Growing up in a meat-and-potatoes family, our first notion of a salad was iceberg lettuce topped with a hefty dollop of Thousand Island. Though we loved this recipe as a kid, our salad horizons have expanded considerably since then. And now that the warm weather has arrived, we are happy to note that May is National Salad Month, started in 1992 by the Association for Dressings and Sauces. If you have your own creative summer salad recipe, share it with the association’s Salad a Day Online Recipe Contest, with the theme of “Fresh Favorite Summer Salads,” by June 15 for a chance to win $500.

Read Article

While we may not be able to grow all of our favorite vegetables as urban apartment dwellers, listening to the engaging, delightful Alice Waters wax on about the joys of organic produce, fragrant herbs and made-from-scratch delicacies sent us straight to our local farmers market. Which is exactly her goal. Promoting her latest collection of how-to basics and simple recipes, In the Green Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2010), at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books recently, the San Francisco Bay Area-based chef, restaurateur and doyenne of the slow-food movement shared tips while chatting with a rapt audience at the Cooking Stage.

Read Article

As we try to keep wrinkles at bay with the latest night creams, we can relate to Daisy Fuentes’ sentiment that “aging sucks” when it comes to holding onto our girlish looks. But we also agree with her when she says the valuable life lessons learned in her 43 years more than make up for it. “Your appearance changes and you have to deal with that and that’s tough,” says the model-turned-TV host. “But it gets easier once you get your head around the fact that you can’t hang onto that youthfulness. Women who try to do that come off silly, not sexy. Once you identify with who you are, life gets easier.”

Read Article

While watching an X-Files rerun recently, we saw an episode in which people flew into homicidal rages after being unwittingly exposed to an experimental pesticide. It was still on our mind the next day, when we saw that the Environmental Working Group had updated its Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides — the “Dirty Dozen” list of fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticide residue and the “Clean 15” with the least (left). While effects of pesticide ingestion don’t fall into the supernatural realm of TV, they are pretty serious and alarming, with adverse consequences for the nervous and endocrine systems and possibly increasing the risk of some cancers. In fact, a new analysis of U.S. health data has linked children’s attention-deficit disorder with exposure to common pesticides found on fruits and vegetables.

Read Article

We recently read that despite conservation efforts, a significant number of plants and animals are at risk from extinction, according to a Convention on Biological Diversity report. Frogs and other amphibians top the list of animals most at risk to become extinct due to climate change, deforestation, pollution, poaching and overfishing, and about one-fourth of plant species are in danger. In fact, 2010 has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations, and May 22 is International Day for Biological Diversity. So we can’t think of a better time for global nonprofit conservation agency Rare to launch RarePlanet.org, an online network for conservationists on World Turtle Day, May 23.

Read Article

We judge a celebrity trainer by the bodies of the women she whips into shape, and Ashley Borden (left) is the whip behind the lovely, feminine frames of Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Graham and Christina Aguilera. So when we were invited to participate in a 24-hour version of the three-day Balanced Wellness Retreats that Borden leads at the beautiful Resort at Pelican Hill on Southern California’s Newport Coast, we leapt at the opportunity.

Read Article

We loved a good day of soaking up the sun sans sunscreen in our youth, but now that we’re older we know better than to venture outside without slathering on some SPF 30 along with a few swipes of our Shiseido Sun Protection Stick. Still, far too many of us don’t take enough precaution. A recent nationwide survey of 7,000 adults commissioned by the American Academy of Dermatology revealed that some cities are taking sun safety to heart, while others still have a long way to go.

Read Article

In a time when we’ve heard so many downsizing horror stories, we wondered if a more compassionate business approach was completely lost. So we found it heartening to hear about the Paula Marshall People-Centered Organization Award, which will recognize a company that values its workers. The winner will be announced in August on the blog and website of Paula Marshall (left), CEO of The Bama Companies, Inc. The individual who nominates the winning company will receive an Apple iPad.

Read Article

We look forward to the Tribeca Film Festival every year for its satisfying blend of documentaries, art cinema and foreign films — not to mention the indulgent feeling we get from sitting in a dark movie theater in the middle of the day. This year’s selection of 85 features from 38 countries did not disappoint, with highlights including 41-year-old Christy Turlington Burns’ directorial debut, No Woman, No Cry (left); Best Narrative Feature winner When We Leave (Die Fremde); art documentary The Woodmans; eco-conscious Scandinavian film Into Eternity; and moving tributes to style icons Vidal Sassoon and Halston.

Read Article

A former co-worker once told us a story of a girl who went to the doctor and found a tick buried deep inside her ear. “It was almost to her brain!” he insisted. Given that he also tried to convince us we might be host to an earwig, we’re pretty sure he was exaggerating to tease us. The threat of tick bites, however, is a genuine concern of ours, since nymphal deer ticks can transfer Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system if left untreated. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, so we thought we’d share some tips for preventing tick bites this summer.

Read Article