Mommy Goes Green

Ever go to pick out a pack of eggs and wonder why there are 12 choices?  Always pick the one on sale?  I used to.  I didn’t have a clue what all the different labels meant like cage-free,  free range or vegetarian fed. I actually didn’t know why I would even care.Fast forward several years and after having a baby and realizing we needed a healthier lifestyle for ourselves and the environment – we don’t buy the cheapest eggs any more.  Here’s what you need to know about egg labels to choose the best ones for your family:      

CAGE FREE       

 According to the Humane Society, nearly 280 million laying hens in the United States are confined in barren wire battery cages so restrictive the birds can’t even spread their wings.  Cage-free hens generally have two to three times more space per bird than caged hens. Cage-free hens may not be able to go outside and may have parts of their beaks cut off, but they can walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests—all behaviors permanently denied to hens crammed into battery cages.  Many supermarkets like Wal-Mart and restaurants like Subway have started selling or using cage free eggs.      

CERTIFIED ORGANIC        

Animals must be fed 100% organic food and no antibiotics or hormones can be given.  All organically raised animals must have access to the outdoors – although the amount and length of time is not defined. Compliance is verified by a third-party.     

FREE-RANGE or FREE ROAMING 

No standards or third-party verification but typically means that they are uncaged inside a barn or warehouse and may have access to the outdoors.   There are no restrictions on what they are fed.    There is also evidence that free range eggs contain more 3-6x more Vitamin D, 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2x more Omega-3 fatty acids, 3x more vitamin E, and 7x more beta carotene – than typical supermarket eggs.

VEGETARIAN FED    

Feed contains no animal by products.    

CERTIFIED HUMANE RAISED    

No antibiotics or hormones can be given to animals.  Cages, crates and tie stalls are among the forbidden practices, and animals must be free to do what comes naturally. For example, chickens are able to flap their wings and dust bathe.  Certified by Humane Farm Animal Care.    

COMMERCIAL VS. LOCAL 

One final note from the Humane Society: virtually all hens in commercial egg operations—whether cage or cage-free—come from hatcheries that kill all male chicks shortly after hatching. The males are of no use to the egg industry because they don’t lay eggs and aren’t bred to grow as large or as rapidly as chickens used in the meat industry. Common methods of killing male chicks include suffocation, gassing and grinding. Hundreds of millions of male chicks are killed at hatcheries each year in the United States.  

Instead of buying eggs from a supermarket, you can find a local farm or farmer’s market to buy eggs from or keep chickens in your backyard, also known as urban chickenkeeping. I would LOVE to have fresh eggs every day from my own chickens (unfortunately our city rules prohibit it).

Spring is slowing making its way through the Northwest and I’m getting excited to plant my vegetable garden.  Depending on where you live and what you are planting, you may have already started planting.  I generally plant starts so I likely won’t plant anything for another couple weeks. Last year, I didn’t get anything in the ground until the end of May (which was a little late) but I ended up having a great garden anyway!  

If you’ve never had a vegetable garden, I highly recommend that you start one this summer – it’s easy and a great project to do with your kids. 

CONTAINER AND LOCATION
It can be as easy as using a pot for one tomato plant or you can buy or build raised beds.  The first summer that I grew anything, it was one tomato plant in a pot .  The next summer, my husband built me a raised bed for Mother’s Day.  Raised beds can be as small or large as you have space for.  Ours is long and narrow – 3 x 11 – between the edge of our grass and the fence.  Often, the container where you keep your vegetables will be highly influenced by the location you have available with LOTS of sun – preferably 6-8 hours a day.  

SOIL
Once you choose a container and location, start with some great soil.  We have a compost bin that we stock all year just to use when planting our vegetable garden.  If you don’t have a compost bin, you can purchase compost and/or soil mixes to use. 

