By Blythe Copeland, Planet Green

This Mother’s Day, forget the flowers: Instead, treat your mom to gifts and accessories handmade by other moms around the world, choosing Fair Trade, artisan-made, and one-of-a-kind classics (like jewelry, bags, shoes, and even gourmet snacks) that help impoverished women and local entrepreneurs make their mark on the global economy. From intricate bags beaded by women in Africa to gluten-free crackers from a pair of moms in Colorado, we’ve got a lineup of gifts that do as much for others as they do for you—now wouldn’t your mom be proud?

1. Doreen Mashika Accessories

Designer Doreen Mashika returned to her birthplace in Tanzania as an adult—after an education and business career that took her through Italy, Switzerland, and England—to combine her two passions: luxury goods and vintage jewelry. Now, her collection of bags, bracelets, earrings, ballet flats, and other accessories show off local gems and recycled glass beads. But the best part? All of her pieces are handmade under Fair Trade conditions by women in nearby villages.

2. Earth Divas Bags

Busy moms need plenty of places to stash their stuff, and the Fair Trade bags at Earth Divas have a style for everyone: the beaded hobo with a shoulder strap that ties at the top so you can adjust the length is just right for the new mom balancing bottles and binkies; a clutch made with recycled silk is the perfect date night accessory; and a chic hemp handbag lets working moms carry everything they need at home and at work.

3. Handmade Gifts from Etsy Moms

Browsing the shops of handmade goods on Etsy means you’re guaranteed to find a one-of-a-kind gift (which is especially good news for over-competitive siblings trying to outdo each other on May 9). But stick with shops run by women who are mothers themselves and you’ll be helping other families all over the country (and the world). Check out the Etsy Mom blog for product showcases, interviews with designers-slash-moms, and gift giveaways that will no doubt be better than whatever your sister came up with.

4. Two Moms in the Raw Snacks

If your mom is an aspiring gourmet-health nut, then help her stock her pantry with organic, gluten-free foods from Two Moms in the Raw, a pair of Colorado-based mothers who make granola and crackers that are 100% vegan—and entirely free of oil and refined sugar. Try Garden Herb or Pesto Sea Crackers and Raw Goji Berry or Raw Cranberry Granola for a tasty treat that’s much healthier than your annual sausage-pancakes-and-mimosas brunch.

5. Hands Up Not Handouts Jewelry

Moms love to give advice, and if your moms favorite tip is “Accessories make the outfit” then she’ll love the goods at Hands Up Not Handouts. This company, which sources bright bracelets from Palestine and modern earrings from Rwanda, supports women in both countries with the production, marketing, and designing of the jewelry—and then puts all the proceeds back into the business and the communities where the women live.

6. Women’s Peace Collection Goods

The difference between the Women’s Peace Collection and other female-driven groups is simple: the WPC focuses specifically on helping women in regions torn by or recovering from war. Give your mom a Jerusalem Candle of Hope made by women in Israel and Palestine; a Peace Basket woven in Darfur or Sudan; a beaded bracelet from Afghanistan; drop earrings from Nepal; or a silk bag from Vietnam, and help support mothers and children who are trying to support themselves.

7. Donate to the International Rescue Committee

Maybe your mom has enough stuff. (Most moms do.) In that case, honor her with a donation to the Interational Rescue Committee, a group that works with refugees around the world to address medical issues, education, resettlement, and legal aid. You can make a flat donation kit or purchase an item that will help a mother elsewhere in the world, like a prenatal care kit or a scholarship to summer school for her child.

Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination devoted to the environment and dedicated to helping people understand how humans impact the planet and how to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Its two robust websites, planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer original, inspiring, and entertaining content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future. Planet Green is a division of Discovery Communications.

It is that time of year again when the gorilla pull of cravings for sweet holiday foods can prove overwhelming. When individuals who have made solid commitments to eat a nutritious whole foods diet come face to face with a barrage of cookies, cakes, chocolates and candies in the office, at home, and in the classroom; the stress can give some people no choice but to cave into the temptation.

Now, that can also be a great excuse for the classic, Oh, what the hell, moment and dive head first into the candy dish. I do realize that confronting holiday temptations may be more than mere mortals can endure; and yet we create the environment that puts us right into that place we have no business being. Your heart says no, no, while your brain says Oh why not have just a little and then I will never eat chocolate, cookies, cake, candy, again. It’s those little white lies we tell ourselves that start the whole snowball rolling down hill. Perhaps if you step out of the box and change your perspective you may be able to modify your behavior enough to get you through the holidays without to much damage to your waistline.

