Earth Friendly Goodies » cooking

Vegetable Garden Tips and a Gardening Cookbook to Boot

Chris — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:46:49 +0000

Spring is still calling... very softly for those of us up north, but when that warm sun teases me through the window I start to get in the mood to play in some dirt and try my hand at growing some nice healthy weeds along with my spinach and basil.

Last year I had discovered Square Foot Gardening one of the best selling garden books on Amazon and at the time had noticed a follow up book aptly named All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook. Now, I am a complete cookbook geek especially when they have good pictures (why a cookbook wouldn't have enticing pictures is beyond me) and this Square Foot Gardening cookbook is a beauty.

Mel Bartholomew Speaks about his Gardening Cookbook

Plenty of nice large colorful pictures of not only the dishes, but also of the vegetables and herbs - even if you aren't a gardener you'll have fun with this gardening cookbook. (But after reading this cookbook I'm sure you'll be at least a little bit inspired to try your own garden)

The author, Mel Bartholomew is a whiz in the garden (how beautiful are those plants in his garden by the way? I wanted to eat right off my monitor but it zapped my tongue) he often says eat fresh, eat healthy and eat what you grow and with a garden like that I'm sure you could make fantastic salads right out of the garden.

Not only does the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook have more than 135 recipes to enjoy the harvest from your square foot garden (or farmers market, or store if you haven't braved the garden gnomes) Mel adds harvesting techniques and yield information for each of the seventeen vegetables, fruits, and herbs and adds money saving tips, square foot garden tips, and even a kid's gardening corner for lots of family fun.

If you didn't catch my last post on EarthBoxes vs Square Foot Gardening take a peek and try one of these easy methods for yourself then have fun with some fresh from the garden recipes.

Other Gardening Tips in the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook

Planting schedule for continuous crop harvesting
When to harvest plants
How to harvest
Tips for storage
Plant spacing
Kids corner for family fun

All New Square Foot Gardening
List Price: ~~$19.99~~
Sale Price: $10.95
You save: $9.04 (45%)
Eligible for free shipping!

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work
List Price: ~~$19.99~~
Sale Price: $10.97
You save: $9.02 (45%)
Eligible for free shipping!

This Post on the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook Shared on Real Food Wednesday

Vegetable Garden Tips and a Gardening Cookbook to Boot is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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EarthBox VS Square Foot Gardening – And the Winner Is?

Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract: Free Warm and Fuzzies

Chris — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:24:48 +0000

As the first snow fall of the season blows and blusters about outside and the tinkling bells of snow plow back-up signals set the mood for the coming holidays I was hit by a rather warm comforting surprise.

I was staring blankly in my spice cupboard while forging for an early morning snack when my gaze fell on the back of a bottle of Rodelle vanilla extract. I had splurged a bit on a gourmet vanilla extract a while back and without even knowing it I was helping the environment.

The Rodelle headquarters in Fort Collins Colorado it turns out is 100% powered by wind or alternate energy sources. And to sweeten the pot they are very active in local and international efforts to improve social and environmental standards such as emergency relief efforts and working toward sustainable growing practices in Madagascar and Uganda where the vanilla bean growers are.

It is heart warming, on a cold pre-winter day especially, to find companies quietly improving the world we live in with something as simple as the vanilla extract we bake with.

Rodelle makes a wonderful line of gourmet baking ingredients and spices including many types of gourmet vanilla extracts and beans upon which the company was founded. If you are looking for high quality organic vanilla extract, alcohol free vanilla extract, some delicious Madegascar bourbon vanilla beans, or just good old fashioned pure vanilla extract give Rodelle a try - and help spread the warmth this holiday season.

I don't recall which grocery store I found my vanilla extract at but it looks like Amazon has a selection of Rodelle Products for sale from time to time. Also below is the current selection of Rodelle products for sale on eBay as well.

This Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday

Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract: Free Warm and Fuzzies is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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Healthy Banana Bread Recipe with a Mango Ginger Twist

Chris — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:23:05 +0000

A Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe
with a Mango Twist and Ginger Surprise

Sometimes the best recipe experiments are a result of ingredients that have to be used up before they go bad - that works especially well for a banana bread recipe since you need well ripe bananas - what better way to use up those brown skin beauties.