CHOOSING VEGETABLES
One of my favorite things about my garden is experimenting.  I am NOT a gardener and I don’t have a green thumb.  I just try new things each year to figure out what works and what doesn’t.  The first summer I learned that we eat way more cherry tomatoes than plum tomatoes.  Last summer I planted more celery than we could eat.  I couldn’t give away all the jalapeno peppers we had and I planted beans and peas way too late to get anything out of them.  When choosing vegetables to plant, choose ones that you and your kids will eat.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini are all easy to grow and you’ll get LOTS of them – with just one plant.  Talk to the growers at the local nursery or farmer’s market – they are a wealth of information about the different varities of every vegetable.  

WATER  
I tend to kill anything that isn’t automatically watered so we put a drip system in our raised bed. It was inexpensive and easy to hook up through our automatic watering system. You could also use a soaker hose or just get out there and manually water every day. 

For additional resources on planning your vegetable garden, check out Martha Stewart’s Vegetable Garden Guide or Better Homes and Gardens Edible Gardening Guide.

The following is a guest post from Tracey Bianchi, author of the newly released book “Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet.”

The Magnolia Tree just outside our kitchen window is the first to bloom every year. When I see these fuzzy little nodes erupt into flowers a soft smile creeps into my very soul. It is officially Spring, and Springtime in the Midwest is no small thing. This seasonal shift means emergence from a cocoon of duvets and wool socks. It means flip flops and pale white feet hit the pavement everywhere.

Come late-March, my children are like caged animals that have been released into the wild. Shrieks of joy, a flurry of sidewalk chalk and bike helmets litter the driveway. They rip open the patio door and dash outside still hopping and pulling on shoes along the way. It is bedlam and bliss all rolled up into one sunshine filled afternoon. The sign of many more to come.

And as a mom who has hollered and cajoled her way through the long winter I am just as giddy for fresh distractions and a reunion with big wheels and bicycle helmets. This change of place has been a long time coming and I find myself yelling less and playing hop scotch more.

Finally.

I am completely and utterly thankful for Spring (well, almost).

You see, all this sunshine and balmy weather means that I also need to plot out my garden. The fresh vegetables that will dance across our table all summer. Sugar snap peas, broccoli and beans. A web of crooked carrots that hide underground and renegade pumpkin vines that take over the lawn.

I need to find the garden gloves, shovels, stepping stones. I need to tie back the random rose bush that has cropped up in the middle of our little plot. And more than anything, I need to find time and energy.

Time and energy. Time and energy.

The hot commodities of motherhood. The thought of it all actually makes me long for February once again. Less pressure to perform.

I confess, I am a “green mom” but a reluctant gardener.

But I will forge ahead this year just as in the past. I will plunge my hands into the dirt as my toddler daughter drags behind me stomping on all the seeds I so gingerly settled into their homes. I will water and weed. I will stand with my earth-laden hands on my hips, brush my bangs from my face, and I will sigh.

I know people who love to garden. I envy them. I wish I had an eye, a heart, a passion for it. Sort of like I wish I was Rachel Ray on occasion. Oh to have food and festivity just splash out of a pan whenever I wanted.

Not me. I was born with a normal, peach colored thumb.

But I will carry on this Spring and begin planting lettuce next week. And if there is any part of you that can rally the strength to do the same I beg you to join me. Reluctant or not, there is no greater joy at the dinner table than eating the food your family grew in the backyard. There is no “greener” endeavor you can embark upon other than connecting yourself to the very plants that give us life.

To see my wiry son pull a handful of string beans for dinner, to watch my saucy little daughter pop a Roma tomato right off the branch and into her mouth beats pounding a bag of fruit snacks any day. And to watch my second child, with all his defiant middle-child-ness drag a cucumber into the house is to officially trump our industrialized food industry, the grocery store chains, and the picky-eater syndrome all in one glorious moment.

As Spring gives way to Summer I beg you to grow something. Even if you find yourself garden-challenged like me. Drop basil into a pot, toss cilantro on your window sill, or plot out that long awaited vegetable garden. Then sit back alongside your children, with sidewalk chalk and bubbles, and just watch it all grow. There is no greener endeavor.

