As part of my bloggy Oktoberfest week, I thought I’d share a recipe for yummy sugar cookies (that your little ones may beg to help bake and decorate). Since I was (wrongly) under the impression that one of the kiddos in our homeschool playgroup had a gluten allergy, I followed the following gluten free sugar cookie recipe at celiac.com. As it turned out, he has a dairy, egg, and nut allergy, so his mom decided he would sit this one out (sorry!). Now I’m on the lookout for a baking day that includes all of our kids.

To set up for this fun cookie baking and decorating activity, I actually prepared the dough before everyone arrived so that it could cool for a few minutes. I also covered our kitchen table with easy to wipe table cloths because baking, when done well, gets messy. When everyone arrived and was ready to get baking, I sprinkled a bit of the leftover gluten-free flour in front of each child and myself. Then, I distributed a small dough and either a roller or a Mason can (which makes a fine roller in a pinch) to each child. I showed our children how to spread the flour (describing the sensory aspects of feeling the flour), flatten the dough, and roll the dough with their rollers. The other parents assisted their children and modeled how to use cookie cutters to create shapes and fall themed cookies.

We also whipped up our own frosting using powdered sugar (3 cups), melted gluten free butter (1/4 cup), and lemon juice (3 tbsp.). Some of the kids chose to experiment with food coloring, others chose to eat the frosting straight out of the bowl, and everyone else focused on eating their sugar cookies.

Later that day, I used the leftover dough to bake my own sugar cookies and decorate them (hey, I’m a kid at heart). My cookies are pictured in this post. For more photos from our cookie baking with the kids, go here. Scroll down to the boy with the drum; the cookie baking photos begin there.

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What a yummy way to combine tofu and chocolate! To create this delicious and cruelty free treat, I first searched for a good recipe. I found this one in my MercyForAnimals.org’s Vegetarian Starter Kit. I used:

1 lb. of firm tofu (though the recipe calls for 1 1/4 lbs. silken tofu)

3/4 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips, melted

1/2 cup of organic sugar (optional)

To Make

1. First melt the chocolate chips. Set aside.

2. Blend the tofu to a puree.

3. Add melted chocolate to blender. Blend to smooth consistency.

4. Add sugar to taste. I love sweets, so we added a full cup!

5. Either pour the mousse into 6 dessert bowls and chill, or pour mousse into a container (like a quart size yogurt container) and chill.

This is one of my favorite ways to indulge my love affair with chocolate and not feel guilty about it (for sake of the animals and my hips).

Do you have any favorite tofu dessert recipes? If so, I hope you’ll share with the rest of us!

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Photo Courtesy of Christian Rasmussenapoltix.dk

I have a confession. I love my microwave. Why is this even a confession, you may wonder? Or, how could someone who calls herself a natural mamma even think about zapping her (and her family’s) food with a microwave oven? Well, let me tell you. It just might be good for the environment.

While on my quest to learn more about energy conservation and how to make easy changes around our home, I stumbled across the fact that households who rely on their microwave oven may reduce cooking energy by up to 80 percent! That’s right. I now have a legitimate reason for not wanting to use my stove top to prepare food for my family (dare I say “cook”). Of course, pressing the start button on your microwave may not necessarily be the answer to reducing global warming. Yes, I’m back pedaling a bit. Here’s why:

1. Microwaving food may save 50 percent more energy than conventional ovens (Energy Star says that you’ll save up to 80 percent more energy with a microwave); however, these numbers and statistics only work when you’re preparing a small portion of food (i.e. left overs). So, based on these stats, you have every reason to be a pro-leftovers for supper kind of guy or gal.

2. Microwave ovens may zap the nutrition out of your good-for-you foods. More precisely, microwaves alter the chemistry of the foods, so the healthy nutrients are pretty much lost after a short rendezvous in the ‘wave. Based on the research I am reading, the verdict on how much radiation is unhealthy for us versus “potentially okay” is still out. Possible solutions? Zap your leftovers for a few seconds to a few minutes versus cooking an entire meal with your microwave.

3. Packaging for microwavable meals adds up to a whole lot of trash. As someone who stays out of the kitchen (except when Annabelle wants to bake or I have been wooed in for one reason or another) and as the sole vegetarian in my house (my dear little one is now eating organic chicken), many of my meals consist of whatever my husband is cooking plus a veggie burger, veggie dog, hummus/beans or veggie pizza. I do my very best to steer clear of animal products (including cheese and eggs), but what that means is that I tend to buy vegetarian foods that are shelved at the grocery store with alotta packaging. My solution? Well, as it turns out, my vegetarian starter kit (I ordered it out of curiosity even though I’ve been a veg. for close to 8 years) from the Compassionate Action for Animals just arrived with several recipes and a food triangle that shows vegetarians and vegans how to meet their daily nutritional needs without doing any harm to animals. I am psyched! I plan to try a few of their recipes in the coming week.