Well this time I not only had a few very ripe bananas but I had a mango that needed to be used up right away as well - so the 'ol kitchen creative bug bit me in the keister and the result was a rather delicious surprise. (ok I'm sure plenty of other people have made banana mango bread but I'd like to think I'm special too).

So without further ado (although feel free to throw down a drum roll if you like) here is my Mango Ginger Banana Bread Recipe:

I'll list the earth friendly organic ingredients (thus the somewhat healthy banana bread recipe) that I try to use but you can use whatever you have on hand - I won't tell...

Mango Ginger Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients

1/2 cup organic sugar
1 tbs Truvia (I use the natural sweetener Truvia to cut down on the amount of sugar - you can supplement all of the sugar with a natural sweetener if you'd like)

1 stick organic butter
2 large organic eggs
2 large very ripe bananas
1/2 to 3/4 diced very ripe mango depending on how much you sample
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt

cinnamon sugar
coconut oil

Directions:
Heat oven to 350º - Grease bottom of 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with coconut oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in bananas, mango, buttermilk, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in flour, ginger powder, baking soda, and sea salt just until moistened.

Pour into baking pan sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar and bake for about an hour - or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool as long as you can resist the delectable smell and enjoy - last but not least send everyone you know back to Earth Friendly Goodies to tell us what they thought of our Banana Mango Ginger Bread recipe (not required but it is always nice)

What do you like to spice up your banana bread recipe with - please share in the comments below.

This Post on my delightfully delicious banana bread recipe Shared on Real Food Wednesdays, Fight Back Friday and Fat Tuesday

Healthy Banana Bread Recipe with a Mango Ginger Twist is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensils and Eco-Friendly Utensil Holder

Chris — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 14:45:25 +0000

Do you have a pile of unused plastic utensils at home from various take out restaurants? Are you sick of the excess waste from all these pretty much worthless plastic utensils? To-Go Ware's founder, Stephanie Bernstein sure was and she had the inspiration to start To-Go Ware and the To-Go line of Bamboo utensils with the clever campaign Reduce Your Forkprint.

Well, we recently discovered these Bamboo To-Go Ware utensil sets and fell in love. I love the look and feel of bamboo and knowing that I can easily bring these babies anywhere is great. They are also perfect for sending with the kids for school lunches as well.

Each set includes a fork, knife, spoon and chopsticks all snug as a bug in a rug in a nice durable utensil holder made from RPET, recycled PET plastic (often called RePEat) which is made from recycled plastic bottles.

These Bamboo utensils are heat and stain resistant and won't absorb flavors so you don't have to worry about chocolate pudding flavored pasta.
They are sealed with a natural, vegan, food-safe sealant that has been tested and contains NO heavy metals that could leach into food.
They are strong too, much stronger than those pesky plastic forks that always break and you end up trying to eat with a one or two tined fork by the end of the meal.

The RePEat utensil holders are available in a number of colors and styles so you can pick up a different one for each member of the family. We actually bought them as camping utensils but we have found there are so many more uses, and we can feel good about turning down plastic utensils where ever we go. Yes we are eco-geeky like that. As it turns out so is Oprah as the To-Go Ware was featured on Oprah's Earth Day show. (just a bit of eco-geek trivia for you)

Bamboo To-Go Ware utensil sets are for sale at a number of locations including Amazon (where you can often find them with free shipping), Whole Foods, REI and through the To-Go Ware web site itself.

This Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday

To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensils and Eco-Friendly Utensil Holder is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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BPA Free Dishes for Kids – Unbreakable and Tough as Nails

Chris — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:10:18 +0000

Every time I look in the cupboard to grab a plate or cup for our kids I am reminded that we really need to find non plastic BPA free dishes, preferably unbreakable dishes for kids. With all the warnings about BPA leaching into our food (especially when microwaved) I really don't want that stuff any where near my kids. So I usually gamble and give them our quite breakable good dishes... and face the wrath of Brandi when she scolds me for letting the kids use her artsy dishes. (so far I have been lucky but if ever one should break I'll be sleeping on the couch for a month)

But where can I find BPA Free unbreakable dishes for kids?

Just today she handed me a torn out page of a Parents magazine in which they had a little blurb about Kidishes - BPA free dishes for kids, drinking glasses, bowls and plates that are made out of Duralex tempered glass. I know you are thinking give glass dishes to my kids - yeah right! The thing is these Tempered glass dishes are supposed to be 4 to 5 times stronger than standard glass because they are made through extreme heating and rapid cooling, thus quite nearly unbreakable dishes!

