The Naptime Chef

Today I want to share how I keep a “green” kitchen. I’ll admit that I’ve only gotten really good about using natural, non-toxic cleaners in recent years. When I was first married I happily scrubbed surfaces with thick pastes and sprayed aerosol cans of toxic chemicals all over the place to “freshen up the air.” Then I started reading the horrible reports about air quality in homes. Each one cited that household cleaners contain thousands of toxins that are potentially harmful to children, pets, and just about anyone. I freaked out! Ever since I’ve been experimenting with natural cleaners and trying to the find the best ones to keep our house clean and safe, as well as smelling excellent.

For a while I mixed my own cleaning solutions by combining vinegar, lemon, baking soda, and water. They worked pretty well but my husband complained they made the house smell like salad dressing. He wanted back in on the aerosol cans! I begged him to hold off repurchasing the old nasty cleaners and set about experimenting with all of the natural ones I could find. After much experimentation, and plenty of disappointment, we landed on the products below. They meet all of our criteria including being green, effective at cleaning up after two children, and pleasant smelling. Now I just keep them on a list at Vine.com and with one simple click they are on our doorstep whenever I need to refresh our stock!

Method All-Purpose Cleaner with Ginger ($3.99): This is probably the most important product in our kitchen. I use it several times a day to wipe down counter tops and kitchen surfaces. It always cleans up the toughest messes. Plus it smells great without being overpowering.

Seventh Generation Dish Liquid in Lemongrass & Clementine ($4.99): I clean A LOT of dirty dishes every day and this soap is the best for getting the job done. Plus, it doesn’t dry out my hands and it makes the sink smell like a bowl of oranges.

Cotton Dish Clothes ($15.99 for 3): I try to steer clear of using too many paper towels. Instead I stock my drawers with pretty cotton dish clothes to use with our cleaners and wash them after use.

Method Smarty Dish ($5.99): Finding a good green dish detergent was hard. Our dishes get dirty and crusty and I need a tough soap that can handle them. I love these cool tabs because they are truly as effective as any of the commercial detergents out there and are so easy to pop in the dishwasher!

Yes To Cucumber Facial Towelettes ($6.17): Two kids means a lot of mess at meal time. I use these all natural moist wipes to get the hard food crust off their faces (and sometimes hands and torsos!) They are lightly scented and are delicate enough for baby skin.

Mrs. Meyer’s Liquid Hand Soap ($4.99): We wash our hands a ton between cooking and having a new baby in the house. This awesome hand soap smells delicious and gets off all the gross stuff without cracking our cuticles.

Vie Luxe Eco Candle ($39.00): Instead of spraying disinfectants I like to light a pretty candle to freshen up the kitchen after a long day of cooking and kids. This eco-friendly candle gives off a calming mild clean scent.

Caldrea Powdered Scrub ($8.99): This awesome scrub is the best for getting gritting food stains off counter-tops and in sinks. We love the delicate lavender scent that makes the kitchen smell like a summer garden.

Dr. Hauschka Hand Cream ($27.19): This winter has been really tough on our hands. We are constantly washing them before touching the baby. This hand cream totally keeps our skin soft and moisturized. And I never worry about touching my son after using it since it is non-toxic.

Today my friends at Vine.com are offering a 20% discount* on all first orders to Naptime Chef readers. Just use the code NAPTIME20 at checkout!

*Fine print: 20% off your first order on Vine.com.  Cannot be combined with other Vine new buyer discounts. Max discount $20. Expires 12/31/2013. Excludes Sales & Closeouts, Argington, Baby K’Tan, Bloom, Britax, Bumbleride, bumGenius, Dandelion, ERGObaby, Haba, Lambs & Ivy, Naturepedic, Oeuf, Orbit Baby, OXO, Spot on Square, Stokke.

Grocery shopping takes twice as long with two children. Before baby brother arrived my daughter and I had our grocery visits down to a science. Grab a cart, circle the store with our list, and would be in and out of the store in a heartbeat. Now we are much more scattered. Not only do I have to take my daughter by the hand but I also strap a baby to my chest as we peruse the aisles. This added weight slows me down considerably. Then there is the laborious process of getting everyone in and out of car seats as well as unloading the actual groceries and getting them into the house. So, when Blue Apron Meal Delivery contacted me about trying out their grocery service I jumped at the chance to skip the store and have the food delivered straight to our kitchen!

