Wednesday Walkthrough . . . Fading Fruits and Ripe Squash

Tree-ripened peaches, Michigan blueberries, Bixby corn, vine-ripened tomatoes and armfuls of fresh-picked herbs are waving their final farewells as the heartier squashes and versatile apples take center stage. As my baby girl willing explores new tastes and textures on her virgin taste buds, I find it a daily challenge to avoid fall-back foods (Annie's mac and cheese or almond butter/jelly sandwiches) and find new fares for her to try. Today, I reawakened the chef inside and produced a dish that has all the flare of fall: comfort food (lasagna) and fall produce (butternut squash).

As I share my recipe with you, I'll provide hints/substitutions/suggestions along the way to guide your quest to reawaken your stove and enjoy the swell of heat in the kitchen again.

BUTTERNUT LASAGNA

I printed this off a blog over a year ago and cannot remember the source. A deep apology to the person who deserves mounds of credit for this recipe.

(If you are using a food processor, chop the nuts before you make the fillings to save washing and drying between steps. The filling and sauce can be made ahead of time, and you don't need to precook the noodles.)

Lasagna:

9-11 lasagna noodles, preferably whole grain*

1/2 onion, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil**

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups chopped spinach, kale, chard or other dark green leafy vegetable***

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup boiling water

* Since I'm cooking for 2.5, I make two 8 x 8 pans instead of one 9 x 13 so I need at least 12 noodles if I'm making two smaller dishes.

** I used coconut oil so it wouldn't go rancid in the cooking process.

*** This is an excellent opportunity to use kale--so healthy, yet not so common in dishes.

Tofu Filling:

1 1/2 pounds firm or silken tofu

2 eggs or 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons dried basil*

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon back pepper

* I used fresh, and it turned out fine.

Sauce:

3 cups mashed, cooked butternut squash*

3/4 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon miso**

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (this is where all the flavor comes in!)

* I steamed chunks of butternut squash until they were super soft and a fork could easily pierce the chunks all the way through. Then I scooped out the meat and put it directly in the food processor with the other ingredients.

** This may be one of those ingredients you're not prone to keeping handy in your kitchen--unless you have Asian flare like myself :). If you're having trouble finding miso in your grocery store or if you're having trouble locating an Asian market, you can usually get the miso soup mixes from most big chain grocery stores (in the Asian aisle) and inside you will find small packets of miso. I have a feeling that if you don't add the miso, it wouldn't affect the flavor drastically.

(the butternut sauce and tofu filling)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Stir in garlic and greens. If greens are dry, add a little water. Cover and steam 5 minutes or until soft. Set aside.

(sauteing onions)

(steaming spinach)

Place tofu filling ingredients in food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Remove to bowl and set aside. Place sauce ingredients in food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.

Assemble lasagna as follows: Cover bottom of 9 x 13 pan with thin layer of sauce. Place a single layer of lasagna noodles in bottom of pan. Leave a little space between the noodles because they will expand when cooked. Spread half of the tofu filling over the noodles.

(after the first layer of tofu filling)

Sprinkle half of the cooked greens over tofu. Spread a third of the butternut sauce over the greens. Repeat for one more layer. Place noodle layer on top and cover with butternut sauce. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over squash. Pour boiling water in corners and around edges of lasagna. Cover pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

(cooking in the oven, as you can see, the lasagna is fairly thick and fills the pan)

Remove cover and bake 10 minutes. Allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

(yummy walnuts cooked on top)

(view from the side to illustrate the depth of the lasagna)

Makes 8 tasty servings.

Note: To save time, you can buy frozen pureed squash.

Variation: Ricotta cheese can be substituted for tofu. Only use 1 egg or 1 tablespoon olive oil if using ricotta cheese.

BPA Free!

I've known since my baby girl was born that BPA is bad, but I didn't really know how bad, or even why. I've learned since then, and today I found an article from Seventh Generation that sums it up pretty well.

To quote from the article:

"There don't seem to be many health problems it doesn't cause -- hormone disruption, chromosome and reproductive changes, low sperm counts, impaired brain function, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, obesity, early puberty, cancer, and resistance to chemotherapy; you name it."

Read the entire article here.

