We hold a member meeting once a month. This past spring someone stood up and questioned why we were using Styrofoam given the fact that it is so SO terrible for the environment. I will quote from yesterday’s Daily Green story, The 6 Least Green Types of Packaging: “…polystyrene foam is the worst of the packaging offenders. It’s made of non-renewable petroleum and once manufactured, it’s not biodegradable. As soon as polystyrene is contaminated by food (like crumbs or grease from your french fries) it is no longer recyclable, and very few recycling facilities accept it even when it’s clean. Polystyrene is also hazardous to human health. It contains the neurotoxins styrene and benzene, which are widely accepted to be carcinogens. These toxins can leach into food that’s acidic, warm, alcoholic or oily and into the environment after exposure to rain and other weather.”

The question sparked much debate. There were people who were passionately for the change from Styrofoam to paper. There were people against it, too. After some discussion, the club’s board promised to take the issue up with the catering vendor. They did and were told that switching from Styrofoam to paper would cost more. A lot more. Still, we, the environmentally-conscious of the club, won on the cup issue. It was an easy swap, and it didn’t even end up costing the members a dime. (I guess the markup on soda is pretty high, so the vendor ate the difference.)

We didn’t fare as well when it came to the Styrofoam clamshell food boxes. The consensus from the board was that people didn’t like having their french fries and chicken nuggets “blowing in the wind.” They wanted to eat hot food, and also be able to bring it on their boats without worrying about spillage. They also didn’t want to pay the $.25 or $.50 it was going to cost to switch to a paper to compostable alternative. Harumph. And blech.

I was so angry, and was going to fight the decision at the next meeting. However, at the time I was asked by my husband to please let the issue drop. He loves and supports me and my causes — and puts up with my composting, my insane recycling and my commitment to buying local and organic — but he didn’t want me to get a bad reputation at the club. He didn’t want his wife to become known as the rabble-rouser. (Which is sort of a joke since everyone knows who I am and what I do since I wear my heart and issues on my sleeve.) So I dropped it.

Now, however, as more research comes out about the environmental and human dangers of Styrofoam, and the more I see those Styrofoam clamshells getting thrown away, the angrier I get. Just the process exasperates me. Someone orders a food item. It gets poured into the container and sits in it for maybe ten minutes max. And then that big, white Styrofoam container gets tossed into the garbage forever. Yes, FOREVER. No chance of recycling. No chance of reusing. No chance of biodegrading. How is that right?

As The Daily Green points out there are plenty of cities like Portland, San Francisco and Freeport, Maine that have banned the nasty stuff, and plenty more like Chicago and Edmonds, Wash. have it on their to-do lists. Why shouldn’t we, as a beach community do the same? So despite my promise to my husband to keep my mouth shut, I just can’t do it anymore. I’m going to my next member meeting with printed materials to hand out and a single question: Isn’t our environment worth a quarter? I think it is, especially since there are plenty of great renewable and compostable alternatives out there. If and when I can help get the change made, I’m going to move onto my local politicians and ask them the same questions. To me, it’s pretty clear: Long Island should be taking a page from cities like Portland and San Francisco and banning Styrofoam here, too.

Does your town have a plastic or Styrofoam ban in place? Are they considering one? How do you feel about the subject? BTW: NaturalAsPossibleMom.com has a Facebook page. Come check it out!

I brought her along last Friday to her sister’s sick visit. While we were there I decided to stick her on the scale. It read about the same as it did two months ago when I got chastised for her poor weight gain. Then I stuck her under the measuring stick. Uh-oh. She was about the same size. Drat.

We have a well visit today so I decided that I would spend the week tracking her food intake and making sure she was getting the recommended 1,000 to 1,400 calories a day. Surprise, surprise! She wasn’t. Once I figured that out I became a strict food task master. Little Girl was going to eat. And a lot.

I went to the supermarket with a goal: Find healthy, calorie-rich items to add to Little Girl’s diet. I found cottage cheese with pineapple, rice pudding, Stonyfield Farm’s Yogurt Meals (yogurt with fruit and veggies mixed right in), and whole wheat bagels that I could slather with plenty of full-fat cream cheese. And I also renewed my commitment to get her to drink at least 16 ounces of whole milk, which adds a whopping 320 calories to her daily total. And so the fattening up began.

