Mindful Momma

Kid-Friendly Cole Slaw to the Rescue!

If you are up to your ears in cabbage like me, you might appreciate a way to get the whole family in on using it up.  Wondering how it is possible to turn a bitter vegetable into something kids will eat?  Here's a hint:  coconut and dates!   

This recipe is based on one in the New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.  I love her recipes because they include so many ideas for variations.  Since I tend to cook on the fly and rarely follow any recipe to the T, variations are essential.  I can't claim complete victory on this one though - this version only got a 75% approval rate in our household.  Son #1 gave it a thumbs up, son #2 gave it a thumbs down and my husband said it was the best cole slaw he had ever had!  (and I thought it ranked up there too. :))

Kid-Friendly Cole Slaw

4 cups shredded cabbage

3 large carrots, peeled and shredded

1 Granny Smith apple, shredded

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Dressing:

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup mayo

1T + 1 tsp. cider vinegar

A squirt of agave nectar (to taste)

I shred the cabbage, carrot and apple in my Cuisinart.  If you don't have one, then chop the cabbage by hand and grate the carrot and apple on a cheese grater.  Add the dates, coconut and pecans.  Mix all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Adjust vinegar and agave nectar based on how tart/sweet you like it (or what you think your kids will tolerate!).  You really don't need any sweetener if you use vanilla yogurt, but I thought the agave added a nice taste.

P.S.  Thanks for the tips on cole slaw and homemade yogurt in the comments of my recent post.  I still haven't tried the homemade yogurt but I'm more confident that I can do it w/out a yogurt maker.  I'll keep ya posted...

P.P.S.  Finally made the homemade yogurt (6 months later!) and absolutely LOVE it!  My husband is so addicted he makes it almost every week!  Here's the recipe and the method (without a yogurt maker!)

A Red Letter Day

Yesterday when the FedEx guy walked up to my door I was thinking it must be a product sample for something I had agreed to review for my blog.  Wondering what it was, I grabbed the package and looked at the return address.  My heart just about lept into my mouth when I saw that it was from F&W Media - my publisher!  I knew that I would be getting an advance copy of my book but thought it was still weeks away.  I figured that starting in September I'd be stalking the mail-man like an anxious college student waiting for admissions letters.  Patience is not my strong suit. 

My hands were shaking when I opened up the package, with my two boys flanking me on either side.  I said "I think I'm going to cry."  "From happiness, right?", asked 9 yr. old Drew, sounding a bit concerned.  "Yes, I think so", I replied.  Seriously, a part of me was scared to death.  No one's seen this book aside from my publisher and my husband.  It's like this top secret part of me that is about to be revealed to the world.  Sure, I'm scared.  But I'm proud too.  All those tough-it-out days and long weekends of researching, writing and crafting finally payed off.  And my publisher packaged the book up so nicely - with fun photography and colorful graphics - I hope you'll like it. :)

I can't wait to show you more!  But since the release date is almost 2 months away...I have to keep a lid on it for now.  Meanwhile, you can take a peek at Practically Green on Amazon - they even have the Look Inside feature up and running so you can really get a feel for what it's all about.  The rest of the books are on a slow boat from China.  Arriving in a bookstore near you by October 23rd.   

Will Return to Regularly Scheduled Programming...as Soon as School Starts!

A roadtrip, a tick bite (Lyme Disease for son #1), two colds for two boys and no childcare means very little free time for Mom these last couple weeks before school starts. 

Ideas for posts are rolling around in my head like loose marbles, sometimes even keeping me up at night.  Haven't had the time to act on much but here are a few things I've been thinking about...

Making cole slaw.  I've got at least 5 heads of cabbage in my refrigerator and I'm terrified that I will be getting more in my Youth Farm CSA bag tomorrow.  Must make cole slaw!!  Anyone have a good recipe?

Making yogurt.  This is something I've been wanting to do for ages and my local paper had a write up on it today.  If you've made yogurt before, do you have any tips?  My Mom had an electric yogurt maker when we were kids.  I've heard you don't really need the electric part (some say you can put the yogurt on top of your fridge to keep warm while it sets) but I would love to get my hands on some of those heavy duty glass cups!

Sewing.  I'm dying to come up with a tutorial for a thrifted shirt pocket business card holder like the one I made for BlogHer.  I've also got a copy of Betz White's new book Sewing Green sitting on my desk waiting patiently to be properly addressed.  (By the way, lucky Betz was the winner of my Graze Organic snack and lunch bag giveaway - the random number generator told me so!)

Looking forward to September.....

