Organic Journey Online

Grandma's Apple Filled Crumb Cake: Organic and Yummy!

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:50:00 +0000

Follow us on Twitter

Find us on Facebook

Check out New Kid on the Green Block

(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2009

Grandma's Organic

Apple Filled Crumb Cake

It’s finally fall here is hot, humid Florida. While it is almost Halloween, we’re still in the upper 80’s; but even so I still find myself thinking of orange and gold leaves and my favorite fall fruit--apples. I bake with them often, always adding extra fiber for good measure. I’ve made this recipe with all organic ingredients—a change I made a couple of years ago following a cancer scare. The interesting thing about baking organic is that you feel less guilty when indulging in desserts. Try it; you’ll see what I mean.

This cake recipe came down through my mom, from Grandma C, and was always one of my favorites, especially warm. The crumb topping has a crunch that really leaves me wanting seconds. This nice, big pan will serve at least 12 people, so it’s a great dessert to prepare when you have company coming.

Apple Ingredients:

·         4 Cups Organic Apples, peeled, cored, sliced, and cut into small pieces

·         ½ Cup Organic Sugar

·         1 Teaspoon Organic Cinnamon

·         1 Tablespoon Organic Butter

·         1 Tablespoon Organic Lemon Juice

Batter Ingredients:

·         1 ½ Cups Organic All-Purpose Flour, sifted

·         ¾ Cup Organic Sugar

·         1 Teaspoon Double-Acting Baking Powder

·         ¾ Teaspoon Sea Salt

·         ¼ Teaspoon Organic Cloves

·         1/3 Cup Organic Butter, softened

·         ½ Cup Organic Milk

·         2 Organic Eggs, unbeaten

·         ½ Teaspoon Organic Vanilla

Topping Ingredients:

·         ¾ Cup Organic Brown Sugar, firmly packed

·         ½ Cup Organic All-Purpose Flour, sifted

·         ¼ Cup Organic Butter, softened

·         ½ Cup Organic (or All-Natural) Pecans, chopped

Instructions:

Combine all apple ingredients in a saucepan (or microwave dish) and simmer just until apples are tender. Drain and cool while you prepare the remainder of the cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together into a medium large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cloves. I toss in a couple of tablespoons of Benefiber here for the extra health benefit.

Add butter and milk. Beat for 1 ½ minutes.

Add eggs and vanilla. Beat for 1 ½ minutes.

Prepare a 13 x 9” pan by rubbing with butter and lightly flour it.

Spread ½ of the batter into the bottom of the pan, spreading evenly.

Spoon ½ of the apples over the batter.

Now pour the remaining batter over the apple layer.

Finally, top with remaining apples.

Prepare the topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, butter and pecans into a crumb mixture. Sprinkle evenly over the top, covering all of the cake batter and apples.

Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and crispy looking on top.

Cool on a rack.

The crumb topping on this cake makes for a delicious, crispy complement to a scoop of vanilla ice cream, an addition that many enjoy. It is especially good served this way when warm. I hope you enjoy this tasty family favorite from my grandmother’s kitchen.

Oh! I almost forgot. Do you have one of these nifty apple peeler/corer/slicer gadgets? Three seconds to peel, core and slice up a whole apple. Wow!

One more thing........I just popped out a new guest post at the Central Florida Green Guide: Salvaging Your Over-Ripe Fruit--8 Ways to Enjoy It Rather than Trash It. Stop in and check it out.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

New Kid on the Green Block: The Carpenters are Almost Through....

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:11:00 +0000

My new blog, New Kid on the Green Block, is a step up from this Journey. Officially a DOT COM, and with a bold new name and a cool look, I hope to reach a wider crowd.

I invite you to visit and see the construction zone. I still have a ways to go to get the decorating all done, but you'll get the idea. While I continue working in the background, I will begin writing articles slowly, giving you all time to visit and get your free subscription set up. A few seconds to type in your email address or hit the RSS button, and you'll be all set.

Organic Journey Online will remain here, and I will continue to use it as its name intended--a platform for discussing organics. You will continue to find articles on food, recipes, ingredients, shopping, coupons, money saving ideas, cooking methods and equipment, and more--all related to all-natural and organic food.

If you have a topic you would like me to hit in this genre, please let me know. I look forward to continuing to broaden the Journey, within its same theme.

Green Living More Affordably...

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

$ $ $

Ever since Day One when I began this blog, I have found information on Mambo Sprouts everywhere on the Internet. I've mentioned it a few times, but here I go again. When you sign up online, you can receive regular booklets of coupons (good ones!), coupons by email, and all sorts of other goodies.

Mambo Sprouts is a site that covers many topics in the area of living green and eating organic, much like Organic Journey Online. However, they are known for their wide assortment of coupons, both printable online, and the booklets. Either way, you'll find the savings to be substantial. If saving money is on your To Do List, Mambo Sprouts is the place to go for coupons.

Before you head off looking for savings, allow me to pop in a little commercial. Organic Journey Online is branching out--well, sort of. I'm creating a spin-off with a brand new look and a new name to go with it. I hope you'll stick with me, reading a few posts here, that will continue with Organic Journey Online. But I also want to invite you to watch for my new site's announcement, coming up shortly. You'll find a big link to my new site on the day I "open for business", so to speak. Can't wait to see you there....

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Coming Soon: New Kid on the Green Block

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Organic Journey Online has been a great way for me to get back into writing, after a long break. I am enjoying sharing information and tips for living green, eating healthy and pulling it all together to keep yourself as healthy as possible.

I'm busy constructing a new blog to continue this journey. While I will still post here at Organic Journey Online, posts will be less frequent. New Kid on the Green Block is almost ready. You can take a sneak peak now, if you like.

If you are an Organic Journey subscriber, you may wish to subscribe to New Kid on the Green Block. Even if you don't already subscribe, my free email subscriptions and RSS feed are there for the taking. There I will take up the same green staff and journey on. Come join me, fill out the subscription form and don't miss a beat of the New Kid's song. I hope to see you there soon.

Dinner Food Choices: Your Healthiest Processed Foods Options

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

© photo copyright Carrie Boyko

All Natural Chorizo and Potatoes

This is the fourth and final post in a series that has an odd angle. First, allow me to bring you up to speed on what my goal is with this series. While the fact is that your healthiest food choices are fresh, unprocessed foods from the outside edges of the supermarket, fresh is not always an option. These articles were written for those times when you just simply cannot serve organic roasted chicken, fresh organic fruits and vegetables, along with homemade organic bread.

If you have missed the earlier parts of this series, you may wonder where the other meals are. Good question. You can find the whole picture at these links: Parts I, II, and III. Now let's move on to your dinner options and pick a few that will prove healthiest:

Main Dishes

Organic pasta and sauce can be a quick dinner on a busy night. We love Walnut Acres Garlic-Garlic-Garlic sauce for both pasta and as a pizza sauce. If you have onions, try my recipe for Pomodoro sauce at this link.
Using a packaged organic pizza crust from Whole Foods, I add olive oil, canned sauce, mozarella cheese and top it off with whatever odds and ends I can find in the fridge or in cans. This is a great meal that helps clean up my leftovers. Never, no never, forget the onions!
Two other favorites for taking care of those odds and ends in the produce bin are quesadillas and stir fry. I apply the same rule here. Never, no never, forget the onions!
And still more: Using canned or packaged organic broth, create a quick soup using all your leftover bits of various veggies, rice, and even bitesize pieces of meat. Serve with bread or muffins and you've got a good comfort-food kind of meal for a chilly day.
Chicken leftovers make a great addition to rice dishes, such as chicken and yellow rice.
Chorizo, a Spanish sausage with a long shelf life in your refrig, makes a wonderful dinner with potatoes, onions, and garlic. My son brought home a fabulous recipe for Chorizo and Potatoes, that you can find at this link.

