Recipes I want to try….
Lately I’ve been on a quest to find healthy lunchbox foods that my family will love. Kayla doesn’t have the option of heating things so this is a little bit of a challenge for me.
I’ve been doing some searching and found a few things I’d like to try….
Rachael Rays Peanut butter and bacon on banana bread- sounds weird, but I like weird
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/28031/
Rachael Ray’s cold ginger soy and honey noodles
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/27794/
Curried Hummus
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Curried-Hummus/Detail.aspx
Bodacious Broccoli Salad
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bodacious-Broccoli-Salad/Detail.aspx
After I try these, I'll update with reviews :)
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
So everything really is made in China!
Like everyone else, I've read all the articles about recalls for items that were made in China. This scares me. Luckily we don't buy many Mattel toys, so I didn't have anything to worry about during the most recent round of Mattel recalls. I triple checked the list and breathed a sigh of relief when I realized we have none of the recalled toys in our home.
Then, a few weeks later, I read another article regarding pajamas made in China. That scares me too. I am assuming that these nasty chemicals don't wash out, since they are meant to make the clothing flame resistant and it would make sense to make them flame resistant after washing, right? Otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to market them as flame resistant. Luckily we usually only buy 100% cotton clothing for the kids and none of that is flame resistant.
Of course since I like to sew when I have time, I have a pretty decent stash of fabric in my closet, most of which was probably milled in China. I know most new fabrics are finished with something to make them look nice in the store, but that washes away after a couple washes so I'm not so worried about that although I will be cautious when fabric shopping in the future.
Just to be on the safe side, I decided that whenever possible I will only buy products made in the US or at the very least NOT from China.
This is turning out to be very difficult. During this past week, I got sick and tired of shelling out $2 for lunch money every day for my 13 year old and I began thinking about things that I could pack for her that she will eat. I also dislike the cost and wastefulness of disposable food storage. Luckily, just as I started considering my alternatives, my friend Hayes sent an email asking if anyone would like to order some Laptop Lunches with her.
These Laptop lunches looked great to me, but being the bargain hunter that I am, I decided to look around at local stores to see if I could find something just as effective but cheaper locally. I went to Target, Walmart, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Would you believe that I only found one suitable alternative that was not made in China? This is insane!!! There were some really good products on the shelves, but all of them were made in China.
I managed to find on lunch box type container that was made in Mexico. It was cheap and barely held together but it wasn't made in China so I bought it and that is what she's been using for her lunch.
I decided that the Laptop Lunches were the only acceptable choice since they are made in the US and seem to be a reputable company.
This is turning out to be a really long post, huh? Anyway, my quest for decent food storage containers led me into the world of bento boxes, where I began reading about people who arrange their kids's food in elaborate ways to resemble hearts, stars, flowers, dolls and other objects. This looks like fun to me and I figured I'd give it a try so today I go out in search of a few things: mini muffin pans, party picks and cookie cutters to get me started
First I went to Bed Bath and Beyond. The selecton of mini muffin pans was small. I did find what I was looking for, but all were made in China. Walmart is next door, so I dragged the kids through the parking lot and we made our way into the superstore. I hate Walmart, but sometimes you just gotta go in there. I found one mini muffin pan that was made in Indonesia, so I bought it. Not sure if that is any better, but at least it didn't say made in China! I'm going to need to do a little online shopping for some other things I need to buy.
I think I'm going to make a post with a list of US made products that I buy, as I buy them so that others can take a look as well. Obviously it won't be a complete list, but at least it will be something.
Then, a few weeks later, I read another article regarding pajamas made in China. That scares me too. I am assuming that these nasty chemicals don't wash out, since they are meant to make the clothing flame resistant and it would make sense to make them flame resistant after washing, right? Otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to market them as flame resistant. Luckily we usually only buy 100% cotton clothing for the kids and none of that is flame resistant.
Of course since I like to sew when I have time, I have a pretty decent stash of fabric in my closet, most of which was probably milled in China. I know most new fabrics are finished with something to make them look nice in the store, but that washes away after a couple washes so I'm not so worried about that although I will be cautious when fabric shopping in the future.
Just to be on the safe side, I decided that whenever possible I will only buy products made in the US or at the very least NOT from China.
This is turning out to be very difficult. During this past week, I got sick and tired of shelling out $2 for lunch money every day for my 13 year old and I began thinking about things that I could pack for her that she will eat. I also dislike the cost and wastefulness of disposable food storage. Luckily, just as I started considering my alternatives, my friend Hayes sent an email asking if anyone would like to order some Laptop Lunches with her.
These Laptop lunches looked great to me, but being the bargain hunter that I am, I decided to look around at local stores to see if I could find something just as effective but cheaper locally. I went to Target, Walmart, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Would you believe that I only found one suitable alternative that was not made in China? This is insane!!! There were some really good products on the shelves, but all of them were made in China.
I managed to find on lunch box type container that was made in Mexico. It was cheap and barely held together but it wasn't made in China so I bought it and that is what she's been using for her lunch.
I decided that the Laptop Lunches were the only acceptable choice since they are made in the US and seem to be a reputable company.
This is turning out to be a really long post, huh? Anyway, my quest for decent food storage containers led me into the world of bento boxes, where I began reading about people who arrange their kids's food in elaborate ways to resemble hearts, stars, flowers, dolls and other objects. This looks like fun to me and I figured I'd give it a try so today I go out in search of a few things: mini muffin pans, party picks and cookie cutters to get me started
First I went to Bed Bath and Beyond. The selecton of mini muffin pans was small. I did find what I was looking for, but all were made in China. Walmart is next door, so I dragged the kids through the parking lot and we made our way into the superstore. I hate Walmart, but sometimes you just gotta go in there. I found one mini muffin pan that was made in Indonesia, so I bought it. Not sure if that is any better, but at least it didn't say made in China! I'm going to need to do a little online shopping for some other things I need to buy.
I think I'm going to make a post with a list of US made products that I buy, as I buy them so that others can take a look as well. Obviously it won't be a complete list, but at least it will be something.
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