Mindful Momma

A Week Without Sweets and The Value of Breaking Habits

The minute my boys get home from school, they always want a "sweet snack", which usual means a couple of cookies or maybe a piece of candy if they have some from a holiday or special occasion. After dinner it's the same routine - "What's for dessert?", they ask! 

Imagine my surprise when, completely out of the blue my boys decided that they wanted to have a dessert-free week! I'm really not sure where this idea came from other than the fact that their dad and I do a yearly post-holiday detox where we give up sugar, dairy, caffeine and all that other good stuff for a few weeks. Maybe they wanted to impress us with their ability to give stuff up too! 

Why Breaking Habits is a Good Thing

Actually the concept of giving stuff up isn't foreign to them - we have technology-free weeks a few times a year as well. The biggest benefit I see of giving things up is to break habits. When you break a habit, you see that it is possible to do things differently. And you may even appreciate the new reality more than you think! When I do my annual detox, I break my habit of constantly snacking while making my kids lunches or mindlessly grabbing a handful of something every time I get the urge. When my boys don't have screens in front of their faces, they rediscover toys they forgot they had and spend more time using their wild and wonderful imaginations. When they are not eating sweets, they grab some fruit and find that they are perfectly satisfied!

I'm as guilty as the next person at being stuck on sweets. Giving up my afternoon piece of chocolate has been a sacrifice for sure, but we are all in this together! Wish us luck as we finish out our sweet-free week! 

Do you ever give things up to break a habit?

How to Choose an Indoor Compost Bucket

It was time. The trusty, green, plastic compost bucket that lived under my sink for many years had to go. For months, I dealt with the cracked top rim but when the handle snapped off completely (showering my legs with compost - thankfully outside!), I knew that its days were numbered. Even though my plastic bucket held up for many years, I wasn't so sure I wanted another one of the same model. So I took to the internet to do some research on what type of compost container to buy:

Factors to Consider

Assuming that you have a place to compost food scraps outside, you will need some type of container to store them temporarily in the house. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Will the container be kept under the sink or on the counter? If it's sitting out on the counter you will probably want something that looks nice. If not, butt ugly might be just fine.
• What material is the container made of? Popular choices are stainless steel, plastic and ceramic.
• How much does the container hold? If you create a lot of food scraps, you will want to lean towards something larger. If not, a smaller size will suit you just fine. Most containers hold between 1 gallon and 2.5 gallons.
• What type of filter does it use? Most compost buckets use a charcoal filter but the key question is - are they readily available? If not, you might want to consider a different model.

It's Never Too Late For Chocolate (Win Some!)

Lookie what showed up in my mail box on the day after Valentine's Day! It may have been a day late but I'm not complaining - every day is a chocolate day in my book!

These chocolate bars from Chuao Chocolatier (pronounced chew-WOW) are made from Venezuelan chocolate and other natural ingredients. The chocolate is ethically sourced and fair trade prices are paid to farmers. (As there is no fair trade certification for chocolate in Venezuela yet, they are not officially Fair Trade certified.)

The good news for you is that the company is giving away a year's worth of chocolate plus other weekly chocolate prizes! Just head over to the Chuao Chocolatier Facebook Page to enter. The contest will be open through February 28th, 2013. Good Luck!

What's your favorite ethically sourced chocolate brand? 

New Healthy Meals eBooks to Try

 

eBook Bundle of the Week

Want to cook healthy, real meals for your family but need a little direction and inspiration to help you get those meals on the table? Help is on the way! This week's Bundle of the Week is all about Easy Meals with titles like Feast in 15 by Tiffany King and Crock On! by Stacy Myers. Each Bundle of the Week includes 5 eBooks all on a related topic for only $7.40. An incredible deal and a little extra help in the kitchen can go a long way!

Traditional Medicinals: More Than Just Herbal Tea

Winter is tea time for me. In the morning you'll definitely find me clutching a cup of coffee but come afternoon or evening, it's a cup of herbal tea that I crave. Tea warms me up on a cold, Minnesota day and is a flavorful drink between meals. But more and more often I reach for tea to help improve my health in some way, whether it's to stave off a cold, calm a cough or help me relax.

The Traditional Medicinals Difference

One thing I have often wondered about tea was whether or not there is a big difference between brands. I mean, I certainly have my favorites but I wondered, could the quality really be different between say two different brands of peppermint tea leaves?

Well it turns out there is a difference. In reading up on Traditional Medicinals, I learned that their teas are more than just good tasting, herbal blends. They are true herbal supplements, made with health and wellness in mind. Traditional Medicinals uses pharmacopoeial quality herbs which deliver much stronger health benefits than food grade herbs. This is a very high standard for the quality, purity, strength, identity and composition of the plants.

Inspiration for a Happy, Healthy, Creative New Year

Welcome to 2013! I've been spending the last few days letting my brain ponder all of my thoughts and ideas for the new year and trying to distinguish between the "I shoulds" and the "I wants" (which is harder than you might think.)

One realization I've come to is that my resolutions from last year - which revolved around taking care - of the planet, my family's health, my community and myself - still stands very strong. As one of my Facebook readers pointed out "Our lives are an evolution and we must continue to nurture and work toward our goals without pause so really you don't need a new resolution at all." That sentiment is so true.

That said, a few things rose to the top of my thought process that I want to focus on in 2013:

Unlock My Creative Mind

The more time goes by, the more I realize that creativity is a major pillar in my life. My happiness and level of contentment depend on it. Yet it's so easy to race through the day doing work because it "has" to be done, without any inspiration to lift me up and guide me. It's creative inspiration that spurs my greatest work so it makes sense to spend some time encouraging it.

