If you’ve read our Super Healthy Super Bowl suggestions, you’ll see that we are big fans of popchips!

They’re definitely a different type of chip.  Neither baked nor fried, they apply pressure, and pop it’s a chip! Plus they’re all natural with half the fat of fried potato chips, trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol. They have five crunchy flavors (I love their salt and pepper flavor the best!).  You can find them pretty easily at Whole Foods Market, Target and Jamba Juice, and many other stores (check out their website for locations near you).

To learn more, watch their Super Bowl video.

Have a Super Healthy Super Bowl and I hope your team wins!

–Stephanie, KIWI staff and football lover

Want to throw a great Super Bowl bash this weekend while keeping your family, your guests, and your planet all happy and healthy? Try some of KIWI’s tips:

• If you’re like us, you’re not a #1 fan of the paper plates and plastic cups that often pop up at parties. Keep trash to a minimum at your get-together by opting for reusable or recyclable dinnerware and flatware.

• Keep your party low-impact by offering some easy vegetarian options. Instead of the usual hummus and veggie tray, try something unexpected, like our Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pita Pizzas.

• To keep nervous tummies satisfied, serve natural and organic snacks like popchips and Coleman Organic Buffalo Chicken Wings.

• Don’t forget to recycle. Set up several recycling bins for your guests so that glass, plastic and paper can be separated as per your local recycling program.

Be sure to enter our Super Healthy Super Bowl Party and win eco sports equipment & snacks.

Enjoy watching the game, stellar commercials and the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band halftime show!

– Stephanie, KIWI staff and lover of sports

Your baby can stay warm in the cold with this adorable 100% organic cotton baby cap. Sold individually or in sets, it makes a naturally wonderful gift. Cute and comfy, these caps are a must have. For only $6 your baby can rock this hat in natural or brown. Receive 20% off when you type KIWI20 at checkout! Get it now at Wee BE Organic Baby Cap.

– Brittany, KIWI intern and green enthusiast

It can be hard to find stuff to do in the winter. You and your family have probably exhausted your stash of games, puzzles, books, and movies, and oftentimes its just too cold to go outside and play. Instead of letting yourselves get stir-crazy, try organizing an indoor family Olympics.

While the games could probably be held in the basement or another room where the furniture can be temporarily re-arranged, why not go all out? Get together with the neighborhood parents and contact your local elementary school to see if its possible to book the gymnasium for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Form family teams and get creative—pick names, choose matching uniforms, and create a special, secret handshake.

Holding a variety of events will ensure that everyone can show off his or her particular strength. Try a three-legged race, free-throw contest, volleyball game, or hula hoop competition, for instance. Have a medal ceremony after the games end, then feed your Olympic appetites with some fresh-baked cookies.

Marygrace Stergakos, KIWI Intern and lover of international competitions

Across the U.S. (43 states and 500 people, to be exact), peanut butter products are being checked due to a possible salmonella outbreak. Over 165 products have been recalled (a number that grows as you read this), and families all over are reading labels extra carefully as they shop.

So how do you avoid a potentially sticky situation?

First, don’t panic! Not all peanut butter products have been contaminated. The experts at the FDA and Centers for Disease Control have determined that the outbreak originated from one manufacturer, the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which has a plant in Blakely, Georgia. The good news? PCA doesn’t sell directly to consumers, so your jars of plain peanut butter should be fine. But products made with the peanut paste produced from PCA are at risk, including cookies, crackers, cereals, ice cream, candies, and pet foods. Major companies such as Keebler, Clif Bars, Trader Joe’s and Wegman’s have all been affected by product recalls.

To find out if your favorite foods are on the suspect list, search the FDA’s list of recalled products. If you’re not sure about a certain product, the FDA recommends you omit it from your family’s diet for the time being.

–Sara Sugar, KIWI intern

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

This is the Year of the Ox. You can join the festivities with our Lucky Money Eco-Craft. All you need to get started is:

Red recycled construction paper
Nontoxic markers or soybean crayons
Scissors
Nontoxic glue
Ruler

Don’t forget to read how Maylee celebrates Chinese New Year in her column, Maylee’s Moment. Her class always throws a party in their classroom. What do you do for Chinese New Year?