It’s been a tough week. I hate writing down everything my little one eats. I hate worrying that she’s not getting enough sustenance. Yesterday, though, she ate 1,400 calories. The biggest help has been strapping her into her high chair. For a while she kept begging to sit in a real chair like her big sister. But the real chair was too easy for her. It was a distraction, and I often ended up chasing her around the house — she’s so fast and headstrong. Now, she sits and eats and doesn’t get up. And as much as she likes to tell me, “I do it, Mommy. I do it,” I am the one feeding her. Yes, she can hold her own spoon and fork, but I’m right there shoveling it in in between her baby bites, laughing and pretending to feed her baby.

The sickest part of this is something my husband pointed out to me. Yes, my kid wasn’t eating enough, but if she was eating the equivalent amount of a typical toddler’s diet she’d probably be gaining. Three ounces of strawberries has far fewer calories than three ounces of McDonald’s french fries. Also, the Mighty Bites she eats for breakfast don’t have the same number of calories, for example, as Cinnamon Toast Crunch. One cup of Mighty Bites is 100 calories. There are 130 calories in 3/4 of a cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The Trader Joe’s frozen waffles she likes have 100 calories. Eggo waffles, filled with artificial flavors have 190 calories. How much does that SUCK? My kid isn’t gaining weight like the rest of the world because I don’t feed her crap. So unfair.

I wouldn’t change our diet, though, so now there’s nothing else to do but keep our fingers crossed. The doctor appointment is only 45 minutes away. Let’s see if our efforts will be rewarded with a few ticks of the scale.

This post is my participation in Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Fridays — two awesome campaigns to get people eating real food again. Would love to hear any tips you might have to help keep kids focused on eating. What super-yummy, high calorie foods can you suggest? I’d like to know.

I was way more careful with my big girl. I never used food as a reward. Hugs and kisses, yes. A cup of yogurt or a bite or two of ice cream — never. I understood the dangers, of course. Still do. Equating food with anything other than nutrition starts a child down a slippery slope that ends with obesity or an eating disorder, according to researchers and child psychologists. It connects food to emotion. It places too much importance on food. And it definitely makes it harder to get the kid to do the desired behavior without food being involved.

I’m doing it, though, because she’s too thin, according to my doctor. Regular readers will remember that last month we had that whole well visit scare where the doctor told me that my little girl didn’t gain any weight and that she needed to see at least a pound gain by the next well visit. I’ve been trying to get her to eat more, but it’s hard. She doesn’t like to stay still for very long. Why take the time to stop and eat when there are so many more interesting things you could be doing? So I started offering bribes. “Please eat your potatoes? If you eat your potatoes I’ll give you a cup of yogurt.” And she’d eat the potatoes.

I know I need to stop. I know it. Kids should want to eat their scrambled eggs with mozzarella omelets without the need for a strawberry or banana chaser. They should welcome a sunflower butter and jelly sandwich even if there’s no cookie for dessert. But I’m afraid to stop — at least until June 30th when we have our next well visit. And then? I have a feeling going cold turkey is going to hurt her — and me. Sigh

This post links me into Real Food Wednesdays, a real food movement taking place across the Web. Check out some of my fellow bloggers by clicking through.

Not much selection -- and slim pickings -- at my church's food pantry.

As many of you know, I belong to an amazing community-supported agriculture program called the Golden Earthworm Farm. This year, in fact, I am a drop-off location, which means my house is the place where 19 people come to get their just-picked organic veggies. While the price is pretty reasonable — about $20 per week — it’s still an expense, so you’d think that everyone would come and collect their boxes of swiss chard, baby bok choi and escarole. That’s not the case, though. For whatever reason people sometimes don’t come, which means for the past two weeks I have been left with big boxes of perishable veggies sitting in my garage.

Maggie, one of the farmers, told me this might happen when I agreed to be a drop-off location. People go away, they get stuck at work, they just forget, she said. She told me she didn’t want the food to go to waste so I should donate the leftovers to a worthy charity. I was so excited. I knew my church’s food bank is always in need of donations. All food banks, actually, are in dire need of food — fresh produce especially.

According to a recent Feeding America study –Hunger in America 2010 — more than 37 million people receive emergency assistance from book banks across the U.S. These are not homeless people. They are people who work hard, pay their taxes but just can’t get by. Food banks get by on donations from corporate America and from regular folks like us, but with the recession and the swelling ranks of those who are utilizing the service, the cupboards are getting bare. My local pantry is no different.

