Veggie Kids

Our household is one of "Virtual" vegetarians. In our case, this means that in principle, we don't eat meat. However we do make exceptions where we feel that not eating something is actually less ethical. (We'll eat a dish that's served to us rather than it going to waste is the bottom line.) Rather than get into the difficulties of helping the kids to understand the ethics behind that particular dietary choice, I thought I'd focus on the tips I've learned as a veggie momma. I hope that these will help mommas of any food choice help their kids to make healthy choices.

First there are the health aspects. I'm proud to say that we've had two very open minded pediatricians who haven't batted an eyelash at the fact that we eat veg. (At Sprout's 4 year old well-child visit, the pediatrician asked Sprout if he liked turkey, and Sprout very sternly said: "We do not eat turkey!" Both of these docs know that kids (and grown ups) can get all of the nutrients that they need from a plant based whole foods diet. Most Americans get far more protein than they need. Our kids get plenty in milk/soymilk, beans, and even whole grains, nuts, and vegetables. A quick google search will give you plenty of information on veggie kids and nutrition.

Does that mean your kid has to be a non-picky eater? Nope, you've just got to work with their likes to figure out what will work. Most kids love quesadillas. Made on a whole wheat tortilla with black beans and shredded carrots mixed in, you've got a well-balanced meal. Try stirring peas or beans into (whole grain) mac and cheese. Offering dips of any kind can encourage kids to try new things. I can't count how many foods I've finally gotten the kids to eat by offering to let them dip it in ketchup. (Just make sure you're using organic ketchup--high in all the good nutrients, no HFCS.) The kids love pan-fried tofu in any shape as long as there's a healthy side of ketchup!

Still no luck? Try letting your child help choose meals or partcipate in preparation. Offer to let your child choose the side vegetable. Make pizzas on whole wheat pitas, and let your child choose their toppings, spread the sauce, sprinkle the cheese. Try a kids cookbook like one of Mollie Katzen's--Salad People and Pretend Soup are both big hits at our place. It takes a bit more time, but it helps the kids get excited about their food. I couldn't believe it when Sprout loved "Green Spaghetti"--he wouldn't touch pesto before! Even just letting the kids have a couple of turns stirring a bowl can give them a sense of ownership and pride that will encourage them to try something new. Similarly, offering the kids free snack choices can be empowering and help them make healthy decisions. Sprout and Bird know that they are welcome to raisins and baby carrots most anytime, and they take advantage of that! Other favorite (but limited) snack choices include almonds, PB& Celery, string cheese, and yogurt. Sometimes choices can make things complicated (Sprout will only drink soymilk now, while Bird prefers cow's milk) so be sure to offer things where you'll be happy with any choice.

Make food fun! I occasionally have time to be as creative as Vegan Lunchbox, as evidenced here by my polenta dinosaur in a marinara volcano, spouting parmesan steam in a broccoli forest, but more often than not it's about making everyday food creative. Make mashed sweet potatos into a mountain, with a plain-yogurt stream. Make a veggie smiley face on a bagel, or just out of plain veggies on a plate. Even names can make a big difference. When I first made Mollie Katzen's "Carrot Mushroom Loaf", I didn't tell the kids what it was. I let them name it, and they loved it so much they called it "Second Thanksgiving". They didn't even notice the 'dreaded' mushrooms throughout. We also have "Green Goddess Quiche", and tacking "Magic" on to many things is enough to do the trick. Tofu dogs wrapped in a tortilla become "Perritos"--you get the idea. Think "Ants on a Log"!

Lastly, don't give up. Repetition can go a long way. Encourage a "try it" bite of everything, but don't push too hard. (Easier said than done, I know, and there are plenty of time food goes uneaten on Sprout and Bird's plates.) Eventually, your child may find a new favorite in a previously shunned meal. I hope I've offered a few new tips for Moms of little veggies and picky eaters.

Refreshing Veggies

We're not talking about a crisp cucumber in the summer's heat. Nope, this is about revitalizing limp, tired veggies that were formerly destined to the compost heap (or your veggie broth scrap bag)! It doesn't happen as often now that we cook so much from scratch, but perhaps you understand my occasional celery bunch that's discovered wilting in the very back of the bottom shelf, or those floppy carrots you discover under a bag of potatoes in the crisper. I've read before that dunking these sad little veggies in ice water can perk them right up, but I didn't believe it. Then during a recent round of pantry cleaning, it was perk up those veggies or eat a soggy veggie stir-fry, so I went for it. I was pleasantly suprised to find out that it worked just fine! I don't know if there are any nutritional drawbacks, obviously veggies are best eaten fresh, but it certainly works on the texture. So far I've just tried carrots, and celery. With celery, I just stick them in the fridge in a container of cold water. (Remember the experiments in elementary school with food coloring that left you with blue celery leaves?) These pictures were taken after an overnight in the refrigerator, but even after 30 minutes they've perked quite a bit. (No doctoring was done to these photos, it just works!) I hope this saves the next droopy veggie in your crisper.

Ostara

Happy Ostara (a bit late) to all. I hope everyone had a nice Spring celebration. Things have been busy here and as they settled down I found myself dealing with a bit of depression again. Ah well, life goes on! We managed to do a few Ostara activities. We made little nest treats for a sweet activity. An outdoor egg hunt turned out to be a disaster (two children in tears, baskets blowing away) but what do we expect with 27 degree weather and flurries in April? Spring made a brief appearance but appears to be feeling a bit shy! Our Ostara treats came from Sweet Earth Chocolates this year. I highly reccomend them! Their customer service was great, shipping was exceptionally fast, and the goods are GOOD! We tried all of the different "eggs" (mint crunch, peanut butter crunch, dark and milk chocolate, and the bunnies. Their chocolate is fair trade and organic, and they have a number of vegan options. Be sure to check them out the next time you're in the market for sweets. (I see they have Mother's Day specials on their website today!) They made a lovely basket, joined by a small amount of precious Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans. Bird's Ostara cardigan got finished in a nick of time. Luckily I'd made my own shawl last year, so no worries there. I hope Spring is showing it's face wherever you are this week. Happy Ostara!

