Pizza please?!
Posted: May 28, 2012 Filed under: Reducing waste, Tips Leave a comment
Photo by Sonnet, For the Love of Food
If you ask my kids what they’d like for dinner, pizza comes up more often than not. I’m very spoiled with a Whole Foods up the street that has an in house pizza oven and makes pizzas to order BUT they come in an unfortunate cardboard box. So, after looking at Sonnet’s For the Love of Food blog, I’m going to give her 15 minute pizza a try this summer on the grill or even stove top.
No, you are the river
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: blog referrals, Tips Leave a comment
Photo via you are the river
See those planters? File cabinets repurposed! See that fence? Built in a weekend by a savvy, stylin’ little lady (hopefully from re-claimed wood…..nope Home Depot). Want to know how Faye made it all happen? Check out: you are the river
Ah, to be young and cool with a power tool.
Yogurt Cup
Posted: May 24, 2012 Filed under: Cup, Reducing waste Leave a comment
Our cups went for a frozen yogurt outing and in the process we threw a wrench in their yogurt program. It was one of those, grab a disposable cup, self-serve yogurt, add toppings and then weight and pay places.
First stop was to let them know we’d be using our own cups, did they need to weigh them first?
Them: Huh? Well, we don’t really do that….huh….hum…I could maybe take 20% off your total order?
Me: Okay. Let’s do it.
Them: Yeah, we don’t normally do this so maybe don’t expect this in the future, okay? I’m happy to do it today because it’s just me, but I don’t know about someone else.
Me: Hmm, well, maybe you could mention it to your boss, we’d come more often if we could use our own containers.
Them: Yeah, okay.
So, we fill up, sprinkle on our toppings of choice and I’m grabbing money to pay just as my oldest reaches for a neon colored plastic disposable spoon.
Me: Nooooooooooooooo
Her: Huh?? (as she places disposable spoon in the yogurt)
Me: Never mind
Needless to say as we enjoyed our treats we discussed one use products and how we could use the spoons we brought from home instead of the plastic ones from the store.
All finished. We stacked our dirty cups, passed around the family napkin, then used it to wrap up our cups. Next – off to the park to burn that sugar.
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free?!
Posted: May 22, 2012 Filed under: Health, Tips | Tags: baked oatmeal, breakfast, milk goat 1 CommentI was recently sitting with a bunch of parents and the conversation turned to food sensitivities and allergies. 4 out of the 9 parents there were told by a doctor to restrict their children’s diet in some way or another but few of the parents were sent home with any steps in how to successfully manage this transition. One parent of a gluten-free child had started relying on rice crispy treats in the morning, what the hell doc? This is an opportunity for a re-education in nutrition, give them a chance by arming parents and kids with some good alternatives.
Breakfast is our best chance for starting the day on the right foot, you guys know I’m a fan of the morning smoothie. But when kids have been used to cereal or pop tarts or crispy treats switching to smoothie 7 days a week can be too big of a transition. Here’s something that’s served in our house at least once a week, Gluten-free Baked Oatmeal. It’s so flexible, and can accommodate so many restrictions. I make it the night before and leave it on the counter for an easy, breezy morning (refrigerate in airtight container after morning breakfast – keeps 3 days). Here’s the basic recipe:
(adapted from Baked Oatmeal on MayoClinic.com)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2 eggs (cage-free, organic)
1 TBS Safflower Oil
1/2 Cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/4 Cup brown sugar
3 Cups Gluten Free Oats (Bob’s Red Mill offers a good one and I’m working on getting this in bulk at our regular g store)
2 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Sea Salt
1 Cup Nut Milk, Rice Milk, Goat’s Milk
Coconut Oil or Ghee or Butter to grease your baking dish (I use a 9″ pie dish)
Combine first four ingredients, add 1 cup oats, add Baking Powder, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, stir.
Add rest of oats (1 cup at a time), add milk, stir. Once combined, pour into a greased or oiled baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes at 375.
Make it Vegan
Skip eggs and Add another 1/2 cup applesauce, making it a full cup.
Refined Sugar free
Skip brown sugar and substitute with equal amount agave nectar, stevia or try 3 TBS honey or maple syrup
Sugar free
Skip all sugar or sugar alternatives and add a layer of fruit on the bottom for sweetness, chopped apple, sliced banana, or blueberries mixed in.
Have kids with different tastes or needs?
-More protein: After baking slather the top with peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter
-Sweet tooth – Drizzle with maple syrup or sliced banana on top or both after baking 🙂
-More calcium or magnesium – sprinkle with sesame seeds after baking
You get the picture, it’s one versatile dish! Gets about 7-8 servings, so that’s usually two easy breakfast mornings for me!
