this yummy treat uses up all those last-of-summer berries in a fun and healthy way that everyone will enjoy. blueberries are my favorite! today’s recipe: applesauce pops!

for four pops:
2cups unsweetened applesauce
1cup berries (any one or a variety), washed*
1/2tsp de-bittered stevia OR 1tsp agave nectar (optional)
4 plastic tumblers (kid’s sized drinking cups)

in a blender or food processor, combine applesauce and berries with sweetener of choice (if using), and pulse to combine. place tumblers on a cooky sheet, then fill each 2/3full of applesauce mixture. cover loosely with plastic wrap, then carefully set sheet into freezer. allow several hours or overnight to freeze. when ready, the pops will have an “Italian Ice” kind of texture.
*if using strawberries, hull and slice.

berries are high in antioxidants and vitamins, some (like blackberries) are even high in calcium!
applesauce (unsweetened) has plenty of dietary fiber and vitamin C.

i have read several articles/books lately on using cooking methods that are more “green”, and have been impressed with some of the creative advice. alas, i myself am more a practical than a creative person; however, i do have a few common sense tips of my own to give that are simple and will have you cooking “greener” by dinner tonight!

*make sure you are using the correct size burner. by using a burner that is even slightly larger or smaller than the bottom of your pan/pot, you are wasting a tremendous amount of heat energy!
*check your cookware often. any kind of warp on the bottom of a heating vessel leads to frustrating delays in cooking, and lots of energy out the window.
*keep an electric kettle around. i have touted the energy saving benefits of electric kettles for heating tea in a past blog, but i also know (from watching alton brown on food network) that nothing brings water to a boil faster or more efficiently! keeping one of these on your counter top will ensure boiling water for pasta, veg, whatever in seconds without wasted energy.
*spring for the energy star. we are all on a budget and trying to save money, so buying new appliances (large or small) may not always seem like the best move. if you have any doubt that your electrical appliance is performing at its best, shop around for a good deal on a new appliance with the energy star. you will save money on electricity over time, and countless hours spent fussing with a less than perfect appliance.
*do not buy used electrical appliances. this is hard for me to say, because i am the thrift queen and love to get everything i can second hand, but the truth is, if the appliance were working with proper speed and precision, it would not be in a resale shop (9 times out of 10). don’t wait till you get home to find there is a fray in the cord, or the models made 15years ago take three times as long to heat. trust me on this one – i know from experience! buy used, but not for electrical appliances!

on the tails of last week’s school lunch inspiration, i came across this blog. “fed up with school lunch” chronicles one (anonymous) mid-western public school teacher’s effort to step into her students shoes by eating school lunch every day, all year long. to me, the photos say it all. the food is as colorless and unappealing as any i’ve ever seen, but it also brings back bad digestive memories. in my first few years of marriage, i taught at a public school and as a “perk” was given free lunches there. being financially strapped (as most newlyweds tend to be), i decided to give it a try. three months later, the results really showed up. despite my starting a new exercise program at a local gym, i had gained 13lbs. 13LBS, PEOPLE!! i hate to blame it all on the school lunches, but it was the only change i had made to my routine and, sure enough, as soon as i started packing my own again, the weight came off with very little effort. so what’s my point? school lunches are made to be calorie dense, not necessarily nutrient dense, so that children who don’t get a chance to eat at home are not lacking. for most children in this country, the school meal is too much. too much fat, salt, cholesterol, calories, etc. until we see a major change in the content of public school lunchtime edibles, packing will be the healthiest way for most of us to go.

this one is more of a fun snack to prepare with your child than a formal meal, but it is healthy and easy. if your child is allergic to peanut butter, feel free to substitute almond, soy, or macadamia butters. today’s recipe: peanut butter banana flips!