When I walked into the church this morning I was stunned to see how many people were filling up bags. It looked like the supermarket on a Saturday morning. Mostly elderly people, but there was one woman who was about my age. When she saw me dropping off food she hung her head down and turned around so I couldn’t see her face. I could tell she was embarrassed to be there. I felt terrible. I wanted to walk over, put my arms around her, give her a hug and tell her that I understood. That I know that anyone at any time can go from living well to living day-to-day. An illness. A job loss. A divorce. Any of the above can hobble anyone. She certainly has nothing to be ashamed of. I walked out thinking good thoughts for her and for everyone else who will have something to eat thanks to that food bank and others like it.

I also felt happy that I — through the Golden Earthworm Farm — was able to help. I am thrilled that at least some of those folks will have a salad or turnips or escarole with their cans of soup and tuna and boxes of pasta and stuffing. (OMG — think of all the BPA these folks must be taking in!). I hated the fact that, before I got there, there was no meat or fruit or leafy greens. No sweets, either, which is why I ran home and shopped in my own pantry. (I brought over some organic muffin mixes, sunflower seed butter, bread mix and other items I wouldn’t miss.)

And so, since I know so many of my readers are blessed, I ask you this: Do you know where your local food pantry is? Do you have food in your home that you know you won’t miss? Did you buy a big bag of apples, for example? Or is your garden already overflowing? If you answered yes, how about making someone’s day and giving back? You will be all the richer for your service. I guarantee it.

This post links me into Real Food Wednesdays, a real food movement taking place across the Web. Check out some of my fellow bloggers by clicking through.

Researchers analyzed 84 hours of television on the big four networks — ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. According to researchers, if someone selected only foods advertised on TV during that time they would end up eating 25 times — yes twenty-five times! — the recommended servings of sugars and 20 times the recommended servings of fat. Oh, and less than half the recommended servings of veggies, dairy and fruit. And the same diet would also be missing 12 nutrients that we need to stay healthy: iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamin E, magnesium, copper, potassium, pantothenic acid, fiber, and vitamin D.

From the study release: “The results of this study suggest the foods advertised on television tend to oversupply nutrients associated with chronic illness (eg, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium) and undersupply nutrients that help protect against illness (eg, fiber, vitamins A, E, and D, calcium, and potassium),” according to lead investigator Michael Mink, PhD, Assistant Professor and MPH Program Coordinator, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, GA.

The most important part of this study was that the researchers included Saturday morning cartoon time (8 to 11 a.m.) in their sample. This is significant because kids are highly susceptible. They want what they see, especially if a cute cartoon character or catchy slogan is telling them they want it. And there was lots of food advertising during that time period.

My daughter — my big girl — an I have been discussing TV ads since she could talk. She understands why yogurt with pictures of Dora on it is probably unhealthy. She understands that advertisers are smart, and expect people to be stupid. She gets that we need to be smarter than they want us to be. And it’s probably no surprise that none of the stuff we buy is advertised on TV. Except for my husband’s occasionally party beer. How about you and your kids (if you have them)? Do you get that, too?

Next time you go shopping take the time to think about why you’re buying something. Have you read the label? Is it good for you? Is there a lesser-known and probably healthier option? And if you have kids: Do they really like what you’re buying or do they like what it stands for? Could you, maybe just once, pick an alternative and try it out?

I just re-read the above paragraph. Yes, it sounds a little judgmental, but I am weary today. Our entire southern coast is being assaulted by a brand. BP is a master of advertising deception with its new “green” logo and its environmental stewardship commercials. I’m just sick of being lied to, and I want other people to feel the same way, I guess.

How do you shop? Does brand or advertising matter? I’d like to know. Oh, and this post is part of Fight Back Fridays, a real food movement that’s great fun to be a part of. Check out the other participants here.

She was clammy and grimy and grainy. A mixture of dirt and sweat and grass and humidity that you can only build up over a long day with friends. The kids had played chase, climbed stuff, spent time on the swings, rode their bikes, eaten candy and ice cream and slid down slides. I smiled at her as I remembered all the summer nights I ended up looking and feeling the way she looked and felt, but then I told her the first thing she was going to do when we got home was take a shower. Could it wait until tomorrow, she wanted to know? Nope, I told her. She needed a shower and it was happening tonight.

