Trash & Treasures Cleanup With Keep Grapevine Beautiful and H20 + Greenliving

This summer, we launched an awesome initiative with our partner organization the JB Dondolo Foundation called H20 + Green Living. The overall objective of H20 + Greenliving is to bring companies, organizations and individuals together who promote clean energy, green urban design, holistic health and beauty.

For our first local community project, we helped Keep Grapevine Beautiful clean up Lake Grapevine's beautiful shoreline. Lake Grapevine is an 8,000 acre recreational lake park with miles of shoreline and more than 9 miles of wilderness trails in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Every year, Keep Grapevine Beautiful hosts the "Trash & Treasures Cleanup" as part of their litter prevention and cleanup program.

Thanks to Keep Grapevine Beautiful's open heart, this 2014's "Trash & Treasures Cleanup" featured our partner Ben Lecomte who swam Lake Grapevine about 4 miles in total as a thank-you to the over 100 volunteers that came out. Ben is an amazing athlete who will be swimming the Pacific Ocean later this year from Tokyo to San Francisco. His goal is to educate all of us around the globe about the impact we each can make in cleaning up our environment. We also presented a greenhouse made of recycled plastic that showcased green lifestyle products you definitely want to check out. We'll have a feature on each of the companies that donated items in our Fall 2014 Health & Beauty Guide.

KEEP GRAPEVINE BEAUTIFUL

Sporting Goods Company REI was the major sponsor of the KGVB Trash & Treasure Cleanup

Sailboats on Lake Grapevine

THE LONGEST SWIM - BEN LECOMTE

Special thanks to the Editor-In-Chief of Equanimity Magazine - Lumbie Mlambo. Equanimity Magazine sponsored Ben Lecomte's swim of Lake Grapevine to the excitement of the kids and volunteers. Special thanks also to Grapevine's Fire Department who provided Ben with logistics support as he swam.

Lumbie Mlambo, Editor-In-Chief of Dallas-based Equanimity Magazine

Waiting for Ben as he finishes his 4 mile swim!

Ben reminded us of the importance of recycling our plastic bottles. He said that when he was a child and would swim in France in the rivers by his home, there was hardly a plastic bottle to be found. But now, it's a different story! Let's clean up our waters for the next generation.

Ben Lecomte holding 4 Mamma Chia Squeezes! Mamma Chia donated over a hundred vitality snacks!

SILENT AUCTION
H20 + Greenliving's piece de resistance was partnering with Global Greenology to present a 12 x 12 Greenhouse showcasing "green" lifestyle products from some of the best, innovative and creative companies in the country.

Global Greenology's Greenhouse is made using 100% recycled plastic!

CEO of Global Greenlogy Ken Peterson putting together a podium made of recycled paper!

Some of the great items auctioned off:

Texas Farm Girl Green Bag
This included an autographed copy by children's book author Rebecca Crownover of her wonderful book "Texas Farm Girl." The bag also included a Deluxe TickleMe Plant Family Greenhouse and two yummy Mamma Chia Juice Squeeze Snacks.

Texas Farm Girl Visits Green Products Showcase - Watch snippet here!

Safonique Natural Cleaning Green Bag

This bag included Soulful Essence Get The Funk Out Disinfecting Spray, Safonique's Detergent 2X Natural Cleaning Power Eco-Friendly Lavender Sea Laundry Detergent and a 12-pack of Mamma Chia Juice Squeezes.

We raised $850 our first event. We donated 100% of our proceeds on North Texas Giving Day September 18, which resulted in our donation amount to Keep Grapevine Beautiful doubling.

Special Thanks to The Companies That Donated Items for The Silent Auction.

Be sure to support your local farmers and innovative green lifestyle companies that are doing their part to make our world more beautiful and healthier!

1. Sweet Escapes by Zajigirl - that's us!

2. Gwen's Blends - www.gwensblends.com

3. Le Motto Designer Tees - http://sheshebonbon.com

4. Texas Farm Girl - Rebecca Crownover - www.texasfarmgirl.com

5. I Am Grateful To You Jewelry - iamgratefultoyou.com

6. Vi Bella Handcrafted Jewelry - www.vibellajewelry.com

7. Dorfman Pacific - www.dorfman-pacific.com

8. Tumblewalla - tumblewalla.com

9. Aromaearth - http://aromaearth.com

10. Tawna Hill Baby - http://tawnahillbaby.ca

11. Linkouture - www.linkouture.etsy.com 

12. Zorica of Malibu - http://zoricaofmalibu.com

13. Safonique - www.safonique.com

14. Mamma Chia - www.mammachia.com

15. Soulful Essence - http://soulfulessence.com

16. Karma Handicrafts, Grapevine - www.facebook.com/karmahandicrafts

17. Love Gem Studio - www.lovegemstudio.com

18. Prema Day Spa, Richardson - www.premadayspa.net

Fall 2014 Health & Beauty Cooking Bootcamp Week Three - SOUPS

Our Third week for our Fall 2014 Bootcamp is all about cutting down on the calories by making some delicious and hearty soups. We got inspired by our favorite soup from local French restaurant and bakery La Madeleine. Their tomato basil soup is always delish.

The best thing is to make your own. You can toast some bread with a topping of your favorite cheese to add some more depth if you're really hungry.

Tried a couple of cool recipes esp loved the ones with cream cheese. Check them out.

First Look Then Cook

What A Girl Eats

Fall 2014 Health & Beauty Bootcamp - CANTALOUPE & RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE

Photo from Wikipedia 

Photo from Raspberries.us

Cantaloupes have never been our favorite fruit, but God has blessed the cantaloupe with so many health benefits. Well, you just have to incorporate into your diet. Cantaloupes are part of the watermelon family and the best and originals come from Africa. 

