Plastics: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I would like to highlight something our cousin Mandy wrote. Please take a look at the plastics guide if you have never seen it before. Will be helpful to you and will help explain why I do some of the things I do...

It has come to the attention of the Institute forAgriculture and Trade Policy to get the truth out there for the people. I don't know about you, but I am much more likely to believe a study done by the government than a study done by a company who is trying to keep their good name. I think it would be wise for all of us to take a look at their very helpfulinformation. It is already in a ready to print, PDF form: SmartPlastics Guide. Take a look and see what you think for yourself.

Thanks, Mandy.

I also found a wealth of information just by looking up “plastic” on Wikipedia.

True or False?:
Plastic is made from petroleum.
True.

So. Is there a "good" plastic? When it saves and improves lives, ok. When used with food, in my opinion, no.

Do I still buy food in plastic packaging? Yes, of course, I don't make my own cottage cheese. Yet :) The best I can do right now is try to stay away from styrofoam, polycarbonate, and PVC, recycle what is recyclable, and be sure not to heat food in any form of it.

Baby Food Maker

I don't have a fancy food processor or a even a basic baby food grinder.

Here's what I use: my Braun handblender.

Something I owned pre-baby. It works great.

If I am pureeing just a small amount, I use the little container and attachment that came with it. Other times, I just blend the food up right in the dish it is already in. I just have to remember to use a dish with high sides so it doesn't fly everywhere! :) Often I will puree fruits and veggies in the right pot they were cooked in and then transfer them to a storage container or ice cube trays for freezing.

Quick and easy to clean, too.

That's what works for me. For more tips, visit Rocks in my Dryer !

Safer Microwave Reheating

I try to have an all-cloth kitchen. As in cloth napkins and cloth kitchen towels - no paper napkins or paper towels. (This really annoys my husband by the way.)

So what to do we do when we want to reheat a plate of food in the microwave? Well, I used to cover it with waxed paper. Then I learned that most wax paper is covered with a petroleum based coating – ew. And cling-wrap or other plastic in the microwave (or anywhere with heating food) is not recommended.

My pyrex food storage set is glass - but they have plastic lids - so I don’t want to put the lids in the microwave.

My solution?
I make a lid by covering the plate or dish with another plate or dish upside down over it. Safer, free, easy, and better for the environment, too. I also do the same thing if I am saving leftovers for a short time in the refrigerator, like if my husband is getting home late.

I like to think it is what my grandmother would have done!

For more quick kitchen tips go visit Kitchen Tip Tuesdays!

A Satire

So… I like to start off the week with a good laugh – at myself!

This is off the beaten path for my blog, so PLEASE heed the following warnings.
Family friendly: no
Offensive: possibly
Thought provoking: maybe
Hilarious?: I thought so!

http://www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, enough of the recipes today already, I know. I am posting this because...
1. It is so good.
2. I want to be able to link to it, and therefore I need to put it on here. It is originally from a recipe book, but I've made some alterations.

1 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour*
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

You know the drill.
Bake @ 375 for 10 minutes or less.
Yum.

*Sometimes I use whole wheat flour for all of the flour.

Thanks, Laura, for giving these a try! A couple notes for anyone else thinkng of trying these out: Personally, I love the added flavor from the whole wheat flour, but you have to get used to it if you've never baked with it. Also, I always use real, salted butter, not margarine. If you try this recipe, I'd like to hear what your thougts are on it, too!

Simple Smoothie

ThrifyFloridaMama is hosting Make-It-Yourself Monday. The idea is to share recipes for foods that you make from scratch that other people may be used to buying prepackaged or from a restaurant. The goal is to save money by learning to make it yourself.

I love Smoothie King. This is my alternative to the $4 smoothie.
Using frozen fruit is key in making the consistency of the smoothie.
I have many other recipes for smoothies but they all take some funky and/or expensive kind of juice so I’ve never tried them.
I know you can buy smoothie mixes but they usually have artificial colors and stuff.
I like to stay as pure as possible.
You could make it completely organic but that would raise the price, of course. But that is an option if you prefer.
It takes a few minutes to make, but then you can drink it on the go.

Ingredients:
6 oz. blueberry yogurt (I prefer the low-fat w/ sugar over fat-free because the fat-free has artificial sweeteners, but use whatever you like)
Frozen strawberries
Frozen banana
Bit of water - approx 1/3 of the yogurt container (could also use some kind of berry juice)
Some ice if desired (add last)

Blend well and serve. Makes one big glass.

Cost: approx. $1.50 or less

Go read Angie's post and then leave a link to your Make-It-Yourself idea!

