A couple years ago, I was visiting an ex-boyfriend. He was already an ex at the time, and it was one of the first times we had seen each other after our trans-continental breakup, so it had all those awkward overtones... the small talk, the hunting for topics, the weirdness of not really caring anymore but wondering whether or not the other person still had your favorite shirt/wine glass/kaleidescope and whether or not you could still get it back...

While glancing around his office during a bout of "when-can-I-leave-without-appearing-to-be-a-jerk-or-seeming-like-I'm-upset" angst, I spied a framed tabloid article hanging by his desk:

"BIG MOVIE STAR Doesn't Wash Hands!"

(Names have been changed to protect the innocent and preserve Ideal Bite's ability to get a Biter shirt on said movie star's back).

When I inquired as to why he had a framed gossip rag article about BIG MOVIE STAR not washing his hands, my ex responded that he had been in a London club, and had seen BIG MOVIE STAR in the men's room, and had hovered around and seen him use the urinal and leave without washing his hands. My ex then called the Star/Page 6 equivalent in London and gave them the scoop.

Now, BIG MOVIE STAR is also a BIG ENVIRONMENTALIST, so personally, I like to think that he is NOT unclean, but rather felt a great need to save water in perpetually rainy London.

For the rest of us non-movie stars, however, I recommend washing with soap and water - the water doesn't have to be warm, but the washing should happen.

-Heather... off to consider whether or not I'll release the name of BIG MOVIE STAR if asked nicely...

When I was 18, I moved out East for the first time. There was plenty to overwhelm a girl who had lived her whole life in Northwestern Montana - unusual traffic, constantly singing cicadas, the weird way everyone dressed like they were in a J. Crew ad...

But nothing prepared a girl who had lived her whole life amongst evergreens for autumn in the East. My first year in college, I was so overwhelmed by the color of the trees, I gathered every different colored leaf I could find and put them in a plastic bag and sent them to my mother in an attempt to try to share even just a little of the insane beauty.

Years later, having returned to the East after many years out west and then in England, I am again in love with the fall foliage here. Of course, I still haven't managed to do a leaf-peeping autumn hike, but I will someday.

Just like my mom hasn't yet found it in her heart to throw out that baggie of leaves. They might be dried and grey and in pieces now, but they continue to remind me how simple it can be to find beauty in unknown places.

-Heather... off to research places to go peeping at http://www.foliagenetwork.com...

As the studies pile up, we can say something we wouldn't have said twenty years ago: The average person is better off if they include alcohol in their diet. And in my book, beer is a natural choice for the health-conscious 21st century.

Yes, indeedy, beer makes for a great dinner in a pinch. It is easy to prepare, fun to drink, and is nicely complimented with a side dish of chips. Don't do this every night, of course, but every so often - beer makes up my favorite evening meal.

Best of all, it is now proven that consistent (not excessive) drinking is good for your heart. To top it off, scientists at Okayama University in Japan have rather agreeably discovered that unidentified compounds in lager and stout may help to prevent DNA damage leading to cancer.

The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all.

Historically, beer was viewed as a nourishing diet staple like bread, based on grain. One style, doppelbock, was even dubbed "liquid bread" by the monks who relied on it for sustenance during Lenten fasts. In earlier times, beer was the healthful mealtime beverage for young and old alike and a source of valuable nutrients.

Somewhere, we lost sight of beer's essential wholesomeness. Now, research has documented beer's medical and nutritional benefits. If an "average" 12 ounce bottle of beer sported a Nutrition Facts label, it would tell you that beer contains:

• 150 calories.
• 0 fat
• 0 cholesterol
• 0 caffeine
• 0 nitrates
• 1 gram of protein
• 13 grams of carbohydrates
• Significant amounts of magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, and biotin
• Impressive amounts of B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxin), and B9 (folate), with smaller amounts of B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B12 inotisol and choline.
• 92 percent water

There will be variation from one beer style to another, of course. Most recently, I just fell in love with Wolavers certified organic brown ale at the GreenFestival in DC.

Ben Franklin said: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." I agree.

Off to (but of course) drink a beer - Jen

I was a champion babysitter back in the day. In a move that might seem strange today, I started babysitting a 3-month old for 3 full days a week during the summer when I was 11 years old. 11. For like 9 hours each day. If I ever have kids, I'm hiring a 65 year-old nanny and doing an FBI background check on the person before I even let them near my kid's juice bottle. But in Montana in the mid-80s? No problem - let the 11-year-old handle it.

And I loved it. Everything about it. The little jammies and red wagons and playing and nap time (and the fact that they had satellite TV when we only had 4 very fuzzy channels).

