Turning green with the Weber family!

Why buy organic eggs?!

2010-08-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

In the wake of the nationwide recall of eggs for contamination with salmonella, many consumers may be wondering what types of eggs are healthiest and safest to buy?

More than 90 percent of U.S. eggs come from caged hens. These birds have a space smaller than the size of a sheet of paper to move around, and live in filthy conditions. Aside from animal welfare concerns, that's bad for our health, too, Pennsylvania State University shows, because researchers recently found eggs raised on pasture are much more nutritious than eggs from their caged counterparts.

6 things food industry execs aren't telling you

Penn State's study, published recently in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems found that pastured hens—ones kept outside on different pastures where they can exhibit natural behavior and forage for bugs and grasses—boasted higher vitamin and omega-3 fatty acid levels when compared to their commercially fed, battery-cage-kept counterparts. Eggs from pastured hens contained twice as much vitamin E and 2.5 times more total omega-3 fatty acids as the eggs from caged birds contained.

12 reasons to buy only organic

What it means
There are dozens of claims that manufacturers can make on egg cartons. Some of them are meaningful, but others are just ways to trick consumers into thinking they're buying eggs from happy chickens. (Remember, 90 percent of chicken eggs produced in this country come from the worst type of production system—battery cages.)

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..In an ideal situation, you would purchase your eggs from a local farmer in your area who raises chickens on pasture with plenty of space per bird, and uses moveable, open-air chicken houses, sometimes called chicken tractors, to protect the birds from predators. (You can look for this type of farmer on LocalHarvest.org.) Of course, you could also raise backyard chickens, if you have what it takes.

Eliminating cruel chicken cages is a matter of human health as well as animal welfare. The farther you take chickens away from their natural behaviors, the worse the quality of their eggs or meat.

"When you put four or five chickens in tiny cages, they can't engage in normal chicken behavior—pecking in the dirt, dusting. If they're in a cage, they can't do any of these things," explains chicken expert Gail Damerow, author of the classic Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (Storey, 2010). (She hasn't purchased a store-bought egg since 1982.) "The pressure of the wire cages against their feet causes infections, their feathers rub off on the side of the cages. Basically, they're just totally frustrated. They've got nothing to do. They can't run around and eat flies and take dust baths. They just sit and lay eggs—what kind of life is that?" One result of all that stress and cruelty is that confined birds' eggs contain less nutrition than eggs from hens with room to roam.

Why organic eggs are worth the cost

What the labels on the egg carton really mean:
• "Cage-Free" "Cage-free is certainly not like Old McDonald's farm," explains Paul Shapiro, spokesperson for the Humane Society of the United States. But it's a lot better than battery cages, where most eggs are produced. "Cage-free" means that animals are not kept in cages, but generally they are kept inside in an enclosed building. While this is less than ideal, at least this setup gives animals a chance to spread their wings and lay eggs in nest boxes, which is closer to their natural behavior. Cage-free does not imply antibiotics were not used on hens.
• "Free-Range" or "Free-Roaming" Usually these types of operations allow chickens outside of cages in barns or warehouses, but they aren't required to provide the animals any specific amount of time outside—or even exposure to sunlight indoors. There's no third-party inspection required for free-range claims, and the chickens can be debeaked or forced into molting through starvation, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

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..• "Organic" A USDA-certified organic label means the eggs came from hens that were not enclosed in battery cages, and that must be offered access to the outdoors. However, this doesn't guarantee that the animals ever go outside. Organic eggs come from hens that were fed certified-organic feed, free of antibiotics, pesticides, and other animal products. Forced molting and debeaking are permitted in certified-organic production. Annual inspections are required.
• "Natural" This means that the finished product hasn't undergone certain unnatural processes; in this case, that product is the egg. However, just because eggs are labeled natural doesn't mean a hen wasn't pumped up with antibiotics or other unnatural substances. And it certainly doesn't mean the chickens were raised in clean, humane conditions. For all intents and purposes, natural means nothing.
• "Pastured" Pastured chickens should be housed on grassland in portable shelters that are periodically moved to give the chickens fresh pasture, but there's no third-party inspection required to ensure that's what's really happening. Your best bet is to buy eggs from pastured hens at a local farm that raises the hens organically, ensuring they're not exposed to pesticides, animal by-products, or antibiotics.
• "Omega-3-Enriched" This means hens were fed feed with an increased amount of omega-3-rich flaxseeds. However, pasture-raised hens are already higher in beneficial omega-3s, and they get to be outside. Technically, caged hens could also be fed flax feed, so don't equate this label with better living standards.
• "Certified Humane" This means birds are not kept in cages, but they can be kept indoors. They at least have the space to perform natural behaviors. The program of Human Farm Animal Care sets limits on the number of birds that can be contained in the same area, and outside inspectors perform audits. The program does not, however, require that the animals eat organic feed.
• "United Egg Producers Certified" Shapiro says this, along with "natural," is one of the most misleading claims made on an egg carton. While forced molting is prohibited under this certification, debeaking is allowed, along with other cruel and inhumane practices, such as the use of battery cages.

Huge meat recall!

2010-08-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

Another reason to support your local farmers!

Zemco Industries in Buffalo, New York, has recalled approximately 380,000 pounds of deli meat that may be contaminated with bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday. The products were distributed to Wal-Marts nationwide, according to the USDA's website. The meats may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which was discovered in a retail sample collected by inspectors in Georgia. The USDA has received no reports of illnesses associated with the meats.
"Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease," according to the USDA. "Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea.
"Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy," the USDA said.
Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday from CNN.
The products subject to recall are:

-- 25.5-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches BLACK FOREST HAM With Natural Juices Coated with Caramel Color" with the number 17800 1300.
-- 28.49-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches HOT HAM, HARD SALAMI, PEPPERONI, SANDWICH PEPPERS" with the number 17803 1300.
-- 32.67-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches VIRGINIA BRAND HAM With Natural Juices, MADE IN NEW YORK, FULLY COOKED BACON, SANDWICH PICKLES, SANDWICH PEPPERS" with the number 17804 1300.
-- 25.5-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches ANGUS ROAST BEEF Coated with Caramel Color" with the number 17805 1300.
The meats were produced on dates ranging from June 18 to July 2, 2010. The "Use By" dates range from August 20 to September 10, 2010.

Egg recall!

2010-08-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

32 million dozens of eggs have been recalled due to salmonella poisoning. Another good reason to support your local farmers and buy your eggs from them!

Canning 101!

2010-08-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

Another very heathy, cheap way to make food is canning. This was my very first attempt at canning so I went over to my mother in law's who has been canning for years. It was a lot of fun actually and the food turned out edible so I was very happy. Here is how my first attempt went:
First we headed out to a local farm to pick some tomatoes. This is a great way for your kids to get involved as well.

Then we headed on over to MeMaw's house to cook up some yummy food!
Another great spot for the kids to help out is with cleaning the veggies (I think its the only thing I can get them to clean).

After cleaning the tomatoes, we cooked them in some hot water.

After cooking the tomatoes, peeling them, and slicing them we then added in all the other ingredients to make some yummy salsa (which my husband eats like crazy).

After getting it to a boil it was time to add in the spices.

We then cooked the salsa for awhile until it got to the right consistency we wanted.

The last thing to do was add the salsa to the canning jars and put them into boiling water to make the seal.

When we finished this is what we had!

I spent just a little over $20 and ended up with 11 1/2 jars of salsa and 6 pints of tomato juice! Just that amount of salsa alone is worth well over $20! I was very happy with my first canning experience and even enjoyed it. I'm very excited on canning many more fruits and veggies over the next few weeks! And the best part of canning is that once you have all the supplies and can grow a decent garden, you can store a lot of food for a very small amount (which has become our goal for next year). Hope you are able to give it a try and can enjoy as much as I have!

Saving money on fresh fruit and veggies!

2010-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Right now is the best time to be stocking up on all your fresh fruits and veggies while the price is right, but what do you do with them after you buy them since you obviously won't eat it all in one week. Well I spent about about $22 yesterday and came home with several grocery bags of fresh produce. After I got home I spent a couple of hours getting a lot of my veggies and fruit ready to freeze. Here is a website that will help you freeze most of your veggies: http://www.gardenguides.com/416-freezing-vegetables.html. It is so easy to do and it even tells you how long it will keep! I'm also going to start learning canning from my wonderful mother in law who has been doing it for years. With our garden in its prime, we are starting to take in more food than we can eat so I'm giving it to lots of family and friends but I really need to be getting it ready for the winter months. Why do I freeze and do canning? Right now food is cheap so why not stock up plus in the winter they buy the fresh fruit and veggies from across the world before it is ripe then use chemicals and gasses to ripen them......yuck! I want to keep everything as natural as I can for my family and this is the best way for us along with being very cost efficient! So I can't wait to adventure into canning and make lots more yummy food we can enjoy all winter long! Stay tuned for more!

Fruit salsa!

2010-07-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

While in Branson this past week, I took a cooking class at Silver Dollar City about healthy snacks. One of the recipes was fruit salsa........hum, wasn't sure how I would like it. It turns out it is really good! And very easy to make!
Mix together the following ingredients
-one drained can of pineapples
-strawberries, kiwi, papaya, and mango sliced up
-diced up red onion
-about 5-6 dashes of soy sauce
-cut up cilantro
Mix everything together and serve. It was so good I've already made it twice! She suggested making it as a side to go with hawaiian chicken and rice and drizzle some of the juices over the rice.
You can also dice up the fruit into small pieces and eat it with chips.
Great summer time snack!

Saving money!

2010-06-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

I just got done reading a great book called Saving Money Anyway You Can......Becoming a Frugal Family. This book was such a great read and although most of the things in there I already do, it did bring some new insight into a few things. For instance, to help save the environment along with saving lots of money is to always buy used. Go to garage sales, consignment shops, and best of all use freecycle. Most of this I already put into play and almost all of my kids clothes I buy used outside of the nice things that their grandparents will buy them. But this can go further than clothing, which is what I have never done. For instance we are really wanting to get new furniture someday......new leather furniture.......big ouch on our budget. I never really considered buying it used which is probably where it will eventually have to come from. Now all my kids furniture is used outside of our baby set which my parents bought us. Adriana's bedroom set came from my cousin's daughter. Andrew's bed is a Thomas the Train toddler bed which my mom bought him for his birthday off of Craigslist and his dresser is my sister's old baby dresser from her kids room. I think the hardest part of buying used would have to be a mattress. I'm not sure I can use someone else's used mattress.
It also had a lot of other good ideas on saving money but these had to do with being green and recycling all your old items and using recycled items. It is an older book so some things are really outdated but otherwise a good, easy read.

O'Fallon farmers market!

