sausage efficiency

2012 is all about efficiency.  This year, I will provide tips on increasing efficiency in your meals, parenting, shopping and living.  As you know, I enjoy quick tips so some of these blog will be well…short, simple and EFFICIENT.  

Home made sausage from Healthy Green Kitchen

Sausage.  The girls love love breakfast sausage and probably feast on this twice a week.  But I abhor the greasy sticky hands after forming refrigerated sausage rounds. Keep it frozen and then take a really sharp knife and cut slices. My other tip is to cook it on my knock-off George Foreman indoor grill.  Efficiencies - Less mess, way easier to clean, the grease drips off into a nice cess pool.  And your sausage have these cute grill marks.  View organic breakfast sausage and indoor grills here.  Here's a recipe to make your own sausage.

Eco-friendly orange days

Here's are four ways to make your Halloscream a little greener...
1. Borrow a costume or buy a gently used one.

2. Hand out organic candy (yep it exists) or pencils, stickers, etc
3. Instead of buying a trick or treat bag to collect the lute, make one or use an eco-friendly shopping bag.
4. Carve the pumpkin and cook those fiber rich seeds with a lil butter and salt for about 40 min at 400.  Yum.

cold mice

Ice cream good.  Mice bad.  An ice cream mouse...tasty.  We made these the other night at pre-school family night.  Here's what you do - place a scoop of ice-cream or frozen yogurt into a cupcake liner and then let the kiddies decorate it to make a mouse.  Use vanilla wafers or mini cookies for the ears, craisins or jelly beans for the mouth and eyes and a pretzel stick for the tail.  Make it organic by using - Julie's Organic Ice Cream and Newman's Own baked pretzels.

Flying Fruit - Kid Tips

"Mommie, I'm hungry. I want a snack please." I hear this alot. Like, everyday. More and more, the choices are fruit and veggies. Do you want a banana, peach, cantaloupe or some celery with peanut butter? I ask. I rarely buy fruit roll ups, fish crackers and other easy, processed, cheap options. And with the delicious, nutritional, expensive fruit (sometimes organic), comes the fruit flies. I hate it. Here's how you kill em. Pour 3 parts apple cider vinegar and 1 part dish detergent into a shallow flat dish. Talk about building it and they will come! They love the sweet scent, dive in and die. To mask the scent of the vinegar and to memorialize their quick passing, I usually light a soy candle. Nectarine, anyone?

Play Station - Kid Tips

In the past two months, we have had a pizza station, burrito station, fruit station, and pancake station. What are these you ask? Food stations are a fun way for your kiddies to create their own meal. Takes an itsy bit more time BUT the kids will love it! Here's my version of a burrito station. It's not complicated. Really. In little bowls or plates set out in a row (organic where you can): taco shells or tortillas, ground beef or cut up chicken, pinto beans, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, olives, and anything else you can think of. Then ring the bell to start the fiesta. The kiddies will love making their own meal and will more than likely eat what's on their plate. Plus it's never too early to start family style eating and allowing them to help clean up.

biscuits baby - kid tips

I have perfected homemade biscuits. And we can't stop eating them. Really. This is a Paula Deen recipe that requires no crisco. Just butter baby. Here are my tips on making flaky, slap ya kid biscuits: where you can, use organic ingredients; after you cut the biscuits, let them rest in the pan for 20 minutes; let your kids play with the dough scraps and flour. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes and they will melt in your mouth. I'm not kiddin'.

Corn Dog Muffins

She became hooked at the fair. So last night when I announced we were having chili dogs. Janae replied "Oh, we are having corn dogs?! Yes!!" Instead of saying "No", I put on my Iron Chef hat and accepted the challenge of creating a healthier alternative to the fried favorite: a baked corn dog. Here's how I retained my title as Iron Chef Mommy: I boiled an all beef Kosher Hebrew National hot dog, shoved a stick into it, and dipped it into a way to runny whole grain cornbread mixture (it needs to be really thick). Upon baking, it just ran all over the greased cookie sheet. But she loved it. I stepped up my Food Network skills and created a few corn dog muffins too. My second attempt to please the kid judges looked like this: I boiled another Kosher hot dog, cut it up a few times, added the remaining runny cornbread mix to lined muffin tins, placed the cut up hot dog into the muffin mixture, and baked for 15 minutes. More love from Janae and Belle. Here's a version where you can add cheese.