But the diaper thing? That wasn't so pleasant. And on the occasions when I babysat for people who used cloth diapers, I always swore to myself that there was absolutely no way I would EVER use cloth. It seemed so backward.

Yet now that I've seen the stats about the horrors of disposable diapers? No way. Rest assured, my kids are going in cloth diapers (it helps that there are now diaper services to do the really heavy lifting).

But I have a soft spot in my heart for babysitters. And I think that I'm probably going to let them use more earth-friendly, but still disposable diapers on the nights that they come over to sit. I have a long memory...

-Heather... off to look through the booty I scored at GreenFest DC...

Me? I'm not so into the miniature stuff. Now, my hands aren't particularly large, but who can dial on those things? The smaller those buttons get, the more clumsy I seem to become. And Treos or Blackberries or Nanos? Don't even get me started. I have NO clue how people can type on those things without resulting in complete typo-ed gibberish. So - instead of recycling my old phone, I'm just going to keep it so my ten thumbs can still find the right buttons.

Speaking of pizzazz - if you are in a major metro area, check out www.dodgeball.com. It's like Friendster or MySpace in your phone. I have a friend who is ALWAYS on the cutting edge of the next big wireless thing, and she swears by it.

-Heather... off to tell all 2 people in my Dodgeball network that I am - as always - at work...

So it seems that there are two darling vehicles of the Hollywood set, and they are from two very opposite corners of the fighting ring.

In the first corner, we have the Hummer, which is strongly featured in the TV shows Entourage and CSI: Miami, (amongst others), and driven by celebs like Arnold Schwarzenegger (who is converting his to hydrogen-fueled), Coolio, Shaquille O'Neal, Don King, M C Hammer, Roger Clemens, and Mike Tyson (who is a biter but not an IDEAL Biter).

And in the other corner: the Toyota hybrid Prius, featured in the final episode of Six Feet Under, and driven by celebs like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Bill Maher, Donna Mills, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette and Cameron Diaz.

Although the Hummer gets 8mpg and looks a bit menacing to those driving a small little economy car (me!), it has established itself among some crowds as the pinnacle vehicle.

And although the Prius is very modest in its features (ie: no mega leather seat warmer action for those Hollywood-hineys!), it still is admired by many.

What will it take for the Prius to beat out the Hummer if the fight is not about gas guzzling, but about being COOL?

The jury is out. Biters, start your engines.... Let us know what you think. And if the comments have merit, we promise to get them to the automakers that be.

Off to put my name on the Toyota Hybrid Highlander waiting list, which shot out by 6 more months right after Katrina hit. - Jen

By and large, I'm not a fruity drink kind of girl. I don't even like fruity wines all that much. Occasionally, I will thoroughly LOVE a fruity drink when the time and place warrant - "Mai Tai" in Hawaii, "Singapore Slings" in, well, Singapore, some pineapple concoction with the horrid name of "Panty Ripper" in Belize... but those treats are more about the fresh juices and long lazy days in the sunshine than about the drinks themselves.

Which is why I found it odd that I recently threw back like 8 rum runners in a beach bar in Florida with my sister-in-law. Needless to say, 8 rum runners + sun + very little water = unhappy Heather the next day.

I don't know what is in them, but I'd hazard a guess - organic or not - that 8 Rum Runners are the work of the devil and need to be avoided at all costs.

It never ceases to amaze me.  All throughout my 32 years of my green existence,  some people would make fun and say I cared too much, and why did I waste time trying to change the world since it was impossible.

THEN:  they have kids.

And it is ONLY the best and the greenest and the most organic for their little precious angel.  Then they start to think about the future, and want little JR to live in only the best world.

Honestly, having kids is a great point of entry for many to come into the world of healthy, balanced living, and showing concern for something outside of yourself.

What are some other points of entry that you Biters have noticed?

Speaking of points of entry, that was a topic in a magazine article in PLENTY magazine where a Biter (moi) was interviewed.  On newsstands this month, very back page article.

Off to the newsstand for my 10 minutes of basking in green vanity...

Jen

If you mix baking soda and vinegar, it reacts and makes foam.

For some reason, I never got to do this trick in grade school - somehow, while every other class in the world seemed to make paper-mache volcanoes that would spew red-orange (food coloring) "lava," my class missed that one.

I feel cheated.

So, I plan to play with the concept with my pipes instead, making a nifty drain cleaner. Just pour into your drain:

• 1 c baking soda, followed by
• 3 c boiling water; followed a minute or two later by
• 1 c vinegar

Viola! Spewing lava! Plus, this is a "Drano" that feels more like making cake than stripping paint.

