Sage Path

Simple Summer Eats Topped with a Dash of Complaining

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 20:02:00 +0000

The beast of Baltimore is here. Summer is in full force, with suffocating humidity, 100-degree temperatures and blood sucking mosquitoes.

The fire pit has been dragged into a corner and the only life on the porch and deck are the fearless squirrels and my half dead potted plants. It’s too hot to water. I certainly appreciate staying cool in my air conditioning ever since the week-long power outage, but I don’t enjoy feeling confined to my house.

Meal preparation has become very limited during this house arrest too. With busy schedules shooting in different directions faster than Katniss could fire off her arrows in “The Hunger Games,” I find that everyone is eating at different times and are randomly hungry.

I’ve been experimenting with a few simple snacks that also serve as quick, healthy meals to try to smooth out the random hungriness problem before it evolves to crappy food.

A good friend turned me on to cottage cheese and brown rice cakes for a quick, protein-rich breakfast. I know, I thought the same thing, but it’s actually really tasty and not gross at all. She likes to eat hers on those poppy corn things that they make in the back of Wegmans, but it’s not worth the drive for me. You’ll be hooked once you give it a chance.

A big thanks to Cooking Light’s editor, Scott Mowbray, for reminding me of one of my favorite savory snacks, avocado toasts. He created his in a panic when he realized he forgot to plan an appetizer for a summer gathering. He also used the word “fussification” in his most recent note from the editor to emphasize the fact that sometimes simplicity gets lost when we cook.

At Chez Voss (sorry that’s not a new gourmet restaurant in Towson, just my house) we like to prepare our avocado toast on a sesame bagel. Just toast a sliced bagel, scoop out the avocado and mash it with a fork on the bagel halves, add a pinch of kosher salt and hot sauce.

Avocados are a staple in our house. We always have a batch ready to go and several in bowls ripening at various stages, since you know there’s never a ripe avocado at the store when you need it.

Spinach and parmesan tortilla pizza topped with avocado and tomato has become a tasty meal recently. Just sprinkle some shredded parmesan cheese on a flour tortilla, top with chopped, fresh spinach and toast in the toaster oven on light-medium. Remove from the oven, top with chunks of avocado and fresh tomato and sprinkle with salt. I really hope you have a toaster oven. We are probably the last people on earth without a microwave, I’ve been told by my children, so we use our toaster oven a lot.

I don’t typically love tomatoes, but when they are fresh and perfectly ripe, I’m game. I’ve always enjoyed a tasty garden tomato and cheese sandwich, but to make it a little heartier, I cooked up a grilled feta and tomato combo. Don’t go too crazy with the butter, but definitely butter the outside of each piece of bread. Place a thick slice of feta cheese on one slice of bread, top with some thinly sliced tomatoes and a few basil leaves if you have them. Top with the other slice of bread and cook it just like a good old grilled cheese that mom used to make

Of course, those were the blissful days of Velveeta, and I can’t buy it anymore because I now know that it’s not really cheese. Sigh.

What simple things are you making these days?

Six Things I Learned from Six Days Without Power

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 20:38:00 +0000

I extracted a few valuable lessons during our unintentional week off of the grid. Now that I’m sitting in my cool house with a frosty glass of iced tea and some very happy fat cats, I can clearly reflect on the past week.

I had people say, “How did you do it? I would have never survived that long.” Well, actually, you wouldn’t have died from lack of ice, but you might have been strangled by your spouse or trampled by your irritated children at some point.

Seriously, although it was a blur, it really wasn’tthat bad. I am bit wiser from the entire experience, too.

1. It’s hard to run an Internet business without power. I tried it for two days, but my hand-crafted quality levels went way down when I started sweating all over the counter. Perfect time for a forced stay-cation.

2. Panera isn’t very good. After dumping all of my fridge contents and accepting the fact that we were eating out for three meals a day, I realized that there aren’t that many decent, healthy, affordable places to eat. I don’t do fast food restaurants and most other sit-down places are too expensive for multiple meals. I’m sure Panera’s increased traffic from the storm will be followed by a sharp decline for a month or two. I know I won’t be back for a while.

3. People love to rally when there’s a community crisis. It’s refreshing to see neighbors shift into altruistic mode during times of need to assist each other with tree limbs, ice purchases and reassuring chatter about the latest BGE truck sighting. I had many friends reach out to offer their homes for sleeping or re-charging, but I also had a surprisingly large number of people offer me a shower. Now I am known to skip showers after the gym in an effort to save time, but typically showering is not a problem when the power is out.

4. Generators are really noisy. Yes, I am one of those non-generator users and we aren’t really fond of the other side. I know that it’s nice to have a light and fan or maybe your refrigerator, but not at the expense of your poor neighbor whose bedroom window is 10 feet from your droning generator. I know there are some exceptions here, but generally it doesn’t add up to spend $30 a day on gas to save a gallon of milk, some frozen chicken and irritate the heck out of your neighbors. Just rough it like the rest of us.

5. My kids loved it. Well, "love" might be a strong word, but after the power was restored the kids were surprisingly dissappointed that mom and dad were back to business. While off the grid, we were forced to spend more time doing things with the kids out of the house. We enjoyed time with cousins, Red Zone, too much time in Panera and the library. Air conditioned errands were the highlight of our day.

6. Ice is underrated and dry ice is overrated. You don’t realize how much you appreciate a proper ice cube until you don’t have any ice. Warm water and an 87 degree house are not complementary. I honestly think I missed ice more than anything last week. It was music to my ears to hear the clinks of my ice maker generating those first few cubes once the power was restored. Our $50 in dry ice lasted a disappointing 24 hours and didn’t save a lick of food. We would have been better off using it for entertainment.

What did you learn during the outage? I realize this could get ugly.

Commencement Advice From a Middle Aged Mom

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 20:27:00 +0000

I'm no Ira Glass, but If I were giving a commencement speech to new graduates, I certainly wouldn't sugar coat anything.

Of course, you already know that we are in a recession and that jobs are scarce. Hopefully your four years plus in college have served as a platform for more than just academics.

When I was leaving for college, my father gave me some sage advice. He said, "Of course I want you to do well academically” (he had to say that since he was a teacher), “but more importantly, I want you to take these four years to mature and grow socially. That will serve you far better than a 4.0." I might have taken the social advice a little too far, but for the most part, he was right.

Given the economic climate, here's what I suggest for new graduates:

1. Have fun.

Most likely you are single with limited baggage. Use your early years to kindle new relationships. These connections, whether personal or business, will serve you well later in life.

2. Keep writing.

I know you've done your fair share already, but writing is a skill that transcends technological change. Try blogging to keep your skills sharp. I truly believe that if you can write, you can do almost anything.

3. Stay close to home.

A recent study suggests that our relationships with friends and family are what make us happy. Stay knitted to these people and they can help you through the bumps in life.

4. Lower your expectations.

Society puts so much pressure on us to "exceed our highest expectations," but if they aren't that high to start with, than you've already succeeded. More importantly, the pressure you put on yourself to be the best might actually blind you to an opportunity that could lead your life on a whole new path.

5. Be nice.

This sounds a little trite, but one thing I've learned over the years is that niceness attracts niceness. Period.

6. Save your money.

My parents did it, but somehow my generation got caught up in the "society of stuff." It's time to go old-school with your finances, ditch your credit cards and save some money.

