Not that anybody reads this blog, because I haven't told anybody about it and a variety of other reasons (it does not suck, it does not suck, it does not suck) that I won't get into right now.
But it's Earth Hour tonight. Turn off all your electrical stuff (lights, television, computer) between 8 and 9 your local time tonight and find some good old-fashioned, wholesome ways (i.e. lots of sex) to have fun.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Awesome reasons for not driving
Spring has finally arrived and you really, really need to head to the mega-store for all sorts of supplies.
But bummer, you don't have the car.
The only thing left to do is hook the cart to your bike and head to the park. Don't forget a pretty substantial snack. You might be there for a while.
But bummer, you don't have the car.
The only thing left to do is hook the cart to your bike and head to the park. Don't forget a pretty substantial snack. You might be there for a while.
Friday recipes; or Fricipes
I can't get spring out of my head. A garden. The CSA. Salad at every meal.
I guess by spring, I actually mean food.
There's nothing better to me than fresh veggies prepared in all kinds of ways. It's my comfort food and there's no reason little kids won't love it as well.
So, in honor of spring, I'll make Friday's recipe days. I hope to include all my favorite dishes that are both healthy and delicious.
And to start, in honor of the spring that hasn't quite arrived, let's try an arugula pesto which is a little less expensive (and has a prettier, brighter green color) than it's basil counterpart.
1 clove garlic
1 bunch of arugula
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup walnuts (toasted pine nuts work as well)
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (fresh is best, but the other stuff works too)
1/4 cup of olive oil (the better the oil, the better your pesto)
Salt and pepper to taste
I just use the food processor to make light work of this dish. Process the garlic, followed by the nuts. (You can toast both if you're feeling fancy.) Add the arugula and cheese and drizzle oil as you process until the pesto is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
If you're using this as a pizza topping (no kid in her right mind would say no to pesto pizza) just substitute tomato sauce for the pesto.
With pasta, I like to add a quarter cup of risotto cheese to give it a creamy texture. I find rotini pasta works best.
Oh my gosh... I am so hungry right now. Hey spring, where are you?
I guess by spring, I actually mean food.
There's nothing better to me than fresh veggies prepared in all kinds of ways. It's my comfort food and there's no reason little kids won't love it as well.
So, in honor of spring, I'll make Friday's recipe days. I hope to include all my favorite dishes that are both healthy and delicious.
And to start, in honor of the spring that hasn't quite arrived, let's try an arugula pesto which is a little less expensive (and has a prettier, brighter green color) than it's basil counterpart.
1 clove garlic
1 bunch of arugula
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup walnuts (toasted pine nuts work as well)
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (fresh is best, but the other stuff works too)
1/4 cup of olive oil (the better the oil, the better your pesto)
Salt and pepper to taste
I just use the food processor to make light work of this dish. Process the garlic, followed by the nuts. (You can toast both if you're feeling fancy.) Add the arugula and cheese and drizzle oil as you process until the pesto is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
If you're using this as a pizza topping (no kid in her right mind would say no to pesto pizza) just substitute tomato sauce for the pesto.
With pasta, I like to add a quarter cup of risotto cheese to give it a creamy texture. I find rotini pasta works best.
Oh my gosh... I am so hungry right now. Hey spring, where are you?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Laundry a go-go
Today, my new high efficiency, front-loading washing machine was delivered.
It was almost too much excitement for one day, proving once again how incredibly lame I am. I don't even like to do laundry (no, really, you ask) but this new piece of machinery, along with it's low-energy use and ability to actually clean my clothes rather just get them wet while I scrub them vigorously with a toothbrush, really has my blood pumping.
But I do have a bit of a dilemma. Turns out, you can't use any old laundry soap with these machine. Oh no. That would be too —oh, I don't know — common. Instead, I sent my husband to the store for HE (high efficiency for all you commoners out there) soap, which was $12 for 64 loads.
Are you kidding me? I just spent a year making my own soap for about $2 a month.
So I checked the Web and found high sudsing is the main culprit for messing with these new washers. Homemade soap does not do much sudsing. This site here does a good job of pondering this dilemma.
For now, I'll stick to the Tide we bought, but I'll return to this issue soon. I just think if we're going to make washers that save energy and money, we should save a little money.
It was almost too much excitement for one day, proving once again how incredibly lame I am. I don't even like to do laundry (no, really, you ask) but this new piece of machinery, along with it's low-energy use and ability to actually clean my clothes rather just get them wet while I scrub them vigorously with a toothbrush, really has my blood pumping.
But I do have a bit of a dilemma. Turns out, you can't use any old laundry soap with these machine. Oh no. That would be too —oh, I don't know — common. Instead, I sent my husband to the store for HE (high efficiency for all you commoners out there) soap, which was $12 for 64 loads.
Are you kidding me? I just spent a year making my own soap for about $2 a month.
So I checked the Web and found high sudsing is the main culprit for messing with these new washers. Homemade soap does not do much sudsing. This site here does a good job of pondering this dilemma.
For now, I'll stick to the Tide we bought, but I'll return to this issue soon. I just think if we're going to make washers that save energy and money, we should save a little money.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Cheap Green Tip 10: Think small
Americans like their things big.
We have larger vehicles. We have super-sized closets that, no fibbing, are often larger than my childhood bedroom. We have bigger plates to accommodate our larger portions.
And we have big houses. In fact, the average home today is 40 percent larger than 35 years ago. More space to store all our crap. More space to escape the annoying habits of those living with us. More space to impress our friends.
But there's a lot to be said for a smaller house. You use less of everything to maintain them. Less furniture. Less energy. Less frilly knickknacks. It really makes you think twice before you buy a hall clock from Pottery Barn.
