Being sprayed with water as the powerful waterfall crashed in front of me was quite an experience. I never expected to see so many waterfalls on such a short hike but Plitvice Lakes definitely delivered. The emerald green lakes, crisp air and stunning landscapes make Plitvice Lakes one of the most beautiful destinations in Croatia and even with mass tourism it retains its status as one of the most pristine environments in Europe.

The post The Crystal Clear Waters of Plitvice Lakes appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

Back in 2005 I created buyorganic.com.au to share my interest in green living, highlighting where to find organic products and markets in Australia. It was a lot of fun and I met some great people via the site but after a few years it became difficult to maintain, mostly due to my move to France. It’s not easy writing about green living in Australia when you don’t live in Australia. I thought about selling Buy Organic but I saw the site as my baby and I couldn’t bear to part with it.

These days I’m no longer living in France but I’m location independent, travelling full-time and working as a food and travel blogger. I still (mostly) eat organic food and review organic restaurants when I come across them. I’ve also started writing about responsible tourism and finding destinations where you can experience that.

It now feels like the right time to rebrand and relaunch Buy Organic and start sharing my green living ideas once again but this time on a wider scale. The blog has been going for a couple of months but I’m now officially launching the new blog… Greenify Magazine

Greenify Magazine is much like Buy Organic in that I’ll be sharing tips on where to find organic and eco-friendly products but I’ll also be writing about green design, shopping, recipes and travel. The blog will still have a strong Aussie influence but I’ll be writing to a worldwide audience so you won’t always be able to find everything I mention in Australia. But I will try my best to include things of interest to Aussies and some of the gardening, environment and eco-friendly cleaning posts I have planned should (hopefully) interest a wide audience.

The final thing I’d like to mention is that those of you who subscribed to Buy Organic via email will be sent blog updates each time a new blog post is published, most likely 2 or 3 times per week. If you don’t want to receive email updates you can click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email and you might want to follow us on Facebook instead.

I’m interested to hear what you think of the changes. Please check out the new blog and share your opinion in a comment. http://www.greenifymagazine.com/ Thanks!

The post BuyOrganic.com.au is Now Greenify Magazine appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

My eyes water almost constantly if I use a regular mascara. I used to think it was the eye cream I use that was causing the problem but after a process of elimination I found that mascara was the main culprit. I still have problems with watering eyes every now and then but things are so much better since I switched to a organic mascara.

5 Organic or Natural Mascaras

I’ve tried quite a few different mascaras but they don’t make much difference to me, all helped with my allergies and all lengthen and thicken my lashes. My favourite is Dr Hauschka’s black mascara but I believe these 5 mascaras are some of the best on the market if you have sensitive eyes or if you simply want a greener mascara.

Dr Hauschka’s Organic Mascara – this mascara uses organic and natural ingredients like beeswax, rose and canelilla wax. I’ve always put Dr Hauschka’s brand in the top 5 of organic brands and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them if you want organic and natural beauty products. Some of the reviews on Amazon complain about smudging but that’s something you’ll have to live with if you use a natural mascara as they don’t have the staying power chemicals give other mascaras.

Ainhoa Bio Makeup Mascara – 100% of ingredients come from natural origin and the ECOCERT certification guarantees the exclusion of synthetic colours.

Zuzu Luxe Mascara – this is one of the few mascaras which is organic, natural and vegan. It’s also free from parabens.

Emani Minerals Organic Soy Mascara – Looking for a soy based mascara? Emani Minerals is the mascara for you. It’s vegan friendly, free of parabens, petroleum and mineral oils.

Honeybee Gardens Natural Mascara – I haven’t used this mascara but it has over 50 reviews on Amazon averaging 4/5 stars. That’s outstanding for an natural beauty product.

Do you use an organic mascara? How do you think they hold up compared to regular mascaras?

The post Top 5 Organic or Natural Mascara appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

Soehnle’s solar powered kitchen scale is a new product on the market and one I’m very interested in trying out. I would never question the effectiveness of a Soehnle scale as I consider them to be a top of the range brand when it comes to kitchen and bathroom scales. What I am interested in is how effective the solar panels are in generating enough power for the scale to function correctly. Not that I don’t think it works, of course it does, but I wonder how effective it would be when used inside the home and not in direct sunlight.

Solar Powered Kitchen Scale

As you can see from the photo, the scale has solar panels on the front and top of the scale. Soehnle says this is enough to be effective in very low light. My kitchen has loads of natural light and I’m sure a typical kitchen would also so I would think most people wouldn’t have any problems.

I need a new kitchen scale and along with being a little bit eco-friendly the solar scale is pretty too. This scale is available for $59.95 at Amazon. I hope we’ll see more solar powered kitchen appliances in the future. What do you think, would you buy this solar powered scale?

