Wordless Wednesday

It’s Wednesday and all over the internet you will find photos with no words of explanation. Why? Because pictures say a thousand words.

Today I’m sharing photos in memory of one my favorite childhood authors, Maurice Sendak, who passed away yesterday at the age of 83. He was best known for “Where the Wild Things Are” and is the author of countless other titles. As best said by the Washington Post, Maurice Sendak’s legacy lives on in bedtime rituals around the world. I remember many nights reading “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Chicken Soup With Rice” with my own children. We read them so often that my kids knew the lines. My boys are now 8, 10 and 11 and I can still find them tucking into a corner devouring one of Maurice Sendak’s many titles. Mr. Sendak had an uncanny ability to remind us that it’s OK to channel our inner child every once in a while. He also validated walking on the wild side and that it’s OK to be a little crazy at times (my kids have that one down pat).

Do any of these photos remind you of your childhood?

Does the ocean remind you?

Or a beautiful sunset?

How about a bird?

How do you remember to have fun, play a little and enjoy life?

Make sure to check out these great blogs who also share on Wordless Wednesday: I Thought I Knew Mama, Dagmar’s momsense, My Organized Chaos, Live and Love Out Loud

Thank you to my husband for the incredible photos.

My husband and I both like to cook and when time permits we try to whip up new and exciting dishes. Over the years we have gradually increased the amount of seasoning we use as the taste buds of our three boys continue to mature.  Both of us are fans of spicy food and our kids are joining the ranks. Not only do the spices taste good, but it turns out they are good for us too. Here are seven spices that end up in many of our dishes.

Turmeric

This gorgeous yellow/orange spice is at the top of my healthy spice list for good reason.  Turmeric is generally found in Indian curries and other ethnic foods. It has been used as both a medicine and a spice for many centuries.

Tumeric contains a nutrient called curcumin and it’s known for its anti-inflammatory properties. The spice is thought to fight a long list of diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Other studies have shown promise for treating Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon ends up in our pancakes, French toast and eggs.  Not only does it taste delicious, but studies have shown it has several health benefits:  Reduces LDL cholesterol levels, reduces pain associated with arthritis, regulates blood sugar, and helps with cancer, menstrual pain and infertility.

Garlic

Another one of my favorites-I add garlic to almost everything from pizza to roasted vegetables and broccoli. Garlic adds flavor to so many dishes and it also is known for being anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral. It is known to be a natural antibiotic and can help manage high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Oregano

Oregano on pasta, pizza and salads tastes divine.  In addition to the yummy flavors oregano holds some healthy benefits with those who indulge. Oregano also has antioxidants in its oil and leaves. It also has anti-inflammatory benefits. Some people rub the oil on inflamed joints and muscles. Others take oregano oil when the first symptoms of a cold or sore throat appear.

Cumin

I make chili all the time and it wouldn’t be the same without the addition of cumin (and lots of it!). It also great mixed into a stir fry or on top of roasted veggies. Cumin is also used throughout the world as a medicinal herb. Cumin is known to help treat high blood sugar levels, insomnia, a cold, respiratory issues and cancer.

Ginger

Do you like ginger with your sushi? You’ll be getting more bang for your buck. This spice is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s also known to improve blood circulation and helps those tired, achy muscles after a good workout.  Ginger tea is great for relieving menstrual cramps.

Thyme

Thyme is delicious in soups, stews, baked or on sauteed vegetables. Thyme contains an essential oil that is rich in thymol, a powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, and a strong antioxidant.  Recent studies show thyme can kill MRSA infections, which are resistant to other antibiotics.

What are your favorite spices to cook with? Do you and/or your kids like spicy foods?

Buy organic spices and herbs whenever you can.

Please check with a medical professional before self-administering any of these herbs.

Linked up with Green Backs Gal.

Photo © Igor Dutina #2068762, Others used under Creative Commons S.Diddy, LowJumpingFrog, Joi, Gusjer, cookbookman17, Steven Jackson /Flickr

Welcome to week two of Green Questions, Groovy Answers. A big thank you to everyone who submitted their excellent name suggestions for this new weekly column. Rebecca from Natural Mothers Network came up with the winner: Green Questions Groovy Answers. Thank you Rebecca! If you have a question you would like answered please submit it through the comment section, Facebook, Twitter or shoot me an email.

This weeks question came from @twituva on Twitter.

What should I do with my old Teflon non-stick pans? Is there a preferable way to recycle/discard them?

Despite the ease and con­ve­nience of non-stick pots and pans such as Teflon, many health conscious people are tossing their non-stick and replacing them with healthier options.

What’s wrong with Teflon?

Non-stick pots and pans are metal pans (such as aluminum pans) coated with a synthetic polymer called polytetrafluoroetheylene (PTFE), also known as Teflon. Teflon is toxic. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), toxic fumes from the Teflon chemical released from pots and pans at high temperatures have lead to many pet bird deaths and an unknown number of human illnesses each year.

Thankfully, there are many green and non-toxic alternatives on the market.

Now the 20 million dollar question: What do we do with all of our old Teflon and non-stick pans?

This is a challenging question. Do we really want to donate something that could potentially harm someone else?  If we throw them in the trash they’ll end up lying around in an overflowing landfill, leaching toxins into the soil. So what’s the answer?

I decided to turn this tough question over to some of my favorite green gurus in the blogosphere to see what they had to say.

