Saturday, August 18, 2012

How to Pin Things to Pinterest from Your iPhone


I know I'm not the only person who has been cruising the internet on my iPhone - on facebook, in the pinterest browser through a link on twitter - and then wished I had a way to pin the page I was looking at right there on my phone. Previously, if I liked something enough, I would press the e-mail link button and e-mail it to myself to pin later from a computer. Anyone else? Well no more!

...because Pinterest has developed a way to pin things right in Safari on your iPhone!

I know. I had no idea either. The process is actually really simple but can be a little intimidating. So I'm here to show you how easy-peasy it is and help you install your own little pinmarklet on your phone...just like the one you have on your computer.


What You'll Need
Your iPhone
An internet connection (wifi or 3g doesn't matter)
You will also need to make sure that you the Pinterest ap installed on your iphone already
(It's important to know that this tutorial only applies to using a Pinterest bookmark on an iPhone using the Safari browser.)

How to Do it:
Step 1: Get to your profile page
Launch the Pinterest ap on your iPhone. Tap the profile button in the lower right hand corner to go to your profile page.

Step 2: Pull up the instructions
Tap the "Account" button in the upper left corner. This will pull up the menu on the right. Tap the "Install Bookmarklet" button. This will launch the instructions in Safari.
UPDATE: I've heard from several users that in some versions of the Pinterest ap, the Install Bookmarklet button is not there. If you find this to be the case for you, navigate your phone to this page in Safari by e-mailing the link to yourself or getting your phone onto this blog post and then clicking.

Step 3: Install the Bookmarklet
From the instructions screen (left), tap the middle icon on the toolbar. From the menu that pops up (right), tap the "Add Bookmark" button.


On the Add Bookmark screen that comes up (left), tap the "Save" button. Once you press save, it will kick you back to the instructions screen (right). 

Scroll down to step 2 which includes a large text box. Tap in the text box once to put your cursor there. Tap (again) and hold your finger for 1 second before releasing. This will bring up the Select/Select All/Paste options. Tap "Select All."



This will select the text (the blue highlighted section) and bring up the Cut/Copy/Paste/Suggest... menu. Tap "Copy". Now tap "Done" to hide the keyboard.


Back on the instructions page (left) tap the bookmarks button that looks like a book. On the bookmarks screen that comes up (right) tap the edit button in the lower left corner.


Scroll down your bookmarks list (left) to find the "Pin It" button. Tap on the words "Pin It". This will bring you to a place where you can edit the bookmark (right). Tap in the address field (pink arrow). Tap the X to delete the text from that line.


When the address field is empty, it says "address" in it (left). Tap where it says "Address" to put your cursor on the line. This will make a little "Paste" option pop up (right). Tap "Paste".



Once the address is pasted, tap "Done".

Congratulations! You just installed your bookmarklet! Let the mobile pinning commence!



How to Use Your Bookmarklet

Step 1: Go to a website
Any website you'd want to pin will do.  This is a picture of my Fried Squash Blossoms post.



Step 2: Use the Bookmark
From the page you'd like to pin (remember: just like on the web, make sure you are in the page for the post you want to pin, not the homepage of a blog), press the bookmark button at the bottom that looks like a book (left). Inside the bookmarks menu, tap the "Pin It" bookmark.


Just like Pinterest on your computer, it will bring up a page with lots of picture options from the page you were on (left). Pick the one you want to pin. This will bring you to a page (right) just like the Pinterest pop up on your computer. Name your pin if you don't like the auto name and choose a board to pin to. Choose Twitter or Facebook options and then press "Pin It" when you're done.


Enjoy!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Cheese Stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms


Zucchini season is still going full tilt. If your garden is anything like mine, you will get to a point (if you haven't yet) where you are super overwhelmed with zucchini and you just want the madness to stop.

Me? I have harvested 139 zucchini so far. 139. That's 102 POUNDS of zucchini. I'm there.

