I’m happy to say that I’ve had the easiest pregnancy known to womankind.  With the exception of a complete lack of motivation to blog and an ever-expanding belly, it’s been business as usual for me as I get ready to say hello to our girl.

I’ll be going semi-dark here for about two months for some family bonding time. I won’t be writing, but I’ll be reposting the photo-a-day journal that I recently started and tweeting (look to the right!) occasionally.

And if you’re interested in a blast from the past… here are the top 5 most popular blog posts ’round these parts:

1. Vegan Jello Shots

2. Upsidedown Tomatoes

3. Charlie Brown Christmas Squash

4. Easy Vegan Chocolate Fondue

5. Steel Cut Oats - Cheap, Tasty, Pain in the Neck

My little sister and I are in pretty different stages in life.  She’s a carefree college gal and I’m an preggo business woman.  Even still, being of the same flesh and blood, we’ve got some sisterly obsessions - like eating at Pinkberry,  watching Heroes on Hulu, and reading Real Simple magazine.

Imagine our delight when this month’s Real Simple had a huge article on alternative household cleaning methods.

Sachi: Whoa! You know you can polish tarnished silver with toothpaste?!

Me: Yeah, I read that.  I wonder if it actually works.

Sachi: Do you have any toothpaste? The white pasty kind?

Me: Upstairs we’ve got some Tom’s of Maine stuff that we never use.

Sachi raced upstairs to get the toothpaste while I fished around for the most tarnished silver candlesticks known to humankind.

Just minutes later, she started rubbing a toothpaste smeared cloth against the sticks… and I’ll be damned if the silver didn’t start shining like the day I got it.  All she had to do was shine it up with the toothpaste and then rinse with water. We were both tickled pink… she got that strange sort of satisfaction that comes with polishing silver. And I got to sit my pregnant bum down on a chair and watch the miracle of minty fresh green cleaning while chatting with one of my favorite people.  Not a bad way to pass the time.

Episode 9: Pesticides, plants, and steals…

Greater risk of birth defects when conceiving during high pesticide season. Another reason to go organic.

The Sunset Garden Book Plant Finder is now online! Search the database of 2500 plants … super convenient and paper free.

E-pal Jasmin dishes on Green Baby Bargains.

I’m already a green cleaner (see window cleaner & carpet stains).  But a little over a month ago we moved into a townhouse and a few of our amenities got upgraded.

A. Glass shower doors

B. Hardwood floor

The day we moved in, our landlady said, “I have a little housewarming gift for you!” and handed us a window squeegee. “I got it at Ikea for 99 cents, please use it every time after you shower.” I pinned a smile on my face and thanked her kindly for the gift.

I haven’t really been a moody pregnant lady, but my blood starts to boil when anyone advises me on domestic matters.  Maybe it’s a nesting thing, but I find myself having to take deep abdominal breaths if someone dares to suggest where I should put my couch.

But, for my sweet Italian landlady, I sucked up my bubbling hormones, took the stupid thing up to our new  shower, and begrudgingly used it after every wash. And, I have to hand it to the woman… she’s a genius.  The tool works like a charm.  The glass sparkles like the day we moved in, and I haven’t cleaned it except with that blasted plastic squeegee.

Preventative measures are the greenest cleaners of them all! Hooray for the the older and wiser!

Photo by Ikea

I’ve had a small obsession with chef Ina Garten (a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa) ever since I’ve been prego.  Maybe it’s because everything she makes is delicious, or because she isn’t afraid to use a little butter, or because she looks so darn sweet and happy in all of her pictures.

I’ve slowly been making my way through every recipe in her “Barefoot Contessa Family Style” cookbook. Each delish recipe serves 6-8 which is just about perfect becuase I can spontaneously invite people over or have plenty of leftovers the next day.

This weekend I made her Roasted Vegetables and served them with sauteed cod, and the next day turned the leftover Veggies into her Roasted Vegetable Soup with Brioche Croutons which we ate with a goat cheese and roasted bell pepper panini.  Here are all three of Ina’s recipes on the food network website (I used purple potatoes instead of sweet potatoes to cut down on sweetness, and vegetable stock instead of chicken stock for the soup… also double the roasted veggies if you want to use them for two meals).  My easy and basic recipes are below.

