From Walmart to Craigslist: My Healthy Green Family's Top Posts of 2011

It has been a busy year!  Healthy Green Mama and I (Free Range Mama) started our blog in April and have written a total of 78 posts.  It has been a year of discovery for ourselves, and an opportunity to share our discoveries with our readers.  We have grown "greener" and "more sustainably-minded" as we search for new materials to blog about and make changes in our own lives towards a healthier, more responsible lifestyle.   Before we start the new year, I just want to take a moment to look back on our most popular blog posts (based on number of hits and comments).  The popularity of some of the posts has surprised me, while others came as no surprise.  In any case, here they are!

#1. My No Spend Month

I took a month off of spending money this past year, with the exception of food and necessities.  No eating out, no shopping sprees, no unnecessary purchasing.  We even took on projects such as building a new chicken coop with free items found on Craigslist including the shed itself, the windows, doors and paint.  We made an important discovery: we really don't need many of the things we buy, and that there are ways to complete projects by using repurposed or recycled items. 

#2. Your Vinegar May Be Made of Petroleum Products

While searching for directions to make my own distilled white vinegar I came across a jaw-dropping discovery: it is possible and even likely that companies make their white vinegar from petroleum products, not corn as I previously assumed.  Heinz proudly advertises that their vinegar is made from corn.  That also brought up the issue of GMO corn being used in vinegar.  I still haven't discovered a good recipe for white vinegar but we did learn how to make apple cider vinegar.

#3. Dr. Suess Won't Shop At Walmart

This post is almost guaranteed to change your shopping habits.  Using quotes from Dr Suess' The Lorax we discover reasons why we should avoid the world's largest retailer.  Among other things, Walmart has put the very businesses they buy from out of business due to "falling prices".  Their overseas suppliers have horrendous working conditions for their labourers.   Walmart actually destroy jobs and local businesses by taking over customers and sending the money made from the local people out of the area.  And the environmental impact from outsourcing so many products is unacceptable.  Yet people still shop there.  Make a better choice now!

#4. Is Wholesome Cooking A Dying Art?

Ever since the introduction of processed food many years ago the art of wholesome home cooking has slowly been dying.  This post makes suggestions on how we can relearn the skills needed to prepare our own meals from whole food for a healthier lifestyle.

#5. Giving The Gift of Life

This post, written for inclusion in the Mindful Mamas December Carnival, tells us how we can teach our children to think outside the well-wrapped box and learn to give in order to help others.  Start a new, meaningful Christmas tradition!

Thanks so much to all of our readers!  We are looking forward to a new year of blogging about the topics important to us.  Follow us on facebook and receive regular updates including new blog posts, articles that we find interesting, important recalls and eco-activism.  Thanks for reading, and have a safe and Happy New Year.