I am totally in love with my slow-cooker. Have I said that before? Head-over-heals in love. It is now a permanent fixture on my counter top, no longer banished next to the fondue pot under the cabinet. I have seen the light!
This weekend I made Creamy, No-Stir Risotto in the crockpot, and now, I am (of all things!) making home-made yogurt in it. I am so excited about it, I am smiling as I write this post! I plan on posting the recipe for the risotto, but I am still tweaking it. My idea is to use prepared butternut squash soup (the Cambell's in the green box) to make a no-fuss, dump-it-and-leave-it butternut squash risotto, and my results were promising (and quite delicious). It's just that the proportions were a little off, so I want to refine it before sharing. However, I will post the link to the original recipe that inspired me:
No-Stir Crockpot Risotto
The yogurt was a surprise. I've been wanting to make home-made yogurt for years, ever since I saw my aunt do it. Only fear and the price of a yogurt maker kept me from doing it. So I get the bright idea to Google "How to make home-made yogurt", thinking surely there is a way to do it safely without a lot of trouble or fancy equipment, and what should pop up in the results but how to make yogurt in the crockpot! The blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, is one that I actually became familiar with way back before it was very big. Wow, has it grown! I highly suggest that you check it out, if you haven't already.
Showing posts with label Smart Ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smart Ideas. Show all posts
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Monday, November 2, 2009
Quick Garden Update
I've added some new herbs to my garden! Oregano and purple basil, but the chives and catmint that I started from seed have also sprouted! Unfortunately, we've had so little sun for the past two months, that once they sprouted, they barely grew and keeping them alive has been a challenge. We're in for seven days of warm sunshine, though, so I hope they'll be able to grow some more and really get established before we start having frost.
I also started (at last!) my "Lacinato" Kale and "Bright Lights" Chard. I read somewhere that you can just use old egg cartons to start seeds in, so that's what I'm trying! I'm horribly late getting them in (I should have done it back in August/September!) but we really don't get much cold here until December/January, so I think it will be alright for these cold-hardy plants. We'll see, anyway! I had bought some excellent compost from a master gardening at a plant sale, and that's what I've chosen to start them in. I'll update if they sprout!
Also, we've planted some Lamb's Ear in the pot that my oldest daughter painted. It looks so cute! She LOVES its soft texture and silve/green color, and is always wanting to go outside and check on it. I'm glad that it is in a pot, because it is apparently a very hardy, prolific plant (actually, it's a weed) and is known to take over if you're not careful.
Hopefully in the next few days I can get out my camera and actually take some pictures! That would add a lot to these updates, but I just can't seem to think about it until after-the-fact. At least I AM updating my blog!
I also started (at last!) my "Lacinato" Kale and "Bright Lights" Chard. I read somewhere that you can just use old egg cartons to start seeds in, so that's what I'm trying! I'm horribly late getting them in (I should have done it back in August/September!) but we really don't get much cold here until December/January, so I think it will be alright for these cold-hardy plants. We'll see, anyway! I had bought some excellent compost from a master gardening at a plant sale, and that's what I've chosen to start them in. I'll update if they sprout!
Also, we've planted some Lamb's Ear in the pot that my oldest daughter painted. It looks so cute! She LOVES its soft texture and silve/green color, and is always wanting to go outside and check on it. I'm glad that it is in a pot, because it is apparently a very hardy, prolific plant (actually, it's a weed) and is known to take over if you're not careful.
Hopefully in the next few days I can get out my camera and actually take some pictures! That would add a lot to these updates, but I just can't seem to think about it until after-the-fact. At least I AM updating my blog!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Cloth Diaper Update!