Fruits and Veggies

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day and your cupboard is bare, at least of a selection of fresh produce. I try to keep a few longer life produce items in stock at all times: onions, garlic, potatoes, apples, broccoli. There are a million ways to prepare potatoes and apples. When all else fails, though, try these:

Packaged, organic apple sauce has a long shelf life for those days when nothing else is left.
packaged fruit pieces or canned veggies
Use canned juice and unflavored gelatin to make a fresh, gelatin or gelatin salad, if you have some canned fruit to add.
Make a small fruit salad of dried fruits, adding a few drops of juice to soften, or topping with fruit yogurt.
Add canned corn to your cornbread or corn muffins for extra fiber and flavor.
For that matter, pack all your muffins full of fruit, adding tons of vitamins and fiber. With fall here, my favorite is pumpkin muffins. I add 1/2 can of organic pumpkin to every batch and they taste fabulous!
Make fruit smoothies with frozen, over-ripened fruit.
Use your Halloween pumpkin to cook up a pumpkin soup or the filling for a delicious, homemade pumpkin pie. The kids will never know they're actually eating vegetables!! We should call this Jack-o-Lantern pie (or soup).

Dairy Products

Dairy products are tough to come by without getting them fresh, but there are a few choices. Pudding is available in store shelves, although it probably has preservatives. Read the label to know what you're getting.
Some cheeses can be stored on a shelf for a while.
Milk is available in dried, canned and in "juice boxes", for use in making custards, puddings, and as many things as your imagination can cook up.
If you happen to have a product like Egg Beaters on hand, you can create quite a few dishes with these: omelettes, quiche, souffles, and more.

Whenever possible, shoot for trying to eat fresh. Every good cook knows you need to have a Plan B. As a back up plan, keep some of your family's favorites from above in stock, for those nights when fresh just isn't happening. As long as you don't serve spaghetti twice a week, it will always be good!

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Golf Resorts vs. the Water Shortage: What Can be Done?

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Surprisingly, even the flagship publication of the golfing industry, Gof Digest, recognizes their precarious position. While more and more of the population is becoming concerned about our water supply, golf courses continue to be built. Cities give out permits for golf courses to be built, apparently, because they support tourism, which brings income to municipalities. It isn't just the water use that is a problem. Unused land means little tax dollars in the coffers of starving local government accounts. But a golf course generally means there will soon be more tax-paying development nearby, as upscale neighborhoods and shopping will follow. All this is gold to our struggling economy, even as we seek solutions to our water resource problems. Seems like a LOSE-LOSE, doesn't it?

The USGA knows they have a social problem. But between you and me, they also know they have money on their side. Golf is no cheap sport. Golfers generally have money to spare, and that means water is not as big a concern to them.

One token attempt, begun this year by Golf Digest to soothe the ruffled feathers of environmentalists, is the Green Star Award, an annual award for America's Best Environmental Resorts. As stated in their article on this first year's awards, they seek to "honor golf resorts that best demonstrate the industry's efforts to do no harm to the environment." You have to give them credit for not strictly going after water use in their effort to make light of resorts who are trying to improve their relationship with the Eco-friendly folks who disagree with their resource consumption.

I'll admit I envisioned a group of USGA board members with a short checklist of criteria on which to give this award. I was impressed to learn that the panel of judges all come with exceptional experience in and knowledge of environmental issues.

As I read about the winners and their practices which earned them this honor, I have to say I began to soften. Some of the environmentally sound efforts in motion include:

irrigation with effluent water
on-site water treatment plants to reduce transit expense
landscaping with natural plants, native to the area
purchase of wind-generated electricity
integrated pest management programs that include use of organic products
use of ozone water treatment to reduce water use
stepped up efforts at recycling, one that produces enough revenue to pay for itself
use of landscape compost as soil enhancement
protection of certain natural habitats and ancient live oaks
sea turtle sanctuaries are protected by guidelines invoked by resort management
drainage recapture systems that collect course drainage, not allowing chemicals to reach our waterways or wetlands
employment of naturalists who educate guests on all areas of nature-preservation
organization of beach clean ups
Increased effort to use locally caught fishes
microfiltered excess water is expelled from one facility into nearby rivers, enhancing the water quality there, and protecting endangered species
banning of styrofoam use
a dedication to tree replacement in duplicate
purchase of local organic flowers, produce and wine, thereby supporting local agriculture
use of biodegradable personal care and cleaning products and recycled products
use of recycled tissues and organic sheets and towels

While most of the initiatives of these exemplary resorts are far too expensive for the average local course, it is acknowledged that these winners are four of the premier resorts in the country. I suppose it is a given that their income and their clientèle make it possible for all these actions to be funded. You may recognize some of them: Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas; Kiawah Island, South Carolina; Pebble Beach Resorts, Monterey, California; and Sunriver Resort in central Oregon.

Even these winning resorts "admit there is still much to be accomplished before their operations can be considered totally sustainable, but all are making strides." As Golf Digest put it, "At least the game of golf is somewhere on the front nine of the environmental movement. These Green Star resorts are the leadoff foursome." Cute wordplay, but as an industry, golf has a very long way to go. Let's just hope they keep finding ways to do more.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Healthy Lunches: When Fresh is Not an Option

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

© photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2009

Prosciutto and Provolone Rolls

with Dried Fruit and Baked Pita Chips

This post is part of a series on eating healthier. While shopping the exterior of our supermarkets where we find the freshest and most nutritious foods, shelf life and cost can become issues. The objective of this post is to assist you with ideas for healthier eating, when avoiding processed foods is not an option. My goal is to give you some inspiration for making healthier lunches, even when you cannot go with the fresh stuff. If you'd like to get the full picture, check out the first two parts:

Food Labeling and Avoiding Processed Foods as Much as Possible

Breakfast Foods: Your Healthiest Processed Food Options

Processed foods are located throughout the interior of the store. Because refrigeration is required for most meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables, processed foods have an obvious edge. Additionally, their much longer shelf life and already prepared status makes them a good match for our convenience-driven lives.

It is hard for some of us to think in terms of getting back to natural. Processed foods lose much of their nutritional value and often have preservatives and other no-nos on their ingredients lists. Yet, fixing fresh foods can become a habit with a little work on your technique. More on that in another post. Let's talk about some of the processed foods that are better choices, when ready-to-go is more of a must:

Protein Sources

Slices of lunch meat from the all-natural section can include ham, turkey, prosciutto, roast beef and pepperoni. Perhaps you will find others in your own natural foods store. My favorite indulgence at lunchtime is to take a couple of large slices of pepperoni or prosciutto (full sized) and place a slice of organic provolone cheese between them like a sandwich. Then I roll this us up and wrap it for lunch. Mmmm.....mmmm....good.
Take the above and add organic bread to make a healthy sandwich without the nitrates of many packaged lunch meats, and lots of fiber. Lettuce and tomato add vitamins, as well.
All kinds of nuts are now available at natural food stores in the bulk foods area. You can select the amounts and types of nuts you like and package them in small amounts to augment your protein for lunch or a mid-afternoon snack.
Granola is a similar, crunchy treat that is delicious when stirred into a container of organic yogurt. You get the combination of creamy, fruity yogurt, along with the crunchy granola. Don't forget to pack a spoon if you are taking it with you.
Edamame, steamed and salted, is a wonderful finger food with loads of protein, healthy fats and fiber. These can be eaten warm or cold. Packaged, roasted Edamame is also available.
Bean soups, as well as those made with chicken, turkey, beef or other meats, all make for healthy lunches, even if canned and heated up. Thermoses made with wide mouths are perfect for these takealong lunches.
Assorted cheese and nut platters are a nice lunch, with a little flair. Add some dried apricots for a good balance and it will take on a Mediterranean feel, if you are packing lunch on-the-go for yourself.