7. Don't date or be the "50 Shades of Grey" guy.

Somehow this poorly plotted book has been put on a pedestal, since sex clearly still sells. Unfortunately, Christian Grey is just a creepy guy who has deep-rooted issues from childhood. Your spouse or partner will be one of the most integral parts in your life. Make sure you pick a good one.

8. Stay healthy or get healthy.

Exercise, eating well and keeping a healthy mind are enduring habits that will benefit you in all aspects of your life and hopefully will be passed on to your children.

9. It’s not all about you.

Take a little portion of yourself and dedicate it to global goodness. Our world faces many problems and it’s your social responsibility to help improve things for generations to follow.

10. Think creatively.

I recently heard that young adults today will have seven to ten career changes in their life time, five of which don't exist yet. The future appears to be an exciting mystery. The best you can do is arm yourself with common sense and creativity.

Fingers crossed!

The Spirit of Exercise Events

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:38:00 +0000

What’s so fun about a long, muddy bike race? I asked myself the same question several times this weekend when my shorts were so soaked that every time I sat down water squeezed out like a sponge or when my stomach starting lurching at mile 30.

I’ll tell you what’s satisfying about pushing yourself to your limits; knowing that you can do it. It’s refreshing to take a step out of your everyday routine and thrust your body and mind into a state of blissful, in-the-moment confusion. I noted several times while whirling through the trees that my mind was blank. Yogis spend years learning to achieve this state and I found it in the woods.

Why pay money to suffer when you can do it for free? Good point, but race events ooze such positive energy it’s hard to wipe the smile off your face while immersed amongst high-energy, fit people and it’s way cheaper than therapy. What’s not to like about perky race announcers, cheerful volunteers, encouraging fans and the luring podium? It kind of gives you a rockstar allusion.

So consider it, maybe a 5K run or a sprint triathlon or even an endurance bike race. These events are food for the soul and body. Dig out your inner rockstar and set a goal on the other side of your comfort zone. It’s greener over there anyway.

Last-Minute Training

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:32:00 +0000

I'm tired. It might be the chartreuse pollen coma or the exercise flu due to my attempt to cram a month’s worth of training into a few weeks for a 9-hour mountain bike race.

Cramming exercise is like trying to speed read a book for a paper that’s due in the morning. It’s not ideal and we’ll see if it can even be done.

For some reason, I have a lot of nonsense coming out of my mouth these days. I get caught frequently saying worrisome things to the cats like, “you’re such a good hunter. I love how you got that ball” or “come get your treat for doing such a good job scratching on your post.” Yes, they are trained to scratch on a scratching post. Really, cats can be trained.

My “training,” on the other hand, has rendered me useless. Multiple classes daily at the gym equals fatigue, piles of laundry, uncooked meals and bad business. Apparently, it hasn’t affected my ability to be the cat whisperer, though.

So, here’s my master plan for my last week of training.

1. Have kids do laundry — ha, ha, ha, ha, ha

2. Drink raw cacao smoothies before working out (recipe below). Raw cacao gives you a great caffeine boost without the crash.

3. Eat more. When else can you do that?

4. ~~Sleep an extra hour every night~~ - scratch that, it’s not happening.

5. Create some motivational sticky notes for my desk. These made the cut:

Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone~ N.D. Walsche

The difference between winners and losers is that winners win ~ Me

Work what you got ~ Mary J. Blige

Get off Your Ass ~ Me

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going ~ Jim Ryun

Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie

– 1 cup frozen strawberries
– 1 whole banana
– 2 cups fresh baby spinach (spinach is great for your muscles)
– 1 ounce raw, organic cacao powder or nibs (Whole Foods sells it)
– 1 cup coconut water

Let’s go!

Want Sexy, Beach Hair?

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:55:00 +0000

Here’s a recipe I created for quick, thick and sexy beach hair. Instead of spending up to $30 on the salon Surf Spray, just make your own for under a dollar.

Mix 4 oz. of warm water with 4 tsp of epson salt, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp coconut oil (I like Trader Joe’s), 1/4 tsp lemon essential oil (use lemon juice if you don’t have essential oil), 1/4 tsp olive oil.

Mix well with a whisk and pour into a spray bottle. Spray a few spritzes on to wet hair, scrunch and let dry.

Houdini Bunny

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:26:00 +0000

The Bunny somehow wedged its way into our house again this year despite tightly sealed doors and a few "over aged" children.

Mr. Cottontail and I don't see eye to eye on many candy-related issues, which presents a problem on basket filling day. I get it, he's got a lot of wicker to fill and is forced to buy his goodies economically. I'm sure he's incredibly thankful for that fluffy Easter grass.

Unfortunately, cheaper in candy means extra high fructose corn syrup, chemicals and plenty of red and blue food dye. I'm sure that candy shopping at Whole Foods is just out of the question.

In the past, the Bunny has been quite successful in leaving the right ratio of candy to useless trinkets. This carefully formulated equation ensures that 90% of the candy is consumed by noon, with a little help from mom and dad, and the non-food items provide mindless entertainment for the rest of the day until they break.

This year, though, the Buns and I needed to have a little electronic chat. I realized that Skype might be too revealing, so after a little digging, I was able to track down his email address via gmail.

I decided that this Easter we would splurge on extra sugar and artificial everything just to mix it up a bit--live on the edge. I figured this might make up for the other 364 days of Trader Joe Joes, cat shaped ginger snap cookies and natural vanilla wafers. I also needed to specify that the non-food items have a little more utilitarian quality to them. Times are tight, let's make the most of these baskets. Bunny was agreeable to these changes and happy to supply extra sugar-encrusted eggs, since there was apparently a surplus this year.

I have to say, Houdini Bunny nailed it. I hope your Easter is just as sweet.

My Top Five Healthy Favorites for Spring

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:12:00 +0000

Well, here we are again. It’s spring and we basically skipped winter. Although I’m feeling a little jipped that we didn’t have a blowout, hunker-down snow storm this year and we only got a few days of skiing in, I’ve finally accepted that spring is here.

The season is young and I’m feverishly trying to get in shape for an excellent mountain biking season. With all of this extra sunlight and warm weather, however, I’ve found some new springtime favorites.

1. Bon Appetit’s parsley, kale and berry smoothie

This is the perfect way to eat your greens without tasting them. Parsley is a natural anti-inflammatory and can help improve all sorts of ailments.

2. CXWORX core workout

This is a new 30-minute core training class from Les Mills. This class is super-intense and will have you ready for a bathing suit in no time. I’m loving the 30 minute format too. I catch my classes at Lynne Brick’s Belvedere.

3. Neti pot

Hello, allergies. They’re here if you haven’t noticed. To prevent those pesky morning sinus headaches, I use my neti pot every night with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda (this prevents the salt from burning). I know it’s gross, but it works.

4. Goldfish crouton salad

This one is really for the kids, but I like them too. I am one of those moms that doesn’t usually buy the “real” version of certain snack foods to avoid some of those pesky, unhealthy ingredients. After much negotiating from my kids I broke down and bought “real” goldfish, not the bunnies masquerading as goldfish, because I realized they weren’t that bad.

Put the goldfish on top of a salad with ranch dressing and you might be surprised how many salads your kids eat.

