Bedroom

I was checking out other green sites and advice from other people (well lets face it no one can know everything no matter how much we read and experiment) and I discovered this list on USAweekend.com which is perfect for how to get green in the bedroom. Here is a lovely link for you so you can go check it out.

http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/080423/080423bedroom.html

Going Green In the Bath

Ok if you've been reading you probably realize where the crazy part comes from. I am a bit flighty and jump around with what every pops into my head I'll be doing something and think OOHHHH I should share that. My last post about the bird food came from my last shopping trip. I saw this giant bottle of humming bird food and it was this really gross red color. Ive been making my own humming bird food for years and they love it why would you add food coloring....

Anyway I started discussing ways to go green all around the house and only got the kitchen done. Well now I'm getting back to this topic and I hope you find it helpful.

Lets start with cleaning. Baking soda is a great environmentally friendly, family friendly, and pocket book friendly.

The toilet:
A 1/2 cup of baking soda in the toilet bowl will work for light duty cleaning. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then brush it away. For heavy duty cleaning dip steel wool in the baking soda and give it a good scrub

Tubs and showers:
Clean fiberglass tubs and showers, (be careful since fiberglass scratches easily). Make a paste of baking soda and dishwashing liquid, and wipe it on with a sponge.
Adding baking soda to the bathwater will reduce ring- around-the-tub and soften your skin.
Use 2 tablespoons for a tubful of water.

Get rid of stains on nonskid strips or appliqués in the tub by dampening the area, then sprinkling it with baking soda. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then scrub and rinse it off.
Use a baking-soda paste to remove mildew stains on grout. Apply the paste, scrub it with an old toothbrush, then rinse.
Clean mildew stains and do light cleaning of a shower curtain by sprinkling baking soda the curtain and then rub it together. Rinse well.
Floors: Clean a tile or no-wax bathroom floor with 1/2 cup baking soda in a bucket of warm water. Mop and rinse well.

Drains: For the routine cleaning of sink and tub drains, pour in 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1 cup vinegar. Let sit for 10 to 20 minutes, then flush with very hot water.

Odor control: Musty-smelling bath towels and bath mats can be deodorized by adding 1/2 cup baking soda to the rinse cycle.
Add a perpetual air freshener to the toilet area by keeping baking soda in a pretty dish on the back of the tank. Add your favorite scented bath salts to the mix, as well. Change every 3 months. Got little ones try one of the new boxes with the peel off sides to keep it from being spilled.
Reuse old pantyhose or nylon knee-highs by putting baking soda in the tip, tie, and cut off the excess stocking then hang the stocking around the pipes under the sink for ongoing odor control.

Sprinkle baking soda in the bathroom trash can after each emptying.

Counters and vanities: Clean the marble surfaces with a baking-soda-and-white-vinegar paste. Wipe the marble clean, and buff.
A simple baking-soda paste will attack hard water or rust stains on ceramic tile. Use a nylon scrubber, then rinse the area thoroughly

Other things around the Bathroom:


Swap out bathroom lights with compact fluorescent bulbs. Ok this one is obvious and should be done throughout your house. So I won't be adding it to the other rooms when I do them LOL. The come in many different sizes so you should be able to find one that fits every fixture in your home.

Try a mildew resistant cloth liner instead of plastic. It will last longer and keeps PVC's, that the plastic shower curtain gives off, out of your air.

Get a squeegie for the shower and bath. Use it after you wash to help keep your stall and tub cleaner longer. By keeping the water from drying on the wall you help keep soap scum and minerals from drying on!

Use less water Lets save some for the fishes: If you are replacing your toilet try a duel flush toilet. No it doesn't flush twice it has two buttons. One for #1 and one for #2 if ya know what I mean. If your not replacing your throne anytime soon try placing a 2 liter bottle of water in the tank. The tank will fill faster and use less water when you flush.

Don't forget to turn off the water when your brushing your teeth and shaving. You'll save water and send less money to the water company.

Try a low flow shower head. I personally don't like them because it takes so long to get wet. Instead I shut off the water while a shampoo and wash up then turn it back on to rinse.

Last but not least try some green products. Now there are plenty of organic body washes, shampoos and soaps out there you will have to find one you like which will cost you some money but gets the excess of chemicals out of your bathroom. Also look around for Toilet Paper made with recycled paper. I like Marcal which is made from 100% paper, they also make paper towels if you want them.

I'm Back Lets talk Humming Birds

Do you like to feed humming birds? Do you like watching them fly around at lightening speed?

Then STOP buy that nasty artifically colored food for them! You don't need it it's junk! If your feeder is red where the humming birds feed - that's all you need. There is no point in poisoning them with Artifical Colors in their food. It's bad enough when we do it to ourselves. These little birds need loads of nectar so what do you feed them if not store bought red crap. Try this easy recipe

Humming Bird Food

Heat 4 Cups of water. Desolve 1 cup of sugar in the hot water. Make sure it's completely desolved. Let cool completely and add to the feeder.

Got ant problems. try placing a barrier around your feeder. A moat of water or some sticky tape wrapped around the post (change frequently) should solve the problem.