Tracey Bianchi is a mother of three who lives in the Chicago area. She is the author of the newly released book “Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet”. She is a freelance writer, speaker, and is the Coordinator of Women’s Ministry at her church. You can catch her musings on a more sustainable life at http://traceybianchi.com

Check back tomorrow for our review of Tracey’s new book and a great giveaway!

I don’t know about you but sometimes getting dinner on the table every night is the most stressful part of my day.  It’s not the 2 kids, the messy house or the lengthy ‘to do’ list, it’s trying to put together a healthy, quick meal – at the last minute.  I don’t spend enough time planning for our family meals so we usually end up eating late because I spend too much time combing cookbooks looking for something compatible with what’s in the fridge and pantry.

I’m exactly the kind of mom that The Six O’Clock Scramble was created for.  It’s an online menu planner helping you to create a weekly dinner plan.   Once you choose the recipes you want to prepare, a grocery list is generated and you can shop once for all the ingredients you’ll need for the week.  This helps to eliminate multiple trips to the grocery store, pizza deliveries, and trips to the nearest fast food joint.

The creator of The Six O’Clock Scramble, Aviva Goldfarb, has taken meal planning one step further by creating SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families, a cookbook with over 300 recipes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare, with less than 10 ingredients per recipe.  One of my favorite parts of the cookbook is that its organized by season, I was first introduced to this concept when I read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  At it’s simplest form, you cook with ingredients that are currently in season meaning they are fresh and less expensive.  It encourages you to eat local as you can find in-season ingredients at your local farmer’s market, co-op grocery store or farmstand. 

Each season begins with a 5 week menu and a glossary of recipes with the amount of time it takes to prep and cook the meal.   Individual recipes include nutritional information, flavor boosters (additional spices to add), and side dish suggestions.  There are great tips throughout the cookbook including:

• how to let your kids get their hands dirty in the kitchen
• 20 creative ideas for school lunches
• healthier Halloween snacks
• tips for freezing meals
• 10 best dishes for potlucks
• safest seafood for kids

For simple suggestions to be more eco-friendly in the kitchen, pick up a copy of SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue!

WIN IT!

We are giving 1 reader the new cookbook by Aviva Goldfarb,  SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families !  You can enter to win in any of the following ways:

• Leave a comment asking the author, Aviva Goldfarb, a question.  Suggestions include: kids in the kitchen, recipes, eating seasonally and locally, planning meals or eating organically.  We’ll compile the questions and she’ll be responding to them in a future post.
• Follow us on twitter @mommygoesgreen.
• Retweet this contest.
• Become a Facebook fan.
• Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link.
• Follow Aviva Goldfarb on twitter.

Leave your comment by Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. Contest open to all U.S. residents, ages 18+. We will choose 1 winner, at random, and notify them by email. Privacy Policy.

Last week I caught Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution for the first time.  I was appalled at the lack of basic vegetable knowledge by first graders amongst other poor eating habits displayed by the elementary school Jamie visited.

This week, Jamie visited the local high school.  Their lunches looked like the lunch I ate in high school – pizza, french fries and chocolate milk (which has more sugar than soda, if you can believe it).  Of course, none of the high school students thought anything was wrong with their lunch (and frankly, I probably didn’t when I was that age either).

One of the issues mentioned in the last 2 episodes is the increased cost and time that is needed to make fresh, healthy lunches as processed food comes prepared and tends to be cheaper.  As the grocery shopper in our household, I agree.  Processed food is generally cheaper.  I do spend more money on groceries that I used to because we buy more organic and fresh foods than we used to.  However, I believe our bodies are healthier and that is a money saver, in many ways.  [ tips for saving on organic groceries ]

The one thing that got me fired up last week was that first graders couldn’t identify a tomato!  A TOMATO!   This week, it was that french fries are counted as a vegetable – well that explains a lot about the American obesity problem.  The same thing happened to me this week when I asked my daughter’s preschool why they serve juice during snack time occasionally.  The response?  “I think it counts as a fruit”.  I’m sorry, but JUICE IS NOT A FRUIT.