Fruit From Heaven

Things have been busy, my friends, but there is light on the horizon! Beo and I are turning a business trip into a little getaway this weekend for a much needed break. Phew! Amidst the hectic pace and stress of the last couple of weeks, we received an amazing gift--a box full of sunshine sent by a positive Angel! Organic avocados, grapefruit, lemons, limes, bringing a taste of the exotic to our bleak pre-Spring days. It was the height of luxury this week, squeezing lime juice on our rice and beans, eating avocado (quite possibly my favorite food) with every meal, grapefruit for breakfast. What a bright blessing at a perfect time! I don't know that I've ever baked with real lemons before, but my Angel sent us Ponderosa Lemons, known as "Pie Lemons" in the south because they're the size of a large grapefruit and can take the place of the 6 usually called for in a recipe. I decided I had to find a killer recipe for these mommas, and I did. I made The Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Cake last night. Lemon cake is not necessarily one of my favorite things, and I tend to find complicated baking daunting, but this...this was heaven. Each and every step was worth it. I highly recommend this recipe if you are looking for a doable fancy recipe, going to a brunch, or just like lemon sweets. (If you're using "Pie Lemons", you'll only need two, not the six to eight the recipe calls for!) The recipe makes two cakes, so I had Beo take one to the neighbors. It got rave reviews from them, who said this morning that it was like eating Spring and Summer. So true! It was positively delightful, a highlight to our Sunshine Fruit Week. Thank you, Fruit Angel!

Hanna's Dream

My regular readers will know that I do my best to reign in my love of kids clothes. That's true, but I know a great source for sustainable, stylish kids clothes when I see one! I've had the chance to work with the owner of Hanna's Dream a bit this year. (Within my budget, I promise!) She is a real delight and has a great site. Hanna's Dream has everything from baby clothes to blankets to toys to adult clothing. Much of what they carry is hard-to-find European brands. There are lots of lovely natural organic color grown cotton pieces, but there are also fun and funky pieces as well. Their prices are very competitive and they're often offering great deals such as free-shipping or a percent off a certain brand, in addition to a daily special. Right now the site is offering 20% off all of their Lapsaky line for kids. They even offer used clothing occasionally. How cool is that? Take a look! I'll be adding a permanent link if you want to check back in the future.

Spark People

Things have been crazy around here once again. I do have some recipes to share once things calm down a bit! One thing I wanted to share is a website I've been enjoying: Spark People. This is a great site for a variety of purposes: losing weight, tracking nutrition, analyzing recipes, tracking exercise, setting goals, and more. I first learned about this site on my beloved Veggie Board. I was skeptical, only because it's FREE! I've been very impressed though. I think this site is probably just as valuable as the Weight Watchers site for folks trying to lose weight, and infinitely more useful for those just maintaing their weight. It's helped me to see where I'm doing okay with my nutrition, and what I need to work on. (I need to eat more spinach!) I've also really enjoyed being able to get a better idea of the nutrition in the recipes I create. It took me a bit to get used to the system, but if you're interested in this kind of program, I'd encourage you to give it a week or two and see how you like it. I'll keep a link to it in my sidebar in case you want to find if later. It's become a valuable tool for me.

Threadless T-Shirts

This is one of those completely-off-my-normal-beaten-path things. I recently discovered Threadless.com through Groovy Green. This is a website that lets designers submit ideas for t-shirts, and some get printed and are available for purchase. The t-shirt designs are so independent and different. I have enjoyed just flipping through the various submissions. I'm a sucker for tees but have way too many. The kids on the other hand, could use a couple of new ones. I love that these designs really let them march to their own drummer. (A few of their favorites along with some of mine are pictured above.) The original post on Groovy Green pointed out some cool Eco-submissions. The tees aren't organic but they're printed mostly on American Apparel-not necessarily the savoriest company, but at least sweat free. Threadless is having a $10 sale right now, so check it out!

Resolution Check-In

It's March 1st-2007 is racing right along. Did you make any resolutions? Have they survived the first couple months of the year? I am reasonably happy with how my focus areas for 2007 are going. My main goals were to be more frugal, especially with food; to buy 50% of the kids clothes used, to be more resourceful, and to eliminate credit card spending. This is all about simplicity and sustainability.

Frugality and Food is going well. Our grocery budget for this year is already $100 less a month than 2006, and we've finished January and February with $100+ left in those budgets. We've done this sticking to local, organic, and low packaging. Make sure to check out my posts on frugality if you haven't already. I'm really amazed at how much further we've been able to cut back, even being 99% organic.

Things with the kids clothes are overall going well. Right now both kids have a solid half of their clothes second-hand. I confess that it has still been a real struggle for me to regulate my buying habits, however I have done much better than in the past. I have also been vindicated in my belief that quality counts. Sprout recently wore clean through a pair of pants and is on his way through another--his last 2 pair of, let's face it, sweatshop eco-disaster pants from a big chain. The ones from quality eco-friendly and socially conscious places are still going strong with barely a sign of wear, even though they've been through just as much.

In keeping with working with what we have-talents and skill included, I'm knitting an Easter cardigan for Bird rather than purchasing one. I don't do dainty, but it will be fun and cozy for one of my favorite celebrations of Spring. She may only be 3, but she already seems very excited about the fact that I'm making something for her to wear. I've been making decent progress, knitting as I watch documentaries (a recent habit), and should have it done on time.

Our credit card spending has improved dramatically. We are down a very decent amount for the year. We have used the cards a couple of times but they have so far all gotten paid off quickly and we've stayed far ahead of the game, enough so that Beo and I have decided to use a bit of our tax refund so that he can accompany me to a meeting I'm going to in warmer climes. It will be a much needed vacation for him, and we'll have a bit more time than usual to spend together.

