{Make it from scratch} Pickles!

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This is what our jar looked like a day before all our pickles were inhaled eaten!

We love pickles really LOVE  pickles… pickles, pickles and more pickles!

Who doesn’t love pickles? I can remember the days when I would eat an entire jar of baby dills with my best friend.

Then I discovered pickles and peanut butter one day. Yes! before pregnancy. I was young, maybe 12. I guess, I had to know what the guests on Ricki Lake were talking about. I was babysitting and they had pickle “chips” (the kind you put on a burger) and they also had PB- Peter Pan, even! I took a chip added some PB and it became my new favorite snack….that along with some apples and I’m set! Pink lady apples’ if you have em’. Mmmm!!!!

But this post isn’t about pink lady apples even though their scrumptious. BUT not like pickles are…

scrumptious, crisp, and did I say scrumptious? 

Pickles are a staple food around here. The hub and I love em’- the eco tot can’t get enough of them (probably my fault! While he was in the womb I ate buckets of pickles!). I’m sure Baby C will learn to love them also.

Pickles aren’t all that cheap. Some pickle varieties even contain HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP… and for us, that’s a big no, no. HFCS is in everything, I swear! In order to stay away from HFCS we have to resort to reading labels all the time and buying organic. Let’s be honest here, as as mom I don’t really have time to read each and every label & buying organic isn’t always an option. Saving time and money is ideal + staying away from artificial crud is key!

THE RECIPE!

I searched high & low and finally found one I thought suited our pickles needs.

We have an old recipe book where it explains an old fashioned brine way of doing things.  We plan to do it sometime; for now this recipe hit the spot!! AND it’s easy peasy!

The only thing done differently in our version was adding in some peppercorns and mustard seed + some raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. We also used dry dill but will use fresh next time!

Can’t wait for our next batch… YUM!

A very UN birthday & misc eats!

Hola everyone! I’m considering this my {Meatless Monday} post.  Hey, better late than never! LOL!

My hubby’s 31st birthday was just last week before Christmas! I wanted to celebrate in rawkstar style so I decided I would make him a RAW cheesecake.

No, it doesn’t mean I put all the standard cheesecake ingredients into a bowl and asked him to eat it. LOL!  It went a little something like that but not quite. I could not believe it only took me approximately 15-20 mins TOPS to make this! The hardest part was waiting for the no cheese cake to freeze up and harden.

I looked around for an easy recipe and found this ONE!

It had a macadamia nut crust and cashew cream as the filling.  The only thing I did differently was use maple syrup rather than agave! I haven’t been using agave since I heard it scales close with High Fructose Corn Syrup! Crazy! As you can see in the picture above I topped it with fresh organic blackberry’s from the farmer’s market.

The uncheesecake was fabulous and delish! A friend of mine who had leftovers commented that at least she could eat the entire piece over the real thing! I agree… I could of eaten the whole cake. Everyone at dinner that evening seemed to enjoy it … even my husband for his very un birthday!  Score!

We can’t wait to mix and match and play with the ingredients some. Mmm! I’m thinking strawberries whirled in next time would be oh so superb.

I also made these raw thumbprint cookies by Earth Mother… they were nutty, sweet and flavorful.

AND I want to mention, I had the opportunity to make Gena’s Carrot Falafel with Tangy Tahini Sauce a few weeks back and it was super!

The only problem… no pics were taken we gobbled em’ up so fast (actually I had quite a few Falafels leftover which was awesome)… I do believe my Nikon battery took a dive on me that night! In any case, were planning to do a remake of this yummy dish and I pinky promise to take pics.

So if you’re planning any meals that are raw/vegan- dairy free… and the like … these three recipes are kick ass!

P.S.

I was gifted a VitaMixtavegamin for X-Mas! Yahoo!!!

What have you been making in the kitchen?

a recycled post, gearing up for 2010, & homemade recipes!

Hiya RYD readers!! How are ya? Hope you had a wonderful holiday.

Here’s a post I wrote about last year… if you need any ideas for what to do with your X-Mas cards!

Donate Your Christmas Cards

I’ve been looking at last year’s Green Vision’s and thinking about what some will be in 2010…

My vision board is a work in progress as I find pictures and words to summarize my goals and future!

Lately, I’ve been doing my best to meditate and visual what it is I truly want and what makes me happy. I also focus some time on my boys’ and our future together as unschooler’s. It’s going to be a great journey. I can only hope  we make it the greatest experience.

