Fresh Living by michelle G

Fresh

LIVING

Easy, healthy, filling: whole wheat pasta dishes Eco-cheap exercise equipment

Yoga at home

Chic in a small space: college students share decor secrets

Table of Contents Food

Healthy, Hearty and Wholesome Foods

Columns

Ways to Decrease Stress, 44 - Gain an understanding of where the stress of your day-to-day life generates from, and learn about helpful tips for dealing with this stress. Yoga at Home, 50 - Check out this step-by-step guide, complete with pictures, for your newest yoga workout. Personal Profile: Nicole the Triathlete, 56 - Despite her busy schedule, Nicole still makes time to train and participate in triathlons. See how she does it.

Healthy Recipes: Wholesome Whole Wheat Pastas, 6

Eat This Not That: Substituting Baking with Greek Yogurt, 12

Home

Features

Columns

Green Your Grocery: Organic Fruits

Farm To Table: Saxapahaw General Store, 16 - A profile of the Saxapahaw General Store’s mission of local, fresh food and how they’ve managed to become successful. Antioxidants in Food, 24 - What types of foods can you eat to ensure that you get the antioxidants you need for cancer and disease prevention and healthy aging? Four Health Foods From Around the World, 32 - All types of foods from around the world are healthy for our bodies in unique ways. How can we incorporate some of these foods in our diets? - Images and content for this feature attributed to: soynutrition.com, livestrong.com, foreverlookingood.com.

Health & Fitness

Green Your Fitness Routine Images in this spread attributed to: tronics.com, gaiam.com, newbalance.com, merkuryinnovations. com, and amazon.com

Columns Home Workouts: Small Spaces, 35 Body & Mind: Meditation, 38 Healthy Tips: Calcium, 42 Features

Apartment Living

Beautiful Apartments: A Touch of Class, 64 Do It Yourself: Spring Linen Makeover, 67 Smart Shopping: Bedding, 70

Features

Keep it Clean, Keep it Green, 74 - How to make your own eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and which to buy in the store. Organizing Secrets, 78 - Do you find yourself anxious to find space in your apartment or home? This article will provide you with organizing tips and secrets that will help you make the most of the storage space you have. Decorating with Colors, 83 - Learn about how colors affect people’s moods and how to use colors effectively in your home.

General Column

Change Your Life One Month At a Time, 60

Healthy Recipes

BY MIA BRADY

Wholesome Whole Wheat Pastas

Reinvent your view of carb-filled pastas! Using 100% whole wheat pasta is the perfect way to get your fill of healthy carbohydrates while enjoy deliciously

Baked Whole Wheat Rigatoni We all crave some comforting carbs sometimes, that’s no question. Indulge in this delicious dish with the knowledge that it’s made with part-skim cheeses and whole wheat pasta. This healthy Baked Whole Wheat Rigatoni is the perfect meal for a quiet Sunday night, or whenever you are in the mood for some wholesome comfort food.

Chicken Sausage, Tomato and Spinach Over Whole Wheat Pasta

Baked Whole Wheat Rigatoni

FRESH LIVING| APRIL 2012

2 lb. Whole Wheat rigatoni 1 jar marinara sauce 1 lb. container of part-skim ricotta cheese 2 bags of shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese 2 eggs 1. Heat about half of the pasta sauce 2. Boil 1 ½ -2 pounds of pasta 3. Pour 1 lb. container of ricotta into a mixing bowl 4. Crack 2 eggs into the same mixing bowl and stir 5. When sauce is hot, spoon into the mixing bowl with ricotta and eggs and mix (Add sauce until cheese and egg mix is light pink) 6. Drain pasta and pour into large tin pan or baking pan 7. Add ricotta/egg/sauce mix to pasta in pan. Fold evenly throughout the pasta 8. Add more sauce to the pan and mix in 9. Pour a top layer of sauce 10. Cover entire pan in layer of mozzarella 11. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes 12. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted

Chicken Sausage, Tomato and Spinach Over Whole Wheat Pasta We’re all looking for quick, easy, healthy and delicious dinner recipes. But it’s easy to get overwhelmed by too many ingredients, too many steps, or too much hassle. This recipe for Chicken Sausage, Tomato and Spinach Over Whole Wheat Pasta calls for just a few great tasting ingredients that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.

