Merry Consumermas!!

After last Christmas I had vowed to make the next one a little more earth friendly.... well, it's a work in progress :)
I am proud to say I've largely avoided big corporate chains stores and supported local businesses (except for a desk chair I bought my dad at BJ's), I've done a tiny bit of internet shopping (refirbed ipod shuffle for Zoie, something for Cory- I can't say because he'll read this :P) and otherwise made my family a lot of home made gifts.... with love <3  There was pajama pants, fudge, my famous raw chocolate, my famous beef jerky, home made soaps, fleece socks, etc. My sewing skills still need some improvement, thats why I say "work in progress"; while i wanted to make hand made gifts instead of buying I didn't want to give my loved ones pieces of crap for Christmas. So for instance, the really cool up-cycled material handbag I was going to make my mom.... it turned into a car starter for her new vehicle. I'll keep working on that, maybe for her birthday :)
I even spent 4+ hours sewing "Santa Sacks" which I wrapped everyone's gifts in this year in lew of wrapping paper. I saved a TON of wrapping paper- between what I have to wrap for other family members I don't exchange with at my home and the few gifts labeled "From Santa" I used less than one roll of paper, maybe half. It's not so much the money i'm worried about, wrapping paper is fairly cheep, it's just all the garbage I wanted to avoid this year. It was a lot of work but the actual wrapping was a cinch; just throw the gift in stick a tag on and tie in a bow! And it will be that easy next year, as I can just keep reusing them!

I also cut down on toys and gifts with excess packaging this year; buying local helps eliminate a lot of packaging, it's mostly the big toy companies that sell to retail chains that tend to over package. What packaging comes with gifts from other family members, don't forget much of that is recyclable if you separate it! So all in all I feel pretty good this Christmas; my kids are going to have possibly the best year ever, I got a lot of practice sewing and other practical skills I can use (for instance, a friend wants me to teach a soap making class as part of sustainability courses she offers, that's cash money for momma!), I supported local businesses and I was kinder on the environment. With a little skill and a little smarts, you too can avoid "The Shopocalypse"!! Rev Billy, love this guy!  Have a great Christmas everyone!

Occupy Your Information- Nullify Your Ignorance

I'm proud to say that instead of watching from the sidelines, assuming, speculating, praising and/or criticizing like some out of shape TV sports fanatic, I got my ass down to Occupy Wall Street yesterday and threw myself into the game. Myself and four other inquisitive and unafraid souls, all very unfamiliar with the city and not knowing anyone who was already there or could get us there, found our way down to Zuccotti park on Saturday to see, hear, feel, smell (yes, smell, since there was much postulation about the protesters being a bunch of "dirty hippies") and formulate our own sense of what is going on there.

My honest report? This movement is not dead, not failed, and is not going anywhere. While there is much criticism that they are "disorganized" I found that they are just organized enough. There is nobody claiming to have all the answers, no one making their voice heard over anyone else. There is a central theme to the movement (corporate and big bank control over the government is ruining the economy and taking away our choice, liberties and ability to sustain ourselves individually and as a whole) and many sub-themes within. People who are passionate about a specific sub-theme will organize a group to march down there and speak to the occupiers. For instance, yesterday there was a demonstration about food sovereignty; government subsidies that sustain corporate control over a food supply that is increasingly processed, unhealthy and unsustainable and lack of development of alternatives that could provide health food for everyone. The sub-movements are organized enough to educate the crowds, and the movement as a whole is organized enough to have their own newspaper and rally people to march together throughout the city.

It was not easy for us suburban folk to navigate the NYC subway system, but we made it there. We made a b-line for Zuccotti park because we had big box of cookies and supplies (gloves, hand warmers, hats) we brought. The police wouldn't allow us to bring in our cookies because they were "on trays"...? We found a guy who helped us smuggle them in and started chatting with him and his friends- who were all extremely thankful and welcomed us with hugs and kisses!

His name was David he said he'd been there for 2 weeks and was there when they raided the camp, he was one of those who linked arms when they tried to dismantle the "Peoples Kitchen", and got arrested. He said when he was finally released after 2 days of jail and court etc, there were a group of supporters waiting outside the courtroom with food, clean clothing and most of all hugs and sincere thanks for all those being released. This organized group call themselves "Jail Support".  This was consistent with the spirit we found there; everyone supporting one another and the cause, people donating what they can and helping out however they can. I never got the sense I was in any kind of danger. I want to make clear this was not just a party, free-love, concert type of atmosphere (although there were a couple circles that seemed that way, not the majority) it was not like "The Vibes" or something. Yes there were some drum circles and people playing guitar, singing, etc but for the most part it was a place of exchanging ideas and imagining a better future for everyone. I knew I would make a sign when I got there and at the exact time I was ready to do that the idea came to me. I didn't want to make a protest sign per-se, I wanted to say something positive and goal oriented.

