Here's Hoping Folks Read More Than Headlines

My husband forwarded to me this Reuters article today. The headline startled me:

"Organic Food Is No Healthier, Study Finds."

The article basically stated that the nutrient content of organic is not substantially better than that of conventional food, so there is no reason to choose organic over conventional on the basis of nutritional superiority.

The title is really misleading - suggesting that there is no reason whatsoever to choose organic over conventional.

So let me recap five reasons to eat organic food over conventional - that have NOTHING TO DO with whatever claims these scientists are making over nutritional content:

1. It IS healthier. The fruits and vegetables are grown without pesticides and synthetic chemicals, and the dairy, meat and poultry are raised without antibiotics and growth hormones. All of these substances are harmful, particularly for children who are still developing.
2. It tastes better. Yes, this is highly subjective, so you should try it and see for yourself.
3. Organic farming protects the environment.
4. There are a ton of hidden costs with conventional foods - subsidies, health issues, chemical regulation and testing, and environmental hazard/cleanup among them - so organic foods might not be that much more expensive in the whole scheme of things.
5. You might sleep better at night knowing you are feeding your family the healthiest foods possible.

The Beauty of A Freezer - And An Apology to My Mother-in-Law

Just after college, I moved to New York City. I earned next to nothing and shared a studio apartment with another girl. Many weeks, I had to decide between dry cleaning my clothes or eating. So, I learned how to hand wash many dry-clean-only garments. I grew up a lot in those first few years - I think everyone should live in NYC for a few years when they are young adults. But I digress...

Our kitchen was the size of a closet, and I used to scowl at the waste of space that was our freezer. It rarely contained more than stale, stinky ice. Meanwhile, junk was squirreled away in every crevice of the apartment. Ah, those were the days!

Now many years later, things have changed quite a bit. For one, I now have more space. I also have new roommates (husband and kids) and cook A LOT. To avoid having to go to the grocery store every two or three days (and to allow me to take advantage of compelling sale items), we purchased an inexpensive free-standing freezer and I make full use of it. Defrosting has become a part of my (almost) daily routine.

My mother-in-law will laugh at this. She has long been a huge proponent of the freezer and has stifled laughter on more than one occasion when I asked how long this or that (on the plate in front of me) had sat in her freezer. Mom - I stand corrected and I apologize for my rudeness!

My process is pretty simple. When I'm making dinner, I decide what's for dinner tomorrow, remove the required components from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator. In 24 hours, almost anything under 5 pounds will thaw in the refrigerator. The rule of thumb is: 24 hours for every 5 pounds. Some foods I defrost carefully in the microwave (e.g., sausages), then cook right away.

The USDA has issued a few guidelines one should observe about freezing food.

1. Not everything freezes well. Eggs (in the shell) and canned goods - NO. Cream sauces, mayonnaise, lettuce - not so much. And raw meat and poultry freeze better than when they are cooked since they lose moisture during cooking.
2. Freezing at 0 degrees F keeps food safe almost indefinitely and has no impact on the nutritional content. The length of time spent frozen only impacts its quality. Freezer burn does not make food unsafe but severely dries it out, which might make it unpalatable. If you put your meat or poultry directly into the freezer in the packaging it came in from the store, you should use it within 1-2 months because air can penetrate that wrapping and dry it out. If you want to stow it away for longer, wrap it more securely in foil or paper freezer wrap.

The USDA also issues guidance on the freezing limit (at 0 degrees F) to preserve quality (not safety):

Item	Months
Bacon and Sausage	1 to 2
Casseroles	2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes	12
Frozen Dinners and Entrees	3 to 4
Gravy, meat or poultry	2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats	1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground	3 to 4
Meat, cooked	2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole	12
Poultry, uncooked parts	9
Poultry, uncooked giblets	3 to 4
Poultry, cooked	4
Soups and Stews	2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked	8 to 12

Happy Freezing!

Daily Photo: The Best Air Mail One Can Get

What was written on the paper airplane my preschooler just flew into the back of my head. Needless to say, I feel like a million bucks! :)

Delicious Kefir Smoothie

Many parents give their babies and children yogurt because it's a good source of calcium. But it's also a good source of beneficial intestinal bacteria, or "probiotics," which can help keep them well.

This "friendly" bacteria help to keep our digestive tract clean, improve our absorption of nutrients, decrease the risk of digestive cancer, boost our immune system, help protect us from "unfriendly" elements that can cause disease (e.g., E. coli, salmonella, Staph, Strep, yeast, fungi, viruses), reduce the risk of digestive illness such as crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome, and reduce gas production. That's a strong enough list to justify paying close attention to probiotics.

During vaginal birth, a baby's digestive tract is colonized by good bacteria that reside in the mother's birth canal. Breastfeeding then helps to further that colonization.

Later, a child's diet comes into play. Yogurt (not frozen yogurt!), kefir and cottage cheese are great sources of probiotics. If they won't eat these foods, you can also buy powdered probiotics to put in your child's food or drinks (such as MAXI Baby-Dophilus, which I sometimes put in my kids' drinks).

Antibiotics, taken during severe bacterial illness, kill the bad and the good bacteria. It's especially important to rebuild the good bacteria that is killed off, so push the yogurt during illness.

Kefir Smoothie
One of my new favorite ways of getting probiotics into my kids (and myself) is by making kefir smoothies. For years, I'd walked right past kefir in the health food stores, thinking it was "hippie food." After I started buying "drinkable" yogurt for my kids, I decided to take a chance on kefir. WOW! Delicious.

