Keeping Cozy in the C-c-cold

With much of the country facing record cold temperatures this week, due to an Arctic blast, it may seem difficult to smile - particularly with a gust of wind blowing in your face. However, there are a few good things to think about in this cold season:

Photo courtesy of the Weather Channel.com

• Delicious citrus fruits are in season. Yesterday at the market, the produce aisle was piled high with grapefruits and Meyer lemons, limes, boxes of Cuties (clementines), blood oranges and cara caras. Eating fruit in season means that it was probably produced closer to home, which means less travel, which means fewer greenhouse gases. Out-of-season citrus fruit is usually produced a whole world away, which is why it often tastes like cardboard. Blood oranges are a particular favorite of mine. They are great to eat plain, and the juice can be mixed with sparkling water, or try out the Blood Orange Martini I wrote about the last time these gems were in season. (If you'd like to know more about which fruits and veg are in season around the calendar, click here).

• You can cuddle under a blanket. The Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 68 degrees during the day during the winter, and decreasing it at night. You can set it even lower if you're not at home. This saves you cash and saves the planet. You may have heard that setting it lower actually uses more energy to warm the house back up once you turn it up. This has been proven to be false. So go ahead and turn your thermostat down just one or two degrees to start to feel the savings, and if you get cold, you can snuggle under a blanket, with a furry friend, or a honey.



• You can wrap your hands around a mug of tea. Tea is healthy of course, especially real (non-herbal) teas. It can also keep you warm (while you cuddle under a blanket). Celestial Seasonings, based out of Boulder, is known for its social responsibility and earth-friendly packaging. Their teas are also readily-available and affordable, making tea a good winter beverage choice.



• You can stay home and everyone will understand. Staying home means saving gas which means saving fossil fuels. And when it is this cold outside, you've got a great excuse to watch some TiVoed episodes of Dollhouse or watch that foreign film that's been sitting in its red Netflix envelope for months.