Remember, it's all about taking steps, not leaps, toward a better lifestyle. Step one, as mentioned in the article, stay away from canned foods that have high citrus content. That's doable. One step at a time. You can do it!

Wednesday Walkthrough . . . You Tell Me

It's Thursday, I know. Wednesday must've knocked me out because this morning I woke up and realized it was already Thursday. Sorry this is late, but I thought I'd try something different today.

In the spirit of my fav blogger Nathan Bransford, let's do a "You Tell Me" day.

Let's take a walk through your wallet today. You tell me, what's your favorite way to save money while providing a safe environment for your family to live and thrive in?

Northern Exposure

Wednesday Walkthrough . . . your beach bag

The recent trend in my Inbox right now is sunscreen. Lots of people are encouraging you to slather it on when you hit the beach or even when you just walk outside. So, let's take a stroll to your beach bag and pull out the lotion that called your name from the store shelves because of its high/low level of SPF, promise of organic matter, colorful and cute (or not-so-cute) label, or price tag.

If you're like me, there's a draw between two main factors: 1) Ingredients 2) Price. I'll buy the product that has the best ingredients with the most reasonable price tag. But what's really important when it comes to buying sunscreen?

According to the Enviornmental Working Group's 2009 Sunscreen Guide, just because the label promises a waterproof lotion with a high SPF rating, doesn't guarantee that it's the best sunscreen for you. The FDA standards that the sunscreen industry is abiding by are 31 years old. And even those out-of-date standards are not necessarily being followed by all companies. Your best bet for buying sunscreen is to follow the EWG's guide that tested hundreds of sunscreens, moisturizers and lip balms for actual-SPF-protection and ingredient toxicity. Here's their top 10 list:

1. Soleo Organics Sunscreen SPF 30+

2. Badger Sunscreen SPF 30

3. Purple Prairie Botanicals Sun Stuff, SPF 30

4. UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+

5. Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50

6. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40

7. California Baby Sunscreen Lotion No Frangrance, SPF 30+ (I've found this at Target!)

8. MyChelle Sun Shield SPF 28

9. Little Forest Sunscreen Lotion for Babies and Kids, SPF 30+

10. Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+

A couple of other thoughts before you slather your sunscreen on:

1. Why aren't babies under the age of six months allowed to wear sunscreen? There were so many things that I was told not to do/consume during pregnancy and nursing that I previously had had no idea could be potentially harmful to my growing baby. It got me thinking. . .if I shouldn't be doing this when I'm pregnant, should I ever be doing it? This thought still haunts me now and then.

2. A friend of mine has been fighting skin cancer. One of the first things her doctor told her when she was diagnosed, "Stop using sunscreen." Ironic, huh?

3. Large brimmed hats and oversized sunglasses are really popular right now, and rash gaurds for babies are in abundance. So, it's stylish to shade your skin. That's easy enough.

4. One thing you can inject (or rub on topically) is coconut oil. And the research says it not only moisturizes, but it prevents premature aging.

5. A tan is your skin's natural form of protection against the sun.

My personal sunscreen habits fluctuate around a few key principles:

1. Stay in the shade/wear a big hat and long sleeves as much as possible.

2. When I know I'll be in the sun for a long time (i.e. when I have been in this situation before and burned my skin), I'll grab an EWG-approved sunscreen and double it with a big hat.

3. Start the sunny season with short sessions in the sun to build a tan and naturally shield my skin from harmful UV's.

What have you learned about sunscreen that left you feeling more exposed than protected?

Wednesday Walkthrough . . . your television

Suppose we were to stroll through your television schedule of the past...Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Bugs Bunny, Popeye...ahh, stop right there. Popeye. We all remember his near failures to Bluto and the panic that gripped our hearts when we thought Olive Oil would be lost forever; and we all quietly (or not-so-quietly) chanted under our breaths, "Eat some spinach, eat some spinach" when the story hit its direst moment. Pause. Apply that to your own life. Well, don't wait until your direst moment; start now. "Eat some spinach."