Toss in Some vitamins...the tasty kind:

Adding vitamins to your meals usually means fruits and vegetables. When choosing processed foods from the middle of the store, your choices are limited. Start with soups--preferably the ones that are full of veggies.
Dried fruits have a longer shelf life and add a nice variety to lunch. The ones in the photo above are Organic Dried Mango and Organic Dried Tart Cherries, both from The Healthy Edge.
Containers of jello, apple sauce, fruit salad, and diced fruit (peaches and pears); try to find the fruits that are packed in their own juices, rather than the sweetened ones. Unsweetened apple sauce is also available.
Vegetable and fruit juices are available in so many varieties and blends these days; there is no excuse for skipping juices, except cost. If the price tag puts your brakes on, simply add a bit of water to make the bottle go a bit further (about 1 part water to 3 parts juice will hardly be noticed). One more note: Don't forget the reusable bottles; you can do your part to help save the landfills, when packing your take along lunches.

Dairy Products

If dairy products are not on your no-no list, you certainly can derive a great deal of Calcium and protein from adding these to your lunches.
Yogurt, cheese slices, milk, cottage cheese, kefir or drinkable yogurt all have much to offer in nutrition. Watch the sugar content in yogurt, kefir and drinkable yogurt; some are higher than others.

Side Snacks

Try to avoid fried chips and shoot for baked ones, also watching for baked Pita chips and bagel slices. There are many seasoned varieties available now, some made with vegetables for extra vitamins and fiber.
Pretzels are generally lowfat, but I would suggest you watch the salt for anyone who may be advised to limit their intake.
Air popped corn is a high-fiber munchie that is also quite filling.
Baked tortilla chips add extra vitamins when paired with a small container of salsa or guacamole.

Before I put this all in my lunchbox, I should mention that water is king when it comes to beverages. Although I mentioned juices, they should never replace water. When fruit is not available, juice is your next best choice. Just don't forget the water.

I'll be back soon with my dinner ideas. Be sure to check back to read up on selecting healthier dinner options from the processed foods available.

Keep an eye out, too, for upcoming changes in the site. I have big surprises in store for you. Curious? Check back regularly. I don't exactly have a target date yet, but there will be a super duper DOT COM dipper happening here, along with a salon-style makeover. Don't worry guys, it's not a girly thing. Actually, it's so main stream you will probably ALL like it. Keep checking in. Feel free to send questions and comments.

One last thing. Do you like my cheap version of a Bento Box in the photo? I got that at Target for about $10 a couple of years ago. It has a fork and knife in the lid, for handy takealong lunches. You can learn more about it at an earlier article, Bento Boxes meet Target.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Big Changes Coming...

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Organic Journey Online will soon be joining the ranks of the DOT COMS. Yes, that's right! And I have all of you to thank for this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In addition to my soon-to-be status as a full fledged website, Organic Journey Online will be getting a major makeover. Stay tuned for more information and surprises, coming soon.

Natural Pest Control: Bug Brigade is Central Florida's Green Pest Control Provider

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Going greener in my lifestyle has led me down many unexpected paths. Beginning with organic foods, I soon moved toward Eco-friendly personal care and cleaning products. Later, we added organic lawn care, and next up was pest control. This one was a little scarier for me, yet I quickly learned that help was out there. While DIY (Do it yourself) is an option, I'm not very dilligent about bug stuff, so that reduces the success rate.

I interviewed 3 companies in my area, all of whom were advertising natural pest control, using some of the usual terminology:

Organic
All-natural
Eco-friendly
Holistic
Non-toxic

Each company had various versions of non-toxic pest control, as well as providing traditional pest control to those customers who prefer it. I found one company whose idea of “natural” was far from my own comfort zone and quickly ruled them out.

The company I ultimately ended up with uses mostly “botanical pesticides”, which are merely plant extracts that have a negative effect on insects. Most of these do lack the residual effect needed for outdoor use, but a couple of products with a bit more of a punch, work as barriers on the outside, without being highly toxic to the environment or my pets.

Finally, after researching the meaning of “Eco-Exempt”, a term found on many of Bug Brigade’s product labels, I found the reason that cinched our deal. Pest control products that contain active ingredients with no known (or minimal) toxic effects to humans, animals or the environment, generally bear this label. I was sold. Bug Brigade was hired.

Bug Brigade also earned my business when they willingly agreed to provide me with copies of the labels from their product arsenal. More on those labels later in the post. Additionally, the owner, Scott Milliron, was willing to modify his use of any products, at my option. It is great to work with a business that will customize their usual service to your particular preferences or needs; this was key to my decision.

Bug Brigade also offers rodent control, a service I learned about when a family of rats moved into my attic. I hadn’t realized what a science it is to eliminate critters from an attic. Bug Brigade’s staff visited every few days, diligently dealing with all the issues of home invasion. These critters can chew (and did!) through dry wall and air conditioner ductwork, as well as crawling through the tiniest of holes around piping, finding their way into garage and attic spaces. Locating these entries was Bug Brigade’s primary approach to catching the feisty rodents. They were ultimately successful, again earning kudos from me.

A year later I can happily report I have found only one or two roaches inside my home (truly a feat in Florida!). Bug Brigade’s dedicated service and Eco approach, coupled with their willingness to consider my personal needs and preferences has continued to solidify our relationship.

I certainly have kept Bug Brigade busy. Just last week we had a talk about the ticks that followed us home from our camping trip. It seems we may have inadvertantly brought whole families into the house, so a plan was formulated to move them out. Scott's patient, willing ways continued through our discussions, again reinforcing my decision to patronize this hard working company.

A multi-faceted program will attack the critters from every direction, hopefully getting control as quickly as possible, without using toxic chemicals:

Daily grooming and removal of any parasites found
Containing the dogs to one section of the house, to keeping them from transporting the ticks around the home continuously. With a large, screened porch included in their space, and nicer weather finally here, this plan is quite doable.
Plant oils and other non toxic products will be used to treat the yard and home, paying particular attention to the cracks and crevices that ticks like to lay their eggs in. Weekly treatments will be required for a while to eliminate all the new families that hatch, as well.
After a discussion about the issues with traditional top spot type treatments, we decided on using a non-toxic plant oil spray on the dogs, found to be quite effective. The day we had our initial treatment, I was fascinated to watch the little critters crawl out of their hiding spaces and die, all the while my home was smelling like a holiday candy cane. This stuff was clearly doing the Ghostbuster thing on the ticks, that I have feverishly vacuumed up.
Scott also suggested a product with a bit more residual staying power, if I have continued trouble after our treatments are through. A derivative of the Chrysanthemum plant, Pyrethrin has been found highly effective. You can get more information on this at Doctor's Foster and Smith at this link. Hopefully I won't need this, as Scott generously left me a suppy of the wonderful-smelling peppermint oil to create a household spray (with water) and a pet spray (with mineral oil).

I suppose I should decorate for Halloween with ticks this year. I have quite a bottle of ones I have collected--Eeek! With my yard and home smelling like peppermint, the children will probably all think they are getting candy canes for treats. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, if you're in the Central Florida area, you may want to check out Bug Brigade, or look them up on Twitter.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

How Green is Your Hallowed Home this Halloween? One Woofing Wednesday Tip You May not have Heard...

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Find us at Facebook

Cleaning up our yards after Halloween can sometimes be a daunting task. Those who Trick, instead of Treat, sometimes leave us with toilet-papered trees, spooned yards, decorations of silly string and the like. As if removing our own fun decorations was not enough, now we have others' to clean up, as well.

But that's not all. Think about your Trick-or-Treaters and their families on Saturday, and do everyone a favor. Go over your yard with a poo bag or scooper in hand, collecting your own or other doggies' droppings that have been deposited in your yard.

Once dark, children often run across our yards to beat their friends to our doors. We can welcome these youngsters without leaving their sneakers smelly--our own version of a Trick! So, treat your visitors with a clean lawn, as well as your chosen treats that go into their pumpkins and pillow cases. Your neighbors will be thankful for your efforts. Happy Halloween!

