Happy Campers!
By admin | May 2, 2008
Today we are leaving for our first weekend camping trip with the baby lime! Wish us lots of luck…especially with her sleeping at night! Hope to post some new pics next week!
Topics: Green Living | No Comments »
Wrap-n-mat
By admin | May 1, 2008
I heard about his nifty item on my favorite podcast, Manic Mommies. These ladies are hilarious but they also feature some neat stuff. The woman talking about the wrap-n-mat uses them for her kids lunches like you would a ziplock bag. I was intrigued because my tupperware collection is large enough but I would like some small lunch/take along containers. I am thinking of ordering the wrap-n-mats after I do a little more research. Here is a link to a site that sells them. If you have used one and like or dislike it….let me know 
Topics: Green Living, Organic Food, Toxic or Not? | No Comments »
Kentucky Fried Stem Cell Chicken
By admin | April 30, 2008
If you haven’t heard of PETA’s new contest- you are in for a treat. I am sure that everyone would love to pick up their next bucket of KFC chicken or McDonald’s chicken nuggets and be tempted by the taste of fresh laboratory chicken. As if the processed chicken meat we already have was not enought for you, PETA’s new contest will give one million dollars to the group that can mass produce chicken meat in a laboratory. According the PETA, this will “eliminate the need to kill chickens for their meat.”
I really cannot see how this is a good idea. Not only are more people getting tired of the frankenfood we are sold - especially without labels so consumers can make informed choices - but more consumers are considering animal rights issues by paying higher prices for chicken and other meat that is free range and grown without hormones and antibiotics. I guess the fundamental difference between PETA and myself (plus lots of other meat eaters) is that I do believe that it is entirely ethical to eat meat. There is predation in many forms all over nature. However, I do not believe this gives humans the right to put cows, chickens, and other animals in huge feed lots with unsanitary conditions just so Americans can have cheap meat. Nor should animals be subjected to lab testing unless there are no alternatives.
I use the PETA website as a resource for great vegetarian meals (check out my Meatless Monday series) and Americans could really use new information for incorporating more vegetarian meals in their diets. However, there will always be meat eaters and I think their money would be better served by getting the information about animal cruelty out to meat eaters so they can start making informed choices in their meat buying and hopefully, buy less meat. Eaters of all types do not need another fake food, that could possibly be mass produced cheaply, showing up on our grocery store shelves.
Topics: Green Living, Organic Food | No Comments »
Green Works
By admin | April 29, 2008
As your average suburban mom and wife, I am in charge of most of the inside-of-the-house cleanup. In the past, I have bought the same cleaners that have been around for ages-products with bleach and ammonia. I hate the smell of ammonia! When my daughter was born and I started to look for more non toxic cleaners and disinfectants, I used the tried and true homemade cleaners. However, I was disappointed by the smell and the cleaning action of vinegar, baking soda, etc. Lucky for me, Clorox introduced the Green Works brand of cleaners. Now, I am not getting paid to write this, I just really liked these products. I feel as if I have checked over their ingredients and promises the best I can and they have done a great job coming up with a product derived from natural ingredients, with a clean, fresh smell, that actually works very well.
The products I have tried are the all purpose spray cleaner, the bathroom cleaner, the toilet cleaner, and the glass cleaner. While I like the products, here are a few hints that I learned: 1. Use the glass cleaner sparingly. If you use too much, streaks form. 2. Leave the toilet bowl cleaner for at least ten to twenty minutes so it can complete its job.
Overall, I liked the products and the fact that a major company like Clorox is coming out with easy to find, natural products. I feel safer buying this new, green product line because the Sierra Club also endorses the product. I have heard that the packaging is recyclable but I will have to check this one out.
I love when I can find easy ways to change my daily routine and make a small change for the better.
Topics: Green Cleaning, Green Living | No Comments »
Meatless Monday
By admin | April 28, 2008
Today’s dinner was yummy! Thanks to Kalyn’s Kitchen- a great blog, I was able to combine the South Beach Phase One Diet with a vegetarian meal! Phase one only lasts two weeks but it can be hard to plan a vegetarian menu if you are trying to limit carbs. We had a great main course salad with a hummus dressing and a side of sauteed green beans and mushrooms.
Details:
Salad Ingredients
Romaine Lettuce
1 can of chickpeas
Sprinkle of feta cheese
2 Tbsp. of parsley
1/2 jar of kalamata olives
1 cup of baby carrots
Dressing (courtesy of Kalyen’s Kitchen- my recipe cut in half all the ingredients)
1/3 cup of hummus
2.5 Tbsp of olive oil
1.5 Tbsp of lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in salad bowl, top with dressing, toss and enjoy!
Happy Meatless Monday!
