Don’t feel like making dinner tonight—and don’t feel like getting takeout, either? Tonight I made dinner for two with fifteen cents’ worth of macaroni and some key ingredients from my garden. (Let’s conveniently forget the two-hundred-something dollars I spent on gardening supplies last spring and assume that that the tomatoes and basil were free.)

 Macaroni and Tomatoes for Two

4 oz. small macaroni
two ripe tomatoes, chopped (I used one red and one golden tomato)
a handful of basil, chopped
one clove of garlic, minced
salt
olive oil (a couple tablespoons)

1. Make the macaroni according to package directions.
2. Chop everything up and put it in a cereal bowl.
3. When the macaroni is cooked, drain it and mix it with the sauce. Then divide into two bowls (one of which was used to hold the sauce). Top with parmesan if desired, and enjoy your 7.5 cent dinner!

Note: Okay, I just realized I didn’t calculate the cost of two tablespoons of olive oil and a clove of garlic. If someone can do the math for me, I’ll add that to my total expenses.

This post is a part of Works for Me Wednesday. For more WFMW ideas, head on over to We are THAT Family.

Many of my fellow gardeners (including Rebecca) are up to their elbows in beautiful ruby red tomatoes.  Tragically, the deer snacked on our plants over the summer so we’re just enjoying the bounty we inherit from friends.  Still, it’s great to have some September recipes for enjoying these juicy treats while they’re fresh.  Here’s one of my favorites.  Please post yours so that we can enjoy our home-grown delights in the next few weeks.

Caprese Salad

• ½ pound fresh (packed in liquid) mozzarella cheese, cut in thick slices
• 2 large sliced tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil

Simply alternate mozzarella slices and tomatoes on a platter.  Top with cut basil, salt and pepper and then drizzle with olive oil.

I LOVE this salad because it’s so simple, healthy and full of flavor.  We hope to get more fresh garden recipes from all of you!

We’re passionate about cloth diapering here at Greenbabyguide.com, but we haven’t taken an official stand on fasteners.  Some of our readers swear by Velcro for its ease and adjustability. Others declare their fervent love for snaps.  What have you found to be better for your tot?

Despite my best intentions, I now have a picky eater on my hands. When Audrey first started solids, she’d eat almost anything. I could put kale, broccoli, zucchini, beans, or almost anything into her daily oatmeal. When I was trying to fatten her up, I was adding olive oil, brown rice powder, and other things to her porridge, and she didn’t seem to mind at all.

Fast forward to 2009: Audrey is three and a half and surviving on just a few boring foods. Depressed by this thought, I decided to make a list of everything she will eat to help me make her dinners and lunches. (I really wish I had the kind of child who just ate what we ate for dinner. Alas, this is not happening. She is already so skinny that I feel like I have to offer her foods she does like, even if it means preparing separate meals.)

So here’s what Audrey will eat:

Somewhat substantial food:

Quesadillas
black beans, refried beans, garbanzo beans
rice
pizza
spaghetti with marinara sauce
peanut butter and jam sandwiches
cheese sticks or “cheese shreds” (grated cheese)
rice and bean dishes at Cuban, Indian, and Mexican restaurants
noodle dishes at Asian restaurants
eggs and veggie bacon

Other food:

pickles
almost all fruit
chips and salsa
pancakes, waffles, and most other bready items
potatoes
carrot sticks

I think that about covers the extent of my daughter’s diet. Those of you who have more adventurous eaters, what are your secrets? If you’ve successfully transformed a picky eater into a good eater, I’m all ears! What are your tips for getting little kids to try new things?

We all know breastfeeding is best for baby, mom and the planet, but what happens when mom goes back to work and baby decides not to take those bottles full of expressed milk?   Today my baby went ten hours without eating just because she would NOT accept any form of bottle at any temperature from anyone.  We’ve tried while she’s asleep, while happy, while she’s incredibly hungry and the result is the same. My stay-at-home husband is desperate for a solution that will make her happy and end the hours of screaming.  Any ideas?  We need all the help we can get!

For the past twelve weeks I’ve watched calories, joined Baby Boot Camp (an outdoor exercise class for a postpartum workout), and have breastfed this hungry baby of mine every two hours.  I’ve lost four measly pounds from my post-birth weight.  While part of me just wants to throw up my hands and cry into my steel cut oats, the other part of me realizes that patience is key.

Some of us shed weight easily while breastfeeding but apparently twenty percent of us have bodies that actually hold onto pounds while nursing.  I must fit into that lucky fraction because it seems that weight loss was actually easier before I had the baby.  How can that be?

Now that I’m back to work, there’s less time to dedicate to eating right and exercising. But being thrifty and green, my weight loss regime will consist of smaller portions of natural foods and lots of outdoor walks with my baby.  I hope that combining those habits with a bit of patience will help me back into a healthy body.

Do you have any great weight loss tips to contribute?  I’d love to hear them!

You may have already read my post on making a dashing doll dress out of a frazzled old sock. My creative endeavors did not stop there: I went on to make a doll house out of a cardboard box and an Ikea catalogue.

My daughter and I spend one Saturday morning cutting up little chairs, beds, and even whole rooms out of the catalogue, then pasting them inside the box. We even found an outdoor scene to glue onto the outside of the box so that the dolls would be able to entertain outdoors. Audrey actually does play with the box, too, setting her little dolls inside and creating stories for them.

So if you want a little project that requires no new materials and almost no crafty skills at all, give this a try!

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, head on over to We are THAT Family.

I’ve extolled the virtues of home remedies for diaper rash, but when we were gifted with a tub of Angel Baby Bottom Balm I thought I’d give it a whirl and report back.

Before I ever cracked it open, I was impressed that the first two ingredients are olive oil (which we’ve recommended before as a homemade solution for diaper rash) and calendula oil.  It’s also loaded with essential oils, shea butter and jojoba.

The cream has a heavenly lavender smell, a smooth consistency and good coverage, which makes the diaper changing experience just a bit more pleasant. Located right here in my home state of Oregon, Earth Mama, Angel Baby Organics is a small company that specializes in natural products for mothers and infants.

I also love that the company makes Earth Mama Bottom Balm for recovering mothers. Since many of us had to deal with episiotomies, hemorrhoids and other delightful post partum injuries, it’s nice to know there’s a natural option.

But are either of these products worth the price? It depends on how much your little one is struggling with diaper rash or how much you need some soothing care after your labor.  It seems a bit pricey at ten bucks an ounce, but it may be worth it to you depending on your circumstances.

Have any of you tried natural diaper creams or creams for post partum moms?  What would you recommend?  Thanks for your thoughts!

From an environmental perspective co-sleeping has clear benefits since it eliminates the need for a crib or bassinet, but it doesn’t work for everyone.  Have you welcomed baby into your bed or opted to tuck your bambino into a separate sleeping spot? What are the advantages of your sleeping arrangement?

My mom told me to Google “green baby” because I would be amazed at the first image that would appear on my computer screen. My own daughter’s goofy baby face is one of the first image results to pop up:

But another interesting picture caught my eye. Introducing the green baby lamp:

Read all about this glowing green baby lamp here. But is it green-as-in-eco-friendly or just green-as-in-eerily-hued? Here’s hoping it’s made of postconsumer recycled plastic and lit with a compact fluorescent light bulb.