GFCF Snack Bars and Indoor Air May 15, 2008

Indoor air quality is a hot topic these days… it appears that the air we breath inside our home is 5 times dirtier than the air outside. Considering we cook, use chemical based cleaning products, burn petroleum based candles and furnish our homes with materials made with VOC’s, it’s no wonder we can’t breath clearly. There are things we can do to help. In addition to opening the windows frequently to circulate air, choosing low or no VOC paints (glues, flooring, etc…), using natural cleaning products and switching to soy based candles we can also introduce house plants to help clean up the air. This may be the easiest task of all.

Some plants are better for improving indoor air quality than others… and some are easier to keep alive, if you like me are not a green thumb.

Here is what we are considering adding to our home…

Gerbera Daisies- Great for air quality and easy to care for. Also one of my favorites. You just can’t go wrong with those cheery blooms!

Bamboo Palm- We are adding at least one, maybe two flanking the fireplace (close to the slider door for sunlight). I like how big and green they are. Wondering… will I have to dust the fronds?

Peace Lily- Up in the air on this one… I think this is what I have used in the past with the cute fishy vases. Not sure if we will get some or not.

English Ivy- I know these are really easy to take care of… but for some reason they remind me of Grandma’s house… Maybe one in the kitchen?

Mums- Another bright flower… but I’m thinking not really our style.

Chinese Evergreen- I Love, love, love this plant as well. (This one is suppose to do well in low light areas and have low water needs… sounds like the plant for me!)

Snake Plants- If I can get beyond the name… we might be able to get one of these as well. They are kind of neat looking.

Now that I have decided on what varieties to bring into our home, the next question is how many? According to the NASA study on indoor air quality in the 1980’s a home under 2000 sq ft should have no less than 15 house plants to help clean up the air. Yikes. Where am I going to put all those? They should also be relatively large plants… in containers of no less than six inches in diameter.

Now that we have cleaned up the air you breath… let’s put something tasty in the belly!!!

I must confess, I had a Food Network dream about these bars… it went something like this:

PolkaDotMommy (that’d be yours truly) sitting on the bleachers at a baseball game, wearing my Oregon Ducks hat, I am holding an open container of these tasty treats and my youngest is sitting next to me munching on them. A hand reaches over my shoulder as a voice says, “Those look tasty” and grabs one out of the container. I look back as Alton Brown bites into a snack bar. I replied, “They are gluten free, dairy free and can be vegan as well.” He scrunches up his face as if to say… ick, and then, the line, “and they are Good Eats”. Pathetic I know. Why oh why am I dreaming about Food Network? Oh… maybe because I’d love to see some featured shows on alternative cooking. The numbers of us cooking Gluten free, Dairy Free, Allergy Free is rapidly growing. Isn’t it time someone paid attention?

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Snack Bars (And they taste so darn good!)

Makes approx 24 bars

1/2 c. white rice flour

1/2 c. brown rice flour

1/4c. coconut flour

1/4c. tapioca starch

1c. crunchy cereal flakes (we use sweet buckwheat flake cereal) crushed

1/4c. Wholesome Sweetners Evaporated Cane Sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/4c. canola oil

1 egg or substitute

1 tsp. GF vanilla

1 organic pear peeled and grated

1 organic granny smith apple peeled and grated

1/2 c. organic dried cranberries

1/2c. enjoy life chocolate chips

1/4 c. almonds chopped or diced to your desired texture or sunflower seeds if you can’t do nuts

Oven on to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 insulated baking pan with parchment or wax paper, leave a “grip” edge over each end to lift out finished bars.

Combine all dry ingredients and cereal flakes in medium sized mixing bowl.

Add syrup, egg, oil and vanilla. Now add in grated fruit, cranberries, chocolate chips, nuts/seeds. Stir well.

Spread mixture into the pan and bake for 35 minutes, check to see if done by inserting a toothpick in the middle, it shouldn’t come out clean. Cool, lift out of pan by edges of paper and cut into bars using a pizza cutter.