I had thought of John Lennon's song "Imagine" earlier that morning on our way there- that was my message; as we are spreading awareness of the existent problems, lets also start to imagine what the future can be, lets visualize it and it will slowly take shape. This obviously resonated with the people there as I was stopped several times and asked to be photographed, here is a nice one someone posted to their flicker page:

 We spent most of our time in Zuccotti park talking with people and listening to the demonstrations. People are handing out flyers with information, there are small circles of conversation going on everywhere- not arguing but real dialogue for the purpose of understanding. There were many spectators walking by taking pictures and talking with the demonstrators from outside the barricades to the park, not usually arguing but more-so curious about the protesters message.

Then a march began, we joined in to march down to the Meryl Lynch bull and back. It was exhilarating! Many more people than were originally in the park joined in. There were retired couples, teachers, professionals, students, parents and kids- all kinds of people. The crowd thanked the police who were extremely present but not obstructive on this day. A police officer even complimented me on my sign!

From where I live it was a 30 minute car ride to the train station and then an hour trip on Metro North followed by a 10 minute subway ride. I HATE the cold but dressed appropriately and felt comfortable. Only problem was finding a bathroom but certainly not any worse than going to the Vibes or the New Haven St Paddy's Parade. Total cost per person (including food but not donations) about $30. I highly suggest all you sideline commentators take a day trip and see for yourself, you won't regret it :)

Miss Z

People Over Profits in 2012

This is an official blog entry for the YourLocalSecurity.com Blogging Scholarship. If selected, I'll receive $1000 towards my college expenses in 2012. This scholarship is sponsored by YourLocalSecurity.com

The most important issue in the 2012 Presidential Election will without a doubt be fixing the economy. The way I see it, the only way to achieve this will be by stopping, and reversing, economic and industrial globalization. The free flow of information and ideas, that the creation of the internet has afforded us, is to be preserved. But the overuse of technology to replace working people, and the transferring of jobs and commodities across borders and oversees, especially those essential to our daily lives, simply has got to stop. The driving force behind economic globalization is greed; cut costs, at any human and environmental cost, in order to maximize profits. A system driven by a negative force such as greed will never yield positive fruit. We will not fix the country's, or the world's, problems until we decide collectively to reverse this negative system. Addressing this issue will simultaneously address 3 issues at once; economy, energy and the environment. .

The concept is very simple; if I want to earn my living manufacturing plastic children's toys, I will do it right here in my own home state, committing to handle any waste and pollution created locally, this way I will be aware and accountable for the environmental implications of manufacturing products of this type. I should be willing to give up my land, sacrificing it's potential use for living, green space or farming, if I believe in the value of my product. See, local economies have tighter feedback systems, so when problems arise affecting the lives of the people and their environments in this system, they are acknowledged and addressed quicker. Not only will environmental issues be less likely to get swept under the rug, but also localized economies use less energy to function. For instance, I live in Connecticut, we can grow many varieties of apples here, but if I want a pineapple I will have to import it and since this is more energy consumptive I should pay a significantly higher cost per pound than my local apples. This should encourage people to eat primarily locally grown food and buy locally made products. Consuming what is available locally means less fossil fuels used in transport, resulting in decreased dependence on foreign oil, and consequently producing less pollution in the form of greenhouse gasses.  Additionally, if I need someone to handle customer service for my business, I will hire someone locally who has customer service experience rather than someone 4000 miles away just because they require less pay. Hiring local help will create jobs for the people who consume local goods, and fair wages will be paid because when you have a consistent face to face relationship with the people you employ and do business with, you feel more accountable to them. We need to foster in a new era in which supporting and having healthy relationships with the people in your community (and respecting the human rights of all people across the globe) is more important than getting rich, owning unlimited cheap plastic toys, or eating pineapples every day. People over products.