Got poop? We got a scooper:

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Halloween Goodies: Sourcing Your Organic or All-Natural Treats

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:19:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook
Follow us at Twitter

(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2009

Oliver Tests out his Costume at Naptime

Locating a wide assortment of Halloween goodies that are organic or all-natural may take some effort. I find that even with the 4 or 5 stores in my area, I still want more choices. That's why I added printed Halloween coloring pages for the young ones, Halloween word searches and crossword puzzles, to help round out the selection. You can find these at Green Halloween; just remember to use sustainable paper (recycled or bamboo are good).

Before checking out the links to sites where you might want to pick up some goodies, checK out Green Halloween's Ten Easy Steps to Making Halloween Eek-o-Friendly. This site is a virtual smorgasbord of ideas, products and sources. Try these for a good start to your shopping:

St. Claire’s Organics
Yummy Earth (available in bulk)
Simon Candy Company (look for Naturepops organic 50-count Halloween bag)
Natural Candy Store (mixes available)
Hillside Candy (compostable wrappers)
Surf Sweets Featured Vendoror Lets Do Organic organic gummy bears
Verdi Good’s homemade, all natural & organic caramels
Let’s Do Organic or Tundra Trading organic licorice bars
Certified organic, fair trade chocolate ladybugs
Crispy Cat organic candy bars

Happy hunting!

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Breakfast Foods: Your Healthiest Processed Food Options for Breakfast in a Hurry

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Fruit Filled Muffins

are an Acceptable Breakfast-on-the-Go

In a recent post, I ranted about my frustration with food labeling guidelines, or perhaps I should say the lack of them. With manufacturers and grocers all adding their own rating labels to packaged and processed foods, consumers may as well throw up their hands in total confusion.

You may find this post more helpful if you take a minute to read the first post at the link above.Then you'll understand why the labels on your favorite cereals are so confusing. In an effort to help you find ways around the confusion, I highly recommend working toward eating fewer packaged foods, and using more lesser-processed basics. Unfortunately, in our convenience-driven society, we all want and need certain basics in order to speed up our meal preparation; time is not a commodity.

In this post, I will review some of your better processed food options for breakfast. Later, I'll do the same with lunch and dinner choices, so be sure to check back.

When seeking healthy breakfast choices that don’t break the bank, oatmeal is by far your best option. Oatmeal is high in fiber and protein, and has an infinite number of variations, giving you plenty of ways to serve it. Let's be clear. I'm not recommending instant oatmeal, but the real thing. You can make it bowl by bowl, if you are comfortable with using a microwave, or put on a pot with a couple of days’ worth and reheat them bowl by bowl. It doesn’t have to take a chunk out of your morning. We all know that weekday breakfasts are the hardest to find time for, so get creative and you’ll be able to work oatmeal in. Adding different goodies to each day’s bowl can really make breakfast a new surprise each day. To avoid boredom, consider raisins, peaches, strawberries, Walnuts, granola, and other nuts or berries, along with the usual honey, cinnamon and brown sugar, if desired.

Cold Cereal is the most touted of the quick breakfast foods, and probably the most popular with youngsters. I have to admit that there is one plus with serving cereal. Can you guess? Most children who are not vegan or lactose-intolerant eat their cereal with milk, and many will enjoy a banana or berries sliced into the bowl, as well. While milk adds Calcium and protein, the fruit brings vitamins and fiber. This is where cereal makes the A list for breakfast. After eating this, they may want a drink, and juice can be served to top off the vitamin splurge. While cereal alone is not my favorite choice, when served this way, it has a fairly decent nutritional punch. One last thing. Choose the right cereal and you'll also be adding fiber. Don't forget you can also stir a little fiber powder into the milk before pouring it onto their cereal, or add the powder to their juice. There's all sorts of sneaky ways to get more fiber into your child's diet.

Fruit —When fresh fruit is not available or is too time consuming to prepare, sometimes dried fruits can fill the bill. My favorites are dates, raisins and dried mango; my hubby loves dried cranberries. Whatever works, dried fruits are a quick nutritional boost and a good take-along snack. Most natural foods stores sell these in bulk, so you can buy just the amount you need. These also make great additions to a healthy lunch. Another perk is the shelf life, which extends far beyond that of fresh fruit.

Eggs—Sometimes our workday mornings are the worst. We can't seem to find time to make a hot breakfast, even when it actually takes less time to scramble an egg than to prepare a frozen waffle. Products like Egg Beaters take the messy preparation out of the problem, minimizing time spent a bit. Boiled eggs can also be purchased in most delis, which make a quick breakfast on the go, when paired with a muffin or breakfast bread. Another option is to boil a half dozen eggs while you prepare dinner, then refrigerate for breakfasts throughout the week. These are also a good finger food for on-the-go noshing.

Pancakes—The healthiest of pancakes are the ones with extra fiber and fruit added. Check your dairy case for the new Organic Pancake Blaster, an organic pancake batter in an aerosol can, with no CFCs. Just add berries as you squirt the batter onto the pan and you’re in business. If you make your own batter, be sure to stir in some extra fiber, using Benefiber, or a similar product.

Fruit juices – Look for organic apple, grapefruit, grape, orange and tomato juices, even in your local supermarket. If they’re still too pricey for your budget, try diluting them slightly. Most family members will never know the difference if you add 25% water (well, maybe the tomato?).

Toppings for pancakes – Fruit compotes can be purchased in the jelly aisle at your store. If you choose maple syrup--the traditional pancake topping--go for the real thing to avoid the high-fructose corn syrup. This nasty stuff has been linked to far too many health problems; it's time to take a stand for your family's health. Finally, flavored yogurts go over well with many and are worth a shot—much healthier than sugary syrup.

Packaged Crepes – Not even close to being a staple, these babies make a special-occasion breakfast really quick, when you have company, or simply want to spoil your family. Filled with fresh fruit and topped with fruit yogurt, this is a favorite breakfast of my daughter, and an attractive choice for company.

Bagels and English Muffins – While hardly a necessity, these too are a nice choice and especially healthy if you choose a whole-grain variety. Whole Foods has organic brands that we find delicious. Top with your choice of low fat cream cheese (add smoked salmon for an extra punch of healthy omega fats and protein) or low-sugar, organic jam.

Toaster pastries of all sorts are also available in organic form in many flavors. Give them a try and you're sure to find something your kids will all like.

Finally, Breakfast breads, made with a blend of dried fruits and nuts, add fiber and vitamins to your quick breakfast, and are available in many bakeries.

While natural, unprocessed foods are still your best choice, the above options are the best of the processed versions, with Oatmeal being your most nutritious and budget-conscious on this list. As often as possible, try to give your family the benefit of fresh fruits, homemade breads and muffins, and a variety of eggs, if you choose to add these to your diet.

Join me soon for a lunch version of this post, where I will help you select the better processed foods from your supermarket.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Making a Greener Halloween Easier: Woofing Wednesday Brings You Ideas

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2008

Oliver and Tanner

are Ready for Halloween

Halloween is almost here. Moms and Dads are hitting the stores in droves, seeking the perfect costume for each kid, while their closets hold the remnants of past years' costumes that may still be useful.

Trading costumes with other moms works well for many families. Some neighborhood associations organize and facilitate this money-saving, Eco-friendly Halloween activity. It's even fun for the older kids to get involved in helping the younger ones select from available costumes. They can often provide added insight on missing elements that can be created with a dab of creativity.

As for treats, I would enourage you to create your selection with a little less sugar and food coloring. Try including a few stickers, marbles, silly straws and the like in your selection of natural lollipops and other treats that are available at stores like Whole Foods Market.

Check out my post at Happy Green Halloween, where you will find lots of ideas such as these to save you money and still give out a healthier stash.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Breast vs. Bottle: Part II-- Tips

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook

If you read Part I (13 Reasons to Breast Feed) of this 2-part series, you already know why it is important to breast feed your infant. Keep in mind that if YOU eat healthy, so too will baby, if you choose to nurse her. Now let's talk a little about how--some tips to make it a bit easier for the first timer.