4. Microwaves may make you fat. The argument that microwaved food = a big butt (for many of us) is based on the idea that since microwaves zap the nutritional value of foods, our bodies end up craving additional calories (err, food) that pack a real nutritional punch. So, lest you long for a wide set of hips, it may do your hips some good to work (or turn on) the stove.

So, on the one hand, you’re doing our environment a favor by reducing your energy consumption when you reheat your food in the microwave, but on the other hand, you might be doing your health (and your family’s too) a disservice by zapping your food.

What say you? Are you a microwave fanatic? Or, do you scorn those who whip up their meals with the ‘wave?

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After picking our own peaches this past weekend in Berryville, Virginia, my husband and I prepared ourselves for a first try with canning and freezing. Oh boy was it work! I think the hardest part was removing the skin, which, while made easier by blanching the peaches, still took the bulk of our time and energy. The best part about canning peaches though, in my opinion, is the delicious aroma of peaches and spice throughout the house.

Since we are beginner canners, we referenced 2 articles on canning. One article comes from my green friend Elizabeth, whose tips on canning were not only useful but detailed in such a way that I knew what to look and listen for (the sound of my cans popping when sealed was music to my ears! Thanks Elizabeth!). To create the recipe for my peach jam, I followed another article: Recipe Zaar’s Peach Jam Recipe. All together, the canning process took me about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from start to finish. It was quite an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon with the family, and the rewards this winter, I am sure, will be well worth the time and effort.

In addition to canning our peaches and making peach jam, my husband and I portioned off about 8 lbs. of peaches for freezing, which is a little bit easier than canning (although you still need to blanch the peaches and remove the skin). Here are a few tips on freezing your fruit. I can’t wait for winter smoothies and vegan fruit jello! Yum!

Hopefully we’ll continue with our canning and freezing in a couple of weeks when more apples are in season. On a final note, I think it is a good idea to invest in a pair of jar lifters (metal tongs are not necessarily the safest way to handle hot jars and it’s a little bit tricky to do too).

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on jarring, freezing, and preserving foods for the winter. Thanks for sharing!

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As promised, here is the recipe I used to bake a batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies. I followed Denise’s recipe on vegweb.com because of all the rave reviews and basic ingredients needed to whip ‘em up. Okay, so I’d like to tell you that these cookies turned out just like the traditional chip cookies we grew up with (if your mom followed the Nestle Tollhouse recipe like mine did). Sadly, my chips did not turn out just like old fashioned, non-vegan chips. No, they did not. But, here’s what I’m thinking. Next time I make these cookies (which taste great, they’re just super crumbly), I’ll add an egg replacer and use earthbalance butter replacement (for this batch I used canola oil). So, I really, truly do have hope for this recipe. I just need to tweak my baking skills, the ingredients, but I hope that there will be no tweaking of expectations. Delicious chocolate chip cookies are a must have, at least for choc-a-holics like me!

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“I can’t think of any sorrow in the world that a hot bath wouldn’t help, just a little bit,” said Susan Glasee.

Most of the world’s problems can be solved with a long hot bath, or at least our suffering can be temporarily assuaged. With this in mind after a busy day chasing my little one, I wandered out back to our herb garden to gather some mint. I thought about what I might make with the mint and it occurred to me that I could take a bath and enjoy some homemade aromatherapy. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

coffee filter

2 handfuls of herb leaves (whatever scent appeals to your senses)

2 tbsp. oatmeal (for soft skin)

string, yarn or thread to tie your filter together

1. Chop up 2 handfuls of herbs. Place into coffee filter.

2. Layer 2 tbspn. of oatmeal on top of herbs.

3. Twist filter to to create tea bag. Secure with string, twine, yarn, etc.

4. Run a hot bath. Steep tea bag in the water being careful not to let the force of running water push bag open (this cause the bag to open and then you’re pretty much bathing with floating bits of oatmeal and herbs).

5. Take your spa tea bath. Play a little background music like Enya, classical, or whatever it is that helps you unwind (I guess even death metal would do).

6. Make tea bath bags for your friends. Distribute. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all just relax a little?

