Re-using and Reducing Waste - Tips 1

I am on a mission to make my house as green as I can, not only for the earth, but for our health and budget as well.
Reducing waste is a big task on that mission, so I thought I would share some of my tips here, and see if anyone has some more they would like to add.

- I have 2 bags in my freezer: A stock bag and a soup bag. When chopping veggies, instead of throwing scraps in the trash or sink, they go in the bag and I use them to make stock. Everything from the ends of onions and bell peppers, to potato and carrot peels. Same goes for the stems of stripped herbs. The soup bag holds leftover bits of meat, pasta, rice, veggies, etc. that go uneaten from leftover dinners or lunch that wouldn't make enough for a leftover meal.

- Using reusable shopping bags creates a nice lack of plastic shopping bags, but with a cat box and cat litter to clean, we have a need to be a bit creative. Bread bags, tortilla bags, and the like, when empty, make nice little cat/dog clean up bags.

- Still on a journey to cut out paper towels in the house, I have found a number of nice options.
Skoy Sponge Cloths (http://www.reusablebags.com/store/skoy-paper-towel-replacement-colors-p-1903.html) come in packs of 4 for $6.95, are non-toxic, and dry quickly to inhibit the growth of bacteria. They are machine washable, but also can be cleaned in the dishwasher and even in the microwave. There are also cloths and sponges at the Dollar Tree, which are quite cheaper, but I do call their manufacture and chemical content into question.

- I am not a gardener, thus we really don't have any plants to water, but a long time ago I got this tip, and it can be taken to stretch anywhere if you have the need. Keep a bucket in your shower for catching the shower spray. Put it in a place where it will catch the spray, but not get any soap in it. Use the collected water to water plants. Using some thinking, it could also be used for rinsing dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, for rinsing down the sidewalk.... there must be many possibilities that I am missing.

More to come.... but until then.. any things you yourself have put into practice?

Pea and Rice Salad

Got much praise from everyone. Jeremy approved, Sebastian said it was better than dessert, even Elisha and Locke took some big mouth-fulls.
Definitely something to make again!

6 oz long grain and wild rice mix
1 bunch collard greens
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced
4-5 tbs italian dressing
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 - 1 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, strung
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Wash collards, strip leaves from midrib, stack leaves and roll into a large "cigar". Cut into thin ribbons with sharp knife. Prepare rice mix as directed. When rice is tender, stir in collards, cover and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into salad bowl and add remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours.
Note: I served warm as dinner was running a tad late, and it tasted fabulous warm. Cannot wait to taste the leftovers tomorrow!

Bruschetta Steaks and Barley Casserole

Picked up some cheap, thin steak cuts at the grocery store. Trying to eat on a budget, finding ways to cook up cheap cuts of meat is a challenge I face happily. (Please excuse the kids' christmas plate, dishes in the dishwasher)

Bruschetta Minute Steaks (adapted from Kraft Kitchens)

1 Tbsp. oil

6 thin boneless beef steaks (1/4 to 1/2-inch thick, 1-1/2 lb.)

1 can chopped tomatoes, drained well

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup Italian Dressing

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken, prepared as directed on package

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese(or any other shredded cheese on hand, I used Costco's cheddar/jack blend)

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook 1 min. on each side or until lightly browned on both sides. Meanwhile, mix tomatoes, peppers and dressing; spoon over steaks. Top with prepared stuffing; sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted and steak is cooked to medium doneness.

Served with a delicious Barley Casserole found on epicurious.

1/2 pound mushrooms
4-5 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped very fine
1 cup pearl barley
Salt, pepper
2-3 cups beef or chicken broth

Slice the mushroom caps and chop the stems. Heat the butter in a skillet and add the chopped onion. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes and add the mushrooms. Cook another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the barley and brown it lightly, mixing it well with the onions and mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour into a buttered casserole. Add enough boiling broth to cover the mixture and come 1/2" above it. Cover the casserole tightly and bake in a 350°F. oven for 25 minutes. Taste the barley for doneness. Add more broth, if necessary, and continue cooking until the liquid is absorbed and the barley tender.

Not-so-good-for-you Macaroni and Cheese (courtesy of Paula Deen)

Can she make anything that is actually good for you? Probably not.... but she does make some darn good comfort foods.

