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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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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Happy Friday green readers! As an alternative to my weekly green friend of the week post, I am introducing a quick green linky post where I direct green folks like yourself to green goodies around the web. This week, I am asking folks to think about topics ranging from fish manging on dead skin to using honey as an alternative medicine for wounds. So, here we go:

1. Fish Pedicures. As a follow up to my post about giving yourself a good karma pedicure, I thought I’d see what folks think about the new fish spa pedicure in which people pay for Garra Rufa, or Doctor Fish, to nibble away at the dead skin on their feet. Spas that employ Garra Rufa to eat customer’s foot skin have been open in Turkey, Japan, Umag, Croatia, China, Hainan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia for several years; recently John Ho started offering a fish spa treatment at his salon Yvonne Hair and Nail Salon here in Northern Virginia. According to Ho, the hot water in which Garra Rufa thrive does not support plant life so the fish learned to thrive on available food sources, like dead skin. As someone who cares about animal rights, I feel somewhat weary about the idea of a fish pedicure becoming a widespread trend; at the same time, I am curious as to what the pedicure feels like, how sanitary it is, and whether or not the fish are happy to feast on all that dead skin. What is your opinion on fish pedicures? Would you consider a fish pedicure?

2. Hollywood Vaccination Debate. Amanda Peet apologized on Good Morning America for her negative comments in Cookie Magazine, in which she called parents who choose not to vaccinate their children “parasites.” On GMA, Peet emphasized that she is not an expert, that she is an actor, and that the public should “go to the experts” for advice regarding vaccinations. GMA covered Amanda Peet’s comments and stance regarding vaccinations by juxtaposing her with footage from an interview with Jenny McCarthy, who spoke with GMA for her Green Our Vaccines rally, which she lead in Washington, D.C. Whether or not you agree with Peet or McCarthy, based on Peet’s interview on GMA, I agree with her stance regarding whether or not parents and other guardians should vaccinate based on the opinions of celebrities. Many parents consider their child’s pediatrician the most qualified expert to help them determine their child’s medical care; at the same time, other parents are not convinced that their pediatrician is the most qualified individual to make choices in their child’s life (especially those in which an unknown x-factor, like mercury, can be life changing). A great read for any parent hoping to learn more about vaccinations and vaccine schedules is The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears. What I love about The Vaccine Book is that Sears offers a course of action for all parents based on their concerns with vaccinations; our family is following Sears’ alternative vaccine schedule.

3. World Breastfeeding Week. Last week I ran this post highlighting awesome boob coverage around the net. This week, I recommend that folks check out Creative Kismet’s boob cookies and breastfeeding art. She is an especially talented artist, and if you can’t tell, I’m among her fans. Go on over and see for yourself.

4. Save at the Pump. Check out Jenn’s post about surprising ways to save cash at the pump. My favorite tip is that keeping your car clean and light will help cut costs each time you fuel up (a perfect excuse for me to indulge my habit of cleaning my car each week). I love being green and clean, and an added bonus is being able to save dollars!

5. Bee Alternative to Antibiotics. Laura over at We Don’t Buy it just shared this post about how her son’s leg wound (from a biking collision with a fire hydrant) is being cared for with a honey treatment. To read more about her research on honey and its healing abilities, go here.

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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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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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After a busy morning at the farmer’s market, Annabelle and I were eager to dig into our fresh goodies when we returned home.  With the hot weather, what better way to cool off than to whip up a smoothie!  Here’s my recipe for a creamy, yum-yum (that’s how Annabelle lets me know she likes something ), blueberry smoothie:

Recipe

2 cups ice

1 cup blueberries

1 cup vanilla yogurt (we love Stonyfield Organics)

1 cup vanilla soymilk

Combine ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker until smooth.  For a thicker smoothie, use more ice, and for a creamier smoothie add more yogurt and milk.

Serves 2.

And for the health nuts who love to know a thing or two about what they’re eating, blueberries are thought to reduce the effects of aging, are chock-full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.  To learn more about the health benefits of eating delicious blueberries, visit Blueberry.org.

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I’m psyched about a new web-site called 5 Minutes for Going Green, a sister site to the popular 5 Minutes for Moms. Not only am I happy to find another wonderful resource about green living, but I’m also super excited that I will be a regular contributor! Click here to check out my latest post on green haircare.

Another bonus is that I’ll be part of a fabulous green team that includes incredible writers such as:

Coming Up for Air
Crunchy Domestic Goddess
Crunchy Chicken
Green and Clean Mom
Green Mamma
Healthy Green Moms
Kerrianne.org
Little Green Secrets
mod*mom
Nature Moms
Surely You Nest
The EcoChic Organizer
The Green Parent
The Smart Mama
To Think Is To Create

Green living is easy, do-able, and good for our families.  Take 5 and learn a little bit about greening your lifestyle.

