the source!

4. Bottled Water can contain BPA’s that have been linked to diseases

Did you know that plastic water bottles often contain Bisphenol-A? More commonly referred to as BPA, this toxic substance can leach into the liquid contained in bottles. Even in very low doses, exposure to this can be life threatening. BPA has been shown to mimic the female hormone estrogen, and has been linked to breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, and the development of Alzheimer’s disease in both sexes. It has also been shown to cause resistance to insulin, which can complicate health issues for diabetics.

5. Bottled Water Companies Want to Privatize Our Right To Water

There have been scary developments in recent years, where private companies have been purchasing public water supplies and distribution rights in third world and developed countries. Private companies are positioning themselves to control access to the world’s water supply.

Water is being labelled the “Blue Gold” of the 21^st century. It is possible that the future wars of the world will be fought over water. Check out the amazing documentary, Thirst, which chronicles this devastating impact the privatization of water is having on local economies.

To learn more about current water issues The Sierra Club has some fantastic statistical information and Corporate Accountable International has a “Think Outside The Bottle” campaign that has an impressive list of reasons to choose tap over bottled water.

A must watch is “The Story Of Bottled Water” with Annie Leonard. This animated short is a fantastic 8 minute lesson about the bottled water myth!

So what can you do today?

1. Make a personal commitment every day and So SAY NO to bottled water. Purchase a reusable glass or stainless steel water bottle and get a filter for your home water supply and a carbon filter for your water bottle.

Reusable stainless steel and glass water bottles are lightweight, inexpensive, and can be placed in the dishwasher, making them more hygienic. Furthermore, they do not hold odours like plastic water bottles and there is no danger of leaching chemicals into your beverages. You can also carry hot and cold drinks in a stainless steel container making it extremely versatile.

These reusable water bottles have become a fashion accessory and come in many different shapes, colours and designs. There are endless choices to fit your personality and activity. My favourite brand is stainless steel water bottle is Klean Kanteen, and for glass, I use the Life Factory bottles with the silicon sleeves.

2. Support local and international water initiatives. Municipal water is grossly underfunded and supported in the United States largely because we have been led to believe that it is not important and that drinking water is purchased in a bottle. Overseas, there are over 1 billion people that do not have access to clean drinking water.

3. Share your knowledge with friends, family, and colleagues so that they can take a stand against bottled water.

4. Lobby your workplace or school to boycott bottled water.

5. Write to your local member to install more drinking fountains in your local area.

Say NO to bottled water!

It is better for our health, better for our wallets, and better for the environment.

Check out my favourite healthy gluten free vegetarian recipes at Healthy Blender Recipes. 

Follow me on Twitter @theblendergirl and @tessmasters. 

Join the healthy food conversation on my Facebook Page.

The post The Blender Girl’s Top 5 Reasons To Say NO to Bottled Water appeared first on Go Green America TV.

Go Green For Christmas Dinner

Christmas is my favourite time of the year. It is a time for gratitude and celebration with family and friends. One of the most important ways we can be mindful during the holidays is by reducing our consumption and waste.

Very often, the “reason for the season” is lost amidst the sea of consumerism. Go green this Christmas season by making mindful choices when planning and enjoying the festivities.

I wish you all a joyful and safe holiday season. May you enjoy the loving embrace of family with some really delicious food!

Here are my top 10 ways to Go Green With Christmas Dinner this year:

Have a Vegetarian Christmas

Fill your festive table with meatless options, save a turkey in the process, and embrace a vegetarian Christmas.  There are a ton of vegan and vegetarian holiday recipes on the internet. Enjoy some delicious exotic vegetable dishes and get creative!

Source Local Ingredients for Christmas Dinner

To reduce the carbon footprint of your Christmas celebration, support your local farmers and purchase foods grown as close to home as possible. If you shop at a farmer’s market you will get fresh good quality ingredients that are not transported or heavily packaged. LocalHarvest.Org is a fantastic resource for finding local food growers.

Try Organic Wine and Make Your Own Festive Drinks

Instead of purchasing imported wines, canned soda, cartons of eggnog, and bottled water to get your guests into the festive spirit, try some local organic wines, and make your own mocktails, cocktails, and festive drinks. There are a ton of amazing recipes on the internet. It is a lot of fun to make the drinks together. A fun idea is to invite each guest to bring a drink recipe of their choice! You can all fire up the blender together and guess what’s in the mix!