For lots more information here are some sites I think are beautiful and healthful:
100 Things and counting
Posted: May 21, 2012 Filed under: Reducing waste 2 CommentsIn college one of my favorite classes was a sociology class that I took my sophmore year and one of my favorite assignments was to take an inventory of all of our possessions. At the time I was renting an apartment that was filled with rented furniture, my possessions were few….or so I thought. After my inventory uncovered no less than 20 white t-shirts, I was hooked – how did I have 20 white t-shirts, where did they all come from, certainly I didn’t buy all of them, was I wearing them all, how many does a person need? BINGO, it was insightful and fun and it stuck with me.
So, here I am all grown up (kind of) and a friend recently sent a link about this guy and his 100 thing challenge. The concept (simplified) is slimming down your possessions to the magic number of 100 things. This guy’s written a whole book covering the topic and the how-to’s, which I have not read, BUT just for the sake of fun (and dorkiness) I picked up a pen and some paper and started a list. My list was more a stream of thought, I looked around and started writing and numbering what I saw. In less than 3 minutes, I had 100 things down on paper. Please understand this list is NOT comprehensive of my possessions, merely the first 100 that popped into my head. I have also assigned categories to only one number, for example “books” or “tops” – not accurate as this is far MORE than one thing!
However, it was enough to inspire me to re-live my college assignment and take inventory of the things in our house and garage. This is really perfectly timed as my husband and I continue working through our Simple Living Manifesto, I SHOULD be aware of the things I choose to keep in my life, these things cost money, I might spend time cleaning them, I’ve found a space for them in my home, if I still have 20 white t-shirts I want to know about it and rectify the problem!
For the fellow dorks, here is my inaccurate, incomplete list of the first 100:
1. Books 2. Computer 3. iPod 4. iPhone 5. Television 6. Apple TV 7. Bed 8. Dresser 9. Twin bed 10. Twin bed 11. Dresser 12. Toys 13. Bed 14. Dresser 15. Dresser 16. Tops 17. Pants 18. Art 19. Decor/Mirrors 20. Sofa 21. Rug 22. Rug 23. Rug 24. Dresser 25. Rug 26. Night stand 27. Night stand 28. Lamp 29. Light fixtures 30. Drapes 31. Dresses 32. Shoes 33. Exercise clothes 34. Towels 35. Toiletries 36. Plates/Bowls/Cups 37. Glasses 38. Silverware 39. Pots 40. Pans 41. Toaster 42. Juicer 43. Blender 44. Kitchen Utensils 45. Kitchen Storage containers 46. Refrigerator 47. Dishwasher 48. Stove 49. Knives 50. Kettle 51. Grocery bags 52. Chalk 53. Paper 54. Pens 55. Pencils 56. Printer 57. Desk 56. Chair 57. Washer 58. Dryer 59. Soap 60. Trash Can 61. Laundry bags 62. Winter Hats 63. Scarves 64. Boots 65. Rain Jackets 66. Winter coats 67. Mittens 68. Sun hats 69. Dog leash 70. Dining table 71. Dining chairs 72. Bar 73. China cabinet 74. Buffet 75. Champagne buckets 76. Sofa 77. Chair 78. Rain stick 79. Guitar 80. Water storage 81. Food 82. Make-up 83. First-aid 84. Medicine 85. Pictures 86. DVDs 87. CDs 88. Speakers/Docks 89. Place mats 90. Candle sticks 91. Candles 92. Candles 93. Toaster oven 94. Cake tins 95. Pop over pans 96. Baking sheets 97. Colored pencils 98. Markers 99. Crayons 100. Shelving
If you’ve made it this far in the post you can see I’m probably in possession of more like 1,500 things! I’ll let you know when I get my final number, for now more de-cluttering!
Lesser waste birthday party?
Posted: May 19, 2012 Filed under: Reducing waste, Tips Leave a commentWe recently celebrated a birthday in the house and it was an opportunity to re-think the waste possibilities. Full disclosure, reducing waste was NOT our primary goal, it was to entertain a bunch of kids and make sure the birthday boy had a wonderful time. With the exception of 3 three things, everything for the party was done on the fly that day. Here are the pre-thoughts:
1. A birthday banner – a friend who sews, faster and more proficiently than myself, put together a banner from scraps she already had. We will use this for every one’s birthday from this moment on. Thank you Rhonda. Decorations – Check.
2. Custom Legos – I know, I know, NEW Legos?!?! Like I said, reducing waste was not our primary concern, however, although I purchased new I was determined not to have any “instant waste” attached to my purchase, meaning packaging. I have to give props where they are due and Sean at the Lego store, helped me for a painful 50 minutes while we custom built a Lego car. We then collected and collated the legos needed for 7 future birthday goers and lastly I slipped our hard work into one of my trusty bags. For the party we built the cars….and then we raced them 🙂 Party activity – Check. Party favor – Check.
3. Teddy Bear toss – Took a trip to my not so friendly neighborhood Goodwill store and picked up 3 used stuffed bears. We took turn tossing the bears into buckets we already had at home. Party activity #2 – Check. Future dog chew toys – Check.
Other than that, we had great weather so the party kicked off with chalk drawing in the driveway. We outlined each kid and they decorated themselves, 10 minutes later I had a drive way full of mini-super heroes.