2 whole grain tortillas
3-4T peanut butter
1large banana, sliced thin
1/4tsp cinnamon mixed with 1tsp sugar
1T melted non-hydrogenated margarine

heat a skillet to medium high. brush one side of the tortillas with margarine. spread peanut butter on the opposite side, then place the banana slices evenly over half of the peanut butter. fold in half and place in the heated skillet. when tortilla begins to brown, flip and brown the other side. move to a serving plate and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mix.

peanut butter is high in the antioxidant vitamin E, unsaturated “good” fats, and is a complete protein when paired with whole grains.

whole grains are high in vitamins and fiber.

ok, so we know that packing you kid’s lunch makes you feel better about what is going into his or her body, but how does that help the rest of the earth? here are some reasons why packing it is the “green” way to go.

consider the alternative. most schools use disposable everything because of sanitation guidelines and staffing limitations. if your child is buying a school lunch, they are contributing the average 67lbs of waste a year generated by every school aged child in the united states.

consider the possibilities. in 2001, when a group of parents noticed their children were generating so much garbage at snack and lunch time, they contacted the school and began the waste-free lunch program, which is now a national movement in both schools and businesses. do some research and find out if there is such a program in your area; if not, consider pushing one off the ground using the helps and guidelines on the official website.

consider the impact. if from your child’s first day of school she never sees a disposable object in her lunchbox, that will be the norm for her, and maybe for the whole next generation. it may well be, with a little effort from us as parents, the idea of unnecessary packaging and silly printed wrappers will become a thing of the past, and children can learn to focus on what is really important at lunch time – healthy food!

consider the savings. just as with disposable diapers, the cost of one time use adds up quickly! you may think it is cheap to buy brown paper bags and zip top baggies for you child’s lunch, but think of the cost piled up day after day, week after week, and year after year. if instead, you could find quality lunch packing materials that would last for years on end, you could save hundreds, and possibly thousands of dollars over your child’s school career. laptop lunches, sistema, crocodile creek, and lock&lock are just a few of the major brands of lunch packing materials made with the environment in mind. keep your eyes peeled online and at the store, as there are new brands on the market everyday.

to be continued…

it’s school time again! for me and many other moms, it is time to resurrect the art of packing the old lunch box. it can be such a hassle to perform this task day after day, but we moms know how important it is to send our children with healthy, filling, and (for some of us) vegetarian lunches. i have written about lunch packing before, but mainly in the context of packing lunches for my husband to take to work. today, i will give you a few tips on packing a worry-free lunch your kids will love to eat!

1) keep a chart of lunch options handy. this takes a little time, but it is SO worth it!! using help from websites and cookbooks (like the vegan lunchbox and the sneaky chef), i put together complete meal outlines in calendar form. this way, i can plan ahead and have the supplies on hand and make sure there is good variety in josiah’s lunchtime diet. (jennifer mccann recommends using the school’s lunch calendar as a guide so that your child can have similar lunches and not feel left out.)
2) have your child help. whenever possible, allow your child to help in the planning and preparation of the food. kids are more likely to want to eat the food you pack when they feel they’ve had a voice and a hand in it.
3) know when to say when. there will be days you just don’t have time to make everything from scratch; that doesn’t mean you need to give in and send your child with processed meat on white bread and potato chips! there are SO many brands of wonderful, ready to eat lunch box fillers that are high on nutrition and easy on the environment. revolution foods, ella’s kitchen, tasty brand, and go raw are all great choices. remember, though, you will pay for the convenience in money, so try to go homemade as often as possible.

to be continued later this week…

this recipe is so easy, i’m almost embarrassed to post it! it is inexpensive, delicious, and makes enough for a crowd. today’s recipe: easy tortilla soup!

1box red beans and rice mix (i like Zatarain’s)
3cups vegetable broth
30oz canned diced tomatoes w. green chiles
2-4T fresh lime juice
tortilla chips
shredded cheddar or non-dairy cheddar

prepare red beans and rice according to package directions. stir in the broth, canned tomatoes, and fresh lime juice to taste. simmer 15-20minutes. crumble tortilla chips into the bottom of six serving bowls. pour over with soup and garnish each with a sprinkle of cheese. enjoy!
if you are a meat eater, you can add some shredded chicken to this soup, also.

* canned tomatoes, in particular, are high in vitamin C and lycopene, a powerful cancer fighting antioxidant.
*beans, together with rice, make a complete protein that is low in fat, high in fiber, and a good source of folate.

most people believe that to have healthy food around will cost them a great deal more than they are already spending. that can be the case, with specialty “low fat” and “sugar free” foods flooding the market, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. in fact, some of the most natural, healthy foods you can buy have been sitting in your pantry or fridge for years waiting for a revival. here is a short list of foods that will cost little and do much:

1) bananas - even with the price of food (and fresh fruit particularly) going up constantly, bananas still stand at less than 40cents a pound in most stores. and these little gems pack a nutritional punch! high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, manganese and vitamin B6, you are definitely getting your money’s worth in every bite. bonus: bananas can be eaten raw, frozen, baked, or fried!

