MEAN GREEN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:
1 Banana
Handfull of spinach
1 cup orange juice
6-8 ice cubes
This recipe serves two.

After my morning workout I like to make fresh vegetable juice or a smoothie. This is my favorite smoothie to make. It's packed with Vitamin C and it tastes so fresh. All you have to do is put everything in the blender until its smooth. You can use store bought or fresh orange juice, and every now and then I toss is some blueberries or strawberries if I have them. What is your favorite post workout snack?

QUINOA PRIMAVERA

Let me preface this recipe by saying it is delicious. It is delicious because it has cream cheese. Over the past few months I have all but given up on cheese, and most dairy. I still make my own yogurt, but that's about it. I know what you are thinking- no dairy = self inflicted torture. And it would be except for I have lost close to 20lbs through cutting out breads and dairy along with a gym routine that kills me everyday. But because I had been doing so well I splurged and went for the dairy gold- well worth it. But I like to know whats in each recipe so I am going to start posting all of the nutrition info to all recipes from now on, because I think it is important.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 ounces lite cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables
3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions
Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. Bring quinoa and broth to boil in a 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minute, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Makes 5 servings.

SMALL SPACES: GARDENING

I would like to thank the Boy Scouts of America for providing us with this handy How-To chart. I have been planning our garden trying to figure out how to get the most of small spaces. We are putting all of our herbs in pots on our deck, but the big veggies will need their own planter, which despite our best efforts will be in the alley this year. Neighborhood pets rejoice! But this guide is almost identical to the one we've got drawn up- no parsley and beets, more lettuce. I'll be sure to post pictures of the garden once we build it. We are going to attempt making it out of pallets. You know how much I LOVE pallets! What is going in your garden this year?

GIVEAWAY WINNER

Congratulations to Lindsey Reese the winner of Style Me Green's first giveaway. Next month we have something yummy to giveaway so stay tuned!

NATURAL NAIL STRENGTHENER

Between DIY projects, gardening, and work I struggle with having long strong nails. Its become a joke in my home that I can't go a week without breaking a nail. In fact, I even made it part of my "New Year's Resolution" to figure out how to have strong, healthy, unbreakable nails- that's how much of a joke it is. After trying out a few natural suggestions, I made a small batch of nail strengthener and it worked like a charm!   I rub it on all my fingernails about twice a week. I also found that using a little bit of bees wax lip balm on my finger nails after I shower or wash dishes helps keep in moisture too. They have been doing a lot better and I haven't broken or chipped a nail in 2 weeks, knock on wood...

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp castor oil
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice

Mix them all together in a small container and rub onto your nails.

BE OUR GUEST

Aren't these toothbrushes great? I'm always trying to find great ways to make people feel welcome when they stay with me. Its a great idea to hold onto any travel soaps/shampoos just in case your guest forgets something at home. I usually arrange fresh flowers, a tray with toiletries, and a basket with fresh towels to help my company feel at home. I absolutely cannot live without a toothbrush while traveling, its almost an end of the world situation- I know I'd love my own guest bamboo toothbrush, you can get this set here for $23. What tips do you have for making company feel welcome?

ECO STYLE: SPRING BREAK

GUEST POSTING

Excited to be posting over at Opal Design Group today. Come over and checkout 

all my tips for cleaning recipes you can make from things you already have!

GIVEAWAY: DOMINO

 I am excited to announce the first giveaway of many. Style me Green is giving one of our lucky readers a brand new copy of Domino: The Book of Decorating. I loved Domino magazine, and sadly its no longer around, but all the tips and ideas are! The editors take readers room by room, tapping the best ideas from Domino magazine and culling insights from their own experiences. This book makes design accessible and exciting, you can make your own spaces that are personal, functional, and fabulous.

Here's how to enter:

We have multiple ways to enter, and increase your chances.  We will select one finalist from each social media forum and then draw from those finalists. If you share this giveaway on facebook, your blog, or pin to pinterest we will put your name in twice.  If you are already following Style me Green share the giveaway, and leave a comment.

First:
- Like us on Facebook  or
- Follow us on Bloglovin  or
- Become a Member (see right sidebar)

Then:
Make sure to leave us a comment letting us know how you are keeping up with Style me Green, and which rooms in your house could use a little Domino help!

Good Luck! The giveaway will close on Friday, April 20th at 11:59 PM. We will announce the winner on Monday, April  23rd.

THE C6 ALMOST AS GOOD AS A G6?

I love pre-fab, and Leed built homes. A great sit to check out pre-fab homes is www.livinghomes.net. My favorite is the C-6. It was designed as part of a partnership with Make It Right, the organization founded by Brad Pitt and architect William McDonough to build 150 Cradle to Cradle inspired LEED Platinum homes in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, the neighborhood hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.You can build the C-6  for $179,000! And  can be fully constructed in less than two months and installed on-site in one day.

The 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom Living Home includes:

Cork floors, wood ceiling, and wood siding.
Multiple sliding glass doors accessing the backyard and courtyard.
Multiple finish options in the bath/kitchen.
Floor-to-ceiling glass, clerestory windows, light tubes, and transom windows.
Ample storage, particularly in the kitchen.
Full feature lighting control system, accessible from an iPhone.

Environmental Features

The C6 is the first Energy Star certified production home with a LEED Platinum level environmental program and Cradle to Cradle inspired products. It is also the first Living Home to achieve  Zero Energy, Zero Water, Zero Emissions, Zero Carbon, and Zero Waste.

Zero Energy: Energy efficient lighting and appliances, smart heating/AC control system to reduce power usage, photovoltaics for more than 100% of power needs. (Send me those power bills!)
Zero Carbon/Waste: Recycled materials & Cradle to Cradle inspired materials. Carbon off-set included in purchase price to counter energy used to create the home.
Zero Water: Low flow water fixtures. Grey water ready system.
Zero Emissions: No VOC paint. Formaldehyde-free millwork.

RECORD PLAYER INTO TV STAND

I inherited this record cabinet after all of the speakers and mechanics were stripped from the interior. The doors were all fixed and the only interior access was lifting the top center to a compartment to reveal where the actual record player was hidden.  The drawers are just a decorative fascia, but the doors could actually be removed. I had been looking for a media cabinet and nothing else came close to the right size for the television. So, with a little creativity and hardware we were able to turn this baby into an actual working cabinet, here's how we did it.

1. I removed all of the doors and unscrewed all of the hardware, the door panels had metal and fabric stapled in the insets. We had to carefully remove all of the staples to get the criss-crossed metal out of the insets. I HATE sanding- so I never do it unless it is absolutely necessary. In this case the surface was fine to just prime and paint. So I just had to wipe down the surfaces with a damp cloth.

2. I used Rustoleum's 2x primer and their American Accents Ivory Satin. I painted 2 coats of primer over all of the doors and frame of the cabinet, followed by 2 coats of satin Ivory paint. Once the paint was dry I screwed in the new hardware and stapled a simple monochromatic paisley to the inside of the door panels.

3. John installed hinges on the right and left side doors so we could store dvds and all of our electronics. We installed shelves inside those compartments as well with some simple "L" brackets. I left the inside unfinished because only we ever see it and it didn't justify wasting the resources.