Happy Summer!

Hey there interwebs! How is everyone's summer?

I have really enjoyed tending to our little raised-bed garden this summer, and I finally have hummingbirds checking out my feeder. Up until the last week or so, it was only the house finches that came to visit. (Weird, eh?)

Our Sweet Peppers... taking their "sweet time"

The cucumbers are blooming all over the place now

We have experienced a few bugs attempting to make a meal of our tasty vittles. I found two Tomato worms - or caterpillars (a.k.a. Hornworm) munching away on our tomato plants. Strange, isn't it? The leaves are poisonous to us, humans, but they sure enjoyed devouring the top half of two plants. Grrr.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia by George Bredehoft

 It has been nice to have fresh vegetables, but right now we only have green peppers, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and basil. Our tomatoes are still green. They took a while to come in, we think because the blossoms weren't getting pollinated. Well, no worries - I got my little paintbrush and buzzed around (not really, I just walked haha) the garden and did the business of the bees. (That tip thanks to my mother-in-law!!)

Apparently, tomatoes have difficulty pollinating in excessive heat. (we hail from Arizona at the moment) According to The Weekly Crop Update from The University of Delaware "Constant exposure of a tomato plant to high temperatures (day/night temperatures of 95/80°F) significantly reduces the number of pollen grains produced and released per flower and decreases the pollen’s viability."

So anyway, we have to get most of our produce in the usual manner. I recently discovered that we have a Co-op here who provide organic and natural produce, and other products. I have made a couple trips for fruits and veggies there. It is a little more pricey, so right now we aren't able to buy them all the time - BUT - I am trying to buy local & organic as much as possible.

Mmmmm. Goodies from the Co-op.  (I think the lime & garlic were from the regular grocery)

I could not believe how much better the bananas from the Co-op tasted! I seriously did not want to eat another "regular" banana ever again. Organic is the way to go. It makes me wonder - why do the store bought bananas taste and look SO different? It was reassuring to know that when I do buy the bright yellow bananas that they have *less* pesticide residue... I guess...

According to Susi May on Fitsugar.com "Bananas, along with avocados, mangos, papayas, and pineapples have been found to have the lowest pesticide residue. However, apples, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries have very high pesticide residues."

There is a list called the dirty dozen, which consists of the 12 highest contaminated fruits/veggies:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

View the organic.org website by clicking here.

Needless to say, at the very least, try to buy organic when picking a fruit or vegetable from the dirty dozen. (Dang, I just bought strawberries and didn't realize they were on this list! Crap.)

It isn't easy switching over to a "clean" lifestyle. If you are skeptical, try taking a browse through the organic section or checking out a farmer's market, or Co-op. The avocados are smaller, the bananas are darker, the carrots look a little funky... that's because they are supposed to look like that! Picture that celebrity that you just know has had a dozen plastic surgeries.. all that "improvement" has been done artificially... and you can tell by looking at them that they aren't..natural.

I found this funny on Nature's Path Organic Foods facebook page.

Love those funky carrots! I forgot about our funky carrots that we picked a few weeks ago. They resembled the "European" carrots in the picture above, but tasted like carrots. A little more spicey than normal, though. It was interesting. We also had some radishes that came in first - Man, those suckers grow fast.

I hope to write more often - I have a lot of ideas swimming around in my head for posts. If anyone wants to see more of anything, please let me know! I welcome all comments and suggestions. :)

Keep enjoying your summer ~

 

 

 

Parabens, Petroleum, and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Oh my...

Have you ever skimmed the list of ingredients in your shampoo, makeup, cleansers, or moisturizers?

To be honest, I have given little thought to this sort of thing until recently. I have spent the last several hours researching and my head is spinning!

I started out on Pinterest looking for a good exfoliator and cleanser. (Isn't that where it All starts??) Then I started getting curious... hmmmm. My current "Pond's Crema S" Nourishing Moisturizing Cream suits me just fine and works well, but I wanted to see exactly what I was slathering on my face everyday.

Since I am trying to incorporate more natural, organic and eco-friendly foods and products, into my everyday life, and eliminate toxins and chemicals, I thought:

Hey, why not try to do something all-natural?

Sounds easy enough, right!?

I bounced from one site to another - reading reviews and ingredients - attempting to uncloak the mystery of the unfamiliar components of which these expensive beauty products consisted. Should I just dive in head first (or, er face first..) and get the pricey, smell good stuff? It says "All-Natural" and the company seems to care about being green. And why switch to something different, that might not work as well as what I already have, and know it works?

But, alas, the innards were less than ideal. Here are just a few things I discovered:

More Hormones for your Buck..

Parabens are bad, mkay. The Pond's moisturizer I use contains a little nasty preservative called methylparaben.

Methylparaben is in the paraben family and is considered a xenoestrogen, which is known to mimic estrogen in the body. That means it can disrupt our body's normal hormone production - and this "extra" fake estrogen adds to what our body naturally produces - leading to an excess of estrogen (natural and otherwise.)

Guess what? That isn't a good thing. Excess estrogen has been linked to breast cancer, as well as other reproductive problems. (endometriosis, infertility, and early puberty)

Also scary, methylparaben has a dozen synonyms used by cosmetic companies. Click here to find out more and what names to look for.

You've got some Earth juice on your face..

I read several reviews of women who have used a product called Shu Uemura. It sounds natural enough, but after some further digging, I discovered that it is mainly mineral oil.

There seems to be some controversy surrounding mineral oil, also known as: liquid petroleum, liquidum paraffinum, petrolatum, and paraffin oil. It's extracted from petroleum..a crude oil.. the stuff in gasoline. (But on the flip, it is from the Earth.. so it depends on the slant you want to use)

It is most definitely more purified for cosmetic use than the stuff you use for your vehicle. Part of the controversy comes from the use of mineral oil in conjunction with "comedogenic" ingredients; meaning it will clog pores or exacerbate acne. For example, the main ingredient in Baby Oil and Vaseline is mineral oil. I have used both for moisturizing, and I have to say, they both do the trick! But the oils with other ingredients is not so ideal for your pores. 

I also found some debate regarding spreading mineral oil over the skin as a moisturizer because it "prevents the skin's ability to eliminate toxins."  The skin can't breathe and the body is forced to absorb the oil, and is later processed through the liver, supposedly causing other issues.  Some sites were perfectly okay with mineral oil, and others not so much. I'm still searching for answers here. Obviously, whatever we put on our skin is going to be absorbed into our bodies - so how do we know what is safe? For now, I say just don't spend all your allowance on expensive, dolled up versions of mineral oil, just make sure it is cosmetic and pharmaceutical grade. (and please, don't go using the gasoline from the pump, capeesh?)

So far, it looks like the best option is to use plain old Olive oil, Avocado oil, Borage Seed Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Hazelnut Oil, and/or Hemp Seed Oil (to name a few, but not castor oil) for the "oil cleansing method." It sounds counter-intuitive, but apparently it is great for cleansing your skin, removing makeup, and improving your complexion.

I found some great information, including a tutorial on the Mommypotamus blog. (Click to view)

I plan to give it a try and see how it works for me!

Stuff in my Shampoo...

Lastly, on my journey of ingredients that sound like they are straight from the periodic table... is Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (aka: PAH).

This is found in my shampoo that I use for my impossibly dry, itchy, and perpetually scaly scalp. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Well, it isn't. I have to wash my hair with this brown, unpleasant smelling prescription shampoo every other day in order to keep these troublesome symptoms at bay. But after reading about the main ingredient, I am considering other options.

PAH is in Coal Tar Shampoo and is mostly used for symptoms of dermatitis, psoriasis, and eczema. It is pretty effective, at least for me, but I'm open to other suggestions! There is not strong evidence of the toxicity of PAH levels in the shampoo, but one study I found showed an increased level of a PAH "metabolite" in the participant's urine after using the shampoo. However, the study also noted that the concentration of PAH was 100 times higher than many other Coal tar shampoos. Read more about that study here. Some types of PAHs have been linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and other organ issues. See more here.


So, if I haven't totally confused and overwhelmed you - then you are probably much more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to being organic and all-natural (or at least more natural), and chemicals in our every day products. Please, please, share your knowledge with me! :)

I don't plan to give up, but my brain needs a rest. I'm going to go get in my giant BPA-free, eco-friendly plastic bubble now. 



Here are some links to learn more:
Xenoestrogens and How to Minimize Your Exposure
Mineral Oil - cosmetic-ingredient-dictionary 
Mineral Oil - okay to use?
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - chemical fact sheet

To clean or not to clean your recyclables?

Here is our happy little recycling drying area next to the sink.

I don't like to put icky or wet items in the recycling bin. Yes, it's icky and that's my official stance, however, there are some more concrete reasons... One: it makes my reusable shopping bags dirty and smelly. (This happened once.)

Two: It could potentially attract critters into our casa.

Three: I often reuse my cans and jars for crafty things!

There has been some controversy about whether or not to use up all that water to rinse/wash items out.

I agree with this, so I try to limit the amount of water I use, but it really isn't the best solution - unfortunately, I don't know what is! 

Some recycling centers do prefer that you rinse out items first, to prevent odor, rot, and mold; also, contamination.

If you put all your recycling together in one bin, then that is called "Single-stream Recycling" and there is a potential that liquids or other eewy-gooeys can leak out onto the paper goods, causing the paper to be sent to a landfill, instead of recycling. (kind of defeats the whole purpose, right!?)

You can always call your recycling center and find out what their process is and if they recommend rinsing or not.

One website I found while researching suggested running recyclables through the dishwasher if you have one, but I probably wouldn't do this myself. 

I feel like there's a happy balance somewhere between the use of water and electricity to clean items for recycling and the value of recycling and reusing. The point is to not just throw an open, half used gallon of milk in the recycling bin.

I think the best thing is to simply be conscious of what we are using and do what we can to conserve where we can. (And by "we," I also mean ME, too!) 

Every little bit counts! :)

Any thoughts? Tips? Comments?

 

Here is a great link I found for environmental and energy news:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/

**UPDATE**  
After posting I searched for info about dishwashing vs. handwashing. Turns out that [depending on your dishwasher] you can actually save a lot of water & energy by using the dishwasher versus handwashing.  
Sooo I guess it may be prudent to throw recycling in the dishwasher after all... (if, in fact, it needed to be really scrubbed out) See info here: Energy Star Handwashing vs. Dishwasher

Tonight's Dinner Brought to You by: Whatever is in the fridge.

Anyone else ever wake up and think "What the heck are we going to make for dinner!?"

I had a crisper full of veggies that needed to be used up, some turkey sausage in the freezer, and a crockpot that had been sitting on the shelf for a few weeks too many. So, after about 30 minutes of chopping, I had this thrown together:

Cabbage and Vegetable Stew with Turkey Smoked Sausage 

• About half a head of cabbage (cut into small-ish pieces)
• Some Baby Carrots (whole)
• 3 Potatoes (cubed) Washed - I leave the skin on for flavor! ..and because I'm lazy and hate peeling. 
• 3 green onions (chopped)
• 3 celery stalks (chopped) (Apparently I like the number "3" today...)
• Turkey sausage* (sliced into 1/4" medallions)
• One 14.5 oz can of beef broth*
• 1-2 Teaspoons each Ground Pepper & Salt

*Note: We still eat meat.. just cutting back. That being said, you could easily switch it up and use vegetable broth (or make your own vegetable stock), and sub a non-meat for the turkey sausage (For example, my second choice was black eyed peas with this recipe, instead.)

I cooked it on high for a couple hours, stirred once every hour at least, and added about a cup of water. Then cooked on medium heat for another three hours. (My crockpot cooks HOT so the times may vary. Just stir and watch for any sticking or burning and adjust the temp as needed.) 

Warning ~ It smells pretty amazing, so you will be hungry the entire time it's cooking!! It tastes equally amazing! 

Kermit said it best: "It's not easy being green."

Welcome to my adventures of exploring the greener side of life! 

If you are anything like me, you want to do your part in the world to "save the environment." 

Then there is also the issue of eating well. Avoiding bad for you food isn't easy. I mean, it tastes SO good!! And it seems to be everywhere!

Some foods are the the product of mistreated animals, or have additives, hormones, or chemicals that affect our bodies in ways we might not realize for years. So instead, opting for leafy greens and healthy fruits, and food with funny names (like "quinoa" ~ I don't even know where to buy the stuff, let own alone how to use it in a recipe!), seems to be the better choice, albeit extremely confusing and overwhelming at times. 

In addition, it would be great to keep a little dough in our pockets. I mean seriously, eating healthy and buying "green" or eco-friendly products is kind of expensive!

Challenging? Yes. Possible? Well, I'm trying my best to find out. 

My husband and I are willing to take this challenge head on. Because it is a little intimidating and overwhelming, we are taking baby steps, to start. 

First Step on our Get Green Challenge: Recycling   
It seems like an obvious choice, but we do not have recycling where we live. We have to collect it and take it to a recycling center - the closest being on the army base several miles away. So, it is a pain, but worth it and it makes me feel good!
I up-cycled an old hamper and turned it into a recycling bin that I keep near the door. My husband is now in the habit of at least putting items in the sink that need to be prepared for the bin. 

Step Two: Reduce Meat Intake
If you want to take even smaller baby steps, you could simply add more greens and beans to your meals, or limit red meat. We recently watched Vegucated which made me want to throw out all the meat in our refrigerator. Unfortunately, we had just went to the grocery so that would've been a waste of money (and I felt like it would be disrespectful to the animals ~ I know, maybe I'm being a little over-the-top here, but hey that's just me).

We have simply cut back on eating meat and making most of our meals with beans and trying new vegetarian recipes.  
Tonight we had vegetarian chili! Super easy and delicious! 

Here is the recipe if you would like to try it out:

Veggie Chili (meatless)

• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Hormel chili starter with beans (vegetarian style is available)  
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp dried minced onion (could also use fresh chopped onion, but this is what we had on hand)
• pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste - we are wienies when it comes to spicy!)
• 1 or 2 tablespoons chili powder (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 green pepper - used food processor to puree, but could simply chop pepper to your liking, and add more veggies as well.    
• Salt to taste - I only put a few shakes. 
• Added a couple tblsp of cornstarch to thicken it up.
• Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or so to let it cook down, then simmer. Stir occasionally.

We had ours with peanut butter on wheat sandwiches. Yum!!
(I actually used 1/4 tsp cayenne and 2 tbsp chili powder and it was a bit too spicy for us, so I reduced the measurements above)    

Good luck taking little steps to be a greener human! Don't get discouraged if you can't dive in head first. Anything is something!