Five a day isn't enough, in my opinion, but this is the most official-looking logo I could find.

I’m hardly a weight loss guru (and that’s not what this blog is about), but I did recently have an epiphany of sorts that I’d like to share with anyone who may be battling with the scale and counting calories. First, a little confessional background:

After my first child was born, I was lucky enough to lose the baby weight fairly quickly. And then I kept going, watching the numbers on the scale drop with growing enthusiasm. I got into the habit of weighing myself every day, sometimes more than once to see how an hour of exercise or careful calorie restriction affected my weight. I’ll stop short of saying I had an eating disorder, but I think I was getting uncomfortably close.

I realize now that a large part of what drove this behavior was my need to assert some sort of control in my dramatically changed life. I found something that I could maintain dominion over from one day to the next, and that made me feel really good about myself – not only had I achieved something, but I looked great as well! I was a hot mom…or, at the very least, a cute and trim one (I live in LA, and the bar is pretty high here). Shallow as it was, I found the power to be intoxicating and addictive.

As ridiculously lame as this sounds, maintaining/losing weight became something of a hobby for me. I was constantly doing math in my head (total number of calories consumed, number of hours until my next meal, duration of time spent on daily exercise), planning what to make for dinner, checking menus online before going out to eat to figure out what I was going to order and allot my calories accordingly.

Again, lame.

Fortunately, by the time I had my second child, I was a few years older, wiser and better read (two highly influential books for me were In Defense of Food and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle). My focus turned from calories to food quality, and specifically to my daily fruit and vegetable intake.

Needless to say, this is an immensely more gratifying approach to eating. Making sure I eat six to eight servings of unprocessed fruits and veggies a day makes me a more creative cook, and makes dining out more adventurous as well. What’s more, it renders weight maintenance pretty much a non-issue – when I’m eating mostly fresh, nutrient-packed foods, the calorie stuff tends to just work itself out. I can confidently ignore the latest diet trend and abandon the idea of trying a juice cleanse or fast. This isn’t to say I eat healthy all of the time – I treat myself to dessert almost daily, and still eat red meat and fried foods on occasion – but I know what the majority of my diet should be comprised of. And when I start to veer off course, I know exactly how to get back on track.

If you find yourself low on energy and high on weight loss anxiety, my advice is to stop counting calories and start counting fresh fruits and vegetables instead. So simple, so effective…so sane.

Our very own Han "Solo"

I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but I was inspired by a sight gag on the TV show “Raising Hope.” As soon as I saw Burt Chance walk through his self-imposed prison of Solo cups to answer the phone, I knew we had to build one at home for our almost-five-year-old son. Naturally, my first thought was of the environmental impact. As readers of this blog know, I try to avoid using disposable party items as much as possible, so we didn’t have a bunch of plastic cups lying around. But I figured that, unlike many kids’ building toys, these are 100 percent recyclable. And as long as our friends didn’t think it was too janky of us, we could always wash them in the dishwasher and use them for our next party. We hit Costco, and 12 bucks later were in the possession of 244 cups, to do with as we pleased. Talk about cheap thrills!

The Guest List

I like to cast a wide net. I believe the general rule of thumb for event attendance is to expect a 20 percent decline rate, but an exchange requires more of your guests than a typical party, and some of the people you invite may frankly be uninterested in trying on other people’s clothes (or contributing some of their own), so figure on a decline rate closer to 40 or 50 percent. That said, you should be prepared to accommodate almost everyone you invite in case you end up with a terrific turnout.

When I told my husband about the event, he pointed out that I could run into problems if the people who showed up weren’t similar in clothing size. I wasn’t concerned, nor, as it turned out, did I need to be. My friends come in all shapes and sizes, and pretty much everyone found at least one item from someone else that worked for her. Some people wear things tight, others wear them loose, particularly when it comes to articles like sweaters and tees. My advice is not to waste time worrying about clothing compatibility among your guests. The point of the event is to have fun, and as long as you present that attitude yourself, nobody is going to take the exchange over seriously.

The Invitation

Your invitation should clearly communicate what to expect from the event so that your guests come prepared, but also present it as a fun party not to be missed. Here’s how I worded my last clothing swap invite:

Clothing Swap Party and Potluck

De-clutter your closet and have a good time while you’re at it! Bring any old clothes you don’t wear anymore and food or drink to share. If you just did a drop at Goodwill and don’t have anything left to offer, come join us anyway – I have a feeling there will be plenty of clothes to go around. And really, it’s just an excuse to have a party.