It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, there have been slip-ups along the way, but we've kept working towards our goals and I feel proud to keep moving in the right direction and holding to the values I want to stick with this year. If you've fallen off your own bandwagon, don't forget that it's yours to stop when you need to. Pick yourself up, brush off, and climb right back on. If I hadn't done the same, I'd be in a cloud of dust myself.

EcoMama's Spice Rack

Ah, finally we reach the crown jewel of my culinary stock, the spice rack! Yes, technically rack(s), although if we really want to get techical i'm not sure they're even "racks". We had to expand after I started cooking lessons, started getting higher quality spices at Penzey's, and started to overflow the cabinet. These are a great little spice holder from Target. They come with labels but I prefer to write on them with dry-erase markers so I can switch things around. There was a time when I didn't ever replace spices unless they became so old that they were 1) rock hard or 2) flavorless. Now I buy bulk bags and refill my spice containers frequently. It's definitely worth it to buy quality. It is more flavorful so you not only get a better quality flavor, you also have to use less.

So what do I keep on hand? Curry Powder, Turmeric, Garam Masala, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Mustard Seeds, and Corriander start my savory and Indian to Middle East collection. I use a lot of chili powder to add flavor to soups. The next rack has nutmeg, cinnamon, a savory herb blend, rosemary, homegrown thyme, crushed mint, peppercorns, and powdered ginger. The nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger are mostly used for baking though they do make their occasional appearance to set off a savory dish. Beo loves rosemary in anything, though especially paired with egg. He has been making a mean hashbrown with lovely rosemary tones. We recently ran out of our dried rosemary from the garden and plan to grow more next year. Rosemary along with thyme it makes a nicely rounded flavor mix. Crushed mint I mostly use in making yogurt dips. You'll notice two empty containers, and it's not for lack of spices, I just can't decide what is most worthy of a spot on the rack. Is it cardamom which I use rarely but as an esteemed spice deserves a showcase? Should I give a spot to cayenne, or is it used to sparingly to have it's own container? What about straight up Paprika that I've realized has it's own place in addition to my smoked variety? There are another half dozen or so contenders still regimented to the cabinet, including a mean mexican vanilla which actually enjoys the cool dark of it's current home, of course. I never imagined that I would be such a spice hound, but my love of cooking has expanded my knowledge and thus my love of a good spice. I hope you enjoyed the tour of my little stovetop universe o' flavor.

Our Frugal Pantry

Next up, the frugal pantry! Our pantry is a lot less cluttered these days than it used to be, thanks mostly to our cutting back on convenience and prepared foods. I have always wanted a pantry, so I was very excited that our new house had one, and quickly set to work filling it up. It took me a while to get it organized, but we have a good system. I keep bulk spices and other seldom-used items on the top shelf. The next shelf has snacky things: applesauce (mostly used for baking), apple butter, and convenience foods for the kids. We keep stocked up on Clif Z Bars. These are great organic whole grain bars that can even substitute for a meal if you have to rush out the door. (All you Weight Watchers folks, they're also a filling treat for 2-3 points!) We also keep Archer Farms (Target) organic fruit leather on hand for the same purpose. (Again, these were nice when I was counting points-just one point for a chewy snack.)

Next comes the grains shelf. Here we have a few bags of whole wheat pasta for quick meals, brown and white rice, whole wheat couscous, oats, and other grains that don't fit in our fridge drawer. The protein shelf is next. I used to keep loads of canned beans on hand: Kidney, black, cannelini, garbanzo, lentils. Now we keep mostly dried on hand, but I keep a few cans in case I've forgotten to plan ahead. I also keep the miscellaneous extra condiments like tamari and tahini on this shelf, just because there's room. (I'm slowly collecting enough containers that I can keep all of our bulk items in sealed glass, to avoid pest problems. A rogue mouse was once deleriously happy in our pantry before we found him out.)

Our next shelf is the tomato shelf. Next year I hope that this will be filled with home grown jars. We use a lot of tomato products in our cooking: marinara for pasta, pizza sauce for Beo's famous homemade pies, diced for soups and curries, etc. I love Muir Glen products, especially their fireroasted tomatoes. Whole Foods now has 365 organic canned tomatoes which are much cheaper, so we always stock up on those unless Muir Glen is on sale. I used to keep 5-6 boxes of veggie broth on hand, now I just keep 1 or 2 for the occasion that we run out of homemade. I also used to have a whole row of Annie's organic mac and cheese. I don't put much stock in all of the hype Annie's recently generated. The kids love it, and it's a relatively healthy alternative. That said, we have moved away from it a bit just for frugal purposes. The kids love white bean soup so that has taken a large part of the Annie's market away in my house. We've also discovered that the kids are pretty happy with some whole wheat pasta mixed with some beans and sprinkled with a little parmesan and Earth Balance. So while you'll still find Annie's in my pantry, it's no longer a staple due to price and our move to less packaging. Voila, our frugal, whole foods, vegetarian friendly pantry. The great majority of what I cook is easily made from the contents of this pantry and our fridge. Extra ingredients are a rarity. It's nice to be able to pull together a wide variety of meals once you've staked out your basic needs.

