Happy Homemade Halloween

Last year my kiddos all went trick-or-treating in store-bought costumes. Now, I have to say that Macy's princess dress was part of her dress up clothes, so it wasn't purchased new just for Halloween. Fletcher's Spiderman costume was from Goodwill and Felix's skunk costume was a hand-me-down from Fletcher. I guess I could consider their costumes green in that respect.

This year I wanted to get a little more creative with their costumes, so we picked out ideas early, then procrastinated until last week...cuz that's how I roll. Here's what we ended up with.

Macy: Butterfly

Macy saw this sparkly pink fabric in the clearance bin at the fabric store and knew her costume needed it. We went with black leggings and t-shirt from her closet and wings from sprawl-mart. I wish I'd had the time and inclination to make wings, but, well, I just didn't. We spent $8 on the wings and fabric for this costume.

Fletcher: Sheriff Woody

Let's just say it's a good thing he's only five and not all that observant yet. His jeans and cowboy shirt were from his closet, bandanna from Hobby Lobby, and vest I made (I didn't realize until later that Woody's vest is actually a cow print - oops.). His hat and badge were part of a costume that Mr. Greenhab wore several years ago. I spent about $2 total for this costume. Not a great Woody replica, but he makes a darn cute cowboy!

Felix: DJ Lance Rock

If you're not familiar with the show Yo Gabba Gabba well then you're probably lucky. It's like Sesame Street on acid, but the kids love it. Here's the cast:

Felix's DJ Lance costume was made from orange sweats that I embellished with ribbon, a cute little hat made from fleece, black glasses from sprawl-mart and a sweet boom box that Mr. Greenhab spray painted. His outfit was the most expensive at about $10. It was a huge hit among the few who actually know Yo Gabba Gabba, but cracks me up every time I see it. That's really all that matters.

I'm pretty pleased with the costumes and I think the kids are too. Hopefully they'll want to go homemade again next year. When do they get too cool for that anyway??

Happy Halloween everyone!

Winner of Raw Food for Everyone!

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of Raw Food for Everyone by Alissa Cohen is Alison who said:

"I thought raw food diets were silly until my son came a long and I swear, he eats everything raw! He likes his veggies raw. He likes nuts and berries, his natural tastes are totally raw!

I have not experimented with any actual raw recipes, but I've been curious. This mushroom pate looks like something I really want to try, especially given that we now can't eat gluten, corn or dairy in our house!"

Congrats Alison. Hit me up with your address and I'll get a copy out to you. I hope you enjoy it.

Stay tuned for more great giveaways and Green the Season starting Monday, November 1st.

Food processor recommendations?

I have a little Sunbeam Oskar food processor that's about 25 years old. I got it from my mom almost 10 years ago and use it all the time. It's been through the Atkins diet, making Super Baby Food purees for my little guy (who isn't so little any more), sauces and salsa, homemade peanut butter and so much more. It works well and cleans up in a snap and I use it at least once a week, usually more.

I love it because it's been through so many changes with me over the last ten years, not to mention serving my mom before me. It's  old, but it was made to last, which is why I feel so guilty when I say this: I kind of want (dare I say need?) a new food processor.

{Gasps from the crowd}

I've felt this way for awhile, but keep telling myself that I don't need new and shiny with flashy features. And I don't. What I need is a bigger capacity. With this model, I can only process 1 cup of ingredients at a time, so I end up doing several batches each time I make something. If you're just chopping one thing, that's fine, but when you're combining multiple ingredients it can be a real pain.

My only other issue with this particular machine is that the blade seems to rotate, but the food stays still. Does that happen with all machines? It does process to a point, but the food then stops moving.

So... I'd love your opinions and ideas. Do you have a food processor that you love? This will likely be my Christmas present from Mr. Greenhab, so I don't want to give him sticker shock (Remember he's been crowned "Cheapest Man on Earth"). I don't want a really cheap processor that will have to be replaced in a couple years, but we also can't afford one that costs several hundred dollars. I was hoping for something around the $150 price point. Will that get me a decent machine? Or do I really need to spend more?

It looks as if Sunbeam no longer makes food processors (?) so I've been looking at Cuisinarts and a Braun on Amazon, but there is just SO MUCH out there.

Help!

Raw Food for Everyone ~ Giveaway!

I've heard a lot about the raw foods diet over the past few years. Advocates say that heating food above 112 degrees F kills enzymes that aid in digestion and absorption of important nutrients. Eating a diet of mostly (75%) raw foods is supposed to increase energy, the appearance of one's skin, aid in digestion, weight loss and even help prevent heart disease. {Source}

Although eating raw foods sounds good in theory, I just can't get the image of endless salads and carrot sticks out of my mind. That is, until I received a copy of Alissa Cohen's Raw Food for Everyone: Essential Techniques and 300 Simple-to-Sophisticated Recipes in the mail.

