The Poilane Bakery Rises to the Top
By Emily Lynne Ion, LuxEco Advocate
A recent email from a friend boasted the discovery of the “best bread in all of Paris”. For someone who prefers a baguette for dessert over a piece of chocolate cake, I was intrigued. Most curiously, there was a link included. Yes, a link to a website for a French boulangerie. I had envisioned a corner bakery, tucked away on an old street, that my friend discovered by accident on a rainy day (this is always how cuisine stories in Europe go, do they not?). Instead what she’s discovered was The Poilane Bakery, an international brand and premier Parisian bakery.
Nancy’s Organic Kitchen: Mad About Green Food
By Nancy Chuda, co-founder of LuxEco Living.com and Healthy Child Healthy World
Here in Nancy's Organic Kitchen at The Green Green Home Under The H, I am challenged daily by the special dietary needs of my LuxEcoLiving and Healthy Child/Healthy World friends and colleagues.
There are so many variables when it comes to defining your plat du jour. At LuxEco, health is the main objective, so I’ve decided to help you figure out where you should look among the various choices within the food chain.
Anna Getty Gives Tips For Enjoying A Green Christmas
The Christmas season is upon us, and people everywhere are gearing up for the holiday. In her book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas; Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes That Use Less and Mean More, author and LuxEco Advocate, Anna Getty shares with us her ideas on how to create memorable traditions while taking small steps to reduce our carbon footprints, minimize waste, and creatively use what we already have.
South Congress trailers in Austin!
By Grace Robertson, LuxEco Advocate
Keeping Austin Weird With…South Congress Trailers!
Austin is a great place to live because of its’ fun people, great music, and uniqueness. Its’ motto is Keep Austin Weird, which is a perfect name for this individualistic place. In my opinion, walking in downtown Austin is a whole different experience from walking in any other city.
Vegetarian Once a Week? Flexitarians Enjoy Just Another Meatless Monday
By Hannah Canvasser LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Vegetarians can receive the proper proteins and nutrients they need with many health benefits. The trick? Eating meat, occasionally.
Obesity is a current main health topic because it is unfortunately a growing one. With obesity rates rising in America many studies have aimed their focus to find the root of the problem, narrowing in on eating trends in the United States. It was typical of my grandparent’s generation to sit down to red meat three times a day. Maybe some sausage and eggs for breakfast, a beef casserole for lunch, and meatloaf and french bread for dinner; sound a little excessive on the arteries? In 1971, Vegetarians and Vegans became popular with Frances Moore Lappé's publication of Diet for a Small Planet- revealing the waste build up behind grain-fed meat production, and arguing that a plant diet is best for one’s body and the earth. Though Lappe was one of the first to come out with valid arguments against grain-fed meat production, being a Vegetarian does have its set-backs, and receiving proper proteins and nutrients wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
A New App for Apple
Steve Jobs might find a way to cut to the core of a major human rights issue impacting the health of children who get their daily dose of vitamins from eating apples. You can write to him sjobs@apple.com and let him know he's got to get on this issue ASAP.
Victory For Organic Dairy Standards
New USDA regulations for organic milk have just been adopted earlier this month on February 12, 2010. Family farmers, animal rights activists and organic...
Travels with Journey: The Carmel Country Inn by the Sea is Pet Perfect
By Nancy and James Chuda founders of LuxEcoLiving and Healthy Child Healthy World
Carmel by the Sea at The Carmel Country Inn
Like the candy, Carmel...
The Exquisite Milestone Hotel London: LuxEcoLiving’s Best Hotels in the World 2016
"The Milestone Hotel in London was just voted the #2 city hotel in Europe and the # 1 World's Best Hotel by Travel + Leisure"
Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos embraces timeless history but fuels creative cullinary change
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor in Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
Emily and Robbie Wilson pay homage to the...
Trainspotting in Paris at Le Train Bleu: Buffet at de la Gare Lyon before...
Le Train Bleu is a best kept secret. Even most parisien's won't share.
Dine surrounded by beautiful Belle Epoque artistry, savor the food and wine...