Frying squash blossoms is a great way to help the madness come down to a more manageable level. In addition to these being very tasty, they are a great way to help mitigate the glut of zucchini because every flower you pick is one less full size zucchini you need to find a new recipe for or a friend to adopt.

Ingredients
Open Zucchini or squash flowers with about 1 inch of stem or a mini squashlet attached
Do not use flowers that are already closed up or about to drop off the end of a squash. You want fresh, open blossoms
(the stuffing and batter will make about 15 flowers worth)

Stuffing Mix
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
dash of thyme

Batter
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat but all purpose is fine)
1 Tbsp grated parmesean
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of paprika
dash of ground red pepper
1/2 bottle of beer

Other
Coconut Oil for frying (though you could use a mix of half vegetable and half olive if you'd prefer)
Marinara sauce for garnish



Directions

1)  Prepare the flowers
When you cut the flowers, try to choose flowers with baby squashlets still attached. If you don't have enough with squashlets on them, just leave about 1 inch of stem on the end. Hold the flower open in your hand and gently inspect for bugs and rinse them out. Set aside to dry.

2) Stuff the flowers
Place all the ingredients for the stuffing in a bowl and mix together with a fork. Hold an open flower in your hand and gently spoon filling into the center. When the main "bowl" of the flower is a almost full, twist the petals together at the top to close. Do not overstuff the flowers. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the rest of the flowers.


3) Prepare the batter
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the batter. Slowly whisk in the beer until a consistency similar to runny pancake batter is achieved.

4) Fry the flowers
Heat oil in your pan over medium/medium high heat. Make sure there is enough oil in the bottom of the pan to create a pool about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Once the oil is hot, dip the stuffed flowers in the batter, turning as needed to coat. Place in the pan and fry 2-3 minutes until brown on the underside. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Set fried blossoms aside on a plate lined with paper towels to cool.

You may need to do several batches depending on the size of your pan and how many flowers you are making.  Makes sure you don't overcrowd the skillet or the flowers will stick together.

(I probably could have fit two more blossoms in the pan but these were my last two. Feel free to fry more than two at a time)



5) Serve
Serve fried blossoms and squashlets with marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

If frying squash blossoms is a new idea for you or you'd like to watch a video, WHDH TV in Boston did a video segment on this "strange" new way to eat squash that you can watch online.




Saturday, August 11, 2012

Get Your Mama Bear On: Protect Kids' Health and Wellness (even at school)



Get Your "Mama Bear" On
Whether you're sending a little guy for his first day ever or just sending the whole clan back, green moms can still get their "mama bear" on and set their kids up for success even when it feels like toxins and crazy stuff are everywhere.

I'm going to talk about a few ways you can help "shield" your kids from the junk thrown at them every day. For each topic, there are different  things you can do. Each one is rated with between one and four paws depending on how protective each measure is. Choose the level of "mama bear" you are comfortable with or mix and match!

Control What You Send Them With
You have limited control over what materials the supplies in the school provides are made from but you can control the things you buy. The kinds of personal use supplies on those infamous supply lists are the things your kids usually have the most exposure to anyway. Look for products labeled as PVC, lead and phthalate free to avoid exposing your kids to known endocrine disruptors. Notebooks and pencils made from sustainable materials keep your footprint tiny, too.

Purchase school supplies second hand-or use last year's! New things will have a higher concentration of chemicals that will off-gas throughout the year. Used things have already off-gassed, thereby reducing exposure.

Make sure any new products you buy are labeled BPA free.

Look for backpacks, lunch totes and other supplies labeled as phthalate, lead, and PVC free. Avoid anything with flame retardants.

Purchase supplies made from organic or sustainable materials such as sugar cane and bamboo.


Feed Them Well
Kids brains and bodies are growing. Their bodies take what they eat and drink and use that as the raw material to power their brains and build new cells. If they eat nutrient-rich healthy foods, they are more well powered than the kids eating tons of sugar or foods coated in pesticides (or foods with built in pestides...BT corn, anyone?). While you may not be able to send them with hand crafted organic lunches everyday, you can control the kinds of snacks and foods you keep at home.

