Well folks, it's Christmastime again. I know, I know... it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but since I have heard an endless stream of Christmas music already, it has inspired me to write today's post; eco-friendly alternatives to wrapping paper.
Each year, we go through 80,000 tonnes of wrapping paper at Christmas; that's an equivalent to about 50,000 trees! Not to mention the lead and other harmful chemicals that are found in most wrapping papers, which all end up in our landfills.
But, there are many ways of wrapping those gifts without all of the harmful side effects. Firstly, there is wrapping paper on the market that is 100% recycled and bio-degradable, so if you just have to go out and buy rolls of wrapping paper, try to opt for the green option.
There are so many other ways to wrap gifts, the possibilities are endless, just be creative! One of my favorite ways is to decorate your paper with children's artwork. You can wrap your gift with brown paper (get bags from the grocery store) and have the kids decorate the paper with colors, paint, stickers, or anything else fun. This is great for family members and friends, and gives the kids a chance to participate in the gift-giving as well.
Also, you can use things like newspaper (especially the comic section), outdated maps, or magazine paper for a fun and eccentric look.
Give gifts in jars! You can make cookie mix or hot chocolate mix and layer it in a jar, tie with a ribbon and give as is. The best part is that they can reuse the jar it came in!
I read somewhere that newspaper companies usually have roll ends that they send off for recycling. It's leftover newspaper that hasn't been printed on, and the roll ends usually have quite a bit still left on them. You can go to your local newspaper company and ask for their roll ends, wrap as is, or decorate it.
You can use fabric scraps or old Christmas cards.
Now, once you have figured out how you are going to wrap your gifts, you'll need a topper. Forget the traditional bows and get creative! Instead of ribbon, tie hemp around the gift. You can make the bow another gift! Tie on a new set of measuring spoons, a small toy, or anything else you might want to gift. You can top your gift with origami or dried flowers (or fresh ones!).
My favorite idea for a bow is with magazine paper. You can make an adorable bow using magazine paper and metal brads. Here is a tutorial for this project:
Materials
Magazine paper (the more color the better!)
metal brads
scissors
double-sided tape
hole-punch
1. Firstly, you will need to tear out a page from a magazine and cut it lengthwise into 1" strips. You will need 8 for each bow.
2. Now, take one of the strips and bring the ends to the middle of the strip, so you have two loops. With the ends overlapped, punch a hole through all (right in the middle)
3. Place the metal brad in through the holes and repeat with each strip of paper.
4. When you have all 8 of the strips looped over and arranged on the brad, bend the prongs of the brad out to hold it all in place.
5. Place a small piece of tape on the bottom of the bow.
Now you have an awesome recycled bow! These are very easy to make and look great! No one will ever guess that you made it yourself:)
Christmas is the time of year that our planet suffers. Between all of the lights, the trees that are cut down, the excessive traveling and all of the trash pushed into landfills, surely there is some, small thing we can all do to help this situation.
That is all for today's post. Thanks for reading and always remember that it only takes a little effort to make a big difference!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Vegetable Broth - how to reuse scraps
I started this blog to show people that it is possible to live eco-friendly and save money while doing it. But, I have posted topics that tend to deviate from the main point of being eco-friendly. However, there is a good reason for this, and before I go into today's topic, I want to first tell you the reason for my deviation.
I have spent a lot of time trying to find ways of cutting down on all of the additives we find in pre-made food and household products. Like most families, I cannot afford to buy all organic products, therefore I ask myself just about every time I start to buy something from the store, "Can I make this myself?" I do this because when you make something yourself as opposed to the option of convenience, you award yourself the benefit of knowing what is in it. Most of you have probably taken a look at the ingredients on the labels of food products for one reason or another, and there is almost always a wide array of ingredients you can't even pronounce. The bulk of society has been made aware of all of the preservatives and additives in grocery store products, this is not a new concept. But, you don't have to shop on the organic aisle to cut out those harmful chemicals. Also, when you get used to the idea of making things from scratch, it becomes a lifestyle. Once you learn to fully appreciate the benefits of basic living, convenience is then looked at in a whole new way. Along with tips on being environmentally friendly, I will also continue to talk about ways to improve the quality of your diet by showing you how to make things yourself.
