I made a rookie mom mistake today. I started reading a book to my two youngest kids and didn’t read through it myself first. I assumed since it is was an eco themed kids book that I would like it. I didn’t like it an regret reading the first 5-6 pages to my 3 and 4 year old kids.

I don’t like to do negative reviews when it comes to small business or mom products so I won’t name the book. But the experience showed me that not all books in the eco kids niche are created equal. I want to talk about the reasons why I feel an eco book for kids can take a dangerous turn into the inappropriate and why.

The book was about bears and forest animals losing their homes to environmental destruction told from the viewpoint of the animals. No red flags going up by the sound of it but the way it was told was kinda of like a junior horror story. My mom spider senses started tingling on the third page of the book when one bear is driven far from his home and relates the story to another bear including the kinda inappropriate detail about his best friend being by murdered by humans. The picture accompanying this was startling. The message was clear. Evil humans are targeting defenseless bears. Okay I don’t want to argue the validity of that point or not but I know my 3 and 4 year olds didn’t need to hear about it at this juncture in their young lives. There are numerous ways it should be phrased or represented to be sympathetic to the bears without making men at large look like villains.

The book declined in my esteem with every page, and we stopped reading after more bad humans caused some sort of explosion in the forest. In the picture the animals were terror stricken and running for their lives while humans stood about indifferently in the background.

I continued browsing silently and found pictures of an animal meeting where the bear at the head of the table was outraged with a fist slamming the table. Pictures of kids taunting and teasing animals for fun and another picture of kids almost drowning. Most of this book unfolded like a train wreck…total doom and gloom. Yes the end was nice with the animals and kids working together for change but there was still condescending language about their parents being the humans who caused all this and how the kids need to stop them.

My hubby was sitting next to us while I was reading and he kept glancing over in alarm when some of this stuff came out of my mouth. His response after I stopped reading was “are you reading communist, liberal, anti propaganda to my kids?” He was of course kidding but his point was valid. This is exactly the reason why so many environmentalists get labeled as wacko and our message gets lost. I just don’t think this is the way to raise awareness and help kids take up the cause to save our planet. I really don’t.

There was no need to paint adult humans (and kids) as evil and mean. There was no reason to show such violence.  I don’t want my children to think that people are inherently bad and that they are just too mean or stupid to care about the environment and the animal inhabitants. Even if there is some truth to that in some instances they don’t need that to be the framwork for their worldview at 4-8 years old… the target audience for this book. The same story could have been told by appealing to their emotions and not scaring the crap out of them. I was very dissapointed by how the message was delivered and I will be much more careful in the future.

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About a year ago (maybe less) my family fell in love with green smoothies. No it has nothing to do with green in the eco sense of the word but rather what is in the smoothie…lots of fresh, leafy greens. A universal issue it seems is the concern over getting our kids to eat their veggies, particularly the dark green variety. Green smoothies are the perfect solution for the whole family.

We drink at least one but usually 2-3 green smoothies a day. This means we are eating lots of Kale, spinach, collard greens, wild greens, etc and we barely even notice because they are disguised with fruit. My kids argue over who is getting the most “green power”!

Since I had so many people ask me for recipes over the past year I thought I would put together a book of all our favorite smoothie recipes and it is finished at last. Check out Green Smoothie Recipes for Kids. They are all kid approved, healthy, and as an added bonus they are also all raw vegan.

So if you have kids that would rather drink sugary juice, chocolate milk, or soda…you need to try these green smoothies. Enjoy!

Also check out a new project I just worked on with a friend of mine… 365 Salad Recipes.

I have written extensively about BPA or Bisphenol A on this blog. It is a hormone mimicking chemical that can be found in some plastic types. It is most commonly found in baby bottles, water bottles, kids feeding items (cups, plates, bowls, utensils) toys, etc.

Today I saw an investigative journalism report from Fast Company that takes the BPA issue and really tells it like it. They accuse plastics manufacturers and chemical companies that make BPA of using the same tactics used by Big Tobacco to fund fraudulent studies and sow seeds of doubt about their dangerous product.

They did their own in depth investigation and found that the BPA debate is nothing but “a battle to protect a multibillion-dollar market from regulation”. This quote was especially telling:

Just five companies make BPA in the United States: Bayer, Dow, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, SABIC Innovative Plastics (formerly GE Plastics), and Sunoco. Together, they bring in more than $6 billion a year from the compound.

