Flaw week; continued

Doritos!

I have many excuses for not listing all my green flaws in a timely fashion as I had promised. For instance, I have a non-stop barrage of family in town. Also, who really wants to list their flaws in an organized, thoughtful manner? And last night, I bought Lucky Charms, juice boxes and paper plates in an effort to make my eco-fied house somehow more kid friendly to my husband's kin.

This truly is a downward spiral. To make up for my uncharacteristic impulse buys (my husband demanded to know what I had done with his wife), I made some very tasty, adult-friendly, homemade mac-and-cheese my kids literally ate up.

So here's my eco-flaw of the day: I cave to peer pressure and Doritos. It's really unfair that guest kids are eating Doritos on the couch while my kids are banned to the kitchen table during snacks of crackers and milk. I understand this.

But there's lot of reasons to eat non-processed foods. They taste better. They're better for you. They're better for the environment. Trust me... I love Doritos. But sometimes you just have to say no for the greater good, meaning both the planet and my waistline.

So maybe the kids should be able to watch Saving Nemo while eating some stove-cooked popcorn (that's why God invented Friday Movie Night) and some homemade peanut butter cookies. It just takes a tiny bit of effort to feel a little better about "kid food" that doesn't have a bunch of mystery ingredients or excessive packaging.

But maybe I should consider that nobody is perfect, and while I might have bought one package of paper plates too many, I'll do better next time.

Dorito photo by giest on Flickr

Guilty pleasures – Big fat flaw week

So I love Day of Our Lives. So what!!

I know it's so stupid, really I do. I can hardly believe I'm even admitting to it. Even still, I try to catch at least 10 minutes of it a few times a week. I also love really cheesy movies, Tori Amos and The Simpsons.

Just because I'm trying to conserve energy doesn't mean I live in the woods. I like Project Runway as much as the next girl/gay guy, but all this media love can really add up to some serious cash on DVDs, CDs and electricity.

So, instead of denying myself my Sami/E.J./Lucas love triangle, I just try to conserve as much as possible.

• Power cords, especially for televisions and stereos, are great ways to fight phantom energy, or the stuff you're using even when the tube is off. It can make up as much as 5 percent of your energy bill.
• Instead of buying, borrow. Libraries aren't just for books, like the crime mysteries I'm currently embarrassed to admit loving. I get most of my rental movies there as well. They're not always free. Mine charges $1 for two nights, but they have new releases. We just watched Superbad a few nights ago. Many libraries also stock music and video games.
• Speaking of music, instead of CDs, try Pandora. It's like a radio station made just for you and totally free.

Stop wining – Big fat flaw week

Sometimes, like last night, I've been known to drink a beer or two (or, unlike last night, 18) too many. But my real weakness leans toward the sipping variety.

Red wine that is.

And how come it's so hard to leave a half-empty bottle on the kitchen counter? It's just a question for the ages I guess. But if you're going to drink a glass or two of the stuff while you're making dinner, best to be as eco-friendly as possible.

And so we have the box. Less packaging and transport costs means greener (and less expensive) drunkenness. I've read in a number of places that campers like to remove the wine bag from the box for a light-weight cocktail hour in the woods.

Now, I know a wine snob or two who would never touch a glass of Merlot from Target (also available in little single serving juice boxes!), but for the casual wine drinker who doesn't swoosh the stuff around in the mouth and then spit it into a community bucket (as the very sophisticated wine connoisseur can do) then there are a couple of pretty good choices.

My favorite so far is Pinot Evil (like "See No Evil" with three monkeys on the box) just as much for the clever name as the tasty pinot noir. Black Box has gotten a good reputation and is widely available.

Lazy imperfect days

For whatever reason (the heat, the sun, thoughts of fall right around the corner), it's hard for me to get motivated in August. For instance, I stop blogging and think, "Eh... I'll get around to it sometime next week, or maybe the next time it rains."

This lackadaisical approach to life (like spending way too much time and the pool and not contributing a weekly Fricipes entry) definitely creeps into my eco-world as well.

For instance, sometimes it's just easier to use the dryer then hang those tiny kid clothes on the line. The carpet smells vaguely like dog so it's easier to buy some chemical-laden carpet cleaner than research and make my own concoction. I just can't bear browsing garage sales for great deals and Macy's is having a one-day sale. One car trip to the mall won't end humanity, right!

So this week, I'll focus on my eco-flaws and maybe even a few fixes, just as a reminder that even the most perfect of moms (and here I'm referring to some other women I know) have moments of weakness.

Bugs and beautiful flowers

Here are a few reasons why heading to the nature preserve, or even the backyard, can be thrilling summer outings for kids, at least here in the Midwest.

Here's our favorite summer songstress — the cicada. Do you know, these bugs are eaten in some part of the world?


A monarch butterfly enjoying some lovely goldenrod. This scene was one of many from our recent nature walk.

Speaking of butterflies, here's some pretty butterfly weed. I think its color makes butterfly weed (it's not actually a weed, fyi) the most beautiful of the prairie wildflowers. I think many people consider wildflowers weeds, but what makes these plants less beautiful than a peony or a marigold?