Easy Chocolate Recipe for Vegan Chocoholics
Vegan and non-vegan chocoholics can all huddle around the campfire with this easy chocolate recipe for Vegan Smores.
By Nancy Chuda, Co-founder and Editor in Chief of LuxEcoLiving.com and Healthy Child Healthy World
I have so many fond memories of being huddled around a beach bonfire, making smores with friends and family. There were never enough ingredients or coat hangars to go around. But if you are like me you will want to treat your friends to a new twist on an old delectable standard with delicious vegan smores. With this easy chocolate recipe for vegan smores, you will win the favor of every chocoholic!
A Taste of Yosemite: Best Culinary Experience California Gold
The Taste of Yosemite offers more than just gourmet delights
School Gardens Teach Sustainable Organic Living
Hands on instruction in the garden transfers young students green learning at school to green living at home. Johnna Walker, the garden instructor, teaches the importance of sustainability.
By Alanna Brown, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Larchmont Charter School, an alternative neighborhood school within LAUSD, takes green living to the future—to our children—with the implementation of green learning. Our precious earth is in their itty-bitty-but-quickly-growing hands, so best to start showing them how to take care of it, and themselves.
Nutritional Facts: Pulling Nutrients from Breakfast Cereal
Nutritional Facts can easily help shape your Figure: How to get vegetables in that breakfast Cereal.
By Brooke Rewa, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Pulfoods is bringing us a healthy breakfast that both parents and kids can get behind; Crunchfuls cereal. Made from beans and lentils this cereal is the perfect way to sneak in a full serving of vegetables first thing in the morning. With 4 grams of protein and only 3 grams of sugar this gluten-free, natural product is a great alternative to processed, sugary breakfast cereals.
The Brothers Red Barn Brings Back That Lovin Feelin…Again
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor in Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
The Brothers know how to bring home the...
Sickly Sweet; The Truth Behind Artificial Sweeteners
By: Molly Cimikoski, Editorial Assistant
What if products that are marketed to assist in living a healthier lifestyle, are actually the ones making us sick?...
The Thief Oslo Norway: LuxEcoLiving’s Best Hotels in the World 2016
By Nancy and James Chuda founders of LuxEcoLiving and Healthy Child Healthy World
Oslo Norway, The Chuda's for LuxEcoLiving
What could be better. Two nights at...
Le Meurice Paris is # 1:LuxEcoLiving’s Best Hotels in the World Series
By James and Nancy Chuda founders of LuxEcoLiving and Healthy Child Healthy World
What a dream! We spent our Midnight in Paris and every waking...
Understanding Labeling for Certified Organic Wine
Organic grape farmers feel they are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the current labeling of organic wines.
By Brooke Rewa, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Organic shopping can be confusing. Organic wine shopping, even more so. Many of us don't have time to stop and read every ingredient on the products we are looking to purchase at the grocery store. This is why we look for known "stamps of approval." The biggest stamp we look for when shopping organic is that of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA sets very high standards for what can be labeled certified organic; which is why we as consumers trust them. They have taken these standards to new levels in the wine industry and it could be doing more harm than good for the world of organics.
When perusing your local grocer for an organic wine you will find two different labels; one clearly labeled certified organic and one labeled "made with organic grapes". This is where things get confusing and where organic grape farmers get upset. In order to be labeled certified organic by the USDA wine must be made from 100% organic grapes and contain no added sulfites. Sulfites occur naturally when grapes are fermented to make wine, it is impossible for any wine to be completely sulfite-free. Wine makers have been adding sulfites for centuries. Sulfur protects wine from oxidizing, allows for a longer shelf life and prevents unwanted organisms from growing in th
New Vegan Restaurant Serves Up Healthy Comfort Food
By: Lauren O'Neill, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Los Angeles foodies can rejoice because there is a new vegan restaurant in town, Sage Organic Vegan Bistro on the corner of Sunset and Logan in Echo Park. Formerly raw food restaurant Mooi, the space is now a dream team of organic vegan delicacies: healthy comfort food from Sage, and delicious, dairy-free ice cream from the popular KindKreme desserts (also in Studio City and Pasadena). With the owners of Millie’s in Silver Lake and a former chef of well-renowned vegan restaurant Flore, it’s no wonder the food is so good that it will satiate the taste buds of vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike.
