I Love Herb(s)

I love Herb...Herbs...imagine a breathy "H" to make that seem funnier. A little culinary humor never hurts.I happen to like gardening.  It makes me feel relaxed and, oh yeah, I also like getting my hands dirty!

Spring is  a great time to decide to dive into herb gardening.  It's super-easy, pretty cheap to get started and can really enhance the ambiance of your porch or patio.  Let's check out the  "why" & the "how" of herb gardening:

Why herbs?  They're good for you, tasty, smell nice, easy, look good in your yard/patio - yep, that about covers it.  It's also more cost effective to grow your own - i.e. you save money!   Herbs have many health benefits, perhaps some arguably, but they have been known to help:

• symptoms of menopause
• arthritis
• asthma
• headaches
• allergies
• anxiety
• depression
• fatigue

The list is rather endless, not to mention the benefits to your food.  I can't tell you what a kitchen diva I feel like when I go out to my patio and snip off fresh herbs to add to whatever I'm cooking.  I actually dry my herbs and save them for later, as well as give them to friends as gifts(and they think that's really cool).  Fresh herbs make your food taste so good - there is a big difference in the herbs in the store and the ones grown by your hands in your yard/porch or window sill (yes, this is absolutely possible).

On to the how, in the condensed version:

Let's start small and then you can go crazy from there.  You will need:

• 3 pots, about 10-12" in diameter.  Terra cotta, plastic (preferably from recycled source), or the more expensive ceramic
• Potting soil, preferably organic.  You are growing something you will be eating; you don;t want any contaminants in it
• 3 herbs of your choice, either seedlings (organic is better) or grow from seeds (this method is best started inside, like right now)

Your herbs, whether on a window sill, in the yard, or on your porch should be placed in the South, Southeast or East direction to get the best light.  Western exposure is a strong light (too much sun) and can often be too harsh, but it's not a deal breaker.  Plant, place, water.  I could go on & on about particulars, but at this point, you would be doing yourself a favor by getting on an herb forum/get a book to get the best result for whatever herbs you choose.  Water every few days, harvest often (after they have grown to a decent size plant) and enjoy!  herb gardening is a great way to re-connect with the earth, be healthy and save money. What more could a B.A.B.E want?

Pictures: 10 Most Threatened Forest Hot Spots Named

It's always good to know & B.A.B.Es care, so here ya go:

Pictures: 10 Most Threatened Forest Hot Spots Named

Not a Treehugger? What Earth Day Means for You

You don't have to be a Tree hugger to appreciate Earth Day.

Earth Day, started in the '70s, is really just a day to call attention to: "Hey, you, yes, YOU, you can do a little something to be a more responsible human being". Let's not forget, that no matter what side of the aisle you sit on Global Warming, we cannot deny the fact that humans can help or hurt where they live.  Which picture below do you like?

Earth Day is Every Day. Every day we have a choice: do what's best or do what's easiest.  Let's be honest,   humans boil everything down to two things: money & time.   Check out the list below, most things on there do not require much more money, no more time, but there certainly is a better choice:

• letting water run while shaving or brushing teeth : vs : turn off the water til you need it
• Leaving the TV & lights on when you leave the room (for a long time) : vs : turning them off until you return
• tossing everything in the trash : vs : tossing recyclables in a bin (usually close to your trash can)
• idling your car in the bank line : vs : turning it off until you're ready to leave
• buying fancy coffee form standard growers that burn down rain forest to plant coffee plantations : vs : buying shade grown or earth-friendly coffee
• using whatever paper products (25% of trees are cut down for paper) : vs : buying 100% recycled content.  Now this one does cost a little more, but unless you are on a super-tight-uncomfortable budget, trust me, you can afford it.  Just start out with one product : paper towels, and move on from there.  Ever hear of rags?  No need to have Bounty clean up the gallon of milk that spilled; a rag will do it, rinse it & toss it in the dirty laundry,  it will be fine & it works.

I could go on & on with this list, from little money to more costly, but I think you get the picture.  

Earth Day is about every person can do something and each of those somethings will add up to major changes.  Did your Mom ever yell at you for throwing gum out of the car window? "If everyone did that, we would have gum everywhere!"  And you thought, "Holy cow, it was just a piece of gum, what's the big deal?"  Think about that now, as an adult, if that really did happen. That would be gross.  Piles & piles of chewed gum.  Now do you see...that's the power of a little thing, done by lots of people, having a big impact.  We can use those same actions for the powers of good, and not evil, and pick our "one thing" to do good for the earth.  Hey, it's where you live!

Check out this site for some great tips & visit Be A Better Earthling (that's B.A.B.E!) for continual tips!

http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2011

Who cares about Global Warming?!

Oooh, to many people, those could be fighting words!  The problem with the fight over global warming right now is the debate itself:  Does the earth have natural heating up/cooling down phases (seems to)?  Is global warming caused by humans?  Did scientists exaggerate the facts?

Unless you are one of the aforementioned scientists on either side of the debate, there are many questions that we as "regular folk" will never be able to authoritatively answer.  But, our perspective here at B.A.B.E is this:  standing around arguing about how or who caused global warming is like arguing about who started the fire as you watch your house burn to the ground.  Clearly there are things we need to know and learn in order to fix them, but there are so many other things awry.  We much prefer the term "Global Quality".  There are a plethora of ways in which our industrialized world harms itself.  How we have "warmed" may be up for debate, but how we "are" is not.  Take a look at the Ganges:  polluted, with pockets of trash all over the place.  Madagascar's rainforest: 90% deforested.  Plastic bags littering the oceans and beaches covered in plastic pebbles.