Of the more than 100 independently funded experiments on BPA, about 90% have found evidence of adverse health effects at levels similar to human exposure. On the other hand, every single industry-funded study ever conducted — 14 in all — has found no such effects.

It is a long article but worth the read with shocking info about scientists requesting that their names be removed from reports that claimed BPA was safe and final report statements about BPA being safe being made BEFORE studies even started!

The government is unlikely to start controlling the use of BPA. The United States has a long tradition of keeping harmful substances — lead, DDT, tobacco, PCBs — on the market for decades after scientists find adverse effects.

This is why consumers need to educate themselves about BPA and let their money do the talking. We can vote against BPA ourselves by not buying products that have it and supporting companies that don’t use it. Here are some of my BPA articles with product links:

BPA Free Sippy Cups - Foogo, Klean Kanteen, Sigg, Avent Naturally, and Born Free

BPA Free Sippy Cups Part Two- Boon Fluid, The Safe Sippy, Nuby, ThinkBaby, and Funtainer

BPA Free Water Bottles

Glass Baby Bottles- Evenflo, Medela, Playtex, Born Free

BPA Free Baby Bottles Part Two- Glass bottles with protective sleeves (Siliskin and Wee-Go), and polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, Green to Grow, Nuby, Dr. Brown, Evenflo, Adiri

BPA Free Teethers and Pacifiers- Sophie, Natursutten, Raz-Berry, Playtex, Gerber, Chan Pie Gnon, Nuby, Sassy, and more.

BPA Free Plates, Cips, Bowls, and Utensils-  Boon, Camden Rose, Mini-Me, Emily Green, Dombo, Trebimbi, Sassy and more.

BPA Free Lunchboxes, Nursing Gear, and Toothbrushes

BPA Free Popsicle Molds

BPA Free Blender

Yes, the conundrum that most families into natural health and wellness will face. On one hand we have the argument that organic, healthier foods cost more and therefore cannot be justified when we have a modest budget. There is some truth to this no doubt. Organic cow’s milk might cost you $4.99 for a half gallon at the grocery store. The non-organic milk sits right next to it at $2.79 per whole gallon. The raw organic almonds I buy at $12.99 a pound to make breakfast bars with seems extravagant when I could buy Pop Tarts for a couple dollars a box right? Why go buy $15 worth of ingredients at the store to make a good dinner when we can shop the $1 menu at McDonalds?

But then the counter argument is that unhealthy foods and non organic foods will cost us more in the long run. Why? Because food is our medicine. An unhealthy diet will eventually lead to health problems, doctor visits, unpaid sick days, hospitalizations, pharma prescriptions, etc. If you need proof, look at me. My bad choices turned around to bite me in the behind BIG time. I chose bad foods…REALLY bad foods for many years and got lovely colon cancer, $50,000 worth of surgeries, and chemo treatment at $7000 a week for 6 months. Don’t I wish I could go back and buy healthy foods and complain about how expensive it was.

I see both sides of the coin but only one  really stands up to tough scrutiny. If we cut corners on a healthy diet due to expense…we may likely be paying the piper later…with interest. But like everything it seems there is no black and white here. Some things we may need to compromise on. How can we cut costs and allow access to better food? Let’s explore some of the ways.

Menu Planning – This is probably the best way to cut costs, good old fashioned planning. It gets really pricey when we shop piece meal and only pick up ingredients for a couple days worth of meals. You also might not know what you already have to work with and that can be costly. It just makes good sense to sit down every month or every two weeks and plan out every meal you will eat. Take an inventory of your frig and pantry to see what you have already and work with that. If you have a 5 pound bag of jasmine rice then plan 2-3 meals each week that incorporate rice. If you have lots of dried or canned beans then plan some meals with beans, etc. And when staples like beans and/or rice go on sale, make sure to take advantage.

Meal planning alleviates stress because you always know what you will be making and that lessens the chances that you will just call out for pizza. And eating raw takes planning cause if I want to use rice I have to allow four days for it to soak! But it is kind of fun to do. If it is not your thing you can also use online meal planners or services. Try Menu Planning Central or the Healthy Menu Mailer.

Also don’t be afraid to eat the same thing multiple times in a week if it saves money. There is no law that says dinner has to be totally unique each night.

Buy in Bulk – Sometimes bulk food werehouses can be a bad deal if we buy stuff we don’t need or want just because it is cheaper. But if you shop wisely they are wonderful. Personally I avoid paying the membership fee at Costco by shopping with my mom. I save money on the fee and my purchases count towards her cash back bonuses.