Frugal Filled Fridge

I figured that since I showed you my frugalfied, pared down fridge, I'd show you it stocked up with frugal friendly foods too. It's taken me a year of healthy cooking, but I've come up with what I think is a good stock list. We'll start with the fridge, move to the pantry, and then check out my spice rack. Today, let's look at the fridge. There are a number of things I try to always have. They include:

• Milk and Soymilk
• Eggs
• Juice or Herbal Tea
• Cheese-Mozzarella, Cheddar, Parmesan, Feta
• Tempeh or Tofu
• Earth Balance Spread
• Butter for Baking
• Yogurt-Plain and Flavored
• Vegetable Broth
• Cooked Beans
• Prepared Steel Cut Oats (Cooked+Fruit)
• Oodles of Fresh Produce
• Nuts and Grains
• Peanut Butter
• Tahini
• Jam
• Raisins
• Condiments Galore

The must-have produce items I keep on hand are carrots (full-size for cooking, baby for snacking), onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green, garlic, and mushrooms. I usually have celery and an easy side veggie like broccoli, cauliflower, or beets. I try to have a good stock of fruit to choose from-usually apples and citrus is the only thing we can get organic and US grown these days. Our nuts and grains drawer usually has steel cut oats, barley or millet (or another filler-type grain), almonds, walnuts, flax seeds and meal, and homemade bread crumbs. We also have various specialty flours and grains like wheat berries for Beo's breadmaking. Condiments include peanut butter, jam, salad dressing (a creamy one for dipping and a homemade vinaigrette), salsa, asian marinades/tamari, Bragg's, lemon and lime juices, ketchup, and mustard. Of course there's always a variety of leftovers as well, and beer and white wine-when it's too cold to keep it in the garage! Each week I try to plan at least 2 or 3 recipes outside of our standards, and make sure I have the necessary ingredients for those in addition to our basics. With these things in my fridge, I'm able to prepare a healthy frugal meal at the drop of a hat.

Afghan Stewed Vegetables

Well, dear friends, Soup Week has come to an end. I don't want to shock your system too much, so I'll ease you out gradually. One of my underlying goals for this year was to be sure to take time for myself. Sometimes being a full-time Mom, running a non-profit program, and trying to keep up with the gardens seems like a full-time job. I enjoy cooking so much, so this year I am going to try to take a cooking class every month at Whole Foods Market. Not only does it allow me to indulge my foodie nature, it gives me new tips, tricks and recipes, and gives me a night to myself. One of my dear sisters is underwriting these classes for me as a congratulatory gift for attacking our debt and sticking to our budget. My first class was a fabulous course in Afghan cooking. It was taught by the head chef of a popular Afghan restaurant. One of my favorite dishes of the night was this stewed vegetable concoction. It was just enough of a new twist on a curry-like meal, combining spices and flavors in a uniquely Afghan way.

Afghan Stewed Vegetables

• Onion, diced
• Small Can Diced Tomatoes
• Large Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed/diced
• curry powder (up to 3 t.)
• ground coriander (about 1 T.)
• cumin (up to 1 t.)
• salt (about 1 t.)
• 1 T. grated ginger
• 1 c. Water
• Vegetables cut into large chunks (potatoes, peppers, cauliflower, carrots)
• 1 can or 1.5 cups chickpeas (rinsed and drained if canned)
• couscous (prepare while veggies stew)

In a large pot, saute onion in a bit of olive oil. Add canned tomatoes, garlic, spices, and ginger. (Add spices according to your taste. I am estimating about what she used and I've used since.) Add water. Bring to a simmer. Add vegetables and bring to a boil. (Add them according to which will take the longest to cook. i.e. add potatoes, then 5 minutes later add carrots, etc.) Add chickpeas. Allow to stew until veggies reach desired tenderness. (Meanwhile, prepare couscous.) To serve, fluff couscous and arrange in the center of a plate. Surround with vegetable mixture and serve immediately.

I served this with bulani, another lesson from my class. They're quite similar to the carrot rangoon I made in my frugality efforts last month. These I made with some of the last of the frozen shredded zucchini from summer. Use wonton or egg roll wrappers and fry in a bit of oil. You can use almost any filling. Serve these with a yogurt mint sauce. The coolness of the yogurt sauce is perfect with the spicy rich warmth of the stewed vegetables. Enjoy!

Soup Week, Part 4

What's that? Enough beans already? Well beans are a wonder food, but okay. I'm not going far though, just traveling to an underloved grain: barley. I recently discovered barley and have found it to be a wonderful tool for frugal and healthy vegetarian cooking. When it comes to barley's nutrition, think whole wheat on all natural steroids. Barley is high in protein, fiber, and iron, and rich in fatty acids which make it a good complete protein. Hurrah! Barley, where have you been all my life? I have been using organic pearl barley, which is less nutritious than whole barley, but has a delightful texture and still retains some of the nutritional values previously mentioned. It can be purchased on the cheap in the bulk section. The stuff really expands when cooked. It's a great filler when you have the bare essentials for a soup.

Making a soup with barley is simple. Cook the barley ahead of time. Pearled barley does take a while. Cook it for about 35 minutes with a ration of 2 parts liquid to one part barley. It takes on flavors well, so consider cooking it in a good veggie broth. I think you could theoretically throw some barley in to a soup uncooked, but you'd need to make sure there was plenty of liquid for it to soak up. I make my barley soup with potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery, and whatever seasonings I'm in the mood for. Rosemary, thyme, the basics-all work well, but you can certainly get more exotic. Salt and pepper round things out. Bring to a boil and simmer until the veggies are as tender as you'd like them.

You can also use barley as a filler for leftover soups. Recently Beo threw a couple scoops of cooked barley into some leftover baked bean soup to stretch it for a hearty lunch. He served it in fresh baked bread bowls! They were his first attempt at bread bowls, and they were wonderful. Enjoy exploring the wonderful world of barley!

Soup Week, Part 3

The soup du jour is White Bean Soup! The base for this recipe comes once again at the reccomendation of Virtual Veggie "Geek". I first had this soup in it's original incarnation as "Smokey White Bean Soup". The original calls for 3 oz. of smoked gouda and 1 c. milk. I have modified it only slightly to use whatever cheese you have handy, coordinating spices, and have eliminated the milk. The flavor of the soup really hangs on whatever cheese and seasonings you use. This is very versatile, and something both Sprout and Bird absolutely love. It's as much a staple for them as anything now. I don't measure anything with this soup. Just figure out what you'd like the texture to be, and take it from there. I chop the potatoes, put them in the pot, and barely cover them with liquid. I add beans according to how filling I want the soup to be.

