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"Many Paths, One Journey to Health..." Cookbook Out, From Holistic Moms Network

The Holistic Moms Network, a national non-profit group with over 100 chapters across the USA and Canada, has just released a new cookbook; Many Paths, One Journey to Health: In the Kitchen with Holistic Moms. This simple yet powerful guide is as diverse as the organization’s membership, and embraces dietary philosophies from raw food to macrobiotics, gluten free to traditional hunter-gatherer diets. 

Many Paths has more than 300 recipes, all submitted by the group’s members, who embrace holistic health and green living, although the path they each choose to improve their health may differ considerably.  The cookbook is divided into several categories: Farm to Table, Gluten Free/Egg Free/Dairy and Casein Free, Juices and Smoothies, Macrobiotic, Raw Foods, Traditional Diets, Vegetarian, Holidays and Special Occasion Foods. 

Many Paths also features a special Remedies and Other Recipes section including “recipes” for natural bug repellant, non-toxic home cleaners, and detoxifyng teas and baths. 

Showcasing many of the varied nutritional paths followed by their members, Many Paths.. is an valuable tool if you're seeking an alternative to the Standard American diet (SAD).  “Although our members share a common goal of health and well-being, we don’t necessarily agree on how to achieve that goal,” says Nancy Massotto, HMN’s Executive Director, “but we respect one another’s choices and are open-minded enough to consider new alternatives and paths for ourselves and our families.”  Throughout all sections of Many Paths, One Journey to Health is an emphasis on whole, natural foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and unrefined grains and products.  Those new to healthful eating will find the introductory section explaining each of the paths to be educational and balanced. 

Healthy, kid-friendly recipes prevail and include everything from gluten free Pumpkin Cookies to Healthy Salmon Cakes.  A delicious Fresh Pesto recipe – featuring summer basil from the garden – is provided by green lifestyle expert and TV host Sara Snow who was a Keynote Speaker at HMN's2009 Natural Living Conference. 

If you're new to healthful nutrition or looking for recipes to help eat locally or to cope with food allergies, Many Paths, One Journey to Health will have much to offer! 

More @ HolisticMoms.org

A Plastic Bag Alternative for Lunches & Snacks

Trying to do the right thing when you're packing lunch for your children is tough.  Not wanting to use plastic bags that are thrown out, or containers filled with chemicals is no option, what can you do?   I was intrigued when told about ReSnackIt lunch and snack bags.  These cute, re-usuable bags are a great way reduce the amount of non-recyclable trash we all produce.

 

ReSnackIt's reusable snack and sandwich bags are made of washable cotton and nylon and snugly secured with Velcro to make them an easy-to-use accessory for little fingers. Moms & Dads love being able to wash ReSnackIt reusable bags in the washer or dishwasher; kids will like the dozens of cool designs and the fact that they'll never have to eat another dried-out sandwich or carrot for lunch again!

 

ReSnackIt bags are lined with nylon that is free from lead, phthalates, BPA and PVC.   They're available for sale at select retailers in Vermont, Connecticut, Ohio and New York and through the ReSnackIt website. The new company also offers discounts on large volume orders and wholesale opportunities for retailers who want to make ReSnackIt a part of their eco-friendly inventory.

 

For more information, visit ReSnackIt.com. Let me know what you think, and you other lunchtime "green" efforts - comment below...

Brighter Planet's "Mastering the Art of Sustainable Cooking" Contest

Brighter Planet recently announced an interesting contest that you'll find interesting --
Mastering the Art of Sustainable Cooking.

It easy to enter, just complete any of their sustainable cooking conservation tips and tell everyone about your experience in completing the tip. The best write-up in each category will win an Amazon Kindle DX and a $100 gift card to load it up with your favorite cook books!

For more info on the contest, visit blog.brighterplanet.com  or to enter go right to, brighterplanet.com/sustainable-cooking .

Tell 'em GH sent you, and Good luck !

Summer; A Great Time to Visit a Farmer's Market

Looking for a fun family activity this summer?  Take a family trip to a local farmer's market, or visit one while on vacation!  You will be helping support community farmers and getting healthy food for your family. There are great treats, and great ways for your kids to learn.

Don't know if there is a farmer's market in your area?  Use this handy tool to locate a market near you: LocalHarvest.org

Slow Food USA Announces "Eat In Day" to Help Improve Kids' School Food

SlowFoodUSA is asking that we note this date: September 7, 2009. It'll be the date we’ll look back on as the moment when folks across the USA took a stand about the food our children eat at school.   As you know, children who grow up enjoying food that is both delicious and good for them learn healthy eating habits that last throughout their lives. And those habits can start at school, but only if we give schools the resources to serve real food instead of the overly processed fast food that endangers their health.

To make that happen, Congressional leaders need to hear that when it comes to our children, change can’t wait.   That’s why they’ve organized a National Eat-In for Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009. On that day, people across America will gather with their neighbors for public potlucks that send our nation’s leaders a clear message: It’s time to provide our children with real food at school.  To get Congress’ attention, SlowFood needs the help of all kinds of people: parents, teachers, community leaders, kids and people who’ve never done anything like this before. Everyone has to pitch in. Tell your friends, neighbors to contact your legislators and to organize Eat-Ins for Sept. 7.