We like to wrap these individually so they are ready for lunch boxes and afternoon snacks, then place them in a zippie bag or container with a lid and store in the refrigerator.

I will try to get some pictures of the next batch up here… the first batch didn’t last long enough to get the camera out!

Today’s Green Tip- It’s obvious…. Get some plants.

Who Are Your Bed Fellows? May 13, 2008

As if I don’t have enough obsessions, we can now officially add one more to the list… Dust Mites (Bed Bugs or whatever you want to call them). Ick. We have Oregon Dad and “Squeaky Green, The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home” to thank for this latest addition to my (already abundant) compulsions.

I was given this green manual for Mother’s Day. Hubby claims to have had a momentary twinge of conscious at gifting me with a cleaning book for Mums Day… I am sure it passed quickly I had pointed out the book on an outing one day… he remembered and got it for me. We must give credit where it’s due because I never want things…. which makes gift giving a bit difficult for him.

Back to mites. Just thinking about them gives me the heebies. I read the entire manual on Sunday. Hubby told me to pace myself. I advised that this is the kind of book one reads through, then returns to often for reference. So, no worries, it won’t be meeting the recycling bin anytime soon (or making its way to a new home).

Sections 1 and 2 grossed me out plenty… thinking about all the things my kids are crawling around with on the floor. Ew. Ew. Ew. The Skoy cloths in the kitchen went into the microwave for the second time today and the scrubby brush came out of the sink and went into a bowl of boiling water. It was section three (sleeping with the enemy) that threw me for a loop… dust mites, bed bugs and dead skin cells. All the icky things hanging out in your sheets, pillows, blankets, mattress and lurking in the dark corners under your bed.

It’s not like I have never heard of this stuff before. I’ve just never had it presented in this perspective before. Every morning I wake up stuffy nosed with itchy eyes and blame it on allergies. It probably is allergies… to DUST MITES. Gross. I don’t want to think about tiny bugs living in my pillows, mattress and covers. To top it off, this book goes one step further and explains how they feast on all the dead skin cells that lurk in your dust bunnies under the bed. Bleh.

Today’s mission is to clean out every unessential item lurking in my bedroom. Every little thing that is under the bed. I am getting rid of all the books I will never read again, old papers and magazines… whatever is hanging out under there collecting dust. I am vacuuming the heck out of every corner of the carpet (don’t even get me started on the carpet… I’ve been dieing to replace it with marmoleum or bamboo for months, must.save.the.green.first.) Before I can tackle all that vacuuming, I must get my machine up to par (since I cannot yet replace it with a Halo -kills everything with an ultraviolet light… yippee to no bugs???) So, that means taking the darn thing apart (outside to protect our indoor breathing air… don’t get me started on that!), replace the HEPA filter and use my blow dryer to clean out all the dust particles lurking inside. Luckily this isn’t a frequent requirement… since I have done it exactly, NEVER, its probably something I should tackle. Once the vacuum is clean, the nether regions known as under the bed are clear and every corner of my carpet is sucked clear of dust mites and all the things they feast on… then I must strip my bed, wash the linens and vacuum my mattress. Wondering if sticking the pillows in the dryer might be a good idea as well. I found these organic cotton dust mite pillow covers online… must order now. And a mattress cover as well… remember cost per use factors in and when you divide this price over its lifetime, it’s not too bad, especially when you can sleep free of thinking about little mites feasting on your skin and dancing in your hair. *shivers* So many things to do. Must make a list. I am such a type A… and I want to do everything right this instant. My list is in process. I am starting with my bedroom… then moving on to the kids rooms, one at a time. Then I will tackle the living room, kitchen and other living areas. As if I need more to do… now I am haunted every time I sit down or close my eyes by the thought of what is lurking in my home. Ew. And Geeze Oh Pete don’t use antibacterial cleaners… we don’t need to kill… we need to clean. Evidently OFTEN.