Enjoy!

–Stephanie, KIWI staff and lover of Chinese New Year

We’ve all heard over and over that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You want your kids to start their day off with a healthy, nutritious breakfast…everyday. But are they? One of the best ways to guarantee that your kids are eating a balanced breakfast is to eat it with them. Let’s call this our mid-January New Year’s Resolution. How many times a week can you eat breakfast with you kids? Our breakfast recipes can help you. Enjoy!

––Stephanie Singer, KIWI staff and lover of breakfast

I started volunteering at MANNA, a Philadelphia-based meal preparation and delivery service for people with life-threatening illness, over the holidays. For each three-hour shift, I chopped vegetables, sliced bagels, and stirred cake batters—a pretty fun and relaxing form of “work,” in my opinion at least.

I could probably write a couple of pages on what I love about this non-profit organization, but my favorite thing about MANNA is that they understand the true nourishing power of real food. With the goal being to provide their immunocompromised clients with as much nutrition as possible, MANNA prepares all of their meals from scratch for food that is healthy as well as delicious.

While the holidays are a popular time to volunteer, just as much help is needed after they’ve passed. So the next time you and your family are cooped in the house with some free time this winter, consider donating some of time to a local organization. Your hard work will be appreciated!

Marygrace Stergakos, KIWI intern and avid volunteer

By now, we’re all plenty familiar with the fact that many types of reusable, plastic bottles are unsafe-full of toxic phthalates and BPAs, drinking from these bottles can do serious harm to your body. Imagine, then, the impact such chemicals could potentially have on babies that drink from plastic bottles on a regular basis. With smaller bodies and rapidly developing systems, they’re left extra vulnerable to these dangers.

Enter Green to Grow’s collection of non-toxic bottles and nipples. Their BPA- and phthalate-free bottles ($9.99-$10.99) are made from 100% recyclable PES, an alternative plastic that’s safe for babies and the environment. Contrary to traditional, rubber counterparts, their nipples are made from heat-resistant silicone without any harmful nitrosamines ($5.49). And if Green to Grow hasn’t already made your life a little easier by providing a sound piece of mind, their products are completely dishwasher safe. Talk about milking a good thing!

Visit greentogrow.com for more.

This morning I woke up with a sense of hope. Today is the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. The first African-American President of the United States. I get chills just writing this. I called my Mom to say good morning and see how she was going to spend the inauguration. She said that she already started. For breakfast, her and my dad ate cereal with milk and blueberries and strawberries. This was her way to show her patriotism: red, white and blue breakfast.

Today, millions and millions of people all across the world are tuning in to the historic ceremony. My mom is DVRing it. I am watching on my computer at work. My boyfriend is listening on the radio. My friends are in DC trying to inch their way up to catch a glimpse of the action. Where are you watching?

Take some time today to reflect with your family.

Tonight? It’s all about the Green Ball.

According to the ball’s organizers, every facet of the Green Ball was designed to minimize environmental impact. Among the various green elements of the ball Treehugger reports:

1. The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium was selected as the venue for this event because it is conveniently located just a half a block from Metro and guests were encouraged to take advantage of public transportation

2. Buffets included organic and local ingredients with vegetarian and vegan options

3. The bars served local and organic beverages and all bottles were recycled

4. All of the food waste from The Green Ball was composted at a local farm

5. Staff and VIPs were transported to the Ball in electric cars

6. All ticket sales were handled on-line to eliminate paper waste

7. The power used to produce the event was offset by the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits from American Wind, Renewable Choice Energy’s signature portfolio

8. Our own Graham Hill said he was impressed that guests did not receive gift bags, which often create unnecessary waste

Well I may not be celebrating with Wyclef Jean or Al Gore, but that fact that there even is a green ball puts a smile on my face!

–Stephanie Singer, KIWI staff and lover of families

Black History Month is a time to acknowledge the many African Americans who have made valuable contributions to our country. This year is exceptionally significant: February 12 marks the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, and an inaugural ball on January 20 will commemorate the election of Barack Obama as the first African American president of the United States.