It's true that on this localized system, we would have limited access to many of the goods we have become accustomed to, but in all reality, we need to accept that in the last 30 years we have been living a lifestyle entirely ignorant of the confines of our planet and thus rapidly depleting our resources. Unless we plan on finding a second planet to live on, we are going to have to accept that we need to scale back our expectations. We in the industrialized world have been sold the idea that material possessions equate to happiness, and so we spend and spend, never truly happier and all the more in debt.  The people reaping the most benefit from the current system are the few at the top of the major banks and corporations. They've convinced us we need the most trivial products, the vast majority of which are made overseas at a lower cost to them and consequently not providing jobs for the people they aim to sell the products to. We buy, we go into debt, and the corporations and banks get rich.

These banks and corporations are consumed by greed and will not volunteer to take reformative actions. It is the government's responsibility to enforce laws that protect and benefit it's people but to be honest at this point in time I don't think even the worlds governments are any match against the muscle of the major global corporations. I personally am not holding my breath waiting and hoping on the outcome of the next election. It is likely that only widespread, grassroots effort will bring about a positive future. People need to come out of their houses, get out of their cars, step away from their televisions, get together and talk to each other. We have many differences but most of us share a common goal; a peaceful existence for future generations on this planet. If we can focus on that goal, suspend our judgements against each other and adopt a more realistic perspective on what is achievable for our species on this planet, we can open up our collective creative potential to achieve it. It's time for communities to unite and generate the tides of change.

Vegan Lasagna that your KIDS WILL EAT!

Another concoction that again was gone before I could take a picture. From now on when i'm concocting something i'm just going to take a picture as soon as it's done, and before it's eaten!

So here's the key to this lasagna: replacing the ricotta cheese with food processed tofu and white beans with roasted garlic and plenty of sea salt to help mask the non-cheese flavor (also some herbs: thyme, rosemary, sage). Also used some sweet and flavorful kid-friendly veggies like squash and carrots.  I used a package of tofu (standard size they sell), half a can of white beans and a few cloves of garlic roasted, the sea salt and herbs. Process that up and par-boil the noodles and your ready to go.

Bottom layer: whole wheat lasagna noodles, layer of tofu white bean "cheeze" layer of roasted sliced butternut squash (I roasted the squash and garlic at the same time, easy, but if your clueless on how to roast check this out: "CHOW" on youtube, great cooking instruction video's!) and then a little sprinkle of Daiya Vegan Cheese.

Middle layer: noodles, "cheeze" shredded zucchini (or frozen, drained spinach would also work well) and the vegan shredded cheese.

Top layer: noodles, "cheeze" shredded carrots and the vegan cheese

Top-est layer: noodles and the vegan shredded cheese mixed with panko bread crumbs and a little olive oil.

Everyone ate this up! Even my boyfriends brother who is generally a picky eater. Having to get really creative to maintain the "Meatless Mon, Wed, Fri" plan without constant complaints from the kiddo's. So far so good! I'm a bit proud of myself :-)

Diet Modifications Update

In addition to the changes I realized I needed to make, as described in my post a couple weeks ago, I recently decided to cut down my meat consumption even more (previous to this I consumed meat only at dinner time pretty much every day except Monday- "Meatless Monday"). And I've also decided to include all animal products in my definition of "meat"; so that includes eggs and dairy. It have heard from several sources that animal protein is really not ideal for humans and has been linked with cancer and heart disease- regardless of cholesterol content; the form of protein itself promotes these diseases in humans! Here is a really short citation of studies related to animal protien consumption and disease. And, Here is the website of Dr. Fuhrman, who I saw on PBS after I watched a documentary citing the works of 2 other doctors who found the same evidence. Look at his food pyramid!
I had, in my own diet, cut out all dairy except the occasional sprinkle of cheese or ice cream treat. I had given my girls coconut or almond milk before when we were out of cow's milk and they were not opposed to it, so I decided NOT to buy a half gallon organic cows milk this week and instead an extra container of almond milk. They are fine with it! I also announced we were going on a "Meatless Monday, Wednesday, Friday" diet. This has been a little trickier. They did not care for my TVP "meetloaf".... if at first you don't succeed, try try again! And I will keep trying and experimenting with new recipes until I find several that will keep my kids happy those 3 nights per week. I also declared they can only have school lunch 2 times per week (the school lunches are utterly deplorable!) so I printed out the calendar and let them choose their 2 days at the beginning of the week.  They are getting sick of tuna fish, are not allowed to bring PB&J to school because of children with peanut allergies and rejected my substitute of "Sunbutter" (sunflower seed butter). Thinking of finding a good tofu salad recipe; they love tofu. I tried to explain the changes to my eldest and encouraged her to research for herself, she refuses, she's just pissed at me and cited these dietary changes as the reason she's dorming at WCSU next year.... so be it. She literally said to me, "I'm too old to make these kind of changes now, it's too late".... LOL.
So, beyond that, how did I incorporate more ginger, turmeric, garlic, green tea, etc into my diet? Well to start with I made a potent ginger tea using grated ginger (then some sliced because grating ginger gets really tiring!) and lemons- simmer together for about 10 minutes then let cool and poured into ice cube trays. I brewed a concentrated green tea, then diluted it into a pitcher of filtered water, put that in the fridge. So a couple times/day I'll have iced green tea using a couple of my ginger tea ice cubes. Has green tea replaced my morning coffee? Not yet.... that's a hard one I love my morning coffee, but it has replaced coffee on the couple evenings per week that I work till 9:30. And over all I feel much better and have more energy so don't feel like I need the coffee on those nights so much anymore. I incorporated turmeric, ginger and garlic in a couple soups I made; sautee assorted veggies (including thin sliced ginger and garlic) in coconut oil then add (vegetarian) chicken broth, sea salt, some lentils and a crap load of turmeric, curry powder and a little cayenne pepper and simmer for about 45minutes... yum!! If you like Indian food you gotta try that, hits the spot, and clears your sinuses too!
I'm really excited about going back to school in 6 weeks; I've been reading about Health Coaching and thinking about the possibilities. I would love to work under a ND, helping clients make these types of lifestyle changes. I think it takes more than handing someone a diet plan; people need one on one assistance in the grocery store and at home if they have been used to living a typical American lifestyle this stuff will seem very foreign to them. Will be sharing some of the stuff I'm learning right here, stay tuned :)
Miss Z