White Bean Soup

• 1 lb. potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 c. water, broth, or mix
• 3 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans drained & rinsed (I use a bunch of cooked white beans)
• 1 tsp. cumin, or to taste
• 1/8-1/4 t. cayenne
• nutmeg to taste (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 oz. cheese of your choice, shredded (cheddar and parmesan work nicely)

In a soup pot combine potatoes, onion and water. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Process potatoes, onion and cooking water until smooth. Return to pot (or use immersion blender) and add beans, spices, and S&P. Heat gently until it's uniformly hot. Stir in the cheese of your choice and continue heating until the cheese has been melted.

Yesterday I made this with a raw milk cheddar from our farmer's market. I topped my serving with smoked paprika, which brought that smokey taste from the original back in. It was wonderful. Geek also reccomends adding chopped spinach to this soup to switch things up. Enjoy!

Soup Week, Part 2

Today's soup comes again from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special. I've only dabbled here and there in this great book. This soup was pointed out and recommended by my Virtual Veg friend, Geek. I can't believe I missed it-it's just a few pages from one of my favorite soups in the book. This has become one of our favorites. Thanks, Geek!

Baked Bean Soup

• 2 c. chopped onion
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 c. diced celery
• 1 c. peeled and diced carrots
• 1 T. chili powder
• 2-3 t. dijon or german style mustard
• 2 c. water
• 1-1/2 c. undrained stewed tomatoes
• 1-2/3 c. white beans
• 2 t. cider vinegar
• 2 T. molasses
• 1 T. soy sauce
• salt/pepper to taste

In a soup pot on medium heat saute the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add celery, carrots, and chili powder continue and cook until veggies are tender, about 5 [to 10-15] minutes. Stir in the mustard, water, tomatoes, beans, vinegar, molasses, and soy sauce. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes and Optional Additions: I use veggie broth instead of water, for a richer soup. I also like using diced tomatoes rather than stewed-fire roasted are great. The first time I made the soup I accidentally used twice the tomatoes, and I prefer it that way. You can also use more beans if you wish. Geek recommended adding garlic in with the celery and carrots, and also adding in a splash of maple syrup w/ the molasses. It definitely adds a nice sweetness. Both Geek and I found that the end cooking time is more like 30-40 minutes to allow the flavors to blend properly and the veggies to get tender. You don't want them to get soft though. This soup is even better the next day. When I make it for company, I always make it the day before and let it "marinate".

Geek recommended a great cornbread with this soup. I did cornbread muffins the second time I made this, and made a recipe I found a bit lighter. They turned out beautifully.

EcoMama's Cornbread Muffins

• 1 c. cornmeal
• 3/4 c. all purpose flour
• 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 c. plain lowfat (or fat free) yogurt
• 1 c. skim or soymilk
• 1/4 c. corn kernels

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir just until mixed. Gently stir in corn. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean.

Soup Week, Part 1

It's Soup Week at EcoMama! To be accurate, it's the end of two soup weeks in the EcoMama-Beo Household. We've been eating soup, soup, and more soup in this frigid Wisconsin Winter. This morning it was -15, with a windchill of -30. Brrrrrr. Our nice new house has ice build up on the inside of the windows. It's cold. Nothing a good pot of soup won't fix though. We're starting with a great new favorite which, like many, comes from my Moosewood Daily Special. (Well it's not technically mine-it's Mollie Katzen's. I do own a copy though. Mine.) I highly recommend this cookbook for it's soups and accompaniments. This soup is versatile and easily adaptable to whatever cuisine you'd like to pair it with. The recipe calls for fresh sage, but I subbed a good deal of whole rosemary leaves and thyme, and it was heavenly. Without further ado, Tuscan Bean Soup.


Tuscan Bean Soup

• 2 c. diced onions (about 1 large)
• 1 c. peeled and diced carrots (2-3 medium)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 T. olive oil
• 15 large fresh sage leaves (or other herbs)
• 6 c. cooked pinto, Roman, or small red or white beans*
• 3-4 c. Vegetable Stock, bean-cooking liquid, or water
• salt and pepper to taste

*Beans: 3 15 or 16 oz. cans, undrained. Or, 2 c. dried beans yields about 6 c. cooked.

In a soup pot, saute the onions, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil on medium-low heat until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Stack the sage leaves and cut them crosswise into thin strips. Stir the sage into the vegetables. Add the cooked beans and 3 c. of the stock or other liquid. Continue to cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and simmering, 5 to 10 minutes.

Carefully ladle about 3 c. of the soup into a blender and puree into smooth. Stir the puree back into the soup. (Using an immersion blender sparingly also works.) If you wish, add more liquid for a less thick consistency. Add S&P to taste. If necessary, gently reheat the soup. Serve hot.

This is a great soup for chilly nights. It's very filling and the thyme and rosemary made the house smell warm. Beo loved this soup. He said it tasted "meaty". Coming from him, this is quite a compliment. Stay tuned for more great soups for these cold Winter days.

Frugal is the New Green

There has been a lot of talk lately on how being Green can be so frugal. Daily Kos, Ethicuran, and Groovy Green along with others have been touting all of the penny pinching that comes along with greening up a lifestlye. Beo has discussed on his blog how we have found that we can afford organic by making more things from scratch and cutting down on packaging. Over the past few months we've been trying to make more out of less, both for the environment and for our budget. I've been surprised at what a difference some of the little things really make.

One item we've swtiched to is bulk beans. I've had people telling me for a while that my canned beans were a convenience food, and I've scoffed and kept on stocking my pantry. Do you seriously think I have time to cook my own beans? We eat beans like they're going out of style. Sure, some organic beans are $1.79 and up per can, but at 99 cents a can, Whole Foods was making it easy for me to think canned beans are frugal in and of themselves. I decided to try a batch or two of bulk beans, and they were so easy that I gradually started switching over to all of our beans in bulk. Today I took the last step and bought bulk dried garbanzos instead of canned. I decided to do some weighing and measuring and seeing how much I was saving not just in packaging but also in cost. It turns out I'm paying an average of 25 cents for the same amount of beans that I used to pay 99 cents for in a can. No can, no sealing, no label, and I'm saving a whopping 75 percent. Not bad at all. In this veggie household that's saving us a bundle on soups, chilis, casseroles, and hummus.