This year I want to explore ways to assist my creative mind in opening up - more often and more enthusiastically. If you have any recommendations for exercises that get your creative juices flowing please share! One action item I already took was to sign up for Scoutie Girl's daily emails. Tara has such a great way with words and is a true inspiration to me.

Also, in an effort to keep getting crafty in a physical sense, I've signed on to write a monthly blog post about a Green DIY craft idea for Green Your Way (a channel on the Life Your Way blog network). Look for my first post coming out in mid-January!

The Time is NOW for Reusable Bags

 

Why Use Reusable Bags?

With 40% of annual retail sales happening between Thanksgiving and Christmas, my guess is that a similar percentage of disposable plastic bags are being let loose into our system during that time as well. That makes it a good time of year to get on my reusable bag bandwagon. If you need convincing, here are a few hard facts about plastic bags from the folks at Factory Direct Promos:

• An estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed each year worldwide – this works out to over 1 million bags per minute.
• A million sea birds and 100,000 animals such as whales, dolphins, turtles and seals die from plastic bags and other waste each year.
• Americans throw away about 1 billion plastic bags a year, which is equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil.
• Retail businesses spend about $4 billion each year on plastic bags.
• In the United States only 8 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2010 was recycled.
• The United Nations Environment Program estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean.

Maybe your city or community is ahead of the game and has already instituted a plastic bag ban or bag fees (check this interactive Plastic Bag Ban Map for ban activity in your area). Here in Minnesota plastic bags are still going strong (except for yard waste where we have to use compostable bags). 

A Few Favorite Reusable Bags

My reusable bags have been out in full swing lately for gift shopping, grocery shopping and everything in between. Here are a few in my rotation:

Baggu - These super roomy, workhorse bags (shown in photo at top of post) fold up nice and small. Buy the set of 3 which comes with a zippered pouch to store them in.

Esse - I've been praising their Carry All Tote for years but the new handy Clip It bag made from recycled bottles can be clipped to a keychain, backpack or stroller so it's with you whenever you need it.

BB Begonia - Big enough to hold 2 grocery bags but stylish enough to carry around town. Empty bag rolls up easily to fit in your purse.

What's your favorite reusable bag?

This post is part of the Give the gift of a Plastic-Free World This Holiday and Join the Plastic Bag Ban Movement! blog carnival, hosted by Factory Direct Promos. Check it out for more info about banning plastic bags.

(Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. Any purchase you make contributes a small amount to this blog. Thank you!)

(Top photo credit: andrewarchy via flickr)

3 Ways to Love Your Leftovers

As of tomorrow there's a good chance you will have a big pile of leftovers to contend with. Here are a few ideas for making the most of them.

Store Safely

Keep those yummy leftovers fresh and free from leaching chemicals by storing in safer containers and using eco-friendly alternatives to plastic wrap. A few of my recommendations include:

• Glass storage containers like these leak-proof Snapware containers.
• Stainless steel containers from LunchBots.
• Beeswax infused cotton cloth for wrapping food from BeesWrap (Love these!)
• Reusable food storage bags from BlueAvocado.

Use Creatively

Too much of the same food gets old quickly. Turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into something completely different with these tasty recipes:

Leftover turkey = Thanksgiving Monte Cristo Sandwich with Cranberry Sauce Dip from Family Fresh Cooking.

Leftover sweet potatoes = Sweet Potato Pizza with Kale and Carmelized Onions from Oh My Veggies

Leftover mashed potatoes = Simple Shepard's Pie from The Family Kitchen on Babble.com

Share Lovingly

Just because you hosted the big meal, doesn't mean you should keep all the leftovers for yourself. Send your guests home with a care package in these reusable containers made from recycled plastic. Just remind them not to use the containers in the microwave!

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

(Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. Any purchase you make helps keep this blog in business. Thank you!)

(photo credit: The Vault DFW via flickr - creative commons)

Going Gluten-Free with Udi's

With so much buzz about going gluten free, I have been very curious to try it out for myself. No one in my family has ever been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensitivity, but I have heard plenty of people claim to feel great when they avoid gluten completely. Still, it was never enough to convince me to try it. Until.....

Udi's 14 Day Gluten Free Challenge

While cruising the Expo Hall at BlogHer last August, I started chatting with some friendly people at the Udi's booth. They encouraged me to try their 14 Day Gluten Free Challenge just to see how I felt without gluten in my system for 2 weeks. What did I have to lose?

They explained to me that gluten is the protein found in wheat (and rye and barley as well) and it can be difficult for some people to digest. I can't say that I've ever suspected a sensitivity to gluten (my GI tract is working just fine, thank you very much!) but then again, who doesn't feel fatigue, bloating or inability to concentrate (other symptoms of gluten sensitivity) every once in awhile? Could these be related to my body's struggle to digest gluten?

Halloween Party Food and the Truth about Pinterest

You know all those craft and food ideas you pin on Pinterest? How often do you get around to actually making them? This past weekend I attempted to make some Halloween party food for my son's 8th birthday party and discovered that things don't necessarily end up looking as good as they do on Pinterest.

It didn't help that I was short on time. First, I tried to make the monster jaws using peanut butter and almonds for teeth. Epic fail! So I ditched that project and then scrambled to get the breadstick bones and mummy dogs in the oven and then madly peeled clementines for the pumpkins. I was also planning to make carrot fingers with dip but that never happened.

The results were OK but certainly weren't in league with the photos you see on Pinterest. But in the end it hardly mattered. The kids thought the food was great!