2010-06-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mom and I went to check out the O'Fallon farmers market and I fell in love! This is 100 times better than the St. Charles farmers market. I was able to pick up all kids of fresh veggies that had been used with no pesticides or fertilizers (but not called organic because it costs a lot of money to be called that by the gov.). Its great because you can talk to the farmers themselves and they will tell you anything you want to know about their farms. I was also able to pick up some bacon and hotdogs from another farmer. They have pictures of all their farm animals sitting out and welcome anyone to come out and have a tour of their farms. This made me feel at ease because its hard to be cruel to animals when you have an open door. Also, the hotdogs were the best I have ever had and they were made of all beef, not the ears, nose, tongue or whatever else they use. We haven't tried the bacon yet. I also picked up some homemade cinnamon rolls from an amish group. Yummy.....is all I can say. The kids gobbled them up so fast! Would definitely recommend and if you go, you will probably see me there since I think I will become a regular!

Club sandwich kabobs!

2010-06-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

The kids love these and the great thing is you can make it how you want to. We have to adjust it a little to my kids liking but its something fun they can help make.

Serves 4
This fun lunch is ideal for kids to help make since they can roll up the meat and cut ingredients with a table knife. Serve these with mustard, mayonnaise or ranch dressing on the side for dipping and be sure to break any sharp ends off of the skewers when serving these kabobs to small kiddos.

Ingredients
4 thick slices whole grain bread, toasted and cut into (1-inch) cubes
4 slices deli ham
4 slices deli turkey
16 cherry tomatoes
4 leaves butter or romaine lettuce
1/4 pound cheddar, cut into cubes
1/4 pound provolone or mozzarella, cut into cubes
2 kosher dill or sweet pickles, thickly sliced

Method
Alternating ingredients, thread bread, ham, turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and pickles onto skewers and serve.

Turkey and cucumber wraps!

2010-06-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

I've made this several times. They are so yummy and a great summer time lunch!

Serves 1
Pack the ingredients separately in a lunch box to roll up at lunchtime or serve the dressing on the side to avoid having a soggy wrap at meal time. Instead of a tortilla, use a piece of lavash bread, if desired.

Ingredients
1 (8-inch) whole wheat tortilla
1 leaf green leaf lettuce
1 ounce thinly sliced smoked turkey
1 slice cheddar cheese
6 thin slices cucumber
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 to 2 tablespoons ranch or blue cheese dressing

Method
Arrange tortilla on a large plate. Top with lettuce, turkey, cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes, then drizzle with dressing. Roll up and serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 9oz/263g-wt.): 400 calories (210 from fat), 24g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 55mg cholesterol, 990mg sodium, 29g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 21g protein

Peach and mango popsicles!

2010-06-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

These are sooooo yummy and the kids loved helping me make them!

Makes 6 to 8
It doesn’t matter if you’re 2 or 102, the sweet-tooth appeal of homemade fruit popsicles is universal.

Ingredients
1 cup puréed mango (from peeled fruit)
1 cup puréed ripe peaches (from peeled fruit)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Lime or lemon juice to taste
6 to 8 popsicle sticks

Method
Combine fruit purées in a medium bowl. Heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add to purées with lime or lemon juice to taste. If you have popsicle molds, fill them, leaving some room at the top to allow for expansion, set the lids in place and insert the sticks through the holes. If you don’t have popsicle molds, fill small cups or empty yogurt tubs about 3/4 full, stretch plastic or foil across the top and make a small slit to insert sticks. Freeze until firmly set, 3 to 4 hours. To remove the pops, first remove the lids or wrap, then squeeze the sides of the molds, twisting them slightly, to dislodge the pop. If necessary, rinse the outside of the molds under hot water first.

Nutrition
Per serving (1 popsicle/62g-wt.): 40 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 10g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 0g protein

Animal cruelty!

2010-06-02T17:56:00.001-07:00

This link will show why I will not support farmers like this! This made me so upset and mad! I couldn't even get past the first few seconds of the video so I don't even know what else is on it. Here is the post with the video. Help stop farmers like this!

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/shut_down_conklin_dairy_farms_and_arrest_and_charge_gary_conklin_and_his_crew_with_animal_cruelty

Pecan crusted chicken!

2010-05-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is a very, very good chicken meal! We are making it again this weekend! These do have a bit of a kick to it so beware when giving it to little kids.

Serves 4
A crispy coating of crushed pecans and cornflakes gives these lean, boneless chicken breasts a tasty oven ‘fried’ crunch.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 tablespoon garlic powder (available in the spice aisle)
4 (6-8 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
4 cups 365 Everyday Value™ Corn Flakes
1 cup whole pecans

Method
Position oven rack to middle shelf; preheat to 375ºF. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and garlic powder. Add chicken; marinate 10 minutes. While chicken is marinating, coarsely grind corn flakes and pecans, separately, in a food processor. Mix together in a large bowl; season with remaining salt. Lift a chicken breast out of buttermilk allowing excess to drain off into bowl; cover entire chicken breast in corn-flake mixture; transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Throw out any remaining buttermilk. Bake 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170ºF on instant-read thermometer.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 8oz/235g-wt.): 530 calories (220 from fat), 25g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 110mg cholesterol, 1280mg sodium, 32g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 46g protein

Cleaning your fruits and veggies!

2010-05-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

Since sometimes we can't financially afford organic or its not available so I did some researching on how to clean your fruits and veggies the best and cheapest way. Most of the sites I visited all said a vinegar/water mixture. Mix 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. If you choose to soak it in this solution, do so very quickly because soaking the fruits and veggies too long will drown out all the nutrients.

An editer from Cooking Illustrated tried cleaning some fruit and veggies four different ways so this is what he found.......
-he washed the first batch with anti-bacterial soap (this idea was not highly recommended because no one likes the taste of soap, nor is it healthy to be eating it.
-The second batch he washed in the vinegar/water solution.
-the third batch he scrubbed with a brush.
-the fourth and final batch he just cleaned with running water.

He discovered the scrub brush got rid of 85% of the bacteria (a little more than water alone).
The water/vinegar solution actually got rid of 98% of the bacteria.....that is amazing!
He said he uses a spray bottle already ready with the solution and he just sprays down what he needs then rinses it off with running water.
He said the technique works best for smooth skinned fruits and vegetables. When you get to broccoli, lettuce leaves, or spinach, produce is harder to clean — as we've learned from recent nationwide recalls. He found that soaking lettuce in the vinegar solution works well, but it's a little more labor intensive than spraying apples.

Some more on organic food!

2010-05-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Ten organic foods that are worth the extra cost.
With growing concern about pesticides, growth agents, and fertilizers in the grocery store many consumers are starting to buy organic alternatives. Which ones are worth the extra expense or even in some cases individual trips to specialty market?

Apples:
Apples are surprisingly treated with a lot of pesticides. The Food and Drug Administration says that apples are treated with more pesticide than any other type of fruit or vegetable. Sometimes as many as 36 different types, one test revealed seven different chemicals on a single apple. If you can’t get organic then make sure and peel your apples, washing isn’t efficient, or buy apples imported from New Zealand, they are usually treated with far less pesticides.

Baby Food:
Baby food is a special concern because an infant’s immune, nervous, and
respiratory systems are less developed and more susceptible to the effects of chemical treatment. Ingredients like peaches, green beans, bananas, and apples are usually treated before they go into baby food. If you can’t find organic baby food then try making you own by pureeing organic fruits and vegetables in the blender.

Butter and Milk:
Milk can contain bovine growth hormones and antibiotics. Even the grains that dairy cows eat are treated quite heavily and as a result show up with a still notable presence in milk and dairy products.

Cantaloupe:
Cantaloupes often times contain the longest lasting chemicals. One chemical, dieldrin, is an extremely toxic and carcinogenic insecticide, and even though it was banned in 1974, the residue has pervaded the soil and transferred up the roots and absorbed into the edible portion. If you can’t get organic then wash the outside of the melon thoroughly so that when you cut the melon you do not contaminate flesh with exterior pollutants.

Cucumbers:
After a survey of 42 common vegetables, cucumbers were ranked second in
cancer risk and the 12th most contaminated food by the Environmental Working Group. If you can’t get organic make sure you peel the cucumber since the skin tends to hold chemicals.

Grapes:
Given that grapes ripen quickly, tend to mold, and attract pest, the growers tend to dowse them with a multitude of chemical agents. The Chilean grapes are the worst often treated with up to 17 different chemicals. Which is quite disturbing when you consider that 90% of the grapes eaten in the United States between January and April are Chilean in origin? If you can’t get organic then buy domestic grapes because they are treated with less chemicals.

Green Beans:
The Environmental Protection Agency allows more than 60 pesticides to be used on green beans. If possible choose fresh beans over canned or frozen and wash them well.

Spinach:
We all grew up watching a certain sailor man eat spinach and grow muscle but the reality could be quite the opposite. The chemicals that they treat spinach with can may cause cancer and interfere with hormone production. When you can’t get organic make sure and wash each leaf separately and meticulously under running water.

Strawberries:
And the winner is… Strawberries are the most contaminated produce in the United States. Strawberries have very high moisture content and mold easily so growers treat them profusely. If possible chose locally grown strawberries. The package should say where they are from. Avoid any over a day’s travel from the market.

Winter Squash:
As with cucumbers and cantaloupes, winter squash is often draws dieldrin from the contaminated soil. Try and purchase Mexican grown squash because the soil is largely dieldrin free.

Wash that Produce:
-Even organic produce must be thoroughly washed to remove dirt and bacteria.
-Properly cleaning can help eliminate some chemical residues.
-Wash all produce under RUNNING water, either cold or warm but never hot.
S-crub tough skinned produce like carrots, apples, and squash with a
vegetable brush.
-Peel the waxy skins on apples and cucumbers to get rid of chemical residues.
-Trim the tops of lettuce, cabbage, and other leafy vegetables. Try and throw away the outer leaves.
-Never use soap to wash produce, even anti-bacterial, it can add its own
residue.

To buy organic or not......

2010-05-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

This might make it a little easier shopping (and saving money). The dirty dozen is what is recommended to buy organic. The clean 15 are the safest to not buy organic. I know I always wonder what I should spend the extra money on for organic and this is a HUGE help. Hope this helps all of you as well!

DIRTY DOZEN (Buy these organic if possible)
www.foodnews.org
1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10.Cherries
11.Potatoes
12.Grapes (Imported)

The clean 15
1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangos
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10.Eggplant
11.Cantaloupe
12.Watermelon
13.Grapefruit
14.Sweet Potato
15.Honeydew
16.Melon

Shampoo, conditioner, and hair dye

2010-05-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

I found this on the Environmental Working Group Website. This is the top four ingredients to avoid in shampoo, conditioner, and hair color.

1. Phthalates: These chemicals get covered up on labels by the general term "fragrance," which the FDA permits to protect "trade secrets." But they're readily absorbed by our fingernails, skin and lungs. This July, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported finding the metabolized forms of dibutyl phthalates, used in nail polish and synthetic fragrance, in every person tested in their national "body burden" study. Studies have found that phthalates can lead to liver cancer and birth defects in lab animals, and now research into the effects on humans is beginning to emerge.

For example, a study from the University of Minnesota, published in the May 2005 Environmental Health Perspectives, found a connection between phthalates and genital abnormalities in baby boys. Researchers measured the level of phthalates in the urine of 85 pregnant women and found that mothers with high levels of phthalates gave birth to boys with one or more developmental issues, including problems such as smaller penises and scrotums or less developed testicles. Although Dr. Christine Ternand, one of the study's authors and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Minnesota, said it was "premature" to instruct women to avoid these chemicals altogether, she added, "If I were pregnant or trying to get pregnant, I would reduce my exposure-and my fetus's exposure-to products containing phthalates."

