Meatless Monday
By admin | June 2, 2008
Today we had tacos with a tasty bean, green pepper, and onion filling. You can visit my Meatless Monday - Cinco de Mayo edition post for the taco seasoning recipe. Combine two cans of kidney beans, one diced green pepper and one diced onion to one cup of water and two tablespoons (or to taste) of the homemade taco seasoning. Let the mixture simmer until dense and not too runny. We added cheese and sour cream along with some steamed summer squash. Happy Monday and have a great week!
Topics: Green Living, Vegetarian Ideas | No Comments »
Green Clothing Scam
By admin | June 2, 2008
I hate shopping for clothes. I have the same complaints most women do - nothing fits, it’s not flattering, too old to wear this, too young to wear that…etc. But I do make it to the mall on occasion - mostly for the indoor playground and Starbucks. Last week, I saw an advertising campaign in my local New York and Co. that made me really think about what it means to be “green.” The slogan was something to the effect of “Eco Chic- Eco Couture. Leaf Motifs. A Tribute to Our Earth.” The clothing under the display was nice enough - mostly white, beige, and well, leaf motifs. On further inspection, I realized that other than the sign and the “leaf motifs” there was nothing different about the clothing. No biodegradable soy inks, no bamboo blends or organic/transition cotton. Just regular clothes marketed as great green buys in support of the Earth.
Now, maybe I missed something. It’s possible I wasn’t looking at the right labels or something. But this advertising campaign is a joke. With so many people trying to make more sustainable and environmentally friendly choices, the marketing for these products seemed way off base and confusing. I guess people who actually have the time and inclination could see right through this advertising but I bet a few people see the “Eco-Couture” and get fooled into buying one more thing they don’t need. In the long run…when everything is green, nothing is green. I’m sticking to the old standby - reduce what you buy, reuse everything you can, and recycle what is left.
Topics: Green Living | No Comments »
Honda Cars in My Future
By admin | May 30, 2008
I drive a 2004 Honda Accord that I love. Everything about this car is great…no breakdowns, decent fuel economy, and plenty of room for my family. However, with gas prices now inching towards $4.00 a gallon, I took a look at what hybrid or fuel cell plans Honda has in the future.
The Consumer Reports blog reports that between now and 2015, Honda will manufacture hybrid and fuel cell cars throughout its model line. Although I couldn’t find an exact date, Honda will do a limited release of a Prius like car called the “FCX Clarity.” The original FCX Clarity is a hydrogen fuel cell car but Honda will also manufacture a hybrid model. The hybrid car would be a standard five passenger sedan with a hatchback instead of a trunk. About 100,000 are headed for America. Although I am not in the market for a car now, I will be over the next few years. I can’t wait to see what hybrid/fuel cell technology is out there!
Topics: Green Living | No Comments »
Reusable Bag Shame
By admin | May 29, 2008
I love the new reusable bag craze. Why I didn’t switch over sooner, I don’t know. Publix, the best grocery store Tampa has to offer, sells reusable bags that are the exact right size. The problem is they say “Publix” on them. Maybe this isn’t a real problem, after all I do love Publix. But when I went to our other grocery store, Sweetbay, I felt guilty using Publix bags so I bought a Sweetbay reusable bag. This one is great too because it folds and snaps closed and I can keep it in my bag to use all the time. However, I feel odd shopping at one store and breaking out my reusable bags from another store. I don’t really want to buy bags for every store I shop in either. Half the time, the cashiers don’t notice anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else had reusable bag shame?
Topics: Green Living | 5 Comments »
BPA Controversy Revisited
By admin | May 28, 2008
I love hearing different sides of a story - especially out here in the blogosphere. Orignally, the chemical BPA was written about as clearly a health risk, with only a limited time before it was banned. Then of course Canada did ban the substance and now even Wal Mart of Canada is taking products containing BPA off the shelves.
However, now I am starting to see some informative articles that show the other side of the coin - there are many in the scientific community who don’t think the science behind the risk of BPA is strong enough to support banning or limiting it for consumer consumption. Over at Spiked Online, Nancy McDermott wrote “The Great American Baby Bottle Scare” which takes another look at the BPA issue. Apparently the science behind the risk of BPA is no where near uncontroversial and what I found most interesting was the information about how humans metabolize BPA much differently than lab rodents. Also, she brings up a good point that possibly in the case of BPA, fear is taking over for science.
“The problem with the BPA scare is not just that individual parents have been frightened out of their wits about a basically benign chemical, or even the potentially huge cost of identifying alternatives and scrapping entirely safe and effective manufacturing processes. The real problem with the BPA scare is the way it elevates fear above dispassionate consideration of the evidence, and makes it into an organising principle for all of society.”
