Feb20

Reusables and Your GROSS Factor

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Reusables and Your GROSS Factor
Reusables and Your GROSS Factor

I’ve been thinking about things we use and things we re-use.  We re-use many things for convenience and for the environment, other large items are for financial purposes.  Below I’ve created a list of sorts of things we commonly re-use and I’ve put it in order of “Not gross at all” to “Too gross for me.”

I don’t want to throw out paper or styrofoam plates everyday so I own nice plates and wash them after meals. I have silverware and chopsticks so I don’t have to dispose of these after meals. Same for serving dishes.
I have kitchen and bathroom towels so I don’t need paper towels or these new disposable bathroom towels (what a ridiculous invention!).
I use a glass cup in the bathroom so I’m not tossing out Dixie cups 3x a day. I’ve had my elec toothbrush for 5 years – better than disposable waste I think.
I made reusable cotton pads for makeup removal. I made washable butt wipes for my son’s diaper changes.
I use washable menstrual pads (Glad Rags and Imse Vimse)…and a hush goes over the crowd. No one talks about that one very much, yep, they’re more popular than you probably think.  The Diva Cup is a great option if you’re more of a tampon girl, they come in 2 sizes – pre-baby and post-baby!
Now I’ve been considering using something I’ve recently discovered, something referred to as “family cloth”.  Family cloth is reusable toilet paper!   I think that term makes it sound grosser than it needs to be!  I read an article about it after doing a google search (I’d temporarily thought I’d invented the idea) and I found a fantastic article written by Sayward Rebhal, otherwise known as Bonzai Aphrodite.  I’ve sewn up my own squares, but you can buy some cute ones on Etsy.   I’m considering going ahead with the family cloth, but I’ll only use it for #1 and I won’t share my cloths with anyone else – my family wouldn’t agree to it anyway.

My two guilty guilty bad-for-the-environment pleasures?  Puffs Plus and 7th Generation diapers. But I’m currently seeking out hankies like my grandpa used to use.  Do you have a guilty-pleasure/disposable item you don’t want to stop using?

My husband (and some other people) think I may be a little extreme and that I have a pretty high limit to what I find gross.    What do you think?  Where do you draw the line between being “green” and good-for-the-environment and gross/going too far?

Below is a list of things I could think of that we do or can reuse.  Some things are obvious, but I’m sure there’s someone somewhere that doesn’t even reuse the obvious.  It’s all perspective I guess.  Where is your limit?  What stops you from going further?

Houses – Do you dream of building a brand new house or is a used house okay?

I used to live in this house! An old Mid-Century Modern in Denver

Clothes – Do you wash and reuse your clothes?  What about giving to and buying from thrift stores?
Pots & Pans – Wash, dry, and reuse!  There will be a day they make a “convenience” set of throw-away pans!
Plates & Bowls – Paper plates, Styrofoam, or real plates?
Silverware – plastic?  Compostable?  Or metal?
Chopsticks – “disposable” ones or invest in a nice pair?
Seeds from Fruit & Veggies – use seeds from real fruit/veggies or buy a packet of seeds at the store?
Used paper - from scrap paper/doodling/list making
Wrapping Paper – Do you save wrapping paper to use another day? (I honestly don’t do this one)
Fabric Napkins – Would you wash fabric napkins to reuse or prefer throw away?
Towels – Wash & Reuse? Paper towels? Or air-dry?  I’ve seen beautiful reusable paper towels on Etsy, they even snap together to make a roll.
Toothbrushes – Disposables (one time use) do exist!
Bathroom cups – Plastic, glass, or Dixie?
Straws (glass or plastic) – I got some great glass straws on Etsy!
Ziplock Baggies – Do you wash and reuse baggies? What about using fabric snack baggies?
Food Containers – I wash and save nice glass bottles (for food) and some plastic ones (for toys and crafts)

Reusable Glass & Plastic

Composting – Do you compost? Worm or standard?
Baby Diapers – Wash ‘em or toss ‘em?

Baby Butt Wipes

Butt Wipes – I wash ours!
Menstrual Pads – I adopted these about one year ago and I’m really happy about it! Throw aways are a lot of waste, like diapers.
“Family Cloth” (reusable toilet paper) for #1 - I’m just starting this!

“Family Cloth”

“Family Cloth” for #2 – I don’t think I can go there, not yet anyway.
Adult Diapers – Yes, they make them. After having my son I needed diapers for a while, but didn’t go with reusable. There’s something about adult fecal matter that I don’t like and I don’t want it going through my washing machine!