I sent the invitation using the old paperless standby Evite.com. Other online (and therefore eco-friendly) mailing options include PaperlessPost.com, Pingg.com, Cocodot.com and Punchbowl.com.

The Menu

You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to serving food and drinks at your clothing exchange. I’d avoid serving a heavy meal because no one wants to try on clothes after stuffing herself. Of course, what you serve will depend on the time of day. A light brunch buffet is a nice, easy option if you’re doing it in the morning. Mid- to late-afternoon is a good between-meal time when you can get away with a few light snacks and possibly beer and/or wine. For evening swaps, I recommend starting after the dinner hour and serving wine or cocktails and a couple of sweets.

A word of warning about serving alcohol: If you or your friends are drinkers, you’ll probably serve spirits at your swap. Just be prepared to experience some “swapper’s remorse” the next day if you imbibe a little too much. I, for one, have ended up with a few items that looked a lot better on me when I was wearing my “wine goggles.” But at least it didn’t involve a hit to my wallet.

Setting Up

Think of your home as a pop-up boutique; you’ll want to make it easy for guests to display and sort through the clothing on offer. Chairs, curtain rods, clothes drying racks, pack and plays, and anything else you have on hand for draping and hanging should be put to use. A coffee or dining room table is a good place to lay out folded clothes. Make any extra hangers you have available for guests to use, and encourage them to bring their own as well.

A friend of mine had the brilliant idea to borrow an actual clothing rack to use at my last swap. She found it through the borrowing website Neighborgoods.net. To use the site, one need only fill out a brief registration form, and then search for items to borrow, as well as list items she is willing to loan out. It’s easy and free.

You’ll need one or more full-length mirrors. Again, consider borrowing or asking a guest to bring one if necessary. You should provide at least one private space for guests to try on clothes. Some people may feel comfortable changing in front of the group, so if you have an extra mirror to set up in the main gathering area, do that as well.

The last item you’ll need is sticky labels. I picked up a pack of 2” by 4” labels at Target and cut each one into five strips. Each guest got a stack of label strips to write her name on and use to tag the items she was interested in taking home.

Execution and Etiquette

Serve food and drinks for the first hour of the event. This gives everyone a chance to arrive and lay out/hang up her offerings. You may want to designate certain areas of the house for specific items of clothing, e.g. dresses and skirts in the living room, pants and tops in the dining room, etc. Once everyone has arrived and set up, take another hour or so (depending on how many guests you have and how much clothing is available) for trying on clothes. Tell each person to place her labels on the items she likes and then place them back wherever she found them.

When everyone is done trying things on, it’s up to the host to divvy up the goods. For each item with more than one sticker, you’ll need to pick a name out of a bowl or hat. Fold the stickers in half (sticky side in, so that they don’t all get stuck together), making sure the names are still legible. Any item with only one name will naturally go to that person. Unclaimed items can either go back home to the people who brought them, or you as the host can collect them all to donate to charity.

New to me.

I chose to this particular winter squash because the skin is edible, and I try to get away with not peeling vegetables whenever possible. I found a lovely acorn squash at the farmers market; a dull finish and a few spots of orange on the dark green skin meant it was ripe and ready to go. Here’s what I did to it:

Roasted acorn squash.

Ingredients:
One acorn squash
1 TBSP olive oil
Fresh sage (I didn’t have any, so I used dried thyme)
Grated parmesan (optional)
Salt to taste

1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out all of the pulp and seeds with a metal spoon. (Set them aside if you’d like to roast the seeds – instructions to follow).
2. Cut each half of the squash into slices about 3/4″ thick (it’s OK if they aren’t all perfectly even).
3. Toss the slices with olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and spread into one layer. Sprinkle with herbs and parmesan if using.
4. Roast at 425 degrees or until slices are tender and just starting to caramelize around the edges.

Now, here’s what to do with those seeds. Why let them go to waste? They’re just as tasty as pumpkin seeds, just a little smaller.

1. Separate seeds from pulp as much as possible and rinse.
2. Pat seeds dry and lay flat on a baking sheet. I use the same sheet I used for the squash, as the leftover oil and browned bits give the roasted seeds a nice flavor.
3. Roast seeds at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until they just start to turn a golden brown, checking frequently to make sure they don’t burn.