5. The perfect water bottle

I have found the Holy Grail of water bottles. This bottle is glass, which is the absolute safest material for preventing unnecessary leaching into your drink. You can use it for hot and cold beverages and it's dishwasher safe. Just don't break it; it's not cheap!

Happy spring.

Simple Inspirations

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 03:10:00 +0000

Finding and appreciating those moments in time that make you stop in your tracks are so rare these days. Sadly, those bits are all around us, but sometimes they have a hard time shining through all of the social noise and static in our daily routines. The realization that “the swing set is gone” has done that for me.

As I sit with a cup of coffee and a book while my daughters explore their new sense of freedom trolling around the mall, simple moments of joy surround me. Watching my two younger daughters walk off together hand-in-hand, giddy at the prospect of an hour together alone. The genuine smile of an old friend when she sees me for the first time in several months. A simple lol text from my husband. The draw of a book to make me sit down.

Of course, I’m tired and stressed. Aren’t we all? My newest rescue kitty (kitty no.5, which puts us on the edge of hoarders) is in heat. I think I know why she was in the middle of a busy road. When I reached into my nightstand drawer in the middle of the night to get an extra ear plug, my husband said, “are you getting the gun?” Wailing aside, I find pure joy from my cats. Animals have an astoundingly pure way of expressing true love that can’t be replicated.

Despite the stress of my looming list…

taxes, grow business, get hair colored, exercise more, fold laundry, eat better, smile more, stretch, ride my mountain bike, create some art, eat less Altoids (at least I have found some creative uses for the tins)…

people have been scratching through the noise and inspiring me lately.

My sister in law has a new appreciation for life after a visit to the nebulous cancer world. I enjoy getting her spontaneous phone calls saying she’s coming to visit and will be in Baltimore in 8 hours. She helps me look at life in a new way and doesn’t even know it.

Even though I don’t live in NYC, I’m fortunate enough to be connected with a friend from the past who lives and works there. Stephanie Culen is a yoga and mentoring guru who inspires me from afar. She bleeds positivity and living in the moment, which is not easy to do on a daily basis.

What simple ways are you inspired?

A Few Tips for Organizing Household Clutter

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:12:00 +0000

My autobiography is going to be titled How I Move Stuff. I could use a more impactful word for "stuff," but I won’t. If you have stairs, you know what I’m talking about. Things pile up at the bottom until the stairs no longer remain safe because the last step is completely covered with stacks of stuff that needs to be moved upstairs.

You might even have one of those fancy stair baskets that you bought at a home party out of guilt. We had one, but it was never big enough and ended up crushed and trampled by a stampede of kids running down the stairs.

Up, down, in and out. I feel like I spend many hours a day carrying things from one place to another in my house just to find a temporary home for them. I finally understand how the ancient civilizations were built. No use for the wheel or heavy machinery, just pure human strength and stamina. I would have quite a structure if all of my stuff was architecturally piled on top of each other.

It always amazes me how you can shift large quantities of things to bins,closets, Freecycle and the car’s trunk (which is my holding place for donations) and a few weeks later you’re right back where you started. The worst is when your bags of donations or trash get discovered by their previous owners and half of the things end up back in your house labeled as “favorite things I can’t live without.”

Naturally, stuff comes in your house and stuff goes out. I guess that’s just the cycle of life. Chris Hartstein of Home Solutions suggests a few simple steps to keeping on top of your household’s bodily functions.

Chris recommends the mantra, “a place for everything and everything in its place is the ultimate organizing goal.” She says, you can achieve this more easily by taking these action steps:

1. Design a “layette for life.” In other words, decide how many of any one item (crock pots, glasses, sweaters, video games, earrings, etc.) you need/desire given your living space. Write it down to make it more real.

2. Establish an attractive “clutter can” or “bye-bye bin” lined with a large plastic bag near the door. Make it a habit to put items that are no longer used or loved into this container for later donation. Take young children to a thrift store so they can see how this all works.

3. Before sorting a pile of papers turn it upside down. The older items will be easier to throw away and you'll get through more. Remember, all paper fits into one of 4 categories: read it, act on it, file it or toss it.

What tips do you have for staying organized at home?

EVOO is Liquid Gold

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:26:00 +0000

In my house, olive oil is liquid gold. It doesn’t pay the bills yet, but I’m working on that.

The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all took full advantage of this prized oil. Cleopatra didn't just bath in milk, she had olive oil spread all over her body and then scraped off. Obviously, she had no need for a moisturizer after that.

I developed my olive oil scrubs based on this concept, but went for a more DIY approach versus having servants comb your skin with scrapers.

The idea of cleansing without a super sudsy soap is so foreign in our society, but the beauty of olive oil is that it congruently cleanses, moisturizes and nourishes your skin with the essentials it needs to be healthy.

I’ve always said, "when in doubt, put olive oil on your baby’s skin,” instead of that nasty, petroleum-based liquid disguised as baby oil.

Actually, that goes for anyone needing a cheap moisturizer. Olive oil is high in antioxidants, including vitamin E. Antioxidants are powerhouses that protect against age-accelerating free radicals. The oil of this miraculous fruit promotes a smooth and radiant complexion, while helping maintain the elasticity of your skin. Everybody could use a little of that.

Olive oil certainly has its delectable culinary advantages too. It can impart a beautiful peppery, fruity taste to your fresh salad or serve as a perfect lubricant for sauteing while providing you with nourishing essential fatty acids.

Of course, not all olive oil is created equal, as Tom Mueller mentions in his book, Extra Virginity. Due to poor regulations, many olive oils sold in the U.S. aren’t what they claim.

When buying olive oil, stick with 100% extra virgin from a reputable source. As mentioned in the Buyers Guide to Olive Oil in North America, “bitterness and pungency are usually indicators of an oil’s healthfulness. Sweetness and butteriness are often not.” This online guide is a work in progress, but lists some reputable olive oils and where they can be purchased by state.

Aside from its beauty and culinary benefits, olive oil can also be used to polish wood, condition leather, remove paint, fix a squeaky door, soothe a cough and ease an ear ache.

At the Agora Market in the Inn at the Black Olive in Fells Point, you can purchase a delicious Greek organic extra virgin olive oil in a reusable bottle--when your oil is gone, you just bring it back in for a refill--love that. They also have some wonderful artisanal olive oils that have been carefully sourced. In their eco-friendly Inn, they’ve gone as far as rubbing the limestone walls with olive oil to serve as a natural, chemical-free sealant.

What’s your favorite use for olive oil?

Here We Go Again

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Didn’t we just do this? You know what I’m talking about. The “H” word is heading straight towards us like a giant galactic iron meteoroid. Yep, the end is near. The holidays are around that hairpin turn and I’m feeling the need to blast Eminem. Don’t get me wrong, unlike Halloween, I love the holiday season, it’s the shopping that kills me. Maybe I just have this self-inflicted pressure to present my friends and family with creative, unique gifts—otherwise known as gifts that require time, thought and effort. This is not easy.

We don’t really have a choice here since the holidays keep coming back like a bad headache, but I say, get a head start before your Halloween buzz wears off. Strap on your high-interest credit cards, we’ve got some shopping to do. Now, honestly, I’m not a mall shopper. My mall visits consist of me dropping my teenage daughter and friends at the Macy’s entrance, them bolting out of my vision within 5 seconds, me heading straight upstairs to drool in the Apple Store and then next door to dream in the Anthropologie store and then I leave and grocery shop at Trader Joe’s.