You can find Duralex unbreakable dishes for sale at Amazon. The Kidishes often sell out fast on Amazon but I did find one source where you can buy Kidishes as well as a fun video showing off the seemingly indestructible nature of these dishes. Take a peek at the vid and then go to ZoeB Organic to check out these kid friendly 100% recyclable, dishwasher safe, microwaveable, BPA free Duralex unbreakable dishes for kids (whew that was a mouthful)

You can also find a good deal on Duralex unbreakable dishes for sale on eBay with a few Kidishes on there from time to time as well.

This Post on BPA free unbreakable dishes for kids shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday

If you are looking for another non plastic option for school lunch containers check out our post on LunchBots - unbreakable dishes, or rather lunch containers made from stainless steel. Well ok, stainless steel isn't usually associated with unbreakable dishes but that was my theme here so I'm sticking with it.

BPA Free Dishes for Kids – Unbreakable and Tough as Nails is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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Feeding Our Communities One Click at a Time

Chris — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:12:11 +0000

"14.2% of rural households are food insecure,
an estimated 2.8 million households"

Tis the season for family fun and when our family gets together for the holidays it means good food and lots of it. But what is easy to forget when our kids are nestled all snug in their beds, visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, and we, all snuggled up in our warm winter caps watching a bit of TV or reading a good book by the fire with a bowl of fresh popped popcorn, is that some people don't have that luxury, or the festive holiday food celebrations.

I was reminded of this fact by a mass email of all things, one of those chain letters you get and either forward to all your friends or more than likely just delete. But this one caught my attention "Kare 11 TV & Land O'Lakes are donating $1 to a food shelf for every person who clicks on their web site." I figured I could take a second of my time for a dollar so I took a look.

Land O'Lakes has started a program called Feeding Our Communities - the focus is to help feed those in rural America who don't have enough to eat. It is an unfortunate twist of fate that the regions of this country that supply us with the good food we eat often don't have enough to eat themselves.

"Food shelf visits increased by 30 percent in 2008, and visits to local food shelves are up 40 percent this year over last, while donations are up only about 23 percent."

The Land O'Lakes Foundation wants to help. In partnership with farmer-owners and cooperative partners, they will make available up to $1 million to alleviate rural hunger. To up the anti they will even match dollar for dollar, up to $400,000, the cash donations of member cooperatives who can then use that grant money to fund their own hunger relief programs. Sounds like a nice circle of helping hands there doesn't it - someone has their thinking caps on.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program... you might be wistfully pondering if you were a pondering sort "wouldn't it be nice if we could just press a button to end world hunger?" Well thanks to KARE 11 and the Land O'Lakes Foundation you can press a button to at least help. With "Operation Co-operation" they will automatically donate a dollar to hunger relief programs for every click - you can even come back every 24 hours to do so again - so we'll see you back here tomorrow and the next day and the next day....

Have a wonderful Earth Friendly day from the gang at Earth Friendly Goodies.

Feeding Our Communities One Click at a Time is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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Naturally Nora Cookie Cookie Cake Mix Super Sale

Chris — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:43:55 +0000

A Cyber Monday sensation to sink your teeth into, this natural cake mix is due for a huge discount in Amazon's Cyber Monday promotion. (Keep your clicking fingers nice and limber around 12pm PST to snatch up the best price)

This 100% natural cake mix has no artificial ingredients, colors, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, dairy or soy, and is completely kosher. I did notice that it is manufactured in a facility that also handles wheat, eggs, milk, soy and tree nuts so it can't really claim to be 100% free of soy and dairy, and the chocolate cookies do have canola oil in them which while better than most vegetable oils still isn't the best for you, but overall it is still quite a bit better than most "regular" cake mixes.

So how is it on taste? That may be up to personal opinion but Naturally Nora products have been very well received by many natural food lovers. I would add though that this is not a light and fluffy cake - it is one of the more dense varieties of cake mixes you often find with natural baked goods - unfortunately those hydrogenated oils serve a purpose after all. I would imagine though that one could experiment with adding coconut oil or perhaps apple sauce and it may help add a bit of fluffiness.

