From the publisher

Welcome and Thanks for reading LivGreen Magazine. I sincerely hope you like what you see and continue to look to LivGreen for information and ideas on Green living.

I am Mark Bjerke, publisher and founder of LivGreen Magazine and the many other LivGreen products and services we will be introducing in the coming months. Although I consider myself to be somewhat of a “green rookie”, I am becoming more aware of green products and services that I can use to be better to the planet and our community while at the same time making my life better.

You may ask what I mean by “Green for the Real World” but it is really quite simple. We all live very busy lives and this green thing is coming at us pretty fast. How do I get through all the information? What’s the best choice? Do I have to pay more? Where do I get the right stuff? I can’t do it all so should I do it at all? Well that’s what LivGreen is all about. You don’t have to be perfect or extreme to be green, but doing a little at a time and doing what fits your life style is what’s important. LivGreen will sift through a wide variety of subjects to give you choices and help you become more green.

We all hear about the condition of the economy, and I happen to choose not to participate in a recession. But what a great time to reduce, reuse and recycle and SAVE!! I mean isn’t that what green is all about?

I welcome any ideas, questions or comments you may have about LivGreen. We will strive to offer the information you are looking for in the way you want it. We will be introducing our new web site early in 2009 and our LivFestival is scheduled for October 2009 as is the completion of the LivGreen Idea Home. We also will be offering many forms of motion media available through our web site.

We will be at the Women’s Expo January 16-18, 2009 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, so stop in to our LivGreen Trailer and tell us what you think and what you would like to see in upcoming issues. We really are interested in bringing you what you want to read.

Join me as we charge through this exciting and ever so important green adventure, and enjoy LivGreen Magazine!

Mark L. Bjerke
Publisher/Founder
LivGreen

Letter from the editor

Living a green lifestyle can be rewarding, expensive and confusing. If I were to start from scratch today with all of the information out there, my head would be spinning.

For me, the spark that ignited my fire was an emotional one. Pancreatic cancer took my sister and after some research it became apparent that my processed American diet wasn’t going to cut it. That little snowball started the green avalanche that followed. Focusing on nutrition, I slowly began weeding items out of our home one by one. My daughter, a toddler at the time, didn’t put up too much of an argument…my husband, on the other hand, was less than thrilled.

Since then I’ve tackled recycling, finding eco-friendly cleaners (that actually clean), agonized about paying twice as much for organic food, organic cotton (is it really worth it?), the curly fluorescent bulb with the horrible gray light, a love hate relationship with my chemical anti wrinkle cream (still struggling with that one), and on and on. I may have graduated in many ways, but the saga continues each and every day in some form or another for me as a woman, a mother and conscious-being sharing space on this big blue marble.

It was very exciting putting this maiden issue together, and with January upon us, there was really only one sensible direction to take – winter. Although I grow weary of bundling and unbundling my kids and I tend to mutter things under my breath I shouldn’t, when the temperature drops, Minneapolis is truly a city that embraces winter from activites to comfort foods. Our travel feature is loaded with great activities for cold weather, so stake your claim to the best sledding hills, xc-ski trails, skating and climbing adventures in town. It’s enough to make even a winter scrooge like me want to (dare I say it) look forward to enjoying some of what winter in the Twin Cities has to offer. On the flip side, if you’re feeling the effects of a nasty Minnesota cold & flu, give the ‘Do It Yourself’ home remedies a try. If you’ve managed to stay healthy, knock on wood. Take a peek at some of the foods that can help you boost your immunity in “Immune Boosting Foods”. I hope you enjoy this issue. I welcome your feedback and am looking forward to filling each upcoming month with helpful and interesting articles and information for living green in the real world, one baby step – or giant step – at a time, whatever the case may be.

LouAnn Berglund Haaf

Pacifica Candle

Soy candles burn longer (approximately 100 hours!) and more evenly, and this one from Pacifica smells amazing. $22.00 www.pacificacandles.com for local retailers

Peace Coffee

This coffee tastes great, is fair trade (grown by small organized cooperatives of farmers) & shade grown (maintaines a natural balance with the canopy trees providing organic material for the soil, habitat for birds and beneficial insects). In a nutshell it’s all good from start to finish. 1 lb. $9.95 www.peacecoffee.com for local retailers.

