In praise of Papa's tub

When my first child was born, my mother trotted out an old tub, hidden in the attic for years. It was used by at least two previous generations of Johnsons and for a quarter of a century had waited for the next.

I remember all too vividly the comments by friend when I mentioned I didn't need that cheap plastic bathtub from the baby store, that instead we'd use the old enamel tub.

But what if she falls? I was asked.

Hmm...I thought that was why we watched our kids.

We sadly noted that some of the coating had been scraped over time and it was beginning to rust. This would be the last generation - and child - to use it. Still, the tub managed to make the move with us to our new home.

Last night, though, I noticed the tub in my daughter's closet and got it out, thinking I at least could get a photo of the baby in it, just like his sister, mother and grandfather before him. I set it down on the floor, and sat the baby, fully clothed inside. He was almost too long.

My daughter asked what he was doing. I said,without thinking, that he was playing boat. Before I knew it, they were "toot-tooting" all around her room, the normally serious baby banging his hands against the sides and laughing.

Yes, I could have bought that plastic tub, which would have been tossed aside or shared in mere months. And I'll admit I actually considered buying one this time around. But then I would have missed a moment.

Of waists and waste

Americans eat too much. That much is certain. Two-thirds of us today are overweight, and the numbers of morbid obesity jump each year.

I know this not only from the news but in the daily role of helping market our hospital’s weight loss services. There truly is a need for us to shape up.

But the reality is this waste is hitting not only our waistlines – but also the environment. If the average American is consuming 1,250 to 1,500 calories more than they should each day, that’s a lot of food that never needed to be processed. Writes Julia Whitty, Mother Jones' environmental correspondent:

Nineteen percent of total energy used in the US is tied to producing and
distributing food.

So I’m doing my part. (OK, it’s not entirely altruistic; I’ll be the first to admit I’m not exactly a size 5.) So when Chile proposed a new challenge to cut out discretionary eating for August, I jumped on board.

I’m either really brave, or really foolish.

So here I am, on the record. For thirty days, I am going to reduce my intake by:

• Avoiding restaurants, take-out, prepared deli foods, and frozen meals. Shouldn’t be too hard, being on the unemployment diet; however, I need to be cautious of my habit of eating those oh-so-appetizing frozen meals.
• Avoiding highly processed and refined food stripped of its nutrients. This should be easy as long as I stick to my plan of planning meals.
• Avoiding sugary foods and drinks. I admit even being diabetic that my sweet tooth will get to me, so I’ll plan ahead and incorporate fruits to help stave those cravings.
• Avoiding food eaten after physical hunger is satisfied (or to fix a low blood sugar). Yes, I need to cut out my snacking, which tends to be stress-related.
• Watching my caffeine intake. Note I didn’t say significantly reduce!! Water it is.

I've probably gone a little overboard, but there. It’s public. So I now have little excuse to get into gear!

Anyone else in?

Harvesting herbs

Few things bring out the flavor of your cooking like fresh herbs. Growing your own is so simple a toddler can do it - a pot, a plant, some dirt, water and a little attention are all that's needed.

But there comes a time mid-summer when you're faced with the choice of eating more than you can fathom or letting it char to a crisp in the hot sun. And you may wonder, What now?

It's a question I considered this weekend, when I was faced with not only my blossoming oregano and purple basil but also the bunches of basil, mint and dill that were the centerpiece of the CSA share this week. (I received a bite here, a bite there of everything else - what do you do with a golf-ball size red pepper or two bunches of broccoli that only yield 1/2 cup?)

Instead I checked out options for perserving what I had for the winter months.

Drying or freezing herbs are options, but as I don't have a dryer and, with little ones, cringe at the prospect of having a hot oven for 15 hours (not to mention what it'd do to my electric bill!) I opted for freezing.

Here is where your old ice cube trays - long abandoned for ice makers - come in handy. They're an easy repository for about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs. Cover with boiling water and place in the freezer. (Be sure to label your cubes, paricularly once you've moved them to a storage container. You'd hate to have any surprises.)

As for my dill, I used it on a splurge of broiled salmon with olive oil and dill and made homemade dill butter to dress up ordinary steamed green beans.

Dill butter
recipe from Whole Foods
makes 1/2 cup

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic/1 clove, minced

Mix all ingredients in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spoon into serving bowl, and use immediately, or place on wax paper and shape into 4-inch log. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

Going green with Emeril

The demise of "Emeril Live" on the Food Network brought much sadness to my husband and 3 year old. The pair had made a tradition of watching "Live" - fondly known as "Man's Cooking Show" in our household - each night.

This week, though, I made two discoveries: One, we have TV on demand, and it doesn't cost anything extra. Two, Emeril is on it.

Emeril has launched "Emeril Green" on the fledgling Discovery Green network, which is finally bringing a few more shows on the air. Rather than his usual "event" shows like "Emeril Live," this show brings a person one-on-one with Emeril to solve a cooking dilemna, from shopping at Whole Foods to cooking and sampling the dishes.

I haven't been brave enough to attempt any of the meals yet, but they're definitely caught our interest. I think my family's found a new show to watch, and the great thing is, we don't have to push back our bedtime to enjoy it.

Feeling like a foodie? Find his recipes here.

Photo from Google image search.

Green on the cheap: Creating kid art

Last night, my daughter was in a creative mood. Before I knew it, she was into the box for one of her birthday gifts - a Crayola magic paint sprayer of some kind. Allegedly it sprays ink that can only be seen on specialty paper. All I know is I'm fighting a battle against finding this plastic contraption and its colors being toted around my house. Whatever happened to crayons?

It's a personal reminder that sometimes you simply have to sit down with your child and unleash that creative potential. Particularly when arts programs are being cut left and right, it's our obligation to help foster creative expression in our little ones.

This week's Green on the Cheap focuses on simple ways you can support that creative impulse in your little ones and still be environmentally friendly.

• Reuse your supplies. Create a stash of leftover papers of all types - direct mail, printer paper, Christmas cards, etc. - for art projects, making cards, wrapping presents, pretend post offices, etc. Likewise, I hang on to extra stickers and scrapbooking embellishments for my child to create her "heart" with.
• Recycle. Plagued by broken crayons around your house? You can melt them in sprayed muffin tins at 250 degrees to create new crayons for your little ones. If you're truly adventurous, make your own paper.
• Give a second life to kitchen trash. Plastic bottles, coffee filters, egg cartons, bottle caps, and other household items can easily be converted into kids crafts.
• Use Mother Nature. Remember potato stamps from when you were a child? We (OK, an adult) occasionally carved designs into a halved potato to stamp them on paper. Easy to compost when the thrill is gone. Older children may enjoy creating dyes from fallen leaves.