A Gluten-Free Choice for Celiac Disease Prevention and Healthy Living
By Wendy Ross Kaplan, LuxEcoLiving Advocate
The term “gluten-free” is becoming more mainstream these days, when a trip to the grocery store can be rewarded with more healthy choices for shoppers. But before the 1960’s, only nutritionists and a handful of health nuts knew what gluten free meant. Nowadays, “gluten-free” has almost a cult following of otherwise regular folks seeking better health benefits and those suffering from diagnosed celiac disease, its varying manifestations and debilitating effects.
Nancy’s Organic Kitchen
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
Grown in the sun and kissed by a babies breath
I live...
Luna Red offers Healthy Handcrafted Food: A Restaurant Review San Luis Obispo Style
By Nancy Chuda founder and editor-in-chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World.
Do drop in when in San Luis Obispo. Visit the...
Michelle Obama Urges Restaurant Industry To Change For Kids
By Kerin Van Hoosear, LuxEco Editorial Assistant and author of Seasonal Cooking with Kerin
Did you know that most kids’ meals in restaurants have twice as many calories as the meal you’d serve them at home? Not only are the majority of these meals laden with saturated fat and salt, but some even reach a whopping 1,000 calories! Such a meal is high in calories for an adult, and for a child that’s just ridiculous.
The Bear and Star in Los Olivos Celebrates The Culinary Magic of Chef John...
I have traveled the world. Met chefs in Paris, Provence, London, Milan, Venice, Gstaad, to mention only a few destinations and compared to some of those masters I found a brilliant culinary sympatico with John Cox.
Pure Perfection:From Farm to Table Los Olivos Cafe Dishes it Up
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
The french may think they know it all or even have...
The Chesterfield Palm Beach: LuxEcoLiving’s # 1 Hotel in Florida
It's a jewel of a hideaway in the confines of one of the wealthiest locations in all the world... Palm Beach Florida. What The...
Fishing Closures and Seafood Sniffing: Addressing Gulf Seafood Safety
by Elizabeth Grossman, Author of Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health, and the Promise of Green Chemistry, High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health
via The...
History reveals orchids are orchidellic
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
Orchids can be orchidellic
Santa Barbara International Orchid Show
And...
Amy Dixon Bakes the Very Best at The Baker’s Table
By Nancy and James Chuda founders of LuxEcoLiving and Healthy Child Healthy World
Santa Ynez California breakfast at The Baker's Table 3563 Numancia Street
COME HUNGRY!
You...
Makini Howell: Vegan Queen
By Rachel Sarnoff, Writer and Founder of EcoStiletto.com and MommyGreenest.com and LuxEco Advocate
Who can get Casey Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, Liv Tyler, Jenny McCarthy, Daryl...
In The Spice Cabinet: Benefits of Cinnamon
It's a safe bet to say that there aren't too many people in the world who haven't experienced the warm soothing smell of cinnamon as it slowly bakes into your grandmother's extra syrupy sweet potatoes, or as it blends with the apples and buttery crust from your mom's apple pie. What most of us, particularly in the Western World, fail to realize is that we are victims of a very cruel irony.
Strawberry Crumble Fresh From The Farmer’s Market
Hit your nearest farmer's market for some farm fresh strawberries and get baking!
By Brooke Rewa, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
It's strawberry season here in Southern California and were baking our way into spring. This homemade crumble filled with locally grown strawberries will have you sprinting to your local farmer's market for supplies.
What’s for Dinner?
It’s a question as old as campfire, and the answer is getting more and more difficult to produce: “Hey Ma (or Pa), What’s for dinner?”. The realities of mass food production in this modern age are out there, and perhaps the harshest light of all has been shed on the meat production industry in particular.





















