Zero-Waste and Plastic-Free Storage for Leftovers

Zero-Waste, Plastic-Free Leftover StorageOne of the key ways to reduce food waste (see HERE) is to eat leftovers, and part of making those leftovers desirable to eat is storing them in a way that keeps them fresh. In many houses, storing leftovers is synonymous with plastic containers or large amounts of trash (for example, disposable plastic wrap or aluminum foil). This isn’t good for your health (see HERE) or for the environment.… Continue reading

Something From Nothing, by Phoebe Gilman

Something from Nothing, by Phoebe GilmanSomething From Nothing is a book that we’ve read over and over and over again. In fact, we love it so much, that when we loaned it to our friends and they accidentally left it on an airplane, I had to go out and find another copy so we’d still have one to read (Thankfully they had a copy at our favorite used book store!).… Continue reading

Thought for the Day: Thorp

“Cooking gives you the opportunity to meet the things you eat. You can touch each carrot or olive and get to know its smell and texture.You can feel its weight and notice its color and form. If it is going to become part of you, it seems worthy, at least, of acknowledgment, respect, and thanks. It takes much time and care in order for things to grow, and many labors are needed to bring these ingredients to the kitchen.… Continue reading

Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cookies RecipePeanut Butter Cookies on a dreary, rainy day? Yes, please! When my 6-year-old suggested making cookies today, so we would have a treat to share with our visiting friends (and a treat for himself!), it sounded like a delicious idea. I modified my Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe (see HERE) to make a batch of Peanut Butter Cookies. I made classic Peanut Butter Cookies for me, and my son wanted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for him.… Continue reading

Healthy Snack: Fruit-Sweetened Green Chocolate Smoothie

Healthy Snack: Green Chocolate SmoothieWe love cold, milkshake-style smoothies on a hot afternoon. We haven’t made one all winter, and when my 6-year-old asked for one as a treat this afternoon, it sounded fantastic.

So we pulled out my on-its-last-legs high-powered blender, tossed in a bunch of ingredients, and then enjoyed our smoothies outside on the deck in the afternoon sunshine. This could also be a great breakfast smoothie, though I may add an egg or some nut butter to the mix for a bit more protein.… Continue reading

Simplify Saturday: Organize your Pantry

Simplify Saturday: Organize your PantryMy toddler has recently decided that pulling everything out of our pantry is really fun. While he typically puts everything back on the shelves, he puts arranges them in his own fashion. This means that over time, our lower shelves are in greater and greater disarray. This disorder is starting to really bother me, as I can no longer be sure of exactly what is on those lower shelves; and every time I open the pantry it reminds me that I need to do something about it.… Continue reading

34 Ways to Reduce Food Waste

The other week, I posted about the huge amount of food that is wasted on a daily basis in the United States (see HERE): almost 40% of our food supply is wasted. While you may not have direct control over what happens on a large farm or within food processing facilities, you can control what happens in your kitchen. Since US consumers throw away roughly 25% of the food they buy, that can add up to huge savings.… Continue reading

Easy Fruit-Sweetened Banana Ice Cream

Easy Fruit-Sweetned Banana Ice CreamWhat do you do when your kids are asking for spur of the moment ice cream? Find a way to make it with whatever you have on hand, of course. We had no cream in the house, so this is more of an Ice Milk recipe, but we call anything that’s a frozen ice-cream-like dessert ice cream in our house.

I try to keep our sugar consumption low, so this ice cream is entirely sweetened with fruit.… Continue reading

Homemade Bubble Solution

Homemade Bubble SolutionWe go through a lot of bubble solution in our house. It frequently gets knocked over or spills, my toddler dumps it, and we just all enjoy being outside making bubbles, so it gets used quickly. There’s something magical about watching bubbles fly about in the air, and we all love to partake. Buying bubble solution gets rather expensive, so we’ve been experimenting over the years with making our own.… Continue reading