Bentos and Bags

Another post on Bento. So I researched and linked and googled and linked some more to find out more about it. I finally decided on the boxes above. They are BPA free and since most of these bento boxes are made in china I was concerned about their quality. So that is why I decided on these, they were more expensive, but I loved their design and they were the only ones I found that listed being BPA free.

I got them at Kir Devries. Best store ever. I have had the best customer service I've had in my entire life. Seriously. Shop them--they are great. While I was wandering around their site I also saw that they had these:



They have the bags that I use and love and others as well. So if you are going to buy, buy here. They are seriously fantastic!

Bento Box

I am COMPLETELY OBSESSED with the Bento Box idea. Just google it. It can entertain you for hours on a Sunday. At least it did for me. It goes all along with eating healthier which I am also obsessed with. School lunches gross me out and I'm so bored with a sandwich, chips and juice. Bleck! The Japanese have it right. It's like an art form for mothers over there. Also, you stop using ziploc bags. I always feel so wasteful when I use them, so I'm stoked about this. You can check out flickr bento groups--specifically the kids ones and you get stuff like this:







So you start with a Bento Box (or you could use any sort of little container). How cute are these? I found them HERE.





Then you buy little cutters to cut your fruit or cheese or whatever.


Then you put your food on these cute little toothpick sort of things.






And get cupcake holders to divide your stuff like so:



Your kid would have the coolest, healthiest lunch. I'm currently searching the Phoenix/Metro area for this kind of stuff. I'll let you know what I find. You can also check this blog.. Or just google away.

September Gardens

OK Guys, it's time to start getting ready for fall gardening. Plan out your garden and buy your supplies, because September is the perfect month to start planting (in Arizona anyway!).

Here's what to do:

1) Build your box: 4' wide by as long as you want. Just make sure you can walk on all sides of your garden!
2) Fill it with the perfect soil mixture: 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss.
3) Divide it into 1' x 1' squares.
4) Plan out what you want to plant. Each square can grow something different.



Remember:
-Pick a flat area for your garden that gets at least 8 hours of daily sunshine.
-If you choose vegetables that need a trellis (peas, tomatoes, etc.), place them together on an outside row of your foot-by-foot garden.

And now, everything you need to know about September gardening:

September
Rainfall...
Average: 0.66 inches
Record: 5.5 inches (1939)

Temperature (degrees F)...
Average High: 98.3 degrees
Lowest High: 66 degrees (1895)
Record High: 116 degrees (1950)
Average Low: 72.8 degrees
Highest Low: 90 degrees (1982, 1983)
Record Low: 47 degrees (1895, 1965)

Vegetables...
Plant seeds: Snap Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce (Head & Leaf), Leeks, Mustard, Green Onions, Peas, Radishes, Spinach, Turnips
Plant Transplants: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Lettuce (Head & Leaf)

Stay tuned for information on how many of each vegetable to plant in each square!

***note from Jill:

The soil comes in big bags and can be expensive if you are planting a small garden, because you won't use it all. (I have 2' x 2' boxes I got from someone" The nursery on Baseline just west of Lindsay (I think it's A&P Nursery) has a pre-mixed bag of soil that has the exact mixture as above. It is the square foot gardening mix. Also, if you can't make your own box (which is the cheapest way) You can buy a square foot gardening set up at this same nursery.

--shout out to Amber for hooking us up with this info, I'm pretty stoked about it.

Are your body cair products toxic?

I have always wanted something like this. My friend Ashley sent this to me. It is a database of body care products. You can type in your favorite product and it will give it a rating of 1-10 on how harmful it is to your body. I am not shocked at all by the horrible ratings the products I use received. For my kids I use the Suave products because they are cheap. And every time I go to choose one at the store and I open it to smell it I think---chemicals. But it is what I can afford for now. But seriously. Looking this stuff up make me google all sorts of homemade shampoo and body wash recipes, which I am going to try next month. (I'm out of cash for the month).

