Category Archives: Eco-Friendly

Jan 1Happy New Year!

Our family couldn't have finished 2011 on a better note. Happy new year to you and your family. May it bring you delicious food, wonderful adventures, health and happiness. xoxoxoxo Michelle

Aug 12Summer Camp: Day 4 - We Visit the Farmer's Marke...

On day 4 of our cooking summer camp, we walked to our local farmer's market, where we did some investigative journalism... On our agenda was to learn about organic produce and meat - and why it was better for the environment. We were also eager to ask the pros about whether or not cucumbers were really a fruit or a vegetable. Along the way, we tasted amazing stone fruits, berries and a striped Armenian cucumber! Not a bad way to spend the morning!

Jun 22Parenting: Progress NOT Perfection

Bring a parent is really hard. This is probably the only parenting issue that I am 100% certain about. We do the best that we know how to do. But let's be honest for a second. Do you ever have the temptation to avoid reality for just a moment, so that there would be less to feel guilty about? Before Robyn O'Brien was forced to look at the foods she was feeding her family, she didn't enjoy being "preached at" about the benefits of drinking organic milk. She had enough on her mind. She...

Jun 20Teaching Kids about Safe Ways to Harvest Shrimp

Children are hungry for knowledge. And they are our future consumers. All the more reason to teach them how to harvest food and shop wisely. DooFAPalooza was the ideal venue to inspire kids to play with their food and learn how to have fun and make good choices at the same time. Clean Fish led an interesting hands on activity with kids, teaching them about how shrimp are currently harvested. And even better than that? They made suggestions for a better alternative. Take a gander... If...

Jun 13My Not-So-Secret Love of Backyard Chickens

Several years ago, my daughter joined 4H. I did a happy dance because that meant that we finally had a legitimate excuse to get chickens. I have always been an animal girl, but when I was growing up, my mom never allowed me to get any pets beyond the family dog. It was sort of traumatic, actually. In 3rd grade, my class raised crayfish to learn about their life cycle. Many of the other children were allowed to keep theirs, but I had to release "Pokey" into the stream instead. When I was 13...

Jun 10Canned Alaskan Salmon – Healthy and Sustainable

I meet the coolest people through my job. I love connecting with families who are excited about feeding their children good food, and I love meeting food producers, who nourish us. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Shirley, the president of Pure Alaska Salmon Co. She comes from a long line of salmon fishermen (and women, of course) and cares deeply for the quality of the food that she eats and for the environmental implications of those choices. I had a few ideas for our...

Jun 1Happy to be Getting Crunchy with Corn

One of the best parts about being involved in social media is the friendships that I have developed over the years. Gina Rau started as a virtual friend, as we worked on a blogging challenge together, and she has become a dear "real life" friend. I adore her new website, Feed Our Families, which strives to help families make better food choices. When I was planning to be away at a culinary conference and Gina offered to do a guest post, I jumped at the chance. I know you'll love it as much...

May 11Making Sense of Egg Labels

I have been getting a really nice response from my recent articles about the beef industry and how to read (and understand) meat labels. Several people have asked if I could talk about Eggs next. So, here we are... Let's get some vocabulary out of the way first. As usual, many of the labeling terms don't mean what you think they mean. “Free Range” chickens have access to a door leading outside. But that doesn't mean that they can reach it or that they are brave enough...

Apr 28The Art of Understanding Meat Labels

After my recent post about tasting beef for the first time in a quarter of a century, several people asked about the jargon in the grocery store. What does it all mean? Can we trust the signs and labels that we see? Or are they merely euphemisms and good marketing? Whole Foods Market would lead you to believe that their meat is all produced in a sustainable and humane way. They even have this warm and fuzzy video showing how much they care... But what do the terms really mean? Are some...

Apr 22Virtual Picnic for the Planet: Happy Earth Day (...

Virtual Picnic for the Planet: Happy Earth Day (& Kale Chips)

Some people think about the Earth every day. But the rest of us need reminders every now and again. And that's where Earth Day comes in. It's like one of those Hallmark holidays like Valentine's day - something that is part of our culture and gets a lot of attention. But hey - that's okay. We should be thinking about how we impact this place we call home. To celebrate, I am part of a Virtual Picnic for the planet. Of course, my picnic food of choice is Kale Chips. You have heard me...