I really hope this show shakes up parents, teachers and administrators about the food our children are eating.   Moms – we CAN make a difference.  If you have kids in school – find out what they are eating everyday and start asking why?

For 50 of Jamie’s 20 minute recipes along with other great functionality, you can download Jamie’s iPhone app.

If you missed this week’s episode, there are 3 more to go – tune in on Friday evenings!

I’ve mentioned before about my addiction to Coke and how I wanted to wean myself off of it in 2010.  Here’s my personal 4 step program to doing it.

1.  Get off the caffeine - I started by choosing a different soda without the caffeine.  My new drug of choice was Squirt.  Cold, refreshing, oh so bubbly. Yum.

2.  Get off the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – Despite the claims that HFCS works the same in the body as real sugar, I have my doubts so my next soda switch was to Hansen’s All Natural Sodas. They are made with cane sugar and have no preservatives or artificial colors and flavors.  The Mandarin-Lime is my favorite and my husband loves the Root Beer.

3.  Get off the sugar – I’ve got a bit of a huge sweet tooth so I decided to cut down on the amount of sugar I ingested every day.  I then switched to Santa Cruz Organic Sparkling Beverages.  They are made with cane juice, sparkling water and organic fruits.  Can I just say Pomegranate Limeade?  YUM.

4.  Get off the calories – Finally, I’m trying to meet some other goals set for 2010 including losing the last of the weight I gained during my last pregnancy (4 months ag0) so I’m counting calories (more on that later).  My daily ‘sparkling beverages’ were costing me 140 calories and frankly, just not worth it. I’d rather have a candy bar.  So, I found my current ‘soda’ – R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Essence.  They are 0 calories and made with carbonated water and organic extracts and flavoring.  The Mint flavor is definitely refreshing – great for a hot summer day.  The Blueberry flavor is a little sweeter but definitely not sugary tasting.  I’m on the lookout for the Cucumber or Lemon flavors so I can taste test them all.

I admit I still have a Coke once in awhile when I need a caffeine pick-me-up.  I’m a mom with a 3 year old and a 4 month old – I NEED pick-me-ups.  Overall, I’m thrilled that I don’t need my daily Coke and I’m saving myself money (those daily runs to Mickey D’s for their super special sugary Coke), I’m saving my body from the highs and lows of caffeine and sugar and I’m saving empty calories.

It took me months to slowly wean myself off a habit that I’ve had for 5+ years.  I know other people have just quit cold turkey.  Like anything, find a path that works for you and allows you to stick with it!

We have the best cake decorating shop near our house and I love to go there and pick out the cutest paper liners for cupcakes and muffins.  They have something for every party, holiday, or latest whim.  I love polka dots and tonight we had corn muffins in purple polka dot liners. I can’t help myself.

On that note….it’s time to find some reusable liners – not only saving trees but saving money, too.  Sure, there will be occasions that I will still use the adorable paper liners but for cooking at home, it’s make more sense to use reusable baking cups – wash and use again.  These are also great to use to hold snacks or treats.

All of these are made with food-grade silicone and are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe – try putting them in the dishwasher or silverware basket.

REGULAR:

Wilton Ultra-Flex Silicone Non-Stick Reusable Baking Cups - Red, blue and green, set of 12.   $7.99

Crate and Barrel Silicone Baking Cups – Clear, set of 12.  $9.95

Wilton Bear Silicone Cups - Light and dark brown bear shaped liners, set of 12. $9.99

Wilton Flower Silicone Cups - Pink and yellow flower shaped liners, set of 12. $10.99

Williams-Sonoma Silicups – Pastel pink, lavender, yellow and blue liners, set of 12. $24.00

Create N Celebrate Silicone Bug Shaped Fun Cups - Set of 4. $9.95

MINI:

Kitchen Collection Mini Silicone Baking Cups – Heart, star, egg, diamond, round and square, set of 24.  $5.99