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In the mood for some delish vegan eats? Or maybe you want to find out the latest news about breastfeeding and vaccination legislation or learn about attachment parenting? One of my favorite blogs that I stumbled across recently is Veggie Way, authored by Isil Simsek, a vegan green mamma currently living in Guilford, United Kingdom. This week on Green Mamma, Isil is our Green Friend of the Week! This is what she has to share about living green and loving planet earth:

1. Vegan it is! Isil doesn’t beat around the bush in explaining why a vegan diet is the eco-friendliest: “A plant based diet is sustainable and earth-friendly because animal agriculture takes a devastating toll on the earth. It is an inefficient way of producing food, since feed for farm animals requires land, water, fertilizer, and other resources that could otherwise have been used directly for producing human food.”

Not sure whether switching to a vegan diet is the right choice for your green family? Consider the benefits, as noted by Dr. William Harris of VegSource.com: permanent and long term weight loss, lower blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and blood sugar, as well as lowered risk for cardiovascular diseases and various cancers. The advantages of being a vegan for your health and the planet are abundant. Of her family’s vegan lifestyle, Isil comments, “We switched to a vegan diet . . . about 4.5 years ago. We feel great about it!”

2. Go car-less. Not only will you save gas and money, but people will take notice too! To get from point A to point B, Isil’s family has sworn off the old gas guzzler and instead prefers to exercise their legs and take advantage of public transportation. Of her family’s eco-friendly transportation choices, Isil says, “Using public transportation does not only lower your carbon foot print but it’s actually a pleasant way to get in touch with other people.” To learn more about car free living, check out the cycling and carless adventures of Tim and Anne at Car Free Days.

3. Get a bright idea. One of the simplest ways that Isil and her family reduce energy use is by changing their light bulbs to CFLs, or compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Considering that CFLs are designed to fit into standard light sockets and that these energy efficient bulbs help folks lower their energy bills, making the change to CFLs is a great choice when used appropriately. Since CFLS contain mercury, make sure to dispose of these energy efficient bulbs in the right place. Check out Earth911.org for local drop off points.

4. Help Your Baby Eat Local: Breastfeed! According to the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog, breastfeeding our children is not only a natural food for them but is a green choice for our planet. The green advantages of breastfeeding are:

“No land is used for dairy farms, no energy is consumed in factories, no resources are used in packaging, and no oil is used in transporting breastmilk to a store and to your home. The primary energy source for breastfeeding? Your pregnancy fat. Breastfeeding leaves no packaging waste, and saves our health care systems billions a year. And you can’t eat much more local than this!”

5. Be gentle to Mamma Earth and Your Baby’s Bottom! Isil uses cloth diapers and cloth wipes for her little one Defne. According to the article “Diapers, Diapers, and More Diapers” at the New Parents Guide, the debate over which diaper is the most environmentally friendly is ongoing. However, consider the following, from the New Parents Guide, if you still think that disposable diapers are not taking a toll on our children’s planet:

“It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone. Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable; in order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air (oxygen) and sun. Since this is highly unlikely, it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing.”

Isil chooses “real cloth nappies and wipes” (nappies are diapers in the U.K.), because she finds they are an easy and gentle way to keep Defne’s bum clean. Here’s her recipe for homemade baby wipes:

Ingredients: a few drops of baby shampoo, lavender oil or tea tree oil, cloth wipes and a jar.

Recipe: Combine all ingredients and place the wipes in a jar. Shake them and voila!

Note from Isil: It’s also okay to just use water. Much better than the nasty chemicals that are found in baby wipes.

6. Reuse your shopping bags! Most retail stores are happy to supply shoppers with reusable bags bearing their stores logo. To make your own fashionable and reusable shopping bag, check out Farmer’s Daughter pillowcase tote, which was inspired by Creative Kismet’s Pillowcase tote giveaway, here on Green Mamma!

7. Become a Fly Baby: Declutter, Declutter, Declutter! Isil points to the advantages of her family’s nomadic lifestyle, noting that it has taught them to value the simple life. She says, ” We really do not need so many stuff. It is perfectly fine to live with basic stuff. Declutter, declutter, declutter! Donate all those unneeded/unwanted stuff to charities or to people who might need them.” To learn a few tips about greening your home, getting rid of the clutter, and giving away what you do not need, visit the FlyLady! I myself have been a Fly Baby for about 6 months now.