Labor Day weekend. Beautiful beach in Connecticut. Friend turns to me and says "Imagine what the aliens must think - seeing all these people with white wires hanging out of their ears all the time."

Aliens aside, yes, we live in a time where we are becoming iPod junkies.

Because I have a mad obsession with my iPod and find myself downloading too much music, I like to latch onto any justification I can find for my insanity. Thus, I prefer to think about the fact that I am getting music that doesn't require any plastic CD cases or shipping, and that also doesn't require that I brave the lines at the Virgin Megastore.

Another killer thing about downloading music? Celebrity playlists. Feel incredibly voyeuristic as you see what "mix tapes" your favorite artists make and listen to.

Songs to download:

• Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
• Some of Them are Nice Days - The Honey Brothers
• Better Together - Jack Johnson

I still haven't sold Celeste.

I know I have to. I know it's silly to keep a car when I never need her and I live in New York and I really only move her on Tuesday mornings when I do the very odd alternate-side-of-street-double-parking thing that only Brooklyn could dream up.

But maybe if I promise to drive with my windows down all the time when under 45 mph, and if I PROMISE to roll them up when I go faster than that... well, maybe I can keep her??? Please???? (She IS actually the exact color of both the first and the last stray cats I brought home to my parents - it's a reasonable analogy).

I know, I know. I can't keep her. eBay, here I come.

-Heather -- off to clear out the files of papers I have stored in the trunk.

PS - Kudos go out to Victoria E and Barbara - continually bringing fun feedback and salient viewpoints to the comments! Keep it up...

PPS - Jen is in Jackson Hole at the moment. I'm trying hard not to be madly envious...

This one is short and sweet, just like my lunch: Get bags of frozen fruit. I buy the berry medley version at Costco which says "all natural" and so I figure that is better than "all-chemicals." If could find a bag of organic frozen fruit, I would get that. I just don't have the option.

Fill fruit in the blender - a beer mug's worth. Poor in organic orange juice (I use Horizon) to right above the berries. Then, from the big container of Stonyfield's vanilla yogurt, just pour some in. (about 2 blops - you can see, I am not a fan of measuring and I am REALLY not a fan of all the clean up for the measuring cups.)

Lastly, one scoop of Spirutein. Let 'er rip. Oh, don�t run the blender for more than a minute. These things were only made for short bursts. Enjoy your very creamy, nutrious, protein packed lunch.

Off to look for organic berries in MT, Jen

I kind of like the smell of nail polish.

And I love having dark purple or vivid blue or crazy rose or blood red toenails so that when I adjust people in their downward-facing-dogs, they can see how cute my toes are.

Sadly, though, nail polish is apparently the devil (or the phthalates in the polish are) and can cause birth defects in children (specifically in their reproductive systems). And since someday, I might have children, and since someday, THEY might want to have children, I have decided to give up regular nail polish and go for phthalate-free.

That's me - looking out for my grandkids when I haven't had a date in ages.

PS - when in Thailand - don't get a pedicure, even though they cost like a dollar. Just trust me on this one. Someday I'll tell the whole story. ;)

Seriously, I know it is gauche, but let's be honest: a) not everyone knows how to give stellar gifts to you, and b) not everyone (ie: you!) has time to shop for gifts. This makes for prime conditions for great recycled gift giving match-up.

For example, your grandmother buys a pair of wooly slipper socks (on sale from Wal-Mart in July but that is not the point) and gives them to you at Christmas (although you received a similar pair for the past 4 years from her - but again, that is not the point). So, if you tuck them away and give them to your other grandmother (who does not live so close) for her birthday in February. This saves a) gas to the stores to find a present for your grandmother, and b) time and aggravation trying to decipher with Crabtree & Evelyn scent is the one she would dig the most, and c) money!

Now, I am against recycled gifts when done in poor taste. For example, I once had a good friend (hope she is not so good that she is reading right now though) give me a cookbook right after the holidays, as a belated Xmas present. The worst part about that gift: she knows that I don't cook, but instead tried to position it as "I got this especially to inspire you." Pa-freaking-lease.

So, do consider recycling your gifts, but let's start a trend towards full disclosure: maybe tell the person about how much gas and stress you saved by picking out this special gift for them from your eco-gift collection? Okay, if that is too campy, do at least give those brand new socks from grandma to goodwill, freecycle.org or throwplace.com.

Off to recycled a used tire gift to my friend that gave me the cookbook -

Jen

If I get to have multiple lives, in my next one, I'm coming back with a wicked sense of fashion and the wherewithal to act on it. As NY heads into Fashion Week, I suddenly want runway clothes.

Until recently, I've been fortunate NOT to have the shoe fetish that seems to attack everyone I know.

