Mindful Momma

Mindful Momma Giveaway: Green Irene Enzyme Cleaners

When Rosamaria and PJ, the husband & wife duo behind the Green Irene Eco-Consultant business, set out to create a line of eco-friendly cleaning products, they wanted something that worked.  Not just kinda, sorta worked. But REALLY worked!  So they decided to use enzymes. Why?  Because "Quite simply, enzymes get the job done." 

Enzymes (in case you were wondering!) are protein molecules that biodegrade organic materials like grease, food and grime and turn them back into their basic elements like carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. They also completely eliminate odors by breaking down the materials that cause the odor.  Enzymes are naturally occuring and when they finish their job, they are absorbed back into nature.  They are completely safe to use and are non-corrosive so you can use them on any surface without harm.  What's not to love about all that?

Rosamaria and PJ were promoting their new line of Green Irene Enzyme Cleaners at the Green Blogger Soiree during BlogHer this past August, but I was so busy chatting with my green blogging friends that I didn't have a chance to talk to them. So I was very happy when they offered to send me a starter kit of products to check out! 

The coolest part of this line (even better than the enzymes!) is the fact that the products are concentrated formulas that you mix with water yourself.  It may seem odd to buy an empty plastic bottle (it comes with a 1 oz packet of concentrate), but concentrated formulas = less shipping weight = lower carbon footprint.  Just empty the packet into the bottle, fill with water and you're ready to clean!!  When you need a refill, simply order more packets.  The line is totally affordable too - $9 to $10 (depending on the product) gets you the bottle + 2 refill packets.  Extra refill packets are $2.50 or $2.75 (even cheaper if you order multiples with their autoship program).

One thing to note about enzymes is that they can take a bit of time to "eat" away bad stains and odors.  The Mildew Stain Eraser and the Stain and Odor Eliminator require 15 minutes of soak time.  Seems perfectly reasonable to me - I'd much rather have natual enzymes eating away my stains than caustic chemicals - wouldn't you?  I happen to be a fiend about getting rid of mildew in my shower so I tried the Mildew Eraser on a couple of spots and it cleaned them right up. So far, I've been happy with the other products too...especially the Stainless and Glass Cleaner - it makes my stainless fridge sparkle!

Hey - would you like to try Green Irene Enzyme Cleaners for yourself?  I've got a Green Irene Enzymatic Clean Starter Kit (a $39.98 value) to give away to one Mindful Momma reader!!  For a chance to win, leave a comment on this post telling me why you would like to try the products.  Extra chances if you subscribe to my blog via RSS feed or email, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.  The giveaway will be open through midnight, central time on Wednesday, October 6th.  (you must have a US shipping address to win)

{Disclosure:  I was sent free products for this review.  The opinions about the product are my own.}

The winner is Jennifer Allen of green-jeneration.blogspot.com who said "I have heard that enzyme cleaners really work and yet I have not tried them. I would love to start now."  Well now you can!  Enjoy!!

A Day at the CSA Farm

Most Fall Sunday afternoons in this testosterone-rich household are spent watching guys running around with footballs.  Thankfully yesterday, the family team of choice had a day off and I convinced my boys (2 kids + Dad!) to head out to the farm where we buy our vegetable CSA share for their annual Fall potluck. 

Common Harvest Farm is out near Osceloa, WI - about a 75 minute drive from our house in the Twin Cities.  It was a gorgeous day for a drive and a picnic - sunny, clear blue sky, about 60 degrees - my idea of the perfect fall day!!  When we arrived, we were met by Margaret, one of the owners, who gave us the run-down on what was going on (and how to find the compost toilet!) 

We plopped down on our picnic blanket, listened to the lively music and feasted on an incredible array of healthy dishes including a yummy kale & fennel salad that John made.

My favorite part was seeing the long rows of vegetables - especially the purple & green kale!

And check out all the squash in the storage shed - there was tons!!

Liam's favorite part was the animals.  We took a ride on a wagon pulled by horses and got to visit the pigs.  Liam loved the pigs!

Drew spent most of his time playing with his pigskin (football) and sampling desserts....but here he is checking out the CSA box assembly line:

I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live on a farm.  It's SO different from our urban life.  It's beautiful but it's hard work.  I'm hoping to bring the family out for a work day sometime - to give them (and me!) a taste of what it's really like to work on a farm.  Hmmmm....better check that football schedule....