Another switch we've made is a bit less about Green and more about frugality. When I read Kos's article about Kossacks being Frugal, I skimmed the list of reader submitted ideas on saving money. One was "Give up Coffee". Behind it, Kos had written "(You first.)" I laughed hysterically. But guess what? Yesterday I finished packing up our $100 coffee pot and stowing it away. We are coffee lovers extrodinaire, but we decided it was time to give up our daily 6-cup each habit. Neither of us is sure how we came to this conclusion. I had a splitting headache one day when sharing our coffee with visitors meant I didn't get as much as usual. The next day I was late in getting my coffee and the headache worsened. It was so severe that I decided that I didn't want to have something messing that much with my body chemistry, and I've only had a cup or two now and then since then. I started drinking a lot more tea, and soon Beo was on board as well. I ran the math, and I figure that we were paying almost 50 cents a cup for the shade-grown, fair trade, organic coffee that we brewed at home. The cost of a cup of tea? 15 cents. It varies a bit with the varieties we choose, but that's the average-and this is high end tea. What's more, that cost doesn't take into account re-using your tea leaves, which we do, so you can cut that in half again. We're still working on balancing out the smaller choice of organic varieties in the Tea world, but we've ordered a variety and are buying from Republic of Tea, which is a fair trade certified company. (Some of their teas have an additional Fair Trade premium on top of the already fair trade price.) We're not giving up the bean entirely, we've ordered a french press for an occasional brew now and then, but in the long run the switch from coffee to tea is saving us anywhere from $500-$1000 this year (depending on how much we'd have brewed day to day.)

I'm also happy to report that I finished the first month of 2007 within my budget limitations for kids clothes spending, and hit my goal for buying 50% of it second hand. Green = Frugal. The great thing is that like my diet-diet last year, the success of my financial-diet this year is motivating me to keep on track and see how much farther we can go. Stay tuned for frugal meal ideas. I've declared next week "Soup Week" on EcoMama Musings, and will share some of our favorite recipes.

Crackers

We're having friends over for lunch today, which means I get to splurge just a wee bit on the food budget. I'm serving a frugal muffin and soup main course, but the big to-do is the feta walnut pate I'll serve beforehand. I picked up the feta and fresh parsley, then headed for the cracker aisle. I've been trying to avoid buying snacky things, so it's been awhile since I've perused there. I was shocked at how expensive organic crackers were. There were a few conventional brands that were $3-$4 a box, but the organic crackers were $6 and up. With our frugal cooking lately, even $3 seems like a lot to spend on one item. My neighbor gave us some crackers a while back. She had made them while experimenting with different recipes to accomodate her daughters many allergies. I decided to give it a try myself.

I found a simple recipe on Allrecipes.com. This is a nice recipe website because you can read reviews by other users and see what modifications they made to the recipe. It's a very simple starter, and I decided to make them straight up this first time around. The dough is made from:

• 1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water

It's a very easy dough to work with. Once the dough is formed you roll it to approximately 1/8" thick. For the first batch, I laid a piece of parchment paper over my rolled out dough, and used a pizza cutter to make straight edges and trim the dough to fit the baking sheet. (The recipe instructions call for an ungreased cookie sheet, but I love my parchment paper!) I also used the pizza cutter to mark the lines for the crackers. You score the dough, but don't cut all the way through. Next use a fork to pierce a few vents into each cracker. Bake the crackers at 350 for 15-20 minutes. (About 18 minutes worked for me.) While my first batch was baking, I collected and rolled out the trimmings from my first batch to make a second batch. For this one I left the edges ragged so as not to waste any of the dough. My second batch turned out crispier. I think I may have gotten them a bit thinner with less dough to work with, so next time I'll probably seperate the dough into two before rolling it out. These are a very basic cracker, perfect for highlighting the intense flavor of the pate. They are also a great springboard for making any variety of crackers. You could try adding dried herbs, parmesan, cracked pepper, paprika, or any number of flavors. This box-worth of crackers probably cost less than $1 to make, and was quite simple. I may never buy crackers again!

Groovy Green

I'm pleased to share with my lovely readers that Beo and I have been invited to be Contributors at GroovyGreen.com. Groovy Green is a great Environmental site that is both an on-line magazine and a blog, and has great features such as videos and links to other Eco-blogs. Beo has already had two articles on the 'zine side of their site, and we've both had a few posts on the blog side. Check out the homepage, www.groovygreen.com, to see Beo's articles on our side business, "Someday Gardens", as well as his tale of convering from sports car to hybrid, which you may have caught in it's first form on his blog. So far I've stuck to former EcoMama blog posts and new Environmental news, like Pelosi's charge against global warming. I hope you'll check out the site and watch for an upcoming article I've written on how doing one small thing can make a big difference in the world.

Curry Nights

Winter has finally gotten some bluster to it, and it's been cold and snowy. Last night I decided that after weeks of having soup as our staple, it was time for a good curry. Curry in winter is comfort food akin to the Tian that is Beo's favorite-savory, rich, and nourishing. Since it's relatively new to my foodie repetoire, I hadn't thought of this before. I also realized that a curry is a great frugal dish for using up the last of those veggies too. A curry can take in almost anything and meld it through the wonderful array of spices that seep into the tomato "gravy". Last night's curry included cauliflower. I've been buying big heads of cauliflower and using half to make Tian, then blanching and freezing the rest. In addition, I used the last of some fresh spinach, and a can of chick peas. Instead of brown rice, I served it with whole wheat cous cous, of which we had an overstock in the pantry. Beo and I both agreed that the cous cous was probably better than rice, really soaking up all of the wonderful juices and not interfering with the just-right texture of the curry. If you feel like cooking up a curry with what you have on hand tonight, but don't know how see my original post on making a gravy curry. Enjoy!