Nancy from Surviving and Thriving on Pennies says ” I donated mine to Goodwill a few years back. What I think is bad might be a perfectly good pan to others. In a way helping others get stuff for cheaper. Still bothers me though.”

Suzanne from Mommy Footprint has a fantastic suggestion and Karen from EcoKaren agrees : “tough one…many play-based preschools have sand boxes with pretend kitchens. This is the perfect spot for discarded Teflon…it won’t be heated back up!”

Deanna Duke from Crunchy Chicken suggested “As much as I hate passing the toxic buck to someone else, giving it to Goodwill is a decent option. If someone else buys it, then that’s one less new pan being purchased and, in the end, produced.” Stephanie from Good Girl Gone Green agrees that donating the pans is a good option.

Anna from Green Talk came up with a few creative uses for those non-stick pans: “I wonder if you could put a picture in the middle of the pan and create kitchen art. Lots of people have those hanging pot racks. Or maybe you could take the handle off and use the pot for plant drainage.”

Diane from Big Green Purse came up with an interesting thought “Why not send them back to the manufacturer?”

Beth from My Plastic Free Life agreed with Diane “I love Diane’s idea of sending them back to the manufacturer with a letter explaining why. I donated mine to Goodwill. I don’t like ‘passing the buck’ either, but I figure if someone wants Teflon pans, better they use my old ones than buy new ones and encourage the market for Teflon.”

What do you do with your old Teflon pans?

[Photo used under creative commons from Jerry Pank/Flickr]

Linked up to Natural Mothers Network

I don’t know about you, but my lips get pretty chapped as the warmer weather kicks in.  Before bed and in the morning I tend to slather on lip balm to keep my lips from chapping. Many over the counter lip balms contain all sorts of toxins and long ingredient names that are impossible to pronounce, so I’m hesitant to put them on my lips.

I’m not by definition a DIYer , but there are times when the urge to use those creative juices is hard to resist. I was DIY lip balm inspired when I saw a recipe for How to Make Naturally Tinted Lip Balm over at Frugally Sustainable. Since my three boys are constantly grabbing my chap stick and using it on their own lips I decided to focus on a color free version.  I was looking for a recipe that was:

• Vegan
• Simple to make
• Toxin free

After several disastrous attempts I finally came up with my own recipe for lip balm and now it’s become an obsession!

Recipe for Non-Toxic Lip Balm

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 teaspoons beeswax (I bought my Organic Beeswax through Amazon and they also carry it at some Whole Foods Markets and other health food stores)
• 1/2 teaspoon organic honey
• 5 teaspoons organic olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons vitamin E oil
• 1 teaspoon essential oil of your choice
• Containers -either reuse containers or purchase a few tins.

DIRECTIONS:

• In small double boiler (you can use two pans on top of each other), melt beeswax over low heat. Once melted add olive oil, honey and vitamin E. Once completely melted remove mixture from heat and add your favorite essential oil. I like ylang ylang or peppermint. Mix well.
• Pour into lip balm tins or tubes. I chose stainless steel containers to avoid using plastic. This recipe will yield between three to four one ounce containers.  For my first attempt I reused a few old lip balm containers that were empty.
• Let stand on counter until lip balm hardens and cools. Could take a few hours so be patient!

ENJOY!

Have you made your own lip balm?

Photos: Beeswax © Olga Volodina #7630422 and Angela Mabray/Flickr

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Chocolate Crisis

Chocolate lovers you are officially placed on high alert: a chocolate crisis is coming. Chocolate is something many of us take for granted. I know I do. The shelves at the grocery store are filled with chocolate choices, restaurants menus are lined with chocolate desserts. It’s hard to imagine life without chocolate.

But life without chocolate is a real possibility, or at the very least chocolate could become a luxury item with a high price tag. Chocolate comes from the raw ingredient cacao, mainly produced in West Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.  West Africa provides over 53 percent of the world’s chocolate.

Chocolate is a heat-sensitive crop and even a small increase in temperature will affect the crops. A report released shows why there are big problems to come for the cacao tree:

…an expected temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius by 2050 will render many of the region’s cocoa-producing areas too hot for the plants that bear the fruit from which chocolate is made, says a new study from the Colombia-based International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

Warming temperatures and changes in the precipitation pattern will mean rapid declines in growing conditions over the coming decades. Not good news for the cacao tree and in turn bad news for chocolate suppliers and lovers on a global level.

Cacao is mainly farmed by small farming operations whose livelihood is placed at risk as cacao tree begins to fail.  These small farmers are starting to look for other job opportunities in the more lucrative local logging industry and moving away from chocolate.

What Can We Do?

• On May 5, 2012 350.org is building a global grassroots movement to work on solving the climate crisis by organizing Climate Impacts Day. On Climate Impacts Day we are all being encouraged to Connect the Dots between climate change and extreme weather. Head on over to 350.org and type in your zip code – you’ll  find an event in your area to help support the communities on the front lines of the climate crisis.
• I’ve also taken a personal pledge to fight climate change. Join me in any of my 4 Resolutions to Fight Climate Change.

There are many other things we can do to fight climate change. Are you taking any steps to fight climate change?

This post is part of  the another fabulous Green Moms Carnival carnival hosted this month by Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse.  The carnival goes live Thursday, May 4, 2012.  Be sure to stop by for lots of great information on ways we can all connect the dots and fight climate change.

Photo:Pile of dark chocolate isolated © Dmitry Rukhlenko #1109622 Deposit Photo