I guess I’m too sensitive for the mall. The air doesn’t seem to agree with me. I tend to break out into a sweat before the lady at the cosmetic’s counter blinds me with the newest sickly fragrance. I feel like the laws of order are too disregarded. People walk the wrong way—stay to your right—it’s easy. The Yankee Candle shop gives me a headache. Abercrombie gives me a worse headache. I want to enjoy Starbucks, but I’m too hot and thirsty, and the clothing, I just don’t get most of it. I really regret not saving my hideous ‘80s sweaters and leggings, but I will not be buying new ones. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to fashion and would never resort to “mom” jeans, but the clothing choices out there right now are dismal.

Ikea is on to something with its new MÄNLAND concept. Basically it’s a husband-sitting service that provides mancave-like entertainment for the husbands such as video games and foosball, while their wives shop. The wives are even given a beeper in case they need to be reached. This is brilliantly wrong on so many levels and, unfortunately, not offered yet at the White Marsh Ikea. Actually, Ikea is on to something, but they aren’t the ones that need it. I think we should get rid of the mini play land for kids at the mall and put a manland in its place. Instead, maybe it could be “adultland” and feature a martini bar. Surely, mall sales would sky rocket. I may have just solved the recession.

Ok, enough complaining. Here’s the plan.

Hit the Starbucks in Towson and get your teacher, coach, mail carrier gift cards. They all need caffeine. Get yourself a cup too, since you won't be overheated yet.
Skip the mall—already established
Visit my friends at With Gratitude for unique hostess gifts and locally produced holiday gifts.
Check out Urban Outfitters' tchotchkes section. They have some really unique, funny books and things.
Try shopping online on Etsy. Basically, this is massive site for all things hand made. Think of it as Ebay for crafters. Beware, it’s highly addictive.

By the way, don’t give me a bottle of wine as a hostess gift. I feel uncomfortable keeping it to drink at my leisure. There’s too much pressure to serve it at the dinner party or cocktail party. If I don’t serve it, you might think I don’t like it and if I do serve it, then it’s not really a gift any more.

Happy shopping!

Grocery Shopping is Fun at Trader Joe’s

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Who doesn’t love a store that thinks “sale” is a four-letter word and has happy employees who ring bells and wear funny hats with Hawaiian shirts?

I am well known at the Towson Trader Joe’s for my recipe binder and frequency of visits. After slipping into my secret parking spot, I can be found sipping, and sometimes spilling, my mini cup of free coffee while holding my free food sample (aka,lunch), several days a week due to incredibly poor time management.

I love my TJs visits. Socially, I always run into a neighbor and sometimes an old friend. The overly-caffeinated employees are always smiling and very eager to help with what ever you need, even if it’s just a little conversation. Like a good bartender, they have the perfect ability to stay productive, yet make you feel like every word you’re saying is fascinating.

Philosophically, I love a grocery store that says no to trans fats, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, MSG and GMOs and provides the shopper with handy, quick-read product labels such as vegan, gluten free and vegetarian, all packaged together with constant low prices.

Shopper cards make me crazy. My key chain is so cluttered with those barcoded trinkets that I recently found myself trying to scan my Preferred Shopper Card at the gym. As a recovering Whole Paycheck, I mean Whole Foods shopper, I’ve found that you can get nearly twice as much food at TJs versus Whole Foods.

The TJs Fearless Flyer keeps you updated with helpful product information while providing some witty comic relief along the way. They admit that eating cheese makes them want to “start singing Dickensian show tunes.” Would that be a song that starts with “There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate?” There’s even a cartoon section. It ranks up there with the New York Times in our house.

I do have some product favorites right now too.

The Dark Chocolate Bar with Caramel and Black Sea Salt

Beware, once you try this sweet and salty block of umami, you’ll never be able to resist grabbing one at checkout again. It’s even better in the freezer.

Chocolate Cake Mix

I admit I’m wary of cake mixes, but with two fall birthdays in our house, I was forced to venture there. Pillsbury, with its artificial everything was not an option. This cake mix, with a homemade cream cheese frosting, is decadent. Truly, it has the depth and moistness of a homemade cake.

On the slightly healthier side:

The Sesame Seed Bagel Spinoza

1 gram of fat, 9 grams of protein and it boasts to “bagel the mind.” How can you resist?

Trek Mix Granola Cereal

This is my late-night snack and works great when you’re having cereal for dinner too. Put some blueberries on top and you have a meal.

My only criticism, this hip, progressive company has the equivalent of snail mail for communication. Come on Trader Joe’s, get a Facebook and Twitter page so I can banter with you. You could have shared this with your loyal customers.

Now I get to eat that chocolate bar I just photographed.

A Seasonal Autumn Rant

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:59:00 +0000

I’m feeling grumpy and my Twitter followers don’t even care. I’ve had a headache for a week and a half from a stupidity-related concussion. My fuzziness has lead to confusion between their and there and a serious lack of production in my well-oiled business and household. Well, that might be an over-exaggeration, which is a redundancy. I’m doomed.

Halloween is right around the bend. My least favorite holiday. There’s always a last minute wardrobe malfunction on a costume that cost way too much money. Pumpkin carving is overrated and dangerous and pumpkins cost too much anyway. I buy the candy because I don’t want to be the crazy lady who hands out apples, but the food dye, chemical, preservative content is enough to mummify my entire family. Halloween is a Hallmark holiday. Please tell me why it can’t be the last Saturday of October. Really, what kind of sick torture is Halloween on a Monday. And no, I don’t want to be scared. I can do that on my own when I look in the mirror in the morning.

Sorry, I don’t want any partially hydrogenated, artificially flavored Girl Scout cookies. What a miserable message that sends. Pandora is really getting on my nerves. The Music Genome Project seems to be in a rut and if I have to hear that Geico commercial one more time I might even stop listening to the free radio station. Netflix wants to me use two websites to purchase movies. Maybe I’ll drop them. Now they are back to one. I might drop them anyway.

I’m not impressed that your kid is an honor student because it’s only October and they haven’t even received report cards, so it’s not current. All of your bumper stickers annoy me. I don’t care what college your kid is going to because undergrad college degrees are overrated. Save some money, send them to community college and save the money that you don’t have for grad school.

Speeders on Regester Avenue, it’s not a freeway. I barely have enough room to avoid hitting the parked car’s side mirrors. Slow the crap down. I know you’re in a hurry to get to the light at Regester and York because it’s nice and extra long, but I don’t need another head injury.

Feeling better already…

The Science of Smell

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:17:00 +0000

Fall is a time for brilliant colors and savory smells of comfort. Just thinking about the sweet aroma of caramelized onions or pumpkin muffins makes me salivate. Those smells are what make a house a home, but they can also affect our mood and performance.

I’m intrigued by the effects that smell has on our brains. Did you know that if you inhale the scent of orange or peppermint while exercising you can increase your performance? On the other hand, the exotic, floral smell of jasmine has a stronger relaxing effect on the body than lavender.

Some companies even take our sense of smell to the bank by pumping out aromas of chocolate, vanilla or floral notes that increase our urge to buy — brilliant. That explains the sickly, sweet smell permeating out of Abercrombie or that Cinnabon aroma that brings out our most primitive weaknesses.