Cohen herself has been on a raw foods diet for over 20 years and owns two vegan, raw restaurants on the east coast. In her book, she says that her goal was not to cater to the raw-eating crowd, but to show everyone how good raw, healthy food can be. After the lunch I just had, I have to say that I'm a believer!

Mushroom Pate

1 cup chopped button mushrooms
3 cups chopped portobello mushrooms
1 cup pecans
1 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup diced onions
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor. Blend together until combined. The mixture should be smooth with some texture, but not soupy.

2. Pack the pate into a decorative mold or dish. Chill for 1 hour before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

This pate (sorry I can't get my computer to add the accents aigu and circonflexe for some reason)(and yes, those are about the only words I remember from high school French) was truly fantastic. I see if becoming a staple here!

Avocado-Cucumber Soup

2 Avocados, peeled and pitted
2 cucumbers, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or Vita-Mix. Blend until the soup is smooth and creamy.

2. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for 1 hour. Stir before serving.

I used my food processor instead of the blender only because my blender doesn't seem to work well these days. It seems to have worked just fine, although the soup was a little thicker than I thought it would be. I could very distinctly taste both the cucumber and avocado, yet I had a weird sensory thing going on where I felt like I was just eating a bowl of guacamole. The jury is still out on this recipe, but it's definitely made me want to explore more cold soup recipes.

If you're trying to eat healthier, just want to try something new, or you're an old pro at the raw foods diet, Raw Food for Everyone is as the title would indicate: for everyone. There are 300 recipes to try, plus Cohen has added so much additional information on eating raw that you can really come up with your own creations too.

Last but not least, Raw Food For Everyone doesn't come out until later this week. But fear not, you can win a copy right here before you can buy it. Just leave me a comment telling me if where you are on the raw foods journey. Never tried it, but interested? Just dabbling? Life-long pro? Let me know! I'll pick a winner this Friday, October 29th.

Interested in learning more? Alissa's website is also packed with great information!

A weekend full of...

Bold new fabric choices...

Buying local...

Silly faces...

 Toasting seeds...

A bat invasion... (Inspiration & pattern from Country Living)

Getting lost in a maze...

 And candied apples...

Einkorn Winner Announced

Congrats to Sara at The Lipchocks who is the winner of one delicious, nutritious box of Jovial's einkorn pasta. Sara, please email me at greenhab (dot) goods (at) gmail (dot) com with your address and I'll get this right out to you.

Stay tuned for another great Meatless Monday foodie giveaway next week.

The following Monday is November first -- can you believe it!?!? I'll be starting my annual Green the Season series and will be giving away some great prizes and gifts.

Bamboo for your On-The-Go Utensil Wrap ~ 25% off

If you're thinking of making an on-the-go utensil wrap like I did last year, grab your bamboo utensils from Reuseit.com while they're on sale at 25% off. Then head over and check out my tutorial on the Green Phone Booth. These make great stocking stuffers or holiday gifts for your eco-conscious friends and family.

Meatless Monday Giveaway ~ Einkorn Pasta

This may be the most fascinating Meatless Monday to date! While I normally reserve pasta for the Mondays when I don't have time to cook, I was actually anxious to try Jovial's Einkorn pasta.

Einkorn is the world's most ancient wheat, extinct for thousands of years until scientists discovered the body of Otzi, the Bronze Age man who was found perfectly preserved in a glacier in the Italian Alps in 1991. Otzi had eaten einkorn for his last meal.

Intrigued by the grain, the folks at Jovial worked with scientists to bring the supply of it back to life.

Nutritional Information

"Ancient grains are inherently more nutritious than modern varieties. Einkorn is the most ancient wheat. It is more nutritious on many levels than modern organic wheat, and even outperforms other “superfoods” including the blueberry in its nutritional value.  Although Einkorn is a healthy source of dietary fiber, it does not have a grainy or gritty texture. Packed with protein, B vitamins and minerals, a meal with Einkorn pasta is very sustaining."

Environmental Impact

"Einkorn is innately rustic, with a hardy root system that overpowers weeds, eliminating the need for herbicides. It grows well without fertilization, making it ideally suitable to small-scale, organic agriculture.  Jovial works with a growing network of organic farmers in rural areas of Italy and other parts of Europe to grow 100% certified organic einkorn.