Where did I lose you? Did I lose you?? Any other reusable item ideas? Please add to the list!! :)

 

 

 

Feb14

Authentic Garlic Toast

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Authentic Garlic Toast
Authentic Garlic Toast

What do you eat garlic toast with?  I’m not sure there’s nothing garlic toast couldn’t go with.  Italian.  Soup.  Chili.  Stew.  Curry.  Noodles.  Cereal?  Probably not, but if it’s after 11am I can’t make any promises.

When I was a kid my Mom used to make garlic toast sometimes;  she would toast it in the oven, under the broiler, and then put butter and garlic salt on the toast.  I do like to toast it in the oven, it’s easier if you’re making more than a couple of pieces and it just seems more romantic that way – something old fashioned about it.  But garlic salt?  No thank you.

The most important part of my garlic toast is: GARLIC!  I use whole garlic on my toast.  Garlic salt and garlic powder do not compare to using real garlic!  And why wouldn’t you want to use real garlic?  I mean, really?

Instead of butter I use Earth Balance.  With Earth Balance there is NO reason to ever miss butter.  It’s awesome!  Yes, I know they have the whole palm oil thing going on, but they are taking measures to ensure they’re not contributing to the killing of orangutans and other endangered animals.  Check out my palm oil blog post here.

Print
Authentic Garlic Toast

Ingredients

  • Bread - as many pieces as you would like
  • 1 clove Garlic - or more if you're making a lot of toast
  • Earth Balance or other vegan butter substitute

Instructions

  1. Toast your bread in the toaster or under the broiler in the oven
  2. Peel the garlic and cut one end off so there is a small flat surface on one end.
  3. Hold the clove of garlic with the flat cut end against your toast and rub the garlic all over your toast.
  4. Rub as much garlic on your toast as you like - use a little (mild flavor) or a lot (more intense garlic flavor)
  5. Spread on some vegan butter with a knife - again, use as little or as much as you like.
  6. Enjoy your authentic garlic toast!
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Authentic Garlic Toast

This recipe (I’m not sure 3 ingredients constitutes a recipe!) may seem obvious, but having been raised on garlic salt and garlic powder I always enjoy eating eating garlic toast this way.

Feel free to enjoy the garlic toast like this or you can top it with vegan cheese, marmite, brushetta, or other yummy toppings.  I also like to make this garlic toast and then create a grilled cheese sandwich with it.

What do you like on your toast? What do you eat garlic toast with??

 

Feb3

No-More-Crying Onion Cutting Experiments

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No-More-Crying Onion Cutting Experiments

Cutting onions and crying just go together; one expects the old familiar burning and tearing up when the onion gets chopped in half.  It’s life – it’s the onion’s defense system against getting eaten!  It’s what we endure to enjoy an onion.

There are a lot of myths surrounding the desire to avoid crying over a cutting board of chopped onions and I’m trying some of them out to see what works for me!  Short of wearing goggles (see image at the bottom) while I chop my onions, I’m going to try as many methods as I can – if you know of something I haven’t tried, please add it to the comments below!

Controls: I always use a wood or bamboo cutting board and I use the same super-sharp ceramic knife.  I am also always chopping the onion into a medium sized chop (unless otherwise stated).  I always cut off the top, then the root, then cut the onion in half to peel (except with the Onion Under Water experiment).

 

An Onion on Ice

Method: Place the onion in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to cutting.  I tried this with the highest of hopes!  It sounded a little strange, but the idea of cooling the onion in the freezer sounded so odd that I’d hoped it was the method that would work best.  I mean, who would think of this to begin with?  And why would it be a known method if it didn’t work?

I chilled the onion in my freezer for 10 minutes.  I then sliced into the onion, cut it in half and I could already feel the familiar burn in my sinuses.  I peeled the two halves of the onion and began chopping one of the halves, at this point I was already crying.  FAIL!

 

 

A Toothpick to Chew On

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Jan27

Rum Balls

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Rum Balls
Rum Balls

[Disclaimer: We moved across the country immediately before Christmas, so our holiday decorating and treat making were a little delayed and hurried.  This blog post is about a month overdue - I know everyone is way past thinking about the holidays!  But I really did just make the rum balls this weekend.  I'm late!]

I don’t know that this is universal, but when I think of Rum Balls I think of Christmas.  Rum balls have always been a holiday delicacy in my home.  Some of my earliest memories are of eating rum balls with my Dad and sitting in the living room looking at the lights on our Christmas tree.  I believe the recipe came from my Dad’s mother.

