Top 5 ways to Green your Sprout-friendly Mardi Gras Celebration

Mardi Gras (shrove Tuesday, fat Tuesday, pancake Tuesday) is today, the day before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Parties and parades (as well as pancakes) have long been associated with this celebration; so what's a eco-parent to do? Celebrate of course!

1. Start the day off with organic, local pancakes (if your in the greater Columbia area check out Anson Mills!)
2. Create your own mardi gras beads by stringing colorful bottle caps on a string or get fancy with this recycled silk scarf necklace
3. Raid the recycling bin for a cereal box or two. Cut out mask shapes (be creative!) and let your sprout have a blast with paint, markers and any random craft items you may have (be sure to let these dry in time for #5!)
4. Cook and enjoy vegetarian gumbo & rice with your little sprouts (yummy recipe here)
5. End your day with a King cake (hide a berry or bit of chocolate in the cake instead of a plastic baby to avoid BPA, phthalates and neurontoxins)...the sprout with the surprise gets to lead the "parade of masks" to bed!

Enjoy your Fat Tuesday... and consider doing a carbon fast for Lent (check out this calender for information!)

Square Foot Gardening with Kids: Where to Begin

Growing your own vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers is a wonderful tool for teaching kids about nature, the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) and have them enjoying them in no time! Regardless of if you live in an apartment or a single family home square foot gardening can work for you! Best of all it produces tons more food from 80% less space than that required by a traditional row garden.

So, in this pre-spring time how can you get your children involved in growing this year's garden? And how can you grow your own food while in an apartment with only a patio? Here's the answer to both!

First, gather gardening magazines, crayons, or vegetable & flower stickers. Draw a grid on a plain sheet of paper (recycled of course!) A 3x3 garden works best with a child's arm span. Then, with a list of what grows best in your growing zone (information available at http://www.thevegetablegarden.info/) help your child/children "create" the garden. Let them cut out photos or draw pictures to "fill" their box with vegetables, fruits and don't for get the flowers! Use this chance to teach them about plant relationships (i.e. marigolds help with pest control, etc.)

Then, if it's close to your last frost get those seedlings started! Have your little sprouts help you go through the recycling bin for yogurt cups, egg cartons, etc. to begin your seeds in. Use either vermiculite or Mel's mix (1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite) to get those seeds growing! Let your child sort the seeds on their grid to begin making the connection between seed and full grown vegetable. Involve your child throughout this process letting them label the containers by drawing the veggie (for younger ones) or writing the names on the upcycled seed pots. Help teach responsibility by having your child either assist or on their own water the seedlings...I promise with the first sight of green you'll want your camera handy!

You may be thinking, okay but I have no yard only a patio or balcony. No problem! Square foot gardening takes place on top of existing soil in a traditional yard which means it can take place on top of almost anything! A table, a concrete slab, it doesn't matter! You can even use a gardening box (such as earth box) as long as you have the width for a 1x1 you are golden. And imagine, in one square foot you can grow 16 carrots! Many container gardening pots are this size so you could have lots of mini SFG's on your apartment balcony. And there is nothing more rewarding, healthy, and cost-effective than growing your own food.

So grab your little ones and start drawing/pasting...and get growing! Soon your little sprouts will be lighting up as they see the seeds they planted becoming the veggie they love (or soon will love) to eat.

Upcycling

Upcycling is the process of taking a waste and turning it into a higher quality, useful item...and I am a HUGE fan! Here are the photos of Styrofoam from shipping materials that I have turned into wall art for my oldest sprout's room. More projects with the last of the foam to come! Let me know your thoughts and any ideas you can share to upcycle items.

Sunday's Eco Inspiration

"Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:7-10

Look around you...God is everywhere. Feel Him in the cool spring breeze, hear Him in the bird's morning song, smell Him in the earthy mud after a cool rain, taste Him in the natural sweetness of the first picked strawberry, and see Him in the trees you drive by daily to work. Worship Him, Praise Him for He has made all and declared it good. Let's loose ourselves in the beauty around us and begin to take notice again of God and His amazing creation. Only when we see Him in it will we finally begin to embrace the stewardship we are all called to.

This week take time to sit in a park, daydream on a bench and reflect on the amazing works of the Lord & then act in stewardship toward Creation.

$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!