I like to buy frozen fruit at Costco. I can get a huge bag of frozen strawberries for $7.99. A bag ¼ that size can be found at my local grocery store for $6.99. That is a BIG savings since I can easily go through one bag a week and this is one of those areas where I opt not to go organic due to cost. If I had to pay triple for that amount of strawberries I would not buy them nearly as much and I would not make green smoothies nearly as much so the health benefit in that scenario favors the non-organic strawberries. Same goes with their bag of mixed fruit. But when strawberries are seasonal I buy organic and freeze my own. I just run out pretty quick.

Organic Baby Spinach is also a great price at Costco so I stock up on that. Fresh, seasonal fruit is better priced too. Costco it is one of the few places I can find wild caught salmon in our area. They have big bags of baking soda that I use to make my own green cleaners. They also add to their organic offerings all the time. Just don’t buy stuff for the sake of buying cheaper stuff.

You might also look into a food co-op where you join with other people to get bulk food at wholesale prices.

Shop Less – This ties in with meal planning. Frequent trips to the store end up costing us more than if we just plan for one or two shopping trips a month. Of course a diet rich in fresh fruits and veggies might mean more trips but the bulk of the shopping should only be done at certain times. The book America’s Cheapest Family discusses this.

Don’t Eat Out – Just stop it already, it is expensive. Make your own meals and save money. Presuming you don’t shop the dollar menu then value meals at fast food places will run around $25 for a family of 5 and it is crap food! That $25 could be dinner for 2-3 nights if you plan well. And don’t waste money on $4 coffees from coffee houses. Yes, it is easy for me to say since I don’t drink coffee but it seems like such a waste. I had to speak with my hubby about this recently and his iced coffee from Dunkin Doughnuts habit.

Make Your Own – Are you buying bottled salad dressing or salsa? Bags of bread? Think about making your own foods and condiments and save money.

Look for Deals – When staples go on sale like rice, beans, nuts, grains, etc, stock up and fill your pantry. Use coupons when you can but do not buy stuff you don’t need or want just because it is on sale. Wasting food is not cool.

If you find you regularly buy certain brand products then contact the distributor and see if they can send coupons. Join their online mailing list to get printable coupons. Pick up Mambo Sprouts coupon books in front of Whole Foods. Look at online sales flyers to see which stores are having sales and even if you have already shopped this week check them anyway, just in case. Don’t go to Whole Foods to buy your almonds when Trader Joe’s down the street has them on sale. If you use Agave Nectar a lot then stock up when they have a sale. I recently found my favorite brand of raw Agave Nectar for $1.99 a bottle! It was an unadvertised sale and needless to say I bought every bottle they had. Which leads me to a little tip: the little natural food sections of mainstream grocery stores often have unadvertised sales. I guess maybe they decide that no one is buying this stuff so they want to clear it out which is good news for me.

Also start keeping track of your purchase in a spreadsheet so you can get a feel for average pricing. This will help you figure out if something is a real deal or waste of time.

CSAs and Farmer’s Markets – Do the math and see if a CSA membership will be a good deal for you, it usually is. BUT if you end up with veggies you don’t like or use then perhaps not. Also check out Farmer’s Markets at the end of the day when the farmers mark down produce to get rid of it. Also be sure to look for local Amish for great deals on organic veggies and eggs.

Eat Less Meat – Meat is the budget killer so try to incorporate as many meatless meals as you can. If you see my sample rice meal plan above you will see only one of the three meals includes meat. That was deliberate. I have been amazed at how much food I have been able to bring home on the average shopping trip since we stopped buying so much meat. If anything we buy fish now instead for 1-2 fish meals a week. Ultimately I would like to see us move to buying sushi only… at our local Japanese grocer.

Eat in Season – Buy according to the seasons for cheaper prices. In the fall buy apples and persimmons and skip the pineapple and green grapes. In the summer load up on watermelon and strawberries. It might also be advantageous to buy a stand alone freezer and freeze some. You can also dehydrate to extend the life of seasonal foods.

Grow Your Own – Even if you have never gardened or think you don’t have the space I bet you can grow at least ONE thing. Pick one item you always buy and see if you can grow it yourself. Cherry tomatoes, strawberries, or herbs are a great place to start. They can be grown on a patio or at a sunny window. I love this post fro J.D. over at Get Rich Slowly about gardening. He found that for every dollar he spent on the garden, they harvested $1.91 worth of food and the expenses were often one time things like a wood chipper and young fruit trees. That is awesome. Wouldn’t you like to make every dollar go twice as far?

