We've been busy and sustainable

What have we been up to lately at Sustainable family???

Garden: Well we planted our winter garden and it is doing well so far. Our summer garden is still around and has given us some November (today) tomatoes, strawberries, basil and peppers! Today I needed a bell pepper to make chili and I didn't find any in the fridge. Then I thought oh ya the garden. It is so nice to walk out to our backyard market!

Cooking: I have committed to making our own bread and have bought very few loaves since buying my bread machine about 2 months ago. I prefer to make the dough in the machine and then make rolls or loaves and bake in the oven. Oh and the pizza dough makes amazing pizzas with lots of variety! Also this weekend we made our strawberry jam with berries from farmer's market! It is so good and reminds me of when I was a kid and my parents made jam every year. We have been eating lots of home made soup, stew and chili given the fall season.

Leo and Aurora had some friends over to make their own pizza's. They had fun shaping the dough and adding their own toppings.







Food Storage: I have been saving all of my jars (apple sauce, jam, peanut butter, etc.) and have started to use these for food storage. They are great because they are free and clean up better than plastic. Also I have been storing dry goods (crackers, flower, sugar, etc.) in large glass storage containers and mason jars. This saved them from a recent ant attack, looks good and helps remind me to shop in the bulk section at the co op.

I am looking for stainless steel divided plates, cups and bowls for the kids. Let me know if anyone knows where to get them.
What sustainable changes has your family made?

Apple blackberry breakfast bars.

These look like dessert but they are supposed to be breakfast bars! Here is the recipe I modeled mine after.
http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2007/08/apple-blueberry-crumble-bars-recipe.html

"Crust"
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shelled sun flour seeds (could substitute walnuts, almonds, etc.)
1 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce

Fruit Layer
2 cups frozen blackberries
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients and spread evenly on first layer.

Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
Mix with hands (it will be crumbly) and spread on top of fruit layer.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. Mix Crust and press into 9 x13 or 9x9 & 9 x3. Spread Fruit Layer on top then crumble the topping over the fruit layer. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, reduce heat to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes (more for 9 x 13 pan). Cut or scoop and enjoy with yogurt for breakfast or Ice cream for dessert! Refrigerate leftovers or freeze in individual servings.

Okay after making and of course eating these I decided they are dessert not a breakfast bar. Even after reducing the butter and sugar they are too sweet for dessert. Yummy I am going to continue searching for a breakfast bar.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.3.1

Smartypants!

Okay, have you ever found a vitamin that your kids beg for that isn’t full of junk! Smartypants is the answer. They are the best. I love them too by the way. www.wearesmartypants.com/

Breakdown of some of the good stuff….

• Taste Great!
• Low in sugar, no high fructose corn syrup
• They contain Omega Oils with no fishy taste or after taste!
• Made in California
• They donate to Vitamin Angels

Cons…

• You have to take 4 a day but they taste so good it's not a big deal!

The cost…

If you are already buying vitamins at the health food store, co-op, etc. The price will not shock you. It costs more to get good quality products from sustainable resources. Also if you consider the cost of a Multivitamin, Vitamin D and DHA it is actually less. I currently spend about $15 a month on a high quality children's DHA supplement alone. Save 15% on your first order at Ecomom.com with the code SBBL562 (through Oct. 31).

The Conclusion…

These are great vitamins and my family will keep taking them because they are a cost effective, yummy way to stay healthy.

The Giveaway…

Comment here that you liked Smartypants on FB or follow on Twitter and I will add you to my Ecomom $15 gift certificate giveaway.

For more entries see this post: http://sustainable-family.blogspot.com/2010/10/ecomom-giveaway.html

The fine print…I was given a one month supply of Smartypants to review on this post. However, I was not compensated in anyway for writing this review. I just enjoy the product!

ECOMOM GIVEAWAY!

Ecomom is a great online store for affordable, sustainable, healthy products for your baby, kids and family. Some of my favorite products are cloth diapers, lunch boxes, cleaning products, toys and art supplies.

A gift to you from http://www.ecomom.com/!

Use the code SBBL562 for 15% off through October 31st!

