Healthy Light Recipes, Perfect For Summer

ZUCHINNI NOODLE SALAD WITH TURKEY MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS

  1. 2 large zucchinis

  2. 1 lb ground turkey meat light fat

  3. 1-2 cans of tomato sauce (as little sugar as possible)

  4. Fresh garlic

  5. Fresh basil

  6. Cumin, smoked paprika, basil, oregano

  7. Salt & pepper to taste

  8. Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Spiralize zucchini noodles until you get desired amount. Squeeze zoodles with paper towels to get rid of excess water

  • Mix ground turkey with spices in large mixing bowl

    • I like to use cumin, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, , smoked paprika and fresh garlic

  • Place cans of tomato sauce into large pot and begin to heat up

  • Roll into small balls and start to pan fry in 1 tbsp of coconut oil until browned

  • Place balls into pot with tomato sauce and let simmer for ~30 minutes

  • Top meatballs with fresh basil and parmesan if you like. Bon Appetite!

FRESH WATERMELON, MINT, FETA SALAD

INGREDIENTS

  1. 1 Watermelon

  2. Fresh feta

  3. Mint leaves

  4. Balsamin glaze

  5. Olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cut watermelon into bite size chunks

  • Crumble feta into bowl on top of watermelon

  • Cut up some fresh mint and sprinkle on top

  • For a little more flavor, I like drizzling a bit of olive oil and balsamic glaze on top (not pictured below)

  • Enjoy!

CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

  1. 1/2 Cauliflower

  2. 2 Eggs

  3. Some non or light fat mozzarella cheese

  4. Light tomato sauce

  5. You can really top with whatever you feel like or have in your fridge! That’s what’s nice about your own personal pizzas

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Line baking tray with tin foil and spray generously with non stick spray (very important!)

  • Grate raw cauliflower with some type of blender until finely chopped (steam in microwave after grating. If you don’t have microwave, steam before on pan and then grate up in blender)

  • Squeeze all water out of cauliflower. I used a paper towel which was kind of messy and ripped up a bit. A thin, clean dish towel would be ideal to get all moisture out and ensure crisp crust

  • Mix in large bowl the raw cauliflower with salt, pepper, eggs (I used one yolk and just used the egg whites for the second) and 1/4 cup of cheese

  • Mix well until all is combined and then spread out on oiled baking sheet or tin foil until about 1/4 of an inch thick

  • Cook for 10-12 minutes on 450°

  • Take out and put all your ingredients on top, tomato sauce, maybe some more cheese, veggies, etc. and broil for 6-10 mins (watch so it doesn’t burn)

SMOKED PAPRIKA 'FRIES'

INGREDIENTS

  1. 1-2 Eggplants

  2. Olive Oil (or coconut oil) spray to spray bottom of pan and top of fries

  3. Smoked Paprika

  4. Stevia

  5. Sea salt to sprinkle

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cut up eggplant into thin strips about an inch wide and a couple centimeters thin

  • Spray pan with olive oil and cover pan completely with fries

  • Cover fries with smoked paprika (I like a lot of flavor so I sprinkle quite a bit on top)

  • Shake one packet of stevia over top- this will give them a bit of caramelization

  • Sprinkle with desired amount of salt

  • Bake at 450° for 15-20 minutes (the blacker they become the more bacon-flavored. I like them a nice dark brown but not burnt)

  • A side of reduced sugar ketchup won’t disappoint;)

INGREDIENTS

  1. 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

  2. 1/2 cup raw cacao powder

  3. 2.5 tbsp maple syrup

  4. A pinch of sea salt flakes (to stir into chocolate mixture and to top cups with at the end)

  5. 1/4 cup nut butter (try and find one with no sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Whisk cacao, salt, and maple syrup into melted coconut oil until smooth

  • Pour 1 tsp of choco mix into muffin/cupcake tin cases and place molds into freezer for 5 minutes until firm

  • Remove from freezer and place 1-1/2 tsp of nut butter into center of each chocolate. Then place back into freezer so nut butter can harder a little bit

  • Remove from freezer and top each with 1 tbs of remainder of the chocolate mix. Place in freezer for 30 minutes minimum. (Take out 5 minutes in and sprinkle with sea salt flakes if desired. Then place back in freezer for remainder of the 30 minutes.)

  • These are raw so eat immediately or store in an airtight container in fridge. (I made about 8 large cups with this recipe but you could use smaller tins and get many more.)

Eco-Friendly Activities For Your Weekend

Too much stuff!

That's how my friends and I felt about the amount of clothes we own. Our New York closets were always bursting at the seams and we felt it was time for a little spring cleaning.

