An Offer Just for Healthy, Green & Frugal Readers: Free Shipping at Hanna's Dream

Here's an EXCLUSIVE offer just for Healthy, Green & Frugal readers!

Use the code FREEHGF to receive free shipping at Hanna's Dream, an e-store that offers unique, affordable organic clothing for children. There are a few woman's items as well. The offer is good until February 28. Check out the Outlet and Clearance section for the best prices. There were some really cute shorts for as little as $8.60. Some of the little dresses are absolutely adorable!

Click HERE to see my previous post about Hanna's Dream and my personal experience doing business with them. In a nutshell, I think Hanna's Dream is an earth-friendly company that provides good customer service and offers really cute clothes that are great quality and a good value for the money. The tag line says is well: "wear happy, be happy, earth happy".

15% Off at Staples

Click HERE for a 15% off coupon at Staples. Expires January 31, 2010. Thanks to my Mom for this coupon.

Food, Inc. $9.99 at Amazon

Click HERE to purchase Food, Inc. on Amazon for only $9.99 (offer expires January 29, 2010). This is a great price for this fascinating and important documentary about where our food comes from and how it is negatively impacting consumer health and the environment.

Michael Polan, the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and contributor to Food, Inc. was on Oprah today. I haven't watched it yet, but I have it recorded. My friend said it was "awesome". Can't wait!

If you don't get a chance to watch Oprah, click HERE to view some clips and information online. Also, click HERE to check out a great interview with Michael Polan on The Daily Show.

By the way, if you've been racking up Swagbucks you may be able to get your DVD for free! It takes 45 Swagbucks to get one $5 Amazon gift card.

Good Deals on Steaz Organic Drinks

I posted a few weeks back about how to get a free sample of Steaz drinks. Since then, I've tried the teas and sparkling green tea beverages. They are both delicious! I especially love the peach flavored ice tea. It's a great alternative to traditional sodas. The drinks are brewed fresh with sustainably-sourced, fair trade organic green tea and sweetened with stevia. They contain no sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Here are some coupons and deals you can get on Steaz:

• Click HERE to go to the Steaz website for a FREE sample
• Click HERE to go to the Steaz Teas website and click on the "free coupons" link to access a BOGO (buy one get one free) coupon. It's a PDF file, so you can print it as many times as you want! The teas are $1 at Target, so with the coupon they are 50 cents.
• I also found four-packs of the sparkling green tea at Big Lots for only $2.50! Click HERE for a coupon for 20% off at Big Lots (expires January 31). Thanks to The Thrifty Mama.

Steaz products are available at Target, Whole Foods, Big Lots, and some Publix stores.

20% Off at Big Lots

Click HERE for a coupon for 20% off at Big Lots (expires January 31). Thanks to The Thrifty Mama.

$1-Off Kraft Cheese

Click HERE for a $1-off coupon for Kraft Cheese. Don't forget you can print it twice.

There are also a number of other Kraft coupons HERE, including Planter's Nuts and Kraft Parmesan Cheese.

The Cancer-Fighting Cauliflower

Click HERE for an interesting article about the cancer-fighting properties of cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. It's important to note that you get the most benefit when they are eaten raw.

I got a lovely little organic cauliflower with my Sweetwater harvest the other day. In hindsight, I wish I had eaten it raw to get the full cancer-fighting benefits. However, I made this very delicious cauliflower n' cheese. It's a much healthier alternative to mac n' cheese. I actually prefer the taste and texture of the cauliflower to pasta. Here's how I made it:

1) lightly steam the cauliflower
2) in a saucepan, melt a few teaspoons of butter, cheese and milk
3) pour the sauce over the steamed cauliflower and put in the oven until golden brown

Click HERE for a $1-off coupon for Kraft cheese.

Unique, Affordable Organic Kid's Clothes

I just received the nicest gift for my boys from my dear friend who always knows the best places to buy organic and green products. It was a set of organic t-shirts from Hanna's Dream, an e-store that offers unique, affordable organic clothing for children. The shirts are very nice quality - very thick and soft, vibrant colors, and an adorable quilted raccoon design on the front.

I think the website is worth checking out, and here's why:

• While the clothes are still priced higher than I would typically pay, they are definitely more "affordable" than most other organic clothing stores out there.
• You certainly get your money's worth in terms of originality, quality, and eco-friendliness. If you value quality over quantity, Hanna's Dream is a good resource.
  
• There is an "outlet" page with great discounts.
• There is also a "gently used" section. This not only saves money, but is a great way to recycle clothing.
  
• The customer service has been great so far. The owner, Diana, emailed me back promptly when I asked about exchanges. She was also very reasonable about shipping costs when I needed to make an exchange.
  

Here is a picture of my little raccoons wearing their new organic shirts!

33%-Off Coupon at Borders

Get 33% off any one item at Borders. Click HERE for an in-store coupon or use promo code BJT7138P on-line. Expires February 1, 2010.

Free Bagel at Einstein Brothers

Click HERE for a FREE bagel at Einstein Brothers. If you have not already become a fan on their Facebook page, become one now and click on the "Free Bagel" tab. Old and new fans alike get to enjoy the deal! Expires January 31.

Tropicana Juicy Rewards Coming Soon

Tropicana will soon be launching a rewards program called Juicy Rewards. You can use codes from specially-marked Tropicana products to save on activities like massages, water parks, golf, museums, and more.

Hmmm.....I think I'd rather get free orange juice, but I'm willing to give it a try. I buy a lot of Tropicana orange juice anyway.

The numbers are already appearing on the products, so hang on to them. Enter your email address on the Tropicana website, and they will notify you when the program is up and running.