1 ½ table spoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 pressed garlic clove ½ pound of chicken sausage 1 table spoon tomato paste ½ pound of leafy green spinach ½ can of chopped tomato ½ pound of 100% Whole Wheat pasta of your choice 1. Sauté olive oil and garlic in large pan 2. Add chicken sausage, break up and sauté until cooked 3. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste to pan 4. While tomatoes and chicken are sautéing, bring water to a boil and boil pasta 5. Add spinach to pan right before pasta is ready 6. Spoon sauce over pasta and add cheese as desired

Whole Wheat Pesto Rotini This fresh tasting pesto pasta calls for very few ingredients and takes just 10 minutes to make! You can’t beat that. If you’re a pesto fan this pasta dish is for you. When you’re looking for a low cost, low mess, and easy meal, try this delicious, carefree dish.

2 lb. Whole Wheat Rotini 1 jar pesto Parmesan cheese (to taste) 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 clove crushed garlic 1. Boil 1 ½ -2 pounds of pasta 2. Drain pasta 3. While pasta is draining, poor 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil into same pot as pasta was boiled in 4. Add garlic and bring to simmer on very low heat 5. Poor pasta into pot and mix 6. Add in about 3-4 tablespoons of pesto and stir 7. Heat on low heat burner 8. Add cheese to taste Suggestion: Try adding chicken sausage, spinach, or roasted tomato to add variety to this delicious dish.

GREEN YOUR FITNESS ROUTINE

Get fit and protect the planet with these six eco-friendly workout finds. BY MICHELLE GILL

Smart Planet Ociel Filtered Water Bottle Protect the planet by cutting back on bottled water purchases. This filtered bottle effectively filters for heavy metals and chlorine and can be used to filter up to 100 gallons. Find it at ocielectronics.com. $15

Econation Wooden Earbuds

Increase your core strength and flexibility with a balance ball. This ball is made from recycled materials and is suitable for small spaces. Find it at gaiam.com. $18

These wooden earbuds, made from recycled material, allow you to support the planet without sacrificing sound quality. Find them at merkuryinnovations.com. $15

FRESH LIVING | APRIL 2012

Gaiam Eco Total Body Balance Ball

New Balance NewSKY 101 Sneakers These sneakers are constructed from 95 percent recycled water bottles (8 per shoe). Find them at newbalance.com. $70

Gaiam Organic Cross Back Tank Move freely in this flexible, breathable and organic tank made with low ecoimpact dyes and 94% organic cotton/6% spandex. Find it at gaiam.com. $48

Mivizu Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat This inexpensive yoga mat, featuring an eco-friendly and anit slip material is the perfect solution for people on a budget. The mat is durable and easy to clean. Find it at amazon.com. $9

YOGA

RELAXATION FOR THE MIND & BODY AT HOME

You may think you have to go to a yoga class to enjoy the calm and relaxation that comes from this full body workout, yet, with the correct breathing and positions yoga can be done in the evening at home, during your lunch break at work or during a walk in the park on the weekends outside. Yoga is an exercise that does not only workout the whole body, but syncs the mind with the body to soothe and relax. This relaxation makes the stresses of life more manageable and releases endorphins to make you a happier you. To get started with yoga there is an easy 12-step position is called Sun Salutation. This step-by-step beginner yoga workout will allow your mind to become calm while you tighten and tone your shape.

Step1 Stand in the yoga mountain pose with your feet together. Bring your hands together in a prayer position. Exhale.

Step 2 Raise your arms above your head with your hands still in prayer position as you inhale.

Step 5 Step your left leg back along with your right into the plank position and keep your spine and legs straight. Support your weight on your hands and feet and look downwards while you exhale.

Step 3 Exhale and bend downward and touch your hands to your feet or as close as you can.

Step 4 Inhale and step your right leg back, arch your back and lift your chin upwawrds

Step 6 Maintain your breath while lowering your knees to the ground. Then lower your chest and your forehead keeping your hips up and heels off the ground.

Step 7 Inhale and stretch your chest forward and bend your shoulders back. Keep your arms straight with your hands on the ground.

Step 8 Exhale and lift your hips upwards putting your heels on the ground. Keep your legs and arms straight.

Step 9 Inhale and bring your right leg forward and put this foot flat on the ground. Lift your head upwards.

Step 10 Exhale and bring your other foot forward. Bend down and touch your hands to your feet as close as you can.

Step 11 While inhaling stretch your arms up and over your head while bending backwards from the waist.