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Now that Annabelle knows how to scoop and pour (and I’m learning my way around the kitchen), we’re spending more time together whipping up yummy treats. I follow a K.I.S.S. culinary philosophy (perhaps my greatest fault as an environmentally minded mamma), and tend to be one of those people who follows package recipes, spicing things up a bit with an added ingredient here and there.

Here’s how to whip up your own batch of pink banana nut pancakes–pink because we’re girly girls who wanna have fun.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Arrowhead Mills Organic Buckwheat Pancake/Waffle Mix

2 tbsp. canola oil

1/2 cup organic soy, rice, or whole milk

1 mashed banana

1/4 cup sliced almonds

vanilla

food coloring

Recipe

1. Combine pancake mix, canola oil, vanilla, milk and food coloring in a bowl. Stir until mixture isn’t lumpy.

2. Mash banana in a separate bowl. Stir into mixture.

3. Add almonds. Stir.

4. Fry pancakes (yes, even I know how to do that!). Garnish with almonds.

Serves 2.

Annabelle pours pancake mix into bowl.

She adds milk.

And a few minutes later, we have our girly pink banana nut pancakes. Yummy!

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If you’re a busy mamma or lady like I am, devoting time to personal care isn’t at the top of your list. Lately, my morning beauty routine adds up to pulling my hair into a ponytail and, if I’m lucky, sweeping bronzer onto my cheeks. For me, choosing between a happy toddler with a messy mamma versus a fussy toddler with a well groomed mamma, I tend to take the former unless there’s another set of hands around to help me out.

Since my beauty care regiment is just about nil, I sometimes feel like I a) look the neighbor’s teenage daughter (without makeup on, people think I am 16), or b) look like I haven’t slept in days (months, years, who’s counting?). And when it comes to my hands and feet, I usually ignore the idea that they’re intended to be attractive and that my hands are better suited for changing diapers and writing and that my feet are wonderful resources for getting me and my entourage from point A to point B.

Still, I am a woman, and every now and again, I pray for pretty feet. With a toddler in tow, getting to the nail salon for a pedicure isn’t as easy as it used to be. And beyond any logistic issues I have in finding the time and money for a pedicure, popular nail care products are not among the healthiest of personal care items; in fact, pre-natal care professionals usually recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers avoid receiving manicures and pedicures because of the alarming chemical ingredients in nail care products. According to Christey Hadley, a staff writer for Babyfit.com, pregnant mothers should take precautions when selecting nail care products and salons. She writes:

Many nail products contain formaldehyde and toluene, which in small doses can cause moms to feel dizzy or nauseous, but in large repeated exposures have been linked to birth defects. There are many polishes and products available which are both formaldehyde and toluene free. Ensure that either your salon or room where you paint your nails is well-ventilated or that you wear a mask to defuse the fumes.

Nail equipment that is not properly sterilized is another cause for concern for anyone thinking about prettying their feet with a salon pedicure. Since unclean nail equipment can lead to infection, ladies (and gents too) may think twice about walking into a salon to pamper their feet. The International Pedicure Association provides the following suggestions to ensure pedicure safety:

• The pedicure area, whirpools, and salon/spa looks clean
• Your feet are examined and health questions asked before the pedicure
• Instruments look clean and are disinfected
• Items that cannot be disinfected are disposed of after the pedicure
• Proper tools are used (most states do not allow a credo blade)
• Drill bits (if used) are disinfected (cleaned)
• Salon/spa has proper ventilation
• A laundered towel or new disposable towel is used on each client

A healthy and green alternative to salon nailcare is to do your own manicure and pedicure at home. Not only can a home pedicure be accomplished while your child is in the bathtub, but you can ensure that you are receiving a clean, green, and healthy pedicure that rivals any salon. Here’s how to pretty your feet at home.

1. Research healthy, cruelty free, and eco-friendly nail care products. While I do have my favorites, the best route for selecting personal care products is to learn what ingredients are in products you like to use or are willing to purchase. Awesome databases for researching personal care products and that provide information about ingredient concerns, whether or not ingredients are linked to cancer or other diseases, toxicity, sensitivity, and whether or not the company uses animal testing include the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database and SafeMama.com. Once you feel comfortable that a product is healthy for you, your child, the environment, and your budget, bring it home and get ready for your home pedicure.