Wilton Mini Heart Silicone Baking Cups - Red and pink hearts, set of 12. $15.56

Kitchen Supply Mini Muffin Silicone Baking Cups – Assorted colors, set of 12. $15.99

Williams-Sonoma Mini Pastel Silicups – Pastel pink, lavender, yellow and blue liners, set of 12. $24.00

JUMBO:

Large Silicone Pans - Assorted colors, set of 6. $12.95

My husband recently turned me on to greek yogurt – it has a creamy and thick consistency and I love it!  One of the best things about greek yogurt is that it is high in protein.  Typical yogurt has 2 – 6 grams of protein while greek yogurt has 14 - 24 grams per serving.

Greek yogurt is a little more expensive than traditional varieties so use a coupon to try it out!  When you look for a brand to try, look for one that doesn’t have added sugar ( the only sugar in the yogurt is the lactose naturally occurring in milk ) and the milk used is rBST free (hormone free).  There are also a lot of fat free versions that are made without aspartame – we typically steer clear of fat-free versions because they contain fake sugar, like aspartame, and I’m not convinced it’s good for our bodies (or even safe).  There are organic versions, as well.

Some brands to check out:

• Chobani Greek Yogurt coupon
• FAGE Greek Yogurt coupon
• Yoplait Greek Yogurt coupon (just came out, we haven’t tried it yet)
• Oikos Greek Yogurtby Stonyfield coupon  (blueberry is the best)
• Trader Joe’s Greek Yogurt ( we love the vanilla version )

If you’re a DIY kind of cook, you can even make your own greek yogurt!

My daughter is a snacker – we always have to make sure to have them on hand, particularly on the go.  They are a great way to keep her energy up and an occasional great bribe.  Lately, I’ve seen snack-size organic snacks popping up at local coffee shops, like Starbucks, and packaged in multi-package containers at Costco.  While I traditionally like to buy in bulk and then pass them out in reusuable snack bags or containers, sometimes picking up snack-sized packs is what the situation calls for.

Here are several organic snacks my family has tried out and given the thumbs up:

Peeled Snacks- The snack bags are 110 – 150 calories per bag.  They have both an organic or 100% natural line – the organic line contains organic dried fruit ONLY – no added sugars, coloring or preservatives.  There are 5 organic flavors like Mango, Banana or Apricot. You can buy them online or in local Starbucks, Whole Foods or Nordstrom. One thing I don’t like about snack-sized packaging is that it typically cannot be recycled at the curb but Peeled Snacks will take all of their bags back for recycling – you just have to mail them back.

Funky Monkey Snacks - The snack bags have 1 serving of fruit and 50 calories or less per bag.  They contain organic dried fruit ONLY – no added sugars, coloring or preservatives.  I assume these are great because I never got to try them!  My husband and daughter ripped through several bags over a long road trip.   There are 7 flavors like Banana & Cinnamon or Pineapple & Lime Juice. You can buy them online at Amazon.com or in local Targets, Whole Foods or Kroger.

Annie’s Homegrown - Annie’s has a host of organic snacks including BunnyFruit snacks, CheddarBunnies, ClassicsCrackers, and SnackMix. Fruit snacks – the gummy kind – are my daughter’s favorite treat.  Most of them are made with high fructose corn syrup and a lot of other junk.  BunnyFruit still has syrups and sugars (organic cane sugar and organic tapioca syrup) but it also is made with real fruit juice and no artificial colors – so for an occasional fruit snack treat, it’s a better choice than conventional brands.  Organic CheddarBunnies are a great alternative to traditional “fishy crackers”, they are made with organic wheat flour and organic cheese – no sugar added.  Our Costco sells a pack of Annie’s snack-sized treats that is perfect for things like birthday party or classroom snacks.  You can also find them at Starbucks and at over 10,000 other stores.