{Anywho}

I mentioned in an earlier post; I was going to make homemade gifts/goods for Christmas and that’s exactly what I did. ( I didn’t get any pictures of the green cleaning supplies; but I promise I made them.) I bought 2 new squirt bottles and reused and old one. I filled them up with…

1/2 cup of vinegar

1/4 cup of baking soda

10-20 drops of peppermint essential oil

put contents into a glass pitcher and add 1/2 gallon (2 liters) H20!

That’s it! You’re ready to go clean as it is an all purpose solution!

I put the squirt bottles in a reused gift bag along with a sample of Dr. Bronner’s Almond scented soap,  a glass mason jar filled with baking soda and a coconut scrub brush. The Dr. Bronner’s and baking soda make a good soft scrub in case you didn’t know. Something I’ve been doing for years.  I HEART Dr. Bronner’s soap. I highly recommend buying some- you can even find it at Target. A little goes a long way… it’s an all purpose soap. It’s amazing. 2 squirts to 2 gallons… is the recipe on their bottle.

Since my bro didn’t get any Dr. Bronner’s soap; I reused a baking soda can added in more baking soda, put in about 10-20 drops of Tangerine essential oil and sealed it with it’s lid. Poked holes in the top- voila’ it’s an instant carpet deodorizer! He’s always complaining about smells in his house… he’s a bachelor with roommates… so you know what I mean. LOL!

I also made a salt scrub for a close friend of the family. She loved the one I made for her on Mother’s Day so I decided to whip up a winter batch she would like!

Here’s what I did…

Bath Salt Scrub

1 cup of sea salt – fine works best… if you have course you can blend it down into fine using your blender or food processor.

1 cup of epsom salts

1/2 -3/4’s of oat powder (oats put into the blender and pulverized)

20 drops of essential oil of your choice … I chose peppermint for the holidays!

1/3 cup of organic EVOO

Stir all ingredients in a stainless steel or glass bowl for 2min’s or more then put into a glass mason jar! Or whatever dish suits your fancy.

For mother’s day I added in a lot more EVOO… you can do more or less depending on how slick you like to feel when you get out of the shower.

Enjoy!

P.S.

I will attempt to post a Meatless Monday recipe today! We’ll see…

Green Your Cup of Cocoa This Winter

Photo credit: stevendepolo via flickr

Winter bring lots of goodies and treats including the infamous cup of Hot Cocoa! Lately, it seems my little guy and I can’t get enough of it. It can get to be pretty expensive if you’re having a cup of hot cocoa each afternoon. Especially, if you’re buying them in packets (which I haven’t done in years!). I stopped buying the packets when I discovered Ovaltine…and stopped buying Ovaltine to start making my own. In the long run, making your own will save you some money. In a homemade recipe you have the opportunity to tweak with the ingredients and use quality ingredients such as organic.

The cast of Christmas spirit….

Nativa’s Raw Cacao Powder Suzanne’ s Ricemellow Pure Fun Organic Candy Cane’s

** You can make this recipe dairy free by replacing cow’s milk with almond, coconut, rice, or soy milk.

Just remember that to GREEN your cup of hot cocoa – you’ll want to look for ingredients that are organic, have NO High Fructose Corn Syrup, no artificial colors or favor and no JUNK period. Chemical and preservative free, if at possible. Most companies who make all natural and organic products are conscience about the planet. Besides, keeping the planet healthy the consumer’s health is also kept in mind. On top of it all, most eco companies donate certain percentages to environmental causes. So, by supporting them you’re more than likely supporting a wonderful cause and helping to SAVE THE PLANET!

Pure & Heavenly: Earth Mama Angel Baby

Back when I was pregnant with Tristan I had heard of a company named Earth Mama Angel Baby but had never seen it (I live in a small town) until I started looking online for greener baby products. Before conceiving, I’d heard startling information about baby washes containing harmful ingredients. It made me realize, I needed to start doing my research and find natural baby products that did not contain toxic chemicals like phthalates, 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde,” etc.

Recently, I was actually able to sample Earth Mama Angel Baby products through swag and for this review. I received a sample of their Bath Blossoms, Bottom Balm and Baby Lotion. I so was excited when I saw EMAB inside my swag bag from The Smart Mama’s book release. I’d always wanted to try their products but just never had the opportunity. Quite honestly, I was going with my easiest most available option…. Burt’s Bees, California Baby and Little Twig. Depending on where we did shopping is what we’d end up with. I’d known about the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database and have looked up a few things in the past. It never really dawned on me to look up the baby products. I thought I was in the clear. Boy, was I wrong!!!