To reduce exposures to phthalates, steer clear of shampoos and conditioners listing "fragrance" as an ingredient. Although some manufacturers have recently declared that they've removed phthalates from their products (see below), in the absence of specific labeling it remains unclear to what extent, and in which products, this is actually the case. Instead, choose products whose labels list only non-synthetic fragrancing ingredients, such as essential oils of lavender, mint or verbena. And before trying any new cosmetic product, do a touch-and-sniff test, since natural oils can cause irritation or allergic reactions in some people.

2. Parabens (methyl-, propyl-, ethyl- and butyl): Some studies have shown that parabens mimic estrogen in rodents; the chemicals also have been shown to stimulate growth of human breast-cancer cells in the lab.

3. Coal Tar: In 1993, the FDA issued a warning to consumers about coal tar being a possible cancer risk. Coal tar appears in many hair dyes and strong dandruff and psoriasis shampoos, but the FDA failed to ban it even though studies have linked it to cancer in lab animals. The EWG found that 71 hair-dye products contained ingredients derived from coal tar. John Masters of John Masters Organics, a New York City hair stylist for 30 years, says that he shuns the use of coal tars in his hair dyes for his own safety and the safety of his clients and staff. "The skin absorbs 70 percent of what we put on it. It's important that people know what they're applying and taking into their body," Masters says.

4. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are found in some shampoos and conditioners and may cause hair loss and scalp irritation.

Companies and Governments Making Healthy Changes

If you live in Europe, you're somewhat better protected than you are here in the States. In September 2004, a European Union ruling went into effect banning hundreds of carcinogens and reproductive toxins from all personal-care products on the European market. To put that in perspective, in its 67-year history of monitoring cosmetics, the FDA has banned only nine chemicals.

Oil spill cleanup!

2010-05-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

As most everyone has heard about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by BP. We all know how much of the wild life its killed but it continues because they are having a hard time controlling the spilling. Well a great non profit organization Matter of Trust is trying to do their part in helping. They are taking pet and human hair and placing them into those long recycled nylons to make "booms". If you would like to help out or learn more about it, here is their website: http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/hairmatsinfo.html. Just a little bit we can do to help out the environment and the wildlife!

Alfalfa sprouts recall!

2010-05-22T14:18:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES -- Salmonella found in raw alfalfa sprouts appears to have sickened at least 22 people in 10 states, including a baby in Oregon, prompting a nationwide recall of the product.

Caldwell Fresh Foods of Maywood, Calif., announced the recall Friday. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services, which also announced the recall Friday, Caldwell's alfalfa product was sold in 18 states in the West, Midwest and South.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11 people were sickened in California, two were sickened in Nevada and two were sickened in Wisconsin. Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and Colorado each had one person become ill, the CDC said. The illnesses began between March 1 and May 2 and six people were hospitalized.

A representative for Caldwell did not return a call Friday and a release issued by the company did not list the states to which the company sold the alfalfa sprouts.

The company's release did say the alfalfa sprouts were sold at restaurants, delicatessens and retailers nationwide, including many in California. Those California stores include Wal-Mart, Trader Joe's, Kings Supermarket, Numero Uno, Cardenas Markets, Gonzales Northgate Markets, Jons Marketplace and Canton Foods, the company said.

Oregon officials said the sprouts may have gone to more than 400 stores, including Wal-Marts in several states. Wal-Mart did not respond to a request for comment.

The company said the recalled alfalfa sprouts were sold in plastic cups and plastic bags under the Caldwell Fresh Foods brand, plastic cups under the Nature's Choice brand and plastic containers under the California Fresh Exotics brand.

William E. Keene, a senior epidemiologist at the Oregon health department, said Caldwell Fresh Foods is cooperating with an investigation.

Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems. It can cause diarrhea, fever and vomiting.

Keene said the baby who was sickened was a 4-month-old boy who was fed alfalfa sprouts mixed with other foods. His sickness made the cause of the outbreak easier to identify, Keene said, because the infant had not yet eaten many foods. He was hospitalized but has now recovered.

Oregon health officials said this is the 12th outbreak in sprouts that has sickened people in the state since 1995. Keene went as far as to warn against eating raw sprouts at all, saying anyone concerned with foodborne illness should be aware of the number of outbreaks.

Alfalfa sprouts are grown in a moist environment, heightening the chances of bacterial growth. The Food and Drug Administration and the CDC recommend at all times that people with a high risk of complications, such as the elderly, children and those with weakened immune systems, not eat raw sprouts because of the risk of contamination with salmonella.

This is the second large multistate outbreak in fresh produce announced this month. The CDC said Friday that they have identified additional people sickened by an outbreak of E. coli in romaine lettuce, bringing the total to 26 people sickened in Michigan, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Seven additional cases are suspected, the CDC said

Buffalo chicken salad!

2010-05-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is a super easy recipe and very yummy. I make this often and change it up a bit from the recipe. I add many extra veggies in it including spinich, carrots, broccoli, and a few others. Haven't been successful getting my kids to eat it but its great having a recipe I can throw together if I'm running late on getting dinner done.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1/3 pound)
2 to 3 teaspoons hot sauce, such as 365 Everyday Value or Cholula
3 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 tablespoons 365 Everyday Value Organic Light Ranch Dressing
1/2 oz blue cheese crumbles
365 Everyday Value Organic Croutons (optional)
Method
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Arrange chicken flat in skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Once cool, tear into thick shreds and toss with hot sauce. In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, celery and dressing. Arrange on a plate, top with chicken and blue cheese and serve, with a few croutons if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving (about 13oz/381g-wt.): 440 calories (270 from fat), 30g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 110mg cholesterol, 940mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 30g protein

Cheesy, Oozy guacamole bean dip

2010-05-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a great recipe I tried out at my sister's house for Mother's Day. It was super easy to make and everyone LOVED it!

Servings: Serves 8
Ingredients:
Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
3 large avocados
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 containers (8 ounces) nondairy sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup diced mild green chiles , drained
1/2 cup sliced black olives , or more if you like
5 tomatoes , chopped
2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8x8 quart glass baking dish. Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans. Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.
Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with the cheese. Heat the dip for 15 to 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: We use Bearitos organic taco seasoning, but it does contain a touch of cane sugar. If you're avoiding all white sugar, make your own by combining chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt.

Chicken taco pizza

2010-05-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to post some of the recipes we have been trying. This is one of them that we have made a few times. Once I bought the ingredients to make it once, I had enough to make it two more times with only having to buy another pizza crust. It is really good and super easy to make.

Serves 4
You can't go wrong with the best of family favorites, pizza and Mexican food, in one meal! For a vegetarian version, simply substitute sauteed zucchini or bell peppers and onions for the chicken. If you only have two mouths to feed, serve half of the pizza for dinner and pack the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients
1 frozen whole wheat pizza crust, thawed
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa, plus more for serving
1/4 pound part-skim mozzarella, shredded, divided
1 cup no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen yellow corn, thawed
1 frozen boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast (such as Nature's Rancher brand), thawed and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method
Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange crust on a pizza stone or large baking sheet. Spread salsa over crust and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with beans, corn, chicken and remaining cheese and bake until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, cut into 8 pieces and serve with more salsa on the side.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 8oz/250g-wt.): 410 calories (90 from fat), 10g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 730mg sodium, 56g total carbohydrate (9g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 22g protein

Lettuce recall!

2010-05-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Another good reason to support your local farmers market or grow your own veggies. Here is a lettuce recall because of E. coli I found in the news today. It was also sold in MO. Very scary stuff!

WASHINGTON (AP) - A food company is recalling lettuce sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people, three of them with life-threatening symptoms.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that 12 people had been hospitalized and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was looking at 10 other cases probably linked to the outbreak.
Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, said it was recalling romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands because of a possible link to the E. coli outbreak.
College students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Ohio State in Columbus and Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., are among those affected, according to local health departments in those states.
The FDA is focusing its investigation on lettuce grown in Arizona as a possible source for the outbreak, according to two people who have been briefed by the agency. Donna Rosenbaum, director of the food safety advocacy group Safe Tables Our Priority and one of those briefed, said the agency held a phone call with public health advocates Thursday.
Rosenbaum and other public health advocates have long been pushing for stronger food safety laws. The House passed a bill last year that would give the agency much more authority to police food production, but the Senate has not acted on it.
The New York state Public Health Laboratory in Albany discovered the contamination in a bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce on Wednesday after local authorities had been investigating the outbreak for several weeks. The bag of lettuce came from a processing facility that was also linked to the illnesses, the FDA said. The agency would not disclose the name of that facility or its location but said an investigation was under way.
E. coli infection can cause mild diarrhea or more severe complications, including kidney damage. The three patients with life-threatening symptoms were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause bleeding in the brain or kidneys.
were sickened. Freshway Foods said the lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, in-store salad bars and delis.
Susan Cerniglia, spokeswoman for the public health department in Washtenaw County, where the University of Michigan is located, said it doesn't appear that students who were sickened ate the contaminated food on campus. It is believed they may have been sickened at local restaurants, she said.
The Erie County, N.Y., health department issued an alert late last month, however, that linked at least one diagnosis of E. coli to a student who ate at a Daemen College dining facility.
The most common strain of E. coli found in U.S. patients is E. coli O157. The CDC said the strain linked to the lettuce, E. coli 0145, is more difficult to identify and may go unreported.
Freshway Foods said in a statement Thursday that the FDA informed the company about the positive test in New York on Wednesday afternoon. The statement said "an extensive FDA investigation" of Freshway Foods' facility in Sidney has not uncovered any contamination at the plant.
The recalled lettuce has a "best if used by" date of May 12 or earlier. The recall also affects "grab and go" salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh grocery stores.
The lettuce was sold in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Keeping away buffalo knats!

2010-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

I know buffalo knats have been a problem in a lot of areas lately. We have experienced them in the past camping. My father-in-law put to use the idea of using vanilla exteract. He is a carpenter and was working outside with another buddy last week. He had also heard that vanilla extract would keep them away. He decided to try it. His buddy declined and said he didn't want to smell like cookies. Well my father in law left without getting bit once. His buddy however walked away with several welts after getting bit. So there you go......vanilla extract does work!

Our Composter!

2010-05-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

Not long after starting our garden, I saw some articles about how good compost is for you garden. So I began looking more into it. I was completely amazed with how many things you can recycle into a compost pile. I looked into different ways to make your own compost and I liked the containers because I was afraid my neighbors would have an issue with us if we had an open compost pile in our backyard. Well my wonderful in-laws told us they had a compost tumbler at their house that they don't use and we were welcome to borrow it! This was great news to me as the cheapest one I have found so far was around $75. So we immediately went to work on making our compost. I read that it can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to get some good compost to use so this will be perfect for our garden next year.
Of course I got the kids involved with our new recycling program and they love it! I told them all the things we can put into it and they love helping us out with recyling. So here is a picture of them with a few of the things we can put into the compost: Joey holding up some grass representing our yard clippings. Andrew holding up a bag with shredded paper and a shredded paper bag. Adriana holding a container I use to collect all our extra fruit and veggie clippings I have after cooking.