Rose is a powerful, multitasking scent. In one study, volunteers were divided into two rooms with identical sneakers in them. One room was infused with the scent of rose, while the other was odorless. 84% preferred the sneakers in the floral-scented room and were willing to pay $10 more for them. Realtors, get your rose room spray out.

Even better, when you combine the visual of real roses with the smell, you can evoke a mood more powerful than a pill. Harvard researchers suggest that a vase of roses can induce a strong sense of joy due to that winning combination. Why not try it? Keep a vase of roses on your desk at work and see if you’re just a little nicer.

Aside from joy, the scent of rose is also known to help improve memory. I’m thinking I need to get myself a vat of roses. I have to admit, every time I walk in the Dutch Floral Garden (formally called The Dutch Connection) at Belvedere Square, I find myself mesmerized by the stunning collection of roses and their intoxicating smell. I always leave with a little pep in my step.

Citrus oils really pack a puckering punch. They are known for increasing oxygen to the brain, boosting energy and immune function. Crisp, clean lemon also acts as a mood enhancer and grapefruit essential oil can improve hand-eye coordination.

I know you’re ready to buy gallons of these oils. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Essential oils are highly concentrated, steam distilled oils from flowers and plants. It takes about 10,000 pounds of flowers to make one pound of rose oil. Due to their intensity, they must be used with care. Of course, if you’re pregnant or nursing, you should talk to your doctor, who will know nothing about this, so just stick to a few drops of lavender essential oil blended with olive oil.

Just make sure that you use pure essential oils. Those fragrance oils in candles and room fresheners are nasty little pillars of wax. I admit, some of them do smell good. It's hard to get a natural candle that smells like fresh baked cookies. There's a price, though. Did you know that fragrance oils consist of hundreds of synthetic chemicals. 95% of the chemicals found in these oils are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum, and include chemicals such as benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and others capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions.

You can find these essential oils at The Health Concern in Towson, MD or at most local health food stores. Make sure that you never use essential oils undiluted on your skin. A few drops added to a carrier oil such as olive oil will go a long way. My favorite is a few drops of peppermint oil on a plug-in aromatherapy gadget called a Scentball by Aura Cacia. Within minutes my head feels clearer and the room smells crisp and spicy.

Green Guilt

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:29:00 +0000

Don't you feel guilty when you throw things away? I feel awful. Except, of course when I get the contractor grade trash bags out while my kids are at school and throw away all of those useless, plastic trinkets that seem to multiply.

Their rooms sometimes remind me of a nightmare version of "Toy Story" where the toys and animals start to multiply into genetically modified playthings. That's what happens when Buzz Light Year gets together with a Build-a-Bear.

We're down to three trash cans under our sink now since recycling has gone single stream. There's one ominous black trash can, the blue recycling can and the white compost bucket. Keep reading, this gets better. I'm feeling good about all that recycling, but I do question how much of it really ends up being used for something else. I'm feeling a little bit of guilt about this.

I have a stinky compost bucket that fills up really fast. I feel great putting all of those potato shavings and coffee grounds back into the ground. Unfortunately, sometimes I'm too lazy to take the bucket all the way around back to the compost pile. I don't seem to have a problem dropping it on the side step for a few days. The racoons love it. Feeling a little guilty about this.

I admit I am a bit of a crazy cat lady. We have four cats, and to quote my husband when I mentioned our four cats to some friends at a dinner party, he said, "we have four cats?" We do and apparently they have an insatiable thirst that can only be quenched by cool, dripping water from a faucet. You guessed it, I'm feeling guilty about that too.

With three girls and one husband in the house (luckily the cats don't wear clothes), I do a lot of laundry and, yes, I use the dryer. Could I hang my clothes to dry? I should, but I don't think my neighbor needs to see my teenage daughter's colorful push-up bras. Feeling guilty, though.

Summer in Baltimore is really, really hot. I can't sleep when it's hot. When I'm at home, I don't want to feel like I'm camping. I want comfort and since I never go to spas, I want spa-like comfort. Sugar scrubs in my bathroom, children massaging my feet and a cool house.

When does this end? Well, sadly, I could go on about gas law mowers and cars and lawn watering, but we need to cut ourselves a little slack in this crazy world. I say, do what you can do. Nothing is too small and let the rest go because life's too busy and short to carry the burden of global warming on your shoulders (it's real, by the way, in case you weren't sure).

Take baby steps--in moss green, of course. Join a Freecycle group. This is a great way to find a home for unwanted things from furniture to clothing. I moderate the Towson group and I'll let you in as long as you aren't a spammer and you follow the rules.

Help your child's school become a Maryland Green School. It's a lot of work up front, but once teachers and administrators are on board the green education will take roots in the classroom.

It's fall and the acorns are already pelting us. There's still time to get a scout troop involved with the Nut Buddy Program through Growing Native. This is such a great, hands-on project for collecting native acorns. Although it's funded by the Potomac Conservancy, the forestry service in Baltimore County has a huge need for native acorns.

These are just a few suggestions. What are you doing to ease your green guilt?

Cooking Light is Easy

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:45:00 +0000

Well, you do still have to cook, but it really helps to have "light" recipes at your fingertips. One of the best things I ever did in our household was create a recipe book. Fortunately, I had stacks of un-recycled Cooking Light magazines and a hungry family to inspire my creation. A friend once asked me, "are you a page marker or a tearer?" I quickly replied, "a page marker, of course." Who would tear pages out of a magazine--doesn't that ruin it? After thinking about it, I realized that I needed to be a "tearer", and right away! How liberating it is to read my Cooking Light magazine from start to finish as soon as it lands on my countertop and tear out recipes as they catch my eye. I know what I like when it comes to food and it makes gathering recipes quick and easy.

Once I was liberated as a "tearer", I gathered a three ring notebook, some clear plastic sleeves and began to create my coveted recipe book. I threw a few dollars to my 13 year old and she actually placed tabbed dividers in the book to organize the recipes by type. Of course, we had to dedicate an entire binder to sweets. So, in the amount of time it takes to boil some pasta, I had my recipe "bible."

A few times a week I browse through my book, choose a few recipes, put post-it notes on the front of each with the ingredients I need and head to Trader Joes. Usually, my super-friendly, over-educated friends at TJs approach me to find out what I'm making this week. So make cooking light one step easier; make a recipe binder for yourself and maybe even create one for a friend. They make unique gifts and you could even splurge on a fancy binder cover from Watermelon Wishes on Etsy.

Here are some of my all-time favorite Cooking Light recipes to get you started:

Strawberry, Pistachio and Goat Cheese Pizza

Vegetarian Bolognese with Whole-Wheat Penne

Cavatappi with Bacon and Summer Vegetables

Falafel with Avocado Spread
Baked Potato Soup
BLT Bread Salad

Roasted Beet Pizza
Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach Salad
Cantaloupe, Prosciutto and Cabrales Salad

The Hot Topic of Sunscreen

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:19:00 +0000

Since summer is in full force here in Baltimore, it's time to talk sunscreen. The safety of sunscreen has been swirling in the news lately. There is definitely a delicate balance between getting your daily dose of vitamin D, not getting burned and avoiding unnecessary chemicals. This is where I insert my disclaimer--I'm not a doctor, I just play one on TV. Please take my advice with a grain of salt. I will say that I have had my fair share of sun over the years, if that counts for anything. I have vivid memories of Coppertone oil and sun lamps. I even started my own bath & beauty company to help ward off future wrinkles.