I am continually amazed at how many good-for-you stuff is packed into those small green leaves, and it seems that every time I read another health article, spinach is the answer to most health problems...need antioxidants? Eat spinach. Need protein? Eat spinach. Need omega-3's? Eat spinach. Need iron? Eat spinach. When I was prego, I started to get a metallic taste in my mouth, and the doctor prescribed more iron. I wanted to stay away from red meats, but the nurse couldn't offer any other sources of iron besides a hearty steak. Of course, with a little research, I discovered that spinach was my answer.

Check out this chart and how many nutrients are included in one cup of boiled spinach (that's a lot of spinach since spinach shrinks so much when boiled).

Note the health benefits to just a few of those ingredients:

Vitamin K--aids in blood clotting. Babies are given a vitamin K shot within 24 hours of birth for this very reason. Nursing moms, think of a diet rich in spinach and what can be transferred to a baby via nursing. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that help treat osteoporosis and arthritis.

Vitamin C--it's not just in oranges. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin C. It fights stroke, heart disease, contains antioxidants that build our immune systems, lowers blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels, protects colon cells from free radical damage, and the list goes on. 

Omega-3--known to help the brain and eyes. Especially great for pregnant and nursing women because omega-3's play a key role in helping with both the developing fetus and newborn. 

Protein--"Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood."--quoted from WebMD

Iron--Plain and simple, iron gives you (and your children) energy.

The list goes on and on. In general, (and this is strictly my non-professional opinion), when it doubt, if you are fighting any sort of health condition, eat spinach. You really can't go wrong loading your body up with this many good nutrients.

I get a huge container of organic baby spinach from Sams for about $4. It easily lasts me 1-2 weeks, and I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my meals. Right now it's most commonly found in my scrambled eggs, chopped small and added as a topping on Mexican food, boiled and mixed in with any baby food, and, of course, the main ingredient in spinach salads. (Here's my favorite Oriental Chicken and Spinach Salad--I substitute the Equal with a healthier sweetener.)

How do you eat your spinach? Please comment and leave any favorite spinach recipes or suggestions for adding more to your diet.

Wednesday Walkthrough

**We now interrupt our regularly-scheduled Agent recap for our weekly Wednesday Walkthrough**

As we continue our walk through your home, let's linger in the kitchen for just a moment longer.

This week's focus is in your fridge again. I know it's unrealistic for most of us to eat 100 percent organic fruits and vegetables. With a newborn in the house, this is an especially difficult fact to swallow, but as we stick to our grocery budget, organic just doesn't always make the cut. There is hope though. When choosing what to buy organic and what to buy conventional, keep the pesticide content in mind. The information below is from Dr. Ben Kim's website. For the full article, click here.

1. The six fruits that consistently have the lowest levels of pesticide residues are avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, bananas, and papaya.

2. The six vegetables that consistently have the lowest levels of pesticide residues are onions, sweet corn, asparagus, sweet peas, cabbage, and broccoli.

3. The seven fruits that consistently have the highest levels of pesticide residues are peaches, apples, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, and grapes that are imported from outside the United States and Canada.

4. The five vegetables that consistently have the highest levels of pesticide residues are sweet bell peppers, celery, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

So, another shout out to avocados. Not only do they help you burn unwanted baby fat, they also are low in pesticides. I try to follow the general rule of thumb: thin skin, buy organic. Thick skin, buy conventional. I've found that Sam's Club regularly has the best deals on organic fruit. I can get a grip load of organic spinach for about $4, organic strawberries for $5, and organic spring mix for $4. Avocados are cheap at Sam's too. 

Eat live. Enjoy.

Wednesday Walkthrough

Today let's take a walk through your fridge. Making healthier choices begins one tiny step at a time. It's easier to transition to healthy food if you don't try to do it all at once. Make attainable goals that you can accomplish. For example, you can make a goal to eat fruits or vegetables with every meal. Or maybe you can make a goal to have a live vegetable with every supper. Perhaps it would help to make a goal to try one new fruit or vegetable per week. It's all about one step at a time.

I've gotten the following information in my inbox a few times now, and I think the information is valuable enough to share. Whether you're adding fruits and vegetables once a week, day or meal, this information is helpful in choosing which things are most beneficial to you:

A sliced carrot looks like the human pupil, iris and radiating lines of the eye. Science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A tomato has four chambers and is red, like the human heart. Research shows that tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has a the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell, and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, under cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidney.