And here is a picture of our compost tumbler. I know not too exciting but I am really excited to see what great compost I can make out of it!

I will keep you updated on how it is coming along!
(Oh and if you are wondering what the red spots are on my kids faces, Adriana got a stamp at school that day from the carnival and they thought it was great fun to stamp their faces.....ugh!)

Garden update!

2010-05-04T07:21:00.001-07:00

Our garden is finally starting to take off. I'm hoping we will have some fresh veggies soon!
Chris got the fence put up around the garden to keep the dogs out and I have been trying the hot sauce mix to keep all the animals away without needing to use any harmful chemicals. We shall see how it goes.
Here is an updated picture of the garden.

A few pictures of some of the veggies starting to pop up!

Listerine works!

2010-05-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

We had our first campout this weekend and gave the listerine spray a try to keep the mosquitos away. It seemed to really work! We came home without one single mosquito bite! This is a record for us especially without using any of the chemical sprays. Although, we still had several nats and other irritating bugs around us, at least they weren't biting us. We will give it a try again in a couple of months when the mosquitos get worse and see how it is. I will keep you updated!

Harmless bug sprays!

2010-04-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

With the camping season upon us now, I'm trying to find a few ways to keep the bugs astray chemical free. So here is some of my lastest findings.

Pepper Spray
This works great for ants and other small pests.
Boil 2 or 3 cups of water.
Add about ½ to 2/3 cup of chopped hot pepper. Let marinate for a few minutes.
Run the mixture thru a sieve to remove the peppers.
Put the liquid in a squirt bottle and use when necessary.
Be careful not to spray directly on foliage.

Minty Soap Spray
This is great for ants.
Mix 2 tbsp of Dr. Bonners mint soap with a gallon of water.
Spray directly on ants.
This will also work to ward off other pests on foliage however be care when you spray it directly on your plants. It has been known to burn some plants if too much is applied.

Pure Vanilla Extract
Dab a little on you wrists, neck and behind the ears. Many insects don’t like the smell.

Chem-Free Bug Off Mist
Mix witch hazel with a few drops of tea tree oil, lavender oil, or peppermint oil in a squirt bottle. Lightly mist your body.

Lavender Works Mosquito Miracles
Stop the bites!
Rub a lavender flower behind your ears, wrists and neck.
Not only will you smell great but mosquitoes will leave you alone.

Quite a few people said colored listerine in a spray bottle works great. Also, pure vanilla in a spray bottle.

I am definitely going to be giving these a try and will let you know how it works. Let me know what works for you!

Homemade pesticides!

2010-04-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Since are garden is now starting to grow I figured now would be a good time to start learning about homemade pesticides. Obviously with trying to keep my kids safe from all the chemicals in the world, I would much rather find a safe way with normal household products. So this is what I have found so far. This is a mixture from all kinds of websites. I will let you know what has worked best from our garden.

Mix homemade garden sprays using water and plants (or dried powders) from the garden such as hot peppers, onions and garlic. Add a drop of dish detergent to help the solution stick and store in a spray bottle to apply to infested vegetables or flowers.

Place a yellow pan with soapy water out in the garden to attract aphids and beetles. They are attracted to their favorite color and the soapy water suffocates them.

Make a trap for slugs by placing an almost empty can of beer on its side in the garden. Slugs and snails will go into the can to drink the fermented liquid and not come out.

To say good-bye to garden insects and slugs try mixing aluminum foil strips with your garden mulch. Aluminum foil not only deters garden pests but due to its reflective property it also gives your plants a solar boost.

Onion concoction is an effective home remedy to get rid off garden pests especially from your vegetables and flowers. With the help of a blender make a smooth paste of 4onions, 2 tbsp of cayenne pepper, 2 garlic cloves and 1 quart of water. Before using this homemade pesticide dilute this puree with 2 tbsp of soap flakes and 2 gallons of water. Now spray this diluted homemade pesticide on your pest infected plants.

To protect your plants, vegetables and flowers from pests simply mix flour and black pepper powder. Now sprinkle this mixture around the plants.

You can prepare an insecticidal soap at home by dissolving 1 tsp of any liquid dish soap in 1 liter of water. This solution is effective in getting rid off whiteflies, thrips, spider mites and aphids.

General pest repellent
This is quite a recipe...but its worked for me as a general spray that has helped prevent a lot of infestations before they became a problem.
- 1/4 cup of hot red peppers (red pepper sauce works well as a substitute)
- 1/4 cup of fresh spearmint (look in your produce for fresh herbs or grow your own !)
- 1/4 cup horseradish, both root and leaves (prepared horseradish doesnt work as well)
- 1/4 cup green onion tops
- 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent

So here is a good list of things to try. I have not had a chance to try any of these yet, but can't wait to. I will let you know what has worked for us and if you get a chance to try any of these, please let me know what has worked for you. If you have any other recipes I would love to hear them. Happy gardening!

Homemade hairspray!

2010-04-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

I found this on thekindlife.com and thought it sounded really interesting. A chemical free hairspray that is really cheap to make. I haven't tried it yet but would love to. Let me know if any of you try it and what you think!

Try this amazing recipe for make-it-yourself hairspray. It's incredibly cheap, no chemicals, better for your hair, better for the environment, and most definitely Not Tested On Animals.

You will need:
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 tsp sugar (organic if possible)
* Spray bottle with a very fine mist (very important that it's a fine mist or you'll soak your hair)

Boil the water, let cool slightly, then add the sugar until it's dissolved. Let cool completely, then pour into the spray bottle.

That's it! Easy :-)

You can add some essential oils for scent if you like, I added a few drops of Rosemary essential oil for a yummy refreshing scent.

You may find that you need to add slightly more or less sugar depending on how much hold you need for your hair, but this recipe is so quick and cheap that it's easy to ditch and start again with a new batch.

If you do need extra hold, I suggest misting your hair once, waiting 30 seconds or so for it to dry, then misting again.

Homemade household cleaners!

2010-04-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of chemical free household cleaners I have found. Hope these help you out!

White vinegar and water
-1 cup white vinegar
-1 cup water
mix in a spray bottle.
Can be used for the following things:
-In the kitchen, use vinegar-and-water spray to clean countertops, lightly soiled range surfaces and backsplash areas
-In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean countertops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet.
-For really tough bathroom surfaces such as shower walls, pump up the cleaning power by removing the sprayer element and heating the solution in the microwave until barely hot. Spray shower walls with the warmed generously, allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. The heat helps soften stubborn soap scum and loosens hard water deposits.
-White vinegar is a natural deodorizer, absorbing odors instead of covering them up. (And no, your bathroom won't smell like a salad! Any vinegar aroma disappears when dry.)
-With no coloring agents, white vinegar won't stain grout on tiled surfaces. Because it cuts detergent residue, white vinegar makes a great fabric softener substitute for families with sensitive skin.

Undiluted White Vinegar
-Undiluted white vinegar--straight from the jug--makes quick work of tougher cleaning problems involving hard water deposits or soap scum.
-Use undiluted white vinegar to scrub the inside of the toilet bowl. Before you begin, dump a bucket of water into the toilet to force water out of the bowl and allow access to the sides. Pour undiluted white vinegar around the bowl and scrub with a toilet brush to remove stains and odor. Use a pumice stone to remove any remaining hard water rings.
-Clean shower heads that have been clogged with mineral deposits with undiluted white vinegar. Place 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar in a plastic food storage bag, and secure the bag to the shower head with a rubber band. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then rinse and buff the fixture to a shiny finish.
-Add one cup of undiluted white vinegar to the laundry rinse cycle instead of commercial fabric softener. White vinegar softens clothes and cuts detergent residue-a plus for family members with sensitive skin.

Baking Soda
-Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp sponge to tackle grimy bathtub rings, scour vanities, or remove food deposits from the kitchen sink.
-For tougher grime, make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the tub or sink, and allow to stand for 10 to 20 minutes. Dirt, soap scum and deposits soften and are easier to remove.
-Slow-running drains? Keep bathroom drains running freely by pouring 1/2 to 3/4 cup baking soda into the drain, and dribbling just enough hot water to wash the solution down. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then flush thoroughly with hot water. The deodorizing effect is an added bonus! [Do not use this method on blocked drains.]

Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
-1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
-1 cup water
-1 tablespoon white vinegar
-mix in a spray bottle
-Rubbing alcohol provides the base for an evaporating cleaner to rival commercial window and glass cleaning solutions. Use this glass cleaning spray recipe for windows, mirrors, chrome fixtures and for a shiny finish on hard-surface ceramic tiles

Rug shampoo mix
-1/4 cup mild detergent or soap
-1 pint of warm water
-2 tablespoons vinegar
-Whip into a stiff foam. First, vacuum the rug thoroughly. Apply the foam and scrub. Let dry, then vacuum again.

Air Freshener
-Baking soda or vinegar with lemon juice in small dishes absorbs odors around the house.
-Having houseplants helps reduce odors in the home.
-Prevent cooking odors by simmering vinegar (1 tbsp in 1 cup water) on the stove while cooking. To get such smells as fish and onion off utensils and cutting boards, wipe them with vinegar and wash in soapy water.
-Keep fresh coffee grounds on the counter.
-Grind up a slice of lemon in the garbage disposal.
-Simmer water and cinnamon or other spices on stove.
-Place bowls of fragrant dried herbs and flowers in room

A word of caution on making homemade cleaners: never mix bleach with any type of acid such as ammonia or vinegar. It will cause toxic fumes that are very dangerous.

Freezing vegetables!

2010-04-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have asked me how to freeze vegetables, I just use this simple website of how to freeze most veggies. It list most of the vegetables I use and is really simple.

http://www.gardenguides.com/416-freezing-vegetables.html

Hope it helps you all out!

How to eat healthy on a budget!

2010-04-24T15:01:00.001-07:00

I've had many people ask me how we can eat healthy and still maintain a $75 a week budget. So this is what we do.
-We buy a quarter of a cow a year which gives us enough meat to last throughout the year. (I should mention that we don't count this into our weekly budget so that makes a difference I know).
-We make a weekly menu and stick withit. We only buy the items we need for the weekly menu and I stick hard with my grocery list.
-We eat up all of our leftovers. Some meals will last us three-four days.
-We have started our own garden and plan to eat most of our veggies from this.
-We buy a lot of our fruits and veggies when it is cheap and freeze the extra's that we are not going to eat. I also have a wonderful mother-in-law who cans a lot of food and shares with us.
-I try to make up a bigger portion of our dinners so we can freeze half. Most of the time it doesn't cost us but maybe a dollar or two more.

