shak-shuka

Organically Soothes Aches+Pains

It may seem a little zany that I'm writing about a warming pillow at the beginning of the summer, but there are things that are so good I've got just to share. I don't know about you, but I often suffer from a sore neck (from sitting at the computer all day) or a sore lower back (from picking up a child 100x/day) and heat always helps. I've tried placing a hair dryer on my lower back, but as good as that feels, it doesn't work for a long period of time, or for my neck. Needless to say I needed an alternative, and I found one that not only works for me, but also the entire family.

Leschi makes these adorable warming pillows that are filled with organic wheat and have a velvety soft non-toxic polar fleece cover. I like to warm it up and put it in our beds in the winter as a special "snuggle" treat, or like I said, to soothe and relax an achy body. Children really love their vivid colors, and that they come in gorilla and elephant shapes. Best of all, these warming pillows can also be used as an impromptu bean bag for a quick version of the "hot potato" game. Even though I'm not fond of my aging body's aches and pains, I revel a bit in the fact that I get to use this cute-as-a-button animal pillow that I can (almost) call my own.

Guerrilla Garden Your 'Hood

The majority of my friends, and I think most people, live in or at least near a metropolitan city. There are many perks of living in a city: close proximity to everything, variety of choice in shopping and eating (my favorite hobbies) and a diverse mix of cultures. I personally love living in a city, but there are some aspects which are not so good - mostly the lack of nature (which seems ironic seeing as I say I love living in the city). Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't want to live in the middle of the woods, but it is such a wonderful respite from hard city life to sit on a patch of grass and stare at some beautiful flowers or at the sky.

I'm sure if you're also a city dweller you will remember passing by so many patches of dead earth that have the potential for a mini garden oasis. There's even one about 500 meters from my house that I have been dying to get my (black thumbs) hands into. Light bulb moment - there is an organization that does exactly what's brewing in my mind: transforms otherwise discarded or forgotten plots of land into beautiful patches of wildflowers and plants. Guerrilla Gardening may be a bit extreme for some, but I love their philosophy of doing something mildly illegal (apparently gardening requires a permit in some countries) that actually benefits the community. In April Guerrilla Gardening held a "Pimp Your Pavement" celebration in London that encouraged citizens in London to transform tiny spaces into gardening gems. You can start a Guerrilla Gardening movement in your own city or country, or there seem to be posses in nearly every pocket of the world! If getting dirty isn't your thing, you can also purchase their book, which is available in a slew of languages. Even though I have a black thumb, I'm seriously considering "guerrila-ing" my own neighborhood, starting with that tiny patch of sad dirty nearby....under the cloak of darkness of course!

Cuddly Soft Toys Go Green

I remember when my daughter was a baby I was on the hunt for soft toys she could play with. There was only one problem: all the natural or organic toys had no cuddle/play value (as if they were created for neurotic parents like myself who didn't want any nasty chemicals or dyes and were then left with a brown cloth sack), or really vibrant toys with added dimensions, sensory stimulation - the works. Leaving the toy shop empty handed, I was always feeling guilty either way: buying an organic toy that was useless and never played with, or buying a toy that had been made in China with who knows what kind of materials or labor practices.

Now that my daughter is a toddler, my prayers have been answered (naturally)!! Franck & Fischer seems to have tapped into my brain, read the kind of toys I wanted for infants, and created them using organic fabrics, Oeko-tex dyes, and fair trade labor. They are by far the greenest of the green companies I've ever seen. To make it even sweeter, they have the cutest designs like pigs, cows, and sheep with faces that are impossible not to love. Rattles, stroller toys, cuddly animals, and I wish I would have had these cuddle cloths when my daughter was a baby. Reason enough to have another baby? It just might be.....

Two-Timing Greens Dish

I love when I have no time or ingredients to make a dinner. As annoying as it is, it really puts my chef skills to the test, and it's usually when I come up with my best meals. This following recipe is one that I whipped up when I was running on the end of my veggie box delivery, had about 20 minutes to get a meal on the table before all hell broke loose. Delicious as a side dish, even better the next day on pasta - that's why I call it two-timing, because it does just that: it works as both perfectly!