So, here are some don'ts & dos when it comes to the sun:

don'ts:

(don't) Use the spray sunscreens. I know, they're so convenient, but so is lung cancer. The nano-aerosols in these sunscreens are nasty for your lungs and could cause cancer.
(don't) Use sunscreen with a synthetic vitamin A called retinyl palmitate. New government data shows that tumors and lesions develop sooner on skin coated with this type of vitamin A.
(don't) Use sunscreens with the chemical oxybenzone. It is a synthetic estrogen that penetrates the skin and contaminates the body.
(don't) Use a bug spray/sunscreen combo. If you need bug spray, apply it first.
(don't) Use sunscreen higher than 50. In a recent NY Times article, Dr. Warwick L. Morison, a professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University and chairman of the photobiology committee for the Skin Cancer Foundation, said "he was disappointed that the F.D.A. failed to ban SPF numbers higher than 50 because such products expose people to more irritating sunscreen ingredients without meaningful added protection."

dos:

Look for active ingredients zinc, titanium, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX. These substances protect skin from harmful UVA radiation and remain on the skin, with little, if any, penetrating into the body.
Get a little sun. It's recommended that you get at least 15 minutes of unprotected sun a day on your skin and eyes--yes, eyes. Sunlight helps prevent many eye diseases. Most people have low vitamin D levels that can affect immune function. In the winter, I take 2000 mg of vitamin D a day to compensate for my lack of sun. That's what my doc recommends.
Check the EWG Sunscreen Report to see how your sunscreen ranks. I love Alba Botanica. It was ranked one of the least toxic and it's quite easy to find at Whole Foods or Wegman's.
Check out EWG's Hall of Shame and make sure your sunscreen isn't listed.

Remember, 80% of what you put on your skin ends up inside your body. Choose your products carefully!

French Food Makes Me Happy

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Some of my favorite meals are French. You might be wondering how French food equates to healthy living, but it makes me happy and happiness is definitely congruent with health. Now I'm certainly no Julia Child or even Julie the blogger, but I can appreciate the simple, yet bold flavors of French cooking. The French have mastered the art of finishing an indulgent meal with a fresh, crispy green salad and a creamy bite of cheese so you're divinely full, yet you don't feel like you've overeaten.

One of my household staples is a classic French vinaigrette that I learned to make 1,000 years ago while "studying" in France. My daughter won't even eat salad without this dressing. The key is to make it in your wooden salad spoon, whisk it together in the bottom of the salad bowl, place the fresh greens on top and have the man in the house toss it when you're ready to eat it. This is always the man's job in France.

Classic French Vinaigrette

Place a small dollop of Dijon mustard

on your wooden salad spoon.

Add a pinch of kosher salt and red wine

vinegar to fill 3/4 of the spoon.

Whisk together with a fork.

Pour mixture into a salad bowl.

Add one finely chopped shallot.

Add 3 spoonfuls of vegetable oil
(fill the wooden spoon 3/4 full just like the vinegar)

and whisk with a fork.

Toss with greens when ready to eat.

Basically, the dressing is 3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar

Another classic dish in my house is chicken and wine. I might like this one so much because you have to open a bottle of good red wine and I hate to let any go to waste. This is my simple version of coq au vin.

Chicken & Wine

1 1/2 lbs of bone-in chicken breasts

1 onion chopped

1 cup of baby carrots sliced lengthwise

1 cup of chopped celery

3 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of good red wine

1 piece of apple wood smoked bacon

1 tbsp olive oil

kosher salt, pepper

bunch of thyme/rosemary sprigs tied together

Rub chicken with salt & pepper on both sides. Brown the chicken breasts in olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot on medium, high heat with the piece of bacon (approx. 5 min. on each side). Remove chicken and discard bacon. Add onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 5-10 minutes on medium heat. Add chicken back to pot, red wine, chicken broth, herbs, salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover for 1 1/2 hours. Shred chicken and add it back to the pot. Add salt to taste. Serve over rice.

I absolutely love the flavors of a savory raclette. I prefer using Gruyere cheese and making a sort-of fondue for spreading on the bread. The cheese works best if you can keep it warm.

Simple Raclette Recipe

6-8 baby potatoes
8 oz. gruyere cheese
1 jar of cornichon pickles
4 slices of thick cut ham cut into
2 inch squares
1/4 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 shallot chopped
1 tbsp butter
loaf of french bread sliced on an angle

Boil potatoes (don't over-cook), quarter. While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in cast iron skillet and cook shallots for 1-2 minutes on medium heat, add chopped garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add shredded cheese, cook until it melts stirring constantly. Whisk in white wine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Keep cheese mixture warm on very low heat, stirring often. Make your own raclette by spreading cheese on bread, top with a piece of ham, potato and pickle. Yum!

What's your favorite French meal?
Bon Appetit!

For the Love of Biking

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:39:00 +0000

What do you get when you fuse smashing music, interval training, sprints, hill climbs, epic mountain climbs and non judgemental camaraderie for one hour? An astounding workout, of course, topped with a good dash of mental therapy. RPM™ is an intense indoor cycling class formulated by New Zealand based, LES MILLS™. I've taken my fair share of stationary bike classes in the past, but there's no going back once you've experienced RPM™.

The brilliance of RPM™ is in the unequivocal, rhythmic program lead by highly trained instructors. I love the certainty that I'm going to get an excellent workout every time I attend a class. There's something comforting in knowing, for example, that Track 5 is always interval training or that Track 7 is consistently a challenging mountain climb. Don't get me wrong, it's never monotonous. The upbeat and methodical music is the central component to the class which boasts perfectly timed choreography. LES MILLS™ introduces new music to the mix every three months, so the workout always stays fresh.

"RPM's™ benefits are innumerable," says Tamara Pitard and Linda McShane, RPM™ instructors and fitness gurus at Lynne Brick's in Baltimore, MD. "It provides you with a platform to train for anything from a marathon, mountain bike race to a triathlon. You can tailor your own workout, since you control the intensity. We have people that come to class to just lose weight, while others are more concerned about increasing their VO2 max. Whatever you need, RPM™ can deliver."

For me, RPM's™ intensity allows me to stay in shape by burning 500-900 calories in just under an hour. I would say, "that's a good bang for your buck." I absolutely love being able to squeeze that much intensity into such a short amount of time. RPM™ has become my time to decompress and get lost in the rhythms, comforting patterns and instructor guided imagery. Where else can you beat Lance Armstrong on a mountain climb or Tyler Hamilton in a time trial? Go ahead, get on a bike, even if it's stationary!

DIY Beauty Treatments

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:25:00 +0000

I had to smile as I was cleaning a splattered cocoa concoction from my bathroom sink, floor and walls that I dutifully share with my three daughters (aka--"The Female Zone"). I realized that this is what you get when your mom's a wanna-be alchemist. My girls have seen me creating food elixirs in my kitchen since they were little. It's to be expected that they would want to try a little skin alchemy on their own; and you should too.

In the past, women would turn to their kitchen when they wanted to look their best. The kitchen offers an array of natural, inexpensive ingredients such as rolled oats, honey and milk that can revitalize skin and hair. There are some amazing, simple recipes that can be whipped up in minutes and have been used for centuries.