Here's my recipe:

Place in your food processor:
8 oz lowfat vanilla organic kefir
4 oz organic apple, cranberry or orange juice
8 oz crushed ice
1 cup of frozen or fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
1 small banana

Blend until smooth. If it is too thick, add more juice until it reaches your preferred consistency.

We devour these!

TechnoMeg: HTML Code for Your Blog's Title, Description and Keywords

Adding keywords (Meta tags) is not the silver bullet for improving web traffic but it should help search engines describe your website.  So in this spirit, it may be a good idea to add them.  Here's how.

1. Go to your DASHBOARD on Blogger.com.

2. Click on the DESIGN button for your blog.

3. Click EDIT HTML.  Save a copy of your template for safety purposes (just click DOWNLOAD FULL TEMPLATE).

4. Look for the following code in your HTML:

<head>

5. Just below the code indicated in 4., paste the following code and substitute your blog's info where you see the blue italicized font:

<TITLE>EcoMeg</TITLE>
<META content='A blog about green living, healthy cooking and organic gardening' name='description'/>
<META content='green living,be green,buy green,green technology,sustainable living,eco living,eco friendly living,eco,organic gardening,planters,garden tools,compost,mulch,gardener,garden design,gardeners,garden structures,patio gardening,organic fertilizers,healthy cooking,cooking recipes,healthy recipes,dinner recipes,quick recipes,healthy recipe,healthy snack,healthy meals,healthy cooking' name='keywords'/>

6. Click SAVE TEMPLATE and you're done.

NOTE: It may be worth your time to visit Google AdWords Keyword Tool to zero in on the most popular and relevant keywords for your blog.

TechnoMeg: How to Hide Your Blogger NavBar

1. Go to your DASHBOARD on Blogger.com.

2. Click on the DESIGN button for your blog.

3. Click EDIT HTML.  Save a copy of your template for safety purposes (just click DOWNLOAD FULL TEMPLATE).

4. Look for the following code in your HTML:

body {

5. Just above the code indicated in 4., paste the following code:

#navbar {
height: 0px;
visibility: hidden;
display: none;
}

6. Click SAVE TEMPLATE and you're done.

Do You Live Without A/C?

The New York Times (Home section) had an interesting article today titled "The Unchilled Life." It got me thinking.

I'm pretty sure that I would not go without air conditioning where I live since summer temperatures frequently reach into the 100s - I wouldn't want to put my children through that. But the article really made me think about raising the temperature on our thermostat above what I'd previously considered "comfortable." Might it actually be better for my family's electric bill and health?

As I drive around my town, I frequently see landscape crews working in the intense heat of the summer - wearing long sleeves and hats, no less. Obviously, the body must adjust somewhat to extreme temperatures or these guys would pass out from that heat.

Do you live without A/C? If so, what was that adjustment like? If not, at what temperature do you typically have the thermostat set?

Daily Photo: Giant Moth

Dinner Tonight - Lasagna (Sort Of), Mixed Veg, Olive Bread, Fresh Fruit (1 hr)

This morning, I peered inside my refrigerator and realized that unless I were a bit creative with tonight's dinner, I would have to go to the grocery store. I wasn't keen on making the trip, so here is what I did with what I had. Let's just say that I'm grateful for my freezer and that I take the time to store leftovers.


My "shopping list" from my refrigerator (for a family of four):

• 1/2 lb organic ground beef, unused from last night's burgers
• 1 frozen all-natural, mild Italian pork sausage, an unused ingredient from dinner last week
• 1/4 of an organic onion (I use a little bit of an onion at a time - I've always got one "working" in the fridge)
• 1 jar of Newman's Own Organic Marinara sauce (bought it at Wal-Mart!)
• 8 oz of ricotta
• 1 bag of shredded organic mozzarella
• 1 box of organic fusilli pasta (the corkscrew shaped pasta)
• organic extra virgin olive oil (bought it at Costco!)
• organic spices - oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder
• 1 bag of frozen organic mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
• some frozen all natural olive bread
• organic butter
• fresh fruit

I'm guessing you know where I'm going with this. Not lasagna. Lasagna - sort of.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put the ground beef and sausage (casing removed) into a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil, cooling on medium. Season with oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Dice one slice of onion and throw that in, too.
3. Once this mixture is cooked, take a lasagna pan (I have a PYREX one I love) and coat the bottom with some marinara. Sprinkle fusilli all over. Sprinkle small bits of ricotta on top of the fusilli. Sprinkle the meat mixture on top of the ricotta layer. Start again with the marinara, then the fusilli, then the ricotta, then the meat. Three layers of this is enough and you should have exhausted your supplies. Sprinkle mozzarella generously on top. Add water to the corner until it comes up to the top layer (don't submerge the top layer). Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
4. Go do something fun for a while.
   
5. If your bread is frozen, cover it with aluminum foil and place in the oven now to defrost (check periodically and remove once fully defrosted and warm on the inside). If it isn't frozen, wrap it and put it in the last ten minutes.
6. After 45 minutes, check the pasta to see if it is cooked. If so, remove the aluminum foil and allow to brown, maybe 5 minutes. Remove the bread, slice it and drizzle some melted butter.
7. Remove the lasagna from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. While that is resting, put the frozen vegetables in a PYREX dish with about a half inch of water, cover with a damp chlorine-free paper towel, and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Prepare the fruit.
8. Plate the meal, pour drinks.

Done!

