Switching over to wordpress...

you can now find me at http://conservegivelove.wordpress.com.
Hope to see you there!!

Drink Green

Sara at Happy Foody turned me on to the idea of Green Smoothies. I had previously read this article at Vegetarian baby and child, but hadn't implemented the idea of drinking your greens.  It's actually very easy and quite tasty. Elena (my 18 mo. old) eats a green smoothie every day for lunch. I'm so excited to have found a way to get some greens *RAW GREENS!* into my little girl, as she is too young to be able to chew them. Here are just a few reasons to drink green smoothies:

• Green smoothies are very nutritious. 
• With a ratio of about 60% - ripe organic fruit mixed with about 40% - organic green vegetables, they taste like sweet fruit, but also have all the nutrition of dark green veggies.
• Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in these fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate these nutrients.
• Green smoothies, as opposed to juices, are a complete food because they still have fiber. 
• By consuming two or three cups of green smoothies daily you will consume enough of greens for the day to nourish your body, and they will be well assimilated.
• Green smoothies are easy to make, and quick to clean up after. 
• Green smoothies are perfect food for children of all ages, including babies of six or more months old when introducing new food to them after mother’s milk. Of course you have to be careful and slowly increase the amount of smoothies to avoid food allergies. 
• When you consume your greens in the form of green smoothies, you can greatly reduce the consumption of oils and salt in your diet because you are essentially having a salad without the dressing. 
• Regular consumption of green smoothies forms a good habit of eating greens and helps curb cravings for sweets. 

This video from "green smoothie girl" helps to explain how to make them. You can find some recipes here.  So, drink up!  The health benefits are amazing.

photo courtesy of Jemnifur on flickr

mmm... Salad

I've rather recently become literally addicted to salads.  I eat one every day for lunch and have for months.  Believe it or not, I look forward to it every day.  It's incredibly good for you - everybody knows that, right?  It leaves me feeling full, yet light.  That is not the case with just about any other meal I eat.  Anyhow I thought I'd share the love and my current favorite salad combination: Thai Style

- any baby green (spinach, herb mix, romaine - anything)

- organic thompson raisins - for sweetness (and they're a good source of iron)

- raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews - all of these are good)

- chopped carrots

- raw broccoli

- chopped avocado

- celery

- About a teaspoon of Trader Joe's spicy peanut dressing (Although I would like to start making my own.  It would be easy, since I eat it every day.  Plus I just read the label the other day and sugar is the second ingredient listed - so unnecessary)

Delicious, delicious I tell you.  You should try it.  Yum yum.

The Magic Sippy Cup

After months of having issues trying to get our daughter to drink from a sippy cup, we finally found one that is PERFECT, so I just had to pass along the recommendation.  First, we bought a Born Free sippy and immediately returned it.  They aren't kidding when they say this sippy allows for free-flowing liquid!  we might as well have given her a regular cup and let her dump it all over herself.  So, that didn't work out.  I still wanted to get her a safer, BPA-free sippy, but the only other one I knew of was Kleen Kanteen.  My issue with Kleen Kanteen is that it doesn't even look like a sippy cup.  It's a water bottle for older children that you can use an Avent sippy lid with.  I didn't think she'd be able to hold it at one year old and I was probably right.  So, I broke down and got her two Avent sippy cups.  She never really took to drinking from them. I don't blame her. The valve on those cups ends up putting a lot of air into whatever you're drinking and consequently would make her gassy sometimes. I also had issues with the cups leaking from the lid while she was drinking.  I don't have any of those issues with the new cup. So, in case you're wondering by now, it's the Foogo sippy cup made by Thermos.
Here's a list of it's benefits:

• Spill-proof valve prevents messes and is easy-to-clean
• Soft spout is easy and comfortable to sip (I was told the spout is made of silicone)
  
• Kid-proof design - unbreakable stainless steel interior and exterior withstands daily wear and tear
  
• Dishwasher safe
• Exterior stays condensation free
  
• Non-slip, scratch resistant base
  
• Keeps beverages cold for up to 6 hours - for cold contents only
  
• BPA-Free!

For those of you in the Bellingham area, i purchased the cup at Portable Kid (on Chestnut, downtown).  I think it was $14.99.

Things I Hadn't Thought Of...

Here are some random tips for helping the planet that I read today that I hadn't really thought about before:

FLY WITH AN E-TICKET
The cost of processing a paper ticket is approximately $10, while processing an e-ticket costs only $1. In the near future, e-tickets will be the only option, saving the airline industry $3 billion a year. In addition to financial savings, the sheer amount of paper eliminated by this process is commendable.

