Maddy’s Organic Meals – Just like homemade January 30, 2009

I’ve written before about how I’ve been making Eco Girl’s food since she started solids to reduce the amount jars you typically go through and to avoid the BPA in the lids of jarred food.  It’s not as hard as many think but I will admit that sometimes it’s nice to have a “little help” when I want to give her something different than the usual.

Last week, we (yes we – how else could I give it a true review?) tried Maddy’s Organic Meals and they were delicious! Each meal is:

• certified organic.
• made from ingredients from the Midwest’s best farms that practice sustainable farming methods.
• professionally prepared and flash frozen.
• free of preservatives, fillers or additives.

Maddy’s Organic Meals come in 12 varieties from single purees, chunkier blends and gourmet meals. Eco Girl and I tried Just Peachy, which tasted like an amazing summer peach, Garden Veggie Delight, which was delicious with our own quinoa mixed in, and Sweet Fall Lentils, just perfect on its own.

Maddy’s Organic Meals can be purchased online or at a select grocery stores.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Study finds mercury in corn syrup made in the U.S. January 28, 2009

MSNBC reported yesterday that a study done by the journal Environmental Health shows detectable mercury in nine out of 20 samples of high fructose corn syrup made in the United States.

Dr. David Wallinga, a food safety researcher and activist at the nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy tested 55 different foods where high fructose corn syrup was the first or second ingredient on the label. Fifty five different foods included jam, barbecue sauce, jam, chocolate syrup, and yogurt. One out of three had mercury above the detection limit.

It is believed that the mercury got into the food during manufacture, at plants that use mercury-grade caustic soda produced in industrial chlorine plants. The Corn Refiners Association has challenged the findings.

Certain fish has been found to contain high levels of mercury. Even low levels of mercury have been shown to harm the developing brain. To see which fish have low levels of mercury, click here and here.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Know your fish January 26, 2009

When purchasing fish, it’s important to know two things:

• What is its mercury content: High or low? (intake of high leveled mercury fish has been linked to neurological problems and birth defects)

• How eco-friendly is your choice: Are wild fish being being managed responsibly and how abundant is the breed? Are farmed fish coming from farms that are big polluters, can they wreak havoc on local ecosystems if they escape, and what are they being fed?

Last summer, I wrote about a very handy card you can keep in your wallet to show you which fish are safest to choose when you’re deciding on dinner at a restaurant or supermarket. Now there’s a new resource called FishPhone, thanks to Blue Ocean Institute, that uses a color scale to rate fish from green to red (green being the eco-friendliest).

FishPhone allows you to send a text message with the words “fish” followed by the name of the fish you’re considering to “30644″. You’ll receive an instant message back with the mercury level and how eco-friendly it is.

If, for example, you send a text with “fish swordfish”, you’ll get back the message:

“Atlantic and Mediterranean caught (GREEN), very few environmental concerns; Pacific caught (YELLOW) some environmental concerns. HEALTH ADVISORY: High Mercury.”

Photo from Flickr by Jerek D.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

The “Tilty” has made all the difference January 23, 2009

Ever since my daughter was 6 months old, I’ve been trying different BPA-free sippy cups. I’ve been through a few now and so far, Eco Girl just hasn’t been holding them on her own and she just doesn’t seem to get that she needs to tip them back. Perhaps it’s partially because she’s been using 8 ounce glass bottles and never seemed to hold them up either. All this time, I’ve been doing it for her, thinking they were just too heavy – now it’s a habit that has transferred over to her sippy cup.

I’m pleased to say, though, that I’ve found a solution! Have you seen the new Tilty sippy cup?!!!

It’s BPA-free,  PVC-free, and dye free. The great thing about it is that it’s designed so that you don’t need to tilt it a lot to drink from it. You should see how much she loves drinking from it on her own.

The Tilty cups are 7 ounces each and you get two in a package for $6.00. They are dishwasher safe and are made of Polypropylene.

One warning, though – the Tilty is not “drip free”. If you turn it upside down (or shake it, as Eco Girl likes to do sometimes), it will leak small drops.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Which food containers are safe to use? January 21, 2009

I’m often asked what food storage containers are BPA, PVC and phthalate free. Just a few days ago, The Soft Landing put together a great list with pictures. Take note and keep it handy for future reference.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Giveaway – Adorable, organic onezee with something to say January 19, 2009

Giveaway is over.