2) oatmeal - this old fashioned grain has a bad rap for being boring, but you can do just about anything with a bowl of oatmeal, and keep breakfast well under 50cents a serving! my favorite is a scoop of peanut butter and some sliced seasonal fruit. oatmeal is quite filling, and high in magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and manganese. it is also a good source of soluble fiber, which is great for your heart and can lower cholesterol.

3) yogurt - whether you prefer dairy or nondairy, yogurt is a good source of calcium and protein. the live and active cultures that classify a food as yogurt have the potential to boost your immune system and clean cancer causing agents from your digestive tract. at last check, i found dairy yogurt for about 50cents a serving and nondairy for about $1.

4) dry beans - i know, you think you don’t have time for dry beans, but i dare you to find a more versatile and inexpensive protein on the market! beans are high in fiber, protein, iron, and folate. you can use pinto beans to make tacos, chickpeas to make hummus, kidney beans to make chili, black beans to make a salad with brown rice, lentils for soup, the list goes on and on.

*if the cooking of dry beans scares you, here is an easy, fairly hands-off approach: wash beans and cover with water to soak while you are at work. just before bed, drain and place in a slow cooker. cover beans with fresh water and cook on low overnight. the next day, you will have beans ready to go! you could add seasonings, herbs, or stock cubes to the cooking water, and put any leftovers into the freezer to use another day.

*the nutritional information used in this article came from nutritiondata.com and aboutyogurt.com.

josiah is getting to that age where he prefers to pick food apart before he eats it. the problem? sometimes he doesn’t eat everything he picks off, and the first to be forsaken are the odd looking veggies. i have taken a cue from the sneaky chef and created this pizza sauce with all picky kids in mind. this has been, for me, the best way to get josiah to eat kale. today’s recipe: loaded pizza sauce!

2T olive oil
1medium sweet onion, sliced thin
1cup each kale and spinach leaves, washed and dried
1whole roasted red pepper, seeded and stemmed
2cloves garlic, minced
28oz can diced tomatoes
1/4cup tomato paste
1/2tsp sugar
1T red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil to medium. add onion and cook 5 minutes. stir in remaining veg and saute about 3more minutes, until greens are lightly wilted. pour in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and vinegar. simmer a few minutes more, then use your stick blender to puree into a smooth sauce. season with salt and pepper to taste and use as you would any pizza sauce. (should be enough for one large pizza or two smaller) if you do not have a stick blender (get one!), you can puree this in batches in your food processor or stand blender, but you’ll need to let in cool a little first.

*kale & spinach – high in many minerals and a great source of vitamin A
*red bell pepper – lots of vitamins C & A, also a healthy dose of vitamins E, K, and B6.
*garlic – high in calcium (bet you didn’t know that!), it is also a great source of vitamin C.

i wanted to share with you some healthy snacks i’ve recently found that my son LOVES, and maybe your kid will, too. they are definitely worth a try, not too expensive, widely available, and extremely nutritious.
preemptive disclaimer: i do not get paid by companies to endorse their products! all that i share with you at sarah’s sustainable life comes from a wish that you will have success feeding your family healthy food that they’ll love.

kim nori – that is, roasted, lightly salted seaweed sheets that look like little crackers. there are many brands on the market; we get ours from whole foods (because it’s easy). my son is CRAZY about these, calls them “sea chips”. prior to this, i had no success getting him to eat nori. if you think highly nutritious sea veg are out of the question for your toddler, give these a try!

fruit & veg smoothies: not juice, but prepackaged smoothies. why? because they toss into a lunchbox or diaper bag without worries about spillage or spoilage. and the label is very clear, there is nothing inside but organic (usually) fruit and veg. our favorite is ella’s kitchen because they have such a great variety of veg smoothies. c’mon, you know kids eat fruit just fine, what we really want to sneak into those snacks is more vegetables!

dried veg: that’s right, DRIED. sound on the bland side? trust me. not only are they tasty, they are perfectly suited to toddler taste buds. no salt, no sugar, just crunchy dried veg that are fun to munch on in place of crackers, pretzels, or other starchy, nonperishable foods you may be tempted to pack for the trip to the playground.