One year when I was in elementary school, somewhere between 1st and 3rd grades, I was asked to bring a treat to share with my classmates for the class party before our winter vacation.  While discussing it with my mother I asked if we could make rum balls together.  Some smiles and laughter erupted and it was explained to me that it would be frowned upon to bring treats that contained alcohol.  I was a bit saddened because I wanted to share my favorite holiday treat with all my friends – I knew they would love rum balls too!  I don’t remember what I did bring to class, but it was probably something not nearly as memorable or delightful.  Finally, finally, finally I get to share my favorite treat with my friends here!  I should hit Facebook to connect with all my old classmates to share with them too!

It was my Mom who made the rum balls each year, she also made my grandmother’s recipe for fruit cake.  I’m not a big fan of fruitcake, but she did make the best fruitcake I’ve ever tried.  When my parents got divorced I somehow acquired the rum ball recipe and I kept making the rum balls every year for my Dad.  I just mailed out his box yesterday, he’ll be very surprised to receive them this week!  I can’t wait to get the phone call from him.  They’ve always been his favorite treat too and I thought it would be comforting to him if I continued our holiday tradition of scarfing down rum balls by the tree.  Freud may say I’m just trying to take my mother’s place and wanting to marry my father, but that’s a topic for my shrink…

Decorating our tree on a rainy day.

Now that my son is 3 I believe it’s time for him to start acquiring a taste for rum balls.  He’s already in love with chocolate and didn’t hesitate to try a rum ball this year.  He made short work of it by biting it in half and finishing it all in two bites.  I wasn’t raised with a lot of family traditions, but I like to think that rum balls at the holidays is one of them and I hope when my son is older we can recount our time around the Christmas tree eating rum balls and admiring the pretty lights and baubles.

Christmas morning

I’ve altered the recipe somewhat to keep out the eggy Nilla Wafers, light corn syrup, and I use vegan sugar and chocolate, but I’ve otherwise stayed true to my grandmother’s recipe. Read the rest of this entry →

Jan18

Kale Pesto Besto

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Kale Pesto Besto
Kale Pesto Besto

I am in love with pasta, I could easily be one of those vegans who eats noodles every day, in fact sometimes I am.  I recently was thinking up my list of recipes for the week and realized I hadn’t had noodles on the menu for at least a couple of weeks (how could this be?)!  I’ve been on a soup kick and somehow didn’t notice the lack of soft, comforting noodles.  Weird.

I decided we’re going to have a pesto, but I often get bogged down by the amount of basil one must buy in order to make enough to serve a family.  I usually grow my own, but we just moved out of state a few weeks ago and I haven’t gotten to the point of growing anything yet.  Even when I do have my own basil plant I typically have to steal all of its leaves to make a meal! What I do have a lot of these days is KALE.  I hate to jump on any “superfood” bandwagon since there’s a new superfood discovered nearly every day, but we’ve come to love our kale.  On Sundays we walk up to a farmers’ market just a few blocks from our house (Kensington Farmers’ Market) and buy 4-5 bunches of kale from a local organic farm.  I typically juice most of it, but I think I got a little too much last week – this ends in other kale inventions such as this.

Yummy Delicious Pesto

I’m not saying I invented kale pesto, I’m almost certain I haven’t, but I did just whip it together for dinner last night and it was a bit of an experiment for me.  I wasn’t sure the kale would be sweet enough as it can sometimes be quite bitter and/or tough to eat, so I blanched it with the garlic for 3 minutes to soften and sweeten it up.  I ended up making a lot, which is great because it’s delicious maximous!  We’re having it two nights in a row and I’ll freeze the rest in an ice cube tray for some quick lunches for the toddler and I.

Toasty warm pine nuts

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Jan16

Ordering Groceries -or- How to Avoid Grocery Shopping with a Toddler!

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Ordering Groceries -or- How to Avoid Grocery Shopping with a Toddler!
Ordering Groceries -or- How to Avoid Grocery Shopping with a Toddler!

At the risk of sounding lazy, I’m going to admit that I’ve decided to have the bulk of my groceries delivered to me.  Yes, I am able bodied and have enough energy to get to the store and back, but I have a 3-year-old son who can be most difficult if he feels like it and well, I have better things to do than drag the two of us through the store to find out – “CRAP!  I forgot to pick up parsley on the other side of the store.” and “Where the hell do they keep the seaweed?!” and “No!  You don’t need that chocolate bar and battery powered lollipop that flashes enough to give you a seizure!”

