I had a good laugh when I read this post by Motherwise Cracks.

Apparently her kitchen is overflowing with food. (check out her pictures!)

And yet, her children say, “There is nothing to eat!”

My kitchen suffers from a similar fate.

If it’s not washed, sliced, cooked, and served - well, then it just isn’t there.

Where’s the chef and the maid when you need them?

Amanda at GoodyBlog reports that sidewalk chalk designs by six year olds are considered Graffiti in Brooklyn, New York.

Apparently, 6 year old Natalie Shea’s mother received a citation to remove the “graffiti” i.e. sidewalk chalk drawings from her front stoop or she will be fined $300.

Let this be a lesson to sidewalk chalking children everywhere! Stop creating those artistic, washable designs outside in the fresh air - and go inside and watch TV!

Today is Blog Action Day. Over 15,000 bloggers around the world will be writing a post today about how to improve the environment. Here is my contribution.

Every day I pack lunches for three of my children. And every day I am disgusted about the amount of trash that one lunch can generate. Everything comes prepackaged these days. On the extreme side you could get away without actually preparing anything - think Uncrustable PB&J, applesauce individually packed and plastic spoon, bag of crackers or cookies, and juice box or water bottle. Sure, it’s convenient but this kind of a lunch is horrible for the environment.

My way of fighting back is reusable containers. My kids each have two Thermos’. One is for holding a drink - I pack them milk from home every day. If they bought milk at school it would cost me more money and the carton that they drank from would become trash. Their other Thermos is a wide mouth bottle. Perfect for packing hot soups, warm leftovers, even chicken nuggets that I heat up in the morning. The kids say that their food is still hot at lunch time and quite delicious. This is a bit more work for me as I have to wash out the containers every night but the kids get a hot meal and they don’t create more trash.

I also use reusable containers to pack their side dishes like sliced fruit, carrot sticks, a few chips, crackers, or cookies. Nothing gets crushed, what could be better? I even make Jell-O in reusable containers with lids. These are excellent for lunchboxes or desserts. Why buy the expensive single serve variety when you can so easily make your own for less? Or try making some homemade Rice Krispie Treats instead of the prepackaged kind. (For those with allergies this recipe is easily morphed into dairy free Rice Krispie Treats).

And let’s not forget the lunchbox itself. (Find personalized lunchboxes at Lillian Vernon: Lunch box camouflage pink) Instead of brown bags a reusable lunchbox protects food better and keeps it fresher.

You can use the same philosophy for parent lunches. If possible, take your lunch to work (in reusable containers) instead of eating out. You’ll save money and the environment too!

My kid’s friends love my Rice Krispie Treats. “You make the best Rice Krispie Treats ever!” is the compliment I usually get. Other moms are equally impressed. “You make your own Rice Krispie Treats?” they ask in awe.

I am not really sure what all the fuss is about. I use the recipe that is right on the box. The same recipe that my mother used before boxes of pre-made individually wrapped Rice Krispie Treats showed up on store shelves.

Clearly nothing beats homemade Rice Krispie Treats, so here is the recipe direct from Kellogg’s Rice Krispies website:

Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies Treats® Original

This recipe has been tested and endorsed by Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®.

Prep Time

20 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

Servings

12

Ingredients

3	tablespoons margarine or butter
1	(10 oz.) package regular marshmallows
	- or -
4	cups mini marshmallows
6	cups Rice Krispies®

Directions

1. Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2-inch squares when cool. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In a large microwave safe bowl, heat margarine and marshmallows at HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above.

Microwave cooking times may vary.

Note

For best results, use fresh marshmallows.

1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme can be substituted for marshmallows.

Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.Store no more than two days in airtight container.

In addtion, you can easily modify this recipe to make dairy free Rice Krispie Treats if dairy allergies are an issue in your family.

Here are more of my posts about recipes:

• Vegetarian Soup Recipes
• Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes
• Slow Cookers
• Rice Krispie Treats

I attended back to school night last night at my son’s elementary school. It was a dark and stormy night. (I just had to phrase it that way ) The rain was torrential. Anyway, as I dragged my soggy self into the auditorium, I noticed that many of the other moms looked like “a million bucks”. Not a drop of rain on them.

How do they do that?

This is definitely a talent I don’t possess. I can’t wait until the drowned rat look is in!