Vegetarian Meal Planning for Carnivores

One of my biggest challenges as a mom is healthy, easy meal planning. The monotony of planning three meals, two snacks a day for the next how many years is daunting. Add a twist--I’ve gone back to my vegetarian (I still eat fish so is this technically pescatarian?) roots while the rest of my family remain carnivores. Ahh, the dilemma.

My new favorite cookbook is Dr. Weil’s, The Healthy Kitchen. It’s easy, practical and everything we’ve tried has tasted great so far. My husband and kids are NOT into anything with tofu (I’m trying to sneak it in, but it’s not working) so we are eating a lot more fish these days to satisfy their need for meat.

A friend recently introduced me to the site GoVeg and it has a ton of great information and recipes. Beware, unless you’re ready to make some lifestyle changes with your eating, don’t visit the site. It clearly demonstrates the cruelty animals endure, which is the primary reason I’ve decided to keep the pork off the fork. Actually, did you know that pigs are smarter than most 3 year olds!? Yikes, that’s scary because I have a 3 and 2 year old at home and they don’t miss a beat. My all time favorite book is Charlotte’s Web, so that’s all I have to say about that—poor Wilbur!

Being a mom is a tough job as it is, but it’s even more difficult when you try to navigate the sea of chemicals, hormones, fillers, antibiotics and other garbage that pollutes our food supply. I hope we’ll reach a point of mass awareness for the issue so we can have a solution that is less destructive and healthier for us all.

Be smart. Be bold. Be happi.
Molly

Reduce, Recycle, Regift

As the hustle and bustle of the holidays begins, it’s time to take stock of what we have before we bring any more in. With three kids in different stages and interests, our playroom often looks like a toy store that has just been ransacked. I typically have the kids fill a laundry basket with unwanted items (that won’t be handed down) and donate them to Goodwill.

Since there are so many families struggling this year, I’m coming up with a new strategy to reduce the clutter, recycle unwanted items and regift in time for the holidays. The kids will still go through the playroom and choose unwanted items, but I’m going to group them, along with unwanted clothes by age and gender and put it on Craigslist as a gift basket. My hope is to put a personal spin on helping another family out this year and make it easier on them, especially since little girls, size 3 are usually interested in dollies, dress up and play food, all of which we are giving away and might be on another’s wish list.

Hopefully we’ll be able to clean out our clutter and help other children have a memorable holiday at the same time. Our unwanted clothes and toys will be put to good use and not left on “The Island of Misfit Toys,” aka the landfill.

Be smart. Be bold. Be happi.
Molly

Bring Your Own

Now that I’m seriously committed to dumping the plastic bag habit, I’m starting to add cool bags to my collection so I will never need another plastic one. For the record, I have enough plastic Target bags saved to line every trash can in my house for ten years, ok, maybe not ten years but I do not need or want another!

A friend recently shared this cool blog called The Green Bag Lady where you can download free patterns for either a produce bag or tote. You can even check out her video so you can learn how to sew directly from The Green Bag Lady herself. I have a ton of fabric scraps in my attic from leftover house projects that will now be put to good use and encourage you to do the same.

I’ve also found some wonderful bags online that I want to add to my collection. One of my favorite sites, Ecoist, even plants a tree whenever you buy a bag! I love the colorful, recycled rice bags. They are hefty enough to carry a big load and look great—win, win!

I also love Envirosax. They have adorable designs and come in a cool pouch (you know I love pouches) so you can carry the bags with you and always have a stash on hand. I leave bags in my car now so I’m prepared even for impromptu errands. They even have adorable designs for children so they too can can play a role in eliminating plastic bag waste.

There are a ton of affordable, stylish options for reusable bags. This is an easy change that really counts.

Be smart. Be bold. Be happi.
Molly