Happy Belly Bags – The Organic Gift Basket.

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

When I first heard about Happy Belly Bags I thought it was an amazing idea. These are the perfect eco-friendly gifts for pregnancy, new mamas, college students (care package!), newlyweds, kids, grandparents, or anyone! How many people do you know that are vegan/vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, or simply like delicious and healthy foods? I know many, including my own family.

Happy Belly Bags strives to provide healthy foods to people suffering from food allergies, as well as those on restricted diets by choice or for health reasons. We also strive to do business in a manner that has the least amount of impact on the environment as possible, and to give back to charities that align with what we are about.

Food is so culturally ingrained in our society – we give food when we’re celebrating, we give when someone isn’t well, we give just because. There are plenty of other companies that are centered around food gift baskets for this reason, but Happy Belly Bags are different.

It all begins with the bag. Choose from any of their reusable cotton bags, including recycled and organic! Even the tag on the bag can be planted for wildflowers.
Then they offer easy choices with clear labels for anyone that needs gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, wheat-free, casein-free, nut-free, soy-free, nut-free, kosher, organic, vegan, or raw to have a happy and healthy belly.
You can build your own bag to have the most control over what goes in and the price.
The prepackaged bags have nearly every price point to choose from starting at just $29.99 all containing delicious and healthy foods.

Happy Belly Bags has also teamed up with celebrity dietician, Ashley Koff, to create Mom Energy Bags that act as a “starter kit” for the nutrition strategy outlined in, Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged by Koff and Kathy Kaehler, which is also included in the bag. For any mama that is constantly drained of energy, this would be a welcome gift.

I received a custom “Mom Energy Bag” to check out and was pleasantly surprised by all the wonderful eco-friendly products they are able to pack into one of those bags! If you are already a busy mom you can appreciate having healthy snacks on hand to grab as you run out the door to preschool pick-up and a plan to get use the other healthy foods for more energy when you are at home.

What I loved: The SuperFoods. I have talked about chia seeds before, but have also been incorporating hemp seeds into my diet. Both are great additions to oatmeal or green smoothies. Both were found in my Mom Energy Bag, along with Living Intentions, Superfood Cereal – Hemp & Greens and Better Than Roasted, Sprouted Raw Almond Butter. All of the products in my bag were GMO-free and had ingredients that I felt more than comfortable giving my family.

What I didn’t: Not much. I am trying very hard to stay away from any processed foods and single serve products due to an excess of packaging, however they often come in handy when on the go.

Where to buy: Happy Belly Bags website. You can also visit Happy Belly Bags on Facebook and Twitter.

*I received a Happy Belly Bag to review. All opinions are my own.

Posted in green living, products I love, review |

Tagged eco-friendly gifts, gifts, organic, organic food, vegan |

5 Tips For Staying Healthy While Traveling {Guest Post}

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

Brenna @ Almost All The Truth

{Editor’s note: We have had near incessant rain here lately, which always has me thinking of sunnier locales to take my family. Whenever I travel, the last thing I want is for someone to get sick – just ask my husband about our honeymoon! The guest poster today has lots of great traveling tips to keep you and your family whenever you might travel next.]

5 Tips to Stay Healthy and Avoid Illness While on the Road

If there’s one time in life when getting sick just isn’t an option, it’s when you’re on vacation. After making all of those plans and looking forward to a nice, relaxing break for months, coming down with a cold or flu can be extremely disheartening. While there’s no surefire way to completely ward off illnesses while you’re traveling, there are things you can do to minimize your risk by a significant degree.

The best part of all is that none of these strategies cost substantially extra money or involve a lot of time or effort. They are simple and practical, and they can save you from a lot of aggravation while you’re on the road. Five of the simplest and easiest tips are outlined below.

Water is Your Friend

Perhaps the most surefire way of avoiding illness is staying hydrated at all times. In fact, most common sicknesses like the cold, stomach ache, etc, are best avoided (or if you do fall sick, treated) by drinking as much water as possible. At the same time, however, clean and potable water is not necessarily readily available in many countries. If you think you will be traveling to a destination where the drinking water could present a health hazard, and you want to avoid the wastefulness of bottled water, be sure to bring with you a water filter, heater, and/or water purification tablets. For more information on purifying water while traveling, check out this excellent resource from Everyday Health
Take Natural Vitamins

Whether you take vitamins regularly or not, you should be especially vigilant about taking them while you are on the road. It’s not easy to get proper nutrition when you’re traveling. Even if you take pains to avoid greasy fast food, it’s not always possible to find truly healthy fare. Furthermore, it never hurts to take a little extra vitamin C when you’ll be coming into contact with scores of different people. Your immune system will be pummeled by all kinds of foreign germs, and it can use all the help it can get. By taking your vitamins, you’ll give it the boost that it needs to keep sickness at bay. If you don’t normally take vitamins, be sure to purchase natural vitamins, instead of their synthetic counterparts you typically see at your average grocery store. For more information on natural versus synthetic vitamins, check out this Global Healing Center article.
Eat Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