This really put a whole new perspective on things for me. I have been obsessed with getting the chemicals out of our house. And I have done good. *Pats self on back* We are switching to soy based candles with lead free wicks to clear the air, opening windows for frequent ventilation and adding house plants. I hadn’t even started to think about the need for clearing dust mites and itsy bitsy microbes that might be hanging out in the kitchen (okay, yes I have thought about it… but now I am going crazy thinking about it!) Oh… and as if I didn’t love this book, here is a reason to. Evidently the authors detest chlorine bleach as much as I. They talk about it several times (in an non-endearing way). Did you know, that for bleach to sanitize it must stay on the (pre-cleaned) surface for 30 minutes! What busy mom has time to clean the counter, spray it down and then not touch it or allow anything to touch it for 30 minutes! Then you gotta dry it completely or you’re asking to have bacteria start growing in the moisture.

Just get the book and clean your house. Then we can all be squeaky green and a bit healthier. (I just like the sound of that… say it with me, “squeaky green”… that’s the real reason I wanted the book.)

Today’s Green Tip- Change your air filters… it increases efficiency of your furnaces and improves indoor air quality.

In Search of…Safe Products for the Family and the Environment- A Mom’s Journey May 12, 2008

Today’s Guest Writer is Megan Torrini- Writer, Mother, Employee and Owner of The Earth Friendly Shoppe

In Search of… Safe Products for the Family and the Environment- A Mom’s Journey

By Megan Torrini

I have no time. Zero. Zilch. Na Da.

It is my own doing, I know. It is my choice to be employed outside the home (PT and telecommute), I write for a local online mom’s magazine and I also own an online business offering earth friendly products. Oh, and did I forget to mention- I have 2 kids under 3, a hubby and 2 Siberian Huskies who seem to purposely taunt me all day long- let me in, let me out, let me in, let me out and on and on it goes. Believe me, the dogs own me, it’s not the other way around. Have you ever heard the howling and the woo woo of a husky when they don’t get their way? Yeah, it was cute once, when they were puppies. For like a minute.

As if Moms don’t have enough going on in their lives, now we have to constantly struggle with educating ourselves to find products that are not only safe for our children, but safe for Mama Earth as well. And being easy on the bank account would be an awesome bonus as well

Wouldn’t it be nice to go into any store and know that any product you pick up is safe? The amount of time it takes to research, gain the knowledge and retain that knowledge is overwhelming. It is the equivalent to obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Safe Product Studies. Health issues such as toys with lead paint, pesticide residue in our food, toxic chemicals from our container are enough to make an already stressful moms’ head spin. Then you have the socially conscious aspect of it all- of course loving mothers (and fathers) see the need to buy fair trade items and support local merchants, it’s the right thing to do. But then you also have to provide for the family- and all of this stuff gets expensive.

I believe, if you have information that can help others, even save them a little time, then by all means, share it.

Greenwashing

Don’t always believe what you read. Greenwashing is a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. The term is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being green rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices.

Fair Trade
We hear a lot about “fair trade” and “fair trade organic” these days. But still, people aren’t quite sure what it is. Fair trade is an organized social movement that promotes the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods.

It’s simple. No one human becomes obscenely rich by making another human disgracefully poor.

Fair trade advocates create opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers- they generate payment of a fair price, enforce gender equality where men and women are properly valued and rewarded, implement safe and healthy working environments for producers, and are required to follow environmental protection guidelines.

Unfortunately, the benefits of fair trade are not reaching all fair trade farmers because of insufficient demand for their crops. Producers sell an average of 20% of their crop at fair trade terms; the rest goes through the world market at much lower prices. That is why we need to build a market for fair trade in the U.S.

For an item to be considered fair trade certified in the U.S., a certification system was designed to allow consumers to easily identify goods that meet those standards. Products that bear the “Fair Trade Certified” label, guarantee that every step of the product’s production has followed the international fair trade criteria.

Organic
According to US Government regulations, to be certified as organic, the product must be manufactured or produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, most pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, irradiation and gene modification. Foods labeled 100% organic must contain at least 95% organic materials and the remaining 5% of the ingredients must be on the approved list for use in organic food.