Menu Plan 4/28/08

I will be back with posting an entire week’s menu plan next Monday. Since this week is the end of the month, I am waiting to shop on Thursday (so it will count on the May budget). We will just be finishing up stuff we already have for the next 3 days. On Wednesday, I will look at the grocery ads and plan my trips and meals for the following week or so.

Some things we may be eating up through Wednesday:

Breakfasts:
Malt-O-Meal cereal
French Toast (If I get my rear up in time to make it.)

Lunches
PB&J
Grilled Chicken Salad

Dinners:
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Beef/Gravy/Veggies/Noodles
Grilled Cheese/Tomato Soup

Sides/Desserts:
Side Salad
Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese
Green Beans
Strawberries
Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcake w/Vanilla ice cream (instead of whipped cream)
French Breakfast Puffs (made w/ whole wheat flour - I am out of white)

Other Food for Baby:
Oatmeal
Cheerios
Blueberries
Pears

Prunes
Veggies
Yogurt
Chicken

We didn’t get to the egg salad that was planned for last week because we had a night of frozen pizza instead. Frozen pizza is our unhealthy (yet cheap – only bought if they are $2 or less on sale) treat. So the egg salad is back on the menu for this week.

I hope to have more originality and new recipes I am trying on the menu next week!

Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie to read more and better :) menus for this week!

I Scream, You Scream...

We all scream for (FREE) ice cream!

Here's something delicious to look forward to this week.

This is what I've heard...

Tues. 4/29 Free cone day at Ben and Jerry's
Wed. 4/30 31 cent small dips at Baskin Robbin's (5-10 pm)

Mmmm...

I plan to see how insanely crowded Ben and Jerry's is on my way home Tuesday day before I decide to stop or not. Baskin Robbins is about 20 minutes away, but near some friends. So if we do that, we'll have to make an evening of it.

Down the Drain

If I were to host a blog carnival or meme (which I’m not) it would have to be on revealing or flaunting stupid mistakes, ’cause I do plenty of them.

I tend to be somewhat absentminded sometimes. That itself guarantees stupid mistakes are to follow. Like this, for example…

Thursday night I decided to be nice and make my husband something more interesting to take for lunch the next day than PB&J. So in all my resourcefulness/frugalness I was pretty pleased with myself to notice we had everything to make chicken fried rice, which I have made before and he likes. Leftover cooked rice (just the right amount), a cooked chicken breast in the fridge, a partial bag of frozen mixed veggies, soy sauce, sesame salad dressing, oil, and eggs.

So I stayed up late (yes, cooking after 9 pm is late for me) to whip up some freshly fried, white girl style chicken fried rice. I put it in the glass storage container and set it (lid off) on the counter to cool. Then I cleaned up the kitchen and headed to the other room.

Hmm… next morning, the chicken fried rice was still where I left it. I totally had forgotten to put it in the fridge before I went to bed. Now, usually I’m not a freak about eating leftovers, but I couldn’t feed it to my husband after it had been sitting out for 9 hours no matter how well it could be heated up! So down the garbage disposal it went…boo-hoo, what a waste. It was an entire 12 inch skillet’s worth. I hate wasting food. All my efforts literally down the drain. (Here’s where I should say I took it to compost, but really… yet another example of I’m just not there yet. Actually, I don’t even know if my husband would let me have a compost pile/bin/heap/whatever.)

Needless to say… my husband got PB&J. But at least he didn’t complain. He's usually ok with simple.

Corn Casserole

Or what I like to call baked corn or corny cornbread.
Recipe given to me from my mother-in-law.

1 16 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 16 oz. can creamed style corn
1 pkg. Jiffy corn bread mix
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 stick melted butter
1 c. sour cream

Mix all ingredients.
Add sour cream last.
Pour into 2 qt. greased dish.
Bake @ 350 for 1 hr.

For more side dish recipes, go check out Foody Friday... the more, the merrier!

Needed Soap

Here is some all-purpose soap I was excited to get on sale for $5 from Wild Oats/Whole Foods today. I think it is new. I read some good reviews on it. I don't know yet what I will use it for - hands, dishes, the dog, or all of the above - but I will let you know what I think when I try it.

Coffee Grinder, Solved!

