Move Over Glade

'Tis Satsuma season! Don't you just love those easy-to-peel little oranges? We fly through them in our house. Instead of ditching the peels in the compost why don't you used them to make a natural air freshener? Here's what you need:
Put the peels from a few of the little guys into a small pan, sprinkle some cinnamon over them or add a few cinnamon sticks, cover them in a decent amount of water and set the burner to the lowest heat level. Make sure you check it periodically so that all of the water doesn't evaporate - or if you're me you set a timer :)
Soon your home will be filled with cinnamony-orange goodness without the chemicals or waste from a store bought air freshener. Mmmmmm . . .

Article: Toxic Chemicals Found in Common Laundry Detergents, Air Fresheners
Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners

Time for a Treat

Me: If you finish eating those vegetables you can have a
treat!

My 5 year old: Oooh! What kind of treat?

Me: You'll see!

I'm sure my son was expecting a cupcake or a piece of candy or maybe even a small toy. But what he got was so much better. First of all, it was completely free. Plus, it not only causes no harm to the environment but it actually helps the earth. And it's something he'll never get tired of so I can use the same treat over and over again. Want to know what it I gave him?

My 5 year old: Mom! I'm done! I ate all my vegetables!
What's my treat?

Me: Time with me! You get to choose, an extra story at story time
or we can play a board game together.

My 5 year old: A game! A game! I want to play a game with
you!

You would think I had just told him he could live in Toys R Us. We played 3 rounds of Mancala and had a great time together. Not only was it a treat for him but it was also a treat for me.

The next night, I offered the same deal and he gobbled up the foods he is usually very picky about for another game night with me. He did extra chores for a trip to the park with Daddy. And last night he ate a bowlful of rice (which he HATES) to be able to have craft time with me.

I know how tempting it is to use candy or toys to avoid tantrums or picky eating battles or all manner of parental woes. But ultimately, those things are entirely consumable. They will rot our children's teeth or occupy space in a landfill. But time, that's the most frugally green gift you can give--and it will last forever!

free magazine!

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give me a crock-pot and some veggies and call me gerber!

one of my absolute favorite blogs is a year of crockpotting. this woman decided to cook in her crock-pot every day of 2008. she invited all of us to join in and learn from her journey. the best part, in my opinion, are not the pot roast or soup recipes (we've all seen those before), but the unique things she makes in there. for instance....baby food! we've heard the benefits of making your own baby food many times, but that usually included slaving over a steamy stove and lots of messy pots and pans. not this way! even if you don't have a baby right now she mentions using these cooked and pureed veggies in a deceptively delicious way and "sneaking" them into food for extra nutrition for your family.

she also has posts about making crayons, cream of mushroom soup, and other such frugally green items. so-dust off your crock-pot and see it as your new green friend!

Saving "tons" on lunch

It's that time of year . . . the yellow school buses are rolling out of the bus barn, the pencil sharpener is waking up and moms and dads around the world are preparing to pack daily lunches once again. I think that we'd all agree that "brown bagging" it is definitely the least expensive way to eat lunch at school . . . not to mention the healthiest way! Hopefully after reading this post you'll have a few more ways to save some cash as well as the lovely planet. Let me explain . . .

Every kid produces an average of 67 pounds of lunchbox waste per year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school (laptoplunches.com)- think baggies, wrappers, yogurt containers, juice boxes, plastic silverware, paper bags . . . enter Lunchopolis, Laptop Lunches, Lunchsense, Kid Conserve and other lunchbox systems.

These lunchbox systems will run you around $30 - $40 but believe me, you'll save that much and more . . . I'll explain:

First of all, Laptop Lunches are phthalate free, bisphenol-A (BPA) free and lead free. Lunchopolis is PVC and lead free. Lunchsense is BPA lead and PVC free. Kid Conserve is made of recycled cotton and non-leaching food grade stainless steel. You're saving your kiddo exposure to some fantastic chemicals - bravo!!!

Second you've got reusable containers that fit perfectly in the box so that saves trash and cash. No more buying lunch bags and Ziplocs to store lunch in. You can also buy a "back-up" set of containers so that while one set is being washed, the other set can be packed for the next day's lunch - handy dandy. Using one plastic sandwich bag per school day will cost approximately $10 a year. With a lunchbox system you never need to use plastic bags.

Third - more trash and cash savings: think juice boxes, yogurt, bottled water, granola bar wrappers, chip bags . . . using a lunchbox system encourages bulk buying. For example, packing one 8 ounce juice box in your child’s lunch every school day will cost approximately $224 a year. Refilling your reusable drinking bottle every school day from a 128 ounce bottle of juice would cost approximately $144 a year. That’s a savings of $80 (see you've paid for the lunchbox and it's guts already!!!). An individual serving of organic yogurt costs approximately $1.50. A 32 ounce container of the same yogurt costs approximately $3 and you get up to 5 servings to fill your reusable container. Individual 8 oz bottles of spring water will cost you approximately $47 a year. Using a reuseable waterbottle and water bought in a 1 to 5 gallon container will cost approximately $5 to $11 a year . . . . you get the point.

Other ways to save:
Pack a reusable cloth napkin
Pack real silverware - afraid your kid will lose your nice silverware (they will :)? Take a trip to your neighborhood thrift store and stock up so that you won't have to worry about granny's silver going missing.

Just think, if every child did this - Money normally spent on waste hauling could be used in the classroom instead.

If you are looking for some creative, healthy and fun lunch ideas for the 180 days that you all pack lunches, check here.
Learn to pack a no waste lunchbox here.

Packing lunches in containers means a bit more work . . . no more easy to throw in Quaker granola bars, snack packs of Doritos and Gogurt. However, calculating the cost to your wallet as well as to the environment shows that the extra effort pays off in the end.

move over mcnuggets!

i am on a mission to get convenience food without the cost to my wallet and health. i LOVE convenience food cuz i think it's so yummy and so....well....convenient! i've tried several things already and love having the power to make something "packaged" my very own self! it is very empowering. for some reason when i look at things in the store all neatly wrapped and labeled it never even occurs to me that I could make that.
well...no longer! i tried my very own "mcnuggets" and boy were they good! i even sliced up some apple dippers on the side:) they really tasted so good and even my boys liked them (after years of the ones from the golden arches). super easy...wanna try?

-put some corn flakes, special k, or other cereal in your blender/food processor. chop -them to oblivion. add some salt, pepper or other spices to taste and maybe a little flour as well.
-cut up some chicken (boneless, skinless is easiest)
-dip chicken bits in egg and roll in the crushed cereal mixture
-bake

wasn't that fun? you can buy or make your own sweet 'n sour, bbq, honey mustard, or any kind of sauce! i put mine in little ziplocs in portions of 8-10 so i can pull 'em out and microwave for a warm healthy, and oh-so-convenient meal for my boys!

they're grrrrrrrrrrrreat!!!

i have no original creativity, but boy can i spot a good idea when i see one! check out a multitude of ways to repurpose all those cereal boxes you're tossing...