I think these are black-eyed susans. They were among some of the plentiful, and colorful, varieties of wildflowers in bloom this time of year. I once spoke to a horticulturist who noted wildflowers are big, to-be-noticed kind of plants, something that scares away many timid gardeners. But these plant, native to the prairie, are familiar with the climate, don't need a lot of tending to and really are quite beautiful.

Friday recipes; or Fricipes

So you had a big party last night and that big bowl of tortilla chips is stale. Or, more likely in my case, you fell asleep with an open bag while you were watching "We Are the 80s" on VH1 for the 15th time.

Whatever. There's an awesome remedy for those inedible corn chips — chilaquiles.

Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish using leftover corn tortillas. The tortillas are fried, layered with leftover sauce and cheese, and baked into a casserole. There are a ton of varieties to this great dish, and here's a link to get you started, but my personal favorite is the tomatillo variety. It's tangy and wonderful.

2 lbs. tomatillos, quartered. They look like husked green tomatoes and sold near the avocados.
1 medium onion, diced.
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped.
Juice from one lime.
1/2 tsp salt.
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, for the brave. (otherwise, optional).
2 cup chicken broth.
1/2 bag corn chips. If you don't have this, fry up about 12 corn tortillas cut in eighths.
16 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded.

1. Combine the tomatillos, onion, cilantro, lime, pepper and salt in blender until smooth. Bring mixture to boil on stove.

2. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Turn to low and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350.

4. Put about 1 cup sauce on bottom of casserole dish. Layer with tortilla chips.

5. Add another cup of sauce, half the cheese and another layer of chips. Top with sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

6. Serve with sour cream. If it's a spicy dish, it works really well with a fried egg.

Eco-parenting

The site How You Eco has been profiling eco-homemakers (something they're caling Chief Eco Officers, and really, could I say eco one more freakin' time!) this week on their blog. Sure I'm included, but I swear there are other, more interesting, people on the site.

The Whole Foods story

Whole Foods, the fancy-schmancy grocery store known for selling quality organic food, is having a bit of a problem. Seems people aren't willing to spend half their paychecks on good eats when times are tough.

So the chain is trying to shake its image. But one thing it can't do at this point is appeal to the huge part of the population it's ignored for so long. There are 16 stores in my state of Illinois and every one of them is in Chicago or the Windy City suburbs. Big cities. Hip neighborhoods. That's where Whole Foods built its base.

Don't get me wrong. I love Whole Foods. Yum. But it looks like I'll have to stick mostly to my local grocery (the St. Louis-based Schnuck's that built a store a mile from my house off a bike trail) local farmers (it is the Midwest, after all) and local specialty stores.

Good luck with that image problem of yours Whole Foods. You're going to need it.

Photo by beardenb on Flickr

Getting to know you

I got one of those silly surveys friends sometimes send to one another in an effort to talk about themselves. Sure I answered it.

What caught my attention was a question about favorite smells. Many of the women (all moms) said they liked the smell of a clean house.

After watching more daytime television than I care to admit, and having wandered down a cleaning product aisle at the grocery store every once in a while, I can tell you, that smell is not the smell of clean.

In fact, it's probably exactly the opposite.

Many cleaning products contribute to indoor air pollution, which can be 2 to 5 times higher in your house than outside. The chemicals (or volatile organic compounds) in cleaning products, air fresheners and dry-cleaned clothes can contribute to a number of health woes, including damage to the central nervous system.

Air fresheners are the worst in my book. They provide a very strong smelling product meant to conjure images of clean, when one organization found phthalates (known to cause birth defects and reproductive harm) in 12 of 14 air fresheners testing, including those labeled as "all natural."

The truly safe cleaning products, such as those sold by the company Seventh Generation, are great, but expensive. For most of my cleaning, I stick to baking soda, washing soda and vinegar. Try to buy soap instead of detergent, which contains petroleum products.

And for a fresh, clean smell, open a few windows. You might find the outside actually smells OK.

Friday recipes; or Fricipes

The tomatoes are here! The tomatoes are here!

Every year when we get those first few tomatoes, we always analyze the best way to eat them. A fresh mozzarella/tomato salad with olive oil and great bread? A fantastic BLT?

How about some fresh salsa? Oh how I love the conundrum of summer food.

Here's my recipe for the perfect summer salsa. Next week, check back to find out how to deliciously use stale corn chips.

This is a single tomato recipe. Just double, triple or multiple by 100 for your needs. Also, don't be afraid to experiment. A seeded cucumber or diced carrot can make a nice addition, especially if you're making a clean-out-the-fridge variety.

One good sized tomato
Tsp salt
One small onion
One jalapeno or Serrano pepper (use half a green pepper if you don't like the heat)
One small ear of corn, boiled five minutes and cut off cob
Juice from half a lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Dice tomatoes. Put in colander in sink and sprinkle with salt (this will rid the tomatoes of their excess juice)
2. Layer diced onion, diced pepper and corn on top of tomatoes. Do not stir.
3. Squeeze lime juice over vegetables
4. Wait about 15-20 minutes.
5. Stir the mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Eat with corn chips, tacos or over scrambled eggs.