The winner is:

Here is your sequence:

• 3

Timestamp: 2009-01-27 15:16:01 UTC

Congratulations Kathleen!

So often I see beautiful, organic clothes for babies but the cost often prevents me from purchasing them. Even though I know that it’s better to have organic cotton near Eco Girl’s skin rather than not, I just can’t see buying a t-shirt for over $20.00 that I know she’s going to outgrow in three months.

There’s hope for buying organic without breaking the bank, though. Gobaby has the most adorable organic onezees and t-shirts for toddlers with catchy sayings, like “handle with care”, “fragile” and “100% natural”, that cost only $12.00. But it gets even better. Right now they’re offering free shipping and Trying To Be Greener readers can get 25% off when MOMDEALS is entered at check out.

Lucky you: One reader will win an Organic Onezee or T-shirt from GoBaby! You can enter a total of 5 times (leave a separate comment for each entry).

• Comment on this post for your first entry. Only one comment per person will count as an entry.
• Subscribe to Trying To Be Greener or let me know if you’re already a subscriber.
• Spread the word on Twitter with a link to this post.
• Give this post a Stumble.
• Blog about this contest on your own site.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents and will end on January 26, 2009 at 12 midnight, EST. The lucky winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be notified by email. If the winner does not respond within 3 days, a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Have some fun testing your Eco-IQ January 16, 2009

Have some fun today and test your Eco-IQ.

Oh, and have a good weekend too!

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Book Review – Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby January 14, 2009

For much of my adult life, I considered myself a “green girl” but when I became pregnant in early 2007, I discovered a whole new area of health concerns that I didn’t know about – plastics, personal care products and more. I used the internet to help with many resourceful sites on what to be aware of and what I needed for the arrival and care of my new daughter. How I wished all of this information could have been in one concise resource.

Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby by Jennifer Lo Prete and Melissa Moog is just that. Melissa Moog is the founder of Itsa-belly, a great resource for all things baby. This all inclusive book lists safer, eco-choices from clothing, bedding, skin care and baby wearing, just to name a few. So many specifics are given, like safer baby wipes with homemade wipe solution and better choices for non-toxic cribs and mattresses.

Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby:

• shows you how “going green” and making “safer” choices doesn’t have to be more expensive.
• shows you how “greener” and “safer” options are more easily available than you may think.
• gives specific items to consider with company web sites.
• provides you with a very helpful glossary of important terms.
• gives you a “green” resource directory with web sites of associations and blogs.
• scatters eco-friendly tips throughout the book.

I myself wish I had something like this book before I was even pregnant to help me with understanding the importance of avoiding parabens, BPA, phthalates and other harmful components. This book is a must for anyone considering becoming pregnant, is pregnant or has a baby.

Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby can be purchased directly through Itsabelly, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Wonderful Lentil Soup for your Little One and You January 12, 2009

Here’s a recipe for Lentil Stew that I put together for my Eco Girl, which she just loves. Make it for your own child or yourself – believe me, it’s really tasty! I occasionally add a little pear sauce, spinach or both just before I serve it to her. Lentils are loaded with fiber and protein with a fair amount of fiber, are  inexpensive and really delicious. You don’t need to follow the recipe exactly. Add a bit more or less of the cinnamon or cumin if you prefer – it’s up to you and do your best to use organic ingredients. The recipe below will fill two ice cube trays with enough left over for a lunch serving for yourself – Enjoy!

Lentil Stew

1 Teaspoon olive oil

1 carrot pealed and diced

1 small sweet potato pealed and diced

1/2 small onion diced

3/4 cup red lentils that you’ve put through a sieve to clean and checked for any small stones

2 1/2 cups water

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

1 Teaspoon cumin

Saute the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.  Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and cumin for a few minutes more and continue to stir. Add the water and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Let the lentils cool a bit if you’re going to put them in a blender. Puree to the consistency that your baby can handle and spoon it into your ice cube trays to freeze and use when you need them.

Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.

Help save handmade crafts and toys with your blog January 9, 2009

Recently, I wrote about the possible ban on handmade crafts and toys being sold in the US and Canada. There is some good news to report on this subject but the final vote hasn’t been made yet.

Spread the word to the readers of your own blog by placing this button on your site from Cool Mom Picks. This link will share information with your readers so they can help to save handmade crafts and toys.
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Copyright © 2008. Trying To Be Greener. All rights reserved.