Roasted squash seeds.

Finally, I started searching the Korean markets. The roasted seaweed options were seemingly endless, and many came packaged in large sheets without the inner plastic tray. This was a little better, but I was still disappointed in the ratio of product to packaging, as each package only held a few large sheets. Eventually, I found a brand that packed 10 large sheets into one package. The brand name is Pulmuone, and it also appears to be sold under the name Wildwood Organics. This led me to do a little project to see how much better the product-to-packaging ratio is for Pulmuone than the Trader Joe’s branded seaweed snacks. Photo documentation and details are below. I know; I’m a total nerd.

Which roasted seaweed brand uses the least packaging?

One large sheet of seaweed is equal to eight of the smaller sheets. Trader Joe’s roasted seaweed snacks have about 26 small sheets per package, whereas the Pulmuone brand has 10 large sheets, which is equal to 80 of the small sheets. The outer packaging for Pulmuone has about twice as much of the foil/plastic material as one Trader Joe’s package (the TJ’s package in the photo above has been separated and laid out flat in one layer, and the Pulmuone package is still intact). Another way to look at it is TJ’s uses the same amount of outer wrap for 26 sheets as Pulmuone does for approx. 40 sheets, or about 50 percent more packaging. Also, the Pulmuone package does not include an inner plastic tray, nor does it seem to need one, as the sheets stay intact just fine without it.

My advice to roasted seaweed snack lovers is to hit your local Korean market to find Pulmuone, or any other brand that includes 10 or more large sheets per package. In the Los Angeles area, I found it at HK Market in Glendale. If you don’t live near a Korean market, consider ordering online. Happy snacking!

My arsenal.

I’ve got some great books that include recipes for making your own beauty and wellness products, including Do It Gorgeously and Making It. However, there are many recipes I’ve yet to try, mainly because I’m too lazy to acquire all of the ingredients needed. In the interest of saving time (and money), I’ve discovered that a few single-ingredient potions can work wonders. And it’s always comforting to know that my products feature no added ingredients like BPA, parabens, pthalates, sulfates, or any of the other unpronounceable chemicals that may very well be detrimental to skin and body health. Here are my favorite finds:

1. Coconut Oil – My go-to moisturizer in warm weather. It only liquefies in very warm temperatures, which makes it less user friendly during the colder months. I use it primarily on my body, but have a friend who loves it as a facial moisturizer as well. It also works great as a leave-in conditioning and scalp treatment. It feels pure and luxurious and tropical, just perfect for summer. I also use coconut oil in the kitchen for popping popcorn, baking and stir-frying. I’ve pretty much found that the coconut oil in the health and beauty aisle is identical to what’s sold in the cooking oil aisle, so my advice would be to pick up a couple of jars of whichever organic variety you can find for the least money and use it in both the bathroom and the kitchen.

2. Grapeseed Oil – Another item that’s equally comfortable in the pantry and the powder room. I replace my coconut oil with grapeseed when the weather turns cool because it keeps its liquid form in cold temperatures. It has a neutral scent, so you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil if you’d like. Grapeseed oil is often used as an ingredient in anti-aging skin care products because of its high antioxidant content. I use it to shave my legs, also; I just need to remember to clean my razor with alcohol periodically to remove the oily residue.

Word of warning about oils: When using oil as a body moisturizer, be sure to rub it in thoroughly and allow it to soak into the skin before getting dressed or sitting down on the furniture in order to prevent stains.

3. Tea Tree Oil – Thanks to its antifungal and antibacterial properties, tea tree oil can be used topically to treat a host of medical issues, including candida (yeast infections), hemorrhoids and acne. I suggest diluting it with water before applying to the more *ahem* delicate parts of the body, as it can sting a bit. If you have young children in school, you can use it as a preventative measure against head lice by rubbing it all over the scalp and leaving it on for a few minutes before shampooing as usual – just be careful not to get it in your kid’s eyes! I also recommend spot checking on a small section of skin first to confirm that your child doesn’t have an allergic reaction to the oil. I haven’t had to try this yet (knock wood!), but tea tree oil could even work as a treatment if your child already has lice. It certainly offers an appealing alternative to rubbing pesticide all over your child’s head. Here’s one woman’s account of how it worked for her family.