Hopefully this helps out with how we manage to do it. We often only eat two or three more expensive meals and the rest are cheaper meals. We also very, very rarily ever eat out. Maybe once every 2-3 weeks I will take the kids out to subway but as far as eating out for dinner that only happens maybe once every 3-4 months.
I also don't buy the kids a lot of snack food and no juice. Our juice is either homemade lemonade or water. And they each only get two glasses of milk a day. I know this may seem like a mean mom, but most of the time they only ask for water anyway. Chris and I also did away with drinking soda and drink water instead. It is actually pretty easy to eat on $75 a week and we sometimes have some money left over at the end of the week.
If anyone has any additional ideas to keeping a small budget I would love to hear them. I would love to get my budget back down to $50 a week.

Difference in olive oils?

2010-04-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Since we are now cooking our meals from scratch, I am finding myself using oils a lot more. So I had to learn what the difference was between the olive oils (regular, virgin, and extra virgin). After looking at many, many different sites, they all basically said the same thing. So I just copied the answers from one of the sites and here is the jist of what the difference is.......

What is ‘Olive Oil’
A. Olive oil is olive juice, plain and simple.

What is ‘Virgin?’
A. Virgin means mechanical extraction. The oil or juice is extracted by machines with no chemicals used in the process.

What is ‘Extra’?
A. Mechanically extracted (virgin) olive oil is not all the same quality. 'Extra' is the highest quality and is thus classified because it goes through a battery of tests, both laboratory (analytical) as well as 'taste' (a cutting by an olive oil master similar to the way wines are taste tested). Virgin olive oil that is judged to have ‘no defects’ is classified as extra. So ‘extra virgin’ means – mechanically extracted olive juice that passes laboratory and taste testing with no defects

So basically it is saying to spend a little extra and buy the extra virgin. I also read to make sure it is stored in a glass bottle because if it is stored in plastic container it can absorb PVCs. It also needs to be stored in a cool, dark place away from heat of the stove and sunlight.
Hopefully this helps you as much as it has helped me better understand olive oils.

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

I really try to teach my kids to respect the Earth and to celebrate Earth day everyday. I expain how recycling and cutting out the chemicals in our lives really helps out. This year we also planted a huge garden, compared to our small one we used to plant on the side of our house. We planted carrots, tomatoes, corn, onions, peppers, cucumbers, squash, green beans, lettuce, and maybe a few more things I'm leaving out. The kids helped us out with making the garden and had so much fun. They are very excited to be able to pick all the fresh veggies out of it as soon as we can.
So here is a picture of the garden. We still have to put the wiring around it to protect it from the animals as well as our dogs and kiddos.

A closer picture.

I can't wait until it all starts growing!!!

Homemade insect repellent!

2010-04-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

So looking into other summer must have's, insect repellent came to mind. So looking into it a little further I found that many are loaded with harmful chemicals as most of you can guess. So instead of posting all the chemical names this time I just decided to post about making some homemade bug spray. I have not tried any of these yet but definitely plan too. If you get a chance to try any, please let me know what you think and if it worked for you.

Instructions for Making Homemade Insect Spray
A variety of household products can be used to create non-toxic insect sprays. Experiment using any of the following sprays to determine your personal potion:

1.Apple cider vinegar: fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and spray the solution on skin before going outdoors.

2.Garlic repellent: although garlic should not be directly applied to the skin, a garlic spray created with warm water and a few cloves or crushed garlic is excellent mosquito repellent. Place the mixture in a plastic spray bottle. Before an outdoor picnic, spray the surrounding area (plants, chairs, etc.), including clothing, with garlic spray to clear away pests.

3.Lemon eucalyptus oil: add 5-6 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil to 1 cup of water and fill a spray bottle. Spray clothing, plants, and surrounding area.

4.Vanilla spray: a sweeter choice than garlic, vanilla extract is a total turn-off to many types of bugs. Fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and one tablespoon of vanilla extract and spray directly onto the skin. Use a cloth or tissue to blend well into the skin.

Read more at Suite101: Keep Insects Away Using Non-Toxic Ingredients: Prevent Mosquitoes Naturally During Spring Rainy Season http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/keep_insects_away_using_nontoxic_ingredients#ixzz0lnsG4cAY

So what does Organic mean?

2010-04-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

I have had a few people ask me if my family is only eating ORGANIC food. Well I don't know? What exactly makes something organic?
So I looked up a definition for organic and this is what I got:

Organic Food – A Definition
Organic farming means that food has been grown and transported without chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or other additives, on land that conforms to the standards of an organic certification board. In the United States, it's the U.S. Department of Agriculture that controls the approval process for a farm's produce to be labeled "organic," while other countries like Japan and Australia have their own organic standards and regulatory bodies.
What this means is that organic meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables can only legally be called "organic" if the farm they come from has been checked and certified to produce organic food.
If produce, meats, poultry or milk products are called organic, it means fewer chemical additives (which have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and other diseases) and, usually, higher vitamin and mineral content, which is all to the good. Packaged foods, however, are a different story.
Read more at Suite101: What Does Organic Food Really Mean?: The Definition of Organic Farming, Produce and Health Food http://holistic-nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_does_organic_food_really_mean#ixzz0lmrygQe0

So after reading this definition the answer is no we don't eat only organic food. My basic plan for my family is to homecook every meal without using any of the harmful chemicals that are found in all the processed food. And yes, I said homecook everything. This doesn't mean I spend all day in the kitchen because with three kids and a very hectic schedule I don't have time for that. I try to devote about an hour a day to cooking (I don't count the time that something is in the oven). Its actually a lot easier than it sounds. I try at least two new recipes a week and most of my meals make enough for us to eat for a couple of days.
And no you don't have to give up any of your favorite meals. You can make almost anything from scratch thanks to the wonderful internet. I just type in a meal I would like to make and look for a recipe to make it from scratch. So far it hasn't been a problem to make the meals at all and I actually enjoy my cooking now. I also try to let the kids help me out as much as possible which they love.
No we are not a vegan family either, someone has asked me that too. I think if I tried to turn my family vegan I would be divorced and leaving in a cardboard box somewhere. But we do get our meat from Chris' cousin who farm raises a few cows every year for the family and our poultry comes from Whole Foods until I can find somewhere else to get them from.
So that is it in a nutshell. I guess I can't call us organic but we are eating healthier.

Another reason not to eat fast food!

2010-04-21T13:59:00.001-07:00

OLATHE, KAN - According to their menu, the Sonic Chicken Wrap comes with grilled chicken breast, fresh lettuce and ranch dressing. But one metro customer says that he got an additional, unwelcome ingredient with his wrap, and now he says that he is looking into hiring a lawyer.

Robert Borushko says that he found a tomato dicer blade when he bit into a Chicken Wrap purchased from a Sonic Drive-In at 119th Street in Olathe. He says that he was shocked when he took a bite and pulled a razor blade out of his mouth.

"I thought I broke a tooth at first because when I bit down, it was hard," said Borushko. "It's about one inch, I put it up against a ruler."

Sonic's corporate office sent FOX 4 a statement saying that a very small piece of a blade of a tomato dicer broke off, and that they have apologized to the customer and offered Borushko $200 for the inconvenience.

According to the Sonic corporate office, the Sonic Drive-In in Olathe has a history of good scores on public health inspections and third-party food safety audits.

Borushko says that he was not impressed by their offer.

"It was a smack in the face for biting on a razor blade," said Borushko. "(The Sonic representative's) whole thing is there's no serious injury, I wasn't cut. It's not a serious matter to them."

Borushko says that it is a serious matter to him, and now he's looking into hiring a lawyer. He says that he filed a report with the Olathe Police Department, but officers said that they found no evidence of criminal misconduct.

"If I swallowed it or gave it to one of my nieces or nephews and a little kid got that razor blade and didn't know to quit chewing, the damage could have been done to them," said Borushko.

Great website!

2010-04-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a great website for finding safe beauty products:
http://www.ewg.org/whichsunscreensarebest/2009report
You can find any suntan lotion and it will tell you how safe it is. Sorry there are so many posts about this but since it is getting to be that time of year that is all I can think about right now.
This is a great website for other products as well.
Enjoy!

A list of healthy suntan lotions!

2010-04-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

Choose from among top rated sunscreens for broad spectrum protection with fewer hazardous ingredients. And follow our sun safety tips to protect your skin for a lifetime.

1. Loving Naturals Sunscreen, SPF 30+) 0
2. Badger Sunscreen Face Stick, SPF 30, Unscented 0
3. Heiko Kids 40 SPF 0
4. thinkbaby Sunscreen, SPF 30+ 0
5. Trukid Sunny Days Face & Body Stick, SPF 30+ 1
6. Beyond Coastal Lip and Face Screen, SPF 30 1
7. Purple Prairie Botanicals Sun Stick, SPF 30 1
8. Soleo/Wyland Organics All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+ 1
9. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40
10. All Terrain TerraSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30 1

see all sunscreens

Does your sunscreen work? EWG's investigation of 535 beach and sport sunscreens finds that 2 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don't adequately protect skin from the sun's damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.

More Americans than ever are using sunscreen to protect from sunburn and guard against skin cancer. Top choices include products with high SPF ratings, and that are waterproof or that advertise "broad spectrum" protection.

Most people trust that the claims on the bottle will ensure that the product truly protects their health and their families'. Nothing could be less certain. Until FDA strengthens and finalizes sunscreen safety standards first drafted 31 years ago, consumers can't be confident that products on store shelves are safe and effective.

We found 21 sunscreens claiming SPFs from 55-100+ that might tempt you to stay out longer in the sun, but they block just 1 to 2% more sunburn rays than an SPF 30 sunscreen. These products violate FDA's sunscreen safety standards.

Four percent of high SPF sunscreens (SPF of at least 30) protect only from sunburn (UVB radiation), and provide poor protection from UVA, the sun rays linked to skin damage and aging, immune system problems, and potentially skin cancer. FDA does not require that sunscreens guard against UVA radiation.

Harmful chemicals found in suntan lotion!

2010-04-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

I just found out from a friend today about a severe reaction her son (16 months old) just had to suntan lotion. She was using a very common suntan lotion called Banana Boat baby. After putting some suntan lotion on one of her twins he began to break out with a rash. The rash soon turned into blisters. Her and her husband are both paramedics so they were both treating the little boy but it was so bad they were to the point of taking him to the hospital. They immediately called their doctor who told them to give the baby some benedryl. They were finally able to get rid of the blisters without hurting him anymore but not without forever changing their opinion on suntan lotion. They were told he had an allergic reaction to the suntan lotion both externally as well as internally since the chemicals used in the lotion was absorbed through the skin. They were then told how harmful the chemicals were in suntan lotion.
So this brought on an interest to me. So I began reading about the harmful ingredients in suntan lotion since I also use popular products. WOW!!!! That is the best word I can say about what they put into suntan lotion! I have been putting this on my babies for 6 years and it is horrible!!!!!!
Here is a few things I have found.
This was too long to post and it was all good information so I figured I would just post the website: http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunscreens.html

Some other information I have found:

For 29 years, the FDA has refused to publish safety standards for sunscreen products. That's nearly three decades of keeping the public in the dark about the extremely harmful, cancer-causing chemicals found in sunscreen products. Any idea why the Food and Drug Administration has taken so long to set safety standards for a product used by over 100 million Americans? If you guessed, "Because the greedy corporations selling the toxic sunscreen products don't want the FDA to study the safety of their products," give yourself golden star sticker. You got it! The FDA has no interest in protecting the public from cancer-causing personal care products, and that simple fact is made abundantly clear by the FDA's 29-year delay to establish basic safety guidelines.

