A lovely spring salad is one of my favorite things to have for lunch come springtime. I find that my energy levels are much higher when my fruit and veg intake is higher during the day. This Bright Spring Salad with Pecorino is exceptional with it’s bright flavors and depth of taste.

My husband and I came up with this spring salad recipe together when scouring the fridge for lunch options one day. It’s become a new household favorite. The red onions really add a nice depth of flavor. This spring salad with pecorino is simply delightful! Make it for 1, make it for 10…it’s delicious! The addition of the hemp seeds and the Pecorino as well as the olive oil make this a satisfying meal.

Bright Spring Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic herb salad mix (mixed red and green lettuce varieties with herbs…any kind will do)
• 1/2 cup organic mixed baby kale
• 1/2 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1-2 tbsp chopped red onion (depending on preference)
• 1/3 orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1tbsp fresh squeezed organic lemon juice
• 2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil (my current go-to for salads is the unfiltered Tunisian one from Trader Joes. This is my all-time favorite olive oil when I can find it nearby.)
• himalayan sea salt, sprinkled liberally to taste
• freshly ground pepper
• grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (to taste)

The quantities for the spring salad above are for one person. It can easily be multiplied for more people. Another good tip? Keep your Pecorino in the freezer. Since Pecorino is a cheese with big impact in small quantities, you usually don’t need much. Keeping it in the freezer preserves it so you always have it on hand when you need it.

Bright Spring Salad Recipe Instructions:

1. Layer herb salad mix on bottom, then baby kale, and then green cabbage.
2. Sprinkle with himalayan salt and pepper. Let sit while you chop the red onions and orange bell pepper.
3. Add onions and peppers.
4. Sprinkle hemp seeds on top.
5. Drizzle fresh squeezed lemon juice all over salad. Follow with the olive oil.
6. Sprinkle with fresh grated (or pre-grated) Pecorino cheese.

When we moved into our new house, I just had to come up with a homemade recipe for a non toxic sink cleaner. Our sink was downright disgusting…as in “never been cleaned” gross! Naturally, I had to do something about it without busting out the old toxic cleaners. So I came up with this super easy recipe for a non toxic sink cleaner. It can also be used for bathtubs or other areas that need deep scouring.

The best part about this green sink cleaner is that it’s made from items you probably already have on hand and it takes less than a minute to whip up a batch. It’s that easy!

Non Toxic Sink Cleaner Recipe

• ¼ cup baking soda (I use this one for everything)
• ¼ cup fine salt (bigger salt crystals do not work as well)
• Ÿ1 tbsp vinegar
• Ÿ6 drops high quality lemon essential oil (should be therapeutic grade for purity)
• Ÿ1 tsp-1tbsp water (if needed)
• small glass or ceramic ramekin or bowl – MUST be glass or ceramic! (These glass ramekins are awesome because they are cheap and they have lids, so you can save your mixture for later in the day by adding the lid.)

You can see how gross our sink was in the picture! The right side is pre-cleaning. See how disgusting it was? SO yucky!! Check out the left side after cleaning with this non toxic sink scrub…BIG difference, right?

Here’s the before (right) and after pictures of my sink (left)

Non Toxic Sink Scrub Instructions

1. Mix dry soda and salt first in the ramekin.
2. Then add vinegar…it will fizz.
3. Next add the lemon oil and the water, if needed. The key is to get the mixture lightly grainy, but not runny. So if you need water, add a few drops at a time.
4. Apply to desired area and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Scrub, scrub, scrub!
5. For very severe stains, you may need to repeat the process as you would with any conventional sink cleaner.

Here you can see the mixture in the glass ramekin before I added a few drops of water. This consistency is too grainy and won’t spread well.

One caution with the plastic ramekin lids. Since this mixture has lemon oil in it, make sure if you store if for a day or two that the sink cleaner does not touch the plastic lid as essential oils are potent and break down chemicals in the plastic.

Try it and let me know what you think! Have your own amazing non toxic sink cleaner recipe? Leave us your tips in the comment section?