deskdogooder:

There are a lot of small things you can do today to make your house more environmentally friendly. I have created a check-list of 29 easy changes you can make to any house. Just print it out and maybe do something every week. Pretty soon you’ll be living in one of those green houses people talk about.

What an excellent collection of ideas on going green (without too much stress).

• Tags
• green living
• going green

As a season, spring is usually characterized by blooming tulips, the return of sunny weather, green grass, and the start of baseball season, there’s another annual rite of passage that the season marks – spring cleaning. And whether you like it or loathe it, spring cleaning is necessary to keeping your house tidy. Luckily, by cleaning correctly and sorting old items accordingly, you can even find ways to put some money back into your pocket, either through the likes of a yard sale or by helping you become more energy-efficient.

Here’s a look at some ideas on how to make your spring cleaning your most efficient one yet:

• Cleaning tips: Spring is that one time of year that you should really give your home a good deep cleaning. This should be much more than just a quick dusting and vacuum, but a thorough cleaning of everything – the windows, cupboards, basement, storage areas, garage, shed, etc. And with any type of cleaning, you’re going to need cleaning supplies. We recommend using dust rags, old T-shirts, or old towels instead of paper towel. We also think that making your own cleaning chemicals is a great idea, since store-bought kind can be more expensive and more hazardous to indoor air quality. With just some vinegar and baking soda, you can make cleaning mixtures that are non-toxic and just as – if not even more – effective.
• Organization: Another part of your spring cleaning regime should be to go through all of your stuff (clothes, storage, etc.) and get rid of anything that has long passed its prime. Things like old baby supplies that you don’t need any longer, worn-out clothes, and old holiday decorations are just a few items that people often cleanse themselves of each year. Pack old items into boxes and consider either donating them to charity for a tax deduction or holding a yard sale in the summer where you can make some money off of the items immediately.
• For storage purposes, consider investing in some clear storage bins that you can use to collect similar items together. These pack items well and stack on top of each other, meaning they’re better able to maximize space in an area. For storing clothes, we recommend investing in air-seal bags. They can be purchased at just about any convenience store. After you pack them with clothes, the air is sucked out of the bags using a vacuum, which condenses the space needed to store such items. Shelving these bags in garages and sheds can also help reduce clutter on the main floor.
• Recycle: We mentioned putting aside old items to give to charity or sell in a yard sale, but aside from useable items, you’re also sure to have several bags of trash each spring. Don’t immediately put these out for trash day just yet. Instead, see what items can be recycled. For instance, any metal items can often be recycled. Plastic, too. Finally, any old paper documents that you find while cleaning out any filing cabinets can be recycled, unless of course, if they contain confidential information – then it’s recommended that you shred them. You may then be able to use the paper shredding as packaging materials, cat litter, etc.
• Maintenance: Spring cleaning should also be a time to conduct some routine maintenance to your home. For instance, check the air filter on your air conditioning unit and change it if it’s dirty. This can help make the unit run more efficiently, effectively reducing your cooling bill come summer. We also recommend changing the batteries on your home’s smoke detectors. 
• And finally, invest in some new plants – nice, green, leafy ones. Why, you ask? It’s because houseplants help absorb harmful toxins in the air, which actually improves the indoor air quality of your house.

During your annual spring cleaning, you should also consider the steps you can take to ensure that the process goes more smoothly in future years. Improving your organization with shelving units, storage bins, and such can certainly help in terms of organization. We also recommend that you consider setting up a system in your home so that you don’t have so much clutter to go through in future years. For instance, arrange to pay all of your bills online. This won’t only save you money in terms of postage each month, but it will save clutter in your filing cabinet, as all of your bills will be stored and made available over the Internet, making it easy to see and access statements from previous months. Additionally, make a more conscious effort to recycle throughout the year so that you’re not making one big haul to the recycling center come spring.

While many may abhor the concept of a big spring cleaning project, it’s an essential part to keeping a house in order. Hopefully, by following the above suggestions, you and your family can accomplish a great cleanse of your living space, while minimizing the labor of this spring rite of passage in the future.

One of the best gifts that a couple can give to each other is a healthy heart and body. And while eating healthy should be an everyday exercise, we wanted to give you some extra-special dishes so that you can celebrate Valentine’s Day in style. Sure, you could join other couples at a glitzy restaurant, but you should instead make the day special and totally unique.