We left soon after giving our friends with hugs and kisses. (And I’m not a huggy or kissy person but I make exceptions for this group.) We all agreed we had a great time. The kids, especially had a truly, truly amazing time. How do I know that? I’ll tell you. In the car we asked my big girl what her favorite part of the day was — the bike riding, the ice cream sundaes, the show they put on? Her answer: “The best part of today was seeing all my friends.” And the best part of my day? Hearing my daughter say that.

Can’t believe the long weekend is almost over. What are you up to?

Yes, Keira is a tall baby to begin with. She’s always hugged the 95th percentile when it comes to her weight. The tiny gain she made in height put her at the 90th percentile mark, so it’s not like she’s in any danger. Her weight is another story, though. She has always been in the 50th percentile for weight. Her sister has always been about the same ratio. I grow ‘em long and healthy/lean, and I credit that to genetics and a diet heavy on real food and light on processed foods. Still, with the scale stuck at 25 pounds, 4 ounces, Keira has dropped from the 50th to the 25th percentile. She’s skinny now, and it shows. The doctor is worried, which makes me worry, too.

During the visit, our doctor quizzed me about Keira’s diet. I explained that she has always been a good eater, but lately she’s resisting dinner. Instead of chowing down, she’s more often than not crying and begging for her sleep sack and blankie. At the same time she hasn’t slowed down at all. She’s always been VERY high energy, and as she edges towards two she’s only getting faster and more active. In fact, I’d even put it out there that Keira is the fastest, most active baby I’ve ever met. She is in perpetual motion from the moment she wakes up — singing and jumping — until the moment she gives into her tiredness and drifts off to sleep laughing and proclaiming herself, “Funny.”

I explained all this — her level of activity and recent distaste for dinner — and the doctor gave us a few suggestions. She wants us to try shakes in the evenings. She also suggested ice cream or other high-fat foods during her last meal to help boost the number of calories Keira takes in so the scale and tape measure start moving in the right direction again.

For my part I am also trying to feed her earlier. We used to eat at 6:30. Now I am trying to have food on the table by 6 so she can go to sleep at 7 like she wants to. (And no, it’s not always happening, but I am trying.) I’m changing the food she eats during the day, too. If I make eggs, like I did yesterday for lunch, I sprinkle in a little whole milk mozzarella. She loves it. Bagels and toast have cream cheese on them now. We’ve switched from low-fat yogurt to whole milk yogurt. I’m giving her a cup of milk in the morning and putting milk in her cereal, too. I’ve started putting butter in her sweet potatoes. (I’m a purist, so I never bothered with condiments for potatoes, etc.) In terms of serving order, I offer her protein and veggies first, then carbs, then fruit. This kid could live on fruit, but unfortunately as healthy as strawberries are they’re not exactly stellar when it comes to calorie load. And yes, she’s getting a little vanilla ice cream after dinner.

We don’t use scales here in the house — me, my husband, the big girl — so I am resisting the urge to put her on the scale to check our progress. I will say that she’s definitely eating better during dinner. We go back to the doctor in June. I’ll let you know how she does.

What’s your favorite high-calorie healthy food? Have any great-yet-healthy meal suggestions? I’m open to anything at this point.

We were sitting at the table eating dinner yesterday. It was a nice dinner. I baked sweet potatoes. We had broccoli and rolls, too. Everyone got to pick their protein from leftovers: hamburgers, turkey burgers, grilled chicken or uncured, organic chicken hotdogs. Everyone was calm and eating. And then Katelyn dropped that bombshell on me.

A little background: I work. A lot. Often late into the night sitting in a single chair, so I do try and make a 7 p.m. spin class a few nights a week. When that happens I get dinner for the girls and run out around 6:35. (Get there late and you don’t get a bike. Even if you’ve paid for your spot.) I don’t eat because I find it’s difficult to spin on a full stomach. On those nights I come home and pick. A bowl of cereal, some pierogies, a sandwich — whatever happens to be around.

Katelyn’s words stung because I didn’t realize how carefully she is watching me. I am her mother. I get that. But it’s scary to see how much she sees and, even worse, the fact that she’s trying to process it all on her own. I was really glad she asked me that. Really glad. I gave her a big smile and told her that of course I ate when I got home. That after spinning my body needed fuel and that I would fall over if I didn’t eat something. (This is true. That class makes me hungry.)

