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

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

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

"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

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

Are you looking for a boo-licious Halloween candy that you feel good about giving to all those special spooky kiddies - including your own? I just discovered YummyEarth Organic Lollipops and let me tell you these are the most delightfully delicious opulently organic heavenly Halloween candies I have dared to discover - yowza! I need a breather... Okay, what was I saying before I got a bit distracted by the memory of that first tantalizing taste?

Ah yes YummyEarth Organic Lollipops. These are USDA organic certified kosher allergen-free, gluten-free, GMO-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, casein-free, dairy-free lollipops that are certainly not free of taste. In fact their unique "good for you" formula actually tastes better than regular candy because it is made from all-natural fruit extracts and use red cabbage and purple carrots for color.

Huh? Vegetable Organic Lollipops - Yeah Right

Cabbage and Carrot lollipops you're saying? Um, yes that's what I thought at first but actually you'd never know and even more importantly your kids won't know. The smell and taste of these YummyEarth candies are nothing short of, well Yummy.

YummyEarth lollipops are the perfect treat for Halloween and come in a wide selection of fun to say flavors including Sour Apple Tart, Pomegranate Pucker, Mango Tango, TooBerry Blueberry, Googly Grape, Strawberry Smash, Very Very Cherry, and Wet-Face Watermelon.

This post on YummyEarth Organic Lollipops shared on Fight Back Fridays and Real Food Wednesdays.

YummyEarth Organic Lollipops: A Boo-Licious Halloween Candy is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

Find Oliver Kita gourmet chocolates in a bevy of bountiful boo-licious designs including Hosts of Ghosts, Wicked Witch Shoe, Good Witch Shoe, and new to the haunted house are the Voodoo Bon Bons a devilishly daring delight perfect for Halloween.

Boo-Licious Organic Halloween Chocolates is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

It turns out all citrus fruits contain some pretty powerful anti-cancer antioxidants (hesperidin, lycopene, citric acid, limonene, and others) which of course we hear about the benefits of eating or drinking lots of citrus for that very reason, but what we don't hear as often is the effects of using citrus and especially lime directly on our skin. These healing properties, as well as lime’s refreshing and clarifying qualities, make lime an especially nice ingredient in topical preparations or skin care. Dr. Jody Alpert Levine, who heads the division of pediatric dermatology at Montefiore Hospital in Bronx, New York, says, "Lime’s astringent, antiseptic, and disinfectant qualities are good for treating oily and acne-prone skin."

So here are a few natural uses for lime which will give all of us that wonderful youthful skin we so desire. (caution: be prepared to answer a lot of questions on what's your secret to youthful beautiful skin)

1. Extra Special and Secret (well not any more) Lime Juice Formula

Squeeze a lime into a bowl. Add a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerin. Stir well and let it sit for half an hour. Apply this mixture on the face, hands and feet before going to bed at night. This treatment every night will help you look even younger and more beautiful than you already are. It is also a great natural cure for acne.

2. To improve a dull and greasy complexion

Mix half teaspoon of lime juice with one teaspoon of cucumber juice and a few drops of rose water. Apply on the face and neck and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with water.

3. For very oily skin

Squeeze lime juice in a bowl of ice water. Splash this over the face, massage for five minutes and then rinse with water.

4. To improve dry rough skin

Take an egg yolk and mix in a few drops of lime and olive oil. Spread on the face and leave it until the skin feels dry. Wash off with water and splash on cold water to help tone the skin.

5. To relieve tired eyes

Take four tablespoons each of lime juice and ice water. Soak cotton balls in this water and place over your closed eyelids for 10 minutes.

6. To remove freckles

Blanch and grind two almonds, mix it with egg white and a half teaspoon of lime juice. Spread on the face and leave it on until the skin feels dry. Then, wash off first with warm water and then with cold water.

If you aren't the do it yourself type look for natural organic skin care products with lime to get many of the same healing effects. Below are some current organic lime skincare products for sale on ebay including lip balms, facial washes and toners, and perhaps some pure lime essential oils so you can make your own youthful lime concoctions.

This post shared on Works for Me Wednesday.

Lime: the Natural Key to the Fountain of Youth is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

If you aren't familiar with Kefir it is a fascinating ancient yogurt-like drink that has numerous health benefits. First off it is a probiotic (good bacteria that help strengthen your body and immune system) so it is one of the best remedies for digestive troubles, it is also very high in lactic acid so is recommended as a protection against cancer, and Kefir has a beneficial effect on the intestinal flora so if you suffer from Candida overgrowth Kefir will be your best friend. Another interesting discovery for garlic lovers - Kefir and probiotics help neutralize bad bacteria and control bad breath!