Now, today's topic is vegetable broth.
When most people think of chicken (or beef) broth, the typical cans or boxes of the stuff usually come to mind. Of course, you can go out and buy a chicken and make your own chicken broth, or you can make a broth out of ingredients you would normally throw away. Vegetable broth is packed full of flavor and nutrients and is completely versatile.
The first thing you will need is a container to store the broth in, I make it a gallon at a time. It can be frozen, canned, or just refrigerated.
The base of the broth is made up of vegetable scraps. You can use anything, like for example, onion peels, carrot tops, potato peels, celery ends, cabbage heads, or whatever you feel like using.
I typically save up my vegetable scraps and freeze them in a freezer bag. A great thing I learned is to cut the scraps into chunks and spread them out on a plate or baking sheet and freeze them that way before putting them into the bag. This way, everything doesn't stick together and you can take out as much as you need.
To make the broth you need a large pot, water and the vegetable scraps (thawed).
First, you saute the scraps in the pot to release all of that fantastic flavor into the broth. You can also use a little bit of oil to saute them if you like, but it's totally optional.
Then, after you saute them for a minute, fill the pot with water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. The broth will be a dark color, and the flavor, smell and color of it will depend on what kind of vegetables you use. When the broth is cooled, pour it into the container you chose to use.
This broth can be used in the place of water in just about anything; rice, potatoes, veggies. Or you can use this as the liquid for a soup (refer to my post on leftovers for ideas). It tastes fantastic and is healthier and tastier than anything you will find in the store.
Well, that's all for today's post. And always remember to recycle, reuse and be creative! It only takes a little to make a BIG difference :)
I have spent a lot of time trying to find ways of cutting down on all of the additives we find in pre-made food and household products. Like most families, I cannot afford to buy all organic products, therefore I ask myself just about every time I start to buy something from the store, "Can I make this myself?" I do this because when you make something yourself as opposed to the option of convenience, you award yourself the benefit of knowing what is in it. Most of you have probably taken a look at the ingredients on the labels of food products for one reason or another, and there is almost always a wide array of ingredients you can't even pronounce. The bulk of society has been made aware of all of the preservatives and additives in grocery store products, this is not a new concept. But, you don't have to shop on the organic aisle to cut out those harmful chemicals. Also, when you get used to the idea of making things from scratch, it becomes a lifestyle. Once you learn to fully appreciate the benefits of basic living, convenience is then looked at in a whole new way. Along with tips on being environmentally friendly, I will also continue to talk about ways to improve the quality of your diet by showing you how to make things yourself.
Now, today's topic is vegetable broth.
When most people think of chicken (or beef) broth, the typical cans or boxes of the stuff usually come to mind. Of course, you can go out and buy a chicken and make your own chicken broth, or you can make a broth out of ingredients you would normally throw away. Vegetable broth is packed full of flavor and nutrients and is completely versatile.
The first thing you will need is a container to store the broth in, I make it a gallon at a time. It can be frozen, canned, or just refrigerated.
The base of the broth is made up of vegetable scraps. You can use anything, like for example, onion peels, carrot tops, potato peels, celery ends, cabbage heads, or whatever you feel like using.
I typically save up my vegetable scraps and freeze them in a freezer bag. A great thing I learned is to cut the scraps into chunks and spread them out on a plate or baking sheet and freeze them that way before putting them into the bag. This way, everything doesn't stick together and you can take out as much as you need.
To make the broth you need a large pot, water and the vegetable scraps (thawed).
First, you saute the scraps in the pot to release all of that fantastic flavor into the broth. You can also use a little bit of oil to saute them if you like, but it's totally optional.
Then, after you saute them for a minute, fill the pot with water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. The broth will be a dark color, and the flavor, smell and color of it will depend on what kind of vegetables you use. When the broth is cooled, pour it into the container you chose to use.