Dinner Tonight - Cheeseburger, Spud Puppies, Spinach Salad, Strawberries (20 min)

Something I've learned since "going organic" is that you can make pretty much anything you made before, but with healthier ingredients. And the ingredients are not hard to find. Organic food is finally really accessible. Wal-Mart! Costco! Kroger! You name it!

We do enjoy a good burger every now and then. They are quick, easy and tasty. Sometimes we'll make these for dinner on the weekend and put some leftover bacon from brunch on top. Why is everything better with bacon??

Shopping List for A Family of Four:

• 1 lb organic ground sirloin
• 1 package fresh organic strawberries
• 1 package frozen Cascadian Farm Organic Spud Puppies
• 1 package fresh organic baby spinach
• salad dressing (my favorite is Annie's Organic Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette)
  
• fresh organic carrots for the kids
• 1 package Oroweat Whole Grain Wheat buns (look ma, no high fructose corn syrup!)
• 1 slice of organic onion (if you like onion on top of your burger)
• organic ketchup, mustard and/or mayonnaise (whatever you like on it)
• 4 sandwich-sized slices of Tillamook medium cheddar cheese (use the cheese of your choosing, but I think the best cheeses for burgers are cheddar, muenster and swiss -- make sure it's all natural, if not organic!)
• organic spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. put Spud Puppies on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven
3. slice the cheese and onion
4. make four patties of equal size - I like to make them thin so they cook faster and fully cover the bun; put them on the flat side of the griddle, medium heat; season with salt, pepper, garlic powder
   
5. wash the strawberries (I wash all fruit and vegetables in all-natural Veggie Wash, which you can get at your supermarket) and slice off the greenery
6. turn the patties when they begin to brown around the sides, put the cheese on top to melt
7. put the spinach in bowls, set the table, pour drinks
8. check the burgers - they are ready when they reach 160 degrees F (use a thermometer)
9. put the burgers on the buns, pull the Spud Puppies out of the oven
10. plate the meal (we serve our kids' meals on these stainless steel mess trays)

Done!

Healthy Snacks While Out And About

Parents of small children inevitably face the question of what healthy snacks are best to take along, should the need arise (and it always does!). Whenever I expect to be out during snack time, I pack a small insulated bag with an ice pack, drinks, snacks, napkins (and hand sanitizer!).

Drinks are toted in Stainless Steel cups. Our drinks of choice are organic milk or watered-down organic juice. We live in a hot place, so I usually pop in an ice cube or two during the summer months.

Over time, a few snacks have emerged as favorites:

• hummus and crackers
• organic wheat crackers, solo
  
• raisins (sometimes with peanuts mixed in)
• home-popped popcorn
• cheese and crackers
• fresh organic grapes, strawberries or apple slices
  
• Health Valley cereal bars - my kids' favorites are the blueberry, strawberry and apple cobbler cereal bars - we plow through boxes of these!
• home-baked mini muffins (I'll post a few great recipes for these soon)
• and occasionally as a special treat for afternoon snack, a few cookies (my kids LOVE Health Valley vanilla flavored sandwich cookies - they are ridiculously good)
  

What are your healthy snacks of choice?

Fighting My Child's Eczema

From the day my first child was born we have battled his eczema. It's not severe but it is persistent. I can't say I was surprised since I've got a number of family members with allergies, asthma and eczema. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

He was sensitive to dairy as a tiny baby but outgrew it by the time he celebrated his first birthday.

That's when we discovered the massive egg allergy. It was not respiratory in nature but the first time I gave him scrambled eggs after he turned one was quite scary (his whole body turned red and his face and ears swelled -- see photo at left). I became very skilled at baking without eggs. By the time he was two and a half he had outgrown that sensitivity. Whew!

All along the way, I've been trying to untangle the mystery of the occasional tiny patches of eczema that crop up on his arms, lower back and lower legs.

At various times I've kept a log of his diet, done some elimination diet testing, carefully reviewed what environmental allergens he's encountered. I know that some of it is hereditary, some of it is seasonal (it gets worse in the winter when the air is dry) and some of it is food-related (he doesn't handle artificial colors well).

His eczema isn't bad enough for me to put him through exhaustive (and painful) tests right now. He can decide about that for himself when he is older. For now, I just find that keeping on top of it is vitally important - dry patches that are left unaddressed quickly worsen.

I think some of my preventive measures have helped. In the winter, we use a humidifier in his bedroom. All year round, we try to eat as organically as possible. I also take precautions to keep contact allergens to a minimum:

• changing our sheets and air filters frequently and vacuuming all of our carpets weekly to reduce dust mites
• not wearing shoes inside the house so we don't track in pollen and dirt
• not having pets
• using biodegradable, unscented, dye-free laundry detergent
• using organic shampoo (Jason Natural Kids Shampoo or California Baby Shampoo) and Aquaphor Healing Ointment (especially after bath!) rather than complicated skin lotions
• using non-toxic household cleaners
• using good sunscreen (click here for a website that rates the safety and efficacy of sunscreens and other personal products)
  
• using hydrocortisone cream (1%) sparingly
• rinsing off chlorine right after swimming

Please leave a comment to share what methods you use to battle eczema!

Dinner Tonight - Steak with Quinoa Pilaf, Fresh Fruit (30 min)

Tonight I served New York Strip steak with quinoa pilaf.

As you've probably gathered from my last post, we like steak. This is a little funny since I was a vegetarian for 10 years before I met my husband. I married a meat and potatoes man (he hates when I say that, but it's true) - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah"), it is the seed of a leafy plant related to spinach. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein - 12% to 18%. It is considered a complete protein, supporting muscle growth. It has been called a "superfood," a "wonder food," and it is easy on the stomach. You can read more about it here.