Adding raspberries. Well raspberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C...contain good amounts of iron and potassium, high in fiber and provide bioflavonoids which protect against cancer.

Here's another simple recipe that uses cantaloupe and raspberries. Raspberries have a sour and sometimes tart taste that goes perfectly with cantaloupe's sweetness!

Enjoy!

1 ripe cantaloupe

3 oz or a packet of raspberries

Water to taste

1 Tablespoon of Baobab fruit powder (optional)

Peel the cantaloupe, scoop out the seeds and cut into large chunks. Fill about 2/3 of blender with melon. Add raspberries and fill rest of blender with water. Puree until smooth. Add more water till you get it how you like it. Chill thoroughly and serve. 

Voila!

Fall 2014 Health & Beauty Bootcamp - Winetasting #3- CHERRY WINE

A Cherry Tree - Photo from Cepolina Tree Pruning and Removal

We're lovin' the Tree of Life Collection. They produce two of our favorite wines - pomegranate wine and cherry wine. These wines comes from Armenia, an area of Central Asia that has been producing beautiful wines for almost 5000 years.

"Cherries are a great source of beta carotene, Vitamin C and potassium. Cherries are also a good source of pectin, a soluble fiber that helps control blood cholesterol levels. Cherries can also help with gout and have anti-inflammatory properties."

Find more info on Drink Tree of Life

Fall 201 Health & Beauty Bootcamp - Introducing Week Three

Week Three of our 4-week bootcamp has us taking stock of all the new health regimens and books we have to read. It's a pretty easy week. Consider it your catch up week before Week 4, which is a week of celebration, hanging out with friends, shopping and having fun as well as implementing new habits.

Firstly, make it a habit to make at least two fruit/veggie smoothies every week. Prepare a detox drink every week - be it lemon water or veggie juice detox like our Carol's Detox. Stay on your menu - Week 1 Salads; Week 2 Casseroles; Week 3 Soups Week 4 About Town.

Then focus on reading books on financial planning and make sure you have a healthy food reference book that gives you info on the health benefits of different foods.

FOOD/NUTRITION:

Fruit/Veggie Smoothie: Cantaloupe and Raspberry

Detox: Lemon Water

Cooking Day: SOUPS - Tomato Basil Soup

SHOPPING LIST #2 - Enjoy shopping list #2. Think home spa.

Fall 2014 Health & Beauty Bootcamp - Nutrition - FOODS THAT HARM AND FOODS THAT HEAL

It's important to stay informed about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Our modern Western diet is often deficient in nutrients. Take ebola for example, there are many alternative media and medical sources that say this disease is a weaponized and mutated form of scurvy, which traditionally used to kill many sailors who didn't get enough Vitamin C in their diet. We need to not be passive consumers of news stories. It's important to do our own research so we make educated decisions. 

Love this book. It's a good general reference on the health benefits of foods that can harm or heal. It was published about 10 years ago. Remember we are what we eat! We need to stop consuming junk and appreciate our beautiful earth and trees that have so much healing and goodness! You can find this book on Amazon.com. We picked it up at a Half Priced Book Store.

Fall 2014 Health & Beauty Bootcamp - ISRAEL MELON AND CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE

Photo from Encycolopedia Britannica Kids

Fruits from the melon family are some of the healthiest produce you can add to your table. The original melon originated in southern Africa. There are many varieties that have spread throughout all continents. We checked out Israel Melon and added Cucumber. Lovely combination!

Recipe

1 Israel Melon or Melon of your liking

1 Medium or Large English Cucumber

Half of one Lime to taste

Water to taste

Peel melon, remove seeds and cut into large chunks. Fill blender with melon. Chop cucumber into small chunks (you can peel or not peel). We peeled the cucumber. Add to blender.

Chill completely after blending. It's lovely and refreshing.

Here's some info on the health benefits of various melons:

Melons protect your heart, douse infllamation, reduce blood pressure, build immunity, packed with vitamins - http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/nutrition/the-health-benefits-of-melons?slide=1

Here's another amazing melon variety from Africa!

http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-142385/thorny-melon-answer-africas-nutritional-problems

"The horned melon is primarily a good source of vitamin C, potassium and iron.

The yellowish-green coloured pigment found in the seeds and pulps of horned melon contain vitamin A (beta carotene), which helps in strengthening of the body’s immune system and it also helps repair and protect DNA, thereby slowing the ageing process.

Vitamin A also helps to maintain eye and skin health. Additional minerals that are less abundant in thorn melon are magnesium, phosphorous, calcium and sodium. Furthermore, the seeds contain a number of fatty acids including linoleic acid which is one of the omega 6 fatty acid.

It is essential for human health. Besides, the seeds have the oleic acid, also found in olive oil, that is thought to be responsible for reducing effects of blood pressure, just as olive oil.

In addition, the seeds contain some traces of vitamin E responsible for healthy skin and proper functioning of the heart as the vitamin helps to neutralise, damaging free radicals that can cause cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The vitamin further helps in formation and strengthening of muscles, nerves, and boosts formation of the red blood cells"

Israeli Melon - this is a melon popular in the North Texas area. Some information we found out about the Israel Melon is its interesting origin.

Origin: 
Its initial origin of the Ogen melon is disputed. Some say it is from Israel, others contend that the melons were not actually developed there; they were grown from seed brought from Israel to Hungary or derived from a Southwest Indian melon. In Hungary, this type of melon is called a sarga dinnye. Whatever its true origin, you will certainly agree that Ogen is one of the sweetest, most aromatic melons you will ever taste. 

More Links

http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/07-28-13-israeli-melons-texas-farmer-cantaloupe/

http://www.dianeseeds.com/melon-israel.html

http://www.seedaholic.com/melon-ogen.html