As is increasingly the case, non-profit groups are now doing the job the FDA should be doing but refuses to do. In this case, the Environmental Working Group (www.EWG.org), one of my top recommended non-profit organizations, has compiled a list of 700 name-brand sunscreens along with the toxic chemicals they contain. You'll find the list at http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

As the EWG reports, many sunscreen products contain cancer-causing chemicals that get absorbed right through the skin:

Some sunscreens absorb into the blood and raise safety concerns. Our review of the technical literature shows that some sunscreen ingredients absorb into the blood, and some are linked to toxic effects. Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some act like estrogen and could disrupt hormone systems, several are strongly linked to allergic reactions, and still others may build up in the body or the environment. FDA has not established rigorous safety standards for sunscreen ingredients.

After 29 years of debate, the government has failed to set mandatory sunscreen safety standards. Companies are free to make their own decisions on everything from advertising claims to product quality. In lieu of setting final standards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises people to stay out of the sun from 10 am to 4 pm. FDA now stands in direct violation a Congressional mandate requiring the agency to finalize sunscreen safety standards by May 2006, flouting not only Congress but also consumers, who are reliant on sunscreen to protect their health.

84% of sunscreen products harm consumers

Yummy salsa!

2010-04-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is some of the best salsa I have had. It is so easy to make too!

Makes about 2 cups
Salsa has lots of advantages: It seems indulgent, but it's actually a healthy choice, fat free and loaded with flavor and vegetables. It's inexpensive, especially when the ingredients are home grown or in season. It's versatile because you can make it hotter with more peppers or make it sweeter with fruit. And it's easy!

Ingredients
2 cups chopped tomatoes (or a combination of tomatoes and fresh peaches, nectarines, mangoes or grapes)
1/3 cup chopped yellow or white onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Salt to taste

Method
Put all ingredients into a bowl, toss well and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 4oz/1/2 cup/116g-wt.): 25 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 6g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 1g protein

Some more harmful chemicals in our food!

2010-04-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

While doing some research on another chemical, I came across this website that talked about a few more harmful chemicals. Seriously, I may need some therapy after this so I can finally eat again. It makes me sick to think about all this CRAP we are putting into our bodies, and even worse.......our kids bodies!!!!!

24 Potentially Harmful Food Additives

There are an overwhelming amount of websites dedicated to harmful additives in food;
but many are totally obscured by an obvious bias, making it difficult to make an informed decision about foods to avoid. I am making a list here of additives or ingredients used in the preparation of the food we eat that have been mentioned in a number of different places as being carcinogenic, mutagenic (causes DNA mutations that can potentially cause cancer), or allergenic. Many additives used are colorants. These are the color additives approved by the FDA: FD&C Red #3 (not in cosmetics, external drugs or in lake form – explanation to come later), Citrus Red #2, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Blue #2, FD&C Green #3, Orange B, FD&C Yellow #5, and FD&C Yellow #6

Where possible, I have provided links to the FDA or other legitimate websites that address concerns about these ingredients. If you are wondering how the FDA reaches decisions about food additives, check out their guide to what tests should be performed for the FDA to pass the color for public consumption.

Harvey Wiley, a chemist and pioneer in the investigation of the safety of colorants in our food, was responsible for bringing about the first official document addressing these concerns called the Food and Drugs Act of 1906. The law basically said that if the consumer would be deceived as to the product’s quality or freshness by the addition of an artificial colorant, then its use should be prohibited. Later, he hired a dye consultant by the name of Bernard Hess Ph.D to assess the more than 80 commercial colorants that were used at that time. Hesse concluded that only 7 should be approved for use and that the other 73 were not safe!

In the 1960’s the FDA instituted a new policy that required colorants to be demonstrated as safe. In the meantime, it gave the over 200 colorants being used at the time an island of reprieve until their safety could be confirmed or denied. Only 90 (as of 2002) of the original list are still being used. Also, the Color Additive Amendments in 1960 introduced a new clause into law called the Delaney Clause: it is illegal to distribute any artificial coloring that has caused cancer in either animals or humans. This very stringent law has been challenged many times on the notion that “any risk” could include one in 10 billion; that is one extra case of cancer in 10 billion people would render that colorant as banned in the U.S. There are some risks that are so negligible as to be virtually non existent (in my books, and I am pretty picky), but nonetheless, the Delaney Clause is strict in its lettering, and thus the U.S. consumer is protected. Why then, are some controversial colorants and other substances, still legally usable by manufacturers? It lies in the differing opinions of scientists as to the validity of whether the substance in question causes cancer or other ill effects. As with many things, it comes down to a battle of experts and the consumer is left to decide for themselves how to proceed.

After the 1960’s the FDA required evidence that new color additives were safe before they were allowed to be used. The evidence was not collected by the FDA, but by the manufacturer; clearly a conflict of interest situation unless you are dealing with incredibly scrupulous manufacturers! If a product was deemed safe for food, drugs and cosmetics, it received an FD&C label, if only for drugs and cosmetics, it received an D&C label and for external use drugs and cosmetics, it received an Ext. D&C label. Certification means that a sample from a batch of a particular color must undergo and pass FDA testing before it can be used. Currently, only coal tar and petroleum based products are batch monitored; that is, each new batch created must be certified. If a dye is naturally derived from plant, animal, or mineral sources, it doesn’t need individual batch certification, but is still heavily regulated by the FDA.

What I find interesting is if a additive is animal derived, it needs not be stated on the ingredient label, leaving vegetarians stuck unknowingly consuming products that they are ethically opposed to. Here is a list of naturally derived colorants that are animal derived, and thus not subject to certification: carmine or cochineal extract comes from the female cochineal insect (commonly used in Campari, fruits, yogurts, processed foods and cosmetics), and canthaxanthin, which can be derived from ocean crustaceans, but is mostly made synthetically (in the U.S. is commonly used for chicken feed). Here are a list of colorants and other products that could be harmful or not depending upon which expert you listen to.

Diet Products

Aspartame, also known as E-951 is an artificial sweetener used in many diet products. Although it is close to 200 times sweeter than sugar, it adds virtually no calories, making it seemingly ideal for dieters. This chemical has been linked to brain tumors and memory loss. Aspartame is made up of 3 ingredients: Aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%). Ingestion of Aspartame increases aspartic acid levels in the blood; higher levels of aspartic acid can lead to the destruction of neurons – neurons don’t grow back; once they are gone, that’s it. Phenylalanine is an amino acid regularly found in the body, but some people suffer from a disorder called PKU; an inability to metabolize phenylalanine. If this disease is not diagnosed early, lethal levels can build up in the brain. For those of you with children, you may remember your newborn having their skin pricked to test their blood for this disease. High levels of phenylalanine have been found in the brains of people who consume aspartame. Methanol is slowly broken down in the small intestine, but if it reaches 30 degrees celsius or higher, it reacts with the chymotripsin to form formaldehyde. In Operation Desert Storm, troops were given ample quanitites of diet sodas that would heat up nicely in the desert, and many reported symptoms that mimic formaldehyde poisoning. In case you are not convinced, here is some more evidence that you might want to avoid this chemical: some American aviation publications have warned pilots off consuming products containing Aspartame do to complaints of seizure like symptoms, blurred vision and blackouts. My own sister in law suffers from epilepsy and has been told by her doctor to avoid Aspartame as it may increase her chances of having a seizure. And finally, 75% of complaints to the FDA regarding health complications from food additives have involved Aspartame. There are many governmental studies that refute the adverse affects of Aspartame, but since there is so much evidence implicating this chemical with health problems, I am not going to take any chances.

Acesulfame-K or Ace-K is an artificial sweetener used in Coke Zero. There have been inadequate studies to conclusively prove this substance is totally safe for human consumption. This additive was approved even though it failed to meet FDA standards.

Olestra is a fat substitute used in some potato chips. It is not taken up by the body during digestion and is passed through the small and large intestine in tact. For this reason, it is considered to have zero calories, but it causes a whole host of gastrointestinal related symptoms such as abdominal cramps, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and loose stools. What we won’t do to have our cake or chips and eat them too…

Saccharin is a product that demonstrates the sometimes backwards momentum gained in the food additive industry. Saccharin is used in Sweet and Low and in 1977, the FDA recommended that it be banned from use; the government responded by requiring a warning label to put onto products containing saccharin. The diet industry in 1997 petitioned the World Health Organization, and the U.S. and Canadian governments to remove saccharin from their list of cancer causing chemicals. The governments buckled by removing the requirement that products containing saccharin have a warning label. This will likely increase usage. This product has been shown to cause bladder and other cancer in rats and mice.

Colorants

Citrus Red 2 is carcinogenic and used to enhance the color of the skin in some Florida oranges and other fruits. Since most people don’t eat the skin of oranges, the FDA isn’t concerned, but for those of you who candy orange peels or use orange zest, be cautious of where your oranges come from. We thought we were safe from additives with fresh fruit, but apparently, we were wrong.

Red dye #3; the marishino cherries of my youth… Studies were done in 1983 that showed thyroid tumors in rats on high amounts of this dye. As a result of these studies, the FDA recommended that Red dye #3 be banned in the U.S., but the governmental powers that be overruled the FDA’s decision and subsequently, this colorant is still used, but only as a straight color additive; not in lake form. Huh? O.K., it goes like this: straight color additives are water soluble and are ideal for use in foods that have a lower fat content, or a higher liquid content. Lakes are the water insoluble form of the same colorant and are used in products that have a low moisture content such as tablets, or in high fat products, such as icing.

FD&C Blue #1 – Brilliant Blue FCF was previously banned in many EU countries, but most have removed the ban. It is on the list of approved colorants in the U.S. The International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded in 1998, that this colorant causes cancer in rats. Studies have found this substance to be a skin and eye irritant and allergen. There is a wonderful website called Toxicology Advice and Consulting that summarizes recent studies on over 600 different chemicals. You need only type the name of the chemical into the database and press enter. The Material Safety Data Sheet for Blue 2 states that it is “hazardous in case of ingestion, of inhalation”; although this may refer to people who use this dye in large amounts.

FD&C Green #3 has been linked to studies showing tumors in rats that were injected with this dye. David Steinman, author of The Safe Shopper’s Bible, recommends avoiding this dye as it has been found to be carcinogenic; however, I should point out that the studies for this dye have been in very much in dispute and it is difficult to find a lot of current information.

Tartrazine, also known as FD&C Yellow #5 or E-102; an ingredient that I have taught my 4 and 6 year old to recognize on a package of candy. It provides the color yellow and as such, can also be found in green and blue candies. There is currently a petition to the FDA to ban tartrazine from food. Some schools have banned products containing tartrazine and subsequently noticed a big difference in the overall behavior of their students. Tartrazine is a coal tar derivative, like most artificial colorings, and is one of the most controversial of the azo dies used in food. Norway has banned the substance. This chemical has been linked to severe allergic reactions, especially in asthmatics and is one of the food additives thought to be a cause of hyperactivity in children.