Enough said. Sounds like something my family should be eating. Quinoa is really flexible - it can be treated much like rice or couscous.

Quinoa pilaf is the recipe featured on the back of the box of quinoa that I bought today from Ancient Harvest (look for it in the "organic" section of your local supermarket).

I won't repeat it here, but you can read it on the box or on their website, here.


Shopping list for a family of four (possibly with leftovers for lunch):

• 1 box of Ancient Harvest's Traditional Quinoa (you'll only need 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup diced organic red pepper (probably 1/2 of a medium-sized red pepper)
• 1/4 cup diced organic green pepper (probably 1/2 of a medium-sized green pepper)
• 1 slice of organic onion, diced (or green onion)
• 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• organic butter
• dried organic spices: garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano
• 2 lbs New York Strip steak, sliced thin (each steak is sliced to make two thinner steaks)
• orange juice
• organic extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Start the quinoa to boil (1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups water, 1 tbs butter, salt). Dice the onion and peppers. Once the quinoa is boiling, reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, put 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Wisk with a fork until mixed. Rinse the steaks and place in the bowl, making sure they are all well dipped in the marinade. (You could actually do this 1/2 hour beforehand and let them soak, but I never remember to do this and they turn out great anyway.)
3. Put the diced vegetables in a pan on medium heat with 2 tbs butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano. Stir regularly until onion is translucent and vegetables are cooked but not mushy. When the quinoa is done simmering, fluff, recover and set it aside. Check the diced vegetables - when they are done, mix the quinoa into them, cover and and set aside.








4. Heat your range-top grill to medium and put the steaks on to cook. Turn them after about 5 minutes.
After another five minutes, take their temperature at the thickest points. When they reach 145 degrees F, they are safe to eat. After that, it's personal preference. I like to let them get to 165 degrees but my husband likes them on the rare side. Pull them off once they've reached the temp you desire.

5. Plate the meal, prepare the fruit and drinks.

Done!

Beef: It's What's for Dinner

This morning, after dropping my older child off for camp, the younger one and I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for dinner.

It's Thursday, which is one of the days when the fishmonger receives a fresh shipment, so I was thinking salmon or tilapia. But as soon as I arrived I saw a big sign announcing "(all natural) New York Strip Steaks, $8.99/lb!". That's a savings of $8/lb at this store. I love days like this. So I bought enough for two dinners and put half of it in the freezer. We're having steak tonight.

My husband later asked me what I'm making for dinner, so I told him about the special. That's when he mentioned this article that I'd overlooked in the Wall Street Journal. Turns out, due to a drop off in restaurant demand caused by the economic downturn, you can find prime beef many places at compelling prices, including at Costco - I'll have to check it out.

Dinner Tonight - Pasta with Shrimp And Zucchini in Garlic & Oil, Fresh Fruit, Cookies (40 min)

Ok, we do love pasta. This dish I served tonight is one of my older child's favorites. He cleans his plate every time. Tonight I served pasta with shrimp and zucchini in oil and vinegar, fresh fruit and the remaining whole grain rolls from last night.

As an added treat, I baked some sugar cookies. My kids LOVE fresh baked cookies. Typically, whenever I make them from scratch I make two batches and freeze whatever I don't bake that first time. I roll the dough into a tube shape, wrap it in wax paper and freeze it. Then I just slice the dough and cook as needed. Cooking only what you need for dessert (not a whole batch) leads to less waste (or that overwhelming need to "finish the cookies before they go bad" - I know you know what I mean!). This time, I bought an all-natural prepared dough from Immaculate Baking that my kids love. The image on the right is what they look like baked. Yum!



Shopping list for a family of four (possibly with leftovers for lunch):

• 1 lb of ez-peel shrimp (i.e., tail on but split so it's easy to remove), defrosted (add 5 minutes of soaking in lukewarm water if frozen). I usually buy a frozen 2 lb bag and make two meals out of it.
  
• 4 portions of dry pasta of your choice
  
• 3 medium-sized organic zucchinis
  
• organic spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder
• organic extra virgin olive oil
• 4 whole grain rolls
• fresh, in-season fruit
• organic butter

Directions:
1. Start the water for the pasta to boil. Set the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Peel the shrimp and ensure it is deveined. See this YouTube video if you're unsure how to do this. I also like to remove the "vein" on the other side of the shrimp. ( For me, cleaning the shrimp thoroughly is the most time-consuming aspect of this meal but I think it makes it taste better and look more appealing.) Rinse in cold water and set aside.
3. Put the pasta in to boil.
4. Peel each zuccini then cut it lengthwise twice (so you have 4 long pieces), then chopped into pieces (see photo for size of pieces). Place all pieces in a microwave-friendly dish (I prefer PYREX), add 1/2 inch water. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Cover with an eco-friendly wet paper towel to hold in the steam while it's cooking. Set aside.


5. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and put it in the warm oven. Put the zucchini in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, then continue in 30 second increments until it has reached your desired firmness. I don't like mushy zucchini.
6. Put the shrimp in a medium-hot skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Continue turning and cooking until it is opaque - no longer translucent. Usually takes about 5 minutes.
7. In a large serving bowl, mix about 1/8 cup of olive oil with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the pasta and zucchini and turn until coated. If this amount doesn't coat it, mix more of this combination in a separate dish and pour over the pasta, then turn until coated.
8. Serve the pasta/zucchini in a bowl with the shrimp on top. Prepare the fruit and bread.
9. Before you sit down, put the frozen dough on a cookie sheet and into the 375 oven you used to warm the bread. Check in 5 minutes, then periodically thereafter until they are done.