No New Posts Till Tuesday

I'm going to a funeral this weekend for my grandfather I'll be back Tuesday.

Sauces Made from Scratch

I promised you some tasty sauces that you can make yourself and got a little side tracked but here just a little late.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

6 oz can pineapple chunks (save juice)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce ( if watching your salt get low - sodium soy sauce)

2 TBLS cornstarch

Drain the juice from the pineapple into a small saucepan. Combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch in the saucepan.

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. It will thinken as it boils.

Add the pineapple chunks, and stir for a minute or two until the fruit is heated.

Per Serving

Serving Size 1/3 cup

Calories 98

Fat 0

Sodium 212 mg

Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 cup Water

2 Tbls cornstarch

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup wine vinegar

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ginger powder

In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup of water with cornstarch

Combine honey, 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, vinegar, onion and ginger powders in a saucepan and whisk together.

Add the cornstarch mix while constantly stirring.

Heat the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 - 3 minutes. It will thicken as it boils.

Store in a covered container in the fridge it will keep for several months.

Per Serving

Serving size 1/4 cup

Calories: 101

Fat: 0

Sodium: 432 mg

Pesto sauce

2 Cups packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1/2 Cup pine nuts

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Wash the basil leaves and remove and compost the stems. ( I suppose you can throw them away if you don't compost shame shame shame LOL)

Put basil in a blender or food processor then add all the other ingredients. Blend until the sauce is creamy and well blended. Use or Cover and store in Fridge.

Per Serving

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

Calories: 191

Fat: 20 grams

Sodium: 180 mg

Going Green In your Kitchen

My next few posts will be about different ways to make each room of your home more environmentally friendly with out breaking the bank. I'm going to start with the kitchen. It is said that the kitchen is the heart of the home and having a green heart (not literally ewww) is a great place to start.

1. Composting ...... Take those table scraps, vegetable peels, coffee grinds, that half a glass of juice the kids left on the table... ect and compost them. I even have a video at the bottom of my blog to help you out. All you really need is a small bin with a lid in the kitchen and a bottomless bin in the back yard. Take the left overs out at the end of the day and dump them in the bin in the yard. Rinse the Kitchen container and dump the water in the compost to keep it moist. Add some leaves, grass clippings, shredded newspaper or even shredded bills (only add those if you know what kind of ink is used. You want soy based ink. You should be able to find out with a quick call) Turn your compost once a week to allow air to flow through it soon it will look like rich dark soil.
2. Check out your local farmers market and buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. Don't know which produce is in season check out http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/eatseasonal/ Here you can find whats in season when and put in your zip code to find stores and farms near you.
3. Get an aerator for your kitchen faucet and cut your water usage in half.
4. When using your dishwasher let your dishes air dry to save electricity.
5. When every possible use a toaster oven or slow cooker which uses less electricity then an oven and doesn't heat up the house as much. (think less air conditioner use)
6. Drop the soda habit. Ok Ok I know this will be hard for some people. But soda is just plain unhealthy. Regular soda is a sugar overload and diet soda is a chemical nightmare. Plus no need to recycle the cans if they are not in your house to begin with. That aluminum can be use to make something more useful.
7. If you use baking soda in your fridge and freezer reuse it when you replace it by pouring it down your sink followed by a cup of vinegar. It will help keep your pipes clean and fresh.

Making it Yourself

Lets face it the stuff that gets put into the foods you buy in the store can sometimes be rather scary. So here are some tasty Salad Dressings you can make yourself and check it out you can PRONOUNCE every ingredient.

Caesar Dressing

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

2 Cloves Garlic

1tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Place all of the ingredients in a blender, cover and blend until smooth

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will last for several weeks.

Calories: 116

Fat: 12 Grams

Cholesterol: 3 mg

Carbs: 1 Gram

Fiber: 1 Gram

Protein: 2 Grams

Sodium: 80 Mg

Honey Mustard Dressing

2 Tbls Honey

1 Tlbs Prepared Mustard

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Low-fat Mayonnaise

1 Tbls Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp Minced Onion

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh Parsley

1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce

pinch of salt

Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk together for 30 secons or till smooth.

Refrigerate in a tightly covered container.

Calories: 92

Fat: 8 G

Cholesterol: 5 mg

Carbohydrates: 5 G

Fiber: 0 G

Protein: 0 G

Sodium: 115 mg

Come Back Tomorrow For Some Delicious Sauces.

what a sham: may 15, another boycott on buying gas...

this whole, not buying gas, thing doesn't work. eventually you buy the gas, whether its the day before or after, so you really aren't hurting anyone.

Make a real difference!:

*ride your bike more often

*plan your route so you make more right turns (left turns waste gas. UPS did this and have proven to save mega amounts of gas)

*stop buying petrol based products (like non-organics.) did you know that fertilizers are made w/ petroleum based products...so switching over to organics will help reduce our dependence on oil.

* buy local produce. buying local obvisouly saves petrol because your kiwi isn't shipped from new zealand.

*buy alternative "plastics" made from vegetable cellulouse.

*take your own cotton bag(s) for all shopping. plastic bags are made from petroleum.

This list of wonderful things to do to help save gas was provided by organicgal Susanna Tocco at cafemom.