Eco Chic

When you think organic, your mind wanders to berries, greens and bamboo sheets. That same healthy, honest, organic approach is being applied in the liquor industry – no harsh soil chemicals, no synthetic pesticides – and responsible farming practices that respect our environment and benefit farm workers who are paid a fairer price for their efforts.

Enter organic cocktails! Rapidly making their way onto the scene, they are creating a savvy consumer with more sophisticated taste buds. This new generation of organic spirits is built around natural extracts and healthy ingredients instead of the age old method of artificially colored and flavored syrups designed to make the liquor more palatable. With companies like Phillips dipping their toes into the organic liquor market, it’s only a matter of time before bellying up and ordering an organic cocktail is no longer the odd request. CHEERS!

Try these simple and flavorful blends from Phillips Organic Prairie Vodka. If you want to bump up the pure factor, utilize only organic ingredients.

Red Hawk

• 2 parts Phillips Organic vodka
• 2 parts pomegranate juice
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Pour ingredients into a shaker over ice and strain into a martini glass – garnish with a fresh mint leaf.

Tallgrass Tea

• 3 parts Phillips Organic vodka
• 4 parts organic green tea
• 1 tablespoon organic sugar
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Pour ingredients into a shaker over ice and strain into a sugar rimmed martini glass.

Easy as 1-2-3

Earth friendly doesn’t have to be painful, it really can be as easy as 1-2-3. Try incorporating these 3 simple (and eco chic) substitutions into your routine and let’s make it a shiny green new year!

1. Bring your own bag

Plastic has no end life in a landfill and paper consumes more resources to produce. Fact is both paper and plastic bags consume large amounts of natural resources and the majority will eventually end up in the landfill. Grab the $1 bags when you check out. If you can’t remember to bring them with you, Chico has a nylon bag small enough to tuck in your purse. Find local Chico retailers.

2. Invest in refillable bottles

In the U.S. alone over 100 million plastic bottles wind up in the landfill each day! With less than 20% being recycled. Single use water bottles create billions of tons of unnecessary waste each year and it is estimated that 90% of the environmental impact of plastic bottles starts before they reach the landfill. They’re big, sanitary and come in many different sizes. Buy a couple and kick the bottle habit. Express yourself with one of Sigg’s graphic bottles and show some attitude. Find local Sigg retailers.

3. Use natural cleaners

Hard to believe, but chemical cleaners contain hazardous chemicals that endanger the environment by contaminating our groundwater, lakes and oceans. In addition, chemical levels inside the home can be up to 70 times higher than outside the home. Made with formulas that contain biodegradable ingredients derived from natural materials like soy, coconut and palm oils and packaging is made from the most readily recyclable materials. Method is one really good option for a greener cleaner. Find local Method retailers.

Smarter than sprinkles

5 STRATEGIES TO GET YOUR KIDS TO EAT HEALTHIER:

When I think back, I remember the day my beautiful plan fell apart. A trip to the grocery store with Papa and little Gracie in tow. An “innocent” stroll by the complimentary preservative laden sugar cookies. She couldn’t have been more than one and a half, but that cookie changed her life. From that day forward, anytime we brought up the word “snack” she would beg for cookies. I thoroughly chewed my husband out, cooled off and realized that, although you can control what goes into your little one’s mouth, at some point the world contributes its two cents. Two cents in the form of a partially hydrogenated, refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup cookie…(with rainbow sprinkles). Is it possible to compete with sprinkles? Probably not, I’m not saying I’ve surrendered…let’s just call it a heathly truce.