Done!

I Love Our Coolaroo Sail Shade

We live in a part of the US that is very hot from July through September. People joke about how they don't see their neighbors at all during this time frame because everyone stays indoors. It's no joke, though, when it's humid and 110 degrees F for days on end.

For this reason, swimming pools are very popular here. But with small children, the risk of sunburn is really high. I get a tan even wearing SPF 50. Since it is windy, umbrellas frequently blow over. So I figured I'd find something to securely hang over the pool.

At Costco.com, I found the Coolaroo sail shade you see in the picture. They come in various shapes and sizes. It came with all of the mounting hardware and it now provides excellent supplemental/relief coverage for our wading pool. If a big storm comes, I can just unhook it and tuck it away.

I Love Wild Apples Wooden Toys

A few years ago, as a gift for my first son, my sister bought him a wonderful wooden bunny from Gunther Keil's Wild Apples. It had a little door and inside were a bunch of wooden bunnies and other bunny-related items. I went on to buy a similarly-themed cat and an ark. Both of my children love them. They are simple, lovely toys, and very green.

Daily Photo: Dragonfly at Dusk

Dinner Tonight - Rice and Garbanzo Beans, Fresh Fruit (30 min)

Tonight I served rice with garbanzo beans with green pepper, fresh fruit and crusty whole grain rolls. Husband said it was "awesome."

Shopping list for a family of four (possibly with leftovers for lunch):

• 1 can of organic garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), drained and rinsed.
• 1 thick slice of organic onion, minced
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into narrow strips and then chopped
• organic spices: ground cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder
• organic white rice (the 20-minute cook time variety)
  
• 1 small can organic tomato sauce
• 2 cups organic chicken stock
  
• 2 all natural mild Italian pork sausages, casings removed (or all natural chorizo, if your family likes a bit of spice)
  
• organic extra virgin olive oil
• 4 whole grain rolls
• fresh, in-season fruit
• organic butter

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cook the minced onion and chopped bell pepper in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil until soft.
3. Add the tomato sauce, rinsed garbanzo beans and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and a sprinkle or two of ground cumin - to taste. Reduce to simmer.
4. Start the rice. I typically cook 1 1/2 cups of dry rice with 2 1/4 cups of water, olive oil, salt and some oregano.
5. Put the bread in a warm oven.
6. Cook the sausages in a separate pan with a touch of olive oil. Crumble them as you cook.
7. Add the cooked sausage to the garbanzos. Now you can add some leftovers, if you have any. Tonight I added a leftover pork chop, cut into small pieces. You could also add steak or baked chicken, cut into small pieces. (note the cast iron skillet)










8. Let the garbanzos simmer until the rice is done.
9. Prepare the fruit. Pour drinks. Serve.

Done!

Worries About Unregulated Contaminants in Tap Water

My brother forwarded to me today a Chicago Tribune article about Chicago water. It mentioned that traces of pharmaceuticals and other unregulated substances were found in treated Lake Michigan water in the last year. It's worth a read, especially because Chicago is probably not the only city with this problem - concerns about other cities' drinking water have also been written about by other publications.

This Spring, I read the report my city posted for 2008 and saw that it was testing for some unregulated contaminants. It said, "the purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in determining the occurrence of unregulated contaminants in drinking water and whether future regulation is warranted." None of the eight items my city tested reported at the high end of the "Range of Detects".

For more information on ground water and drinking water, visit the EPA's website.

If you have seen your city water's test results, had your own tap water tested (none of the kits I've seen mention testing for pharmaceuticals, but I have seen pesticides listed) and remain uncomfortable about its quality, you still have other options aside from buying bottled water.

The most popular choices appear to be:

• Reverse Osmosis - draws water through a very fine membrane. Very thorough but expensive relative to other options. Removes fluoride, too, so take this into account if you have kids.
• Activated Carbon - removes impurities as water passes through the filter. Inexpensive, lots of kinds available, easty to install, slow, not as thorough as RO.
• Distillation - water is purified through evaporation and condensation. Effectively removes many contaminants from water but it does not filter out contaminants that boil at a lower temperature than water (and, hence, go up in the vapor along with the water).
  
• Ultraviolet Light - living organisms in the water are killed by ultraviolet light. It does not filter out other contaminants.

Live Green - Wash Your Hands!

Over 4th of July weekend, we traveled to visit relatives in another state. Before boarding the airplane, I visited the ladies room. As I stepped forward to wash my hands, I saw two ladies leave their stalls and walk directly out of the restroom without washing up. Cue the gag reflex. I did not need to see that just as I was about to be trapped on an airplane for 3 hours with 75 other potential non-handwashers.

I will admit it. I am a bit of a germophobe. I have always been that person with a bottle of hand sanitizer on her desk. I do not like shaking hands. Traveling by air or train is not fun for me. Taking a cruise is completely out of the question. But let me ask this question: why would you allow yourself to get sick when you could easily prevent most illness by washing your hands? Seriously.

I started teaching my kids good hygiene right from the start - a bath every night, teeth brushed twice a day, hands washed at all critical junctures of the day, sneezing and coughing into a tissue or your sleeve rather than your hand or straight into the room, don't put your fingers in any bodily orifice. I also set a good example for them by taking proper care of myself, too.