It’s easy to forgo fresh fruits and vegetables while you’re on the road. After all, it’s not like you’ll be stopping in at the local grocery store on a regular basis while you’re out of town. However, it’s possible to get your hands on fresh veggies and fruits virtually anywhere. Don’t cross them off your list just because you’re not on your home turf. If you’re not sure where to find them, ask the hotel staff, a cab driver or another local. Carry a backpack and keep a few fruits and veggies in it at all times. When hunger strikes, you can nosh on something healthy, which will curb your hunger and boost your immune system.
Keep it Sanitary

Everyone knows the importance of regular hand washing, and it’s even more important when you’re out and about in the world. However, in the mad dash to find your way from point A to point B, you may fall off the hand-washing wagon. Keep with you hand-washing soap in case you encounter bathrooms without any. Eco-friendly hand sanitizing sprays, like those offered by CleanWell, are also available if you must travel long periods of time without being able to wash your hands in traditional bathroom setting.
Get Plenty of Shuteye

One thing that can seriously increase your risk of becoming ill while you’re on the road is a lack of sleep. It’s not always easy to get a good night’s sleep when you’re out of town, but there are things you can do to make it easier. Invest in a good pair of earplugs. Buy a comfortable sleep mask in case you end up in a room that’s flooded with light at night. If you have a smartphone or an iPhone, download a white noise app and use it to lull yourself to sleep. The goal here is to wake up as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as possible.

At the end of the day, you need to be conscientious about not overextending yourself while you’re on the road. By taking care of yourself, you should be able to avoid most illnesses. It’s well worth it to put the preceding tips into action whenever you are away from home. Whether you’re going away for business or pleasure, they will help to keep your immune system as strong and robust as possible, and you’ll be able to get through your travels without any serious colds other illnesses.

_______________________________

Sara Reynold’s passion for art, reading, and travel has allowed her to pursue a career in writing. At this time, she is currently a staff writer for a travel insurance site.

Posted in green living, guest post, top ten |

Tagged fruits and vegetables, illness, tips, travel |

2 Comments

Nature Immersion Schools: A New Trend? {Guest Post}

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

Brenna @ Almost All The Truth

{Editor’s note: Today’s post is a wonderful look at an emerging trend in early-childhood education. Based on European models and the knowledge that being immersed in nature only connects us more. If you don’t have a similar school near you, consider trying an activity Kelly proposes that brings nature in while getting you and your child outside more.}

We are living at a time when over half the world’s population lives in cities and when media and electronics are defining reality. In contrast, farm work, crafting, and imaginative nature play enhance problem-solving skills, encourage full sensory engagement, and support healthy social development.

In Europe there are hundreds of ‘forest kindergarten’ outdoor immersion early childhood programs. In the United States, this movement is just gaining momentum. The first recognized outdoor kindergarten started in Portland, Oregon through Shining Star Waldorf School in 2007.

Since then, we have expanded into our own small school called Mother Earth School. We offer year round outdoor programming for preschool and kindergarten, as well as summer camps and rite of passage programs for children up to age 12. We are located on a 7-acre permaculture farm within the city limits of Portland, Oregon.

The Mother Earth School philosophy honors the contribution of every being. This not only includes the children and teachers, but also each plant and animal. Each leaf that falls to the ground to compost, each egg laid by the hens, and each bee pollinating a blossom offers something magical that weaves into the landscape.

A lovely Earth-honoring activity that parents can do with their children at home is to create a nature table. This can be as simple as a designated space on your kitchen table or fireplace mantle. You can bring in a tree round or lay some fabric on the floor in a safe place.

Make the area special, and treat it with care and respect. When your family is outdoors and admiring a flower petal, a fallen branch, a dead butterfly, a pine cone (you’ll be amazed what is recognized as a treasure!!), lay it carefully on the nature table, honoring its beauty. This activity will increase your awareness of what is happening around you. It is important that nature doesn’t just become scenery, but that we are actively appreciating and interacting with the natural world.

Supporting this school is also supporting a new educational model that combines several key philosophies that are currently addressing the needs of our future generations. Please visit our website www.motherearthschool.org for more details about school year and summer camp enrollment, farm tours, and our pursuit to find land for a grade school.

photo credit

_____________________________

Kelly Hogan is the administrator at Mother Earth School in Portland, Oregon. Mother Earth School supports the healing of humanity by transforming education with reverence for the wisdom inherent in nature. We offer year-round nature immersion education in a forest and farm environment. Our vision is to create an educational experience for early childhood and grade school children in which all subjects are steeped in elements of the outdoors.