My little girls on their wheels

Cute picture of Jada riding her bike. Cory is really into this photo effects application, made this look like an old photo from the 60's.

And here's my Zoie, just learned to ride on 2 wheels in May and I think she'll need a new bike by next summer!

Aches and Pains

I have not been feeling well lately and it's been really hard to place my finger on exactly why. I've just been feeling old and crappy; specifically neck and back pain, nausea, fatigue, etc. Really vague symptoms until last night when my left foot blew up, seemingly due to being at my feet all afternoon/evening the night before at a concert but I have a gut feeling it's more than that. My mother has long suffered (mildly, like I seem to be) from inflammation/immune related nuisances, and whatever gene that is I definitely think I acquired it, unfortunately. I have allergies, asthma and seem to be increasingly sensitive to dietary and environmental triggers. It's frustrating because I feel I take better care of myself through diet and exercise than about 80% of most American's do, yet I'm still feeling crappy. Guess I gotta do more!
So before I set out to go shopping today I looked up some information on "Anti-Inflammation". Apparently this was made popular by Dr. Weil, I had never really looked into it, but I found it to be dead on with what I already know instinctively and through experience about the basics of a healthy diet. To see Dr. Weil's anti-inflammatory diet food pyramid click here.

Main things I realize I need to do: 1) Switch from coffee in the morning to green tea (whaaa) 2) Limit my alcohol to only 1-2 glasses of red wine per day (bye bye beer and cocktails) and 3) Find way's to incorporate even more healthy spices in my diet such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper,etc.  Thinking bout how I can do this without having to spend too much more time on a daily basis on food prep.  My goal for coming week is to figure this out! Ideas to follow, stay tuned!!

Garden Season Comes to a Close

It's mid September now and many of our veggie babies are aged and dying :(
Bye bye snap peas, you were so adorable and tasty my kids could eat you every day. So long cucumbers, you made amazing bread and butter pickles and summer squash oh how I loved shredding raw, sauteing or stuffing you.... till we meet again, next year!
On the other hand, I still have tons of unripe tomatoes, peppers just starting to produce and green beans growing out of my ears!! #1 yield-er again this year; Green Beans, first prize! I have 5 ziplock bags full of blanched, frozen green beans already in my freezer and I'm still picking a basketful every day. Still haven't done any canning but I may break down and do it if those tomatoes ever ripen, then maybe I'll can up some three bean salad, my freezer is getting full.
Here's what I picked today (9/13/11)

You also see here some herbs (my basil basically came back from the dead, have no idea how or why) and Calendula flowers I've been picking to make Calendula oil; very good for the skin and I plan to make some type of ointment out of it. The red kale (underneath) was a great crop; just kept cutting the leafs when they got large and they just kept growing more. But all my greens are phasing out now. Since our winter squash has mostly been picked, and weren't all that impressive anyway, I imagine the next pictures you'll see will be the start of next years garden (sigh) :)

Make spaghetti night a little more interesting while sneaking in extra veggies your kids don't know about

Ok, can't take credit for this recipe idea, I stole it from Rachel Ray (never watch TV at home but saw this at the Birthplace last week while eating my breakfast). I thought I would try this because I needed to make use of the few peppers and a handful of eggplant I picked from the garden on Saturday before the storm hit (not to mention a pile of plum tomatoes!).

