Every once in a great while, we discover a new idea so brilliant that it takes the rest of humanity years to accept it and make it part of their daily lives. Electricity, telephones, cars, and even TV fall into this category. People needed time to wrap their heads around the idea that something so beneficial could be produced so easily.

I felt the same way when I first heard about water ionizers. “A little machine that makes magic anti-oxidant water? For way less than the cost of bottled water? That has to be a scam”, I reasoned. A few years later my in-laws were excitedly telling me about the holistic health benefits of their new water ionizer machine, and I had to reconsider.

So they told me their first hand accounts and I was shocked. They’re not health nuts by any means. All they did was add in the alkaline water instead of drinking bottled water and filtered tap water. With that ONE change, they began to detox and experienced weight loss without effort, more energy and deeper sleep, they “felt hydrated for the first time ever”, and the water was even “much easier to drink”. (That’s due to the newly “micro clustered” water molecules, which actually do hydrate our bodies much better than non-ionized water.) Now as someone who eats and drinks in a very health-conscious way, I was skeptical that one could still make less-than-awesome food choices and feel great with the simple addition of water. And yet that is exactly what my in-laws experienced. They are still loving their water ionizer and discovering new cumulative health benefits as time goes on. There are other benefits that they, and their friends have experienced, but they are so wonderful as to be unbelievable sounding so I’m not going to mention them here. Let me just say that I think Fountain of Youth would be an appropriate name for the KYK Genesis water ionizer.

If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I don’t know if I would have believed these amazing claims. Ionized, alkaline water is not yet available in stores so it’s one of those products that we still have to experience through our friends and family. Or we act on faith and see what amazing results we will personally experience. Plus there’s a 60 day money back guarantee so there is plenty of time to see what improvements you notice from drinking and using ionized, alkaline water.

Have you tried a water ionizer? Leave your stories, questions, and comments below and share the love!

Image (c) roboppy

A couple months ago a friend emailed to tell me about a berry that I “might be interested in”. She pointed me to the now infamous NY Times article about the “Miracle Fruit“, and I proceeded to flip out. For those of you who haven’t been introduced to this truly magical berry, it makes sour things taste sweet and food in general just tastes better. How exciting is that? It contains a substance called “miraculin” that binds with your taste buds for up to 2 hours of “everything tastes like heaven” fun. Wow, talk about a natural sweetener. Sign me up!

But there’s just one problem: availability. Wikipedia says Miracle Fruit was documented way back in 1725, yet it only gained popularity in America in 2008, thanks largely to the “flavor trippers” referenced in the NY Times article. Without a solid growing infrastructure in place, it’s been really difficult to obtain the berries or the packaged tablets. Most retailers run out of stock for months at a time! I tried to find some seeds so I could grow my own, but at the time nobody had any stock available.

This morning I opened up an email from my homies at Think Geek and almost fell out of my chair when I saw they are now selling Miracle Fruit tablets! The date on the email said it arrived yesterday, but by the time I arrived at their site they were already sold out and taking backorders. Noooo! But since Think Geek is located in the USA (unlike most retailers) and has amazing customer service, I’m just going to backorder a couple packs now. What can I say, I have an insatiable sweet tooth and the idea of sucking on a lemon and having it taste like candy is too novel to resist.

Every story I’ve heard about Miracle Fruit has been funny and amazing. If you’ve tried this miraculous berry, please share your story in the comments. I’ll report back when my shipment arrives

PS- I predict that this berry is going to be so instrumental in getting people to eat healthy. We’ll start by eating a miracle berry before a big leafy green salad – you know, so even the most picky tastebuds can “tolerate” real food. Then we’ll only need a half berry as our bodies become used to eating well. Then one day we’ll realize that we don’t even need to “flavor trip” anymore. Did this idea occur to anyone else?

Did you know that, on average, kids throw away 67 pounds of trash every year from their school lunches? This costs schools much needed funds to collect and dispose of that trash, as well as being a huge ecological problem. (I wonder how much adults throw away during lunch.) But we can quickly make lunch time a lesson in zero waste. Participate in the Zero Waste Lunch program by bringing your lunch, and your childrens’ lunches, in stylish and reusable bags. Check out some tips to follow that will help reduce the amount of trash purchased, created, and needlessly thrown away.

For those that want to invest in a quality reusable bag we recommend checking out Nubius Organics’ zero waste lunch section. They feature a stylish line of insulated, reusable totes for transporting your lunch as well as some large bags that are made of recycled plastic bottles. Most, if not all, of their bags/totes are PVC free, teflon free, and lead free so you know your food is safe from toxins.

Nubius Organics also carries another Mable’s favorite: the Laptop Lunch System. Made famous by the Vegan Lunchbox Blog.

We’ve mentioned personal gardens before; AeroGarden, Miniature Garden, Organic Dwarf Lemon Tree, Garden Fort, etc., but none were soooo eco-friendly they came in a biodegradable pot! Ha!

These 100% biodegradable pots are made from renewable grain husks, are certified organic, and will hold their shape and size for about 5 years. That’s a long time to grow some delicious herbs. As an added Green bonus, by growing plants indoors they will convert the CO2 you expel into Oxygen for your lungs. Yay for synergy!

Order yours today and choose between Lemon Basil, Lavender, Oregano or Parsley. Remember you can always pick up your own seeds from somewhere else and use those in these organic biodegradable pots. These make great green gifts for teachers, and families with kids to help show us all what goes into growing food.