My husband drinks coffee occasionally. Actually he drinks it nearly every day, but he gets it at work. So we make it at home only occasionally - when we have company. Our coffee maker's grinder broke on Tuesday. It was truly broken. If my husband can't fix it or rig it up, then it is really and truly broken. Anyways. We had company that needed coffee (my mom) and we only had beans. Instead of running to the store for ground coffee, I racked my brain for how to grind the beans myself. Then I remembered reading this tip about using a mason jar on your blender to grind nuts, coffee beans, spices, etc. I searched our cabinets for a mason jar... and lo and behold found one that fit. Put it on the blender and it worked! I was pretty proud of myself. Freshly ground coffee and it is even already in its own handy-dandy storage container. Just thought you might like to know in case you find yourself, too, in a coffee grinding pickle someday. Did I just say pickle? I don't think I've ever said that before.

Why I Don't CVS

As some of you know, if I were to say I went CVS-ing, that would mean doing something like this. Many people get items for great prices or even "free" by working the sale prices, using coupons, and getting rebates or store credit back. I tried shopping this way for 3 months (though not to the extreme of 6 transactions or 6 visits a week as in the example).

I’ve decided that what Works for Me is saying “no” to CVS shopping.

Here's why:

1. Time. Time is one of the most valuable commodities in my family's life right now. Shopping CVS deals takes that time.

2. I don't use many things that CVS carries. I am very picky about toiletry items - I only use the basics, and I get most of those at the health food store.

3. I have a small family. If I had a large family who used their products frequently, it would likely be more worth my time and energy.

4. I ended up buying those items I didn't want or need, just to score a deal. Did not make me feel good. I felt like a sucker.

5. It seems CVS overcharges for anything that is not on sale.

6. Many times CVS was out of stock of the sale items, so my planned "deals" did not work out.

7. I don't like coupon clipping. Again, just not worth the time. I don't want those items. I used so few coupons, it was probably equal to the cost of the paper. No savings there.

8. Made me grumpy to go to the store that often. Added stress to my life. Who needs that?

9. My CVSes do not stack store coupons, so many of the deals listed online didn't work for me.

10. It consumed my thoughts. I would go to bed thinking about it. Not healthy.

I realize, I could make this work if I really needed to. But I don't need the $10 (if that) difference a month for what it was costing me. The savings was simply not worth my time or energy. I guess CVS just doesn't hold many "bargains" for me right now. Let me say I am not anti-CVS across the board. Just for me. Right now.

***Kudos to those of you who utilize the CVS shopping strategy and receive a worthwhile return on your efforts. I’m a fan of using your resources. So if your abundant resource is time – and you are saving lots of money in exchange for your time – way to go.***

Personally, I have fun saving money in other ways. I still get good deals and freebies other places. I stick to a tight budget! I guess I am a CVS rebel. (Ditto for Walgreen's.)

Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more tips that work for others... they just might work for you, too!

I Love My Voss

What is my Voss? It is my water bottle. I drink a lot of water. Partly because I've been nursing my daughter, and partly because well, the only other main thing I drink is milk. And sometimes juice. I love juice. I just don't have it that often.

Anyways, I don't buy bottled water. I think that it is the dumbest thing ever. Or the smartest (if you're the one who invented it.) Except for once. I bought this fancy, schmancy Norwegian bottled water from World Market for $2. I saved the bottle, and have been re-using it ever since. Know why? Because it is glass! Isn't that nifty? And it looks really cool, too.I did drop it once. The bottle didn't break, but the plastic lid cracked. Isn't that hilarious? It still works though. And the best part? I can recycle this one and go get another one for $2 anytime I want.

I figure my Voss has been a pretty good investment while I save my pretty pennies for a stainless steel Klean Kanteen someday. Who knows? Maybe I'll get so attached to my Voss I'll forget about the Klean Kanteen...

ps - I'm hoping you surely know by now that you should not store drinks in aluminum or polycarbonate... yes, there are plastics that are supposedly safe to drink out of, but water from a glass bottle just tastes better to me, anyways.

CNN Reports on Moms

I've always liked creative frugality... I did my very first research paper in 7th grade on the lives of children during the Great Depresssion...

When you are ingenius out of necessity, you find of new ways of doing things and talents you have - that might otherwise never have been discovered. These might even stick with you for the long run and make the world a better place!

Read here from CNN on what many moms are learning.

Menu Plan

Here's what we will be eating at our house this week:


Breakfasts:
homemade
granola*
oatmeal
milk
o.j.
coffee

Lunches:
leftovers
pb&j
grilled cheese & tomato soup
chicken salad sandwiches
strawberries
granola bars

Dinners:
M- shepherd's pie
T- pizza party (small group)
W- egg salad sandwiches and peas
Th- pork and veggie stir fry
F- stir fry leftovers
S- homemade chicken nuggets and corn
S- chicken and corn leftovers

Desserts:
lime bars
homemade ice cream sandwiches
rhubarb pie
banana bread

*This is the simplest and yummiest granola I've tried.

