Meatless Mondays

I've been doing a bit of thinking. You see, I've always cooked 2 meals at our house. One dish of meat-filled goodness and one vegetarian option -- usually what Henry and I are having minus the meat and with tofu or beans added -- for my dear partner who is a vegetarian. As an aside, Cin's vegetarianism isn't like my "phase" at university, where I dabbled in it because it was hip. She grew up as a Buddhist and thereby also as a veggiehead.

Sure, sometimes Henry and I eat what she is having. There are many good recipes and plans out there that allow children to get enough protein without meat products. I'll even go so far as to admit I feel better (less heavy, more fulfilled) when I have a meal without meat. But it is so hard to cancel out years of pro-meat conditioning when raising a child. (I grew up in the middle of America where you eat meat with every meal. Literally.)

So I've decided to commit to Meatless Mondays for the whole family. One day a week of thinking outside the box. (Well, thinking inside my veggie box, but that is a bit too cheesy for this post.) One day of offering Henry with protein alternatives and reevaluating what I was taught as a kid.

I wasn't the clever one to dream up MMs. For a great intro to the movement, check out:

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

It's a bit North America-centric, but you get the point. They also have  a great list of 'why go meatless'

• REDUCE RISK OF HEART DISEASE. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds contain little to no saturated fats. Reducing your intake of saturated fats can help keep your cholesterol low and reduce your risk of heart disease.
• IMPROVE OVERALL QUALITY OF DIET. Consuming dry beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.[2]

• REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide . . . far more than transportation.[3] And annual worldwide demand for meat continues to grow. Reining in meat consumption once a week can help slow this trend.
• MINIMIZE WATER USAGE. The water needs of livestock are tremendous, far above those of vegetables or grains. An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef.[4] Soy tofu produced in California requires 220 gallons of water per pound.[5]
• HELP REDUCE FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE. On average, about 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S.[6] Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein.[7] Moderating meat consumption is a great way to cut fossil fuel demand.

So anyone else up for Meatless Mondays? Anyone else already doing this and want to share about your experience? 

Check back every Monday for recipes and posts! Jess xx

O Me, O My, O'Dough!

April 24th, 2010: a very sunny and beautiful Saturday that was spent, amongst other outdoor activities, playing with our new O'Dough kit. I feel compelled to say a few things about the overall kit before I go on as it's very clear www.innocentoils.com has spent a lot of time being conscious about every aspect of their products. Case in point: Packaging was in recycled paper, tied with twine. Each little tub is packed in a compostable plastic container and between the 6 tubs was pretty little shavings (see picture), instead of miscellaneous paper or (gasp!) styrofoam peanuts.

Now, onto the actual Dough - it came in 6, primary and secondary colors (not as dark though - all were pastel-like) with a good array of active colors (i.e. no brown or black because, let's be honest, there are only limited things you can make with those and if your little one mushes all the colors together you have a huge brown blob anyway). The texture is a bit hard to describe but as a comparable, it's a bit softer and more pliable than conventional play-dough, not as runny or sticky as goo or putty, and not a dry or oily cookie dough - just right. One of the best things I liked about the O'Dough is that it smells quite pleasant, like a fresh vanilla bean. My worst memory with play-dough was the terrible smell that it left on your hands for days to come and there's not a trace with the O'Dough. The product molds quite well and as you can see in the picture of our pig, is sticky enough to make small parts but hard enough to stand on its own. Best of all, Henry was extremely happy with his new O'Dough.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the purchase and would recommend it to others as well. Frankly, with gluten-free, wheat-free and toxin-free ingredients, I don't see why all of the schools shouldn't replace their current playdoughs with O'Dough.

Bath Mats-Oh My!

I've spent a great deal of time today looking for an eco-friendly anti-slip bath mat. You see, I currently have to constantly hold onto Henry at bathtime as it's quite slippery in our tub -- and he's growing more annoyed and independent by the second.

About a month ago, in haste, I just quickly ordered an anti-slip "jelly" bath mat and some anti-slip stickers (without my green thinking cap on). They were so incredibly smelly - had all the unsafe plastic numbers and PVC to boot. To think of Henry bathing with that plastic really kinda scared me. (I should add that he happily bathed in a plastic bathtub for several months as a little baby before I even realized what I was doing.)

Eek! And now I can't find an eco-friendly anti-slip option without all the toxic plastic stuff. I'm really at a loss here. (And since we rent I can't add any adhesives - has to be a temporary solution.) Any suggestions on PVC-free bath mats? Anyone?