Make Your Car a No Phone Zone

People who text while driving are six times more likely to get into an accident, and people who talk on the phone while driving are four times more likely, according to study published in Human Factors in December 2009. Click HERE to view the complete study.

Monday's Oprah show about the dangerous mix of cell phones and cars really inspired me to stop talking on the phone in the car. I rarely text anyway, so that's thankfully one habit I don't have to kick. Click HERE to view the full episode.

Is your car a no phone zone? Take the poll in the right-hand column of this page.

Free Chobani Yogurt at Publix

Chobani yogurt is on Advantage Buy at Publix for $1 each. If you combine the 2-for-3 coupon found HERE with two of the $1-off coupons from the newspaper on December 13, you can get three 6-ounce cups for FREE!

I find that it pays to have two sets of the Sunday paper coupons, especially when it comes to BOGO (buy one get one free) sales, since you can use a coupon for each of the items. It's also nice to have extra coupons for stocking up on especially good sales. Although this Chobani deal is kind of unusual, it was great that I had two coupons!

My goal is to find a way to get my hands on the coupons without having to actually buy the entire Sunday paper. I would love to save the subscription fee. Even more importantly, I'd love to stop wasting all that newspaper!

Any suggestions?

Get Rid of Fleas Without Dangerous Pesticides

If you are trying to get rid of fleas, but you don't want to use dangerous pesticides, consider using Borax. It's cheap and safe enough to use around pets and children. Click HERE for instructions.

We have used this method a few times over the years and it works great. Sometimes you have to repeat the process two or three times and vacuum more frequently than usual. I've also read that Borax can help with roaches and ants.

Remember, anything that kills insects will also present a certain amount of risk to people and the environment. Click HERE for information provided by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) about the toxicity and environmental effects of Borax.

Is Stoneyfield Rewards Worth the Trouble?

There are a lot of rewards programs out there that really aren't worth the hassle. However, I'd say that the Stoneyfield Rewards Program provides a decent payoff, especially if you buy organic yogurt products regularly.

Since my last post about the Stoneyfield Rewards Program in October, I've racked up 50 points just making my normal yogurt purchases. I redeemed 25 points for a free 32-ounce yogurt. A coupon for the yogurt came in the mail within a couple weeks.

My biggest complaint about the program is that the codes are very difficult to read. It usually takes me two or three tries to get the code entered into my account. Also, I noticed today that the list of rewards have dwindled a bit. I hope that my preferred reward (a 32-ounce yogurt) makes its way back eventually.

If you are saving your lids for the codes, consider mailing in four of them to get a free reusable yogurt cup. Details are on the lids of the 32-ounce yogurts.

By the way, the Stoneyfield Rewards Program ends on March 10, 2010.

Dirty Dozen & Clean 15

Let's face it - it's just not frugal to buy only organic produce. However, if you are selective about which organic produce you purchase, you can still effectively minimize your exposure to dangerous pesticides without breaking the bank.

Click HERE for a free Shopper's Guide to Pesticides created by the Environmental Working Group. The guide will help you to decide when to splurge on organic, and when conventional is not so bad.

You can print the list out and keep it in your wallet or download it to your iPhone (how eco-friendly).

Flannel Sheets $13.98 at Target

Some Target stores have a lot of sheets on clearance, including the Home Flannel Sheets priced at $13.98 (regular price $19.99). We bought these sheets several weeks back and they have been so warm and cozy during this chilly winter. They are 100% cotton and they have held up very nicely through several washes. I like them so much, I went back to get a matching set for my boys!

Britax Regent $159 Shipped

You can get the the Britax Regent for only $159 with no shipping at Hip Monkey and Albee Baby. This is a great price (I paid close to $300 for mine two years ago).

The Britax Regent should be the last carseat you will need to buy for your child since it holds a child up to 80 pounds. There is a picture of a 10-year-old child in the seat on the Hip Monkey website.

Although I've been tempted to go with the cheaper booster seats for my oldest son, this video (made by the parents of a 3-year-old who died in a car accident) helps reinforce why its good to keep your child in a five-point-harness as long as possible.

Sweetwater Harvest: Transition to Winter Crops

Here is a picture of my most recent share of produce from Sweetwater Organic Community Farm. Our pick-up included: several types of lettuce (including butterleaf, red romaine, magenta leaf, and arugala), joi choi pac choi, carrots, kale, eggplant, tomatoes, kohlrabi, cabbage, radishes, beets, and curly endive.

I made a hearty vegetable soup using the kale, cabbage, and carrots. We have also enjoyed fried curly endive. It's better than french fries! However, it's a little bit too oily, and I wonder how many nutrients remain in the endive after the frying process. We will also enjoy another week of the best salads I've ever eaten. The arugala and radishes are so delicious! They are like none I've ever had before.

According to the weekly email we receive from the Farm Manager at Sweetwater, we have fully transitioned into winter crops. That means no more salad greens, eggplant, or tomatoes. I really appreciate these weekly emails. They contain a list of the produce they expect to harvest, which makes it easier to plan ahead. I also learn some interesting tid bits about organic gardening. For example, here is an excerpt from last week's email:

"Our next planting of carrots is ready to harvest and should give us sweet tasting 'Nelson' carrots for about a month. First we start by harvesting the baby carrots in bunches as a way of thinning the rows. This gives the remaining carrots space to size up, later on we will harvest in bulk without the tops."

The Sweetwater website also contains a forum for swapping recipes, but there are very few posts on it. I would love to see them send weekly emails with recipes and information about some of the more unusual produce. In the meantime, I've been having fun researching things online and sharing recipes with friends.

Click HERE for my previous posts about Sweetwater. Click HERE to find CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in your area.