Salads Made Easy!

Mmmm, I love a blog post that result in yummy eats!

I love salads, but finding the time to prep them on a daily bases is not always easy.  I know it doesn't take a whole lot of time, but if you've met my girls, you'd know that it takes ninja stealth to prepare food without them knowing and zooming in to eat it all.

In addition to losing time, I often lose my salad makings too.  I buy large tubs of greens or spinach, only to have it go bad before I can eat it all (you can also freeze it for adding to cooked dishes before it's a lost cause).  The large tub is 4 times the product, for only 2x the price of the smaller ones, so I generally try to buy the large tub for the savings.

I've owned a vacuum sealer for quite some time, but the canisters are a bit pricey and I didn't want more plastic items in my kitchen.  Then I heard about the jar sealer attachment.  I have plenty of canning jars around here, and I even hang onto old lids for general storage, so once I got my sealer for Christmas I was ready to roll!

Supplies:
Wide Mouth Jars
Wide Mouth Lids (I save used ones for this!)
Vacuum Sealer
Vacuum Sealer Jar Attachment
Salad Fixings: Greens, Avocados, Carrots, Cheese, Olives, Mushrooms, Onions, Tomatoes - Whatever you like!

Dice up your veggies and layer your ingredients in, and if you want to measure in the salad dressing, add it first (so it's on the bottom) and the greens on top.  When you're ready to eat simply pour it out on your plate and enjoy!

I've kept my prepared salads up to a week in the jars with everything staying in perfect shape, including the avocados!  If you'd like to see my favorite method for cutting up an avocado for salads and sandwiches, check out this video!

A Note to All Co-Sleepers

Be sure that your spouse puts a diaper on your potty-learning toddler before putting them to bed.  I assure you that 4:00 am is just not the same without one.

The upside is that you can try to sneak in some nap time snuggles and eye resting, which will totally rock.  And really, is there anything better than kiddo snuggles?

Happy Thursday!

How To Eat An Avocado

When I first started buying avocados, the process to cut them up was a total mystery.  I spent time on various websites and YouTube videos learning how to cut them up properly, but as with many things, I've landed on my own, favorite way.  This way allows me to get the exact sizes I'm looking for, with none of the waste.  I hope you like it too!

Do you love avocados?  What are you favorite ways to eat them?

I may pinch myself!

I've been wanting to attend a blog conference for some time now, but the time was just never right, no matter how I wished it was...  That is, until now!  This February, I am officially headed to BlissDom - my first conference!

According to them, "BlissDom is the premiere conference for women who find and express their bliss by publishing online." I'm a woman, and I love publishing online - this is me!  I am so excited to be attending and I look forward to meeting new people, learning from their experiences and taking home new information and experiences that will enrich me as a person and blogger.

What could make BlissDom more fun? A road trip with a new friend of course! I recently met a fabulously interesting woman in my local area who is also a blogger.  You can find Blessing at the Working Mom Journal.  I have no idea what we're getting into, but we are both so very excited to be going and will be sharing what we learn with you.   I'll be tweeting and posting on Facebook every chance it get!

I know that many of you are also bloggers.  Have you ever been to a conference or considered going to one?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Be the Anti-Bully

I read some posts recently by victims of bullying.  I cried as their stories rang notes of familiarity and I cried when I thought about times when I could have been more kind to people.

I don't think that I ever bullied anyone, but I know that there were people I didn't treat like the whole, amazing people they were and are, and that hurts.  I'm ashamed to have possibly hurt someone, even in the smallest of ways.  What hurts most though, is the thought that people are the ones inflicting this pain on one another.  People who have feelings and minds of their own, people who should know best how it can hurt and damage one's sense of self and worth.

It's often said that "kids can be cruel", and perhaps that is true, but children aren't naturally that way.  Children are mimics.  They do as we do and we need to always remember that our actions will be repeated, and often amplified by those young minds that are trying to find their way.

While we might say something in private, children don't make that distinction on their own.  They carry the hurtful words they hear to playgrounds and classrooms, where they assault people as innocent and fragile as they are.  People consider children strong and resilient.  I think with something like bullying, children adapt.  Adapting isn't the same as bouncing back.

