Happy Belated Birthday to Little Green Stilettos!

It is true...we are one! Little Green Stiletto's Birthday was last week and in typical fashion, I missed it (this is from the woman who forgets her wedding anniversary)...oh well...better late than never and what better way to celebrate with a pink cupcake (my weakness)....xxx

Meat Free Mondays

Meat Free Mondays is a UK-based campaign to encourage people to go meat free once a week to help reduce their impact on climate change (did you know 18% of Greenhouse gas is caused by livestock production and consumption). It's biggest supporters are Paul and Stella McCartney who have started a Support Meat Free Monday website (is there anything she doesn't do!). I just love this idea...so simple and they make it so easy with lots of wonderful recipes (many from Linda McCartney herself)...as some of you know I have made my attempts at complete vegetarianism but have found being a flexitarian (don't you love this term!), a much better option. So, while I eat a 80% plant-based diet, I like the flexibility of the occasional meat (especially when at a dinner party). So, on the eve of Vegetarianism month, why not take the challenge and go Meat Free on Mondays with me? I thought I would try and post a new recipe every Monday to help us along...let me know if you have any favourites...xxx

New Old Chandeliers

My new (old) chandeliers arrived today. They are so divine...Vistosi Italian Glass Chandeliers from the 1960s. One of the reasons I have not been writing is that I have been searching for the perfect lights for our living room. It is almost as hard as finding that perfect black dress...you know the one that is divinely elegant, that no one else will be wearing and does not require you to skip eating so as to either afford it or fit into it. Add to that being green and well, it is a challenge...especially in Australia where there are not many 20th Century design stores (the 60s were really and incredible era for design!). So I was over the moon when I found these at Mondo Trasho in Melbourne..especially when I heard their name "Italian Icicle Chandeliers".

OK, so I had to have them shipped up...but I think that more than offsets buying something new which would have been shipped from who knows where...plus I love wondering where these lights were before...So, while it took a lot of time to find, I now have my perfect LBD lights which are also so glamorously green. Would love to hear about other favourite green finds for the home. Looking for the perfect rug now...xxx

In Love with 101 Cookbooks

As many of you know, I am a quasi-vegetarian...ok, this might sound like being half pregnant and I guess in a way it is. I would say that 80% of my diet is non-animal. While I do have fish a few times a week, the only time I eat meat is if I am at a dinner party. I eat cheese occasionally and rarely use milk products (finally off the coffee!). Just remember, 18% of greenhouse gases are produced by animal production (mostly cows)...one of the biggest impacts we can have on the environment is reducing our consumption of meat...for more on this topic see Veg Out.

The best thing about being a quasi-vegetarian is experimenting with new recipes (previously, vegetarian curry was the extent of my repertoire). One of my favourite places for recipes is 101 Cookbooks by Heidi Swanson (pictured). Besides being totally gorgeous, she is incredibly talented...photographer, designer, writer (what doesn't she do!) and has won countless awards. Her website is devoted to vegetarian cooking with a bit of travel to exotic places thrown in. Here is a sample of some of her recipes...Giant Black Bean Salas, Porcini Mushroom Soup, Vegetarian Tortilla Soup, Lentil Almond Stirfry, Lemon Chickpea Stirfry, Baked Sweet Potato Falafel...next recipe I am going to try is her Marathon Cookies which I think will be perfect for the kids lunchbox. Yum...Let me know if you have any good vegetarian recipes. Bon Appetit. xxx

Image: 101 Cookbooks

Sweet Dreams

A long week despite the fact that school did not start till Tuesday (or maybe that is why it is a long week)...so looking forward to my bedtime cup of tea...deciding between Penelope Sach's Petal tea and Planet Organic Chamomile...both are divine, organic and local...if everything could be this easy...let me know if you have any favourites...sweet dreams. xxx

Photo: www.vi.sualize.us

Slow Fashion

We have all hear of Slow Food..."Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work. "

Well, the same applies to fashion...the Sydney Morning Herald did a piece on this a few months ago (which of course I can't find) and I thought it was worth mentioning as the new Spring clothes start to appear in our favourite shops (I love summer clothes)...so here is my take on Slow Fashion....

S...is for Sustainable...for me it is much more important to know whether something was made under fair work conditions than whether it is local. I understand the whole Food miles (or clothes miles) thing, but lets be real, how are less developed countries going to develop unless we buy their goods? I have been to many a factory in China and they were a far cry from a sweat shop... Problem is it is not always easy to figure this one out...I will need to do a bit more reserach here, but let me know if you have any ides...