Although children may seem extremely complicated at times, their taste buds are really quite simple. They generally eat what they are consistently fed, without too much of a tussle. Yes, they are still kids and have their moods, and yes they are impossible to predict, but for the most part they are wonderful little (and big) creatures of habit. If you are the parent of a cute, soft cuddly new little bundle, this is good news (the first part, that is). On the other hand, if you are the parent of a seasoned donut muncher – you have a harder road ahead of you. Oh, and if you’re feeling all “I’m all that” with the new addition, don’t stop reading because if there’s one thing I can guarantee you…it grows up.

I entered the healthy eating arena when my first born was about 4 years old. Slowly navigating through what I thought was good and bad, I systematically removed the “evils” from the house (you know, partially hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugars…) and in their place I boldy placed items with “all natural” and “organic” on the label. It was confusing, frustrating and expensive. Crazy as it seems, it wasn’t the process of removing the food from the house that was the worst, that was actually quite exhilarating – even cleansing if you want to be ZEN about it. It was the process of removing the memory of those flavors from the four year old’s taste buds that got a little sticky.

Well, that 4 year old is now 10 and there are two more in the brood. Feeding that next generation of wide eyed little babies healthy, organic snacks and fresh home cooked veggies for breakfast was a breeze…until (gulp) they too, got bigger and developed minds and taste buds of their own. It’s truly irritating how long it can take to appreciate the taste of a fresh leafy green compared to the immediate loyalty that a fresh, warm donut, or sugar encrusted cookie evokes. This doesn’t mean that we, as parents (a.k.a. “the boss of you” ) have to completely ban anything yummy, nummy or fun to eat from the house or their palates. It’s all about getting kids to eat good, fresh, natural healthy food…more often than not. If we can do that, then we’re at least holding our own with those damn sprinkles.

Train their taste buds

You are in total control during those infant and early toddler years. Take advantage of it. Even if you don’t completely subscribe to a fresh, natural diet for yourself, consider your kids a clean slate. It’s a big responsibility, they are acquiring a lifetime of tastes and food habits based on the diets they have as children. Pump them full of the wrong foods and their energy and health will suffer not to mention struggling with a lifetime of poor eating habits. What if your children are older and their taste buds are already loyal to the dark side? Not to worry. You have the power, remember you control the food that comes into your home, and although they can choose not to eat it, eventually the hunger pangs will set in and the day will come when that wheat pita and black bean dip or fresh hummus looks pretty good. For the record, that same cookie monster, who still loves cookies at the age of four and a half (if I don’t include the half and it gets back to her, my goose is cooked) loves grilled brussel sprouts, asparagus, hummus, romaine lettuce leaves, cucumbers, carrots, plain 12 grain bread and raw broccoli tops. I can’t tell you how much it pleases me to hear her say, “mama can we have brussel sprouts tonight?”

Find substitutes for the nummy stuff

Fruits and veggies are a given, but I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up the other staple in a childs diet…the snack. There is a great variety of tasty pre-packaged snacks and foods to pick from (this wasn’t always the case, believe me). This makes the job of replacing some of the favorites that much easier. Take note, just because it says all natural doesn’t mean it may not still contain too much sugar. Check the labels and make the substitutions smart ones. Fruit Leathers and Squished Fruit replace gummies and fruit snacks. Organic air popped pop corn, Cheddar Bunnies, multi seed crackers and wheat saltines replace their alter egos filled with preservatives, trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. If there is a nasty version out there, you can find something pretty darn close with a lot less sugar and all natural ingredients. It may take a little while, but if it’s their only option, they will cave and before you know it, their taste buds will have readily adopted these new flavors. A hint for the little ones. Put a sampler platter of small veggies, fruits, crackers etc in an ice cube tray and let them conduct their own taste test. When it comes to sweets, make them a special treat instead of a regular snack. There’s some great frozen all natural cookie and brownie doughs – we love making just enough for each of us to have a couple once in awhile. We can do it together, it’s quick and it’s a great ending to a healthy meal. We’ll even talk about it during the day, like it’s a special occasion. Anticipation is becoming a lost art in this day of immediate gratification and over consumption. Remember what a treat cartoons used to be when they were only on, on Saturday mornings? Children don’t need to be eating sweets for snacks during the day. Give them the opportunity begin to appreciate decadent moments by limiting them.