The post Solar Powered Kitchen Scale appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

It’s up to you what ingredients you use in your seafood paella but it’s best to pick whatever is freshest in your local market. A typical seafood paella includes prawns, langoustines, muscles, clams, cuttlefish, pork chops and chicken on the bone. As far as vegetables go, you’ll need garlic, red onion, capsicum, green beans, chilli and tomato but you can add whatever you like. Of course you’ll also need olive oil, paella rice and salt.

Organic Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe

Start the recipe by cooking all the main ingredients separately in a paella pan. Cook the prawns and langoustines then brown the pork and chicken pieces as well as some red capsicum in olive oil and put aside.

Add a little more olive oil and cook finely chopped garlic over a low heat so it doesn’t burn.

Add diced red onion, green capsicum, beans and a couple of dried chillies. Don’t forget to season with a little salt as you go.

Once the veggies have softened, add some cuttlefish.

Organic Seafood Paella Ingredients

Let the cuttlefish cook through then add tinned or fresh tomatoes.

Add water and finally the Spanish paella rice. Check the seasoning and add more salt if you need to.

Then add the ingredients cooked earlier including the pork, chicken, seafood and some fresh muscles and clams. You don’t have to use all the ingredients used in this recipe, you can stick to whatever meat, seafood and veggies you happen to have in your fridge at the time.

Let it simmer until the rice and the last of the seafood is cooked. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes then serve!

That is how you make authentic organic-ish Spanish seafood paella and the best way to enjoy it is outside in the Spanish sunshine with friends and a glass of rosado.

The post Organic Seafood Paella Recipe appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

I’ve been fascinated with Lebanon since I was a child when my grandfather would recount stories from his time there during WWII. There were always tears in his eyes when he would speak of the war but his eyes would lighten up when he spoke of the beauty of Lebanon as well as neighbouring Syria and what he refers to as Palestine but I’m guessing is now Israel.

A group of well known bloggers recently went to Lebanon to discover and report on food in the region and their blog posts and videos, along with my grandfathers stories, make me want to visit more than ever.

David Lebovitz is my favourite food blogger and his posts and photos from Lebanon are so inspiring. My favourites are his detailed overview of food in Lebanon and this post on the best of Lebanese meze. Both had me drooling and I’m feeling kinda hungry right about now!

Also drool-worthy is this video from Raspberry and Jam, who produce wonderful foodie videos.

I have no doubt Lebanon would be a beautiful destination but more than anything I want to go to try the unique food and to get a glimpse into Lebanese life.

Photo credit: SweetOnVeg

The post A Taste of Lebanon appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

I love this colour coded cutting board and knife set. You select the cutting board based on what you are preparing so green is for vegetables, yellow is for fruit, blue is for fish and red is for meat. It’s a simple way of keeping your produce and knives separate so you lessen the risk of cross-contamination. I used to have a Viners set of cutting boards a while back but not a bamboo set like this one. I love the idea of colour coding everything for hygiene reasons.

This Viners cutting board set is currently on sale at Groupon at a 58% discount. Click here to order.

The post Bamboo Cutting Board & Knife Set appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

You get quite used to seeing sunny Perth without a cloud in the sky during the summer months. The beaches can be perfectly calm at times, especially in the mornings but when there’s a cyclone nearby you often get some beautiful stormy cloud formations.

The post Stormy Perth Beach Sunsets appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Biscuits (Cookies)

Here’s the recipe I used:

• 125g salted butter, softened
• 110g caster sugar
• 90g brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 egg
• 250g self-raising flour
• 200g chopped chocolate

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla using an electric mixer until pale and creamy. This takes around 5 minutes. Add the egg and beat until just combined. Fold in the flour, salt and chopped chocolate. You can let the dough rest overnight if you like but I was too impatient to do that.

You can use chocolate chips or buy a block of chocolate and chop it up with a sharp knife. I like to chop up the chocolate myself as it gives a more rustic/random feel to the biscuits.

Form 1 tablespoon of dough into balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Don’t handle the balls for too long as the mixture can get a bit over-worked. Squash down the balls so they are flat and place in a pre-heated 160 degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and tap them with a spatula to ensure they are flat. Place back in the oven and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. The longer you cook them the dryer and less chewy they will be.

I overcooked the first batch because I didn’t take into account my super hot oven but the next two batches turned out ok. Next time I will probably only use half as much chocolate so it’s more biscuity and less chocolatey but that’s just my personal preference as I don’t like chocolate that much. I might add some shredded coconut next time too.

The post Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Biscuits appeared first on Greenify Magazine.

Slovenia is home to some of the most beautiful, pristine natural landscapes in the world. Lake Bohinj, Lake Bled and the Julian Alps are a nature lover’s paradise and a great place to enjoy the clean, fresh air and stunning scenery.

The post Pristine Slovenia appeared first on Greenify Magazine.