FD&C Yellow #6 – Sunset Yellow is Sudan 1 that has been sulfonated. Sudan 1 often remains as an impurity in Sunset Yellow. It is banned in Norway and Finland and the Food Standards Agency in Britain has called for a voluntary removal of Sunset Yellow from food and drink by 2009. It has been linked with a small percentage of skin irritations and asthmatic reactions. In addition, it may cause hyperactivity in children when combined with Sodium Benzoate. The Carcinogenic Potentcy Project at Berkeley has revealed no positive results for a cancer test summary. Basically this website is a summary of all of the studies done with regards to potential carcinogenic agents.

Sudan 1, also called CI Solvent Yellow 14 has been banned in the EU. Lab tests on exposed rats revealed bladder and liver tumor growth. Sudan 1 is banned in the U.S. As a result of all the negative publicity for this colorant, the country of Sudan has asked to have its name changed.

Ferrous Gluconate is a naturally derrived, mineral colorant added to olives. It is also a medication used for treating anemia, and as a drug has side effects, and contraindications.

Preservatives

Chlorphenesin and Phenoxyethanol are ingredients used in Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream. The FDA has issued a consumer warning that these two substances cause depression of the central nervous system, vomiting and diarrhea in infants. Phenoxyethanol is used as a preservative in medications and cosmetics.

Sulfites are used as preservatives to maintain shelf life, color and inhibit bacterial growth in food products. They are also used to enhance the potency of certain medications. For most people, sulphites are not of particular concern, but people who are sensitive to them have experienced severe allergic reactions including anaphalactic shock. In addition, sulfites destroy thaimin (vitamin B1). People with sulfite sensitivities should avoid any product containing sulfites.

BHA is a preservative used in cereals, potato chips and chewing gum to stop them from becoming rancid. It has been shown to cause cancer in mice, rats and hamsters. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers BHA to be a carcinogen and that it poses a reasonable risk to health. Despite this warning, the FDA still allows BHA to be used.

Color and Flavor Enhancers

Aristolochic acid is an ingredient used in “traditional medicines” or “dietary supplements” that is known to potentially cause irreversible and fatal kidney failure.

Sodium nitrate and nitrite are added to meats to stabilize them, give them their red color and provide that characteristic smoked flavor. They mix with the acid in your stomach to form nitrosamines, which are very strong cancer causing cells. They are especially present in fried bacon. Recently, food companies have been adding ascorbic acid and erythorbic acid to nitrate and nitrite treated meat to slow the formation of nitrosamines in the stomach which has significantly reduced the harm that these ingredients cause, but does not eliminate it completely. I always try to buy nitrite free lunch meat for my family when I can. Hot dogs are also filled with nitrites; without them, both bacon and hot dogs would be an ever appetizing shade of gray.

Chloropropanols are a family of drugs commonly found in Asian food sauces like black bean, soy, and oyster sauce. There are two specific substances within this category that are known carcinogens and that are banned in Canada and the UK:3-MCPD and 1,3 DCP. They are not banned in the United States, although the FDA has recommended that foreign products containing these materials be banned from entering the U.S.

Diacetyl, the chemical that imparts the buttery flavor in microwave popcorn has a disease named after it due to the large amount of microwave popcorn factory workers that came down with the lung condition Diacetyl Induced Bronchiolitis Obliterans; or “Popcorn Worker’s Lung”. There is no official ban in the EU, and U.S. companies are starting to volunarily replace this ingredient in the microwave popcorn. The CDC has issued a safety alert for workers in factories that use diacetyl.

Potassium Bromate is a chemical added to flour to make bread rise better and give it a uniform consistency. Most of what is added to flour breaks down during the cooking process into bromide, which at this time, is shown little to no health risk, but what hasn’t been broken down remains in the baked good and is a known carcinogen. Numerous petitions have been made to the FDA to ban this ingredient and many flour mills have voluntarily stopped adding it to their products. It is banned in most countries except the U.S. and Japan.

Ephedra is an herb used in many supplements. This drug is illegal in the U.S. for use in supplements but does turn up in other products. It is commonly promoted for its effects on “enhancing manhood”. The list of effects on the body is about as long as my arm and include almost every system in the body. I do want to note, that this substance has been used for years in pharmaceutical preparations as an effective bronchodilator, but physicians are opting for newer, as effective drugs with less side effects. Ephedra is very strictly controlled in the United States because it can be used to make Methamphetamine.

Not intentionally added to food, but there nonetheless…

Methyl mercury is found in nearly all fish and shellfish and gets more concentrated up the fish food chain you go. Researches have concluded that most of us don’t eat enough for it to be a health concern, but some larger fish such as shark, swordfish, pike and walleye can contain up to 1ppm, the highest allowable safe limit for human consumption.

Benzene is carcinogenic and found in some foods. It can occur as a result of benzoate and ascorbic acid chemically combining in some soft drinks. The soft drink industry was made aware when tests came back positive for benzene and since then, have been taking steps to address the problem. In 2005, additional tests revealed benzene in soft drinks, but the FDA decided that the amount was too small to be of concern, but will continue to take random samples to monitor the situation.

Bisphenol A is used to package food and has been found to mimic the effects of estrogen, both in mice and human studies. It has been linked to obesity, causing the body to trigger fat cell activity and has be shown to have carcinogenic effects on developing fetuses, creating breast cancer precurser cells. World wide studies are underway to re evaluate the safety of using this product as it is still widely available although many companies including Nalgene, Mountain Equipment Coop and Patagonia are voluntarily ceasing to make products with Bisphenol A. In addition, Wal Mart (Canada) has discontinued sales of soothers, baby bottles, sippy cups, food and water containers and has made a commitment to do away with Bisphenol A in U.S. stores by 2009. How do you know if your container is made from Bisphenol A? Look on the bottom for the recycling triangle. If it has a 7 or 3, it contains Bisphenol A.

Please feel free to email me with suggestions and/or corrections to this article as I am an avid label reader for the health of my kids and myself.

For more information about colorants that are legal in the United States, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Color Additive Status List.

Summary of useful websites for investigating food additives:

Food Safety - Food Additives http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

National Institute of Health – http://www.nih.gov/

Bibra Toxicology Advice and Consulting – http://www.bibra-information.co.uk/

Food Additives – http://www.foodadditivesworld.com/

FDA Consumer (until 2007) – http://www.fda.gov/fdac/fdacindex.html

A copy of this article can be found at The 18th Carnival For Improving Life and at All Things Eco as well as The Allergic Kid.

If you are interested in tips to keep your body healthy, check out Sport Fit.com; a down to earth blogger who talks fitness in plain language.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole

2010-04-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

In the last post I talked about some of the harmful chemicals found in our food. I thought I would go a little further and post about each individual chemical. So here is what I have found so far about butylated hydroxyanisole.

Butylated hydroxyanisole is a food additive much more widely known by its abbreviation, BHA. BHA is an aromatic organic compound with the chemical names of 2- and 3-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol. It can exist in either of the two isomeric forms or as a mixture of the two isomers. In its pure form, BHA is a waxy white or pale yellow solid with a melting point of 118.4–131°F (48–55°C) and a boiling point of 507.2–518°F (264–270°C). It is normally insoluble in water, but can be treated in order to make it so.

The chemical property of BHA that is of greatest commercial interest is its tendency to reduce the rate at which other substances undergo oxidation. It has long been used as a preservative in foods containing fats, which turn rancid by oxidation. First used as an antioxidant

in 1947, it is now added to a wide variety of foods, including beverages, ice cream, candy, baked goods, instant mashed potatoes, edible fats and oils, breakfast cereals, dry yeast, and sausages. The compound is sometimes used in conjunction with a related antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).

Some studies have found that BHA can produce allergic reactions and, in larger doses, affect liver and kidney functions. The Select Committee on GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) Substances of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported in 1980 that no evidence exists to indicate that BHA is a health hazard. However, it recommended caution in its use and suggested additional studies on possible risks to human health. Currently FDA regulations limit the concentration of BHA in commercial foods to 0.02% in products containing fats and oils and to somewhat higher concentrations in other food products. In spite of current FDA regulations, some nutrition experts have recommended that BHA be banned from use in foods on the grounds that safer antioxidant alternatives are available.

Read more: Butylated Hydroxyanisole http://science.jrank.org/pages/1099/Butylated-Hydroxyanisole.html#ixzz0laaZSJeN

Harmful chemicals found in food!

2010-04-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Chemical food additives are used by food manufacturers to preserve the flavor or improve the taste and appearance of processed junk foods. They are found in foods which require long shelf lives, and are used widely in "diet" foods which need the flavor boost. Some additives come from natural sources, but some are highly process substances derived from unhealthy sources such as coal tar and peroxide.

Here's a list of seven chemical food additives you may want to avoid:

FD&C Red Dye #3: A cherry red dye derived from coal tar. In 1981, NIH researchers reported that this substance may interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. In 1996, researchers at Northeastern Illinois University conducted studies and found that even low does of Red #3 caused cancerous changes in human cell cultures. The FDA banned the use of Red Dye #3 in lake form in cosmetics, but still allows the dye to be used in food products.
BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole): a preservative used in cereals, potato chips and chewing gum to stop them from becoming rancid. It accumulates in the body fat and it is known to disrupt the body's hormone balance. This widely used food additive has been shown to cause cancer in mice, rats and hamsters. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers BHA to be a carcinogen and has said that it poses a reasonable risk to health. Despite this warning, the FDA still allows BHA to be used as a food additive to prevent fat rancidity.
Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid: a preservative added to fruit juice, carbonated drinks, and pickles. Problems occurs when sodium benzoate is used in beverages that also contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The two substances, in an acidic solution, can react together to form small amounts of benzene, a chemical that causes leukemia and other cancers. In the early 1990s the FDA had urged companies not to use benzoate in products that also contain ascorbic acid, but companies are still using that combination. A lawsuit filed in 2006 by private attorneys ultimately forced Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other soft-drink makers in the U.S. to reformulate affected beverages, typically fruit-flavored products.
Acetone peroxide: a bleach and conditioner used in milling flour and maturing dough. It is basically acetone (nail polish remover) with an oxygen compound added. It is also extremely unstable and explosive, and has been used by criminals to make bombs. It is strongly oxidizing and can damage the skin and eyes.
Diacetyl: a chemical that imparts the buttery flavor in microwave popcorn. It has a disease named after it because many microwave popcorn factory workers exposed to it have developed a lung condition called Diacetyl Induced Bronchiolitis Obliterans or "Popcorn Worker's Lung". There is no official ban in the EU, and U.S. companies are starting to voluntarily replace this ingredient in the microwave popcorn. The CDC has issued a safety alert for workers in factories that use diacetyl. There are currently two bills in the California Legislature to ban the use of diacetyl.
Polysorbate 80 (also known as tween 80): a stabilizer used in a wide variety of products including ice cream, milk products, vitamin tablets, lotions and creams and medical products like vaccines and anti-cancer medications. This food additive has been linked to nonimmunologic allergic reactions, and one study has linked it to infertility. The study found that polysorbate 80 caused changes in to the vagina and womb lining, hormonal changes, ovary deformities and degenerative follicles in mice. (Food Chem Toxicol. 1993 Mar;31(3):183-90. PMID: 8473002.) This is disturbing because this substance is in the new Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine which is being marketed for girls aged 9-26 in the United States.
Potassium Bromate: a chemical added to flour to make bread rise better and give it a uniform consistency. Most of what is added to flour breaks down during the cooking process into bromide. An excess intake of bromide has been associated with the inhibition of iodine enzyme metabolism, which weakens the thyroid and kidneys. The potassium bromate that isn't broken down remains in the baked good and is a known carcinogen. Numerous petitions have been made to the FDA to ban this ingredient and many flour mills have voluntarily stopped adding it to their products. This food additive is banned in most countries except the U.S. and Japan.

