The Conscious Kitchen Challenge
Posted on March 20, 2010
I’m doing an 8 week (give or take) Conscious Kitchen challenge at TheDailyGreen.com. Check in every week to join me. Don’t forget to chime in in comments. There’s safety and comfort in numbers and community.
The Huffington Post is also linking to the challenge.
Fast Food, Conscious Style
Posted on March 9, 2010
Things are pretty busy in my apartment these days. I have a 4-year-old daughter. I’m trying to spread the word about The Conscious Kitchen. And I’m also writing two new books. But I refuse to give up on family meal. The adorable teenager who lives across the hall and plays with my daughter left moments ago and I haven’t given any thought to dinner yet. I open the freezer and see a glass jar of split pea soup. I made too much a few months back (dried split peas in pressure cooker — couldn’t be faster) and had stashed the surplus in the freezer. I grab it, stick it in a bowl of warm water to loosen it up enough to dump it in a pot on the stove. While that heats, I wash farmers’ market salad greens, dice up a beet I pressure cooked a few days ago, dress it, toast (organic whole grain) bread from the farmers’ market, and grab a wedge of local cheese (also from the farmers’ market) . It’s sitting on our counter warming up as I write this post.
Shopping — and even cooking — to set yourself up for the whole week (those beets!), and making large batches of whatever you’re making then freezing leftovers means family meal can still happen even if you’re busy. Doing all of these things saves me time, not to mention money. Making my own soup from dried beans means we avoid the BPA-linings found in most cans of beans and soups.
Gotta go. Dinner’s ready.
What’s Conscious?
Posted on March 3, 2010
I’m getting asked that question a lot lately. An email just popped up in my inbox that describes it really well. Read this and then apply it to food and kitchens. And that’s what a Conscious Kitchen is!
“When we talk about being “conscious,” we’re referring to a greater consciousness that allows us to view the world as an endlessly interconnected system and thereby see the unintended consequences of our actions. Consciousness requires reflection, self-awareness, and the constant questioning of our assumptions and beliefs.”
– Jeffrey Hollender co-founder Seventh Generation
Think about the interconnected system of the spray on a conventional apple, or really question what a claim on food packaging might mean. Natural might make you feel like you’re getting something, well, natural. But questioning this assumption is crucial to locating conscious food. Educating yourself about what labels really hold any meaning means better access to the good stuff. I talk about this a lot in The Conscious Kitchen.
The Conscious Kitchen is in stores today!
Posted on March 2, 2010
I’m thrilled to have this space to use to post topical articles, thoughts on conscious living, and updates to discussions from the book. First up: On and around pages 25 and 26, I mention that the National Organic Program board was working on livestock management standards changes for what were essentially certified organic factory farms. I said they were supposed to go into effect in late 2009. Well it’s still early 2010 and they just recetly arrived. Read about them here: http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/02/new-usda-rules-establish-strong-organic-standards-for-pasture-and-livestock/
Blogging Will Begin Shortly…Check Back.
Posted on February 4, 2010
Meanwhile, head over to TheDailyGreen.com, for Alexandra’s “Ask An Organic Mom” column.