This is the kids favorite Mac-n-Cheese recipe (we have multiple recipes we make at different times, a motherhood standard). Hers is made in the slow cooker, I adapted to bake it in the oven.

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
• 2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cook the macaroni to al dente. Drain, mix in the rest, reserving a handful of cheese for the top. Pour into casserole dish, top with reserved cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

Family Gadgets: The Safety Turtle

Being a mommy, I am always looking for something to make my life a little easier, or simply interested in what gadgets are created for family fun, convenience, and safety. While flipping through my One Step Ahead cataloug, I came across this interesting little gadget that fascinated me.

The Safety Turtle. Place the band around your child's wrist and plug in the base alarm station(the large speaker). If your child happens to fall in the water, when the band is submerged, it sounds a loud alarm through the speaker, working within a range of 100 feet, so you are alerted and can quickly respond.
What a neat device. We had a couple scares with Elisha enthusiastically jumping into the pool at my mother's, which scared the life out of me (you would be amazed how silently little ones can slip into water without you realizing it), and I could see this thing coming in handy for people who have a pool or live near a lake. It would certainly put a anxiety-ridden heart like mine a little more at ease. Upping the response time of getting to your child's aid when you are not glued to their hand or are engaged in a bit of conversation poolside, seems like a good thing to me.
Though at $199.95 for the speaker and one wrist band and $79.95 for each additional wrist band, it would not be worth it to us, since we are pool-less at our own house. But if we did have a pool, with 3 energetic little boys that can get into trouble faster than you can blink, I would perhaps consider choking down the price of a little extra peace of mind and heart.

Bakin: Words of wisdom, pt 1

"Jesus died for us so that we could have a heart."

Lasagna

So, I haven't blogged.... in a loooooooooooong time. My sister won't leave me alone about it.... sorry, I am a bit strapped for time, LoL!

Anyway, I will try and blog a bit more, Ok?

Here is a yummy recipe for Lasagna that I slaved away at today. It came out quite well and the family was pleased:

1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste
1/2 Cup of Water
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons fresh Basil leaves chopped
4 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
23 ounces of ricotta cheese.
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a large pot. Drain fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Add sugar, basil, parsley, salt, italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir, cover pot, and simmer 1 1/2 hour.
Soak noodles in hot water for 15 minutes.
Mix Ricotta, nutmeg, and egg until combined.
Build lasagna in 9×13 inch baking pan.
Spread 2 cups sauce on the bottom of the pan. Lay 6 noodles on top of sauce. Spread 1/2 ricotta mix onto noodles. Sprinkle on half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Spread 2 cups sauce over cheese layers. Lay 6 more noodles. Spread remaining ricotta mix. Sprinkle remaining cheeses, reserving some for top. Put last layer of sauce on top and then sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 350F for 25 min. Remove foil, bake an additional 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let rest 15 min.

Busy busy busy!

Life is so busy with 3 boys, that I simply cannot find time to blog, or get much computer time in at all. Funny thing is that I cannot say that much of my "busyness" is all that interesting. Cleaning, cooking, nursing, breaking up fights, getting snacks and drinks for the boys, cleaning, breaking up fights, nursing, cleaning, breaking up fights.... on and on and on it goes in its uninteresting-ness. What to blog about, such a predicament!

Been reading... the one pleasure I actually find time to do, mostly while nursing. This series, titles "The Dragon Quartet" by Marjorie Kellogg is quite interesting so far. A series of 4 books: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. It lays the story of dragons and their dragon guides awakening and journeying to find "the summoner" who is calling them out of their sleep because of a great distress. One thing I have found quite interesting about the book series is the fact that in the first, you are set up in 913 German principalities, a lush fantasy story laid before you. And then book 2 launches you into 2013 African coast suffering great environmental devastation that is a clear sci-fi setting. Making the jump between the two styles, fantasy and sci-fi, took a bit to adjust into, but then really makes the story interesting. So far I have only read the first two, earth and water. Upon inspection of our book shelves, we found fire missing and I cannot continue with the story yet, which is frustrating as can be. The characters are stir-crazy in my head wanting to get out again and further their journey. I went to several bookstores and none of them had fire in stock, sigh. So I just ordered a used copy on ebay for $2 and will be anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Until then, I will continue cleaning, cooking, nursing, breaking up fights...

Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Unfortunately I cannot post a picture of my delish creation, but my camera broke on our latest vacation to the beach. Who knew sand could get inside the camera and break the lens? Darn windy beach....

Anyways, here is a personal creation that I made for dinner that was an instant hit!

2 cups dried black beans, rinsed
8 cups water
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
8 oz frozen corn, thawed
8 oz pico de gallo
generous handful fresh cilantro, chopped
corn tortillas
shredded cheese
torn lettuce of choice

Place beans, water, onion and bay leaf in a large pot. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
Remove from heat, drain and remove bay leaf.
Stir in corn, pico de gallo, and cilantro. Season with salt to taste.
Heat corn tortillas in heavy skillet over medium heat, about 15 seconds per side.
Fill with black bean and corn filling, top with cheese, lettuce, and any other taco toppings of choice.
Enjoy! =)

Eclectic Organization.

In my search for a more organized home, I have decided that I want to collect and fill my house with an eclectic array of antique knobs and hooks to hang things on for organizing different things. I am going to start scouring yard sales, antique shops, and goodwill stores. But for the time being, since i am bound to the house right now, I am scheming on the Internet and am sharing some cute little finds.

from The Little Red Door on Etsy

from madampickay on etsy

from theyearoftherabbit on etsy

Japanese Style Curry.

I love curry, it is one of my favorite foods. Japanese style curry rice, kare raisu, is my favorite. It is a bit more like European/English style stew with curry flavor, not like the Indian curries. In this weeks CSA box I got some wonderful Nantes Carrots, La Soda Red Potatoes, and a Georgia Boy Onion... so I decided tonight was a great night for some curry.



1 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 1/2 cups water

1 3.5oz box curry roux



Add a small amount of oil to a large pot over medium, add beef and potatoes. Brown beef and onions, about 5 minutes. Add water, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes, simmer 10 minutes. Break up curry roux block and add. Stir until melted, simmer 5 min. Serve over rice.



I often add different veggies I have on hand: celery, peas, bell peppers, etc. Good for using up root veggies. Yummy!

Romano Beans.

A lovely new addition to my vegetable box last week was Romano Beans. In the newsletter that comes with my box was a simple recipe that is absolutely delicious.

1 lb Romano beans, ends snapped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbs olive oil, dependent on personal preference
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the Romano beans until tender crisp, I did not note the cooking time on this. Toss with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Good alone or tossed into a nice summer salad.

Savory Roasted Root Vegetables.

Every Tuesday I go and pick up a large box of vegetables from a local organic farm, my vegetables for the week, as part of Community Supported Agriculture(CSA). Not only am I getting great fresh organic produce for a decent price ($20/week), I am supporting a local family-owned farm. http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Last week, I received some beets in my box, and was extremely puzzled as to how to use them. Today I finally whipped them out and used them along with the carrots, potatoes, and onions I received in this weeks box..... boy were they good!!

About 3 raw beets, cubed
4 carrots, cubed
1 onion, cubed
2 cups cubed potatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup torn beet greens

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the beet, carrot, onion, potatoes, and garlic into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil, then season with thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring once midway through baking. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and stir in the wine. Return to the oven, and bake until the wine has mostly evaporated and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes more. Stir in the beet greens, allowing them to wilt from the heat of the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Happy Birthday to Me!

Got my birthday present a little early this year! =)

2003 Kia Sedona LX. I am sooooo happy! Up until now, we have been unable to travel altogether as a family, we had to take separate cars because we could not fit all three car seats in either the Matrix or the Kia Sportage. With my birthday coming up we were really wanting to finally get to go on a vacation to the coast, but the whole car issue got in the way. The wonderful seller was kind enough to allow us to pay half now, then half next month. So, not only do we have a van, but we also have the financial ability to take the vacation to the coast. I am one happy Mamma!! =)

Documentaries

I have been a bit on a documentary kick lately and wanted to share a couple of recommendations.

An awesome and thought-provoking documentary of the attack on Intelligent Design in the scientific community. Ben Stein interviews many who were basically expelled from the scientific community for merely raising questions about the theory of Intelligent Design. It also takes hard looks on Darwinism by interviewing some of its devout proponents and glimpsing into history when Darwinism was taken to a frightening level (Hitler, eugenics, etc.). I was completely enthralled during the whole thing and highly recommend it.