We've all heard the storeis about moms being asked to leave restaurants because someone noticed they were breast feeding their infant. It was bound to happen. Some people simply do not view breast feeding as the natural way to feed a baby. I sometimes wonder what these individuals would do if stranded on a remote island like Claire, in the hit TV series, LOST.

It is not that I begrudge these people their opinion. And perhaps some of these mothers are not as modest as they might be. The trick is to feed your infant so subtly that no one even notices what you are doing. Yes! It can be done.

When I was breast feeding my 3 babies, back in the dark ages if you ask them, a plan fell into place that worked its magic to allow me to avoid these problems. This is no big secret, mind you. There are plenty of other women who use these techniques to nurse in public. Just this weekend I witnessed two moms nursing in a restaurant, that I quickly figured out were not noticed by my companions. Here's a few tips to make it work for you:

Always carry a large baby blanket or scarf in your bag, to be used to cover you and baby during baby’s mealtime.
Request a table in the back corner of the restaurant. In this way, you will be able to sit with your back to the rest of the patrons, while nursing.
Wearing a loose-fitting top or one that easily opens in the front will make preparation easy, once the baby blanket and your infant are in position.
One final tip. If you concentrate your eye contact on something other than the baby, your line of sight toward a book, TV or neighborly conversation will give the impression that baby is simply sleeping with a blanket over him.

I cannot tell you how many times I gave an order to a waiter or had a conversation with someone on an airplane, all the while nursing my child. The person with whom I was talking hardly seemed to know what I was doing.

I still remember a gentleman on one flight saying something about how nice it was that I could keep the reading light out of the baby’s eyes while she slept. I did not tell him my secret, but merely nodded and returned to my reading.

For more tips on living green, you can check out my latest post at the Central Florida Green Guide.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Organic Chow and Camping: A Guide to Staying Your Course

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:30:00 +0000

(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko

Lunch and a Gin Rummy Game

Both Work Well in an RV

Going into this camping trip, I knew there was little possibility of staying on organic foods 24/7. That's okay, though, because that really is not my goal. I'm happy to eat 2 out of 3 meals organic at home, but realize that on the road is a very different matter. Not knowing where healthy food stores are when traveling in unfamiliar areas means it would be much more time consuming to try to shop along the way.

Our trip was only 5 days--a road test for the dogs and an RV in unison. Five days is fairly easy to plan ahead for without having to shop during a trip. We knew there would be meals out, and these are fine. I simply tried (I say that loosely) to eat relatively healthy. Again, I'm not a purist.

Enough of that, here's the grub we packed for the trip, which is representative of an all-natural and organic diet that is simple and travels well:

Travel beverages:

* in individual travel cups stored in a cooler near the in the driver’s compartment.

Organic lemonade (my homemade, organic recipe at the link, and a great oatmeal raisin cookie recipe also)
Organic apple juice
Water, lots of it

Breakfasts:

Organic Banana Muffins in freezer can be thawed out 1 or 2 at a time for breakfasts and snacks. (recipe at link)
Purely O’s organic cereal with organic milk

Organic bananas

· Organic eggs for scrambling

· Organic shredded cheese for eggs or melting on all-natural tortilla chips

· Organic Orange Juice

· Choice brand Organic English Breakfast teabags
Coffee bags: Surprise--Just before we left for this trip, Starbucks released their vew Via, instant coffee in individual serving packets which can be stirred into hot or cold milk or water, for coffee or a Latte. Lots of choices with this new product make it a good choice, although it is not organic. If any of you find organic coffee bags, I'd sure like to hear from you. The comment link is always there...waiting for you at the bottom of EVERY post.

Snacks on the Road:

· Organic apples

· Organic nuts

· Organic banana muffins

· Sliced organic cheddar cheese

· Organic carrot sticks

Lunches:

·        All natural turkey and swiss cheese on rye or wheat bread
All All natural corn chips and salsa
   Organic apples and bananas
   Organic carrots
   Freshly brewed organic iced tea
   Leftover chicken and rice from home

Dinners:

· Pasta dish (leftover from home)

·         Turkey and swiss sandwiches
   Large Garden salads: Organic Romaine lettuce laden with onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, shredded carrots and organic vinaigrette dressing
      Organic apples and bananas

In the interest of full disclosure, we also enjoyed a few meals out with each our two sons and a special friend. Like I’ve always said, “I’m not a purist; variety is the spice of life.” While eating organic is part of my life (and cancer preventive) strategies, I choose it when available, but when it is not, I’ll always find something to eat.

For more tips on living green, check out my new guest post at Central Florida Green Guide.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Green Life 101 Starts Today: Learn about the Magic Number 350

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:39:00 +0000

The climate action summit that is coming on October 24 needs to be much bigger than it appears to be now. We need stronger guidelines for climate change and improving our collective carbon footprint to save our mother ship--Earth. You will see many activities and events related to this big day. It doesn't matter what you choose to do, as long as DO SOMETHING.

As Nike put it, "Just Do It!"

Go Greener with Your Active Fitness Options: Woofing Wednesday Has Your Plan

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Eco-friendly folks looking to stay active and healthy have long known that our most successful options for getting and staying in shape come through FUN, CHALLENGING fitness activities. In other words, the old mantra “Feel the Burn” doesn’t necessarily have to fit your choice. More and more people who maintain a slim and toned body through activity find that their best route to this goal is through activities that involve the concept of FLOW, as written about by the author, Csikszentmihalyi, in his book by the same name. According to Wikipedia, Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.

I’ve done a little analysis of many of the popular activities that evoke this state of mind. Following is a chart that shows an estimate of the cost of each and three levels of Eco-friendliness.

Legend of cost symbols:

$ = Free to minimal cost

$$ = $10-$50 per session

$$$ = (Considerable expense in equipment, lessons, gasoline or travel)

Greenest Options

$ - Walk, bike, rollerblade or jog

$ - Video or TV exercise classes to do at home

Less Green, More Costly Choices

$$ - Step and other aerobics classes

$$ - Wall Climbing, in nature or on an inside wall; also classes

$$ - Martial arts classes

$$ - Yoga and pilates classes

$$ - Ballet, tap, jazz, Jazzercise classes

$$ - Pole dancing, belly dancing, and other exotic dancing classes

$$ - Ballroom dancing and classes

$$ - Conditioning classes: weights, abs, bands, etc.

$$ - Dog agility and other dog activity classes and competitions

$$ - Team sports: softball, tennis, baseball, bowling, football, etc. (some could be $$+)

Ouch! Neither Green Nor Cheap

$$$ - Dirt biking

$$$ - Water Skiing (club or team makes this more affordable; boat ownership is much more expensive)

$$$ - Snow Skiing: Travel, lift tickets, and equipment rental or purchase all add up to considerable expense unless you live in a ski resort area and/or work for a ski resort.

$$$ - Hockey team competitions (equipment and ice time is quite costly)

$$$ - Competing in most $$ and $$$ categories adds to the expense.
$$$ - Sky Diving

I suppose it is no surprise that your greenest and least expensive options for exercise are walking, jogging, rollerblading and biking.

One final note about motivation…Unless you are naturally driven to exercise daily, owning a dog is a wonderful way to add dimension to your life and give yourself a reason to walk, jog or bike. Dogs need daily exercise to maintain a calm energy level and healthy mental and physical condition. When you bond with a dog that depends on you for his care and support, you will find it enjoyable to give him some of that fabulous unconditional love in return for his devotion. Can you tell I like dogs?

If you, too, are a dog lover, I invite you to read my other blog, All Things Dog Blog, where I focus on helping dog owners fulfill their dogs’ and their own happiness with many ways of bonding and enjoying one another, which often leads to flow during pleasurable joint activities.

For more tips on green living, visit Central Florida Green Guide, where my new guest post has just been released, LIVING LIKE ED: A BOOK REVIEW.