Green Thumbs

I thought we had brown thumbs. But it's been confirmed. They are green. The girls and I have ventured into gardening. And to prove our worthiness, we have eaten some pole beans, made pink peonies flower madly, and yesterday we saw itty bity baby cucumbers, lettuce and squash taking up space. Not bad for 2, 3 and 30 something year olds. I'll come clean. The pole beans, cucumbers and squash were sprouts but we did grow the lettuce from a seed. We used organic gardening soil to re-pot the sprouts and planted the lettuce in veggie pots. You can buy organic seeds online here. The girls love watering the plants and veggies and Janae really likes to pick and eat the beans. We used veggie pots to keep it easy but here are 7 tips to planting an organic garden. We're still waiting for the carrots to sprout. Hmmm...too late?

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Pop your Corn

The 4pm afternoon snack in our casa is usually popcorn. I use this air popper and add a little bit of butter and salt once the hot corn hits the bowl. It's one of the healthiest, tastiest, low calorie whole grain snacks. Here are some tasty popcorn recipes. Using an air popper or the stove is eco-friendly cuz there is less packaging. Plus it tastes better than microwave and it's cheaper! There are some yummy organic microwave popcorn alternatives if you just don't want the fake buttery taste and the fuss of cooking your own popcorn. The girls love their own individual bowls and I usually use clean out plastic cool whip tubs or brown paper bags.

Cut it out

Veggies and fruit pieces get you excited? My hand is up. If you love them, your children will too and if they don't, just keep trying. Opt for fresh produce (organic and freshly picked if you can) instead of canned and frozen. The latter usually has unnecessary syrups and sodium added. The other night I gave the girls a tomato based meat sauce over these cute Heartland Mickey Mouse pasta shapes and I served cut up cucumbers sprinkled with salt on the side. Now, I wasn't raised with dessert after dinner but I love something sweet after a meal so I cut oranges and Fuji apples. The girls loved it and there was enough for their last snack of the night. Excited yet?

Silly Teeth

Tom's of Maine has a silly strawberry Children's toothpaste. I saw it and bought it. My daughters now REALLY enjoy brushing their teeth. There was joy before when we received a free tube of Crest's kiddie glitter blue toothpaste but now...forget it. I get squeals of delight when I announce it's time to brush. If you didn't know, Tom's of Maine creates natural, sustainable and responsible health care products. And hey, get the most from your toothpaste with this reusable handy squeeze it tool. Happy brushing.

Snowy Cupcakes

We got snow. A lot of it. So to pass the time, we used Janae's 3rd birthday gift, a Sassafras cupcake kit. Not so eco-friendly ingredients but oh so tasty. This one came with a spoon, cupcake liners, cupcake tray, mix, sprinkles, frosting and cute rhyming instructions. I didn't even check the various artificial ingredients it contained but the girls had fun helping mommy in the kitchen and those little cakes were dee-licious with a tall glass of milk. Zebra Mix is a company creating organic baking mix kits for kids. You can purchase simplified kits with mix, frosting and a Safari baking map on Amazon or Shop Organic for about $4.59 and one with all the bells and whistles. I am trying the Zebra chocolate chip cookie kit next time.

eh...eh...eh...

Janae has a cough. That won't stop. She coughs and coughs...she wakes herself up from sleeping and then can't get back to sleep. It's a dry cough, she has the sniffles. I feel so sorry for her. I went online and found some home remedies...honey, honey with grape juice, honey with water, cough drops. The honey worked wonders and then I also added in some good old fashioned grape cough syrup. I looked for a homeopathic version at the drug store but no luck Vaporizers are another good thing to use. If anyone has any suggestions, do share. Check this site for other ideas.

