Mindful Momma

Shhhhh....Don't Tell!!

2009-07-15T12:36:49-07:00

Iced coffee (fair trade, organic Peace Coffee) with just a dollop of that homemade ice cream I was telling you about yesterday. Shhhhhh...it's our little secret.

Fruit Dayz

2009-07-14T12:12:19-07:00

Aaaaahh, summer. If it's up to me, I'll have fresh fruit with every meal.

Organic nectarines were on sale at Whole Foods this week and the blueberries? Well...they were conventional. (have you noticed that blueberries are not on the EWGs shoppers guide to pesticides? I emailed them about it but never heard back)

For dessert the other night w/friends: John made the rhubarb crisp using rhubarb from our garden and I made the homemade vanilla ice cream. Just say mmmmmmmmm!!

How Does Your Garden Grow??

2009-07-13T11:50:24-07:00

We're trying a couple new things in our garden this year:

Carrots - I just love their leafy green tops! (they look good enough to eat...but do you??)

Strawberries - No fruit yet but I'm so excited about having our very own juicy strawberries!

Blueberries - well, we don't have one yet, be we are thinking about getting a blueberry bush. Any tips or suggestions - especially for growing them in Minnesota??

What's your favorite thing growing in your garden right now? Have you tried something new this year? Is anything thriving particularly well? Send me a photo or link to a post and I'll post it on my blog! (mindfulmomma@yahoo.com)

Safe Sunscreens for Every Occasion and Budget

2009-07-13T10:04:07-07:00

Environmental Working Group's 2009 Sunscreen Guide is out and I want to be sure you get a chance to take a look at it. This well respected database ranks sunscreens on quality and safety of sun protection ingredients as well as the safety of all other added ingredients in a product. I think this year's guide is even better than last year's because it breaks down the list into the categories we shop for the most:

Basic Sunscreens - what to pack in the bag and bring to the beach

Moisturizers with SPF - how to save face on sunny summer days
Lip Balms with SPF - keep your kisser smooth and protected
Easy to Find Sunscreens - brands you are most likely to find at your local drug store or mass merchant (often more affordable too!)

I was happy to see that Coppertone and Neutrogena brands both made the easy to find list with new products that contain physical blockers like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (generally considered safer than chemicals like oxybenzone or benzophenone-3) and that ranked better than previous versions of their products (look for Coppertone WaterBABIES Pure & Simple and Neutrogena Pure & Free or Sensitive Skin). It shows that these big brands are paying attention to the demand for safer sunscreen products. It also means that safer products are more likely to get into the hands of more people....because not everyone can afford Soleo Organics or California Baby.

When we were at the beach last week, I used any sunscreen I could get my hands on because at that point the blazing sun was a much bigger danger than any chems in a sunscreen. Back at home, I'm loving my TruKid sunscreens - both the SPF 30 lotion and the facestick. I just wish the lotion came in a larger bottle. I'm also on the lookout for Badger sunscreen. It's more affordable than Cal. Baby and is one of EWG's best ranked sunscreens (with a ranking of 0 out of 10). Have any of you tried Badger sunscreen?? Do you recommend it?

Also - What's your favorite facial sunscreen? I've been using Skinceuticals Daily Defense but it's kinda pricey (and only ranks a 4 on the database) and I wouldn't mind finding a more affordable (but still reasonably safe) brand.

Why Food Safety Matters

2009-07-10T08:11:59-07:00

This week the Obama administration promised to make a sweeping overhaul to our food system in order to ensure the safety of commonly contaminated foods like eggs, tomatoes, leafy greens, melons and meat. Let's hope this pans out because it's getting scary out there folks. Seems like every week there's a new food recall to read about. The latest scare is over salmonella found in dry milk powder used in instant oatmeal and hot cocoa products.

Why does food safety matter?

Because we can't all live off the grid.

Because as hard as we try to buy from local, organic food suppliers, the majority of our food comes from large, commercial food production facilities.

Because we should be able to trust the food we buy. (according to a recent survey by IBM, less than 20% of us do)

What can we do about it?

Sign the Organic Consumers Association's Petition to Support U.S. Food Agenda for 2015 to tell our elected officials to improve food safety and transition to organic.

Tell Congress to fix our broken food system by signing this message from Food & Water Watch and while you're at it, sign up for their RSS feed for the latest food safety updates.

Sign up for the Farm & Food newsletter from the Environmental Working Group to keep on top of the latest developments in food safety.

Follow USDA recalls on Twitter http://twitter.com/FDArecalls

Check out The Sustainable Table and their associated blog the daily table for food news and the inspiration you need to find a better way to eat!!

This is my post for the Green Moms Carnival for the month of July where we're talking about Food Matters. Check out the full roundup of posts at A Passion for Green Business starting Monday, July 13th.

Fast Food Family

2009-07-09T10:35:06-07:00

We rarely eat fast food. But on our recent trip we became a fast food family. Taco Bell, McDonald's...you name it, we ate it. Fortunately we ate well at our beach party, but on travel days all rules went out the window.

To be honest, I wasn't that concerned about the health factor. A fast food meal or two isn't going to put us into the heart attack zone. It was the packaging waste that was hard to take. For our family of 4, each meal left behind a big bag-o-garbage and I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about it.

As we munched our way through airports and car rides I came up with a few pointers on how to manage fast food waste...at least a bit:

Hand-held foods like sandwiches or burritos are the most eco-friendly option because they are likely to come wrapped in paper and do not require utensils.

