Make your own Coleslaw.

Yesterday my mom and sister were coming over for lunch. I made coleslaw and basil cod (which I will post tomorrow). My mom is very allergic to eggs so the coleslaw is vegan!

First Occupy baby. Yummy cut up avacado!

Ingredients: 1 green head of cabbage, shredded. Organic from co-op in Everett

3/4 cup of vegenaise (sell in the refrigerator at Fred Meyer. Different flavors. Goes on sale occasionally)

1 organic sweet bell pepper, sliced thin

2 Tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar (I have Bragg's from Fred Meyer. Smaller cheaper bottles are available at Trader Joe's)

2 organic carrots, grated (Klesick box of good)

1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup ( I buy mine from Costco, best price I have found)

Himalayan salt (Trader Joe's) and black pepper to taste

First shred the coleslaw and place in large bowl

Then slice green pepper very thin, add to bowl along with one cup of vegenaise (you can use mayo too), apple cider, maple syrup, carrots, salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together.

Yummy and simple! At this point taste the coleslaw to see if the dressing needs adjusting at all. Depending on the size of your cabbage head you might need a little more mayo. This salad may be served immediately although it tastes best left covered in the refrigerator for two hours to allow the flavors to spread.

The Organic, Green Bathroom

When the accountant and I built our house we planned on installing a glass shower door in our bathroom. So far the expense of that has been out of our reach so we are using a shower curtain. I was pregnant when we purchased it and had been reading a lot of "green" books. So we ended up purchasing a PVC free liner and an organic cotton curtain, both from target. Now what is so bad about PVC you might ask. Here is what I found out in my research. PVC is usually a hard plastic like those found in a newer house's water pipes. What makes it dangerous is when it is made flexible. How do they do this you might ask? Add Phthalate (DEHP).  Phthalates have been proven to cause a range of birth defects in lab animals, damage to the nervous system, respiratory and reproductive systems. I can't fix the fact that I have soft flexible PVC water piping but I can change my shower curtain liner! Incidentally I drink filtered water only, but that is a story for another day.

We cut costs and went organic with our soap, shampoo and body wash too. I use Dr Bronners Castile Soap for body wash and the accountant uses it as his shampoo. We buy it in the gallon size to save money because I use it for so much stuff! I buy mine through Amazon.com. It is the cheapest I have found it yet. Because it is concentrated you can mix it with other things or water it down. I water it down for cleaning but not when using it for body wash and shampoo. (warning, it has a thin texture not the thickness you might be used to with other body washes, shampoos.)

For hand soap we use glycerin based Avalon organics. It smells wonderful and is good for you! I buy it on sale from Whole Foods or buy online through vitacost.com when I am ordering my vitamins. (they charge flat rate shipping so it is only a good deal to buy through them when buying in large quantities)

Toothpaste is the flouride  free type by Toms of Maine. Trader Joe's sells it for around three dollars a tube. Which seems like a lot but think about all the chemicals you put in your mouth with regular toothpaste. Some of which even have Triclosan in the ingredients! Amazon has a great price of 6 tubs for $14.94.!

Gluten Free, Dairy free Banana Bread

Gluten Free Banana Bread by Candace Young

altered from original recipe found at gluten free goddess

Ingredients:


3 Bananas
1/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups gluten free baking mix flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
shake of salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup of cranberries
1/2 cup of raisins

cook at 350 degrees for 50-60minutes. Makes 1 loaf.


This is delicious. Especially served hot out of the oven! It is soft, does NOT crumble. Great eaten with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, or afternoon, or well just about anytime!

Organic Potato, Jalapeño and Leek Soup

So I was craving soup today. It must be the smell of fall in the air. There is something homey and comforting about a nice warm bowl of soup. I had a surplus of potatoes I wanted to use up so I ran to the grocery store to buy a leek. Now in the fridge I had some jalapenos that looked like they were beginning to go so I decided I must use them to. The result was this spicy, warm, yummy soup.

Serves: 4-6 people 

Prep and Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

3 Pounds of organic potatoes (Klesick box of good and trader Joe's)

4 cups of organic chicken broth or stock (Costco)

1 large organic leek (local co-op)

1 medium organic yellow onion (Fred Meyer)

6 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of organic extra virgin coconut oil

Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste

fresh garden herbs of chives, basil and thyme ( about 2 tablespoons of each. Feel free to substitute dried herbs)

1 cup of milk of your choice ( I used almond milk)

garlic powder

1-2 organic jalapenos (depending on how spicy you like your food)

4 tsp of fresh cilantro

In a large 6 quart dutch oven or pot place chicken stock (or vegetable stock), potatoes and black pepper. Place on medium heat. Cover and let simmer until potatoes are soft about 20 minutes.

In another saucepan place coconut oil, onion and leek. Cook on medium heat until onions are soft and translucent. (about 6-10 minutes)

Baby is busy on the floor.

Next add jalapenos, diced to the potato pot.

Then add the fresh spices, garlic, cilantro, milk, and cooked onions and leeks to the potato pot.

"MOM! pay attention to me! See I am moving all around!"

Take half the potato mixture and put in your blender. Blend and add back to the dutch oven. Simmer for five minutes more and serve!

Please watch this if you have questions about coconut oil

Helpful clip about plant based fats.

Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta

Yesterday I was craving pasta. It just sounded cozy on a cool, rainy day. Here is what I ended up with. (note this dish also tastes good vegetarian. Just omit the sausage.)

Serves 3-4
Prep and Cooking Time: 30 Min

Ingredients List:

1 cup of fresh or frozen organic spinach (Trader Joe's)
1 Organic Yellow Onion ( Fred Meyers), non-organic yellow onions have a supposedly lighter pesticide load. So an FYI. This week at Top Foods they are 27 cents per pound. A steal of a deal!
1 cup of frozen organic green beans ( Costco)
1 cup of frozen organic corn (Costco)
2 cups of chopped organic chicken sausage (Local co-op)
Penne or spiral pasta of your choice. Mine was brown rice (Trader Joe's)
2 Tablespoons of dried basil
1 tsp of crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil (amazon.com)
Himalayan salt to taste ( Trader Joe's)
Black Pepper to taste
Optional: Garnish with chopped organic avocado and sliced raw blanched almonds

Place coconut oil, onions and sausage in dutch oven on medium heat. Cook until onions are translucent and sausage begins to brown. Cook pasta according to directions.

Then add green beans, corn, spices, and spinach.

Cook until beans are tender to eat. Serve on top of pasta. Garnish with avocado and almonds.

Enjoy. It was yummy!

Reusable lunch items

In order to save money I decided to invest in reusable lunch items for Jason, and when not reusable healthy disposable. He has been using these items for 6 months now. We made the goal of being plastic free for lunch and we are pretty much there. By pretty much I mean some of the items have plastic lids but the container is not.

Here is what we use:

Built Ny Gourmet Getaway Lunch Bag Black. He uses this daily. I just throw it in the wash when it gets dirty! I found mine at TJ Maxx for around four dollars right after Christmas.
Anchor Hocking Trueseal Glass. They sell these at Target individually. The glass is great so he can warm items up in the microwave.













I never wrap items in plastic wrap anymore. I use the containers as much as possible and when the glass container does not seem feasible I use natural value waxed paper bags, unbleached. These are great for sandwiches. I seal them closed with a address sticker label. You know those ones you get free in the mail from this charity or that. For utensils he takes our regular silverware. He has never forgotten to bring it home!








I have seen many good reusable lunch items. These happen to be the ones that work for us. I haven't bought plastic wrap since before Christmas!

Resources for reusable lunch items:
http://lifewithoutplastic.com/
http://lunchbots.com/