I baked a cake, whipped up some cream and we all sat down to water or milk and cake and whipped cream and strawberries. Here’s our birthday set-up, the glasses are actually old jelly jars…..does that make-up for my new Legos?…..Didn’t think so.
Obviously glasses and glass plates might not work for certain kids, for example ages 3 and under, but for our little soiree, it was right on and the waste was a bit of painter’s tape versus disposable plates, napkins, cups, etc.
We had a few other games and activities that involved paper and other waste but I feel like this was a good first step. We have lots of room for waste reduction improvement but when the birthday boy told me in a sleepy voice at the end of the day, “best birthday ever”, I was feeling exactly the same way.
Well I never!
Posted: May 18, 2012 Filed under: Shake Leave a commentTwice this week my smoothie was insulted for it’s unappealing appearance! So when this morning’s heathy goodness blended into a particularly interesting green-brown color I went for a pretty glass to honor this concoction that brings me energy, happy feelings and nutrition all morning long (also all of my other glasses are dirty).
Inner beauty:
1 scoop Vega
1 scoop Amazing grass
1/2 banana
1/3 cup frozen rasberries
1 large handful spinach
1 pinch cardamon
1 pinch cinnamon
1 heaping tsp raw cacao
1 cup Rice Milk
Generous squirt flax seed oil
Handful of ice cubes
Cheers.
Everything I know about food
Posted: May 17, 2012 Filed under: Tips Leave a commentI learned on the Internet……mostly. It started with trying recipes from here and there and then I picked up speed when I found this lady . Not only is she wife to a Beastie Boy, she’s an incredible director, mom of two, food enthusiast and my first real cooking teacher. Tamra Davis had the perfect first steps away from unhealthy, yet delicious, food I did not want to feed my family but loved to eat. Her healthier meals are not only tasty but pretty painless to get on the dinner table.
Her cooking shows bring you right into her life and kitchen, from grocery shopping with a kid who doesn’t feel well to vacation cooking in the Hamptons to baking dairy-free, beet cupcakes for her kid’s school bake sale. I still use her cook book often although my food do’s and don’ts have changed quite a bit since those early days. She’s turned into my guilty pleasure, for example chocolate chip clouds?! Thank you Tamra Davis for your contribution to getting me in the kitchen and starting me on a journey of making me and my family something good to eat! You are one inspiring lady.
The sweet avocado
Posted: May 15, 2012 Filed under: Health, Shake 1 CommentYou know how you hear something new and suddenly it’s everywhere. Putting avocado in smoothies was like that for me. The first recipe I actually tried came from Weelicious and I was hooked. However for me to keep something in rotation it has to do more than taste good, it has to benefit me nutritionally and it has to keep me feeling full for a couple hours. For the nutrition info I checked in with Sarah B. at My New Roots, here’s her skinny on the avocado:
Avocados are loaded with monounsaturated fats – a good kind of fat also found in olive oil, that boasts all sorts of health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease, and even offering protection against certain cancers like colon cancer and breast cancer. Avocados are also a very concentrated dietary source of the carotenoid lutein, a phytochemical that protects the eyes against macular degeneration and cataracts. They also contain significant amounts of vitamin K, essential for normal blood clotting; calcium to maintain strong bones; folate to combat against Alzheimer’s disease; and vitamin C to boost the immune system.
Yeah, so nutritionally beneficial – CHECK.
Here’s how I make my banana avocado shake:
1 cup coconut milk (So Delicious brand)
1 banana
1/2 avocado
1 scoop Amazing Grass
1 squirt of raw local honey
Handful ice cubes
Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: Health, Tips Leave a commentI may be a de-cluttering fool, but I do have quite a few brushes. I have a brush for my veggies, a brush for my cast-iron pans and a brush for my body.
Hopefully you can guess which is which. The one I want to discuss is the one for my bod, the DRY brushing brush. Dry brushing was one of those things I had heard about a bunch of times before I ever gave it a try……kind of like the neti pot. So in that spirit, I’m throwing it out there – again.
For me, banishing cellulite is up there with feeling healthy as a top motivator, thankfully this little gadget appeases both. Your skin is a LARGE organ, the largest in fact and it’s exposed to all kinds of nonsense….remember our little chat about what’s in your bathroom cabinet? So, I try to help an organ out by dry brushing, yes it adds about 5 minutes to my routine which says a lot since I’m not a big routine kind of gal. And it can even get tricky pre my post-work out shower (did you follow that?) – I’m talking about the sweat factor since you need to be DRY to dry brush. BUT it reduces cellulite, among other fantastic things, and I’ll do just about anything to bid farewell to that bit of my fabulousness. While I have not completely rid myself of these unwanted inhabitants they have GREATLY reduced in appearance. The upside of what remains is I get to practice my affirmations – I love my thighs, I love my thighs, I love my thighs.
For more fun with dry brushing…and affirmations go see Kris.
800arrows 