Sauteed Cod

-Thin cod fillets (cod is a once a week fish for pregnant gals)

-Salt

-Pepper

-Tablespoon of Chopped Thyme

-Olive oil and or butter

-Lemon

Wash cod and pat dry. Salt and pepper both sides.  Salt with a heavy hand since cod essentially tastes like nothing (pregos, most fancy salts are not iodized, check to see if yours is and if not, make sure you’re getting enough iodine elsewhere… or switch to iodized table salt… your thyroid will thank you).  Heat olive oil or butter or a combination of both (enough to coat the pan) on medium high.  Toss the cod in and sautee for a a couple minutes.  Flip and sprinkle with chopped thyme. Continue sauteeing for a few minutes until flaky.  Squeeze a half a lemon on each piece and serve.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Bell Pepper Panini - served on day 2 with the soup

-Your choice of bread, I’ve been big on Rudy’s Organic Whole Wheat

-Jarred organic roasted bell peppers (bell peppers harbor a bum load of pesticides, always choose organic)

-Goat cheese (pasteurized if you’re prego)

-Olive oil

Place bell peppers and a thin layer of goat cheese inside the sandwich. Brush outside with olive oil and throw in the panini maker until warm on the inside and crispy on the outside. Or if you don’t have a panini maker you can carefully make them in a pan… that goat cheese doesn’t get very sticky though, so flip gently to avoid a mess.

Photo by The Food Network

I got a nice little mention over at Treehugger today in the post, “7 Hot CEOs and Their Cool Green Companies.”

I was in good company… the other seven included my eco-bud David Anderson (who I’m pretty sure owes me a cocktail) from Green Options.  As well as Eric Hudson from Preserve, who I’ve never met, but I enjoy using his toothbrush two or three times day.  Swing on over and checkout the other peeps mentioned.

Need a few V-day ideas?  Check out my latest “Don’t Get Mad, Get Active” piece at Whole Life Times for a couple good, easy on the earth, romance suggestions.

Because I am totally the expert on romance…. Really, my V-Day plans this year are going to be seriously hot and heavy.  “Hot” as in steam cleaning my carpet with my in-laws, and “heavy” as in watching movers and my hub carry all of the stuff out of our old apartment and into our new abode.

Despite the scheduling conflict, I definitely feel the love that we’ll have some family help during our move. And I do have a little something planned to show the love in return.  This week I’ll be collecting a bunch of Fair Trade Chocolates for a fun family choco-tasting on the 14th in our new home.  At the top of my list are these delish looking truffles above by Theo. Will report back on what choclolate the fam hearts the most. Yum!

Episode 8: Careful what you bite into…

NYC lady bites a bus driver because the bus wasn’t a hybrid. Ummm, wow.

High fructose corn syrup (a highly processed sweetener which can be labeled as ‘natural’ on products) contains mercury.  Yes, the FDA had known since 2005. No, they didn’t do anything about it.  Via Green Fertility. Also check out GreenLAGirl’s rundown.

This rainbow cake is rad, and very dangerous for my current baked goods cravings. Next step… figuring out how to make it delicious, beautiful, and organic.

Tags: baking, mercury, public transportation

The bottled water industry drives me batty.  The other day, I got a very excited email from the PR people at Evian. Their newest marketing scheme? If you can’t afford designer clothing during the recession, buy designer water to accessorize your outfit. For a mere $13.95 + $5.50 shipping, you can purchase one bottle of water.

Don’t get me wrong, I buy designer clothing (especially when it’s eco), and I can appreciate Gaultier’s work (loved the costume design on the movie The Fifth Element), but this is LA LA Land ridiculous.

Take the 13.95 + 5.50 and invest in a cute stainless steel reusable water bottle.  Heck, buy two! One silver and one gold to match the accessories you’re wearing that day.

A little name change and a new look!

A round of applause to my talented designer Mark Waggoner of Gillen’s Army for whipping my blog into shape with a few tweaks and a sweet new header. Thanks Mark! (PS this guy is also no eco-slouch: hybrid car, low food chain diet, and water wise landscaping at his home in Austin, TX).

Everything else will stay about the same, plus a little more info on greening my bambino-to-be.