Celery, bok choy, rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are just 23 percent sodium and these foods are 23 percent sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, eggplant and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female--they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. Plus, it takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit! There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetes.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits look like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion garlic also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Wednesday Walkthrough

Today's walk takes us into your kitchen. While this tip may be obvious to most, it's the doing that is harder, so we'll talk about some easy steps to making this happen. We all know that cooking our own food is better than buying processed, packaged, quick-fire meals, but so many people shy away from making their own food for the simple convenience of it all. Here are some "baby steps" toward making your own food that you could incorporate one at a time for long-term success.

1. Make a grocery list with recipes in hand. Choose which recipes (or maybe it's more realistic to just do one a week to start with) you want to use for the week. I usually list the days of the week on one corner of my list with the recipes next to each day. Then make your list according to those recipes. Here's the key: ONLY BUY WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING FOR. If the kitchen's stocked with quick and easy meals, you'll always use those, and the fresh veggies and other ingredients will go bad in your fridge.

2. Find recipes that you're excited about--clip them from your magazines as soon as you see them; print them off the Internet right away; make a binder of recipes you want to try. All this will add for more motivation when making that grocery list.

3. Start with simple meals. Ask around for recipes your friends use that involve very few ingredients. 

4. Buy an easy-to-follow cookbook. The fancy cookbooks at places like Williams Sonoma leave all of our mouths watering, but when you look at the ingredients and instructions, you're left asking, "Wha?!" Find a book with ingredients you recognize and instructions you can follow. My favorite is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

5. Avoid recipes that include processed ingredients (mixes that come in a bag, box or pocket). If you read the label on these products, you'll usually find stuff you want to stear clear of. On another walkthrough we'll talk about reading labels, but as a teaser, I can say this right now--packaged, dried products usually contain MSG, and you want to stay far far away from that.

6. This isn't a baby step, it's a big one. Throw the microwave away (or sell it on craigslist for an extra buck or two!). I know that sounds daunting, but get through the other steps before you even consider this one. We don't have a microwave, and you'd be surprised how easy (and healthy) it is to use substitutes for zapping food. Most of my leftovers I heat on the stove or in the toaster over. I pop popcorn on a whirlygig contraption and it takes less time than a microwave--plus no MSG! I have a kettle always ready on my stovetop for boiling water. I thaw frozen meats under running water (use cool water so bacteria doesn't have ideal conditions to grow--but plan for it to take a little longer. I put my meat in a sealed plastic bag in a bowl that catches the water, that way the meat is always surrounded by the water. Then I also don't have to run the water for the entire time; I just let the meat sit in the water for a bit, then run the water to freshen it up). 

7. This is my favorite: Watch the Food Network on a regular basis. Seeing someone else put the meal together always makes a recipe more feasible. Plus, all of the recipes you see on TV you can find on Food Network's website. And you can watch what they put in the recipe to see if it's ingredients you recognize. Best of all, they make it look so easy! My mom started making a lot more of her home-cooked meals because of Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals. "There's just something about how she breaks down the recipe and makes it easy to do." I can attest to the ease of her recipes--but a couple of disclaimers: 1) her stuff usually takes a bit more than 30 minutes 2) she loves to throw in one or two higher-priced ingredients, so sometimes her recipes get a bit pricey. But, if she empowers you, then it's all worth it, right?

All of these tips will help you take steps toward making your own food and avoiding processed packaged foods. Do you have any simple recipes you want to share with us? Feel free to post them in the comments box. We'd all love to try them!

Another Green Cleaning Tip

Just found this in my Real Simple magazine this morning: click here for more natural cleaning solutions.

Guest Blog

My first guest blog! Go check me out on Resa Design's blog. Then shop through her amazing store and buy lots of fun treats for your kiddos!