Blue Apron Meal Delivery is an ingredient delivery service that delivers the measured out ingredients for three delicious meals right to your doorstep. Each box of food contains recipes with detailed step by step instructions for making your gourmet meal at home. You can also choose which kind of food you want to receive based on your dietary preference. Since I am concentrating on healthy eating to lose the baby weight I chose the vegetarian box.

My test box of food arrived packed neatly in cold packs with the recipes on top. It contained all of the ingredients and recipes (with step by step photographs!) for Beet & Barley Risotto with Goat Cheese, Potato-Chickpea Stew with Garam Masala & Lemon, and Eggplant Parmesan with Chia. Though I struggle with the taste of beets, the rest of the food sounded amazing and it was such a time saver to have all the necessary ingredients completely measured out!

The first thing I made was the Stew. It was healthy and hearty and made so easy by the fresh ingredients in the box. Then I went to make the Eggplant Parmesan and my husband and daughter asked for it with pasta. So, instead of making the traditional version on the recipe card I decided to make an inside out Eggplant Parmesan sauce. I roasted the eggplant, stirred it into some warm marinara sauce, and served it with small pieces of the fresh mozzarella over hot noodles. The meal was a hit and the lesson I quickly learned was that although Blue Apron meals come with pre-measured ingredients for specific recipes, you can easily improvise and make what you like.

While I don’t think I”ll be signing up for this delivery service for the long term I was very pleased with my testing. The ingredients were delivered fresh and on time. The recipes were straight forward. The results were delicious. I also loved how each recipe came with an explanation on how healthy each dish was. Always a bonus when feeding an active family! This service is perfect for a busy family who wants to get more into home cooking but needs cut out the grocery shopping time in order to make it happen. It would also make a nice gift to a new parent or elderly person who can’t make it to the grocery store easily.

I am psyched to today Blue Apron Meal Delivery is offering readers 30% off your first box if you join by following this link: Click here for 30% off your first order. Enjoy!

This week we had yet another cold snap. While I did my best to envision warmer temperatures via tropical-inspired fish dishes, I had to face the fact that I wanted something warm and hearty. More like a comforting pasta than a light fish taco. So, I decided to make this easy risotto with Sea Cuisine Mediterranean Salmon. Most people don’t consider risotto an easy weeknight meal but I beg to disagree. With this simple technique you stir the risotto slowly – easily done with a baby on one shoulder – then top it with freshly baked salmon before serving.

Today I am thrilled to share an article and recipe from my friend Catherine McCord of Weelicious. As you might remember, earlier this year I chatted with Catherine about her new cookbook and shared a recipe for her awesome Baked Ziti. Her next book all about school lunches is coming out this summer (yay!) and I can’t wait to get a copy. It is perfect timing for me since my daughter starts kindergarten next fall.  I’ll be sure to alert you when it hits shelves! In the mean time, check out these amazing muffins that are completely allergy friendly and great for kids and adults alike.

Sunflower Butter Bran Muffins by Catherine McCord

Today I am thrilled to be offering up a Whole Foods Market Gift Card as a giveaway. The reason? I recently had the pleasure of enjoying their new Whole Foods Organic Frozen meals and I think you all need to go out and try some yourself. I usually don’t buy tons of frozen foods, but I am not opposed to a shortcut here and there. I love the general Whole Foods philosophy of cooking with real ingredients so if I do take shortcuts it is usually from that store. Of course, there is no better time for a shortcut then with a new baby in the house. It made perfect sense to give some of their easy to prepare frozen meals a try this month. Here is what we tried and liked:

This week I am continuing my seafood cook-a-long for Sea Cuisine with this easy coconut tilapia dish that is a perfect weeknight meal. I cooked this over the weekend in a fit of desperation. Will winter ever end? Will it ever be warm enough to wear shorts again?! Is it possible to look so pale that I closely resemble Wednesday Adams?? Harkening back to last year’s trip to Thailand I decided to pair Sea Cuisine’s delicious Coconut Crusted Tilapia with fragrant jasmine rice, coconut and greens. While I wouldn’t consider this Thai cuisine, it is definitely Thai-inspired.

I will admit, I was a tad skeptical when I received a T-Fal Actifry machine in the mail in December. I am not a fan of deep frying, especially since I am now concentrating on losing the baby weight. However, the claim of the Actifry was intriguing. Could this machine really make ALL the dishes in the book while using minimal amounts of oil to keep them on the healthy side?  Why was Oprah telling the world that that machine changed her life when she is not a paid spokesperson? I always thought machines like this were strictly for making donuts and french fries – delicious, but most unhealthy. Curious, I put the machine to the test last weekend.