This broth can be used in the place of water in just about anything; rice, potatoes, veggies. Or you can use this as the liquid for a soup (refer to my post on leftovers for ideas). It tastes fantastic and is healthier and tastier than anything you will find in the store.
Well, that's all for today's post. And always remember to recycle, reuse and be creative! It only takes a little to make a BIG difference :)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Leftover Madness!
One way to save money on your grocery bill is to re-use your leftovers instead of letting them go to waste. Unfortunately, most people don't want to eat the same thing twice and end up throwing out all of that good food.
But, as I always say... be creative!
There are many ways of turning your leftovers into something new and tasty, and today I am going to go over some of the ways you can use up last night's dinner.
My favorite way to turn leftovers into a new meal is by making a casserole. This, and soup are fantastic ways to empty out your refrigerator because the possibilities are endless.
The main ingredients you need is a starch (pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.), meat, veggies, and a sauce.
The sauce can be cream soups (like cream of mushroom or chicken), tomato sauce, white sauce, or anything else that sounds good.
Here is an example of a good leftover casserole; leftover pasta, broccoli, chicken, and a white sauce. Mix it all together, pour it into a casserole dish, top with cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake until it is heated through.
Or, you can take pasta, leftover hamburgers (chop up the meat) and spaghetti sauce and top it off with cheese.
Another good combination is rice, pork, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth.
You can throw pretty much anything into a casserole and make it taste good.
Soup is the same, all you have to do is start with a base, tomato based, cream based, broth based, and so on and throw whatever you want in there. Soups and casseroles are both very flexible and simple to make.
I also have a post on making vegetable broth from leftovers, this is s fantastic base for soup!
Rice is a common leftover in my house, but I have found ways to use up leftover rice as well.
Fried rice is a great example. Saute the rice in a skillet with a little oil, add veggies, cut up pork (or any other meat). Push the rice mixture to the side and add 2 beaten eggs, then scramble. Mix eggs with the rice mixture, add soy sauce, salt and pepper and you've got yourself a meal!
Breakfast is also a good way to use up leftovers. You can saute some onion, pepper, mushrooms, etc. and scramble with eggs. Add leftover potatoes, pork, or smoked sausage and wrap it up in a tortilla for a fantastic leftover breakfast burrito.
Pork roast can be used in many ways. Shred it up and add BBQ sauce for pulled pork sandwiches. Cook it with taco seasonings for pork tacos.
Chili is my favorite leftover food. I usually make an extra big pot of chili just to reuse.
Chili and crackers, chili dogs and frito chili pie are just a few ways to use up leftover chili.
If there is just a small amount left, not enough for a meal, then fill greased muffin cups with a scoop of cornbread batter, a scoop of chili and top it off with cheese. Bake the chili muffins until the cornbread is cooked through.
Leftover cornbread is great for making stuffing. To me, stuffing should be eaten all year 'round, not just on Thanksgiving!
Mash up the leftover cornbread, add salt, pepper, sage, and an egg. Saute onion, bell pepper and celery and add it to the mixture. Add chicken broth until the mixture is nice and moist (you don't want your stuffing to be too dry) and press the mixture into a pan. Bake until it is golden brown on top.
Mashed potatoes are also a great leftover food.
You can mix up leftover mashed potatoes with flour, egg, diced onion (or green onion) and salt and pepper, form into patties and fry in oil, and you have delicious potato cakes!
Mix the potatoes with flour until it becomes almost like a dough, then roll it up like a 'snake' and cut it into 1" pieces. You can then take the pieces and drop them into boiling water until they float to the top, tada... potato dumplings (or gnocchi)! - You can eat them with olive oil and herbs, plain, or add them to a soup.
Another way of using up leftover mashed potatoes is sheppard's pie... mix up ground beef (or other leftover meat), veggies, cream of mushroom soup and top it off with mashed potatoes then cheese. Bake in the oven until the potatoes are golden brown on top.
Leftovers tend to end up in the garbage because most people want something new and tasty instead of the same old thing. But by using your imagination, you can turn almost anything into something new. You can eliminate waste and save money by doing this, and who doesn't want to save a little money?!