Say NO To Disposable Napkins, Plates, Cups and Flatware

I know entertaining large groups of family and friends can be overwhelming. It can be challenging finding enough silverware, dishes, and glasses for everyone. If you do use crockery, the dish washing can seem like it will never end! But “many hands make light work” and if everyone pitches in, you can have things cleaned up in a jiffy! Reduce the amount of paper and plastic that enters our landfills and don’t use disposable napkins, table cloths, cups and flatware.

Save Water and Scrape Plates When Washing Up

I know I have just said it is greener to use washable plates and dishes. But be mindful while you are washing up. A lot of water can be wasted by rinsing things before placing them in dishwashers. Scrape or wipe plates clean instead of rinsing, and fill the sink and soak dirty dishes instead of having the faucet running constantly.

Compost Leftover Food Scraps

There are always leftovers and food scraps when everyone is happily rubbing their bellies after Christmas dinner. Instead of gifting these food particles to the landfills, invest in a composting system that will feed your garden!

Menu Plan Around Leftovers

To save money and prevent wastage of the leftovers, you can get creative and make vegetable bakes, omelettes, and frittatas with the leftovers. I have also made muffins, cakes, and breads with leftover mashed potato and sweet potato.

Create Natural Holiday Scents

Instead of using toxic sprays or artificial candles with lead wicks for holiday aromas, boil lemons, oranges, cinnamon sticks and cloves on your stovetop, or burn essential oils for natural holiday scents this holiday season.

Share the Green Love With Healthy Food Gifts

Instead of feeding the endless consumerism with packaged goods, invest in fun experiential gifts like: making homemade delicious organic food, a gift certificate to an organic vegan restaurant (DineGreen is a great website to find restaurants that support eco-friendly practices), gift certificates to local spas or wellness retreats, organic local fruit and vegetable gift boxes, meal delivery services like Fresh N Lean or Thrive Foods Direct, or fantastic organic snack boxes like Healthy Surprise. Give the gift of healthy eating to your friends and family. These are the gifts that keep on giving.

Donate To Your Community

Share in the spirit of the “reason for the season” and show your gratitude for your blessings and share your good fortune with those less fortunate. Make a donation to your local community charity, and drop off any canned or packed goods. I was given lots of holiday hampers that I re-gifted to local shelters and outreach groups.

Check out my favourite healthy gluten free vegetarian recipes at Healthy Blender Recipes. 

Follow me on Twitter @theblendergirl and @tessmasters. 

Join the healthy food conversation on my Facebook Page.

The post 10 Ways To GO GREEN for Christmas Dinner appeared first on Go Green America TV.

Go Green With Essential Oils

Today I finish my crusade against harsh toxic cleaning chemicals by offering essential oils as a natural safe alternative to conventional cleaning solutions. You can use therapeutic-grade essential oils that have natural anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties for a wide variety of every day cleaning tasks around the house. Essential Oils can help combat household odours, mold, bacteria and viruses. You can add your favourite essential oils to any of the basic home made green cleaning mixes that I have shared over the past few months in Go Green with Baking Soda, Go Green with Vinegar, and Go Green with Lemons, to clean floors, deodorize carpets, boost laundry etc.

Fill your home with organic scents from nature. You will feel a lot more energetic and healthy breathing in essential oils after a day of cleaning rather than the toxic fumes that come from many of the conventional cleaning products. Some of my favourite essential oils for cleaning include lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, peppermint, cinnamon, thyme and pine.

I am not an expert about the properties of each essential oil. But I will just to give you a quick overview of oils that have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties.  Camphor, cardamom, chamomile, citronella, cypress, eucalyptus, tea tree, ginger, juniper, lavender, orange, lemon, lemongrass, lime, pine, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, marjoram, spearmint and thyme all have antibacterial properties. Lavender, lemon, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, tea tree, oregano, sandalwood and thyme are all known to have natural antiviral properties. Eucalyptus, tea tree, juniper, lavender, lemon, patchouli, sage, sandalwood and thyme are all well known to have antifungal powers.

When purchasing essential oils, make sure they are pure therapeutic-grade. These good oils come in dark amber or blue bottles in order to preserve their potency. Whole Foods and other health food stores usually stock a good range of high quality essential oils. You can also purchase them online. Two of my favourite websites are Mountain Rose Herbs and New Directions.

But take note: pure essential oils are potent and powerful. A little goes a LONG way and this is one of those instances where less really is more. Another important thing to mention about essential oils is that there are certain oils that are known to induce labour in pregnant woman and aggravate other medical conditions. Please consult an aromatherapist, aromatherapy book, or a credible aromatherapy website for more information about this. I am not an aromatherapist so will not even attempt to dish out information about this or other health related issues. So back to the cleaning!

