A Happy Green Cause

If you haven’t noticed yet we here at A Happy Green Life like food, in fact we LOVE food. Chef Mike is a professional chef and the rest of us are professional eaters. When we heard the statistic that 1 in 5 kids, over 16 million children, don’t know how they are going to get food each day we were shocked. Between our two families we have four kids and tons of nieces and nephews; the idea that any of these innocent children could be hungry or that any of their friends might be, broke our hearts.

We know how tired and cranky our own kids get when they are hungry, heck we know how crazy and cranky we get when we are hungry, imagine feeling that way all the time. Imagine being too little to get food, or too embarrassed to tell people that you need something to eat.

Kids who are hungry are sick more often, recover slower and are more likely to be hospitalized. They get headaches, stomachaches, colds and ear infections. They cannot learn as much, as fast, or as well and they lack the nutrients that they need to concentrate and perform well at school.

There are more than 16 million children in our country suffering from these problems. These kids are the hope for the future, they will one day be our doctors, scientist, and teachers but they are not going to make it if they don’t get something to eat.

We here at A Happy Green Life have decided that we need to do something. We are partnering with SHARE OUR STRENGTH NO KID HUNGRY to end childhood hunger by 2015. We ask you to take the pledge with us to end childhood hunger. http://nokidhungry.org/

In addition to everyone at A Happy Green Life taking the pledge, we will be donating a portion of the proceeds from every Doodle Bug Natural Laundry Wash purchased to the SHARE OUR STRENGTH NO KID HUNGRY program.

Just $1 can help a child connect to up to 10 healthy meals through the program. Hopefully we can get these kids not just 10 healthy meals but three healthy meals every day for the rest of their lives.

The Dirty Dozen

I have a gross confession to make; I never wash my fruit before I eat it. I know there are pesticides on it, my mom reminded me every time I picked up a store bought apple, but I guess I just didn’t care. I think it’s a little bit laziness, a little ignorance and a lot of the thought, “they wouldn’t sell something edible covered in poison.” After I did my research I can assure you I will be washing all of my fruit from now on!

Pesticides do serve an important purpose. Farmers use pesticide to kill insects, weeds and disease. They stop rats, mice, flies and other insects from eating and contaminating the food and prevent harmful molds and microbes from growing and poisoning humans.  They just aren’t meant to be ingested.

The Environmental Protection Agency has stated that an estimated 10,000-20,000 pesticide poisonings happen each year. The Center for Disease Control reports that pesticides may cause respiratory, gastrointestinal, allergic or neurological symptoms (such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers). In addition to that there are numerous studies linking pesticides to ADD, Asthma, Cancer, and birth defects. These studies aren’t just linking farmworkers who handle the pesticides but regular every day people like you and me who eat fruits and veggies and are exposed.

The Environmental Working Group released a report in 2010 naming the worst fruits and vegetables for pesticide exposure, they have been named the dirty dozen.

The Dirty Dozen

Celery

Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Domestic Blueberries

Nectarines

Sweet Bell Peppers

Spinach, kale and collard greens

Cherries

Potatoes

Imported Grapes

Lettuce

The produce listed in the Dirty Dozen were found to each contain 47 to 67 separate pesticides per serving, this was after the produce was cleaned with the USDA’s high-power pressure water system. It is thought that the produces soft skin absorbs the pesticide which results in the high number of contaminates. If you love the Dirty Dozen as much as my family does it is recommended that you purchase it organic or grow it yourself. Why take the chance of exposing your family to harmful poison? And remember to always wash your produce!!
-Amanda

The Farmer's Market

As a resident and chef in California, I feel privileged to have the amazing opportunity to work with some of the best farmers on the planet, the product these guys produce and the impact they have on the planet in incredible.
The farmer’s market day for my family is my favorite day of the week. I get to spend time with my son and wife at this really cool place that has all kinds of amazing looking food. At the same time I also get to instill the fun factor of local food in my son’s life which will benefit him in the long run. I feel it is important for children of all ages to understand that food comes from the earth and not a box. As if the day isn’t already awesome, I also get to have a positive impact on the environment by not using a company that ships food across the world using non recyclable storage containers and fossil fuels. You may say that your small farmer’s market cannot feed the whole city, but if each town would embrace the fact that these amazing farmers will go from town to town bringing their product to you it could – it can’t get much easier than that! For me, it’s a double whammy, I get to bring great food home to cook for my family and make new connections with local farmers for my restaurant.
Cooking from the farmer’s market is a great way to challenge yourself to learn new recipes for your repertoire and experiment with new and different flavors. Even as a professional chef, I am surprised by new and different foods each time I visit the farmer’s market. I deal with food every single day, and I love finding new things that I never knew existed. I also love having the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the farmers to see if they grow a specific item that I have used in the past, it is a great circle of education for both of us.
The farmer’s market isn’t just about the produce. You can find the most amazing honey, talk to the bee keeper and find out what kind of flowers the bees pollinated. Depending on the nectar the bee found, each variety has a different flavor, who knew that honey could have different flavors, amazing! You can also find the freshest, local cheese, like Nicasio Valley , they rear their own dairy cows to make their cheeses (are you kidding me, that is sweet!) There are also specialty vendors that do pickling, dried fruits and nuts, local and organic meats and fishes, I mean come on – who wouldn’t want to partake in these fresh and flavorful treats.
Now, you might say that sounds expensive and it can be. But no different than the money we have to pay to keep our parks clean from non-recyclable litter, the city dump, waste management and even medical costs from future health complications. Eating naturally can bring a new meaning to a happy green life.
- Mike