Baby Registry Help Series pt. 2

In the next few days I'll be going down the list of items suggested on a baby registry checklist and discussing how "essential" they panned out to be for me or my friends. Please, please, if you have your own personal experience you'd like to share, please comment at the end, so we can get the most comprehensive approach possible. If lots of people share, then it'll be like taking 10 of your best friends with you to register as opposed to just one :)

First, I was just on Babies R Us's website and they've got a new feature that I really like. There's a Baby Registry "Quick Start" option. You choose the type of mom you are (city, classic, experienced, trendy, working, or my personal fav, organic and earth-friendly) and they pull up a list of essentials that fit your lifestyle. I pulled up the organic one and I would only take a couple of things off the list. Here are my thoughts on what they've listed.

1. The swing. I didn't have great success with my swing. I know that every baby's different, so maybe the next one will love it. But, for me . . . and my sister-in-law, we didn't use our swings very much. In hindsight I wish I had used the money on another more essential big item. 

2. Bassinet. This is nit-picking, but I don't see the need for a bassinet and a co-sleeper. It's either one or the other, and a co-sleeper is much more convenient. We used a bassinet for our first baby, but that meant every time she woke up, we had to get out of bed, take her to the nursery, change, feed and then put her back down. With a co-sleeper (basically a safe extension of your bed) for those first few weeks, you'd have it all at an arm's reach and wouldn't be getting up as much. 

3. Even though I'm all about the Bob stroller, the Baby Planet is actually available in stores whereas the Bob is not. People are more likely to buy off your registry if they can find something in the store. People who buy items online are generally limited to out-of-town friends. This isn't the rule, but it's pretty common. If you don't want to spend your own money (or all of your gift cards) on a stroller, pick something that's in the store.

4. I actually have the "Nature's Purest" Playard and swing. The playard had worked great for me, and I've already talked about the swing. Some reviewers didn't like Nature's Purest because of the lack of stimulating colors, but I'm pretty sure my baby didn't notice. The playard also has an attachable bassinet and changing pad function. Many I know just set this up in their bedroom for the first few weeks. Three-in-one and it all fits next to your bed. That's another great money-saving option because you eliminate your need for a bassinet or a co-sleeper.

5. Parents of Invention--The Ultimate Organic Baby Sling--I've seen these a lot lately in the stores, but have never used one. Anyone have any input on this? I've heard that ring slings are nice because you can adjust them for the perfect fit. Personally, I like the simplicity of my sling, but it's all about preference.

6. Glider and ottoman--My hubby and I stumbled on this this idea. Skip the glider and go to your local furniture store. Instead of a glider, we got a Lazyboy small-frame recliner for the same price, and we LOVE it. It's so much more comfortable than a glider (no hard wooden areas to poke a tired, healing mama's body or baby's delicate body) and so much more versatile. I can pop up the footrest, I can rock, and I can sleep in it comfortably on an emergency basis. Plus, it's not a piece of furniture exclusively for a nursery--it can evolve with the child's room, or it can be added to the family room. I highly recommend a recliner!

7. As far as nursery furniture goes--be careful to check the type of wood it's made out of. Babies R Us and many other stores carry cheaper baby furniture, but a lot of it is made out of particle board. Particle board contains formaldehyde, and considering that most babies chew on their cribs at some point in the teething stage, you might want to pay the extra money and get a hardwood option instead.

8. Boppy--of the three that I tried, Boppy, My breastfriend, and an organic pillow, Boppy was the best. It's a convenient shape, easy to adjust, and the covers are easy to slip off and wash. Now that they have an organic cover, I'm definitely excited about getting a Boppy for baby 2!

9. Jumperoo--We opted out of a jumperoo, exersaucer, and the like. While it's convenient to have babies in a toy that builds their muscles, there's differing opinions about how they affect proper development. Since I'm a stay-at-home mom, I have plenty of time to play with Andie and help her use her own legs and feet, so I didn't need this. Plus, to my knowledge, they're all made from plastic, and we're trying to keep the plastic content low in our home. That's a personal preference. I know many, many moms who swear by these and couldn't live without them. But, if you're in the early stages of pregnancy and have some time to research--search around and find some studies about how these affect baby's development before you sign up for one.

10. I like all of the other stuff that's listed. I'd go ahead and add the clothing options, but again, if it's not easy to find in the store, you probably won't get it. From what I've found, people buy whatever clothes they think are cute, so they probably won't search through hundreds of clothing items for the exact match to what you registered for. The only help registering for clothes did for me was that it made people aware that I was looking for organic cotton. Because of that, I got a lot more organic stuff than if I had not registered for any clothes. Another thing to consider, from the time you register to the time your baby comes, all of the clothing options will have changed and most of what you registered for probably won't even be available anymore.