Bisphenol-A (BPA)

If you use plastic water bottles, plastic baby bottles, have dental sealants, consume canned soups, veggies, fruits, organic or not, you also may be swallowing residues of a controversial chemical called bisphenol A (BPA).

BPA was thrust into the spotlight by a laboratory mishap. In August 1998, geneticist Patricia Hunt, Ph.D., now at Washington State University in Pullman, noticed that chromosomal errors in the mouse cells she was studying had shot up—from 1 or 2 percent to 40 percent, as published in the April 2003 Current Biology. Hunt traced the effect to polycarbonate cages and water bottles that had been washed with a harsh detergent. When her team replaced all the caging materials with non-polycarbonate plastics, the cell division returned to normal.

Plastic bottles and containers that are used for packaging food should all be labeled with a recycle code. This is a number (between 1 and 7) that is surrounded by a small graphic of three arrows pointing at one another in a triangle. These numbers tell the recycle center what kind of plastic the container is made of and they also tell the consumer whether there is a known potential health hazard.

Bear in mind that simply because there is a known “potential” health hazard, it does not mean that you are going to be immediately ill if you find you have been using a product in that category. In fact, for some of the chemicals to leach out of these “dangerous” plastics, the container must have been heated with the food or liquid inside; sometimes the level of heat required is greater than the boiling point. However, we should all be aware of what we are using and what it may mean. Likewise, simply because there are no “known” health hazards does not mean that a plastic is always going to be completely safe under all conditions.

The point here is not to frighten, simply to remind us that when dealing with artificial chemical products we must always be open-minded and educated.

The following plastics have no known health hazards:

Code 1: Polyethylene Terephthalate, or PET / PETE

Code 2: High Density Polyethylene, or HDPE

Code 4: Low Density Polyethylene, or LDPE

Code 5: Polypropylene, or PP

The following plastics do have known potential health hazards:

Code 3: Polyvinyl Chloride, or PVC / Vinyl.

This material, used often in flooring and shower curtains, as well as household water pipes (primarily for evacuation only - they should never be used to bring fresh water into the home), used to be used in cling wraps. The plastics industry is adamant that the type of PVC currently used in cling wraps does not contain the phthalates that are known endocrine disrupters. However, these phthalates may still be present in PVC bottles and toys. There was recent information that many baby teethers were also made from PVC, due to its soft flexibility. PVC or vinyl items should never be given to a baby or child who may put them in his or her mouth.

Code 6: Polystyrene, or PS / Styrofoam.

As well as being another endocrine disrupter, styrene is also believed to be a carcinogen. This plastic is used to make some types of disposable forks, spoons and knives and also the “foam” cups such as those sold under the name Styrofoam. Hot liquid can cause the styrene to leach out of these products, as can fatty oils or alcohol.

Code 7: Other “resins” and Polycarbonate, or PC.

This one has been hotly contested by the plastics industry because of the high heat required for the endocrine disruptor, Bisphenol - A (BPA), to be released. However, BPA is a primary component of PC plastics and is a verifiably dangerous compound. PC is largely used for water bottles of the type used for delivery services (multi-gallon containers) that fit on the “water cooler” at home or office.

Many clear baby bottles are made of PC and there is much in the news about the controversy of these bottles not being labeled with any code so that consumers cannot tell what type of plastic is used. With baby bottles, this is a real concern, as many people boil the bottles with formula or milk inside them. PC is also used in food cans with a plastic lining. Whenever possible, it is recommended that these plastics not be exposed to high temperatures. The plastics industry insists that they are completely stable under most conditions but some studies suggest that leaching still occurs.

Now these are just a few bits of information I’ve compiled, but there is so much more. As busy as I am, I try my best to make healthy and socially conscious choices and that is all I can do. Even during the times that I cannot be as green as I want to be, I don’t stress about it. At the end of the day I am comforted in the fact that I did the best I could.

****Note- Bottles labeled with #7 are for other plastics which may contain BPA and other controversial chemicals. To be safe, use bottles that are BPA free or opt for stainless steel bottles, like the Klean Kanteen.

