Wordless Wednesday – Preparing for a Bounty
01 Jun 2011 1 Comment
in Cooking, Healthy Living, Homeschooling Tags: gardening, Wordless Wednesday
For more Wordless Wednesday photos, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.
Choosing Better Products
23 May 2011 2 Comments
in Cooking, Family Living, Healthy Living, Lovely Links Tags: choices, health, homemade
I would love to buy the healthiest of products 100% of the time. However, like most people, I don’t have unlimited dollars at my disposal. Because of that, I prioritize my spending based on a few basic criteria.
A) Consumed items are the highest on the list. This includes the food we eat and the beverages we consume. The goal is raw food… foods in their basic (intended) form that are then combined with other foods and flavours from other raw foods to create something wonderful and new.
B) Next are items that aren’t consumed but can very easily make their way into our blood streams. We spend a bit more to buy toothpaste, dish soap, shampoo, dishwasher detergent, laundry soap, lotions, etc. that subject us to minimal SLS, Fluoride, Parabens, Scent, Colour, various random chemicals and (gasp!) SPF. (Yes, that last one is worthy of a post all its own.)
For a couple years now, I’ve used the Skin Deep site (from the Environmental Working Group) as a great resource. You can search on the harmfulness of your own beauty products, but here is a list of things to avoid, by category. With over 65,000 products in its database, you can check out a product’s Overall Score (rated 0-10, lower is better) and read what kind of health concern is associated with it. As an example, I just checked out the lip balm I use. It get’s an overall score of 2 (that’s a green light) and health concen “low”. Pretty good. (Whew! Because I really like that stuff.)
C) Everything else.
Although the highest priority is given to the food we eat, we simply cannot afford to purchase only 100% organic, free range, home grown, pesticide free, local foods. I’d like to, but I can’t.
That’s why I find this list helpful. This is based on American products, however I can’t help but think it’s a good place to start for those of us on this side of the border as well. The US Environmental Working Group has tested produce and discovered that these products have the highest pesticide levels. I’m not sure if it’s driven by the amount of pesticides/fungusides used on those crops, or if some of the product skins are more permeable than others. Probably both, since none of these products are peeled to be eaten. Either way, here they are;
The Dirty Dozen:
- Celery
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Blueberries (American)
- Nectarines
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Spinach
- Cherries
- Kale/ Collard Greens
- Potatoes
- Grapes (not North American)
It would be great to have the latest figures for Canada, and for meat in particular. I must get on that. In the meantime, as we get ready to plant our garden (this week!), we will include as many of these as I can manage, that are already consumed regularly by our family. And I’ve wanted a pair of apple trees for what seems like forever. Maybe this will be the year to actually get around to planting them. (I’ll try not to think too much about how, if my procrastinator-self had planted them when we moved into this house, we’d already be enjoying their deliciousness.)
I recently came across another great resource for those of us wishing to make better decisions about the products we use. The GoodGuide site covers more than just food and cosmetics, and rates items on the basis of health, environmental and societal factors. They look at a company’s business ethics, philanthropy, and working conditions. They go as far as looking at the global supply chain as part of their analysis to understand their resource management and environmental impact and give an overview of products. I have only compared the two sites on a couple of products and their opinion of those products ranked in relative proximity to one another.
Since I am someone who tends to challenge the status quo, I don’t really take anyone’s word for anything without doing a little figuring out on my own. I am all about informed choice. That’s why I’m thrilled to see these two sites available for people to review the information and form their own opinions. It’s empowering to make good choices! A good choice isn’t made on the basis of what people tell you to do. It’s made by fact finding, soul searching and in some cases, a leap of faith.
And remember, we vote with our dollars.
We do. Where we spend our money makes a statement, like it or not. We are called to be good stewards. The cumulative impact of dollars going toward ethical and healthy products will ultimately benefit that company and allow them to do even more good, while at the same time taking dollars from companies that continually produce unhealthy foods and beverages for us to consume. That’s stewardship.
What would the EWG and GoodGuide say about the products in your home? How is the ‘food department?’ The beauty department? The cleaning department? It’s not hard to change things up in favour of healthier options that are still affordable.
Baby steps will get you there and you will feel and live better for it!
Caesar Salad Dressing
08 Mar 2011 2 Comments
in Budgeting, Cooking, Healthy Living
Over the years I’ve tried many different Caesar Salad Dressing recipes, but they are either too spicy for the kids, or too raw-eggy for mom’s nerves, or too… I don’t know, not good enough. I clipped this recipe out of a magazine when I was first married, and it’s been taped to a recipe card ever since. I can’t give proper credit, because, let’s face it, 13 years ago I had no idea I’d be sharing it here, and I trimmed off all the details.
This recipe is our favourite because it’s fairly quick to make, doesn’t use raw eggs, and doesn’t really require anchovies if you’re having a hard time finding anchovy paste in your small town grocery store, or if you’re trying to keep your meal inexpensive. I mostly make it without.
It’s best if you make it at least an hour before serving, but I’ve done it 5 minutes before and it was still tasty.
I don’t measure for this recipe anymore, I usually make a double batch, toss things in and adjust it to taste by adding salt and more Worcestershire, but the quantities on the original recipe are as follows:
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp anchovy paste or 2 anchovy fillets, minced (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
In a glass dish or Pyrex measuring cup, whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice and vinegar for 30 seconds or until it starts to foam around the edges. Whisk again. Microwave for another 10 seconds or until the edge foams.
