It’s in the Baggie
Date: March 24, 2009 | Category: Food, Food & Drink, Kids, Kitchen
Trail mix, apple wedges, crackers, peanut butter and jelly… so many options for lunchtime snacks – that can subsequently add up to so many wasteful plastic ziplock bags! Each year Americans consume over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps (EPA), contributing to the toxic contamination of waterways and the death of thousands of animals that mistake the bag pieces for food. Teach your children (and your colleagues!) about how to save the sea turtles and other marine animals by choosing reusable snack baggies. (more…)
Seed to Sprout to Sapling
Date: February 5, 2009 | Category: Food, Kids
Oh how your garden grows! Not to mention your teeny tot. Mom’s famous three words, “eat your vegetables” now gets a necessary addition – “eat your organic vegetables. (more…)
Is Your Baby a (Organic) Gerber Baby?
Date: December 11, 2008 | Category: Food, Kids
Making your own locally sourced baby food is best, but let’s face it, it isn’t always possible! Did you know that Gerber makes organic baby food since 1997! Even if you were an early adopter (no pun intended), you might not have seen all of the latest offerings. The Gerber Organic 2nd Foods Dinners are complete meals in a cup, like the Chicken with Country Vegetables & Rice or the Vegetable, Turkey & Barley. (more…)
Everybody’s Talkin’ About Revolution
Date: November 13, 2008 | Category: Featured, Food, Kids
Times are a changin’ for sure…evidenced by munchies that are actually healthy for little snackers! We weren’t planning on writing about Revolution Foods revolutionary new offerings quite yet, but it doesn’t seem right that your children should have to wait.
My kids are so mad about R.F.’s Mashups that they even accepted them in place of lollipops on Halloween! But they are far from candy - Mashups are squeezable organic fruit-delivery devices. The combination of cool packaging, a fun name and pure fresh fruit has proven to be an irresistible combo. Unlike yogurt tubes, these sweet treats have no added sugars and no preservatives. (more…)
Puffet the Magic Dinner
Date: November 7, 2008 | Category: Food, Kids
The crazy schedule most families adhere to means it isn’t always possible to don an apron and prepare an organic, home-cooked meal, which is why we love finding healthy convenience foods that can be lifesavers for busy parents.
Puffets from Peas of Mind are one such item. Puffets are mini-casseroles designed to be eaten with little hands, by babies over 12 months old. Wholesome and organic but enough fun that a toddler would look forward to chowing one (or two), they come in a variety of flavors, like Nanna’s Banana Puffet, Eat Your Greens Puffet and Mamma’s Pasta Puffet. All of the flavors are organic, have no added sugars, artificial flavors or preservatives and all are free of genetically engineered ingredients. Several varieties are also non-dairy.
Peas of Mind products are available at grocery stores like Mollie Stone’s and Whole Foods Market, so you don’t have to live in a land called Honalee (or whatever) to buy some. To find a retailer near you, click here.
We Dig Organic Farming
Date: October 24, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Food, Food & Drink, Green Building, Lifestyle
While dirty fingernails may not be the hallmark of the ecofab lady at a cocktail fundraiser, there’s nothing like harvesting your own fruit and vegetables for a delicious home-cooked feast.
Our own Heather has been a member of Eatwell Farm since June, which delivers seasonal local produce right to her neighborhood. As a member of this Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, she also has the opportunity to indulge her inner earth child and participate in events like the Annual Tomato Party, where she can work in the fields alongside other members and farmers to turn sultry vine-ripened tomatoes into robust sauce and Bloody Marys!
With thousands of CSA’s sprouting up all over the country, members pledge to support their local operation, sharing the risks and benefits of production. It also provides a unique hands-on chance to learn about organic farming. For those who prefer to sponsor organic agriculture through consumption alone, Eatwell Farm charges around $125 per month for a weekly delivery of produce and a dozen eggs. To find a CSA in your area, check out Local Harvest or The Farm Locator. And, pssst, remember to clean your fingernails before your dinner guests arrive!
A Happy Birthday Wish
Date: October 22, 2008 | Category: Care, Featured, Food, Kids, Kitchen
It’s your little one’s birthday. You’ve sent out the recycled party invitations and iced the organic cake. But before you break into a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday,” you might want to make a wish before your child blows out the candles.
Those neon waxy sticks you find in supermarkets and party stores throughout the country typically contain a mixture of unlabeled ingredients that emit lead and cadmium when ignited. Why the cause for concern? Lead exposure in children has been linked to behavioral problems and lower intelligence, while cadmium is a suspected carcinogen. Definitely not the perfect gift.
Now you can breathe easy. Little Star Creative Parties offers Rainbow Beeswax candles, which are manufactured without heavy metals or carcinogenic compounds and are way cute to boot! A package of 24 retails for $2.75. You can even re-use the candles for future parties! Now that’s a cause for celebration!
Pizza Pizzazz
Date: October 22, 2008 | Category: Food, Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Tired of the same ol’ Friday night pizza? Full of Life’s new line of certified organic, locally sourced frozen Flatbread Pizza is putting a fresh spin on a family favorite.
Hand crafted in small batches by artisanal bakers, the majority of ingredients come from small independent farms located within a 400 mile radius of the Los Alamos, Calif. headquarters. The company only partners with farmers and chefs who are dedicated to earth-friendly, humane and sustainable practices. Free from artificial additives and preservatives, these naturally delicious pies are made from fresh, seasonal produce, so you can add a little spice to your cuisine routine.
Educating Generation Green
Date: October 22, 2008 | Category: Care, Events, Food, Food & Drink, Kids
While it’s great to buy organic produce at the local farmers’ market, how can we convey to our children that when it comes to going green we’re truly ready to walk the talk?
If you’re looking for a way to give your child a real life lesson on the importance of sustainable living, encourage his or her classroom to participate in National Green Week. With plans to mobilize one million children during the week of February 2-8, 2009, National Green Week will introduce simple, eco-friendly methods to help schools reduce their toxic waste and carbon overload. Students will also eat healthier, natural snacks and save money by buying in bulk and recycling.
Modeled on the Fisher Elementary Green School Experiment, which was conducted in a small, suburban school in Walpole, Massachusetts last June, the original event resulted in a 70 percent reduction in classroom trash and town-wide recycling programs. What’s more, it inspired lasting behavioral changes in students, families, faculty and personnel. (Check out the documentary on the National Green Week website.)
To register, simply have your school complete and submit the forms by November 15th so your kids can start teaching you the golden rules of green.
It’s Homemade, Baby!
Date: October 16, 2008 | Category: Care, Food, Food & Drink, Kids
Hand made baby food from organic fruits and vegetables is the best thing you can feed your baby… and likely the last thing you have time to prepare.
HomemadeBaby to the rescue. The company offers delicious fresh-from-the-farm organic baby food that will give your wee ones the best nutrition around and leave you more time to spend with them.
The foods, which come in “So Smooth,” “Good Mushy” and “Kinda Chunky” styles for babies at various stages, are 100 percent organic and produced by farmers who use as much as 50 percent less energy than commercial farmers. The company works with farms that emphasize renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.
HomemadeBaby is also kosher and gluten-free, and while we would prefer to see the food packaged in a glass jar, the number “5” plastic tub is theoretically recyclable. Baby steps.