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Going Back To School Green

This month, the Green Mom’s Carnival topic is Back to School.

August is traditionally the Back to School month where students stock up on what they’ll need for the school year. What usually comes to mind when you think “Back to School”? I immediately think supplies. Backpacks, pencils, pens, erasers, cases, notebooks, calculators, folders…etc. The list can get pretty lengthy! It’s no wonder parents go broke over school supplies each year. That’s not even including clothing or lunch money (both for splurge and for making).

I can remember, when I started high school my mom would give each of us $100 (3 of us = $300). With that money we had to buy our clothes and supplies. She always made our lunches and sometimes would leave two dollars on the days we didn’t have a lunch.

With the $100 dollars, I was smart. I had to make it last. The only way to do this was to shop second-hand. I’d fill up an entire cart of vintage clothes at “The American Way” and felt like I had an entirely new wardrobe when I walked out. It was a good feeling.

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Organic Cherries Glee =)

On Sunday, my sister’s family and I went to Leona Valley (neighboring mountain town) to pick cherries. It’s a yearly tradition and has been since we were young. Ahh, memories. I love going fruit picking. So much fun is had by all. It makes me so happy to pass this tradition onto my son’s.

This year we’d gone to our usual cherry orchards and both were closed. On the way in we saw a sign for organic cherries so we backtracked a little and headed to Leona Valley Organics cherry orchard. It was our destiny!

The cherries were so juicy and sweet we couldn’t stop popping them into our mouth as we picked. They were Bing and Rainier variety. The best part was the organic factor. No need to worry about nasty chemicals entering our system. I remember just last summer in Chico watching the crop dusters hover over the fields. I was in complete shock at how low they were and how white everything was. It was scary white. Nothing was going to survive that dusting. We were driving along the road as the airplane went back and forth across the field. For miles all you could see was white. YUCK.

This is not the case at all (crop dusting), when you’re considering an organic farmer. I had the opportunity to speak with the owners and they were very excited to talk to us about what it takes to be an organic orchard. It is their first season open and we we’re all very impressed. I’m definitely planning on returning with my husband and the kiddo’s. I was thrilled to take home a brown bag full of organic cherries and some buckwheat honey. What impressed us most about the owner was his dedication to organic farming while stressing the importance it was for his children. He recognized that being able to freely pick off a fruit tree without the worry of chemicals was key to producing a delicious yield and keeping your kids safe from toxic substances.

I’m planning to go back and interview the family for a local post in the paper! Green local businesses ROCK! We don’t have many so I get gitty when sustainable practices are being well, practiced!!!

Picking fruits or veggies is a rite of passage during the summer, no? Go outside and be with nature and your loved ones. We were filled with cherry glee!

Surf Sweets Organic Candy

I’m a candy junky. I’ll admit it. I heart candy. It’s my weakness. A few months ago, just after a midwife appt. we stopped at The Whole Foods Market (my fav store) to get a bite to eat. While at the check out stand I noticed an organic candy company called Surf Sweets. I’d never seen the company before so we bought a package of jelly beans. I couldn’t wait to rip open the package and devour a few. Then coincidently, I was contacted by Surf Sweets and was asked to sample their entire line of sweets. I couldn’t pass up such a *SWEET* opportunity.

I already knew their Jelly Beans were worth replacing Jelly Belly’s. All it takes for me to make a switch is to know that the ingredients in them are in fact natural and organic. Surf Sweets are made with organic fruit juice and sweetners. They are free of artificial colors and flavors. Surf Sweets is also one of the only candy makers that DOES NOT use corn syrup. Now, this is biggie in my book because we avoid corn syrup or HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP like the plague. It’s an absolute no-no! Which is why I don’t mind making the switch from the leading brands out there because for one, it’s not healthy and for two in the long run my body will thank me.

I’m always reading labels and making sure that there is at least some nutritional value. The last thing I’m going to do is put my dollars into something that says all natural and it doesn’t even contain an ounce of nourishment…such as vitamins. Surf Sweets contains 100% of your daily Vitamin C in their candies. What’s great about this natural and organic candy is that it’s made for veggies (vegetarian’s). It’s casein free, gluten free and free of GMO’s. Look for the green packaged items if you’re a vegetarian or vegan because they’re made especially for you!

Their products are made in a nut free facility -free of the eight most common allergies. If you ask me you really couldn’t ask for more in a candy company. Besides, being conscience of their ingredients they’re also enviromentally conscience in their packaging minimizing their impact on the planet.