Gotta get creative close to the end of the month. I could get more goceries if I wanted, but I really want to stick to my budget even more than I want to do that!

Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more fabulous meal plans!

Earth Day Project: T-Shirt Bag

Happy Earth Week!

I have noticed several stores giving away reusable bags for free in honor of Earth Day. Well, here's an even better idea... make your own unique shopping bags by reusing or recycling (which is it?) old t-shirts!

Before I had a blog, I sent this tip to Crystal. For those of you who haven't tried it, here are the directions again to make your own t-shirt bag, direct from Martha Stewart. It is incredibly easy and quick.

I made some for my mom, but still need to make some for myself! Maybe that would help me to remember to take them to the store with me. Actually I should just keep them in the trunk of the car... our stores now give a 5 cent discount for each bag you bring for your groceries.

Way to go green, Martha!

"But I need those plastic grocery bags," you say. "I use them as trash can liners!"

Well, I understand they can be handy, for stuff like kitty litter, etc. But for everything else, have you every thought of going bagless? We only use trash bags in the kitchen trash can and in the garage (I don't even know what my husband puts in there...) and those are large ones we buy. For the bathrooms and office, we go bagless. Try it, it's great freedom. You know what they say...

Confession: Currently, I sometimes take my plastic grocery bags to Wal-Mart to be recycled. But mostly, my husband likes to take his lunch in them to work (where I know he throws them in the trash when he's finished). My challenge will be to get him to take his lunch in a t-shirt bag and get it returned home. He doesn't like "to have to haul something around". I know, it's such a burden. :)

My Shopping Trip

I've never taken a picture of a shopping trip before, but now I have a place to post it and I can participate in Super Savings Saturday and the CentsAble Shopper Show and Tell. This is not to brag, but to encourage you to be a smart shopper (whatever that means for you).

I went to Price Chopper this morning for the things that were on sale. I paid $23.34 for 19 lbs of food. I wish I could say it is all organic, but at least it does not have fillers added.

Here's what I bought:

8 lbs. of ground beef

7 lbs. of frozen vegetables

4 lbs. of strawberries

I saved $20.63 due to the store specials. I forgot to print and use the Bird's Eye coupons or it would have been $2 more. Not too shabby for meat and produce, I think.

Consumerism - Ugh

The Story of Stuff
20 minutes. Watch it. This really makes you think about what you buy. I am guilty - I love to shop - and a kick in the pants to remember it is not all about me is needed! (I think this would be interesting for students, maybe 5th graders and up, too.)

Baby Safe Sunscreen

If you know me, you know I like to stay away from anything that has harmful chemicals or hormone disruptors. Here is an article I stumbled across on the safety of sunscreens. In the article, there is a link to Skin Deep, a website I have found very helpful in making choices on baby and personal care products. Thoughts?

Old School Organization

I confess, my organizational system is old-fashioned. But it is simple and I like it. And the best part - it was free!

My sister picked up a free planner for me from her college bookstore when they were giving them away at the start of the school year. I really like they easy to read layout with room to write on each day.

For all my other lists (I seriously love to make lists) I use a old spiral notebook. It drives me bonkers to write on the left-hand side since I'm a righty. So I use the right-hand pages only (as in I do not write on back of a page), and when I get to the end, I turn the notebook over and upside-down and go back through, using the backs of the pages (as if they were the fronts). Since it is el-cheapo I don't have to feel bad revising my lists and wasting the expensive planner sheets that some people use.

Both of these items stay at home unless I am going to a doctor's appointment (then I take my planner) or to the grocery store (then I take my notebook with my grocery list).

Occasionally I will type something up, like a menu plan or Christmas card list or something. But if I were to always type my lists, I'd need a computer or fancy phone (which I don't have) always in front of me because I am always thinking of them, and that just doesn't fly with a nearly 10 month old!

Local Artist

Well, local to those of you who live in the Dallas, TX area. Hmm, the only people that read this right now are probably family, and none of them live in Dallas, so I might as well be talking to a wall. Anyways, introducing Linde Browning of Linde Browning Design!
Check her out! I have known Linde, as the sister of the famous Abbe Jo, for about 12 years, and she is a lovely gal, very gifted.
(I think that promoting an artist/small business/giving-new-life-to-old-design falls under the realm of good and simple.)

Review

The Chicken Enchiladas were great. It made a huge batch - the 2 of us adults could probably get 4 meals out of them. I love having leftovers since I pack food for my husband a lot.