I think looking at all sides of the issue helps take the fear level down a notch. True, I won’t be giving my daughter bottles or cups that are known to have BPA in them. It is a personal choice because I view this as one small risk where I can do some kind of risk management. However, I have to admit, this logic doesn’t work well on a major scale. When it comes to governments banning materials, I think the science needs to be strong and above being based on fear. All sides of the issue should be taken into consideration - especially rigorous and peer reviewed scientific studies. I question if the bans on BPA that are coming down the pipeline are based more on media created fear or scientific study.
What I think parents want more than anything is clear and easy to find information. We need to clearly label plastics, packaged foods and other items so parents can make a choice based on the research they have done. When parents can make informed choices, everyone wins.
Topics: Green Baby, Green Living | No Comments »
Vegetarian Freezer Meals?
By admin | May 27, 2008
Don’t worry…a new Meatless Monday recipe will be up next week! My family went camping and we got back last night…no time for new recipes! But this reminds me that the same “Freezer Meals” or Once-A-Month-Cooking style should work for vegetarian meals too. Normally, I freeze chicken dishes, lasagna, etc and sometimes I use a service called Dinner Done. As much as I love the meal prep places, I feel that there is too much waste involved in all the aluminum containers and plastic wrap. What I need is some type of master planning list for making freezer meals in batches at home. I will have to see what resources I can find to stock the freezer with good vegetarian options.
Topics: Green Living, Vegetarian Ideas | 1 Comment »
StatsBlog
By admin | May 23, 2008
I found and received a few links to the StatsBlog site when I was researching BPA in baby bottles. While I still stand by my decision to use BPA-free sippy cups, I do love that this site shows other viewpoints in the science community. I think it is important to have a basis in science for these types of decisions so that I am not part of any fear mongering in the blogosphere. I also like that this blog puts into perspective the relative health risks of many top media stories. If you check it out, you will find interesting and well reasoned viewpoints on BPA, phalates, and vaccines among other things. I love looking at people’s comments-the more comments that seemed based on fear and hype, the more I know I need to look into the subject.
Happy Friday!
Topics: Green Living | No Comments »
Hillsborough County Water Department Love
By admin | May 21, 2008
I have actually never visited our water department in Hillsborough County. I pay my bill online so I have never had a reason to go and see the office in person. Yesterday, however, I finally remembered to go and pick up my FREE water saving fixtures. The woman in the office was very nice and gave me 2 low flow shower heads and aerators for two bathroom sinks and our kitchen sink. I was curious how many people had taken them up on this free offer and the clerk said “not hundreds but a steady flow.” I hope more people come and pick them up. I can’t wait to try these out and see if my family likes them and if our water bill is cheaper. The hard part will be remembering to install them in a timely manner!
Topics: Green Living | No Comments »
Calculating Green ROI
By admin | May 20, 2008
MSN has a great article today asking the important question “Are Green Upgrades Worth the Expense?” While I have heard of the items they feature, I have never seen a clearly calculated return on investment. I know these are upgrades my family needs to make. The first upgrade is CFL lightbulbs. We have done that in most spots in our house, and while I don’t like the color of the light as much, they do seem to last for a long time. In fact we have had them for months and haven’t replaced one. While I know these lights contain mercury, I have also seen plenty of info on how to recycle and dispose of them properly.
This chart from the article clearly shows savings you can reap from changing things around the house. While I hope to do most of these things soon, I have to wonder what I am supposed to do with all the old stuff - specifically the washer and dryer. Donate them or throw them away….or can I recycle them? One question this article brings up is taking into consideration the entire life cycle of the things you buy. I hope to get better about doing this so I don’t end up with so much stuff that has nowhere to go but the trash when its life is over.
Topics: Green Living | 3 Comments »
Mushroom Meatless Monday
By admin | May 19, 2008
I am happy to say that Meatless Monday is still going strong! Today we had stuffed mushrooms, curried rice salad, and steamed broccoli. The mushrooms were great! I used a recipe from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook. For the rice salad, I tore out a recipe from Health magazine (March 2008). I would highly recommend both of these recipes! The mushrooms were so good we ate them before I took a picture:)
Balsamic Glazed Stuffed Mushrooms
- 1 pound small mushrooms ( I used Portobello’s)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1/4 dry bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp parmeasan cheese
- 1 tbsp minced fresh basil ( I substituted basil pesto)
- 1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1. Trim mushrooms and remove caps. Chop stems. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and saute garlic. Add stems and saute until soft. Transfer to bowl and add bread crumbs, parmesan, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour balsamic vinegar into large skillet and simmer over medium high heat until reduced by two thirds. Add mushroom caps and cook until slightly softened. Remove mushroom with slotted spoon and let cool slightly.
3. Preheat broiler. Stuff mushroom caps with bread crumb mix and place on ungreased baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining two tablespoons of olive oil and place under broiler until lightly browned on top. Enjoy!
Topics: Green Living, Vegetarian Ideas | No Comments »