Click here to get started.

The campaign web site will guide you through the easy process, and the campaign team is ready to provide support. SlowFood will give you everything you need to get involved, starting today.  And they mean today—because with President Obama calling for health care reform and the First Lady teaching kids to grow organic food on the White House Lawn, finally there's an opening to pass legislation that gives kids the opportunity to grow up healthy.  This fall, Congress will be debating whether to update the Child Nutrition Act, which is the law that determines what kind of food kids eat at school. By giving schools the resources to serve real food, we can make sure that the legacy we’re leaving our children is a future filled with opportunity, security and good health.
 
For more information, and to help your schools and to join the effort, go to SlowFoodUSA.org.

A Handy Pocket Seafood Selector

Check out this handy Pocket Seafood Selector thru the link below.  It's hard to keep track of which seafood is safe, endangered, etc.  So why not carry this guide with you and use it to buy seafood that is good for you and for the planet.  Use it at restaurants, grocers, fish markets, etc.  Send this around to friends too!

Find it at;  Environmental Defense Fund and learn more at EDF.org/Seafood

Paul McCartney Supports British "Meat Free Monday" Program

Vegetarian, and former Beatle,  Paul McCartney, is meat-free and asks everyone to try it at least one day a week.  This week, he helped launch a Meat Free Monday campaign in the UK.  Along with Sir Paul,  Yoko Ono, Cheryl Crow, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Moby, Kate Bosworth, Kelly Osbourne, and McCartney’s children James, Stella and Mary were all on hand when Sir Paul unveiled “a food campaign to encourage the nation to help slow climate change by reducing their meat consumption by having at least one meat-free day a week.”

Check out The Meat Free Monday website for ideas on how you can help our planet and for vegetarian recipes to use on Monday (or any) nights.

 

Watch the McCartney video clip below to hear him discuss going meat-free.

 

EatingWell In Season, Farmers' Market Cookbook

If, like me, you rejoice when the first asparagus comes into season or relish a tree-ripened peach right from the farmers’ market and look forward to making fall’s squash soups, then this may be the best cookbook you will ever use.

It's filled with easy, fast and delicious recipes making EatingWell in Season a valuable cookbook/ guide for anyone who loves seasonal foods. All recipes are tested in the EatingWell Test Kitchen by the same folks who produce EatingWell Magazine. All the recipes use simple, easy-to-find ingredients and most take 45 minutes or less.

In addition, they are all healthy. So healthy that Dr. Preston Maring, the associate physician-in-chief at Kaiser’s Oakland Medical Center, near San Francisco, CA,  recommends these recipes and this book to his patients and wrote the introduction. As he says, "I’ve even written a prescription for an arugula salad."    His story is paired with 150 new recipes from EatingWell’s Test Kitchen.

Organized by season, the recipes celebrate farm-fresh ingredients, such as Grilled Steak & Escarole with Tomato Vinaigrette and Blueberry Tart with Walnut Crust. Also included in the book:

• Tips on how to freeze, preserve and find other ways to store bumper crops.
• Techniques for roasting peppers, peeling mangoes and other ideas to prepare your farm fresh finds.
• Cool tools & gadgets, from herb savers to cherry pitters, to help you prepare fresh fruits and vegetables.
• USA’s top five farmers markets.
• Nutritional tips that highlight the health benefits of dozens of fruits and vegetables.

And, you'll hear from several of the innovative farmers who are truly passionate about their specialty crops, learn how to plant a kitchen garden and find out when you should buy organic.

EatingWell in Season: The Farmers' Market Cookbook. Edited by Jessie Price, Intro by Dr Preston Maring, buy below thru GH.

The Artisan Cheese Revival

 

Over the past several years, the U.S. has seen tremendous growth in the number and variety of artisan and farmstead cheesemakers. Besides being absolutely delicious, these cheeses are distinctively marked by the unique characteristics of the region where they are made (the French use the term terroir for describing what occurs below the surface of the soil to affect the taste of wines, but this term applies to cheeses and other foods as well). The techniques used in production will also contribute to the unique flavor ways of a cheese. Artisan cheeses are now widely available, and can be found in gourmet food stores and farmers’ markets all over the country. We here at Gathering Home encourage you to explore the world of artisan cheeses.  Learn where to find them online, which are the best books to read on the subject, and even how to make some cheeses at home.

Artisan cheese is defined as cheese that is produced primarily by hand in small batches, using traditional aging and production methods.  Farmstead cheese goes one step further by producing artisan cheese on a farm where only organic dairy products (from that particular farm’s herd of animals) are used.  On these farmsteads, the animals eat only organically grown pasture grasses

"Gifts From Our Garden" To Help Others

President Obama recently asked Americans to look out for each other in these tough economic times. But how to help others if your income is not even enough for yourself? Here's an wonderful idea; donate the excess fruits & vegetables from your backyard to the needy and get a tax deduction, talk about a win-win situation! One city in the Bay Area of California has already started the "Gifts From Our Garden" movement.  GH readers, please watch the video clip below and spread the word (to local politicians, journalists, friends/neighbors) so this program can expand nationwide !!! And, thanks to video journalist, RichGail.