Again, please add your comments about these items. We all have knowledge that will help each other and, hopefully, save new moms some money and stress.

More Baking Soda Tips

My hubby, daughter and I were cruising the aisles of Barnes over the weekend, and I stumbled upon this book that I just had to share with you. It's called Arm and Hammer Baking Soda Over 100 Helpful Household Hints and right now it's on the clearance rack at Barnes! For $5 it talks about everything from cleaning to laundry to personal skin care and more that baking soda can do for you. If you were looking for something to help you get started switching cleaners, this is a great place to start.

Wednesday Walkthrough

My first weekly themed post!

Every Wednesday we'll take a stroll through your house to find one item to consider changing to make your home a healthier place. 

In my quest to become more organic and make my home a safer and cleaner environment, I quickly became overwhelmed with all the things to buy. I believe this is where most people get overwhelmed and give up. But I've found that What About Bob? says it best, "Baby steps." So, let's take one step at a time and see what you can do (usually saving some money)  and  feel empowered along the way.

Baby Step #1. Cleaners.

I've found that three basic ingredients pretty much clean my entire house. Baking Soda. Vinegar. Borax powder bleach. (Well, those three plus some warm water and a good rag :-) My cleaning closet is packed with an industrial bag of baking soda, a big jug of white vinegar, and a box of bleach. I don't think I've had to restock for months, possibly over a year--how's that for savings?

How do you use these three ingredients? Well, a good place to start is by reading How the Queen Cleans Everything. I found it on the clearance shelf at Barnes and Noble. If you want to save money, you can always check it out from your local library or you can buy it used online. Another free option is to go to her web page here and cruise through the tips. In the book Linda Cobb details easy ways you can clean stuff without using cleaners that are loaded with harsh chemicals and overwhelming fragrances. (And there are loads of web pages that offer natural cleaning solutions too.)

One of my favorite cleaners is the "Toughest Grout Cleaner" listed on her page under "Tips." I use it to scrub my bathtub, shower, tile floors, kitchen sink, etc. And all it takes are the three ingredients listed above. 

To give you an idea of how I clean, here's a quick list of things that I clean with these three ingredients:

1. Moping--a handful of baking soda and warm water is all I use in my mop bucket--deodorizes and, with a little elbow grease, cleans all of my floors. (I scrub with the Toughest Grout Cleaner just a few times a year when I want an extra clean shine.)

2. Dusting, base boards, etc.--a rag wet with water and rung out really well. 

3. Mirrors--warm water splashed on the mirror then wiped clean with a dry towel. If there are greasy smudges, then I spray it with a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 1 part water.

4. Disinfecting counters, toys, etc.--a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 1 part water sprayed on just about anything and rubbed off with a towel disinfects and deodorizes.

5. As stated above, bathtub, shower, tile floors, kitchen sink, etc. I scrub with Toughest Grout Cleaner. 

6. Shower curtain liners (another Linda Cobb tip): throw the liner in the washing machine, add some vinegar and some old towels and run it on a normal cycle. Voila!

7. Cloth diapers: I run my diapers through a cold cycle instead of soaking them. Then I run a hot cycle with a little bit of detergent. But when I want to go the extra mile, I do the cold cycle, then run another cold cycle with a handful of baking soda. During the rinse cycle I add some vinegar to neutralize the soda. And when it's all done, I run an extra cycle of just plain water. This gets all lingering odors out and makes them extra white.

That's it. Cheap. Easy. And the next time you're pregnant, you don't have to worry about switching cleaners--you're already safe and clean.

ps. Check out this blog for lots of fun giveaways, including many natural cleaning products--and if you win, they're free!

Another timesaver

In an effort to eliminate as many toxins and chemicals from my cleaning, I've found an easy way to keep my kitchen washrags and brushes clean. Each morning I add a little extra water to the teapot to brew my early cup. The leftover boiling water is dumped over rags and brushes to disinfect anything that may be threatening to grow. Easy. Clean. Green.

