Are
you new to whole and
traditional foods or to
"Nourishing
Traditions"? Have
you just gone
gluten/dairy-free and
don’t know what to
eat?
The
menu mailer covers 6
dinners (including side
dishes) and one dessert
every week. It
contains a full menu,
shopping list, a
preparation plan, and
serving suggestions for
each meal. Tips and
information are included
in every mailer as well.
What
makes the Cooking
Traditional Foods menu
mailer unique? A
preparation schedule is
included with every menu
mailer. It reminds
you when to thaw the
meat, prep the crock-pot,
make the stock or soak
the grains. Because
lack of planning is a
major hurdle in getting
healthy meals on the
table, this schedule
helps you make sure
everything is done.
It also contains
blanks so you can write
in your own reminders for
breakfast, snacks and
lunches.
Biblical
Womanhood began in
2005 as a ministry to
encourage and equip women
and young women. Through
our bookstore, articles,
newsletter, and blog, we
desire to promote
femininity and build up
women as they embrace
their Biblical callings.
In this humanistic,
feministic culture, we
want to be a breath of
fresh air to women
seeking after something
greater than what the
world has to offer - to
glorify the Lord in all
they do, say, and think!
Since 1987
Mountain Rose Herbs has
consistently delivered
exceptional quality
certified organic
products with a strict
emphasis on sustainable
agriculture. From our
bulk organic herbs and
spices, to our essential
oils and herbal teas, the
quality and integrity of
what we offer is
unparalleled with smiles
guaranteed.
You've got a glow on your face, and some exciting news to share with family and friends. Congratulations! You're expecting, and if you’re like most moms-to-be, your nesting instinct is about to kick into overdrive.
While that means different things to different people, one thing it should mean to every mom and dad is creating a home that’s clean, green, and environmentally safe. Your growing baby is exposed to the air you breathe, and you want your surroundings to be as healthy as possible. Keeping your home toxin-free is an easy thing to do, and one of the most important gifts you can give to your new arrival.
Here’s Seventh Generation’s list of 10 ways to ready your home for your new baby:
1) Prepare your baby’s room as early as possible in your pregnancy, especially if you plan to paint or buy new carpeting or furniture. You want to give new materials plenty of time to off-gas any hazardous vapors they might emit. And don’t forget—you’re pregnant! So get someone else to do the painting and stay away from those fumes.
2) Start cleaning house the safe way—with biodegradable cleaners made from natural and non-toxic ingredients. Natural cleaners won’t fill your home with chemical fumes or coat its surfaces with unhealthy residues.
3) Eat organic food when possible. Conventionally-produced foods can contain genetically-modified ingredients as well as traces of pesticides and other chemicals. A healthy diet benefits you and your baby.
4) Store pesticides somewhere else. Growing babies are vulnerable to even tiny amounts of the poisons pesticides contain. This includes all pet flea and tick products, bug repellents, anti-mildew products, moth balls, fly strips, and bait traps.
5) Dust with a damp cloth. Because household dust is the final resting place for many of the toxins that enter our homes, get into the habit of dusting with a slightly damp cloth instead of traditional dusters, which can stir dust and chemical residue back into the air.
6) Open the windows. The EPA has found that the air inside our homes can be up to five more polluted than the air outside. So open your windows as often as possible.
7) Choose toys made from wood and natural fibers instead of plastic. Soft plastic toys can leach out phthalates, a hormone-disrupting chemical, while hard plastics may expose your child to another hormone-disrupting chemical called bisphenol-a.
8) Use glass baby bottles to protect your newborn from the bisphenol-a found in many polycarbonate (#7) plastic models.
9) Buy a natural crib mattress that is free of the synthetic foams and fibers, vinyl coverings, flame retardants, and chemical treatments commonly found in conventional crib mattresses.
10) Choose organic natural fibers for clothing, bedding, and other items. These products will also be free of treatments that can expose infants to chemicals and other unhealthy compounds.
Want to learn more about green and healthy parenting? Check out our guide to the latest books on the subject and our special look at baby product ingredients to avoid.