If you've tried Naturally Nora cake mixes please leave us your opinion below, we'd love to hear from you.

Naturally Nora Cookie Cookie Cake Mix Super Sale is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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Organic Old Fashioned Oatmeal Slow Cooker Recipe

Beware of Catnip Crazed Cat: An Herby AeroGarden Overthrow

Chris — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:15 +0000

Catnip Crazed Cat
Chooses the AeroGrow AeroGarden Paws Down

As winter grows closer and closer these days thoughts of square foot gardens and fresh herbs have to be put on hold until next spring. I feel somewhat sorry for my basil plant as it struggles inside and if it had eyes I'm sure they would longingly gaze outside and yearn for warmer days and fresh air.

I was perusing the latest Amazon email of great Holiday shopping ideas today and stumbled upon the AeroGrow AeroGarden - I could almost feel my basil plant's leaves rustle in excitement. If you haven't heard about the Aerogrow it is a home growing device about the size of a bread box that uses Aeroponic technology which means the plants grow in air and water, not dirt. My basil plant stirred with excitement as I read to him that plants grow five times faster using this method of eco-friendly growing.

Reading over the 200+ positive reviews of the AeroGrow was exciting as well. Hearing professional chefs rave over the quality of the herbs and plants had my basil plant nearly knocking me over to get to the "add to cart" button. And when I got to the part about the AeroGrow nutrient tablets being organic, according to American Association of Food Control Officials standards my basil was almost weeping with relief. (not to mention glaring at me that I wasn't reaching for my credit card yet).

I researched further to find that the AeroGrow can grow a wide variety of salad greens, tomatoes, herbs, chili peppers, flowers, and even catnip for those frisky kitties. The AeroGrow even comes with a free aerogarden seed kit to grow fresh Italian Basil, Purple Basil, Chives, Dill, Mint, Parsley & Thyme - you can just imagine what effect this had on my basil. Images of a bounty of fresh friends and perhaps the promise of a bit of Italian romance flitted through his head - I can hardly blame him for what came next...

There must be a secret language spoken between cats and herbs because before I knew it my scrawny little basil plant was waving distractedly in the air while my cat with a catnip crazed look in its eyes pounced on the "1-Click ordering" button - the deal was sealed I had a new AeroGrow AeroGarden on its way.

I can hardly blame them as I said, the thought of fresh healthy herbs and salads year round does give one a bit of a euphoric tingle.

Update 11/28/11: If you are keeping an eye on Amazon's Black Friday Week Lightning Deals then you may be interested in this news... it would appear that the AeroGrow AeroGarden is due for a huge Black Friday Sale discount at 2pm PST. Here is their tantalizing text... "Upcoming Deal:
Grow herbs, greens, and vegetables faster and indoors" Sounds to me like the AeroGrow - keep your clicking fingers nice and limber so you can snatch them up.

Find AeroGarden Seed Kits for Sale for Your AeroGrow AeroGarden Below

AeroGarden Gourmet Herb Seed Kit (6-7-Pod)
List Price: ~~$19.95~~
Sale Price: $17.95
You save: $2.00 (10%)
Eligible for free shipping!

AeroGarden 800507-0208 Universal Seed Kit, Italian Herb
Sale Price: $17.95
Eligible for free shipping!

Beware of Catnip Crazed Cat: An Herby AeroGarden Overthrow is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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Organic Old Fashioned Oatmeal Slow Cooker Recipe

Chris — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:10:10 +0000

If you are looking for a tasty treat on these cold Autumn mornings (or afternoons and evenings) perhaps a bowl of organic old fashioned oatmeal would hit the spot. I was recently flipping through my "Fix it and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with your Slow Cooker" and happened to see a recipe for making oatmeal in the slow cooker.

Well, my creative kitchen gremlin tapped me on the shoulder and said "hey buddy let's experiment." So experiment we did.

Here is my Organic Old Fashioned Oatmeal Slow Cooker Recipe:

2 Cups dry Organic Old Fashioned Oats
2 Cups chopped apples (hand picked from a local orchard adds a little family fun)
2 1/2 Cups milk
1 1/2 Cups water
4 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves (or 5-6 crushed bulbs)
coconut oil

Grease your slow cooker with some coconut oil. Mix all the ingredients in your slow cooker set the timer on Low for 4 hours and wait patiently until you have one fine batch of spiced apple oatmeal. mm-mmm good!

