shak-shuka

Paint their Faces Naturally

Some of you might not like what I'm about to say, but we've change a bit the premise of "Freebie Friday". Rather than give something away every week, we'll mix it up by including fun things to do that are....FREE! We think that it still fits in with the theme, and it gives you some ideas of things to do for/with your kids. A friend of mine recently asked what to do with a toddler or child on a rainy cold day and I figured that these Friday posts could serve as inspiration! Necessity is the mother (naturally) of invention!

Now onto the fun freebie stuff! Tomorrow is Halloween for those of you who didn't already know it from my last few posts. I haven't gone to any extent to buy my daughter a heinous costume that she'll wear for all of about 40 seconds, so instead I was thinking it might be fun to paint her face (and my face/body/hands in the process!). I remember as a teenager I worked at an aquarium and we used to paint kids faces who would visit, and they just loved it! I can't guarantee that fabulous-ness of my face painting, but it's definitely fun and worth a try!

Since face painting is a great and easy way to make a costume-less child a full on mouse or bat (just add grey or black outfits!), you can really do this last minute, which I love. The only thing I don't love about this idea is thinking about the ingredients in face paints. Recently my favorite Healthy Child, Healthy World mentioned that there are lead and heavy metals in most brands of face paints, and I shuttered to think of putting that anywhere near my 22 month old daughter. I have been so careful to feed her organic food and use only organic skincare products on her (I know, I'm privileged) so why would I put lead paint on her face? There's got to be an alternative: and we have it here!

You can go out and buy some eco-friendly face paints (find them here), but I will include some recipes that I found very useful. I never thought it could be possible to make my own face paints, but it's really possible! Here are a few recipes to get you started, and I think once you get the hang of it, your imagination can really take over and you can run wild....maybe painting your little one a tiger?!

For the foundation of the paint base: 

1) 1tsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder, 1/2tsp water, 1/2 cold cream

2) use unscented lotion or pure cocoa butter

To make the coloring: you can either use food colorings but there are mixed feelings about whether food colorings don't carry any harmful ingredients. If you're lucky enough to find natural food coloring in your health food shop, lucky you! But don't worry, you can also try using these foods for color: 

YELLOW: add a large pinch of turmeric powder

PINK: use a thick berry puree or juice

GREEN: a pinch or two of spirulina or chlorophyll powder works wonders

BROWN: a good dusting of cocoa or carob powder 

WHITE: a mix of powdered sugar and water, mixed to a paste will create a white color)

There are also more tips for making fun, safe, eco-friendly Halloween on The Smart Mama's blog - including fake blood!

(special thanks to Eco/Enviro Girls Blog for many of these recipes)

Lights on Halloween!

As a child growing up in the US, Halloween was a time when we were let loose on the streets and allowed to bring back as much candy as our tiny bodies could schlep back with us. For me, I was never really big on Halloween, as I didn't like candy (yes, I know, I'm weird) but I did enjoy the dressing up aspect of it! Being a kid that was afraid of the dark, I was also not that keen on heading outside dressed as a scarecrow when there were ghosts and goblins running around!

Fast forward about 25+ years, and I found myself in Italy on vacation this August where I found one of the cutest kid-powered toys that I've seen in a long time: Ecotronic Flashlights. Ask any kid what they love about the dark and I'm sure they'll say using flashlights or some form of portable light. Turn off, turn off, turn on again, turn off again. The fun never ends! This Ecotronic Flashlight, or as they call them "torches", come in a variety of animal designs - monkeys, pigs, dogs, and my favorite that fits in with the Halloween theme - a Bat. Even though bats scare the dickens out of me, this bat flashlight is pretty cute looking, and I can only imagine how much fun I would have had as a child playing with this. Best part being that you never have to scrounge for batteries if you ever need it when the lights really have gone out, as you power it yourselves by pumping the wings on the side! Now I just need to find the kid this Halloween who walks around dressed as Dracula or a vampire so he can have his/her matching bat Ecotronic Flashlight!

What's Cookin' Pumpkin?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is having a pumpkin overdose lately. Whether or not you celebrate Halloween, you'll be seeing a lot of pumpkins in your local food box (if you're lucky to have one like I do -thanks Bio Aan Huis!) or in the supermarket. I remember one of the first dates that I had with my husband was carving pumpkins for Halloween on the roof of my East Village apartment in NYC. Although he thought it was a rather strange tradition, I still love to carve cooky faces, transforming pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. But what do you do with the pumpkin "guts"? I'm glad you asked...