It's not just making fun of people that is hurtful.  It's also in the way we react to life's obstacles.  How about when someone cuts you off in a parking lot or jumps in front of you in line.  It's perfectly acceptable to be upset with this behavior, but what comes from our mouths should be appropriate to the circumstance.  Shouting profanities or giving dirty looks might seem like a good way to let off the steam, but does it ever yield anything positive?  I think we can all agree that the answer is "No."

No one deserves to be pushed down and beaten, physically or emotionally.  We are all different and amazing in our own ways.  It can be hard to understand why someone is different from us, and too often it seems that teasing or making fun of them is the easier way to deal with the work of finding out. Imagine though, more people taking the time to care to know.  Imagine how rewarding that could be for all involved.  Communities where we help each other up by acknowledging the good in them, and dismissing the misunderstood.

I'm not saying every person is amazing.  We obviously have criminals and people that do simply horrible things, but I do believe that more often than not, people who grow to adulthood making dangerous decisions are very hurt and damaged people underneath.  They are guarded and they didn't get that way by being loved, accepted and supported.

In 2012, I implore you to move forward with a new view of those you do not know, and of those you do. Take time to do something that will make them smile. It could be simply holding a door, or helping to pick up something dropped. You could say hello, or flash a smile - simply offering a sign that says "You are worth my time."  I can promise you that you will send people off with a lift in their day and you will feel that reward as well.

Want to do more?  Visit RandomActsOfKindness.org's ideas page for inspiration.  Do you have an idea?  Share it below and if I get enough submissions I will put together an idea post for all to share.

Happy 2012!  The year is yours, take it!

Consider me 'Baff'led

On Christmas Eve my husband and I were sitting and enjoying some fun conversation with the family when a commercial came on the television that grabbed our attention....

I nearly died from laughter and the need to tell you all about it.

Please, enjoy!

Now you can turn your water into squishy goo! 

Turn your bathtub into a gooey adventure with Squishy Baff!

Environmentally Friendly (LMAO!!!  For real?)

No Artificial Fragrance (What about the color?)
Won't Clog Drains (Yea, the drain is what concerns me here.  Thanks for clearing that up!)
No Preservatives (I won't even go here.)

No Irritants (Oh this one is GOLD!)
Make in the UK (Junk made in the UK is apparently better than junk make elsewhere.  Good to know?)

Not Tested on Animals (Oh sweet, so it's tested on... our kids?)

Bonus point if you already know what this is made of before I tell you....

.

.

.

.

Yep! It's Sodium Polyacrylate - a.k.a. The stuff they put in disposable diapers to absorb a baby's urine.

Sodium Polyacrylate is a polymer that starts out as a powdery substance, when introduced to moisture, it can absorb 400-500 times its own weight.  The FDA has labeled it as GRAS, Generally Recognized As Safe, though I think most of us here can appreciate the fact that the FDA doesn't always get it right.  

*cough*All off the crap in standard products and foods that we have to work to avoid.*cough*

Okay, silliness aside, Sodium Polyacrylate isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's certainly not something you want on your child.  SP is a skin & eye irritant to start with.  Who wants to play in skin & eye irritants?

Did you know that SP was once a component in tampons, but was outlawed due to the substantial increased risk of TSS (want to know more about TSS, visit You-Are-Loved.org).  As I mentioned before, it can also be found in disposable diapers and has been implicated as a contributor to staph infections.  I'm not saying it will cause one, but it could contribute, and staph infections are serious - deathly serious.

According to EWG (Cosmetic Database) SP is classified as expected to be toxic or harmful. It lists an organ toxicity risk due to contamination concerns with Methacrylic Acid, Acrylic Acid & 2-Ethylhexyl Acrylate.  It also lists it as 'considered safe based on assumption of low absorption' - keep in mind that they are relating this to the tiny amount found in cosmetic products, not what's found in a diaper full, nor a 'baff'tub full.

This product has me half cracking up at the insanity of it all (Honestly, who thinks "Hey this idea is a winner!"?), but more seriously, it has me concerned for parents who may not realize what this product is made from, nor how their child's skin may react.

I would love to hear your impressions!

Off-Topic Tuesdays

I love sharing all things green related here on the blog, but life isn't always so clear cut.  I've decided to start offering up some life-relevant, but not always so green, posts by way of Off-Topic Tuesdays.  This should start next week and I hope that you will enjoy these as much as the rest of the content shared here currently.

If you have any topics that you would like to see me cover, please leave them in the comments section!  It could be fun, serious or anything in between.