A great documentary on birth and our medical system, scrutinizing modern practices and showing the public what midwives actually do, how they are actually trained and prepared. So often have I come across people who think midwives are unprepared and practically walk in with a leather strap and Birkenstocks. The medical society is trying hard to get midwives out of practice, as they have done for years, and that will only serve to do more harm to birth. I have a great heart for birth and have actually begun to tamper with the idea of becoming a midwife in the future. When I saw The Business of Being Born I had already been sold on natural birth and the horror that is our current medical system and view of birth in the US today. It still completely captivated me and furthered my feelings on birth and secured my desire to have a home birth. I would highly recommend this to any woman who is pregnant or planning to get pregnant. Too often do I see women taken advantage of by the medical community to make their job easier, and women need to know their options and the risks of all these routine procedures. Oh, this is such a passion of mine I could go on and on!

Both are free to stream on Netflix!

No longer my little boy....

Have you seen this little boy?

Last night Jeremy and Sebastian went into the local hair salon to get haircuts. Sebastian had been complaining that his hair in his eyes was bothering him, and Jeremy's was pretty long itself, so we decided a joint trip for them both would be good. We talked about letting Sebastian look through some books of boy hairstyles and pick out one that he liked.

He came home with this little man...

Who is he and where is my little boy? I nearly died when I saw him and keep staring at this little stranger. Oh my......

Pasta and Twilight.

Went to my mom's house last night to make her dinner and watch Twilight. The pasta ended up being quite good and I thought I would share my creation. Sorry that the directions are a bit vague, when I cook I tend to just throw things together and not notice amounts and time and such.

• 1/2 package Kirkland frozen four cheese ravioli


• 1 tbs olive oil


• 2 tbs butter


• 8 oz cream cheese


• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 3/4 cup milk


• 2 red bell peppers, sliced into strips


• 2 green bell peppers, sliced into strips


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 10 oz brown mushrooms, sliced


• breast meat of 1 rotisserie chicken, chopped


• salt and lemon pepper to taste

Cook raviolis according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in large pan, add peppers and saute until they start to soften. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms and saute until softened. Season with salt and a few dashes of lemon pepper. Add chopped chicken meat and cook until heated through. Remove mixture from pan into a bowl, return pan to stove. Melt butter in pan, add cream cheese and stir until almost melted. Add Parmesan and milk little bits at a time, adjusting to your own personal taste and texture preference, I just threw them in until it tasted good and seemed the right consistency. Pour over cooked raviolis, fold in chicken mixture.

Two things that I learned about twilight that night. 1) Stephanie Meyer is in the movie. The second scene on Bella and Charlie at the lodge. The woman sitting at the computer that the waitress is serving, that's her. Didn't notice that the first time watching it. 2) Port Angeles... when my family took our big month long trip up north and to Canada, we stopped in Port Angeles and took a ferry from there to Vancouver. So yes, I have been there! LoL, I am such a geek!

Camping out on the Sofa.

Last night, in an attempt to make Elisha understand that he was indeed sleepy and needed to go to bed, we set him up on the sofa with his sleeping bag, pillow, a sippy of milk and some Pirate Booty.

I must add that, despite the look on his face, he was happily watching Barbie Nutcracker. I must also add that the ploy did not work and he stayed up way past all of our bedtime... sigh...

Silly Faces.

Sebastian said he wanted to take some pictures for Aunt Jenn. The results follow:

The silly faces of a 5 year old are a precious thing. You are loved, Jenn!

Samoas Goodness!

It is girl scout cookie time. Anyone else notice the crazy price and cookie shrinkage? I was greatly dissapointed when I went to pick up some of my favorite cookies, the Samoas/Caramel Delites. What is a girl to do with the unreasonable price of that cookie goodness? Why, do an internet search and find a recipe, of course.

I came across these Samoas Bars, they also had cookies, but it was quite a laborious recipe, so I opted for the easier bars.

I was pleasantly surprised. While they were not exactly like the cookies, they still tasted very good and satisfied the yummy coconut-caramel craving.

Homemade Samoas BarsCookie Base:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-oz good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk

10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping). Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.