Wait, do I need to elaborate on when to wash your hands? Hmm. Oh right - the airport restroom - guess I do! Wash your hands after using the restroom, before eating, before preparing food (and after handling any raw poultry, meat, fish or eggs), after changing a diaper, before and after caring for someone who is sick, after taking out the garbage, after sneezing or coughing into your hands, after cleaning the litter box, when you come into your home, etc., etc. Think about this - did you handle money or a menu and then eat with your hands? Do you know how many people have touched that money or menu, and how many of them wash up after using the restroom? Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

While the kids are little, I also do two more things to keep us from bringing illness into the house: we don't wear shoes indoors (the kids still roll around on the ground) and we use hand sanitizer as soon as we enter the car after we've been out and about. We leave the playground at the playground, the grocery store at the grocery store, the school at the school, the zoo at the zoo. If they catch something airborne, that's just the way it goes. But we do our best not to catch the really nasty stuff that winds up on our hands.

What is green about all of this? Not having to see the doctor quite as much, consuming fewer antibiotics, not creating a ripple effect of illness. But here is one more green tip about handwashing: ditch the antibacterial soap. It contributes to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. It also typically contains triclosan, which is absorbed into the skin and is a known endocrine disruptor. Triclosan also reacts with chlorine in tap water to create chloroform, which is toxic to the environment. Just use regular soap and thoroughly lather up for 15-20 seconds each time.

(My friend Rich will think it's funny that I'm writing this - the germophobe in me was all about the anti-bacterial this and that years ago, and he scoffed at it. You were right, Rich!)

Dinner Tonight - Pasta Bolognese, Mixed Vegetables, Fresh Fruit, Olive Bread (30 min)

Tonight I served pasta bolognese with mixed vegetables, fresh fruit and warm olive bread. Everyone enjoyed it except the toddler, who is just learning to swim and exhausted himself in the pool today - he couldn't enjoy much of anything after 4pm. But he should enjoy sleeping tonight - hopefully I will too!

If you know how to boil water, you can prepare Pasta Bolognese. Here's how I do it for my family.

Shopping list for a family of four (possibly with leftovers for lunch):

• 1 lb package of lean organic ground beef - if it's frozen, add 10 minutes to prep time
• 1 small package frozen organic mixed vegetables
• dried pasta of your choice, for four people
• 1 small can organic tomato sauce
• 1 regular can organic whole tomatoes, pureed in the food processor
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded organic cheese (cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella, whatever you like)
• 1 slice organic onion, finely chopped
• dried organic spices: oregano, basil, garlic, salt, pepper
• organic extra virgin olive oil - yes, it exists - at Costco!
• loaf (or 4 rolls) all natural olive bread (mastering the bread maker is on my to-do list)
• fresh, in-season fruit
• organic butter

Directions:
1. Start the water to boil for the pasta.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Cook the ground beef in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion. Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and basil as it is cooking (if the meat is frozen, you can defrost it in the skillet as it cooks - just add a bit of water and keep flipping it and scraping it with a stainless steel spatula until it's all cooked - add ten minutes to do that).
4. Once the water is boiling, wrap the bread in aluminum foil and place it in the oven to warm. Add the pasta to the water.
5. Put the frozen vegetables in a microwave safe dish (e.g., PYREX) with an inch of water. Cover with an eco-friendly wet paper towel. Microwave on high for two-three minutes or until done. Drain.
6. Add the tomato sauce and the pureed whole tomatoes to the meat. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Season again with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Reduce to low heat. (note the cast iron skillet)

7. When the pasta is done, drain it and set it aside. Remove the bread from the oven. Add a bit of organic butter to the bread (I usually melt it in the microwave, then drizzle on - you use less butter and don't wreck the bread).
8. Prepare the fruit. Pour drinks. Put the pasta on plates and add the sauce. Note the child's meal tray!


Done!

Dinner Tonight - Easy, Tasty and Healthy Meals for The Whole Family in Under 40 Minutes

Subscribe to my Twitter feed @ecomeg to see what we're eating each evening, but every now and then I'll elaborate on one meal I made that my family enjoyed. I love to cook and my husband says I'm good at it - I hope you enjoy these meals, too!

My meals typically take 30-40 minutes to prepare, from first stepping into the kitchen to calling everyone to the table. This includes time for a diaper change, to apply bandaids and to mediate a sibling squabble or two. They are well-balanced, largely from scratch and largely organic. I try to incorporate locally-grown items whenever possible. I know you're all busy people - but you do not have to choose between healthy meals and quick meals!

I am not a professional cook. In fact, I didn't really start cooking until I married eight years ago. Now I cook three meals a day for my family, all of them fairly simple. I prepare only one dinner for the entire family. At dinner, my children eat what the adults eat. That said, I do make an effort to appeal to the entire array of palates, so might tweak each plate a bit. For instance, one child loves grapes and the other won't touch them.

If you have suggestions for this column, please let me know! Send me an email at: ecomeg@ecomeg.com. If we try it and like it, I will write about it!

Daily Photo: Massive Caterpillar

Our organic lawn is looking pretty good. I don't mind telling you that I've poured some sweat into it!


There is quite a bit of activity in the garden these days. We had a lot of rain in late Spring, so we are seeing a lot of beetles of all types, grasshoppers, moths and butterflies.


Today we found this large caterpillar in our backyard. When rolled up in a ball it seems to have red stripes. I searched the web and found this picture, identifying it as a Leopard moth.



I have never seen a caterpillar move so quickly!