8. Investigate. Isil’s family relies upon the Good Shopping Guide to protect her family’s consumer interests. She explains, “We make sure to boycott companies who do not care about the environment, animal rights and human rights.”

Some of Isil’s (and Green Mamma’s too) favorite green products include: Ecovert, a formerly vegan company, Jason, Green People, and Weleda baby care.

Again, Isil’s Veggie Way blog is a wonderful resource for vegan living (and green living too), as well a resource for breastfeeding, attachment parenting, and the Montessori approach to education and living. Thank you again Isil for being a green friend and giving props to Mamma Earth!

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Another week is complete.  It was a rainy start made a bit more glum by teething and Annabelle’s painful ear infection, but as we approached the weekend, the weather brightened, our little one turned playful (feeling more like herself), and our family relaxed and spent time together.  There is much to be happy about this week:

1.  Gaelic Gardens.   Owned by Irishman Ted Russell, Gaelic Gardens is a gardening farmer’s market in Reston, Virginia.  Situated on Baron Cameron Road next to Route 7, Gaelic Gardens is an open and sunny space offering affordable plants, gardening tools and accessories, and all with a charming Celtic twist.  Our family stopped in to pick up some 3” vegetable plants for our garden,  some shade loving decorative plants, and manure.  Mr. Russell informed us that this quaint market is set to close because large businesses like Home Depot and Lowe’s make it hard to compete.  I replied with complete honesty, “That stinks.”  It really does.  I promised to direct other gardeners to his gardening market, especially since he is working to keep the site of the  original and historic Reston Farmer’s Market alive and well.  So, if you live closeby to Northern Virginia or are driving through D.C., why not stop by and take a look?  You’re sure to find a one of a kind treasure at Gaelic Gardens.

2.  Strawberries!  Yesterday our family drove up to Poolesville, Maryland to go strawberry picking at Homestead Farms.  Not only did we enjoy a free ride on a tractor and the time spent picking berries and catching up with friends, but we also got to sneak a bite or two of strawberries.   Our family purchased roughly the equivalent of 4 to 5 pints for about $10, and on day 2 of having the strawberries at home, we have eaten at least half of our supply!  My husband loves to make strawberry shortcake by soaking sliced strawberries in a cup or so of sugar.  I love sneaking bites of his strawberries, but I also make healthy strawberry smoothies with soy milk for myself.  Oh, and Annabelle just loves stuffing strawberries into her mouth. We are altogether a strawberry loving family.

3. Neighborhood kids.  Our neighborhood is unique in that most of the kids who live here still go outside every afternoon to play and hang out with each other.   Whenever we go outside, Annabelle taps into her kid radar and shouts at whoever happens to be outside.  She insists on walking up the sidewalk to check out the scene, likes to dig in the dirt with some of the kids, and enjoys “borrowing” toys from one kind and understanding family who has a number of popular riding toys.  Unfortunately, her own riding toy was confiscated and given a makeover by some of the kids.  At first I was a little bit upset and considered the “confiscation” an act of vandalism, but as my husband pointed out, if this is the worst that the neighborhood kids can do, well . . .

Overall, we enjoy the company of our neighbors and their kiddos, and it’s nice knowing that Annabelle will have other children to play with as she grows up.  Oh, and here is the jazzed up riding toy with a bull’s face and perhaps bull horns added to the handles.  Other creative additions included gold faced wheels and a bead to decorate the toy’s “face”:

3.  Helpful Neighborhood Kids.  That’s right.  A few doors down live two blond haired girls who adore Annabelle and my husband.  Each time Matt takes Annabelle over to our park, the girls run up and ask to accompany them.  Today while I was unloading our plants from Gaelic Gardens the neighbor’s daughters asked if they might help me dig and plant.  Of course, I was much obliged by their offer.  So off we headed for the vegetable garden where the girls helped dig, plant, and water my new vegetable plants.  When I spoke to their parents, I thanked them for lending me their daughters and providing free labor.

4.  3 Day Weekends!  After the week I endured, phew!  Thank goodness my husband is home.  It is nice to have some time to sleep and to go a moment or two without hearing, “Mamma, Mamma!”  which of course if usually music to my ears.

5. Montessori Homeschooling.   This week Annabelle and I attended the first of our Montessori Playgroup, which we hope will evolve into our Montessori Homeschooling Pre-school.   To get started we designated four basic activities that we’ll introduce at home to our children and then will meet for one hour each week so that  our children may work together, interact, and learn.   I am busy searching for affordable Montessori tools and gosh, I’d love some tips on where to find them.

So there it is.  My week.  It wasn’t too bad considering the rough start we had.  And so now, we’re on to the next week, which I hope is a bit slower and healthier.  So, to good health and moments to enjoy!

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