Whole Foods or Whole Paycheck?

To shop at Whole Foods or not to shop at Whole Foods, that is the question. On the one hand I want to be committed to providing quality foods for my family and on the other hand I have a budget. What is a thrifty girl to do?

Whole Foods has decided to help debunk the myth that shopping at Whole Foods will take your whole paycheck. They have "Healthy Wealthy and Wise Tours." These tours are free of charge (but do require registration). A store representative takes you around and highlights ways to maximize the value of your shopping experience.

Yours truly attended this tour at 6:30 pm on a weekday night. I am typically intimidated by shopping at Whole Foods for fear I will go way over budget for groceries. Having someone take me slowly through the store and point out their store brand "365 Everyday" which is competitively priced enabled me to loosen the grip on the purse strings.

Best part of all is the goody bag at the end. It came in a reusable shopping bag (can't have enough of those), olive oil, chicken stock, black beans, granola bars and coupons.

In conclusion, the pointers were good, not earth shattering. The goody bag was well worth the time investment. I also feel confident when shopping there that I can see the value items that previously eluded me. I won't shop there every week now, but perhaps every other.

See if there is a tour at the Whole Foods near you.

EcoHangers

EcoHangers is a new concept in dry cleaning. They offer marketing opportunities while making dry cleaning a little greener.

You can request that your local cleaners switch to these reusable hangers and save billions of wire hanger waste!

This has a local connection to me as well. As this is a friend's venture. Exciting.

Banana No-Nut Bread

One of the "green mama" tips I have noted in my recent presentations is to conserve energy by decreasing the preheating time of the oven.

The statistic goes that if 30% of US Households reduced oven preheating time by 1 hour per year the energy saved could bake a dozen cookies for every American (The Green Book).

In the February 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping Amy Grant contributed a recipe for Banana Nut Bread that starts in a cool oven. You can imagine my excitement when I found a recipe that marries itself to the green tip so well!

I modified the recipe in our house as my husband does not care for nuts in his bread. It is moist and yummy nonetheless.

Amy Grant's
Grandma Grant's Banana Nut Bread

1c Sugar
1/2 c butter (1 stick) softened
2 lg eggs
3 bananas, sliced (2c)
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c pecans, chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1. Greast 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 metal loaf pan
2. Cream sugar with butter. Mix in eggs bananas, flour, pecans, baking soda, and salt. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Place loaf pan in cold oven. Set oven control to 300F and bake banana bread for 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick or skewe inserted in center comes otu clean.
4. Cool bread in pan 5 minutes on wire rack. Then remove from pan and cool completely, right side up.
Makes 1 loaf.

Bountiful Harvest

It is week 4 of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) we are a part of. Here is a photo of our vegetables from last week. Turnips, green onions, lettuce and strawberries. I think there is kale back there you can't really see.

So far we are enjoying the surprise of whats to come each week. We have gotten creative and googled recipes for the veggies that are new to us. We find that we grill out Saturday night with lots of vegetable sides.

It is like having your own garden without the work! We like knowing we are supporting local agriculture and stretching our comfort zone of vegetables. Our favorite cooking method is to saute' the greens down with onion, garlic and apple cider vinegar.

Check out www.localharvest.org to see if there is a CSA near you.

Triangle Presbyterian Moms Group

I had another speaking opportunity to the Triangle Presbyterian Moms Group in Durham on Tuesday, May 12.

This casual group of Moms was welcoming and we had refreshing conversation about how to be Green Mom's.

One mom mentioned that she made cards for all occasions from her child's art work. I thought this to be a great idea. She has homemade cards for family and it cuts down on the artwork clutter in her own home. I'll remember this in the coming years.

Thanks for having me to your group!

Diaper Rash Creams

Diaper rash is a fact of life for you and your baby. It is awful. This red inflammation is suggested to be treated by allowing the tush to air dry. Well that is not a luxury at every diaper change. Fortunately, there are creams that protect baby skin from the moisture rich environment of their diaper.