Today’s Green Tip- Educate yourself, a healthier (greener) home starts with education!

Too Cute For Words May 10, 2008

Our adorable new hair clips and button ponies arrived in the mail today from Oopsie Dazie, “Clips so cute you’ll buy outfits to match!”

I’m loving them… and as you can see, Little Critter enjoyed showing off one of her pretty new bows. The prices are really reasonable, the gator clips have a non-slip pad inside (big bonus with my little ones fine hair) the bows are made of quality materials and well crafted. For the older girls, I also ordered two large button ponies. They are adorable, well made and the kiddos can’t wait to wear them to school tomorrow. We will definitely be checking out more of these fun hair accessories.

Today’s Green Tip- Support small business. It feels good and you end up with some top notch stuff!

Please Buy Dutch Brothers Coffee Today May 9, 2008

Today and today only, May 9th. Dutch Brothers will donate a portion of their proceeds to the MDA/ALS Association. If you can’t visit Dutch Bros today, please visit www.danesdrive.org and make an online donation for this very worthy cause.

My Mother, Cheryl will be 51 years old next month and was diagnosed in September 2006. That day, she could still do everything we take for granted. Today, she is in a wheelchair full time, cannot walk, talk, eat or even use her arms.

Mom and The Girls Christmas 2006

Mom and The Girls Christmas 2007 (We almost forgot to get this picture until we had already started to change into jammies and everyone was getting tired! At least we got it!)

Target Bags May 9, 2008

For every little bit that I detest Wal-mart, I love Target just as much. The last several times I have visited my eyes have been attracted to the reusable tote bag that had the Target Bullseye all over it. Believe it or not… I probably glanced at the bag 2 or 3 times before I actually realized it was made from recycled Target shopping bags. Ahem. We’ll say it’s because the kids are always distracting me or Oregon Dad is rushing me along.

Yesterday I was at Target without Oregon Dad so I bought one! Hehehe. Actually, I went to Target with the intention of purchasing one… I have a plan for it. The display had the bags and Newsweek magazines. Evidently… if you purchase a $5 Newsweek, remove the cover, use it as an envelope to mail in your target plastic baggies… you will receive a voucher for a FREE recycle tote. Now… I was buying the bag anyway… but I went ahead and got the magazine as well.

Now, here’s the good part. I made it to the register with just a few purchases. (This is quite amazing for me in Target.) In addition to the lovely recycled tote I also had the prescription I picked up for TeenGirl (my primary reason for the stop today), two $4 t-shirts, a package of recycled printer paper and the magazine. I was busy talking to Little Kritter in the cart (who was bouncing her Klean Kanteen and stuffed jelly fish around), when I turned back around the cashier was stuffing my recycled tote bag into a plastic bag!!!! OMG! I almost laughed. Seriously. I decided to let it slide just this once… after all… if I didn’t get the plastic baggies what would I send in to get my voucher for another tote? I just spent $5 on the darn magazine!!! I really hope that the very young cashiers learn that these tote bags are for the purpose of putting your purchases in!

That reminds me of my stop at Fred Meyer the other night… I didn’t have my totes with me and was picking up some terra cotta pots and flowers for the kids Mothers Day projects for the Grandmas and Ballet Teachers. I had a several little items… the cashier gave me a funny look when I asked her not to bag them… just stick the stuff in the little pots. She said, “well do you want boxes for the plants?” I replied, “No Thanks”.

It is a whole new mindset and it will take people a while to learn… we really don’t need all these baggies! Afterall… what are we going to do with them! My next mission is to convince hubby that we should get some of those super sized totes at Costco and leave the cardboard boxes there. He likes to bring home the boxes because we use them to store our over abundance of recycling… so that one might not change.

Today’s Green Tip- Get yourself some tote bags. Nearly every store has them now. If you want something really fun to carry with you at the mall and for daily errands, check out these Terra-Totes.

