Welcome to Green Diva Mom, your home for living green, inside and out. More than just a community of moms, Green Diva Mom is for moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings—anyone who cares about raising healthy children and healthy living on all levels, from what we put into the environment down to what we put in our own bodies. Check back daily for information, news, tips product reviews and recipes for leading a healthy life without sacrificing style.

ⓒ Janet Harriett

This hearty vegan soup comes together in less than 20 minutes, and prewashed bagged kale makes this super-quick dinner even quicker. Add a loaf of crusty whole grain bread, and you’ve got a light, filling meal fast. As a soy-free alternative to the tofu, use 2 cups precooked (one can, rinsed and drained) garbanzo beans.

Unlike many soups, this one does not hold up well to long simmering times or reheating as leftovers the next day. The flavor will be fine, but the kale turns that unappetizing shade of greenish-brown characteristic of overcooked leafy greens. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - gbrundin

A new analysis by the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University pegs the cost of foodborne illnesses at $152 billion (with a B) a year. To put that in perspective, the study calculates that the financial impact of bad food in a year is more than the combined proposed 2010 budgets for the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services ($78.7 billion), Agriculture ($26 billion) and Homeland Security ($42.7 billion). The estimate includes direct expenses of medical care and payments from health insurers as well as the indirect costs ranging from missed work to premature death.

While we may not have much control over what germs and viruses are on our food when we get it, some simple food safety tips can keep your family from being a foodborne illness statistic. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Gary Stolz/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

In March, Wildlife Wednesday takes a look at snakes.

If you’ve seen one wild snake, chances are it’s a garter snake, the most common reptile in North America, Their prevalence is largely because they aren’t picky about what they eat or where they live. As a rule, if a garter snake can catch and swallow it, a garter snake will eat it. They live in fields, roadsides, yards, vacant lots and ditches as far north as Alaska. If there’s a place to bask in the sun to absorb solar heat, a garter snake probably lives there. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - lisegagne

With spring comes spring cleaning. Banish winter’s stale mustiness with simple cleaners that are so nontoxic you could cook with them.

Hot Water

Water goes a long way toward a clean home. Steam cleans and sanitizes hard surfaces, though avoid using steam on wood floors, wood furniture or laminate. However, you don’t need a fancy steam cleaner to get the benefits of steam cleaning in a kitchen or bath. Simply boil a pot of water and pour a small amount carefully on your stove, countertops, sink and bathtub. Let sit for a minute for the hot water to soften the accumulated gunk, then wipe clean. For vertical surfaces, carefully dip a cleaning cloth in hot, not boiling, water and scrub away. Watch to ensure that you don’t burn your fingers. Clean crusty burner pans by soaking them in a sink full of very hot water. Hot water and a microfiber mop make short work of tile and linoleum floors, too. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - ivanastar

Leafy greens are a nutritional powerhouse, and an essential element of green smoothies and blended salads. Leafy greens are also a rising source of foodborne illness, particularly since they are often consumed raw. To get the most nutrition with the least worry, consider planting some of these easy leafy greens in your garden. Some are even pretty enough for a spot in the front yard. Most greens are cold tolerant, so you can plant the seeds directly in the ground as soon as you can work the soil in spring.

Leafy greens tolerate more shade than many garden vegetables, though they still need at least 4-6 hours of good direct sunlight a day for optimal growth. Though the plants are grown for their leaves, they will produce flowers and seeds, in an effort to propagate the species. Once a plant sends up a flower stalk, a process called bolting and easily recognizable by a rounder stem growing from the middle of the plant, the leaves become bitter and aren’t much use as a table vegetable anymore. Because leafy greens bolt but are more cold-tolerant than other vegetables like squash and tomatoes, they are usually grown as both spring and fall crops, with one planting as soon as the soil thaws in early spring and another in mid to late summer for a fall harvest as the days cool again. Here are six healthy, pretty and easy-to-grow greens to grow in your home garden or tuck in the flower beds to fill out the spring foliage. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - monkeybusinessimages

Physical activity is an integral part of overall wellness, but if you haven’t been making time for exercise, starting a fitness regimen can seem overwhelming. While going from a more sedentary lifestyle to regular exercise is a major lifestyle change, taking the change in small steps can help ensure a successful long-term change.

The first part of any lifestyle change, when you’re developing habits, is the hardest. The good news is that, if you can stick to something for 3-4 weeks, the habit is very likely to stick. The 30-day incremental plan for developing an exercise habit relies heavily on preparing yourself physically and mentally for a lifestyle change, then sticking with a commitment. (continue reading…)