One of our major initiatives this year has been our redesigned compostable boxes and the new gluten free cookies in biodegradable packaging. It has been a slow process but we can now safely say it is a success. We are now designing a large composting structure to compost all of our waste. We will also use it for our waste biodegradable cookie packaging. Several customers have asked us how long the packaging takes to decompose, so we will be taking pictures and posting them on our site. Innovia, the manufacturers of the Natureflex packaging have provided us with general guidelines but our experiment will be specific to our packaging.

We also wanted to bring your attention to an interesting study in the Chicago Tribune on pesticides in peaches. In a careful study they compared organic and non-organic peaches, those grown locally by small farmers and those grown by big corporations as well as those coming in from other countries. Quite a few surprises here so check it out.

We have been talking to Cecile Vanier, winner of the 2009 Swiss Jura Marathon. She contacted us when a friend gave her some of our MacroBars. In the past she has been making her own nutrition bars and what we found interesting was her addition of miso. We are planning an upcoming blog post on miso and this sounded like a really healthy, energizing add to a nutrition bar. She has been interviewed on her nutrition and on her races by the editor in chief of Trail, a German magazine about trail running as well as being featured in other European publications.

We have included her miso, tahini and lime dressing, a base for many of her sauces and dressings, in the following summer salad that we thought you might enjoy.

Green Beans and Radish Salad with Cecile Vanier's Salad Dressing

2 Cups green beans
1/4 Cup radishes

1Tablespoon tahini
1 Tablespoon miso
3 Tablespoons lime juice
3 Tablespoons soy milk

This is a really simple summer salad. Slice the green beans on a diagonal, about 1 1/2" long and drop them in boiling water. Wait until the water returns to boiling and boil for two minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. The beans should still be crisp. Slice the radishes and mix with Cecile's salad dressing. Enjoy

Coming Next Week

An interview with Ella....a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given six months to live. Now, ten years later, she will be telling us about her experience and what she feels contributed to her recovery.