Fun Things in the Mail and Visiting the Dentist May 7, 2008

Upon checking the mail yesterday afternoon, I was THRILLED (yes it deserves a yell) to find a recycled box from The Earth Friendly Shoppe. We rushed into the house, after battling the kids for rights to carry and open the box (I wasn’t giving this one up!). Inside we found Little Critter’s 12oz Klean Kanteen with a sippy adapter, some fabulous Fair Trade Tea, Handmade Shea Butter Soap and Skoy Cloths.

Needless to say, the Klean Kanteen was a super hit. I will be ordering more soon for the other kids! During the morning, the kiddos watched Growing up Wolf on Animal Planet before heading off to school… so Little Critter was a baby wolf all day and her new Klean Kanteen was her “baby wolf bottle”. Heh. (oh, and the new, super short haircut seen here? That’s courtesy of yours truly. I just couldn’t stand the baby fine fly away any longer!)

My fabulous new friend Meg (owner and brains behind The Earth Friendly Shoppe) also sent a large Klean Kanteen for me to try out. It holds 27 oz of fabulous, cold water. I must say… there is nothing like filling that bad boy up with filtered water from our well last night… sticking it in the fridge and enjoying ice cold refreshing water this morning! Yummy. Get yourself one NOW. (No special care required… clean it with water and dish soap… rinse well and you are good to go!) I must admit, the thought has struck my brain that this might prove to be a great container for some cranberry vodka on the occasional adult outing on which such a beverage might be required.

(The Beads are not included, but you can get yourself some over at www.greenbeads.org)

After we were done unpacking, washing, filling and posing for photo ops with our new fabulous Klean Kanteens, we headed off for the dentist. All three girls had check-ups today. Woot!

K3 lost her two bottom front teeth today. The adult teeth were already growing in behind them, so for a while she has had four front teeth. It took the dentist about two seconds to pull them out. K3 was excited for a visit from the ToothFairy. She found two dollars and a pair of sparkly pink crystal stud earrings in the glass this morning. On another note, K2 who isn’t quite 8 yet needs to visit the Orthodontist. I thought I had a few more years. Yikes. All three girls still have cavity free mouths. Is that because of our superior oral hygiene, natural toothpaste… or simply genetics? I’m going with genetics here… we are talking about kids after all!

Today’s Green Tip- Get yourself a Klean Kanteen and filter your own water. It tastes great and saves plastic bottles and water! (It can take 3 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of bottled water!)

More Good Eats Found! May 5, 2008

We are continually on the search for tasty, healthy and *hopefully* organic foods that are also gluten and dairy free. This is no easy task. It is made a bit harder being that the foods must be palatable to not only the adults in our household, but also to TeenGirl, two 7 year olds, a 6 and 3 year old (and occasionally the cat who steals a nibble or two.)

On our weekly Costco trip, we found a delightful new treat. Emerald Valley Kitchen ORGANIC Salsa and Bean Dip. Yummy. Both products are labeled GLUTEN FREE right on the back label, they are also fat free and have no cholesterol. Better yet, Emerald Valley Kitchen is based right here in Eugene, Oregon. How’s that for local sustainability? K3 and I enjoyed these two toppings on some crunchy corn flats for lunch and they get TWO THUMBS UP. (They came as a package deal, 30 oz of salsa and 16 oz of bean dip for $5.89.) Corn flats (both crunchy and tortilla style, are inexpensive and gluten free!, Costco carries a pack of 80 tortilla style for under $3.00. I found a 14 oz package (about 24) of crunchy flats at the local market for under $2.00. Be sure to read the labels, most I have found do not contain any gluten… but they aren’t labeled GF usually (except Mission brand… they do label the packages, but are more expensive).

For Dinner last night, I needed something quick and easy before the kids headed to Awana. I used corn tortilla’s and Tofutti cheese slices to make quesadillas. For a side, I grilled asparagus and baby carrots with Earth Balance margarine and black pepper, we finished it off with apple slices. ( I can’t wait for our tree to produce fruit! The blossoms are abundant this year!) It was a hit with the kids… the veggies were lightly grilled, but still finger food quality, so that’s always a winner.