Freezing food is also a great way to save those leftovers, just remember to label everything you freeze, you'll regret it if you don't!
That's all for today's topic. I hope you learned a bit of useful tips, and keep checking by for new posts! The next one will be about using up all those vegetable scraps :)
But, as I always say... be creative!
There are many ways of turning your leftovers into something new and tasty, and today I am going to go over some of the ways you can use up last night's dinner.
My favorite way to turn leftovers into a new meal is by making a casserole. This, and soup are fantastic ways to empty out your refrigerator because the possibilities are endless.
The main ingredients you need is a starch (pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.), meat, veggies, and a sauce.
The sauce can be cream soups (like cream of mushroom or chicken), tomato sauce, white sauce, or anything else that sounds good.
Here is an example of a good leftover casserole; leftover pasta, broccoli, chicken, and a white sauce. Mix it all together, pour it into a casserole dish, top with cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake until it is heated through.
Or, you can take pasta, leftover hamburgers (chop up the meat) and spaghetti sauce and top it off with cheese.
Another good combination is rice, pork, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth.
You can throw pretty much anything into a casserole and make it taste good.
Soup is the same, all you have to do is start with a base, tomato based, cream based, broth based, and so on and throw whatever you want in there. Soups and casseroles are both very flexible and simple to make.
I also have a post on making vegetable broth from leftovers, this is s fantastic base for soup!
Rice is a common leftover in my house, but I have found ways to use up leftover rice as well.
Fried rice is a great example. Saute the rice in a skillet with a little oil, add veggies, cut up pork (or any other meat). Push the rice mixture to the side and add 2 beaten eggs, then scramble. Mix eggs with the rice mixture, add soy sauce, salt and pepper and you've got yourself a meal!
Breakfast is also a good way to use up leftovers. You can saute some onion, pepper, mushrooms, etc. and scramble with eggs. Add leftover potatoes, pork, or smoked sausage and wrap it up in a tortilla for a fantastic leftover breakfast burrito.
Pork roast can be used in many ways. Shred it up and add BBQ sauce for pulled pork sandwiches. Cook it with taco seasonings for pork tacos.
Chili is my favorite leftover food. I usually make an extra big pot of chili just to reuse.
Chili and crackers, chili dogs and frito chili pie are just a few ways to use up leftover chili.
If there is just a small amount left, not enough for a meal, then fill greased muffin cups with a scoop of cornbread batter, a scoop of chili and top it off with cheese. Bake the chili muffins until the cornbread is cooked through.
Leftover cornbread is great for making stuffing. To me, stuffing should be eaten all year 'round, not just on Thanksgiving!
Mash up the leftover cornbread, add salt, pepper, sage, and an egg. Saute onion, bell pepper and celery and add it to the mixture. Add chicken broth until the mixture is nice and moist (you don't want your stuffing to be too dry) and press the mixture into a pan. Bake until it is golden brown on top.
Mashed potatoes are also a great leftover food.
You can mix up leftover mashed potatoes with flour, egg, diced onion (or green onion) and salt and pepper, form into patties and fry in oil, and you have delicious potato cakes!
Mix the potatoes with flour until it becomes almost like a dough, then roll it up like a 'snake' and cut it into 1" pieces. You can then take the pieces and drop them into boiling water until they float to the top, tada... potato dumplings (or gnocchi)! - You can eat them with olive oil and herbs, plain, or add them to a soup.
Another way of using up leftover mashed potatoes is sheppard's pie... mix up ground beef (or other leftover meat), veggies, cream of mushroom soup and top it off with mashed potatoes then cheese. Bake in the oven until the potatoes are golden brown on top.
Leftovers tend to end up in the garbage because most people want something new and tasty instead of the same old thing. But by using your imagination, you can turn almost anything into something new. You can eliminate waste and save money by doing this, and who doesn't want to save a little money?!
Freezing food is also a great way to save those leftovers, just remember to label everything you freeze, you'll regret it if you don't!