1. Emotional Eating: “I am really struggling with food, I’m back to my old eating habits and as a result my weight is up and my energy and self-esteem are down. I know I need to just do it, but I’m really resisting.”

Take a moment, seriously now, stop, sit down in a quiet place and ask yourself why you are resisting? Are you angry with someone? Bored with your life? Frazzled beyond the normal? Is food just placating something deeper that needs to be addressed? Answer the questions of why first and then begin to consider some alternatives to over eating. Such as dealing with the unpleasant situation, becoming more active in your life, reducing the stress and making time for yourself. Most importantly get back into the kitchen and create some healthy body balancing meals.

2. Sugar Blues: “I just got word that I am pre-diabetic and I know it is from eating sugar and refined carbohydrates. How do I get my blood sugar back to normal?”

America, 2010, tied up with a candy cane bow and weighing in with 125 pounds of refined sugar under each belt. Sugar makes food taste good, and makes you feel good by raising your brain chemicals, serotonin and beta-endorphins to a dramatic high. Problem is what goes up, must come crashing down producing unstable blood sugar levels with a nasty mood in the bargain. Best to raise your blood sugar gradually by using healthier forms of sweeteners in moderation. It’s not necessary to go cold turkey and cut out sugar altogether, unless a medical condition demands you do so; instead incorporate sweeteners such as organic maple syrup, unrefined honey, rice syrup, agave syrup, stevia and xylitol into your holiday desserts. Then bring these with you to work and/or social occasions to share with others. “Be the change you want to see in the world” may have been Gandhi speaking about peaceful resolution to conflict, but I have always understood it to mean everything that I do in my life, including the food I share with others during the holidays.

3. Work Stress: “I need to really get back on track with my eating habits. Work continues to be insane and three weeks ago we had another lay off and 14 people lost their jobs.The two absolute devils for me are decaf coffee and sweets.”

Here’s another instance when taking a moment to sit and observe your fear and anxiety can reveal some profound insights and solutions. You might begin by asking yourself what is the worst that can happen? If the worse thing is that you lose your job, can you see it as an opportunity disguised as loss? Visualize the kind of life you could create for yourself if you were not working insane hours under a constant threat of being laid off. Once you see that you can survive the worst your imagination has to offer your nervous system can find some respite and you can stop pushing down your fears with food.

4. Pleasure-Pain: “I was sick, in pain, going through chemotherapy, and the doctor told me not to worry about what I ate, so I just let go of all my discipline and now, 30 pounds later, I feel worse than ever.”

Let’s face it, food is instant pleasure. Our brain chemistry responds to this pleasure chemically, emotionally and physically within seconds of placing that morsel into your mouth. In fact, the research on chocolate alone has it increasing endorphins in the brain that mimic feelings of being in love, or put another way, mimics the way we feel following sexual orgasm. How’s that for pleasure?

The good news is that we need pleasure in our over stressed lives, the bad news is we suffer when the pleasure is removed. The cycle of desire and loss is a classic teaching in some religions. The Buddhist defines “suffering” not just as a physical pain of the body, but also the discontent our minds are afflicted with most of our waking day. The immediate pleasure of food becomes a habitual exercise in confronting our discontent. Rather than give in let the thought of eating pass you by. A thought lasts a mere 1/25 of a second and it is only when we grab on to that fleeting thought and follow it all the way to our chocolate stash do we allow our cravings to control us.

Meditation is a powerful tool we can use to attain freedom from the habits of our minds. However, the liberation does not happen overnight. It is a matter of practice, effort, awareness and staying present to our actions that will bring about results. The greatest battles we face in life are always with ourselves and our relationship to food is a constant reminder of how we can live with integrity in the world. When I am confronted with foods I find difficult to resist I tell myself that I am free to eat that piece of chocolate, or second helping or whatever it is that calls me so strongly, but I choose not to do so right now. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, or even an hour later, but by then the thought has passed and my mind is engaged elsewhere.

Source: Care2.com
Who loves us more than Santa? Who do we love more in return? Yet Santa is not just a jolly old guy in a red outfit. He is a true Yogi — someone who embodies love, generosity and great wisdom. The figure of Santa is a remarkable example of such qualities, which we may all want to emulate:

1. He makes us do good and feel good. Now that’s a big one, as many of us can get caught up during this time and act selfishly or crabby.

2. He gives, endlessly, to everyone, without discrimination, all over the world, all at pretty much the same time. This indicates a truly generous heart, one that takes great joy in giving, without needing to receive.