STOP YOUR ANSWERING MACHINE
Answering machines use energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And when they break, they're just one more thing that goes into the landfill. If all answering machines in U.S. homes were eventually replaced by voice mail services, the annual energy savings would total nearly two billion kilowatt-hours.

USE COTTON SWABS WITH A PAPERBOARD SPINDLE
Some brands of cotton swabs have a paperboard spindle while others are made of plastic. If 10% of U.S. households switched to a paperboard spindle, the petroleum energy saved per year would be equivalent to over 150,000 gallons of gasoline.

LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING—ONLINE
Consider if you really need a paper phone book. If not, call to stop phone book delivery and use an online directory instead. Some estimate that telephone books make up almost ten percent of waste at dump sites. And if you still receive the book, don't forget to recycle your old volumes.

CHOOSE GLASS BOTTLES OVER ALUMINUM CANS
The energy required to produce a single 12 oz. aluminum can from virgin ore is enough to produce nearly two new 12 oz. glass bottles. So the next time you buy a six-pack of beer, opt for glass bottles over aluminum cans. The manufacturing energy conserved could power your television through two Sunday NFL games.

USE YOUR CRUISE CONTROL
You paid for those extra buttons in your car, so put them to work! When using cruise control your vehicle could get up to 15% better mileage. Considering today's gasoline prices, this is a boon not only for the environment but your budget as well.

CHOOSE MATCHES OVER LIGHTERS
Most lighters are made out of plastic and filled with butane fuel, both petroleum products. Since most lighters are considered "disposable," over 1.5 billion end up in landfills each year. When choosing matches, pick cardboard over wood. Wood matches come from trees, whereas most cardboard matches are made from recycled paper.

USE A COTTON SHOWER CURTAIN RATHER THAN A PLASTIC (PVC) ONE
Avoiding plastic is always better for the planet. And PVC is used in the manufacturing process of plastic shower curtains, which is a known carcinogen that’s been linked to increased risks of brain tumors, cancer in the spinal cord and, most traumatic of all, erectile dysfunction. :) The Cotton Curtain may drip a little, but it won't be prone to mildew like the plastic one. A waffle fabric will be more absorbent.

God's Ideal...

They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
Isaiah 2:4

Pinch Pennies and Spare the Planet

Sometimes, thinking about all the things I need to change makes me nervous about it costing money.  Most of the time, though, you can save money and spare the environment at the same time.  Recent marketing of "green products" may make that not seem true, but it is.  In light of that, I would like to list some ways that you can make changes that will save you money.

• Halve it.  You'd be surprised how many things we can "halve" in our daily lives.  Just about everything from the dishsoap you use to the salad dressing on your lunch can be cut in half (either by diluting or just using less.)  examples: laundry detergent, shampoo, the amount of coffee you drink, the amount of time you spend in the shower, the amount of trips you take in the car.  A great post about doing so can be found here.
  
• Think Natural=Think Cheap.  Vinegar and baking soda, baby.  there is no toilet cleaner cheaper than baking soda.  No Window cleaner cheaper than half vinegar/half water.  (don't forget about baking soda as deodorant.  If you think I'm crazy, just try it.  I swear it works.)
  
• Share, Contemplate Purchases and Practice Delayed Gratification.  If you don't need something immediately, try waiting before you buy it.  You may find in the process that you didn't really need/want it as much as you thought.  Maybe you'll find that you have something else that works or be able to borrow from someone.  Also, garage sale season is about to start, so grab a friend and see if you find what you need there or at a thrift store.
  
• Choose Cloth and Think Reusable. Cloth rags, cloth diapers, cloth napkins - can be washed and reused and save you from spending money on disposables.  Most stores will give you at least a 5 cent discount for bringing your own bags (i know, but i said pinch pennies).  Most coffee shops will give you 10-15 cents off of your drink for bringing your own mug.  Use a french press or metal coffee filter and save from buying paper coffee filters.  Use a microfiber mop or broom instead of a swiffer.
  
• Drink Water. That is, tap water in a reusable bottle and save on packaged sodas, juices and the like.
  
• Alter your eating and shopping a bit- think bulk bins, cooking with whole foods, eating what's in season in your area, eating your leftovers and paying attention so that things don't go bad in the fridge and go to waste.
  
• Conserve.  Unplug things, turn them off, turn the thermostat down (or up, depending on the season) use your legs or public transportation.  
  
• Make your own.
  

See, sparing the environment should SAVE you money, not cost you money. Beware of all the hype.