The First Ever™ trademark on Jovial products is the company’s guarantee of the purest Einkorn product and the purity commitment extends from “Seed to Shelf.”  Jovial Einkorn Pasta is packaged in a carton made from 80% recycled cardboard and is 100% recyclable. The window is certified 100% compostable, made from FSC certified wood pulp."

We made our einkorn pasta with a simple red sauce and broccoli, which went well together. Mr. Greenhab, who is not a fan of wheat anything said, "Eh, it's not bad." (On a side note, he did come home the next day and look in the recycle bin for the box. He said he'd been telling people about it all day but couldn't remember the name. He's a history geek buff, so he found the story behind the pasta fascinating...as did I.) The kids and I thought the taste was great - they didn't notice any difference between the einkorn and what we normally eat. I found the texture to be less gritty than average wheat pasta.

If you're looking for Jovial's Einkorn pasta, you can find it at Whole Foods in the Rigatoni, Penne Rigate, Fusilli, Spaghetti and Linguine varieties. OR...you can win a box here! Just leave me a comment telling me what your favorite meatless meal is. It doesn't have to be fancy, or even homemade. I'll pick a winner on Friday morning, October 22nd.

{Required disclosure: Jovial provided me with a sample of their einkorn pasta to review. They did not compensate me in any way to write this review, nor was I required to write a positive review.}

Giveaway Monday begins tomorrow!

I promised myself I wouldn't use the C-word (Christmas, that is) until after Halloween, but I'm already seeing mention of green gift ideas, holiday blog carnivals, and Christmas challenges out there in the blogosphere.

So, in the spirit of giving, I'm going to be holding Giveaway Monday every Monday through the end of the year in which I'll give away all sorts of goodies, from food to items I've made to some great green products.

I'll also officially kick off Greenhab's Third Annual Green the Season series on Monday, November 1st so stay tuned for homemade gift ideas, tutorials and green gifts.

Halloween Kiddy Craft

I'm probably a little too geeked out to be "room mom" for Felix's preschool class this year. It means that I get to do lots of cute crafts and test out yummy treats. The best part, for me, is that the kids don't really complain if their pumpkin cupcakes are a little "eh" so I can try new recipes out on them before making them for anyone else.

Anyway...

Here's what the little kiddies will be making at the Halloween party this year ~ Ghost hand prints.

I think these are a sweet keepsake for parents to have with their child's little hand print on them.

For these I used orange, black and Halloween-themed scrap book paper, white paint, ribbon and sticky-back googly eyes. If you're trying to kill time (like I will be) you can pre-cut the papers then have the kids layer and glue them all together. If you're looking for a quick project, assemble the paper ahead of time and just do the hand-prints at the party.

You'll want to layer the papers using glue sticks or scrapbooking tape. Be sure to write the child's name on the back before doing the hand print because it will take some time to dry. Or, write the name and year on the front with a white pen. You can glue a magnet on the back so parents can display this on the fridge, or punch holes in the top and add a ribbon so it can be hung on a door handle. Either way, it's a super cute, quick and easy craft for the little ones.

DIY Fall Artwork

After taking out all of the fall decorations last weekend I decided that our family photos just weren't going to cut it with their spring-like hues. Sorry family, but I just can't take seeing the pinks and teals with my orange pumpkins.


See what I mean? Great photos, but they were messing with my fall theme, which is probably an indication that I need to take some new family photos about now.

At any rate, I decided to replace the family -- temporarily, of course -- with fall leaves.

I picked a few leaves from around the yard and pressed them flat for a day between two heavy books. For the background, I used a piece of sheet music from an old hymnal for one and a piece of burlap for the other.

Don't make the same mistake I did and use glue for this project. It worked well, but the leaves turned brown by the next morning. The second time around I used splits (small pieces of double sided tape for scrap booking) instead.

I love the way they turned out and my bookshelves look much more harmonious.

Meatless Monday ~ Veggie Tacos

Mr. Greenhab made delicious pork carnitas for football Sunday. With enough leftovers to feed a small country, I made a vegetarian version for Meatless Monday. I stacked a small flour tortilla with cabbage, Mexican rice, black beans and cheese. You could add just about anything you desire - tomatoes, onion, peppers, etc.

Que rico!

We love pot

My mother in law gave me a pot maker today, which I thought was very funny. She was shopping at the local thrift store and saw POT in big letters so she had to take a closer look.

It's not exactly what she thought. It actually makes little paper pots for growing seeds inside. This will be great for next spring when we start our seeds.

I was thinking of starting little pots of herbs and giving them to the teachers at school for Christmas. Maybe wrapped in sheet music instead of newspaper. Wouldn't that be sweet?

I love people with a sense of humor.