Green Options

In her article, “The Essential Resource for Green Family Life: Healthy Child Healthy World“, Jennifer Lance mentioned the Healthy Child Healthy World’s advice on getting rid of Teflon in your kitchen.  Teflon is the DuPont brand name for polytetrafluoroethtylene, or PTFE, a type of PFC that is used as a non-stick coating for most cookware.  A PFC means that it is a chemical compound composed of fluorine and carbon atoms  If you walk down the aisle at any store that sells pots and pans, or even in your pantry at home, I am sure you have noticed those wonderful non-stick pans that make cooking and clean up a breeze.  Yes, they are wonderful because you do not need to use as much butter, oil, or whatever else you add to prevent food from sticking to the pan but have you ever wondered what happens as that nonstick coating scratched?  What exactly is it that you could be adding to your food?

Image courtesy of AlterEco.com

As a family, we love to cook together, it is a wonderful time to have fun and bond as a family. Cooking with your children has numerous benefits: It teaches your children mathematics, gives your child a sense of pride and accomplishment, will help your children try new things and they are also more likely to eat what they help make. In our home we have a silly tradition of “dolling” ourselves up for cooking together. We wear fun bright aprons, put on our favorite lip gloss and dance around to our favorite music.

All-Natural Homemade Glue is a simple recipe to do along with your children that can keep for weeks in the fridge. My girls enjoy using it for all of their weekly art projects and I don’t get worried if my baby takes a taste or two! You simply mix 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 cups of water (you might need a bit more or less) and 1 tsp of vinegar. Then you warm it up on the stove till it thickens a little bit, let is cool and it is ready to use.

Editor’s note: The following post was originally published on Green and Clean Mom. “Green & Clean Mom can inspire you to try a little harder, be a catalyst for change and to offer you some new tips and news on how to be the green, sexy and sassy mom…I know you are!”

I like to watch those shows where the mom has this amazing pot roast ready when everyone comes home for dinner. The mom that can throw it all together perfectly and have the table set with cloth napkins.

I’m laughing a wicked mean laugh right now because I’m not sure who this person is or if they exist in real life.

Everyone I know is trying to make everyone happy, eat healthy and organic and not lose our minds! Take budget concerns into account, snacks and lunchtime food, it can be too much.  Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing to do but I’ve learned that keeping the staples on hand from the local health food store make life much easier.

Cutting back on animal products in your diet is one simple step that can have a huge environmental impact.

A recent report from Greenpeace Brazil attributed 80% of the amazon’s deforestation to cattle production. Cincinnati is even encouraging residents to eat less meat to help combat climate change! Switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet is a tremendous way to help reduce your impact on the planet. If cutting out animal products all together seems a little extreme for you, even just reducing the amount of animal products in your diet can make a difference. Here are ten delicious ways to eat lower on the food chain!

Editor’s note: The following post was originally published on Green and Clean Mom. “Green & Clean Mom can inspire you to try a little harder, be a catalyst for change and to offer you some new tips and news on how to be the green, sexy and sassy mom…I know you are!”

Winter is long where I live. Long. Snow and cold weather lingers from as early as October to possibly March. A long winter can translate into long days inside which leads to restlessness, more television, boredom, eating and more pounds…for the entire family.  To help make the winter more active and healthy I have begun to employ some new tactics that help everyone watch less television, eat better and get some activity.

Winter sports and activities can be the cure. I don’t like winter and I don’t like cold or snow but it’s where I live and the other months are gorgeous.

I’m trying to embrace the season with a more positive attitude. With a snowy winter there are many healthy active sports that the children and I can enjoy. They get us out of the house and mean physical activity.

We would like to thank all of the delicious recipes that we received for our Fair Trade Recipe Contest in honor of Fair Trade Month in October. Although we may be a little late announcing the winner, it is well worth the wait since all of you have the chance to view the fabulous entries. We have also had the chance to try the recipes and let me tell you, they were yummy! The winner will receive a gift certificate from Buy Well Coffee.

