Monday, July 27, 2009
Great organic deal!
Had to share a recent find: Hi Health has Sensible Foods Apple Harvest snacks on sale for $1 per bag! (And they taste good!) The convenient, crunch-dried snack is 100% certified organic, fat free, gluten free, GMO free, no added sugar and preservative free. I went a bit crazy, but that's okay. Check out other flavors available and stock up while supplies last!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Summertime snacks
I've heard a lot of moms (and babysitters) asking what kind of healthy but fun treats to give their kiddos while they're home for the summer. I put together a few easy, organic, (and healthy!) snacks to keep them ready for all of those summer activities. Enjoy!
Ants on a Log (a trusty favorite) Organic peanut butter, organic celery & raisins *You can find store-brand organic peanut butter lines that are a bit cheaper than the traditional organic lines (Safeway, Albertsons, Frys, Trader Joes, etc.). Organic celery is important, since it is one of the top 12 vegetables with the highest pesticides. You can always dice up the celery and add it to some gazpacho or something else yummy. See Organic Arizona - Resource for all things organic in Arizona: Organic on a budget Pt. 2
Frozen grapes Speaks for itself. Buy your favorite organic grapes, rinse 'em off and pop them in freezer bags and freeze. One of my favorites during the summer.
Frozen fruit yogurt pops (5 LOVE these! Courtesy of Nazarina of Giddygastronome.com) 1 bottle organic orange juice 1 can peaches in light syrup 1/2 cantaloupe approx. 4 strawberries 1 banana 2 apricots 3 peaches 2 oranges 2 small containers organic, vanilla Greek yogurt 1/4 cup evaporated milk 2 tsp. honey Grab some organic Greek yogurt and buy some of your favorite fruit from your local farmer's market; i.e., peaches, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, etc. Puree the fruit and mix with the yogurt. Blend with remaining ingredients. Fill up popsicle mold of your choice and freeze overnight. Voila! Yummy, cool AND healthy. Every now and then I'll throw in some shredded coconut and pretend I'm on a beach somewhere :)
Raspberry Sorbet / Slush For those that can't eat dairy, this is a great alternative to the fruit yogurt pops. You can alter the sugar content to your liking. 2/3 cup superfine sugar 1 cup water 23 oz. pureed raspberries 1/4 cup lime juice Mix lime juice with raspberries. Combine sugar & water in medium saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat to cool. Mix puree and cool sugar syrup. Pour mixture into a square pan. Freeze for approx. 1 hr, remove and scrape mixture, return to the freezer and repeat 2-3 times.
Cheese chips A tasty alternative to chips. Buy slices of your childs favorite organic cheese. (Swiss seems to cook better). Preheat oven to 325. Cut up slices into chip-sized chunks. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how well you want it done.
Monkey Treats Popsicle sticks, bananas cut in half, crushed organic cereal or nuts, melted (organic) semi-sweet chocolate chips. Insert popsicle stick into flat (cut) part of the banana. Freeze for about an hour. Dip banana in melted chocolate then roll in nuts or crushed organic cereal. Wrap the treat in wax paper and freeze until chocolate is melted. Enjoy!
Veggies 'N Dip (or fruit) Cut up a bunch of colorful, organic veggies/fruit and pair with organic light dressing, hummus or yogurt.
If all else fails, stick with watermelon - you can't go wrong!
Ants on a Log (a trusty favorite) Organic peanut butter, organic celery & raisins *You can find store-brand organic peanut butter lines that are a bit cheaper than the traditional organic lines (Safeway, Albertsons, Frys, Trader Joes, etc.). Organic celery is important, since it is one of the top 12 vegetables with the highest pesticides. You can always dice up the celery and add it to some gazpacho or something else yummy. See Organic Arizona - Resource for all things organic in Arizona: Organic on a budget Pt. 2
Frozen grapes Speaks for itself. Buy your favorite organic grapes, rinse 'em off and pop them in freezer bags and freeze. One of my favorites during the summer.
Frozen fruit yogurt pops (5 LOVE these! Courtesy of Nazarina of Giddygastronome.com) 1 bottle organic orange juice 1 can peaches in light syrup 1/2 cantaloupe approx. 4 strawberries 1 banana 2 apricots 3 peaches 2 oranges 2 small containers organic, vanilla Greek yogurt 1/4 cup evaporated milk 2 tsp. honey Grab some organic Greek yogurt and buy some of your favorite fruit from your local farmer's market; i.e., peaches, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, etc. Puree the fruit and mix with the yogurt. Blend with remaining ingredients. Fill up popsicle mold of your choice and freeze overnight. Voila! Yummy, cool AND healthy. Every now and then I'll throw in some shredded coconut and pretend I'm on a beach somewhere :)
Raspberry Sorbet / Slush For those that can't eat dairy, this is a great alternative to the fruit yogurt pops. You can alter the sugar content to your liking. 2/3 cup superfine sugar 1 cup water 23 oz. pureed raspberries 1/4 cup lime juice Mix lime juice with raspberries. Combine sugar & water in medium saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat to cool. Mix puree and cool sugar syrup. Pour mixture into a square pan. Freeze for approx. 1 hr, remove and scrape mixture, return to the freezer and repeat 2-3 times.