Inspired Healthy Dinner: Gado-Gado Peanut Sauce

About 15 years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Bali, Indonesia.  It was a little offshoot of a trip to Hong Kong we took to visit some good friends. Bali was our friends' all-time favorite vacation destination and so they arranged for us all to go together.  I have to say - Bali was one of the most amazing places I have ever been! (the photo is of me looking out over the rice terraces near Ubud, Bali)

We loved Bali for so many reasons - the people, the Hindu culture, the gorgeous scenery from beaches to mountains - but the food was incredible too!  One of my favorite dishes was a vegetable salad called Gado-Gado.  Traditionally Gado-Gado is made with cooked green vegetables such as green beans, bean sprouts and cabbage, served with hard boiled eggs, sliced cucumbers and sometimes carrots and tomatoes.  All this is topped with a yummy peanut sauce.  Because most of the vegetables are cooked, it's not really what we tend to call a salad, but rather it's more like a one-dish meal. 

When I saw a recipe for Gado-Gado in The Homesteader's Kitchen cookbook, I was very excited to try it.  (The recipe is for the sauce only, not the whole dish.)  Originally, I was planning to make the whole traditional salad but one thing led to another and I ended up serving the sauce with chicken, brocolli and rice. But that's the great thing about this sauce - it is so versatile!!  Really what wouldn't go well with peanut sauce?  I didn't take a photo of our meal, but I do have the recipe to share - courtesy of Gibbs Smith - the publisher of the cookbook:

I've made a lot of peanut sauces over the years.  Most of them are thick and gloppy.  What I like best about this recipe is that the sauce is thin - almost soupy.  Plus the coconut milk adds an incredible layer of flavor.  The recipe makes 3 cups of sauce, which is a lot.  If you don't think you'll need that much, cut the recipe in half.  But this stuff is so dang good - I'm telling you - you could serve it for breakfast, lunch & dinner!  

(Note:  I received a free review copy of The Homesteader's Kitchen. If you purchase the book through the links in this post, I will get a wee bit of cash from Amazon Associates.)

{salad image courtesy of taste.com.au via Google Images}

How Smart is Smart Clothing?

Odor-free. Sweat-free. Bacteria-free. Motion-detecting. Heartbeat-monitoring. Semi-conducting. Bacteria-detecting. Color-changing. Medicine-releasing.

Today's "smart clothes" go way beyond sweat-wicking polyester or breathable cotton underclothes.  These specialty fibers are infused with all sorts of chemicals and technology, allowing them to react to changes in the body, monitor health and even power i-Pods. But are these performance fibers a good thing?  Consider these products:

• A men's suit that beads up sweat and prevents odor (chemicals are infused into the fabric during production)
• Anti-bacterial shoes that prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria (using triclosan (aka Microban) which is toxic to both humans and aquatic life)
• Motion-detecting pants that detect activity and speed (wires and sensors are embedded into the fabric sending out wireless signals to your computer)
• Bio-sensing underwear that monitors heartbeat and blood pressure (carbon electrode arrays are screen-printed onto the waistband)
• Semiconducting shirts that can power your i-Pod or cell phone (microscopic nanoparticles used to conduct electicity through cotton)

What worries me is that these products and technologies have not been thoroughly tested for safety on humans. Nor do we know the impact on the environment. Will the great new technology of today be the BPA of tomorrow? 

How do you feel about smart clothes?  Creative use of technology or potentially dangerous human science experiment?  Low-impact or environmentally risky?

For more info on smart clothing, see the resources I used for this post:

You Sweat and the Shirt Changes, Wall Street Journal, August 13, 2010

10 Smart Clothes You'll Be Wearing Soon, ReadWriteWeb, April 14, 2010

Fibers You Can't See, Delta Farm Press, April 13, 2010

{This is my post for the Green Moms Carnival on the topic of the eco-impact of clothing.  Hosted by Diane at Big Green Purse starting on Monday, September 27th, 2010.}

 

 

 

 

Inspired Dinner When Dad's Out of Town?