Two-Timing Bitter Greens + Tomatoes

1 large bunch of bitter greens (you can use any - just make sure they're delicate), washed + chopped

1 small bushel of cherry tomatoes, cut in half and de-seed as much as possible

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

sprinkle of pepperoncino (red chili pepper flakes)

salt and pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil

In a pan, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and place on a low-medium flame. Add the chopped garlic and saute until barely golden. Add the pepperoncino and saute for 1 minute more.

Next add the washed and chopped greens, turning down the heat a bit and tossing the greens around the pan so that the garlic moves around and doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Once the greens have wilted (it will depend on which greens you're using), add the chopped tomatoes, and stir. Lower the heat and place a cover on it and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. If the mixture dries out, add a splash of water.

You can serve this as a side dish or if you want to use it as a pasta sauce, simply thin it down a bit with some of the pasta cooking water. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil when serving (as a side or pasta sauce) and enjoy!

RMS Beauty to the Rescue

Sometimes I feel as though I've run the full spectrum of the organic, eco-friendly make-up ranges. Many of them I've loved and lost (love for), many were just too natural for me (animal lard on my face - no thanks), and so the search goes on and on for the perfect organic, natural make-up which seems will never be achieved. I will be forced to wear waterproof mascara from a hot pink and fluorescent green tube for the rest of my life......

But no! Wait - there's a newbie on the block that is going to cure all of my green-as-can-be woes!! Created by a NYC make-up artist who suffered from health conditions that she learned were due to her work materials (read:make-up) and their toxic ingredients, she vowed to create a completely natural, non-toxic, safe make-up line that emphasizes womens beauty instead of masking it. RMS Beauty is the name, and natural is it's game: as their slogan goes: "created by nature, untainted by man". Love it. What I love even more so are the products which do double-duty, like lip2cheek balm, and my favorite - "un"cover up, which basically sums up the type of foundation that I've been looking for in my ___ years on this earth. Thank you RMS Beauty for reading my mind and creating the eco-make-up of my dreams!

Dimmalimm Kids Giveaway

Life has been so hectic around here that I've slacked off on the giveaways! But alas, this week we're back with a vengeance and I personally think it was worth the wait. Then again that's easy for me to say!

A few weeks ago I raved about our new Dimmalimm Kids soft-soled shoes here, and they were even featured on the holy-grail of eco parenting sites Inhabitots, so it's only fitting that we offer up a pair here at Shak-Shuka! This time around it's a giveaway for the boys, or very neutral-wearing girls: Dimmalimm gray loafers with a teal band for the luckiest baby in the world who is 6-12 months. To. Die. For. Cute.

They'll make you want to squish your foot into them to just feel their velvety vegan goodness! To win, all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter here or if you are already receiving our monthly newsletter, just drop us a comment here. A winner will be chosen at random on the 28th May and announced that day. Good luck!

*note: the winning loafers are actually a darker gray than pictured. still adorable. just need to mention it! :)

Almond Scented Sticky Heaven

When I was little I used to smell everything - it was even a running joke that I was raised by our dogs and therefore learned to "get to know someone or something" with my nose first, then my eyes. Years have passed and few things have changed, and my olfactory sense is still top-notch (only rivaled by our 70kg St Bernard of course...). I can be attracted to someone/thing just by the way it smells, or completely turned off and never give it another chance if the smell is too bad/overpowering/fake.

Having done loads of arts+crafts projects, I have tested what feels like the whole lot of crafty products. Nothing has turned my sense of smell on alert like this sticky paste from Italy called Coccoina. Packaged in a beautiful antique-looking tin, Coccoina is no ordinary paste: it holds beautifully, is non-toxic, non-solvent and acid-free (great for gluing photos in photo albums) and....drumroll please....smells like almonds. Or better yet - marzipan. Imagine all the craft projects I have done just so I could get to be surrounded by some almond-y-paste pleasure. Bordering on addiction, this Coccoina paste has a hold on me, and I think we just might have to add it to our natural arts+crafts section. Do I sense a Marzipan Making Madness on the way?!

