I Hate Bacon!

There, I said it! I hate bacon! I will not touch bacon with a 10-foot pole! The disappointing thing is that my husband loves bacon. He grew up eating bacon and his mom always cooks bacon when we visit. The smell of bacon (and breakfast sausage) makes me want to gag. I refuse to buy bacon (even the organic, preservative-free bacon).  If you love bacon, more power to you! We can agree to disagree. :)

My recent encounters with bacon being hidden in restaurant foods has triggered this post.  At a work happy hour, I was offered to try a stuffed mushroom appetizer.  A few bites later, I realized that the stuffing had bacon in it.  Mushroom: eaten.  Bacon stuffing: left on plate.  At least the menu mentioned bacon as an ingredient.

On vacation in Florida, I ordered a clam chowder at a local restaurant.  Simple soup with a broth base, clams, tomatoes, celery, and....BACON! I was appalled.  What if I were vegetarian?  What if I could not eat bacon for religous reasons?  How would I ever know that the clam chowder had bacon in it?  I know some recipes include bacon, but at least mention it on the menu (clam and bacon chowder is much more informative).  My husband graciously agreed to switch soups with me.

Thank you for listening to my I-hate-bacon rant. If you are going to eat bacon, buy the uncured variety without any preservatives.  Whole Foods and Fresh Market have several brands.  Restaurants - we appreciate it when you provide details about the ingredients in your dishes.

I will continue to enjoy my bacon-free life.

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5 Tips for Eco-Friendly Travel - How Green Was My Vacation?

I recently posted 5 Practical Tips for Eco-Friendly Travel over at Mommy Living the Life of Riley.  As I sit in the villa on the last day of our vacation, I thought it would be a great idea to reflect on how well I applied my own eco-friendly travel tips.

1. Bring a reusable water bottle  Result: brought my stainless steel water bottle
2. Bring your own snacks, in reusable snack bags  Result: dried fruit, nuts, and organic candy in reusable snack bags
3. Pack light  Result: 47 pounds, but packed some of my husband's stuff, does that count?
4. Participate in hotel linen programs  Result: reused bath towels
5. Rent a fuel-efficient vehicle  Result: rented a Ford Focus


A few BONUS green checks: 

1. Bought a bottle of organic wine
2. Walked to dinner instead of driving x 2 nights
3. Used my reusable grocery bags as beach bags


>> What eco-friendly actions do you take when you travel?  Do you even think about being "green" on vacation?
 

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Getting Crunchy with Katie: 5 Easy Tips for Eco-Friendly Travel

I have a few luxury comfort requirements when I travel:

1. Air conditioning in hot locations, heat in cold locations (definitely required)
2. TV or Internet (either one will do, although I could probably live without both)

These requirements are far from being eco-friendly.  I would probably never be able to vacation al fresco, off the grid, or in an eco-hotel in the middle of nowhere.  At the least, I need the comfort of the air conditioning and the indoors to escape the hot sun rays after being on the beach all day.  To offset the requirements above, I make a few small changes that reduce my impact on the environment when I travel.

Click over to Mommy Living the Life of Riley Blog to read about my 5 practical tips for staying green when I travel: http://www.mommylivingthelifeofriley.com/eco-friendly-green-living/getting-crunchy-with-katie-5-tips-for-eco-friendly-travel-stay-green-when-you-travel-too/

>> How do you behave differently when you travel?  What small changes can you make to reduce your impact on the environment?
 

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Keeping My Family Healthy During the "Flu Months"

Summer has ended and the colder months have begun.  Although I know that you can catch a cold or the flu any time of the year (yes, even during the summer), everyone is more prone to catching the flu or the cold when the outside temperatures drop.  The dark, cloudy, and cold days of winter have some effect on our bodies and make them more prone to catching the cold or the flu.  I want to share with you three things that I do to keep my family healthy and strong: Echinacea, exercise, and eating (call it the three E's).

Echinacea has been touted as a homeopathic and an all natural way to boost your immune system.  There are no claims that it will cure a cold or prevent a cold, but there is a lot of evidence that it will boost your immune system so that it's stronger to fight off the cold or the flu before or after you get it.  My husband and I use Echinacea in two forms: drinking the Echinacea liquid extract that we dilute in some water and drinking herbal tea.

Exercise is another great way to ensure that your immune system stays strong.  Exercise helps to strengthen all parts of your body and helps to flush any toxins out.  Of course, exercising when it is 10 degrees outside does not sound fun, nor is recommended unless you bundle up with layers of clothes.  Then again, who wants to run around their neighborhood looking like the abominable snowman? Not us! Therefore, my husband and I use free weights and DVDs to stay in shape. Our favorite DVD are by Jillian Michaels. A healthy body equals a healthy immune system.

Have you ever heard the saying, "you are what you eat?"  This saying is very true!  So eat healthy and eat wholesome foods.  Cooking meals from scratch, using fresh produce and whole grains is another way that we help our bodies to stay strong and ward off any attacks on the immune system.  Eating as close to nature and as close to seasonal produce will support your body to fight off any infections.

Relying on natural medicine, exercising to keep your body strong, and eating well are three actions my family takes to stay cold and flu free.  These might not be the usual top three or top five actions that are recommended, but I promise that they will go a long way to keep you family cold and flu free also.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Lysol blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes [Review]

We are on vacation in Captiva, Florida this week.  I am bringing you a review of a slow cooker cookbook that I recently completed for Mommy Living the Life of Riley.  I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes from this cookbook.  The variety of easy, gourmet recipes is limitless.

Read about the cookbook here: http://www.mommylivingthelifeofriley.com/product-reviews/easy-gourmet-dinners-from-the-150-best-slow-cooker-recipes-by-judith-finlayson/

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