Whenever we take a family hike, walk or stroll on the beach we stop to make art along the way. After collecting colorful leaves on a recent hike, we arranged them on fallen tree, sorting them by color. Another time, we stopped to stack stones into large towers. Then, one time we used sticks and seashells at the beach to make a swirly masterpiece. If I have my camera or my iPhone I will snap a quick shot, then we leave the art to surprise the next person who comes along our path. Has your family ever made surprise outdoor art masterpieces?
This morning, Mr. Sweet Greens and I sat down for a cup of coffee together. It felt like a long time since we have had a chance to just sit together quietly. It was nice. We talked about what organic meals we want to plan for the rest of October. We decided to start looking for a CSA to join, since we have been using more and more vegetables in our cooking. After a little research we found Kai Kai Farm and Grove owned by Diane and Carl Cordeau who have grown vegetables and strawberries without pesticides and mineral fertilizers since 2008. And the best part – they are just down the street from us!
We have been a member of a CSA before in Colorado and learned that for a family of three a smaller share is exactly what we need. Since Kai Kai Farm and Grove’s CSA offers both a weekly ($440/annual) and bi-weekly ($280/annual) memberships, we plan to opt for the bi-weekly. The membership includes a great diversity of high quality produce grown from October – May. Each share typically includes; lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, onions, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, cucumbers, squashes, strawberries, and herbs. All of which we use on a weekly basis – so this should be a perfect.
I called Kai Kai Farm and Grove this morning and spoke with Carl and I was super impressed! He was very friendly and helpful and answered all of my questions. He was also very accommendating, saying that we could visit the farm anytime – just to call ahead. He also mentioned that we can tell them exactly what we would like to receive and what items we don’t want – so we can get exactly what we can use! Eben and I plan to visit the farm this afternoon, I will share what I find out!
Are you a member of a CSA? What are your thoughts? Do you find that you are able to use everything that you receive each week?
Now that the weather is cooling off and winter is right around the corner, it’s a great time to focus on ways to add more physical activity to your child’s daily routine. Especially considering many children can easily become coach potatoes once the cooler months take hold, sending them into a hibernation of sorts.
The easiest way to ensure that your child is getting enough exercise every day is to incorporate it into their normal routine. These 8 suggestions that I offer are simple to do, and in most cases, your child won’t even realize they are exercising — they’ll just think they’re having fun! Jump over to Inhabitots to get started.
October is all about the spooky, eerie and unexplainable – after all, isn’t that what Halloween is all about? If you are looking for a super-fun, exciting way to celebrate the month of October with your family, you can’t go wrong with a ghost-hunting trip. Most states have some type of ghost-hunting tours that you can take, making the excursion a safe adventure for your family. Or, you can always venture out on your own. No matter where you live, there will be some sort of historical site or place that has been known to be haunted. For example, one year while visiting Yellowstone National Park we took our own ghost tour of the Old Faithful Inn, which is supposedly haunted by a ghost bride. We didn’t see any ghosts, but we had a fantastic time playing ghost-hunters! You can stay local and get spooked all at the same time! Jump over to Inhabitots to learn how to get started, and add this adventure to your October family activity wish list.
Fall means that at least a couple of times a month, Saturday night becomes pizza night! It is always so much fun to spend the time together making and rolling out the dough, adding the fresh ingredients and enjoying piping hot pizza fresh from the oven! It is one of our favorite family activities.
I like pizza don’t get me wrong, but what I really love is focaccia. It’s hands-down my favorite and I will ALWAYS choose it over pizza. So, when Hodgson Mill sent us organic flour and yeast – the mister went to work baking a super yummy focaccia for me. I thought it would be fun to submit our focaccia recipe into theHodgson Mill Build a Better Pizza Contest, since it is much more unique than a traditional pizza. If you feel so inclined, you can vote for our recipe! Not only is this focaccia out of this world, it’s vegan too! Want to give it a try? Read on for the recipe and learn how to enter to win a Hodgson Mill prize pack for your family. And here is what you will need:
What you will need:
1 1/2 cups Hodgson Mill organic white flour
2 cups Hodgson Mill whole-wheat flour
1 whole packet Hodgson Mill yeast
1 tablespoon organic olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon organic sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
organic garlic powder
organic dried oregano
organic Parmesan
Step 1: Preheat oven to 500°, place pizza stone in oven. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let stand until the yeast starts to bubble.
Step 2: In your stand mixture, use your dough hook to mix the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture and add the wheat flour and 1 cup of the white flour until a large bowl forms.
Step 3: Use the remaining flour to sprinkle onto a surface, then knead the dough ball for a few minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a towel and let stand in a warm place for an hour.
Step 4: Drape the dough over your fists and gently pull the edges downwards, while rotating. When dough has reached the desired size, place on the pizza stone.
Step 5: Drizzle with organic olive and sprinkle with salt, organic garlic powder, organic oregano and organic Parmesan.
Step 6: Bake for 7 minutes or until crust is crisp and starting to brown. Enjoy!
And while we are at it – Hodgson Mill is going to give one of my readers a Hodgson Mill Prize Pack to make your own pizza creations. Jump over to Hodgson Mill and leave a comment below to enter to win!
**ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: I would love if you could share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest! Please leave a separate comment for each that you do!