Salads, soups and other meals require plastic utensils and usually come packaged in plastic clam-shell containers or styrofoam....so avoid them if possible.
Go vegetarian and skip the factory farm meat.
For dessert, choose an ice cream cone over pre-packaged treats.
Bring your own water bottle and skip the drinks in disposable cups.
Pack cloth napkins or towels so you don't need paper napkins.
Consider carrying your own reusable utensils and drinking straws.
Pick up fresh fruit, trail mix and other healthy snacks from home or a grocery store to help reduce the number of fast food stops you need to make.

{photo credit: sputnik 57 via flickr}

Green & Healthy Camping

2009-07-08T12:09:06-07:00

Just got back from camping at the beach on Assateague Island in Maryland and I can't tell you how nice a real bed and a warm shower felt after 5 days of sleeping on a perpetually sandy air mattress next to a wiggly 4 year old and showering in frigidly cold water!!

While I was there, I got to thinking about a typical camping experience. While camping may give you that great outdoorsy feeling and help you to appreciate the planet and all that...it is not always friendly to the earth. Think of those gas-guzzling RV's you see at the Yogi Bear campgrounds. Imagine the huge amount of bottles and cans that are often tossed in the garbage because there is no recycling onsite. In order to appreciate the beauty of nature, we need to take care of it. Some people just don't get it. Fortunately, our group (of over 100 people!!) was quite eco-conscious. Sure, we generated a lot of waste, but we had a whole team dedicated to waste disposal and recycling. Our #1 goal was to leave no trace behind.

Reusable bottles, plates and utensils were highly encouraged. A hydration station with water, gatorade and iced tea was available to cut back the need for individually bottled drinks:

Everyone was given a souvenir reusable beverage cup to use for their hydration needs. I used mine for cocktails during the daily happy hour:

There were plenty of recycling bins surrounding the dining tent:

Eating outdoors may be fun but camp food is not always healthy. Canned beans and hot dogs anyone?? At this event, the food was a major highlight - I just wish I had more photos to show you. There were amazing salads, plenty of fresh fruit, an Indian feast and some cheesecake thrown in for good measure. Yes, animals were sacrificed for our dining pleasure but there were vegetarian options at every meal.

Here's my husband whipping up batter in the hand-cranked blender for the fresh fruit crepes at breakfast!! (the blender was also used for fruit smoothies)

and whipping up some healthy veggies for dinner:

Lest you think all we did was eat and drink, here's some proof that we had plenty of time for fun in the sun!

Beach Bound

2009-06-29T08:05:33-07:00

We're heading to the beach for a little break from reality. Thought I'd leave you with links to some interesting blogs I have recently discovered:

The Creative Mama - a beautiful blog with an emphasis on photography and green & simple living.

Green by Design - smart green choices for homes, gardens and lifestyles

All & Sundry - the mother of "two little booger factories" writes about her crazy life with wit and style.

Matt Bites - one man's obsession with food, drink and everything in between.

Happy reading!

Is There a Better Baby Wipe?

2009-06-23T08:00:16-07:00

Here's what I've been wondering lately - Is there such a thing as a truly eco-friendly baby wipe? I wonder about a lot of things. It's not that I'm bored or obsessed or anything. I'm just curious.

We're done with the baby stage at our house but we still keep a pack or two of flushable wipes around for those 'special' occasions and I have to admit that when our boys were babies there was always an ample supply of Huggies wipes on hand. Not exactly environmentally friendly.

So is there a better way to wipe those beautiful bottoms? The answer is yes,there is a better baby wipe, but it's far from a perfect solution. As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as a wipe made from recycled paper so I'm guessing that recycled is just not up for the job. Instead, you get your pick of wipes made from polyester, polypropylene, virgin cotton, wood pulp or plant-based fibers.

Many people are jumping on the renewable, plant-based bandwagon but there are some issues with the way this material biodegrades (not as quickly as you might think), the high quantity of methane it creates in the process and the amount of energy it takes to produce. So pick your poison...I'm thinking plant-based wipes are probably better than wipes made from fossil fuel.

Check out these eco-friendly wannabe wipes options:

Seventh Generation- This very popular brand is whitened without chlorine and is unscented and alcohol-free. The website does not state what material the wipes are actually made of but I read on another blog that they are polyester based. Feel free to correct me if you know otherwise.

Elements Naturals- The wipes material comes from renewable, plant-based Ingeo fiber. They are compostable in commercial facilities and are completely free of fragrances, chlorine and any chemicals. I was sent a sample of these wipes and they certainly hold their own against Huggies.

Scott Naturals- Flushable wipes made from "100% post-consumer fibers derived from sustainable resources." I'm guessing this is a plant-based product as well but the details are not kept quiet on the website. They are alcohol-free but they do contain fragrance. I bought a pack and I can tell you that they do the job just fine but I don't care for the fragrance. The big problem with flushables is that even though they say they won't clog the septic system, that's not always the case.

I know I should probably give up flushable wipes...and I totally forgot to add this to my list of eco-confessions the other day. But for now, you'll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands.

Quick & Easy Reuse Tip: Crayon Holders

2009-06-19T12:57:14-07:00

We've been reorganizing the kids' rooms lately and I needed some dividers for crayons, markers and pencils for desk drawers. I remembered that I had saved some plastic 'to-go' containers from a restaurant visit awhile back. It did the trick!