Quick Breakfast

The milk is gone, rice milk that is, so cereal is not an option. So, I took what I had and whipped up a yummy breakfast. Scrambled eggs with turkey lunch meat shredded into the mix. Then put it on a warm tortilla and added mont. jack cheese on top. Kept it on the stove til the cheese melted. Then topped it with salsa. Yummy and simple! I keep my castiron skillet/tortilla warmer always on my stove, that way it's always ready for use. Thanks Mom and Dad Abad for the must-have kitchen tool.

Time-saver tip

When I'm in the kitchen, I always find myself going in circles from stove to counter, to fridge, to counter, to stove, to fridge, to sink, to fridge, etc. etc. So, to save time, I try a couple of things. First of all, I try to get my ingredients Rachel Ray-style and stack them all up and bring them to the counter at once (I inevitably forget things, but it's a start). As I use each ingredient for my meal, instead of putting it in the fridge at that moment, I make a stack at the end of the counter of things that need to go in the fridge. When I'm done preparing my meal, I take one trip to the fridge and deposit everything at once. I suppose I'm saving energy in the process too How green of me :)

guac

Lots of people have asked for my guacamole recipe, so here it goes.

2 avocadoes

1-2 chopped Roma tomato

1/4 chopped white onion

handful of chopped cilantro

1/2 lime squeezed for the juice

salt

optional: chopped jalepeno

Use a fork to stir all ingredients together. 

Yep, that's it. So good. So fresh. Always popular!

Lifestyle Choices

When I was pregnant, I was, quite frankly, disturbed with the growing list of things I couldn't do as a prego. For example, I was supposed to avoid nail salons, dying my hair, painting my nails, extra hot showers, soft white cheese, deli meat with nitrates, strong smelling cleaners, caffeine and so much more. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with the differences in physical labor that every woman must adjust to accommodate her growing belly. But these items are things that either I ingest in my body whether consciously or naturally. Doesn't it stand to reason that if I shouldn't be putting these things in my body regardless of whether or not a baby is growing inside of me? I think so.

My goal is to live my life so that when I'm pregnant again, I will not have to severely alter my lifestyle to accommodate my growing baby. 

I must admit, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule that I plan on incorporating into my life as soon as breastfeeding will allow.

Exception #1: Sushi. I will eat sushi, loaded with raw fish, as soon as possible!

Exception #2: To be honest, I can't think of anything else, but I will be sure to fill this in when I do.

menus

I hate health books that promote one way of eating and claim it will fix your entire life. Half of the time the sample menus they provide in the back look both expensive and enough to keep a small yellow finch satisfied. I've found that one particular way of eating is impossible for me to follow (and my husband always finds ways to cheat) Instead, my "diet" consists of taking just the really good stuff from each diet and incorporating it into my daily routine. For example, my menu yesterday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, walnuts, raspberries covered in maple syrup and almond milk (raw food diet)

Snack: Toasted whole wheat English muffin with soy butter and low sugar strawberry jam (what good health magazine would frown on that?)

Lunch: Sprouted wheat tortilla, avocado, and mixed veggies. Toasted like a pizza. (Idea from Rachel Ray, I just made it with ingredients I actually had in the kitchen)

Snack: Chocolate made-from-scratch ice cream with fresh raspberries on top (you won't find that in any diet book!)

Dinner: Fried ravioli with turkey cutlets (Rachel Ray again, http://rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1147&r=531,1147,1158)

I must admit, I'm someone who likes, no, LOVES to cook, so a recipe from foood network excites, does not discourage, me. There's some healthy elements to the day's food, and there's some unhealthy ones. This menu is after five years of baby steps toward becoming more healthy. It all starts with replacing one food at a time. Instead of cooked oatmeal, raw. Instead of buying Land O Lakes, I bought the soy butter. Instead of buying flour tortillas, I buy sprouted wheat. That way, when I'm following a recipe, I know I'm using healthy ingredients. I'll share more of my substitutions as time goes on.

The other two keys to healthy eating:

1) Don't stock the kitchen with junk food--if it's there, I WILL eat it!

2) Make a menu and grocery list and ONLY buy that.

One step at a time. Baby steps. It's doable and it's yummy!