Then I was quiet for a minute and told Chris that tomorrow — today, that is — and from now on we’d make sure we eat at 6 p.m. so we could sit as a family. If I don’t want my daughter to inherit the crappy relationship with food I have to make sure she interacts with it differently. And if that means I go to spin class with a half-full stomach so be it.

Do you eat dinner as a family? If so, do you think it benefits you?

Belonging to a CSA is sort of like going on a treasure hunt. You never know what you’re going to find. CSAs work like this: You pay a set amount at the beginning of the growing season. Our season on Long Island is 26 weeks long; the annual cost of the CSA is $550. (I’ll do the math for you. It’s about $21 per week.) Then, once crops start coming in you go to a local pickup spot with your own reusable bags and get your veggies and fruit — whatever is ripening that particular week.

You get a lot for your $21. Boxes, even in the spring, are overflowing. Lettuce is usually plentiful. Potatoes and kale are, too. My CSA plants about 45 varieties of vegetables along with an assortment of herbs. Some of the veggies are common — cucumbers, broccoli, spinach (yum, nothing like baby spinach fresh from the fields), tomatoes, and carrots. Some are, to be honest, not something I would ever think of buying. Celeriac, Chinese broccoli, fennel, the aforementioned kale, kohlrabi, and swiss chard. But these veggies old and new really help us eat better. I feel bad wasting anything, so I am always looking for new ways to cook up these items. Katelyn, who usually comes with me to pick them up, loves seeing vegetables in their natural state, and she, like her mommy, loves the way real, fresh produce tastes.

A lot of my friends tell me their kids won’t eat veggies. They ask me how I get my kids to chow down on salad and spinach and — their favorite — broccoli. I always tell them that I exposed the kids at a very early age to many tastes and textures. So now when Katelyn says she doesn’t like summer squash, I can accept that because I know it’s not because it’s a vegetable. It’s because she truly doesn’t like the taste. A CSA, I think, gives kids more of a chance because they are constantly seeing new vegetables appear on the table in plentiful portions.

If you’re interested in joining your own CSA, check out Local Harvest, a directory of U.S.-based farms. Can’t afford $21 per week? Do what I did: split a CSA share with a friend. I shared my share last year and still found myself giving away food towards the end of the week. After all, there are only so many kale chips (baked in the oven with a touch of oil and salt) that you can eat!

I’m writing this post as part of Real Food Wednesdays. Check out the other 50-plus bloggers who are supporting the real food movement by reading some of their posts.

Anyway, last night I told her that aside from the fact that I didn’t like to see her possibly hungry at school, I don’t like wasting food. So from now on she’s going to pick her snacks. I’ll pack them, but she’s got to pick. This morning she picked raisins, popcorn, and two vanilla cookies. She told me she wants cantaloupe and strawberries as options. I need to go to the store. But she also said she needs more choices. Okay, that I can do. A while back I put out a call for healthy snack suggestions. I got a bunch of ideas. Here are some of the ones we’ve tried and liked. (And some that we’ve eaten for a while.)

FruitaBu: When I was little I got to eat Fruit Rollups. Here’s the problem with them: They have a lot of added sugar. A lot. And other chemicals, too, like Red 40, Yellows 5 and 6, and Acetylated Mono and Diglycerides. FruitaBu is the same thing (you can even get the roll up kind) but the only ingredients are fruit. And more fruit. And they are really yummy.

Funky Monkey Snacks. When I was little I loved dried fruit. Our options were limited: dried apples, bananas, and apricots. Funky Monkey is an update to the dried fruit snack. There are seven flavors — banana and cinnamon, for example, or pineapple and guava. The nice part: no added sugar, no colors, just plain old dried and yummy fruit.

Healthy Handfuls. We get these at WholeFoods. So yummy. Cookies and crackers that are organic and free of chemicals and junk. Love the Lemon Vanilla cookies. Just love them.

Panda Licorice. I can’t keep these in the house. They are so yummy that I eat them. But the fact that I can buy candy for Katelyn that isn’t filled with artificial colors or chemicals is pretty nice.

There are more, of course, but these are the ones we’ve tried lately and liked. Are there any great snack foods you’ve been packing into your kid’s lunch box? I’m always looking for suggestions.