Back to School Savings!

Amazon.com currently has a promo for select Back to School Grocery items  - save up to 30%!  This is perfect timing to start stocking up on the items we like to put in our kids (and our own!) lunch boxes as well as the dry goods that we use everyday.  I have been purchasing grocery items from Amazon for over 3 years now because I usually find better prices at Amazon.com AND it's shipped right to my building (I live in NYC and do not have a car so this is a great convenience!).  Their Subscribe and Save program allows you to subscribe to have items shipped to you on a regular basis (like every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months) AND you save 15% on the already low price!   You can cancel it at anytime, or if you are running low on something, you can always have it sent at any given time.

Here are some of the deals - all are valid through September 11, 2010.  Click on the Green text or images to link directly to the item to view and purchase:

 

Save up to 30% on select Organic Valley organic milk sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code OVALL454 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 30%.  This milk is great to have on hand to put in lunch boxes or take on road trips because it does not need to be refrigerated.   I really like the fact that it is organic - no antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides.  They are shelf-stable, so do not require refrigeration.  I also like the flavor - it is slightly more creamy than regular milk.  I have been ordering this milk for over a year now and have been really happy with my shipments. They also have chocolate, Vanilla, or strawberry flavored milk.

Save up to 30% on select General Mills breakfast, baking, snacks and boxed meals products sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code GMBOXTOP at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 30%. Cheerios are a perfect snack or breakfast for everyone and these are the best prices I have found.  I have had regular shipments of them for over 3 years now! 

The items listed for this promo include: Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios Milk Cereal Bars, Nature Valley Granola Bars variety pack, and Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie mix, and many more items

Save up to 25% on select Nature's Path and
EnviroKidz Organic Cereal & Bars sold by Amazon.com. Save 10% when you enter code NATPBTS3 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 25%.  These are great prices for healthy, organic snacks and cereals that are also Gluten-free, wheat-free, low-sodium, and do not contain trans fats or synthetic additives or preservatives.  nviroKidz OrganicTry the Koala Crispy Rice Chocolate bars, or the Gorilla Munch Cereal

Save up to 30% on select Annie's Homegrown boxed meals, snacks, cereals and dressings sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code ANNIES55 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 30%.   Annie's make great mac and cheese products as well as many snacks, cereals and meals.  Our favorites include: Chocolate Bunny Grahams, Deluxe Rotini and White Cheddar, and the Organic Snack Mix

Also, start your morning or end your day with organic tea from Traditional Medicinals Herbal Tea - these are my favorite herbal teas:

Save up to 25% on select Traditional Medicinals herbal teas sold by Amazon.com. Save 10% when you enter code TRADTEA4 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 25%.  My top choices here are: Organic Peppermint, Fair Trade Certified Chai, and if you are a nursing mom, try Organic Mother's Milk Herbal Tea - I found it helpful to keep my supply up!

Hope you find these deals helpful to kick your school year off to a good start and save some money in the process!

Sprout's Green Store

Ever since becoming a parent 4 years ago,  I have been researching baby products online to find the best products and the best prices.  As new moms, we try lots of different brands to see what works for our babies - we're new at this so there is a lot of trial and error!  I have also been striving to live more eco-friendly and use products that are either natural, re-usable, biodegradable or made from recycled materials.  I have been compiling lists of baby product "must haves" on Amazon.com and wanted to share my thoughts and reviews of products that I use (or have used) and order on a regular basis.  This is basically how I started this blog and now I have an Amazon.com storefront with carefully selected "Green" products for the family and home. 

Check it out - some of the products have been reviewed on my blog, others will be reviewed soon or are manufactured by companies that I have reviewed.
Click here: Sprout's Green Store - Green Products for a Green Family!

Don't forget to check out the Green Toys section!

NEW!  Green your School Routine - a collection of eco-friendly back to school items...

Green Toys for a Green Planet!

We received the Green Toys Indoor Gardening Kit as a gift a few years back because my son likes to help me in the garden.  I had seen Green Toys in stores but never really checked them out.  Reading the package for the gardening kit then going to their website, I learned that these toys are not only made from recycled milk jugs but also made in the USA - double bonus!  It is so hard these days to find toys made in America and with the economy the way it has been, I'd much rather be supporting American companies and workers.  Green Toys are BPA free and do not contain Phthalates or lead.  Also, their packaging is also very earth-friendly (and people-friendly - no twist-ties or hard, impossible to open plastic).  They use recycled corrigated cardboard to package their toys - that's it!  So they are also totally recycleable! 

These are all great qualities to me but what about the toys?  The Gardening Kit I received is very durable (still planting herbs in them over 2 years later!) and has withstood digging, banging, collecting things like stones (when they didn't have plants in them).  The kit came with a trowel, 3 pots and a base, seeds (basil, sunflowers and zinnias) and soil disks.  It was very easy to start our own window garden (even at age 2!).  This kit is very cute - the colors are bright and cheerful.  You would expect recycled plastic toys to a little dull, but not these!