Recommended Materials:

foot bathing tub (a deep dish tub will do)

t.p. or cotton balls

2 towels

polish remover

nail file and clippers

forest friendly nail brush

environmentally friendly: polish remover, foot scrub, foot moisturizer, and nail polish

2. Get ready. Set up your pedicure space. Make sure that all supplies and materials are on hand. I referenced Marie Claire’s perfect pedicure guide to help me prepare for my good karma home pedi, but feel free to adjust their recipe to your tastes. To begin my pedicure, I filled a 5” deep dish bucket with warm water and placed a hand towel at the bottom of the bucket. While Marie Claire suggests that you add epsom salt to the water, I chose to soak with water only.

3. Clean up your feet. Before soaking my tootsies, I removed the old nail polish with one of those green nail polish removers (remember, you researched yours) and some t.p., and then I clipped and filed my toenails.

4. Soak your tootsies. I soaked my feet for between 5 and 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I invited my 19 month old into the foot bath and let her soak her tootsies too. A shared foot bath with your kiddo can add up to a lot of fun and a few inches of water on your floor. Soak wisely.

5. Smooth ‘em and dry ‘em. If possible, select an earth friendly foot file to sand the soles of your feet. Since I am a daily runner, callouses build up on the balls and heels of my feet, as well as on my big toes. After you sand your feet, dry them. If you are interested in cuticle control, you may want to use the edge of a nail file to gently push the cuticles back. Exfoliate with an eco-friendly scrub and use a nail brush to clean the bases of your nails. I love the feel of exfoliating scrubs on my skin so I opted to scrub my rough ankles as well as my lower calves. Once you’re done exfoliating, rinse, rinse, rinse.

6. Moisturize. Remember that you did your research to find green and healthy nail care products? Now, pull out your clean, green, and healthy foot moisturizer and take a few minutes to rub it into your feet and calves. Let your skin soak up the moisturizer. Then, rinse away the lotion and dry your feet.

7. Polish it off. I am not a personal fan of polished nails because, as I said before, I really really dislike having to maintain pretty hands and feet. I consider the au natural look to be prettiest. That said, I know that after having done all that work, you’ll probably want to complete your pedicure with some color. Lucky for you, Marie Claire has a few wonderful tips on how to put polish on with ease and no mess. Read on!

Now that you have given yourself a home pedicure that is full of good karma, pat yourself on the back and brag to your husband and anyone else who will listen about your clean, green and healthy pedicure and all the money you saved yourself by staying out of the salon. Go ahead, you deserve it!

If you have clean, green, and healthy beauty tips, please share. You know I love to hear your thoughts.

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On Sunday afternoon while waiting for friends to come by for dinner, Annabelle and I were searching for something fun to do.   Having Montessori on my mind (I’d been reading up on ideal set-ups for 18 month to 36 month olds and realized I needed to add more art supplies), I suggested we make a batch of homemade play dough, similar to this recipe.   We opted for the no-cook version using just flour, water, and salt, and then added food coloring and vanilla for color and a pretty scent (vanilla behaves as a preservative too).  Annabelle practiced pouring and scooping to help make the play dough, and then smooshed the dough with me until it achieved a good consistency.  Here’s how we created our play dough:

Recipe

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup water (at least!  We used about 3/4 cups to get a malleable dough)

Annabelle scooping the flour while waiting to add the salt.

Annabelle scooping the waterless flour and salt.  We added water afterwards.

Annabelle rubbing food coloring into the dough.

Our play dough turned out to be as much fun as the store bought kind and looked pretty groovy, almost like tye-dye since we mixed our pink and purple dough into one large ball.  Annabelle created worms, a princess crown, and items of jewelry (with my help of course!) from her dough and we stored it in an old butter container.

This is a great sensory activity for pre-pre-schoolers and encourages practical living skills like measuring, pouring, scooping, and kneading.

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Peaking into my organic herb garden this weekend, my husband and I noticed the oregano is abundant; so, I suggested we find a new recipe that calls for some of our favorite, fresh spices. I am a pizza loving vegetarian, so when I spotted this recipe from the Compassionate Action for Animals, I said, “Let’s give it a whirl.” And so we did! Here’s how we made our quick and easy vegetarian pizza:

Ingredients

Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pizza dough

organic tomato sauce

vegetarian cheese (contains milk and soy but is lactose and gluten free)

fresh herbs

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Roll out pizza crust. Create a circle or square crust.

3. Pour and spread sauce onto crust.

4. Sprinkle vegetarian cheese onto tomato sauce. We like cheesy pizza, so add cheese to your preference.

5. Sprinkle your favorite herbs onto the cheese. I love oregano and basil.

6. Slide your pizza into the oven and bake for 8 or 9 minutes.

7. Serve up yummy slices of cheesy vegetarian pizza. Delish!

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