Daily Photo: Giant Sunflower

Our giant sunflower - the first plant I've ever grown from a seed. It is a monster - over five feet tall - and has grown in direct proportion to the death rate of the other plants in its flower bed.

10 Ways We've Gone Green This Year

This has been a year of change for us and we've really just begun. I've got a lot of other projects under way to make our lives greener and more efficient, and I'll blog about those as we tackle them.

Here are ten ways we've become more environmentally conscious so far:

1. As our light bulbs burn out, we've started replacing them with more energy efficient ones. They last longer and use less energy.

2. I now clean our home with homemade cleaning supplies and machine-washable cloth towels, not paper towels.

3. I buy green versions of the household products that I don't make myself (such as garbage bags, bathroom tissue, facial tissues, paper napkins, paper towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwasher detergent). The labels don't just feature nebulous words such as "green", "non-toxic", or "environmentally-friendly". Rather, the words I look for are "recycled" (at least 30%), organic, biodegradable, or sustainable.

4. I give things away rather than throwing them away. I could go on and on about this. We all sometimes itch to push the ejector button on certain things in our homes - maybe old plastic tubs, clothes, shoes, that old wagon-wheel table, or old baby toys. Before you haul it out to the curb, ask around to see if someone wants it, post it on freecycle.org or craigslist, give it to Goodwill. Your castoffs could be treasures for someone else! Seriously. You will be surprised.

5. No more bottled water. As I previously blogged, we had our tap water tested, confirmed it's safe to drink (as best as we can) and stopped buying bottled water.

6. I am more careful about planning our meals and food purchases to minimize tossing out spoiled food.

7. I use reusable shopping bags whenever I remember to bring them. When I don't bring them, I opt for plastic bags and use them to dispose of dirty diapers later.

8. My older child is now old enough to understand conservation, so I've started reinforcing this with the kids. We turn off lights when we leave a room, don't run the tap while we're busy brushing our teeth, eat what is on our plates. This last point is an important one. I've started explaining about those in the world who often go to bed with empty stomachs. It is disrespectful to these people to waste the food we are so fortunate to have.

9. We are more careful about recycling - particularly our curbside recycling, which represents the majority of our recycling opportunity. But we are also now more careful about finding ways to recycle items that should not or cannot be picked up curbside.

10. We've lined our attic with radiant barrier foil to save on our electric bill. I will write more about this later. I'll just say that we did it last summer and are now reaping the benefits.

Must go now. The older child has just convinced the toddler that he is missing a toe. I hear some shrieking.

Do You Know How to Recycle Used Batteries Or An Old Computer?

Those with children know how quickly a family can cruise through a bulk-sized package of AA batteries, especially around the holidays. Goodness knows we've worked our way through a few so far. We love Costco and Costco loves us. One of my kids' favorite games is to hide plastic animals in a dark room and then "find" them with their flashlights. They often forget to turn off said flashlights before moving on to the next game.

Folks need to know there is a safer way to dispose of the dead batteries than tossing them in the garbage. Many retailers will accept these batteries for recycling. Here is an excellent website that could help you find a recycling location near you for just about anything - including those old computers and TVs: Earth911.com

An Organic Lawn

When we first moved into our home two years ago, it was hard to tell just what kind of grass we had. Yes, the lawn looked nicely manicured, but no attention had been paid to weed control. Neither my husband nor I had any time to grapple with it, so we called in a lawn care company. I swallowed hard every time I saw them put down chemicals and did not allow my kids to play on the grass. At all. That's no way to live. But the treatments did help us regain the upper hand on our lawn and I can now tell you that we have Bermuda grass.

After six months of worrying about the chemicals and really wanting my kids to enjoy running through the grass, I stopped the lawn care treatments and assumed full responsibility for the lawn. I'm not sure if my husband laughs because it's funny to see me push the spreader over an acre of grass or because he's thrilled to save some money. Either way, I'm glad he's happy!

In preparation for this, I read a great book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tukey. I won't give away any secrets here - you should really buy the book - but I will say that it's straightforward and extremely helpful.

I started by getting a sample of my soil evaluated. This isn't hard or expensive to do and could save you a lot of time, effort and money. Just dig a small hole, extract a fist-sized clump of dirt and bring it to your local garden center. There you will find out just what your lawn needs in order to thrive.

Buy Organic Or Buy Local?

I've always been a supporter of buying locally grown fruits and vegetables. It just makes sense that the faster they make it to your table, the better they will taste, the lesser the need for preservatives, and the higher the nutritional content. Also, shorter travel means less pollution and lower storage costs. As an added bonus, you support local businesses.

If you don't have a good grocer nearby that carries a selection of local grown items, you can try to buy a share of a local farmer's output. I have friends who do this and they love it - they get a box of fresh fruits and vegetables each week, whatever is in season. Local Harvest is an excellent link to help find one near you. I love that site.

If you are very strict about this, you only buy what is in season. This can be limiting. On a positive note, though, you are sure to introduce to your children a wide variety of fruits and vegetables over the course of the year, rather than sticking to the same things all of the time. Your kids will learn to be more flexible in what they eat and you will learn how to prepare a wider variety of foods.

But there are certain foods that I always try to buy organic. Dairy, poultry, eggs, orange juice and the fruits and vegetables we eat a lot of (spinach, bananas, carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, grapes, tomatoes, avocado). Organic meat is a bit harder to find, but I do strive to buy it whenever possible. When I can't find organic meat, I can usually find decent all-natural cuts. I don't bother with organic fish - instead, I focus on wild-caught and I rarely buy the big fish due to their typically higher mercury content. Everything else is all natural, at the very least.