I am totally in love with cloth diapering. Is that silly? Perhaps, but I'm shamefully silly about nearly everything I do, so nothing new there. I've gotten my youngest daughter back into cloth, and I absolutely love it. In fact, since I've gotten my routine down, I'm finding that the whole, "disposable are so convenient" line to be total hogwash for my situation. For me, they are no more convenient than cloth. In fact, I find them to be less convenient. (Ironically, that was my same conclusion for formula vs. breastmilk: who EVER said that constantly washing, sterilizing, and measuring bottles was convenient when you can just whip out your boob and have the perfect meal at the perfect temp with no clean-up? And need I mention that it's FREE? okay, rant over). Constantly dealing with the smell, hauling out the trash, going to the diaper box to discover that I am COMPLETELY out of diapers and need to run to the store for more, my daughters inevitably outgrowing a size when I have just purchased a $45 bulk box and I have tons leftover....None of those things spell convenience for me. Of course, they are preventable with extra planning. But any inconvenience with cloth is preventable with extra planning, too. Here's what I've learned to streamline my current cloth-diaper routine:
Get a diaper pail liner: If your washing machine has an agitator, you can just dump the whole bag into the wash and the diapers will agitate out of the bag during the cycle. Since I have a front-loader, I just turn the bag inside out in the washer and wash the bag with the diapers. No more sticking my hands in a dirty-diaper pail! Genius!
For cloth wipes, get a regular wipe-warmer and fill it with your pre-soaked cloth wipes. That way they are already damp and warm and ready to use. I cannot tell you how much of my life I wasted at the sink with the baby in a dirty diaper on my hip, waiting for the tap water to warm up so I could get the wipe wet. I didn't hear this tip soon enough! I had heard of the 'spray bottle at the changing table' idea, but that didn't solve my dilemma of wanting the wipes to be warm (I certainly don't want my bottom wiped with a cold rag!). The wipe-warmer has been the perfect solution!
Make sure the diaper pail gets some airflow. If it is sealed airtight, it will smell. I always sealed it before because I thought that would keep it from smelling, but the opposite turned out to be true! I just set the lid on top of the pail without sealing it, and there is no smell. I don't mean it doesn't smell much, I mean there is no smell. My experience is that disposables in the diaper genie are far more offensive to the nose. While my diapers are washing, I do a quick rinse of the diaper pail with water and vinegar, then put in a fresh liner (I have two). It takes me about five minutes to start the diapers in the wash, rinse the diaper pail, and put in the fresh liner-- about the same time that it takes me to take the garbage out.
Be willing to experiment. This was the advice that I got from Green Mountain Diapers, and it is just about the best advice I've ever heard. There are SO many different ways to cloth diaper, and so much of it is subjective, based on your own taste and your own, unique child. Really, it is over-whelming. When I first started, I was convinced that it would be easier with expensive diaper covers. Now that I bought three to try, I found that the cheap Dappi Nylon Covers were easier for me and fit my daughter better. It took a lot of experimentation, too, to find the routine that worked for me and my daughter. Here's what we have so far:
I have two diaper pails: one for poopy diapers and wipes next to the toilet in the bathroom, and one next to the changing table in my daughter's room for wet diapers and covers that do not need to be rinsed. Since not every diaper needs to be rinsed, I don't have to walk to the bathroom at EVERY diaper change like I did for two years. Every night, I pick up the diaper pail as I leave my daughter's room and immediately throw everything from both pails in the wash. I rinse the pails and change the liners. It takes me five minutes. At some point before I go to bed, I hang everything up to air-dry over night. This takes about 5 minutes. When I wake up in the morning, I toss the diapers only (not wipes or covers) into the dryer for 15 minutes to get soft. It takes me two minutes. Then I put everything away whenever I put away the other laundry.
Maybe that does take me a few more minutes total (I believe I'm at 12 minutes of my actually time being used) than it takes to take the trash outside and put a new plastic bag in the trash can or diaper genie, but it's not nearly as big a difference as disposable diaper companies would have me believe. You also have to rinse out diaper genies occasionally to keep them from getting nasty. You are also supposed to take disposables to the bathroom and dump the poop into the toilet before throwing it away. Let's face it: diapering children is not convenient no matter which method you use. And for me personally and my situation, what little difference in convenience there is, it is not enough to convince me that it is worth the astronomical price tag, or exposure to harmful chemicals.
Get a diaper pail liner: If your washing machine has an agitator, you can just dump the whole bag into the wash and the diapers will agitate out of the bag during the cycle. Since I have a front-loader, I just turn the bag inside out in the washer and wash the bag with the diapers. No more sticking my hands in a dirty-diaper pail! Genius!