Teach them the whys and why nots

Start out small teaching them why you are making the choices you do. “Because I said so” may have its place in a conversation at the end of a long day, but it doesn’t belong in a conversation about why you choose healthy food over junk food. Not if you want your children making smart, healthy choices without you standing behind them guiding their hands. The market is a great training grounds for teaching the whys and why nots. Give them perimeters and then let them pick their favorites in each department. It’s much more fun to eat something when you’ve been an integral part of making it appear in your home. Then tell them they can pick a treat, but it has to be a “good” one. Come up with nutrition guidelines for what’s allowed in the house and what isn’t, and then…have a backbone. No backing down, no litigation from the little attorney. Plain and simple, if it doesn’t comply, they have to keep looking. Believe me, they will keep looking until they find a version of what they’re wanting that meets your guidelines. Kids are relentless that way, and it teaches them to care about what they put in their bodies and be a smart consumer to boot!

Be tricky

Don’t read too much into the title. I’m not saying you should forgo the vegetable battle and spin great veggie lies to your children, but there’s nothing wrong with bumping up the nutrition factor when you’re preparing food. I cook my rice in organic chicken broth, and add squash to macaroni and cheese when I feel so inclined. It doesn’t mean my children don’t know what vegetables are. In fact, each has their favorite “icky” vegetable and would be happy to model the corresponding “icky” vegetable face that goes along with it. Another trick is a spin off from my home made baby food days, with cubes of pureed steamed veggies in the freezer. I’ll add a couple cubes to soups and sauces. It tastes good, it’s good for us (we eat it too) and I get the bonus of fresh veggies in a quick last minute dish. (Although I would love to present my family with gorgeous garden fresh meals each night, too many times quick and last minute are all I am capable of by the end of a long day). You can also chop veggies up small enough so they can’t pick them out – like tiny green broccoli flowers, shredded carrots or tofu in their scrambled eggs. If the pieces are tiny, the flavor blends in better and they don’t obsess about picking it out. Plus, they get used to the idea of their food naturally including vegetables with all the wonderful colors.

Make shopping, preparing & eating the food fun

Make preparing and eating food a joy. Give your children tasks when preparing the meal for the night. Put out a platter of veggies to snack on while you are cooking and setting the table. Talk, laugh, dance and praise them for helping out. Give them each a night to pick the meal. We’ve even gone so far as to name food after each one (Jaker Tot Casserole, Eva’s Apple Pie). Make it a positive experience and the food becomes less of an issue. You don’t have time to make a big meal? So what. As long as it’s healthy and the children take part you’ve done your job. We have snack platters for lunch (yes, even dinner) more often than I’d like to admit, but they’re healthy snack platters and the kids love them. They ask for them, in fact. They choose something from each food family and we arrange it on a big plate for each (many times this also morphs into snack platter – living room picnic night too). A typical platter du jour might look something like this: Deli turkey pieces, multi-seed crackers or oat bran pitas, hummus or avocado, grapes, bananas, broccoli tops, carrot strips, cukes, dip and some “cango” (that’s carrot and mango mixed). Talk about what you’re eating and where it comes from – how long it takes to grow and how good it is for your body.

5 ingredients to teach your kids to look out for

1. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
   It’s very hard for our bodies to digest and convert it into fuel It also seems to be a big contributing factor when it comes to obesity.
2. Enriched and bleached flour
   The nutrients and the fiber that’s found in wheat naturally have been removed in the process of making these types of flour, making them little more than carbs and empty calories. Avoid the words “enriched” and “bleached” on the ingredients lists and you’ll be fine.
3. Trans fats / partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils
   In some countries, these types of oils are illegal, They can cause inflammation, high cholesterol, and heart disease.
4. Foods with 10 ingredients or more
   If it contains more than ten ingredients, there’s probably more than one thing in it that’s harmful.
5. Refined white sugar
   Refined, white sugar has no nutrients in it and is basically empty calories and carbohydrates.

For more natural parenting articles and information from this author, go to www.rebelmama.com