This year, I hope to start my own organic fruit and vegetable garden, so expect to see quite a lot of blogging about that. That is, if I can get rid of the massive population of grasshoppers in my backyard! I am open to any suggestions that are non-toxic yet more effective than a big shoe.

The Best All Natural Hot Dogs

Coleman Natural® Beef Hot Dogs are the best hot dogs.

Ok, hot dog lovers around the world might dispute this statement. Taste is a subjective thing. All I know is that my kids prefer these dogs over every other kind, including the "classic" nitrate-loaded versions.

We first found them at Whole Foods. When we moved to a part of the country where our local Whole Foods is 30 minutes away, I happily discovered them at Costco (and stocked my freezer).

Give them a try and let me know if you agree.

One of My Favorite Kitchen Items: Cast Iron Cookware

First of all: why cast iron? Simple. It’s healthier than non-stick coated pans, incredibly sturdy and can be heated safely above 400F without unhealthy metals leaching into food.

It took me a while to come around to the idea of cast iron cookware, despite the health benefits. I imagined that everything would stick to it and that cleaning it would be impossible. But my brother told me how much he likes the old cast iron pan he bought at a yard sale, so I took the plunge.

The first cast iron piece I bought was a Lodge griddle. One side is smooth, perfect for pancakes, bacon, grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers and eggs. The other side is ridged, perfect for steaks and grilled vegetables. It was pre-seasoned (i.e., oiled) so I just needed to rinse it with hot water and dry it thoroughly before using it.

The first day, I cooked breakfast and lunch on it without any problem. If you are careful with the temperature and use a bit of olive or canola oil (or butter), you won’t have any meaningful sticking. Cleaning it is easy – I just use hot water and a strong scrub brush to remove the food, then wipe it dry with a paper towel and rub in a bit of olive oil to keep it seasoned. On my brother’s recommendation, I store my cast iron in my oven when not in use.

I love it so much that I also bought a Lodge skillet, which I now use almost every day. The neat thing about this pan is the way I can sear beef to seal in the juices, then put the whole thing in the oven to finish cooking.

Oh, and did I mention that beyond the health benefits and sturdiness of cast iron, these items are far cheaper than much of the other cookware out there?

Win, win, win!

Kids Meals without a Side of Plastic

I have almost completely eradicated plastic from my kitchen (except for a few sippies my kids just can't yet part with). Those of you who have small children know this is not easy to do since small children have a tendency to break things. So what do I serve my kids' meals on that won't break? Stainless Steel!

My little ones eat every meal on stainless steel army surplus mess trays - they won't break if dropped, won't trap bacteria, you can cut food up on them, you can put warm items on them without worry of melting plastic, they are dishwasher safe, and they have lots of compartments so I don't hear the "MOMMY! My peas are touching my pasta!!" (accompanied by the theatrical "slump over and die" mime). They take mealtime drinks out of stainless cups and eat with child-sized stainless flatware. On the go, they typically drink from stainless steel sippies and lunch/snack is packed in stainless containers.

Improving Our Food

I love to cook and I love talking about cooking.

I'll start by saying I am not a highly experienced cook. When I was working, I ate great lunches - none of which were prepared by me. But dinner? Before I was married, that was whatever I could scrounge after finally leaving the office. I made zero effort to cook for myself. It was a major challenge whenever I tried to impress a date with a home cooked meal! But once I married eight years ago, my husband and I really tried to eat dinner together each evening, and we made effort to incorporate fresh vegetables. My husband is a great cook. In fact, he had a job as a short order cook when he was in high school. So he can make a great burger, steak, sandwich, omelette and pancake. I had to ramp up my skills in the kitchen. I took out the cookbooks we received as wedding gifts and began to read, slowly expanding my repertoire.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I completely transformed my diet. I became far more conscious of eating all natural, if not organic, foods. I had known for some time about the concerns of plastic leaching chemicals into food, so was very careful not to buy hot foods in plastic containers on my lunch break and I never put plastic in the microwave. Over time, I became more and more careful. By the time my first child was born, I had become totally devoted to eradicating hormones, pesticides, chemicals and antibiotics from our food. I became determined to feed my baby only the healthiest foods. I was breastfeeding, so this meant that my diet became exceptionally good. This continued once my child began eating solid foods.

After my second child was born, I became even more focused on preparing delicious, all natural meals. I wanted to make dinner time one meal for which everyone wanted to be there - I think it's important, as a family, to eat together. And by this point, all of our meat and dairy was organic - most of our fruits and vegetables, too. Basically, I wanted anything that we ate or drank a lot of to be organic. Beyond that, I stayed away from the obvious dangers - high fructose corn syrup, anything that had highly scientific words in the ingredients, artificial colors or flavors, MSG. It was pretty simple.

I recently read a book that made a lot of sense to me and I highly recommend it - Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels.

In future postings, I'll share some of the recipes we enjoy most (none of which take very long) and I'll share a few tips that help me in the kitchen.

Tap Water

We read our city's water report, then had our tap water tested and determined it was safe to drink, though a bit hard. So we stopped buying bottled water and started drinking from the tap. To improve the taste, we filter the tap water with a Brita filter insert fitted to a glass pitcher (I've yet to find a glass Brita pitcher in the US).

I highly recommend doing this. Knowing your drinking water is safe from major contaminants gives tremendous peace of mind and allows you to eliminate bottled water, which can be expensive and carries its own health risks (chemicals leaching from the plastic containers).

We bought our kit from National Testing Laboratories.

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See more on this topic here.