Desitin was used by the case on me. Smelling it brings back childhood memories. That very smell is what made me second guess if this was the right treatment for her diaper rash.

I found this blog article from Healthy Child Healthy World. It confirmed my suspicions that Desitin was not he miracle cure. Desitin contains hormone disrupting BHA, synthetic fragrance with phthalates and parabens.

A better option is to use an organic option that is free of dangerous chemicals. I choose ShakleeBaby Diaper Cream. It is 99% natural and uses aloe and chamomile to soothe the skin.

Here's to Happy Heinies!

StMM MOPS Group

Tuesday night I had the honor to speak to the St.MM MOPS group. What a neat bunch of ladies! We discussed being "Green Mama's" and creating healthier homes for our family. It was also Cinco de Mayo so we had tasty margarita's (alcohol free).

I learned a lot too. I was encouraged to see what the other ladies were already doing in their homes. I am getting closer and closer to composting. A member of the group has been composting for years. It was encouraging to talk to her about her experience. Especially the part about it not smelling!

Free Lunch Tote

This lunch tote from Whole Foods can be yours for free! Download a coupon from Oprah.com for your free. tote.

I went and got mine today. It even came with a free apple. A random thing to include. There is a 5 cent tax on the item. So don't leave your walet in the car like I did.

Hurry, only good through Sunday.

Looking Younger

Here is a video clip from a Greensboro, NC news station highlighting how to look and feel younger. They highlight Shaklee's Vivix product! Neat stuff.

Watch Video Here

Quarterly: Moran Work Day on the Farm

Well folks it is that time of year again, time for "Moran Work Day on the Farm." This is an anticipated day of yard work to ready it for Spring.

On the agenda for this Saturday is pine straw. We need to freshen up our natural area with pine straw. The pine straw is pleasurable to look at but it will also hold in moisture to guard from the harsh heat of summer.

This day has to be scheduled, as I am not a lover of all things yard. I do appreciate a tidy lawn, weed free beds and the flowering plant. However, I do detest the sweating, aching back and dirty finger nails. So quarterly, I put aside my preferences and work in the yard.

Let me clarify that these yard feelings are not felt by my husband. He is king of all things grass. Our lawn is lush and green and well manicured, all thanks to him. I like to attribute this quality to the Irish bloodline. Grass is where his domain ends. I am responsible for the natural areas and weed pulling. The photo above is the end result of our last "Work Day" in the fall.

Now that we have a little one to frolic in our 0.35 acre of heaven. I am concerned about the chemicals we use. I found some great ideas from Erin's Frugal Living Blog. I plan to try her coffee grounds fertilizer on my azalea bushes and the vinegar weed killer!

I can already smell the grill and taste the frosty beverage that beckons us at the end of the day.

Green is Main Stream

Los Angeles times article, A Greener Future, Part 1: Products derived from natural, nontoxic ingredients – once seen as fringe – are now mainstream

I think this is a well rounded article that unveils how these "green" cleaners work and addresses the shades of "brown" that can be present in "green" cleaners.

Opt out of Yellow Pages

I have not looked up a number in the phone book in 10 years, at least. When I found out you could stop delivery of the Yellow Pages to your home I signed right up. The amount of paper used and delivery cost associated with unsolicited phone books is outrageous.

Click here to Opt out of the Yellow Pages and go Green!

Safe Way to Brighten Cloth Diapers

When I received my diapers they came with a 1/4 page of care instructions. Per the directions, on a monthly basis Clorox should be added to aid in stain and odor removal. Cringe.

I try not to use Clorox in my home any longer. So this was disheartening that I would have to reintroduce Clorox into my home. I clicked upon an alternative!

According to Healthy Child Healthy World Quick Tips for Cloth Diapering, it is suggested to use 1/2 cup of lemon juice or white vinegar. Alas, I exhale.

We have been using the cloth diapers for a month now and it is time for a freshening wash. I feel much better about the use of nontoxic vinegar.

Green Mama Talks

I was asked by my dear friend LCO to speak to her MOPS group on being "green" for their March meeting. I was humbled that she thought to ask me and quickly realized I had not spoken in front a group since my working days which are getting smaller on the horizon every day.