Smaller houses are often older houses, built closer to city centers. For me, that means my 1,600 square foot ranch (which includes a furnished basement) is just a mile from downtown. I can easily reach shopping, entertainment and services by bus or bike.
Plus, it's very green-hip and eco-fabulous to live fantastically in a small space. Chic, cozy and, though rarely mentioned, cost-effective.
Tip: If you live in a larger home, try closing off a few rooms you hardly use to save energy.
We have larger vehicles. We have super-sized closets that, no fibbing, are often larger than my childhood bedroom. We have bigger plates to accommodate our larger portions.
And we have big houses. In fact, the average home today is 40 percent larger than 35 years ago. More space to store all our crap. More space to escape the annoying habits of those living with us. More space to impress our friends.
But there's a lot to be said for a smaller house. You use less of everything to maintain them. Less furniture. Less energy. Less frilly knickknacks. It really makes you think twice before you buy a hall clock from Pottery Barn.
Smaller houses are often older houses, built closer to city centers. For me, that means my 1,600 square foot ranch (which includes a furnished basement) is just a mile from downtown. I can easily reach shopping, entertainment and services by bus or bike.
Plus, it's very green-hip and eco-fabulous to live fantastically in a small space. Chic, cozy and, though rarely mentioned, cost-effective.
Tip: If you live in a larger home, try closing off a few rooms you hardly use to save energy.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Cheap Green Tip 9: Grow your own
I kind of hate this tip. Mostly because I know that gardening does not come easy for many people (me, me and me) and it's actually kind of scary and expensive to get started.
But it's well worth it if you have the time and space. And if you don't, just grow some herbs in your kitchen to save money and the time it takes to scrape bits of gooey parsley off the bottom of your crisper drawer.
You might wonder, if I don't really garden, how in the hell am I supposed to write about how great it is? Well, because my family had a gardener and it was totally awesome. There's nothing in the world like fresh tomatoes on a hot August picnic. And there's nothing greater than opening one of your own jars of tomatoes long after the plants call it a season.
This summer, my family will again try to not have a failed garden. We stick with the easy stuff, tomatoes and peppers mostly. We have a place in the corner of our backyard that gets a lot of sun, although I've heard it's better to put a garden near the house in order to keep a better eye on it.
But sun trumps proximity.
We'll also attempt a small compost pile, mostly because I feel so awful anytime I throw carrot peels away. Those little bits of leftover produce apparently help create a pretty kickass soil.
Tip: If you just can't do it, either because you're a closed-in urbanite, you live on a rock or your thumb is as black as a Hummer-owner's heart, join a CSA. It's kind of expensive, mostly because often you have to pay upfront, but you get a big enough bounty each week to try your hand at freezing or canning for those veggie-lacking winter months.
But it's well worth it if you have the time and space. And if you don't, just grow some herbs in your kitchen to save money and the time it takes to scrape bits of gooey parsley off the bottom of your crisper drawer.
You might wonder, if I don't really garden, how in the hell am I supposed to write about how great it is? Well, because my family had a gardener and it was totally awesome. There's nothing in the world like fresh tomatoes on a hot August picnic. And there's nothing greater than opening one of your own jars of tomatoes long after the plants call it a season.
This summer, my family will again try to not have a failed garden. We stick with the easy stuff, tomatoes and peppers mostly. We have a place in the corner of our backyard that gets a lot of sun, although I've heard it's better to put a garden near the house in order to keep a better eye on it.
But sun trumps proximity.
We'll also attempt a small compost pile, mostly because I feel so awful anytime I throw carrot peels away. Those little bits of leftover produce apparently help create a pretty kickass soil.
Tip: If you just can't do it, either because you're a closed-in urbanite, you live on a rock or your thumb is as black as a Hummer-owner's heart, join a CSA. It's kind of expensive, mostly because often you have to pay upfront, but you get a big enough bounty each week to try your hand at freezing or canning for those veggie-lacking winter months.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Cheap Green Tip 8: Recycle
Technically, this isn't going to save you a ton of cash. I guess, if I were really stretching the term cheap, I could say you save on trash bag cash. Or maybe I could argue that by recycling your batteries and newspapers and furniture that you're keeping items in circulation and saving money for the planet.
Hmmm. Not working. Well. Just recycle, that's why.
Just because we know you're busy blah, blah, blah, half of all communities have curbside recycling. It's really just as easy as tossing your plastic bottles in a container separate from your trash can. In my community, we have bins set up throughout the city that allows me to recycle at my leisure, which I kind of like.
And what I've noticed? My family of four never uses more than a single trash can each week. And once you get rolling, you can focus your attention on reducing waste before you bring it home.
For instance, I've just stopped buying water. Those plastic bottles are really a burden on the landfills. And I buy products with less packaging, which in turn produces less waste.
Amazing how that works.
Tip: Visit Earth911 for all things recycling. They have ways you can recycle the basics (cans, bottles and paper) along with other items you might not have considered like electronics and pharmaceuticals, although I'm unsure as to why anybody would throw Vicodin down the drain.
Hmmm. Not working. Well. Just recycle, that's why.
Just because we know you're busy blah, blah, blah, half of all communities have curbside recycling. It's really just as easy as tossing your plastic bottles in a container separate from your trash can. In my community, we have bins set up throughout the city that allows me to recycle at my leisure, which I kind of like.
And what I've noticed? My family of four never uses more than a single trash can each week. And once you get rolling, you can focus your attention on reducing waste before you bring it home.
For instance, I've just stopped buying water. Those plastic bottles are really a burden on the landfills. And I buy products with less packaging, which in turn produces less waste.
Amazing how that works.
Tip: Visit Earth911 for all things recycling. They have ways you can recycle the basics (cans, bottles and paper) along with other items you might not have considered like electronics and pharmaceuticals, although I'm unsure as to why anybody would throw Vicodin down the drain.
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