This February, make an effort with your family to learn about groundbreaking African Americans. Check out a book from your local library, such as Follow the Drinking Gourd, by Jeanette Winter (preschool-grade 2); Journey to Freedom: A Story of the Underground Railroad, by Courtni C. Wright (grades 3-5); or a classic like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin for older readers. Visit KIWI’s Bookworms Book Club for more of our favorite Black History Month reads and reviews. Taking time with your kids to reflect upon the victories and sacrifices of others can lead to greater global unity.

–Marygrace Stergakos, KIWI intern and avid book collector

January 19 is the day this year that we celebrate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.;  a man who changed the world. Who knows where we would be without this hero who put his life on the line so that people would  “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”?

I wonder if Dr. King’s parents, while he was growing up, ever realized how great their son would be. What did Alberta and Martin Luther King, Sr. do to create such an incredible child? What values, what inspiration did they give him? Did they know that he would improve the lives of countless people and change the face of our world? Did Barack Obama’s mother know as she held her beautiful baby in her arms that he would someday become President; that the hope of a nation would rest on her angel’s shoulders? Do any of us know what greatness lies in our children?

As parents, we all think our children are special. We love them with a biased heart.  However, the lesson of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama is that our children truly are the future of the world. This realization makes our job even more critical—raising our children with a social and environmental conscious can actually make a difference.

Let’s take these next few amazing days, the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States, to see that the potential is there for our children to make the world a better place. We are raising the next scientists, politicians, philanthropists, explorers, nutrition experts, artists, computer geniuses and more.

So, as you kiss your children goodnight on the 19th, on this crossover between two historical days, feel the power that is yours and theirs.  Infused with love and wrapped in your commitment, anything is possible.

—Maxine Wolf, CEO & Publisher, KIWI Magazine

Peanut butter and jelly. Cookies and milk. Some things just go together, winter and chapped lips being another classic pair that can be added to the list. Instead of reaching for a tube of the iconic (and petroleum-laden) Cherry Chapstick we all wore in middle school, soothe your lips naturally with one of these eco-friendly picks.

-Lip balm by Pangea Organics is rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids in a range of sophisticated scents like Pyranees lavender with cardamom and Egyptian fennel with grapefruit and sweet orange. Fellow KIWI blogger Stephanie loves Italian red mandarin with rose.

-Available in tins (for which I can personally vouch last forever), organic Badger Balm does double-duty by working in dry skin, too.

-A popular favorite, Burt’s Bees offers lip balms that heal and moisturize. I love the warm clove scent of their medicated variety, as well as the subtle pink tint left by a swipe of the replenishing balm.

Marygrace Stergakos, KIWI intern and avid lip balm collector

When it comes to food, we recommend eating organic. That being said, the realities of life don’t always allow us to be 100% organic. So when you have to give up something, where should you start? According to the Daily Green, here is a list of 10 fruits and vegetables that’s you don’t necessarily have to buy organic (all the time). Why don’t these need to be grown organically? Well, most of the following “face fewer threats from pests such as insects or disease, so fewer pesticides need to be used OR have thick skins that protect the fruit from pesticide build-up.”

1. Asparagus
2. Avocado
3. Bananas
4. Broccoli
5. Clean Cabbage
6. Kiwi
7. Mango
8. Onions
9. Papaya
10. Pineapple

–Stephanie, KIWI staff and lover of families

To some, the downturn in the economy is seen as a barrier to celebrating green. To us, it’s an opportunity.

We admit that we’re a couple of glass half-full-ers, but we think that if you’re concerned about your bills and how-in-the-heck you’re going to plan an eco-considerate party for your soon-to-be eight-year old, it’s the perfect time to try frugality on for size. After all, your great grandmother probably did it and so did her friends. And the truth is, living simply is at the core of “going green.”

Whether the upcoming celebration is Valentine’s Day or a birthday, this year, instead of doing what you’ve always done, why not try to stage it without spending a penny? Or replace gifts with activities? Or let your true love know you long for a poem he’s written himself?

You may just find that hard times give rise to great times.

– Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.NET

In case you haven’t noticed, cold and flu season is upon us. My daughter awoke two days before Christmas with a runny nose and hard, wet cough. Saddened by the outlook of being sick for this much-anticipated holiday, she inquired, “don’t you have something to fix it?” Fortunately, as both a mother and a Naturopathic doctor, I have many tricks up my sleeve. Administered during the onset of a cold, the right herbal medicines can significantly reduce the cold’s symptoms as well as duration.

