Every Halloween our town’s trees are decorated with beautiful (note sarcasm) strands of wispy toilet paper. What All Hallows’ Eve would be complete without the often soggy cleanup the next day? Well, I have some great news! Next Halloween, toilet papered trees just might be greener than ever.
Earlier this week Kimberly-Clark introduced its new Scott Naturals Tube Free toilet paper. According to K-C, American households use an estimated seventeen billion cardboard toilet paper tubes yearly, adding up to 360 million pounds of cardboard. Unfortunately, more than 85 percent of households usually throw the tubes out instead of recycling them. The new toilet paper roll is supposed to be good to the last sheet, with no added glue. Now, if toilet paper manufacturers could use more recycled paper (BPA-free, of course), we’d be all set.
The downside? Preschools across the country will mourn one of their most treasured raw materials for art projects.
Happy Halloween!
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Photo Source: stevendepolo on flickr
Soup Lady strikes again! This roasted squash soup is perfect for nippy fall evenings. Apple and curry powder lend a sweet taste to the roasted vegetable flavor. I love to eat it with a big chunk of cheddar cheese and some whole grain buttered toast. [click to continue…]
I love to play Devil’s Advocate — just ask my husband. When it comes to health and nutrition, I constantly challenge my own beliefs. A few weeks ago The Huffington Post reprinted a slide show/article by EatingWell Magazine’s Nicci Micco entitled, “6 Biggest Myths About Food Busted.” While I disagree with the author on several points, I was thrilled to see the number of comments she received. Regardless of the readers’ beliefs about each “myth,” many commenters had done their research and supplied evidence to back their claims. Scientific studies often contradict each other, but if we dig deeper and look at sample size; questions asked and answered; and the interpretation of the results, we can use our own judgment to validate a study’s conclusions. People are thinking. They’re taking their health into their own hands and not necessarily following the party line.
In the spirit of The Huffington Post piece, I’d like to offer my own list of health beliefs turned upside down. Each of the authors I cite has done extensive research. They are an impressive bunch of thinkers! They offer different ways of looking at some health tenets that have been set in stone for several decades now. A lot of this analysis is quite scientific, but well worth reading! I know, I hate to click on links, too. Trust me, in this case it’s better to hear it from the horse’s mouth, rather than in some lame recap that I might provide. See what you think. [click to continue…]
We went apple picking over the weekend! I love apples in just about anything, but one of my favorites is a Dutch baby made with apples — aka German Apple Pancake. It’s a perfect breakfast food to wow your guests or please yourself. I don’t make it with any added sugar because the cooked apples are nice and sweet. You can sweeten with maple syrup, honey or powdered sugar when you serve it. And, it’s easy as apple pancake. [click to continue…]
Recycling Bins -- Photo Credit: Dave Goodman
There’s a scene in one of the early Mad Men television shows that depicts the family on a picnic, out in a field, under a tree. When it’s time to go home, the mom picks up the picnic blanket, shakes all the trash onto the ground, folds the blanket and leaves. Shocked, I realized this practice must have been a common one in the early sixties, because it’s a well-researched show. I’ve often thought back to that scene, wondering if it would have bothered me as much in 1961 to witness it as it does today. Now, it would be a crime. Littering alone carries a hefty fee; not recycling is still a moral issue. [click to continue…]
Coast of Senegal -- Photo Credit: robin.elaine on flickr
Now that I’m on a soup kick, I thought I’d post one of my favorite ways to use healthful chicken stock, coconut milk, and coconut oil. (Have you seen, Coconuts are Good for You?) You can make your own chicken stock, roast or parboil tomatoes and bake sweet potatoes in preparation, or you can use boxed organic chicken broth, frozen or jarred tomatoes and canned organic sweet potato puree. [click to continue…]
How many foods in this refrigerator contain fructose?
Fructose is in the news again. The notorious sweetener has been linked to pancreatic cancer this time, through a disturbing study out of the University of California Los Angeles. Researchers at UCLA have discovered that not all sugar is equal when it comes to feeding the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. In their study published last month in Cancer Research, Dr. Anthony Heaney’s team found that fructose added to the cancer cells was metabolized differently from added glucose. What’s more, fructose sped the proliferation of the cells. [click to continue…]
Bedbug panic is gripping the nation, and with good reason. Driving through New York City this summer, I was shocked at the number of billboards offering solutions to bedbug infestations. Even if you don’t stay in hotels, you can pick up — and bring home — the biting pests from public spaces such as movie theaters, dorms, trains, hospitals, libraries, and restaurants. Beware of old sofas and mattresses left at the curb! My husband travels frequently and stays in several different hotels each year. Is it enough to keep his shoes off the floor and his suitcase in the bathroom? What will we do if a critter finds its way into our home? We all could benefit from taking some precautions to keep the bedbugs at bay. If you’re already under siege, it’s important to know the best ways to rid your home of these annoying pests. Just reading about them makes me itch.
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Squash Blossoms -- Photo Credit: Sienna Wildfield
Fried squash blossoms are a summer favorite of mine. The Italians got it right with this delicacy! [click to continue…]
Baby Poblano Pepper -- Photo Credit: Niceness on flickr
When the temperatures heat up, spicy food can help cool us down. Some feel that the capsaicin found in hot peppers increases circulation, pulling the hot blood from our body’s core and moving it to the skin, causing us to sweat and become cooler. Craving peppers in this hot New England weather, I decided to try to recreate one of my favorite soups from a little restaurant nestled just in from the ocean in Northern California. [click to continue…]
Thanks!