Ants on a log

Somehow I tricked Janae into eating celery. Keep in mind she is not a fan of veggies. I include sliced baby carrots or cucumbers in her lunch but she won't touch them. So I threaten her. "No juice box tomorrow if you don't eat those carrots today," I warn her as I drive her and Belle to daycare. I ate one carrot she yells excitedly when I pick her up. I try again. She's a peanut butter addict so when we get home, I slice up a celery stalk and dip it in Trader Joe's Organic crunchy peanut butter explaining to her that mommy loved to eat this when she was a Girl Scout except I also put raisins on it. "Ohhh, I want to be a Girl Scout," she says eyeing the snack. Janae loved it and also agreed to eat peas for lunch. Her sister Belle on the other hand, flashes a dimple when I serve her frozen peas, cucumbers, and broccoli for breakfast.

I go potty

My little Belle woke up with a dry diaper this morning so I rushed her to the potty chair and she tinkled twice. Lately I have been throwing her on the potty before I dip her in the bathtub and when she wrinkles her brow because a numero dos is arriving. She seems to get it. I say "Belle do you have to go pee pee?"She answers then beelines to the bathroom. Most important tip I can provide in this training is be willing to drop what you are doing and unfasten the diaper for a quick try. Also make a routine of when you place them on potty and stick to it. Finally if a slightly older sibling or cousin is present, let them go potty on the big toilet and let your little one watch. Treats work too, so every time they take a spin at it and produce, reward with cheers and a little piece of organic candy. Here is an eco-friendly potty chair and other tips.

One Trick Helper

When I was a little girl in the 70's, cheese hamburger helper was my absolute favorite dinner. I have been looking for a healthier alternative for the girls and I think I struck gold. First off, Janae won't eat ground meat unless it's disguised with noodles and cheese or a red sauce. Here's my magic recipe with Annie's Homegrown Organic Macaroni and Cheese - Boil noodles for 10 minutes and cook ground beef until browned. Mix the cheese pack with 1/3 cup milk and a 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce. Mix sauce with noodles and meat. I served it with some cut up cucumbers and told Janae that this was my favorite dish when I was her age. Now every time I make it, she says, "Oh Mommy, your favorite dish! Mine too!"

Stop the madness

Enough already with kids bringing home 10 pounds of Halloween candy. This year go green on October 31. How about serving up non-candy items like feathers, polished rocks, and bubble bottles instead of 10 mini processed artificially flavored snicker bars? Better for the environment, our little ones tummies and easier on your wallet. Or if you are stuck on tradition, how about ONE mini candy bar or ONE organic lollipop instead of a handful of madness? Visit Green Halloween for more tips and treats. Boo.

Tell me a story about teething

I spoke to a mom at daycare about Belle’s’s teething and she recommended I stop by a drugstore and buy some teething tablets by Hylands. These little white homeopathic tablets worked wonders combined with a little Ibuprofen and Hylands teething gel. I give her a dose of all of this right before she goes to sleep and then another dose around 2am or so. The teething gel is 100% natural with no dyes or coloring agents. The tablets are a homeopathic combination of natural ingredients that help with sleeping and decrease pain and irritability. She didn’t like the taste of them first so I dissolved two tablets in a small dish with a ½ teaspoon of water and then used a small dropper to insert the liquid into her mouth. She now likes the taste and will chew them like a vitamin. Hylands also carries ear ache tablets and drops which are quite spendy at around $17.00 a box but I heard they are worth it and much preferred then the dreaded antibiotics.

Got a jones for Trader

My new love is Trader Joe's. I bought a dozen nested eggs with no growth hormones, etc for $1.99, green curry Thai sauce in a jar for $2.99, bag of frozen chicken and veggie stir fry with no MSG for $4.99. Trader Joe's brands their own products and those seem to be the best deals, not always organic, but always unique, tasty, and no crazy additives. The girls love going there because there's always food samples, stickers from the cashier and it's really kid friendly.

Digging for grains

Sprouted grains are the new 100% whole wheat. I bought a loaf of 4:9 non-flour bread by Ezekiel. The first week the girls ate it fine as a sandwich - admittedly it is a little bland and harder than the preservative filled loafs we are accustomed to. This week, they protested by eating the insides: turkey and cheese and forgoing the "bread". I am still a believer in sprouted grains as it makes great toast and they usually don't have high fructose corn syrup, sugar, gluten...but I am trying a different brand next time.