Try the new EcoPass. Purchase a $99 annual membership and receive 15% off every order as well as free shipping (no minimum)! The Ecopass can pay for its self in as few as 4 orders for just $8.25 per month!

Oh and that giveaway you were waiting for! Ecomom is giving away a $15.00 gift certificate!

Here’s the rules:

Post one comment for each entry.

Entry 1: Follow Sustainable Family and comment on one post.

Other ways to enter (must complete Entry 1 first).

• Like Ecomom and Sustainable Family on Facebook
• Post about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or twitter.
• Join ecomom newsletter
• Follow EcoMomCEO on twitter

Winners will be chosen at random.org. Don’t forget to comment on this post for each entry! Winner will be announced on October 11th please be sure I have an email address to notify you. Read my post on Smartypants vitamins for more ways to enter!

Giveaway extended to Oct. 11th!

I made bagels!

I can't wait to see how they taste.

10-3-2010: The bagles were great! My husband says they are his favorite bread so far oh and easy to freeze.

Here's the rcipe: http://www.breadmachinediva.com/2010/01/cinnamon-raisin-bagels/

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.3.1

Busy Weekend!

What did you do this weekend? Was it sustainable?

Things we did:

My husband put in a Raised Bed to plant our winter garden. Oh and we found our tomatoes like their new home with a bit of shade; they are looking better. Also we learned that gardening is expensive when you are just starting out. The price for the raised bed is going to be well over $200 when it is done for wood, dirt, seeds, etc. But next year we will only have to pay for seeds so I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

Rorie learned to ride a two-wheel bike. I am so proud of her and she loves it. She used a balance bike for the last 9 months (a bike with no pedals) and this weekend we traded it with a friend for a “tip over pedal bike” (this is what Rorie calls it). She did great and is riding (with no training wheels) at the age of 3.5. I would highly suggest the balance bike to parents of toddlers, it is a great way to learn!

Rorie with her new bike in front of the dirt that is going in our new Raised Bed garden!

What did I do that was sustainable? Well I finally started to bring not just grocery bags to the store but also produce bags. I am storing a few produce bags in my reusable grocery bags so I remember to bring them back to the store and reuse them. Oh and it was pizza night at our house for dinner. Yummy, homemade dough and we all had different pizzas with lots of leftovers for tomorrow night!

I had Caramelized Onion Prosciutto Pizza: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/caramelized-onion-prosciutto-pizza/

Rorie got to make her own!

Check back later this week for a give away with www.ecomom.com and a review of Smartypants vitamins www.wearesmartypants.com/!

Alternative Medicine????

I wanted to write a quick post about Leo’s visits to the Chiropractor/Cranial Sacral therapist (she does both). 

Ear Infections: In the middle of July after many days of swimming, several plane rides and contracting the flu. Little Leo had a fever for about 4 days so I took him to the doctor and she said he had a double ear infection and needed antibiotics.  I protested but the doctor won after explaining possible consequences of not medicating.  Also I had to consider myself lucky that this was our first round of the dreaded pink stuff (amoxicillin) for Leo who is 18 months and Rorie has never had it. 

So we did a 10 day round of amoxicillin which I can not say that Leo consumed the right amount of everyday but I can say that we tried our best (he truly hated the stuff).  He got better and we were all sleeping good again.  Until a week later when we went swimming again.  He presumably (as we never went back to the doctor) got a second ear infection and was up all night literally screaming or nursing. 

I wanted nothing to do with another round of antibiotics so I decided to try the alternative rout and found Dr. Lynn a Chiropractor/Cranial Sacral therapist where we live that specializes in babies and children.  We began seeing her in early August and where as it was not an immediate fix I can say that Leo has beat the reoccurring ear infections and that he is healthier than he has been most of his childhood now 1.5 months later!  

He loves seeing Dr. Lynn she is great with him and he completely calms when she is working on him and signs “more” after she is finished.  Leo has been congested most of his life and after seeing Dr. Lynn he no longer has a constant snotty nose!  We are going to continue to see her for healthy maintance every few months or as needed. 

You can find Dr. Lynn and read more about her work  with babies and children at www.gernerchiropractic.com.

I am writing this just to share our experience with chiropractic care we have not been compensated in anyway.