One of my favorite things to do with pumpkin flesh is to make it into a puree which I can then use as a base for soups, pumpkin breads, or pies. If you live in North America, it's pretty easy to get year-round, but outside of the area, or specialty food stores, pumpkin puree is pretty hard to find. I've included a recipe so that you know how to make your own pumpkin puree, and there are a few fun tips on how you can make them into tasty sweet and savory treats.

Pumpkin Puree

1 medium pumpkin

1c water

There are two ways of cooking the pumpkin: preheat the oven to 175c, in a shallow baking pan, add a bit of water. Cut the pumpkin in half, and flesh side down, put them in the baking pan so that they are not covered with water, but just slightly have a bit of water floating around them. Place in the heated oven, and in about 30 minutes check for tenderness - if you can stick a fork in it, it's done.

Other method: cut up the pumpkin into cubes and place the cubes, plus the 1c of water in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the cubes are very tender.

For both methods: Drain well and puree in a food processor until smooth. 

*Soup - to make into a soup, saute onions and garlic until onions turn translucent. Add pumpkin puree, and stock of your choice. Simmer for 15 minutes, then puree with a handheld blender, or in a traditional blender.

*Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix - to make your own puree for pumpkin pie, you can add this spice mix to make the traditional "out of the can" puree you usually find in North American supermarkets!

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Blend ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

(courtesy of Apartment Therapy)

Pink is the New Green

I'm a little late in writing a post about this now (seeing as Breast Cancer Awareness Month is coming to a close), but I think it's better later than never. Breast cancer has become so commonplace, that I'm sure most of you have either known someone in your own family or group of friends who's been affected. During this month there have been many different ways to support your favorite breast cancer organization, and we wanted to share with you some eco-treats that we dug up that make a positive difference in the lives of many women facing breast cancer. 

One of our favorite sites that has a huge selection of eco-friendly goods that donate a certain percentage to breast cancer research, is the shop at Breast Cancer Site. I'm personally loving Nellie's Dryer Balls (ok, I need the dryer, but a girl can dream!), Dog Nesting Dolls, and the Recycled Rice Bag Rolling Carry-On. Of course since we've got a lot of lovin' for the little tikes, and we can't seem to resist Dandelion Organics Pink Collection which is a full range of pink-colored (but not nauseatingly so) toys for babies and kids - and YES! they are organic too! This makes us love them even more!

And for the ladies, we discovered these Heart Skull Eco Crop Pants from Ecozuzu that allow you to give and get at the same time - a portion of the proceeds of these incredibly eco-friendly pants will go to the Breast Cancer Foundation. These pants have Shak-Shuka's seal of eco-approval, as they are made from organic cotton and recycled materials (like plastic bottles!).

So there you have it, a mini shopping list to get done before the Breast Cancer Awareness month is over, but hopefully the awareness won't stop there. Sport the pink ribbon and now you can do it with a touch of green as well! 

The Wonders of Tea Tree Oil

It seems like everywhere we look people are obsessing about hygiene, germs and disinfecting. Growing up as a child I used to eat mud pies (made from literal mud, not the fancy ice cream dessert), so I'm not the best reference for hyper-cleanliness. Although now that I have a child, I am definitely more "on alert" and aware of passing on germs and preventing illness whenever possible. In light of all this seriousness, I try to take it all into account and not go overboard, as it's been clearly stated that some amount of dirt and germs are good for a growing child's immune system (plus this was another justification to have a huge dog - it's boot camp for her immune system, right?!). 

One of my favorite lines of defense in keeping our house and selves clean and pristine is tea tree oil. It's safe, been used for hundreds of years (first by Australian Aboriginals), and 100% natural. I personally love the idea that one tiny bottle of oil can be so powerful that you only need a few drops to have a supreme effect. I've collected from some books and online sources (I cannot remember all the references as I've had a list so long with no links) my favorite ways to use this fantastic and versatile oil. If you've never used tea tree oil, now is the time to try as we give you plenty of ways to use it! And oh yes, we just happen to sell Organic Tea Tree Oil at Shak-Shuka just in case you need any (where we also have more tips for using this amazing oil!)!!