Start your Valentine’s Day off right with delicious vegan pancakes for breakfast. For lunch, you can enjoy a picnic lunch made of protein-rich veggie sandwiches and a nice fruit salad. You and your Valentine can then end the day with a nice low-calorie dinner. These dishes are perfect for those of us who aren’t always the most adept in the kitchen, but we still want to eat delicious and healthy food.

Breakfast – Vegan Flax-Blueberry Pancakes
Don’t be scared off by the “vegan” or “flax” descriptors. Pancakes don’t have to be coated in butter or syrup to still taste great.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons of flaxseed meal
6 teaspoons of hot water
One half cup of plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup of wheat flour
1 pinch of sea salt
One half teaspoon of vanilla extract
One half teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Instructions:
1. Put flaxseed meal inside a mixing bowl, and add boiling water. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes or until it’s gooey.
2. Mix in the milk and yogurt, really well.
3. Mix in salt and flour.
4. Blend in the remaining ingredients
5. Heat the pan and coat with a olive oil, or vegan oil
6. Pour desired about into the pan
7. Flip over to get the desired look and consistency
8. Serve with strawberry or maple syrup and add blueberries

Lunch – Mediterranean Veggie Sub
Roasted and sautéed vegetables taste great inside a sandwich. Have a nice romantic lunch in the park, if the weather permits.

Ingredients:
2-3 Bell Peppers (choose a variety of colors for pizazz)
2 Medium Eggplants, sliced into circles 1/8th-inch thick
4-6 Mushrooms, sliced
2-3 Garlic Cloves, crushed or muddled
2 Tablespoons of low-fat Mayonnaise (olive-oil based replacement also works well)
1 Loaf of Focaccia Bread
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to at least 400 degrees.
2. Lightly brush bell peppers and eggplant slices with olive oil.
3. Place on a baking sheet for 25 minutes until tender.
4. Sauté the mushrooms using one teaspoon of olive oil
5. Blend crushed garlic into mayonnaise
6. Slice Focaccia in half, the long way
7. Put mayonnaise mixture on one side of Focaccia
8. Peel, core, and slice the bell peppers.
9. Arrange veggies on Focaccia bread
10. Wrap the sandwich in a plastic saran wrap
11. Place a cutting board (or another hefty flat surface) on top of sandwich.
12. Let it stay pressed for 2 hours
13. Remove from wrap, slice, and enjoy

Delicious Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1 pound of freshly quartered strawberries
1 sliced pineapple cut into chunks
1 sliced Fuji apple cut into nice chunks
1 small container of plain or Greek yogurt

Instructions:
1. Place all the fresh fruits into one large bowl, and gently mix them together.
2. Refrigerate for about an hour.
3. Serve to your loved one with yogurt topping.

Dinner – Grilled Fish with Pecans and Oranges
Here’s a delightful, tasty dish, and you can prepare it in just 1 skillet in about 20 minutes!

Ingredients:
1 orange
1 10oz. Fish of your choice (tilapia, sole, or any standard white fish is preferred)
Dash of salt
Dash of black pepper
1 tablespoon of plain salt-free butter
1 minced shallot
4 teaspoons of white wine vinegar
4 teaspoons of toasted chopped nuts, preferably pecans or walnuts
4 teaspoons of freshly chopped dill

Instructions:
1. Remove the skin from the orange.
2. Place individual orange slices in bowl, preserving the juice.
3. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper
4. Coat large non-stick pan with coating spray and heat
5. Cook soles for 1 minute and tilapia for 3 minutes
6. Flip again, until center is done
7. Melt butter to heated pan
8. Add shallot and continue cooking, until soft, about 30 seconds
9. Add vinegar and orange slices and juice. Cook for 30 seconds
10. Cover fish with sauce, and add pecans and dill for extra flavor

Drinks
Preparing a healthy beverage for your Valentine’s Day is optional, but it could become just as tasty as the food itself. If you have a blender, you can create your own refreshing beverage to complement your lunch or dinner. Combine a pint of milk (low-fat, soy or almond milk work well), 2 bananas, a few strawberries sliced into quarters, and 2 kiwis that have been peeled and sliced inside a blender. Add a few ice cubes for a frosty effect. Blend well and enjoy. You can experiment a bit with vegetables as well to create a something protein-packed for breakfast.

Whatever you choose to eat on Valentine’s Day, make sure that you show your special someone just how much you love them. It could be something classic like a card, a dozen of red roses, and a box of dark chocolates, but with our healthy meal, the two of you will enjoy wonderful food that’s good for you and tastes good too!

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