Note: to take advantage of the full nutrient power of the oats soak them overnight in yogurt or buttermilk. Sound strange? You bet, but whole grains like oats have phytic acid which binds with the vitamins and minerals in our bodies and prevents them from being absorbed. Soaking them in an acidic medium like buttermilk, whey, yogurt, lemon juice, or vinegar overnight neutralizes the phytic acid and makes them easier to digest.

This post shared on Fight Back Fridays and Real Food Wednesday.

Organic Old Fashioned Oatmeal Slow Cooker Recipe is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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A Gluten Free Home Run for New Grist Beer

Chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:16:59 +0000

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee Wisconsin Hits a Gluten Free Home Run

I like to try new things so when I spotted New Grist beer and the label claiming it was all natural and gluten free I had to give it a shot. For those of you with Celiac Disease (an intolerance to gluten) if you've been mourning the loss of a good brew now and then you'll dance in the streets naked after trying this beer. (well, maybe you should put a few clothes on since it is getting a bit cold out these days).

It turns out New Grist beer from Lakefront Brewery is the first beer brewed without malted barley or any gluten containing ingredients to be recognized as beer by the the U.S. government.

So what's in it then you ask? New Grist is brewed from sorghum, hops, water, rice and gluten-free yeast grown on molasses. I was surprisingly delighted to find I really enjoyed it, in fact it had a very crisp slightly fruity refreshing taste - a perfect Fall beer that goes well with a nice juicy burger, a plate of good 'ol spaghetti and meet balls or even a bowl of ice-cream well, maybe not ice-cream, depends on how much you like your beer but it was a very nice accompaniment to a wide variety of tastes and it would make a killer addition to your favorite wing sauce.

A Gluten Free Home Run for New Grist Beer is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

Earth Friendly Goodies » cooking

Vegetable Garden Tips and a Gardening Cookbook to Boot

Mel Bartholomew Speaks about his Gardening Cookbook

Other Gardening Tips in the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook

This Post on the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook Shared on Real Food Wednesday Vegetable Garden Tips and a Gardening Cookbook to Boot is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:EarthBox VS Square Foot Gardening – And the Winner Is?

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Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract: Free Warm and Fuzzies

This Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday

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Healthy Banana Bread Recipe with a Mango Ginger Twist

A Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe with a Mango Twist and Ginger Surprise

Mango Ginger Banana Bread Recipe Ingredients

This Post on my delightfully delicious banana bread recipe Shared on Real Food Wednesdays, Fight Back Friday and Fat Tuesday

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To-Go Ware Bamboo Utensils and Eco-Friendly Utensil Holder

This Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday

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BPA Free Dishes for Kids – Unbreakable and Tough as Nails

But where can I find BPA Free unbreakable dishes for kids?

You can also find a good deal on Duralex unbreakable dishes for sale on eBay with a few Kidishes on there from time to time as well.

This Post on BPA free unbreakable dishes for kids shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday

Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:

Feeding Our Communities One Click at a Time

"14.2% of rural households are food insecure, an estimated 2.8 million households"

"Food shelf visits increased by 30 percent in 2008, and visits to local food shelves are up 40 percent this year over last, while donations are up only about 23 percent."

Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:

Naturally Nora Cookie Cookie Cake Mix Super Sale

Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:

Beware of Catnip Crazed Cat: An Herby AeroGarden Overthrow

Catnip Crazed Cat Chooses the AeroGrow AeroGarden Paws Down

Find AeroGarden Seed Kits for Sale for Your AeroGrow AeroGarden Below

Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:

Organic Old Fashioned Oatmeal Slow Cooker Recipe

Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:

A Gluten Free Home Run for New Grist Beer

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee Wisconsin Hits a Gluten Free Home Run

Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:

This Post on the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook Shared on Real Food Wednesday

Vegetable Garden Tips and a Gardening Cookbook to Boot is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

Readers who enjoyed this page, also viewed:
EarthBox VS Square Foot Gardening – And the Winner Is?

A Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe
with a Mango Twist and Ginger Surprise

"14.2% of rural households are food insecure,
an estimated 2.8 million households"

Catnip Crazed Cat
Chooses the AeroGrow AeroGarden Paws Down