That's all for today's topic. I hope you learned a bit of useful tips, and keep checking by for new posts! The next one will be about using up all those vegetable scraps :)
Monday, November 1, 2010
Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice
Well, hello again! I'm glad you've decided to read today's post, because it's all about herbs and spices!
I will go over some uses for the herbs and spices and a few ways to save money in the process, and I know how much we all love to save money!
I want to start off by giving you a few options for where to buy your herbs and spices, aside from the typical tiny bottles at the grocery store.. The products on the grocery store shelves are, yep.. you guessed it, packed with preservatives, chemicals and additives of all sorts! But there is good news folks! You can actually buy them at much cheaper prices and still have fresher, better quality stuff.
Firstly, you need to check your area for health food stores, or a whole foods store. These usually sell different herbs and spices in bulk. If you buy them 4 to 6 ounces at a time (or more), you can actually get them pretty cheap. The best part is, the bulk herbs and spices at the health food stores are usually fresher and organic! And whoever said organic was too expensive?
The truth is, if you pay attention to the options available to you, it is possible to eat and feed your family healthy and organic.
If you can't find a health food store in your area, then call around to different grocery stores (the 'mom and pop shops' are more likely to carry bulk herbs). If this fails, no worries! There are still more options!
Walmart has an ethnic section in the grocery aisles, and most of them sell a few select herbs and spices for low prices. There, I have found cinnamon sticks, whole oregano, bay leaves, dried chilies of all sorts, cumin and a whole lot more.
In some cases, you can find good prices on Ebay, and there are a huge selection of web stores that sell bulk herbs and spices. If you decide to order from the internet, however, I suggest buying a large quantity at a time (or a large variety of products in the same order) because you'll end up saving a lot of money on shipping costs. It may not be worth it to pay these costs to ship just one or two items.
Now let's talk about storage.
Once you have started accumulating small quantities of these bulk herbs, you'll soon find out that having piles of unlabeled plastic baggies full of leafy herbs will start to get a little confusing. My favorite storage option is glass canning jars. When they are cheap in stores I buy them in all sizes (I also use them to store everything from dry beans to popcorn kernels). Glass jars are fantastic because they come clean easily, they don't store odors, and as long as you take care of them they will last for ages! They make my pantry clean and organized, and you can easily see the contents inside which saves much time when you are searching for something.
There are a lot more options for storage however, clean and reuse food containers, old spice jars, pickle jars, or anything else that will seal airtight and keep bugs out. Keep your herbs away from sunlight!
You might also want to invest in a small coffee grinder. This way you can buy whole herbs and spices, like cloves, cinnamon sticks, and cumin and grind them up at home. This is a huge freshness factor and also can sometimes save you even more money.
OK, now on to the subject of uses for our herbs and spices. Of course, you can use them in your everyday cooking in a variety of ways. Once you get used to using herbs an spices in different ways you'll not only cut down on you and your family's salt intake but your fat intake as well. Flavoring your food with herbs instead of salt and fat is extremely beneficial and yields you a multitude of flavors for your taste buds! You can't loose!
But let's venture beyond food for a minute and talk about other uses.
Nature brings us so many beautiful aromas that it leaves us little need for scented candles and Febreeze. Why dust your house with a blanket of chemicals when you can make it smell fantastic naturally?!
One way to bring the lovely aromas of nature into your home is to bring a pot of water to boil, turn it down to low and add the herbs and spices of your choice. You can put orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg for a warm holiday scent, or use lavender, peppermint, or pine. Be creative! Let the water simmer as long as you need, make sure the water doesn't cook out, and it will make your entire house smell fantastic! Also, you can use dried herbs like peppermint lavender, basil, etc. and add to a pouch, or pillow for a sock drawer, closet, car or whatever you want to make smell better. Make tea out of some herbs and add to your cleaners, bathwater, etc. to add more natural scent. Add some herbs to baking soda for a fantastic carpet powder (refer to my household cleaners part II post)
Herbs and spices are beneficial in so many ways, they are even therapeutic and medicinal! Everything in today's post is just to get you started, and any one of my posts should be considered the same. Experiment, shop around, and as always be creative and you will find more ways than you can believe to make your life a little more natural. The benefits are endless! Take advantage of what Mother Nature has to offer.