Check out the "dirty dozen" (most pesticide contaminated foods) and buy those organic for snacking and meals at home.

Put kids in charge of packing their own lunches with "better for you" foods from home you ahead like sugar-free organic apple sauce, pre-cut organic apples, string cheese, whole grain crackers, or other convenience foods that feature real ingredients and avoid processed sugars and GMOs.

Eat at least one meal together as a family everyday and pack it with nutrition by serving whole grains, a variety or raw and cooked veggies and hormone and antibiotic free meat.

Send your kids to school with homemade (primarily organic) lunches and snacks packed in metal or glass containers. Eat healthy meals together as a family at home as well.


Help Them Recharge
It's no secret that kids need a good night's rest. Depending on their age, kids need between 8-12 hours of sleep a night which is crucial to helping their bodies recover from their long days and their brains to process and store all that great information they soaked up while at school. Since sleep will take up between a half and a third of their 24 hour day, help make it the healthiest most restorative time possible for them.

Help them make a smooth transition to bed time by avoiding TV, the internet and social media right before bed which can lead to "I-can't-get-my-brain-to-turn-off"-itis.

Help them avoid absorbing toxins while sleeping by getting them jammies free of flame retardants.

Splurge on pillowcases and sheets made from organic cotton (Cotton is one of the most pesticide burdened crops we grow. Processing and weaving the cotton into fabric does not remove these pesticides). Organic cotton too expensive? Look for sheets made from bamboo (a low pesticide fiber crop) instead.

Buy an organic mattress. Purchasing an extra long twin mattress will help the mattress last them well into college - helping you get more years of use for your dollar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
As a member of Clever Girls Collective, I was selected to participate in the Healthy Habits program sponsored by Kimberly-Clark and Colgate-Palmolive. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. #healthyhabits #cgc

Saturday, August 18, 2012

How to Pin Things to Pinterest from Your iPhone


I know I'm not the only person who has been cruising the internet on my iPhone - on facebook, in the pinterest browser through a link on twitter - and then wished I had a way to pin the page I was looking at right there on my phone. Previously, if I liked something enough, I would press the e-mail link button and e-mail it to myself to pin later from a computer. Anyone else? Well no more!

...because Pinterest has developed a way to pin things right in Safari on your iPhone!

I know. I had no idea either. The process is actually really simple but can be a little intimidating. So I'm here to show you how easy-peasy it is and help you install your own little pinmarklet on your phone...just like the one you have on your computer.


What You'll Need
Your iPhone
An internet connection (wifi or 3g doesn't matter)
You will also need to make sure that you the Pinterest ap installed on your iphone already
(It's important to know that this tutorial only applies to using a Pinterest bookmark on an iPhone using the Safari browser.)

How to Do it:
Step 1: Get to your profile page
Launch the Pinterest ap on your iPhone. Tap the profile button in the lower right hand corner to go to your profile page.

Step 2: Pull up the instructions
Tap the "Account" button in the upper left corner. This will pull up the menu on the right. Tap the "Install Bookmarklet" button. This will launch the instructions in Safari.
UPDATE: I've heard from several users that in some versions of the Pinterest ap, the Install Bookmarklet button is not there. If you find this to be the case for you, navigate your phone to this page in Safari by e-mailing the link to yourself or getting your phone onto this blog post and then clicking.

Step 3: Install the Bookmarklet
From the instructions screen (left), tap the middle icon on the toolbar. From the menu that pops up (right), tap the "Add Bookmark" button.


On the Add Bookmark screen that comes up (left), tap the "Save" button. Once you press save, it will kick you back to the instructions screen (right). 

Scroll down to step 2 which includes a large text box. Tap in the text box once to put your cursor there. Tap (again) and hold your finger for 1 second before releasing. This will bring up the Select/Select All/Paste options. Tap "Select All."



