sarah's sustainable life

the modern mom has so much pressure to be a super woman. we feel guilty for just about everything, and everyday there is a new commercial to make us feel even more that we are not doing the best that we can for our children. who has time to research the newest, most cost effective, and greenest ways to raise a child? ecomom does! this website was founded to “address the connection between the health of our environment & the health of our children…committed to making eco-conscious living easy, affordable, & rewarding with education, support, tools & products.” there is an online community, a blog, and a newsletter. not to mention easy online shopping for all products green, from organic foods and eco chic clothing to counter top composters and green party ideas for kids, this website is as complete as an environmentally conscious mother could want! check it out – you will NOT be disappointed!

for the last several years (yes, before he was even born), i have been plotting to deceive my child. call me dishonest, but i am thoroughly in love with the new trend of sneaking healthy foods into “kid friendly” foods in the form of a puree. missy chase lapine began publicizing this idea with her books the sneaky chef and how to cheat on your man (in the kitchen!). there are even “quick fixes” for making convenience foods (like boxed macaroni & cheese or spaghetti o’s) much healthier! in addition, the sneaky chef now hosts her own website where you can get free recipes, read testimonials (from the likes of tyler florence, no less!), peek into missy’s blog, and keep abreast of the kid’s fitness movement. all you married ladies, you know that if this sounds like a great idea for your kids, it’s an even better idea for your husbands! check out missy’s many recipes and ideas that work well to get your whole family enjoying highly nutritious foods that would otherwise be snubbed. the sneaky chef has been one of the best cookbook purchases i have ever made (and i’ve quite a collection)! check out the website and try some of the free recipes. if your family loves them the way my family has, you need to go purchase one of these wonderful cookbooks and start sneaking around as soon as possible!

it is time for the long anticipated return of my most popular (and exhausting) blog feature: free recipe friday! every friday, i will bring you a new recipe that is my own creation, guaranteed to be healthy and delicious! as a new feature, i am going to add some of the nutritional benefits of each recipe, too. for my first installment this year, i am beginning simply with my favorite breakfast smoothie recipe. ready to have your socks knocked off at breakfast?

sarah’s favorite breakfast smoothie:
in a blender (NOT a food processor), combine 1 peeled, frozen banana, 8oz chocolate soymilk, and one heaping tablespoonful of your favorite nut butter (i like almond). whiz away until the mixture is thick and creamy. WOW!

*bananas are high in vitamins C & B6, and have loads of potassium.
*soymilk is a good source of protein and calcium, and can help keep heart disease at bay.
*nut butter varies nutritionally depending on the nut, but is always a heart healthy source of protein. (almonds happen to be naturally high in calcium and vitamins D & E)

food equity. what does that phrase mean to you? currently, food equity is a social justice movement aimed at evening out the amount of food and money spent on food that is in such extremes around the world. a social justice activist, high school teacher, and vegan named christopher greenslate, together with his other half kerri leonard, recently published a book entitled, “on a dollar a day: one couple’s unlikely adventures in eating in america”. the premise for the experiment was this: tired of the cost of groceries rising, and wanting to become more aware of the hardships of others around the world, kerri and christopher undertake a month of eating at less than $1 per day per person. sound impossible? want to know what they ate, how it worked, and what, if any, good has come out of it? buy the book, read the blog, or get the synopsis interview in the current issue of vegnews magazine. i found this intriguing! and it has inspired me to look closer at what i consider “essential”.

be sure to stop at “the cove” the last sunday of the month! the cove is a restaurant i have written about previously as a good place to dine on local, organic, and sustainable foods; that is their specialty, and they do it well! february 28th, 2010 marked the second monthly brunch held at the cove. i partook of a vegan special (cornbread and tempeh sausage with gravy) and washed it down with some ayurvedic coffee. there was some bluesy live entertainment and, as always, an open and friendly atmosphere in the restaurant. dining at the cove is like joining a social club, except all you have to do is show up and you’re one of the gang. 20% of the money collected from this now regularly scheduled event goes to support girls, inc. the crowd was lively, the food was tasty, and the cause was good. this is worth going out of your way to attend!

looking for a new year’s resolution that will:
*slim your waistline
*save you money
*green your lifestyle
AND
*give you more family time?
have i got the website for you! check out notakeout.com! this amazing website has everything you need to start cooking meals at home that will have your family so satisfied they will never miss the take out food! and, as i have stated in previous blog entries, eating at home rather than eating out is guaranteed to save you money, calories, and carbon output. with this website bookmarked on your home computer, you are sure to save stress as well! i am looking forward to trying it out myself, and to hearing what you all have to say!

from the same company that has been supplying us with “sugar in the raw” (cumberland packing, ironically enough) comes a WONDERFUL new product that is topping my list of must haves in the kitchen. the product: “stevia in the raw”! stevia is a non-caloric, non-chemical sweetener; it is made from the leaves of a plant and can be found in both liquid and granular form. i was introduced to stevia at a brunch in college. the lady hostessing grew her own stevia plants and just crushed up the leaf in the bottom of her tea cup before pouring on the hot tea (kind of like a mint leaf in a mint julep). i thought it was the oddest thing i had ever heard of, but once i tasted it, i was completely addicted. although at times it has been difficult to find, i have been a loyal stevia consumer for (gulp) over eight years now and am thrilled to have tried this new form of stevia, “in the raw”. it is lovely, and if you are looking for a sugar replacement without all the chemicals, i highly recommend it. my only foot note is that, despite all the advice to the contrast, in my taste stevia is not quite as sweet as regular sugar, and if you normally use just one packet of sugar for your favorite steamy beverage, you may need two packs of stevia. well, what are you waiting for? go check for it in the sugar section of your local market or order some online!!

it just occurred to me the other day that i have never mentioned my vegan “source of power”, as it were. i am speaking of the site vegweb.com, a user submitted vegan recipe site that will put thousands of yummy recipes with helpful reviews and tips at your fingertips. you see, when i decided to try out a vegan diet several years ago (circa 2005), i had never met another vegan and didn’t know where to start. luckily, between “the post punk kitchen” and vegweb.com, i was able to get into the swing of vegan cooking pretty quickly (even though i lived in a small town in ohio with little resources). if you’ve ever considered adding a few vegan meals to your cooking repertoire, or are considering going vegan all the time (go, you!), vegweb will be your friend and guide.

perusing one of my favorite blogs (veganlunchbox), i came across a message from glueandglitter. if you know me, you know my crafting talent stops at knitting crooked scarves, but darn it, i LOVE crafts from people who know what they are doing! so is the case with the little lady who runs glueandglitter; she has some amazing, earth friendly products for sale at a fairly reasonable price. coffee cup cozies, cute aprons, reusable designer lunch bags w. matching napkins, all made from vintage and repurposed fabrics. i encourage you to check it out! it is a small operation, so there is a limited number of items, but she clearly states she will make to order if you just let her know what you are looking for. the things i could make if i could use a sewing machine properly…

confused about all the information we are bombarded with on green tea? fear not! the green tea library is here to organize and sort the mess! though everything i’ve ever read on green tea is good or better, there are a lot of daily reports coming in from ongoing research that us green tea drinkers might like to know. or maybe you have questions, i know i was told not to drink green tea when i was pregnant, and though i followed advice, i’m still curious about that one. thank goodness someone has taken the time to compile all this amazing data – you may even find yourself drinking green tea more often if you browse over this page regularly!