• Use "neat" on the skin to treat acne
• Disinfectant - when traveling or at home, use it directly on skin when there is a cut or bite, as it helps to disinfect the affected area
• An anti-fungal for treating Athlete’s Foot, eczema, various yeast infections, etc. Apply a drop or two into a olive or sesame oil and apply to infection (external) skin. 
• An anti-viral: it may lessen the symptoms of colds and flu. Try using a few drops in the bath.
• Add to a vaporizer to loosen chest congestion.
• Add a few drops to shampoo to help kill head lice
• To keep germs at bay, create your own spray by adding a few drops to a spray bottle filled with hot water, a bit of white vinegar. Use it on high chairs, car seats, and other high traffic spots.
• 15 drops in a quart of water can be an effective insect repellent.

Organic Toy Giveaway

When I moved to Holland, and also since having a child, I noticed these "tag" toys that are strapped to nearly every baby's stroller. At first glance it looks like just a mini blanket covered in the company's logo or labels, but on closer inspection you see that each tag has a different texture, image or size. I never understood the allure of these "tag" cloths until my daughter reached the age of 3 months or so, and she was all about grabbing any kind of tag that would be attached to ANYTHING. So low and behold, I broke down and bought a tag toy, although it was not nearly as glamorous as the one that I will tell you about now. 

Natur-elle is a company based in the Netherlands that makes some of the most unique items that I have ever seen for a baby, and even more importantly to us at Shak-Shuka - from organic materials! Their Baby Look Booklets are famous across the Netherlands - they are a long extended cloth-like books that have black and white images to capture the attention of young babies, and help with their development, stimulation and concentration (not to mention a few moments of peace for mama too!). Along the same lines as the Lookbooks, are Natur-elle's gorgeous Crinkle Cloths that have the same captivating black and white images, but also a fun crinkly noise when you touch them! This is much better than the boring original one that I bought for my daughter (which was also not very eco-friendly). These Crinkle Cloths are so great, we decided we had to have them in our boutique, and now Natur-elle is sharing the baby joy in giving away one of their lovely Crinkle Cloths to one of our readers!

To win, simply leave a comment here with the name of your favorite Natur-elle product, and we'll pick a winner at random. Deadline is 30th October and the winner will receive the Crinkle Cloth in the color of their choice!

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Congratulations to Su (& Thomas, of course) from Ireland for winning last week's BioMe5 Organic Tee Giveaway! We hope you'll love these tees as much as we do!

Wee Go Bottle Hunting

I had the fortune of being able to take care of my daughter as a "stay at home" mom, which meant that we were together 24/7. Since I breastfed her and we were together ALL THE TIME, I never had the time/energy/desire to use a bottle, since it was always much easier to just give her the breast than a bottle. But not all moms have it as easy as I did, so I always wonder what the best bottle option there is out there.

As most of us know, using plastic bottles is the most common and well-known way to get fluid into a baby, but more and more parents are becoming weary of plastics. At Shak-Shuka we carry ThinkBaby bottles which are recommended by the Healthy Child Healthy World organization in the US. Healthy Child, Healthy World gives their seal of approval to companies with outstanding commitments to children's safety in terms of using BPA, phtlates and PVC free plastics and other materials. But for parents who want to go the extra mile there are new bottles on the market which challenge even the most eco of bottles.

Wee Go was one of the first "modern" glass baby bottles, and it has a sleek appearance and a silicone sleeve to keep your hands well gripped and not slipping off the bottle. I personally love the look but somehow would be terrified of glass+baby=disaster. I know that many people are happy with using glass, and let's remember that it's reinventing the wheel a bit as baby bottles back in the day were originally glass too! A newcomer to the eco-bottle world are bottles made from stainless steel. Two companies, Organic Kidz from Canada and Kid Basix are the makers of stainless steel baby bottles and they both look like serious contenders for the safe-baby-bottle set. Although to me stainless steel seems a bit extreme (too hot? too cold? or is it just me?) I know that the companies have thought of everything down to the tempered exterior so that little fingers don't get scalded from hot contents.

So there you have it - finding safe and non-toxic baby bottles isn't as hard as we thought, the only really difficult decision is trying to figure out which way you'll go: plastic, glass, or stainless steel? It almost sounds like your recycling bins......but not quite!