Conserving in the Kitchen with The Big Green Cookbook

Give me a big pile of organic vegetables and I'll start scheming up a healthy meal for my family.  Will it be sauteed, steamed or grilled?  Will there be meat or noodles or rice?  Once I come up with a plan I'll start chopping and cooking with abandon, thinking that I am doing the planet a favor by cooking homemade food from sustainably produced ingredients.   

But after taking a look at the Big Green Cookbook by Jackie Newgent, I realize that there is a little bit more to 'being green' in the kitchen than I had understood. Turns out that cooking and food storage is a substantial source of greenhouse gasses in the environment....we use a heck of a lot of resources in the kitchen without really giving it much thought.  The book shows you how to reduce your carbon footprint in the kitchen through a variety of resource-saving tips and tricks.  Here are a few concepts that stood out for me:

• Hypercooking - Take advantage of residual heat by turning off the heat before food is fully cooked.  It's the home cook's version of hypermiling!
• Lid-cooking - Put on the lid and turn off the heat to finish off a saute or even to cook pasta.
• Micro-roasting - An hour in the oven or 10 minutes in the microwave - guess which one's better for the environment?  Great for dense vegetables like squash, potatoes or beets.
• Green grilling - Turn off the grill and let the residual heat finish off the meal.

The cool thing about the Big Green Cookbook is that it helped me rethink the way I cook.  I never used to think twice about turning the oven on to heat up a few dinner rolls.  Now I'm much more likely to heat them in the toaster instead.  Veggies and meat are cut into smaller pieces so they'll cook faster.  I even reuse cooking water for more than one thing...like steaming and boiling and eventually for dish washing.  

Oh, and besides all the smart planet-pleasing tips there are over 200 recipes in the book - it is a cookbook after all. :)  I tried the Zucchini Panini, which uses the green grilling technique, but I made with yellow squash instead of zucchini. It's like an open-faced sandwich using zucchini as the bread, drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, topped with tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella cheese.  Mmmmmm....super yum!

Magic Beans

Little kids can be so easily amused. I love how you can amaze them with natural wonders like how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly or the chemical reaction that takes place when you mix vinegar and baking soda.

If you are looking for another fun form of entertainment, try cooking some purple beans.  My 4 year old was wide-eyed with wonder when he saw that the purple beans turned green in the steamer!

  

Why do they turn green?  Turns out purple beans contain a pigment called anthocyanins that green beans don't.  When they are cooked the heat creates a chemical reaction which exposes the chlorophyll and turns the beans green. 

We've been getting purple beans in our CSA bag but you should be able to find some at a farmer's market at this time of year.  Tell your kids they are magic beans and enjoy their reaction. :)

Camp Crafts

My son came home with this from camp yesterday....a catching game made from a plastic bottle with a bit of tin-foil for a ball. 

 

Which reminds me - if you're looking for some harmless entertainment - it's a great time of year to make a plastic bottle bubble-maker!!

 

Do you have any other plastic bottle craft ideas?  Please share!

Mindful Momma Giveaway: Graze Organic Snack Bags

Combine fabulous graphic design, environmentally friendly organic cotton and a highly functional and practical product and you've got Graze Organic.  This cool new company, started by 2 lunch-packing Moms, makes reusable sandwich and snack bags that are a smart-looking alternative to plastic. 

Please take a look...

The bags are printed on unbleached, 100% certified organic cotton using water-based inks instead of the traditional heavy metal based inks.  They have a velcro closure that is easy for kids to open and close and best of all...they are machine washable!  My personal favorite is the snack bag. I'm a snacker at heart. In fact, graze should be my middle name. :)

Heather and Leslie have worked hard to ensure their business is sustainable every step of the way.  Local vendors silk screen and sew the products and even the packaging is low-impact.  Products come very simply wrapped in recycled tissue paper and include a thoughtfully designed information card (printed on recycled paper using soy ink, of course!) 

For those who prefer a minimalist look (Dads?  teenagers?), the because every bag matters line might suit your fancy...

 

And to complete your waste-free lunch, how 'bout some organic cotton napkins?

I've been giving the products a trial run and I can tell you that they are durable and hold up well in the wash.  Now if you stuff a bunch of blueberries in a bag and expect it to come clean, you might be disappointed but with reasonable use I think your bags should remain looking good for a good long time.

Now for the fun part!  How would you like to win your own set of Graze Organic bags?  The company is generously offering a set of 3 bags (sandwich, snack, veggie) to one Mindful Momma reader.  To be in the running, please leave a comment with your favorite tip for packing a green & healthy lunch.  The contest will run through Wednesday, August 19th.  (only one entry per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address)

Good luck!  (Now I'm off to find a snack...)