For cloth wipes, get a regular wipe-warmer and fill it with your pre-soaked cloth wipes. That way they are already damp and warm and ready to use. I cannot tell you how much of my life I wasted at the sink with the baby in a dirty diaper on my hip, waiting for the tap water to warm up so I could get the wipe wet. I didn't hear this tip soon enough! I had heard of the 'spray bottle at the changing table' idea, but that didn't solve my dilemma of wanting the wipes to be warm (I certainly don't want my bottom wiped with a cold rag!). The wipe-warmer has been the perfect solution!
Make sure the diaper pail gets some airflow. If it is sealed airtight, it will smell. I always sealed it before because I thought that would keep it from smelling, but the opposite turned out to be true! I just set the lid on top of the pail without sealing it, and there is no smell. I don't mean it doesn't smell much, I mean there is no smell. My experience is that disposables in the diaper genie are far more offensive to the nose. While my diapers are washing, I do a quick rinse of the diaper pail with water and vinegar, then put in a fresh liner (I have two). It takes me about five minutes to start the diapers in the wash, rinse the diaper pail, and put in the fresh liner-- about the same time that it takes me to take the garbage out.
Be willing to experiment. This was the advice that I got from Green Mountain Diapers, and it is just about the best advice I've ever heard. There are SO many different ways to cloth diaper, and so much of it is subjective, based on your own taste and your own, unique child. Really, it is over-whelming. When I first started, I was convinced that it would be easier with expensive diaper covers. Now that I bought three to try, I found that the cheap Dappi Nylon Covers were easier for me and fit my daughter better. It took a lot of experimentation, too, to find the routine that worked for me and my daughter. Here's what we have so far:
I have two diaper pails: one for poopy diapers and wipes next to the toilet in the bathroom, and one next to the changing table in my daughter's room for wet diapers and covers that do not need to be rinsed. Since not every diaper needs to be rinsed, I don't have to walk to the bathroom at EVERY diaper change like I did for two years. Every night, I pick up the diaper pail as I leave my daughter's room and immediately throw everything from both pails in the wash. I rinse the pails and change the liners. It takes me five minutes. At some point before I go to bed, I hang everything up to air-dry over night. This takes about 5 minutes. When I wake up in the morning, I toss the diapers only (not wipes or covers) into the dryer for 15 minutes to get soft. It takes me two minutes. Then I put everything away whenever I put away the other laundry.
Maybe that does take me a few more minutes total (I believe I'm at 12 minutes of my actually time being used) than it takes to take the trash outside and put a new plastic bag in the trash can or diaper genie, but it's not nearly as big a difference as disposable diaper companies would have me believe. You also have to rinse out diaper genies occasionally to keep them from getting nasty. You are also supposed to take disposables to the bathroom and dump the poop into the toilet before throwing it away. Let's face it: diapering children is not convenient no matter which method you use. And for me personally and my situation, what little difference in convenience there is, it is not enough to convince me that it is worth the astronomical price tag, or exposure to harmful chemicals.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Things I Love This Week
ScharffenBerger 70% Dark Chocolate Bar
I've been indulging in this artisan chocolate recently, which I can only find at my local Whole Foods. I LOVE the texture. It has that real hard texture when you first bite into it, which I love, but immediately melts smooth and creamy in your mouth. Plus, there's no bitter aftertaste, even though it's not sweet.
The Republic of Tea: Pomegranate and Vanilla Red Tea
I'm loving the soothing flavors of this red tea. Even though it's caffeine-free, I've found it's just the thing for a break on a hectic afternoon. And sip easy, because $1 from the sale of this tea will support the Susan G Koman for the Cure.
Innobaby Packin' Smart
I love these little stackable containers. I pack the girls' snacks for our trips out and about. They are perfect for raisins, cheerios, etc, but would be great for vitamins, paperclips, whatever. However, if you are using them for little ones, you can rest assured that they are BPA-free.
Homemade Vanilla Yogurt Pops
I filled out basic popsicle molds with regular, Brown Cow Vanilla Yogurt and put them in the freezer. Then I told the girls it was ice cream. They never knew the difference!
Farm Fresh Eggs
I found egg from pastured chickens at my local farmer's market for about half the cost of the grocery store. The flavor is far superior to store-bought eggs. Plus, I love supporting the farmer's directly! Here's a tip: egg yolks are bright orange when they are fresh. Those yellow yolks from the grocery store mean they're poor quality eggs that have already had a long shelf-life.