Her group is a great group of gracious Mom's who let me stumble through my presentation. There were lots of green Mom's in the making amongst their group. They taught me a thing or two. It was a fun collaborative discussion about how we can be good stewards of our planet.

Thanks to Salem Baptist MOPS for having me. I thoroughly enjoyed your group!

I wanted to share with you a tip from that meeting. I'll post a few as a blog series.

#1 According to Energy Star, up to 40% of an appliances usage is when the appliance is turned off and not in use. By unplugging the appliance 6-26% savings can be had. Unplug small kitchen appliances after use (coffee pot, toaster oven, mixer, can opener, etc).

Take it a step further by unplugging those decorative lamps that are not used often. How about the lamp, alarm clock or TV in the guest room that is infrequently used? I did this in my home. Prior to a guest arriving I will spend time readying the room and can plug the items back in at that time.

These seemingly little things can add up to savings on your power bill.

Cloth Diaper Update

Here are my little bum Genus'. We have worked these new cloth diapers into our routine now.

It has not been as big of a transition as I was anticipating. I washed them all before use, as recommended by the manufacturer. Put Mary Claire in them and then placed them in a lined trash can until wash day.

MC does not seem to mind them at all. Our conclusion is she likes them better b/c the fabric used is so soft. I am sure it is more comfortable than the disposables.

I do wash them in our home washing machine. I do a rinse on cold then a full cycle on Hot/Cold setting. Dry them on Medium and that's it. They have not stained or retained any odors. They just smell like laundry. I stuff the inserts as I get them out of the dryer so they are ready to use. I am doing a load every 2 days.

We aren't 100% cloth. We used around 3 a day cloth and 3 disposable. Thus far that seems to be an appropriate amount for us, for now.

I would recommend then to others and encourage anyone thinking about it that it was not as big of a deal as I had previously thought.

Did I mention how cute they are?!

I took the Plunge!

I have taken the plunge. The cloth diapers have been ordered and are on their way. I did get the Bumgenius brand I mentioned in my previous post.

I'll let you know how it goes! Yikes.

I thought it was supposed to be easy being green.

Well it's not right now. I am feeling moved to convert to a cloth diapering system. Boy, it is another world. An entire vocabulary exist that I knew nothing of. I have spent more time than I care to admit reading up on cloth diapers.

As of this moment, I have decided on Bumgenius Pocket Diapers. Wait a minute and I'll probably change my mind again.

I need a Cloth Diaper tutor!

I'll keep you posted on the transition.

Just had to ask

We recently received our trash and recycling pick-up schedule for 2009. I would normally toss it right into the trash. Wednesday is trash day - what else is there to know? Well, it turns out lots!

I read that our city accepts junk mail and cardboard in the recycling. I've lived here a long time and just assumed they did not take those things.

To my further surprise, you can request an additional recycle bin at no cost! Brilliant. We often overflow our bin due to the pickup being bi-weekly.

So now we have an entire bin for paper and cardboard. The other for glass, alumninum and plastic items.

Take a closer look at your policy and see what you could be missing!

Green Birthday

Our little girl (MC) had her first birthday this past weekend. I made an effort to have it be a "green" budget friendly party.

1) I bought no paper products! We had 12 family members there and I have 12 place settings, so no need for paper plates.

2) Made the cupcakes and decorated them. This eliminated the waste of the box from a store bought cake. Savings $$

3) Send e-vite rather than paper invitations. Free!

4) Gathered together photos of the attendee with MC, framed them and placed the picture at the table as seating assignments. It provided for conversation starter and brought back happy memories of the first year. Using frames from around the house gave the table and eclectic look. Another no cost decorating option.

We had beautiful 65 degree day in February. It was a simple happy day.

Toddler here were come!

I'm a winner!

I won, I actually won something! I was the blog giveaway winner from GreenMamma.

She had neat gift wrap idea during December. She wrapped gifts in a scarf. Reusable, unusual and green! I was very excited to find out I won.

Thanks GreenMamma!