I'm just learning about Kefir and probiotics myself, it is certainly a fascinating topic - and I'm learning tasty to explore as well. Take for example the blueberry Kefir we recently tried. It is quite yummy all on its own, (or throw a dash in your cereal in the morning), but once I tried my first glass my creative kitchen instincts kicked in and I thought hmm, what would this taste like in pancakes?

I usually take the easy route with pancakes and use a store bought mix and then spruce it up a bit, but if you have a favorite homemade recipe you can use the basics from that recipe and try my additions.

I'll list a homemade recipe here that I sometimes use as a base when I get a bit more motivated in the kitchen but feel free to use a box mix and substitute as many of the ingredients as you can with the healthy organic and natural ones I've listed.

First off here's what you'll need (the original recipe says it makes 9 4in. pancakes but it never does right? So adjust amount of flour, thinness of batter etc.. for more or less pancakes):

1 cup organic whole wheat flour
1 organic grass fed egg
3/4 cup organic milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar or organic raw sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

My Additions:
1/4 cup flax seed
1/4 cup blueberry Kefir
1 teaspoon almond extract
Fresh organic blueberries
Whip cream (gotta have whip cream on pancakes it's a must)

Add all the ingredients (except the whip cream of course - you can save some blueberries for a topping as well) beat it and cook it - and whalah you have some delicious blueberry Kefir pancakes - a perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner.

A note with the blueberry Kefir if you add some to the batter it becomes pasteurized again when it cooks, therefore killing all the beneficial yeast and bacteria which was so lovingly cultured to life. It does add a delicious scent while cooking and a delightful flavor to the pancakes but it will no longer have the healing properties of Kefir.

It may be a sin among Kefir artisans but I sure do love the smell and taste with a little bit in the batter (shhh don't tell.) You may just want to save the Kefir and use it as a topping once the pancakes are cooked, or be a bit daring and do both...

The blueberry Kefir I tried was made by Lifeway (they have a fun musical Kefir bar and Kerfirability profile feature so if you are in the mood for a little fun loving psychoanalysis check them out) - I also discovered there are some ebay sellers selling coupons to Lifeway products so if you are interested in trying Kefir why not save a little money as well.

Do you cook with Kefir? Please share your quick Kefir recipe suggestions, we'd love to try them all.

This post shared on Fight Back Fridays and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Organic Blueberry Kefir Pancake Recipe – A Probiotic Delight is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

Probiotics (meaning literally for life) are the "good bacteria" or intestinal flora that form a protective layer in our digestive tract that assist in nutrient absorption and prevent absorption of toxins. In other words this protective layer helps support digestion, process vitamins, regulate immune function, remove toxins, and crowd out bad bacteria. Unfortunately our natural gut bacteria is killed or harmed by preservatives, antacids, alcohol, stress, antibiotics, and many other toxins in our environment so pretty much everyone could benefit from a few billion friendly flora.

Probiotics are naturally found in fermented fruits and vegetables and foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, soy sauce, crème fraiche, and kimchi, among many others. However, many manufacturers of these products pasteurize and over-process these foods killing the naturally occurring live cultures.

I had heard about probiotic supplements but wasn’t all that familiar with what they did until recently. This last weekend though on our way out of town for a little mini vacation as chance would have it we discovered a delightfully delicious new drink called Probiotic Health Daily or phd. They were so good in fact that we had to stop on the way home as well and pick up a couple more.

Phd is a naturally flavored water drink made from organic agave nectar, organic cane juice, natural berry and fruit flavors and most importantly of course six specifically selected strains and 20 billion cfu (colony forming units) of probiotics. The live cultures help to naturally balance and regulate your digestive tract in the Berry Balance flavor or help strengthen your immune system with the Citrus Boost flavor.

To up the cool factor the probiotics are released once you press the “magic button” or patented push-button LifeTop to be more correct (magic button sounds cooler though). The LifeTop protects and preserves the delicate probiotics allowing you to release them when you're ready. Then you shake-a-roo and watch the color change to a nice bright orange – presto chango you have one delicious probiotic drink and one satisfied tummy – in more ways than one.

If you have tried other probiotic drinks or products please share, we’d love to learn more.

This post shared on Real Food Wednesdays at the Cheeseslave and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade

I Have a Probiotic Flora Farm in my Tummy is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies