Sometimes the ugliest* fruit is the sweetest. Sometimes the simplest preparation of meals are the most delicious.

Like roasting, for example… It is the easiest, simplest, quickest (and quite tasty) way to prepare vegetables. The method can be used on almost anything and it’s pretty much the same:

• Cut up veggie into equal sizes.
• Drizzle on oil and toss to coat.
• Sprinkle on grey salt or sea salt.
• Lay it flat on a cookie sheet so they are not crowded.
• Roast at 375F for 10 - 30 minutes until done, usually until they begin to brown.

Variations have to do with what vegetable, oil, and temperature.

• You can roast at a higher heat, 425F, for less time. I usually choose that method.
• You can toss in olive, coconut , walnut, macadamia nut, or sunflower oils. Don’t use corn or soybean oil or another GMO oil.
• The big secret is not to overcrowd the pan, otherwise they will steam instead of roast.
• Choice of vegetable or mix of vegetables is the biggest change.

Roasting enriches the flavor and deepens the color. It offers variety into our weekly menu and can be done for any seasonal vegetable. It is quick and easy, nutritious and delicious, and comprises of 3 ingredients and some heat.

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I love to travel and explore with my family. At the same time I dread it—being out of my comfort zone, being away from my kitchen where I prepare meals that nourish our bodies with good food and our souls with tradition, and stepping into the unknown of chemicals and cleaners used at the place where we will rest our heads.

Since we’ve stopped using chemicals and have been eating real food, we notice it, even the kids do. Walking into a shoe or toy store makes our eyes water with all the off-gassing. It’s amazing what we can subject our bodies to, lack of nutrition, bombarding it with chemicals and disease, and our lovely bodies continue to function. Our family, thankfully, is more in tune so we can make better decisions knowing what’s good and not.

We realize this and are more accepting of the outside world when we travel but there is one thing we cannot tolerate. And you shouldn’t either. When you think about it, it’s an amazing invention that never existed and now has become a necessary element in making a house a home.

Sprays, plug-ins, plug-ins that self-spray, odor neutralizers, air sanitizers, and aromatherapy candles in just the right scent are all there, something for everyone. Air fresheners seem to work to help erase the smells in the room and clean the air, but actually they work on us. The chemicals coat our nasal passages with a film that deadens the nerve endings. They mask the problem and fool us into thinking the room is fresh, the smell we have learned to think of as clean.

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After all the trick-or-treating is done this year and Halloween is over, you just might have an uncarved pumpkin or two hanging around the house. And what’s the greenest thing to do with an uncarved pumpkin after it’s done gracing your porch? Well, eat it of course!

With that in that in mind, we scoured around for some of the tastiest looking pumpkin recipes on the web. Please enjoy these links to a few of the best we found!

• Pumpkin Oatmeal from the Green Halloween Blog
• Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Apple Butter, and Gluten Free Pumpkin Waffles        from the Fat Free Vegan
• Pumpkin Granola Bars from Mothering.com
• Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie from National Geographic Little Kids (craft)

Oh, and don’t forget to toast the seeds!

Happy Halloween from the moms of Green Mom Finds!

[photo via Jiffy Cat]

If you’ve got lots of broken crayons lying around the house, don’t throw them out — it’s easy AND fun to make new color crayons out of all those old broken pieces!

You’ll Need:

• old color crayons
• muffin pan
• muffin pan liners.

Get Started:

1- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
2- Peel paper off crayons.
3- Cut crayons into small pieces.
4- Divide by color.
5- Put liners in muffin pan. If you don’t want to use liners, use a non-stick oil.
6- Fill your muffin pan with whatever colors you wish.
7 - Bake for 10-15 minutes at 250 degrees.
8 -Remove from oven and let cool 30-60 minutes. They will be hot!
9- After they are cool, remove paper liner.

Go crazy! You can create all kinds of color combos like rainbow, camo, two-toned, patriotic, Halloween or even Christmas colors. Use a regular sized pan, mini muffins, shaped muffin tins — the possibilities are endless!

While it would probably be much better to use a more eco-friendly type of color crayon, lets face it — a lot of households still have Crayola crayons and reusing them is a great way to give them new life!

Reprinted with Permission From: The Eco Chic Family Blog

Got a great green tip you’d like to share? Share your tips on our tips discussion thread over at the Green Mom Community Network!

[Image credit: knitting school dropout]

It turns out that all those fireworks I’ve set off over the years haven’t been so good for the environment. For one thing, the chemicals burned off in the process of igniting the fireworks are hazardous. Plus, fireworks are not recyclable. But what 4th of July holiday is the same without them? Here are a few tips we’ve gathered from around the web to help green your holiday:

1. Cut down on the number of fireworks set off in your community by gathering neighbors and friends to watch fireworks together.
2. Clean up fireworks promptly so ash and chemicals don’t blow through the air overnight.
3. Contact your city’s hazardous waste facility to see if they have any special requirements for disposal.
4. Skip the fireworks altogether and get the kids some ribbon streamers instead!

Tipped off by EnviroHumanImpact and Inhabitat

May you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

[Image courtesy of Grundlepuck]

If you have kids, I’m betting you’re already painfully aware of the challenges of throwing a party that’s fun, as well as green, healthy and socially responsible. It’s a pretty tall order and frankly, I feel like I’ve hit a home run if I can meet just one of those last three. I know I’m not alone because I’ve heard plenty of parents lament over feeling pressured to top the previous year’s party with something bigger and better; with the latest character themes and lots of cool stuff in the goody bags (which, let’s face it, usually ends up being a lot of cheap crap from China). My own kid party dilemma is coming up again soon and, as per usual, I’m grappling with ways to throw a green, non-commercial, crap-free party that is still a lot of fun so when I read this article on KIWI magazine’s web site with ideas for kid’s parties that are eco-friendly, healthy or socially responsible, I was pretty stoked. It’s got a long list of ideas for party themes and games that have absolutely nothing to do with arcades featuring rodent mascots, fast-food places, expensive bouncy things or build-your-own overpriced stuffed animal places and everything to do with having genuine fun while doing good.

Find it Here: KIWI Online

[Image from Webweaver]

This is by far the easiest playdough recipe I have ever tried. OK, well, it’s true that this is only the second playdough recipe I’ve ever tried, but still — after I used this one, I knew I had a winner. The pluses of making your own playdough? You will recognize all of the ingredients, which you probably already have in your home. You can make more whenever you run out. And most importantly, you don’t have to drag your kid to the store buy more. It’s a win-win for everyone! Oh, and this recipe takes about 5 minutes to make - that’s about an hour less than it would take for me to go buy some at the store! Even the kids can help with the mixing and kneading. Store it in an airtight container and it stays moist through many, many uses.

Recipe

1 cup flour

1 cup boiling water

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup salt

1 tbsp. oil

Mix and knead together.

Tipped off By: Cooks.com

Image credit: Pinot & Dita

Did you know that conventional store-bought fingerpaints can contain toxic chemicals, like Toluene and Ethylene Glycol, that can get into your child’s body through their skin? How this is even legal we don’t know, but the good news is you can buy safe, natural finger paints or even better, make your own with ingredients you may already have around the house. Let the kids help if they’re old enough and make an afternoon of it. Then, after the kids go to bed and the mess is all cleaned up, go ahead and treat yourself to a nice long bath or a glass of wine. Or both!

Natural Fingerpaint Recipe

• 1 cup of cornstarch
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/3 cup of grated soap (choose your favorite plain organic bar soap)

1. Melt grated soap flakes into a half cup of boiling water.
2. Add cornstarch.
3. Blend well and put aside. Allow mixture to thicken.
4. Divide into small containers and add coloring.

Natural colorings can be derived from the juice of frozen berries, beet juice, tea, onion skins (boiled) or other natural sources. You can store your fingerpaints in the refrigerator. for about a week.

Thanks for the Tip: LovetoKnow.com

Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the plant Melaleuca Alternifolia and is native to Australia. With it’s antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal and antiseptic properties, tea tree oil makes a great all-natural household cleaner.

All-Purpose Cleaner: Use 15 drops of tea tree oil to 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Use on counter tops or for general cleaning.

Mold Killer: Combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil in 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend. Spray on mold and don’t rinse.

Laundry Disinfectant: Add one teaspoon of tea tree oil per load to disinfect laundry such as diapers or to prevent transmission of fungal infections.

Happy green cleaning!

Find It Here: Healthy and Green Living

Do you have a great green cleaning recipe that really works? Share it with us in our brand-spankin’ new GMF Forum!

The Mother Earth News website, a companion to the print version, is a great resource for tips on DIY projects, renewable energy, organic gardening, sustainable farming and more. In the Fresh Content Daily section, there is always something new to read. Curious about how and when to plant potatoes or what is the best organic milk? You’ll find it there. You can also browse through the most popular articles, diverse blogs, even the current issue of Mother Earth News. Also handy is the 38-year archive completely available on-line which features an archived article every day on the main site.

Find It Here: Mother Earth News

At The Green Mom Review, we try to make every day Earth Day by doing little things daily to reduce our impact on the Earth. Yet, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming knowing where to start. So to kick-off the week, we are bringing you a few easy precycling tips for putting a little more “green” into your life.

1. Use cloth napkins. Check out Fabkins for a really fun alternative for kids!
2. Take reusable shopping bags to the store with you. There are so many cool styles these days - like Skeeda, EcoBags, and Pretty Green.
3. Buy in bulk and avoid individually wrapped items when possible.
4. Stop unwanted junk mail through a free online service like ProQuo or Catalog Choice.
5. Read magazines and newspapers online.
6. Use a computer to pay bills, send party invitations and stay in touch with friends. Try Pingg for the classiest, most professional e-vites we’ve seen yet.
7. Buy recyclable packaged items rather than non-recyclable, and consider using glass containers for storing leftovers instead of plastic.

Choose just one of these tips to start incorporating into your life this month and you’ll be doing the Earth a huge favor! And then, go get yourself some fair-trade, organic chocolate to pat yourself on the back for being such a good Earth-loving mama. I know, I will.

Finding safe household and body care products is not always an easy task, especially when one of the toxic ingredients you are trying to avoid doesn’t even have to be listed in the ingredients. That’s the case for 1,4-Dioxane, a carcinogenic by-product of the cancer-causing petrochemical ethylene oxide. Researchers have known for a while that 1,4-Dioxane can be found in conventional products, but now we know that it can also be found in some so-called “natural” and “organic” products as well. A new study released by The Organic Consumers Association found 1,4-Dioxane in products made by several well-known “natural” and “organic” brands, such as JASON, Kiss My Face, Giovanni Organic Cosmetics, and Nature’s Gate Organics. On the bright side, there were some products by natural/organic brands that were found to be free of 1,4-Dioxane.

So, how can you avoid purchasing products with 1,4-Dioxane if it’s not even listed as an ingredient? Try these tips: 1) Look for products that bear the “USDA Organic” seal or that are German Natural “BDIH” Certified. These products are not allowed to contain 1,4-Dioxane. 2) Avoid buying products with the following ingredients: myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, any other eth, PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol.

Want more info?

Find It Here: Organic Consumers Association Results of Testing for 1,4 Dioxane

We realize that news alerts like this are anything BUT fabulous but in the continued interest of helping you green your world and keep your family safe, we feel it’s important to post them if they are relevant to our readers. We will resume our regularly scheduled eco-fabulousness tomorrow. Over and out!