Posted in crafts, green living, parenting |

Tagged farm, forest, kindergarten, nature, nature table, school, summer camp |

4 Comments

Resolve to Fight Climate Change in 2012

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

Brenna @ Almost All The Truth

We have fewer than five years before irreversible damage will be done due to climate change. That is a frightening thought. The catastrophic effects are already reaching parts of the world and most of us have experienced the extreme weather that is becoming commonplace.

The youth took their stand to fight in climate change 2011, let’s make 2012 the year that the mama’s make that stand. It is our turn to fight.

As humans we are often less likely to fight for ourselves, but when it is our children or grandchildren? That is when we become a force to be reckoned with!

Resolutions to Fight Climate Change

See where my word for the year is coming in handy? The following resolutions are the ones that I am personally going to work on for 2012. Join me or find your own climate change resolutions.

Meatless Monday or Vegan Thursday?

When you choose to go meatless or vegan at least once a week, you are committing to better health as well as reducing your impact on the environment.

Did you know that the average American eats approximately 45-50% more protein, most often in the form of an animal product, than is recommended? Eating a large amount of both red and processed meat increases your exposure to toxins and is linked to several health problems, including heart disease and cancer.

The impact of meat and animal products can be just as harsh, if not more, on the environment leading directly to climate change. The United Nations has declared that livestock may be one of the “most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.” This is because:

Animals themselves create digestion-generated methane. It may sound funny, but methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. They also produce an enormous amount of manure, about 89,000 pounds per second, emitting more methane, antibiotics, and other nasty stuff into our groundwater and air.
Animal feed on the big farms is designed to fatten them up as quickly as possible relying on soybeans, corn, and other grains that need an enormous amount of resources. We are talking about millions of acres of land and pesticides, as well as billions of pounds of fertilizer – which has 300 times the effect of carbon dioxide when spread on the soil.
This means that over half of the world’s crops are designated for livestock. We are facing global hunger crises and we are losing more and more cropland in environmentally sensitive areas to livestock and land to feed livestock. The meat produced will not feed all the hungry, but it is posited that if we stopped subsidizing the feed crops ($45 billion in the last decade) there would be enough land to support more people.
We eat too much meat as a nation and we also waste too much. About 20% of all edible meat is thrown into landfills. Ensuring that all the resources, from raising the livestock to processing and transportation, that go into the production of meat is wasted.
Not all animal products are alike. In fact, the top three that have the worst impact are lamb, beef, and cheese.

The good news is that if everyone in the US chose to go meatless and/or vegan at least once a week is like taking 7.6 million cars off the road! That is huge. And if your family does it meat on a regular basis, there are plenty of ways to eat healthier and choose better meats. Look for: grass-fed beef, eggs, and dairy; certified organic; no antibiotics or hormones; local; sustainable seafood.

Support Your Local Farmer!

As you can tell from above, local farms that use sustainable practices are a healthier way to go, for both you and the planet. I chose to try a CSA basket last year and am looking to do a lot more this year at a local farm that we chose to support. Fruits and vegetables that are harvested the day I get them is amazing. Pasture-raised eggs and butter too. It is such an incredible difference than the ones that have to be shipped from a distant locale to the processing facility to the trucks and finally to the store. Plus we get to try lots of different things and in season.

My farmers use Georgic Farming techniques which are best for people and best for the land. They believe in building a long-term relationship with the people who eat their food. Farming is a way of life and they feel a responsibility to help build “a healthy, vibrant, free civilization.” Who wouldn’t want to support that?

If you aren’t ready to try a CSA, the Farmer’s Market is a great way to get what you need all from your local farmers. Plus, there are often yummy samples to try. It is great to actually get to talk to the growers and find out about their sustainability practices as a lot of small farmers can’t afford to get the certified organic label, but are organic just the same. Depending on the Farmer’s Market you choose, prices can be just as competitive as the grocery store.

Other Choices to Fight Climate Change

Those were my two resolutions to fight climate change, but I also want to work on several other eco-friendly changes that effect the impact I have on the environment: consume less, cut electricity use and waste, and reduce my time in the car. I think starting small is always the best way to go for permanent change. Then once, you have made one a habit and permanent, start trying another.

And you still have plenty of time to decide what your resolutions for the year might be. Chinese New Year is coming up on Jan. 23rd and provides all of us to reassess our fresh starts once more.

What are your best solutions and resolutions to fight climate change?

The green moms are coming together this month for the Green Moms Carnival to share our thoughts on Resolutions to Fight Climate Change. The carnival is hosted this month by Amber at Strocel.com. The carnival goes live Monday, January 23, 2012. Be sure to stop by then for all the great links and resources.

{And don’t forget to Click here to take survey to share your thoughts and enter to win a gift card.}