Topics: Green Living, Organic Food, Vegetarian Ideas | No Comments »
Healthy Child, Healthy World
By admin | April 25, 2008
I really believe that the public library is one the best uses of my tax dollars. I have been using the library to satisfy my unending need for books and magazines while significantly curtailing my own bookstore purchases. This saves me money and helps the earth by reusing reading materials. They even have an online reserve list at www.hcplc.org.
Our local library has a fantastic selection of up to date material - including books in the now popular green living category. While I have read a few of these books (which I hope to “officially” review soon) one has really stood out. The title is Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning
Topics: Green Baby, Green Books, Green Cleaning, Green Living | No Comments »
Happy Earth Day!
By admin | April 22, 2008
Okay, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit this is the first Earth Day I have paid attention to but Happy Earth Day nonetheless. In my mind, the best “present” I can give is to REDUCE the amount of stuff in my life. If I could get this right, it would be the gift that keeps on giving! I am happier without clutter and so is my family, plus there is less to reuse and recycle.
I will also become educated on environmental topics so I do not become a green alarmist or a environmental do nothing. A good place to start is knowing the green “lingo”… here is a speak green cheat sheet : http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/homestyle/04/18/speak.green/
Happy Earth Day!
Topics: Green Living | No Comments »
Meatless Monday!
By admin | April 21, 2008
Sometime ago, I read about the Meatless Monday campaign on another blog (wish I could remember which one!) and I thought that would be a good way to introduce some new dinnertime ideas. I have read that vegetarian eating can not only be a healthy lifestyle but also good for the environment. So every Monday, I’ll let you know what easy and hopefully tasty vegetarian options my family and I try out. Keep in mind, even at 28, I am still learning my way around the kitchen!
If you grow up a meat-as-the-entree kind of girl, then vegetarian meal planning can look like nothing but side dishes. I decided to cheat a little and use a “semi homemade” style recipe of an old standby for tonight. Start with an Amy’s Kitchen Pesto Pizza. This is the best pizza from the freezer you will ever buy! To add a little extra nutrition and exotic flavor, add a few extra pieces of broccoli, a sprinkle of feta cheese, and kalamata olives. Pine nuts would add a nice crunch too. Bake for about 17 minutes ( a little longer than called for) and you have a little piece of happiness in a slice. I added some steamed green beans and called it a night. My idea for this pizza came from a fantastic pizza my husband and I used to get at a Tallahassee restaurant called the Loop. It is a shame it’s no longer there!Next time, I am hoping to try out a homemade recipe but if you are strapped for time, this is a great meal.
Topics: Organic Food | No Comments »
Shades of Green
By admin | April 18, 2008
Yesterday, I signed up for coupons at the Seventh Generation website. Usually, I despise coupons - I lose them, I forget to use them, or they are for things I don’t use anyway. This is my first foray into online coupons and although the sign up process was kind of long, there was an interesting question in the survey. The question was something to the effect of “What shade of green are you?” I had never thought of trying to be thoughtful of my impact on the environment in this way before. I of course chose “light green” (or maybe lime green :) because I really am just starting out on all this.
In other daily news findings, nytimes.com has an interesting article on Canada possibly banning the use of BPA in food storage and baby items. Like the article says, more research needs to be done before we toss out all of this type of plastic but I do know that if there are alternatives out there I will definitely be looking into them.
Topics: Green Coupons, Toxic or Not? | No Comments »
A Greener Walmart?
By admin | April 17, 2008
Last night while watching Kristy Lee get booted off American Idol, an odd commercial flashed on the screen. It was Wal Mart - only now with a new green tagline and a sales pitch for earth friendly products. Of course, there was also the link to the new green section on Walmart.com.
First, I guess when Walmart jumps in, you know you have reached beyond the small stereotypical group of “crunchy” birkenstock wearers out there and into the mainstream suburbs. However, I can’t help but wonder if this is where the green movement really wants to go. While I understand the importance of bringing in big corporations if you really want to see change, will Walmart really support the changes that a growing group of people see are necessary? Changes like detailed labeling on cleaners and stringent organic food labels? For example, they now sell organic fruit but the organic industry certification standards may be dumbed down to the point that ”organic” might not even mean “organic” anymore.
I have had a love-hate relationship with Walmart since reading the book The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works–and How It’s Transforming the American Economy
Topics: Green Living | No Comments »