3. Yet he does not give blindly. Rather he judges what is the most appropriate gift for each. This shows great discernment, as giving needs wisdom in order to be of most benefit.

4. He encourages rituals and invokes magic in every child’s life: letter writing, stocking filling, decorations, parades, milk and cookies. Ritual is an essential part of honoring that which is greater than us, and magic is the beauty of the unknown.

5. He listens to our pleas and requests and reads our letters. He takes the time to hear us and pays attention, which most of us could do a lot more of.

6. He has great psychic powers: he flies in the sky with reindeer, descends chimneys without getting covered in soot, goes by many names and forms, and is extraordinarily elusive. Has anyone actually ever seen him?

7. He knows where we live. In other words, he is inside every one of us.

8. Most importantly, he lifts our spirits at the darkest time, bringing us laughter and joy, which is undoubtedly the greatest gift of all.

Through giving to others, a la Santa, we get away from selfishness and neediness, and in the process see our own self-centeredness in greater perspective. It connects us to the basic goodness within us, a quality of kindness that is easy to lose touch with. Giving–whether a smile, our time, a listening ear, food or material gifts–is profoundly joyful, both to the one who is receiving and the one who is giving. The essence of this is an open heart, a free mind, and a blissful spirit.

If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. -Bob Hope

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill

True generosity is giving without any thought of getting or receiving; it is unconditional, unattached, free to land wherever it will. Through giving and sharing in this way, we soon find that we do not lose anything; we do not have any less. Rather, we gain so much.

At a booksigning in California, Ed was chatting with a man who was training to be a Zen priest. Shortly afterwards, we left to get something to eat at a Chinese restaurant across the street. As we were eating, the man Ed had been talking to came in, nodded to us, then walked to the back of the restaurant. A while later he came back. As he passed our table he stopped and simply said, “Your dinner is paid for.” Then he left. We were stunned by such a kind and generous act, and the warm memory of it has stayed with us.

Has the spirit of Santa Claus made an appearance in your life lately? Do you have any great Santa stories?

Whether you're organizing an extended-family gathering or a big bash for your place of work, holiday party planning is tough work. However, there's no reason you should be stressing this holiday season. Personal Chef To Go is your holiday season survival headquarters where we make hectic holidays a thing of the past with our simple three step plan:

Step One

Order a delicious and nutritious meal plan often this holiday season. You save 10-15 hours per week with our ready to heat and serve entrées and best of all our meals will help you to look and feel your best

  Step Two

Give a gift card of our delicious and nutritious meals this holiday season. The unique and thoughtful gift of heart-warming meals will come in handy when those New Year’s resolutions are made to eat healthier foods and lose those extra holiday pounds.

Step Three

Throw a party and celebrate with our affordable and delicious Party Platters available in theRichmond, VA area only! 

With over 30 platter options- from Cheese and Fruit to Seafood, to gourmet cocktail sandwiches, salad and oven-ready and dessert platters, you're sure to find options to please everyone! We even have Vegetarian platters!

You pick the menu, or let our chef’s create a mouth watering holiday hors d’ oeuvres offering that your guests will love. We’ll even include all utensils and serving pieces so all you have to do is send out the invitations and delivery to your home or office is free of charge*.

A sample menu for an average holiday party for at least 20 people might look something like this:

Assorted Imported Cheeses  $3.50 per piece

Three to five selections of aged hard, semi-soft, blue veined and ripe soft cow's and goat's milk cheeses. Served with imported crackers and fruit garnish

Fresh Fruit Platter  $2.25 per piece

Freshly cut in season fruit is artistically displayed, a perfect accompaniment to any of our cheese platters.

Classic Shrimp Cocktail  $3.75 per piece

Fresh Jumbo Shrimp served with our house-made spicy cocktail sauce.

Country Ham Biscuits  $2.75 per piece

Smithfield country ham is sliced thinly and served with fresh soft rolls and mustard accompaniment.

Lebanese-Style Mezze platter with Hummus, Tapenade and Mediterranean-style tapas. Served with pita chips.

Award-Winning Pulled Pork BBQ Mini Sandwiches  $2.75  

Succulent pork shoulder is cooked low and slow with our special spice rub until it falls off the bone.

Assorted mini desserts  $2.50
An assortment of our freshly made selections

To see more platter options, please visit our Holiday Party Platter page on  our website or call us at 804-440-1900 for suggestions on creating a perfect paring for your holiday party or special occasion!

*With $350 minimum