Imagine my surprise when the random number generator picked commenter #12 and it was Betz White!  I've been following Betz's blog like, forever!  Her gorgeous work with recycled and repurposed materials never ceases to amaze me!  Enjoy your bags Betz!!

Going Greek with Tomatoes & Cukes

Tomatoes and cucumbers...the home gardener's staple crop.  But what to do with all of them?  At our house we make greek salads!

 

We don't use a recipe but here are the basics:

Cucumbers, peeled, cut in 1/2 and sliced

Tomatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces

Red pepper, diced into 1/2 inch chunks (optional)

Red onion, small dice (just a bit for flavor, I don't like too much)

Kalamata olives, whole or chopped (we were out which is why you don't see them in the pic)

Fresh basil, finely chopped

Feta cheese, crumbled into bits (I like to use a lot!)

Dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper

(a true greek salad would include a dash of oregano in the dressing but I'm not a big fan)

All you need is a loaf of crusty bread and a glass of wine and you're good to go!

Healthy Lunch, Happy Child

"When the bell rang for lunch Frances sat down next to her friend Albert.  "What do you have today? said Frances.  "I have a cream cheese-cucumber-and-tomato sandwich on rye bread," said Albert.  "And a pickle to go with it.  And a hard-boiled egg and a little cardboard shaker of salt to go with that.  And a thermos bottle of milk.  And a bunch of grapes and a tangerine.  And a cup custard with a spoon to eat it with. What do you have?"  "

That priceless segment from Bread and Jam For Frances by Russell and Lillian Hoban makes me smile every time.  It reminds me of my middle-school days...my friends and I sitting around the big round lunch table, with our lunches proudly spread out on our napkins.  We talked and ate and talked some more, until the lunch lady kicked us out for our daily dose of the playground.  That was in the 70's, before the tidal-wave of pre-packaged and largely unhealthy snacks hit the market.  Sure, a few of the 'lucky' kids brought potato chips or the occasional Hostess ho-ho, but for the most part, we ate sandwiches, apples, carrot sticks and homemade cookies for dessert.

Browsing through the Sunday newspaper supplements this morning, I got the impression that in today's world a typical packed lunch consists of processed lunchable-type meals, corn-syrup based yogurt drinks, plastic cups of fruit or pudding, artificially colored 'fruit snacks' and sugar-laden cereal bars.  These things might be OK every once in awhile, but on a regular basis they are BAD NEWS for the health of our kids. 

But it doesn't have to be this way.  It's really quite easy to pack a healthy lunch - and you don't have to spend a lot of time or money.  Here are some tips for packing a healthy lunch that your kids will love...

Sandwiches & Beyond

• There's nothing wrong with a plain old sandwich, but you might score more points by trying something new...
• Instead of peanut butter & jelly, try almond butter & agave nectar.
• Instead of ham & cheese, try a healthy BLT (made with nitrate-free turkey bacon.)
• Instead of plain bread, try a tortilla wrap, mini pitas or rice cakes (I recently discovered some very thinly sliced, round, multigrain sandwich rolls that my boys like a lot.)
• Use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into cute shapes (just be sure not to waste the scraps...)
• If your child doesn't mind cold food...pizza, grilled cheese or quesadilla wedges can be a nice change of pace.
• Hard-boiled eggs are a good non-sandwich protein.
• Send leftovers of their favorite dinner foods in an insulated thermos. 
• For more healthy lunchbox ideas, check the Vegan Lunch Box cookbook and blog by Jennifer McCann.

{sandwich image by Fauxtographical via flickr}

Fruits & Veggies

• Send your child to school with a rainbow...of colorful fruits & vegetables!
• Prep veggies like cucumbers, red pepper slices or broccoli florets ahead to save time in the morning.
• If you don't have time to prep, pack something easy like grapes, strawberries or baby carrots
• Kids love to dip - so send along a little dipping sauce like ranch dressing, hummus or even this honey-cream cheese fruit dip.
• Check the EWG's shopper's guide to pesticides in produce to know when to buy organic. 

Snacks

• Contrary to popular belief, kids to not need chips in their lunch everyday!
• Send healthier snacks like trail mix, whole grain crackers or pretzels instead.
• Skip the individually packaged snacks - they are wasteful and unnecessary.  A reusable snack bag or small container holds snacks just fine.  (Beware - many organic and natural products tempt you with cute individual packages...so buy a box of bunnies, and leave the little bags behind :))  
• Check the bulk bins at your co-op or grocery store - you may find some fun snack ideas there (just stay away from the malted milk balls, OK?)  I recently found these low-sugar, gummy hearts that are a big hit in the lunchbox! 