In a food processor, blend yolk mixture, garlic, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Blend until smooth. If you’re like me and prefer the clean-up of an immersion blender, just add the ingredients in a wide mouth mason jar instead and blend. With machine running, gradually pour in olive oil. Mix in parmesan cheese. If the dressing is too thick, thin with a little water.
Serve with crisp romaine, croutons and bacon bits.
Here are a couple frugal time-saving tips for you:
CROUTONS: Store bought croutons have to be one of the highest revenue generators for manufacturers because they are SO cheap and easy to make (hello? stale bread anyone?) and they charge $1.99 to $2.99 for a small bag. When you think about it, one package is the equivalent of 3 or 4 slices of bread. At that rate, that’s like a $12 loaf of bread! And it’s stale people!
Instead, I use the 2-3 day old ends of my bread loaves, cut them into cubes, drizzle a little olive oil, garlic powder and parsley and/or oregano on them, toss them together and bake a few minutes in the oven, until golden. Easy and cheap, especially if it’s coming off my homemade bread which costs me about 70 cents a loaf, plus electricity for the oven. Though I don’t always get them in time, my family likes them best when I take them out in time for crispy outsides and chewy insides. Mmm…
BACON BITS: I never, ever, ever buy bacon unless it’s on sale. Regular price for some brands is $5.49/lb and I mean, really… it’s just not necessary to spend that much. Instead, I wait until it goes on sale for $1.99/ lb and then I buy about 12 pounds of it, which lasts us about 8 or 9 months. It freezes beautifully because of how it’s packaged, so there’s really no need to ever pay full price. We rarely use bacon to eat on its own – it’s mostly used as an ingredient in recipes. So, even though I only need a few slices off a pound, I always cook the full pound, or sometimes many. It means just one greasy pan to wash, but lots of cooked bacon as a result. I drain and cool it, chop it and put it in little containers (or mini-baggies) in the freezer. When I start washing the lettuce, I take them out of the freezer. When I’m adding the dressing, I throw them in the bowl and the tiny pieces are thawed by the time the bowl makes it to the table moments later. Easy peasy.
LETTUCE: It is surely the easiest thing to grow on your own. Try it this season and see how it goes! We eat use it pretty much every day in season – on wraps or sandwiches, in a salad, for “tuna boat” lunches. We run out to the garden, pluck off what we need and enjoy it moments later. It doesn’t get better than that. I’m not a great gardener, but lettuce is something that even I can manage. It’s hard to keep up with the speed at which it grows though, (and you need to get it before it becomes too tall and bitter) so don’t plant too many. To keep it simple, you could even plant it in a planter on your deck! (I think I may try this with my tomatoes this year to make sure they get as much sun as possible). It’s never-ending lettuce for pennies. Easy, cheap and healthy. It doesn’t get better than that.
Enjoy!
This post has been linked to Tasty Tuesday over at Beauty and Bedlam. Jen’s post today makes me laugh… all about following recipes, or not. I’d have to say I use them as a guide, as I like to adjust for our desired healthiness, our tastes and our budget. And no, I wouldn’t mind at all if you didn’t post the exact quantities. Half the fun of cooking is the figuring out… :)
Informed Choice & A Much Loved Book
04 Mar 2011 2 Comments
in Healthy Living, Things I Like Tags: books, health
Back in 1999 when I was pregnant with Gabriel, I received a gift from my Aunt. It was a book. It looked very good to me at the time, but I really had no idea 11 years later that I’d still love that book so much.
Over the years, I’ve repeatedly given it as a baby shower gift. Despite the title, the book is really great for anyone, but I found the content especially valuable as a new mother. Over the years, I’ve even taken it with me on road trips, along with my little arsenal of homeopathic remedies.
Oh yes, yes I have.
The main benefit of this book is that it lists conditions and ailments in alphabetical order, describes them in detail and then proceeds to give you multiple approaches to treatment. I think this is key because it allows people to read about the various approaches and then choose what is best for them. It allows people to make an informed choice.
In each section, there is an explanation of the symptoms, an indication of other similar infections (and how to compare them), as well as a section in the margin called “When to Call the Doctor.” Then it proceeds to outline the approaches to treatment, and also key recommendations for prevention:
- Conventional Treatment
- Dietary Guidelines
- Herbal Treatment
- Homeopathy
- Bach Flower Remedies
- Acupressure
- General Recommendations
- Prevention
I find that so often, traditional medicine is so quickly (and many times detrimentally) relied upon as the only way to solve a problem. In our family (barring emergencies of course), we choose to first go the natural route (mainly nutritional, homeopathic and chiropractic – unfortunately not included in this book) and then move through the other treatments only if we need to. With three kids and 11 years of parenting, I can only think of one instance where we’ve needed anything medicinal. That was a brief experiment with Tylenol about 2 years ago, when Caleb opted to go back to the homeopathics because he insisted they worked better. I’m not saying there is no place for synthetic medicines, but in our house they are a last resort.
I know I’ve been blessed with healthy children, but I also believe that their immune systems are strong because their bodies have been built up. They have largely learned how to heal themselves and fight against illness. Each time they get sick, they actually get stronger.
So yes, this book has been a wonderful tool for me. The beauty of it is that it presents options that may have otherwise been unknown to the reader. It allows you to read about them and make an informed choice. That is a beautiful thing.
I just recently bought two gift copies on Amazon – a newer edition than my 90′s version (which I should update some time). Here’s the link. (And look at all those great reviews! I guess I’m not the only one who loves it!)
Since this book is a Finer Thing in my mind, I’ve linked up with Amy’s Finer Things Friday.
