A couple years ago, my then-preschooler went on a field trip to the Garbage Garage and learned about recycling and the amount of waste caused by baggies.  I pack 5+ lunches each day, and usually would use about 5 baggies per lunch.  That means I would go through a 50 count box every 2 days – Yikes!  Besides the environmental impact, I’m way too frugal for that vicious cycle.  To appease my son, and do my little part for the environment, I resolved to try not to use baggies unless absolutely necessary.  Read the rest of the story...

I was relieved when my kids reported they would need to bring their own snack to school each day this year.  I resolved to send freshness everyday, following Dr. Sears’ The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood list of amazingly nutritious, energy providing snacks – a complex carbohydrate with a protein.  I started with so many great ideas: ham and turkey roll-ups with cheese cubes, mini whole wheat bagels with cream cheese, tortillas with peanut butter, trail mix.  I even made peanut butter banana chocolate chip bread with whole wheat pastry flour.  Read the rest of the story...

I was traveling down the slippery slope to laughable lunches.  My kids’ lunchboxes were looking like science experiments…gross ones!  Alas, it was time for Spring Break, and a break from packing lunches was  just what I needed.  This is also the time when I treat myself to a new magazine every year.  Standing in front of the display at Whole Foods, a bright cover with some gorgeous freshly steamed asparagus jumped into my foodie view.  I knew I would be devouring this magazine called Eating Well cover-to-cover for the entire week.  Read the rest of the story...