4. Baking Soda – You’ve probably heard of using baking soda as a household cleaner and deodorizer, but have you thought about incorporating it into your skin care routine as well? I love it as a face and body scrub. I simply add a little water to make a paste, gently rub it into the skin, and rinse it off. It leaves my complexion smooth and glowing. Yahoo! Green has 39 (yes, 39!) more ideas for what to do with baking soda here.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar – Much like baking soda, apple cider vinegar has long been touted as a safe and effective household cleaner. I’m one of those people who has a hard time getting past the odor, though, so I usually stick to pleasantly scented Method cleaning products (and an occasional homemade hydrogen peroxide rinse during cold and flu season to disinfect doorknobs, etc). I have found apple cider vinegar helps to keep a cold from turning into a sinus infection by thinning the mucous – simply add two teaspoons to a cup of water and sip throughout the day. Some claim that drinking this concoction daily can even aid with weight loss. Visit Care2.com for more ACV ideas.

I brought my raw vegan cookies (cut into star shapes and dubbed “Baby, You’RAW Star Cookies”). I was a little intimidated at first by all of the creative gourmet goodies on display. But once the swap got underway, I felt perfectly comfortable in the company of these culinary artists, especially because everyone was so friendly and generous with their offerings. The samples alone made for the best meal I’d had in weeks (roasted beet hummus, fresh-baked bread, lemon-basil pesto, chocolate-coffee shortbread…) and everyone was very kind in their comments about my raw, vegan treats, which – tasty as they are – are no match for buttery shortbread, chocolate peanut butter pie, and chunky chocolate chip cookies. At the end of the event, I had scored some of that hummus, two kinds of shortbread, homemade pickles, a s’mores kit, herb and cheese biscuits, tofu jerky and an assortment of mini muffins. Not a bad haul at all.

A good haul.

The event got me thinking about new spins on the swapping concept. I’ve already held a toy swap party for my son’s birthday party (read all about it at LA Parent), and I’ve been invited to a few clothing swaps and recently hosted one of my own – stay tuned for a dedicated post. I also host a cookie swap in December every year – it basically serves as my annual holiday party. To inspire my readers and myself to get ever more creative with the idea of trading goods, here are five swapping ideas.

1. Dinner Swap – A more guided food swap, this would involve making a lot of something and meeting up with a group of singletons, couples or families once a week (or monthly, if that’s more manageable) to share the culinary wealth. Casseroles are a natural fit for this, but pasta dishes and vegetable gratins would work great too, as long as they can either keep well for a few days in the fridge or reheat well after being frozen. Even if you only have a group of three people/families participating, that’s three fewer meals you have to think about making.

2. Homemade Beauty Product Party – You can save yourself a lot of money (not to mention concern over possibly harmful ingredients) if you make some of your own beauty and skin care products. Sophie Uliano’s Do It Gorgeously is a great resource for finding recipes – the Vitamin C Serum is my all-time favorite. Get your friends involved be agreeing ahead of time on the concoctions you want to make, and then divvying up the costs for ingredients and containers (I found a lot of what I needed on Amazon). Even better, start planning a few months ahead of time and encourage everyone to save their empty store-bought containers so they can be washed out and reused.

3. Baby Food Swap – Making your own baby food doesn’t have to be hard, but if you’re like me, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut of feeding your tot the same thing over and over again (sweet potatoes). If you know other parents with babies of roughly the same age, plan to each make a big batch of their baby’s favorite food and divvy it up at your next group play date. Again, making something that freezes well is ideal.

4. Book Swap – Rather than start a book club in which everyone is obligated to read and discuss the same book, try something a little more informal. Everyone brings books that they’ve already read and don’t want to keep on the shelf anymore – they all go into a pile (yikes, this is starting to sound more like a book burning!), and then each person sorts through and takes what looks interesting. This, like most of these ideas, is a good excuse to get together with friends – you can all have tea together (maybe incorporate a tea swap as well to diversify your selection), or beer, wine, dinner – whatever sounds like the most fun.

5. Clothing Swap – This, to me, is a no-brainer. Why spend money on newly manufactured clothing when you can reap the excess bounty of your friends’ closets instead? I also think it’s the only way to go with kids’ clothing, as they grow out of it so quickly…although, in my experience, most kids’ items are simply handed down from older to younger children, rather than exchanged, which is also wonderful. Clothing swaps for adults could pose challenges, of course, regarding size differences, hotly contested items, etc. I’ll do a more detailed post on the subject after I’ve hosted one myself so I can share what I learn. In the meantime, please comment if you have some tips of your own.