This will select the text (the blue highlighted section) and bring up the Cut/Copy/Paste/Suggest... menu. Tap "Copy". Now tap "Done" to hide the keyboard.


Back on the instructions page (left) tap the bookmarks button that looks like a book. On the bookmarks screen that comes up (right) tap the edit button in the lower left corner.


Scroll down your bookmarks list (left) to find the "Pin It" button. Tap on the words "Pin It". This will bring you to a place where you can edit the bookmark (right). Tap in the address field (pink arrow). Tap the X to delete the text from that line.


When the address field is empty, it says "address" in it (left). Tap where it says "Address" to put your cursor on the line. This will make a little "Paste" option pop up (right). Tap "Paste".



Once the address is pasted, tap "Done".

Congratulations! You just installed your bookmarklet! Let the mobile pinning commence!



How to Use Your Bookmarklet

Step 1: Go to a website
Any website you'd want to pin will do.  This is a picture of my Fried Squash Blossoms post.



Step 2: Use the Bookmark
From the page you'd like to pin (remember: just like on the web, make sure you are in the page for the post you want to pin, not the homepage of a blog), press the bookmark button at the bottom that looks like a book (left). Inside the bookmarks menu, tap the "Pin It" bookmark.


Just like Pinterest on your computer, it will bring up a page with lots of picture options from the page you were on (left). Pick the one you want to pin. This will bring you to a page (right) just like the Pinterest pop up on your computer. Name your pin if you don't like the auto name and choose a board to pin to. Choose Twitter or Facebook options and then press "Pin It" when you're done.


Enjoy!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Cheese Stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms


Zucchini season is still going full tilt. If your garden is anything like mine, you will get to a point (if you haven't yet) where you are super overwhelmed with zucchini and you just want the madness to stop.

Me? I have harvested 139 zucchini so far. 139. That's 102 POUNDS of zucchini. I'm there.

Frying squash blossoms is a great way to help the madness come down to a more manageable level. In addition to these being very tasty, they are a great way to help mitigate the glut of zucchini because every flower you pick is one less full size zucchini you need to find a new recipe for or a friend to adopt.

Ingredients
Open Zucchini or squash flowers with about 1 inch of stem or a mini squashlet attached
Do not use flowers that are already closed up or about to drop off the end of a squash. You want fresh, open blossoms
(the stuffing and batter will make about 15 flowers worth)

Stuffing Mix
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
dash of thyme

Batter
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat but all purpose is fine)
1 Tbsp grated parmesean
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of paprika
dash of ground red pepper
1/2 bottle of beer

Other
Coconut Oil for frying (though you could use a mix of half vegetable and half olive if you'd prefer)
Marinara sauce for garnish



Directions

1)  Prepare the flowers
When you cut the flowers, try to choose flowers with baby squashlets still attached. If you don't have enough with squashlets on them, just leave about 1 inch of stem on the end. Hold the flower open in your hand and gently inspect for bugs and rinse them out. Set aside to dry.

2) Stuff the flowers
Place all the ingredients for the stuffing in a bowl and mix together with a fork. Hold an open flower in your hand and gently spoon filling into the center. When the main "bowl" of the flower is a almost full, twist the petals together at the top to close. Do not overstuff the flowers. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the rest of the flowers.


3) Prepare the batter
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the batter. Slowly whisk in the beer until a consistency similar to runny pancake batter is achieved.

4) Fry the flowers
Heat oil in your pan over medium/medium high heat. Make sure there is enough oil in the bottom of the pan to create a pool about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Once the oil is hot, dip the stuffed flowers in the batter, turning as needed to coat. Place in the pan and fry 2-3 minutes until brown on the underside. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Set fried blossoms aside on a plate lined with paper towels to cool.

You may need to do several batches depending on the size of your pan and how many flowers you are making.  Makes sure you don't overcrowd the skillet or the flowers will stick together.