There are lots of ways to reduce costs that I can see. How about you? What tips or somments do you have?

If there is one kitchen gadget that is indispensable in this house it is hands down a high speed blender. Over the years I used many different blenders and they could pretty much be summed up in one word…crap. Anytime you tried to blend something with a little substance they would get jammed up, they would blend unevenly leaving chunks of ice in a smoothie for instance, and generally I just never met a blender I liked. That all changed about 2.5 years ago when I went into a Costco in Arizona and saw a demonstration table for Vita-Mix blenders. I stood mesmerized for about 2 hours (not kidding) sampling smoothies, soups, ice cream, lemonade, salsa, and much more.., all made right in front of me in minutes with this miracle machine. On that day I fell in love…with a blender, LOL. It did not go unnoticed by my mom (who was with me) and I walked out of Costco that day with my Vita-Mix, courtesy of her.

Now this could be one of those tales where I bought the pricey blender and rarely if ever used it. It would make sense since I had a blender already and did never use IT. But no, over the past 2.5 years I have used my Vita-Mix on average 2-3 times a day…EVERY day. I have made ice cream, sorbets, soups, salsa, pie crust, cookie dough, pie filling, puddings, salad dressings, pizza crust, Popsicle filling, hundreds of smoothies, and much more. My mom loves the fact that something she bought for me has been so well received and adored.

So what makes the Vita-Mix such a kick butt blender? The number one thing is that it makes healthy eating so much easier. Want a green smoothie? No problem. Not in the mood for store bought salsa…make your own with fresh ingredients in just 60 seconds. While your at it grind up some flax seeds, tomatoes, celery, a little lime, and cilantro and then spread the resulting pulp mixture onto a dehydrator tray or oven tray for homemade Mexican style crackers. Want some fresh juice? Throw the entire fruit or veggie in there skin, seeds, and all watch it get pulverized into juice. See? Healthy eating made easy.

Secondly, the Vita-Mix 5200 is built to outperform and outlast any other kitchen appliance on the market. This bad boy has some serious power with a powerful 2 peak HP motor that works with precision-crafted stainless steel blades. I have never put anything in this blender that it could not make mince meat of in mere seconds. In our house it replaces a food processor and a juicer too….so those are expensive gadgets you won’t need to buy anymore.

Up until recently I only had experience with the Vita-Mix 5000. So how does my new Vita-Mix 5200 model compare with the 5000? There are some impressive improvements and the number one being IMO that the blending container is now made of Eastman Triton copolyester making it a BPA free blender!! No need to worry about BPA leaching into the smoothies or hot soups anymore.

The container has a sleek new design with a new soft grip handle…love that feature. It makes it much easier to hold on to when it is heavy with delicious smoothie. The lid now has two clamps that secure it to the container so no more pushing hard to get the lid to fit tightly. The plug is also easier to remove when needed so that you use the tamper. Except I have not needed to use the tamper at all because it also has a new two peak HP motor. I thought my 5000 was powerful but the 5200 packs some serious power. My green smoothies blend in like 15 seconds now.

Another change is that the switches and dial are now soft grip. That change is okay I guess but I did not find it to be very important. And as before the blender comes with a DVD and a very nice cookbook with recipes. You can also get a dry container so you can ground your own flour.

Oh and did I mention that Vita-Mix offers a FULL 7 year warranty?! That is an incredible benefit but one you likely won’t even need as I know one gal that has had her Vita-Mix for 11 years now and it is still going strong.

My first test drive of the Vita-Mix 5200 was of course going to be a green smoothie. I put in three cups of baby spinach, some Vita Mineral Green, a ripe banana, a small handful of frozen cherries, 4-5 frozen strawberries, and about a cup of water.

It took about 15-20 seconds to make and the kids LOVED it…they always do. It is a great way to get kids to drink their greens and we make all sorts of variations. Perhaps we will make a Kale smoothie later!

If and when you want to purchase a Vita-Mix you can go to Vita-Mix.com and use code: 06-002324 for FREE standard shipping (if it isn’t already tabulated). Is it worth the $450 price tag? Absolutely, hands down, for sure, you betcha!

You can also buy an older model on Amazon. Enjoy!