So basically you roast the eggplant and peppers in the oven at 400-425 degrees on a sheet pan. I kept the peppers whole (I used 2 banana, 1 small bell and 1 spicy cherry), cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, smothered all with "EVOO" and sea salt laid the eggplant face down so the skin side was showing and stuck in the hot oven. If the size of your veggies varies then check on it frequently- some stuff may be done sooner than others, but basically it's done when a fork slides into it super easy.  You should be able to remove the skin from the peppers easily, also take the seeds out, and scrape the soft eggplant meat out of the skin with a spoon. Throw all your veggie meat in the food processor and puree, then throw that mess into your usual spaghetti sauce! I had made a marinara using the fresh plum tomatoes and herbs (basil, parsley and oregano) from our garden with just a half of a small can of tomato paste to thicken it a bit, then added the eggplant and pepper puree. My kids HATE eggplant and are split on peppers but had no idea it was in the sauce, they loved it! No pictures this time guys, really it just looked like a regular marinara sauce, that's how the kids were fooled ;)

Come On Irene

Luckily I've already been collecting emergency supplies for the past 8 months, pending a major, national, economic meltdown (hey, i think i'm balanced in my apocolyptic fears, and anyway it came in handy didn't it!).
But I did run out today to get a few odds and ends. Traffic was HORRENDOUS all over town, especially at the Southbury Plaza! But I was able to avoid all that, aaahhhh, the freedom of 2 wheels! :D

Rain poncho, 2 ice packs, a bag of ice, bike headlight (what a find at KMart!), batteries and an extra propane tank for the camp stove. Even squeezed in that cast iron griddle I've been meaning to pick up (for the camp stove, again KMart). Now just to clean the garage up a bit in case we need to take cover down there, and fill up my 15 gallon potable water barrel (if you don't have water storage equip, click here!) we also have a 7 gallon jug with water filter attachment in case we had had had to go down to the pomperaug and get more. Think we're as ready as we can be..... wait, pray, and love thy neighbors!!

Simple Steps

What I'm about to say you've heard many times, but most likely for health reasons: take the stairs! I committed about a year ago to ALWAYS taking the stairs instead of the elevator, at work and everywhere else. I also teach my kids to follow suit; "Elevators are for handicapped people. You're healthy and your legs work fine!" I tell them. By taking the elevator, not only do you exercise your legs and your heart, but you're saving energy in the process. Did you realize that for an average building (with a 2000lb elevator and 2-3 floors) by taking the stairs instead of the elevator you can save 3416 kWh/yr of electricity, 5602 lbs/yr of CO2 emissions, and 80 gallons/yr of oil?! It's true! At the hospital I end up having to go out of my way a lot just to avoid the elevator and take the stairs instead. I will admit though that I cave and use the elevator if I'm carrying something awkward or heavy, etc.
Can you imagine if everyone followed this principle how much electricity would be saved?

Food for thought,
Miss Z

Stuffed Zucchini

Came home from camping this past weekend to find our garden busting, after just 2 days of not picking!

It had pretty much been busting all the previous week.  For the record: lots of rain this season but especially mid-August, alternating with super warm sunny days. Only thing not impressed with still being the peppers :-/