Naturally Colorful Kitchen

I've been very naughty. I usually have my posts up and ready to go, but I slacked off a bit by not doing my "homework" in advance, and just like in school, you end up getting burned when you try and do it all rushed at the end. That's me today! It has not been my day, so I've been seeking comfort in the kitchen (which is a place I usually avoid even though I'm a chef) and baking. There is something really magical about turning many different ingredients into one piece of food art that can be consumed! Forget David Copperfield, I'm a magician in the kitchen!

Since my daughter has become OBSESSED with baking lately (we started with chocolate chip cookies and now there's no stopping us), I thought it was time that we re-create some of the horrid treats they've given her at school. Plain vanilla cake - check, vanilla frosting - check, and I'm sure you too have your own favorite. But wait - what turns something plain into something fantastic to a child? COLOR! Normally I would poo-poo food colorings, but when they're made from natural, pronounce-able ingredients, I say - "what are a few drops gonna hurt"? India Tree makes concentrated liquid vegetable colorants which can be mixed to make a rainbow of colors to charm even the snootiest kiddo. Although not as easy to find as your corner-store-food-coloring, it's worth the hunt to find some India Tree colorings if you're feeling crafty in the kitchen! (remember it's not just good for eating - use it to color your homemade play dough as well!)

Boa(d) Over with Prints

Sometimes I feel like I've seen the full spectrum of organic women's fashion: recycled fleeces, plain organic t-shirts, hemp-style dresses. What I always find myself missing are prints. Normally I wouldn't categorize myself as a print kind of girl, but there's nothing more depressing than looking into your closet and only seeing monotone colors and no pops of patterns to mix it up.

Since most of the world's organic cotton comes from Turkey, it's only fitting that one of the most innovative organic clothing brands for women is Turkish! The brand, Boa Studio, totally satisfied my craving for something ethical as well as pattern-friendly. Run by a duo of truly green ladies, Boa Studio creates new collections each season (current collection is Mother Nature, Father Moon) representing different design themes. Even more refreshing is that the designs or patterns on the Boa Studio line (like an organic jumpsuit? gotta love it) are done by one of the designers themselves, so you know it's a true original. Better yet, very soon we'll be carrying their new and equally exciting Bamboo Collection which is also pattern and eco-friendly!

The (Not So Secret) Seed Society

As a child, I was always obsessed with the mail: boxes, letters, magazines, catalogs: the whole lot. I secretly had a crush on the postman, and loved loved loved the look of the UPS man coming in his flat brown shorts. Nothing bad ever came in the mail when I was young! As an adult, times have changed and bills fall like rain from the postbox now and I long for those carefree-mail days....

It's not surprising given my love for the postal system that I have an online store where everything goes by post! Having said that, I am clearly a supporter of all things mail-related from online stores to catalogs. I love the idea of ordering something at 1am in my pyjamas with a glass of wine next to the computer (which can also be lethal depending on what number of glass you're on...) and then the package arriving a few days later like a surprise you (almost) forgot about! That is what I feel like when I look at this Secret Seed Society membership. It combines two of my favorite things: postal treats and a food-ucational experience for both children and parents. Double yay! The Secret Seed Society Seed Agent Subscription works like this: you receive periodically a set of 5 seed packets and accompanying stories (which explain the seeds, how to plant them, etc) that you can plant at different times of the year. The subscriptions are recommended for children from 3-7 years, and even though my daughter is only 2.5 years, I have seen her eyes light up from seeing the cilantro grow that we planted weeks ago, so I know this would be for her (or me too). The Secret Seed Society also has other individual packages available that seem like equal learning fun - like Chrissie Cress Story & Seed Pack and Mingo Mung Story & Seed Pack. Best of all, there's also info for us parents who weren't born with a green thumb......a win/win postal treat!