Here are some of my favorites:

Foaming Hot Chocolate Milk Bath
(Cleopatra would have loved this one)

Soak in this delicious milk bath to soothe and soften your skin. Heat 3 tablespoons of dry bath mix with 1/2 cup water and two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the hot mixture to bath water while the tub is filling.

1 cup of instant dry milk

1 cup unsweeted cocoa powder

1 cup baking soda

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a covered jar. Keeps for up to 6 months.

Rejuvenating Hair Mask

Apply this mask to hair and cover with plastic wrap for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and shampoo as usual.

1 banana

3 tablespoons mayonaise

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Mash the banana in a small bowl until completely smooth. Add mayonaise and oil and blend until creamy. Use immediately.

Moisturizing Avocado

& Honey Face Pack

Apply this mixture to your face for 10 minutes. Gently remove with cool water.

1 ripe avocado

2 teaspoons plain yogurt

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon raw honey (I love the Trader Joe's raw honey)

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mash into a paste using a fork. Chill for 30 minutes and use immediately.

Clarifying Lemon Facial Toner

Smooth toner over face with a cotton ball to help even out skin tone.

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

grated zest of 1 lemon

2/3 cup witch hazel

Combine all ingredients in a clear bottle and seal. Shake well before use. Keeps for a month in the fridge.

Stock up on some glass canning jars and bottles to store your treatments and make sure you refrigerate your leftovers. Bon Appetit! For the skin, of course.

The Lunch Box Debacle

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Are you the lucky chef in your house who prepares the kid's lunch boxes in the morning? If so, I feel your pain. It's a mystery to me; food goes out nicely packaged and loaded with hugs and kisses and sometimes returns untouched . On the other hand, there are days when the box returns empty. Hmmmm. Enter my frustration. I'll say, "I thought you liked peanut butter and jelly." The answers range from, "I do, but I wasn't in the mood for it" or "no, I don't like it anymore," or better yet, "I don't like sandwiches anymore." I'm perplexed. Do I ditch my only sandwich option or change my marketing tactics?

The tricky thing here is that this is only kid #1, I've got two other units to please. In the grand scheme of picky, my kids aren't afraid of a little fruit and don't have an aversion to green food, but they all have ridiculously different palates. I do pride myself in unmodified dinners for the family. One meal for all and all for one meal. No one is going to starve, and there's always cereal. For some reason, though, when you release your kids to the institution formally known as school; more commonly called the school house with learning cottages, the rules change. You've lost your fastidious control as the healthy food pusher.

There's hope, though. I could dive in with Jamie Oliver and the bunch to address the problem of unhealthy school lunches. It's on my list, but in the mean time I'm fighting my own food revolution on the home front. I think one of the keys to a successful lunch box is to go tapas style--small portions and lots of variety. This can seem labor-intensive prior to a cup of coffee in the morning, but after caffeine, manageable with the right supplies. This week I'm experimenting. Simple, no fuss lunches with variety. I should mention that I refuse to cut sandwiches into cute shapes with cookie cutters or put faces on things that shouldn't have faces. Day one looked like this:

Lunch #1: Homemade lunchable-- sliced cheddar cheese, whole grain crackers, piece of uncured ham, pickle. Granola. Strawberries. 2 Cookies.

Lunch #2: Bagel with cream cheese. I like Trader Joe's Spinoza bagels with 9 grams of protein. Aside from being high protein, the packaging states that it "Bagels Your Mind", which confirms that someone at Trader Joe's is over educated, underpaid, and still manages to have a sense of humor about his/her situation, yogurt tube--frozen, apple--cut in two halves, put back together and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap so it won't go brown, baby carrots and dip.

Lunch #3: Veggie wrap with yogurt dip, red pepper, lettuce and cucumber, cheese crackers, vanilla yogurt, small milk chocolate bar.

The aftermath wasn't too bad. Most containers returned empty, bagel half eaten, carrots half eaten. Chocolate and cookies, gone. I've had to put post-it notes on the sweets to remind them to "eat last." Which I'm sure they completely ignore, but it makes me feel better. I think a little sweet treat in the lunch box gets more eaten in the long run. Good friend and personal chef, Maureen Kramer of Baltimore Biscuit Company suggests offering up some healthy oatmeal cookies or homemade granola to jazz up the lunch box monotony.

Maureen’s Granola  

Ingredients:

10 cups rolled oats,1 cup dried milk, 6 cups nuts (any combination of raw almonds, walnut, pecans, cashews), 5 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes, 3 tsp. salt, 2 egg whites, ½ cup vegetable oil,1 cup honey, 3 tsp. vanilla, 2-3 cups golden raisins (add after baking). Heat oven to 275 degrees  

Method:

1. Combine dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

2. Add wet ingredients. Hint: add the oil first then pour the honey in that cup. Mix thoroughly.

3. Put it in pans 1-3 inches thick and bake.

4. Use a spatula to turn it every five minutes or so. Like cookies, it’s best to take it out before it seems done. When it feels hot to the touch and is a light golden brown, it’s ready.

5. Add golden raisins. 

Chocolate-Laced Oatmeal Cookies

Heart-healthy oats are peppered with bittersweet dark chocolate chips to make these crisp calorie-conscious cookies.

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray, 1 ¼ cups quick-cook old-fashioned oats, ½ cup whole
wheat pastry flour, 2 tsp flaxseed meal, 1 tsp cinnamon, ground, ½ tsp baking
powder, ¼ tsp sea salt, ½ cup agave nectar, 1 large egg white, 2 tsp unsalted
almond butter, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup dark bittersweet chocolate chips
(about 40 grams)

Method:  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. 

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together agave, egg white, almond butter and vanilla. 

4. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients all at once and combine. Stir in chocolate chips. 

5. Divide batter equally into 16 mounds (about 1 rounded tbsp in size) and arrange evenly spaced on prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a slightly dampened spoon, flatten each mound into 2 ½-inch circles. Bake 9 to 10 minutes, until golden. Cool on sheets for an additional 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, cookies will keep fresh for 2 to 3 days.

I'm sure you're thinking, is she really blogging about this? This is nothing new. Sometimes, though, just hearing what other people are doing may spark an idea for you. I had to snicker the other day when I read an article about two chefs who couldn't get their kids to eat anything other than standard kid fare. Just hearing this makes me feel better and reminds me of an excellent cookbook idea I've had rattling around my head. The cookbook features two staple, kid-friendly meals from each one of my friends. Bingo, we all have some new recipes to shake things up at the dinner table. Unfortunately, that one hasn't even made it on the list, so in the mean time here are some yummy, kid-approved lunch box recipes:

Wraps seem to be working in our house.

Some of my favorites:

Peanut butter, nutella and banana
Veggie--spread tortilla with yogurt dip or hummus, add lettuce, red pepper strips, cucumber or what ever your kids like.
Loaded Chicken Salad--cook two chicken breasts and shred, add 1/4 cup mayo, 1 apple cubed, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds.

I'm also a big fan of yogurt in all forms. My kids enjoy yogurt parfaits on the weekends, so I sometimes make them a lunch box parfait for school.

Lunch box parfait--vanilla or Trader Joe's vanana yogurt in a small container with frozen blueberries or strawberries. Pack some granola in a separate container to mix in.