$15.95

Find more green growing gifts in our Plants and Gardening gifts section.

The Swiss Hot Steam Humidifier: This pretty little humidifier boils water to eliminate waterborne bacteria and viruses before emiting hot steam that improves ambient air moisture in these dry winter months. Deliciously scientific isn’t it? Now go buy one.
$99.95

The Best Electric Tea Kettle: This is the best electric tea kettle, simply because it outperformed all other models due to its awesome heat retention, quick boiling time (twice as fast), automatic shut-off, and safety features. The perfect gift for those tea lovers.
$69.95

Are there any fellow foodies out there? As a lover of baking, I’ve done some experimenting with and researching of the available cookware materials: aluminum, glass, silicone, stone, steel, cast iron, and clay. Each has it’s own specialties and downsides, including possible health risks. Non-stick Teflon coatings, silicone, and lead containing glazes are a few of the materials that raise the biggest concerns about bakeware safety. So what options does that leave us with? So glad you asked!

I was recently introduced to La Chamba Ware, which seems to be ideal in just about every way. The pottery is handmade under Fair Trade standards in Columbia. Created from only mica clay, it is not glazed and contains no toxins. Instead, the clay is polished with river rocks; how cool is that? The pieces are then finished in wood kilns that turn them a lustrous and striking black. These stylish dishes are also very versatile and can be used on a gas stove (and electric stovetop using a heat diffuser) cleaned in the dishwasher, and even used in a microwave if that’s your thing. The only downside is that they don’t tolerate drastic changes in temperature, and thus need to pre-heat along with the oven. No biggie. Along with Viva Terra, you can often find discount La Chamba cookware on eBay. Happy (and safe) cooking!

$48-69

Found via Road Less Traveled
Also: Creative Clay Cooking Blog

It’s summer time and we’re all going to be spending a lot more time in our pools. You may not have one, but your neighbor probably does, and you’ll go to at least a couple pool parties this summer, right? Well then the only thing stopping you from being the coolest pool party guest or host is having a motorized pool lounger … or two.

Seriously though, who wouldn’t want a ride on this sweet double joystick double thrusters pool lounger that can not only get you from one end to the other with out getting wet, but can do 360 spins? Weeeeeeeee!!! To top it off this bad boy has a drink cozy, and comes with air pump so you don’t look like a chump blowing up your pool lounger with your own lungs while everyone is already having fun. Get your motorized pool lounger now.

$149.95

Feel free to kick it up a notch at your own pool party with this remote controlled floating serving tray that holds 5 drinks and 16 ounces of snacks. Just imagine yourself relaxing in your sweet crystal clear pool on your motorized lounger, drifting in the slight breeze and when the sun is too much you motor over into the shade. Then when hunger or thirst strikes you beckon your floating snacks with a flip of a button and chow down. Just keep in mind that there are five 12 oz. drink holders and your bladder can only hold so much. But then again if you are by yourself and it’s your pool …

$49.95

To celebrate the addition of a new line of wistful jewelry, Cherry Dot is sponsoring a contest where you can win some yummy Tricked Out Treats. Michi handmakes all her adorable food themed creations, and is always looking for new ideas. Just tell us your dream food item that you’d like to see turned into jewelry, and Cherry Dot might make your fantasy a reality! Maybe you daydream about a type of candy from your childhood, or you don’t go a day without your favorite snack; whatever your fabulous foodie ideas are, we want to hear them!

One Grand Prize Winner will have her idea turned into a piece of jewelry, as well as one of Cherry Dot’s new Orange Peel Necklaces, and a set of PB & J Sandwich Friendship Necklaces. Two Runners Up will receive a set of PB & J Sandwich Friendship Necklaces. Winners will be chosen based on creativity. Contest runs from May 14th – 28th.

To enter, leave your idea for fantasy food-themed jewelry in the comments section below. Be sure to leave your current e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. Mable’s has a strict privacy policy, and never shares your information with anybody. Good luck!

The contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Grand Prize Winner: Vivien who suggested Dim Sum items
Runner Up: Joan who suggested Goldfish Crackers
Runner Up: Kira who suggested a Lucky Charms charm bracelet

Beautiful and functional is a reoccurring theme at Mable’s, and this flower shaped loose tea strainer by Koziol is an excellent example. Tea infusers often leave a lot of bits to swirl about in your mug, but a tea strainer like this one keeps your drink leaf-free. It also comes with an adorable leaf-shaped stand, and with that kind of presentation it would make a unique tea party idea.

$12.95

If you haven’t already noticed it’s the 30th anniversary of Star Wars (1977-2007); so we all have a reason to celebrate the entire year. Well, at least Star Wars fans, like myself, have a reason to. What’s the universal sign of celebration? Cake! Everyone loves cake, and most people love Star Wars, and I just want to bring those two things together.

If one were so inclined they could adorn their Star Wars costume and fly hundreds of miles to the official Celebration IV to be surrounded by Force sensitive people and the creators of Star Wars. Or perhaps you can join me and others with bad motivators and just buy a Star Wars cake pan off eBay and celebrate at home with friends and family.

I can envision multiple weekends being filled with Star Wars movies and cartoons coupled with delicious cake shaped and frosted like Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, Boba Fett, and more.

Does your sweet tooth require more than just cake? Check out the Star Wars cookbook or the Star Wars Party Book and supplement your celebration with Wookie cookies and other Galactic specialties.