On the way home from Awana, 3 year old Little Critter filled me in on what she learned… “Jesus, he died on the cross, but he’s alive now.” It amazes me that a child this young can retain that… I cannot say how many times we have talked about this at home and last night she got it. It was very cute and touching.

Today’s Green Tip- Buy in bulk when you can. This can save as much as 10% in packaging. LIttle things add up.

Responding to Angry Comments May 4, 2008

While out and about with my green kids and green Hubby yesterday, my Blackberry notified me of a comment pending moderation on my “Making Earth Friendly Cleaning Choices” post. Here is the comment in its entirety. If this individual has a blog, they didn’t provide the link, merely an email address of “Wacky_Redhead”… uh-huh.

“Please explain to me how you’re against animal testing, yet in your next blog article you talk about eating chicken. Ummm…having a bit of a mental disconnect here???? You can’t be an environmentalist and be a meat eater. Switching to a vegetarian diet will be a heck of a lot more helpful for the environment than any choice you may make regarding your laundry detergent.”

At first I was SHOCKED. This was my first angry comment. I am a MODERATE… therefore, I don’t usually invoke anger in my readers (and since there are hundreds of you each week… I must be doing SOMETHING right.) Oregon Dad recommended that I simply delete the offending comment and go on with life. His reasoning is that by responding I may be providing a breeding ground for extremist mentality. My take is that I must respond to this completely ASININE comment. It must be made palatable and digested.

The first issue is that I have NEVER claimed to be an ENVIRONMENTALIST. I am socially concious and globally responsible. If that makes me an environmentalist, so be it. However, perhaps the very word choice of added “mentalist” to environ produces the image of extremists. Of those who will chain their bodies to trees and march with PETA and eat only a completely vegan diet. Those who think their way is the only way… it is an ALL OR NOTHING mentality. Frankly, anything is better than nothing… and many people cannot or will not choose to be vegetarian or vegan. Anger spewing naysayers certainly aren’t going to convince the world to listen and do. I am proud to be doing my part in making my home and my family healthier and better educated, I am proud to be sharing simple things that anyone can do to help make an impact, I am proud to have hundreds of people who read my blog every week and hopefully will give a few of these simple changes a go. If that’s not ENVIRON-FRIENDLY, ENVIRON-CONSCIOUS, ENVIRON-RESPONSIBLE… I don’t know what it is.

The second issue is the reference to eating chicken in my next post.  Obviously, this person didn’t read that entire post, or they would have seen the part where I encouraged peeps to reduce their meat consumption and choose organic meats.  Or the part where I stated that TeenGirl is vegetarian and how I used to be before my devoted omnivore of a husband arrived in my life… and how I wrote about using only 2-3 pieces of chicken for a family of 7 in an entire meal.  The average American consumes 8 oz of meat each day… by that standard, our family should consume about 3.5 lbs of meat every.single.day.  We use about 1lb of meat each day and its usually organic.  I recognize that some people chose vegetarian diets and others chose diets containing meat and neither one negates the ability to be an Earth Friendly person.

Now lets take a look at animal testing = consummation of meat.  This statement is so asinine it really doesn’t need much reflection.  There is a HUGE difference between consuming small amounts of organic poultry and the evil that is animal testing.  Causing an animal to suffer so we know if our products are eye or skin irritant is NOT OKAY.

Without a doubt, eating meat uses a lot of resources.  Production uses large amounts of energy, pollutes water and requires increasing amounts of grains.  Purchasing organic meat can help, as can cutting your meat consumption by at least 20% (as I stated in my previous post).   If every American became Vegetarian, that would without a doubt make a big impact on the environment.  However, then we’d have to address other issues… such as those posed by the decreasing number of hunters (I vehemently oppose hunting from a personal stand-point, but I do not, will not attempt to force that belief on others.  I respect differences and I can also accept that without hunting, we could have a break in our food chain.)