Scary stuff I would say!

Cleaning out the pantry!

2010-04-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Since we have decided to go completely organic, I thought now would be a good time to clean out our pantry.
Here is all the food we were able to get rid of......geesh!

So my kids wanted to help out a local pantry after hearing a few sad stories about families in need. So we cleaned out the pantry and brought it up to the food pantry! No turning back now!

Great french toast!

2010-04-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here is another recipe from Alicia Silverstone and these are soooo yummy. My kids even liked them. This was the first time we have ever tried tofu and were a little hesitant, but we LOVED them!!!!

Great French Toast

INGREDIENTS
Yeast-free bread slices (French Meadow Summer Bread or whole spelt bread are good options) 
1 1/2 cups firm tofu 
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons rice syrup 
1/2 cup soy milk 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
1 tablespoon corn oil 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
Oil of your choice (olive, safflower, sunflower, etc.) for frying  

STEPS
Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
If too thick, add more soy milk.  
Dip bread in batter and fry in hot oiled skillet until browned on both sides.   

Topping:
Serve with maple syrup.
Or you can make a great cinnamon butter by mixing cinnamon together with Earth Balance to taste.
You can also make a maple/flax syrup by mixing 1/2 cup maple syrup and 2 teaspoons flax seed oil (that kind of ratio, because you don't want to make more syrup/flax than you will use)
Mix them together well.
The oil adds a nice layer to the syrup.

I'm learning!

2010-04-16T17:28:00.001-07:00

In my search for recipes I came across one that called for Tempeh. What in the world is tempeh?!? So here is what I found out about Tempeh.....apparently very good for you so I think I will have to try this recipe if I can just find this stuff in the grocery store.

What is tempeh?
Tempeh is a fermented food made by the controlled fermentation of cooked soybeans with a Rhizopus mold (tempeh starter). The tempeh fermentation by the Rhizopus mold binds the soybeans into a compact white cake. Tempeh has been a favorite food and staple source of protein in Indonesia for several hundred years.
But tempeh is now rapidly becoming more popular all over the world as people look for ways to increase their intake of soybeans and isoflavones.
They discover tempeh's versatility and delicious taste. Especially vegetarians and vegans find the structure and protein content interesting. Tempeh has a firm texture and a nutty mushroom flavour. Tempeh can be used in different ways. Normally tempeh is sliced and fried until the surface is crisp and golden brown or tempeh can be used as ingredient in soups, spreads, salads and sandwiches.
Make your own tempeh!
It's easy to make tempeh at home at a very low cost. Dehulled soybeans are soaked overnight, cooked for about 30 min and mixed with tempeh starter. After 36 to 48 hours incubation you have delicious fresh tempeh. Tempeh starter contains spores of Rhizopus oligosporus or Rgizopus oryzae.
Tempeh is healthy!
Tempeh is very nutritive and contains many health promoting phytochemicals such as isoflavones and soy saponins. Tempeh fermentation produces natural antibiotic agents but leaves the desirable soy isoflavones and most of the saponins intact. Tempeh is a complete protein food that contains all the essential amino acids. The soy protein and isoflavones have many health benefits. Isoflavones strengthen bones, help to ease menopause symptoms, reduce risk of coronary hearth disease and some cancers. Tempeh maintains all the fiber of the beans and gains some digestive benefits from the enzymes created during the fermentation process.

Peanut butter cups recipe!

2010-04-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here is an awsome recipe for peanut butter cups from Alicia Silverstone's book "A kind diet". These are soooooo awesome! Something that a man had said on one of Oprah's shows stuck with me. He said it was alright to eat the foods that you want as long as you make it from scratch. If you want french fries, make them from scratch. You are not going to want to do this everyday because it can be a pain in the butt. So after hearing that it, it is so true. I LOVE peanut butter cups but it is not something I would make everyday. So if I make this recipe once a month, I still get my fill on my peanut butter cups but it is not as bad as going to the store and grabing one everyday. I also make these in the small muffin pan so they are about a third of the size. My kids love these as well.

SERVINGS
12

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (preferably unsweetened and unsalted)
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs or 10 graham cracker squares
1/4 cup maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 cup grain-sweetened, nondairy chocolate or carob chips
1/4 cup soy, rice, or nut milk
1/4 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts

PREPARATION
1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (If You Care makes unbleached liners made from recycled paper.) Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat. Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffin cups.
5. Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted.
6. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture.
7. Top with chopped nuts.
8. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Starting fresh!

2010-04-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

You would think I would learn my lesson on watching certain shows after I watched a 20/20 episode on hotels and now have a fear of all the germs inside a hotel room. But no, I didn't! So a couple weeks ago a friend of mine let me borrow the movie Food Inc. This was one of the worst shows I have seen! It makes me so sick to my stomach to even think what I am feeding my body, and even worse what I am feeding my kids bodies. So we are cleaning up our bodies and starting fresh. I have been doing quite a bit of research and will be posting some of my findings. I'm going to try to keep this to all the good things I find instead of it being negative. So welcome to our adventure of organic eating!!!!!
Oh I forgot to mention that I also rented the movie Super Size Me from the library and it may be awhile before I can go out to eat again........I really have to stop watching these shows!

Stay tuned!

2010-04-14T15:30:00.001-07:00

This blog is going to be changing since the Weber family has decided to go organic. Stay tuned for further!

Slacking

2009-03-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

I know I have been really slacking on keeping up with this blog. I think we have made so much progress so it is not as big of a deal to keep up with this. Adriana has done great this week as well. I actually got my vegetarian to eat meat! She helped me make meat balls from a homemade gourmet recipe and she was more than willing to give them a try. I was so surprised when she said she liked them! She is also trying more soup this week. The only problem we are having is getting her to eat things more than once. For instance she would not eat any of the meatball leftovers so I guess we will keep having her try the foods when they are fresh. I also try to let her help me cook as often as possible because I think that is a big help.

Wow, we have made a lot of progress!

2009-02-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking on posting for the last week, but man has Adriana been making so great progress! Last Sunday we went out to eat at Longhorn after we went to the boat show. We went with my mom and dad and they ordered an appetizer of blooming onions. Well Joey was the first one to try it and he couldn't get enough of them. Then Andrew started eating them so Adriana finally decided to try them. Man those three kids couldn't get enough of those! Next came our salads and Adriana started eating off of Maw Maw's salad! Then her food finally came so that was the end of the new foods there. Then later in the week I made meatloaf, baked potatoes and corn for dinner. I told the kids they could not have any dessert until the tried the food. Adriana tried the meatloaf and decided she didn't like that but she ate a whole baked potatoe and a big helping of corn. Way to go Adriana. She is doing great and starting to really open up to trying new foods!!!!

02/12/09

2009-02-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight we got Adriana to try spagetti with sauce on it! She used to eat this when she was little but soon decided she would only eat the spagetti noodles with no sauce. Well tonight she agreed to eat some with the sauce but no meat balls. She ate a couple of bites and decided she didn't like it but hey, its a start! Good job Adriana!
Oh and we registered her for kindergarten today and did a tour of the school. When we walked into the cafe she saw that they were eating hamburgers for lunch and looked at me with a disgusted face, guess we will be bringing our lunch to school a lot:)

Regression then progression

2009-02-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

I thought we had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Adriana decided in the past couple of weeks that she was not going to eat any of the foods she had been eating. I had changed her normal peanut butter to a natural one because of the better nutrition of it. I guess that was a wrong thing to do because she then decided she would no longer eat peanut butter. And somewhere along the way she also decided that she was no longer going to eat ham sandwiches. Now what? That was the only way I was getting protein in her. So last week she wasn't eating her sandwiches at all and only eating her cheese stick and dessert. So today I asked her what she wanted to eat for lunch at school and she said just a piece of break with no crust on it! Great, now she is down to eating bread and water as she has not been wanting me to pack her any juice as well. So I packed her a piece of bread with no crust (yeah, very filling), cheese stick, and dessert. So I decided to give the doctor a call and see if they had any suggestions on how I can get her to eat again. They referred me to Sensory Solutions for occupational therapy for her. I gave them a call and it was going to cost me $40 a visit plus pay our deductible which is $1000.00. We just can't afford that right now. So Chris and I have decided we were both going to put in our best efforts and get her eating again. So we made some headway tonight! Chris had a talk to her about starting to eat big girl foods because she was going to be starting kindergarten next year. He had somehow managed to get her to try cream of chicken soup! This is a very big step as she has refused to eat soup. But she tried it and liked it. She ate half a bowl with a piece of butter bread. So now we are heading in a positive direction as long as we can keep her heading that way! Way to go Adriana!

Blueberries!

2009-01-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Another huge achievement! Adriana actually tried a blueberry! Yes, she put it in her mouth and began chewing it. Although, after a few chews she decided she didn't like it and spit it out but at least she tried it. This has been the first fruit she has tried since she was a baby! Way to go Adriana!

January 21

2009-01-21T15:51:00.001-08:00

Today Adriana told me she tried the soup they made at school today! If this is true, which I'm sure it is, this is a huge step as she has never eaten soup before!!!! I think I'm going to have to make some at home and let her try it so I can see it for my own eyes, but I'm very proud of my sugar booger!!!!

January 20

2009-01-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

Today is the real beginning of our journey that we both have agreed to put all of our efforts into. We have started a sticker chart which she will earn a new sticker everytime she tries something new. As we accumulate stickers she will earn prizes for her success.
Today she tried two new foods! Pecans and s'mores granola bar. Although these have very similar textures to foods she is already eating, I'm very proud of her for her very willingness to try these foods. So we had a great start to our goal and hopefully will continue full steam ahead!

Overcoming sensory issues!

2009-01-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Adriana has a few sensory issues one of which is eating different textures of food. We are working very hard at overcoming this and thought it would be easier to keep track of her progress if I wrote it all down in a blog. Although this will be extremely boring for most people, it is something I need to do to help her and I over come and achieve success with eating. As of today, there are very few items Adriana will eat. My goal with her is to show her trying new foods is nothing bad and create a healthy eating plan now why it is easier to change than when she is an adult. My biggest accomplishment will be to get her to eat fruit and veggies which she has never done even as a child. She cannot stand the feel of their textures in her mouth. It is a very slow work in progress but we are trying hard. So here we go on our journey to learning that eating can be fun!