Guest Chef Meilina's Zucchini Soup

I've learned a few things since starting this blog: 1) never write about something going well, as you'll end up jinxing yourself, and 2) there is never enough time for anything: cooking, sleeping, or writing. So I've called in the chef cavalries! I am pleased to announce that one of my fellow chef-mates from culinary school, Meilina Wilkinson, has generously offered to share one of her easy and delicious recipes with us. And the timing couldn't be more perfect! I am feeling like I am coming down with a cold (thanks to Monday'a neti pot post), and lately I have been trying to cook elaborate meals for my family while also trying to watch a running toddler. No easy feat. This recipe that Meilina included is a perfect match for our family: it's got loads of Vitamin C (in the form of parsley, which did you know it has more Vitamin C than citrus?!) and you can quickly chop up the veggies, leave it too cook while you get some work done, then come back to it and blitz it! Perfect!  She also gives us recommendations on how to jazz it up (or disguise it when you make more than one meals worth and need to feed it again to your family!). Thank you again to our guest chef Meilina for saving the day! Let's hope she'll save yours too!

Meilina's Zucchini Soup

While zucchini may technically be out of season, it's a vegetable that is available year-round and this recipe works well as a warm or chilled soup.

2 medium zucchini, cubed

1/4 to 1/2 cup water or vegetable stock

1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves (destemmed)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cloves garlic

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  Steam over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.  Transfer everything, including liquid, to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  

The possibilities for garnish are endless-- a drizzle of olive oil and flaked Maldon salt, creme fraiche or sour cream, frizzled onions, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, a few shelled edamame... whatever your heart desires!

Makes approximately 3 cups.

Annie the Green Belle of Fashion

Even though I am a reformed shop-a-holic, I still have my weaknesses: sample sales, outlets, specialty boutiques - ok, this isn't painting a good picture of my renounced shopping self. Anyways, one of the weaknesses that I have managed to renounce is Topshop, but last time I went to London I found out that they have a small (read: tiny) collection of organic, vintage and fair trade designers. When I visited, I discovered a designer that I had never heard of before, who makes really fashion-forward clothing not expected of "green" designers.

Annie Greenabelle is a fair trade, UK brand that makes retro-looking pieces from organic and repurposed fabrics. There is a real 50's vibe from some of her pieces (especially the dresses). At my last visit to Topshop, there was a shirt that I liked that I am now kicking myself I didn't get. Is the fact that I still kick myself over not buying something mean that I am not in reality a reformed shop-a-holic? I'd like to think not. Greenabelle has unique and affordable pieces that you won't find anywhere else, and I'm currently coveting the Ballerina Dress and trying to figure out where my (non-ballerina) self would wear it. Maybe I'll start with the Shirt Dress instead which is a bit more "mama-reality" friendly!

www.anniegreenabelle.com

A Little Neti Pot Short and Stout

I'm not the only one who's feeling it: cold and flu season is definitely upon (the Northern Hemisphere anyways) us. The time of the year when the leaves change color, we begin to hibernate a bit more, and therefore end up inhaling the lovely germs surrounding us. It seems as though everyone around me is, or has been sick, and I am counting down the days until it's my turn.

Sleep, a healthy diet, exercise all play important roles in keeping us healthy, but I feel like I have a hard to get even one of those things done right. So besides my attempt at a full night's sleep and Vitamin-C'ing it up, I am preparing one of my trusted tools in the fight against (head) colds: my neti pot. If you've never seen one, you are in for a real treat, as it looks like a genie lamp that you rub and perhaps a magician comes out and takes your cold away? No chance. Instead, you're left to your own devices, making a saline solution (about 1tsp of non-iodized salt) into some warm water, mix, add to the pot, and then.....stick it in your nose. No joke. I recommend doing it in the shower (in case of any "accidents"), as you put the nozzle end in one nostril and the saline water comes out your other nostril! It's really amazing and frightening at the same time the first time around, but once you get used to doing it, it's like second nature. As soon as I feel the slightest bit congested in my sinuses, the neti pot appears. And almost like magic, my head feels lighter, and then maybe I can work on getting some sleep or eating healthy. Or at least one of the two isn't bad!

Neti pots are available in a wide variety of stores. I bought mine in Little India in NYC, but you can find them online in the Netherlands here. You can even watch a video of how to "neti" here. Check your local Indian grocier (the neti pot comes from Ayurvedic healing which comes from India), yoga center, or health food shop. I recommend the ceramic kind as it's durable and you can wash it easily.