Our winner for the Fair Trade Recipe Contest is (drum roll please):

Candy McMenamin from Lexington, SC

Not only were both her recipes absolutely wonderful, but in addition to using fair trade and organic ingredients, she went above and beyond by submitting 2 entries both using our sponsoring product of Buy Well Coffee products. Nice touch Candy!

Thank You again to all the submissions for the contest. Please enjoy the recipes listed below to help make your holiday meal a little more special.

When I was growing up, the silky sounds of Nat King Cole crooning, ‘chestnuts roasting on an open fire…’ was the hallmark of the holidays for me.  Every time I would hear it, I’d get that rush of childlike exuberance that encapsulates the magic of the season, and makes you feel like anything is possible.  

Yet, despite the fact that inordinate amounts of food were also synonymous with the holidays in my family (6 courses and 3 hours worth of dishes to be exact, by hand), we never had one dish with a chestnut in it.  Not a one.  For shame.

So, as I got older, and began to nurture my inner chef, I decided to remedy that travesty by starting a new tradition of savory chestnut soup to begin the descent into our annual colossal feast, much to my Grandmother’s chagrin who quite religiously served Italian Escarole soup.  (And by religiously, I mean had served Escarole for 30+ years prior to my first course usurping; or usouping, as it were. OK, bad joke.)

But my soup was a big hit, and each year I’d add or change the ingredients, perfecting my chestnut prowess with new and interesting pairings.  Needless to say, some years were better than others.  The addition of raisins, for example.  Disaster.  Cranberries, however.  Surprisingly delicious.  And those tart little buggers are still the perfect complement to the soup.  The cranberries, that is — not my family!

And now for the first time ever outside the hallowed halls of the Snowfield residence, I am sharing my coveted recipe for you to share, which now includes honey glazed grilled salmon, making it a hearty first — or even second — course for your own foray into holiday gorging and merriment.

The best kinds of Christmas projects really are quick, thrifty, and eco-friendly. When a project is quick–it doesn’t require a lot of prep or clean-up, provides results in a timely manner, and is simple enough that everyone can contribute meaningfully–you can focus your energy on the interaction with your loved ones instead of on the project. When a project is thrifty–it doesn’t require a lot of pricey materials, and ideally utilizes stuff you already possess–the stakes are low enough that everyone can enjoy themselves instead of fussing about appearance. And when a project is eco-friendly–it makes primary use of natural materials and recycling–then you show your kids that being green is a worldview, not a fad.

The projects below are all quick, thrifty, and eco-friendly. And also? They’re fun.

In addition to being a nut job, I am a nut lover. I really haven’t tasted a nut I didn’t like - even the peanut, which is technically a legume. I feel dreadfully sorry for those who have the dangerous nut allergy. My fiance has an allergy to chocolate, which I’m actually jealous of, but that’s for another post . . .

Some history about our hard-shelled friends
There is evidence that nuts have been around feeding us and our ancient ancestors since prehistoric times. The oldest evidence are some walnut remains which were found in Iraq and are thought to be over 50,000 years old!  

The Bravo TV Series, Top Chef, is one of the highest rated food shows on television right now, and it all started with Season 1 where Harold Dieterle won over the judges and emerged as one of the hottest new chefs in the country world.  But despite the fame and celebrity status that has ensconced him since his big win, Harold remains the picure of humility, reaffirming his commitment to hard work, passion for cooking and his one true love, food.

Although I spent most of season 1 swooning over him his dishes, I put on my journalist’s cap and was the picture pf professionalism in conducting an interview with him (thanks to Divya Gugnani, founder of Behind the Burner) where I learned that it takes more than just skills to create a culinary masterpiece.  It takes heart.  And that’s something Harold has by the measuring cup full.

Favorite indulgent food: Sun Chips & Ben Jerry’s Ice Cream

Favorite healthy food: Ripe Fresh Fruit

One kitchen tool you can’t live without: Vita Prep Blender

One ingredient you can’t live without: Salt

Your cooking philosophy in one sentence: Love it and it will do whatever you want
 
I couldn’t start out the interview without talking about Top Chef. What was it like to win such a fiercely competitive and high profile competition?

It was a great honor to be recognized by influential people in the food industry.