Friday, April 22, 2011

No More Waity Katie

In honor of the Royal Wedding, which I kid will be playing on continuous loop in my house for at least 48 hours, Butter of London has several chemical free make up and skin care items that honor the princess in waiting.

"No More Waity Katie" is a shade of nail polish that boasts no formaldehyde, no dbp and no toluene which all translate into no carcinogens of any type.

They also have a companion, "No More Waity Katie" lip color, which is also chemical free.


Also sold in Ricky's through NYC.

Brilliant!


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Au Natural Way to Dye Easter Eggs

I can't believe that Easter is this Sunday! Some people color eggs early but I like to do it the night before.
When purchasing my Paas kit, I gave a quick thought to the dyes and chemicals that were probably in those little tablets, but I tried not to think about it.


When I read the title, I was excited.
When I read the article, I was tired.

It's complicated!!
Although I think I'll pass on trying it this year, I did want to share with all of you and maybe hear some stories on other "tricks" from my readers.
Feel free to comment here or on Facebook.

Here are the instructions:

Instructions


1. Hard boil 1 dozen eggs and allow them to cool in the refrigerator.


2. Decide how many colors you want to make and take out the appropriate number of pots.


3. To each pot, add: 1 quart of water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar


4. Add the following ingredients to each pot:


* Red: 2 cups Cranberry juice and 8 cups red onion peels (Your grocer will gladly give you their discarded peels.)

* Red-Orange: 3-4 tablespoons chili powder

* Mahogany: 10-12 cups brown onion skins (Your grocer will gladly give you their discarded peels.)

* Yellow: 3-4 tablespoons tumeric

* Blue: ½—¾ head chopped red cabbage


5. Bring each of the pots to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow them to simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, prepare your eggs by wrapping them in rubber bands or putting on stickers (which will leave behind white stripes or patterns).


7. Pour the dyes through a strainer and return them to the pot or a clean bowl.


8. Gently lower some of the hard boiled eggs into each of the hot dyes.


9. The color will deepen the longer they stay in the dye, but an hour should do the trick. If you wish to keep them submerged for longer, you should pour the dyes into containers that fit into your refrigerator, and let the eggs soak in there.


ONE HOUR??!! Per EGG???!!!

Next year this might have to be a month long project. And does anyone have a grocer? Ha!


Let me know how you all do!


Full article is here!


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Sprinkle a little flaxseed into your day!

Q: What the heck is flaxseed and how will I ever get this past my kids?
A: A very nutritional natural product that has Omega3s, fiber and other good stuff that very easily goes into pancake mix and virtually has no flavor or otherwise identifiable qualities and has been easily sneaked into my kids meals.

Read more about its benefits - from fighting breast cancer to heart disease here.


Which brand? I personally like this one since it's ground up and easy to get into things:
Bog's Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal.

I bought my bag at Trader Joe's but have seen it at most major supermarkets.
Don't forget to refrigerate!


Friday, April 1, 2011

Food Dye Linked To ADHD

There have been several major news stories about food dyes and hyperactivity this week.
The reports, although inconclusive, are saying that they "believe dyes to be safe". I've read about this for years now, and I do not believe everything the government or the FDA tells us.

We've gone dye free for awhile now in my house. The truth of the matter is, if it has dye in it - it isn't good for you anyway. Take a look at the examples of food with dye in it listed in this article - Cheetos, Sodas, Candy, etc. Kids shouldn't be eating those anyway!

There are easy things you can do to make a transition.
Instead of:
M & M's --> Rasinettes
Cheetos --> Baked Lays
Eggo Waffles (surprise!!) --> Van's or Trader Joe's waffles
Orange Soda --> Orange Juice
Dum Dum Lollipops --> Trader Joe's Organic Pops
Colored Goldfish --> Baked cheddar Goldfish
Nutrigrain Bars (yes, these have dye!!) --> Trader Joe's Bars (So this..... walked into a bar...)

Bottom line is, read your labels, there are healthy swaps you can make and tell your kids why you are making them.
I tell my kids all the time, if it grew in nature, it's not that bad for you!

Link to full news article is here.