I couldn’t stop thinking about this divine dessert, so I visited Cafe Gratitude a few days later to sample a couple of their other offerings: tiramisu and chocolate coconut cream pie, both made entirely of raw, vegan ingredients and both absolutely scrumptious. I decided that – rather than blow my meager writer’s paycheck gorging myself at Cafe Gratitude every other day – I would learn how to make similar goodies at home. I spent an hour or so researching raw food recipes online (I found a lot of good stuff on The Sunny Raw Kitchen and Rawmazing) and came up with a list of recipes to try. I was delighted to find that, while my creations didn’t approach the caliber of Cafe Gratitude’s professionally made offerings, they were still awfully tasty and – most important of all – pretty easy to make. I also discovered that many raw desserts consist of essentially the same five ingredients, with a few additional items thrown in for flavor and texture. In my admittedly limited raw dessert preparation experience, those “magic five” ingredients are:

1. Medjool Dates – The go-to sweetener for raw desserts. Agave nectar also comes up frequently in recipes, but I’ve found that the dates are already so sweet, you don’t really need anything else. You can find them at your local grocery, farmers market or bulk bin mart.

2. Ground-up Nuts – You can either buy almond meal or another type of nut flour, or get nuts in pieces or whole and then grind them yourself in a food processor, coffee grinder or blender. Almond flour is commonly used in recipes, but walnuts work equally well.

3. Unsweetened Shredded Coconut – This adds a lovely flavor and texture to pie crusts and cookies. It can also be blended with water to make coconut milk, a common ingredient in pie/cake fillings and whipped “cream.”

4. Cashews – This is a common base ingredient for raw whipped “cream,” but I’ll admit I’m still having some trouble whipping the nuts to a light, fluffy consistency. Some recipes call for soaking the cashews for hours and others don’t. I’ve tried it both ways, but still end up with something lumpy (but delicious, nonetheless). Maybe I need a more powerful blender.

5. Coconut Water/Almond Milk – I keep both items on hand and alternate between the two when I need to add moisture to a batter or cream.

If you’re interested in creating truly healthy desserts with absolutely no refined sweeteners, consider this your starter shopping list. And below is a terrific starter recipe – scandalously easy and delicious.

Baby, You'RAW Star!

Raw Coco-Nutty Macaroons (This is essentially a raw interpretation of the Nutty Coconut Cookies recipe)

Ingredients:
1 cup almond meal
4 medjool dates, seeds removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 to 2 tablespoons coconut water
Pinch of cardamom (to taste)

1.  Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until well combined, adding the second tablespoon of coconut water if it seems too dry.
2. Shape dough into a ball; flatten and use a cookie cutter to make whatever shapes you wish. (If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can also just break off pieces of the dough and flatten it into cookies or roll it into balls – it will taste great no matter what form it takes.)

Stay tuned for more recipes here at Simple Fives, or visit the raw food websites I mentioned above for inspiration and have at it!

My household has pretty much gotten it down to one medium-capacity bag of trash per week – not too shabby for two adults, a kid and a baby. But there are always more ways to generate less waste. I’ve also started to turn my attention to the amount of recyclable content we put in the recycling bin every week, which is quite a lot. While it’s certainly preferable to create recyclable waste than plain old garbage, I try to keep in mind that recycling requires energy, so it’s not as “green” as my husband and I like to tell ourselves it is.

With these points in mind, here is a list of five ways to reduce household waste, both recyclable and non-:

1. Reduce your junk mail by setting your preferences at DMAChoice.org.

2. Cancel the daily newspaper. As sad as it is for me to admit, our local paper (the LA Times) is a laughable shadow of what it used to be. More comprehensive, timely and hyper local news can be found online. (This may or may not hold true for your city or town. If you love getting your daily newspaper, just remember to recycle it. It also makes a nice old-school, eco-friendly gift wrap.)

3. Swap and borrow items as needed from your neighbors instead of buying everything you need at the store. The Neighborgoods site is an incredible resource.

4. If you have kids, organize regular “toy swaps” with the other families you know. Make it fun by turning it into a potluck party, either at your house or a local park. You’ll save money and keep old/rejected toys from cluttering up your house. This is also a great opportunity to show your kids that something doesn’t have to be shiny and new to have value. (This also makes a great birthday party theme.)

5. Switch from paper napkins to cloth. It’s classy AND green.