Follow All Things Dog at Twitter

Find me at Facebook

Food Labeling: Grocers Further Confuse the Chaotic Nutrition Info on Packaged Foods

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

A handful of new programs have appeared on the labels of the food industry's bigger conglomerates, attempting to single out healthy foods. Are they marketing major nutritional assets of the foods or trying to inflate the perceived value of the smaller, healthy ingredients? You decide:

Labels that can already be found on most packaged foods include:

Nutrition facts box
Ingredients list (in descending order by volume)
American Heart Association's Check mark (indicating higher fiber and whole grain content)
At least 5 major food companies use their own healthy choice icons, further confusing consumers (notably Kraft, PepsiCo, Kellog's, General Mills, Unilever)
Questionable labels on many convenience and junk foods tout the benefits of minimal healthy components to help sell such sugar, fat or salt-laden foods to parents of clamboring children.

The newest programs, such as Nutrition IQ, NuVal ratings and Smart Choice ratings are each based on different criteria and may exclude snacks, desserts and condiments. As a result, one system may give a food a low rating, while it receives a much higher rank from another system.

One example is Kellog's Frosted Flakes cereal, which receives low scores by two rating systems and yet qualified as a "Smart Choice" by the American Dietetic Association. Go figure how Tony the Tiger was able to get nutritional kudos.

Given all this confusion, how is a smart shopper supposed to sort through all the propaganda? Start by asking yourself three important questions:

Is it real or artificial?
What chemicals, preservatives, food coloring, herbicides, and artificial ingredients are present?
Is it a fresh, unprocessed food? (No ingredient label usually equals fresh and unprocessed. An example would be a vegetable)

Remember, processed foods lose much of their natural nutritional value. If optimum health is your goal, try to purchase most of your foods from the outside edges of the supermarket: produce, dairy, meat, fish, poultry, bread (better yet, make your own). It's also good to own and use a guide to food additives--something like the one I've highlighted below. You can purchase it by clicking through here, right to Amazon. I do try to make healthy living easier for you.

Of course, you'll need staples from the interior of the store. Think "The Basics" and check my posts at Saving Money on Organic Meals and Saving with CSAs, Coops and Buying Clubs, for ways to save on your food budget.

Check back for an upcoming post on grocery staples. I'll evaluate my list of staples: fresh vs. processed and we'll see how it stacks up.

Sources: FDA, NYU, Orlando Sentinel

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Breast vs. Bottle Feeding: Part I--Thirteen Reasons Moms Should Breast Feed

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

The baby will be receiving many of your immunities to diseases and allergies, via your breast milk.
The meal will always be ready and always be the right temperature.
No bottles to wash, sterilize or drag along.
No formula to mix and warm.
No worries about the quality of the water you add from other sources.
No formula allergies to worry about.
Baby-Mom bonding is quickly in place when sharing their special time, regularly throughout the day.
Breast pumps allow for an occasional outing without baby, so Mom and Dad can get some couple's time.
Moms can also pump and freeze breast milk to preserve for their ultimate return to work.
Breast feeding moms burn extra calories and get their figures back quicker (Yes! This has been substantiated in many studies).
The stools of breast fed babies do not have as objectionable an odor as formula-fed infants. Now, there's a selling point!
Breast milk is a sustainable product. The sucking action of a baby's nursing stimulates more milk production, so supply meets demand. Mom simply needs to assure that she is drinking plenty of fluids. Water, organic juices, and milk are her best choices.
Finally, add up the cost of infant formula for a typical year of feeding and you'll understand just how very much money saving opportunity you will pass up if you choose to bottle feed with formula.

I hope these thoughts on the importance of breast feeding will help a few new moms in their big decision. Part II of this series will take a look at some tips for breast feeding while out and about. New moms should not have to spend their lives indoors. Join me for an upcoming post on how to feed your infant in most any atmosphere, with hardly a notice from the nosiest of passersby.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

A Greener RV Vacation?

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Follow me at Facebook

It's time to fess us I suppose. I'm doing a little research that might not be considered totally green. Who am I kidding? Kindergarteners probably know that an RV is not the greenest way to travel. Well, I'm here to tell you that there is hope.

Wanting to travel with our 3 dogs brought us to the doorstep of an RV rental company. It seems that taking a longer trip with 3 dogs is not exactly designed for Delta Airlines, for instance. What other options does a dog owner have?

Our rental RV is a basic model, the smallest C-class available (bed over the cab), without all the bells and whistles that make an RV luxurious. For instance, it is lighter weight, has fewer electric and breakable specialty gadgets (no electric shade awnings with lights along the edges, no electric slide out compartments, small holding tanks for heavy stuff like water, etc.), little furniture, lightweight flooring and cabinetry and more. On second look, I realize that all these things may mean this RV won't outlive its more upscale models, but by nature of its lesser weight, gas mileage is supposed to approach double digits. We'll see.

As we travel, I'm working on ways to make an RV trip a bit more tolerable for my somewhat greener lifestyle. I've started a list of the things that can be done to an RV and its travel that would give it a leg up in the color spectrum. Before I start, though, I'm pleased to announce that this baby does have a solar water heater, which is backed up by propane, when sun is not available. Cool, huh?

First and foremost, TerraPass will gladly sell me a offset for the gasoline we're using. Basically, they put our money back into things that clean up the pollution caused by our gasoline usage. While that would take care of the lion's share, I feel there is much more I can do.

Fortunately, this RV uses regular gas, the cheapest available. And cheap it is here in North Carolina where we're camping in a rural area--$2.29 a gallon. I haven't seen it that cheap back home in, well, I don't remember.

So, what else can I do to feel I'm not sucking the planet of all its resources? With a little thought, quite a bit, actually. Check out my list:

It has been quite a while since I've camped, and I'm revisiting the "military shower" concept (or is it Navy?). By nature of having the water off while I lather up, I'm actually saving water on this trip by a ton over what I would use at home. That actually makes me feel good.
While camping, showers are less frequent, as activities like hiking with the dogs don't necessitate the perfect aroma of say, a wedding.
Likewise, clothes generally are worn twice before washing, unless they get particularly soiled or sweaty. It's cool and beautiful here and sweaty has not been an issue. I was glad to leave hot and humid back in Florida for a few days.
I find I'm also saving electricity. With only 2 electrical outlets in the RV, how much can one use at once? Sure, we're plugged into electric to suppport the interior lighting, but there's only a handful of those, so we're way below the electrical use we'd have at home. (Pat myself on the back; I'm feeling better already).
There are 3 systems on this RV that operate off of propane (as I understand it, a wee bit better than gasoline): refrigeration (minimal, it's very small), stove (nope, haven't used it and probably won't--I'm on vacation, after all!), and the hot water tank. It's a whopping 6 gallon tank that works off solar and propane, as needed.
I brought along three 10" X 10", battery operated (rechargeable, of course) fans to keep us cool, if needed. I even packed the recharger. So far, it doesn't look like we'll be needing them, but if we were camping in Florida I know they'd be working hard.
All four flashlights I packed (a little over kill, I'll admit) are powered by rechargeable batteries, and I'm armed with the recharger, too. Oh yeah, I already mentioned that.
Rather than toting along all manner of cleaners, I simply packed vegetable soap (useful for dishes, floors, dogs, showers, you name it), vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. These will take care of most anything we need to clean up.
Planning in advance, I avoided buying plastic tableware by collecitng the take-out containers and extra flatware given to me at various take out restaurant visits over the past few months. I'm washing them as I use them, so there's no waste involved. The landfills are not going to suffer as a result of this trip.
Closing the drapes on the windows of the RV where the sun hits, helps to keep it cooler during the warmer afternoon hours, as does opening the windows and the 3 rooftop vents. Those are actually quite ingenious. One even has a little fan to draw heat up and out.
While most campgrounds are wooded, this affords shade to keep cool in during the summer months. I suppose if we were camping during colder weather, we'd request a site in full sun to help warm up the camper with natural solar heat. I'll remember that tip if we decide to go all out and take one of these trips to Canada and Alaska.
One tip to save propane that the rental official gave us has definitely worked well; he suggested placing our beverages for our "on-the-road" days in a cooler near the cab area to allow for (1) fewer refrigerator openings and (2) no trips back and forth to get drinks.
Traveling with the dogs means planning for their needs, as well. I packed biodegradable poop collection bags, as always, along with a couple of pop-up nylon crates for when we stop at other's homes. These are lighter weight, by far than the metals ones most of us use at home. Everything I can do to limit the onboard weight means better gas mileage. Lucky Oliver got to bring his usual crate. He's so small he could sleep ina shoe box, so I just packed his regular one.
We're not towing a vehicle, but I did put a bicycle in the large storage area for running nearby errands or simply to exercise the dogs. That came in handly one evening when the pups were itching to get out and explore. We took a brisk run up to the highway and back, and the boys slept like babies.
Now for some of the surprises we are learning on our RV adventure: (1) Our "bare bones" RV has no TV or video player like many of the posh ones do. That means we're taking advantage of nature's entertainment--hiking, exploring, etc. This is good exercise for all of us and assures a better night's sleep.
Camping is a good lesson in simpler living--less clutter, just the necessities means that you learn to made do, and you enjoy the simple pleasures of reading, nature and good conversation. A deck of cards comes in handy, as well. My son won the Gin Rummy tournament.
Simpler meals, less cooking, less power and water usage. It all adds up to an RV vacation that's closer to green than even I thought it could be.