The above atrocities are preventable and reversible.  There is also a definite cause to all of the above: humans.  Perhaps we should concentrate more on the tangibles that we can see, focus on how to better those, while we debate the other.  Global warming is now so linked with the political machine, that it may be years before we make progress.  But, you can choose to stop using plastic bags today.  We can choose to lessen our dependence on plastics today.  You can donate to an organization that is fighting to save the world's last remaining rain forests today
- and they are making headway in that fight.

B.A.B.Es may not have all the answers, but we know we can chip in, lead the way and make a difference.

Moms, Body Image & Barbie

I'm sitting here eating my buckwheat, flaxseed, chocolate chip pancakes watching the Today Show and listening to the Get Real Barbie Campaign segment.  The general gist of this is that the dimensions of Barbie are not even close to what a real girl could ever, should or would even want to achieve.  But, I am compelled to say that in my Barbie heyday, I owned 32 Barbies, varying brands, but "barbie dolls" nonetheless.  Seriously, every single  day, my sister & I played out all kinds of scenarios; we even had Donny & Marie Osmond dolls!

I have to say though, not one time did I ever think, "Gosh, I wish I looked like Barbie", or "Wow, those boobies would be nice to have", or "What a skinny little waist, I wish I had that".  Barbie has come under fire for years as a figure that causes body image issues in young girls.  Now the folks behind the Get Real Barbie campaign were very careful to say that they are not blaming Barbie for women's body image issues.  I think we could all agree that there are very many issues at work, even perhaps someone's existing brain wiring.

One thing I hardly ever hear anyone talk about, once again, are people's parents, especially the Mom, and what they do or don't talk about with their kids.  I work around women.  I've worked around women for 20 years.  I swear, the vast majority you come in contact with are constantly complaining about the way they look.  "My fat ass", "My double chin", "I gotta get on the treadmill and do something about this fat", "This is gonna end up on my hips" and the list goes on and on and on.  They say these things right in front of their kids - their little girls.  You don't think that has an impact?  Now I'm not saying that Moms who hate their own bodies are the cause of eating disorders, but I have to imagine that it has more of an impact than Barbie?!

The media - t.v. and magazines -  bombard us with images of skinny, well-endowed  girls, beautiful faces and glowing tans.  This is another area where, just like an anti-drug campaign encourages you to talk with your kids...talk with your kids!  Here's a sample, as you see you 7-year-old daughter leafing through the Vogue mag at the doctor's office and you decide to move in for the kill:
"Wow, she's really pretty.  What do you think about her?  You know, I bet she's really pretty in real life, but do you know what happens sometimes?  The magazine actually erases any pimples she might have, makes her tummy a little smaller and gives her a nice tan.  Can you believe that?  Plus, I knew a girl who did this for a living and she had to actually diet a lot to get like that.  She hated it.  She knew it wasn't healthy.  She didn't stay a model for very long; she wanted to enjoy her life.  I bet she got to do some neat things, but she's having so much more fun now.  It's always better to exercise to stay in shape and eat a wide variety of foods.  Crazy stuff".


The goal here is to create a lighthearted dialogue and work in that pretty in a magazine or on t.v. is not real-life pretty and to plant a seed for life-long good choices.  And NEVER walk around talking about how you hate your hips.

10 Ways people handle stress: Hoarding, gambling, self-injury, vomiting etc - Jacksonville Parenting Teens | Examiner.com

I personally find exercising, praying, breathing or hissing much more productive, but sadly there are more destructive ways to handle stress:

10 Ways people handle stress: Hoarding, gambling, self-injury, vomiting etc - Jacksonville Parenting Teens | Examiner.com

Earth-friendly Beauty Bits

This is the last week before Earth Day!  As B.A.B.Es, we are thrilled!  Okay, this may be an exaggeration, but hey, Earth Day is a great reminder to try a little harder to take care of where we live.  In honor of this, we're going to pass on a few thoughts this week for you to chew on.  In your beauty routine, consider:

• Switch to a real razor.  Disposable razors are cheap, but they don't shave well, nick your shins and clog landfills: about 2 billion a year are thrown out.
• Reuse your towels for a few days.  Unless you literally wiped dirt off your body with your towel, you should be safe re-using for a few days, saving water & electricity.
• Be kind to the critters and opt for "Not tested on animals".  Check for the symbol to verify your product is really cruelty free - 

• Check out this link: http://www.leapingbunny.org/myths.php  The folks here at B.A.B.E learned quite a few things that are pretty important and got a handy shopping guide!  

A Healthy Treat - Recipe

Ever had a pizzelle?  I've been fortunate that from time to time, one of my Italian-heritage friends have made some & given me a stack.  They are those fun little round, flat, usually anise-flavored cookies that ladies make for special occasions like Christmas.  Usually has a good deal of butter or oil in them.  Well, you know this B.A.B.E just can't do that, so I experimented with my own recipe & even my husband & daughter were won over!  Healthy & tasty; it's a win/win!  Time to share:

Tasty pizzelles..check out our healthy version!

1st step> get a pizzelle maker.  I went on Amazon & ordered one, easy breezy.
Recipe:
1 cup whipped butter
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/4-1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 egg whites
2 Tbsp. vanilla
2.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 cup milled flax seed
1/8 cup bread flour (if you don't have this, it's not a deal breaker, just use more whole wheat flour)
3 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Cardamom to taste.  I had never had Cardamom, so I just gave it a good sprinkling until I could smell it.
Sprinkle of Cinnamon (way lighter than the Cardamom)

Follow the directions on your Pizzelle maker & sprinkle with powdered sugar when done (on the wax paper).

After eating & sharing a ton, I froze the rest of my pizzelles in stacks of 6.  My plan is to give them as gifts on those occasions where you just wanna say "I'm thinking of you", or when my belly is saying "I'm hungry".  Whichever.