You don’t have to go nuts…
Arpillera from Lucuma.com
Really, guys.. you dont’ have to go nuts for the holidays. Sure, you can….black friday did start on Thanksgiving day. There are BILLIONS of dollars being spent. People go in debt. People stress. There’s too much to do. Too many events to go to. BUT, you dont’ have too. I’m just sayin’. Christmas is about so many other things; these for example –
a) Christmas all started with the birth of baby Jesus. And the wise men brought HIM gifts.
b) We celebrate this joyous occasion by exchanging gifts.
c) We celebrate by gathering together with our friends and families, creating traditions and sharing our lives.
So let’s not forget! It is a celebration! Let’s not create traditions and culture promoting materialism. How can we rethink Christmas?
Here’s an idea: A friend was recently telling me their Christmas present philosphy for their kids. Each got only three gifts (because 3 were good enough for Jesus). The first gift was something their child wanted. The second gift was something their child needed. The third gift was something that the parent wanted their child to have.
WOAH.
Do you see the impact? Just think for a minute with me about fair trade, about what it teaches. What if each gift you gave had meaning because it wasn’t tossed in a heap with all the others. What if every dollar you spent taught your friends and family something good and helped somebody in the process? That would be a pretty great Christmas I think. Don’t you?
BUT if you’re bent on going nuts (fair trade style of course), you can at least munch on these fair trade ones from SERRV.
Until next time…. ~ Liz
Oh, and if you want a story to go along with Jesus’ birthday, I’d recommend this one: The King’s Christmas List
Arpillera Christmas Stockings from Peru
How you make a difference
Well, as you know, we’ve been following along the fair trade food path, discovering some great food products and companies supporting and benefiting artisans through fair trade. Today I want to share with you a little video on how you you make a difference. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. We vote with our dollars. Make yours count!
Cheers and until next time!
Liz
Crazy for coconuts…
Hi Fair trade friends! It’s been brought to my attention that I haven’t introduced myself… so allow me. I’m Liz Mc. and I work for Lucuma Designs, the fair trade company who supports this blog. I’ve been working in fair trade for the past 6 years and it has opened my eyes to the injustice done in the world. I hope you too will find yourself open-minded to learning about what’s going on in the world and what YOU can do about it. Now… on to the post!
Do you know what October is? (besides Breast Cancer awareness month) Fair trade month! It also happens to host World Food Day. Get involved if you can! World Food day is about gender equality in agriculture, working conditions for farmers, support for organics and the fight against Genetically engineered foods; all of these things are important to the fair trade movement. But more on that later. In the meantime, you can start searching how to get involved either here or here.
And check out the latest cool Fair Trade Food item I’ve discovered. Coconut Oil!
I love coconut oil. It’s great as a moisturizer (apply when you are still a little damp) and in cooking. Dr. Bronner’s now has an organic Fair Trade Certified Coconut Oil. How awesome is that!? And so you have motivation to check it out too, here is my favorite muffin recipe: Enjoy and learn more about Dr. Bronner’s Coconut oil here!
picture from blog.superhealthykids.com
Carrot Muffins, adapted from the carrot pulp cookery If you can’t use the pulp right away, freeze it in a plastic bag and defrost before baking. Makes 12
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Teaspoon sea salt
2 Teaspoons cinnamon
1 Teaspoon nutmeg
2 Teaspoons baking soda + a hair more
3/4 cup Sucanat or brown sugar
1 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup water
2 Teaspoons vanilla
3 flax eggs (or 4 eggs)
2 cups carrot pulp or grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease approximately 12 muffin tins thoroughly. Mix dry ingredients first. In separate bowl, mix sugar with olive oil, water and vanilla. Add flax eggs and blend thoroughly. Lightly incorporate the carrot pulp and nuts. Finally add dry ingredients. Put into muffin pan and cook for about 20 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve.