Cheese chips A tasty alternative to chips. Buy slices of your childs favorite organic cheese. (Swiss seems to cook better). Preheat oven to 325. Cut up slices into chip-sized chunks. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how well you want it done.
Monkey Treats Popsicle sticks, bananas cut in half, crushed organic cereal or nuts, melted (organic) semi-sweet chocolate chips. Insert popsicle stick into flat (cut) part of the banana. Freeze for about an hour. Dip banana in melted chocolate then roll in nuts or crushed organic cereal. Wrap the treat in wax paper and freeze until chocolate is melted. Enjoy!
Veggies 'N Dip (or fruit) Cut up a bunch of colorful, organic veggies/fruit and pair with organic light dressing, hummus or yogurt.
If all else fails, stick with watermelon - you can't go wrong!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Planting Calendar for the clueless
If you're like me, you have no idea what to plant, when to plant it, etc., when it comes to your organic garden. Dave, The Garden Guy posted this planting calendar to make your gardening life easier. It's extremely user-friendly and offers tips to help you maintain your greenery.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Summertime
Some more quick tips for the summer....
We live in the desert and it's 100+ degrees; perfect for drying your clothes outside. Grab an old-fashioned clothes line and some laundry pins and take advantage of the sunshine. PLUS, save on energy costs by not running the dryer and avoiding heating the house up while doing so, (especially when it's 100 degrees at 8 at night). Just make sure to bring it in when you see the black monsoon clouds rolling in - your neighbor doesn't want your undies stuck in their trees or cacti.
Adjust your watering. You may have to bump up watering for your organic garden during the summer, but make sure you're doing it when it's most beneficial. Don't water in the middle of the day - it will evaporate before it gets a chance to get to the roots. Stick to early am or evening.
While we're talking about our organic gardens or plants... spread some organic mulch around to help retain that water, (especially if your yard is as hard as ours).
I know I've mentioned it before, but fans make a HUGE (and cheap!) difference in cooling rooms. They can allow you to bump up the air a couple of degrees, while still feeling cool.
Take advantage of the monsoons! Free watering! :) But make sure to turn off watering systems so you don't flood your backyard. Hope everyone is staying cool!
We live in the desert and it's 100+ degrees; perfect for drying your clothes outside. Grab an old-fashioned clothes line and some laundry pins and take advantage of the sunshine. PLUS, save on energy costs by not running the dryer and avoiding heating the house up while doing so, (especially when it's 100 degrees at 8 at night). Just make sure to bring it in when you see the black monsoon clouds rolling in - your neighbor doesn't want your undies stuck in their trees or cacti.
Adjust your watering. You may have to bump up watering for your organic garden during the summer, but make sure you're doing it when it's most beneficial. Don't water in the middle of the day - it will evaporate before it gets a chance to get to the roots. Stick to early am or evening.
Photo: © Jonathan Wood / Getty Images
While we're talking about our organic gardens or plants... spread some organic mulch around to help retain that water, (especially if your yard is as hard as ours).
I know I've mentioned it before, but fans make a HUGE (and cheap!) difference in cooling rooms. They can allow you to bump up the air a couple of degrees, while still feeling cool.
Take advantage of the monsoons! Free watering! :) But make sure to turn off watering systems so you don't flood your backyard. Hope everyone is staying cool!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Kudos!
I'm so excited to see the local grocers coming out with their own lines of organic canned goods. I've been especially impressed with Fry's and Safeway with their 'store brands' of organic canned goods. It's supply and demand - if you're local grocer doesn't offer a wide selection, let them know! Hopefully, other stores will follow their lead and realize that families want to be healthier but want a more wallet-friendly way to do so. We have to think long term - the health choices we make now will effect our wallets and lifestyles in the future (i.e., the cost of reactive medicine after your already sick vs. proactive health measures).
I know I've said it before, but I've received a lot of questions from friends and family memebers... you don't have to eat all organic - just do what you can. The small changes will add up to a big difference.
I know I've said it before, but I've received a lot of questions from friends and family memebers... you don't have to eat all organic - just do what you can. The small changes will add up to a big difference.
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