Grow Food Not Lawns!

Mother and daughter planting flowers together.

Learn more about turning your lawn into a garden, no matter what the size.

There's a recent new trend that has really caught my interest. A number of communities are gaining popularity with the concept of "growing food not lawns". I absolutely love this concept and think the grassroots approach to promoting gardening is refreshing. Many of you probably think you don't have enough space to make an awesome garden. However, that is exactly what these organizations are out to disprove. You don't need a lot of space to grow a garden. In fact, you can grow gardens in very ... Continue Reading

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Activism in Progress: GMO Labeling

GMO fruit

Learn about the GMO debate and how you can get involved in signing petitions for labeling standards.

In my last article “Activism at Work: Farewell to Pink Slime” there were a number of comments stating this as a number one reason individuals have chosen a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Not knowing what is in the meat products currently on our store shelves is a huge factor in changing your diet. Unfortunately  we don't always know what is in our produce either. Our produce has been inundated with genetically modified organisms and currently produce companies do not have to label these ... Continue Reading

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Eco Friendly Spring Wardrobe Essentials

eco-friendly spring

The grass is turning green, but can your wardrobe? Make sustainable choices and vote with your wallet by choosing bamboo, organic cotton, and fair trade!

Spring is here! How delightful to be wearing short sleeve shirts again. Goodbye socks and boots, hello flip-flops and sun hats. My wardrobe can surely use a little dose of spring. If you’re on the eco-friendly band wagon already or just getting started - you can even expand your green endeavors to your wardrobe. In case you are not aware, regular cotton is grown using copious amounts of chemicals that end up in our air and water. Let’s not even talk about synthetic polyester. There are many ... Continue Reading

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Make Ahead – How Batch Cooking Saves You Time

peanut butter granola

Use batch cooking to save time and money in preparing recipes for your family.

Batch cooking is a great way to spend a little extra time to save a lot of time and money later. Once the food is prepared, all you need to do is prepare and serve later. And even better, there's less clean up. Here are a few batch cooking recipes I love to whip up: Pancakes I have never been that great at making pancakes. For some reason they never cooked inside but they were always brown on the outside - until I found this recipe. This recipes makes a ton of pancakes. Once they are cooled, I ... Continue Reading

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Car Trip Tips for Families

Happy family driving in  the car surrounded by snow.

Tips and tricks for car trip travel this holiday season.

Being a military family means that we don't live close to our families. At all. We travel at least every other month. Traveling can be stressful enough, but when you add three children? You have yourself one fun filled day of driving, crying children, bathroom stops and stress out the roof for the last hour or two of your trip. Within the past few years I have learned what works for my family--and what doesn't. Here are five tips you can hopefully use as you travel for the Thanksgiving or ... Continue Reading

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The Soups of the Season

sweet potato soup

Recipes for making sweet potato soup and apple acorn squash soup.

I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen; and the holiday season is the perfect time to test out new and interesting ideas for recipes. One of my favorite meals to prepare is soup. You can add lots of vegetables (complex carbs) and protein sources to add dimension and nutrients to each spoonful of goodness; it's the perfect make-an-extra-batch type of food, that you can freeze (in single servings) and re-heat to enjoy on a cold winter afternoon-coupled with a warm piece of buttered bread. ... Continue Reading

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Farmer’s Markets in the Fall

pumpkin apple fall harvest

Find the choice produce at your farmer’s market in the fall.

Farmer’s markets are the absolute easiest way to eat locally grown food. You know where the food comes from and many times get to meet the farmers face-to-face. Farmer’s markets are a great way to eat healthier and support your local community at the same time. The key to farmer’s markets is to know what is in season. What can you expect to find at your local farmer’s market this fall? Here is a quick list of the most prominent fall fruits and veggies for your favorite fall recipe. ... Continue Reading

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Green your Thanksgiving & Support Local Farmers

thanksgiving

Consider helping your local farmers and buying fresh food for Thanksgiving dinner.

As November approaches, thoughts turn to the planning and anticipation of the Thanksgiving Day feast. But before you run out the door to stock up on supplies, consider the meaning behind the celebration. Thanksgiving came about as the direct result of farmers that had a plentiful harvest. Tables were filled with foods of the season that were all products on the land surrounding that particular family’s home. Thanksgiving celebrations revolved around being thankful for the bounty of food ... Continue Reading

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Make Your Own Art Supplies

finger painting

With these at home recipes, you can make your own art supplies from items in the cupboard.

Sometimes it's more fun, feasible, and less-expensive to make your own art supplies, rather than running to the local store and stocking up again when your kids use the last bit of finger paint. Recently I hosted four little boys at my house and had to rely on my make-it-from-scratch skills. I was able to whip up homemade art supplies (some that are even edible) and they were a hit. These art supplies recipes can be made in only a few minutes, and you can get your children involved: Edible ... Continue Reading

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Fall Harvest: Four Picks From the Farmer’s Market

pumpkin apple fall harvest

Head to your farmer’s market to get this amazing fall harvest produce.

There’s nothing like going to the farmer’s market on the weekend to put you in the healthy-eating frame of mind. All summer long, there are piles and piles of fresh produce grown within miles of your home, guaranteeing freshness and flavor for your plate and sustainability for the local farms. Today, on a gorgeous Indian Summer fall day, I found myself skipping a little faster down the sidewalk to get to the weekend fresh market because I know that like the summer fare, the fall harvest can ... Continue Reading

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