Be sure to check back, as my time off definitely fueled the creativity. I'll be bringing you a post soon on how we managed to continue to eat largely all-natural while on our camping adventure. Other upcoming posts will include a food labeling update, tips on limiting processed foods in your diet with shopping strategies, green fitness options and their costs, an all-natural pest control review, Breast vs. Bottle, Diapers: Cloth vs Disposable, and a review of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Whew! That was a mouthful.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Air Filtering Plants to Beautify and Clean Your Home Environment

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook

Foyer Garden

Has Many Air Filtering Plants

Purifying your air does not always mean spending hundreds on ionic air cleaning machines for every room in your house. Think green and you'll get your answer here: many house plants have the ability to filter and clean the air in your inside environment. Plant Care's site has a nice description of the top-performing plants and a brief touch on the research done by NASA research scientist, Dr. Bill Wolverton, to teach us some of the many values of houseplants.

According to their sources, plants are "a sophisticated pollution-absorbing device; the common indoor plant may provide a natural way of helping combat "Sick Building Syndrome".

Plant Care Recommends these Top Performers:

Bamboo Palm
Chinese Evergreen
English Ivy
Gerbera Daisy
Janet Craig (Dracaena family)
Marginata (Dracaena family)
Corn Plant
Mother in Laws Tongue (Sansevieria Laurentii)
Pot Mum
Peace Lily
Warnecki (Dracaena family)
Golden Pothos

I've been testing some of these myself and thought perhaps you'd like to see the results of my less-than-scientific investigation--for what it's worth: First, let me clarify, that my environment here in Central Florida's humidity capital of the world, may differ from your own. Keep that in mind.

First, allow me to mention that the Golden Pothos was added to the above list by me, when I discovered that Dr. Wolverton found it to have superior ability to absorb Formaldehyde from its environment, along with philodendrons and spider plants. These all do fairly well indoors, yet the Pothos is easiest to care for and requires little light.

Working from the above list, the clear winner in my home-test for the easiest-to-grow, indoor plant is the Peace Lily or Spathiphylium (I've found it spelled several ways--you pick!). It seems to require only water to survive and bloom bountifully twice a year, and the ones I have managed to kill were either under- or over-watered.

While the Chinese Evergreen has spectacularly beautiful fluffy foliage, it apparently needed much more humidity than my indoor foyer provided. However, after I planted the suffering specimens in my outdoor, covered porch garden, they began to thrive. Second place in hardiness went to the Corn Plant, which requires less water than the Peace Lily. Of the 10 floor plants in my foyer garden (photo above), currently 5 are Peace Lilies (various types) and 1 is a corn plant.

Pothos plants placed in my bathrooms have been exceptionally well and seem to love the humidity they receive from shower steam. Perhaps I should have tried the Chinese Evergreen there.

My luck with the other flowering plants, even when placed in southern windows was less than satisfactory, although I was eager to have it work. Dr. Wolverton's research also found that flowering plants on this list were the best at filtering Benzene from the air, a feat I was keen to accomplish.

The plants in the Dracaena family were all utter failures in my home, lasting only a few months and then losing their long, thin leaves. Ivy survived only when misted vigorously and watered rigidly on a schedule. I found it beautiful, yet too much work to keep alive. Perhaps some of you will have time to help these elegant plants to reach their potential.

Unable to find a small Bamboo Palm or Mother in Laws Tongue, forgive me if I cannot give you my own assessment of these two. Let me know your results with these, as indoor plants. I'll admit I did not find ANY of the latter, and am eager to know what this cleverly-named plant looks like.

While maintaining indoor houseplants does require a bit of maintenance, a cup or two of water once a week usually will do it. Some may require extra humidity that you can provide with a daily misting from a spray bottle. But think of the added beauty they provide, giving you the feel of a tropical forest when you create a small garden area in larger rooms.

Bedrooms and bathrooms may only handle one floor plant or a small counter top model, but the effect is similar. There is something healthy about lush greenery, alive and growing.

I'm adding Dr. Wolverton's book to my Wish List. What a great resource to know which houseplants to look for. You can buy it right here, if you like. Five minutes and it will be on its way to your mailbox. Ya gotta love Amazon!

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Sustainable Products for a Growing Market in Recycled Items: Uncommon Goods

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Dave's Dinky

Our Woofing Wednesday "Cover Dog"

My gang is all pooped out from the dog park today, so Dinky is here to do the Woofing Wednesday honors. His owner tells me that he is so smart, if he had thumbs, he could drive.

As always, my Woofing Wednesday post is short and sweet and provides you with 2 things:

a cute pup photo or two
a great website find of mine--one you might enjoy perusing in your free time.

Uncommon Goods is a catalog and a website, replete with recycled and sustainable products. The site covers many product areas such as gifts, personal, home and family, pets, children--tons of interesting products to browse. They have some cute pet and pet themed items, and some great gag gifts, as well.

The best thing about the site is that everything is made from something that had a former life; it's all recycled or repurposed or reused in some way. Zipper pulls form a clever looking bracelet and recycled glass makes many beautiful items. Enjoy shopping and remember, while you're there, the holidays are coming. Take notes. This could be a good one stop shop.

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

7 Ways to Bake Regularly and Still Maintain Your Waistline

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook

(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko

Apple Tart= 1/2 of an Apple Pie

Becoming an empty nester has certainly changed my lifestyle in many ways. I’m still in denial about being 50-something, and thankfully not many people believe it when I tell them. I secretly love those people. That’s beside the point though. The purpose of this post is to share a peek into the ways I’ve managed to stay in my size (do I dare say it?)—I’ll skip that part. Suffice it to say I’m slender, at least by most people’s standards.

Okay, I got past that admission. Whew! I get asked about my diet secrets pretty regularly. People who have known me a long time want to know how I’ve maintained a stable weight after 3 kids, while other menopausal women struggle with theirs. So, recently I began keeping a mental tab on what I do, sort of watching my habits. A list has evolved that appears to be my “plan”, if you can call it that.

I also started reading a good bit on the subject and found that often my eating habits match those of the advice given in women’s magazines and by health experts. I guess I have my mom to thank for the eating habits she drilled into me as a child. Except for one: “Clean your plate.” That will forever remain in my head. Our mothers’ voices are in most women’s heads, and mine is no different. This is a good place to start off my list of, well, let’s call them healthy dessert eating habits.

