Mommy Greenest

http://www.mommygreenest.com

MommyGreenest.com puts a voice—and a face—to the idea of gently persuasive, living-by-example, never judgmental, eco-friendly parenting.

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What inspired you to start blogging?

I was inspired by the non-profit Healthy Child Healthy World to start looking at the products that I brought into my home and understanding how they affected the health of my children. Mommy Greenest was a way to share what I learned--and continue to learn--about the small things we can do to make our lives healthier. It's not scary, it's not impossible--it's really pretty fun!

What are 3 things you can teach other moms to make their lives more eco-friendly?

The quickest and easiest thing you can do is to read the labels on your cleaning products. Anything with a skull and crossbones shouldn't be in your cupboards. Replace poisons and pesticides with inexpensive, natural products. I clean my entire house with vinegar--it smells great and gets squeaky clean! The second thing is to assess how much packaged food your family is eating, and make a commitment to increase the amount of fresh foods you cook and feed them. Finally, take a look at the Environmental Working Group's "Clean 15/Dirty 12" lists and shop with those in mind. Avoiding the dirty dozen foods that are the most heavily laden with pesticides can reduce your family's exposure by 80%!

Where is your favorite place to shop for eco-friendly products?

If I had the time to do it regularly, the farmer's market. I have a bike with giant baskets on the sides and front, and when I first got it I vowed I would bike to the market once a week and fill up on local produce--that plan's been totally unsuccessful. We also subscribe to a Community Supported Agriculture program occasionally. There is nothing better than getting a big box of summer fruit on your doorstep once a week! But my regular shopping spots are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, both of which have plenty of offerings, supplements with what we grow in the garden.

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What are you most looking forward to as a mom in 2013? Please include a link to a picture if it's relevant.

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff

This year, my resolution (once again) is to get my family meals under control with a menu calendar. It's been a week now and...it's working! I sat down last Friday, looked at cookbooks, made a plan--and a shopping list. On Saturday I did all the shopping for the week, freezing any meat to be taken out two days before we would eat it. We have a dry erase calendar in the kitchen where I wrote the names of the dishes, including a few new ones they hadn't yet tried. (Like the recipe for French Onion Soup, which I just posted. Yum!) Yesterday, my 14-year-old son who is the pickiest eater on the planet said, "Mom, I really like the menu calendar. I liked all the dishes, except the soup." Guess you can't win 'em all!
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What's a delicious meal you can serve to your family when you're trying to lose weight?

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff

Soup has always been my go-to for weight-loss. I eat soup at least once a day, unless it's really hot. It's warm, it's yummy, and it fills you up without a lot of calories. I just posted a recipe for French Onion Soup which includes cheese and toast--carbs are the first thing to go when I'm trying to lose weight. To make this a great recipe for your family and for weight loss, just drop the toast from the recipe and use less cheese. I'm also posting a modified Minimizing Miso Soup recipe that you can make anywhere there's hot water--even work. It's great!
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