I will go over some uses for the herbs and spices and a few ways to save money in the process, and I know how much we all love to save money!
I want to start off by giving you a few options for where to buy your herbs and spices, aside from the typical tiny bottles at the grocery store.. The products on the grocery store shelves are, yep.. you guessed it, packed with preservatives, chemicals and additives of all sorts! But there is good news folks! You can actually buy them at much cheaper prices and still have fresher, better quality stuff.
Firstly, you need to check your area for health food stores, or a whole foods store. These usually sell different herbs and spices in bulk. If you buy them 4 to 6 ounces at a time (or more), you can actually get them pretty cheap. The best part is, the bulk herbs and spices at the health food stores are usually fresher and organic! And whoever said organic was too expensive?
The truth is, if you pay attention to the options available to you, it is possible to eat and feed your family healthy and organic.
If you can't find a health food store in your area, then call around to different grocery stores (the 'mom and pop shops' are more likely to carry bulk herbs). If this fails, no worries! There are still more options!
Walmart has an ethnic section in the grocery aisles, and most of them sell a few select herbs and spices for low prices. There, I have found cinnamon sticks, whole oregano, bay leaves, dried chilies of all sorts, cumin and a whole lot more.
In some cases, you can find good prices on Ebay, and there are a huge selection of web stores that sell bulk herbs and spices. If you decide to order from the internet, however, I suggest buying a large quantity at a time (or a large variety of products in the same order) because you'll end up saving a lot of money on shipping costs. It may not be worth it to pay these costs to ship just one or two items.
Now let's talk about storage.
Once you have started accumulating small quantities of these bulk herbs, you'll soon find out that having piles of unlabeled plastic baggies full of leafy herbs will start to get a little confusing. My favorite storage option is glass canning jars. When they are cheap in stores I buy them in all sizes (I also use them to store everything from dry beans to popcorn kernels). Glass jars are fantastic because they come clean easily, they don't store odors, and as long as you take care of them they will last for ages! They make my pantry clean and organized, and you can easily see the contents inside which saves much time when you are searching for something.
There are a lot more options for storage however, clean and reuse food containers, old spice jars, pickle jars, or anything else that will seal airtight and keep bugs out. Keep your herbs away from sunlight!
You might also want to invest in a small coffee grinder. This way you can buy whole herbs and spices, like cloves, cinnamon sticks, and cumin and grind them up at home. This is a huge freshness factor and also can sometimes save you even more money.
OK, now on to the subject of uses for our herbs and spices. Of course, you can use them in your everyday cooking in a variety of ways. Once you get used to using herbs an spices in different ways you'll not only cut down on you and your family's salt intake but your fat intake as well. Flavoring your food with herbs instead of salt and fat is extremely beneficial and yields you a multitude of flavors for your taste buds! You can't loose!
But let's venture beyond food for a minute and talk about other uses.
Nature brings us so many beautiful aromas that it leaves us little need for scented candles and Febreeze. Why dust your house with a blanket of chemicals when you can make it smell fantastic naturally?!
One way to bring the lovely aromas of nature into your home is to bring a pot of water to boil, turn it down to low and add the herbs and spices of your choice. You can put orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg for a warm holiday scent, or use lavender, peppermint, or pine. Be creative! Let the water simmer as long as you need, make sure the water doesn't cook out, and it will make your entire house smell fantastic! Also, you can use dried herbs like peppermint lavender, basil, etc. and add to a pouch, or pillow for a sock drawer, closet, car or whatever you want to make smell better. Make tea out of some herbs and add to your cleaners, bathwater, etc. to add more natural scent. Add some herbs to baking soda for a fantastic carpet powder (refer to my household cleaners part II post)
Herbs and spices are beneficial in so many ways, they are even therapeutic and medicinal! Everything in today's post is just to get you started, and any one of my posts should be considered the same. Experiment, shop around, and as always be creative and you will find more ways than you can believe to make your life a little more natural. The benefits are endless! Take advantage of what Mother Nature has to offer.
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