Three Pairs of Socks and a Sachet!

Build a nest egg with this clever organic baby boy or girl gift!  The nests contain three pairs of blue or pink 100% organic cotton socks cleverly rolled to look like eggs, and a handcrafted lavender scented bird sachet.  The organic cotton socks are sized to fit infants 0-6 months or up to 16 lbs. Each organic Baby Egg Nest is wrapped in cellophane, tied with a ribbon and bears a bird shaped gift tag. 

Made by Baby Bunch, sold by Baby Bunch and Amazon

Organic Gummy Bears and Sour Worms

Gummy Bears and Sour Worms are a hit with kids. Unfortunately they are not exactly nutritious, but we found an organic version that is a great compromise during Easter.

Yummy Earth is made with organic rice syrup, organic cane sugar, gelatin, organic carrot juice, organic aronia juice, organic black currant, organic curcuma, natural flavor, citric acid, ascorbic acid, organic sunflower oil.

The product is USDA organic certified. Can be found at Amazon.com

Easter Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Brownie

We are approaching Easter, definitely a chocolate weekend! A delicious double chocolate brownie made with nutritional ingredients is a top recipe in our household. Check out this awesome recipe!

Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Brownie
Servings: 24 portions

- 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup unbleached white pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 tablespoon, melted
- 2/3 cup honey
- 2 organic eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup golden raisins


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flours and baking powder. In a large bowl, cream together the 1/4 pound of butter with the honey until smooth, then add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and blend well.
In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder with the melted butter and the milk. Pour into the honey mixture, blending well. Whisk in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the walnuts, dark chocolate chips and raisins.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into bars.

Sources: Based on dailygreen.com and Bob's Red Mill

Renew Kids Apparel with Appliques

We've found the cutest iron-on appliques for kids apparel. Beautiful and don't require sewing! Definitely a perfect solution for adjusting boys' outfits for their new little sisters, or vice-versa. We think it is a waste of resources to buy a whole new wardrobe for the new baby, when you already have a perfect selection at home!

Iron-on appliques can be found at any fabric and craft online and traditional stores. We've found these at JoAnn.com

Non-Toxic Sunscreen

Spring is bringing beautiful, warm (and long expected) sunlight into our lives again. Protecting ourselves and the little ones from sun damage is definitely a must. A couple of weeks ago we wrote about sun block options, and provided a link from ewg.org to access data about the quality of some brands in the market. Click here to access the article.

We've just found a line of 80% certified organic sunscreen that is free of Paba, Paraben, Phthalate and Petroleum ingredients. The actives are not considered organic. Scent free options are also available. The brand is Coola Suncare. Check it out!

Food Fraud, Mislabeled Ingredients.....

Did you know that some honey makers dilute their honey with sugar beets or corn syrup and sell it as 100% pure honey? What about sheep's milk cheese made from cow's milk?
Victims range from the shopper at the local supermarket to multimillion companies, including E&J Gallo and Heinz USA.With more and more imported products in the market, the FDA hasn't been able to do its job.

John Spink, an expert on food and packaging fraud at Michigan State University, estimates that 5 to 7 percent of the U.S. food supply is affected but acknowledges the number could be greater. "We know what we seized at the border, but we have no idea what we didn't seize," he said. 

It looks like some of the major problems are with the quality control of olive oil, seafood, milk and honey. So frustrating....

Source: msnbc.com and washingptonpost.com

Inexpensive (and Fun) Eco-Friendly Toy

Kids don't need expensive toys (and we love it!). However, finding creative, non-toxic and fun toys at reasonable prices is sometimes quite challenging. We found these fun wooden racing cars that come with drivers attached by a spring, and not removable.

Makes a great party favor or stocking stuffer! Made from natural, chemical free recycled rubberwood and finished with non-toxic water based dye. Size: 2.8 x 1.6 x 1.2 inches. Ages: 3+

Made by Plan Toys. Sold at Stubby Pencil Studio, and also at Amazon.com

Veggie Pizza that Kids (and Adults) will Love

Kids love pizza, and that is a great way to feed them veggies!!! Boys and girls usually enjoy being part of the preparation, especially when you let them choose their favorite vegetables and cheeses. Vegetable pizza is always a great success!!!

Vegetable Pizza
 Servings: 6 mini pizzas

- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 3 slices of whole wheat bread, ciabatta or English muffins
- 3 cups diced eggplant (or vegetables your kids enjoy!)
- 1/4 onion, sliced
- 1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 1 small zucchini, grated
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup grated fresh mozzarella
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are softened. Place the tomatoes on the slices of bread. In a skillet, saute eggplant, garlic and onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add squash and zucchini and cook until tender. Do not over cook, since they will cook some more in the oven. Add a bit of salt and pepper   (be careful because both cheeses are very salty). Add the sauteed vegetables evenly over the tomatoes. Top with mozzarella and feta cheese. Sprinkle pizza with basil.

Bake 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned.

Based on recipe from foodnetwork.com

Last Call! Final Days to Participate in our Eco-Giveaway

Only 4 more days to be entered to win our exciting Spring Eco-Giveaway prize: gDiapers Sweet Bundle, a $99 kit that includes everyday g's 6-pack of little gPants plus your choice of a case of gRefills or 2 packs of gCloth inserts.