Frugal Friday - Reducing How Much Trash We Produce
We haven't had trash service for a long time. Since we live in the country (way in the boonies!), we would have to pay for it and it's rather expensive. So instead we reuse what we can, recycle (glass/plastic/metal/aluminum), burn (in a burn barrel) and compost. I save all glass jars with lids because I use them to water bath can (mayonnaise jars, jelly, etc.) If a canning lid & ring will fit on them, I save them! They work well for me! We've even started saving toilet paper tubes to use for starting our seeds! I also rinse out our cans and use some of them to make emergency candles...they work GREAT for that! I keep a stack of them in the pantry (I use used wax I buy at garage sales, via old used candles). We have a big covered cage in the back yard that we put all our aluminum in. Then when it's full, we haul it off to sell...last time we made over $100 that way! I take the paper we receive and roll it up into a tight twist and then dip them in wax...fire starters! Any plastic tubs with lids get saved for storing leftovers, especially those that go to work with my husband, as they often never make it back home. I even reuse old worn out clothing! Most of them have buttons, zippers, etc that can be saved. You can also usually get some usable fabric from them. I cut out what I can save and smaller pieces get cut into 3 inch quilt squares...when I have enough I'll make a quilt! There are so many ways you can use up your trash to make useful things. Before I throw anything away I consider it and see if it has another use. We burn our trash as needed, compost all food and paper scraps (what can compost), and recycle once a month.
1. Use cloth re-usable grocery bags or reuse your plastic or paper grocery sacks. I’ve been making my own from material from the $1 fabric bin at Wal-Mart. I take them with me whenever I go to the store and use them for sacking my purchases. To make them, I measured a paper grocery sack and made bags according to those measurements, adding handles for carrying. I also make smaller bags to use as produce bags. I make them out of thin cotton fabric.
2. Buy products that are minimally packaged. Instead of buying individual cups of applesauce, buy the largest size you will use before it will go bad and fill re-usable plastic containers to use for lunches or individual servings. Many times these larger sized products are cheaper than the individual sized ones.
3. Use cloth napkins for meals instead of paper towels or paper napkins. You can make these up really easily using inexpensive fabric. I use fabric from the $1 bin at Wal-Mart. Bandanas make great napkins! Also, if you don't mind your napkins not matching, you can use up scraps from your sewing projects. I always have at least enough fabric left from sewing projects to make at least 1 napkin!
4. Instead of throwing away old clothes, donate them. If they can’t be donated, take off any buttons, zippers, etc that can be re-used in sewing. If you can’t use them, you probably know of someone who sews that can use them. If the material is cotton, I cut out 4-inch squares out of the stained/damaged garment. I use these to make quilt squares. Cut old T-shirts into cleaning cloths. Find a way to re-use it if possible. If there’s no use for it THEN throw it away.
5. Shop at thrift stores and garage sales for clothing, house wares, etc. Not only will you save money, but you keep these items out of landfills.
6, Change light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. While more expensive in the beginning they will lower your electric bill and the bulbs last longer than conventional bulbs, so you save money that way as well. Our local Dollar store has started carrying these REALLY cheaply.
7. Wash all your clothing in cold water, this saves money on your electric bill
8. Consider investing in a solar-wind hybrid dryer….a CLOTHES LINE!!! (lol!!)
9. Change the way you clean house. Use cleaning products that are good for the environment. Some good brands are Method, 7th Generation, Mrs. Meyers, and Shaklee. The products are non-toxic, natural, biodegradable, and contain no phosphates or chlorine. Many are concentrated and use recycled packaging. I really like Method products, they smell wonderful! With the concentrated formulas, you generally don't have to use as much and that saves you money. If you don't want to use these type products, you can make your own, which is even cheaper. You can find ton's of "recipes" online, just do a google search for homemade cleaning products!
10. Limit your use of paper products, such as paper plates, paper napkins and paper towels. We’ve pretty much gotten rid of all of these products. I occasionally use paper plates, but we never use paper napkins or paper towels. I use recycled T-shirts for cleaning cloths and I’ve purchased big cotton towels for use in the kitchen.
Ebooks
by Susan
NEW!!
Nourishing Ways: Recipes
and Healthy Eating in the
Spirit of
"Nourishing
Traditions" 88 Pages |
Format: Ebook
Price: $7.49
NEW!!
My Homekeeping Handbook:
Forms and Handy Hints for
Making a Homekeeping
Handbook
Free Black Forms Pack
Included!! 59 Pages |
Format: Ebook
Price $7.49