The million dollar question? What are those herbs and how do I get them? First, keep in mind is that similar to items like cars, food, appliances, or clothing, not all herbal products are created equal. As far as supplements go, if the product seems especially cheap, there is usually a reason behind this. An exceptionally low price usually signifies poor quality raw materials, and perhaps less integrity in the final product, suggesting a lowered efficacy. While you don’t necessarily need to purchase the most expensive herbal product you can find, you should investigate the company at hand and explore their manufacturing practice. Do they grow and harvest their own products? Do they import their raw material from China? Do they use organic herbs? Do they fill their capsule with unnecessary binders and fillers (this is usually the case with cheaper products, resulting in a lowered medicinal potency.)

That being said, what can you take for cold and flu symptoms actually works, and how much? For adults or kids over twelve who can swallow a capsule, try Gaia Herbs Quick Defense, a combination of high potency echinacea, elderberry, ginger, and andrographis that will rapidly diminish symptoms (Try two capsules five times per day for three days.) For kids, Gaia’s Composition Essence will do the trick. This great tasting liquid formula can be taken in water or juice at a dose of 30-60 drops three times daily.

For those of you who find yourself struggling throughout the entire cold and flu season, catching everything that comes your way, try Gaia’s Whole Body Defense, which works to strengthen the body’s immune system, in turn preventing sickness. (Try two capsules twice a day.) Finally, try to keep stress levels at a minimum by eating healthfully and getting enough sleep, as well as drinking plenty of water!

Keri Marshall, MS, ND.

Here are Sierra Club’s recommendations for 2009 of books addressing a particular aspect of environmentalism. See new and soon-to-be-published books that give good advice about living green:

• David Suzuki’s Green Guide
• Getting Green Done: Hard Truths from the Front Lines of the Sustainability Revolution
• Earth Talk: Expert Answers to Everyday Questions About the Environment
• What Would You Do If You Ran the World? Everyday Ideas from Women Who Want to Make the World a Better Place

For the full article, click here

– Stephanie, KIWI staff and lover of families

Wouldn’t it be great if once the holidays ended, we could move immediately to spring? Unfortunately, the majority of the country will still be digging out from snow and bracing chilly winter winds for the next few months. One common winter-weather danger is slides and falls from icy sidewalks, making it especially important to clear the slippery stuff. It’s important to make sure, that your de-icing products are safe, as traditional de-icers have the potential to harm your pets and their little paws.

The most important thing to do is remove snow promptly with snow and ice chippers, but life often gets in the way, leaving such tasks by the wayside. Let’s be realistic: If ice does build up, there are some great, natural de-icers that won’t harm the grass, shrubs, or most importantly, your children and pets.

Be wary of de-icers that claim to be pet friendly, as this label isn’t always true. Instead of spreading chemicals on your sidewalks and driveways, try a natural solution, like alfalfa meal. The nitrogen in alfalfa facilitates ice melting, as well as provides traction while the ice is melting.

Although you can control what chemicals are used on your own property, your animals will likely come in contact with de-icers used throughout your community. According to Dr. Albert Nunez, a holistic Florida veterinarian, “Sodium chloride, which is a common ingredient in de-icers, can kill grass and shrubs, but it can also hurt your pets if ingested in large quantities. In addition to the risk of upsetting your pets’ stomachs, this ingredient can also irritate their paws. Calcium chloride, potassium chloride and magnesium chloride will also have the same effect. If you suspect that your animal has been poisoned, call your vet immediately.”

Dr. Nunez goes on to say, “If your pets do come in contact with de-icers, make sure to wipe off their paws to limit the potential of their paws becoming irritated and also limit the potential of ingestion when they clean their paws. You can also use sesame oil or other natural oils on your pets’ paws to help alleviate the dryness and cracking that can result from the salt used to melt ice.”

-Beth Swanson

Have you ever watched Grocery Store Wars? This is a cool video you can watch with your kids and learn (in a creative way) about healthy eating. Enjoy!