Tag Archives: organic

Homemade baby wipes can save money and are easy to make, but is it worth it? We all want what’s best for the baby.  Homemade or retail, at the end, it’s our decision.  With food, we want to provide our babies with homemade as often as possible.  We want to know exactly what’s filling the baby’s tummy and fueling his/her body.  However with clothing, sorry but my sewing skills would leave my youngest one dressed in rags!
How about wipes?  It’s a baby need that we use, and use a lot of.  From the moments of meconium to the last wipe during potty training, we rely on wipes to keep our babies and children clean from head to toe.  Wiping faces, sticky fingers and of course the remains of the poopy diaper, a wipe is a mom’s best friend.
They are made by tons of brands, from the generic …

Knowing how to maximize savings at a wholesale club is your task today!  Wholesale clubs, especially BJ’s, offer Smart Mamas a variety of “extras” that aren’t always seen at traditional grocery stores.  A visit to a local BJ’s Wholesale last month, including a tour from a representative of the club, taught me SO much about the great benefits that often go unnoticed by moms.  Here are 5 things I believe Smart Mamas need to know:

Multiple Coupons!  If you are purchasing a 3-pack of toothpaste you can use 3 manufacturer’s coupons – one for each pack!  Plus, if BJ’s has also included a coupon for that toothpaste pack in their coupon book (found in-store, sent home or available online,) that may also be used in conjunction with the manufacturer’s coupon!
Propane! Cheap propane gas!  Gassing up for the grilling season?  Did you know that BJ’s is often the cheapest …

Keep your home a Smart CLEAN Home this New Year!  Microwaves are common household appliances and often get more use than a traditional oven.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 90% of American households have one!  The appliance was invented in 1946 by Percy Spencer whose 1st “microwaved” food was melting chocolate!  Yummy!  Nowadays we use it for far more than melting chocolate.  We cook, warm, reheat and defrost foods on a regular basis.  It’s our go-to appliance, therefore it’s probably the appliance getting the dirtiest the quickest!

Keeping that, often most important appliance, clean can be a challenge.  Cleaning your microwave should include NO chemicals.  Have you ever cleaned it with an all-purpose cleaner to then smell it’s chemical cleaner scent for many uses thereafter as the remaining cleaner burns in the appliance? Yuck!
Clean It!
Here’s a quick way to stick to that resolution –keep your microwave …

With organic zucchini in the drawer from last week’s produce pick up, I needed to find a yummy recipe! (I have a pretty standard recipe I typically follow with zucchini but getting bored with that one – you know what I mean!)
I came across this recipe in the Miami Herald recently, gave it a shot and really like it!
Zucchini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
5 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned
3 tablespoons raw rice
1 pound zucchini, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Saute the onion & garlic until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the stock and rice.  Simmer over low heat, covered, about 10 minutes.  Add zucchini. Season to taste with salt & pepper and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about …

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Continuing our Food Revolution…I have been using all sorts of different fruits and veggies in my cooking.  (Many thanks to my produce club subscription - Annie’s Organic Produce Buying Club.)
Well, this week we received something that I certainly had never heard, seen or tasted before.  What do you think it is?  I’ll let you know that it is a vegetable that I sliced and baked. (Hint: It is not a beet.)
Person with the best guess gets a big pat on the back – aren’t I generous!?
Answer: 
Congrats to @greenandhealthy of healthychild.org who tweeted the right guess!  The mysterius vegetable is an organic PURPLE POTATO! 
I used the potato as a replacement for a traditional white potato in a casserole dish.  The taste was richer than a white potato and worked great.  The look, deep purple, was actually amusing to look at.  My husband kept thinking I was …

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution has inspired us all, especially in this house.  One battle we took on since the show’s premier is teaching my 3 1/2 year old to use a knife.  Certainly wasn’t as hard as we feared!
If you remember, the elementary school in West Virginia thought Jamie was out of his mind for wanting the kids to use knives during lunch.  At first I was too.  I thought back quickly to the days just post Columbine when school security and safety took on a complete overhaul.  Gone were the days of unlocked doors and any type of anything that could possibly, with any stretch of the imagination, be used as a weapon.  But Jamie had a point.  If we weren’t going to teach them in the elementary years, when on Earth would they learn?
I set Isa’s place setting for dinner with a knife (one of ours …

My produce of the week:
· Strawberries· Blueberries· Mangos· Bananas· Spinach· Broccolini – Baby Broccoli· Eggplant· Rainbow Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes· Onions· Garlic· Green Leaf Lettuce· Avocados· Beet Roots· Cucumbers· …