Some of the other toys I have purchased or checked out include the Tea Set - super adorable and just what every little girl must have for tea time with the dolls; the Sand Play Toys - durable and ready for a summer full of beach and playground days; and the Tool Set - a must have when it's time to fix things!

Now Green Toys has feeding plates, bowls, forks and spoons , for "real" food in addition to their great line of "pretend" food cooking and service wear. 

They also have a good line of vehicles and boats for land and water play.These toys are made to last, manufactured with care for our
children, our country and our planet, and most importantly - they're fun! 


Search Amazon.com for Green Toys

Nothing says Summer like Homemade Salsa and Natural Chips!

Salsa is great all-year-round, but making it fresh with local or even home-grown ingredients is just something to look forward to every summer.  Fresh salsa is just the best!  I actually almost always make my own because it tastes so good fresh and is super-easy to make.  This year I am growing Roma tomatoes, Cherry peppers and cilantro in containers on my 6'x20' balcony right here in NYC! (along with lots of other things).

But first, I have to tell about my NEW favorite chip...Green Mountain Gringo Tortilla Strips!  These chips ROCK! We are kind of tortilla chip snobs and have tried just about every kind of chip lately looking for something that is lower priced, more natural but still taste good. These chips taste great - perfectly salted (not too salty and can be enjoyed plain), have excellent crunch and corn flavor and best of all - have an awesome shape!  The long rectangular shape are the perfect size for dipping and are just thick enough to hold any dip or salsa.  Because they are thicker, they also do not fall apart or break much during packing, shipping and displaying at the store - so more chips for dippin!  Best part - they are made with only 4 natural ingredients!  Masa Harina Corn Flour, Non-hydrogenated Canola Oil, Salt.  They have no preservatives, are cholesterol free, Gluten free and made from GMO free corn.  They taste like a tortilla chip is supposed to taste like - not greasy,  or with a hint of any flavor... just crispy corn flavor.  They also come in Blue Corn Tortilla Chips - my personal fav!  Buy these in bulk because if your house is like mine, they go really fast!  Amazon's price also cannot be beat!

So now that you have a great chip, here is a quick easy recipe for great salsa:

• 5-6 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 small or 1/2 larger onion (depends on your taste), chopped
• 1-2 small hot peppers (Cherry peppers are milder, Fresno & Jalapeno peppers are med-hot), chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 lime, squeezed
• small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (more or less depending on your taste) - fresh cilantro gives it that great summer-fresh flavor but you can also use dried (maybe a tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• dash of hot pepper sauce or dried hot pepper flakes to taste (if you like a little heat)
• Other things you can add if desired: chopped green or red peppers either raw or roasted or chopped tomatillo

If you like chunky salsa, just chop everything and mix in a bowl - chill for at least 30 mins.
If you like smoother or medium chunky salsa (I do!) put everything in a food processor or blender and just give it a little quick blending - or longer for really smooth salsa.  Chill for 30 mins.

Enjoy!

"Recycled" Muffins

With 2 toddlers in the house (often picky eaters), we always seem to have some left-overs in the house, or fruit / veggies that are past their peak.  My favorite way to use up (or recycle!) left-overs is to make mini muffins!  Who doesn't love a little muffin?  The kids sure do gobble them up so it's a great way to get them to eat their veggies!!  This is also a good way to re-use those left-overs instead of throwing them away...

I have made several varieties of this recipe: zucchini-carrot-banana, pumpkin-apple-ginger spice, peas-carrots-green beans with cornmeal and today's special, carrots-banana-blueberry.  You can use any combo of veggies and fruits, just put them all in a food processor or blender (add a little juice or water if it's too dry).  No matter what you put in them, you can make them yummy with honey, vanilla and cinnamon or other spices like ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  I usually make these low-sugar for the kids so you can increase the sugar to 1/2 cup if you need the sweetness.

makes about 56 mini muffins



2 cups wheat or unbleached white flour
1/2 cup quick oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
2-3 tablespoons honey (optional)
1 egg
3 cups blended, mashed or pureed vegetables & fruit (whole or mashed) (if the mixture is too thick or dry, you can add some fruit juice so it is more like the thickness of applesauce)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon (less if you don't love cinnamon) or any other spice you like


1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Spray mini muffin pans or rub with olive oil (or you can use muffin paper cups)
3. Mix all ingredients with fork or mixer on low speed - just till blended
4. Fill muffins 2/3 full with batter
5. Bake 15-20 minutes until or toothpick comes out clean
6. Remove from oven a let cool about 5 mins. in pan
7. Remove muffins from pan and let cool on a wire rack or wood cutting board
8. Store half in an air tight container.


These Freeze really well in an air tight container - let defrost on the counter over night

tip: If you don't have 3 cups of vegetables, you can add unsweetened apple sauce or mashed bananas; you can also add dried fruit like raisins to add some sweetness
substitution:  If you want corn-veggie muffins, use 1 cup flour and 1 1/2 cup of corn meal or one box of Jiffy Corn Bread mix (made in Michigan right down the road from my parents!)  I also make mini corn muffins with Jiffy mix + 1 can of creamed corn adding a couple TBSP of flour

Need a good mini-muffin pan? 
Click here to get a great one from Amazon.com.