Yes, we are all about starting the season in an environmentally conscious way. Over 18 billion disposable diapers are sold in the US every year, and over 90% of those end up in landfills, where it can take them up to 500 years to decompose!

Become Fan of Eco.Logical.Mom and gDiapers on Facebook by March 31, 2010 and be entered to win this fantastic gDiaper set! The winner will be announced on April 5, 2010.

Good Luck!
Click here to become fan of Eco.Logical.Mom  
Click here to become fan of gDiapers

"Sweet Bundle" provided by gDiapers.

We Want to be Kids Again!

I wish I had this playhouse when I was a kid! Curtains on both windows, garden, dogs, door....It fits over a card table, and the size can be customized.
The felt is made with eco-friendly material, manufactured from post consumer plastic bottles.
It can be folded and stored in a matching fabric bag.

Made and sold by Imaginative Play Toys. Check the variety of playhouse models for boys and girls.

Easter Basket with Less Sugar and More Fun

We all struggle to find ways to prepare attractive kids' Easter Bunny baskets with minimum sugar. We found a fun substitution for candy that will get kids quite involved. A craft kit to make a little bunny with a lovely spotty dress and a shakable tail.

The kit includes pre-cut felt pieces, cotton printed pattern, stuffing, metal needle, metal keyring. Best for ages 6+.

Sold by Cattiwampus

Earth Hour is Tomorrow!

Earth Hour is tomorrow! Join the movement to protect the planet by switching off lights. At 8.30pm on 27 March, lights will go out for one hour all over the world.
Let your kids participate. Check out the Earth Hour Kids site for ways to get them involved in this great joint effort to make a positive impact, protecting our future and that of future generations.

For more information, logon to earthhour.org

Obesity Prevention should Start as Early as Pre-Pregnancy

Recent studies have demonstrated that events very early in life, during the toddler, infancy years and even before birth, in the womb, can lead young children to an obesity trajectory that is hard to alter by the time they’re in kindergarten. The evidence is not ironclad, but it suggests that prevention efforts should start very early.

Among the findings are these:
- Chubby babies are likely to have future obesity problems;
- Smoking pregnant women may result in babies obesity.
- Babies who sleep less than 12 hours are at increased risk for obesity later. If they don’t sleep enough and also watch two hours or more of TV a day, they are at even greater risk.

Some early interventions are already widely practiced. Doctors recommend that overweight women lose weight before pregnancy rather than after, to cut the risk of obesity and diabetes in their children; breast-feeding is also recommended to lower the obesity risk.

Source: from nytimes.com

Information is Key!

The health care legislation just signed by the US president requires every big restaurant chain in the US to post calorie information on their menus and drive-through signs.  The requirement will be effective 2011.

Information is key! Everybody eating fast food items such as a Big Mac will be fully aware that it contains over a quarter of recommended calories a day for an average person.

The legislation also requires labels on food items in vending machines, meaning that anybody tempted by a king-size Snickers bar will know up front that it packs 440 calories.


Source: nytimes.com

Organic Easter Chocolate Splurge

Attention Chocoholics! Easter is the time to splurge on chocolate, so, we are bringing to you a list of the very best in organic and fair trade gourmet chocolate...yummy!!!

We have no commercial agreements with any of these companies...it is all about love for chocolate.

Decadent Truffles or Easter Egg Truffles from Organic Style
 

Truffles from Sweet Earth

Chocolate Bars from Dagoba Organic Chocolate

Double Dark Truffle Bar from Terra Nostra

Organic Dark Squares from Lake Champlain

Cool Stencils for Kids' Crafts

As we mentioned before, March is the National Craft Month. Kimmel Kids Exchange Collection presents a variety of tools that encourages children to make their own mark. Perfect match for the month!
It includes six colorful, laser-cut stencils, each made with durable and flexible plastic. The grommet-bound coloring book includes templates, die-cut colored pages, and letterpress chipboard covers. Canvas stencil and pencil cases include vibrant front and back eco-transferred design. A set of six neon pencils completes the kit.

Kimmel Kids products are available through select retailers. Click here to access list of traditional and online retailers.

Are You Choosing the Best Drinking Water for your Family?

March 22 is the World Water Day, and a few North American leading environmental groups released a new film: The Story of Bottled Water. Check it out!

We also recommend you to click here to access a water quality database per city, provided by EWG.org. That will allow you to make the best judgment about drinking water options at home.

Source: Huffington Post and EWG.org

Imaginary Talking Animals

These animal hand tattoos are a lot of fun, allowing for unlimited creativity. Don't worry, they are temporary! You can create dialogues among a variety of animals: giraffe, zebra, shark, alligator....Sold as sets of 8.

Designed by Hector Serrano, sold in the US and Canada through Amazon

Latest Recall from Infantino

A new recall for Infantino baby slings was announced Wednesday. The recall involves 1 million Infantino "SlingRider" and "Wendy Bellissimo" slings in the United States and 15,000 in Canada.

According to The Consumer Product Safety Commission, babies could suffocate in the soft fabric slings. The agency urged parents to immediately stop using the slings for babies under 4 months.

Please click here to find model and serial numbers affected.

Kimono for Charming Babies

This little Kimono is incredibly soft and cute, and so easy to put on the baby!
Made with organic cotton by Sckoon. Very charming!

Also sold through Amazon