With my husband out of town for a week, I'm finding it awfully hard to create inspired dinners just for me and the kids.  Add to that the beginning of soccer season and...well let's just say, there's been a lot of eggs and quesadillas for dinner this week.

I did manage to make one fun thing though:  Waffle Sandwiches.  This idea (from my go-to website, Dinner: A Love Story), is so dang easy I can't believe I never thought of it before.  I used whole wheat bread, sliced ham and cheddar cheese, but you could stuff your waffle sandwich with pretty much anything you want.  I'm thinking a waffle PB&J sounds pretty dang good!  

What do you do to make simple dinners more exciting for your kids?

 

Green Companies To Love & Support!

(OK, this post is long overdue....but better late than never!)

By far the best event I attended while in NYC for BlogHer last month, was the Green Blogger Soiree.  It was a private party (not officially associated with BlogHer) that was hosted by Kathy of SafeMama (an amazing resource for info on child safety and eco-friendly products) and the (sadly now defunct) 3 Green Angels. 

The best part of the party was meeting up with my green blogging buds - both new friends and old.  But a very close second was the chance to meet and speak with the owners of a bunch of wonderful, small green businesses.  As you may have heard, BlogHer itself is mostly about big brands - the kinds that can pay many thousands of dollars in sponsorship fees.  The Green Blogger Soiree was an effort to highlight smaller, environmentally-friendly companies that could never afford BlogHer.  By all accounts, the Green Blogger Soiree was a huge success!! (even the food - which should not go unmentioned!)  I sincerely hope that someone (who will it be??) organizes one for next year!

I'd like to tell you about a few of the companies at the event that particularly stood out for me.  (For a full list of all the sponsors at the Green Blogger Soiree, read the recap post on SafeMama.)

Kinderville - A quest for toxin-free food storage was behind this company's beginning. Now they've got a whole line up of silicone-based products including cups, plates, Popsicle molds and my favorite...little bites storage jars! We've been using them for snacks but the silicone lids make an air-tight seal! (they are also micro, freezer & dishwasher safe!)

Zoe b Organic - I had the pleasure of meeting Valerie, the Mom behind this business, at the Green Soiree.  She was super excited to show off her prototype of the first ever biodegradable beach toys (available soon)!  She also sells Natursutten natural rubber pacifiers and the amazing, unbreakable kidishes.

Hopscotch Kids - A "kid-centric" line of water-based nail polish invented by a Phoenix Mom who wanted non-toxic play cosmetics for her kids.  Since I have a house full of boys, I passed on my free sample of Eenie Meenie Miney Moe (green) to my niece.  The cute packaging makes for a great gift!

Lunapads - This cool company which is all about "eco positive periods", was founded in 1993 by two women who wanted to provide better health for women and the planet. Their brightly colored pads and pantiliners almost make getting your monthly something to look forward to.

Global Green Pals - With names like Carbon Offset Chet and Clean Air Kate, these soft dolls are already hip.  Add to that the fact that they are made with Oeko-Tex certified organic cotton and stuffed with recycled PET bottle stuffing and these are the coolest dolls in town!  I'm thinking Christmas already....

I hope you will join me in supporting these and other small, green companies when ever you can.  Your dollars make a difference!!

Easy Handmade Cloth Napkins

Cloth napkins at the dinner table are a given at our house.  Even though we have a couple of messy eaters around here, we don't give in to the temptation of disposable paper towels.  Family dinner-time is one of my favorite parts of the day, and I enjoy setting a nice looking table with pretty cloth napkins for everyone! 

Now that the kids have gone back to school, maybe it's time to break out the sewing machine and whip up a new set of napkins in some fun new prints! (Note: If you don't have a sewing machine, don't worry - these napkins are easy to sew by hand.  Just use a whip-stitch or a slip-stitch around the edges).

An experienced seamstress might think that creating directions for something as simple as napkins is silly.  But if you have never sewed before or are the type who thinks replacing a button is a challenge, then you might appreciate having some simple instructions written out for you. 

That was my thinking when I included directions for cloth napkins in my book Practically Green: Your Guide to EcoFriendly Decision-Making.  My goal was that all my craft projects be doable for even the "non-crafty" types.  And now I get to share them with you...straight from the book! 

P.S.  Don't forget to put cloth napkins in the lunch box too!