"Bruin" the Hound

Last week Ruben turned three. It was his first birthday off the tracks and out of the kennels. A lot of people think that greyhounds get spoiled after their retirement, but it's just not true. His life here hasn't been a cake walk at all. For one thing, he's hardly allowed on any furniture.

Okay, maybe the bed but NOT the pillows.

Allright, fine, the pillows, but lets keep the couch nice for company.

After a hard life on the tracks, he deserves it. Even the organic dog treats from the local doggie bakery! He's been a great dog. He's learned to be super gentle with the kids, he has the rare quality of being a "watch hound", and he's obviously made the life of Kamey (our older hound) complete. For more information about greyhounds, check out your local chapter of Greyhound Pets of America. Happy Birthday, Ruben, our big bear-"Bruin"!

Tough Talk-Shopping Addictions

I've mentioned my love of kids clothes in the past. I probably haven't been real candid about how out of control that "love" has gotten in the past. It's not real fun to talk about, but here goes.
A couple of years ago, I truly became a shopping addict, going way out my comfort zone in terms of what I was buying and how much I was spending. I spent a couple thousand dollars on a big name brand clothing company, buying clothes that didn't fit our lifestyle from a company I didn't want to support. This wasn't "me" at all. I always swore that my kids would wear plain t-shirts, hand tie-dyed of course, and hand-me-down jeans. By the time I realized how bad I'd gotten, Bird had over 30 outfits. Halfway through my "recovery", Beo walked into Bird's closet, saw her nine pairs of shoes, and got more serious about my problem. I know he worried about me, but with me being in control of the finances, and having all sorts of great justifications, I'm sure he felt reluctant to get too wrapped up in it.

What is it that made me so crazy about these clothes? It was so out of control. Sometimes when there was a big sale rumored, I'd drive over 100 miles to hit both store in our area. I would buy something, then end up feeling terrible about it, and sell it in a storm of guilt. For a while, I made myself feel better by looking at how I wasn't as bad as "the others". In one of my online recovery groups there were women hiding huge boxes of clothes in their attics, lying to their husbands, secretly spending savings and maxing out credit cards, and even going into bankrupcy, all for these clothes. We talked about how having our kids so well dressed somehow validated our lives as Stay-at-Home-Moms. There were work-for-pay Moms too though, and I think they thought the same thing-that having well dressed kids meant that they were good Moms even though they couldn't stay-at-home. There may have been some of that "Good Mom" validation for me, but I think a big part of it was that I just plain loved the clothes, and how good the kids looked in them. I loved getting something lovely and new in the mail, washing it, hanging it in the closet. I loved going through the many outfits. At the core though, it wasn't healthy. I think it's okay to have a guilty pleasure, but when it starts making you compromise your values, live outside your means, and make questionable judgements, it's time to step back. A lot of times I'd catch myself shopping when I was going through a depressed period, or stress. Buying something made me feel better. Finally, about this time last year, I got fed up with myself and called it quits. I've only made one purchase from "them" since. That doesn't mean it's been smooth sailing though.

I switched my loyalty to a company I believed in, which was a good start. Hanna Andersson is a wonderful company-dedicated to social responsiblity. They believe in being environmentally conscious, and offer organic clothing options as well as Eco-Tex clothing. It's been tough for me not to let the allure of supporting a company I believe in get me back into my old buying habits. I'm definitely improving, in 2006 spending about 1/3 of what I did the previous year, but I'd like to do even better. I've vowed to get half of this years clothes second-hand, returning to my environmental values. I've set a strict budget for myself, allowing myself $40 a month for kids clothes, plus whatever I can get for resale values on last years clothes. To you, it might sound like plenty. To me, I feel like it's barely enough. Today when I noticed that Sprout had outgrown yet another pair of shoes, I immediately thought to order another pair. I had to stop myself to remind myself that one pair of shoes could be enough. As I go through the kids clothes for Spring, I have to ask Beo for help in decision making at every turn, because I'm so scared of making a wrong turn. So far though, I've done well. We're getting ahead instead of behind on our budget goals, and I've resisted many a siren call.

The whole shebang is so unlike me. Some of our friends laughed when I told them about it, back when I decided to get control of the worst of the habits. It's not just that it seemed ridiculous to them that someone like me would get actually "addicted" to something like this. To people who have never felt the compulsion, or the rush of shopping, it's virtually impossible to understand. It's hard for me to admit to all of this. I feel downright ashamed to have let myself get sucked in to something that is so contrary to my values, that feels so superficial. Ultimately though, I have to face my issues to deal with them, so here I am coming out of the closet. I took this picture of Bird's closet to show my recovery board how far I'd come, and how proud I was of how much I had "purged". A year later, the closet is about half as full. I don't want my kids to grow up thinking that they have to have dozens of outfits to be happy. I don't want them to think that that's normal. I want them to feel blessed that they have enough, but I don't want them to feel entitled to more than they need.

Homemade Veggie Broth

For a year now I've been making my own veggie broth. Not from any recipe, mind you, but in the most frugal way possible. We are composters here at the EcoMama-Beo household, but our veggie trimmings get another life before worm food. It's all quite simple. All of my veggies get a quick rinse before I start peeling, chopping, dicing, or shredding. (Yes, even good organic produce needs washing, folks!) Any good bits that are left over get thrown into a Ziploc bag that I keep in the freezer. Garlic bulb ends, onion trimmings, the outer leaves of cabbage, the ends of mushrooms, carrot peelings, root vegetable greens, celery leaves- it all goes in. Nothing moldy or particularly icky, but I will throw in the occasional handful of spinach that's become a bit too wilted for salad, or a few pieces of limp celery. When the bag gets full, I dump it all into a pot. I use my pasta pot that has a built-in, removable collander. This makes the end stage particularly easy. The veggies get covered with filtered water, and you bring the lot to a healthy simmer. I add in whatever herbs we have in plenty. Today it was a big handful of frostbitten thyme and a few bay leaves. Now I've had some parsnipy or cabbageful batches that didn't smell too pretty, but today I had a great mix. After simmering for about an hour, the house smelled heavenly. I turned off the burner and let it steep a bit longer. Then I pulled out the collander of veggies, and poured the resulting broth through a strainer and into bowls to cool. The remaining veggie trimmings can of course be composted. You can add salt if you wish, but I choose not to since I can add it later in the cooking process if need be.