Bake half batches: Because I have a sweet tooth, I now am much more careful about baking whole batches of baked goods, unless company or the kids are on their way. Like today, I baked a 1-crust Apple Tart. It’s not rocket science; I simply used one crust, added ½ the amount of apples, flour, cinnamon and low-fat spray butter, and viola’, I have ½ a pie. I call it a Tart; I’m not sure what Martha Stewart would term it. Doesn’t matter, anyway. The point is, there’s only ½ of a pie for me and hubby to eat—assuring we don’t extend ourselves beyond our belt sizes.
Freezing most of what you bake is portion control: I make banana muffins quite frequently, as they are one of my husband’s favorites, and the healthiest of his baked breakfast choices. Check out my Organic Banana Bread/Muffin recipe and see for yourself. Freezing much of the batch allows you to thaw and eat only 1 or 2 at a time so you don’t overdo it.
Buying single portions: An occasional splurge at a nearby bakery is nearly always done with a little trickery. Instead of buying what appears to be a relatively small item, I purchase a single piece. When hubby and I split this we really don’t have to feel guilty, too full, or for that matter, worry about our waistlines.
Consider serving dessert as a weekend-only thing: I know this sounds painful, but it will save you time in the kitchen, help maintain your weight, and let’s not forget your heart health. We all know that our favorite desserts are not great for our health when eaten daily. Pies, cakes, cookies (the top 3) all work to the detriment of our heart health and contribute to high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes. Besides, it will give you something to look forward to on the weekend, in addition to your time off with family.
Choosing healthier desserts: If you’ve made a habit of having dessert every night, and there’s no turning back now, consider alternating healthier options in. Try sorbet (see my instructions for homemade organic sorbet), custards (high in protein and Calcium), gelatin salads with fruit mixed in, gelatin parfaits, fresh fruit, fruit salad, or fruit over frozen, non-fat yogurt.
Be tricky: Pick your times to bake—when company is expected, on a friend’s birthday, for special occasions, and for family gatherings and holidays. You can be creative and find many more excuses to bake. The point is to give most of the sweets away, while still having your fun baking them.
Baked gifts come from the heart: Baking and making homemade specialties gives the gift of your time. For most of us, this is a very special gift indeed. We’re all strapped for time in this fast-paced society that we live in. Baking a special gift shows your willingness to share your time. Compound that with the fact that you got your baking “fix” in and you’re good to go. You’ll feel great when you give your baked goodie to a friend or family member and they fawn all over it, and call you later to ask for the recipe. There’s your motivation. For a special, homemade gift, try my house special--Organic Cinnamon Raisin Bread.
Share with a friend: Out to eat and can't resist the dessert tray? Choose one and order 2 spoons or forks.

Have you and your partner found other ways to keep your sweet tooth under control? Share them with us. You can drop me a comment at the link at the bottom. Maybe I'll share your tips here on the blog.

If you're like me and enjoy cooking with apples, this apple and potato peeler/slicer and corer is a must have. It takes all of 3 seconds to peel, core and slice up an apple with this baby. I couldn't get by without it:

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

An Energy Star Laptop and a Recycled Carrying Bag:

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook

My New Energy Star Laptop

Eco-Friendly Bag is Made

of Recycled Plastic Bottles

Could I be any more excited?!!!

In planning an upcoming trip to visit my boys, I realized that the time had come to snuggle up to the idea of a laptop. Having been a desktop blogger for all this time, I'll clearly have some adapting to do.

What have I been waiting for? Blogging on the road seems so productive, yet I have not been able to bring myself to part with those green bucks in my wallet.

Finally I have the motivation: visiting the boys! My solution: I found an Energy Star Rated laptop and bought a carrying bag made out of recycled water bottles. How cool is that?! Check out the photo...not too shabby, huh?

No, it's not one of those classy New York style brief case/tote bag looking things. They're elegant and beautiful, but not my style. Somehow they just don't work with my blue jeans, flip flops and 3 active dogs always tagging along beside me.

I actually have a cotton corduroy tote bag that I LOVE. I simply needed a padded pouch for the laptop--for protection. My solution was frugal and recycled--about as green as it comes.

Next task on my TO DO LIST: Learn to use all my blogging functions on the laptop. This means drawing from 99% online resources, which hasn't been a habit so far. My hard drive has held photos galore, but I don't dare clog up this baby with speed-diminishing files that need so much Gig. Speed=battery time, so I'll need to focus on more time-efficient methods of storage. So Photobucket annd Flickr here I come. Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted--pun intended.

Here's another recycled option:

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!

Follow me at Facebook, a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.

Follow me at Twitter

Adding Fiber to Your Diet: Some Sneaky Strategies

CarrieLeaJohnson@gmail.com (Carrie J. Boyko) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Find us on Facebook

(c) Photo copyright Carrie Boyko

Toni's Favorite

Organic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Shhh! Don't tell my kids or my husband any of this. Promise? Okay, here goes. For years, I have been adding fiber to my family's diet. They don't even know about it. Well, that is, until they read this. Oops!

I'm counting on them realizing that if they never knew the stuff was in their food before, it won't matter now. Hope I'm right! So, how do I add fiber? Here's some tips:

Stirring Benefiber into foods is my easiest strategy. You can put it into cooked foods also, while preparing them. Basically, anything that you can stir or blend can have Benefiber added. Just follow the directions and your instincts to decide how much to include in your recipes. Try it in soups, stews, sauces, muffin mixes, baked desserts, milkshakes, smoothies, juices, scrambled eggs, etc.
Exchanging white flour for whole wheat in many recipes is an easy way to add protein and fiber to the recipe. If you're not sure about the taste of whole wheat, try substituting small amounts at first, and gradually build up. I now make our banana bread mostly out of whole wheat flour and no one has been the wiser.
Mashed and roasted potatoes have much more nutritional value and fiber when the skin is left on. Just be sure to wash them well before cooking.
Do you make garlic or other flavored butters? Add a little Benefiber to these also; no one will know your secret.
When making meatballs and meatloaves, place leftover, cooked veggies in the blender and give them a whir. Then stir the mixture into your meat and enjoy the extra flavor along with the added fiber and vitamins.
Special occasions call for special foods. At our house, Apple Pie is one of the regulars. Making apple pie or apple crisp with the skin on the apples is another great way to increase fiber, and it's rather tasty, too.
Adding granola, flax seeds, wheat germ or other nuts to breads, salads, oatmeal and yogurt adds a nice crunch to otherwise soft foods, while giving extra Omega fatty acids and fiber.
Tucking a small serving of nuts into your kids' lunch boxes is a great way to do the same. For more healthy lunch ideas, check out Organic Lunches on the Go, and Green Up Your Back to School Lunches with Creative Choices.
Do you know what the top four foods on the fiber scale are? (1) Avocado--think Guacamole with Benefiber stirred in; (2) Black Beans--makes great soup and you can still add the Benefiber; (3) Bran cereal--If your family turns their nose up, just sneak it into your bread maker's raisin bread recipe and they'll love it!; (4) Broccoli--served cold with ranch dip that has--you guessed it--Benefiber stirred right in.
Finally, everybody has an occasional sweet tooth. When you make cookies, thinking high fiber takes you to Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Again, don't forget to add the extra fiber and use at least 1/2 whole wheat flour for the recipe. They'll never know the difference. Here's my slam dunk recipe that my family loves: Toni's Favorite Organic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. (Add nuts for an extra punch!)

I hope you've learned a tip or two that is new to you. Remember that fiber is a great cancer preventative, and is important for keeping your intestinal tract cleaned up and healthy. It helps to carry out toxins that might otherwise stick to the lining of your insides and be reabsorbed. So put this broom to work sweeping your insides. Good luck, and toss me a bone if you have any ideas of your own. The comment link is at the bottom of the post, next to the little envelope icon. I'd love some new sneaky strategies!

OR, Take a free subscription here. No commitments, no trouble. Just that easy!