Green Cleaning

Here it is March and although some folks are still experiencing winter’s wrath, most of us are happily anticipating the arrival of spring. This is a busy month that includes Easter and St. Patrick’s Day, along with preparations for spring cleaning. And speaking of spring cleaning, have you thought about doing it in “green?” No, this is not in honor of cute little leprechauns; what I’m referring to is creating an eco-friendly home environment.

“Going green” is on everyone’s minds these days as more people are realizing the impact this has on our surroundings and our future. And it’s not nearly as daunting as you may think. You can easily improve your home environment by implementing simple strategies such as:

• Replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs;
• Using recyclable canvas shopping bags when buying groceries instead of paper or plastic;
• Improving the quality of indoor air with real houseplants;
• Walking or running outside instead of using an energy powered treadmill, or opt for another non-electric type of exercise like pilates or yoga;
• Receiving and paying bills online;
• Recycling paper, plastic, and aluminum;
• Using cold water when doing laundry;
• Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth;
• Putting a filter on your faucet and reducing bottled water consumption.

These are just a few suggestions to help save our environment, while saving money at the same time. Stay tuned next week to find some eco-friendly cleaning solutions to use in your home!

Copyright 2008 Charlene Davis

Zesty Tomato Soup

We're having such a blustery day down here in Florida and I know many other folks are getting a last blast of winter, so I thought this recipe was a perfect way to warm things up!

1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed low-sodium, low-fat tomato soup
1 can (10.5 ounces) filled with fat-free milk
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or cilantro
2 tablespoons croutons
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, add the soup and milk. Whisk together until smooth. Warm over medium heat about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the tomatoes and herbs. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle even amounts into individual bowls and garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon croutons and 1 1/2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Dietitian's tip: Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. Lycopene is most plentiful in red tomatoes and is best absorbed when the tomatoes have been cooked.

Serves 2

Nutritional Analysis(per serving):
Calories 202
Cholesterol 5 mg
Protein 9 g
Sodium 681 mg
Carbohydrate 35 g
Fiber 2 g
Total fat 3 g
Potassium 570 mg
Calcium 182 mg
Saturated fat 1 g
Monounsaturated fat 1 g

Source: Mayo Clinic

Deceptively Delicious - Cookbook Review

Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, by Jessica Seinfield (HarperCollins), lives up to its name by providing nutritious recipes that are yummy to the tummy. In this user-friendly cookbook, you will find traditional favorites like chicken nuggets, tacos, spaghetti, pancakes, and chocolate cake - all with a unique twist: pureed veggies. But before you wrinkle your nose at the thought of taking a swig of cauliflower juice, take comfort in knowing you can’t actually taste the veggies. See where the deception comes in? And the different purees add a little extra (unidentified) zip to the recipes making them delicious.

The first recipe I used out of this book was the Italian Meatloaf using a carrot puree and my family loved it! And they still don’t know how good it was for them. Other crowd pleasers were the Quesadillas with the butternut squash puree and the Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes with spinach, yellow squash, and blueberry purees. And not all of the secret ingredients are pureed. For example, the Marshmallow Crispy Treats has brown rice cereal as the main attraction.

Something else I really liked about this book was all of the great pictures. While many of us like to think of ourselves as creative, most cooks are not prophetic and it helps to know what the end result should look like. Other features are numerous mealtime tips, personal anecdotes, and helpful guidelines. There is even a section on the ABCs of Eating Well. My only complaint is that there are not more recipes in the book! Perhaps the author will surprise us with a sequel.

Some of this may sound eerily similar to the Sneaky Chef cookbook; however, readers should note the only real comparisons I found between the two were how the authors camouflaged their “secret ingredients.” Most of the recipes in each cookbook are different. Plus the ones in Deceptively Delicious typically have more ingredients and require more preparation than the quick and easy ones in the Sneaky Chef, but they are worth the extra hassle down to the last bite. I’m happy to have both books in my cookbook library collection and find they each stand alone in their uniqueness.

Click here for more information on Deceptively Delicious.

Copyright 2008 Charlene Davis. All rights reserved.