Pros:
large yield
no chopped onion
lots of real cheese (I don't like processed cheese)
basic ingredients

Cons:
probably high in fat with all the cream soup, cream cheese, sour cream, and shredded cheese

I cooked 3 large chicken breasts in the crockpot with a little water all day, shredded them, and used them for this dish. I had between almost 4 cups worth, not the whole 5 cups, and it was just fine. I also forgot to mix the sour cream in the sauce before I poured the sauce on the enchiladas. So I heated the sour cream and poured it on over the sauce right before I added the cheese for the last 5 minutes.

This was tasty! I will be making it again! Thanks, Mandy!

Pizza Breadsticks

We had some leftover pizza that was pretty dry (not much sauce) and chewy. It had been left out for an unknown period of time, so I didn't feel safe eating it cold. Last night we had some for dinner - heated up. Here's what I did with it today for lunch, and it turned out surprisingly good:
I cut it crosswise into strips using the pizza slicer.
Heated it thoroughly.
Serve it with ranch dipping sauce.
You could use marinara if you prefer.
Cheese-y breadsticks. Yum!

Airing the Dirty Laundry

Before and After (almost)

While I don't agree with all her views, I decided to participate in Crystal's Monday challenge. I had a rare free afternoon at home and needed some motivation to get some things done.

1. laundry (that is 2 loads to wash and 1 basket that is clean and just needs folded and put away)

2. clean the bathroom

I got the laundry and some vaccuming (bonus) done before my daughter woke up from her nap. It is now time to get dinner ready. The bathroom will have to remain uncleaned for now.

One load is folded and put away. One is in the dryer. Some clothes are on the drying rack. One load is in the washer.

I will report back tonight to let you know that all clothes are clean and put away, except for those still drip-drying on the drying rack (not pictured). By the way, that is a basket of clean rags that you see on top of the shelf in the last picture. A challenge is good, especially for those things we procrastinate on - like laundry, for me!

Progress report: Ok, I have to go fold one more load before I go to bed....

Free Movie Rental

Today's free code for a Redbox movie is JC10LK. This code is good for one free movie per credit card as long as you return it on time the next day. You should be able to use the promotional code until midnight tonight.

These codes are posted each Monday by Amy at The MotherLoad.

The Beautiful and Useful Rule

When cleaning out/streamlining or making a purchase for your home, ask yourself:

1. Is it beautiful?
2. Is it useful?

If it is neither, don't clutter up your home with it.

Bonus points if it is both!

Beautiful Story

Audrey Caroline...
A must read. Be sure you have time to cry.

Beginning of the story here.

End?? of the story here.

Chicken Enchiladas - new recipe

I am excited to try this recipe this week, maybe tomorrow or Tuesday. It is from our cousin Mandy (aka J Mom). I will report back after we give it the taste test.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Prep: 30 min.

Bake 30-40 min.

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

5 cups diced cooked chicken

20 flour tortillas (6 inches), room temperature

2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream

1 cup milk

2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies

4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in chicken and two cups Monterey Jack cheese.Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, milk and chilies; pour over enchiladas.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake five minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 10 servings.

Recipe taken from Taste of Home April/May 2008

Disclaimer

I know that this is supposed to be about sharing my ideas, but just so you know, you might get my unedited thoughts from time to time, as well.

Like the fact that you probably should know I might be somewhat of an information addict. Hi, I'm Emily, and I'm and info junkie. I just feel the need to let you know that up front. Because that's the kind of person I am - upfront. Yes, upfront. The girl who won "Shyest" in her high school class senior year. But hey, I also was nominated for another award that shall go unnamed. I was pretty flattered, though. (See, already, unedited thoughts.)

I mean, like, (my husband -- shall I refer to him as HH as in hunky husband? I don't like DH - sounds old - but I haven't been in the world enough to know if HH stands for something bad that I don't know about... please tell me if it does, but for now I will continue to refer to him as HH --anyways, he says I say "like" too much) I love to gather information and then make my own sense out of it. I love to sort through it and weed through it, and then figure out my own way of using it.

But of course, I don't have an addiction, I can quit anytime I want to. Quit reading, quit researching online, quit making lists, quit planning, quit asking questions... You believe me, right?

So ALL this to say that since I like to gather and filter information, I hope to only give you what I think is truly worthwhile, not every thing I come across. You may not always agree with my findings, but that shall nonetheless remain my goal.

Thanks for listening. Goodnight.

Oh, and I don't think I'll have a nickname for my husband on here. Some people can pull it off, but it makes me feel weird.