These are some of my Top Natural Cleaning Uses For Essential Oils: 

Use essential oils as a natural air freshener:

Just add 8-10 drops of your favourite essential oil to a spray bottle of filtered water for a natural air freshener that is preferable to conventional toxic sprays. Furthermore, different essential oils are associated with different moods. So depending on what you need, spray away! I LOVE lavender, lemon or orange.

Use essential oils to make a natural dishwashing liquid:

fill a quirt bottle with castile soap. Add 20-30 drops of antibacterial essential oils. I like citrus oils like lemon, lime and orange for use in the kitchen.

Use essential oils to make a natural dishwasher powder:

mix 2 cups of washing soda and 2 cups of borax. Add 20 drops of antibacterial essential oil. Again, I like the citrus oils like lemon, lime, orange and tangerine. Use 2 Tablespoons with each dish load.

OR just  add a few drops of essential oils to the dishwasher load to help disinfect the load. I personally like the citrus oil for this: orange, tangerine and lemon; but peppermint is also fantastic!

Use essential oils to create a multipurpose household cleaner:

Fill a spray bottle with water and a couple of drops of natural dishwashing soap.

Add 5 drops each of lavender, lemon and pine oil. My mother likes to just add 15 drops of eucalyptus oil. She has been doing this for years!

Use essential oils to make a natural spray for kitchens and bathrooms:

mix a spray bottle of water with 4 drops of lavender, 4 drops of lemon, 3 drops of eucalyptus, 2 drops of rosemary.  This is great for cleaning mild surfaces.

Use essential oils to make a natural scouring cream:

mix ½ cup baking soda with 18 drops of antibacterial essential oils. Again, I like lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree or citrus oils. Then add just enough drops of natural liquid soap to create a paste.

Use essential oils to clean hard floors:

To clean hard floors use the basic mix of 1/4 cup of white vinegar to a bucket of water. Then add your preferred essential oils. I always add 5-10 drops of lemon oil, pine oil, or tea tree oil. For extremely dirty or greasy floors, you can add in several drops of natural dishwashing soap.

Use essential oils as a natural carpet deodorizer:

To make a gorgeous fragrant carpet freshener add about 20 drops of essential oils to 1 cup of baking soda. Mix this together and then seal in a glass container for about 12 hours (or overnight) in order to allow the oils to infuse. Use this mixture to sprinkle over your carpet the next day and then vacuum this powder up. I personally love lavender!

Use essential oils to naturally deodorize your vacuum cleaner:

to get rid of stale odours in your vacuum cleaner place about 5 drops of your favourite essential oil onto a tissue and place this in the collecting container or bag of the machine. Continue vacuuming and the gorgeous scent will be dispersed throughout the machine.

Use lemon essential oil for laundry stain removal:

add a couple of drops of lemon essential oil to stains, allow to sit and then wash as normal.

Use essential oils to make a natural laundry soaker:

Combine 1 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup salt and 3 drops of tea tree oil. Soak clothes for at least an hour to sanitize and deodorize. Then wash as normal.

Use essential oils to make a natural laundry soap:

mix 1 ounce of liquid castile soup with 3 drops of rosemary, lavender, lemon, eucalyptus or tea tree oil for a fantastic laundry liquid.

Use essential oils to deodorize and disinfect laundry:

I use about 10 drops of lavender oil in my laundry. It acts as a natural disinfectant and also makes all of my clothes smell gorgeous.

Use essential oils to wash and kill dust mites in bedding:

I add in 25 drops of eucalyptus oil to the wash cycle when washing bedding, linens and towels. Dust mites feed on our dead skin cells and therefore, live in our bedding. Not only does the eucalyptus oil repel dust mites, it also smells good too!

Use essential oils to naturally deodorize clothes in the dryer:

instead of using toxic dryer sheets, simply place 10 drops of lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus or lemon oil on as wash cloth and place in the dryer. It will scent the whole load.

Use essential oils to deodorize and clean windows:

add 10 drops of lemon oil to your natural window cleaning mixture (1 cup of white vinegar into a spray bottle of water). The lemon scent is so refreshing, especially in the kitchen!

Use essential oils to polish hard wood furniture:

mix 3 Tablespoons of vinegar with ½ teaspoon of jojoba oil. To this add 10 drops of lemon essential oil.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Please feel free to email me with any other essential oils tips you have!

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The post The Blender Girl’s Top Natural Cleaning Uses For Essential Oils appeared first on Go Green America TV.