$15 off a Totsy purchase!

code: 15CREDIT at checkout and receive $15 off your purchase and it can be applied to shipping. This code expires on 3/11/11. Totsy frequently has organics available so check it out and don't miss $15 free dollars!

Foodie Friday: Chickpea Curry

This week we tried a new recipe; great for Meatless Monday! It's from Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen by Maria Helm Sinskey...one of my favorite cookbooks (available at Williams-Sonoma). Made with organic and/or local ingredients it's a wonderful planet friendly dish!

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 1/2 cups organic thin yellow onion wedges
3 cloves organic garlic, pressed
3 Tbs. peeled, grated organic ginger (TIP: make fresh ginger last longer by tossing it in the freezer! Keeps about 2 months!)
3/4 tsp. cumin seeds (we use organic curry powder or organic ground cumin and it comes out super tasty!)
2 cups fresh, local diced tomatoes or organic canned tomatoes  in their juices (yup, using the stocked up muir glen already!)
2 tsp. organic garam masala
1/2 tsp. each organic ground turmeric & coriander
kosher salt, to taste
2 cups cubed organic Yukon gold potatoes (or whatever potato you have on hand...even sweet potatoes)
5 cups organic cooked, drained chickpeas (from dried or canned)
1/4 cup chopped, local, fresh cilantro (optional and best when in season)
2 Tbs. lime juice (my favorite is Santa Cruz Organics)

Heat large saucepan over medium-high and add oil. When hot, add onion, garlic, and ginger...saute until begins to brown.
Add cumin seed, tomatoes, garam masala, turmeric, coriander, and 2 cups water, season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer about 15 minutes.
Add potatoes and chickpeas, simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and mix in the cilantro and lime juice (optional). Serve right away (but it's DELICIOUS the next day!) Goes well with rice and raita (a cucumber yogurt similar to tzatziki)

Recipe says it serves 4 to 6 but it easily serves more like 8 to 10.

Give it a try and let me know what you think! My husband enjoyed it and he isn't typically a bean eater!

Sign up for $50 in savings at Publix! Plus GREAT news!

Click here, enter your zipcode and sign up to receive a $50 savings booklet from Publix!

Look for this logo when shopping for an additional $28 worth of savings! Limited quantities and not sure what the coupons will be but Publix typically has organics in all their flyers so fingers crossed!

Plus...now that Publix has opened Greenwise Market Stores (kinda like their version of Whole Foods) they most will honor the Greenwise weekly flyer! I checked at mine and they did! Check out http://organiccents.blogspot.com/ for the weekly deals...I will post some here as well. Yippee for more organic shopping deals!

Looking for deals at Earthfare? Here's some from the new March ad!

Oikos Fat Free yogurt, 5.3oz assorted flavors $1.89
 *$1/1 printable (.89 each)
Sigg's Nonfat Icelandic yogurt, 6oz. assorted 2/$3
*$1/1 from Healthy Clippings (available at 14 Carrot Whole Foods in Lexington SC) (.50 each)
Country Choice Organic Toasted Oats, 18oz. assorted 2/$5
*$1/1 printable when you sign up for their newsletter (1.50 each)
Nate's Meatless Italian Meatballs $3.99
*$1/1 from Healthy Clippings (available at 14 Carrot Whole Foods in Lexington SC) (2.99 each)

PLUS, sign up to receive Earthfare's email coupons! This week is 3lbs. FREE Apples with $5 dollar purchase! (and the $5 is pre-coupon!)

Thanks to Frugally Farming Family!

Simply Sweet Treats

Think organic has to be "healthy" tasting? Expensive? Think again, with my Simply Sweet treats you'll be coming back for more! It's all about keeping it simple. Everyone needs a special treat from time to time...but make it planet friendly, seasonal, local and organic...then everyone wins! These are just a few of the most recent cakes/cupcakes I have done using all natural vegetable based colorings and local and/or organic ingredients. If you are in the Lexington/Columbia SC area and are in need of a cake, cupcake, muffins or more leave me a comment and we can set something up.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

The Lorax is my all time favorite Dr. Seuss book...a children's book that addresses deforestation, smog, animal displacement, pollution, and stewardship all at once! But the best thing to me is that the story is brought back to empower the child/children that THEY can make a difference.
If we give our kids the tools they need at a young age and teach them how to be better stewards of creation they can and will make a difference for the future...just as the Once-ler said,"...UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

Celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday this week by checking out The Lorax at your local library and teaching your child to be a better steward of creation!

"Do what your afraid of...do what you love"

Tonight I had the privilege of attending a speaking event with Summer Rayne Oakes, eco-model and activist thanks to selling her book at the event for work. Let me just say that she is an inspiration!

I was surprised to learn of her love of insects and her studies, research, and publications regarding sewage waste & sludge. She also spends around 2 months each year working on sustainability projects in Mozambique. And this all began while at Cornell University. It is nice to see where people come from...it shapes who they are.

You could truly hear and see her passion for sustainability throughout her talk. I was most intrigued by the Uniform Project that she is doing for the month of March. Basically she wears one little black dress (that she helped design) everyday for the entire month of March. All this is documented and used to raise funds for her charity of choice: Charity: water. The goal is $10K which will build and train workers for 4 wells thanks to Payless Shoes matching dollar for dollar up to $10K. (learn more here)

I was so inspired and encouraged by Summer. She helped remind me that you need to do what makes you happy, you need to act on ideas you have...even if it scares you. I am not blogging just because...I blog because I care and I want others to be informed; if one person thinks twice about the groceries they purchase or the beauty items they use or tries their hand at making baby food then I am successful...and this is only the beginning.

You might think twice...

You wake up, rush to jump in the shower before starting your day, and squirt your shampoo into your hand. Then it's time to lather up...with fragrance, sulfates, preservatives, phthalates, etc. At least, if you use most of the conventional shampoos that's the case. (click here for a defining list of harmful ingredients) Many of these ingredients are linked to cancers, affect reproduction, cause headaches, and cause skin irritations/damage.

Before I began couponing (yes, you can save on eco-beauty too!) or knew what was in my health & beauty products I would often purchase solely based on price. Until my husband started to have issues with his scalp. He developed red patches that itched and burned him. With in about a month of switching to a pure, all natural shampoo it cleared right up.

Once we had children I was even more concerned about what we bathed our little sprouts in and what we used on their skin. I surely didn't want to be rubbing lotion on them that contained carcinogens or washing them in something that could one day affect their reproductive system. So I did what any concerned parent of the 21st century would do...I hopped on the Internet to do some research. That's when I came across www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. An amazing site that will tell you ratings on your products along with what's in them.

We don't purchase a home without having it inspected ourselves and we shouldn't purchase a health & beauty product without knowing what it's effects may be.

Take the time, educate yourself and make earth-friendly, health conscience decisions.

Sunday's Eco Inspiration

"You shall not pollute the land in which you live...you shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the Israelites." Numbers 35:33-34

Take this with you this week as you live, work and play...try and tread a little lighter on this wonderful land which the Lord has provided us; after all He (as the Holy Spirit) dwells among us.