L...is for Lasting...it is so tempting these days to buy more than we need...we even have a name for it 'disposable fashion'...perhaps because I am a bit older and a lot of the disposable fashion just does not suit or perhaps because I still love my designer evening bag I bought in France years ago (big clue - it is quilted!) and wonder how I will decide which daughter will get it...less is more when it comes to green...

O...is for Organic...almost 20% of pesticides in the US are used to grow cotton - blah! While it is hard to find organic cotton here, it is worth trying...babies clothes are easier...Gorman always has a good selection and at the least towels and sheets are easy to find...

W....if for Worn...let's face it...stars like Renee have made Vintage all so chic...plus now with all these wonderful recycle shops you can get great recent designer clothes...everyone knows I love Di Nuovo and Belinda's Frock Exchange is another great find.

So...I believe that clothes should look good and last; that they should be made in a way that does not damage our environment and that factory workers should receive fair pay...so go Slow this season...think about what you really need (scary concept), take a day with your best friend to go to the vintage and recycle shops (how nice to be out of the mall) and stop for a beautiful long meal with some nice jasmine tea (Jackie's in Paddington is my favourite for their sashimi salad)...Let me know if you have any other suggestions. xxx

Green Lemonade Love

Back from School Holidays and definitely feeling the need for a bit of a detox....too much red wine at the snow. Very much in love with Natalia Rose's Green Lemonade and Raw Food Detox Diet (if this Detox can make you look like her, I am up for it)...a bit extreme in some ways (raw food till dinner)...the usual suspects are banned...flour, sugar, processed foods...but red wine and dark chocolate are allowed (yeah!)....in a nutshell, her philosophy is that we do not eat enough enzyme rich foods (raw fruit and veg) and do not allow our digestive system enough rest...so, basically you have juices and fruit till lunch, then salad and then a larger meal at dinner which can incorporate some cooked foods (though you are not to combine protein with starch)...works for me as I love juice and salad and would prefer a big dinner (with red wine and chocolate)...the cornerstone of the diet is the Green Lemonade juice...sounds yuck (a technical term my kids use), but is delicious (seriously) and honestly makes you feel so much better...I am drinking it twice a day now. So what has this to do with being green? Well, one of the biggest changes I have made in my life is around our food consumption...more organic, less processed, more local...less cooking just seems to be a natural extension of this and while the Raw Food movement can be extreme (I promise not to buy a food dehydrator), there is a lot we can take from this approach to a more greener diet....besides, I LOVE my Green Lemonade.

Green Lemonade from the Raw Detox Diet

1 head celery or romaine lettuce

5 to 6 stalks kale (I use spinach as well)

1 to 2 apples (you may want to use more apples if you are not used to vegetable juices)

1 lemon (I love lemons so often use 2)

1 to 2 tablespoons ginger (optional)

School Holidays!!!

Today is the last day of school for many Australian kids for the winter break...I know that school holidays can be a bit bittersweet, but I have to say I have come to love them....no packing lunches, searching for the missing sport shirt, rushing out the door to make Cello rehearsal at 7:40 or soccer training at 7:15, the logistic coordination of picking up 3 kids at the same time from completely different activities and the dreaded 'have you done your homework' question...pjs till 10, lots of play dates, video rentals and just hanging out are truly a holiday...let's see how I am feeling in 3 weeks.

Not sure what school holidays has to do with being green, though I have been thinking of coming up with a green project the kids and I can do over the holidays...veggie garden? Any other ideas? xxx

PS. This photo is from TummyMountain's shop at etsy (she has the most divine prints).... I loved it so much I have ordered it for my daughter's room...she loves swings and I think it captures that wonderful feeling of "whoosh" you get when you swing...plus, swings are very green...outside, no electricity or batteries - just kid-powered fun.

Peppermint Magazine and Me!

The third issue of Peppermint Magazine is out....and...so exciting....Little Green Stilettos is in it!!! My first PR...For those of you who may not know it, Peppermint Magazine is Australia's first eco fashion magazine...sort of a Green Vogue...lots of divine clothes, inspiring green girls and beautiful images (how cute is the front cover?)....all printed on recycled paper. Go to Peppermint Magazine to order your copy and check out Little Green Stilettos featured on the last page...Now I really am a Peppermint Patty...xxx