I've been indulging in this artisan chocolate recently, which I can only find at my local Whole Foods. I LOVE the texture. It has that real hard texture when you first bite into it, which I love, but immediately melts smooth and creamy in your mouth. Plus, there's no bitter aftertaste, even though it's not sweet.
The Republic of Tea: Pomegranate and Vanilla Red Tea
I'm loving the soothing flavors of this red tea. Even though it's caffeine-free, I've found it's just the thing for a break on a hectic afternoon. And sip easy, because $1 from the sale of this tea will support the Susan G Koman for the Cure.
Innobaby Packin' Smart
I love these little stackable containers. I pack the girls' snacks for our trips out and about. They are perfect for raisins, cheerios, etc, but would be great for vitamins, paperclips, whatever. However, if you are using them for little ones, you can rest assured that they are BPA-free.
I filled out basic popsicle molds with regular, Brown Cow Vanilla Yogurt and put them in the freezer. Then I told the girls it was ice cream. They never knew the difference!
I found egg from pastured chickens at my local farmer's market for about half the cost of the grocery store. The flavor is far superior to store-bought eggs. Plus, I love supporting the farmer's directly! Here's a tip: egg yolks are bright orange when they are fresh. Those yellow yolks from the grocery store mean they're poor quality eggs that have already had a long shelf-life.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
How I Try to Stay Healthy During Cold and Flu Season
As a single mom with two active kids and one on the way, I cannot afford to get sick this winter. Period. In our household, there is so much to do that we need all hands on deck and I do not have the luxury of staying in bed or "taking it easy" (honestly, who nowadays CAN do that?). Luckily, neither of my kids go to daycare or school, so their exposure level is far below normal, but that doesn't mean we won't pick something up at the grocery store. The way that I try to get healthy is to not get sick in the first place. Easier said than done, right? Well, there are a few things that I do to give my immune system a boost:
Eat well. Flu season especially is no time to eat junk. I try to eat a wide variety of colors to ensure I'm getting enough vitamins and minerals. I know that if my body is struggling to process excess sugar or protein, it's already going to be too stressed to fight off any foreign entities!
Brush, floss, and Listerine at least twice a day, that's how I keep myself healthy. The mouth is a gateway to the body. If you can keep it clean and kill the germs BEFORE they enter your stomach, you're giving a major boon to your immune system. When I start to get a scratchy throat, I rinse my mouth with Listerine for at least 30 seconds several times a day. I have found that for me, this will stop a cold dead in its tracks faster than any medication.
Wash hands! (we all know that one!) I also try to keep from touching my face.
I take a Probiotic Advantage every day. This tiny pearl of acidophiles replenishes the "good" bacteria in your gut, which will not only keep you regular, it keeps your immune system in a healthy balance.
And if my body is giving me signs that it is struggling: acne outbreaks, mouth ulcers, (what signs does your body give you?), I start taking extra Vitamin C and drink lots and lots of water. I also drink a cup of hot green tea with local honey for the antioxidants- something I should do year-round, and not just when I'm getting a cold.
Eat well. Flu season especially is no time to eat junk. I try to eat a wide variety of colors to ensure I'm getting enough vitamins and minerals. I know that if my body is struggling to process excess sugar or protein, it's already going to be too stressed to fight off any foreign entities!
Brush, floss, and Listerine at least twice a day, that's how I keep myself healthy. The mouth is a gateway to the body. If you can keep it clean and kill the germs BEFORE they enter your stomach, you're giving a major boon to your immune system. When I start to get a scratchy throat, I rinse my mouth with Listerine for at least 30 seconds several times a day. I have found that for me, this will stop a cold dead in its tracks faster than any medication.
Wash hands! (we all know that one!) I also try to keep from touching my face.
I take a Probiotic Advantage every day. This tiny pearl of acidophiles replenishes the "good" bacteria in your gut, which will not only keep you regular, it keeps your immune system in a healthy balance.
And if my body is giving me signs that it is struggling: acne outbreaks, mouth ulcers, (what signs does your body give you?), I start taking extra Vitamin C and drink lots and lots of water. I also drink a cup of hot green tea with local honey for the antioxidants- something I should do year-round, and not just when I'm getting a cold.
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