I find that having lots of small plastic containers on hand makes lunches easier to prepare and more eco-friendly. Another great option is to purchase a bento box style lunch box. I absolutely love these biodegradable lunch boxes from Goodbyn™ . I always get a tinge of green guilt when I use those pesky plastic baggies, so you could consider the reusable bags, if you don't want to buy a new lunch box. There's a great shop on Etsy, Bleuroo, that makes adorable embroidered and personalized reusable snack bags.

Happy preparations!

Is your Drinking Water Safe?

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:46:00 +0000

I'm not a doctor or a scientist, but I've always suspected the danger of added fluoride to our drinking water. I'm always a little suspicious when chemicals are forced on me, and usually rightfully so. In this case, most municipal water suppliers have been adding fluoride to our drinking water since the 1940s in order to help "prevent" tooth decay. Unfortunately, over exposure to this potent neurotoxin can lead to health problems such as lowered IQ, thyroid issues and surprise, surprise, cancer. Sadly, there are several studies showing that the ingestion of fluoride doesn't improve cavity prevention. I can guarantee, though, that is has put millions of dollars in the pocket of its manufacturer, Dow.

Although, he's a bit of an alarmist, here's what Dr. Mercola has to say:

"The conventional wisdom has been that topical application of fluoride can help strengthen your enamel and help prevent decay. If that's untrue, then the case against water fluoridation—the ingestion of fluoride—becomes even stronger than it ever was before.

There's just no doubt that ingesting fluoride has no beneficial effect on your teeth. In fact, there's overwhelming evidence indicating that fluoride is a potent toxin that can cause a wide array of severe health problems once ingested.

When evaluating the issue of water fluoridation it is also important to understand that fluoride is a drug. You can't get fluoride without a prescription. Yet it's being added to your water supply on a mandatory basis at various levels that may or may not be safe for various individuals, especially children, the sick, and the elderly. Water fluoridation is a major assault on your freedom of choice – to be drugged or not.

Sodium fluoride, which is a far simpler toxin than the fluoride compounds used for most water fluoridation, has also been used for rat and cockroach poisons, so there is no question that it is highly toxic.

Amazingly, the United States is only one of eight countries in the entire developed world that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its water supply. (The other seven are: Australia, Colombia, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.) In Europe, Ireland is the only country that fluoridates more than 50 percent of its drinking water, and England fluoridates 10 percent. Most of mainland Europe is not fluoridated, and yet, according to World Health Organization data, their teeth are just as good, if not better than Americans'."

Read the full article here: Does Fluoride Really Fight Cavities

All this talk about chemicals in our water made me curious about mine. After a little digging, I found this great database through Environmental Working Group that gives water reports for many cities in the U.S. and helps you find water filters to eliminate specific chemicals. EWG Tap Water Report

You can also check out the widget on my sidebar and enter your zip code to get your EWG water report. Of course, this report doesn't have fluoride listed for some reason. I did find that Baltimore City's fluoride average is .9 ppm (parts per million), which is just above the new Health and Human Services proposed maximum limit of .7 ppm. Here's a link to Baltimore City's most recent water report: Baltimore City Water Report

Unfortunately, most water filters, except for reverse osmosis systems, don't remove fluoride, so we're basically stuck with it until the levels are reduced or eliminated by the government.

In a nutshell:

It is recommended that you filter your water to help reduce chemical contaminants. Don't forget to cook and make coffee with this water too. It appears that carbon block filters are more effective than the granulated activated carbon. Ideally, a reverse osmosis filter is the best, but they are expensive and a major pain to change (I've learned this from personal experience). This one seems pretty good after looking at Baltimore's contaminants: Clear 2O Water Pitcher

If you're on-the-go, carry a safe, re-usable water bottle. Hard plastic bottles (#7 plastic) can leach a harmful plastics chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) into water. Carry stainless steel or other BPA-free bottles. Don’t reuse bottled water bottles. The plastic can harbor bacteria and break down to release plastics chemicals.

Blend It

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:07:00 +0000

We've had many discussions in our household over the years about having a liquid diet. I'm not talking about coffee and beer here. Although, I know that's what you were thinking. In our cottage, as in most, we struggle with ways to eat all of our fruits and veggies. We're reminded constantly about the benefits and pure need for our bodies to ingest 7-10 servings a day. That being said, it's not easy. My father always said he had to retire in order to eat all of his fruits and veggies and drink his daily allotted water. He's right, in a sense, it's hard to fit it all in. I'm lucky if I floss once a week and I snicker when the dentist tilts his head with that mask on and says in a muffled voice, "are you flossing every day?" I usually reply, "no, I'm lucky I showered today", and that's true!

We're all busy and need to find a balance in our lives to keep ourselves healthy. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are so important, and if you're one of the lucky ones, flossing. With fruits and vegetables, an easy rule to follow is eat the rainbow. Of course, if there was a pot of chocolate at the bottom we would have an easier time following through. Fortunately, I am back as a proud blender owner. My brief 3 month hiatus due to an attempt to remedy my leaking blender was a huge waste of time. Good old, "Fifty Years of Quality", Waring, has not redeemed themselves. I've moved on and am back in the smoothie-making saddle. Here's the great thing about smoothies, fruit contains just as many nutrients as vegetables, and tastes better too. So, you could go on a liquid diet with a good old fashioned blender. At least you can squeeze part of rainbow into a good blender drink. Cheers!

Here are a few of my favorites:

High Protein Peanut Butter Banana

1/2 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup 2% greek yogurt (I prefer this yogurt since it's higher in protein)
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tsp honey (go for raw honey if you can)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana

Kid's Favorite

1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of Trader Joe's vanana yogurt (yes, vanana)
1 carrot
orange juice (pour enough to cover the other ingredients)

Tamara's Early Morning Energy Smoothie

1 cup low fat milk
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1 frozen banana
optional--1 scoop of protein powder

Ditch the Scented Candles

noreply@blogger.com (elizabeth) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 22:39:00 +0000

As the holiday season swiftly approaches, I was thinking "didn't we just do this?" Did I actually say that? What I meant to say is, "ditch the scented candles." Once again, I'm not an expert here, but it doesn't take an expert to know that something is wrong when you get a splitting headache after walking past the Yankee Candle shop. Now to put things into perspective, I am a bit sensitive, some might even say neurotic. I'll stick with sensitive. However you want to slice it, maybe my neurosis is like the canary in the coal mine; a good litmus test for all things bad. Fragrance oil scented candles are nasty little pillars of wax. I admit, some of them do smell good. It's hard to get a natural candle that smells like fresh baked cookies. There's a price, though. Did you know that fragrance oils consist of hundreds of synthetic chemicals. As stated in one article, "95% of the chemicals found in these oils are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum, and include chemicals such as benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and others capable causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions."

In an effort to have a healthy home, eliminating fragrance oil scented candles makes sense. Who knows, you might get wild and crazy and eliminate scented laundry detergent and bath and beauty products too. There is an alternative to synthetic fragrance oils. You can make sure to buy products that contain essential oils. These are oils that are mostly steam distilled from plants and flowers to create a very intense, pure oil. When used correctly, these oils can smell amazing and actually have therapeutic and medicinal benefits. Fortunately, I have an addiction to Etsy and was able to locate a soy candle maker who sticks with essential oils only. I also love that they are eco-friendly! Happy shopping...