So you should check it out HERE. It's very informative.

Let me know what you think, and if it makes you switch products or if you use products with a good rating, let us know in the comments. Let us know where you bought it if it was locally or online and the price--if you know it.

Thanks!

SO... Obviously I don't believe in evolution, but I do believe God put food on this Earth for us to eat because he knew it would benefit our bodies. Animals, Fish, Eggs, Veggies, Fruit, Nuts and Seeds. This video does a really good job of differentiating between life without processed food, and people who only consume processed food. Check it out if you have 5 1/2 minutes...

Reset Button! Get Your Body In Check!

Most of you know I am not a carby person. I always skip the bread, pasta, rice, and cereal. After all my schooling and research and personal experience, I feel that those foods are just fillers. That's exactly what they do... fill you up. So, if we were in a famine and needed food that could be brought out of storage to fill us up, then okay. But the fresh food that the Earth naturally produces for our consumption should take first priority. 


To truly be "healthy" and as nutritious as possible one needs to get their body back to it's intended state. The state where all the sensors and triggers and survival mechanisms work properly. Our bodies are miracles and were designed to take on a mountain of circumstances. By eating overly processed foods in large quantities, we (usually) gain weight, increase our risk for Metabolic Syndrome (basically a precursor to multiple health problems) and all of those sensors are dulled and sometimes stop working all together. 


If we can increase the amount WHOLE food we eat and get our blood sugar and cholesterol under control, those sensors will work again and we can stop stressing about diets and cravings and deprivation. Once we "reset" our bodies we can just listen to them. We can react to hunger pangs and feel full at the appropriate times. Cravings for processed, sugary foods will lessen, because our bodies will now know what food makes it feel good and what food makes it feel bad.

SO HERE IS A CHALLENGE.

For 2 weeks try to eat more of the foods below and say NO to anything that went through an extensive process to be produced. Comment and tell me how you feel.

THE FOODS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT BLOOD SUGAR AND THE GL.

It's not only those who suffer with diabetes that need to keep their blood sugar levels in check. More and more research is finding that the benefits of controlled blood sugar apply even to those who do not have diabetes and are otherwise healthy individuals. According to Dr. Mabel Blades, author of The Glycemic Load Counter, benefits of a low-GL diet include:

•Stable blood sugar levels

•Easier weight management and weight loss

•Increased energy

•Decreased risk of insulin resistance

•Improved memory

•Improved digestion

•Lowered cholesteroL

•Reduced risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome

Fruits 

Even though many fruits have a moderate to high GL count due to their high sugar content, it's unlikely that one would eat enough to spike blood sugar levels the way even small amounts of processed carbs will. There are many fruits that are very low in GL and have little impact on blood sugar. A low-GL value is considered 10 or less, and one 4-ounce serving of the following fruits all have a GL value of less than 10.


•Fresh apricots
•Avocado
•Blackberries
•Cantaloupe
•Fresh cherries
•Grapefruit
•Grapes
•Honeydew
•Kiwi
•Lemon
•Mandarins
•Nectarines
•Oranges
•Raspberries
•Fresh watermelon


Vegetables 


Vegetables are a little less tricky than fruit when it comes to GL, so very few vegetables will send blood sugar levels soaring, except potatoes and foods made from potatoes such as chips and french fries. The following vegetables are ranked as having a GL value of 0:


•Alfalfa
•Artichoke
•Asparagus
•Broccoli
•Brussels sprouts
•Cabbage
•Cauliflower
•Celery
•Cucumber
•Green beans
•Lettuce
•Onions
•Peppers
•Radishes
•Sauerkraut
•Spinach
•Squash

Take On the Challenge! Report how you feel!Read more at Suite101: Low Glycemic Load Fruits and Vegetables: Nutrient Rich Foods with a Low-GL Value http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/low_glycemic_load_fruits_and_vegetables#ixzz0qlkr8zvz