Web Bytes: January inspiration!

January 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I had planned to jump on the “let’s get organized in the new year” bandwagon by posting some tips for organizing your freezer but I got sidetracked surfing the net too much instead. The freezer tips will come, I promise, but for now here are some links to keep you inspired. Enjoy!

–Girl Scout cookie sales began this weekend here in Texas (and I think all over the U.S.). The Thanks-A-Lot cookies are coming in new packaging which are meant to be more environmentally friendly (a test program for possible change for all the cookie boxes). Here are some more tips on what the Girl Scouts is doing to increase awareness about not only sustainable practices but what’s in the iconic cookies we buy and eat. Plus there are links to more Girl Scout cookie FAQs and recipes!

–Want to know if the food you’re eating is real or not? Check out this fun flowchart from TakePart.com to help you figure it out (and have a chuckle along the way)

–Bananas are my go-to fruit for just about any meal. They’re so easy to just peel and eat. As a matter of fact, when I was in college I did an ad campaign for bananas as part of a class assignment. I pulled it out the other day to show the kids (because they could not believe I would have done something like that!) I think we all wanted bananas for snack that day. Fruits & Veggies More Matters has their top 10 picks for enjoying bananas. I think I’ll try the banana salsa.

–I’m not especially trendy in general but apparently I’ve hit on one of the projected food trends for this year with one of my New Year’s Resolutions: eat more vegetables. Who knew?

–Do you think you eat pretty healthy? Maybe not. A new survey by Consumer Reports Health suggests otherwise. Of course it’s much more complex than this but it just reminds us that we must continually educate ourselves about what is good food for our bodies.

–And last but not least, thoughts on the family dinner and how the holidays are not the only time to be sitting down for meals regularly with your family. Studies show that it’s can be about so much more than just the food! How often does your family eat meals together?

I hope you’re inspired a little too!

Filed Under: fruits, going green, healthy meals, kid-friendly, meal planning, sustainable eating, vegetables

Seen Any U.F.O.’s Lately?

February 11, 2010 By 6 Comments
That’s Unidentified Frozen Objects of course!  So you’ve decided to get on board with making more meals for your freezer so you can pull them out on busy nights right?  And you’re all set and even have some things in the freezer that you made ahead or bought on sale so you could stock up.  But now dinner time has rolled around and you’re still not sure what’s for dinner because you can’t remember what’s in the freezer or  can’t tell what it is now that it IS in the freezer. 
Enter this handy little Freezer Inventory Form I created to help you keep track of what goes in and what comes out.

I organized it by food type instead of a more common way of doing it by date or just a running list of what’s in there. To me this makes sense because when I’m plannng my meals I want to know what I’ve got not just when I got it. And because I like color, I assigned each section a color. Of course, when you write down what’s going in it’s a good idea to jot down the date that it went in as well so you can use up older things first.  What I have done that is a bit different also is I’ve added a section for my prepared meals to be listed. That way when I’m in a hurry and need to know what I can pull out and thaw for that evening’s dinner, there’s less guessing and less stress!  Don’t forget to label your containers as they go in too so that when you go to look for them you will be able to find them otherwise they truly are U.F.O’s!

The key to using a form like this is to (of course) print it out and hang it near your freezer so that you’ll be sure to use it each and every time. I have mine printed out (and I even laminated it so I can use a dry erase marker and reuse it over and over again–going green in the kitchen you know!) and hung it up on a little nail hung next to my freezer (this is for the deep freezer in the garage). For the refrigerator freezer, it is printed out and put on the side of the fridge with a magnet. Easy peasy! I have whole pages for each category to use with my deep freeze and which I will be putting up on my Resource Page soon so you can use the forms that work best for you.
Hope you like this form and that you will find fewer UFOs in your freezer and start using up more of those great items before freezer burn sets in!
Filed Under: freezer cooking, Freezer Meals, going green, make ahead meals, meal organizing, meal planning, organization

Mariel’s Kitchen-Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life {Cookbook Review}

February 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This book caught my eye when I was at the library and walking past the “New Books” shelf they have right by the checkout area. I grabbed it thinking “Oh, it will be nice to look at but that’s probably it.” Boy, was I surprised. What I found was not only a beautiful cookbook (nice pictures!) but great content as well. Hemmingway speaks to those readers who want to start cooking more simply and without preservatives or processed foods AND seasonally but don’t know where to begin. What results is a collection of delicious recipes that are actually easy to prepare too and family friendly.

The first section explains different types of ingredient substitutes, most of which can be found in your local health food store (such as Whole Foods or GNC) or the healthy food section of your grocery store. Ingredients like Whey Protein Isolate (a great protein booster) and xylosweet–a natural, non sugar sweetener that can be used just like sugar in recipes.

Each subsequent chapter is broken down by season and offers recipes based on the produce that is available during that season. The first page of the chapter is a list of the produce that is normally available during that season. Then recipes like Ricotta “No Bread” Bread Pudding with Blueberries in spring, Farmer’s Market Heirloom Gazpacho in summer, Pumpkin Walnut Balls in fall or Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Sauce in winter.

Sprinkled throughout are smaller chapters that offer suggestions for cooking “greener” that not only benefit the environment but also your body! What I found especially helpful is the suggestions for making all-natural substitutes in your baking and cooking that still let you enjoy the foods you love.

Filed Under: Cookbook Reviews, farmers markets, food allergies, gluten free, gluten-free diet, going green, organic, seasonal eating

A Little Snack Magic~Reusable Snack Bags Giveaway!

January 9, 2010 By 8 Comments
We’ve been using snack bags like these for over a year now and they’ve been so popular with my kids and their friends that I decided to make up a bunch to have on hand.  They’re made out of 100% cotton and lined with moisture-resistant nylon.  They are washable and have a velcro closure to keep those snacks where they should be.  We use them most often for dry snacks like pretzels or Goldfish but I’ve also put grapes or orange segments in them.  At the end of the day I just shake the crumbs out, turn them inside out and wipe them out when I’m doing my dishes and let them dry.  You can use them for sandwiches too!  Got a messy PB&J?  No problem–just throw them in the washing machine and hang to dry.
Best of all, by using these bags you’re saving the planet and your pennies by using fewer plastic bags.  I’ll be making many more designs so stay tuned for info. on how you can get some of these bags for yourself in the near future!
But the good news now is that I’m giving these two bags away to one lucky reader!  They are my prototypes so I want your feedback too on how you like them.  How do you enter?  Just leave a comment on your efforts to “go green” on the go or at home.  I’m looking for a name for the bags, so if you have an idea for that, leave an extra comment and you’ll get an extra entry!   I ‘ll choose the winner using Random.org.  Contest ends at midnight on Tuesday, January 12, 2010.
Sorry, this giveaway is for my U.S. and Canadian readers only.  Good luck!
Filed Under: going green, lunch containers, reusable lunch totes

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