(I probably could have fit two more blossoms in the pan but these were my last two. Feel free to fry more than two at a time)



5) Serve
Serve fried blossoms and squashlets with marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

If frying squash blossoms is a new idea for you or you'd like to watch a video, WHDH TV in Boston did a video segment on this "strange" new way to eat squash that you can watch online.




Saturday, August 11, 2012

Get Your Mama Bear On: Protect Kids' Health and Wellness (even at school)



Get Your "Mama Bear" On
Whether you're sending a little guy for his first day ever or just sending the whole clan back, green moms can still get their "mama bear" on and set their kids up for success even when it feels like toxins and crazy stuff are everywhere.

I'm going to talk about a few ways you can help "shield" your kids from the junk thrown at them every day. For each topic, there are different  things you can do. Each one is rated with between one and four paws depending on how protective each measure is. Choose the level of "mama bear" you are comfortable with or mix and match!

Control What You Send Them With
You have limited control over what materials the supplies in the school provides are made from but you can control the things you buy. The kinds of personal use supplies on those infamous supply lists are the things your kids usually have the most exposure to anyway. Look for products labeled as PVC, lead and phthalate free to avoid exposing your kids to known endocrine disruptors. Notebooks and pencils made from sustainable materials keep your footprint tiny, too.

Purchase school supplies second hand-or use last year's! New things will have a higher concentration of chemicals that will off-gas throughout the year. Used things have already off-gassed, thereby reducing exposure.

Make sure any new products you buy are labeled BPA free.

Look for backpacks, lunch totes and other supplies labeled as phthalate, lead, and PVC free. Avoid anything with flame retardants.

Purchase supplies made from organic or sustainable materials such as sugar cane and bamboo.


Feed Them Well
Kids brains and bodies are growing. Their bodies take what they eat and drink and use that as the raw material to power their brains and build new cells. If they eat nutrient-rich healthy foods, they are more well powered than the kids eating tons of sugar or foods coated in pesticides (or foods with built in pestides...BT corn, anyone?). While you may not be able to send them with hand crafted organic lunches everyday, you can control the kinds of snacks and foods you keep at home.

Check out the "dirty dozen" (most pesticide contaminated foods) and buy those organic for snacking and meals at home.

Put kids in charge of packing their own lunches with "better for you" foods from home you ahead like sugar-free organic apple sauce, pre-cut organic apples, string cheese, whole grain crackers, or other convenience foods that feature real ingredients and avoid processed sugars and GMOs.

Eat at least one meal together as a family everyday and pack it with nutrition by serving whole grains, a variety or raw and cooked veggies and hormone and antibiotic free meat.

Send your kids to school with homemade (primarily organic) lunches and snacks packed in metal or glass containers. Eat healthy meals together as a family at home as well.


Help Them Recharge
It's no secret that kids need a good night's rest. Depending on their age, kids need between 8-12 hours of sleep a night which is crucial to helping their bodies recover from their long days and their brains to process and store all that great information they soaked up while at school. Since sleep will take up between a half and a third of their 24 hour day, help make it the healthiest most restorative time possible for them.

Help them make a smooth transition to bed time by avoiding TV, the internet and social media right before bed which can lead to "I-can't-get-my-brain-to-turn-off"-itis.

Help them avoid absorbing toxins while sleeping by getting them jammies free of flame retardants.

Splurge on pillowcases and sheets made from organic cotton (Cotton is one of the most pesticide burdened crops we grow. Processing and weaving the cotton into fabric does not remove these pesticides). Organic cotton too expensive? Look for sheets made from bamboo (a low pesticide fiber crop) instead.

Buy an organic mattress. Purchasing an extra long twin mattress will help the mattress last them well into college - helping you get more years of use for your dollar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
As a member of Clever Girls Collective, I was selected to participate in the Healthy Habits program sponsored by Kimberly-Clark and Colgate-Palmolive. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. #healthyhabits #cgc

 
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