Do you use cloth napkins at home?  How about in the lunch box?  Have you ever made your own?

(This post is linked to Your Green Resource on Live Renewed. Check it out for lots of other great, green, crafty ideas!)

Inspired Healthy Dinner: Chicken & Apples 2 Ways

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions both here and on Facebook about finding inspiration in the kitchen at dinner time.  Clearly I'm not the only one suffering from the dinner-time blues!  I was impressed that many of you do weekly or monthly meal planning.  I'm not there yet, but so far I have stuck to my commitment to making at least one new recipe a week.  In fact, I did even better than that, I made two!  Both recipes came from dinneralovestory.com, both involved both chicken & apples and both were big hits with my boys! (major WIN!)

On Tuesday, I made Sausage & Apple Kabobs for the boys and their babysitter while we went out to eat for our 19th wedding anniversary.  The ingredients couldn't have been simpler - chicken sausages and apples - but brush them with maple syrup and bake - then it becomes something special!   And how is it that serving food on sticks makes dinner so fun? I was a bit concerned that the skewers would turn into swords after dinner, but when we got home, all the food was gone and no injuries were reported.

Last night's dinner was Chicken Curry with Apples. I can tell you right now that this one is going into regular rotation.  It's a simple saute of onions, apples, celery and chicken, mildly flavored with ginger & curry but the toppings were where the fun came in!  Little bowls of currants, craisins, coconut, cashews and pecans were on the table so that each person could 'doctor up' their own bowl.  To be honest, I wasn't sure the curry would go over with my boys - they have been uber-picky lately.  Just in case, I added a squirt of honey to the recipe because I was afraid the curry might be too bitter for their picky little taste buds. My fears were quickly put to rest when both boys gobbled up everything in sight!

Next week, I'll have guests in town so I'm looking for recipes that will please both adults and kids (including a 2 year little girl), that aren't too complicated (I'll be busy showing them around town) and that use up veggies from the CSA.  I'm thinking something with squash!

Nice Ride Minnesota: A Twin Cities Bike Sharing Program

If you live in the Twin Cities, no doubt you have seen the brightly colored rows of bicycles that have popped up everywhere you look around here.  Nice Ride Minnesota, a non-profit organization with the goal of providing easy access to bicycles all over the metro area, has taken the area by storm!! 

How it works:  The company slogan: Take. Ride. Return. is evidence of how easy this program is to use.  Sign up for a yearly subscription for $60 ($50 for students) or use a pay-as-you-go system that charges 5 bucks per 24 hour period plus a trip fee if the ride is over 30 minutes.  What's cool is that you don't have to register in advance - just find one of the 60 bicycle kiosks around the city, swipe your credit card and you're ready to ride!

My husband (a bicycle commuter himself) thinks Nice Ride is super slick.  One evening, he was meeting a friend downtown and didn't want to wear his bike shoes all night so he decided to take a Nice Ride bike instead of his own.  He walked up to the kiosk in Lyn-Lake, grabbed a bike and rode downtown.  Since his trips were under 30 minutes each way, there was no trip charge.  Cheaper than a cab plus you burn off the beer you drink.  How much better could it get?   

Bicycling Magazine recently named Minneapolis the #1 biking city in America.  Move over Portland!!  Any city serious about biking should take a look at this program - it rocks!

{image credit: Joshua Foss from MetroHippie.com}

The Cookbook Diary

Yesterday, we said goodbye to an old friend.  Our original copy of The New Basics Cookbook that we've had for well over 20 years.  Why did it have to go?  Because our favorite cookbook was literally falling apart. 

I found a copy at a used bookstore yesterday and snatched it up immediately.  Last night my husband and I took a trip down memory lane as we pulled out old recipes stuffed into the food-stained pages and read a running diary of many fabulous meals we made over the years. (Actually, it was John who made all the notes - before we had kids, he was the main chef around here! :))

It was surprisingly hard to get rid of this old relic of a cookbook. We decided to save all those sentimental pages - they are now stuffed into the back of our new copy!

 

Do you have a beloved old cookbook that is falling apart?  Would you ever replace it or would you keep it forever?  Do you ever write notes in your cookbooks or do you prefer to keep them clean?

{Full disclosure:  The link to the New Basics Cookbook is an affiliate link}