Peter Rabbit Organics – A reader turned me on to these – thank you Sabrina!  They are fruit pouches made from 100% organic fruit ( no added sugar and preservatives) and use only certified organic suppliers, and local ones, when they can.  I love the pouches these are in, they are ’drinkable’ and would be great for older infants learning to eat solid foods and drinking from a straw.  My 3 year old sucked this down and told me it tasted like “fruity applesauce”.  They come in 3 flavors like Strawberry & Banana, Apple & Grape, and Mango & Banana & Orange.  I found them at Starbucks but they are also available online, at BuyBuy Baby and other retailers.

Occasionally, I have needed to supplement nursing with formula and have been researching organic options.  Surprisingly, there are several manufacturers of organic baby formula and it is not necessarily more expensive than conventional formula.

When picking out any formula – organic or conventional, here are some things to consider:

• can lining – some infant formula cans are known to be lined with metal that contains BPA 
• sweeteners – does it contain corn syrup or sugar?
• palm olein oil – studies have shown infants absorb less fat and calcium from a formula containing palm olein oil
• hexane processed DHA/ARA – there is some concern that the processing of DHA/ARA may cause adverse reactions in infants – more details at The Smart Mama - see below for edited comments
• avoid liquid formula in metal cans – the cans are lined with an epoxy containing BPA and have tested to leach BPA

Nature’s One Baby’s Only Organic – In soy, dairy or lactose-free versions, Baby’s Only was the first organic formula on the market and is certified organic by OneCert.  It is labeled as a ‘toddler formula’ but that is because the company wants to encourage breastfeeding as it does meet the FDA nutrition requirements for infant formula. It does not contain DHA and ARA but does contain Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) and Linoleic Acid (LA) which are two essential fatty acids used by the body to make DHA and ARA.  Baby’s Only does not contain any sweeteners, palm olein oil or hexane processed DHA.  The canisters and lids are uncoated so they are BPA free however the metal top contains an epoxy-based interior coating that may contain trace amounts of unreacted BPA.   $9.92 per 12.7 oz can.

Similac Organic - Similac Organic is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It doescontain organic sugar and hexane processed DHA but is free of palm olein oil.  Similac has both the traditional can of formula and the SimplePac, a plastic tub made with polypropylene which is BPA Free (although SafeMama reports that Similac couldn’t confirm that ALL parts of the container are BPA free, the powdered formula itself tested BPA free).  $29.99 per 23.2 oz SimplePac or $24.99 per 25.7 oz can.

I’ve confirmed that the following 4 organic infant formulas are all manufactured by PBM products.  According to Joan, a nutritional support specialist with PBM, “Each one is made for a specific retailer and while they are nutrientionally comparable, there may be slight differences in there formulations.”  In a separate email, “bisphenol-A (BPA) is a known functional component in the manufacturing process of the current packaging used for PBM infant formula products.”  They added that they are currently researching alternative packaging.

Earth’s Best Organic - In soy or dairy, Earth’s Best is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It does not contain any sweeteners but doescontain palm olein oil and hexane processed DHA/ARA. $27.79 per 25.7 oz can.

Parent’s Choice Organic -  Sold at Wal-Mart, Parent’s Choice is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It does not contain any sweeteners but does contain palm olein oil.

Vermont Organics – In dairy or soy, Vermont Organics is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA. $24.99 per 25.7 oz can.

Bright Beginnings Organic – Bright Beginnings Organic is USDA certified organic and contains both DHA and ARA.  It does not contain any sweeteners but does contain palm olein oil and hexane processed DHA/ARA.    $24.99 per 25.7 oz can.

If you use formula several times a week or more regularly, it may be a good idea to buy formula in 6 or 12 packs.  All of these formulas come in bulk and most with some cost savings over purchasing individual cans. 

NOTE: All the formulas listed above meet the FDA Nutrition requirements for infant formula.

EDITED 05/18/2010: The government has banned the hexane processed DHA/ARA in organic infant formulas.  For more info, go here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10491711.  As of today, the only organic formula without this type of DHA/ARA is Nature’s One.

Read more…