Each different product has it’s own unique taste and flavors. Delicious candy, I say! You’ll have try it out and see for yourself. I especially liked the Gummy Swirls. The Sour Worms are just the right amount of sour. Usually, I’m not into sour…because it’s overpowering but the Surf Sweets sour worms are perfecto.  I truly enjoyed taste testing for this candy company. They’ve really done their share in pleasing us candy addicts- especially the one’s trying to make a switch in that area and go green! 

Next time that sweet tooth starts creeping up on you… Check out Surf Sweets candy and ride the green candy wave with them!

 ** Giveaway to follow…

Yummy Spoonfuls, Soooo Yummy!

Want a healthy and happy baby? Check out www.yummyspoonfuls.com an organic baby food without all the junk- it’s for REAL!  Naturally grown ingredients without the use of chemical pesticides, nitrates or growth hormones. BPA FREE plastic containers. Make the switch today. My son truly LOVED Yummy Spoonfuls I bet your baby will too! 

You can purchase Yummy Spoonfuls at their site and it’s delivered to your door frozen. The package I received was still frozen and very cold. You don’t have to worry about it melting. It’s packaged properly and stay’s frozen.

Among 12 baby foods Yummy Spoonfuls won the National Taste Test award conducted by Cookie Magazine. Yummy Spoonfuls gets an A++ at our home. Feeding my child the best possible ingredients is an important factor and knowing a company like this who takes pride in making baby food the finest quality will definitely land on my grocery list!

** Note: I heated up the Aduzki Beans and Sweet Potato porridge in a glass pot over the stove and not in the microwave…just my personal preference.

Are You A Shameless Shopper?

  

Are you familiar with the Marshall’s commercial- “Be a shameless shopper, shop at Marshalls”? I’m definitely guilty of being a shameless shopper- if that’s what you call it. This year- I’m going to do my best not be one because I’m trying really hard not to buy things unless it’s for Tristan, Baby Clark, or necessities that we must have.

I guess I could make excuses to have it but I’m going to try REALLY hard not too! Anyway, my point here is that in my shameless shopper path I’ve found many organic/green products, and wooden toys for much less than you would find them online or from a major department store. A lot of the time the products are on clearance and it’s an even bigger score!

For instance, we purchase our coffee from Marshall’s it’s called The Organic Coffee Co. which normally retails for $8.99 but I’ve been able to find for $5.99! I’m not a huge coffee drinker- I like my tea’s and they’ve been known to also carry Numi Tea. The retail value differs but it can be as high as $9.99 and I’ve bought it for $4-5.99.

In the bath department, I’ve been able to find Barielle products which are one of my favorite eco nail polish companies- but besides polish they have other great products (nail, hand and foot) too. I’ve used their foot cream and a few other products that I’ve come to like. Barielle is a high end line, that takes pride in their products by creating them without all the nasty toxic chemicals.

Mostly, when I find a Barielle product it’s on clearance for $2.00- I think the foot cream was $3.99-4.99…the foot cream retails for $22.00!!! The polishes (strengthener’s/nail care) retail from $12.00 and up. Not only have I scored on Barielle products but I’ve found some other eco bath and body products that I love. AND- eco friendly cleaners like Mrs. Meyers.  

I’ve even found organic clothing there. Plus, they have bamboo this and that (utensils, bathmats, placemats, cutting boards, napkins, potholders, and even plates & bowls!) in the housewares department for low-low prices! Now, I’m starting to sound like the commercial…LOL! You get my drift.

My favorite is the toy department because this is where I go eco-nuts. At Christmas, I found tons of Melissa & Doug toys and I was totally surprised when I found a few Brio toys. Once again, the prices were just right. Not only is Marshall’s a good source for finding green products but so is Ross & TJ Maxx. It’s really a hit and miss with these places. Sometimes, you’ll go and score on all sorts of great items and other times there out of everything you’d normally find.

I bought my cast iron pots and pans from Ross, on clearance. So, it’s really a matter of knowing when they get shipments in. We also buy children’s books for cheap at Marshalls or Ross! Even cheaper than Target sells them for. Target is also another great source for organic foods and eco friendly items. They have PVC free shower curtains, organic bedding and a line of organic foods called Archer…but they also have carried Annie’s Natural, Envirokidz, and a few other organic brands that are great.

Keep your eyes peeled. It may not be around the first time you visit but if you start to frequent these stores just for that reason and you’ll be surprised at what you can find. There is hope out there for finding green products on the cheap!

What about you? How do you go green on the cheap?

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