This gives me 6 quarts of fabulously rich, tasty organic veggie broth. We go through a lot between soup, rice, etc. in our veggie household. The equivalent Whole Foods 365 Organic Vegetable Broth is about $2/quart. With this home method, I rarely have to purchase any broth at all--a big improvement over the 3 quarts I used to buy on each grocery trip. Every little bit counts!

Bread and Jam

I'm offering a rare glimpse of my little ones today, just because you all deserve a glimpse of Sprout and Bird's amazing spirit! This was taken while they helped Beo make bread. Today Bird announced that she is changing her career goal from "Train Driver" to "Veterinarian". Maybe she'll be a composer though...

Frugalfied Fridge

Leftovers for lunch, ravioli for dinner with the last of the roasted squash, roasted root vegetables with the rest of the baby taters and half of the remaining beets. That pretty well cleaned us out. I have some milk, soymilk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, apples, and a bit of leftover stir fry, hummus, and lentil soup. My only veggies are about 2 cups of fresh spinach, 2 onions, and 2 bulbs of garlic. I don't think I've had that few veggies in my fridge since we moved here. Other than that it's just our drawer full of nuts and grains, and some condiments. Tomorrow will be a grocery run, but I'll be much more mindful in my choices after these few days of lessons.

Creative Pantry Cleaning

Well, the Beo-EcoMama household is recovering, slowly but surely. Many thanks to all who sent well-wishes. When we first started getting sick, Beo headed off to Whole Foods to stock up before the plague struck him down as well. I was flabbergasted by how much food he brought home. He doesn't often do such big stock ups on his own. We're talking over 40 pounds of flour, over a dozen huge carrots, three bags of apples--you get the picture. Earlier this week I realized that we hadn't been on a real grocery run in over 10 days. Beo had picked up a few things here and there on his way home from work, but just bare minimum stuff. My knee jerk reaction was to summon up the energy to do a big shop. Realizing that I couldn't possibly summon enough, I decided to get creative with what was left. I turned to the Veggie Board and was thrilled with the ideas they came up with, which ended up inspiring me to do something entirely different. Last night I started with tortillas, rice, tomato sauce, onions, a wilted pepper, frozen corn and some frozen tofu. By the time I was done we had veggie fajitas and spanish rice--a meal we haven't had in ages. I really enjoyed the challenge to break out of the recipe ruts I fall into, and to use up the last bits of what we have around. So, I decided to see how far we could go. Tonight I took a half package of wonton wrappers (left over from ravioli) two carrots that needed to be used up, some ginger, onion, and a package of cream cheese left over from the cream cheese frosting and made "Carrot Rangoon". I used leftover rice, eggs, a bit of onion, and frozen peas to do a veggie fried rice. It made a fabulous meal. None of this was from recipes, it was all improv. A lot of this stuff would have gone to waste because it would have gotten stuck in the back of the fridge until it went bad. It feels good to be creative, frugal, and foodie at the same time. We're getting down to the last of the veggies and fruit, but I think I can make one more meal out of it, making it two full weeks since we did any grocery shopping. Even with the gigantic nature of our last trip, this is still pretty astounding for our family. I'm hoping to stock up only on fruit, veggies, eggs, and milk/soymilk on our next trip, and see just how far I can stretch the pantry next week.

My Little Sprout is 5!

My Little Sprout turned Five today. Five years ago, Five seemed so far away, and so big! Thank goodness that somehow time manages to move us right along with them. He really is a big kid though, so polite, so smart, and such a charmer. Everyone who wished Sprout a Happy Birthday today got a "Happy Birthday!" right back! Unfortunately he didn't have many visitors today, due to getting his first ear infection one day shy of his first birthday.

This was a result of 5 days of this terrible, horrible virus we all have this week (with the exception of Beo-stay strong!). Tonight I finally caved and went to urgent care. I have a sinus infection and bronchitis and appear to be fighting off pneumonia. Tonight I completely lost my voice--completely. I have codiene in me now and am looking forward to passing out. Note: Forgive my slow blog, but it's going to be slow for a while yet. At least it's not a video blog. I'd have to hold up cue cards or something!

With what we had to work with, it was a darn good day. We even had a Carrotosaurus Cake. (Yes, I know it kind of looks like DinoMummy, but though I managed to make a cake from scratch, I didn't have the energy to decorate with the five different tips that the Wilton instructions prescribed!) I do not know why, but Sprout, the notoriusly picky eater requests carrot cakes for his birthday. I think it might just be the cream cheese frosting. My Little One turned five and I survived!

Good Food

I've been reflecting on how I came to be a foodie as well as my weight loss success, and I've finally realized that the two are intertwined. The two are not mutually exclusive, and have their own roots, but they ended up working together. I was leaning towards a love of good food before, and my interest in eating more locally and even more whole and organic foods was the foundation for my inner Foodie. My weight loss would have been impossible without my determination and desire to succeed. As I was talking to my Mom tonight I made the connection. When I realized that I had to eat less food, and had to really slow down and enjoy the food that I could eat, I started putting more time and energy into making sure that that food was the best it could be. It needed to be delicious, appealing, and also healthy and nutrient packed so that I could maximize its benefits. I think my love of well prepared good whole foods, and willingness to learn how to and take time to prepare those foods on my own, is actually what helped me achieve the weight loss and maintain it. I think that both my love of good food and my health will continue to support eachother as I continue to move forward. It makes me wonder what America's health could look like if the slow and local food movements could gain more momentum and popularity in the population at large. (No pun intended.) I plan to keep this in mind as I keep exploring the difference I can make.