Anyway, to get to the point of this blog, I had those two huge zucchini I figured would be great for stuffing. I decided to do it a little differently because after what I ate camping and wining all weekend I really did not want to use breadcrumbs in this meal. Ok, so cut zucchini in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds and placed hollow side up in a baking dish with some olive oil on the bottom. Chopped up in 1/4-1/2 inch pieces: 5 small white skinned eggplant (from our garden), 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1/4 vidalia onion, 4 cloves garlic and 3 small tomatoes (from our garden, de-seaded). Sauteed that with some olive oil, fresh rosemary, oregano and basil from my lil herb garden (see picture here) and threw in a dash of red wine that had pretty much gone to vinager in my cabinet (Hopkins "Sachem's Picnic", which I was just told this weekend when we visited the vineyard that I should keep that in the fridge... oops, I'll know for next time, this is one I buy frequently).  Let that cook down over medium heat. Now, how did I avoid the breadcrumbs, you ask? Quinoa!! After that yummy concoction cooked down and my veggies were all translucent, my tomatoes pretty much a sauce at this point, I added 1 cup of cooked quinoa and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Mixed together, sea salt and peppered it, stuffed my zucchini, topped each with a sprinkle of sharp cheddar and threw those babies in the oven at 400 degrees (cover loosely with foil so cheese doesn't burn for first 15 min then take off for last 5 min to brown a lil) I always shut the oven off a little before the time I intend to cook the food for; the oven remains hot enough to finish cooking the food but your gas/electricity are not running anymore. I shut off the oven, gave my kids a ride 2 miles down the road, came back, perfect!
I'd like to add, you could do this without the cheese and it would be vegan. This is what I should have done; between the cheese platter we ate earlier in the day and this I woke up with asthma last night :-/
On the other hand, if you are NOT vegetarian, I must say a few slices of cooked, crumbled up bacon would have complimented this stuffing well! But in that case, remember to go easy on the sea salt.
Hope you try this, it was awesome!

Back to School Shopping

It's that time of year again. For a single mom with 3 girls back to school shopping can be almost as much of a financial burden as Christmas! Between school supplies and new clothes one can easily spend $200 per child and most parents in Southbury probably spend at least that much.  My eldest daughter struggles with the reality of our financial limitations.  She has a very part time job (working for her grandmother) which only affords her 10% of the luxuries she feels entitled to. I gave her $80 last week for back to school clothes, she went with her friend to Clinton Crossing Outlets (which she thought was being really frugal, I warned her otherwise) and came back with 3 items and $7 left. Disappointing :-/
Luckily we have a great kids consignment shop in town, Carousel Kids, right next door to my mom's restaurant I might add, and the two younger girls are a bit more open to "new-to-you" shopping.  I myself have not spent more than about $20 on new clothes for myself in the last year (not counting shoes; used shoes in good condition are a bit harder to come by). This is not only because I'm short on money but because I'm aware of the resources needed to manufacture new clothes as well as the hardship it causes people in third world countries Read this article for info on sweatshops
I'm a frequenter of "Savers" and "Good Will". Video blog to come on savvy consignment shopping; my friend and single mom pal, Rosa, and I are experts on this, so stay tuned!
So this morning Zoie and I got on our bikes and rode 1.5 miles to Carousel Kids to see what they had, knowing they ALWAYS have plenty of adorable, name brand clothes in great condition. Guess I should be thankful that Southbury mom's are crazy enough to spend mucho moolah on clothes for their kids at the mall; I can take advantage when they're done with them!

Zoie, bustin' through the clothing racks like the 'lil pro she is!

Karen and her daughter Regan, who is often there helping her mom run the shop.

Wow, these jeans look like they were never worn!

Cute jean jacket, fits perfect!

Even grabbed a couple items I knew Jada would like (she was at her dad's, I'll have to bring her next week), 8 items total, $36! Of course she has a few hand-me-downs and some stuff from last year that still fits, all kids do. Lets not forget "Back to School Shopping" is the product of marketing hype (like most American culture), and all together unnecessary to begin with. But hey, we're living in America, I'm not going to talk my kids out of it. So I compromise by getting them a few new(ish) things so they can feel like they fit in, without compromising my budget, or my conscience.

Definitions:

Clean Eating: Accepting that "We are what we eat" and learning how to be a little more conscious of what we put in our bodies. Eating responsibly means not only with our bodies in mind, but the environment as well. Processed foods, pesticides, GMO's and factory farmed meats have a negative effect not only on our bodies but also the environment. So, expect to see some nutrition related and recipe posts.
Lean Living: I'm not talking about being thin and beautiful! I'm talking about living within our means as both consumers and cohabitants of the planet earth. This is centered for the most part around the goal of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and I'll be discussing ways you can cut down your consumption and save money.
Green Loving: The love of nature, which sustains us. I'll be talking about getting outdoors, gardening and my awe of life, in general.

Hope you all will put this blog on your favorites, I've got a lot of great insights and ideas!

This blog is under construction!

Still working on it folks.  Many ideas came and went in the course of 24 hours, hope to have it all sorted out by the end of the week and start giving people some good information!

The Making of Madame Z: Seasonal "Meatless Monday"

The Making of Madame Z: Seasonal "Meatless Monday": "RECIPE ALERT But as you know you are rarely going to get a broken down, step by step recipe from me. I don't really use them either, and w..."