We realized, especially having careers in fashion, that we easily get caught up in the amount of stuff we're made to think we have to have. At one point in time, New York closets were made for the few outfits you had, the type you would mend if anything needed repairing and would last you a lifetime. Buying clothing (or even buying the fabric to make your own clothes) was an investment that took a long time to save up for.  However, as we modernized, our perceptions of the amount of clothing we had to have drastically changed. Fast-fashion, when companies sell as much as they can for as cheap as they can, was introduced and the average amount of clothing people owned exploded. The small-sized closets that were once sufficient for many people to share are now the biggest draw back of finding an apartment in New York; is there ever enough closet space? 

When I read Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" I began to realize the importance of loving absolutely everything you owned. When I looked at my closet I didn't see things that brought me joy, instead I saw an overwhelming amount of clothes that were bought on a whim, clothes that were bought because they were on sale and clothes that were bought because they were in style. The few things I had that brought me absolute happiness were things that made me feel good when I wore them, something a $5 shirt with no story attached could provide. 

With Marie Kondo's book as my new inspiration, I began going through my closet with the changing of each season and re-assessing what I had and what could get more love from another home. This year, instead of a solo spring clean I decided to pitch to my friends a sustainable Sunday where we could go through each of our closets and choose things we wanted to swap and things that would be put in a pile for donations. We decided to start at my place with coffees. What followed was thought-provoking conversations of sustainability in fashion, a good amount of laughs and a huge pile of clothes we no longer loved (or unfortunately never really loved) that we hoped would find more use in another home. 

I realized a lot of the things that were getting swapped out of my closet were bright colors that didn't match much else and had only been worn once at most, some things still had tags on them. Having that extra set of eyes helped when deciding if something would stay or go; if there was any hesitation and I had to ask Dani and Zoe if I should let something go, it had to go. What was left was a closet that could breath, things that provided me with absolute joy and most of which all matched. Success!

After my place we visited Dani's apartment in Bushwick. Another fun part of this afternoon was that we got to walk through neighborhoods we didn't usually frequent. Dani had some amazing staples, some fun things that she loved and continued to bring her joy and after trying on some pieces she was unsure of we added to the pile of donations. Zoe got a nice new crop top she felt she could give a bit more love to and we continued on to her place after.

After our walk to Zoe's apartment in Williamsburg, and some much needed refreshers, we sifted through Zoe's closet and added to our growing pile. What amazed us was how much stuff we had and how little use a lot of these items got. 

A key takeaway we all learned was the importance of differentiating between needs and wants. We so often get caught up with idea that because something is on sale we must buy it or that because something is in style we have to have it, whether we really love it or not (guilty!).  There is incredible power in removing yourself  from the instant gratification of a shopping experience and thinking about the thing you are about to purchase as something you will actually love and wear for many years  or another item you'll be bagging up for donations the following season. 

If you find yourself overwhelmed with a daunting closet and the urge is always present to buy more, try and avoid mindless shopping altogether. If you need something, do some research into sustainable companies that are transparent with their practices and how they make and sell their clothing. Invest in items you truly love and need and they will be worth the extra money, especially given how long these items will last compared to any fast-fashion version. Second-hand shopping is also an amazing option to find hidden gems that add a bit of pizzaz to your closet of stylish basics. These items definitely have a story to tell and it's fun thinking about the life they've lived. 

For a curated selection  of stylish staples made sustainably, check out our SHOP section.  You can trust that we've done the research. The looks we recommend are wardrobe staples that will have a long life and have come from a company whose values align with those of ours at ODMODC.

I hope someone else can find love and joy in the bag of items the three of us put together. The three of us are now much more cognizant of the amount of waste we were aimlessly collecting and are going to be much more thoughtful about our investments with our clothing in the future. 

 

A successful sustainable Sunday with the ladies!

Here are a few of the easiest ways to donate clothes in NYC:

  • Beacons Closet

    • They pay 35% cash or 55% store credit of the price tags that they apply to your items

    • All items not selected for resale can be donated to charity as a service to our customers

    • The items that are collected are sold as not-profit items and the money is donated to a host of selected charities found here

  • Reformation

    • When you buy something from Reformation online, they’ll include a free RefRecycling shipping label in your box. You can put that label on the box your stuff came in (or any other box), fill it up with whatever you want to recycle, have the box picked up at your door, and theyll 'do the rest.

    • You can even track where your clothes ended up!

  • Greenmarket Clothing Collection

    • Textiles are collected by Wearable Collections and taken to a sorting facility where they are sorted into different grades, with an effort to recover as much usable clothing as possible for distribution to second-hand markets. Material that is not suitable for reuse will go to recycling markets to be used as wiping rags or shredded for low grade fiber products such as insulation.

    • Check out grownyc.org for a list of all the places you can drop off your clothing in NYC

  • Salvation Army

    • At Salvation Army you can donate furniture, automobiles, household goods and appliances in addition to clothing

    • Everything you donate will be sold at their Family Stores and the proceeds are used to fund Adult Rehabilitation Centers.

    • Salvation Army accepts drop-off donations or will even pick your stuff up for free!