But all that changed this season. For whatever reason, this season's shoes are killing me. Perfect heel sizes and fantastic ribbons... even the casual sneakers are calling my name.

I have just one pair of outrageously expensive, beyond-fab shoes. A pair of Guccis that scream out "Jessica Rabbit" and that I only wear about once or twice a year when I want to knock the socks off a person or occasion.

But in my next life, I'm going to own the Stella McCartney ribbon shoes from her fall 2005 line. Her site is flash, so I can't put a pic of them here, but trust me - in those shoes, I could leap tall buildings in a single bound (and know that she made the shoes sustainably at the same time).

Discovering amaranth for this vegetarian carboholic was like a pig in the desert discovering cool mud. (Okay, that was definitely not my best analogy, but I just watched Lonesome Dove for the first time, and now I am obsessed with having a pig. But the Cricket does look a lot like one. Hmm.)

Anyway, I kid you not, I have eaten 9 bowls of cereal in one sitting. (Maybe that is why I am having pig analogies?) Actually, when I was four, my mom had to take me to the doc's since all I ate was raw oatmeal, and hardly anything else. Turns out my blood was pretty darn healthy... must have been those vegetable milkshakes and prune juice popsicles she fed me when I was too young to protest.

So this, my friends, is your pot of gold, if you are a carb-lover like I am: Organic Amaranth Flakes by Health Valley.

Off to find spelt breadsticks, at Heather's insistence,

Jen

My yoga mat is literally crumbling under my feet. I bought it when I lived in LA - more than 7 years ago. Not only is the worn section starting to do weird things like rip the skin off my big toes, but little crumbly bits of green find their way all over me every time I practice.

And now I learn that the mats are made almost entirely of PVC - one of the most toxic plastics in existence and you inhale bits of it with most breaths you take while practicing. Great.

So, I gotta get a new mat. Of course, there is a major problem with that:

I'm a little attached to my crumbly green one. (Even though it's "bad").

I know that in yoga, we are supposed to practice nonattachment. But I can't help it. This mat took me through 3 moves, huge career shifts, one year-long trip all over the world, and (most importantly) my teacher training. I don't want to give it up.

Which I'm sure is a real shocker, seeing how I still have my baby blanket. It's in tatters and tears and in a closet somewhere, but yah - I was that kid who ripped it out of the garbage when my mom tossed it out... When I was WAAAAYYY too old to be sleeping with a blankie.

Something bizarre happened. Yesterday, Heather put up a blog about finding an Italian man named Marcello, and last night she did. NO LIE.

I hate to air personal stuff, but this is too good. The Ideal Bite blog must be dialed in to the Powers That Be. The universe is rewarding our efforts. God is reading.

So, because we need to get ten thousand or so more subscribers in order to reach our Q3 goals and to achieve our mission of taking green mainstream, I am putting it out there - to the universe, God, and the Biters: the Ideal Bite is RIPE for an eco-minded celeb endorsement!

So Here It Is, Our Biting Celeb Dream List.
(If anyone knows these people or knows people who do know these people, could you let them know that a free Ideal Bite t-shirt has been made in their size to wear to their next public appearance? The Tees & Tanks are sweet... they say "BITER?" with the apple logo in the bottom of the dot on the question mark.) Okay, without further ado....

• Jack Johnson
• Alison Kraus
• Cameron Diaz
• Gwyneth Paltrow
• Brad Pitt
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Helena Christensen
• Helen Hunt
• Rosanna Arquette

Thank you Biters, God, and Universe.

Off to find that Jack Johnson CD and tune up in case he asks that I do a little duet with him next week in NYC... LOL. - Jen

OK, so me writing about sex these days, as I sit here, chained to my computer, is sort of like a nun talking about her crack habit (pun totally intended), but hey - I have a memory, I can make this work.

Ten Things You SHOULDN'T Do with Organic Personal Lubricant:

• Eat it straight out of the tube to see how the cinnamon flavor tastes.
• Put it on your Labor Day sunburn just because it contains aloe.
• Send it to your mom and tell her to give it away as a school prize to her middle school students.
• Put it in your hair when you run out of conditioner.
• Oil your squeaky door.
• Use it to flavor your coffee - it really doesn't blend well.
• Put it in your diesel engine to see if it works like biodiesel.
• Use it as a massage oil in your yoga class (although I bet it would work nicely).
• Use it to soothe the bee sting on the back of your knee - I think the sweetness draws the bees back to the scene of the crime.
• Send it to your exes with a note that says "Happy Biting."

As for what you SHOULD do with it? Well, I leave that in your capable, um, er... hands. Hope your weekend is hot and sultry. Happy Biting.

-Heather... off to fantasize a little about Christian Bale...