Now is the perfect time to get your child excited for summer by making an ocean in a recycled bottle. Children love to use their creativity and get their hands dirty making a project all by themselves. Although, Eben took the opportunity to include Mr. Sweet Greens when he made this project, this project has only a few simple steps and is easy enough for an elementary school-aged child to do entirely on his own giving him a sense of pride and accomplishment. What makes it better is that this project uses found objects and recycling bin treasures. Jump over to Inhabitots to learn how your child can make an ocean in a recycled bottle this afternoon.
Hello everyone. Last night, I caught an episode of Extreme Couponing. Have you see it? It is basically shows individuals who buy hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars worth of groceries for 95-98% off the retail price. I love the concept — however, buying enough deodorant and toothpaste to last for 150 years is excessive, right? I also noticed that most, if not all of the products that were being purchased weren’t organic or eco-friendly. Then, I started to think about the possibility of extreme organic couponing? Could I purchase only the organic, eco-friendly products that my family actually needs and will use (in this lifetime) at a huge discount?
Regardless, I don’t see myself spending several hours a day searching, clipping, and organizing thousands of coupons. However, I would like to save a few dollars on organic grocery trips — so I complied a list of some of the electronic and printable organic coupons and deals that are available out there and thought you could probably benefit from them too! Plus, I want to keep them where they can easily be accessed by both you and Mr. Sweet Greens (who does our marketing.) Please, if you come across more organic grocery and food coupons, email me and I will add it to the list. (I added a link to the bottom of the main page so you can easily find it!)
Today’s giveaway is super fun! It’s sponsored by Strawesome and one lovely reader will receive a handcrafted glass straw!
Straweseome is my favorite place for reusable glass straws that are super durable and look great in a smoothie. I love the combination of colors and designs! My favorite part is some of the decorative straws have a raised design, so when you lay them on the table, they don’t roll away. Brilliant!
Strawesome straws are well awesome because you can take them with you wherever you go and they are made of glass so you can use them over and over again! Imagine how many plastic straws could be saved from the landfill if everyone used a reusable glass one. Not to mention, glass doesn’t leach harmful chemicals like plastic does.
My family loves our Strawesome straws – they are the only ones that we use! We are especially fond of the smoothie and bend straws! And since they are super affordable and come with no-break guarantee, you can’t lose.
Jump over to Strawesome and check out the fantastic selection and pick up a straw or two for your family. Then, leave a comment below. You have until April 8th to enter – please invite your friends.
***Extra Entries: You can receive additional entries by Facebooking, Tweeting, Stumbling or Subscribing. Just leave a separate comment for each that you do.
* UPDATE: The winner is Sarah, thank you to everyone for playing!
Children love to watch things grow and they enjoy getting their hands dirty. One of the best ways for them to do both is by helping them build an easy recycled glass terrarium. Terrariums are super-fun for children because it’s like having an entire miniature world inside a glass jar. A terrarium is easy to make and simple to maintain, no matter the season. My recycled glass terrarium can be made with any sized glass jar that you find in your recycling bin. Once your child has finished creating their terrarium, they can move it from room to room or even take it to school for show and tell since the lid screws on tight. You can make a terrarium with your child in just a few minutes, leaving them with a project that they will enjoy all year long. Jump over to Inhabitots to see how Eben and I created a terrarium and learn how to get started.
Yesterday, I was feeling ambitious and decided that I would give sushi making a try. Ok, not really sushi — more like California and Asparagus Rolls. I really thought it was going to be super hard and most likely would end in a pile of mush. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I can make sushi rolls. How great is that? And even better, Eben and Mr. Sweet Greens actually ate them and said they were delicious. Yay! Think you can’t make sushi rolls? Think again and follow my simple steps to making your own organic sushi rolls, starting with the sticky rice, read on to learn how.
What you will need to make the sticky rice:
– 1 3/4 cups organic sushi rice – a thin strip of organic nori – 3 tablespoons organic rice vinegar – 1/2 teaspoon salt – 4 teaspoons organic sugar – rice paddle
Step 1: Rinse the rice in a colander under cold water, shake well to make sure that the rice is well rinsed. Let it drain for 20 minutes. Step 2:Add the rice, nori and 1 1/2 cups of water to a saucepan, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes more while covered.
Step 3:Move the rice to a wooden bowl, add the vinegar, salt and sugar and turn the rice for 3 minutes until well mixed. Be careful not to smash the rice. Cover with a damp cloth until the rice cools to room temperature.
What you will need to make the rolls:
– an assortment of veggies – organic cream cheese (optional) – organic crab meat (optional) – a sushi mat – a piece of eco-friendly plastic wrap – organic nori – wasabi (optional) – soy sauce (optional)
Step 1: Slice up your vegetables. (I used organic avocado, cucumber and asparagus.)
Step 2: Cut your sheets of nori in half. (I used 3 sheets of nori for 6 different rolls.)
Step 3:Cover one side of your sushi mat with eco-friendly plastic wrap. Place your piece of nori (rough side up) on the mat and cover with the sticky rice. Flip the nori over so the rice side is face-down on the mat.
Step 4: Place the veggies in rows across the nori. I did a lower layer of avocado, an upper layer of organic crab meat and cucumber in the middle for the California Roll. For the Asparagus roll. I did a layer of asparagus on the top and bottom and cream cheese in the middle.
Step 5: Lift the edge of the mat closest to you and start rolling the sushi roll away from you, pressing in as you roll. You can find a great video on YouTube here that shows you exactly how to roll.
Step 6: Using a clean, wet knife, slice each roll in half, then each half into 3, each roll should have 6 pieces.
Step 7: Enjoy with your family and friends.
Do you make your own sushi? What is your favorite kind?
Now is the perfect time to get your child excited for summer by making an ocean in a recycled bottle. Children love to use their creativity and get their hands dirty making a project all by themselves. Although, Eben took the opportunity to include Mr. Sweet Greens when he made this project, this project has only a few simple steps and is easy enough for an elementary school-aged child to do entirely on his own giving him a sense of pride and accomplishment. What makes it better is that this project uses found objects and recycling bin treasures. Jump over to Inhabitots to learn how your child can make an ocean in a recycled bottle this afternoon.
Yesterday, I was feeling ambitious and decided that I would give sushi making a try. Ok, not really sushi — more like California and Asparagus Rolls. I really thought it was going to be super hard and most likely would end in a pile of mush. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I can make sushi rolls. How great is that? And even better, Eben and Mr. Sweet Greens actually ate them and said they were delicious. Yay! Think you can’t make sushi rolls? Think again and follow my simple steps to making your own organic sushi rolls, starting with the sticky rice, read on to learn how.