Something Sweet 

• My kids always want something sweet in their lunch.  If I had been smart, I never would have started down that slippery slope... 
• Natural fruit leather is plenty sweet.  The downside is, it only comes in individual servings.  (has anyone had luck making their own?  I tried once and failed miserably.)
• I'm not opposed to sending trail mix with some of those healthier M&M's (Sundrops) mixed in every once in awhile. 
• Fig bars or other healthier cookies (I try to stay away from individually packaged cereal/granola bars, but sometimes a Z-bar finds it's way into the lunchbox)
• Matt's cookies - my favorite store-bought brand (made w/out preservatives)
• Homemade cookies - healthier than store-bought cookies laden with preservatives and artificial ingredients.  Here's a recipe for my favorite healthy chocolate chip cookies - I use 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 all purpose flour.  (Next time I make them I'm going to sub some nuts (sunflower seeds, I think) for half of the chocolate chips.

What are your tips for packing a healthy, kid-friendly, earth-friendly lunch? 

This post is part of the Green Moms Carnival on the topic of back-to-school, hosted by Lynn of Organicmania.  If you have kids in school you've gotta check out this carnival - it's full of eco-friendly ideas for everything from lunches, to school supplies to greening your school! 

Minnesota Green: Eat Locally, Dispose Locally

• Wondering where to recycle those odd items that curbside recycling won't take?  Keiko and Nancy over at Linden Hills Eco-Parents put together a fantastic list complete with links and addresses for where to recycle lots of stuff that you might never expect.  Mattresses, holiday lights, CD cases, eyeglasses, styrofoam...all these things and more can be recycled in the Twin Cities area!!

• Did you know you can rent compost bins from the city of Minneapolis for events?  I rented one for my block's annual National Night Out block party this year.  The cost is $20 per day.  The cool thing is they take much more than just food scraps.  You can chuck all kinds of soiled paper products in there as well as biodegradable utensils, cups etc..  (I threw in a pizza box, some freezer boxes and a bunch of egg cartons I had sitting around in too.)  I made a sign so that people would know what to put in the bin but it did take a little extra monitoring on my part to make sure that everything was put in its proper place.  In the end we had very little garbage from the event and that made me happy. :)  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Minneapolis will institute city-wide composting sometime in the near future...what are the odds, I wonder?

• Are you eating local yet?  Now's the time of year when us Minnesotans can finally eat locally like the rest of the country...so let's get busy!  Join the annual Eat Local America challenge where you can commit to being a true locavore (make 4 out of 5 meals with local foods), start small (5 meals a week w/local foods) or set your own local food goal.  I'm setting my own goal which is to use up my Youth Farm CSA and my own homegrown veggies every week without letting anything go to waste.  I'll supplement that with as much other local food as I can manage.  I always keep my eye out at The Wedge for their Local Product signs on food through-out the store.  And remember, there are many local products available here year round, like meat and dairy, but let's take advantage of this window of time when we can really dig in locally!

• Wondering where to recycle those odd items that curbside recycling won't take?  Keiko and Nancy over at Linden Hills Eco-Parents put together a fantastic list complete with links and addresses for where to recycle lots of stuff that you might never expect.  Mattresses, holiday lights, CD cases, eyeglasses, styrofoam...all these things and more can be recycled in the Twin Cities area!!

• Did you know you can rent compost bins from the city of Minneapolis for events?  I rented one for my block's annual National Night Out block party this year.  The cost is $20 per day.  The cool thing is they take much more than just food scraps.  You can chuck all kinds of soiled paper products in there as well as biodegradable utensils, cups etc..  (I threw in a pizza box, some freezer boxes and a bunch of egg cartons I had sitting around in too.)  I made a sign so that people would know what to put in the bin but it did take a little extra monitoring on my part to make sure that everything was put in its proper place.  In the end we had very little garbage from the event and that made me happy. :)  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Minneapolis will institute city-wide composting sometime in the near future...what are the odds, I wonder?

• Are you eating local yet?  Now's the time of year when us Minnesotans can finally eat locally like the rest of the country...so let's get busy!  Join the annual Eat Local America challenge where you can commit to being a true locavore (make 4 out of 5 meals with local foods), start small (5 meals a week w/local foods) or set your own local food goal.  I'm setting my own goal which is to use up my Youth Farm CSA and my own homegrown veggies every week without letting anything go to waste.  I'll supplement that with as much other local food as I can manage.  I always keep my eye out at The Wedge for their Local Product signs on food through-out the store.  And remember, there are many local products available here year round, like meat and dairy, but let's take advantage of this window of time when we can really dig in locally!