Category Archives: Eco-Friendly

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...

Apr 18What do Processed Foods and Cosmetics have in co...

What do Processed Foods and Cosmetics have in common?

After researching the safety of sunscreens last year, I realized that many of our cosmetics are loaded with chemicals that might be making us sick. It's ironic that I hadn't paid much attention to the contents of my shampoo bottle in the past, given that I am always reading the ingredients on the foods that I feed my family. But there's a connection, of course! Most people don't even realize that their personal care products contain toxic chemicals (and even if they did read the labels, the...

Apr 15Can I Afford to Buy Organic?

Let's face it. The economy stinks right now. We are cutting items left and right from our family's budget. Most of the time, I don't miss things like cable tv (except for shows like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - thank goodness for Hulu!). The point is, we have to prioritize what is important to us. While cable television is something we can do without, I am not willing to cut organic food from our grocery budget. In my opinion, there are some very long term costs that come from...

Apr 11Why I Tasted Beef For The First Time in 25 Years...

When I was a child, I went to the summer camp offered by our local animal shelter. I loved it. Most of it, anyway. We got to play with kittens, romp with puppies, and be taken for walks by the over-eager shelter dogs. But the teaching styles were a bit unconventional, back then. The education director thought she could teach us to be kind to animals by scaring the wits out of us. We were shown videos of laboratory testing on animals and milk-fed calves confined to cages so small they...

Apr 1Life’s A Picnic Earth Day Giveaway

In honor of Earth Day, Healthy Child Healthy World partners Cleanwell, Fabkins, LUNA, Plum Organics and Green Toys have created a green essentials picnic kit for mom & tot available exclusively at Diapers.com. All proceeds from the sale of the kit will benefit Healthy Child Healthy World. I first learned about Cleanwell years ago and have used their natural hand sanitizer ever since. My kids love the smell of the product, and I love the fact that it isn't made from anything toxic...

Mar 30Our Food System Is Broken - Ted Talk by Robyn O'...

We eat 3 meals a day. Every single day. But our food system is very very very broken...and it is affecting our bodies and the health of our planet. Each of us needs to do something to improve our food system. Please.

Mar 16Easy & Healthy Do-it-Yourself Granola Bar Recipe...

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new ideas for healthy snacks. I like to carry food with me wherever I go (to feed hungry and grumpy children), and have been known to dive into the stash, myself, in a pinch. When my friends, Liz and Janice (AKA The Meal Makeover Moms) offered to send me a copy of their new book, No Whine with Dinner - 150 healthy, kid-tested recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms, I couldn't wait. Some nutritionists seem to spend more of their energy on the...

Mar 4Video: What a Healthy Lunch Means to Me (A Child...

I recently attended a screening of the movie, Two Angry Moms, and was honored to be asked to be on a speaker panel afterward. But we kicked off the evening with an inspiring talk from the Venetia Valley Green Team, a group of motivated first and second grade students. Here is what they had to say...

Feb 16Waste Free Lunches - School Lunch Ideas for Pare...

Waste Free Lunches – School Lunch Ideas for Parents

I'm pretty excited - I just got invited to a lunchtime workshop with students at our school about Waste Free Lunches. We'll play with our food, pack some sample lunches, and come up with some menu ideas for parents. Many thanks to Amy Allen, our amazing Green Team Leader, for coordinating the work that our students have been doing at lunchtime to reduce, reuse and recycle. Here's a little primer to get you started... What's a "Waste Free Lunch" and why should we care? A single student...

Feb 14Simple Homemade Treats-Chocolate Cranberry Crisp...

Simple Homemade Treats-Chocolate Cranberry Crisps

Sometimes we get the hankering for a homemade treat, and there is nothing better than discovering that we already have the ingredients we have to throw something together. We are feeling off-kilter with a virus, but I wanted to make my son a special treat because he is starting a new school tomorrow. Luckily, I had the idea for this simple treat, which didn't require too much concentration... First, I melted a bag of chocolate chips in the microwave. I zapped them for 30 second increments,...