Previously I thought home delivery of groceries was for the elderly, housebound, and handicapped.  I’d wondered about home delivery, but decided it couldn’t be free and the fee involved would probably keep people from doing it – why else wouldn’t everyone be doing it, right?  About a month ago, when we were moving into our new house, I saw a grocery truck drive by and the side panel read, “FREE DELIVERY…on your first order.”  Of course, I only saw the FREE DELIVERY part and decided to look into it.

The first delivery from Safeway is free.  First of all, I’m not a big fan of Safeway, it’s just never been my store even among mainstream grocery stores, but I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Things I Loved About It:

  • I could search for items instead of wandering around aisle to aisle or looking for an associate.
  • Um, I didn’t have to get a 3-year-old in his car seat, out of car seat, into a cart (good luck!), avoid the candy aisle or checkout lanes with candy and crap toys, then get kid to the car, in the seat, and home again.
  • I don’t end up buying impulse items (chips and cookies).
  • I can order beer, wine, and liquor (you may get carded when they deliver).
  • I don’t have to touch a germy cart or stand next to people coughing and sneezing in line.
  • The delivery man said they are NOT allowed to accept tips.

Things I Didn’t Care For:

  • I got a crap-load of plastic bags – you know how they like to bag items one per bag and double bag?  :(
  • I don’t get to wander around to check out new and exciting items.
  • I don’t get to choose my own produce, BUT they do a pretty good job AND I typically get my produce at the farmers’ market anyway.
  • Safeway doesn’t have lots of vegan options, but they do have the main staples.
  • Did I mention the plastic bags?
  • Sometimes they don’t have the thing you ordered so you either don’t get it or they may substitute another.
  • You CANNOT use coupons
  • You can’t use reusable bags

My friendly Safeway delivery driver.

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Jan12

What to Do In Denver When You’re Vegan: Drink Some Wine

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What to Do In Denver When You’re Vegan: Drink Some Wine
What to Do In Denver When You’re Vegan: Drink Some Wine

Colorado has a number of wineries and while we’re no Napa Valley we can grow grapes and make some wonderful wines!  Wine isn’t always vegan (I was crushed when I learned this), it is very common for wineries to use isinglass (a form of gelatin from a fish’s bladder), gelatin (from boiled hooves and sinews), egg whites, and casein (a milk protein) in the processing and filtering of the wine.  They’re used to remove impurities from the wine and make the wine clearer and more “presentable.”  However, there are alternatives to animal products and some companies have been using them to make vegan wine!  To them, I send many thanks!

This is a partial list of vegan wines made right in sunny Colorado:

Nebula Red by Nexus Wines – Denver, CO

All wines made by Ten Bears Winery  – Laporte, CO
-Grand Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
-Colorado Chardonnay
-Grand Valley Dry Riesling
-Grand Valley Sparkling Dry Tiesling
-Grand Valley Merlot
-American Chardonnay
-Pass White Table Wine
-Hard Cider
-Nutty Laporte
-Poudre River Red Table Wine

Johnny’s Vegan Wine (this is a Facebook page, I can’t locate a website) – Denver, CO

The Colorado Cider Company also makes a number of vegan hard ciders – Denver, CO

If you’re looking for vegan beer, wine, or liquor I encourage you to go to Barnivore!  It’s a pretty complete guide to vegan drinks!  You can search by brand or product  and not only does it list vegan drinks, it lists non-vegan drinks with a big red “Not Vegan Friendly,” so you’re not left wondering, “Is it not vegan, or is it just not in their database?”  Nice.

There is also an app, not made by Barnivore, but which uses their database of drinks.  It’s great when you’re leisurely strolling down the aisles of your favorite liquor store with phone in hand!  Go to Barnivore’s site here to see which apps contain their information.  I use the Green Vegan app on my iPhone.  Some are free, some are not, but none of them are more than $1.50 for the app.  Pretty much well worth it.

Jan9

What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Share Your Lunch :)

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What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Share Your Lunch :)

Remember when we were kids at school and during lunch we would sometimes share our lunches with the people we were sitting near?  When did we stop sharing our lunches?  It was fun trying new food from other people’s houses – besides some moms just make better sandwiches!

In a perfect world, all of my friends would be vegan too.  Back in this world, that’s surely not the case.  Bring some extra lunch with you and If you find yourself eating lunch next to a non-vegan – share!  Bake up some zucchini bread, bring a few servings of grilled veggie lasagna, or make a vegan pizza to share at the office.