Step 12 Exhale and rise back to standing position.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.â&#x20AC;? -Rodney Yee FRESH LIVING | 2012

A Touch Of Class Every college kid needs a place to lay their head in between hitting the books and hitting the clubs. But these Elon University students took their college apartments and transformed them into compact style manifestoes. BY LAUREN RAMSDELL

It helps that Hunter Parrish, Carly Baggett, Caroline McDonough and Sierra Ferrier all live in the same apartment complex on Haggard Ave. in Elon, North Carolina. Partners’ Place apartments feature open floor plans, sunrooms, hardwoods in some units and vaulted ceilings in third floor units. Each room is a dark, but not overpowering, beige and the rich hardwoods or light, fluffy carpet blends seamlessly. Parrish, Baggett and McDonough live in a first-floor apartment with hardwoods while Ferrier and her roommates live in a third-floor place. Both apartments couldn’t be more different, though they share a common floor plan.

“Best friends since freshman year” “Well, we’ve been best friends since freshman year,” Hunter Parrish said of he and his roommates Carly Baggett and Caroline McDonough. “And we all kind of had an underlying agreement that we would eventually live together once we lived off campus because we couldn’t live together on campus.” The trio moved to Partner’s Place, collaborating over text message and email about who would bring what. “I think we all have different styles but thankfully they work well,” said McDonough. “We also, since we know each

A TOUCH OF CLASS other so well, had an idea of what it would look like, so we weren’t going to bring anything that somebody was going to hate.” The living room is a study in mediumtoned wood, matching lamps and a brown couch a few shades darker than the wall. A coffee table with magazines on display and blankets spilling out from storage is the only sign that something might be out of place.

“None of us has an outrageous sense of style,” said Parrish. “I’m going to say that the only thing that’s like BAM in our apartment is the (floral sunroom) couch, but we’ve grown to love it.”

Colorful pillows give the space a lush, plush feel. The aforementioned tapestry covers a large expanse of the living room wall and bamboo is taped to nearly every doorframe and even on the furniture.

It’s electric, it’s different,” said Parrish. “When you walk in the house it’s like the focal point.”

“My roommates kind of let me do what I want with the space,” she said. “Before, there was no bamboo on the walls. But I had a party in February and it was jungle themed. My roommates were like ‘Please, leave it up, leave it up, it looks great!’ So that’s why it looks really foresty in here.”

“We’re all pretty naturally neat but none of us are neat freaks,” Parrish said. “The only time it’s ever dirty is after we have people over on the weekend.”

Some things are from Pier One, IKEA and Urban Outfitters, but Ferrier said she prefers digging through thrift shops and antique stores for that perfect piece.

The main spaces are neutral and simple, but the bedrooms and sunroom – a repository for some things that wouldn’t fit elsewhere like an overstuffed floral couch – are a little more personal.

“I love going to museums, and I love going to all sorts of antique shops and things like that and finding things,” she said. “I don’t like just ‘Oh, I like that, let me buy it.’ I love the thrill of the hunt, of finding things. People say my style is very, very eclectic.”

I think also our bedrooms are kind of a reflection of us, personally, and then little things in (the living room),” Baggett said. “They all kind of mesh together.” Parrish’s room is nautical, inspired by a gift from his grandparents of an original art print from an artist friend. He says his mom chose complimentary décor based on the print and that he trusted her to let her do it. The rest, he said, comes from his trips abroad. McDonough’s room is largely black, white and grey with photographs everywhere and shadowboxes filled with selections of memorable things. “I’m huge into the photographs,” she said. And Baggett’s room is beachy, outfitted in blues and greens. She also contributed the artwork hanging above the living room couch, based on the pattern on her duvet cover. FRESH LIVING| APRIL 2012

“My roommates kind of let me do what I want with the space” Sierra Ferrier grew up in the Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia area. Her parents, from an early age, introduced her to an eclectic mix of cultures that she says shapes her personal style today. “The stuff that I gravitate towards is like a melting pot,” Ferrier said. She points out a midcentury Danish chair, a tapestry from a rural hippie shop and the old records adorning the walls. Ferrier’s apartment could not be more different than Parrish, Bagget and McDonough’s.

Part of that eclectic style comes from her collections – owls inspired by her grandmother, mountains inspired by her name, and scraps of paper to decoupage onto her bedside table. Her bathroom is psychedelic and remnants of her formerly Asian-inspired bedroom linger in some of her trinkets. The entire area of public living space is really a reflection of Ferrier’s life and interests. “Basically (my roommates) know I love to do stuff like this,” she said. “I would say it was somewhat decorated before: we didn’t have the lights, before we only had the albums and the quote on the wall. And some pillows on the couch. It was deco rated, but not really. I’ve added the most to it and they’re like ‘Go, do what you want.’”

Sierra Ferrier at her Partner’s Place home.