This comment has also caused me to ponder once again, the same issues I have many times in the past.  How would I feed my children on a vegetarian diet?  I have kids with so many allergies, they cannot have most grains, no form of dairy (which also rules out most soy) and are even unable to eat some fresh foods.  Sure, they can get protein from peanut butter and refried beans… but that’s not a sufficient diet for a 3 year old and 6 year old.  When I ate NO meat (and even now that I eat a little bit of poultry and fish) I use a lot of beans and rice in my diet, however, my young kids do not find a bowl of brown rice and kidney beans to be appetizing.  Furthermore, choosing to be a vegetarian or vegan is purely a personal choice. It is not one that I can make for my family members.  Oregon Dad must have meat with every meal… so if I chop up a couple pieces of chicken and add it to a pasta, casserole or soup, he is happy and we are still using much less meat than many families.

It goes without doubt that making educated choices in everything we do can go a long way toward helping the environment. That includes which detergents we purchase, how we recycle, the vehicles we drive (or don’t drive), the way we educate others, etc… Those of you who have read my blog for some time, or know me on a more personal level, know that my family is relatively extreme in our Eco-Mindedness compared to the average American.  Our home is chemical free… our food is natural and organic when possible… we recycle the heck out of everything… we drive a Prius and carpool whenever possible… we are constantly looking for things we can change.  For every small change adds up to something big.  I am raising FIVE children with this same socially conscious, globally responsible mentality… they will go on to produce 10, maybe 15 children of their own who they will raise this way.  Our lifestyle will continue to multiply and grow and IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT.

I am not an extremist… and that’s why people listen to what I have to say.  There is no judgment here.

Todays Green Tip- Do your part.  However small, find things that you can do in your own life.  Maybe its changing the way you recycle,  starting to carpool twice a week,  choosing environmentally friendly cleaning and personal care products, buying foods that are natural and/or organic.  Baby steps add up.

First Attempt at GFCF Fried Rice May 2, 2008

It is always a good day when I can think up something for dinner that the entire family can enjoy without modification. Last night I decided to make homemade fried rice. Everyone loved it and Oregon Dad took the leftovers in his lunch today.

Here’s how I did it-

Prepare 4 cups white rice (4 c. rice/6 c. water into the rice cooker for about 25 minutes).

Brown 6 (about 1/2 lb) pieces of boneless, skinless chicken (we used thighs, if using breasts use 2-3 pieces, depending on weight) Then cut into small pieces and continue cooking until done.

Slice up some organic carrots and lightly saute (we like to keep the crunch)

Slice up 10-12 button mushrooms (or use one whole can sliced mushrooms)

In a wok, scramble 4 whole eggs, add rice before eggs are done. Mix well! Add 6 T. Tamari wheat free soy sauce, 4 T organic honey, 2 tsp ground ginger, 3 tsp garlic salt… mix well. Add carrots and mushrooms… mix well and continue to heat through. At this point, I removed a portion for TeenGirl as she has decided to be vegetarian (I was also for many years… before Oregon Dad the Omnivore). Then I added the diced, cooked chicken, combined and served it up.

Yummy.

We will be making this again… I usually wing my cooking… I am of the mentality that I add stuff, taste, add more, etc… So it would be VERY hard for me to ever make a cookbook.

Many people would enjoy this with white and green onions and peas as well. Our philosophy is to keep things kid friendly. (And there is the little fact that I never outgrew all those “ick I don’t like this” things from childhood… I still don’t put condiments on sandwiches).

Todays Green Tip- Scale back your meat consumption… if you are a committed OMNIVORE like Oregon Dad, cut back your intake by 20%. If America cuts our meat consumption by 20% overall, that would be the environmental equivalent of every car in the U.S. becoming a Toyota Prius. Now that’s something to chew on. How we do it? For a family of 7, I use only 2-3 chicken breasts in meals instead of one per person. This is also great for the pocketbook. Also, when you do buy meat… go for the organic stuff. Yes its more expensive, but it is truly better for you and the environment. If you are decreasing your meat consumption… you might not feel the price difference!