JELL-O is a great dessert when you’re craving something sweet. Compared to other desserts; cake, cookies, ice cream…it’s surprisingly low in calories and fat. When you’re at the store it might be tempting to buy the prepackaged JELL-O cups, but when you look at the prices it doesn’t make sense. A box of JELL-O is as little as $0.89. Not to mention all you’re paying extra for is the little plastic cups that will end up in a landfill and a larger cardboard carrier for them.

To make your own JELL-O cups just prepare your mix in a measuring cup. Then pour single servings into small cups. One way to decide on a “serving” is to check the box – it will tell you the approximate number of servings, grab that many cups and split it evenly. Put the cups in the fridge and then throughout the week you’ll have a (relatively) guilt-free dessert to grab whenever you’re feeling like you need a sweet treat.

Organic vs. Conventional? Local? Seasonal? Picking out produce has gotten much more complicated over the past couple of years. It has also gotten a lot more expensive. So what do you do? Go for the cheapest and risk ingesting nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that farmer’s have added to their soil? Or better yet some pesticide residue along with a variety of different chemicals used to kill the plant’s natural bacteria, which actually enhances the plant’s ability to synthesize and absorb nutrients? What if you want to make the greener choice and buy local, but it’s not organic?

Meet the dirty dozen… (It has actually been adapted to 15 instead of the original 12)

These are ranked by their “score,” 100 being the highest with the largest amount of pesticides present. So lessen the stress of your decision and stick to buying strictly organic when it comes to these 15, and the rest, opt for the closest in region, the most in season for your region, or whatever just looks too darn tasty to pass up!

If you have a small (or even single person) household like mine, you know how leftover ingredients from various recipes can build up in your fridge and never get eaten. You’ve probably stood in your kitchen, surveying all the food you had, and thought there’s got to be a way to use it and save a trip to the grocery store for at least another day. Well now there is. Thanks to an article on Unplggd (and a commenter there), I’ve found two cool websites that will find a recipe to match what you already have in the kitchen:

Super Cook

Cooking By Numbers

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I still love to get the (snail) mail. The first thing I do after hitting up the mail box is sort out all of the junk – and there is a lot of it. That is why I recommend visiting DMAChoice.org to set your mail preferences. After you are done, you’ll receive less of the mail you don’t want.

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Whether you are a “green” fanatic or just dipping your toes in the water, this new year we can all embrace the goal of going green(er). As you’ll soon find, I can’t get enough of quick tips – check out the list below detailing a few of my favorite (and sometimes unpredictable) spots to learn about creating a healthier environment and you.

• InStyle: 10 Ways to Detoxify Your Life!
• Better Homes & Gardens: 10 Easy Ways to Go Green
• Geek Sugar: Six Easy Ways to Go Green

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