Happy baking!

Top 5 Homeopathic / Natural Remedies

A week after both my kids recovered from a nasty viral infection, I thought I would share my top 5 homeopathic or more natural remedies that I have found over the past few years worked great.

#1 - for that cough that keeps everyone up all night, I really like Hyland's Cough Syrup with Honey.  I have been using it since my first child was about 12 months old, as recommended by our pediatrician.  It is safer than traditional cough medicine for young children (and yes, it is OK to give them honey if your ped. approves) and I like the fact that it contains no sugar or alcohol.  My kids like the taste, too!  You can find it at Whole Foods, many chain drugstores, but the best price can be found at Amazon.com - buy it in packages of 3!  It is a good idea to always have this handy!

#2 - for multi-symptom relief (ages 2+), we have been using Hylands Cold N Cough 4 Kids with good success.  It does a great job of relieving the coughing, sneezing, stuffiness even at night.  I like it because it is sugar-free and contains no Aspirin, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Pseudoephedrine or Dextromethorphan so there are no side effects.  This is another item I try to have stocked up...  With a kid in preschool, it seems the colds come often!

#3 - for teething babies, we would not live without Hyland's Teething Gel!  Teething is no fun for baby (or parents!) but rubbing this gel on the gums really calms baby quickly.  Both my kids loved the flavor so much that they would grab for the tube and want to hold it too!  Since teething takes forever, make sure you have several tubes (one in each diaper bag/purse/stroller...)  I buy these in bulk!  Want to save an extra 15%?  Buy these through Amazon's Subscribe and Save program and have it automatically delivered every 1,2,3, or 6 months!

#4 - for all the bumps, bruises and boo boos, I have come to love Boiron Arnicare Ointment.  It helps to relieve pain as well as stiffness from sore muscles and will help to reduce the color/size of bruises.  I use it for the constant boo-boos that toddlers seem to get and it tends to calm them down a little.  But I often have a stiff neck / shoulders from carrying a backpack, kids and gear and use it myself!  I like the fact that it does not have a heavy menthol smell, in fact, it smells good! Psst...this is also on Amazon's Subscribe and Save program so save another 15% when you buy a 3-pack!

#5 - keep germs at bay...hand sanitizers have gotten a lot more popular lately but I really hate that alcohol smell on my hands and I certainly don't like it on my kids hands (that go right into their mouths!).  I have found a great hand sanitizer that is natural, alcohol-free and comes in a handy little spray bottle!  Cleanwell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer is a great product and smells nice - a little woodsy but not strong at all!  I love the little 1-oz spray bottles and have one in each bag (including my own) and stroller.  These I found at Whole Foods, Rite-aid and Amazon.com.  Again - make sure to always have these at hand, especially on the playground, at the park or when food shopping (they like to touch everything!)

I have many more products I have tried or found online - many can be found in my Amazon Store so check them out!

Be well!

Coffee good enough for you and the Planet!

I love coffee! But I love really GOOD coffee...and I found a great coffee bean that is not only excellent tasting, but also environmentally friendly! Caffe Appassionato Organic Shade Grown Espresso Roast Whole Bean Coffee is by far my favorite coffee - I found it on Amazon.com while searching for items in their "subscribe and save" program. I have been buying organic, fair-trade and shade-grown coffee beans for a while, but wanted to find something a little less expensive - I buy a lot on Amazon.com, usually in small-bulk packages, to save money. When I found Caffe Appassionato, I thought I'd try it since it was only about $20 for 3 - 12oz bags. I have a basic expresso/cappuccino maker and a good bean grinder and made this coffee one morning and was very impressed! These beans produce a very rich, dark and smooth expresso with a strong but not too bitter taste. This coffee really wakes me up in the morning! I love it much more than the expensive top-chain coffee houses and I know that it is also Fair traded, certified organic by OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association International) and shade grown to protect migratory bird populations.

Why are shade grown coffee beans better for the environment? Well, we all know how popular coffee is to drink, but the beans are mostly grown in tropical, rainforest locations with sensitive eco-habitats. Some newer varieties of coffee require direct sunlight (and chemicals) to grow to optimum production levels, thus requiring trees and other vegetation to be removed from plantations, destroying the natural habitats. But the traditional varieties of coffee plants actually require the canopy of trees to filter sunlight. Since about 1996, the destruction of natural habitats, primarily of migratory birds, has sparked the movement towards going back to shade grown coffee plantations and more sustainable practices. Thankfully, companies such as Caffe Appassionato take pride in providing high quality, sustainably produced, organic coffee and the trend is growing.
To get this coffee at a better price than I have seen anywhere, go to Amazon.com - and don't forget to sign up for subscribe and save to save an additional 15%!

For this and many other great eco-friendly products, check out my Amazon.com Store