Sharing Zucchini Bread with MapQuest

I think a lot of people who are curious about going vegan are just timid about getting started.  Be a mentor and share some recipes.  Better yet, show them how to do it!

On the other hand, I typically spend my lunches across the table from a 3-year-old who’s already vegan.  In order to share my lunches a little I’ve been recently making a sandwich every day to take with me when we go out and when I see someone in need, I offer them a sandwich.  It’s probably not spreading the word on veganism, but I am helping to feed someone – and that’s sharing too.  Sharing just feels great!

Do you share your lunches?  Who do you share with?

Jan7

What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Check out a BOOK!

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What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Check out a BOOK!
What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Check out a BOOK!

Check out a book at Denver Public Library or your local library system.

10 W Fourteenth Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204
Hours vary by branch.
Or find your local branch

Denver Public Library is almost completely comprised of architecturally unique buildings that often contain wonderful works of art.  The Central Library branch has two art galleries (on the 5th and 7th floors)!

At the end of 2011 DPL owned 2,236,686 books (plus CDs, DVDs, Magazines, and Newspapers), that’s 3.7 books per Denver resident, but we don’t all have library cards, so there will be plenty of books to go around…but you don’t need to be a resident to get a card.  And you can check out up to 100 books at a time – I don’t know about you, but I don’t have that kind of time!  There seems to be a local neighborhood branch for almost every neighborhood (there are 23 branches in addition to the Central Branch) and the library staff is always eager to help.  Check out some vegan books, they even have vegan books for kids (check out Vegan is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action, ‘Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving, Herb the Vegetarian Dragon, I’m a Vegetarian: Amazing Facts and Ideas for Healthy Vegetarians).  There must be a vegan or two in their book ordering department.

If there’s a book you’re looking for, but they don’t carry it, you can “Request It” through their website and ask them to borrow it from another library through the Interlibrary Loan program (it’s free) or request that they purchase the book!

The employees are almost always really friendly; who couldn’t be happy working among books?!  AND at the Central branch they have ‘Nap Rooms’ in case an employee feels a little sleepy – which is probably more often than you’d think.  Trust me, I used to work there!

And speaking of books, they also have tons of DVD’s!

There are also librarians available for free online chat to answer any questions you may have, it’s a program called AskColorado.  AskColorado is my secret research weapon – instead of realizing I need to research something, getting in my car, driving to the library, asking a librarian my questions, etc…I can just have a little online chat with someone!  What a time saver.

Do you have a research secret to share with me?

Dec31

What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Go to The Wild Animal Sanctuary!

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What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Go to The Wild Animal Sanctuary!
What to Do in Denver When You’re Vegan: Go to The Wild Animal Sanctuary!

Grab your binoculars and go to The Wild Animal Sanctuary

1946 County Road 53
Keenesburg, CO 80643
303-536-0118

Summer Hours: May 1st – September 30th 9am – Sunset 7 days/week
Winter Hours: October 1st  – April 30th  9am – 4pm 7days/week
Adults: $15
Children: (3-12) $7.50

Just 30 miles outside of Denver you can see rescued African lions, black bears, bobcats, camels, coyote, emu, fox, grizzly bears, leopards, lynx, mountain lions, tigers, wolves, and many more unexpected and delightful wild animals!  Instead of taking my son to the zoo, I like to take him to the Wild Animal Sanctuary where these animals have been given a second chance.  They’ve been rescued from roadside attractions, zoos, circuses, and other situations where they’ve been exploited, abandoned, or illegally kept.  In total they have nearly 300 animals in this sanctuary and have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to 42 states and foreign countries on rescue missions.

Here at the sanctuary the animals receive excellent veterinary care, proper diets, and have plenty of space in their large-acreage-habitats for the remainder of their lives.

Your visit will bring you through the visitor’s center/ticket counter and out onto the walkway system that spans more than 300 acres of animal habitats.  All of the walkways and decks are wheel-chair and stroller accessible with the exception of one elevated picnic area above the gift shop.  The walkways are all well above the animals and stretch one mile from the visitor’s center to the 15,000 square foot lion house.  The walkways are peppered with viewing platforms and binocular stands.

Cooling Off!

You will not get up close and personal with the animals, but that is for their comfort, they are private and territorial animals – this is not a zoo, their comfort is considered before yours, though your safety is a top priority as well.  Don’t forget your hats and sunscreen as there is NO shade in sight.  Make sure you check out the bathrooms before you head up onto the boardwalk, it’s your last chance!

Check out the bathrooms…FIRST!

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